Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 1
A Harsh Day
The delicious smell of baking bread and the savory aroma of stew filled the alley. Around this time, the shops were bustling with people looking to shop before heading home after work.
“Miss, where is the white sugar?”
“Just a moment, I’ll find it for you right away!”
“Here, please hurry with the checkout!”
“Yes, I’m coming!”
Late in the afternoon, customers started pouring in suddenly. After spending a hectic and busy time, it was already sunset. Louise, without a moment to rest, was busily arranging items to sell for the next day.
“Louise, are you there?”
As she finally took a breath and straightened her back, she saw the reddened sky outside the small window in the plaster wall. Melissa, the owner of the grocery store where she worked, approached her.
“I’ll take care of the rest. You should go home now.”
“Yes, I’ll just finish organizing this.”
“Your face is pale, you need to rest too. On days you don’t come to the store, you help out at the orchard, right? You work so hard.”
“…I’m fine, ma’am.”
A look of pity crossed the kind grocery store owner’s face. Louise smiled as usual, assuring her that she was okay.
“Poor thing. If only your younger sibling were healthy, it would be a bit easier….”
Louise’s younger sister, Mildred, had been weak since birth. Born prematurely and with a congenital illness, she needed to take medication regularly, which was quite expensive for their poor household. She couldn’t afford to take a single day off work.
Her only older brother was of no help in supporting the family’s living expenses or repaying the debts left by their deceased parents.
Even working all day, she barely managed to pay the interest for that month, but her bright and kind nature was Louise’s greatest asset. Despite her fragile appearance, she was always positive and diligent, loved by everyone.
Like other lively young women her age, Louise had things she enjoyed.
During the compulsory education in the empire, she liked art quite a bit and often received compliments for her drawings. Sometimes, when she had the time, she would immerse herself in romance novels borrowed from the library, momentarily forgetting the hardships of reality.
“Oh, where has my mind flown off to! I meant to give you this.”
Mrs. Melissa suddenly remembered and took out five eggs wrapped in paper from the basket she had brought. She often gave Louise food or daily necessities out of sympathy for her situation.
“Your younger sister is sick again, right? Make some egg porridge. It’s soft and easy to swallow.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“I hope the new lord is a good person. It would be nice if he didn’t collect too much tax.”
The Evron estate, where they lived, was not ideal for farming due to its mountainous terrain. The former lord, an old native noble, didn’t care much about the poor estate residents.
As dissatisfaction grew each year, the foolish son of the lord, who stayed in the capital for his studies, was caught trying to conspire with rebels, leading to the downfall of the entire family.
Everyone was hopeful when they heard that the Emperor had personally bestowed a title on the new lord. However, some were worried that with the change of ownership, taxes might be levied again under the pretext of renovating the castle.
By the time Louise walked back to her house on the mountain, it was already dark. A child, who had been crouching at the doorstep of the shabby hut and sniffing, saw her and ran over like a squirrel, hugging her tightly.
“Sister, Sisterrr…!”
“Mildred! Why are you outside in the cold?”
Although it was already officially summer, the village on the mountainside had significant temperature differences between day and night. Louise adjusted her grip on the bundle of eggs and hugged Mildred’s small, cold shoulders.
Her mother, who had never earned much money in her life, had worked hard during her pregnancy with Mildred, resulting in premature labor. She passed away from postpartum fever shortly after childbirth, and Mildred had since relied on Louise like a mother.
“Sister! Brother Helio… Brother, he… waaah…!”
“What did Brother do again?”
The house was a mess, despite being clean when she left in the morning. The floor was dirty with all sorts of clutter, and dishes were left unwashed on the table.
Their troublesome older brother, who frequently complained of aches and pains to avoid work, apparently hadn’t gone out to work today either.
Sighing at the disordered house, she set the eggs down on the table and started tidying up the floor when she heard the sound of giggling from the closed bedroom.
“Nnngh, Helio, you’re so… Ahnngh, it tickles…!”
“Heh… Stop being so coy. Huff, huff! How is it? Feels good?”
“Ahh, oh… oh! I… I don’t know…!”
The old wooden bed creaked loudly, accompanied by suggestive panting and moaning that indicated what was happening inside. Louise quickly covered Mildred’s ears.
“Millie, can you go to our room for a bit? I’ll make you some tasty egg pudding later.”
“Okay, Sister.”
After sending her brother into the small room they shared, which doubled as a kitchen, Louise put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.
