She said it so suddenly that my brain stalled for a second, and all I could really do was blink. Once. Twice. Maybe a few more times than necessary. It took a moment to catch up with what she had just thrown at me like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Thinking about it properly, though, it wasn’t that surprising.

It made sense, actually. We hadn’t had sex for an entire month. Saying it out loud in my head made it sound worse than it should have been, but that was the reality of it.

The last time we did anything was when I took her virginity. That memory was still clear enough. After that, nothing. Not once. Not even after Myrcella’s coronation, which probably would have been the easiest opportunity. She didn’t join the foursome back then, so things just... didn’t happen.

I would’ve loved it if she joined, honestly. Turning that into a fivesome would’ve been great. A little chaotic, sure, but that kind of chaos had its own charm.

Still, she didn’t like that kind of setup.

From what I could tell, the idea of having sex while others were involved just embarrassed her. It wasn’t disgust or rejection. More like she couldn’t handle the situation without overthinking it. Which, fair enough. People had their own limits.

I could respect that.

A lot of the women I was with didn’t have any issues doing it together. Some of them even preferred it that way. It never really bothered me either way. Whether they were comfortable with it or not didn’t change much on my end.

It wasn’t like I was forcing anyone into anything.

Still, I did hope she got along with the others. Things tended to get messy if relationships inside the group went sour. Whether she joined a threesome or more with me or stayed on her own didn’t really matter. What mattered was that things stayed smooth.

And maybe because of all that, she ended up like this right now.

Horny.

Not just a little. The kind that pushed her to actually say it out loud, straight to my face, without trying to dance around it.

"Well, unfortunately, I have something to do today," I told her, keeping my tone steady. "I am available tonight if you want, but you’ll have to join the others."

"Join the others?" she repeated, her brows pulling together slightly. "Is there any time in your schedule where it could just be me?"

There was a pause while I thought about it. Mentally flipping through everything lined up for the next few days.

"I could schedule you," I said, "but it would have to be next week."

That was the earliest clean spot I had. Just a proper slot where I wouldn’t have to rush or cut things short.

"For a week?" she asked, and yeah, she sounded disappointed.

It showed in her face too. Slightly lowered gaze, a small drop in her shoulders. She didn’t try to hide it.

I wasn’t neglecting her. That thought crossed my mind immediately, like I had to defend myself even if she hadn’t accused me of anything.

I did want to have sex with her.

If things were different, if I wasn’t dealing with everything piled up at the company, especially the development of new innovations, I would’ve already dragged her somewhere private and handled it right then and there.

A proper sex session with no interruptions and no schedules to worry about.

But things weren’t that simple right now.

There were movements happening in the far-off regions of the country. Developments that couldn’t be ignored. Staying relaxed or complacent just wasn’t an option anymore.

"Well, if you want to have sex tonight, then you’ll have to do it with the others," I explained again, keeping it straightforward. "But since you don’t like that, I have to move it to a time where I don’t have anyone else scheduled."

She stayed quiet for a second, probably weighing her options.

"Well, if that’s the case, then I have no choice but to oblige," she said in the end. "But promise me I’ll be the only person in that schedule."

"I promise."

I even held out my pinky finger out of habit, offering a pinky promise like it was some kind of binding contract.

She just stared at it.

Head tilted slightly, confusion written all over her face.

Right. Not everyone does that.

I pulled my hand back, letting out a small breath and giving a shrug like it didn’t matter.

***

After that, I made my way back to the Leonamon.

The place was as active as ever. Controlled, but busy. The kind of environment where something important was always happening, even if it didn’t look chaotic on the surface.

This was where the automatons were being developed.

Carefully.

At this point, there were already thousands of units completed. Lined up, organized, maintained. In terms of numbers alone, they could probably stand against the forces of either the Empire or the Republic without immediately folding.

That sounded impressive, and it was, to an extent.

Still, I wasn’t convinced it would be enough to actually defeat them.

Strength in numbers didn’t guarantee victory. It helped, sure, but it wasn’t everything.

We had pushed the automatons to be as strong as possible within our current limits. Reinforced frames, efficient energy usage, combat-ready designs. Everything we could think of, we applied.

Even then, there were always variables.

Things you don’t see until it’s too late. Flaws that only show up under specific conditions. Situations you didn’t prepare for because they never crossed your mind during development.

Relying entirely on them would be a mistake.

Which was why we didn’t.

The academy had been ramping up its output. Around 250 or more cadets each year now after Myrcella’s new implementation about the academic system.

On top of that, the Leonamon itself had been focusing on developing mercenaries. Fighters who could operate outside standard structures, flexible enough to handle situations regular forces might struggle with.

All of that contributed to Milham’s military strength.

Compared to last year, the difference was obvious.

Stronger. More prepared. More stable.

It said a lot about how much the society had improved. The administration too. Things didn’t just grow on their own. Someone had to keep it all in check, make the right calls, as well as push things forward.

Right now, though, there was something specific we were working on.

Something the automatons lacked.

Agility.

They were strong. Durable. Efficient. Their movements already resembled humans closely enough that most people wouldn’t immediately recognize them as machines.

At a glance, they blended in.

But once things sped up, the flaw became obvious.

Their agility was almost nonexistent.

They could move, but not react. Not adapt quickly enough. In fast-paced combat, that kind of limitation could get them destroyed.

So that was the next step.

Fix that weakness.

The plan itself was simple on paper.

Use a model.

Someone, or something, that naturally excelled in agility. Study it. Break it down. Apply those traits where possible.

And when it came to agility, there was one group that stood out immediately.

Rabbitmen.

Fast, reactive, and light on their feet. Their entire physiology leaned into movement and speed.

If we could replicate even a portion of that...

Then the automatons would become something else entirely.