Today was a delightful day, a fact evident from the slight upturn of Felix’s lips.
Felix thought the sun shone exceptionally bright today, the flowers were so beautiful, and even the ladies of high society who brushed against him now and then seemed so charming… Felix had struck it rich. There was no doubt about it.
He had underestimated the wealth of the noblewomen in the imperial city, and he had forgotten that most of those who came to the Saint Erde Cathedral were either heiresses to family fortunes or exceedingly rich young widows.
Felix's Mass, with its unique charm, brought novelty and amusement to these fine women. Nothing was more pleasing to the eye than watching a handsome young man in a snow-white priestly robe. Ingenious lunch desserts, humorous and knowledgeable conversation, insightful stories told with seeming nonchalance, and the pure white tulips he pinned on them at the end symbolized purity and beautiful dreams.
At night, Felix held the innocent nun Lillia who served him and a stack of Caesar gold notes with a brilliant smile. The usually somber Felix even playfully pinched Lillia's tender chest and planted a firm kiss on her smooth, shyly blushing cheek.
"I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm one of the wealthy now."
Aside from the thirty thousand Caesar gold notes donated by Countess Elvina, the other noble ladies from the capital had given over sixty thousand, with even the least generous baroness donating a full three thousand gold coins! A single ordinary Mass had brought Felix an income exceeding one hundred thousand Caesar gold coins! He now seriously wondered if he should switch to the promising career of a 'kept man'?
Initially, Felix expected to receive ten thousand gold coins in donations since that was already a considerable fortune, equivalent to the annual tax revenue of a normal baronial fief. But he had seriously underestimated the wealth of the imperial noblewomen and his lethal charm over those lonely ladies.
War brings death.
War brings wealth.
The Titan Empire never lacked for beautiful, young, and extremely wealthy noble widows. Almost every three years, they waged a war of plunder, meaning that every three years, the Titan Empire saw the birth of a new set of valuable young widows.
What is happiness?
It’s when you wish for a bun to stave off hunger, and heaven sends down ten to cover tomorrow's dinner.
With one hundred thousand Caesar gold coins, Felix had enough to complete his magic research with funds to spare! Now he pondered whether to conquer Countess Elvina, who was beautiful and tranquil yet liked to take small liberties with him?
This woman was incredibly wealthy, and her aged husband was nearly at death's door. It seemed more fitting for the tulip beauty, coveted by numerous nobles, to fall into his hands rather than someone else’s?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
To casually donate thirty thousand gold coins in a simple Mass event, Countess Elvina’s wealth had indeed shocked Felix!
A vast prosperous territory and two gold mines in operation. Well, the rounded and firm behind of Mrs. Elvina, as tangible as she felt, shone just like the dazzling Caesar gold coins!
...
Upon returning to the Marquess of Elizabeth's residence, Felix noticed Lady Elizabeth's peculiar gaze. She looked at him as if seeing the pet cat she nurtured in a whole new light.
Lady Elizabeth appeared exceptionally enchanting tonight. She wore a rose-red silk gown that revealed much of her full bust, and the dress's tight form caused Felix to suspect that Lady Elizabeth might have forsaken her brassiere for the evening.
Her slender hands were covered with a pair of pure white lace gloves. Her lush red lips, painted with a light purple lipstick, carried the unrestrained style of Sicilian long-legged beauties, filled with a potent sexual allure.
...
Tonight, even the usually plainly dressed beautiful knight sister slipped into a loose, long dress in pink with an ambiguous air and donned a light, enchanting makeup that was out of character for her typically bare-faced charm. What quickened Felix's heartbeat the most was that the beautiful knight sister had even put on a pair of pure black, sexy silk stockings tonight!
Silk stockings were a luxury only the wealthiest nobles could afford in this era, as making them required the aid of some extremely rare magical equipment—that is, the yet immature steam magic that had been born but was constantly suppressed by all secular powers. The current state of steam magic was so perilous that its likelihood of causing explosions was even higher than the alchemists' "Elemental Transmutation"!
Something was amiss!
This thought emerged in Felix's mind without any prior contemplation. Felix always considered himself slightly more cunning than Lady Elizabeth, but in other respects, the 'Bloody Rose,' who had risen to power in the imperial capital with thunderous methods, was out of his league.
Felix was not foolish enough to think that Lady Elizabeth was trying to recover the dignity she lost the night before because, in the eyes of this proud woman, he was nothing but her private property!
Lady Elizabeth, appearing unusually alluring tonight, gracefully raised her crystal glass. Her long, delicate eyebrows arched, and she gave Felix a smile brimming with provocative intent. Clapping her hands, two pure maids in pink with white stockings entered, heads bowed in shyness, their cheeks blushing.
Lady Elizabeth's lips, shimmering under the candlelight, elegantly approached Felix, gently caressing his handsome, blushing face as she whispered like a sweet-scented breeze, "My dear little Felix. You've surprised me with a certain ability of yours. I think you'd be willing to exercise it thoroughly, wouldn't you?"
Felix's heart skipped a beat, then pounded as if a dragon rampaging through the earth...
With a smile, Lady Elizabeth slowly undid the button at the back of her dress, and the glamorous gown slid down her voluptuous and tender body, engulfing Felix completely...
A blush rose on Catherine's exquisite face as she withdrew her gaze from the passionately intertwined couple. Her eyes then turned frosty as she looked at the two girls in maid dresses, their expressions a mixture of shame and curiosity at the sight of their mistress' unprecedented lascivious demeanor...
The cold and beautiful knight raised her whip, directing the two pure maids to approach the couple in their amorous embrace.
The pretty knight lit the pale violet candle in the room, and as dreamlike smoke filled the air, she reached behind her, slowly untieing the ribbon of her pink sleeping robe...
That night, Felix finally shed his role as a mere plaything. He became an important pawn in Lady Elizabeth's hands, once again entangled in her grand plans with the Fairmuth family.
The world could not stand still, and neither could Felix...