“Come to think of it, I just remembered something,” Layna said. “I heard that your father quit the academy because of a family situation, Miss Herman. He was gravely worried that he wouldn’t be able to get a scholarship even if he has always been at the top of the class. The Royal Academy provides scholarships through grade integration. I, too, desperately needed a scholarship then because my family was not well off.”

The reason Layna had been hired at Van Wert Castle seemed to have something to do with her family’s financial situation. The story continued as Emma quietly sipped her tea and listened attentively.

“I heard that he returned to your hometown right before the final exams. So I felt sorry for him, but you have no idea how relieved I also was,” Layna continued.

“Father didn’t say anything about the ordeal with the academy… So it made me more curious. By chance, do you know?” Emma replied.

“Is that so? I was worried that I’d let it slip out, but now that it’s out in the open, I’ll tell you what I heard at that time.”

Layna’s story, as it turned out, was shocking. Her father, Desmond, had made a huge accident that the family of Polarville couldn’t handle, so he had urgently gone back to his hometown for probation and wasn’t able to return to the academy after that.

‘My family back then…’ Emma pondered critically. Her father had lost his parents at an early age, so the only person he’d called family was Uncle Phillip. Back then, he also hadn’t remarried, so the family that caused the accident couldn’t have been Emma’s mother.

‘Then was it Uncle Phillip?’

She couldn’t believe that her serious uncle whom she normally didn’t get along with had caused a huge accident. It was a story difficult to believe when she recalled Phillip’s serious demeanor. Layna, who’d informed her of this rumor, had never met her uncle. For Layna, it was just a cold-hearted rumor regarding a stranger, so no matter how hard it was to believe, she must have relayed the information on how she’d heard it.

“I heard it was a money issue. It was such a major incident that the house and the family fortune was gone. They say it had to do with someone’s gambling, but that might be false, so don’t take it too seriously,” Layna said seriously.

“…thank you for telling me.”

Emma fell deep into thought after hearing what Layna had said. Afterward, she came out with the necessary herbs and stopped by the alchemy lab to make it into an ointment. But she couldn’t concentrate because her head was filled with thoughts. When the ointment was completed after repeated attempts of focusing, Laute, who was sitting by the window with boredawn, yawned, stretched for a long time and urged her to finish.

“It’s hard to even sit still,” he complained. “Next time, I should bring something to do.”

“I rest when it’s time to rest. I must be a workaholic,” Emma chuckled.

“More than that, you’ll be rewarded if you prove yourself worthy to Master Irvan, Miss Herman.” He grinned, saying that the extra income he received from Irvan was quite plentiful.

***

After returning to the annex, Emma rubbed the ointment on Irvan.

“It doesn’t hurt?” she asked, testing the salve on his skin.

“It only feels cool,” he replied.

While her careful hands spread the medicine over the wound, Irvan kept silent throughout.

“It may burn a little,” Emma said.

“Burn? Hmmph…” He looked at Emma mischievously while tapping his chin as if thinking of something. “If so, then it must be really useful. Can I use it anywhere that hurts? Is it something I can eat?”

When he inched his handsome, smirking face closer, Emma blushed and pushed him away.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about,” she said, enunciating, “ but this ointment is not a potion. You can’t eat it. It does nothing if you eat it. And after applying it you have to leave it as is; don’t touch it at all.”

Listening to her, Irvan looked like he’d lost some steam. He mumbled low with a sulking face, “Then it must be useless.”

“It’s not for severe injuries, it’s an ointment for wounds. Go to sleep. Keep this on you at all times.”

Emma shoved the flat ointment bottle into Irvan’s pant pocket. Then, she became shocked after her finger grazed against his hot, hard member. When her eyes unconsciously darted to his pants, she could see the clear outline of his rod. It was so erect as if it would  pop through the material at any minute. Upon seeing it, her cheeks reddened instantly.

“You have to take responsibility for it if you touch it, young lady.” His soft voice passed over her flushed cheeks and flowed into her ears.

“Touch w-what?” Emma stuttered.

“This,” he pointed to his pants and chuckled mischievously, “is fully awake.”

“That didn’t happen on its own?” she muttered indignantly, trying to weasel her way out.

“No way. If there is a cause, there has to be an effect. Stimulation and reaction. Isn’t that common sense?” Irvan whispered low, a slick grin on his face. He  lowered his head and kissed her. “Here, I think your anger will subside if I caress your devious lips.”

When he placed his soft lips on Emma’s mouth all the random thoughts that had filled her head for the rest of the day flew away.

“Mmm.”

Their tongues tangled, sweet s*l!va permeating between them. The pleasure grew as their tongues s*nsu*lly tasted one another. Emma felt like her whole body was melting like cream, the thrill spread through all the nerves in her body. Her mind was only aware of the hot and sweet sensation, Irvan’s refreshing and subtle body scent and the familiar tingle that aroused rose strongly from the center of Emma’s body. She felt herself tighten with excitement; it felt like a hot pool of desire was resting in her belly. And as their tongues constantly entangled, her secret passage below also became wet.