Chapter 104 — Romantic Troubles
Chapter 104 — Romantic Troubles
Translation: Godtl
But... his gaze was directed at a strange place.
Lelia lowered her head following Kalix's angry gaze. The place he was looking at was below Lelia's neck.
"You! How long are you going to live in drag? Are you even a man?! Huh?! You should know when to stop, when to stop!! What the hell did you do with your chest, you pervert bastard?"
"Hey, you crazy bastard!"
At Kalix's extremely rude gaze and tone, Romeo shouted.
"...."
Lelia was so surprised she fell on the spot and sat down.
Romeo who approached in an instant hit the back of Kalix's head with a thud.
Kalix, as if it didn't hurt, still fumed and glared at Lelia. His eyes were bright red.
"...."
Griffith was also dazed in surprise at Kalix's behavior and the words he spat out.
Meanwhile, Oscar, who had approached at some point, helped up the fallen Lelia.
"Are you okay?"
At the soft and gentle tone, Lelia unconsciously grabbed Oscar's arm.
"Kalix, you crazy bastard. What's wrong with you? Are you crazy? What kind of rude...!"
Romeo couldn't even properly continue his words because of Kalix's completely unreasonable behavior.
Kalix protested as if he was wrongly accused.
"No, I mean. You... you think I only think of you pitifully! That's not it! You...! You, this pervert! Stop cross-dressing from now on! Reveal everything! Reveal your thing!"
What is this, did he take some wrong medicine?
Or is it aftereffects of losing vision in one eye? Or did something happen in yesterday's battle with the heretics?
Lelia looked at Kalix in puzzlement.
Kalix was thoroughly excited and even stomped his feet. Romeo and Griffith who couldn't stand it dragged him out.
"You! You pervert!"
Even while being dragged out, Kalix pointed his finger at Lelia until the end.
"Um, did something happen yesterday?"
Lelia asked, barely standing up while holding Oscar's arm that was supporting her firmly.
"No, nothing at all."
"Then why on earth is he suddenly acting like that...."
"He's originally weird, that guy."
Oscar said as if it were nothing, when he himself was stranger than anyone else.
Then, pretending to support Lelia who was already standing straight, he subtly pulled her into an embrace.
"What are you doing right now...."
"Just a moment."
Just a very brief moment. Oscar, literally, stayed like that for just a very brief moment then let her go.
"...Beautiful."
His red lips touched and left the back of her hand that she didn't know when he had grabbed.
Lelia turned her gaze away and pulled her hand back, somehow afraid of his unfocused pupils.
Oscar politely stepped back one pace.
Knock, knock.
From behind the half-open door, Becky poked her head out.
"Um, young miss?"
What was going on...?
Becky muttered as she pushed in a tray with teacups.
"Tea, two cups should be sufficient."
Oscar said to such Becky.
Becky hesitated for a moment then opened her mouth.
"Um, a guest has come, young miss."
"...Again?"
Why were there so many visitors this morning of all days... Lelia rubbed her eyes wearily.
"Well, Lord Verbose of the Cric family has come."
Becky said sourly. Lelia tilted her head. Who? Ah....
Lelia sighed and signaled Becky with her eyes.
Becky who understood the meaning to let him in stepped aside, and through that gap, Lord Verbose entered.
"...Lady Lelia."
Verbose walked inside with a stiff expression. Then he looked at Oscar standing beside Lelia.
'They said she brought a terribly beautiful and handsome man like a temple statue.'
Seeing him in person, he was handsome enough to make one's spirit shrink. Why was he so tall and why was his build so solid?
But Verbose didn't show it and stood up straight.
"...I have brought a beautiful flower that resembles you."
When he held out the bouquet he had hidden behind his back, Lelia's eyes narrowed.
"Please accept...."
Snatch!
Oscar snatched the bouquet Verbose held out. It wasn't a servant-like motion of receiving an item, but an action like seizing something.
"What do you think you're—"
Whoosh.
The bouquet in Oscar's hand instantly became red flames and disappeared.
Less than a handful of ash fell to the floor.
Verbose stumbled back in surprise.
"...Lelia dislikes flower pollen."
"What, what do you mean... La, Lady Lelia! Who on earth is this man! Who is he to be so rude...."
Verbose looked at Oscar like he was seeing the worst villain, then his face turned pale.
"Good heavens...!"
He looked like he had seen a ghost.
Lelia noticed something and glared at Oscar.
"Aaaah!"
Verbose screamed and left the room running away.
Becky who was waiting by the door looked at his retreating figure running out in surprise. Then she quickly closed the door from outside. So that Lelia and Oscar could have an intimate conversation.
"What did you do?"
"...."
When Lelia pressed Oscar, he avoided his eyes.
'Surely he just showed that person a strange hallucination....'
Lelia felt afraid of Oscar who used strange powers without even lifting a hand. She felt like he might use that power on her family someday.
"Lord Oscar... you promised to behave."
"That's when it's just the two of us."
"Pardon?"
"Since other guys have come, I need to amend the promise."
"What do you...."
"It's too disadvantageous for me to just stay quiet until you answer, isn't it? There's no guarantee you'll do as I say either."
Lelia recalled the promise she had made with him.
"Say it with your own mouth. That you'll become mine... that when what you're trying to do is finished, you'll follow me and stay by my side for the rest of your life."
To those words, Lelia had answered like this:
"If you behave until all my work is finished, I'll answer you then."
Oscar had accepted that, and since then he had been behaving well.... But suddenly, when even such a trivial thing couldn't be controlled, anxiety surged.
It felt like standing before a solid wall that couldn't be negotiated with.
"If you want to keep making me move as you wish, give me bait. Even to tame a beast, you need bait—what about you?"
"What, what bait...."
"Don't pretend you don't know."
Oscar lifted one corner of his mouth slightly as if sneering.
Lelia couldn't even blink. Clearly one step away, yet she couldn't move at all. It felt like all her limbs were held by Oscar.
"You must know clearly what I want."
"...."
"You know. That I just need one glance, one touch of your fingertip...."
Oscar reached out and stroked the back of Lelia's hand that was clutching the dress hem.
Just the tip of his index finger lightly touched, yet her heart sank.
"That's enough for me...."
Lelia didn't believe Oscar's words.
He says he can be satisfied with just one glance, one touch? Lies.
To say such things with insane eyes that look like they want to swallow Lelia from head to toe right this moment.
No one would believe it.
Even if he says that's enough for now, the demands will gradually grow. Later, he won't be satisfied until she gives everything.
But Lelia couldn't honestly say she couldn't believe him.
For now, she had to be satisfied with the fact that he wasn't running wild like a beast with its reins cut.
Lelia could instinctively know.
Compared to those eyes, if he was acting this much, Oscar was already holding back sufficiently to his limit.
"I understand."
"...."
At Lelia's answer, Oscar's fingertips fell away. He looked at Lelia leisurely with his hands behind his back, then turned around.
Then, "Ah," he turned his body again and said.
"For reference, I like that red dress you're wearing now better than blue. It's beautiful like fresh blood."
Lelia narrowed her eyes looking at Oscar's retreating figure after those final words.
'I must absolutely wear the blue one.'
"Hey, you crazy bastard. Even so, how old are you? At that age, you want us to get you an etiquette teacher? Don't you remember anything you learned in the Imperial City when you were young?"
Romeo grabbed Kalix by the collar and shook him roughly while criticizing him.
"Just... let's beat him up a few times. Seriously."
Griffith, despite being a holder of divine power, naturally suggested violence as a solution. Romeo seriously considered whether they should really do that.
"...."
Meanwhile, Kalix stood with his head bowed, looking dejected.
His eyes were bright red as if he'd been wronged.
Romeo frustration, pounded his own chest.
"Fine, I'll just tell you honestly. I can't stand keeping this in anymore. Lelia, she's...."
"Stop!"
Kalix squeezed his eyes shut as if he didn't want to hear it and covered his ears with his large hands.
"I don't want to hear it! Get out, you disloyal bastards! Get out!"
Kalix threw himself on the floor and kicked his legs like a child. It would've been cute if a child did it, but Kalix was different.
If anyone got hit by those thick, muscular legs....
Romeo and Griffith frowned deeply and kept their distance.
"That crazy bastard."
"I tried to tell him honestly and he won't even listen."
At Romeo's lament, Griffith said coldly, "Just let him live like that."
"...Still, isn't it a bit pitiful? If he finds out later that he was the only one who didn't know, he might cry."
"Let him cry."
Romeo and Griffith shared roughly the same information.
Of course, both had cards they hadn't shown each other, but it didn't matter much.
Even without revealing all their cards, they knew everything the other knew.
Everything about Lelia's true identity.
However, neither knew about the truth Lelia was keeping silent about. They could only guess.
The content of that guess was the same. That the former emperor had done something at the temple's request....
Also, both were aware that Lelia used an unknown power.
But they hadn't discussed or conversed about it with each other.
As Griffith had said two days ago, they no longer needed to share information with each other.
The common purpose had ended long ago.
Upon exiting Kalix's room, Griffith passed by Romeo, saying he would leave first.
Romeo watched Griffith's retreating figure disappear at the end of the corridor with curious eyes.
'That gloomy bastard.'
He clicked his tongue in criticism of Griffith.
The one whose true intentions were really unclear wasn't Oscar, but Griffith himself.
Griffith had said Oscar would definitely put Lelia in danger, but well.
Romeo thought differently.
The truly unsettling one was Griffith.
That Oscar fellow, anyone could tell he was crazy just by looking at his eyes, but not Griffith.
Griffith knew how to thoroughly hide everything, whether emotions or anything else, for his own benefit.
That's why he was more unsettling and dangerous.
Romeo turned his head to look at Kalix's closed door and shook his head.
There was a reason Romeo was most comfortable with Kalix. He was at least the most transparent.
Though being too transparent was a problem in itself....
Romeo started walking to clear his head with a walk.
Still, he was worried about what lay ahead.
"I really hate romantic troubles...."
But then again, romantic troubles are also my specialty.
He hummed a tune as if he'd never been troubled at all.
That afternoon.
Lelia stroked her grandmother's wrinkled cheek as she napped.