Chapter 578: The Butler's True Feelings
Chapter 578: The Butler's True Feelings
“Diana!”
“Whoa! W-What is it?!”
I threw the door open and stormed in, only to be met with a scene that was completely different from what I’d expected.
They were all sitting around the tea table, leisurely sipping tea.
Diana, who had jumped in surprise when I called her name, was for some reason sitting on Leia’s lap.
What in the world was going on?
Just before I left this room, Diana was getting absolutely grilled by the others, wasn’t she?
No, I mean, a fair bit of time did pass while I was with Vanessa.
But even considering that, this wasn’t an issue that should have been resolved so quickly.
Right. Leia might have let it go, given her inability to say no to people.
Silvia and Matilda don’t have as much say in these matters, so I could see them going along with it.
But Sara agreed this easily?
Unlike Silvia or Matilda, there was no compelling reason for Vanessa to be in this kind of relationship with me.
Of course, they had accepted my relationship with Rachel, who also had no particular reason, but it took a great deal of effort to persuade them then.
But this time, I wasn’t even the one who told them. They just readily agreed when Diana said she was bringing in another woman?
Could it be because Sara said she would trust me completely when she allowed my relationship with Rachel?
No. If she trusted me, she’d have even more reason not to accept this situation.
How many women had I officially accepted as my own recently? No matter how you looked at it, it was happening way too often.
Honestly, even I had to admit this was a situation where they had every right to be properly angry.
Something was up. There was definitely something more to this scene.
In the first place, Diana sitting on Leia’s lap was strange enough, wasn’t it?
My mind raced, and after a quick assessment, I decided on my next course of action.
“Everyone! Listen to me! There’s something I have to tell you!”
Despite my dead-serious tone, their reactions were rather lukewarm.
As they all wore expressions of uncertainty, Sara spoke up on their behalf with a deep sigh.
“Haaah… We already know. Vaness—”
“I’m sorry! I’ve decided to make Vanessa my woman, too!”
I cut Sara off, pulling Vanessa’s waist tight against me. She let out a low moan but didn’t resist, pressing herself against my side.
“…Hnng! My apologies, Lady Diana. My apologies, everyone.”
While clinging tightly to my side, Vanessa bowed a full ninety degrees, apologizing to the others.
Watching this, Sara’s expression finally began to show that something was off.
“Wait. Why are you apologizing to Diana, too? Didn’t you get her permission beforehand?”
Just as I’d thought. It seemed Diana had taken all the blame on herself.
That would explain why she was being held in Leia’s arms.
I never would have imagined Leia would use Diana’s weakness to do something like that, though.
In any case, I couldn’t let this stand. This was a matter between Vanessa and me. There was no need for Diana to shoulder all the blame.
“Permission? What are you talking about? I never got any such thing.”
The moment I said that, Diana looked at me with a startled expression, shaking her head frantically from side to side as if begging me not to.
What was with her? I was trying to help you. You don’t want to be blackmailed for the rest of your life, do you?
“…So. You’re saying that right now, Guwon, you just… for no reason at all, caught feelings for another woman, seduced her, and brought her here. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yeah. That’s about…”
“How dare you hold your head so high when you’ve just come back from cheating on us?”
Before I could even finish my sentence, the temperature around Sara plummeted below freezing.
W-Wait a minute. Formal speech? Is she… is she genuinely furious for the first time in a while?
“Oh? Excuse me, Mr. Guwon. Would you care to answer? Do we look like pushovers now that we let you have your way every time? It seems you think you can just bring home anyone who catches your fancy, and we’ll just easily roll over and give our permission indefinitely, is that it?”
“N-No. Sara. Wait. That’s not…”
“……”
“M-My lady Sara?”
“You asked me to wait, so I waited. Now, let’s hear your excuse, shall we? But let me be clear, if your answer fails to convince me, then that’s it…!”
She was absolutely livid.
Then again, this was the normal reaction. In the span of just a few days, I’d gotten their permission for Rachel in that manner, and then given Apostle’s Seals to both Silvia and Matilda.
And now, on top of that, Vanessa. And this time, I didn’t even get permission beforehand, just selfishly started a relationship and reported it after the fact.
She wasn’t some kind of saint; it would be stranger if she wasn’t angry.
Even though I knew it was perfectly natural, I was flustered by Sara’s full-blown anger as she cornered me like this.
I’d been too shortsighted. I was so grateful to Diana that I was only thinking about her, and in the process, I completely disregarded the feelings of the others.
No. Maybe Sara was right.
Maybe because they’d been letting things slide so easily lately, I’d gotten a big head and, in some corner of my mind, thought they’d let this slide easily, too.
What a foolish thought.
From their perspective, every time I added another woman, they must have been burning up inside.
And instead of being grateful, I made such a selfish decision. This was entirely my mistake.
“Sara! Listen—mmph!”
“Vanessa!”
But even so, I couldn’t back down now.
Trying to vaguely smooth things over here would only leave everyone with scars.
It might already be too late, but I had to fix my own mistakes with my own hands.
Just as I thought that and was about to open my mouth, Diana, as if she could bear it no longer, cried out Vanessa’s name.
At the call of her name, Vanessa quickly clamped a hand over my mouth and spoke in a calm voice, as if to cool the heated atmosphere.
“It is true that Lady Diana gave her permission.”
“……”
At Vanessa’s words, Sara, who had been erupting in cold fury, once again wore a look of confusion.
Her gaze shifted to Diana, who quickly nodded her head up and down.
Sara looked back at my face and muttered with a sigh.
“Haaah… Guwon. Seriously. Don’t lie. Just tell me the truth. I’m really about to get angry.”
I think you already got plenty angry.
Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. I had no choice but to confess the truth.
I told them that I didn’t want Diana to take all the blame for Vanessa’s situation, so I had deliberately conspired with Vanessa to stage this whole thing.
“You. I appreciate the sentiment, but this one explained everything properly, and they all understood.”
“Are you a complete idiot?! Do we look like such bitches to you?! Like we’d hold Diana’s weakness over her head for the rest of her life?!”
After hearing my full explanation, Diana and Sara responded in kind.
So Diana really did convince them all? How? That skill, I must learn it… no. Now’s not the time for that.
“No, I mean, Diana was in Leia’s arms. It’s easy to get the wrong idea, right? She doesn’t usually like that sort of thing.”
“Huh?! M-Me?! N-No! Mr. Guwon! This is…!”
“This one told her I felt sorry and would grant her any request. Whatever the circumstances, it was this one who gave permission unilaterally.”
I-I see. It’s true, Leia would never use her advantage to force her own desires on someone.
Diana probably encouraged her, telling her she’d grant anything, so just say it. And so, Leia just asked to be allowed to hold Diana.
That in itself is… well, very much like our little angel.
But does that mean that was really all there was to it? And Sara was convinced?
“You really didn’t give her a hard time, Sara?”
“Hey. Guwon! You really…”
“No, sorry. I just thought for sure you’d use this to lord it over her, saying you’re the main wife…”
“……whistles.”
The moment I said that, Sara quickly averted her gaze and started whistling.
She was surprisingly good at it, too.
“…So you did do it.”
“N-No! I stopped because Diana was about to cry, okay?!”
“You even made her cry?!”
“I said she didn’t cry! I stopped right before!”
“You! Listen to this! Do you know what Lady Sara said the moment this one offered to grant her a request? She tried to make this one personally declare that Lady Sara is the main wife… Waaah…”
Seeing Sara flustered, Diana came over to me and started rubbing her eyes with both hands, letting out fake sobs that were painfully obvious.
“D-Diana!”
“A jest. Lady Sara stopped as soon as this one pretended to cry.”
“That was just a pretense?!”
“Hmph. A woman’s tears are a weapon.”
“You’re not supposed to use them on other women! That’s cheating! Tell him the truth right now!”
“My love! Lady Sara is bullying me!”
“Guwon! Diana keeps trying to mess with me!”
Hey, telling me won’t do any good. I can’t take anyone’s side here.
The atmosphere had been so serious just a moment ago, but somehow it had become lighthearted in an instant.
Well, it was highly likely the two of them were deliberately joking around to dispel the earlier mood.
These two sometimes made it hard to tell if they were genuinely fighting or just pretending.
In any case, things had developed differently than I’d thought, but I decided to confirm one more time.
“…Well, anyway. Can I take this to mean that you all agree to Vanessa becoming my woman?”
I gestured to Vanessa, who was still stuck to my side and being strangely quiet, and asked my question. They all had slightly complicated expressions, but they nodded properly.
“Yes, Mr. Guwon. We all agree.”
“…After hearing the circumstances, there’s no way we couldn’t agree.”
“Indeed. I, too, felt that this must be the guidance of the Goddess.”
“Lady Vanessa, we’ll be in your care.”
I’ve been wondering for a while now, but what exactly are these “circumstances”?
I don’t know anything about that. Is there something else going on?
I glanced at Vanessa, but as always, I couldn’t glean any information from her expressionless face.
“…Everyone. Thank you, truly.”
Well, to be precise, I could glean that she was incredibly moved right now.
“Alright. Then from now on, she’s my concubine, so let’s all get along…”
“I refuse.”
“…Vanessa. You’ve got some serious nerve. You just saw Sara get angry, didn’t you? And you still feel like defying me after seeing that?”
“Wait. Guwon. What are you talking about?”
“Ah, no. My true feelings just slipped out… N-No! I mean… right! I’m trying to persuade Vanessa! Vanessa! You’ve been watching us up close, so you know our situation, right? Can’t you be satisfied with being a concubine? Of course, I know you like me, and I like you too, but…”
“What are you talking about?”
“H-Huh?”
“What I refused was your order to become a concubine.”
“……”
Ah… um… What is she talking about now?
Right. That’s what I’m saying. Please be satisfied with being a concubine.
That’s what I thought, but what Vanessa was saying was on a completely different level.
Well, to be precise, it was true that she didn’t want to become a concubine.
“There is no need to accept me as your concubine. Please continue to treat me as a butler, just as you always have.”
“…Hey. I just want to double-check in case I’m mistaken, but you do like me, right?”
“…I do. I… love you.”
It seemed that even our iron-masked Vanessa was embarrassed to whisper words of love in front of everyone like this. She hesitated slightly before speaking.
Right. So that’s it? I wasn’t mistaken?
And yet, she didn’t refuse because she wanted the main wife position over a concubine’s, but because she just didn’t want to be a concubine at all? Was she being serious? What was she thinking?
“However, I have no intention of becoming a concubine. I am, and will continue to be, Lady Diana’s butler. That fact will not change, nor do I intend for it to change. Therefore, please continue to treat me as you always have.”
“What?! Does that mean you won’t be my woman? Then why did you confess?”
“That was… to be honest, it was difficult to control my emotions. If you would be alright with it, Sir Guwon, and if everyone else would permit it, I would like to continue serving as I have, and occasionally be given the opportunity to receive your love. That is enough for me.”
She liked me so much that her iron mask was cracking, so much that she couldn’t control her emotions, yet she wanted to remain a butler?
Why on earth was she so obsessed with the position of a butler?
No, more importantly, didn’t she agree to become my woman just a moment ago?
Isn’t what she’s saying now slightly different from before?
Don’t tell me that after having sex once, her burning passion cooled down and she feels refreshed? Is that why she changed her mind?
Of course, they probably weren’t thinking about the sex part, but aside from that, it seemed everyone was thinking along the same lines as me. After hearing Vanessa’s words, they were all silent for a while.
The one who broke the silence was Diana.
“Vanessa. There is no need to hold back on my account. If you do so because you enjoy your work as a butler, I will allow you to continue. Therefore, there is no need to refuse the position of concubine.”
“No, Lady Diana. I am grateful enough that you permitted me to reveal my heart to Sir Guwon. That position is not one that suits me. So please, allow me to remain merely a butler.”
Even with Diana stepping in, Vanessa’s will did not bend.
Diana pressed a hand to her forehead as if she had a slight headache, sighed once, then stood on her tiptoes, reached out, and pulled me closer by my ear.
“You. Did you not properly capture Vanessa’s heart?”
“…Yeah. I lost to you.”
“Hm? What sort of nonsense is that?”
It means exactly what it sounds like. I lost to you. I’m feeling humiliated enough as it is, so don’t make me say it twice. No matter how much I respect you, to lose to someone of the same sex…
Well, Vanessa did make it clear she doesn’t see Diana that way.
“N-No. To be honest, I thought I had captured it properly. Otherwise, Vanessa would never have even thought of confessing to me, right? Not after you laid down the law like that.”
“That is true… Haaah… It seems we need to have a calm discussion.”
“I agree.”
I was just getting curious about what Vanessa’s “circumstances” were anyway.
It seemed Diana had more to say as well, so the timing was perfect.
Diana and I felt the need for a conversation and exchanged a brief glance before deciding to sort out the situation first.
“Haaah… I understand, Vanessa. If that is what you truly wish, then so be it. This one will support your decision.”
“Thank you, Lady Diana.”
“And, I will permit your other request as well. You may share your love with my husband from time to time. This one will not mind at all. Is that alright with everyone?”
At Diana’s words, everyone nodded with complicated expressions.
“Lady Diana. And everyone. Once again, thank you very much.”
As Diana spoke, Vanessa, who had drifted slightly away from my side, gave a small smile and bowed a full ninety degrees once more.
If she’s this happy over something so small, then what’s wrong with becoming a concubine? Diana even said she could keep her butler job. What’s the problem?
“Then, Vanessa. As my butler, would you mind starting on dinner preparations? This one is getting rather hungry.”
Looking at Vanessa, Diana put on a clumsy act, making it obvious she was trying to get Vanessa out of the room.
Well, since her opponent was Vanessa, who was absolutely obedient to her, the act would work whether it was clumsy or not.
“Yes. I will go and prepare at once.”
“No. There is no need to rush. You may take your time. Your time.”
“Understood.”
Her expression returning to its usual impassiveness, Vanessa quietly left my room to prepare the meal.
The way her thick tail swayed from side to side with each step seemed to speak for her current state of mind.