The dining hall remained frozen in silence.
Naoko, unmoved, lifted her porcelain cup once more and sipped her tea, unhurried.
Her silver eyes remained half-lidded, calm as moonlight on still water.
There was no grief in her expression. No echo of pain. Just stillness.
Leona, now visibly uncomfortable, glanced at Rina and then back at Naoko, trying to dispel the heavy air she herself had summoned.
"So, um… Lady Rochey," she began, voice careful, almost awkward. "Where is your husband?"
There was a pause.
Naoko didn't flinch. Didn't even blink.
She simply lowered her cup, placed it neatly back onto the saucer, and responded in a voice so dispassionate it chilled the room:
"I killed him."
Her silver eyes held no apology, no trace of emotion—only the cold indifference of someone recalling a mildly unpleasant memory.
Leona froze.
Even Amelia's fingers tightened around her teacup.
Rina simply stared.
Naoko leaned back slightly in her chair, her voice flowing like still water—calm, composed, and utterly detached.
"I married him because his mana affinity was rare. Nothing more."
She brushed a lock of her silvery hair back over her shoulder with regal elegance.
"I never allowed him to touch me. He was never permitted inside this estate. He served his purpose… and then he became irrelevant."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but it held no joy.
"Artificial mana-based insemination," she added smoothly, as if commenting on the weather. "Clean. Efficient. Uncomplicated."
Her gaze flicked to Rina and Leona.
Both girls sat stunned, expressions betraying the storm of thoughts swirling beneath their composed faces.
They understood what she meant—Naoko had conceived without ever being touched.
She remained untouched.
Untainted.
Still a virgin, by choice.
Still sovereign over her body, her bloodline, her legacy.
A goddess wrapped in the skin of a woman.
Rina looked down at her cup, her thoughts spinning.
*She never allowed herself to be vulnerable. Not even once. And still… she has a son. She created life… with no love, no connection.*
Leona swallowed hard.
It wasn't the murder that disturbed her—not entirely.
It was the absolute lack of regret. The surgical precision in Naoko's life.
A woman who planned everything.
Even birth.
Amelia exhaled softly through her nose, brushing invisible lint from her sleeve.
"Well," she said carefully, "that would explain a great deal."
Naoko gave a slight nod, sipping her tea once more. "Naturally. I had no desire to tether myself to something as… feeble as affection."
She placed the cup down with an audible *click.*
"Emotions are liabilities. Especially for those who must lead."
She looked directly at Rina.
The weight of her silver gaze pressed like frost on Rina's chest.
"You will understand that one day," she said calmly. "If you are to stand beside my son."
Rina didn't speak.
She couldn't.
.........................................
Heat: What do you think of Naoko? Who is ready to marry her? 😁