The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 91

Including the Calleys, the distinguished guests and servants attending the banquet gathered at the arena right on time.

“Your children are so fine-looking.”

“You must be so proud, having two sons make it to the semifinals.”

As the polite chatter continued before the match, the Count and Countess of Calley held their heads a little higher. They had long since forgotten the conversation they’d had with Cedric that morning.

The arena where the final event of the banquet would take place was packed with the heat and noise of the crowd.

But even a human comedy that looked amusing from afar wasn’t always so when seen up close.

Lingering near the entrance to the arena, Allen spotted a woman and hurried over to her.

“Madam Hayek, about last night….”

Shana Hayek glanced sideways at Allen, who was scrambling to explain himself, snorted, and brushed past him with a sharp bump to the shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Does she work out or something?

For a woman, Shana’s shoulders were unusually well developed, and the impact left Allen reeling.

Even so, it was nothing compared to the shock he’d felt toward himself the night before.

The previous night, Allen had finally succeeded in seducing a noblewoman.

His partner was Shana Hayek, the second wife of Baron Warriner Hayek, a man in his late fifties.

Of course, it wasn’t as if no young noble ladies had shown interest in Allen Calley, the third son of the Count of Calley, with his respectable looks. Still, it was unheard of for a well-bred noble lady to leap into the bedroom of a man she’d just met. Most unmarried young ladies had attended the banquet with their parents anyway.

In any case, Shana, a married woman, had looked lonely.

After striking up a conversation by chance, she poured out her complaints to Allen about how exhausting it was to care for her gravely ill husband and how difficult it was to fit in at women’s social gatherings.

When Allen suggested they continue the conversation in his room, Shana hesitated for show before following him inside. That hesitation was the first and last. Once inside Allen’s room, she was the more aggressive one.

Watching Shana climb onto the bed first and spread her legs, Allen thought he’d show off all the benevolence he had to offer mankind. After all, he’d honed his skills on plenty of maids.

Yet for some reason, there was no strength in the place between his legs, which ought to have been full of vigor.

“Huh, that’s strange. Maybe he’s nervous in front of such a beautiful lady. Could you suck it a little?”

Old habits die hard, and the way he used to speak to maids slipped out naturally.

Unexpectedly, Shana accepted his request without complaint and actively took his penis into her mouth.

She, too, was acting on habit, from years of coaxing her aging husband’s member to stand.

Shana’s mouthwork was skilled and flawless.

Even so, that night Allen’s dick remained stubbornly unmoved.

When it refused to rise, Allen grew impatient. As he frantically tried to figure out the cause, he came up with an idea.

“This won’t do, madam. Just a moment. I’ve got a good idea.”

Pulling his cock from Shana’s mouth, Allen rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a maid uniform.

It was a new maid outfit he’d once had his own maid prepare.

He’d been scolded before for tearing maid uniforms in the heat of the moment and being told to deal with the consequences himself.

“Put this on.”

“What?”

“I can’t get hard like this, so try wearing it.”

Shana, who had been doubting her own ears at Allen’s words, turned furious.

“Ha! What kind of brainless bastard is this?”

“Wait, madam! Madam!”

Allen jumped off the bed and grabbed Shana as she tried to leave. In response, Shana slapped him across the face and stormed out of the room.

Clutching his stinging cheek, Allen stood there in a daze for a moment, then called over a passing maid to test whether the problem lay with the performance of his lower half.

The maid who happened to pass in front of Allen’s room at that moment was one he’d slept with before.

It meant his rule of never sleeping with the same maid twice was broken.

Even so, his “relationship with a maid” was a success. Unlike earlier, his lower half worked without any problem.

“That’s enough. Get out.”

For a brief test, it turned out to be fairly intense, and in the end, the new maid uniform became that maid’s.

After sending her away, as reality sank in, Allen lay there alone and soaked his pillow with tears.

It was the first time he realized something was wrong with his body.

When morning came, he asked to see Shana to make excuses, but she refused.

Allen’s gut twisted with panic. He didn’t want rumors spreading that he was a eunuch.

Even if he planned to become a clergyman, this was a matter of honor.

That was why he paced around the arena entrance, waiting for her to show up.

In the end, it was over without him even getting to make excuses, leaving him with nothing but a minor shoulder injury.

While Allen sank into frustration, the crowd’s cheers rang out.

Regardless of his gloom, the semifinal finally began.

***

Crunch, crunch!

Every time Cedric faced an opponent, his lance shattered.

It wasn’t difficult.

Neither the old men who bragged about having tried their hand at swordsmanship back in the day, nor the young men who were strong but had never handled a lance, could stand up to Cedric.

Cedric learned riding and swordsmanship from his grandfather when he was young.

Even though the world changed, Solomon believed the lord who ruled an estate had to be physically strong, too.

With the appointment ceremony approaching, Cedric picked up a lance again and practiced for the first time in a while. He still rode, but he went a long time without touching swordsmanship, and after loosening up a few times, the skill he’d built up as a child came back.

The match ended without any upset, with Cedric’s victory.

As Cedric raised his broken lance high in celebration, everyone’s eyes fixed on him.

Cedric saw each of their faces clearly, too.

Among them were Eloise’s bright, expectant expression, as the woman promised to marry him, Sylvia’s expression that seemed to say, “Just you wait,” and Marquis’s amused, intrigued look, unaware of everything.

And that wasn’t all.

The Marquis and Marchioness Vivarini wore expressions much like Eloise’s. The Count and Countess of Calley, his parents, kept glancing between Sylvia and Eloise with tense faces. Judith, clinging to their parents like a baby, wore a vacant, stupid look. Alfonso, who lost the match for third and fourth place and ended up in fourth, looked like he was chewing shit.

Cedric also saw Allen approach a young noblewoman to say something, only to be brushed off, and he saw every distinguished guest, along with the servants who followed them out, without exception.

After completing his victory lap, Cedric had one hurdle left.

It was the moment when, as the winner, he was supposed to dedicate the glory to his lady.

Through the expectant gazes, Cedric guided his horse toward the center of the stands. His parents and family were there, along with the Crown Prince, Sylvia, and the Vivarinis.

And when he drew close, Cedric turned his horse away from them, gave them his back, and said, “It seems you all showed me too much consideration because it’s my appointment ceremony. I dedicate the honor of victory to everyone who attended this tournament and graced it with your presence.”

Amid the applause, Cedric continued, “As the winner, I’ll be giving away a treasured item from my collection to one of you through a drawing. Of course, the gentlemen who placed in the top three will receive separate rewards.”

Waaah!

At Cedric’s announcement that he’d put up something from his collection, the crowd’s cheers continued.

As Cedric neatly slipped past the awkward moment, Sylvia, who’d been standing there with her arms crossed and a look that said, “Let’s see what you do,” let out a small, hollow laugh.

And Eloise, who had been biting at her nails with a tense expression, clenched her dress in frustration.

‘Unbelievable.’

The man who’d asked her to marry him just the day before hadn’t dedicated his glory to her.

Even though it was a perfect chance to announce their relationship in front of everyone.

Leaving the cheers behind, Cedric headed toward the gate that led to the stables so he could exit.

He’d noticed the maid standing there earlier, during the ceremony.

His whipping maid, who’d said she’d just spend the day knitting, arrived late and stood off to the side in a secluded spot.

As Cedric urged his horse toward Sheila while staring straight at her, their gazes met.

For some reason, Sheila glanced around as if searching for somewhere to escape.

But the area around her was crowded with maids who’d gathered to get a closer look at Cedric.

At the same time she realized there was no way out, Sheila also realized that his horse was heading for the gate, not for her, and she let out a breath of relief.

But when she saw the horse that should’ve passed by the gate slowly begin to slow down right in front of her, Sheila’s eyes widened again as if they might pop out.

“Ah, um, well….”

For no reason at all, Sheila fumbled for an excuse, her lips parting uselessly.

Cedric let out a soft snort of laughter and said, “Give me something to wipe the sweat off.”

“Yes! Young Count!”

Even though she wasn’t a soldier, she snapped to attention out of pure reflex and hurriedly dug through her pocket to hold out a handkerchief. But the moment her own hand-crocheted lace handkerchief came out, she flinched and tried to pull her hand back.

Cedric was faster.

Curling one corner of his mouth up into a grin, he snatched the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his handsome forehead.

“Kyaah!” At the sight of him wiping his sweat, the surrounding maids screamed.

A chill ran up Sheila’s spine. An instinctive sense of danger wrapped around her entire body.

‘Dangerous.’

Her chest, frozen tight with tension, thudded loudly.

As if nothing had happened, Cedric spurred his horse on and disappeared through the gate, still gripping the handkerchief she’d given him.

“The kingdom’s peace is in danger….”

Muttering belatedly, Sheila lowered her head.

Her face felt so hot it seemed like it might burst.

***

With Rufus’s help, Cedric removed his armor, took a quick shower, then came back out and chose the gifts to be given away with Rufus.

“This one, and that one. And that.”

Cedric continued giving instructions as Rufus quickly jotted everything down.

“Ten bundled sets of the saffron, cardamom, and anise stored in the warehouse, two Bonduris sculptures….”

The gifts were varied: three paintings that had been hanging in his room, premium spices handled by his company, artworks he’d collected from different countries, a jewel box with intricate goldwork, and expensive liquor.

Sheila arrived back at the room late after getting caught up in the crowd leaving the arena. Finding no opening to slip in, she read the room for a moment before picking up a dry cloth.

Cleaning bit by bit whenever possible was a maid’s basic duty.

That was when she spotted the handkerchief lying on his desk.

The lace handkerchief she’d made while thinking of him, though she’d never intended to give it to him.

Sheila planned to quietly retrieve it.

It was just a handkerchief he’d used once to wipe sweat. She could wash it well and take it to the market to sell.

‘No, since so many maids saw the Young Count use it, maybe I shouldn’t wash it and sell it as is?’

As she weighed which option would bring more profit, Sheila reached out toward the handkerchief.