[ Harem Force: 365/500 ]
After the morning "training" session, Claudia subtly excused herself to the guest room to attend to her private needs.
Adonis followed her secretly. He was hoping to witness how she would handle this unbearable arousal.
But to his disappointment, she closed the door tightly, allowing no noise to spill out, much less any chance to see what was going on inside.
But he could guess what she might be doing right now.
The proud Royal Knight was probably masturbating to relieve herself.
Honestly, he didn't have any fetish for watching her masturbate, but he couldn't deny the temptation either.
Nonetheless, he started returning to his room to freshen up and possibly take a cold bath.
His little brother had already begun to cool down after all those stimulating actions with Claudia.
He really wished to release the tensions from inside, but this was not the right time.
For now, he had to work on harvesting Harem Force without feeling the real pleasure.
Along the way, he suddenly saw Millia, who was mopping the floor.
From the back, with her butt raised high and arms braced on the floor, she looked very sexy.
He quickly approached her with a crafty smile.
"Millia, darling, do you want my help?"
She turned back with an annoyed face, but as she saw who it was, her face flushed like a ripe apple, sweat falling from her beautiful face to her collarbone.
"D-darling? Young lord, why are you calling me that? Do you not know it's only reserved for the people you like?"
He gently knelt beside her and took the cleaning cloth from her stunned hand.
He then flashed her a warm smile, replying, "Exactly. I like you too."
Her heart skipped a beat, but only for one moment.
She pouted,
"Hmph, hmph, y-you're teasing again. And you don't need to dirty your hands just because you feel pity for me."
She tried to snatch the cloth back, but he held her hand in place.
[ Harem Force (+5): 372/500 ]
His thumb brushed lightly over her knuckles in a slow, soothing circle with the same tender touch he had used on Claudia moments ago, except now it held no hidden aphrodisiacs, no calculated goal. Just warmth and just him.
Millia's heart started beating faster. She stared down at their joined hands, the rag limp between them, forgotten. The flush on her cheeks spread to the tips of her ears.
She tried to pull away again, but her fingers only curled weakly against his palm instead.
"Young lord, you shouldn't say things like that. Not to someone like me, at least."
Adonis looked into her simmering eyes, saying:
"Someone like you? You mean someone kind? Someone who works harder than anyone else in this house while everyone else sleeps? Someone who always smiles even when her hands are raw from scrubbing? Someone who makes this entire cold place feel a little warmer just by being here?"
Millia's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Her eyes, usually so quick to narrow in suspicion, widened instead, glistening at the edges.
Adonis released her hand slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. But she didn't.
He took the rag from her slack fingers and dipped it into the bucket, wringing it out with careful movements.
Then he began mopping the floor beside her, right where she had left off, matching her rhythm stroke for stroke.
The quiet slosh of water and the soft scrape of cloth against stone filled the corridor.
Millia was honestly shocked. He was the youngest son of a father who ruled over millions and maintained order among ten marquises and thousands of baronies. And yet, one of his offspring was now mopping the floor.
Even though he was an illegitimate heir, he was an heir nonetheless.
After a long moment, Millia finally spoke again,
"Young lord, you're really strange, you know that?"
Adonis laughed under his breath, "I've been told worse, Millia."
Hearing him, she risked a sideways glance at him. His sleeves were already rolled up, dark hair falling into his eyes as he worked.
There was no mockery in his posture, no arrogance. Just a boy—no, not even that anymore—someone who looked at her like she mattered.
"Why?... Why would you like someone like me?" she asked in a soft tone.
The question made him pause. He too wasn't sure if he was doing it just for harvesting harem force or for something else.
He turned to face her fully.
"Because when I look at you, Millia, I don't see a servant. I see someone who keeps going even when the world tries to make her small. Someone who cares about the little things no one else notices. Someone brave enough to blush when I call her darling… even though she pretends to hate it."
Her small heart fluttered again.
Adonis extended his left hand slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him, and brushed a stray lock of sweat-damp hair from her forehead.
His fingertips remained on her cheeks more than necessary.
Both of them gazed at each other's eyes, as curiosity mixed with hormonal activities.
[ Harem Force +8 ]
"See, Millia, I'm not teasing. Not this time. I really do like you. And if you'll let me, I'd like to help you with this floor and maybe with a few other things too.
It's not because I pity you, Millia. Because I want to be near you."
Millia stared at him for what felt like forever.
Then, almost shyly, she extended her right hand and took one end of the cloth from him.
Their fingers brushed again. But this time neither of them pulled away.
"Fine... but only because you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to go in straight lines, not circles like some noble who's never held a mop before," she mumbled as her cheeks burned.
Adonis grinned boyishly and impossibly bright.
"Yes, ma'am."
Afterward, they worked side by side in comfortable silence while their shoulders were very close, almost touching.
The morning light spilled through the high windows.
Every now and then their hands touched.
It happened once, twice, then more often than could be called accidental.
He laughed, while she blushed.
The corridor didn't feel quite so empty anymore.
[ Affection Level (Millia): +12% → 28% (Flustered, Warmed, Beginning to Believe) ]
[ Harem Force: 445/500 ]