*****

''Hah...''

Leaning back on her chair, Penelope took a deep breath before slowly closing her eyes. The stubborn eyelids, once closed, hardly wanted to be lifted again.

It seemed the fatigue had caught up to her.

Being the sole heiress of the Bourbon Marquisate and its giant conglomerate, she was taught to handle business by her parents since she was barely twelve. Of course, befitting a Bourbon, she was exceedingly capable—not only for her age but in general.

Which led to this situation where she had to work way too much for her own good.

School could be mostly skipped. Attendance wouldn't be a problem as long as she paid the teachers some sums of cash... but she didn't even need to do that. Grades meant nothing to her, who had already owned a portion of the family's businesses, ones that made her richer than most nobles in Libre. Even before that, she was capable enough to get excellent grades by showing up only to exams.

So that was one problem solved, but the others weren't so easy.

The workload was terrible enough, but Penelope understood it. 'No wonder mothers look so exhausted every time,' she thought just around two years ago. 'Noticed' might be the right word since they had been that way for her entire life.

Yet, everything was still fine and dandy until some time ago.

Right.

Just around those snowy days when Penelope first met that peculiar girl, troubles began to brew up on the other side of the world, where the remains of demons—an evil race harboring a desire for world domination—were.

It had been roughly a decade ever since the hero party defeated the demon queen.

It was a hard-fought battle, but humanity triumphed in the end. The demon queen's surviving subordinates scattered all over that side of the world, and their movements halted completely for the first time in a century.

For a while, the world was truly peaceful.

However, certain activities were detected toward the end of last year, which affected some trades near the border. Thanks to that, people like Penelope had more headaches to deal with.

''Hah...''

Should Penelope be glad that she at least had something to look forward to?

Like girls of her age, whose minds were healthy and prime, sex was something they showed immense interest in. Maybe too much in the case of Penelope.

Since the dawn of time, she had always been mesmerized by the curves of a woman.

Why was the hourglass figure so nice to look at?

Why did the chest come in so many different sizes, and why was it so exciting to look at big ones?

Why was the bottom so alluring, even if it was supposed to be vulgar?

Little Penelope had those thoughts all the time, and adult Penelope was even more adept at cultivating them. She now knew a painful lot about her own sexuality and fetishes, which, combined with her ripe lust, could only be dispelled by discharging a certain fluid a few times.

That was normal. Everybody did that. If not, how could they go out with such straight faces?

At least, that was what she thought.

''Ah... damn it.''

Thinking about that got her aroused again. It didn't help that her libido only rose after meeting that sly girl at the Orleans' mansion. Now, instead of the hundreds of female bodies she had etched into her mind from all sorts of magazines and erotic artbooks, the blue-haired girl was the only one who came up in her imagination.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

It was almost magical how everything disappeared—and natural, too. After all, what good was a perfect body if Penelope could never touch it?

That wasn't to say that Cecilia's body was not perfect.

Beneath the layer of coat slept a pair of destructive melons, ones that instantly made the cold-headed Penelope bend once they were revealed. Of course, being herself, she also loved Cecilia's other departments. For whatever reason, even though the girl was thin enough to be blown away by the wind, her bottom and thighs were dutifully packed—unbelievably so.

Even now, Penelope could vividly remember the sensation on her palms that evening, the texture, the taste of the kiss, and the honey-dripping moans heard in her ears.

It took everything of the decent person inside her to pull the brake at that point.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Whenever she thought about Cecilia, an unreasonable, fiery desire would emerge, dulling her sharp mind. Was it romantic interest? Penelope couldn't be sure just yet.

Romance wasn't her expertise; lewd stuff was.

All she knew was she wanted that girl badly and that she wouldn't be able to stop no matter what the next time they met.

That was that, but now, another bulge of problem was present.

'...Should I take care of it now?'

Penelope pondered at her crotch.

In between the hot breaths of hers, a slithering noise gently rang. At some point, something long, dark, and glossy was treading on the heiress's back, eventually settling its head on her shoulder.

[Crazy girl. Have you been horny again?]

''Indeed, I am.''

The creature was uncannily similar to her owner. Although not appearing much in public, Obsidian, Penelope's Soul Guardian posing as a small snake, had a striking impression. With purple-tinted black scales and a pair of slit orchid eyes, she was fittingly the embodiment of the volcanic obsidian.

[Do you need materials? Name one, and I'll bring it to you.]

A soft, caring female voice came out of the snake's mouth. Surprisingly, Obsidian seemed more mature than most of her counterparts, acting as though she was a big sister.

''...No.'' Penelope sighed. ''It's almost time for the meeting with that cold-blooded caracal.''

[You mean the third princess?]

''Yes.''

Although reluctant, business was business. She quickly draped on her coat and went outside, where a black sedan was already waiting for her.

''Let's go.''

''Yes, My Lady.''

Penelope's attitude and expression quickly cooled off once she was exposed to human stares, soon locking in the expressionless mode that she always used.

Throughout her journey to the princess's mansion, her head was still full of indecent thoughts, but none could see them in her icy countenance.

When she arrived at the destination, a maid under Rachael de La Fayette welcomed her and led the way. From the looks of it, she was the head maid, meaning Penelope at least got some respect.

'But not the butler, huh? I am really being looked down on.'

It went to show the undeniable influence of a noble title. If she was of a Duchy instead of a Marquisate, no one could be doing this to her. Period.

Not that Penelope minded it much. She had too much money and influence on the economy for that to happen.

''Greetings, Your Highness.''

''You came, Lady Bourbon.''

''...''

''...''

The greeting was short.

Once the maid retreated from the guest room, only Rachael and Penelope were sitting across from each other.

''Let's talk business.''

Being efficient, the latter immediately went into the reasons for this meeting, and the former didn't show much rejection. However, as time went on, it was clear that the princess was irritated by something.

''...Is there something wrong, Your Highness?'' Penelope asked, her expression unchanging.

''Nothing wrong,'' Rachael replied. ''I appreciate the work you're doing, but I'll give you a warning.''

''Please go ahead.''

''Do not touch my property.''

Rachael's words were layered with immense hatred and fury, clearly a reflection of what Penelope had sneakily done to Cecilia the banquet night. Coupled with that, the imperial princess's mounting aura was fully released, forcing her to raise her own barrier to stay unharmed.

A flash of blood red in the princess's eyes.

Despite that, Penelope stayed absolutely calm, ''No.''

And she flatly denied the warning.

If it were anyone other than Penelope, the jail of Syrus would have one less empty cell. But to not bow down even in front of an imperial princess—it was the way the Bourbons established themselves.

''I'm afraid I would not be able to follow your will, Your Highness.'' She continued. ''Cecilia de Orleans and I... have contractual ties. Regardless of your will, we shall be able to act as we want.''

''...''

The pressure kept increasing. Now, even Obsidian was forced to get out just to reinforce the barrier. However, she wasn't finished just yet.

'Even I am jealous of you, you know?'

''Worry not, Your esteemed Highness, for I am only able to embrace her physically, according to our agreement. I'm sure her heart will stay with you even as she and I lie in bed together... perhaps.''

The moment Penelope smiled tauntingly was also the moment the table cracked in half from the exploding aura.

'Ah... I'm such a brave woman.'

She had just poked the hornet nest. To jump in with such bold remarks against someone who loved Cecilia so crazily was an equally crazy move.

No, maybe she, too, had also become crazy.

All because of a lone woman named Cecilia.

*****