Chapter 23 – Responsibilities

The two women talked a lot during lunch, but the only parts where Gray paid any attention was when they mentioned the sex or the property they were going to transfer. Half of the Crowail family estate…he spent a few moments sipping his wine and wondering how he was now once one of the richest men in the kingdom. It was a dangerous deal, something even he hadn't thought would succeed.

Montrea was a powerful woman even in noble circles, but she was just like every other woman; Two rounds of sex her tongue was probing out and she was begging for more.

There's no catch, Gray assured himself. Even if there are, the legal documents have already been passed. I'm out of their territory.

"How is Lady Andria?" Montrea asked, eyes probing over to Gray. "I didn't see her last week either."

Lyla came in with the dessert. Three cups of filled pudding with honey and yogurt on top. Ever since she became one of the mistresses of the house she had been experimenting with the cuisines.

"Lady Andria went to meet her parents for a fortnight. Now it's just me and Lyla," Gray slapped her ass, and Lyla shuddered.

"Stop doing that!" Lyla playfully jabbed him.

Gray loved doing that. And he could swear Lyla's buttocks had gotten a little bigger after pregnancy. So have her breasts, but Gray loved the ass more.

He turned to see Aisha glaring at him and Lyla.

What's with her?

It didn't matter. He had the tattoos in place. One wrong word and he'll use them. It has been doing wonders with Andria and the other girls, there was no reason for it to not work on these two.

The two of them left shortly after lunch, and Gray was still hesitant until Montrea's lawyer arrived in the evening. The experience of Andria's betrayal left a bitter feeling inside him. It wasn't gone. It was rotting. He didn't want another woman backstabbing him. He just had to take the necessary precautions.

"You're worrying yourself," Lyla said. She was sitting on the sofa, reading some books from the library. She loved reading so much that it reminded Gray of Sia. And he had been trying to avoid thoughts of Sia, a lot.

"Just making sure things go according to plan," Gray said, wandering around the living room. "If the Southern Estates of the Corwail family falls into my hand I have a big chess piece to play around with. Crowail is one of the five big families, and imagine half of their wealth Lyla! I can finally invest in something big!"

"And make your name even more popular," Lyla closed the book. "We don't want that Gray. We have been getting too much attention so far. Every week for the past six months there was a new noblewoman or some merchant's wife entering this house and going out like she just met God. Bystanders don't remain silent."

"Which is why I'm investing in the military next," Gray looked out of the window, where the regular passersby were moving up and down the street. They didn't even bat an eye in their direction. For them, it was dead Lord Julius's house - the noble who milked every penny out of them. "I'll build a spy network which can bring me information, or even my own private military. But before that…"

He walked to her and fell back onto the couch. "That damn lawyer needs to come in here. And I'm worried. So pamper me, Lyla."

He kept his head on her lap. Six months ago he did that when he was injured badly or had a headache, but now her little belly covered most of her lap, and Gray fucked Lyla at least once every two days, so there were different intentions.

Lyla sighed, though her eyes looked amused. "Really?"

"I feel like I'm going to cry!"

"Oh you big bully!" Lyla unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress and brought out her breasts. Her areolas had gotten a little bigger, and her nipples were dark. But when Gray lifted his head and sucked those juicy nipples he felt the sweet and sour milk in his mouth.

Gray rested his head on her belly and kept sucking. It helped get his mind off things. And every time he looked up he found Lyla smiling.

"When the deal is over let's go on a little vacation," Gray said, taking his mouth off the nipple and swallowing what he sucked in so far. "Just you and me. Andria is out anyway."

"Not right now Gray," Lyla held his head in her hands. "I'm six months in, and I don't want to move around very much. Besides, you haven't answered my question."

"What question?"

"The name of the baby," she kept a protective hand on her belly. "You are the father after all."

Uh-oh…

That is the part that Gray hated in his life so far. He couldn't even call it hate. Fear was a better word. Each time Lyla or Andria mentioned their child and looked up to him he felt something crawling down in his stomach. He was the father. He could handle investments, he could handle big nobles and their big talks, he could handle any woman in bed, but he couldn't handle the thought of him being a father.

He didn't want some little kid coming up to him and calling him father. He wanted to live his life some more. Fuck more women. Earn more money. There were better things to do than raising kids.

"It's your job Lyla," Gray gave the answer he always did. I fucked you, the rest is your job. After all, he wasn't even the one who asked for a child. Women usually came to him. "Come on, do what you want with the kid. I don't care."

Lyla looked like someone slapped her in the face. If Andria hadn't given him that look so much Gray would have been surprised. These women wanted him to act like some proper parent. But he didn't want that. He wanted to-

Ding dong!

The house bell. Gray moved his eyes to the clock. "Oh! Finally!"

He wiped his mouth and patted Lyla. "Tuck that breast back in. We have guests."

She looked like she wanted to talk more but Gray rushed into the door. Fuck children, he had better things to do.

The lawyer was a man in his thirties, nearly dressed, carrying a briefcase, and had the royal symbol of Adula pinned to his coat. Despite looking regal he was friendlier than Gray thought.

"Just sign here Mister Gray," he pushed forward a paper with little writing and a big red seal. "Once that is done, the transaction is complete."

Despite the tiny letters Gray read it from top to bottom, and then gave it to Lyla to read too. Only when she nodded her head did he finally take the pen and sign the damn thing.

"Thank you," The lawyer folded the paper and put it back in his bag. Then he pulled out a small book, a set of keys, and a sigil. "These are the keys to the Southern mansion. For every door, the cellar, and the garden house. The book has details related to each servant and merchant who worked for the family and the place to contact them if needed. The sigil carries the title of the house master, which rightfully belongs to you Master Gray…or if I may say, Lord Gray."

Gray grabbed the sigil first. He liked that title. "Thank you. You may leave now."

The man gave a short bow, then walked back out. After he was outside, Lyla closed the door. When their eyes met, the two of them smiled at each other.

"Do you see it Lyla?" Gray played the seal in his hands. "I am now officially a noble."