Milerva Oie was an intelligent woman adept at social interactions. When it came to reading people, she was an expert, capable of discerning their intentions and personalities even if they concealed them very well. However, despite what she claimed, she had been unable to figure out anything about Edrick. A young man like him, being so adept at flattery and wearing a mask, was indeed a frightening thing, coupled with the fact that he was an Elt and the various other things one could freely learn about him.
She didn’t want her daughter to have anything to do with him.
But alas, her talent in understanding people also let her realise that Jania was highly unlikely to listen to her. A young maiden, no matter how obedient to her parents, would turn very stubborn when it came to a man she liked. Milerva knew this all too well. She had completely fallen for her husband years ago, and let’s just say that she had not exactly preserved herself until marriage…
Still, she wished that Jania would at least reconsider.
She paid close attention when Edrick appeared at the manor again. It was a bit unfit for a noble woman like herself to peep from afar like some sort of stalker, but her concerns superseded such trivial concepts.
Furthermore, Milerva discovered that Anoteros was rather avaricious, also using his seductive capabilities on Tylia--Without subtlety at that!
The absolute gall of that man! What sort of low-life, lustful old goat would target two sisters like this?! And the worst part, he didn’t hide it at all! He was hitting on both the older and younger sisters in plain sight! Jania and Tylia could clearly see for themselves what he was doing, but they just didn’t seem to care at all!
That went beyond being a bit smitten. Just how far had their relationships progressed in such a short time? Was Edrick just that charismatic? Or were the two noble girls just that easily blinded by affection?
Though Milerva had to admit, Edrick was indeed good at what he did. He may be shamelessly flirting with the two sisters, but she did not catch a single instance of him initiating physical contact that wasn’t acceptable. At most, he would hold a hand to help with something or place his palm on their back if they stumbled.
Despite it all, he remained very noble and charming. There was nothing crude about his interactions with Jania and Tylia. It truly seemed like he was just seducing them with his words and pleasant personality…
‘Mmh… I had servants keep watch, they shouldn’t have done anything too drastic together yet…’ to nobles like themselves, virginity was extremely important. It was something valued across the board by nearly everyone. But to them, it was a matter of honour and lifelong commitments. The man with whom a noble girl lost her purity with was expected to marry her and provide for her.
Of course, if the man in question was of too low status, the story could be suffocated and taken care of. But if anything happened with Edrick, the event would be impossible to get rid of!
But that wasn’t the part that worried Milerva the most. Her concerns were tied to the sixth technique that was part of the Oie family heritage, a dual cultivation technique called ‘Goose And Gander’. If used enough times or with enough passion, the user would basically bind themselves to their intimate partner.
It was a dual cultivation technique that called for the user to choose a single companion and stick to them for their entire life. And once that was done, the more love and affection there was between them, the greater the speed and effects of cultivation when having relations.
She wouldn’t want either of her daughters to bind themselves to Edrick, especially since the rule of a single partner only mattered to the user of the technique. Knowing what was freely available about Anoteros, one would know that he was an absolute beast in heat. As far as she was aware, he had four wives, only took in female maids, and yet, slept around regularly.
Loving such a man… Would undeniably be difficult for anyone. Even if one might not think much of it at first, mind too cloudy to think rationally. Seeing and knowing that the man you loved and dedicated yourself to was, in turn, not devoted to you alone, would be painful.
However, apart from keeping an eye out and instructing the servants of the manor to be on guard for anything unusual, Milerva could do nothing as Edrick carved a spot for himself in the hearts of her daughters…
___
After the sun had set and bright moonlight took place, dressed in a refined nightgown, Jania sat anxiously on the edge of her bed, stealing glances at her window, which looked out onto the front of the manor.
She was smiling, a noticeable blush upon her face.
So what if Edrick has multiple wives? Nearly all nobles do! They just call them ‘concubines’ or hide them amongst the servants. At least, Anoteros is upfront about it. Those he likes are official wives and are given rings.
Honesty is a good quality, right?
“Are you feeling nervous, Jania?”
The eldest daughter nearly had a heart attack.
“Tylia!” she whispered “How did you get in here so quietly? And why are you here?”
“Heheh, I know what’s going on, and I didn’t want to be left out! Besides, sneaking up on you is super easy, you aren’t paying attention to anything! You should have locked your door already if you didn’t want to be interrupted”
“Right… The door!”
“Don’t worry, I locked it when I sneaked in!” Tylia smiled brightly and sat next to Jania. The two sisters looked quite alike in features, even if Jania was more like their father, and Tylia more like their mother. The link was still obvious at a glance.
Tylia patted her sister’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, as long as we are together, everything will be fine! So no need to be so nervous, be excited like me!”
“Right… Maybe you are right... But let’s not get too excited, alright? We can’t make too much noise in the middle of the night. The whole manor will hear us if we get too loud”
“That’s true, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back, I've never done something like this before… I wonder how it feels… Is it the same as when you do it yourself?”
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know either…”
At that moment, despite the window to her room being elevated high above the ground by three floors, a hand appeared and gently knocked on the glass.
The eldest swallowed her saliva, whilst the youngest couldn’t help but clench her fists... Two different reactions, yet they both felt the same thing--Anticipation.