I’m Trapped in a Bloody Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 56

“Hold the reins loosely. Yes, like that, and now… relax your body, Saintess.”

“Ah!”

“Saintess, don’t tense your thighs.”

Dietrich pressed his riding crop against my thigh as he spoke. The slender stick poked my leg, and the sensation made me tense up even more.

Noticing this, Dietrich smirked slightly and whispered, “Relax your thighs.”

Clinging to the horse, I shuddered as the crop pressed further against the inside of my thighs. Finally, I managed to loosen the tension in my legs.

“This is so scary.”

“It’s your first time, so it’s natural to feel scared. Don’t overthink it. If you press your thighs against the horse’s sides, it will move, so try to relax as much as possible.”

“I can’t relax.”

I pleaded with Dietrich as I looked down at him. Seeing my frightened face, Dietrich, who had been smiling leisurely, asked, “You seem too tense. Would you mind if I sat behind you for a moment?”

“What?”

“If we ride together for a bit, it might help you relax.”

Saying so, Dietrich gracefully mounted the horse. Sitting close behind me, he gently placed his hands over mine, which were gripping the reins.

“You’re too tense. You won’t be able to do it properly like this. Lean on me a little.”

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. Feeling his warmth behind me slightly eased my fear. My stiffened back gradually relaxed, and my posture loosened.

Sensing the change, Dietrich spoke again, “Now your body is more relaxed.”

“A little. But I’m still nervous… Riding alone is scary.”

“You’ve got talent if you’re this good on your first try. You’ll be riding proficiently on your own in no time.”

“Really?”

I tilted my head and asked.

“Yes, as long as you focus here, you’ll improve quickly.”

“Uh…”

“Hm, but as soon as I tell you to focus, you tense up again. How should I go about teaching you, Saintess? You need to follow instructions carefully.”

W-wait a second…

Dietrich pressed the inside of my thigh with the crop again, whispering softly. As the sensation brushed against my inner thigh, a dark shadow formed on the fabric of my pants. This body, Haniel’s, was particularly sensitive to such stimulation.

“Uh, Dietrich, could you… remove the crop?”

The reason my thighs are tensing is because of you!

Trying to calm my heating body, I spoke to Dietrich. If this went on, I’d lose control to Dietrich again, just like in the previous playthrough. As I stammered, he slowly removed the crop.

“Phew…”

I sighed deeply and raised my head. Just then, someone shouted my name loudly. The angry voice echoed in my ears.

“Saintess!”

“Dietrich, could that person over there… possibly be Lady Tricia?”

I asked while looking at the figure galloping toward us across the wide riding field. Without even wearing a riding hat, Tricia’s red hair fluttered wildly as she rode toward us at an incredible speed. Each time I blinked, she seemed closer, like a warrior charging into battle.

“How dare you ignore my words!”

What?

Tricia yelled from atop her bouncing horse. The violent motion of her horse made it hard to understand what she was saying. She reached us in an instant and, catching her breath, shouted again.

“Who are you riding with right now, Saintess?”

“Hello, Lady Tricia. It’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s not nice! Get off that horse immediately, Saintess!”

Her harsh words left me speechless. She was far more fiery and jealous than I had imagined.

I had expected Tricia to act like a stereotypical noble villainess—mocking me at tea parties or subtly attacking me with veiled insults behind a fan at banquets and cleverly cornering me. But my expectations were completely off.

Tricia didn’t resort to underhanded tactics. Instead, she confronted me directly, unrestrained and fiercely.

“Lady Tricia, don’t you think you’re being too rude to the Saintess…”

“Stay out of this, Grand Duke! I’m talking to the Saintess right now!”

Tricia glared at Dietrich as she yelled at him, cutting him off.

Scary…

Fixing her sharp gaze on me, she dismounted with an agile movement that made me briefly admire her.

“Get down.”

“L-Lady Tricia?”

“Right now!”

Ignoring Dietrich entirely, Tricia approached me and firmly grabbed my leg.

“Uh, w-wait?”

“Saintess!”

Losing my balance from her strong grip, I wobbled, and Dietrich quickly wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me. With a sigh, Dietrich lifted me off the horse and set me down.

Crossing her arms, Tricia shouted, “How is it that you can’t even ride a horse at your age? Haven’t you received any education as a saintess?”

Her mocking words stung. Unlike when Dion looked down on me, this time, I felt embarrassed. It was probably due to Tricia’s commanding presence.

Unable to respond, I lowered my head, and Dietrich stepped in front of me protectively.

“Lady Tricia.”

“I told you not to interfere, Grand Duke.”

Dietrich, shielding me, addressed Tricia, his voice dropping to a low tone.

Tricia scoffed. “Seriously? Hiding behind someone and saying nothing… And you call yourself a saintess here to deliver the will of God?”

“Sister Tricia!”

“Oh, my.”

Just as Tricia sneered at me for remaining silent, her face stiffened slightly. A girl who looked exactly like her, Dahlia, came running toward us with the same wild energy Tricia had displayed earlier.

“Sister, what are you doing now?! I told you to calm down!”

“I told you not to follow me, Dahlia.”

“How could I leave you alone when you’re acting like this?”

“What are you talking about? Acting like what?”

“You’ve been so strange lately, Sister. It’s really… weird.”

Dahlia grabbed Tricia’s arm and began to cry. Tricia, startled, picked up Dahlia in her arms.

“Hey, hey, why are you crying? What did I do wrong?”

“Waaah… Saintess, please… Please do something about my sister.”

“What are you saying to the Saintess?!”

Hugging and patting the crying Dahlia, Tricia scolded her sharply, a deep frown marring her otherwise perfect face.

Glaring at me with a grimace, Tricia clicked her tongue and said, “My sister is acting strange, so I’ll let this go for today. But if I see you with the Grand Duke again, I won’t let it slide. Remember that, Saintess.”

Issuing her final warning, the stormy pair of sisters rode off together. Dietrich and I stood silently, watching their retreating figures.

“…Shall we head back?”

“Yes, Dietrich. Let’s call it a day.”

I was utterly drained. I needed to log out for some rest.

***

<You can now move to Haniel’s Resting Place.>

After finishing the horseback riding session and returning to my room, I opened the system window. Information about Haniel’s Resting Place had been unlocked. I looked around the room briefly before stepping outside.

<Haniel’s Resting Place will be created beyond the first door you open.>

It didn’t matter which door I chose, but I couldn’t turn my bathroom into a resting place. Wandering down the corridor, I searched for a suitable door.

This one leads to Dietrich’s room, so I’ll skip it.

Eventually, I found a door that wasn’t too conspicuous and opened it without hesitation.

<Haniel’s Resting Place has been created.>

• Inventory management is now available.
• Communication with the Holy Kingdom is now possible.
• Rest recovery rate increases while inside Haniel’s Resting Place.

Inside was a cozy room. There were storage cabinets for organizing equipment, a bed for resting, and a small orb for communicating with the Holy Kingdom. I cautiously stepped inside.

<Would you like to log out?>

As expected!

The system window I had been waiting for appeared.

“Ah, thank goodness.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, I checked the system window and muttered softly. It really was a relief. Just like in the previous playthrough, entering the resting place triggered the automatic logout prompt.

Now that I could log out, I felt much less anxious. I closed the system window asking if I wanted to log out. Since I could reopen it after stepping out and back in, there was no need to rush.

<Communication Orb>

• Enables contact with capture characters in the Holy Kingdom (Orias, Ardal).
• Usable once a week.
• Limited to 5 minutes per use.
• Random connection.

With a lighter heart, I sat down in front of the communication orb. Placing my palm on the orb caused it to emit a deep golden glow. The orb illuminated with a golden light, and an image began to form within it.

The blurry image gradually became clearer.

On the other side of the image was the room I had stayed in while in the Holy Kingdom.

—”Lady Haniel?”

A man’s face appeared in the room I had lived in back in the Holy Kingdom. He seemed to have been cleaning—perhaps tidying up the bedspread after opening the window. Spotting me, his eyes widened, and he called out my name.

The person connected was Ardal.

Ardal dropped the bedspread he was holding and quickly approached the screen displaying the image. His typically stoic face brightened considerably.

—“Lady Haniel, is it truly you?”

“Yes, it’s me. It’s been a while, Ardal.”

Seeing me, Ardal reached out toward the orb. Though his hand stopped mid-air as if blocked by an invisible barrier, he continued touching the void as if trying to reach me.

—”Are you well? Is the food in the palace to your liking?”

“Haha, yes.”

Ardal bombarded me with urgent questions. He seemed completely uninterested in the information I was supposed to gather in the Empire and focused solely on my well-being and current situation.

Smiling, I answered his questions and asked what had been on my mind.

“Ardal, why are you in my room?”

—”I was cleaning it. It’s the room you’ll use when you return, isn’t it?”

“You must be busy. You could’ve asked someone else to do it.”

—”No, this is something I should do.”

Ardal replied firmly. He was still so rigid, almost to the point of being foolishly earnest.

I liked that earnestness about him, but I couldn’t help worrying that he might tire himself out with unnecessary tasks.

With a sigh that turned into a soft laugh, I spoke to Ardal.