Chapter 76
Since coming here, Sia’s menstrual cycle—already irregular—had become even more erratic. She’d only had her period once so far. That time she’d managed to get through safely with the sanitary pads she had brought with her, but now those were all gone, and she was worried about what to do next time.
But unable to bring herself to say this directly to Nox, Sia answered indirectly instead.
“I’ll think about it and let Marie know later.”
“Alright. Whatever it is, just say it comfortably.”
“Thank you, Lord Nox.”
Though he hadn’t even given her anything yet, hearing her say thank you somehow made him feel proud. Ah, so this is why males spend so much money on their females, he thought. Nox felt an urge to show off more of his strengths in front of Sia.
“If there’s any fruit or vegetable you’d like to eat before winter comes, tell Cedric to arrange it. Anything is fine, and however much you want.”
He looked ready to pluck out his own liver and offer it; Sia couldn’t help but smile as she replied.
“Is there nothing you want, Lord Nox? I may not have much compared to you, but I can still help somehow.”
She had not only confessed to him that she was human but had also honestly told him about her hometown and modern civilization.
“Ah, there’s actually something that’s been on my mind for a while… Can I help you with that instead?”
“What is it?”
“When I used the butler’s private room with Lord Cedric.”
Cedric, who had been standing nearby assisting, flinched at her words and blurted out, startled.
“Madam, you mustn’t call me that.”
“…It just feels a little wrong.”
“You call Marie simply by name, don’t you? So why don’t you call me Cedric as well?”
Well… though she and the Duke were somewhat involved, she wasn’t really ‘Madam’, and with her Confucian mindset it was difficult to call an older man by just his name as if speaking down to him.
Watching them quietly, Nox finally spoke.
“Sia, if you don’t call Cedric properly, it will only trouble him further. Now that you’ve decided to settle here, let’s start changing little by little.”
“…I’ll try.”
Agreeing he was right, Sia answered meekly and then continued where she’d left off.
“Anyway, the part where I can help is with the account books.”
“Account books?”
“I happened to see the ones Lo… Cedric manages, and they’re so complicated and hard to read at a glance. That would make handing things over difficult, and later it would be hard to look things up.”
Nox hadn’t expected Sia to bring this up, but he listened closely.
“I’m not saying to overhaul everything, but even organizing them into simple ledgers would make them much easier to use…”
“Simple ledgers? What is that?”
“I’ll make a sample and show you!”
Back before she came here, just looking at account books had made her want to vomit. But now, doing something familiar again after so long oddly excited her.
Finishing dinner cheerfully, Sia returned to her room with Nox escorting her as naturally as ever. Having gone outside for the first time in a while, she felt pretty tired.
She naturally assumed Marie would come in to attend to her. They had been sharing the room recently, after all. But the one who followed her into the dressing room was none other than Nox.
“Uh…?”
“What is it?”
Nox casually began to loosen the ties of her indoor dress. The way he tugged at the ribbons was gentle yet firm, and most of all looked practiced.
“…Why are you so quick to pick this up?”
“You don’t realize it, but I learn fast.”
“Capable ML, huh…”
“Haha.”
Nox found Sia adorable whenever she said strange things he didn’t fully understand. Likely words from her homeland. They were unfamiliar, yet he liked them. They reminded him she wasn’t a cat werebeast.
He realized then that after being shunned for his fur color for so long, he must have unconsciously grown resentful toward his own kind.
Nox swiftly undressed her, then stripped off his own clothes just as quickly before lifting the embarrassed Sia into his arms.
“Ah… Why do you keep picking me up? I can walk, you know?”
Cradled against him, Sia hid her face in her hands and protested. But even that was endearing to Nox. He kissed her forehead briefly and headed to the bathroom.
As the tub filled with water, Nox kept kissing her. With each deepening kiss, the sound of water echoed around them. Sia’s face burned. It felt as if the sound were coming from them.
Smack.
Ending a long kiss, Nox cupped her face with both hands and whispered,
“It’s been a while… I want to feel your skin again.”
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