In one of the rooms of Barrowtown Castle.
Harry was lying on the bed looking at the ceiling. Val had followed him and was sitting sideways on his abdomen.
He could only look at her in silence while Lady Dustin's proposal lingered in his mind.
"Come on, a woman is offering herself to you. Just accept her and move on," said Val, chuckling as she patted his chest.
Her fingers played with his firm muscles.
"That doesn't help, and it's not like this is a one-night thing. I haven't even imagined myself having children," Harry said, looking at her as her eyes gleamed with amusement.
"It's funny that you say you haven't imagined yourself having children, do you think I won't want one in the future? Or Dacey? Or your wife? Or who knows? Maybe some accident?" said Val, smiling broadly as Harry's frown deepened with each case she mentioned.
Harry looked at Val in horror. He really hadn't thought about it; if that was the case, perhaps he would have enough children to form a Quidditch team.
"Besides, you practically raised your sisters. Just look at how you treat them. At first I thought that was normal in the south, but I've seen how the others treat their siblings; they're nowhere near as attentive and affectionate as you," said Val, laughing as she remembered some of her own experiences with Dalla.
Although they had always been close, they had also had their moments.
"You'll be a good father," Val continued softly.
Harry could only look at her in silence.
Her words made him remember his sisters when they were little. Taking care of them had been one of the most peaceful and pleasant parts of his life.
A small smile appeared on his face as he looked at Val. Having a little version of her would be very interesting.
"I've never really stopped to think about it," Harry said distractedly as his fingers gently rubbed Val's lower back.
In his previous life, he had never considered starting a family and, in a way, he had never really reconsidered it in this one.
"It'll be fine. It'll also be interesting to see a little Harry," said Val, chuckling as she gently cradled Harry's cheek before leaning down and kissing him quickly.
Harry looked at her in surprise. It seemed they were thinking the same thing.
"Alright, I'm going to my room," said Val, jumping off the bed.
"Why?" asked Harry, sitting up in confusion.
"You might have a late-night visitor," said Val, laughing as she put on her boots.
"But I haven't said yes," Harry said, frowning.
"That's the point of the visit, to stop you from thinking with the head on your shoulders," said Val, giving him a mocking smile as she patted his head before fleeing.
Harry looked at the door in confusion before lying down again with a sigh.
Val's words lingered in his mind. Even so, when he thought about Lady Dustin, he couldn't help wondering if she would be a good mother.
At least, she seemed to genuinely long for a child.
The image of Barrowtown appeared in his mind. It was the closest thing to a real city he had seen.
But to say he would do it just for that would be lying to himself.
Rather, the reality was that he had no compelling reasons to refuse. Lady Dustin was a beautiful woman, skilled at ruling and in a position of considerable power.
A child between them would have everything they needed to grow up well.
And their alliance would be good for both of them.
Closing his eyes, he decided to stop thinking about it so much.
If Lady Dustin really appeared that night, he would see what happened.
Val really was a bad influence, but one he had no intention of distancing himself from.
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he suddenly woke up to the sound of his door opening.
With the candles extinguished, he could barely see a silhouette entering his room.
The door closed behind her, followed by a metallic sound as she locked it.
Her bare feet were barely audible against the floor as the curvy silhouette stopped beside his bed.
The moonlight coming through the window barely allowed him to make her out.
Harry turned his head, causing a faint rustle of the sheets. The figure in the darkness tensed for a moment upon noticing that he was awake.
The woman seemed to hesitate for an instant before decisively climbing onto the bed.
Harry looked at her without speaking, and Lady Dustin didn't seem to want him to speak either.
In the darkness, he felt her hand touch his thigh, seeming frightened for a moment before fully putting her weight on it and moving toward him.
Her weight settled on his legs while he could feel her gaze.
Their increasingly rapid breaths were the only communication between them.
Her hands reached for Harry's trousers before beginning to pull them down. Harry felt a current of electricity run through his body.
He had to admit that the situation excited him, and his body's reaction clearly showed it.
A slender, slightly cool hand reached out and took hold of his member. Harry could barely make out her shadow leaning down in the darkness before a warm sensation enveloped him.
Harry let out a soft sigh showing his approval, causing the woman's head to slowly move up and down.
The wet sounds broke the silence of the room. Before he could fully enjoy it, the warm sensation disappeared, and then he felt a hand on his chest.
Raising an eyebrow, Harry was surprised to see the woman straddle him, her hand taking hold of his member as she aligned it.
In the darkness, Harry heard a faint moan of pleasure before his member slid completely inside her.
A soft sigh escaped him as pleasure spread through his body.
Lady Dustin placed her hands on Harry's broad chest. Her breathing was deep and audible. She could barely make out a pair of bright green eyes watching her in the darkness.
Her skin prickled as she felt Harry's large hands run along her thighs to her backside.
Gently biting her lip, she couldn't take it anymore. Her hips soon began to move over her future Lord's member.
The awareness of who the man beneath her was added a strange thrill to her excitement.
The resentment and shame seemed to be forgotten at that moment.
Her hips continued to rise and fall without pause even when her legs had reached their limit.
Lady Dustin suddenly lost her strength as her body trembled. At the same time, she felt a scorching heat inside her.
Her voice rose to its loudest that night as she let out a moan she was sure almost the entire castle had heard.
But in that moment of pleasure, she couldn't have cared less.
Lady Dustin fell weakly onto Harry's chest and let out a small sound resembling a purr. She couldn't help feeling satisfied.
Harry was also breathing somewhat heavily. His hand slowly moved down the woman's delicate back.
Her body was incredibly soft and pleasant to the touch.
As Harry turned her over, a small cry of surprise escaped her, quickly followed by a moan.
''You're a truly exquisite woman, Lady Dustin,'' Harry whispered in her ear as his hips moved in a firm rhythm.
Lady Dustin felt a tingle of excitement run through her entire body when she heard his words.
''You can just call me Barbrey,'' the woman said between moans.
The sound of their bodies joining and the small creaks of the bed echoed throughout the room.
Their bodies barely separated throughout the night.
Like someone who had been thirsty for far too long, Barbrey seemed unable to get enough of his touch.
In the room next door, Val bit her lip while her hands moved restlessly over her body.
….
The next morning.
The sun shone through the window, illuminating the room.
Harry opened his eyes to the light, noticing Barbrey's black hair spread across the bed and her face resting against him.
Barbrey was hugging one of his arms against her body, her knees drawn up and her legs almost wrapped around his arm as well.
He couldn't help looking at her with amusement. It was quite an interesting position, not something he would have expected from a woman like her.
His gaze traveled over her curvaceous body, now perfectly visible in the light, until it stopped at her abdomen.
He wondered what would happen, then shook his head when he remembered that it was still too early to know.
A faint sound pulled him from his thoughts. Lowering his gaze, he saw Barbrey gently rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed, still drowsy.
Stretching gently, she opened her eyes and looked at him, somewhat confused.
It was then that everything seemed to come back to her. Her eyes widened in surprise before she slowly regained her composure.
"What's wrong? Do you regret it?" Harry asked, also sitting up in bed and looking at her.
"I don't regret it," Barbrey said as she pushed aside the sheets and stood up, enjoying the way Harry followed her with his gaze.
Finding her dress on the floor beside the bed, she bent down and put it on.
"All right then," Harry said, shaking his head. It was still a little crazy how they had ended up in that situation.
''How long are you going to stay?'' Barbrey asked as she adjusted her dress.
Harry remained silent for a moment before answering.
''I'll leave tomorrow,'' Harry said directly.
"I see. Then I'll see you tonight," Barbrey said decisively before leaving the room.
Despite her attitude, Harry couldn't help laughing a little when he saw her quickly look both ways before leaving the room.
She was undoubtedly a woman who cared about appearances, but once she decided to do something, she was very determined about it.
By the time he got dressed and went out, he found that it was already lunchtime.
At the table, Val only looked at Harry with one eyebrow raised. She didn't seem very pleased.
Harry was truly speechless. Clearly, she was the one who had suggested the idea and had even left him alone so it could happen.
After lunch, Harry decided to go out and see the city with Val. Barbrey, meanwhile, went to attend to her affairs.
"You had quite an exhausting night. So, what was it like with a mature woman?" Val asked teasingly as they walked through the city streets.
The murmur of vendors and people arguing could be heard in the background as the crowd made way for them wherever they passed.
Harry only smiled and didn't answer her loaded question. He simply took her hand and intertwined their fingers, his thumb gently caressing it.
Val raised her eyebrows as she looked at their joined hands before looking at Harry, who was smiling at her.
''What I want to know is why you suggested that idea,'' Harry said softly as they walked.
Val took a few seconds to answer, her attention still focused on their intertwined hands.
"It was the easiest option. Everyone gets what they want," Val said as her fingers played with his.
''You don't get anything,'' Harry said, stopping and looking at her.
"Who said I don't? I got to help you. I don't get many opportunities to do that," Val said, smiling.
"But—" Harry began.
''You can't be mine alone, so what's the difference if you sleep with one or a hundred more women?'' Val said, staring at him.
"That's a rather twisted way of looking at it," Harry said, looking at her.
''If you were looking for a normal woman, you shouldn't have looked beyond the Wall,'' Val said, laughing as she pulled him by the hand toward a trinket stall.
Harry only smiled as he shook his head.
The two of them spent the afternoon walking around the city before returning to the castle for dinner.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet. After greeting each other, no one seemed to have much to say for quite a while.
The occasional sound of cutlery against the plates was the only thing that broke the silence.
Taking the opportunity, Harry asked Barbrey about her lands.
"We have the largest expanse of plains, so House Dustin has always focused on agriculture and livestock. Since our territory is the southernmost, the temperature is much higher, which helps considerably."
"Our harvests used to be the most abundant in the entire North, which left us with considerable profits from selling the surplus. Unfortunately, that business was ruined," Barbrey said, briefly looking at Harry.
Harry only smiled, ignoring her look. In fact, he was glad to hear it.
''What animals do you raise?'' Harry asked casually.
"Mainly aurochs, goats, and horses. We do well; my territory is quite rich," Barbrey said, looking at him.
The south was her best customer. Aurochs meat was incredibly popular among the noble Houses.
"Don't you lack enough feed to increase your livestock?" Harry asked curiously.
"Who doesn't? If your seeds are as good as they say, we could expand," Barbrey said before taking a sip from her cup.
''You can send your people to Winterfell,'' Harry said, nodding as he watched her gesture to the servant to refill her cup.
''Do you usually drink a lot of wine?'' Harry asked, looking her in the eyes. He noticed that she seemed to freeze for a moment as she looked at him.
The wine continued pouring into the cup until Barbrey looked at the servant and signaled for her to stop. The woman set the pitcher on the table.
"The usual," Barbrey said, looking at him.
''Ideally, you should avoid wine completely if you're pregnant,'' Harry said softly.
''Why?'' Barbrey asked, frowning.
"I know about these things. It's not good for the baby," Harry explained simply.
''I see,'' Barbrey said, her frown relaxing slightly when she heard the word baby.
Val only raised her eyebrows as she watched them. It really didn't seem like they had slept together the night before.
Even so, she was fine with that. This wasn't a romantic visit.
After dinner, Harry went to take a bath.
''The tub isn't that big and the water isn't that hot,'' Val said, sitting in the bathtub with her legs drawn up.
"It's not for cooking. I don't understand how you can stand bathing in such hot water," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
Val always insisted that he raise the temperature; even with his superhuman body, he felt a little uncomfortable.
"I wonder what the old woman's bathtub is like. At least it must be bigger than this one," Val said idly.
''Don't let her hear you calling her that,'' Harry said, chuckling.
''What can she do? Hit me?'' Val said, pursing her lips.
''Worse, she'll ignore you and say something bad about you so calmly that she'll leave you speechless,'' Harry said, chuckling as he felt around under the water until he found one of Val's feet and pulled it.
Val immediately lost her balance and her head sank beneath the water.
In an instant, she stood up and glared at him angrily.
''Idiot, do you want to fight?'' Val said irritably as she threw herself at him.
Harry chuckled and played along. Water splashed everywhere as the two of them wrestled.
They only got out when the bathwater grew cold.
"I hope you can't get it up," Val said, glaring at him, still annoyed by her defeat.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Harry only chuckled before lazily lying down on the bed.
Unlike the night before, Barbrey didn't make him wait as long.
Barbrey entered the room while the candles were still lit. This time, there was anticipation in her gaze. A small click indicated that she had locked the door.
The next day, Barbrey watched Harry leave from one of the castle windows, somewhat reluctant to see him go.
Ater's enormous figure was easy to distinguish even from afar.
Her gaze dropped to her abdomen as she gently rested a hand on it.
She hoped two days had been enough.
She wondered if the child would inherit Harry's piercing green eyes. It would definitely have black hair, considering both parents.
If she didn't become pregnant, she hoped they could see each other again soon.
But in the meantime, her life finally seemed to have a direction.
----
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