The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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After everything settled down, the only story left for us to share was a single one.

…I thought it would take at least a several months, maybe even longer, if things weren’t aligning well.

Coincidentally, today, Shione boldly broke down the walls and stepped into a new realm.

I wanted to ask how on earth she managed to find the unexplored territory beyond the horizon so quickly.

“Ugh…”

Just hearing her voice was enough to drain my energy.

For a while, Shione, normally composed, was flailing around her room uncharacteristically for a noble. Eventually, she collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow with a groan that expressed her exhaustion.

I wished she would just stop when I told her to.

It was all her own fault for throwing a fit out of embarrassment.

I lightly ignored her lamentation and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“You said you had an epiphany, right?”

I recalled the quiet whisper Shione had shared with me when I supported her.

—In novels, it’s said that enlightenment is crucial; who knew that saying was true?

It seemed that her breakthrough came from some kind of enlightenment, and my curiosity about the answer she found only grew stronger as time went on.

What kind of revelation could possibly create such shapeless mana and allow her to shoot it properly?

Even someone like me—who spent a lifetime poring over knowledge and was a wise sage in my own right—could not easily attain an epiphany that might spur such sudden progress.

My calm voice drew her face up from the pillow.

Gently—

…While we had already descended to casual speech, after a year of formalities, this felt more comfortable. I’d suspected that the ensuing conversation might be serious, so I thought it best not to ask lightly.

As I met her steadily gazing blue eyes, I continued speaking earnestly with respectful formality.

“Can you tell me what that epiphany was?”

“It’s—”

For a moment, Shione stared back at me and then let out a soft chuckle.

“It’s the same as when I cut my hair a long time ago.”

Saying that, Shione playfully twisted a strand of her hair around her index finger and let it unwind repeatedly.

“…I still remember what you said. When I trust myself without wavering, the arrows create the most beautiful trajectory. It’s the same thing.”

“Same thing, you say?”

“I just shed all the remnants of my doubts…”

Shione closed her mouth firmly for a moment.

She seemed to have so many things to say. Yet instead of chattering away with her melodic voice, she simply manifested her deep feelings through a serene silence.

She merely rolled over on the bed and bumped into me.

“…I just established my confidence in myself.”

Not quite knowing what to say, I ruffled her hair casually.

“Well done.”

Confidence in oneself.

Though it seemed trivial to put it that way, when she had lost herself in the moment and shot that bow, Shione must have been steeped in countless thoughts.

She probably lumped together all her complex ideas as just her confidence in herself.

Some might dismiss breaking into an expert level merely as self-belief, but for Shione, that trust must surely be the most weighty and essential thing of all.

Shione, who had been purring like a cat while enjoying my touch, began to shift restlessly.

“Hmm…”

With a small sound of exertion, she sat upright and subtly shifted closer to my side.

Without even giving me a glance, she stared at her feet for a moment before hesitating for a while.

Then, she began to lean a bit more towards me.

…What’s with the sudden change?

This wasn’t the playful atmosphere she usually had when she cuddled close to me.

A peculiar warmth seemed to brew between us, as if something was about to happen.

Shione began to curl her fists, flexing her fingers. Finally, she turned her head slowly.

She shot me a glance through those blue pupils, and I could see her expression hardening as she took in my bewildered face.

“…Onii-chan.”

This wasn’t the teasing tone she usually wore.

Her voice was markedly different in pitch and timbre.

I had clearly become her exclusive servant as a gift for her nineteenth birthday. By now, Shione must have been around twenty-one by the standards of my hometown.

“…What do you need?”

I cautiously asked, meeting her gaze as she spoke in a low tone.

Having cast off her childish demeanor, she now resembled a beautiful woman far more than just a girl.

I found myself unexpectedly flustered by her sudden change in demeanor, and Shione’s smile widened as she observed my reaction.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Shione began to inch closer, narrowing the space between us.

“I will make sure to have what I want, so you only need to wait a little longer.”

“What are you talking—”

Swoosh—

It seemed I had messed up my lines somehow, as Shione’s gaze turned icy.

She stretched her left arm out, tight enough to keep me from escaping, then climbed onto my lap.

Shione sat facing me, her breath brushing against my face.

“You said you would give me your lips. You’re not trying to back out of that promise, are you?”

“…Can you use that technique again multiple times?”

“Of course. The beating heart and mana, all my senses remember that sensation from before. I can do it as many times as needed.”

“……”

Swoosh.

With that, Shione draped her arm over my neck.

Now that we had reached this point, there was no escape left for me.

With her forehead almost touching mine, Shione gazed heatedly into my eyes and whispered.

“…Onii-chan, please do it.”

The seeds I had sown were returning as karma.

Seeing her softly close her eyes, as if my will meant nothing now, I let out a brief chuckle.

To ensure this smile wasn’t in vain and to evoke a small feeling between us, I pressed my lips to hers.

A soft texture, the sensation of her warm breath, and the atmosphere heating up.

The warm breeze entering through our parted lips tasted sweet, yet dedicated.

Just as I was about to transition from that first kiss to a deeper one—

“Pah…”

Shione pulled away from the kiss, blushing fiercely, and flashed me a devilish grin.

“Shione?”

“Eek.”

She then pressed her weight down onto me.

Before I knew it, I was lying back on the bed under her strength, and Shione rolled over on top of me, hugging me tightly.

“I’ll postpone what comes next a little.”

“…Postpone?”

“There’ll be nicer days than this one. On the festival day, just the two of us will go to the dining hall and wander around the streets, indulging in a delightful date before you do it directly for me.”

I nodded quietly at her words.

Then Shione beamed with a smile, rubbing her cheek against mine before softly expressing.

“But I can’t let this end without something more…”

For a moment, she hesitated before subtly revealing her delicate neck.

“…Leave a kiss mark as a sign that you’re mine.”

“What…?”

I momentarily doubted my ears.

After all, this was a world where conventional men and women roles were reversed.

Even though I had indicated my preferences and reacted accordingly, I never imagined she would ask for me to leave a mark to assert her possession over me instead.

“…Really? Even so—”

“It’s embarrassing, so do it quickly.”

Shione looked not the least bit willing to back down.

“…It’s going to leave a mark.”

“It’s winter anyway, so I’ll only be wearing high-necked clothes and a scarf.”

Saying that, Shione averted her gaze as if embarrassed.

“…Stop keeping me in suspense.”

“Ha…”

At this point, I didn’t know. Whatever will be will be.

“It’s Shione who asked for it.”

My master lightly shut her eyes.

An affirmative sign.

I was merely a lowly servant following her command. I bore no guilt.

So, I gently kissed her neck.

“Ugh…”

Shione’s soft voice lingered quietly in the room.

Smooch.

After leaving a small kiss mark on her neck, Shione chuckled joyfully once we separated.

She began to stroke her neck, then buried her face in the blanket, clinging onto my right arm.

After staying together in silence for a while.

Gurgle—

“Ah…”

Shione’s stomach rudely interrupted the tender atmosphere, starting to cry out for food.

I flashed a refreshing smile at her.

Shione dove even deeper into my embrace, hiding her face.

Her ears were likely glowing red, revealing her embarrassment.

I tried my best to stifle my laughter and said.

“I’m sure you were focused while shooting arrows. After using mana all day, you shot that last arrow too, so it’s expected.”

“…Shut up.”

“I’ll go make some sandwiches like before, so just wait a moment.”

At that, Shione nodded her head slightly.

“…Make it quick.”

As usual, she didn’t say to not go.

Finally unable to contain my laughter at her consistent demeanor, Shione peeked her face out from under the blanket, her expression cute as she called out to my back.

“Why are you laughing?”

*

Before even celebrating her twentieth birthday, Shione broke down walls and entered a new realm.

Her news spread quickly, becoming the hottest topic among the Count’s household.

Those who had suffered through Shione’s outbursts or witnessed her incompetence firsthand doubted their ears, wondering if they had heard incorrectly.

Throughout the year, though she hadn’t openly revealed much, those who observed her gradual transformation were in shock, collectively gasping in disbelief.

And the news reached not just Ainel Shianella or other figures from the Count’s house, but also those residing in the Count’s household, like Aria and those from the Alenarr Marquis family.

Among them was a wizard with deep crimson hair.

Having summoned the male servant from the Count’s house, she pondered why on earth he had tried to pry information from her in such a tense atmosphere.

She had been quite severely reprimanded alongside Siabel Shianella, but Ravi Crunel could not shake the growing questions and curiosity.

The news brought her a tempting morsel of information.

“…Except for a very few individuals, the consensus is that magic and aura cannot coexist.”

Which meant the Young Lady wasn’t someone capable of magic.

Could it be—

“If the Young Lady is one of those few individuals…”

The suspicious servant and the Young Lady had already infused powerful aura into an arrowhead before turning twenty.

Ravi Crunel shook her head, trying to rid herself of the tangled thoughts.

“…Tch.”

She had been looking forward to the Count’s winter festival…

Now that she had stumbled upon this intriguing story, she feared she wouldn’t be able to sleep for all the curiosity.

It seemed that enjoying the festival with a clear head would be far from easy.