Chapter 47.1: Pavane in the Dark Part 1

Bonus chapter thanks to '@Mop' for subscription to 'Sorrow' tier on Ko-fi.Pavane in the Dark

"Prove it, your purity."

"Are you crazy?!"

Golden Boy flailed his arms, resisting with all his might.

But I wasn't about to let him off easy.

I pressed down on his knee, pinning him down more firmly.

"H-hold on! Give me a second to prepare myself!"

"Shut up."

My iron grip finally subdued Golden Boy's struggles.

He mumbled something under his breath, as if giving up, then sighed deeply.

"Before I prove my purity... there are two things I need to say."

"What?"

With a solemn expression, Golden Boy held up three fingers.

"You said two things, but why are three fingers up...?"

"First, I am indeed a virgin."

Golden Boy cut me off, beginning his declaration.

One of his three fingers folded down.

"And second... I've never even had a girlfriend. I'm a certified mama's boy."

Another finger bent down.

Why did he fold them one by one, leaving his middle finger for last...?

Was this some kind of weird build-up?

I narrowed my eyes at Golden Boy.

"Is that all you have to say?"

-Nod...

Oh, for fuck's sake.

So the three fingers were just for a stupid joke?

As Golden Boy nodded, I frowned and shoved him towards the unicorn.

"Any last words?"

At my question, Golden Boy grinned as he stumbled towards the unicorn.

Then, he shrugged off my hand that was gripping his collar and spat, "Let go of me, you goddamn bastard."

-Thud!

With those words, Golden Boy sprawled at the unicorn's feet.

"..."

"..."

Despite the blonde, tanned delinquent rolling around at its hooves, the unicorn showed no signs of aggression.

In fact, it even let out a soft, pleased-sounding nicker.

Which meant...

Yep, Golden Boy was telling the truth.

"Well? Still don't believe me?"

Golden Boy looked up at me with a triumphant smirk.

I nodded, conceding.

"Fine, Golden Boy. I believe you. You're a virgin."

It was hard to believe, but it seemed that in this world...

The blonde, tanned delinquent was actually a virgin.

...And a unicorn was the one who confirmed it.

***

While Raiden and Golden Boy were busy having their little exchange with a unicorn as their mediator...

Someone was watching the bizarre scene unfold with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"What... in the..."

The whisper was a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.

The girl who was staring at the boy with a frozen expression was none other than Margaret Phyler.

Raiden's ex-fiancée.

She was staring blankly at Raiden, who was casually stroking the unicorn's mane.

"..."

She blinked, as if doubting her own eyes, her silence filled with confusion.

But no matter how much she wished it were otherwise, the scene before her remained unchanged.

The unicorn was acting like a pampered puppy, nuzzling against Raiden affectionately.

And Raiden, in turn, was calmly stroking the unicorn's head.

Unicorns were known as symbols of purity.

Guardians who protected the pure and punished the impure.

So what was the meaning of this?

This reaction... it was as if Raiden was... actually a virgin?

"That's... impossible..."

Margaret muttered in denial.

A storm of incomprehension raged within her.

She tried to accept the situation, but it was simply inconceivable.

It was absurd.

Raiden Lishite, a virgin?

How could the boy who deserved to be hated by unicorns more than anyone else be receiving such adoration from one?

"...There must be something wrong with that unicorn."

Margaret, who had been frozen in place, came to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with the unicorn.

She refused to even consider the possibility that Raiden was actually a virgin.

And for good reason.

She had seen it with her own eyes.

She had witnessed him engaging in physical intimacy with another person.

-Ah...! Young Master Lishite...!!

-Haa, haa... You have a nice body, Amelia.

It happened around this time last year.

After Raiden's sudden transformation into a degenerate, Margaret dedicated herself to his rehabilitation.

She visited the Lishite Dukedom's mansion every day, making her presence known.

She went to great lengths to prevent Raiden's outrageous behavior.

It wasn't easy to support someone while enduring scorn and insults from others, but she refused to give up on him.

Because she loved him.

Even though he had strayed far from the path, she believed she could bring him back.

But...

Her devotion was met with a cruel betrayal.

-This is my lady's room... We-we shouldn't be doing this...!

-You seem pretty excited about it, though.

One day, Margaret returned to the mansion earlier than usual after finishing her errands.

That was when she saw it.

Or rather... she heard it.

The sounds of her most trusted maid and her fiancé pleasuring each other.

-Margaret... That bitch is nothing but a nuisance. She wouldn't know how to move her hips like this.

-Ah, uh...! P-please don't insult my lady...!

-Says the one who's screwing her lady's fiancé on her lady's bed.

-Such crude, haa...!

It was the first time.

She had grown up with Amelia, but she had never heard such vulgar moans before.

And the fact that the other person involved was Raiden... it was enough to shatter Margaret's world.

Her beloved friend and her beloved fiancé.

The sounds of their panting breaths, filled with lust and pleasure, echoed in her ears.

Margaret gagged and collapsed to the floor, overcome by the hateful noises coming from behind the door.

It felt as if a large thorn had pierced her heart.

Her chest tightened, tears welled up in her eyes, and her vision blurred.

But even in her despair, there was nothing she could do.

She realized the truth.

It was too late.

The fiancé she loved was gone.

She had tried to deny it for so long, but now she had no choice but to accept it.

She had clung onto the past like a fool, and in doing so, she had lost her closest friend.

-Haa... Swallow it all, Amelia.

-Gulp, mm...

Unable to bear listening any longer, Margaret shakily rose to her feet.

She couldn't bring herself to open that door.

Just hearing their voices was this painful...

If she saw them with her own eyes, she didn't think she'd be able to go on living.

She stumbled away, her steps faltering.

Even as she fled down the hallway, the obscene sounds continued to spill out from behind the closed door.

"...I'll never forgive you."

Margaret, who had been lost in her memories, suddenly clenched her fists.

Her mesmerizing red eyes were filled with deep-seated hatred and contempt.

She turned away, deciding to consult her books to understand the unicorn's strange behavior.

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