Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 2
Bang!
She kicked the old wooden door of the bedroom open. Helio and Cherinia, tangled up on the bed, turned to her with startled faces. Louise silently glared at them.
“Kyah!”
“What, what is this?”
Helio, who had been panting and shaking his hips, got up for a break while Cherinia screamed and covered her bare chest.
“You scared me! Gosh, seriously. So rude!”
“You talk about manners? Doing this in someone else’s house is your idea of manners? And there’s a child outside! Get out right now.”
“Ugh, stop it! Louise, you’re really too much. Always picking on poor Cherinia… Helio! I’m scared….”
Cherinia, who was the same age as Louise, blinked her large eyes and whimpered with a frightened face, acting like a child. Cherinia had grown up in the same village as Louise since childhood, and she had always gotten what she wanted by acting like this.
Helio, who was one of the village boys who was captivated by Cherinia’s tears and charms, glared at Louise to save face in front of his crying lover.
“You impudent girl! Did my baby get scared?”
“Brother, did you skip work again today? What are you going to do if you get fired?”
“Shut up! Who do you think you’re lecturing? Do you know who the head of this household is? If you have any complaints, you can leave!”
Helio, trying to calm Cherinia while hurriedly putting on his pants, raised his fist threateningly at Louise, as if ready to hit her.
“Louise, are you home?”
At that moment, someone knocked on the front door. It was the neighbor lady who sometimes asked her to look after her young twins.
“Ma’am, what brings you here?”
“Nothing much, just wondering if you could watch the twins for a few hours tomorrow morning? There’s an urgent matter at home. Of course, I’ll compensate you well.”
“Tomorrow? If it’s in the morning….”
The next day was a regular day off at Mrs. Melissa’s grocery store, so she was supposed to help at the orchard. But if it was only for a few hours in the morning, she could manage.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Thank you, dear. Could you come to my house for a moment? I’ll show you the babies’ nap times and feeding schedule.”
“Just a moment, I’ll be right there!”
After telling Mildred to wait a bit longer, Louise followed the lady. She had been looking for extra work to make ends meet, so it was a relief.
However, when Louise returned home later, she was dismayed by the sight that greeted her.
She had asked Helio to look after Mildred while she was out for a short time. But Mildred was nowhere to be seen, seemingly chased away again, while Helio and Cherinia were sitting at the table laughing.
Cherinia, who was laughing at Helio’s boastful jokes, widened her eyes when she saw Louise.
“Oh, you’re back already?”
“You two… isn’t this too much?”
Louise stared at the empty eggshells rolling on the floor.
“Those eggs were given by the lady from the store for Mildred who’s sick! How could you eat them all?”
“Are you making a big deal out of a few eggs? Who do you think you’re talking to with that attitude? Do you know who the head of this house is? If you have any complaints, you can leave!”
“You should act like a proper older brother first!”
“What? You impudent girl!”
Helio’s face turned red with anger. A piece of broken eggshell dangled from his lower lip, making him look unkempt.
“And, it’s not just anyone who ate them, it’s your own nephew. Is it such a big deal?”
“Nephew? What are you talking about?”
“Well, you see, Louise….”
When Louise turned around, Cherinia smiled shyly and twiddled her fingers. She proudly tossed her hair back and stroked her still flat lower belly.
“I’m pregnant with Helio’s baby. We’ve been blessed early by the gods.”
“…A blessing?”
“Yes, and I was going to save one egg, but the baby wanted to eat them all, so I couldn’t help it. You’ll forgive me, won’t you, Auntie?”
“Humph! With the situation being what it is, Cherinia and I are planning to get married within the next month. So keep that in mind.”
Helio, buoyed by the thought of becoming a father, spoke in a pompous tone. Please take good care of us, Louise! Cherinia smiled sweetly, clasping her hands cutely behind her shameless lover’s shoulder.
“When Cherinia becomes my wife, you better treat her with respect. If you act rudely or disrespectfully, I won’t forgive you.”
“Brother, what about the taxes? It’s not a small amount. Do you have the money for the marriage tax?”
Helio’s face flushed with anger at Louise’s pointed question.
“I heard recently that you can pay off the tax with labor in the mines. Are you planning to do that?”
“Why do you have to spoil good news with your negativity? Mining labor? How can I do such a thing? Don’t worry, I have plans!”
“What plans?”
“That’s none of your business! Do I seem that incompetent to you?”
“Helio, please don’t fight. Cherinia wants us all to get along! So, Helio, be patient, Louise only thinks about money anyway.”
“Haah, you’re so naive…. That rude girl should have learned something from you.”
“Hey, are you calling me stupid and saying Cherinia can’t even take care of herself? Cherinia knows what you’re doing!”
Cherinia stomped her feet and puffed out her cheeks. Helio, finding her adorable, tugged at her nose playfully. Louise sighed as she watched them.
Not wanting to deal with them any longer, Louise just got up to leave. Helio, angered by what he perceived as a snub, raised his voice, but Louise walked out to find Mildred.
