I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

"That's different!"

She stubbornly repeated, as if trying to convince herself, "Ilya is my daughter! I...I am her mother!"

This was her last and strongest line of defense.

How could a mother and daughter... be together with a man?

This violated all her dignity as a mother.

"is it?"

Medea's fingertips traced Irisviel's tense cheeks, finally resting on her soft lips, gently caressing them.

Then, the hand slowly moved down, past her delicate collarbone, across her flat stomach, and finally, through the thin silk nightgown, gently covered her.

Irisviel shuddered, as if struck by an electric current.

"!"

She wanted to dodge, to push the other person away, but her body remained stiff and unresponsive.

Medea's hand made no further movement, simply remaining still there.

But even through the fabric, she could clearly feel the damp heat and slight throbbing under her palm.

"look,"

Medea leaned close to her ear, her breath carrying a cool, magical quality. "Your mouth says 'no,' but your other half says something else entirely."

"Tsk tsk, just a touch like that and you're unconscious. Irisviel von Einzbern, you really are a... complete slut."

The word "goods" struck Irisviel like a thunderbolt in her mind.

"You...you get out!"

She finally regained her strength, pushed Medea away, stood up from the chair, and shouted with all her might, "Get out of my room!"

The anger at having her pretense exposed made her tremble all over.

Medea took two steps back following her force, her face still showing the same calm expression.

She seemed to have anticipated this reaction.

"Don't get so worked up. I'm just here to make a deal with you."

"As long as you have a relationship with Gu Ye, I will give you the secret recipe for that 'special blended milk' that you've been longing for."

A trade? A recipe?

Irisviel was stunned.

At this point, the formula is no longer that important to her.

Although she really wanted to taste that comforting flavor again, it wasn't enough for her to sell her body and dignity for it.

Seeing the changing expressions on her face, Medea knew that the bait had not worked as expected.

That's true. For a woman who can suppress herself to this extent, a mere recipe is still too weak.

So she abandoned her trading stance and unleashed her final trump card.

She turned and walked towards the door, but stopped as she grasped the doorknob, tossing out a sentence without looking back.

"Think about it carefully, Irisviel."

"After seeing the sun, can you still tolerate the light of a candle?"

"Now, besides Gu Ye, can you tolerate any other man?"

After saying that, she opened the door and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor, leaving only silence in the room and Irisviel, who was completely devastated by those words.

……

Besides Gu Ye, could she tolerate any other man?

After Medea left, those words swirled in Irisviel's mind like a curse, repeating themselves over and over again.

She slid helplessly onto the carpet and buried her face between her knees.

*goods……

Am I... a consignee?

She raised her hand and looked at her slender, fair fingers.

She felt nauseous.

She loathed herself for being so easily controlled, and loathed this hypocritical body.

She tried to remember Kiritsugu, to remember the time they spent in the castle.

Those memories are so beautiful; they are proof that she existed as a "human being".

But for some reason, her husband's face became blurry in her memory, replaced by Gu Ye's young and calm face, his powerful, veiny body, and his unstoppable...

No! I can't think about it anymore!

She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake those images out of her mind.

I am a mother, I am Ilya's mother...

She kept repeating that phrase, like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood.

But... Ilya is happy.

If... if I could...

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she bit her lip hard, and the pain brought her back to her senses for a moment.

Time slipped away little by little amidst this internal struggle.

The moon outside the window rose higher and higher, its cool glow filling the room.

Irisviel stood up from the ground and walked to the window.

She looked at the trees in the courtyard, which were edged with silver by the moonlight, and at the scattered lights of Morio Town in the distance.

This world was once so new and so interesting to her.

But now, she feels a loneliness she has never felt before.

Ilya no longer needs her mother's constant protection; she has Gu Ye and her own world.

Medea, Kitagawa Kaimu... they also surrounded Gu Ye, forming a new circle that she could not enter.

Only she, Irisviel von Einzbern, was like a doll forgotten in the past, beautiful and noble, yet cold and lonely.

She recalled Medea's last question once again.

Besides him, who else could I tolerate?

She closed her eyes and honestly faced her inner self.

The answer is, no.

Her body, her desires, had already been firmly imprinted by the man in that image.

Anything else would only bore and repel her.

If that's the case... why deceive yourself?

Suppression only brings deeper pain and distortion.

Just like when she spied on her daughter's privacy, wasn't that mixture of guilt and excitement a distorted product of extreme repression?

What if... what if we could obtain it in a more direct and honest way?

Go to love, and be loved.

Go and feel that real warmth, and fill the emptiness in your heart.

Is this wrong?

As an artificial human, she was created to serve as a vessel for the Holy Grail.

Her life seemed never to truly belong to herself.

But Kiritsugu taught her about love, and Illya taught her about maternal love.

So now, can she... live for herself for once?

For my most genuine and primal desires.

The long struggle finally came to an end at this moment.

She was relieved.

She wasn't trying to steal her daughter's happiness, nor was she trying to betray her identity as a mother.

She just... wanted to confirm it.

To determine whether that man is truly worthy of Ilya's trust.

At the same time, I also want to confirm whether I can... feel the happiness of being filled again.

Right, that is it.

Having found a reason that was convincing enough to convince herself, Irisviel felt a peace she had never known before.

She walked to the wardrobe and, instead of choosing one of the glamorous gowns, took out a light, white silk nightgown.

This was one of her most intimate garments, a pure and elegant design that perfectly accentuated her mature and voluptuous figure.

She took off her loungewear and slowly put on this nightgown.

The cool, silky touch against her skin gave her goosebumps.

She walked to the mirror and looked at herself.

Snow-white long hair, ruby-like eyes, and a full, ripe figure, faintly visible beneath the sheer fabric.

She took a deep breath, as if she had made some kind of decision.

Then, she turned around, barefoot, and quietly walked out of her room.

The corridor was silent, with only moonlight filtering through the windows and casting dappled shadows on the floor.

She walked step by step to the door that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

Gu Ye's room door.

She raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the cold door.

But this time, she did not back down.

She pushed open the door gently, yet with unwavering determination.

Gu Ye was sitting at his desk, flipping through an old book about the local history of Morio Town.

Only a dim desk lamp was on in the room, casting a long shadow of him.

When the door was gently pushed open, he assumed it was Ilya or Medea and didn't even look up.

But then, a mature scent, completely different from theirs, mixed with the aroma of lilies and a slightly sweet milky fragrance, wafted in.

Gu Ye looked up, and then froze.

Standing at the door was Irisviel.

She was wearing a white silk nightgown, and the bright moonlight shone through the window behind her, clearly outlining the contours of her voluptuous body.

Her impressive figure, slender waist, and rounded hips were faintly visible beneath the sheer fabric.

Gu Ye's pupils contracted slightly, and almost instinctively, he abruptly closed his eyes and turned his head to the side.

What... what's the difference between this and what?

"Ms. Irisviel?"

His voice was a little hoarse, "It's so late, is something the matter?"

Her footsteps were very light as Irisviel entered, and the unique fragrance in the room became even stronger.

She didn't answer, but walked straight to his bedside and sat down.

"Um,"

She finally spoke, her voice soft but clear, "There is something."