Chapter 401 - 401: Six Women and Victor Part 2

Following the Chamberlain, the witcher arrived at his destination. Victor had no idea where the secluded place Vivienne had hinted at earlier might be, but he could at least be certain it was not here, the ducal sisters' playroom.

And just as Sebastian had said, this truly was a quiet place. Ever since the sisters had grown up, hardly anyone came here anymore.

Victor still remembered this place vividly. After all, half a month earlier, on that night of blood and fire, he had drawn his sword and fought his way through half the city just to reach this place and find Syanna.

Today, however, sunlight streamed brightly through the windows. Returning to the same place again, both the surroundings and his state of mind were completely different.

The door to the playroom had not changed. It was carved with all sorts of adorable figures, the Three Little Pigs, the Little Match Girl, swans and frogs, dwarfs and witches.

After personally experiencing the twisted Land of a Thousand Fables, seeing these cute fairy-tale characters again left the young man with rather complicated feelings.

The Chamberlain beside him paid no attention to his companion's wandering thoughts. He simply pushed open the heavy wooden door and led the way through the elegant corridor.

Victor followed with a smile, his sturdy, warm riding boots thumping against the wooden stairs, the sound of his footsteps announcing his arrival to those upstairs.

...

For today's celebratory banquet, both ducal sisters had dressed splendidly.

Anna Henrietta wore a dark green evening gown, while Syanna wore pale lavender. They had similar faces and equally breathtaking figures. Anyone who saw them standing together could immediately tell they were sisters.

Especially since they had deliberately chosen matching gold-rimmed spectacles.

At present, aside from the two sisters, the only people receiving Victor in the toy room were Captain Damien and Sebastian, who had led him here. There were not even any other guards present.

Such relaxed security arrangements not only demonstrated Duchess Anna Henrietta's determination to protect her sister's reputation, but also represented the trust they placed in him.

Respect between people went both ways, so Victor bowed politely to the sisters.

"Very well, my dear captain. Viscount Corion is here, so Syanna and I will be perfectly safe. You and Sebastian may wait outside. Let the three of us speak privately for a while."

Anna Henrietta's cheerful declaration startled Victor.

He could not help hoping that his earlier speculation might actually come true. Perhaps, after her elder sister's enthusiastic recommendation, the younger sister intended to personally sample the witcher's extraordinary skills, honed through a hundred battles and refined through every school of technique imaginable!

Give a man a weapon and sooner or later he'll want to use it!

Did she really think this magnificent staff of his wouldn't dare teach the ruler of Toussaint a lesson?

His imagination ran wild for an instant.

Fortunately, there were no sorceresses nearby. Yennefer might not have noticed, but Keira Metz would definitely have seen straight through thoughts so indecent they were bordering on filthy.

While Victor was entertaining those ridiculous fantasies, Captain Damien, whose cheek had been disfigured during the Night of Long Fangs, did not question Anna Henrietta's order either.

After acknowledging her with a nod, he and Sebastian left the room one after another and closed the door behind them.

With his superhuman senses, Victor heard their footsteps gradually recede.

Only one man and two women remained in the room.

Unfortunately, the first thing the Lady Duchess said to the witcher completely shattered his fantasies.

"I'm still very unhappy!"

Anna Henrietta spoke with a stern expression.

Her Enlightened Ladyship's opening words could hardly be called gentle. If her elder sister, seated slightly behind her, had not looked perfectly relaxed and even given Victor a subtle wave, he might genuinely have begun to feel nervous.

For the moment, however, the young man remained silent and calmly waited for her to continue.

"But judging purely by the outcome, your contribution is beyond dispute. Both Damien and Yennefer agree that without you, Toussaint's losses during the Night of Long Fangs would have been far worse.

"For that, I must express my gratitude and announce your reward."

Even after saying this, Duchess Anna Henrietta's expression remained stern. Clearly, she had not completely forgiven the witcher for acting on his own initiative and taking her sister to meet the vampire.

Victor could understand her displeasure.

After all, if anything had gone wrong during the entire affair, or if he had failed to make up his mind on the way to Tesham Mutna, Anna Henrietta would have lost the last member of her immediate family forever.

More than ten days had passed since then, and now she had privately summoned him during the banquet. Clearly, she intended to finally settle the matter between them.

At the very least, she was not planning to repay kindness with betrayal once the danger had passed.

Since that was the case, Victor was not the sort of person who would take a mile when given an inch.

Sometimes it paid not to overthink things. A few pleasant words would give everyone an easy way out.

Expecting a feudal ruler to constantly reflect upon her own mistakes was simply unrealistic.

So Victor maintained a solemn expression and spoke evenly.

"My respects, Your Enlightened Ladyship. Your fairness is bright enough to illuminate the heavens."

He said absolutely nothing about who had been right or wrong half a month ago.

The witcher's tactful response was obviously pleasing, and Anna Henrietta's chest, which had been rising indignantly, relaxed considerably.

She raised her delicate nose slightly.

"Hear me, brave knight, Viscount Victor Corion."

The ruler of Toussaint spoke in a clear voice.

"Countless survivors can testify to your deeds during the Night of Long Fangs. You have proven yourself a true knight who possesses all Five Chivalric Virtues, honor, wisdom, generosity, valor, and compassion!

"Therefore I, Anna Henrietta, ruler of Toussaint, hereby grant you the reward promised in advance, Corvo Bianco Vineyard.

"Your management of Corion Manor has already demonstrated that you possess the necessary ability. I will have Sebastian handle the subsequent transfer of the deed and associated rights with you."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Grace."

Victor placed a hand over his chest and bowed.

Anna Henrietta released the tension in her chest and shook her head.

"You earned it. Over the past half month, I've had enough time to speak extensively with my sister, clear away the misunderstandings of the past, and recover the precious bond we once shared.

"I need you to understand something. I will never approve of what you did.

"But I also admit that those seemingly heartless actions were precisely what truly brought my sister's heart back to me.

"For that, I wish to thank you personally."

As she spoke, Anna Henrietta bent her knees slightly in a graceful curtsy.

The instant she lowered herself, a flash of snowy white nearly dazzled Victor's eyes.

Still, staring too much at a friend's woman would hardly be appropriate, so he merely admired the view with impeccable courtesy.

The ruler of Toussaint then concluded their meeting and gracefully walked out of the room.

Victor watched Anna Henrietta leave.

It seemed the matter had ended there.

Yet something vaguely felt wrong.

When he turned around, he abruptly realized that Syanna had not followed her sister out.

Dressed in her pale lavender evening gown, she approached Victor with graceful steps.

Behind her gold-rimmed spectacles, her dark eyes gleamed with an uncanny light.

"Honourable Viscount Corion, my dear knight of the Five Virtues, I've heard rumors that you were seriously injured during the battle half a month ago and have spent these past days recuperating at your estate. Is that true?"

Looking down from above, Victor's sharp Blue Rinnegan naturally caught another expanse of snowy white through the low neckline of her dress.

The young man coughed lightly twice.

"Thank you for your sincere concern, Your Highness. The wound was on my left shoulder. After more than ten days of rest, it's no longer anything serious."

"Oh... really?"

Her voice was soft.

"I don't believe you. Not unless you let me see."

Uh...

Let you see!?

What exactly did she mean by that?

Wait...

Why are you pulling at my clothes!?

"Your Highness, you really shouldn't..."

"Oh, don't be shy. Let me see how well your wound has recovered."

"No! This isn't appropriate."

Syanna removed her gold-rimmed spectacles with her left hand.

"I said behave yourself and let me see!"

"Hey!"

Victor was forcefully shoved backward onto the bed.

When searching the place half a month earlier, he had already learned that the ducal sisters' childhood playroom contained all sorts of exquisite toys.

There were countless stuffed dolls, tin knights for games of make-believe, wooden rocking horses for children to ride, miniature dishes for playing house, and plenty more besides.

It was also worth mentioning that there were two large beds nearby.

In the past, they had allowed two little girls to roll around and play on them.

Nowadays, they could serve equally well for adults getting some exercise.

And now Victor had been pushed onto one of them.

Helplessly, he watched as a pale lavender shadow descended upon him with overwhelming force.

The details were not important.

In short, that afternoon, after many years of neglect, the playroom once again fulfilled its intended purpose, allowing the Princess of Toussaint to live happily ever after.

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