Chapter 573: The Butler's True Feelings
Chapter 573: The Butler's True Feelings
Seeing Vanessa's uncharacteristic reaction, my mischievous side kicked in again.
I brought my face next to hers and nuzzled her, as if rubbing my cheek against hers, pushing aside the hair covering her ear and exposing it.
“Ugh…”
Vanessa’s shoulders tensed as she let out a low, sigh-like sound. I couldn’t tell if it was because her hair being moved was ticklish or if she was simply embarrassed by my actions.
But even so, she didn’t try to refuse my touch. The Vanessa.
To be honest, I’d been annoyed more than once by how she always seemed to treat me with such indifference, but now that things had come to this, all her previous actions started to feel like she was just pouting. The already beautiful Vanessa began to look even more lovely.
No. It’s not that it felt like she was pouting. What if she really was pouting all along?
After all, for the situation to have reached this point, it must mean she’s liked me for quite a long time, right?
Well, I was planning on teasing her anyway, so I might as well use this chance to check.
“But you know, is it really okay for a butler to do this behind her master’s back? Don’t you feel sorry for Diana? She trusted you so much…”
The moment I muttered those words, Vanessa suddenly grabbed both of my arms with surprising strength and pushed my body away, breaking my embrace.
“Hey, that hurts.”
I exaggerated the pain a little, but Vanessa paid me no mind.
She was visibly shaken, as if she’d seen something unbelievable. At the same time, the girl who had just confessed to me was now glaring at me with eyes so intense they felt hostile.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Wh-What?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard anything from Lady Diana?”
“What are you…”
“Did you…! Say such things to me! Without even hearing the circumstances from Lady Diana?!”
“Why are you suddenly getting so angry? You’re the one who confessed.”
“I…! Ugh…!”
When I pointed that out, Vanessa seemed at a loss for words and couldn’t answer, but she was clearly still angry. She squeezed my arms tighter and continued to glare at me.
Damn. I mean, I said it to provoke her, but her reaction is far more serious than I expected. I just wanted to see her get a little flustered.
I never thought this stoic girl would explode with such emotion and show open hostility.
Does this mean her hostility over the fact that I might have betrayed Diana is greater than her joy at me accepting her feelings?
Just how much does she adore Diana?
“Hey. It was a joke. A joke. Don’t be so angry.”
“…A joke? Do you mean you heard the circumstances from Lady Diana?”
“No. I haven’t heard anything yet… Hey, I said it hurts! I’ll explain properly, so let go! Don’t you trust me?!”
“No.”
“An instant reply?! Did you just answer without a single moment of hesitation?! Didn’t you say you liked me?!”
“That and this are two separate matters.”
And where did you pick up my way of talking…!
Ugh. Come to think of it, she just stands silently in the background, so her presence isn’t always obvious, but she’s actually around me quite a lot, like during meals.
Damn. This charmless girl.
“Then will you please explain? If you have betrayed Lady Diana…”
Still, it seemed she was at least willing to hear me out. Vanessa let go of my arms and looked me straight in the eye.
It seems that despite everything, she does have some faith in me; she’s just too shy to say it out loud.
…That’s it, right? You’re just being shy?
I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that last threatening remark, so please just let that be the case.
In any case, I told Vanessa what had just happened in the room.
About how Diana was apologizing to my girls, and how they were listening with displeased expressions.
And, of course, the beautiful, moving story of how the brilliant me managed to arrive at the truth with just those few small puzzle pieces.
“…I see.”
“Hey, isn’t that a pretty lukewarm reaction? Thanks to my brilliant resourcefulness, you and I were able to confirm our feelings for each other and could become lovers, and at the same time, I was able to save Diana from a crisis.”
“…You did well.”
Even as I emphasized my own greatness, Vanessa merely offered a blunt compliment.
But seeing that, I actually felt a slight sense of unease.
She was too stoic.
I mean, of course Vanessa is always stoic, but just a moment ago, she got that angry because she thought I had betrayed Diana.
Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, this is her reaction? Shouldn’t she show at least a little relief?
Ah, could it be…
“Hey. Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?”
“…Pardon? What do you mean?”
“You’re embarrassed that you and I have become lovers, aren’t you?”
“…Hmph. That’s…”
“I love you.”
“Kh…”
Vanessa had let out a loud sigh, about to respond with her usual stoicism, but when I pulled her into another embrace and whispered my love into her ear, her expressionless mask finally cracked, revealing a hint of shyness.
“Come to think of it, this is our special place, isn’t it?”
Seeing her reaction, I thought it would be okay to take things a step further.
While still holding her, I began to gently stroke her back. I could feel her body stiffen.
“You came here thinking about that too, didn’t you?”
“…I-I did not come here thinking of… this kind of act.”
Look at that. Even her voice is trembling a little.
Seems like she wasn’t entirely against this kind of development, was she?
“What kind of act?”
Just like before, I nuzzled her hair with my face, then lowered my head slightly and placed a soft kiss on the nape of her pale white neck.
Vanessa shivered slightly and even let out a small moan through her nose.
“Ngh…! I mean, this kind of act.”
It wasn’t an answer at all, but I decided to let it slide.
Given her personality, I figured it would be hard to get a proper answer out of her if I pushed her in this state.
“So, you don’t like it?”
“…Ngh!”
No answer, huh?
Well, a reaction like that is basically an answer in itself.
“Since you’re not resisting, I guess you’re enjoying it?” I said, deciding to tease her a little more.
Now that I realized her past behavior was just her pouting, I no longer felt the need to make her cry like before, but teasing this stoic girl was still pretty fun.
However, in response to my playful words, Vanessa did something unexpected.
“P-Please stop.”
She grabbed both of my arms and pushed my body away, just like before.
Of course, it was different from last time in many ways—the force, the grip, the look in her eyes.
But even so, I was quite taken aback.
What’s with her? Is she actually rejecting me?
The thought made me hesitate, and even though I could feel there was hardly any strength in the hands gripping my arms, I couldn’t bring myself to keep pushing her.
But after hearing Vanessa’s next words, I realized my worries were for nothing.
“We haven’t even spoken to Lady Diana properly yet. To do this before we’ve even reported to her…”
Even at a time like this, Vanessa was thinking of Diana.
But if that was her reason for refusing, then I had something to say, too.
“Vanessa. I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“…Misunderstanding? What do you mean?”
“Actually, what we’re about to do—that sort of thing—is for Diana’s sake.”
“Wh-What does that mean?”
The phrase “that sort of thing” seemed to embarrass her quite a bit, as Vanessa’s voice trembled once more.
She’s surprisingly sensitive to this stuff.
Didn’t she act pretty coolly when we did it once before under the effects of Holy Ground Proclamation?
Is she just shy when it comes to expressing things with words or building the mood?
Or is it because her feelings for me have changed since then?
Well, either way is fine.
She has a surprisingly cute side to her, contrary to her appearance.
“Think about it. Right now, Diana is probably getting chewed out by the other girls, right?”
“…That… is likely the case.”
The thought of Diana being in that situation because of her was clearly weighing on her mind. Vanessa’s expression clouded over as she replied.
“That’s why we’re doing this. Like I said before, if I make things official with you before getting their permission and then report it after the fact, the arrows of blame will all turn towards me. Diana will no longer have any reason to be scolded.”
“If that’s the case, we should first return to the room and help Lady Diana…”
“Nope. I told you. We have to report it after we’ve become official. Just imagine going there and saying, ‘Vanessa and I have confirmed our feelings for each other, so we’re a couple now.’ Do you think my girls would accept that? Absolutely not. To make it so they can’t object, we need more definitive proof.”
“Definitive proof, you say…”
“You have a rough idea, don’t you? You know what I mean, right?”
As I spoke, I reached out and placed my fingertips on Vanessa’s firm lower abdomen.
Then, I slowly caressed the spot, as if I were drawing a picture with my finger—a heart in the center with angel wings on either side.
“…Nngh. A-Are you serious? To do that already….”
Even though she wasn’t one of my women, Vanessa had been watching my girls at the mansion for a long time.
She seemed to fully understand the meaning of an Apostle Appointment, and she looked slightly flustered.
How should I describe that reaction? It was like she was incredibly happy but had no idea how to express it.
In any case, showing that uncharacteristic expression, Vanessa let out a breathy, sexy sigh.
“That’s right. And let me tell you in advance, the moment you confessed to me, you lost the right to refuse. You’re mine.”
“…Ngh. I am… Lady Diana’s…”
Hey. Still Diana, even now?
I mean, it’s heartwarming to see how loyal you are to our Diana, but still.
“Alright. Then let me put it this way. You’re my woman.”
“Hngh…”
As I said that, I pressed down lightly on her abdomen where I had been caressing her, and Vanessa bent forward with a low moan.
“So, you know what we have to do now, right?”
“T-To do that… we have to… do it?”
As I spoke seductively, Vanessa rubbed her thighs together slightly and muttered in a trembling voice.
Ah, I see. She knows about the Apostle Appointment, but she doesn’t know the exact conditions for how it’s done.
“Well, something like that.”
“Khm…”
When I answered with a broad smile, Vanessa let out a low groan and her body trembled.
But that reaction—whether from embarrassment or excitement, I couldn’t tell—was fleeting.
Perhaps deciding it was something she had to do for Diana’s sake anyway, Vanessa slowly began to unbutton her butler uniform.
“Wait a second.”
“…What is it?”
“Don’t take it off.”
“……”
I finally have the chance to do some butler roleplay with a real butler in her uniform. It would be a waste to just have her take it off.
Although I didn’t say it out loud, Vanessa seemed to have guessed what I was thinking when I told her not to undress.
Hey. Don’t look at me like that.
When you stare at me with those expressionless, condemning eyes, it gives me the chills.
No, it’s definitely not because I have a fetish for that sort of thing.
“Well then, Miss Butler. Could you start by undressing your master?”
Casually brushing off Vanessa’s cold gaze, I gave her a triumphant smile.
I never thought the day would come when I could give an order like this to Vanessa. It just goes to show, you should live a long life.
Well, I’m still in my vibrant twenties, but I guess Diana would scold me for saying something like that.
“Who is the mas…”
“Ah, right, right. That’s true. We’re closer to lovers than master and servant now, aren’t we?”
“Kht…!”
Vanessa had been about to protest the word “master,” but my follow-up attack made her tremble with embarrassment, leaving her utterly speechless.