Chapter 40: Haruno's Remote Supervision!

Thanks to Roland's massage technique, the hickeys on Yukio's neck quickly faded.

As for the rest of the hickey marks on her body, Roland and Yukio decided to leave them be, so they didn't try to remove them.

After about ten minutes, Yukio, now looking mostly presentable with fully dressed, emerged from the room arm-in-arm with Roland.

That's right, just arm-in-arm. In front of her younger daughter, Yukio didn't even dare to engage in any intimate gestures no matter if they are mild.

She feared her younger daughter would react with shock if she saw them. And she can't really make her younger daughter hate her more.

It couldn't be helped. Though she had abandoned all pretense of modesty with her elder daughter, Yukio still needed to maintain some maternal dignity in front of her younger one.

And it was this restraint that gave Haruno the opportunity to act.

At a banquet held somewhere, Haruno was the center of attention, like a queen at a ball.

She held a half-empty glass of red wine. Just moments ago, she had turned down a dance invitation from one young man, only to be immediately surrounded by another.

These weren't just any young men; they were the sons of powerful tycoons and prestigious families. Not only were they flamboyant, but they also possessed wealth and influence. Any other girl would have eagerly accepted their dance invitations.

But as far as Haruno was concerned, if memory served, no man had ever managed to dance with her at any banquet over the years.

Typically, a "Ballroom Queen" referred to a beautiful woman with impeccable dance skills. How had it come to be that their Ballroom Queen was an "Ice Beauty" who was notoriously difficult to invite?

No, I must invite her.

If no one else could, wouldn't it be a great accomplishment if I managed to?

"Miss Haruno, your mother and younger sister didn't attend this time?" The umpteenth young gentleman approached her.

"That's right. You'll have to wait until next time to see my sister," Haruno replied with her signature business smile, inwardly annoyed but skillfully handling the newcomer.

"That's truly a pity," the young nobleman said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

But the truth was, he wasn't disappointed that Yuki hadn't come. While Yuki was certainly attractive, she simply wasn't his type.

What he regretted was the absence of the Yukino Family matriarch—a woman of regal elegance who commanded the room whenever she appeared, making even the Ballroom Queen pale in comparison.

Her mature, sophisticated charm was so captivating that even the younger men present couldn't help but harbor secret desires for her.

Compared to the allure of her age-refined grace, mere cuteness seemed utterly insipid.

Moreover, Yukio was reportedly a single parent, without a husband.

The thought of someone winning her favor and secretly becoming her kept lover was enough to send shivers of excitement down his spine!

Alas, such fantasies remained just that. At best, they could steal glances at her voluptuous figure for fleeting pleasure.

Yukio was said to be quite traditional. How could she possibly allow such a relationship? The world simply wouldn't permit such a noblewoman to stoop so low.

But if it ever happened... damn, how utterly enviable that person would be!

Haruno knew exactly what these young masters were thinking. Every time she attended a banquet, they always stole more glances at her mother.

Haruno truly couldn't understand what went through these foolish men's minds.

What could possibly be attractive about a 40-year-old "old woman"?

Even if her mother still retained some of her youthful charm, what about in a few years?

When age inevitably faded her beauty, who among them would still find her desirable?

And her husband too—that brat was only 17, wasn't he? How could he fall for a 42-year-old woman? A 25-year age gap? Seriously?

Could you men at least develop some decent fetishes?

"Miss Haruno, may I have this dance?" Unable to find Yukio, the young masters reluctantly turned to Haruno.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't been feeling well these past few days and must decline," Haruno replied firmly.

Let's not even mention that she's already a married woman. The real issue is that these men see her as their second choice, yet they still dare to seek her favor. They must be dreaming!

Rejection, rejection for all of them! This body of mine belongs to one man alone. The rest of you can forget about even holding my hand! You unworthy scums!

Fortunately, the banquet was filled with prominent figures who valued their dignity. Once they realized Haruno wasn't interested, they naturally stopped pestering her. Before long, she found herself alone again.

Only the rejected suitors remained, huddled together and sighing in disappointment. What a pity!

Though winning over Yukio was hopeless, marrying one of the Yukino sisters could still offer a chance to live with her.

As long as they lived together, they'd have opportunities to get closer!

From that perspective, the Yukino sisters had always been highly sought-after marriage prospects.

Too bad they didn't realize they'd already been blacklisted in Haruno's heart.

As the banquet gradually passed its halfway point, Haruno, having dealt with most of the troublesome guests, slipped away to the restroom. She was far more concerned about what was happening with Roland than about this tedious gathering.

Although Yuki was keeping an eye on things at home, Haruno couldn't shake her unease. After all, Yuki was unaware of the ambiguous relationship between those two and wouldn't be on her guard.

For instance, if they both entered the kitchen together, Yuki probably wouldn't think anything of it, right?

After all, Roland had even been allowed into her mother's room on occasion, let alone the kitchen.

But the truth was, Roland could handle everything in the kitchen alone. What other reason could her mother have for going in there except to try something sneaky?

Haruno decided she needed to supervise personally. She quickly made a video call to her younger sister.

"Yuki~, do you miss your big sister?" Haruno greeted her with a flirty tone.

"If every call you make starts with such a pointless line, I'm blocking you," Yuki replied expressionlessly.

"Waaah! Little Yuki is so heartless! Is it wrong for a big sister to want to see her little sister~?" Haruno feigned a pitiful expression.

"If you have time for this, you should be doing something more productive. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Alright, alright, you're just not cute enough. You used to cling to your sister all the time when you were little. Now you're not even as cute as your brother-in-law. Speaking of which, you've met him, right?"

"Yes, he's right across from me. We just finished eating."

"What about Mother?"

"She's next to him."

"They're both there? That makes things much easier. Can you check them for anything unusual?"

"What kind of unusual things?" Yuki frowned slightly, not quite understanding her sister's request.

"Like, check mother's skin for any red spots, or see if there's anything odd about her gait." Haruno could only offer vague hints; she had no intention of revealing to her sister that their mother had already fallen.

After all, one had to maintain some semblance of respect for their mother, didn't one?

"Why do you need me to check that?" Yuki pressed, even more confused.

"Have you forgotten what I told you about Mother's illness? Of course I need to keep an eye on her health."

"Then you can relax. I didn't see anything like what you described. Mother's walking normally too. So what exactly is wrong with her?"

"Hmm, maybe she's just overwhelmed by stress. It's nothing serious. As long as we keep an eye on her, she'll be fine. Oh, and remember to say hello for me. Tell her her daughter's always thinking of her, okay?" Haruno said before hanging up.

Yuki was annoyed by Haruno's habit of calling and hanging up abruptly, never answering her questions properly.

But the truth was, Haruno couldn't disappear from the banquet for too long. Having confirmed that everything at home was under control, she needed to return quickly.

Since Mother had no red marks and her gait was normal, whatever had happened between those two must still be within acceptable limits.

Red marks would mean they'd started giving each other hickeys.

And an abnormal gait would indicate that Roland had used her mother as a 'scabbard' for his 'sword' and "injured" her.

Haruno knew that even at forty, her mother had never been with a man. Her father had always been powerless at home, let alone allowed into her mother's room.

In other words, her mother was still a virgin at 42!

And if she was a virgin, she would be tight.

And if she was tight, her first time would inevitably be painful.

Not to mention that women in their forties are notoriously voracious. Once her mother got started, she'd likely be insatiable, making it impossible for her to walk normally afterward.

This meant either those two had been relatively restrained and hadn't crossed the line, or Yukin had arrived just in time to prevent them from doing so.

Regardless, Haruno needed to give her mother a warning shot. She had to make it clear that her daughter was watching and that they couldn't get away with anything just because she was away for a few days.

Yukio: "...ʘ_⁠ʘ"

Yukio could hear the video call. She hadn't expected her daughter to call back from so far away just to keep an eye on them. It seemed tonight's plans might not go as smoothly as she'd hoped.

Her daughter hadn't even let them off the hook during dinner. There was no way she'd let them run wild during such a vulnerable time of night.

Fine, Yukio thought. Let her watch. Having an audience might make things even more exciting, wouldn't it?

Let's see if my daughter's eyes are sharp enough, or if we can hide our tracks even deeper!