Chapter 597: The Conditions for Apostle Appointment
Chapter 597: The Conditions for Apostle Appointment
“…Please, go in first.”
Vanessa, who had led me to the dining room, stopped just before the entrance and turned to me.
Her expression was as blank as ever, but for some reason, I could tell she was embarrassed.
Then again, I’d probably be embarrassed, too.
How long had it been since she’d coolly declared in front of everyone, ‘I will not become Lord Guwon’s woman. I will remain his butler,’ only to have to go back and say, ‘I have now become Lord Guwon’s woman’?
Honestly, if it were me, I’d be too ashamed to even show my face.
“Embarrassed?”
“About what, sir?”
I tried to lighten the mood with a playful tone, but Vanessa remained stone-faced, her response blunt.
“Oh, come on. You know what.”
“I do not. Is becoming Lord Guwon’s woman something to be embarrassed about?”
Oho. So that’s how you want to play it?
Well, I have a plan for that.
“Of course not. Then let’s go in together like this.”
I casually wrapped an arm around Vanessa’s waist, intending for us to enter the dining room at the same time.
Of course, Vanessa didn’t budge an inch.
See? No matter how you slice it, you’re embarrassed.
I pulled her waist in tighter and stared intently at her face.
Vanessa stared right back at me.
Her cheeks seemed to have a faint blush, but she maintained her blank expression.
After a moment of silent standoff, I naturally moved to kiss that face… but before I could, her hand shot up and blocked me.
“…What do you think you’re doing?!”
Vanessa tried to maintain her blunt demeanor while blocking my face with one hand, but when I gave her palm a light lick, she flinched in surprise and snatched her hand away.
“Just trying to help you relax.”
“Stop your foolishness and go.”
As she said this, Vanessa clenched the hand I had licked into a tight fist.
Isn’t the normal reaction to wipe it? Especially since you have a pocket square right there in your breast pocket.
Or what? Don’t tell me you think it’s a waste to wipe it off or something?
No, is that taking it too far?
It’s a problem. Every little meaningless thing Vanessa does, things I wouldn’t have thought twice about before, now seems unbearably cute.
It’s gotten to the point where even the way she’s coldly staring at me with that blank face feels different than before.
I might have a serious case.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing. You seem a bit more relaxed, so let’s go.”
I gave her butt a little pat with the hand that had been around her waist, then took the lead and walked into the dining room.
“You!”
The moment I entered, Diana shot up from her seat as if she’d been waiting and scampered over to me.
And she wasn’t the only one in the dining room.
Sara, Leia, Silvia, and Matilda were all there, sitting in the exact same spots they’d been in before I left, waiting for me.
“What happened?! Huh?! What happened?!”
“Calm down. Can’t you tell by my expression?”
I pulled the frantic Diana into a hug, patting her back to calm her down before shifting my gaze behind me.
Vanessa entered with uncharacteristically hesitant steps, then saw Diana and bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle in apology.
“Lady Diana. I am sorry.”
“Hm? For what?”
“…Despite what I said before, I have… decided to become Lord Guwon’s woman.”
Vanessa must have been terrified of Diana’s reaction, because her voice, and even her body, trembled slightly. Nevertheless, she clearly conveyed her intentions to Diana.
Diana looked at Vanessa, her face a mask of disbelief, and whipped her head back and forth, looking between me and Vanessa.
It seemed she thought I was just going to smooth things over with Vanessa and that would be the end of it.
As if. Didn’t I tell you? I told you to trust me.
Seeing Diana’s unconcealed curiosity about how I’d managed it, I shot her a wide grin and a thumbs-up.
Diana’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Hey! What’s with that reaction?! I did exactly what you wanted!
“…Vanessa.”
But Diana quickly composed her features into a kindly expression and called Vanessa’s name.
However, Vanessa, still bowed low and unable to see Diana’s face, flinched at the mere sound of her name.
Just how nervous is she? Diana already said she’d accept her as my woman.
Though, I guess it’s understandable she’d be a little tense, having to take back her refusal.
“You’ve made a wise choice!”
But contrary to Vanessa’s tension, Diana was all smiles as she pulled Vanessa into a tight hug.
See? You should have a little more faith in your mistress.
“Y-You forgive me?”
Vanessa, clearly taken aback by Diana’s reaction, lifted her head and looked at her, her expression now visibly tearful.
…Hey. How come your expressions are so much richer than when you’re with me? Weren’t you supposed to like me and Diana about the same? I mean, I get that you’ve spent more time together, so it’s natural for your expressions and attitude to be more relaxed, but still.
…I can’t believe I’m getting jealous of one of my women because of another one of my women.
What does that even mean? I don’t know what it means either.
While I was quietly fanning the flames of jealousy, the heartwarming conversation between Diana and Vanessa continued.
“What is there to forgive? Did I not tell you? I believe you are more than worthy of being my husband’s woman. You have truly made a wise choice.”
“…Ugh. Lady Diana… I, I…”
“Mm. Mm. Say no more. It is fine.”
“…No, Lady Diana. There is one more thing I must ask of you.”
Diana was gently comforting Vanessa with a face befitting her age, but Vanessa looked at her with a firm expression, as if she still had more to say.
“Hm? A request? What is it?”
“Even if I become Lord Guwon’s woman, I wish to continue serving as your butler. I beg of you. Please allow me to remain your butler.”
“You need not even ask. In fact, I was about to ask the same of you. As long as you wish it, you will always be my butler.”
“Sniff. Lady Diana…”
At Diana’s endlessly kind words, a single tear finally streamed from Vanessa’s beautiful eyes as she buried her face in Diana’s shoulder… Hey! Wait a minute! You didn’t cry when I confessed to you, or even just now when you said you’d be my woman, did you?! You really do like me and Diana on the same level, don’t you?!
Of course, I wasn’t seriously jealous. I didn’t have the slightest intention of rushing over there and ruining the mood.
But it seemed Sara thought otherwise, because she grabbed my arm and pulled me to the other side of the table.
Not only that, but all the others surrounded me, forming a wall.
Sara, Leia, Matilda, and even Silvia came closer.
“I-I wasn’t jealous, okay?!”
“What? What are you talking about? …Wait, were you jealous watching them?”
My guilty conscience got the better of me, and I immediately denied it. Sara tilted her head, confused, then a look of realization dawned on her, and she stared at me as if I were absurd.
“No. I wasn’t. What are you talking about? A-Anyway. Why did you drag me over here?”
I decided to hastily change the subject.
Sara sighed as if she couldn’t believe it and shook her head, but it seemed she wasn’t going to press the issue.
“Because we’re curious. How on earth did you do it?”
Leia, who had been watching our exchange with a hand covering her mouth in an elegant giggle, leaned in close and asked with sparkling eyes.
Leia. When you do that, your chest is… thank you. Thank you.
“That’s right. Wasn’t she still angry before you left? How did you manage to wrap her around your finger like that?”
Of course, Leia wasn’t the only one with eyes sparkling with curiosity.
I knew women liked to talk about romance, and it seemed that was true in this world as well. They’d just never talked about it with me, so I hadn’t noticed.
Do you guys talk about this stuff among yourselves when I’m not around?
I never thought even Silvia would come up so close, her eyes shining.
Well, still, this was a story about me and Vanessa. In other words, from their perspective, it was a story about their man getting involved with another woman. The fact that their curiosity outweighed their jealousy meant that, in their hearts, they had already accepted Vanessa as one of my women. So, this is a good thing, right?
Of course, the unique nature of the situation was probably a big factor.
Vanessa, who had been angry since yesterday and hadn’t even shown her face today, had suddenly declared she would become my woman. To anyone else, it would look like I’d performed some kind of magic, so of course they’d be curious.
“Hyaah!”
“Hmph. Listen well. From this moment, I shall recount my incredible feats…”
My shoulders puffed out with pride, and I decided to tell my story while pulling the unsuspecting Silvia into an embrace.
Silvia seemed to realize just how close she had gotten to me and her body trembled, but it was too late for regrets.
“…And that’s how Vanessa finally came to admit her feelings for me! What do you think?!”
“Yes. As expected, you’re amazing.”
“Honestly, your head only works this well at times like these.”
“It would be perfect if you were always like this.”
“Hiyauwaaah…”
“Hmm. So that’s why you were so confident.”
As expected, the only one to give me sincere praise after my confident tale was my angel.
No, I mean, Sara’s always like that, but Matilda, isn’t that a bit harsh coming from you? What do you mean, you wish I was always like this! I’m always a smart and fine young man! You’d admit it in a heartbeat if I whispered it in your ear!
Wait. More importantly, did I just hear Diana’s voice?
I whipped my head around to see Diana and Vanessa, who had approached us at some point.
Diana was nodding her head in understanding, while Vanessa stood a step behind her, trembling as if she were being publicly shamed. The way she tried to force a blank expression onto her bright red face was incredibly cute.
“So, you came to report. Is that it?”
“Yeah. That’s right… Oh! Matilda!”
“Kyaa! Y-Yes?!”
“I have a question!”
“Ye-Yes… Ask me anything…”
Her earlier complaints vanished without a trace. The moment I leaned in close, Matilda immediately switched into her pink-hued mode.
Hmph. You were going to end up like this anyway.
The desire to make her admit that I was always smart welled up inside me, but I decided to achieve my original objective first.
“You once said you liked me, independent of the curse, right?”
“Y-Yes?! Yes, yes…”
Even in her pink-hued mode, that answer was apparently a little embarrassing. Matilda glanced around, her face blushing slightly as she affirmed it in a barely audible voice.
“Is there a reason? When did you fall for me? Tell me.”
“Wha?! H-Here, you mean?! Th-That is… well…”
“So there is a reason. What is it?”
“D-Do I really have to say…?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
“Ugh… ughh… B-Because… you were the first…”
“Hm? The first what?”
“The first man… who knew about my curse… and still treated me normally… Because you were the first… Y-You said it yourself, didn’t you? That you only realized your immunity to my curse… right after we defeated the Layer Boss on the 5th Floor. But even before that, you… unlike all the other men… you treated me… so normally…”
As she spoke, Matilda looked like she was about to die from embarrassment. Her voice grew quieter and quieter until I could no longer make out her words.
But before her voice faded completely, I had heard everything I needed to.
Come to think of it… she definitely said something like that before. Matilda had suddenly asked me that question, saying it was important.
At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant by it, but don’t tell me that’s what it was?!
Does that mean that was the quest for Matilda’s Apostle Appointment? To treat her without regard for her curse?