CHAPTER 57: BEFORE WE RAVAGE EACH OTHER, YEAH?

"How long has it been since we’ve been alone like this?" I asked.

"Too long~" Isobel purred as my hands worked.

Soon after my bath, I went up to Isobel’s room, unsurprised to find her at her desk reading another book while simultaneously writing in her journal. After exchanging a few pleasantries, I began to give Isobel a shoulder massage.

Judging by her reactions, she clearly needed it. She melted in my touch, dropping her pen and closing her book before slumping in her seat and letting me take care of her. Something about this felt... intimate. More intimate than the sex we had. Well, maybe that was a stretch, but there was something about this closeness that got me going regardless. Was I awakening to a new kink...?

"I missed you, Isobel," I said, voice soft.

"I missed you, too, love. I’ve just been so focused. I don’t want to lead you two astray." She sighed. "I’m sorry for giving you two so much busy work lately. I’ve just been double-checking and triple-checking and cross-referencing my ideal tasklist with those of other successful Great Houses in history to make sure I’m not leading us astray and... I think I just got lost in it all." She reached over her shoulder, grabbing my hand and kissing the back of it before placing it back on her shoulder, a silent plea for me to continue massaging her. I did as much as she spoke. "I love you, Lloyd. Thank you for this."

I leaned forward, turning Isobel’s head to face mine and kissing her softly. "I love you too, Isobel." I pulled away, resuming my massage. "Both of us need time to unwind, you know." I chuckled. "Maybe not at a tavern, though."

She buried her head in her hands. "Please don’t remind me...! That was mortifying."

I laughed, draping my arms over her shoulder in a soft embrace. "If it makes you feel any better, both Lyra and I have barfight stories that’ve taken place there. It’s basically a rite of passage in Podros. You’re really one of us, now."

She turned to face me, disbelief clear on her face. "That’s the Podrian rite of passage? Not dying in a 5-Star Quest that you took because you thought you were stronger than you actually were?"

"That too," I allowed. "Our first Quest was a 5-Star. We hardly lasted a minute before getting crushed to death by a ’Death God Cultist’. Good times."

The two of us shared a laugh as I led her from her chair with a hand. "I know you’re trying to get out of cleaning, Lloyd May," Isobel accused. I raised my hands in mock protest, causing her to roll her eyes. "But luckily for you, I’m trying to get out of reading. So, what did you have in store?"

"A walk," I shrugged. "I get to spend time with you, and

I get to hound you with questions about the House and your family history."

"You don’t have to pretend to care about that anymore, you know."

"It isn’t pretending. I want to know. You can’t tell me this House was built on the ashes of the original House of the Unblinking Eye, and that the first Demon Lord was born here, and that you have blood relation to the current Demon Lord, and expect me not to be interested. Also, I promised Lord Marquis that I would learn more about the House."

Isobel chuckled. "In that case, get your pen and pad ready. This is the final tour I give you. It’s a fully academic experience, so no getting distracted."

The final "academic" tour of the House was indeed informative. I learned everything, from Benjamin and Isabella’s love story to Jonah and Edith’s political maneuverings to turn this place into a Great House, to Lord Marquis and Alexander’s mission to expand the House’s grounds and prepare for the inevitable return of the Demon Lord. She’d notably glossed over her father, who, despite every other leader of House Greaves, hadn’t done all that much. Knowing what I knew about the House, I understood Isobel’s silent disappointment in him. Though it was in knowing the nature of the House that I understood why he hadn’t gotten anything out of it: the man simply didn’t want anything from the House. So, the House didn’t give him anything back. It was that simple.

Isobel’s father, alongside his wife, son, and a small group of their most loyal servants, was off somewhere in the coastal region of Podros now, apparently, close to House Nightingale. I’d asked Isobel if she planned on visiting, but she’d brushed past that topic, saying that she’d visit "whenever time permitted". Time did permit, though. Hell, now was likely the only time we’d have to pay them a visit! I wasn’t sure whether it was my place to say that, though, so I decided to hold my tongue for now.

Thankfully, the conversation lightened as we made our way to the Royal Battlegrounds. It was the first time we’d been back here together since our battle. Lyra and I had been to get some training in and clean, of course, but being back here now with Isobel felt different somehow.

"It’s like they’re watching us," Isobel said to no one in particular, voice soft in a way that sounded a bit reverent.

"They are," I answered. "They always are."

"I know," Isobel replied. "But their gazes are more present here. It always feels like that when I’m here."

"You come here often?"

Isobel nodded. "Every morning after my jog. I run, train a bit in one of the training halls, then spend a few minutes here in the Battlegrounds to talk to them all and tell them I love them." She looked up at the statues, smiling. "They never answer, of course, but I know they’re listening."

"I’m sure they appreciate your company."

"After all these years? I’m not so sure. If anything, they’ve at least gotten used to it."

The two of us shared a laugh as we gave the statues a final once-over. Isobel led me out of the Battlegrounds, pulling me softly by my hand, leaving me with nothing to do but marvel at her as we walked–not for the first time today. Isobel’s hair was wrapped in that familiar tight bun, soft winds blowing her lavender patchouli fragrance towards me. Her favorite black dress flowed alongside it, revealing the faint outline of her curves as it hugged her skin.

"Did you hear me?" Isobel asked, turning to face me. "I asked you where you’d like to go next?"

I looked over her, purple eyes staring up at mine, dress cut just low enough to reveal her cleavage. Since when was I so... feral? I wasn’t even making any effort to hide my gaze! Had it seriously been so long since we’d been together that my body decided to start moving on its own?!

Isobel took a step closer to me, drawing her arms around my shoulders, breasts pressing against my chest. "So that’s where you’d like to go? My bedroom? My, I was wondering when the pin would drop."

I followed her lead, pulling Isobel into a passionate kiss. My arousal grew immediately, pressing against her crotch. I pulled her closer by her ass, squeezing it to ensure that she felt how badly I wanted her. She did feel it, tongue snaking its way into my mouth to collide with mine.

"That was quick," Isobel joked after pulling away slightly. She was panting, as was I. "I guess we both wanted this, huh?"

"Mhmm," I agreed.

"And we’ll both have what we want, Lloyd May," Isobel purred, before pulling me into another erotic kiss, stroking my cock from above my pants. "You’d like that, wouldn’t you?"

"I’d love it, Isobel."

"I know you would. But," She pulled away, smile wide and mischievous. "After the tour. You can wait another half-hour, can’t you?"

"I know what you’re doing, Isobel," I said, voice soft yet challenging. "And I hope you’re ready for the consequences."

"Oh, I could be saying the same to you, Lloyd May," Isobel replied, voice venomous. She corrected herself, returning to that casual tone and pulling me by my hand toward the row of long houses on the far end of the manor. "Now, let’s wrap this tour up." She winked. "Before we ravage each other, yeah?"