Chapter 510: The Aftermath
Chapter 510: The Aftermath
“Felicia! I’m sorry!”
After curing Sara and Silvia of their abnormal condition, I had sex with Felicia one more time.
She’d said this whole mess happened because we’d just filmed the video last time and ended things abruptly.
Sara looked a little unhappy that I was going back to do it again, but since she’d experienced firsthand how dangerous it was to leave things unfinished, she reluctantly agreed.
And so, with the matter settled, Silvia was finally able to face Felicia and apologize.
“It's fine. In the end, nothing serious happened. But to think even you can make a mistake like that, Silvia. Thanks to you, I had a novel experience.”
“F-Felicia…”
As Silvia bowed her head in sincere apology, Felicia forgave her magnanimously, even laughing as if she’d found the whole thing amusing.
Perhaps a little embarrassed by that, Silvia blushed slightly and muttered complainingly.
A pouting Silvia is quite a fresh sight. I wonder if she’ll ever show me that side of her… Nah, probably not in this lifetime.
“How can you laugh after going through something like that…?”
“Oh? Why not? It's all in the past. Isn't it better to think of it as a fond memory?”
What a hedonist.
I bet if she were on the verge of death, as long as she survived, she’d just laugh later and say it was fun.
“What if you hadn't been able to dispel that aura yourself?”
“But that's not what happened, was it? And it's fine, even if it had. I would have just dispelled it for everyone myself. The people who were affected were all people I'd permitted to enter my room—my trusted attendants. And…”
Felicia paused, then looked at me with a mischievous, yet alluringly seductive smile.
“They're all women, so you don't have to worry about them disobeying your ‘command.’ You can rest easy.”
She said, putting particular emphasis on the word “command.”
Hey. Hold on a second. What's with that tone?
Dammit! So that's what that smile meant?!
“…Command?”
The moment Felicia spoke, Sara, who had been standing beside me with a sullen expression, reacted instantly.
“Wait! Guwon! What's this about a command?!”
“No! Wait! It's nothing! Hey! When did I…!”
As I quickly tried to deny it and get angry, Felicia mouthed a message to me.
'This is payback for giving a princess such a command. Be grateful I'm not telling her you tried to kiss me.'
“Wait. Calm down, Sara. It's nothing. She's just being full of herself. Rest easy? I wasn't even worried in the first place!”
“Oh? Really? Darling, did you trust me so much that you weren't worried at all? Or was that a display of confidence, certain I would never disobey the command you gave me? You're so naughty.”
“Gu-wooooon!”
“Wai—! Sara! Calm down! It's not true! It's really not! Between me and the princess, whose word do you trust more?!”
“…That's a good point.”
Only after I said that did Sara's anger, which had been about to max out, finally subside.
Then, she shot a piercing glare at Felicia.
Phew. That was close. Dammit. I got carried away and told her not to sleep with other men, and now I get hit with a counterattack like this.
I can never let my guard down around Felicia. And she just keeps smiling that cheerful smile of hers.
“Oh. Is that it? How boring.”
Even under Sara's sharp gaze, Felicia's smile never faltered as she spoke boldly.
Most people would be intimidated by Sara's glare.
The glare of a cool-headed beauty had that much force, and Sara's was amplified by her Hero's aura.
But seeing Felicia completely unfazed by it, I had to admit she was impressive in her own right.
No. Is it because it's Sara that she's acting like this?
She teases Sara every chance she gets, as if she finds her reactions refreshing.
Her teasing me just now might have been aimed at Sara, not me.
“You…!”
“Whoa, whoa. Sara, calm down. That's just how she is. It's a waste of energy to rise to her bait every time.”
“Oh, how mean. Even I can get my feelings hurt, you know?”
That insufferable attitude of hers.
I was tempted to expose her to Sara—“Actually, she does that because she wants to be your friend”—but I suppressed the urge.
Unlike someone who pokes at people's weaknesses for fun, I'm not rotten enough to play with someone's pure desire for friendship.
You tease Diana by poking at her weaknesses every time you have sex, don't you? That's different. That's an expression of affection. Affection.
On the other hand, Felicia... Hmm. Right. There's no way it's an expression of affection.
She's the one who openly said she doesn't like me, just my "thing."
“Haaah… Anyway… Oh! Hey, thanks for offering to send the knights!”
“…H-huh? What's this all of a sudden… Ah. You're only mentioning that now… Darling, did you perhaps come here today just to say that and forget?”
When I thanked her out of the blue, Felicia looked dumbfounded and muttered.
“Ahem! Ahem! Anyway, our business here is done, right? We'll be going now.”
“Oh. Already? I see… So for you, it's enough to just use me to satisfy your lust and then…”
Exhausted by her games, I tried to leave in a hurry. Felicia, however, sat down sideways on the bed with a sorrowful expression, covering her mouth with her hand as a single, pearl-like tear rolled down her cheek. She murmured pitifully.
Combined with her decadent beauty, she looked just like the heroine of a tragedy.
The problem was, she was just faking it.
“Stop acting sad while saying things that could be misunderstood! Your acting is weirdly good, which makes it even worse! Besides, you're the one using me to satisfy your lust, not the other way around! And what do you mean, 'already'?! We've been here for half a day! I'm a busy man, you know!”
“Oh, you're right. I guess I lost track of time while having such a pleasant time with you…”
I felt like if I stayed any longer, I'd have to keep playing along with her games, so I cut her off and left the room.
“We're leaving!”
As I left, I glanced back. As if she knew I would, Felicia remained in her tragic heroine pose, simply waving her hand gently to see me off.
“I don't think I'll ever be able to like that woman. I'm surprised you can be friends with someone like her, Silvia.”
As we left the room, Sara muttered, as if venting her pent-up frustration.
She usually resolves these things on the spot instead of bottling them up, so she seemed to be in a particularly bad mood today since I'd stopped her from getting into a proper argument.
“F-Felicia doesn't mean any harm. She just likes to joke around a little.”
“I can see that… but even if I'm used to being teased, it's still infuriating when it comes from someone else.”
“Huh? Used to being teased?”
“Don't play dumb! It's because you tease me every chance you get!”
Ah, I see. So that's it.
No. But I don't think I'm that bad… probably.
Anyway, having safely concluded our business, we left the palace by carriage.
As we departed, I glanced outside and saw that the soldiers guarding the gate still looked a bit disorderly.
Come to think of it, why do the gate guards look so flustered?
Of course, with the lady of the palace in that state, I can understand the atmosphere being tense, but isn't this a bit too much chaos?
There's no way mere gate guards would have been affected by her aura.
Is Felicia's charisma so great that it affects even the lowest-ranking soldiers?
I can't really imagine her having that much influence, though.
We had left right after breakfast, but by the time we were leaving the palace, it was already past two and approaching three in the afternoon.
So, from now on… I should probably stick to the plan, right?
In fact, I'd been thinking about something ever since Diana told me to go to the palace to give my thanks this morning.
The unexpected incident caused a significant delay, but I should still be able to get everything done today, right?
Having made my decision, I leaned toward the driver's seat and spoke to Vanessa.
“Vanessa.”
“Ngh…! …What is it?”
As I peeked over her shoulder, Vanessa flinched and leaned away from me as she replied.
As I thought, her reaction is more intense than usual. Her face is still a little red, too.
I can't just leave her like this.
“I have a few errands to run. Drop me off here, and you can head back to the mansion first.”
“Guwon? Where are you going?”
“Yeah. Diana told me to go and give my thanks, right? So since we're already out, I figured I'd stop by the Temple and the Guild to thank them as well.”
To be honest, going to the Guild now is a little different from what I'd planned a few days ago, but a small change like this should be fine.
“Sara, you're coming with me, of course… Silvia, what about you? Want to come along?”
“Um, I, I… well…”
At my question, Silvia wore a slightly troubled expression.
It was the face of someone who desperately wanted to stay with me but felt bad about tagging along.
“Silvia. If you're hesitating because of me, it's fine. Let's go together.”
Sara, perhaps thinking Silvia was worried about interrupting our date, spoke up first.
She probably wouldn't have said that if it were anyone else.
Sara really does have a soft spot for Silvia.
Well, I guess it's because Silvia treats her with so much respect.
“Ah, no. Y-yes. Thank you. But, um, it's not just that, there's also my swimming practice…”
But it seemed that wasn't her only concern.
I see. She feels guilty about being out here while Matilda is practicing hard back at the mansion.
“…If that is the case, then I shall accompany you as well.”
Just then, Vanessa suddenly spoke up.
“H-huh?”
“It is getting late. To make it back in time for dinner, it would be best to use the carriage for transportation.”
While I was taken aback by her unexpected words, Vanessa spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her expression still blank.
I mean, yes, using the carriage would be a bit faster, but…
Is she doing this so Silvia can come with us?
She's not showing it on her face, but the timing of her words suggests it.
If we all travel by carriage, it would be a bit awkward for her to go back to the mansion alone, giving Silvia an excuse for herself.
Silvia, you… when did you manage to get our Cold-blooded Butler on your side?
What a terrifying child.
“But… are you okay?”
In any case, her thoughtfulness was one thing, but I didn't think Vanessa was in any condition to be doing this.
“…What do you mean?”
“You know. That thing. Don't you need to… take care of it by yourself?”
“…Your concern is unnecessary.”
I tried to be discreet for Vanessa, who was playing dumb, but she must have still been embarrassed. Her face turned a shade redder, and she answered in a voice even stiffer than usual.
No, seriously, is she okay? She's not pushing herself, is she?
But she wasn't the type to back down just because I said something, so I eventually gave up trying to persuade her and decided we'd travel by carriage.
Well, if it gets too hard for her, she can probably slip into a restroom and take care of it while I'm giving my thanks.
And so, we took the carriage and arrived first at the Guild.
Since the Guild was in the center of the city, it was relatively closer than the Temple.
“Oh, Mr. Guwon! Welcome. Surely you're not planning to enter the dungeon again already? You mustn't! You need to rest more. This is my advice as your receptionist. Please rest a bit more before exploring the dungeon.”
The moment I went to the reception desk, Elder Sister Rachel saw my face and spoke to me like an older sister chiding her unruly younger brother.
The fact that she still managed to greet me properly amidst all that was a response that truly made me think, She's a pro.