Hilda had awoken quite some time ago. But she didn't dare to open her eyes. It wasn't because of tiredness or her sore waist. She was just too afraid of accepting the truth.

After last night’s intense training, they had ended up in a position where Fern was sleeping in her embrace. Even if she didn't want to, Hilda knew she had no choice but to face her.

Hilda sighed in her heart, sensing Fern's breathing as soft as a sleeping person. Only then did she dare to open her eyes.

However, she was taken aback as soon as she opened her eyes. A pair of red eyes were staring at her. Yes, Fern was awake.

Even though her breathing was gentle, tears streamed down her cheeks. Her cheeks had been dyed a soft red, but her face had yet to show any emotion.

It wasn't what Hilda had expected. Since the day she (H) met Fern, all of her rage, happiness, and even embarrassment had been explosive outbursts of emotion.

She wasn't the type to keep all of her emotions bottled up inside her. In some ways, she was more suited to being a typical pampered princess than those real imperial princesses. 

However, she was as silent as a windless night at the time.

She kept looking at Hilda for a moment before moving. Or, at the very least, she tried. Her entire face twitched in pain at the next moment. She gritted her teeth and was about to sit back up when she was stopped by a hand.

Hilda felt a chill run down her spine the moment Hilda's eyes met her (F). She (H) wouldn't have flinched if it had been bloodlust or an intense display of one's aura, but the sharp edge of Fern's intense hatred was too much to bear.

"Don't move," Hilda wanted to say but couldn't. She took her hand off Fern's bitter face.

Fern sat back without changing her expression, or so she thought. Her waist was sore beyond human tolerance, and all of her muscles were aching.

Her arms gave way the moment she tried to support her tired body. Fern was expecting to fall face-first off the bed, but an arm gently wrapped around her waist and pulled her up onto the bed.

"Don't be in a rush to get out. Your body is too strained to support your sudden movement." Even though it hurt her stomach a little, Fern knew the hand was supporting her as gently as possible.

'What are you attempting to accomplish? Are you trying to make me feel pity for myself?' Fern wanted to ask, but she didn't want to look Hilda in the eyes again.

Fern's clenched fists did not escape Hilda's gaze. But she knew that all of her comforting words would be in vain.

"Although it is my room, please rest a little," Hilda said, sighing. "I'm going to leave you alone."

"What are you up to?"

Hilda looked at Fern when she heard her familiar tone. Despite the fact that she (F) was lying on the bed, Hilda couldn't ignore the authority in the voice.

Hilda couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity in the corner of her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She simply bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry."

“You…”

"Last night, my mind was clear," Hilda said, ignoring her teeth grinding.

Hilda was expecting a reaction, but she didn't get it. So Hilda continued, "I ate golden marrow fruit even though I didn't eat the aphrodisiac mixed food. I soon lost consciousness."

"You were already in my room when my mind cleared. I couldn't move at the time, and by the time I could..." Hilda glanced at her for a moment before saying, "By the time I did, I had already slipped into you."

Again, Hilda was surprised by Fern's reaction. She was still staring at her, but her eyes were emotionless. As if the constant stimulation had messed with her mind.

"I should have stopped..."

“What will happen to me?”

They both spoke at the same time. Hilda was taken aback for a moment, but when she looked at Fern, she understood her (F) state of mind.

There was still an ounce of stubbornness in them, but she had come to accept her fate somewhere in her (F) heart. She kept staring at Hilda as if she was waiting for her response.

"The empire's greatest sun wishes for you to bear a child for count Longsas."

"But that man couldn't pull it off. So that bastard forced you to do his work for him?"

Although Hilda wanted to warn her (F) not to disrespect the emperor carelessly, she knew it wasn't the right time. She couldn't help but nod.

"How come it has to be you?"

Hilda had no response to this question. She wasn't insane enough to seduce the first imperial prince's woman, even if she lusted after her.

After all, the first prince has the best chance of succeeding as emperor. And enraging him would be tantamount to inviting unwelcome bloodshed. Alas! She was too weak.

“It’s because of my mother, right?” A smile cracked at the edge of the lips, catching the slight change in emotion. "You did it with my mother, didn't you?" Fern asked.

Hilda didn't say anything despite not averting her gaze. "She spends time at your barrack," Fern continued. "Do you think I won’t be able to figure out what's going on between you?"

"You're a genuine freak, aren't you? You can have any woman you want, so why do you have to touch a woman who is more than twice your age? And she's the emperor's woman."

Even if she wanted to, Hilda did not refute. She instead let her (F) vent her resentment. And she quickly regretted her decision.

"And then there's that old hag." Fern nearly screamed. "Even at her age, that slut is seducing freaks younger than her children. That…”

"Fern, she's yours..."

“My what?” Fern's sudden scream silenced Hilda. "You freaks are doing whatever you want. Why do I have to face punishment?" 

Fern continued. "What did I do wrong? I simply adored my imperial prince brother and wished to be the mother of his child. I wanted to..."

And the last sliver of resistance crumbled. 

Again, tears stream down her cheeks. But it was only a fleeting moment. Fern quickly wiped her tears away and returned her gaze to Hilda.

“What will happen to me?” 

Hilda noticed Fern wasn't the bickering girl she remembered. Although she couldn’t hide her emotions like those women of the imperial harem, Hilda could see what she would become in the future.

"I swear to you I'm not going to warm one freak's bed while raising another's man’s child. If things worsened..." Fern did not know how to improve her future, no matter how much she thought about it.

Hilda could only sigh when she looked at her. She wasn't sure if it was because of the golden marrow fruit, but her body felt energized. But she was sure that wasn't the case with Fern.

"Come on in," she said. The door opened as the maids entered. "Prepare a warm herbal bath."

"As you please, my lord."

The maid received the order and was about to leave when Hilda intervened, saying, "Prepare a bath here. And get some loose cloth ready for my princess."

Three pairs of eyes were drawn to her. The shock was evident in both of them, but they quickly exited the room with a nod.

“Who is your...”

Hilda covered her mouth, cutting off Fern's aggressive voice. "If you want to continue the routine that has been going on for the last two nights, then act as if you have accepted me as your partner," she said quietly.

“Uhhhh...”

Hilda could understand what she was trying to say even if she couldn't speak with her (H) hand covering Fern's mouth. "I know you don't want a freak for a husband, but my father does. And it will happen as long as he wants."

"So, stay with me for the next few days. Pretend you've fallen in love with me. I swear I'm not going to touch you at all." Hilda removed her hand after receiving Fern's nod.

She was about to say something when she stopped to look at the door. From the other side of the door, the maid soon said. "My lord, we have prepared the tub."

"Wait a second." Hilda drew the sheet that had fallen off the bed and draped it over Fern. It was only then that she directed others to enter.

Despite Fern's habit of stripping naked in front of her maid, Hilda suspected that she would be uncomfortable exposing her body to the imperial knights transporting the bathtub.

Fern had a puzzled expression on her face as she looked at Hilda. She couldn't tell if Hilda was trying to humiliate or pity her. However, Hilda gave a warm smile as soon as their eyes met.

Fern averted her gaze because she couldn't look Hilda in the eyes. It was only then that Hilda said, "I have spoken with my imperial father. He'll let you divorce as soon as I get back from the border. Then I'd be willing to accept you as my concubine."

“Who...” Hilda squeezed Fern's hand tightly as she was about to yell, her gaze fixed on the maids who were preparing the fragrant birth. Fern sighed and swallowed the rest of her curse.

"The bath is ready, my lord."

 

"Leave," Hilda said with a wave of her hand. The maids bowed and followed orders.

"If they're going to leave, who's going to..." Fern's body had left the bed before she could show her agitation. She clung to the only thing she could.

When the panic wore off, she opened her eyes to find Hilda carrying her. Her face was too close to Hilda's shoulder, and the bite marks on Hilda's neck and shoulder were the first things she noticed.

It wasn't simple lovebites; someone had bitten into her skin, leaving fresh teeth marks on her comparatively white skin. The bite marks weren't the only thing that had drawn blood; the scratches had as well.

'Was it my fault?' Fern couldn't help but wonder, even if she knew the answer. She couldn't stop herself from burying her face in her neck. ‘It’s too embarrassing.’

But it didn't take long for her to justify her actions in her mind, thinking, 'compared to what she did to me, it's nothing. I should make her suffer a little more.'

"What are you up to?" It wasn't until Fern heard Hilda that she realized she was biting her again.

"What are YOU doing?" Fern shouted louder, "Put me down," to hide her embarrassment.

Fern noticed Hilda's lips curved up slightly as she tried to move the face away. She, on the other hand, did not dare to inspect it. As she was wondering, Hilda slowly stepped into the tub.

"What are you up to?" Fern cried, ignoring the stinging sensation around her crotch. “Why are you entering the bath with me?”

"I, too, need to freshen up," Hilda said innocently. "However, if you don't want..."

Hilda's penile sheath was too close to Fern's face as she stood up to get out of the tub. Fern noticed an enticing smell overpowering the herbal scent on the next breath.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the smell. So she quickly turned her head to hide her embarrassment and said, “Do whatever you want.”

As a result, they remained silent on either side of the tub. After a brief moment of silence, Fern couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Hilda, only to discover she was staring in the wrong direction.

"Can you tell me what you're looking at?" Fern asked angrily, covering her nether region.

"Was that always there?"

"What are you on about?" Even though she was naked beside Hilda, she couldn't help but blush when Hilda pointed to her private parts.

"It's that tattoo."

“That? Oh!” After Fern realized what Hilda was talking about, she relaxed a little. Despite the fact that she did not remove her hand, Hilda could still see the tattoo on her abdomen. 

"This is the result of the mana potion I drank in response to what you did to me. It will prevent me from becoming pregnant."

"How can you be sure?"

One of her other maids, in whom she had placed so much trust, had put aphrodisiac in her food. Naturally, Fern had no response to this question. 

Still, she said, hesitantly, "yes."

The next chapter will be up withing a few hours.