Celine's smile was innocent as she tucked little general back inside Lucian's underwear, "It seems like your body won't betray you around other women. May your freedom be returned to you."

Lucian pouted, his lips puckered up, looking quite miserable. Even her soft lips kissing the tip of his nose didn't help.

"What? I trust you enough to roam from place to place without me, don't I?" She asked, probably thinking that was the cause of his mood change.

Lucian let out an exasperated sight, "I realized you don't want me enough to lose control over yourself for me."

"Are… you… serious?!" She shook his shoulder in disbelief, making his head bob up and down, "You blockhead of a donkey. One moment you want me to be all docile and obedient, the other you want me to be all aggressive and dominant. I can't keep up with all these contradictions. What do you even want?"

She sounded quite helpless in that moment, not understanding what he was expecting of her. It wasn't easy to please him and his whims.

"I'm confused myself," Lucian admitted, resting his head on her shoulder, "Loving right or loving wrong...I know what's better, but that doesn't mean I want it more..."

"Oh," Celine nodded in understanding, "That's why you got jealous of your own shirt?"

"What...? Who? Me? No," he denied, holding her head in place, "It was more than that," he played along, pretending it was all part of his plan to act jealous of a lifeless piece of cloth.

She tried to pry his hands from her so she could see his face, but he held the back of her head against his shoulder so she couldn't see him.

She stopped struggling and hugged him back, patting his head, "Able to ignore all the temptations the world offers, and get all jealous over your own clothes. What are you trying to tell me by showing me this side of you?"

Lucian's face turned redder and redder, feeling a bit embarrassed. He only acted childish in his head. It wasn't supposed to come to the surface. 'Her tantrum must have rubbed off on me and corrupted my actions. Yes, it's all her fault.'

"Achoo!" Celine sneezed, frowning, "Weird. Is someone badmouthing me again?"

Startled, Lucian quickly got out of the tub to grab a towel to wrap her in, "Let's get out before you catch a cold."

He slipped his hands under the towel to remove her undergarments, not wanting to get all worked up from seeing her completely naked.

"I don't think it's a cold," Celine scrunched her nose.

"..." He dried her hair and then carried her to the bed, grabbing a clean shirt on the way. He helped her put it on before laying her down on the covers.

He then busied himself with making a cup of tea for her while she was warming herself up under the sheets.

He then picked up the clothes scattered on the floor and hung their wet undergarments in the bathroom.

Leaving his chest bare, he wore his pants and sat down beside her, blowing at her tea to cool it down before handing it to her.

She accepted it, sipping at it quietly, giving him a suspicious look. His shirt hung on her body loosely, so loose that the collar slid off her shoulders, leaving them exposed.

"..." He wrapped the covers around her tighter, to prevent it from slipping any further. "Doing it in the bathtub filled with cold water is not the best setting for our first time, is it?"

"It's not bad, still sounds better than a horse's back."

"...who does it in such places? Poor horse," Lucian commented, not wanting his first time to be on top of an animal and crossed out that option as well.

"Right? People actually do it. It's like they are inviting animals to join in on their fun," she complained about the latest trend where courtesans riding horses would show up at the noble gatherings, especially hunting parties.

Lucian expressed shock at her words, "To think that horses are being used in such ways... What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"There will be a hunting competition in two weeks. An opening event for the grand knight tournament. Let's go on a date together," she said, a glint in her eye, "We will spook the horses together. It will be so much fun to watch them run wild and free."

'So that's why so many courtesans complained about their horses being spooked lately.' Lucian had Jax invest in his favorite brothel to improve the living conditions there, and make sure the girls had access to higher paying customers.

It required education and proper grooming, and of course, new dresses and fancy horses.

"Isn't grand knight tournament going to be hosted next year?" Lucian asked.

The sight of Celine wrapped up like a dumpling still stirred hunger in him, so he went to pick up the jar of dried apple chips that she was eating earlier in hope it would help.

"They want to hold an opening ceremony to stir up people's spirits…Speaking about courtesans, one of Glory's men bought a brothel in the city as an investment." She squinted her eyes at him as he munched on the chips innocently, "I don't think you have anything to do with it, do you?"

"My Vices are free to do what they want with their earnings, I don't interfere with their lives," Lucian answered, "Passive income would allow them to retire early and spend the rest of their days living in luxury. Why should I stop them?"

Celine squinted even harder at him, making him smile at her cutely, "You are allowing your men to profit from selling other people's bodies. How noble of you."

"They are not only selling bodies, but also a fantasy," Lucian defended Jax's choice of investment, "It is just like actors and singers, using their charm and beauty to make a living."

"Right." She opened her mouth for him to feed her a chip, "And what would your parents say if they found out that their only son is involved with such a business?"

"That I'm helping the poor and homeless women who have nothing else to sell to survive but their own bodies?" Lucian answered, not seeing the problem.

He fed her his unfinished chip, "If you want to blame someone, blame the church for rejecting them as nuns or priestesses. Blame the people who made them widows, sold them to pay off debts, or abandoned them on the streets. Blame the world that didn't give them a choice. At least now, they have a chance to change their lives."

She let out a soft sigh, chewing and swallowing the chip before speaking again, "I'm not blaming you. I might end up in one of these places one day, so make sure to invest in some yourself. I will make sure to return your investments tenfold."

"What...?" Lucian looked at her in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't want to marry me because of our class difference, so would becoming the lowest class solve it for you?" she asked quietly, "Or would it be too low?"

Her lips parted for another chip, but he pulled back, holding the chip out of her reach, "Didn't you want me to become your husband and take over the Rochefort house as the new head so your brother could lead a carefree life?"

"Edmund is no longer interested in leading a carefree life, so the plan is not viable anymore," she replied.

"Hm?" Lucian was surprised at this, "What caused the change of heart?"

"I'm not sure, but he suddenly wanted access to my connections and to get involved in politics," she said, not understanding the change, "Maybe he finally realized that he needs to grow up and be a man and stop burdening his sister all the time."

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