Episode 62: Nephthys Theater
Nephthys is a stern-faced old man, but perhaps that’s what made it good.
If he were a lecherous old man, he might have sensed something akin to a double entendre in the word “Thaw.”
“…It is said that in order to welcome the Thaw, the noble lady herself needs to come to some sort of compromise.”
“And what would that be?”
“…What is often discussed in the education of noble daughters is…”
What Nephthys told was the story of a certain noble man and woman.
On the day they consummated their marriage, the Seal of Chastity apparently manifested on the noblewoman.
The nobleman was deeply hurt, and the noblewoman tried to take responsibility and return to her family home, but the nobleman patiently engaged in dialogue with the noblewoman.
Thanks to that, the noblewoman realized that the nobleman was irreplaceable, and at that moment, she finally welcomed the Thaw.
And so, the noble man and woman became husband and wife in the truest sense, a happy ending.
“‘Look, the Thaw water dripping from your little mouth is forming a thread. It’s just like a bridge connecting you and me…'”
“That’s enough, Nephthys.”
“…Huh? Ah, is that so?”
I got the gist of it, so I ended Nephthys’s theater.
Nephthys looked as if he wanted to tell the epilogue, but it’s unnecessary.
“Why do you have such bizarre lines prepared?”
“…Such things are told to young noble daughters in this way.”
“…You don’t have to think of me as a young noble daughter.”
“…My apologies.”
He’s already revealed quite a bit of noble sexual knowledge, so it’s a bit late for that.
It was quite an erotic story, but Nephthys’s voice itself was easy to listen to.
He probably has a lot of experience as a storyteller.
If I could only hear his voice without seeing Nephthys’s stern face, he could have made a woman’s womb throb.
“…Haaah.”
Nephthys suddenly sighed.
Until just now, he was enthusiastically talking about the viscosity of the Thaw water, but now his tension has dropped all at once.
“Is something wrong?”
“…No, I was just remembering when I told this story to Lord Barbat before. That’s why.”
Noble education is basically divided into practical skills by Stella-Class individuals and lectures by Satella-Class civil officials.
Nephthys is probably one of the Satella-Class civil officials who was in charge of Barbat’s lectures.
Unfortunately, it can only be said that Barbat’s moral education was a failure.
“I see.”
“…He wasn’t like that in the past. He was truly excellent and trustworthy…”
“…”
Even if you say that, I only know that Barbat, so I don’t have anything to comment on.
No matter how much Nephthys tries to explain, that image won’t change.
“…Lord Sharka, what did you think of the story just now?”
“Hmm, I think it’s a beautiful story. Isn’t it the ideal marital relationship for nobles?”
“…The story just now is often told to cultivate the morality of noble men. In reality, when the Seal of Chastity manifests, one of them returns to their family home, and both are left with emotional scars, never to appear in society again.”
So, reality is harsh.
Nobles are creatures who live for obsessive love, so if they realize that their feelings aren’t reciprocated, they basically break up.
Hmm, so that means…
“Could it be that Barbat was like that too?”
“…Yes. Actually, about ten years ago, a certain Marquise’s Daughter from the Kingdom of Hoberia came to marry Lord Barbat. However, unfortunately, the Seal of Chastity manifested on that Marquise’s Daughter on their wedding night.”
Kingdom of Hoberia, the kingdom to the east of Naia.
Honestly, I don’t know much about the eastern countries, but I don’t think they were particularly friendly with Naia, even if they weren’t explicitly hostile.
There’s no doubt that there were diplomatic relations when it was the Kingdom of Ortenos more than sixty years ago, but there are no connections with the current Ortenos.
To make matters more complicated, Ortenos is now an imperial noble, and the empire is the country with the largest territory on the Atra Continent.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the eastern countries harbored hostility towards Ortenos.
I digress, but in terms of content, it was probably one of the marriage diplomacy between Naia and Hoberia.
“That’s… quite a disaster.”
“…Lord Barbat also diligently visited the Marquise’s Daughter at first, as he was taught. Believing that the Thaw would come someday…”
Apparently, Barbat wasn’t always like that.
It’s not information I particularly wanted to hear, and it won’t raise my affection for him now.
“But his wish wasn’t granted…”
“…Yes. Before that happened, a slightly strange incident occurred.”
“A strange incident?”
“Yes, one day, an incident occurred in the Marquise’s Daughter’s bedroom where Lord Barbat brutally murdered a servant who had come from Hoberia.”
Yes, this is the Barbat I know.
The location was probably Gordasht Castle.
Suddenly killing a servant in the castle is not normal, but that’s why it’s like Barbat.
“Why on earth would he do that?”
“…I don’t know the exact cause. Even when I asked Lord Barbat about the circumstances, he only showed frustration and went crazy, and the Marquise’s Daughter kept her mouth shut with a vacant look, perhaps out of fear. However, Lord Barbat changed from that day on.”
The incident happened ten years ago, before the war.
That was around the time I was sucking breast milk with Roa.
Back then, I was seriously thinking about how long I could continue sucking my mother’s breast milk.
I think the prophecy started spreading around the end of the following year, and gradually it became impossible to think about that anymore.