Am I Your Girlfriend? (2)

The reward was five thousand gold for anyone who found Sieg Barbary. It was a promise Brook Viscountess had made to her servants. Given how stingy she was—matching her narrow-minded nature—this was an exceptionally rare opportunity. The one saving grace was that her pride was just as strong, so she tended to keep her word. That made the offer trustworthy. Finding him would be like striking it rich.

“No way… Sieg Barbary?”

Gideon, a servant who had been cursing up a storm while running an errand, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He had stopped by a tailor shop to buy an overcoat for Brook Viscountess to wear to the banquet. And there stood Sieg Barbary, walking right in.

Is that really him?

Gideon pulled out the paper from his pocket. It was a portrait of Sieg Barbary that Brook Viscountess had distributed to every servant. His jaw dropped.

It really is him?!

He had thought today was going terribly, but it seemed the universe had been saving all its luck for this very moment. Gideon hurried out of the shop and rushed straight to Brook Viscountess.

“What? You found Barbary?”

Brook Viscountess, who had been entertaining a group of men, shot up from her seat. There was no time to waste. The male prostitutes she had summoned to her bedroom were certainly beautiful by rural standards, but Sieg Barbary was on an entirely different level. His face was so perfect you could believe the one true god had carved it with utmost care. Brook Viscountess, who had met him only once before, still couldn’t forget that first encounter. The shock had been so great that afterward, her own husband and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠concubines looked like nothing but squid.

I’m getting excited just thinking about it. Hehehe.

Sieg Barbary had originally been meant to become her concubine. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. On their wedding night, she had planned to unleash all her pent-up lust, but he had run away without a word. She would make him pay for that. If she threatened him using the Barbary Barony as leverage, he wouldn’t be able to resist. Just imagining it made her salivate.

“Where is he? Guide me there at once!”

Brook Viscountess threw on her clothes and headed urgently to the reported location. It turned out to be the same tailor shop where she had bought her own overcoat.

He came to a place like this?

It was the most expensive shop in the capital. Even nobles rarely used it because the prices were outrageous. What could Sieg Barbary possibly be doing here?

Full of questions, she searched for him. He was nowhere on the first floor. That left only the upper level—the VIP area reserved for regular customers and high-ranking nobles. Even Brook Viscountess had never been allowed up there before.

Does he have a sponsor or something?

It wasn’t unheard of. Nobles would pay for the company of cute, handsome boys. Otherwise, none of this made sense. Brook Viscountess decided to force her way upstairs anyway. Even if there was trouble, it would be fine. She had built good relationships with several high-ranking nobles like marquesses and counts. If anyone objected, she could simply use that influence.

“M-Madam, you can’t just barge in like this…!”

The staff tried to block Brook Viscountess as she appeared. How dare they stand in her way? The insolence!

“I’m just going to take a quick look! Stop being annoying and get out of my way!”

Using her massive frame, Brook Viscountess shoved the employees aside and barged in.

“T-This is the VIP lounge. You can’t enter without a reservation…”

“I am a noble! The lord of Brook Territory, no less! Do you want to be dragged away for insulting the aristocracy? Move aside this instant! I’ll have you severely punished in the name of Brook Viscountess!”

And then she saw him.

The Sieg Barbary she had been searching for so desperately.

“Sieg Barbary!”

The Brook Viscountess from the portrait had appeared in the flesh. Just like in the drawing, she had a massive build and a venomous expression. The deep wrinkles between her brows showed just how often she frowned. Thanks to that, I realized one thing: comparing Brook Viscountess to an orc was actually an insult to orcs. Even Chierre, the Demon King’s Army Corps Commander, didn’t look that bad. I’d have to apologize to her the next time we met.

“Who’s that bitch next to you?”

Brook Viscountess glared at Soho with a tone full of irritation, as if she were the girlfriend. Pointing a thick finger at her was incredibly rude.

“I am Soho Baekya. I am the ducal princess of the Baekya Ducal Family from the Seolha Empire.”

“The Seolha… Empire’s ducal family?!”

Brook Viscountess’s small eyes widened into perfect circles. Her trembling hands made her look like a pig with its tail between its legs.

“Then may I ask who you might be, sir?”

Even though Brook Viscountess had acted so rudely, Soho remained perfectly calm as she asked. In fact, she even responded with relaxed confidence.

“I am Brook Viscountess, ruler of Brook Territory in the Arcadia Empire. Why were you with my husband, Your Grace?”

“H-Husband?”

Soho covered her mouth with one hand and looked at me. This was unfair.

“That’s not true. My mother tried to sell me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off as a concubine against my will, but we were never married.”

“But a man cannot arbitrarily refuse a decision made by his family! That means you’re already my husband! How dare a mere man interrupt when women are speaking! You brainless little—”

As I waved my arms trying to explain, Brook Viscountess raised her voice. She was practically screaming insults, so Soho stepped in front of her, thrusting out her impressive chest like a shield.

“Brook Viscountess. Do you happen to have an officially recognized marriage registration from the empire?”

Her tone had completely switched from polite to informal.

“T-That’s…! More importantly, a promise between families is made in the name of family honor! You can’t just ignore that, can you?”

“From what I see, it looks like Brook Viscountess made a one-sided proposal, doesn’t it?”

“T-That’s…”

“And threatening someone by using your family name? Are all nobles in the Arcadia Empire like this? I feel I must express my disappointment to Her Majesty Diana the Empress about this… Is that alright with you, Brook Viscountess?”

“……”

“Or is this simply my misunderstanding about you?”

When Soho glared at her with biting sarcasm, Brook Viscountess shut her mouth. Her whole body was shaking. The way she was breathing heavily made it clear she was barely holding back her rage. If she kept getting this worked up, she’d probably turn into boiled pork. Realizing that herself, Brook Viscountess let out a long sigh before speaking.

“Please forgive my rudeness, Baekya Ducal Princess. It seems this was all a mistake born from my own misunderstanding. I have no excuse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for my earlier behavior, so I will formally apologize at a later date.”

“And there’s one more thing Brook Viscountess has misunderstood… Sieg is my boyfriend, so please stop showing any interest in him from now on.”

The shock must have been too much. Brook Viscountess turned around without saying another word. From the way her footsteps—thud, thud, thud, thud—sounded even heavier than when she had arrived, it was clear she wasn’t going to let this end here.

“Don’t worry, Sieg. Our family will protect you with everything we have.”

Thinking the same thing, Soho offered comforting words. As expected, people with big hearts really did have big chests.

“That damn bastard… Fucking bitch obsessed with men, that fucking whore!”

Gideon held his breath as he watched Brook Viscountess storm out, her face red with fury. He had been planning to approach her obsequiously the moment she left the shop to talk about the reward money, but it looked like one wrong word and he’d become her punching bag instead.

“Take me to a curse caster!”

Brook Viscountess ordered her head butler to lead the way as she went looking for a curse mage. Curse mages were spellcasters who specialized in curse magic as their unique ability. Just like how Sieg had healing magic, they specialized in spells that made people sick and suffer. Fortunately, she had already learned of a place through her connections, so Brook Viscountess headed straight there. She had heard it was a famous spot that could kill anyone with a single curse.

She planned to make Sieg Barbary, who had betrayed her, and that arrogant Soho—or was it Sow Head?—suffer terribly from curses.

“…The password?”

As expected of those who worked in the shadows, you couldn’t use their services without knowing the set password. But Brook Viscountess already knew the VIP code, so there was no problem. She faced the curse caster and explained her request.

“Give me the strongest curse you have. Money is no object.”

“Hehehe… How interesting. Write down the names of the targets and the client.”

Brook Viscountess gripped the paper the curse caster handed her and wrote the names with force.

The curse caster who checked the paper froze for a moment.

“A-Are these names… correct?”

“They are. Hurry up and get it done.”

The curse caster held the paper and pondered for a long time. Was this really okay? After all, this place was a hideout run by demons. The one currently dealing with Brook Viscountess was Endelion, the lowest-ranking soldier who had been filling in because she had the least experience.

Sieg was a name she knew very well. The male healer who had cleanly treated her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wounds. And wasn’t he currently the one who possessed her heart?

Fuck, why did it have to be this…

Endelion fell into deep thought. Should she process the request as usual? Or should she refuse?

No… This isn’t right.

She had briefly considered carrying out the request, but she quickly changed her mind. Even though it had only been a single day, she had learned it in her bones: Sieg and Daeho were beings that must never be touched. That fear had settled deep into her very marrow.

“Any damage the client receives from the curse is unrelated to us. You understand that, right?”

“I get it, so just hurry up. I’ll wait for the results.”

Brook Viscountess tossed the money carelessly and stood up. Seeing that, Endelion had no choice but to accept the received request.

If I tweak this like this…

Endelion secretly altered the locations of the client and the curse targets. Then she fell into a daydream. If she secretly informed them of this fact, maybe Daeho and Sieg would like her even a little bit. She looked just like a puppy eagerly waiting for its owner’s praise.

It was the night before the finals of the martial tournament. It was also the day of the banquet hosted by the imperial family.

“Makeup for a guy…”

Looking at myself in the mirror felt incredibly awkward. No one would refuse becoming more handsome, but it still felt unfamiliar. I didn’t usually wear makeup, but in this world, it was practically mandatory for men. Especially nobles—both men and women wore it. So before the banquet, I applied some powder for the first time in a while.

This reminds me of when I had to wear makeup to meet Brook Viscountess.

Back then I had been forced into a chair and dolled up. This time, in a way, it was similar. Both Daeho and Soho had teamed up and strongly insisted that I had to wear it.

I finished getting ready by putting on the clothes I had received from the tailor shop. It was about time to head to the banquet hall. I left the room.

That’s when I saw Daeho and Soho both standing there with their heads tilted, staring blankly.

“What’s going on?”

Did something huge happen? Soho acting like this was one thing, but seeing the usually calm Daeho with such a dazed expression was surprising.

“Over there…”

What Daeho pointed at was a massive carriage waiting in front of our lodging. The emblem on it was unmistakably the symbol of the Arcadia Empire. It was a carriage used only by the imperial family. And through the carriage window, a face peeked out shyly.

“Nero Arcadia?”

That hikikomori had actually come out to greet us.