Chapter 6 | The Assassin Gives His Consent
After Naoise’s party, we returned to the castle apartment that was on loan.
The thirst for power Naoise had displayed before collapsing weighed heavy on my mind. If that desire ever outgrew his pride, it would be the perfect opportunity for Mina to pounce.
She was a demon, after all. It was conceivable she had a way of granting strength to a human.
I used an underground communications network to contact Maha and had her prepare surveillance. Afterward, Tarte, Dia, and I headed to our respective rooms to bathe and change. Then we reconvened in the common room. We exchanged idle chatter for a bit.
“This place is so convenient. I wish we could live here forever. They provide us with any goods or services we ask for,” Dia remarked.
“As a servant, I haven’t known what to do with myself. I feel like I have no reason for being here…,” Tarte confessed.
“It’s definitely comfortable, but I feel more at ease in Tuatha Dé, and I prefer Tarte’s food,” I responded.
“I’m happy to hear you say that, my lord.”
Dia’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I knew that you preferred the domestic type, Lugh. I need to learn how to cook. My mom always said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“Ahem. Anyway, let’s talk about tomorrow.” In addition to Naoise’s event, there had been one other invitation among the heap I’d received that I couldn’t refuse. “I am meeting with Duke Romalung tomorrow… He sent me an invitation with the king’s signature on it. That means there’s no avoiding this. He wants to meet with us directly.”
House Romalung was one of the four major dukedoms, like Naoise’s family. It also had a deep connection to the secret operations of the Tuatha Dé clan.
We fought only for the well-being of the nation. As such, we operated strictly on orders from the royal family.
However, our orders didn’t always come from the royal family directly. House Romalung vetted missions first to decide if they were truly in the country’s best interest, then passed them on to House Tuatha Dé. They also handled the aftermath of our assassinations.
In other words, they were the boss of the Tuatha Dé clan.
“Hmm, I wonder if it would be okay for me to go, too,” wondered Dia aloud.
“I don’t think so. They said in the letter I can take one attendant and no one else,” I explained.
“What do you think would happen if you disobeyed and I came along anyway?”
“The king’s seal is on this missive. Failure to comply could mean death.”
“Yikes. Never mind, then. Watch over Lugh for me, Tarte.”
“Yes, Lady Dia! I will protect Lord Lugh even if it costs me my life!” Tarte exclaimed with great enthusiasm.
“I appreciate the eagerness, but make sure you take care of yourself, too. You’re important to me, Tarte, and I’d be sad if you got hurt,” I said.
Tarte’s cheeks flushed red, and she put her hands to her face. “Wha?! Me, important…”
“Lugh, you have a real habit of blurting out overly serious things,” Dia stated.
“I’m only making an effort to tell people how much I care about them. Especially you, Tarte, and Maha.”
We were a team. I wanted as few secrets between us as possible. Admittedly, I had to hide a lot from them. Perhaps that’s where my desire to be more open came from.
Dia folded her arms. “Hmph. How do you think it feels when you tell us things like that but then continually ignore us? We need to step up our efforts. Lugh’s been thinking of his precious boob lady nonstop lately. It seems like we aren’t enough for him. We need your sex appeal, Tarte.”
“S-sex appeal?” repeated Tarte.
“Yeah, I have no problem with you. I’d much rather you satisfy Lugh than have some old hag hog all the attention.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “…How many times do I need to tell you? I don’t see Countess Granfelt that way.”
“I know. I believe you, Lugh. You think of her as an enemy. I was just teasing. I’m gonna go back to my room to finish the magic I started on earlier today,” Dia replied. “Also, I want to concentrate today, so I’m going to put earplugs in. When I get really focused on my research, I tend to become oblivious to the world. So good luck,” she added conspicuously before leaving.
I looked at Tarte, and her cheeks reddened even further. She then opened her mouth to speak, looking as if it was taking a great amount of effort to get the words out. “Um, my lord, do you remember our discussion about how I’d be able to better serve you if I enticed assassination targets with my body?” she asked timidly.
“I remember. I put a stop to that,” I responded.
Seduction was definitely a powerful tool for covert killing, and it had been employed since ancient times. Tarte was beautiful, she had a very attractive body, and her gentle demeanor was alluring in its own right.
However, Tarte’s personality wasn’t cut out for that kind of work. More importantly, I didn’t want Tarte involved in that sort of thing.
“I remember what you told me after I said I wished to learn how to use my body not as an assassin, but to service you as a maid. ‘Let’s save that for another day. I don’t feel like sleeping with a girl who started shaking just because a man threw her down on the bed.’”
“I did say that.”
Tarte somehow remembered what I’d said word for word.
“Could that day be today?”
“Where is this suddenly coming from?”
“It’s not sudden! I’ve always wanted you to love me, but I’ve been a little scared. I’ve been working really hard to get over my fear so that the day you mentioned would come. I’ve been holding back for a while. But then you did it with Dia, and you’ve been looking at that sexy woman nonstop… I just can’t wait any longer.”
Tarte had appeared fine to me, but she must have been bothered by the snake demon and my night with Dia. Still, any concerns about the former were baseless.
“Tarte, let’s just calm down for now,” I stated. She made a face like the world was ending. It seemed I’d said the wrong thing. “It’s not that I wouldn’t like to sleep with you, but you’re probably still feeling the effects of Beastification. If you make a decision like that when you don’t have a clear head, you’ll regret it.”
“I’m completely fine! I’ve been thinking about this for a very, very long time! And the only reason I’m able to say any of this right now is because I feel overcome by desire!”
Arousal must have been affecting Tarte’s speech. Her proclamation startled me.
“You were really scared last time. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“I’ve been studying! And I want you so badly that I’m not scared at all!”
“Studying, huh? So that’s why you were pressing your ear to the door and listening to me and Dia yesterday.”
“HUH?!? N-no way, you noticed that?”
“Of course I noticed. I’m an assassin.”
“Ah, uh, well, I’m sorry… I just couldn’t help myself.”
“I’ll let it go this time. But don’t do it again. If you want to listen to us that badly, get permission from Dia first.”
“I’ll never do it again!” Tarte responded immediately.
I pulled her toward me forcefully, hugged her, and ran a hand across her skin.
“It seems like you really are okay.”
Last time, she was shaking, and her body went stiff when I touched her, yet she remained relaxed now. Tarte accepted my embrace gently, even squeezing me back.
“I’m not scared anymore, my lord. So please.”
“I can see that. Shall we go to my room?”
“Yes… Please allow me to pleasure you.”
It was very like Tarte to put my wants before asking me to be gentle with her. She always thought of me first. She was a really good girl. I wanted to take good care of her and treat her affectionately.
This was her first time, so I needed to ensure she had the best possible experience.
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