Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Saint, You’re So Vulgar! – Chapter 48
Flushed rosy cheeks, a body leaning pitifully, and a sulky glare to top it all off.
Judith watched Versia's antics and thought.
'Crazy bitch...'
Even so, she figured that vacant grin was better than before. Still, right at that moment, chills prickled down her spine.
And Asher's reaction was even more ridiculous.
His eyes flew wide in shock before he broke into a sly smile, the corners of his mouth curling up in a way that screamed he was loving it.
This was some backwater melodrama.
At least she got why Versia was pulling that stunt.
She just couldn't keep up emotionally.
With a sigh, Judith swept back her hair, feeling the need to sort out the situation.
"Everyone, halt."
The three stopped dead in their tracks.
Ignoring Versia as she peeked out from behind Asher, Judith pulled a letter from her bosom.
It bore Lykers' seal.
"Sorry, but we're not the sweet little slaves you imagined. We're secret envoys."
The captain tilted his head at that.
"Hm?"
"We came to deliver a letter from Lykers. This whole getup is fake."
Rustle. As she unfolded the letter, the captain's eyes locked straight onto the seal.
He scowled, then snatched it away and scanned it up and down several times.
With a groan, he eyed the three of them in turn.
Finally, he let out a hollow chuckle.
"Ah, so that's it. After grabbing that whore, to settle the pact... So that's your goal. Yeah, it tracks."
He seemed intrigued.
Judith wasn't particularly surprised.
'Simpler than I thought.'
A smart guy wouldn't be pirating with this kind of muscle.
Short-sighted and impulsivethat's why he got to play king in a dump like this.
Soon enough, he showed a positive sign.
In other words, he started haggling terms.
"What about the losses for the side that breaks the pact first?"
"Backstabbing on your mind already?"
"Just worried you'll stab us in the back."
The captain grinned.
Judith arched a brow in reply.
"It's a pact forged by the kings of the three archipelagos. The first traitor better brace for a pincer attack from the other two."
"Both of us gunning for each other's backs? Sounds good to me."
The captain tucked the letter away.
It had gone too smoothly, but maybe that was that.
Right as she thought so
"One special clause, though."
"Special clause?"
"Hand over that woman. That's my price for cooperating."
The captain's finger jabbed toward Asher.
He sneered at the dumbfounded Versia, then leered at Asher from head to toe with a sleazy smile.
"She's got the build to make a fine wife. Love at first sight, I guess?"
"Wh-what do you mean?! This person's my lover!"
"Survival of the fittestthat's the law of the world. Beauties belong in a strong man's hands, don't they? Pathetic weakling."
"You shameless!!!"
"Might makes right."
Boom!
The air trembled faintly.
Caught off guard by the sudden mana surge, Versia let out a hollow laugh.
Judith was floored on multiple levels.
A little closer look, and Asher was all masculine linesyet he calls her a beauty.
The casual assumption he could just claim another man's woman.
And now Versia, swept up in the moment, openly clinging to Asher and growling.
'Why is everyone here a moron?'
Right as she thought that
"Hey! Tall bitch! Whaddya saycan you take my deal?!"
The captain bellowed with puffed-up confidence.
Judith clamped her mouth shut, then cleared up the misunderstanding first.
"Sure, why not."
"Judith!"
"Kuhahaha!!!"
"If you're fine with it being a guy."
"...?"
The captain's guffaw cut off cold.
His eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
"...What?"
"Take him if a man's okay with you. This one."
She jerked her chin at Asher. The captain stared at him in disbelief, right in the eyes.
Asher flashed a sweet smile and whispered.
"Darling~."
It was a low, husky baritone.
Clink
The glass slipped from the captain's hand.
Fate's romance sank without a trace.
* * *
Asher got kicked out.
They still had business to discuss, but the captain couldn't shake off the shock. He kept staring at Versia with goo-goo eyes full of lingering regret.
So Judith shooed the two away. In a blink, Asher went from slave to guest and slipped into a room with Versia.
Only then did Asher calm down.
Or rather, he finally felt the shame hit, wriggling his body this way and that.
'Ah... Ah!!!'
He screamed inside, yanking at his hair roots.
His own words kept looping in his head.
-M-mine...!
And going on about them being lovers and all.
That alone was mortifying, but remembering how he'd yanked Versia into a hug and pulled her tight against him? He was losing it.
How the hell was he supposed to explain this?
Even now, he could feel her gaze from across the room, wig off and changing clothes.
She gonna tease me? Yeah, definitely.
Or maybe she's pissed?
He couldn't even lift his head, spiraling into wild what-ifs.
Being the type who considered others often meant being overly attuned to their moods.
Asher's thoughts veered hard toward 'Versia must be pissed.'
Yeah, time to apologize.
She was someone he had to escort, after allno way should he just grab her like that on a whim.
The hand clutching his temple slid demurely to his lap.
Asher squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled.
"S-sorry about that first... "
"About what?"
"Acting on my own like... um..."
Asher's ears burned red.
Trying to spell it out again was too much.
Versia went quiet for a beat, then stood and plopped down beside him on the bed.
Asher flinched. She spoke.
"'Mine,' you said?"
"...!"
"That we're lovers?"
"!!!"
Asher shrank into himself.
Then came a low chuckle.
"It's fine. I didn't mind."
"Huh?"
"Didn't mind at all. You were protecting me."
Asher peeked up at her bit by bit.
She was beaming, just like always.
Relief washed over him, then a swell of gratitude at being truly understood.
She rarely took his intentions at face value without turning it into a joke.
His eyes were starting to mist up.
"Saintess...!"
"And, well, it is the knight's, right?"
"?"
Twine. Their fingertips hooked.
Versia's smile deepened.
"I'm the knight's. And the knight's mine."
Grip. Fingers laced tight.
The odd vibe, the loaded wordsAsher's mind jumped to something serious.
Like, lovers' talk?
The thought sent a jolt racing up his spine.
A delicious shiver, and suddenly he was burning up.
He knew it was silly fantasy, but the feeling wouldn't quit.
He stammered out another answer.
"Th-the b-body... y-yeah! The body's mine...!"
"Mhm, the knight's. My body."
Her laugh grew thicker, stickier.
But why did it feel like...
"I was happy. Felt like you really get it."
"O-of course...! We're in a relationship where we possess each other's bodies, after all... "
"Bodies only?"
Her words came off more insistent, more vague than usual.
"Just sharing bodies feels kinda cold, doesn't it? Makes us sound slutty."
"Not what I"
"So we share other stuff too?"
She seemed to want a different answer.
Asher's eyes spun in their sockets.
His gaze couldn't meet hers straight, flicking to the wall instead.
This was all Versia's fault.
She always teased like this, so now his brain defaulted to the pervy angle in moments like these.
He blamed her a little, scrambled for an out.
All the while, her grip tightened on his hand.
"...For me."
"Y-yeah... "
"I was happy."
It felt off-kilter.
Like they were talking past each other.
No, they definitely were.
Asher pursed his lips.
He never gave her a real answer to that one.
Couldn't put the reason into words, but instinct screamed not to rush it.
Versia picked up on his vibe and fell silent too.
Her stare bored in, persistent.
His body went rigid.
At last, she eased her hold.
And murmured something laced with feelings he couldn't parse.
"Knight, you know you're sly as hell, right?"
"Huh...?"
Versia swept his side-swept hair back.
Her thumb grazed his cheek.
"Build up expectations, feed delusions."
What the?
"Casually toe the line, then pull back."
Soon enough, laughter crept back into her voice.
"What a tease. For real."
Asher finally exhaled in relief and denied it.
"...I'm not like that."
Throughout the whole exchange, Asher never once met Versia's eyes.
Whether that was lucky or not, only time would tell.