After dinner, Regulus went directly to the Forbidden Library where Beatrice was waiting.
But the moment Regulus pushed open the heavy wooden doors, Beatrice merely glanced up before immediately fixing her gaze back onto the open grimoire in her lap.
She was still angry.
But surprisingly, what made her the angriest was not the matter of him "eating" Julia. Regarding Julia, Beatrice's heart was actually quite relaxed. After all, she had a very good relationship with Julia, who often came to the Forbidden Library to read and keep her company. Beatrice truly regarded the girl as a junior.
Now that this child had been favored by Regulus and claimed, it meant that Roswaal would definitely have to let Julia go. He could no longer use her as a vessel. This result was actually wonderful.
The real reason Beatrice was angry... was that Regulus had abandoned her to that mob of women!
Watching herself being surrounded and treated like a stuffed toy by his wives... it was fine if he didn't come to rescue her immediately. But he had actually left her behind entirely and ran off to do indecent things with Julia in the forest!
It was really too much! Couldn't he spend more time with Betty? He had finally come back after four hundred years with great difficulty!
Looking at the pouting Great Spirit who was deliberately ignoring him, Regulus chuckled. He walked over and directly scooped her up into his arms, book and all.
This made Beatrice freeze for a moment.
Noticing that Regulus was already turning around to take her out of the Forbidden Library, she panicked slightly.
"Where are you taking Betty, I suppose?!"
"To take a bath. And then we're going to sleep together."
"Eh!!?"
Beatrice looked up at the man holding her, her butterfly eyes wide with shock.
Take a bath, and then sleep together? Could it be that she was going to be with him tonight?
This had never happened before! Or rather, it should be said that she had never received Mother's permission for such a thing. In the past, not only Mother, but also her former friend Ryuzu Meyer, would never allow Regulus to do strange things to her without permission.
But now, Mother was dead. No one could stop her, and there was no need to stop her.
Over four hundred years ago, when she was first created, it was normal for Echidna to protect her innocence. But now that four centuries had passed, she had grown up. As an adult who had read countless books and knew everything, she no longer needed to be protected like a child.
But even so... taking a bath together and sleeping together without even signing a Spirit Contract first?
It wasn't until Regulus carried her out of the Forbidden Library and into the hallway that Beatrice came back to her senses. Her face flushed a faint, delicate pink.
"Mother will be angry if you do this, in fact," she mumbled, looking away.
"What will happen after she gets angry?" Regulus teased.
"If Mother gets angry, she will probably ignore you for a few hours... and then pinch the flesh on your waist exactly like I did before, I suppose."
"For Betty's sake, I am entirely willing to endure Echidna's punishment."
Regulus's solemn vow made Beatrice stun for a moment. The light pink on her cheeks rapidly darkened into a deep crimson.
"Do whatever you want. Betty doesn't care about these things, I suppose," she muttered, burying her face into his shoulder to hide her shyness.
Continuing down the corridor, the two soon arrived at the mansion's grand bathhouse.
Unfortunately, someone had already entered the bathroom first.
Theresia, Carol, and Lycoris—who had quickly developed a very good relationship with the other two—were already inside.
"We should wait a while, in fact..." Beatrice's voice trailed off.
Before she could finish, Regulus pushed the door open and walked right into the changing room.
Inside the luxurious changing area, the three women had just finished removing their clothes.
"Lycoris, no matter how you look at it, your skin is absolutely flawless," Theresia praised, looking at the red-haired noblewoman's elegant curves.
"Theresia, yours is just as good," Lycoris smiled gently. "It looks very firm and toned. It must feel very comfortable to touch."
"Is that so? I feel very ordinary," Theresia sighed softly.
She touched her own abdomen, which lacked any excess flesh due to her rigorous training. She had long been used to touching it, so she didn't feel anything special. Would a man really feel comfortable touching this?
"My Lady, your figure is very attractive," Carol spoke up, having already folded her armor and uniform neatly onto a bench. "You must have confidence in yourself."
"Eh!?" Theresia turned to look at her guard.
Carol possessed a petite figure and a slender, athletic body. Coupled with her beautiful face, she gave off a cute, almost boyish charm when out of her armor. It was just that her usual stern, serious expression greatly concealed this cuteness.
But what Theresia cared about most was not Carol's figure. It was the special, intricate pattern drawn with glowing pink lines on Carol's lower abdomen.
Theresia turned her head to look at Lycoris. Similarly, the exact same magical pattern was resting on the redhead's pale abdomen.
Theresia had been incredibly curious about what this mark was ever since she accidentally saw Carol's yesterday.
"This thing..." Theresia pointed tentatively.
"Eh!!?"
Carol followed Theresia's gaze and realized she was staring at her crest. She subconsciously reached out and covered her lower belly with her hands, her face burning.
This pattern made her incredibly shy. And more importantly, she hated the mechanics behind it.
'Every time Regulus bullies me, it glows in tandem with the changes in my emotions,' Carol thought bitterly. 'The greater the emotional fluctuation and arousal, the brighter the light becomes. It's precisely because of this that Regulus quickly grasped all of my sensitive weaknesses, leaving me without even the slightest ability to hide how I feel when I'm being touched!'
"That is the proof," Lycoris explained calmly, not bothering to cover her own.
"Proof?" Theresia asked.
"As long as you share the deepest physical relationship with the Husband, this crest will appear on your body. Its existence proves that we are women who permanently belong to him," Lycoris said with a soft, devoted smile. "As for whether there are any other magical effects, that has not been fully verified yet."
"So that's how it is..."
Theresia, who finally understood the truth, couldn't help but look down at her own smooth, white abdomen.
There was nothing there. Just blank, unclaimed skin.
For a moment, a strange, heavy sense of frustration and exclusion settled in her heart. She was the only one left out.
Just at this moment—
Click.
The door to the changing room suddenly opened. The three women, feeling their hearts tighten, immediately looked up.
Regulus and the Great Spirit named Betty walked in.
Theresia, realizing her completely naked situation, instantly turned as red as a ripe apple. With a squeak of panic, she instinctively darted behind Lycoris, using the taller woman to hide her body.
"Husband," Lycoris called out softly, completely unfazed by her own nudity.
She took the initiative to stride forward, meeting Regulus as he walked over. Serving her husband and welcoming his gaze was her proud responsibility as a wife.
Carol, standing off to the side, glanced at Theresia, who was hiding in a sheer panic, and finally chose to remain silent. She didn't reach for a towel to cover herself either.
She had seen all of Theresia's recent changes. The Sword Saint was no longer completely repulsed by Regulus. In fact, sometimes Theresia would look at the other girls—and even at Carol herself—with deeply envious eyes when they were physically close to him.
Continuing to stop Regulus was no longer appropriate.
Of course, there were also personal emotional factors that made Carol lower her guard. Although Regulus had brought an absurd number of wives with him to a warzone, she couldn't deny the warmth in her heart.
He had willingly marched straight to the front lines of a deadly battlefield just to ensure her safety. It was impossible to say she didn't feel anything for him after that.
'I won't continue to make things difficult for him,' Carol decided internally, stepping forward to join Lycoris in welcoming their master.
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