HGOS 06

Could it really be this out of the blue?

Paul stood there blankly, turning over Jester’s words in his mind.

He wanted sex education…

No. Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t actually such a random thing to say. The couple had spent their first night together yesterday, and judging by what Jester had just said the following day, something clearly hadn’t gone well.

Nobles usually received instruction about marital relations before getting married. But Jester had lived as a commoner for over twenty years before being granted his title as an appointed baron. Since he had never lived the life of an ordinary noble, it wasn’t strange that he might not know such things.

Still, hadn’t he worked with the capital’s mercenary corps for quite a long time? From what Paul knew, mercenary camps were rough places with a great deal of freedom. Living among men like that, he should have naturally seen and heard enough. Just what was it that he didn’t know well enough to ask Paul for something like this?

Feeling awkward, Paul scratched the back of his head before answering.

“Is there a particular problem, my lord?”

“My wife.”

“Milady?”

“She said she hated it. From the look on her face… she found me absolutely dreadful.”

Milady?

Thinking this was already the third or fourth time he’d been shocked today, Paul swallowed hard.

Contrary to everything he’d feared, the lady of the house whom he had met for the first time yesterday had been an exceptionally gentle woman. Her shy smile and soft manner of speaking had charmed every servant in the castle. Wasn’t his own master equally captivated, darting glances at her the entire time they escorted her into the castle?

Could it be that the reason she had sought Jester out earlier had been because of that? To tell him how awful their first night had been? No, if even that gentle lady had directly told him something like that, just how serious had it been?

Paul had already noticed that, unlike other men his age or fellow former mercenaries, Jester had an innocent side to him. But he had never imagined it was this bad.

Suppressing a sigh, Paul spoke.

“I’m terribly sorry, my lord, but I don’t believe this is something I can help you with. I don’t possess the knowledge to teach you, and it would also be improper for me to hear about such private matters between the two people I serve.”

Paul declined as politely as he could.

Jester nodded with an embarrassed expression.

“You’re right. I asked something foolish. You may go.”

“However, my lord, a healthy marital relationship is certainly an important part of a successful marriage. If there is something you find difficult, then learning is indeed appropriate. It’s simply that I’m not in a position to help you, and there’s no one in the castle qualified to teach you either…”

The hopelessness in Jester’s eyes suddenly brightened.

After hesitating for a moment, Paul finally made a suggestion.

“Well… there may be a lady in our territory who could help you.”

“…A lady?”

What kind of secret lesson required a woman?

Jester frowned.

“If you’re to receive instruction, I believe it would be better coming from a woman. Please don’t misunderstand. I mean theoretical instruction, not practical lessons. Still, bringing her into the castle would attract unwanted attention, so if you permit it, I’ll contact her as discreetly as possible.”

“So who exactly are you talking about?”

“Lady Fleurette.”

Lady Fleurette.

It was a famous name.

Did he really have to seek help from even her?

Jester furrowed his brow in deep thought.

“It was only after we did it that I started hating it.”

The moment Kasia’s voice echoed in his mind once more, his brief hesitation came to an end.

A marriage couldn’t continue if it required one spouse to keep sacrificing themselves. If his own inexperience had caused him to make mistakes, then he needed to learn.

“…Sigh. Very well. Contact her.”

Lady Fleurette.

She had once been a prostitute in the small rural territory of Greze, but had built both wealth and fame through her own abilities alone.

If dazzling skill in bed had been all she possessed, she would have remained nothing more than a village prostitute. But she had been different. To meet the standards of the nobility, she cultivated graceful manners, refined herself with education, and mastered etiquette. It was only natural that she eventually became the most renowned courtesan in the capital.

No one knew how many noblemen she had enchanted with her beauty and skill between the sheets.

What everyone did know was that the fortune she had amassed by entertaining nobles in the capital was more money than an ordinary commoner could hope to touch in an entire lifetime.

She was no longer someone chosen by nobles.

She was the one who chose them.

Countless noblemen in the capital gladly lavished both time and wealth upon her. They would line up even outside the capital simply for the chance to dine with her, watch a play together, or hold her hand just once.

At that point, Fleurette’s appeal clearly extended far beyond what happened in the bedroom.

Her glamorous life in the capital, with noblemen wrapped around her finger, had earned her the nickname “Lady Fleurette.”

The title “Lady” normally belonged only to daughters of noble families. It had nothing to do with her birth. Instead, it served as a mocking nickname aimed at the foolish noblemen who had all fallen under her spell.

Now, after years of that dazzling life, Lady Fleurette had returned to her hometown of Greze to recuperate.

Considering his twenty-four-year-old master was utterly hopeless when it came to relationships between men and women, it was only natural that she was the first person Paul thought of as the ideal teacher.

Paul nodded to himself.

There was only one concern.

Fortunately, not long after sending his message, Lady Fleurette had readily agreed to teach Jester.

Still, if word somehow spread among the castle servants, it could become troublesome.

Not because of appearances.

Among nobles, keeping mistresses and inviting courtesans was practically commonplace. Even if people learned that Jester had invited Lady Fleurette to the castle, it wouldn’t really be considered scandalous.

“The problem is Milady. They’re newlyweds. If she learns another woman was brought into the castle, she’ll be devastated. For now, I’ll make sure the servants keep quiet. If she does misunderstand, I’ll explain everything myself.”

There was no way he could tell her,

“My lord doesn’t know how marital relations work, so he needs lessons.”

His plan was simply to arrange a quiet meeting between Jester and Lady Fleurette.

In truth, it was unavoidable for educational purposes. He had absolutely no intention of placing another woman beside his master when such a kind and lovely lady was already his wife.

Lady Fleurette would merely serve as a proper teacher for the sake of Jester and Kasia’s healthy married life.

Out of lingering concern, Paul had even arranged to attend the lessons himself.

Surely there wouldn’t be any problems.

Even so, he couldn’t stop worrying that the tender-hearted Kasia might somehow misunderstand.

Those worries remained with him until he visited her room to discuss assigning her personal maids.

But the moment he saw Kasia again, Paul became deeply convinced that bringing in Lady Fleurette to educate Jester was the most urgent matter of all.

“…Milady?”

He had definitely heard her tell him to come in.

Had he somehow begun seeing things?

Kasia was lying sideways across the bed with her head hanging completely over the edge, her neck bent backward as she stared upside down at Paul.

Her beautiful silver hair spilled wildly across the floor.

Paul jumped in fright.

Even a face blessed with heavenly beauty became unsettling when it was hanging upside down without the slightest expression.

Why was she like this?

Surely… he’d accidentally opened the door before she had actually given permission.

Thinking that must be the case, Paul hastily shut the door again.

Then he knocked once more.

“Milady, it’s Paul. I have something I’d like to discuss with you. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

He opened the door again.

Kasia hadn’t moved at all.

She still lay flat on the bed, head hanging backward over the edge, staring straight at him with a look of complete boredom.

“Good heavens! Milady really was traumatized by last night’s wedding night!”

Otherwise, why would she have suddenly sought out Jester this morning? Why would Jester have been so shaken that he’d asked for sex education? And why would she be greeting a servant in a manner completely opposite from the graceful, modest lady he’d met only yesterday?

No…

No matter how upset she was, to let herself appear in such a disheveled state!

All the lingering worries Paul had about inviting Lady Fleurette instantly disappeared.

He now believed Jester needed proper instruction as soon as possible so that Kasia’s heart could heal.

“Milady… has something upset you?”

Paul asked with an awkward smile.

“Hm? Upset? Not at all. I’m simply enjoying leisure for the first time in my life.”

“…Pardon?”

“I never knew doing absolutely nothing and simply lying here could be this satisfying. You work hard too, but don’t forget to rest from time to time. No matter how hard you wear yourself out, no one appreciates it. It’s better to take care of your health while you’re still young.”

Were those really the words of a seventeen-year-old?

Paul swallowed.

Watching her cling lazily to the bed like a sluggish bear while speaking as though she’d already lived an entire lifetime once before, he became convinced she had completely lost her senses.

All because of that traumatic first night.

“What in the world… did my lord do to this poor young lady?”

Paul looked down at the absent-minded Kasia with sympathy before suddenly clapping his hands together to get her attention.

“Milady, I’ve come to ask which maids you would like to keep by your side. We plan to have them attend you in shifts, but if there’s someone you especially like, I’ll make sure she’s properly trained. Would it be all right if I brought several candidates for you to choose from?”

“Yes, do that.”

“Very well, then…”

Knock, knock. Knock-knock.

At that moment, someone knocked playfully on Kasia’s door.

Paul immediately frowned.

“Paul, are you in there? Milady, are you here? I’m Vita. I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself yesterday, so I came to greet you today. May I come in?”

Everything about it was improper.

Knocking so casually on the mistress of the house’s bedroom.

Speaking in such an overly familiar tone.

The one person in the castle Paul had absolutely no intention of introducing to the lady of the house had appeared.

“Miss Vita, that’s inappropriate. I’m currently speaking with Milady, so if you could return later—”

“Wait, Paul.”

The bored-looking Kasia suddenly sat upright, her eyes sparkling.

Paul stiffened.

“Who is it? Someone wishes to greet me. How is that inappropriate?”

“Well… yes, but she…”

“Why? Is there some sort of problem?”

Seeing Paul unable to answer, Kasia gritted her teeth inwardly.

Looking back now, Paul had been unfair as well.

When she had first arrived at the castle, he had done everything he could to hide that woman’s existence.

Vita Buckley.

She came from the same village where Jester had been born and raised and was his childhood friend.

From the very day Jester received his title, she had been given a room in the castle, occupying an ambiguous yet influential position.

Bearing the title of Jester’s cherished childhood friend, she was treated throughout the castle like a young noblewoman and addressed respectfully as “Miss Vita.”

It made absolutely no sense by ordinary standards.

Then again, neither Jester nor Vita had ever been people who could be understood through ordinary common sense.

Kasia quietly ground her teeth.

“Childhood friends? Please. He brought her here because they intended to carry on an affair right in front of everyone.”

Kasia narrowed her eyes toward the unseen Vita standing beyond the door.