Chapter 624: Felicia's Feelings
Chapter 624: Felicia's Feelings
“By the way, Silvia. You’re back pretty quick, huh?”
After Vanessa untangled my arms from her body and climbed into the driver’s seat, Silvia and I immediately boarded the carriage.
And that was the first thing I said to Silvia, who sat facing me.
Yeah, I know.
‘I’m a cool guy, so I won’t ask what you talked about here.’
‘If it’s something I need to know, Silvia will tell me herself.’
I know what you’re thinking. For someone who was just trying to act all cool a moment ago, am I really going to start interrogating her about the conversation not even a few minutes later?
But that’s not it. I really don’t plan on prying into the details.
I just got a little curious.
The conversation I had with Vanessa in front of the carriage was very brief.
But Silvia had already returned in that short time.
In other words, even if we assume Silvia ran all the way from Felicia’s room, it meant her conversation with Felicia lasted less than five minutes.
She hadn’t asked me to wait by the door, either; she’d asked me to go on ahead.
To do that, despite the conversation being so short, must have been a preemptive measure to block any potential accidents—namely, the possibility of me, waiting outside the door, overhearing their conversation.
A conversation so important and secret that it had to be less than five minutes long.
It’s enough to make a guy a little curious, right? So I just threw out a simple question.
Ah, but if Silvia looks like she doesn’t want to talk about it, I won’t press her! Because I’m a cool guy!
“Was it nothing important?”
“W-Well… It’s just… the conversation ended quickly.”
And just as I expected, Silvia gave only a vague answer to my question, turning her head slightly to avoid my gaze.
But the fact that she didn’t just brush it off as nothing spoke to her honest nature.
It seemed the conversation with Felicia was indeed a big deal to Silvia. And probably to me, as well.
Seeing her reaction only made me more curious about what she and Felicia had discussed.
“Really? Glad it ended quickly, then. If we’re late for dinner again today, I’m definitely going to get an earful this time.”
But I didn’t press any further, ending the conversation with that lighthearted joke.
Because Silvia’s expression, you see. It looked like she was desperately pleading with me not to ask any more questions.
On top of that, she was so steeped in guilt, like someone who had done something they shouldn’t have, that I, the one who asked the question, started to feel sorry.
You’re wondering if I’m not worried, having interpreted her expression that way?
Not at all. There’s no way Silvia would do anything to harm me.
I can guarantee it. That guilt Silvia is feeling is just her own misguided sense of apology. I’d even bet on it.
Even if I later find out what Silvia and Felicia talked about, I’m sure I’ll just think it’s no big deal and move on.
It’s because I have that faith in Silvia that I’m not pressing her for the details.
To be honest, I am a little worried Felicia might be up to something.
After all, Felicia was the one who stopped Silvia, saying she had something to talk about.
But well, even if Felicia was trying to pull something, she was dealing with Silvia, who has known her since they were children.
If Felicia were truly plotting something that could harm me, Silvia would handle it properly.
“Of course. Even if we are late for dinner, it will be clearly Sir Guwon’s fault. Lady Silvia will be in no way to blame.”
Apparently, Vanessa, driving from the coachman’s seat, had overheard our conversation, as her voice drifted through the small window connecting to the driver’s area.
“Hey! Why is it my fau—well, I guess I can’t say I’m completely blameless! But aren’t you being a little too cold?! If I’m about to get scolded, you should at least try to cover for me a little!”
“I refuse.”
“Seriously? You’d really do that to me? Just shut me down like that?”
“As a butler, I have a duty to report only the facts.”
Don’t give me that crap!
I mean, I guess that’s what a butler is supposed to do!
But you’re just pissed at me and want to see me get scolded!
Besides, if that were really the reason, you should have said, ‘I cannot,’ not ‘I refuse,’ you little punk.
I thought you’d gotten over being mad after our talk before we left.
Well, not that you ever actually said you weren’t mad anymore.
Honestly, she can be so petty sometimes.
Anyway, while Vanessa and I were bickering, Silvia’s expression remained tense, unable to shake off her guilt as she peeked at me.
For real? Your expression won’t even loosen up in a mood like this?
You know, I was deliberately joking around with Vanessa to try and lighten your heavy mood. …Seriously!
But if this doesn’t work, I have no choice.
It’s a bit of a forced method, but I guess I’ll have to try another way to cheer Silvia up.
“Silvia.”
“Y-Yesss…?”
When I placed a hand on her head and called her name, Silvia flinched slightly and looked at me with trembling eyes.
Looking at her, I deliberately put on a stern expression and opened my mouth.
“Did Felicia… try to seduce you into sleeping with another man behind my back?”
“……?”
Hearing my words, Silvia first stared at me with a blank expression, as if she couldn’t comprehend what she’d just heard, and tilted her head slightly.
Then, as her brain slowly began to process the meaning of my words, her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and she shouted in disbelief.
“W-Whaaaat?! N-No, that’s, that’s ridiculous! N-No, sir! Absolutely! That’s not what we talked about at all! W-We! We were just! I mean!”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me what you talked about. Just knowing it wasn’t that is enough.”
I gently patted the head my hand was resting on to calm the startled Silvia, then relaxed my expression and spoke in a soft voice.
“Listen, Silvia. Believe it or not, I’m a man who’s warm to his woman.”
“Y-Yes…”
Silvia responded vaguely, as if she didn’t quite understand what I was trying to say.
“So, I trust you completely. I know you’re not the kind of person who would ever do anything to harm me. No. Even if you did something like that, I’m sure there would be a reason. So even if you did something wrong to me, I could definitely forgive you. As long as it’s not the kind of wrong I just mentioned.”
“S-Sir Guwoooon…”
When I said that, Silvia began to look at me with teary eyes.
Tears started to well up, but they were purely from being moved.
It seemed the guilt she had been feeling just moments before had finally started to fade.
Looking at her, I gave her a gentle smile.
Honestly, it’s a little embarrassing. I’m well aware that I just dropped a super cheesy line.
But what could I do? My dear Silvia was looking so down. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“You’re not thinking, ‘Are you telling me right now that you can’t forgive me for sleeping with someone else?! Is that what you have to say?! Do you have any shame?!’ are you? If you are, please keep it to yourself. My conscience is pricked enough as it is. If I hear it out loud, my fragile heart won’t be able to take it.”
I immediately threw out a joke in a lighter tone to change the mood.
“N-No, sir! I-I’m not thinking that! How could I ever…!”
Of course, my cute Silvia shook her head vigorously from side to side, desperately refuting my joke.
“So you were just moved by my generosity, okay?”
“O-Okay!”
“Great! Then come into my arms! Here!”
“Hieeek! N-Not right now, I can’t!”
As I opened my arms to hug Silvia, who was sitting in front of me, she quickly scrambled out of my reach.
“……”
“N-No, sir! It’s not that! R-Right now, it’s just! I’m so moved! I-I don’t think I can handle it…. U-Ugh… Eek! Hiuuungh…”
Seeing her reaction, I deliberately put on a hurt expression, and Silvia desperately tried to explain herself.
Then, squeezing her eyes shut with a look of resolve, she reached out, grabbed my sleeve, and began to tremble.
No, Silvia. I appreciate you being so moved by such a cheesy line, but what are you going to do if your tolerance gets even lower?
Please, at least maintain enough resistance for me to enjoy my Silviatherapy.
I’m already addicted to Silviatherapy; I don’t think I can live without it anymore.
In any case, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to hug Silvia right now, so I reluctantly decided to give up on my Silviatherapy.
Instead, I turned my head toward the gaze I’d been feeling on the back of my head for a while now.
And there, as expected, was Vanessa, staring at me through the window from the driver’s seat. She had an expression that screamed she had something to say.
Hey. You’re driving. Look at the road.
Sure, it was a wide, straight, empty road with no one else around, so it probably wasn’t a big deal, but still.
“Something you want to say?”
“Does it look that way?”
…What kind of answer is that?
Uh, yeah. It looks like you have a lot to say.
Well, I have a pretty good idea of what you want to say, though.
“For the record.”
“Yes.”
“What I said to Silvia earlier, about keeping those thoughts to herself because it pricks my conscience? That doesn’t just apply to Silvia.”
“Is that so.”
The moment I said that, Vanessa replied in a flat voice and finally turned her head to face forward.
Her expression was as blank as her voice, but I could catch a faint glimmer of emotion in it.
Was it just as I suspected?! You really wanted to say that?! Ugh! I swear!
I feel guilty enough as it is, you know?! What’s with that ‘good, as long as you know’ look?!
A thousand retorts boiled up inside me, but it was true that while I could never tolerate my girls doing such a thing, I had been embracing other women.
So I couldn’t say a word, forced to swallow it all down.
No. I have to say this, at least.
“Hey. Vanessa.”
“Yes.”
When I spoke, Vanessa answered without turning her head, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
“You do know that if I weren’t this kind of person, you wouldn’t be my woman either, right?”
“……”
At my words, Vanessa, who had been answering so readily just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent.
Hey, you. Going silent only when you’re at a disadvantage is a really bad habit.
If you think you can always get out of a tight spot like that, you’re sorely mistaken.
This time, I’ll make sure you learn that lesson.
“Vanessa? Miss Vanessa? Can you hear me? Can you? I said if I weren’t this kind of person, you wouldn’t be able to date me either, you know? What are your thoughts on that? Huh? If you can hear me, please say something? Huh? Miss Vanessa?”
“…Sir Guwon.”
As I persistently spoke to her through the window, Vanessa, who had been maintaining her silence, finally responded by calling my name as if she had no other choice.
“Yeah? What is it?”
I answered her in a triumphant voice, but the reply that came back was far from what I had expected.
“You are disturbing my driving.”
“What! You! What do you mean! This is a wide—argh! Why are you turning onto a narrow road at this exact moment?!”
I never imagined I’d hear those words again at this timing, and my sense of injustice exploded.
No! I can’t let her get away with it again!
“Hey! No matter how you…!”
“My apologies. It would be dangerous to have an accident on a narrow road.”
But before I could say anything else, Vanessa reached a hand behind her without looking back and slid the window shut with a click.
And so, my boiling heart was left to wander with nowhere to go.
I’ve made up my mind. The next time I hold her, I’m definitely going with domination play.
Though I made that firm resolution internally, it did nothing to quell my directionless anger.
“U-Um, Sir Guwon… U-Ugh… Eek!”
Seeing me like that, Silvia spread her arms, hugged me, and began to tremble.
Hooo. I’m calming down. Yes. Right. I was getting worked up over nothing.
Vanessa was just being shy. It happens. Yes. It can happen.
Besides, I haven’t even appointed her as an Apostle yet, so isn’t a strong play like domination a bit too much? I suppose I have no choice. I’ll let her off the hook.
The effects of Silviatherapy were outstanding today as well.