Operation: Inducing Jealousy
"So, you're telling me to believe that right now?"
The young lady was fuming. The reason she was this angry...
"I just happened to run into Seb while I was on my way to study. Why are you interrogating me about it?"
What else could it be? It was because of Princess Chloe, who had made that promise with me.
"That outfit isn't even the academy uniform. Anyone can see it's meant to seduce men!"
...Honestly, the way it showed a bit of her chest was slightly provocative.
The young lady had no friends, so she just wore her uniform all the time since she rarely had chances to talk to people.
There were no strict rules against it, so other students often wore casual clothes.
And this kind of outfit was actually trending in the empire. However...
"Other students wear casual clothes too, and honestly, this outfit isn't that provocative."
The real problem was that the princess's chest was larger than the outfit's size.
"Eek...!"
But since it was a popular student outfit, she couldn't argue back and just trembled in frustration.
She glanced at the princess's chest a few times, her face growing redder with irritation.
"Well, on you it would probably look like innocent children's clothing."
Chloe delivered the finishing blow, clearly enjoying herself.
She must have been holding a lot of grudges. Why was she going this hard?
"S... Shut up! My chest isn't small, okay?"
The princess snorted at that and fired back.
"Isn't that size just padding? You should stop trying to butt in and just accept reality."
Whoosh...
Steam seemed to rise from the young lady's head, whether from embarrassment or anger.
She stole a quick glance at me...
No, honestly, I didn't really care either way.
"Then Seb, just leave her and let's go. At this rate we'll be late too."
Chloe grabbed my arm and started pulling me along. Wait, but I'm the young lady's butler?
Before I could even resist, I was being dragged away.
The young lady, who had been on the verge of tears, quickly wiped her eyes and hurried after us.
"Well then, shall we pick up the pace?"
Chloe smiled brightly at the sight and started walking faster.
That smug grin... She was clearly enjoying this, wasn't she?
"Eek...!"
The young lady, already trudging along in low spirits, suddenly had to break into a run.
"Sit against the wall. I'll sit next to you."
Not satisfied with that, the princess made me sit against the classroom wall once we arrived and took the seat beside me, effectively blocking the young lady from sitting next to me.
...Was she an angel or a demon?
"What the...!"
The young lady rushed in only to find the seat next to me already taken. She couldn't say anything and reluctantly sat in the empty seat beside the princess.
She looked completely deflated... It was almost pitiful. I felt like the bad guy here.
"As a couple, we might have some physical contact. I hope you understand."
Chloe whispered this while lightly placing her hand on my thigh, glancing at the young lady with a smile.
I wasn't the bad guy. The real villain was this person!
She even made deliberate rustling sounds with her hand to draw the young lady's attention.
Eventually, the young lady's gaze landed on my thigh.
"Y-You crazy woman! Where do you think you're putting your hand?!"
The young lady forgot all formalities and smacked Chloe's hand away with a nervous shout.
"Y-You! If you're his young lady, you should push away anyone touching him right away! You were quick to stop that sleazy blond guy yesterday!"
Well, there was still the matter of social status.
"That's because you're the daughter of a duke. I'm just a butler. How could I possibly push away the princess's hand?"
The young lady pointed at me.
"Then just say you don't like it! You don't like her touching your thigh either, right?!"
I considered agreeing for a moment, but thinking about the princess's efforts, it felt too soon. I changed my mind.
"I didn't really mind. I'm the type who enjoys being petted by others..."
The young lady's face flushed as she turned her attack on the princess.
"Princess, put yourself in my shoes! How would you feel if Sebastian touched your thigh like that?!"
The princess smiled as if she'd been waiting for this.
"I don't think I'd mind that much. How about we try it right now?"
She grabbed my arm and placed it on her thigh, wearing an expression of pure bliss.
That expression was meant to tease the young lady, but the young lady misunderstood completely. She stood up, fuming.
"...I'm going to the bathroom! Don't you dare follow me!"
She stormed out of the classroom. Deep down, she was probably hoping I'd follow.
Would I? Absolutely not. She needed to be a little more honest with herself.
She probably wasn't even going to the bathroom. She was likely waiting in some corner of the hallway, peeking out.
"Hehehe... It's been a while since I've felt this good. Better than any antidepressant."
The princess wore a villainous smile, clearly refreshed.
Wait, was this her actual personality?
"How about we go a little further?"
Chloe looked quite pleased with herself. I was a bit worried about the young lady's mental health, but we still lacked that decisive blow. Since Chloe seemed to be enjoying it, one more round probably wouldn't hurt.
I nodded in agreement. Chloe was already grinning in anticipation as she led me to the classroom door, out of everyone's sight.
"Now, when you see your precious young lady, hug me. I've already prepared my excuses."
Huh? Even if this was a jealousy operation...
"Isn't this going too far?"
When I asked in a panic, the princess just laughed.
"I'm curious to see the look on that young lady's face when she sees her beloved butler completely captivated by another woman."
Wasn't she just doing this because she wanted to tease the young lady? Right?
At that moment, the young lady appeared in the distance, walking toward us.
Seeing her, the princess signaled with a flutter of her cloak.
"Damn it... This has nothing to do with me!"
Unable to resist the princess's urging, I half-closed my eyes and hugged her, staying still.
Thud thud thud!
The moment the young lady saw us, she came running from the hallway...
Huh? She's running?
'Wait, this is dangerous?'
Before I could stop her, the young lady sprinted over at full speed...
Smack!
"You crazy bitch!"
She struck the back of the princess's head hard and shouted.
"...Did you just hit me?"
The flustered princess turned around while still in my arms. The young lady boldly pressed a sword to her neck.
"Yeah, you vixen. I'm sending you to hell today."
She channeled mana into the blade and added,
"How dare you try to steal someone who already has a girlfriend? You white-haired thug!"
If the young lady applied even a little more force, Chloe's head would be severed.
I was about to speak up and end this, but—
"As I said before, Seb isn't dating you. If I wanted, this much is perfectly possible, isn't it?"
Even with a sword at her neck, the princess didn't stop teasing.
"Besides, you'd better think carefully. If you cut off my head here, you'll never see this guy again."
She even naturally released her hold on my waist and started threatening. This was...
'Is she actually a demon in disguise?'
She was way too used to playing with people.
As I stood there hesitating, the young lady pushed Chloe aside and ran straight into my arms.
Ah... She must have been really upset. I'm so sorry.
"Se... Sebastian... You won't abandon me, right...?"
The young lady's eyes were brimming with tears after taking far too much damage.
"You should just give up. Seb would prefer a mature woman over a frail little girl like you."
Chloe landed yet another blow on the already hedgehog-like young lady.
This was a mistake. I should have asked someone else...
I took the young lady out to a quiet garden bench and comforted her.
"Crying like a pathetic child and stubbornly demanding to be loved until the end. It's pure comedy."
Come on, stop already! You're making her cry!
When I shot Chloe a glare, she just shrugged and sat beside me.
Even so, she wore a satisfied expression, as if her stress had completely melted away. It was starting to get scary.
"Sob... Sob..."
The young lady, whose mental state was already fragile, had been completely drained. She couldn't even respond and just kept shedding tears.
Lately, all I ever saw was her crying. It was cute in its own way, but making her cry this often was probably my fault.
"Such weakness..."
I tapped Chloe to stop her from adding another comment and shook my head.
Chloe smacked her lips as if she had something fun to say, then quietly watched the young lady.
"Se... Sebastian said he likes you more than me..."
The young lady seemed to have regained some composure as she spoke with her face buried in my chest.
"Crying so ugly and not even properly accepting his feelings... You've probably lost whatever appeal you had."
The young lady, who had been hit once and received three blows in return, looked up at me as if asking if it was true.
I smiled and shook my head.
She beamed and nestled closer. Well, at least the request had worked out?
"I think this is enough, don't you?"
I whispered to the princess. Hearing this, Chloe looked coldly at the young lady.
"I'm embarrassed I ever considered you a rival. I hope you live your pathetic life forever."
With that, she elegantly stood and headed back toward the academy.
Ah, we were still in the middle of class.
"...When she's not around, if I ask for a kiss right now, will you give me one?"
The young lady asked in a mosquito-like voice while still in my arms.
"A kiss won't do?"
I asked playfully, but she nodded as if it was okay.
Wow, this must have really hurt her.
"Young lady."
When I called her briefly, she looked up at me with a puzzled tilt of her head.
"That kind of thing should be done because you want to, not out of competitiveness."
As I leaned in for a light kiss, she accepted it despite her flustered expression.
Of course, it wasn't a real kiss.
The young lady stayed silent for a while before finally speaking.
"Sebastian... Do you want to date me for real?"
...So this actually worked?