Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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"...Yeah, even I think it's ridiculous."
Lying on the bed in the pajamas given to me by one of the house servants, I stared up at the ceiling.
Reclining on the bed in the guest room I'd been shown to, I replayed the earlier events in my mind.
When Luna slammed her hands on the table and stood up, a system window popped up right in front of my eyes.
If Armonia hadn't pointed it out, I would've just let it slide.
The problem was that I didn't know any pieces.
No matter how much that cheat key activated, there was no way I could play the violin without knowing any songs.
But Armonia found a solution and showed it to me.
She displayed a video, invisible to anyone else, of someone performing on the violin.
All I had to do was follow along.
It didn't matter if I was good at it.
I just needed to put on a show of knowing how.
But when I finished playing and looked around, everyone was gazing at me like I was a work of art.
I had no idea if I'd done well, but judging by their expressions, I figured it turned out okay.
And starting with Luna suddenly tearing up and clapping, everyone else began shedding tears and applauding too.
Everyone except that bastard.
I had no clue what the true nature of my ability was, but it was definitely some next-level bullshit.
By the time the performance wrapped up and everyone was still lost in the afterglow, the sun had set and evening was approaching. That's when Luna and Louis started getting ready to leave.
Luna stared at me for a while, then wordlessly headed back to school.
Suddenly recalling that video, I asked Armonia,
"Armonia."
"Who was that in the video you showed me earlier?"
The footage Armonia showed wasn't some generic performance clip floating around.
In the video, a middle-aged man was playing the violin in a place I recognized all too well.
It was Armonia's office.
The tall, handsome man in the video was dressed in a crisp captain's uniform.
Exactly like the one Armonia wore.
Armonia gave no response to my question.
"Well, tell me whenever you feel like it."
She seemed to have her reasons.
I switched topics again.
"Carl Friedrich..."
"He looks so damn perfect, but it's kinda pitiful."
As expected, the cause of the infertility was Carl Friedrich.
I'd thought maybe he had some weird fetish or something, but no.
Erectile Dysfunction.
Sonya hadn't mentioned it outright, but it seemed unlikely the couple was unaware.
Plus, judging by Sonya's pent-up frustration, he'd probably been suffering from it for quite a while.
I'd been thinking about getting that old myself, but seeing this erectile dysfunction stuff killed that idea dead.
No way I wanted that.
Being impotent wasn't a sin or anything shameful, in my book.
But me becoming impotent? That's a whole different story.
Not that I'd waste Enel trying to fix the poor guy's problem, of course.
Sonya was truly pitiful.
Her compassionate smile and flowing platinum hair floated into my mind...
My dick twitched. (Let's do it!)
...I wanted to fuck her.
"Am I crazy...?"
"Nah, nothing... But man, Sonya really has it rough. Not even thirty yet, and no outlet for her urges."
In my case, it's because of pheromones influencing her, but she wouldn't even glance at other guys.
Proof was that she hadn't fallen for that bastard.
Just because I call him a bastard doesn't make him not one.
Among top chads, the one who got slapped by another top chad's girl is the real bastard.
"...Come to think of it, Sonya arranged for me to stay here. Think she'll drop by? Heh heh..."
"I'll go easy, real easy..."
Knock, knock, knock.
A cautious knock came from the guest room door.
'...Jackpot.'
'Aw.... Fine!'
Grumbling a bit at Armonia's words, I called out,
"Come in."
The door creaked open.
And in walked someone completely unexpected.
"If you have time, I thought we might chat a bit, so I dropped by."
It was Carl Friedrich.
"Ah! Come on in."
"Thank you. Then..."
In Carl's left hand was a bottle of what looked like whiskey, and in his right, two glass tumblers.
He set the bottle and glasses on the room's table, flashing a hearty smile.
"Do you drink... by any chance?"
"Oh, sure. But I'm not great with alcohol..."
"It's just for formality, so no need to worry."
As soon as I sat in a chair, Carl handed me a glass and poured.
About a finger's width worth.
I took the glass, poured one for him in return, and downed mine.
'Argh! My stomach!'
'Shit, I thought it was sweet like Scotch candy!'
I'd always assumed whiskey was sweet like Scotch candy.
I'd never tried it, so I genuinely didn't know.
My gut was burning up.
Watching me, Carl looked surprised.
"You seem to handle your liquor better than expected."
"Haha..."
Carl poured another round and started talking about the performance from earlier.
"Hiding a talent like that—what a way to make us look shabby."
"Haha..."
Seeing my awkward laugh, Carl didn't pry further.
He carefully lifted both glasses and downed them at once.
Placing the empty glasses on the table, he kept his hands there, his face turning serious.
After a long silence, he cautiously asked,
"What do you think of Sonya?"
"...? Professor Sonya, right?"
'Is he testing me?'
Carl closed his eyes at my response, his face etched with anguish.
It was a far cry from the vibe he'd had earlier that afternoon.
In the meantime, I poured him another drink.
He knocked it back in one gulp and, looking at me, said something I never saw coming.
"Would you... hold my wife Sonya in your arms?"
'?..??…??…..????'
Unable to comprehend Carl's words, Armonia and I could only fire off hook-shaped Morse code in confusion.
"Haa..."
The moment Luna got back to her dorm, she washed up, got herself neatly dressed, slipped into her white dress-style pajamas, and flopped onto the bed.
Burying her face in the pillow, she recalled the day's events.
The sudden encounter, the carriage ride conversation, and the performance...
Before coming to Schutra School, Luna's life had been monotonous.
Meeting the same people, repeating the same routines, ending each day in the same places.
And she'd been content with that life.
But after enrolling, everything started to change.
Every day felt fresh, utterly different from her past.
And at the center of it all was one man.
It was joyful... yet frustrating.
"That jerk. Even with all those hints..."
As she left the Friedrich estate, Luna had pleaded with her eyes.
Come with me.
Let's go back to school together.
She couldn't say it outright with people around.
But his face was just blank, like a simple goodbye.
In the end, Luna sulked her way back to the dorm.
Louis kept saying something, but his words didn't register at all.
She remembered what girls at a social gathering had said before.
(God, men are so dense...)
(Right? At that level of hinting, they should just pounce...)
Luna had pitied those men back then.
(...How are they supposed to know if you don't say it?)
But now that she was in the same boat, she got it.
"What an idiot..."
She felt like the idiot.
Luna recalled Seong Suho from the carriage.
When she'd first seen him in the hall, he was a completely different person—so much so that she hadn't recognized him at all.
The man who had offered her his hand.
Thinking of him made her lower belly heat up again.
"Ha, just one more day..."
Without realizing it, Luna glanced around her room to make sure no one was there and burrowed under the covers.
She knew she shouldn't, but as always, she curled up and started masturbating.
Carl had married Sonya four years ago.
A violinist who roamed the world with no interest in marriage, Carl fell head over heels for Sonya at first sight and pursued her relentlessly.
Sonya hesitated at first due to the age gap, but eventually felt his sincerity and agreed to marry him.
Afterward, Carl gave up his wandering life, took over his father's business, and thrived.
It was a truly happy marriage.
For about a month...
Then Carl suddenly developed erectile dysfunction, and they could no longer have marital relations, he explained.
Sonya tried every folk remedy she'd heard of to cure him, but there was no improvement.
"...Sonya gave up her bright future to marry me, but I've committed an unforgivable sin against her."
"Professor Sonya wouldn't think that way."
Sonya would never resent her husband.
But it was clear she was living a tragic life because of it.
Wasting her prime years in vain.
But why me, of all people?
"I get where you're coming from, but there are plenty better than a guy like me."
"...It's not that long, but I've watched Sonya for four years. Seeing how she looks at you, Mr. Seong Suho, convinced me."
According to Carl, Sonya had always been the type to listen to him attentively.
But lately, she'd started talking animatedly about one student, and that's when he knew.
"...You might not realize it, Mr. Seong Suho, but it was the first time I'd seen Sonya smile so brightly while talking about someone."
"..."
I messaged via comms.
'I thought I was being sneaky, but he'd already clocked it.'
If your tail's long, it'll get stepped on.
Sonya figured even if it was, it was just a mistake.
Humans always fill themselves with hope circuits until they're fully busted for a crime.
From what Carl said, it didn't seem like he was probing me.
Exposing his shame like this to make such a request didn't add up.
I got some confirmation after hearing what he said next.
"Truth is, for the past few years, I've been deliberately staying out on weekends and we've been sleeping separately. So she wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes if she brought a man over."
"But that leaves Professor Sonya..."
"I don't want her living such an empty life."
Divorce wasn't an option either.
They loved each other—Sonya wouldn't abandon her husband over erectile dysfunction, and Carl couldn't bear the thought of her getting tangled in scandals if they split.
He wanted the Sonya he loved to be happy more than the one who loved him.
'How ironic.'
It was like the pumpkin coming right to me on the vine.
Carl said he'd confirmed it not just from Sonya, but from my reactions today too.
He didn't know the exact nature of our relationship, but he'd picked up on the affectionate vibes right away.
"That's why I invited you to dinner today."
"..."
"I'm begging you. I'll grant any request I can."
But... we've already done sucking and fucking, so nothing left to grant.
He seemed to take my silence for hesitation.
It was actually kinda awkward...
Playing it smart, I accepted.
"Only if Professor Sonya actually likes me. I can't force it."
"...Thank you for saying that."
I didn't spell out that we'd already gone all the way.
I assured him by saying I'd respect Sonya—at minimum, anyway.
Relieved, Carl stood up.
"If it's someone Sonya likes, there must be a reason. I'll turn a blind eye to everything, as long as it doesn't harm her."
"Got it."
"Then I'll take my leave..."
Carl quietly opened the guest room door and left.
Silence filled the room.
Quietly, I thought to myself,
Hey...
Let's fuck!
I bolted straight for Sonya's chambers.