Chapter 117
The servant stared blankly at the hurried Lin Lin, repeating her words, “You want to deliver a message to Lady Kitagawa?”
Lin Lin, despite sweating profusely, maintained a polite smile. “Yes.”
Since it was a request from one of the mercenaries, the servant had to comply and accepted the letter, though privately wondering why Lady Lin would come at such a late hour to deliver a message to the Captain’s wife… wasn’t it somewhat improper?
Lin Lin felt the awkwardness herself, deliberately avoiding the servant’s strange gaze while maintaining an air of casual indifference.
Wakako was supposedly in an “heat-induced frenzy,” and thus couldn’t write herself, which was why Lin Lin had penned the message herself.
When writing the words “Captain Wakako has unexpectedly entered her heat cycle and is difficult to control,” Lin Lin’s toes had already curled in embarrassment inside her shoes.
But what could she do? Wakako had generously bribed her with extra spending money.
Money talks, she thought.
As expected, such an outlandish excuse quickly brought Lady Kitagawa’s attention. When the servant hurriedly returned, another figure followed.
It was Lady Kitagawa, wearing a veil that covered her face.
Looking at that figure, Lin Lin felt a moment of confusion. Why did she feel like Lady Kitagawa used to wear white instead of red? She quickly dismissed the thought. Only a Saint could wear white, and there was no way Miki could be one of those once-in-a-century Saints.
Miki dismissed the servant with a glance and regarded Lin Lin politely, giving her a slight nod—a gesture of acknowledgment as Wakako’s subordinate, “What happened?”
Lin Lin’s face burned with embarrassment. She bit her lip and hesitated before muttering, “It’s… as the letter says.”
Her awkward expression didn’t escape Miki’s notice. Interpreting it differently, she assumed Wakako’s “heat” was indeed extreme, leaving Lin Lin utterly at a loss.
“Did you summon a doctor?”
Committed to the lie, Lin Lin steeled herself: “We did, but… none of them could get close. The Captain chased them off. And—
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, rushing through the rest without pause: “Omegas from all around have caught her scent, and it’s causing chaos. Lady Kitagawa, please return quickly to calm her down! We can’t hold her back any longer. If something happens by accident..!”
Opening her eyes, Lin Lin saw that Miki’s gaze had turned glacial, her expression sharp as ice. It was as if she were containing a storm of emotions within herself.
“Very well,” she heard Miki say, even seeing a perfectly measured smile appear on her face. “Thank you for informing me. I’ll return immediately.”
Though the response was impeccably polite, Lin Lin felt an inexplicable chill down her neck.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Senior Wakako was in for quite an experience… she wished her luck.
***
Meanwhile, Wakako was pacing nervously in the courtyard, wracked with guilt. She had always hated lying, because one lie always required several more to maintain.
For instance, Lin Lin using her heat as an excuse to bring Miki back—mercenaries regularly took suppressants to suppress these heat cycles for mission convenience, experiencing them only once or twice a year.
And Wakako was nowhere near her time.
Still, there were ways to fake it. Mercenaries often carried strange and potent medicines. Wakako glanced at the porcelain bottle in her hand, tipped out a pill, and swallowed it.
Soon, the familiar scent of sunflowers began to emanate from her, spreading through every corner of the house.
The few servants in the house were all Betas and wouldn’t be affected, but neighbors several streets away weren’t so fortunate.
Originally, the houses and estates were quite far apart with little interaction, but now the sunflower fragrance invaded every inch of air unrelentingly, affecting people before they even noticed.
Especially those households with Omegas were all disturbed and aroused, and soon more scents began mixing together.
Confusion turned to chaos. Families opened their doors, trying to locate the source of the overwhelming aroma, but it was too thick to track.
As Lin Lin rode through the affected streets with Miki in a carriage, she noticed the unrest. Though she hadn’t presented yet, the scent made her uncomfortable. Glancing back, she asked, “Lady Kitagawa, are you alright?”
“It’s fine.”
Miki’s voice remained steady.
Finally reaching the estate, Lin Lin skillfully reined in her horse.
Before she could offer assistance, Miki had already descended from the carriage. Her veil swayed slightly, making her expression unclear, though her eyes were faintly visible.
“Please see to the disturbance in the neighborhood, Lady Lin,” her voice rang clear as bells.
Lin Lin wanted to say just calling her by name was fine, why be so formal with “Lady,” but when she met those eyes, she could only nod weakly before fleeing the scene.
When Miki stepped into the courtyard, she saw only Wakako’s bare back.
Everything here was arranged to mirror the former Saint’s courtyard, complete with a bamboo grove and a small pond. Wakako was submerged in the cool water, but even its chill couldn’t quench the fire raging inside her.
The familiar scent of sunflowers filled her nostrils, and Miki unconsciously took a deep breath. The air outside had been too chaotic; only this pure scent could calm her drifting heart.
Wakako didn’t react to the sound of footsteps. She kept her flushed face turned toward the water’s surface, staring at her reflection.
What had started as an act had spiraled out of control. The pill had awakened something far stronger than she had anticipated. The broken bamboo stalks nearby were evidence of her struggle to maintain composure.
She heard the footsteps slowly, slowly approach until they stopped at the pond’s edge, looking down at her with an unobstructed view.
Wakako instinctively wanted to sink further into the water, to hide from that unwavering gaze. But then she remembered, she couldn’t hide.
She had gone through all this trouble to gauge Miki’s reaction. Hiding now would be pointless.
In the past, Miki would have come to her immediately, soothing her with gentle touches and the calming cherry scent that always made everything better.
But now…
Why wasn’t she moving?
Wakako was so embarrassed she wanted to cry.
She was already in such a state…
After a long while, Miki finally broke the silence. “The water’s too cold. Come out.”
Wakako shook her head. The water was the only thing keeping her grounded.
A moment later, Wakako felt Miki’s cool palm cover her cheek, soft words falling by her ear: “Alright, then I’ll stay here with you.”
She thought Miki would join her in the water.
. But instead, Miki simply sat by the edge, exuding a soothing presence that calmed the overwhelming sunflower scent.
But Wakako’s heart grew more anxious.
This wasn’t right… why wasn’t Miki touching her?
She suddenly found courage, turning around to grab Miki’s hand and press it against her chest, pulling Miki into the water.
The light red robe was instantly soaked, the skirts floating on the surface like red lotus blossoms in the pond.
“I…” Wakako hated that she couldn’t say those embarrassing words, just these two words making her face burn hotter, “I want…”
Miki’s expression was unreadable through the haze of Wakako’s vision.
“Alright,” Wakako heard Miki say, “Don’t rush.”
Relief washed over Wakako. Miki wasn’t rejecting her…
But when kisses and caresses fell on Wakako’s body simultaneously, she became flustered again. These were familiar lips and familiar touches, but…
Why so gentle?
Why wasn’t one hand gripping her chest while the other’s fingers thrust inside, roughly…
Where was the intensity, the bite, the marks that used to linger on her skin like fading petals?
Though Miki’s skillful hands guided her to the peak, Wakako felt a hollow ache deep inside.
Wakako lost count of how many times, but the pond had become cloudy, its original color indiscernible, thoroughly infused with the scent of cherries and sunflowers. The faint ripples spreading out were all from her.
Yet all she felt was disappointment.
The splashing water had dampened Miki’s hair, making it cling to her face. Even so, it didn’t diminish her beauty at all, as she just quietly watched.
Inexplicably like the former Saint in pure white robes, watching mortals with an air of detached serenity.
“Feeling better?” she asked softly.
Wakako nodded numbly.
“Then let’s rest early tonight.”
“Are you… going back to the palace?”
“I’ll stay.”
True to her word, Miki stayed. After bathing, she joined Wakako in bed. They lay side-by-side, but a distance remained between them.
Wakako felt empty, both physically and emotionally.
What was happening…? Why had Miki stopped being so rough, instead wearing this mask of gentle detachment?
She wanted to ask but didn’t know how to begin, finally just pressing her lips together and burying her head dejectedly.
Unaware, Wakako slept beside a woman whose eyes stared blankly into the darkness, her mind replaying a single thought:
I almost lost control.
Miki forced herself to face away from Wakako.
Which Omegas had caught her scent?… No, not just Omegas, I want to kill everyone who smelled her.
Why did her heat happen when I wasn’t here?
Is it because she’s thinking of someone? Someone else? II want to bite her until she bleeds… If I made her kneel on the ground and call me ‘Master,’ then used flower branches to whip her most intimate part, would she tell the truth?”
But I can’t be so selfish.
Lady Kitagawa should be gentle and considerate. She shouldn’t be a burden to anyone.
