Chapter 216: Crying Out Love in the Center of the Lord's Castle
Chapter 216: Crying Out Love in the Center of the Lord's Castle
“I still think it’s best to refuse.”
“Are you serious? I would think a woman with Silvia’s looks would be quite popular with men.”
“Of course, I’m a man, so it’d be a lie to say I’m not tempted at all. But my love for you all is far greater. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by taking in a woman I have no feelings for.”
Yes. That was the conclusion I’d reached.
Are you wondering why this piece of trash is suddenly trying to act all nice?
Or asking if I’m just walking on eggshells?
…I won’t deny it completely.
I mean, think about it. How could I not walk on eggshells in this situation?
Sure, Diana had said she would follow my decision.
She told me not to worry about them and to speak my mind.
But if I’d actually said I wanted to accept Silvia, would they really have been happy about it?
Not a chance. They would have absolutely hated it.
Not just Sara and Diana, but even Leia, who had told me to accept Silvia, would have been upset deep down.
I may not know much about a woman’s heart, but I’m not stupid enough to miss that.
I’m certain of it. This was definitely the best choice.
I knew it just by looking at Diana’s face as she stared straight into my eyes.
Her expression had been serious, but the moment she heard my words, it instantly brightened before she quickly schooled it back into a serious look.
“As I said before, you shouldn’t worry about us…”
“How could I not? It’s impossible for me not to think about you. And that’s not all. If I accept Silvia, it will inevitably affect the time I spend with you. Even if it’s just a little, the time I have with you all will decrease. I don’t want that.”
“H-Hmph. I-Is that so…?”
I can guarantee it. She’s ecstatic on the inside right now.
If she had a tail like Leia, it would be wagging furiously.
When I turned to look at Leia, she had an expression of relief mixed with guilt.
Leia was so kind-hearted that she’d told me to accept Silvia, but that didn’t mean she was completely devoid of possessiveness.
As for Sara, she was looking at me with an expression of deep emotion. But soon, her face turned serious as she began to ponder something intently.
Sara’s reaction was a bit concerning, but still, my choice wasn’t wrong.
“Besides, if word got out that I accepted Silvia, wouldn’t all sorts of women come flocking to me for my grace? If I had to accept every single one of them, even with my legendary stamina, I’m not sure I could handle them all… Wait! It’s a joke! A joke!”
I was just kidding, but Diana’s playful pummeling came flying at me immediately.
“You always! Do you have to ruin the mood in situations like this to be satisfied?!”
“Everyone looked so serious, I couldn’t help it… A-Anyway! I feel bad for Silvia, but I’m going to refuse. Leia, I’m sorry you went out of your way to give your permission for her sake.”
“No…”
Seeing Leia shake her head like that, I could feel how much she truly loved me.
From the very beginning, Leia had thought of my Saint’s power as a gift from the Goddess.
And if that belief hadn’t changed, she would think that saving someone like Silvia was the duty of a Saint.
For someone as devout as Leia, that conviction would be firm.
The fact that she couldn’t continue to insist on saving Silvia meant that her love and desire to have me to herself was just as strong.
“Guwon.”
Suddenly, Sara called my name.
“Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all if you held that woman. So you don’t have to worry about me in the slightest.”
“What?! Lady Sara! What are you saying all of a sudden?!”
Diana said exactly what I was thinking.
What was she on about now?
Did her fetish for getting turned on by watching me with other women suddenly flare up again?
But her eyes didn’t look like someone who was excited.
“I just realized it again. That even if you have a physical relationship with another woman, you’re not the kind of person whose heart will ever waver. If that’s the case, I can accept it as saving a person’s life.”
It seemed Sara was recalling the words she’d said when she confessed to me after getting her revenge.
How I hadn’t wavered no matter what I did with Kate.
And how she wouldn’t mind at all if I had other women, as long as I continued to look only at her.
I’m happy she trusts me, but saying something like that in this situation just adds to the confusion.
It’s making even my own resolve waver.
I glanced at Diana’s face. She looked completely at a loss.
Of the three of them, Diana had the deepest connection to Silvia, so she was probably the one who felt the most sympathy.
And yet, she had taken a stance against it because she hated the idea of me holding another woman.
She must be flustered that the other two were now saying this when even she had opposed it.
I get it. I feel kind of the same.
In times like these, it’s best to be firm.
“Thank you for trusting me. But I still think it’s best to refuse. I feel bad for Silvia, though.”
In the first place, even if I am a Saint, it’s not like the Goddess sent me here with some grand mission. Just because I can help people doesn’t mean I have to go around helping everyone.
Honestly, the chance to use a beautiful girl like Silvia as a sex slave was incredibly appealing as a man, but in the end, Silvia isn’t the one who will be living with me. It’s these three right here. Taking care of the people most precious to me is my top priority.
“I-Is that so…”
Diana looked relieved, but a hint of guilt remained on her face.
Was she bothered by the fact that she was the only one who opposed it until the end?
“You don’t have to make that face.”
“Mm…”
As I spoke while stroking her hair, Diana, in a rare show of honesty, nodded and buried herself in my embrace.
“I’m sorry… I’m so greedy.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? It just means you love me that much, right? And you gave me the choice, didn’t you? This was my decision. You have nothing to feel sorry for.”
“The way you say that makes it sound like Leia and I don’t love you as much as Diana does, since we gave you permission.”
“Guwon-ssi…! That’s not true! I love you too, Guwon-ssi!”
As Sara spoke in a slightly pouting tone, Leia’s voice trembled as she clung tightly to my arm.
Ugh. Lady Leia. How could I ever not know that?
I can feel my angel’s heart even more clearly than the sensation of her breasts pressing against my arm.
“Of course I know! It’s just an expression! I’m well aware that you’re all head over heels for me!”
“Hmph. I wonder about that.”
“You’re going to say that after you just said you trusted me?”
“Guwon… Kyaa!”
I pulled the pouting Sara in by the waist and showed her just how well I knew with a passionate kiss.
After the deep kiss, Sara’s pout melted away, replaced by a pleasant smile as she said, “You’re in big trouble now, Guwon.”
…Yeah. I felt it midway through our kiss, too.
The arms of Leia, who was hugging my arm, and Diana, who was in my embrace, tightened.
“It seems you two got awfully close after spending all day together yesterday.”
“Guwon-ssi… So Sara-ssi, who you just met, is your favorite after all…”
“N-No! That’s not it! I like you all the same! So… W-Wait! Diana! Not there!”
Diana actually tried to attack me by raising her knee.
Since she was hugging my waist and pressed right up against me, it was obvious where her knee would land if she raised it. My groin.
It doesn’t matter if Diana’s physical attacks don’t hurt me. Not the balls. Anything but the balls.
Thanks to my defense stat, I might have been surprisingly fine, but I had no intention of testing that theory, not even if I was dying.
“If you hit me there, you’ll never have children in your life!”
My threat must have worked, because Diana stopped the knee she was about to raise.
But she had no intention of stopping her attack. She released her arms from my waist and finally began her playful pummeling.
That was close. Diana’s knee just grazed the tip.
But if it’s just this light beating, I can take it all day.
I decided to properly show Diana that I liked her just as much as Sara. Of course, using the same method.
“Y-You just kissed Lady Sara with those lips… Mmmph.”
Diana seemed to be protesting something, but she fell silent as soon as our lips met.
When I slipped my tongue in, she stood on her tiptoes, desperately clinging to my lips, as if trying not to be separated.
“See? You get it now, right? That I like you just as much as Sara?”
“M-Mmm…”
Diana blushed and raised the back of her hand to wipe the saliva from her lips, but then she hesitated. Instead, she started smacking her lips together as if she were evening out her lipstick. Cute.
Alright, now only Leia is left… Ah, crap.
I looked to my side and saw Leia staring at me with eyes full of expectation.
What do I do? She’ll turn into a Gumiho if I kiss her.
But if I don’t kiss only Leia, she’ll be incredibly hurt.
I have no choice.
“Sh-Should we go to the bedroom?”
“You just said you like us all the same, and now you’re discriminating against Leia?!”
For some reason, Sara’s eyes were scary when she said that.
Anyone could see that her switch had been flipped. So just watching me kiss another woman is enough to get her going.
“I-I can’t help it! Leia transforms when we kiss!”
“…It’s alright, Guwon-ssi.”
“H-Huh?”
“It can’t be helped. It is what it is. I trust you, Guwon-ssi, so it’s okay. But you have to give me lots of kisses when it’s my turn, okay?”
Leia didn’t look disappointed as she said that.
She had a gentle smile, unlike usual… No, does it feel a little different from her usual smile?
It was subtly different somehow, a smile I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“A-Are you really okay with that?”
“Yes.”
Leia said with a soft smile.
She really is an angel. Her heart is as big as her breasts pressing against my arm. It’s so healing.
Anyway, now that we had a conclusion, there was no need to delay.
If I was going to refuse, going and stating my intentions immediately would be the better way to help Silvia.
“Alright, shall we head to the castle?”
“Hm? Right now?”
“Yeah. You promised earlier, Diana. That we’d talk amongst ourselves and then call for her. But it feels wrong to call her back right after sending her away, so let’s go there ourselves and tell her no in person.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“M-Me too.”
“You guys too? But… especially Leia…”
Given that she was already sympathizing with Silvia and seeing her own situation in hers, wouldn’t going to the place where I reject her just make her feel worse?
“It’s okay. I think this is something I need to do as someone who stands by your side, Guwon-ssi.”
Leia clenched her fists in front of her chest and spoke with eyes that showed her firm resolve.
Honestly, I don’t think such a grand resolve is necessary just to be by my side.
But Leia had made up her mind. I had to respect that.
“Alright. Let’s go together.”
“Yes.”
And so, this time we headed for the lord’s castle in Diana’s carriage.
Just a few days ago, it was a place I had no connection to, but now I was visiting it so frequently.
But this would really be the last time.
Once I delivered my refusal to Silvia, I would have no reason to come to the lord’s castle ever again.
“Y-You’re here! S-So, your discussion…”
As soon as we arrived at the castle, Silvia popped out as if she’d been waiting.
Seeing how nervous she looked made me feel bad about refusing her again.
But I couldn’t let my heart grow weak.
It seemed too rude to just reject her in the middle of the hallway and leave, so I asked her to guide us to a place where we could talk calmly.
She led us to the room where she had been bound before.
It seemed this was Silvia’s room.
And for some reason, Felicia joined us along the way.
Doesn’t this girl have anything better to do as the lord?
“S-So, have you finished your discussion?”
“Yeah. About that. I’m sorry.”
“…What?”
“I don’t think I can accept you after all.”
“P-Please wait a moment! I’m truly not overstepping my bounds and asking to be your lover! If you just take me with you and occasionally relieve your lust on me, that would be more than enough! And yet, and yet…!”
Silvia cried out desperately, looking around at the others, but they all avoided her gaze.
“Ah… ugh…!”
Realizing that it was no use no matter how much she pleaded, Silvia’s shoulders slumped as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Then… then could you at least grant me one last request?”
Without even thinking to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks, Silvia lifted her head again and looked at me.