Lucas kept walking quickly, then let out a long sigh. Damn, she got a cake… Heh tchhh… He tried to erase the perverted thoughts about the butt cleavage wrapped neatly in a dress, outlined by a panty line.
Silvara at his side was puzzled by Young Master Lucian Voss's nature, though that puzzlement was mixed with a hint of delight—under the prejudice that her master's private blade had been nerfed from being shoved recklessly into random holes.
Lucas kept his eyes on the road. People around him continued to avoid him, instinctively lowering their gaze whenever their eyes met his. With his lust still not fully quelled, he thought of something else.
The EXP and progression points I gained are higher than when I apologized.
The System responded with a crisp, cheerful tone:
[Because the challenge was greater, Host Willpower affects the positive actions you take.]
Oh, no wonder kneeling down to apologize only gave me a little. He kept glancing around.
This environment is truly comfortable, so simple, but… He closed his eyes briefly and sighed. The people here already hate the name Lucian Voss.
His eyes slid toward Silvara. And he even had a beautiful guard… Lucian really was lucky.
Silvara, catching Lucas's glance, snorted irritably.
"What? Don't think I'm impressed! You only refused because your little worm is malfunctioning, isn't it?" she sneered.
"Little worm? What do you mean?" Lucas frowned, not understanding what the silver-haired beauty meant.
"You have erectile dysfunction, don't you? Your worm's already defective, isn't it? Hahahaha…" She grinned, clearly satisfied at having spoken so rudely to her own young master.
Lucas looked forward again. "Why would she think that?" He was a bit shocked.
"No, I'm still normal. Just wasn't that interested for now." Lucas replied calmly, his hands still tucked into both trouser pockets.
"Huh? Not interested? In WOMEN?" Silvara was stunned.
"Hey, who said I—" Lucas almost snapped, but caught himself—it was a public place. Instead, he tuned into the whispers around him.
"Tch… I just don't feel like it right now," he said firmly, scowling.
He walked faster, uncomfortable under the odd stares of the townsfolk. He accidentally noticed a man carrying farm produce—who suddenly set it down and clutched his own buttocks.
"What are they thinking? Damn, this reputation makes me sick." Lucas cursed inwardly.
When they reached the yard of Voss Estate, Lucas was greeted by the wide-open front doors. The fragrance of flowers from the garden drifted in, but to him it tasted hollow. Silvara remained beside him, face cold as always, steps steady.
Inside, the Baroness was already waiting. Her long gown trailed behind her, her elegant face a little weary, but still smiling. As soon as Lucas stepped in, she reached for a small pouch on the table.
"Lucian," she said gently, "forgive me… for these past weeks this is all your father and I could manage as pocket money." Her thin smile held warmth, though it was clearly forced. "Please, don't ask for anything strange again. Your father and I promise… once our debts are settled, everything will return to normal."
Lucas looked at the pouch. Its weight wasn't much, yet the family's condition—buried in debt—made it feel heavier.
Silvara, standing to the side, trembled faintly. Her sharp gaze betrayed her disapproval of the Baroness being so soft toward the son she considered trash. But her lips stayed sealed. No matter how much her chest boiled, she dared not oppose the highly respected Baroness.
Lucas sighed, almost refusing.
"There's n—" The words nearly escaped his tongue.
But reason stopped him. If he rejected the money, people would think something strange again: holier-than-thou, pretending madness, or plotting some dirty trick behind it.
So Lucas reached out, took the pouch, and wore a scowl—pretending arrogance.
"Hmph. Fine. Just don't forget your promise, Mother. Once the debt's paid, don't you dare try to chain me down again."
The Baroness only smiled softly. "Yes, dear. I promise."
Lucas turned his head aside, as if to show his irritation. But inside, a sting pressed against his chest. His memory drifted to his mother in his past world—always slipping pocket money into his hand with a warm smile. Back then, it felt pure, full of love.
Now he realized. That smile wasn't only love—it was also a mask, to hide insufficiency. She must have been cornered too, just like the Baroness before him. Lucas felt the aura radiating from the woman in front of him, the woman he didn't even know personally, felt closer to him, more than the distance between the balls inside his pants.
[DING!]
[+15 EXP, +3 Progression Point]
[Reason: Emotional restraint. Host refrained from rejection that could worsen the situation.]
Lucas clutched the pouch tightly. "Tch…" He turned his head aside, feigning annoyance. "I'm going to my room."
The Baroness simply nodded with a thin smile, while Silvara clenched her fists at her sides, biting her tongue to hold back.
In her heart, with a faint tightness in her chest, she wondered, Why is it always her who gets hurt?