(Sorry about the inconsistent uploads. I've been doing a lot of housework. Small landscaping outside and installing Ethernet throughout the house.)
Once I finished cooking breakfast, while the smell alone woke everyone up, I lay on the couch, resting as I stared at the ceiling, the faint sounds of chewing from the kitchen the only thing filling my ears. "Alex, you okay?" Glancing to my right, I saw Michelle leaning against the couch, her eyes glistening with worry as she looked at me, causing me to nod.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Flashing Michelle a smile, she narrowed her eyes before climbing over the couch, causing her plump body to fall on me while she practically suffocated me with her chest, which I wasn't complaining about. "What was that all about?" "Well, I don't believe you." Pushing herself down, freeing my face from the wonderful suffocation, she stared into my eyes.
"It's nothing to worry about, Michelle. I wasn't able to finish the job. I was frustrated." "Hmm, didn't you complete the rescue mission?" "I meant the other one. The one involving Katrina." She softly nodded before pushing herself further down, letting her rest her head atop my chest, prompting me to wrap an arm around her.
"You're really poking my stomach, Alex." Muttering softly, Michelle raised her head, looking at me with a glint as her hands lowered. "Want me to relieve you?" "Please." Michelle, the masterful wife that she was, freed my manhood and stroked it with her hands while teasing the head with her tongue, forcing me to suppress a few grunts.
After a few minutes, I released a rather thick load into her mouth, while she sucked the remaining out from my urethra before raising my pants back over my crotch. "Tasty… Better, Alex?" I nodded and affectionately rubbed her head; I felt slightly better. Eventually, though, I sat upright while placing Michelle beside me on the couch. "I'll visit Duke Gorgan. Hopefully I'll return before 11:00."
Standing up, I stretched slightly and leaned down, kissing Michelle before glancing at the others at the table, who were clearly enjoying their breakfast. "Yep, sounds good, Alex." "Yeah, love you." "Grab those spicy chips on the way back." I could feel my face twitching. 'I'm not going to the market though.'
Softly sighing, as I knew I would end up buying those chips for Vanye, I left the house, wearing no shoes, as I always did. 'I should head to a blacksmith. I need new armor.' Rubbing my head slightly, I walked through the streets of Cassandra, greeting the occasional vendor that I would often buy from. Though after leaving the more common area, I arrived at the noble district of the city, which was full of wealthy families and other lesser nobles.
I'd get several weird looks from the residents of this district when they saw me; only a scant few would respond to my greetings. There were a few arrogant young masters and mistresses, though I wasn't some young man who needed to go around proving to everyone how prideful or superior I was; I'd just ignore them whenever I heard them mocking me. I had better things to do than to fall for the taunts of a child.
As I neared the end of the district, I approached the Dukes' residence, stopping just outside the guarded gate. It seemed the Duke had been expecting me, as I wasn't even required to prove my identity. "Alexander, correct? Duke Gorgan has been expecting you." The guard's tone was one of respect as he stepped forward and slightly bowed before gesturing to the mansion behind him.
"Thanks." Lightly nodding, I entered the estate, heading to the mansion while once again earning weird looks from the servants, though at least compared to the residents of this district, their gazes mainly contained curiosity.
Following the same path from memory, I entered the same room from when I first visited and sat down, patiently waiting for the Duke to come; however, he must've been swamped with work since a whole hour passed before someone finally opened the door. "Sir Alex?" Raising a brow at the hesitant, feminine voice, I glanced at the door as a maid entered, only for her to sigh in relief when she saw me.
"Haa, thank goodness. Sir Alex, please follow me." Her voice was a desperate plea as she held the door open, causing me to nod faintly as I followed her. As I followed through the mansion, I noticed all the servants were in quite a frantic state, but when they saw me, they stopped and heaved sighs of relief.
'Did I do something?' Confused at the servants' receptions, I rubbed my head and stayed silent, figuring I should ask the master of this estate. After a few minutes, the maid escorted me to the top of the mansion, where I found two knights guarding the double doors. Upon seeing me, they stepped aside and opened each door.
Nodding, I stepped into the room, which resembled an office, where I saw Duke Gorgan calmly leaning on his desk, while his wife and Clampa sat on a couch to the right. "Those foolish servants can't even lead one man to their Master's office? Must I fire a few of them?" The Duchess's voice, laced with hushed anger, pierced my ears, making me cough awkwardly as I realized I was partly at fault.
"I'm also at fault, Duchess. I just assumed we'd be discussing in the same room as before. I should've asked." Slightly bowing, my words seemed to appease the Duchess as she scoffed before lightly nodding while folding her arms. "Hmph, since the savior of my child said do, I'll spare them." "Thank you, and I apologize."
"No need to apologize, Alexander, an hour alone with my wife and child? Such occurrences are rare." The Duke's earnest statement caused his wife to beam, while Clampa seemed a bit uncomfortable, perhaps embarrassed. "Well, family is everything." "Yes, it truly is." Giving Clampa a firm yet soft gaze, the Duke shifted his gaze back to me.
"Alexander. My wife and I are unable to fully express our gratitude for your actions." Despite the earnest and solemn atmosphere, I couldn't help but faintly chuckle, which seemed to catch them off guard. "Perhaps not through the language you know of… May I see your hands?" Standing in front of the desk, I extended my hand to the Duke and Duchess, causing them to both gaze at me curiously before hesitantly taking my hand.
"You probably don't know, but trees can communicate with each other, not through words, though. Through their raw emotions, and considering my Master was a Dryad, I just so happened to speak their language." Smiling, I glanced between the two as I read their rawest emotions; their gratitude and happiness were intense, causing me to wince slightly from being overwhelmed.
"Your gratitude and joy are incredibly potent. I've never met someone whose emotions were so intense." Rubbing my head slightly, the Duchess looked at me in slight awe, while the duke was more grounded. "Interesting… How difficult is it to learn?" "Gorgan!" Huffing, the Duchess gently slapped the Duke, causing him to click his tongue while I chuckled.
"Very, Duke. Most Dryads can't do such a thing, my Master was just special." My words caused all the curiosity and interest within the Duke to fizzle out as he faintly nodded while rubbing where he'd been slapped, only for him to reach into his desk before placing a space pouch onto the desk. 'Damn, hitting me right where it hurts.'
"30 Gold coins, just as the contract promised… You may keep the space pouch." As he slid it to the edge of the desk, I faintly smiled and hooked it onto my waist before slightly bowing. "Thank you, Duke." "Now, regarding reimbursing you for the potion your party member used to keep my son alive." I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as I hadn't expected him to reimburse me. "Are you sure that is necessary? It was used to complete the mission."
"Hmm, so that's what you're after? A favor from the Duke of the Roswald Kingdom. Well, that makes it easier for me. Legendary potions are priceless. To be able to repay it with just a favor, I couldn't be happier." He visibly sighed in relief while I just tilted my head, confused how he managed to assume I wanted a 'favor'.
However, before I refused him, I placed a hand on my chin as I started thinking about what kind of favor I could possibly request from a Duke, someone with an incredibly high position in the kingdom. 'Gold? We can get that on our own. Armor, Weapons? Maybe armor, but I have Kurama's help if I really need it.' As I searched for whatever I could request, I focused on the future, which led me to one answer.
"Estate. Could I request an estate in this district? It doesn't need to be excessively large like yours. I plan to start a family soon, and our current house is packed to the brim."