Once the Duke swore allegiance to Sol, the atmosphere between the two of them became far lighter. They didn't really discuss much about the upcoming war as they still had about half a year or more for it to really begin. 

Just as Sol was about to leave, 

"By the way, your highness, I would like to propose my granddaughter as one of your official knights and concubines."

The Duke calmly threw this information. 

In this world, polygamy was pretty common. There could only be one true wife married in front of the goddesses but it wasn't impossible to have an official concubine or just a simple concubine. 

For the royal family, blood was really important since any child could get the blessing. As such, only the wife and the official concubine had the right to give birth to children. 

Still, this didn't stop Sol from being surprised at this proposal. 

"You do understand that a concubine has much less right than a wife, right? With her pedigree, Lady Athena can be the main and most likely unique wife of any noble in the kingdom."

The Duke smiled bitterly. "The position of Athena is complicated. She is the heiress of the family and her children will take the helm after her. Getting a husband means giving the power of a Duke's family in the hand of someone else."

He shook his head as he continued, "Athena understands how important her marriage is for the continuation of the family. She understands so much that she is burdening herself with it. This is why I always joke about it, I don't want her to feel too stifled."

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He sighed, "At the end of the day, I am just a poor greedy old man. I want her happiness, but I can't discard the family for it either. But with you, it's different."

It didn't take long for Sol to understand, "The chance of a child of the official concubine being blessed is inferior to that of a child from the official wife. If the child between the two of us isn't blessed, he or she will automatically take over the house."

Giving a feeble smile the Duke nodded. But Sol didn't stop. 

"What's more, the current situation of the Highland family isn't particularly bright. Getting a direct connection to the royal family means that you will be able to revitalize the family."

"Yes."

"Finally, at the end of day, a vow can still be broken. So by giving her to me, you are basically giving me a hostage to control your family, you are also placing a spy next to me who will work hard for the better of your family." 

He had to admit that it was a pretty thoughtful plan. What is more, it was so straightforward that it didn't hide anything. 

The Duke maintained his smile as he waited for Sol's answer. 

The silence lasted for a short time before Sol finally gave his answer. 

"I do not know enough about Lady Athena to accept such a serious relationship with her. But I can accept her as a knight. Once I form a contract with my first partner, I will officially confer her with the knight title." 

If it had just been about a fling, Sol would have been happy to accept. Athena was a beautiful and interesting woman. But, he didn't want to play with her body while not being sincere about their relationship. 

---

After he left the room, he found Milia and Setsuna already in his bedroom waiting for him. They had felt the clash of energy between the two, but no one tried to intervene since it was clear that it wasn't a fight. 

After giving a summary of what happened and having a happy moment with Milia with Setsuna helping a little on the side by giving him a felatio, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in bliss. 

Meanwhile, in the Duke office, he sat calmly as he faced his beloved granddaughter. 

The two seemed content to stay silent as they silently sipped their drinks. 

"As you have asked, I proposed your hand to the prince. He seemed reluctant to accept it, but he accepted to take you as a knight."

Athena didn't react to those words. She simply looked down at the reflection of her face in the amber liquid and downed her glass in one go. 

The liquor seemed to burn her throat, making her feel alive more than ever. 

"I see."

Athena had absolutely no opinion about her marriage. She wasn't one of the silly girls enamored with romance who forgot their responsibilities. 

She was a Highland. 

She was born with a golden spoon in her mouth. 

But being born with so many perks means that she needed to repay them. 

That's why she never settled down until now. She had never found the perfect candidate. At least until now. 

Her brother thought that he was the only one who could see the situation of the family. She was sure that in his eyes, she and their grandfather were just brutes who couldn't see the situation. 

The truth was, she understood more than anyone the situation and she was willing to pay any price to protect the family. 

"Please, don't make such a face Granddad. This is my own decision. What more, it isn't as if I am throwing myself to some weird guy."

This was one of the reasons she discussed with Setsuna. She wanted to ascertain what kind of man he was, and she had to admit that she wasn't disappointed. 

"But…" 

Tyr opened his mouth, before finally closing it and sighing while hanging his head down. 

"Forgive this old man."

The Duke was a legend. Someone who went through more battlefields than anyone else in Lustburg. But, at the end of the day, the Duke was only a mortal. He was old. Too old. His power wasn't at the same level as in his past. His health was slowly declining.

Sooner or later he would die. Either in the next war or of old age. 

This was an inevitability. This was the destiny of all mortals. 

The only way to avoid the power of the Highland family being chipped away after his death was to get a backer. 

Still, even though he understood that, he couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart. 

His sole source of happiness was that the prince was indeed a good young man. The fact that he didn't immediately accept the proposal pleased him even more. 

"I had already prepared to hand down all the power of the family to you and go on holidays in our duchy. Seems like I still have much to do."

Deciding to lighten the atmosphere, he made a simple joke. 

"Hahaha~! Sorry old man. I will wring your old bones dry before letting you go."

The two of them laughed and filled their glass before tricking again. 

---

The next day, Sol was woken up but a tingling sensation coming through his crotch. Feeling himself ejaculating, he opened his eyes only to see a sea of blue hair moving up and down while a pleasant sensation made his body shiver in pleasure. 

Once he ended ejaculating, he sighed and began to caress Setsuna's head, her wolf hair flickering as she closed her eyes. 

*Gulp* *Gulp*

Setsuna, having swallowed everything, smiled at him as she rose from his crotch. 

"Good morning Sol."

"Good morning Setsuna." 

He admired her beautiful body while doing so. It was the tight and sculpted body of someone who trained regularly. 

She basically had no fat aside from her bountiful breasts and her well-toned butt. Since she evidently woke not long ago, her long blue hair was still a little ruffled. Giving her a wild look. 

Each time he looked at her like that, he couldn't help but curse the fact that he couldn't go all the way for now.

Still, it wouldn't take long. Just a few days. 

"Where is Milia?" 

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He asked as he saw her take a towel bath. 

"Hum~ it seems like she visited the kitchen to make sure that they would prepare a good breakfast for you." 

"I see."

Saying so, he also left the bed and followed her to the bath. 

Today promised to be an interesting day. After all… He had a date with a witch.