Chapter 49: The Trophy of High Society

On the way back to the Ferbache Imperial Mansion in a carriage.  

Yohan gazed out the window with a stern expression. His face, reflected in the carriage window, flickered faintly. That face seemed somehow unfamiliar.  

‘So much has happened today…‘

Princess Laryana Rogino. Her confident smile and shameless proposal to discuss marriage still lingered in his mind.  

Her proposal… was quite exhausting. He couldn’t relax for a moment until Laryana stood up.  

Fortunately, she hastily stood up, and the conversation did not continue… but they would meet again.  

And next time, she would likely say something like “let’s discuss marriage.” Laryana’s interest was not just a passing curiosity.  

Up to this point, he could accept it. The arrogance of royalty could reach sky-high levels.  

However… meeting Rudella was a mistake.  

Who could have predicted that a woman, already engaged to the crown prince and destined to be the empress, would confess her feelings to him?  

‘This is giving me a headache.’ 

The confession itself wasn’t a problem. It was a sincere feeling, after all. Rudella, who had always lived passively, had her first desire, longing, and perhaps greed.  

He could simply reject her, trying to minimize the hurt. She probably knew she would be rejected when she said it.  

But… it was her next words that were the problem.  

She said that if he accepted her proposal, she would make him empress and grant him power, even offering the women she wanted to keep, including herself.  

When he heard that, Yohan felt a chill run down his spine. It was deeply unsettling.  

Rudella was trying to use the position of empress as bait to ensnare Yohan, to fulfill her own desires. No, she didn’t even realize she was doing it.  

Whatever her intentions, her words ultimately trampled Yohan’s dignity and pride.  

‘…To be honest, her proposal was something any man could be tempted by, a dream even. It promised a life of freedom and power without the chains of responsibility.’ 

But Yohan… was far removed from such tendencies. If he had been like that, he would have been surrounded by young ladies since his academy days.  

Of course, as a man, he didn’t completely dismiss the idea of a harem life, having many women.  

But considering the emotional energy and effort such a life demanded… well, he wasn’t the type to be that diligent. His desire for women wasn’t that strong.  

‘Forget it. Let’s stop thinking about this. It’s over.’  

If Rudella had any decency, she wouldn’t summon him for special missions again. He had clearly drawn the line in the end.  

It bothered him slightly that he had been so forceful in his last words, but he didn’t think it would cause any real issues. Rudella would also face trouble if this became public.  

‘The rest is… Laryana Rogino. I’ll think about that later. My head hurts now.’  

Yohan closed his eyes, not wanting to think any further as his mind grew hot.  

As soon as he closed his eyes, the proud laugh of Princess Laryana and the trembling voice of Rudella blended together, echoing in his ears.  

* * *  

The next day

Inside the carriage on the way to work as a government official, Fransia rested her head on Yohan’s shoulder.  

“I went to bed early yesterday, so I didn’t get to ask, but nothing major happened, right?”  

At her question, Yohan shifted his gaze and softly replied.  

“Nothing too big happened.”  

“Hmm…”  

Fransia narrowed her eyes, watching his reaction carefully, and poked his cheek with her finger.  

“Do you know what?”  

“What is it?”  

Yohan tilted his head, and Fransia smiled slightly.  

“Yohan has a habit that comes out when he’s lying.”  

“Is that so?” This was the first time Yohan had heard something like this in 21 years of his life.  

“Whenever you lie, your gaze, which never leaves me, moves to the side. You didn’t know that?”  

“…I didn’t know at all.”  

“I figured as much. It didn’t seem like a conscious action.”  

Fransia covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. She acted like she knew everything about Yohan.  

“So, what happened?”  

She asked. Yohan, momentarily avoiding her gaze, hesitated to answer.  

“…I met Princess Laryana on a mission. And also Lady Bismarck.”  

“…I see.”  

“……..”  

Fransia nodded, then suddenly gazed at his face closely.  

“Hmm. But Yohan, you’re hiding something, aren’t you?”  

Yohan, momentarily avoiding her eyes, hesitated to respond. She poked his cheek with her finger and playfully laughed.  

“See, I was right! You can’t hide it, Yohan. Did you know that when you’re hiding something, it’s more obvious?”  

Her keen observation made Yohan sigh and let out a small laugh.  

“Really, you’re like a ghost, whether it’s this time or the last time.”  

“Hehe. I can figure out anything about you, Yohan.”  

Fransia laughed, still giggling. But Yohan didn’t know how to explain what had happened yesterday.  

It was one thing for Princess Laryana to throw him a flirtatious look, but it was much harder to admit that Rudella had confessed her feelings to him.  

“What happened?”  

“Just… we had a complicated conversation.”  

“…Is that so?”  

Fransia folded her arms and carefully watched his reaction again. Her chest seemed to draw his gaze more than anything else.  

“Well, it seems like you don’t want to talk about it, so I won’t press further. Even lovers need to have some secrets.”  

Seeing his expression, she smiled softly, then tilted her head with a mischievous grin.  

“Hmm? So Yohan is just a normal man after all?”  

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”  

“You kept looking at my chest.”  

“That… was unavoidable.”  

“Hmph…?”  

Fransia smiled mischievously as she looked at him. Her expression seemed to suggest a sudden realization.  

“I figured out how to beat you, Yohan.”  

“What is it?”  

“Hehe.”  

She gently unbuttoned her uniform, exposing her delicate collarbone. Beneath her white skin, the outline of her bones became faintly visible.  

Her charm was instantly captivating. The subtle sensuality heightened any man’s desire.  

“This is the place Yohan can never resist kissing. How about it?”  

“…Hmm.”  

Yohan gazed steadily at Fransia’s collarbone. Her muscles followed her movements, giving an elegant vibrancy.

“…It’s embarrassing to see it that way.”

“Didn’t you show it to me?” Look.

“Oh, really…! Why am I the only one ashamed…”

At a loss for words, Francia wrapped her hastily unbuttoned uniform around herself, covering her collarbone. Yohan’s hand shot up and grabbed her arm.

her arm.

“Ugh!”

Her uniform came loose again. It slid down her neckline, revealing her large upper chest. Yohan buried his face in it, nuzzled it with his lips, and sucked it lightly.

“Hahhh…!”

Francia shudders and bounces on her hips. I inhale, smelling the flesh, traveling up her collarbone to her neck.

There was the sound of mucous membranes sucking in skin.

Slowly, he kissed her upper chest, collarbone, and neck, moving up to her cheeks to meet her gaze.

She flushed bright red and gasped.

She was gasping for air.

Dah.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ha… That’s… Awful.”

“Didn’t you show me how to do this?”

“Uhh…”

He could hear Francia’s heart pounding through the contact. Yohan smirked and kissed her cheek.

“Next time, don’t do that.”

“…I think I should.”

Leaning against the wall of the carriage, her arms covering her flushed face, Francia gasped. She could see the marks of his lips, he’d left on her upper chest, collarbone, and neck.

Her bare breasts heaved with every breath she took, a glistening sheen on her delicate, pure white skin.

It was so erotic, so sensual, that Yohan had to swallow hard.

“Not here… Not in the carriage… Someone might see…”

Perhaps sensing his need, even as she gasped for breath, Francia turned her crimson face away and hurriedly fastened her buttons.

“You came out so provocatively, I thought you wanted me to stop.”

Yohan smirked, then leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck once more.

“Mmmm…!”

She arched her back once more, feeling his breath on her most vulnerable skin. The immorality of doing this in the carriage gave her a new sense of pleasure.

the immorality of doing this in a carriage gave her newfound pleasure.

“Actually, isn’t that what you want to do, Francia? You’re reacting so strongly.”

“……..”

“I’ll be done in a minute, why don’t we do it in secret, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

“Oh…”

Sighing, she didn’t open her lips anymore, just covered her blushing face with her hands. It was quite cute, and Yohan

smirked

“Just kidding. The coachman might notice, but how could he? I’d rather keep this side of Francia to myself.”

Yohan suppressed his desire. He would not show anyone her erotic side, but would keep it to himself and enjoy it.

“…That’s a good idea.”

Even as she spoke, Francia felt a twinge of regret… she wanted to see Yohan unable to control his lust for her…

“Hmmmm…”

Clearing her unnecessarily ticklish throat, Francia gently turned her gaze to Yohan. There he was, as always.

“I see your expression is back now.”

“Back?”

“You were looking so serious earlier.”

Francia laughed lightly, her fingertips gently tickling and stroking Yohan’s thigh.

“Hoo-hoo, you looked like you had all the troubles in the world to yourself, though I’m glad you seem to have gotten over them now.”

“Ah.”

“I’ll take over and make you forget about Yohan’s worries.”

She grinned mischievously and slid her fingers along the line of Yohan’s neck.

“You’re doing that again after what you did to me earlier?”

“Hoo-hoo, Yohan can’t move, it’s just me.”

Giggling, she traced arcs around his eyes and slowly teased his body with her ticklish touch. Unexpectedly… It felt strange. Strange.

Erotic

“We’re here.”

The carriage’s wheels came to a halt as he made love to Francia.

After three knocks, Knight Ferbache opened the door, and cold air rushed in.

“I hope you have a good day, my lady.”

After a polite bow, the knight stepped back. Yohan immediately stepped out of the carriage and took Francia’s hand as she dismounted.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

With that, they exited the carriage, gave the knights a quick bow, and made their way to the government building.

There was a fair amount of bustle in the early morning.

Yohan and Francia sensed a heavy atmosphere as they passed through them.

“…I wonder what’s going on?”

Francia, her hands casually clasped in front of her, whispered with a worried look in her eyes.

“Let’s check it out.”

Yohan and Francia quickened their pace and quickly entered the government building.

As soon as they stepped inside, a heavy air pressed down on their shoulders.

“What’s going on?”

Yohan asked a nearby official, who immediately answered.

“Well… We’ve been ordered to prepare for war.”