Chapter 241: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (34)
Chapter 241: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (34)
It didn't take very long to find Senior Elsie.
A sudden, thunderous roar had erupted from the back garden.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The lightning strikes were so frequent and intense that the servants had started peeking out the windows in alarm. When Senior Elsie was angry, she had a habit of losing all sense of her surroundings.
Sure enough, when I reached the back garden, several trees were already toppling over, the air thick with the scent of ozone and charred wood.
The back garden had been neglected for a long time anyway, having turned into something of a small thicket.
Senior Elsie likely knew this and chose those trees to vent on, but causing such a commotion since the crack of dawn was hardly proper etiquette.
Fortunately, thanks to her relative restraint, not many people had noticed the noise yet.
I signaled to the servants peeking out the windows, gesturing for them not to worry. Then, I pressed my index finger to my lips.
It was a request to calm anyone who might have woken up.
The servants who had worked at the Percus mansion for a long time were reliable people, and our communication was seamless.
Understanding my intent immediately, the servants nodded.
With that, I didn't need to worry about them anymore. They would handle things on their end.
My only concern now was Senior Elsie.
She stood in the center of the devastation she had wrought.
Crackling sparks of electricity still surged through the ground. The fallen trees and charred weeds, now stained a dismal gray, created a bleak and desolate atmosphere.
The acrid smell of smoke stung my nose.
It felt as if my sense of smell was being paralyzed.
Since she had been standing right where the lightning struck, her ears must have been ringing.
Despite that, it seemed Senior Elsie’s fury hadn't quite subsided.
The girl tilted her head back and let out a roar of frustration.
"Aaaaagh! That damn engagement, engagement, engagement! Those pieces of shit... they treated me like a nobody before, and now they're dying to sell me off? Just you wait, you old geezers. I'll haul you off on a carrier myself later..."
Sir Reynold still looked to be in his prime, yet she called him an 'old geezer.'
Senior Elsie certainly had a foul mouth.
She only refrained from using it in front of me; otherwise, her attitude was remarkably consistent.
She was cocky, foul-mouthed, lacked consideration for others, and remained as ferocious as ever.
At least, that was how she appeared on the surface.
However, after spending so much time with her, I had begun to see another side of her.
In truth, Senior Elsie was quite affectionate.
Even when she cursed, there was rarely any real malice behind it.
Even now, though she was badmouthing Sir Reynold, I knew that wasn't her true heart speaking.
Still, it was clear that Sir Reynold and the other 'old geezers' had genuinely made her furious.
I cautiously called out to her.
"...Senior Elsie?"
She didn't recognize my voice at first.
Her ears were ringing, and the acrid smoke was stinging her eyes and nose. Unless she was intentionally focusing, it would be difficult for her to perceive her surroundings clearly.
And so, true to her temper, she immediately spat out an insult.
"Huh? I'm already in a shitty mood, so which bastard...?"
Senior Elsie, who had turned around with a fierce glare, froze the moment our eyes met.
After that, she went through several stages of transformation.
First, she stared at me blankly with her mouth agape.
Then, she snapped back to her senses and hurriedly straightened her clothes.
Finally, with a beaming smile, she lunged toward me.
As if her previous behavior had been a total lie, she dove into my arms with an adorable expression.
"...Master!"
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at the dramatic change.
"Just a moment ago, I'm sure I heard you say 'which bastard'..."
"T-T-That's impossible!"
Senior Elsie frantically denied my words.
She must have been desperate, as she shook her head violently and let out a low growl. Her raised fists trembled as if she were ready to punish someone on the spot.
"How could any cocky bastard dare to... M-Master, if there's anyone like that, I'll take care of them, so don't you worry! Ehehe..."
Letting out an awkward laugh, Senior Elsie began to steal glances at me, checking my reaction.
I could feel her strong determination to wiggle out of trouble somehow.
Since I had no intention of teasing her further, I stroked her head to reassure her. Immediately, she turned into a docile lamb.
A look of unprecedented satisfaction washed over her dazed face.
The only time Senior Elsie acted this giddy was when she was being petted by me.
"Hehe, ehehe... M-Master..."
If she were a puppy, she would have flattened her ears and been whimpering by now.
I gave a wry smile and asked her, "Why were you so angry?"
"T-That's..."
Even while being petted, I could feel a faint sense of resistance from her.
She seemed reluctant to explain the situation.
Normally, I would have respected her wishes. Everyone has a secret or two they don't want to share.
But aren't Senior Elsie and I bound by fate now?
Even with her dazed expression, she let out a small groan and furrowed her brow slightly.
As I contemplated how to handle this, I decided to try a new method.
"...Ah."
When I slowly pulled my hand away from her head, Senior Elsie's expression instantly turned to one of regret.
She looked up at me with pleading eyes.
But my resolve was firm.
Just before she could lose heart completely, I attempted a new 'reward' I had been wanting to try for a while.
My fingers gently stroked the underside of her chin.
Surprised by the sudden contact, Senior Elsie gasped and stared at me blankly.
From that reaction alone, I couldn't tell if my new attempt was a success or a failure.
I became a bit more proactive, scratching and stroking her soft skin.
As I moved my hand from under her chin down to her neck and near her collarbone, a meaningful response finally began to come from her.
"Hng, ah?! Haa, hng, hnggg..."
Along with the strange sounds, Senior Elsie's breath began to grow hot.
Her eyes were clouded with confusion at the sensation she was experiencing for the first time. Regardless, I was busy enjoying the feel of her skin.
"Nng, M-Master... Hng!"
Though she was flustered at first, she seemed to have adapted quickly, as the voice escaping her lips was nothing but sweet.
On the contrary, she even gripped my arm tightly with both hands as if telling me not to stop.
Instinctively arching her back, Senior Elsie lowered her head and began to pant.
I felt inwardly satisfied.
I had been worried since it was a new attempt, but fortunately, it seemed to be to her liking.
That was when I stopped my hand.
Senior Elsie, who had been breathing heavily while holding onto my arm, looked up at me with a questioning gaze.
A certain desire was even flickering within those blue eyes.
Only then did I deliver the line I had prepared.
"Senior Elsie, why did you fight with Sir Reynold?"
"T-That's..."
She was hesitating until the very end.
It seemed to be a story she wanted to hide that much.
Of course, since I had already started, I wasn't about to go easy on her.
I very lightly stroked the underside of her chin again—just enough to remind her of the previous sensation.
At that, Senior Elsie squeezed her eyes shut and let out a whimpering moan. Her breathing heated up once more.
I felt her grip on my arm tighten.
She hung her head low again.
"If you don't tell me, I won't do it anymore."
"T-That's not fair..."
She looked at me with a tearful face, but my mind was made up.
When I pretended to pull my hand away entirely, her expression grew even more frantic.
As I held my hand back, I made my final offer.
"...What will it be?"
Her pupils darted around actively.
To the right, then to the left.
Her internal struggle was evident in the movement of her eyes. But in the end, there was only one answer she could give.
With a sweet, heavy breath, Senior Elsie closed her eyes tight and cried out.
"I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything... so p-please, keep going... hng?!"
I decided to grant her wish.
And so, for a good while, Senior Elsie had to pant under my touch. By the end, her body was trembling so much that her legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground.
Looking at her, whose eyes had lost their focus, I asked just in case.
"...Did you like it?"
"Ye-yes... I wuv it... I want to receive it forever, the scritches..."
It seemed even her tongue had gone limp.
Only then did I nod to myself with a satisfied smile.
If Senior Elsie was happy, I was happy.
Now, it was time to hear the secret she had been hiding so tightly.