Rut Fever - Chapter 7

[Dragonstone Powder]

My fever subsided after last night, thankfully, after we stopped at some light caresses. I slept soundly through the night. It felt new to wake up in a warm room, under cozy blankets, for the first time.

I woke up refreshed and stretched, and when I pulled the cord, Jay came in as if he had been waiting, helped me with a simple wash, and changed my dress.

“Did you sleep well last night, Lua?”

I gave a bright smile and nodded vigorously at Jay’s question as he smoothed out my clothes.

“Yes! It’s the first time I’ve slept without worrying about bugs. I don’t think I’ve ever slept this well.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You can go down for your meal now. Asha is waiting.”

He was already an uncomfortable person, but after what happened yesterday, he’s even more uncomfortable. And I have to eat with him again.

There are no problems with sleeping arrangements, but there are problems with living. Can’t I just eat alone?

I had pondered over Asha’s inscrutable attitude until I fell asleep last night, but there was still no answer. Thinking about it only gave me a headache.

He had clearly reacted with great interest to the idea of tormenting me. I wanted to discover a new erogenous zone and feel that thrilling sensation again, but he stopped at that crucial moment and left.

Was he upset that I begged him to do it? I couldn’t think of anything else that could be the problem. It was just research on heat, not a game.

Anyway, aside from that, I was more embarrassed to face someone who had seen my naked body and all my private parts yesterday.

“Um, Jay? Is there a reason why I have to eat with Asha?”

“I’m not sure, but he said that he has to watch Lua’s every move while you’re here, so maybe that’s why?”

That’s right. I’m being watched, and he needs information about the Navi. There’s no freedom of privacy.

“Yes…”

I drooped my shoulders dejectedly and trudged to the dining room, which I didn’t want to go to. I went down to the first floor, was guided by another priest to the door of the dining room, straightened my back, and took a breath.

As I worked my facial muscles to make my expression look natural,

“Praying? What are you doing standing here?”

Asha’s voice suddenly came from behind me, and my heart sank. I was so surprised that my legs gave way, and I stumbled, but fortunately, I caught myself on the closed door.

When did he get here? I didn’t even hear him walking behind me.

“G-Good morning! Asha!”

My head was a mess, so I greeted him with the first thing that came to mind. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to look at Asha, so I kept my eyes fixed on the dining room door.

Then I heard Asha scoff again.

“If you’re going to greet me, look at me. What’s with greeting the door?”

I thought he had a point, so I stood up straight again, turned around, and looked back. He was closer than I thought, and I was even more nervous because Asha’s expression was so stiff.

Suddenly, I remembered what happened yesterday, and it was a natural reaction for my face to flush.

Why is my heart beating so fast?

I swallowed hard, my eyes darting around, not knowing where to look. I was sad and frustrated that the embarrassment was all mine, but there was nothing I could do.

“Good morning, Asha.”

“Not really.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m not having a good morning. I didn’t sleep well.”

What is he talking about? Why did he tell me to greet him again if he was going to be like that? He’s so capricious. What does it have to do with me that he didn’t sleep well?

Seeing Asha’s surly attitude made me miss the endlessly kind Robel so much. He’s so exhausting to deal with.

“Ah, I see. You must be tired.”

“Yes. I am tired. And I’m even more tired because you’re standing here blocking the way.”

“Oh! I was a little insensitive. Please, go ahead.”

I had to think of him as the worst boss, stubborn, opinionated, and arrogant. If I was in the position of an ‘eul,’ there was nothing I could do.

As soon as I opened the dining room door and stepped aside, Asha went inside without hesitation and sat down in front of the seat with the prepared orange juice.

Today, there was wine in my seat again, which I couldn’t even taste. I grumbled inwardly, wondering why they put it there if I couldn’t drink it anyway, and headed to the seat across from Asha.

Soon, the prepared meal came out: mushroom soup, freshly baked bread, and a salad filled with fresh salmon. Unfortunately, there was no meat, but the bread and salad dressing were quite delicious. When I was living outside, I could only eat stale, hard bread.

“How did you get food in the forest?”

The silence, which had been filled only with the sound of silverware clinking, was broken by Asha’s question.

I was more comfortable without conversation, but I felt sorry for the other priests who were serving the meal, as they were clearly on edge, watching Asha’s every move. I could tell that Asha was in an even worse mood than usual today.

As evidence, Asha’s voice, as he began his interrogation, was definitely lower than yesterday.

“Um… at first, I got food by hunting, but then Robel gave me financial support, so I went down to the village to get food. Before that, I was so hungry that I ate any mushrooms I could find and almost died.”

“Sir Robel seems to have visited quite often.”

“Not often, just occasionally. Robel came to see if I was doing well whenever he had time, even though he was busy.”

If Robel hadn’t saved me and taken care of me, I wouldn’t have known about proper meals like this. How did I live two years ago?

I was also curious as to why all my old memories had been erased. Robel comforted me by saying that it could happen if I had experienced a great shock, so I decided that there was no point in trying to recall painful memories and didn’t yearn for the lost memories.

But I couldn’t help but wonder from time to time. I wondered if someone who knew me was looking for me, so I made inquiries, but I never heard any news.

‘Okay. Let’s not think bad thoughts. I should only think good thoughts.’

The more I thought about the worst-case scenarios, the more difficult it was for me emotionally, so I decided not to think about them as much as possible. Robel was always by my side whenever I was so heartbroken by the emptiness and loneliness that I felt like I was going to die.

“Um… when is Robel coming?”

Since the conversation had turned to Robel, I asked cautiously. He said he would come early, but I didn’t know when that early would be, and I was going crazy with longing if I just waited.

Asha, who had been half-heartedly eating the food in front of him, put down his fork, leaving more than half of it uneaten. I was almost done. He eats so slowly for a man. He must be very full.

“Do you know what Sir Robel does?”

“I heard he’s a knight who serves His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“That’s right. He’s a knight who guards the imperial family. What do you think would happen if the imperial family member he serves were to get hurt or be in danger while he was away?”

The life of the imperial family is directly linked to the peace and stability of the empire. The person Robel serves is the Crown Prince, so he’s the next emperor. If something happens to the Crown Prince, his close aides will have a hard time surviving, even if they are still alive.

I know that much. I understand what Asha is explaining now. It means that he’s in a difficult position, so he can’t just go out easily.

In other words, don’t wait for him because you don’t know when he’ll come.

I pouted and sighed deeply.

“Even if he’s a guard knight, he must have days off.”

“No.”

“…No days off?”

“That’s right. It’s an emergency situation right now.”

An emergency situation. Is there a war going on?

“Is something wrong―?”

Unlike me, who was worried, Asha calmly gulped down his orange juice and jumped up from his seat. Is he planning to make me wonder and not be able to do anything all day?

“Come with me when you’re done eating.”

I looked down at the plate with a little more food left and hesitated. Asha seems to eat very little. He was eating very slowly yesterday, too.

It was an ambiguous time, late for breakfast and early for lunch. I don’t know when the next meal is, but I have to finish this if I don’t want to be hungry until then.

‘Is he telling me to come out because he has something to say to me? Or is it a new kind of harassment, telling me to stop eating because he’s going to stop?’

Since Asha has all the power here, I put down my fork without a word, got up from my seat, and followed Asha.

I shouldn’t try to match his pace in the future and just eat everything first.

He left the dining room and went straight out of the mansion’s entrance. I wondered if I should follow him, but I decided to follow him for now.

If he asks why I’m following him, I can just go back to my room.

As soon as I stepped out of the entrance, the dazzling sunlight greeted me. The mansion was surrounded by lush trees, so I liked it because it was similar to the forest where I had been living. The unfamiliar feeling was halved.

‘The air is good. The scenery is beautiful. The person isn’t, though…’

I followed Asha, who didn’t tell me where we were going, to the left of the mansion’s entrance. I wasn’t used to wearing shoes after only wearing comfortable shoes, but fortunately, the road was paved smoothly, so I didn’t have to worry about falling.

Soon, Asha headed to the garden that stretched out behind the mansion. It was so well-decorated that it looked like a painting, and I couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Wow…!”

The trees that were erected everywhere were trimmed into pretty shapes, and on one side was a magnificent fountain spouting water, and on the other side was a huge lake.

I wondered why I smelled water moss in the air. I didn’t know there was a lake like this in the back. As expected, the imperial family’s scale is different.

White cumulus clouds were floating on the wide, emerald-colored lake, as if it contained the sky. The opposite side was connected to another forest and mountains. It would probably take a long time to swim across. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a lush forest, so I want to turn into a cat and run around.

I was so busy looking around that I didn’t even realize Asha was standing in front of me, and I almost bumped into him. Fortunately, I stopped before I touched him, so that misfortune didn’t happen.

“The lake.”

“Yes?”

“Have you never seen it before?”

I’ve seen a lot of valleys and springs, but I’ve never seen a lake like this. The village where I lived was also surrounded by mountains, so I had to go over a few more mountains to see a big river.

I had a feeling that if I said I had never seen it before, he would make fun of me for it, and if I said I had seen it before, he would scold me for pretending I hadn’t. I really wish I didn’t have to talk to him if possible.

“I lived in the forest. There’s no lake like this near that forest.”

“…Then sit here. I have something to tell you, anyway.”

I thought he was going to make fun of me again, but what a surprise. Is the story he’s going to tell me the one he was telling me earlier?

I sat down on the long wooden chair where Asha was sitting, keeping a reasonable distance from him. I was glad I didn’t have to face him. I was even happier that I could see the vast lake in front of me.

“You know that the current Crown Prince is a Navi like you, right?”

As soon as I sat down, he asked me without giving me a chance to admire the scenery, and I nodded.

“Yes. I heard.”

“Have you heard about how the Navi are born?”

I heard that Navi women can freely conceive and give birth regardless of the other person’s race.

On the other hand, children are not born between Navi men and human women, or if they are born, they do not live long, or if they do live, they have to endure a lifetime of disability.

That’s why Navi men avoid human women, and human women avoid Navi men. Although the Navi are a rare race in this world.

…I have a bad feeling about this. The fact that he’s asking about the birth of the Navi after mentioning that the Crown Prince is a Navi means that I have some kind of vested interest.

Just before I came here yesterday, Robel’s question to me kept ringing in my ears.

‘Would you like to go to the Imperial Palace?’

He had suddenly asked if I wanted to visit the Imperial Palace. But then Asha appeared, and the conversation disappeared altogether.

As a commoner, not a noble, I have no connection to the Imperial Palace. The only way a commoner can visit the Imperial Palace is to stand trial for a serious crime like lese-majesty or regicide. Or to get a job there.

Of course, I had no intention of doing either, so I thought I would never set foot in the Imperial Palace in my life.

It’s hard to be sure, but the only reason I could be involved with the Imperial Palace is this: judging by the situation, they seem to need a Navi woman. Are they looking for a partner for His Highness the Crown Prince?

But even if I am a Navi, I am not a noble, and above all, I heard rumors that His Highness the Crown Prince is scheduled to have a state marriage with a foreign princess.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces, but why are you suddenly asking me that?”

Since the Imperial Family was mentioned, I couldn’t make a hasty decision on my own. So I decided to pretend I didn’t know and ask. Asha seemed to sense my feelings and gave me the answer I wanted to hear without dragging it out.

“His Highness the Crown Prince, being a Navi, needs an heir immediately. A legitimate son who has inherited his blood, and a healthy boy at that, must be born for His Highness to ascend the throne safely.”

So, that’s what it was.

Since His Highness the Crown Prince is a Navi, he needs to have an heir from a Navi woman. But with a Crown Princess already designated, wouldn’t I be committing adultery if I got involved?

Of course, the Imperial Family is an exception, but I’m the type who would never touch a man who already has someone.

“I know that His Highness the Crown Prince has a marriage partner. What does that have to do with me?”

“A Navi woman who has experienced the heat is ready to conceive. And that heat lasts until she becomes pregnant.”

“W-What did you say?!”

I was so shocked that my mouth dropped open. I felt like the color was draining from my face.

The heat only ends when you get pregnant.

“T-That’s different from what I heard! I thought the heat could be suppressed by mating!”

“It can be suppressed, but I didn’t say it could be eliminated. You seem to be misunderstanding something, but getting pregnant and giving birth doesn’t make the heat go away. The heat will come periodically even after childbirth.”

“That’s a lie!”

“Why would I lie?”

Asha, who retorted indifferently, is the High Priest, so he wouldn’t be able to lie in the first place. There’s no reason for him to lie either.

He explained to me kindly with a tone that was much softer than yesterday. I’m just confused because I’ve learned the truth about my situation that I didn’t know before.

“O-Okay. Pregnancy, whatever. So what?”

“To put it simply, you need to give birth to His Highness the Crown Prince’s heir.”

“Are you telling me to have a bastard? With a man I’ve never met?”

I know how bastards are treated in this world. Especially noble bastards, who are hardly ever recognized, let alone registered in the family.

If that’s the case for nobles, how much worse would it be for the Imperial Family? They would point fingers and look down on him as the son of a mistress for the rest of his life. The prestige of the Imperial Family would also fall. Eventually, he might end up cursing himself. And the arrow of resentment would be directed at me, the mother who gave birth to him.

‘Being hated by my future child, whose face I don’t even know, is terrible.’

Having lost my memory and lived alone for two years, I have often thought about finding a loving man and quickly building my own happy family. That person was naturally Robel, and I had never considered any other possibility.

So everything Asha is saying now feels like someone else’s story. On the contrary, I felt my head cooling down.

“I don’t know where to start. To begin with the crisis that His Highness the Crown Prince is facing, most of the nobles are insisting that a Crown Prince who cannot produce an heir is not qualified to ascend to the throne.”

“Why can’t he have an heir? You’re telling me to have His Highness the Crown Prince’s child. Can’t you acknowledge a bastard? Wouldn’t it be okay for His Highness the Crown Prince to have a mistress?”

“Shut up and listen to my explanation. I haven’t finished yet.”

I thought we were communicating well. I should have known, he can’t hide that personality.

“Yes, I’ll shut up.”

I pressed my lips into a straight line and pretended to sew my mouth shut with my hand. Asha glared at me with fierce eyes, his brow furrowed, so I pretended not to see and turned my head to the front.

We really don’t match. We’ll never match, even if we die.