And so, the carriage drove out of Intiles along the streets illuminated by gas lamps, heading toward a manor in the outskirts.
It was a birthday gift given to Claire by an uncle when she turned eighteen. It usually sat vacant, but having the opportunity this time, she brought it out to serve as the venue for the gathering.
After driving for over an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the manor gates. After Eros alighted from the carriage, he was in no hurry to enter the interior of the manor. Instead, he turned around and carried Mary—whose legs were still inconvenienced—down from the carriage.
During this process, the maid kept her head lowered, not daring to look at Eros. However, one could tell from her flushing ears that her refusal to look was not born out of fear.
Standing on the ground, Mary held one of Eros’s arms with one hand and rubbed her lower abdomen with the other, giggling:
"Do you think I’ll get pregnant?"
Eros looked down at Mary and teased, "Don't you like children?"
Mary shook her head, her small face suddenly showing a look of distress:
"I’m just worried that I’ll starve the child in the future!"
As she spoke, she looked down at herself, the implication being self-evident. Eros burst out laughing, reaching out to rub Mary’s head to comfort her:
"It’s fine, we can find a wet nurse!"
Mary thought about it and nodded. "That’s true! Back then, my mother was afraid that breastfeeding would cause her breasts to sag, so she just found a wet nurse for me."
This was a routine operation for noble ladies, so Eros was not surprised.
At that moment, the manor doors opened, and melodious music began to play, as if welcoming someone. Seeing this, Mary stopped dwelling on the previous topic and smiled with pursed lips:
"It seems they already know we’re here. Let’s go in!"
Saying this, Mary took Eros’s hand and prepared to walk into the manor. However, after taking only one step, she nearly stumbled because her legs were weak. Fortunately, Eros caught her in time.
Eros grasped Mary’s small hand, and strands of life force gushed from his palm into her body. Feeling her body gradually recovering, Mary said somewhat resentfully:
"You should have treated me earlier!"
Eros chuckled. "It’s not too late now. Let’s go!"
When Eros walked into the manor's drawing room, dozens of beautiful noble young ladies in various outfits appeared before his eyes. Although it was already winter, because the manor had underfloor heating and fireplaces, the temperature inside the room was quite high.
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Because of this, the outfits worn by the noble ladies were mostly thin evening gowns, perfectly showcasing their graceful and proud figures. Furthermore, because they had already met last time, none of them wore masks this time; everyone attended with their true faces.
However, after seeing Eros, most people were still somewhat shy and a bit constrained. Eros looked around, and then his expression became somewhat surprised. Mary, as if knowing what he was thinking, explained in a low voice:
"Because Little Doreen is still young, Grand Duke Milan does not allow her to go out at night, nor does he allow her to go out alone."
Eros nodded, finding it understandable.
Then, as the doors closed, the ball began. Perhaps because they had just narrowly survived the Domain of Sin and needed to vent, this time was far more indulgent than the last. For example, drinking glass by glass wasn't enough; they poured directly from the bottles, and some even poured wine directly onto their bodies.
There was no noble elegance or composure at all, only madness and hysteria. The bright red wine slid down fair necks, past delicate collarbones, and over proud figures, making everything look possessed of an unusual beauty.
In this way, two days passed. After venting their emotions for two days and two nights without sleep, most people had simply found a spot and fallen into a deep sleep.
The manor suddenly fell from clamor into silence. Only the maids were still occasionally adding anthracite to the fireplaces in the drawing room to ensure that the noble ladies who had fallen into dreamland would not get sick.
Eros set down a certain noble lady who had fallen asleep in his arms and walked toward the maids who were covering the sleeping ladies with blankets. The maid was startled when Eros suddenly appeared before her, but she quickly reacted, turning around with flushing cheeks and gripping the chair in front of her with both hands.
Eros: "..."
What does she take me for?
After a dry cough, Eros said somewhat embarrassedly:
"I wanted to ask where the washroom is!"
Hearing what Eros said, a look of disappointment appeared on the maid’s face. However, she quickly gathered her emotions and began to lead the way for him. Upon reaching the washroom door, Eros turned to the maid and asked:
"Are there any changes of clothes?"
The maid nodded hurriedly. "Her Highness Claire has everything prepared. Please wait a moment, I will bring them over immediately!"
"Sorry to trouble you!"
"You are too kind, Your Highness. This is my duty."
After the maid left, Eros walked into the washroom and turned on the hot water valve. After filling a bathtub with water, he lay inside comfortably. After a short while, the washroom door opened. Eros thought it was the maid, so he said casually:
"Just leave the clothes to the side!"
But after speaking, he didn't hear the maid reply. So, Eros turned his head to look at the door, only to find that it wasn't the maid who had entered, but Claire. Seeing Eros look over, Claire gave a seductive smile and walked straight to the bathtub, then also lay inside.
Feeling the slight tingling of the hot water kissing her skin, Claire closed her eyes comfortably. Eros glanced at her, his tone carrying a hint of surprise:
"Why are you here?"
Claire opened her eyes, looking at the Eros who was close at hand, and gave a tittering laugh:
"Do you remember what I told you before?"
Hearing this, Eros looked at the Claire before him and revealed a meaningful smile:
"Come then!"
Claire lowered her eyelids and gave a soft, shy "Mm!"
In the drawing room, Annie looked around but did not see the person she wanted to see, so she frowned. She walked over to a maid and inquired:
"Have any of you seen Eros?"
The maid replied respectfully, "Belle took that Highness to the washroom!"
Annie nodded and replied, "Mm! I understand!"
Saying this, she walked in the direction of the washroom. Arriving at the door, she tried twisting the handle. Seeing that it wasn't locked from the inside, she pushed the door and entered.