TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 124
Crackle…
The sound of firewood burning could be heard in the Young Lady’s room.
The Young Lady, who had woken from a nightmare, was leaning against Shoulders Broader than the Pacific Ocean, opening her drowsy eyes.
The late-night struggle between the Young Lady, who tried to undress me, and the Possessor, filled with Confucian ideals, dragged on until nightfall. Exhausted from the fight, the Young Lady raised a white flag and proposed a truce to me.
-I won’t look! It’s filthy and unfair…!
-I must be the only Butler in history to be sexually harassed by the Young Lady I serve.
-What are you saying! You even know the color of my panties.
-That’s because I prepared them for you, isn’t it? For reference, today’s are modest sky-blue with teddy bears….
-Eeeek! Shut up!
The Young Lady always enjoyed pranks that went beyond my expectations.
What does it mean to wake up from a dream and immediately want to see the Butler’s naked body? It’s wholesome sexual harassment.
Moreover, because I’d been secretly eating the Young Lady’s snacks at night recently, my abs had faded, making it embarrassing to show her. After all, it was the Butler’s duty to present impressive abs when prepared.
A month ago, I would’ve been willing to shyly flaunt my abs if asked, but now, thanks to the food harassment I suffered in Desmond, my faded abs made it quite awkward to show them to the Young Lady.
The Young Lady, who had no idea about the Butler’s desire to always show his best side, looked at me with her coy eyes.
“I hate you.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“I still hate you.”
“I can show you my arm, though.”
The intrigued Young Lady rolled her eyes and stared at my rough hands.
“Will you show me?”
“It’s just an arm, so why are you saying it so suggestively?”
“That’s because Ricardo is a pervert.”
“…That’s.”
Undeniable.
The Young Lady rolled up my sleeve and stared blankly at my veined forearm. Looking at the arm where the heartbeat could be felt, she smiled with relief, saying “Oh….”
She poked it lightly with her finger.
“Hmm.”
And then, “Nom…” she bit my arm.
“Young Lady.”
“Hm?”
The Young Lady, biting my arm, rolled her eyes to look at me. My forearm, now drenched in saliva, was screaming silently.
It felt both enviable yet made me frown.
“It’s not for eating.”
“Got it.”
“Then why are you biting it?”
“Testing if it’s healthy.”
Meeting my ambiguous gaze, the Young Lady, perhaps embarrassed, removed her mouth and wiped the saliva from her lips.
Though I didn’t understand why she didn’t wipe the saliva off my arm, I thought to myself that in terms of cleanliness, she was the world’s worst Villainess.
“Passed.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Yes.”
Still, I guess it’s fortunate that I passed.
Nodding her head, the Young Lady leaned against my shoulder again and stared at the burning bonfire.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
The Young Lady, who had given her approval, looked gloomy. I thought it might be because the approval wasn’t fun, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Still unable to shake off the nightmare, the Young Lady, who kept glancing at my body with teary eyes, continued to hold my hand while engaging in seductive flirting.
“You know.”
“I’m listening, but could you let go of my hand first?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s such an honor for the most beautiful woman in the world to hold my hand that I can’t control my heartbeat. I’m afraid I might collapse from a heart attack.”
“Heh… What are you saying?”
At the pleasant praise, the Young Lady gave a small smile and held my hand even tighter.
“No… Sigh…”
Though I meant it sincerely, the Young Lady seemed to take it as a joke. I really felt like my heart might give out, but she didn’t seem to notice. With her unnecessarily seductive breathing, the Young Lady buried her face in my shoulder and swallowed a pleasant smile.
While gazing at the softly burning bonfire, the Young Lady asked me in a low voice.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about. Can I ask?”
“If you ask, it will hurt.”
-Softly…
The Young Lady opened her sharp eyes at the lame joke. It was a joke I had studied from books. Feeling a strange disappointment at her cold reaction, I let out an empty laugh.
“Just kidding.”
“It’s not funny, so don’t.”
“I’ll try to refrain.”
“Don’t try to refrain; just don’t do it.”
“Hmm…”
The Young Lady was firm.
As a brief silence passed, I pondered what kind of question the Young Lady might ask. Although I didn’t know what it would be, the atmosphere she created suggested it would be a rather heavy topic.
Pretending to deliberate, I nodded.
“I’ll answer depending on the question.”
“Expensive.”
“Since the Young Lady I serve is priceless, I have no choice but to set a high rate. I hope you understand.”
“…Got it.”
Enjoying such jokes, the Young Lady gave a small smile and shyly lowered her head.
“You know.”
“Yes.”
“Ricardo.”
The Young Lady exhaled deeply and asked in a trembling voice.
“Why are you by my side?”
“That’s quite a sharp question.”
“I decided to ask it no matter what today.”
“Couldn’t it be a little less pointed?”
“The nightmare was so terrifying today that I can’t do that.”
“That’s… a terrible nightmare.”
The Young Lady lowered her head, waiting for an answer. Her fingers, dancing nervously in my tightly held hand, seemed to fear hearing the response.
From the trembling of her fingers, I could sense that she was worried. Perhaps she thought I stayed by her side at the Head of the Household’s request or because I was determined to collect overdue wages.
Once again, the Young Lady explained why she was asking such a question. In a small, trembling voice, she turned herself into a bad person, wondering if there was any reason for me to stay by her side when the ties between us had weakened.
“I don’t listen, I have no money, so why are you by my side?”
“Hmm…”
“I can’t even walk anymore, and just as you said, Ricardo, my personality is awful, so why….”
Her voice, like a Cat hiding in a hole, came out small. It felt both stifling and as if she were desperately clinging, pleading for me not to leave.
“Why are you by my side? You know, Ricardo… I can’t do anything for you anymore.”
“I can’t buy you cool clothes like before, I can’t indulge in luxury, and I can’t even proudly say in front of others that I serve the Young Lady of the House of Desmond. So why are you staying?”
Listening to the Young Lady’s lament without giving an answer, I was quite surprised.
For a Villainess, she’s remarkably self-aware.
I was surprised that the Young Lady, who usually lived for her own pride, was having such concerns. At the same time, I felt sorry that she had to say such things because of me.
I wondered if the Young Lady wouldn’t have needed to say such things if I had tried harder, feeling regret.
A small silence lingered between the Young Lady and me, accompanied by the crackling of firewood.
The silence, born from the Young Lady’s fear of what she might hear and my contemplation of what to say, made our clasped hands sweat.
Perhaps a single piece of firewood burned away during that silence. Finally, I opened my mouth with difficulty.
“Indeed.”
As always, my answer began with “Indeed,” foolish as it may seem.
Because even I don’t know the reason.
If I had sought success, as the Young Lady said, I would’ve abandoned her long ago and pursued a different path. Then, I could’ve made a name for myself as a prodigy surpassing Yuria and Mikhail.
Nevertheless, I valued the existence of the Young Lady more than success.
Honor.
Wealth.
Success.
Because spending time with the Young Lady was far more enjoyable than any of these. In a calm voice, I carefully gave the answer the Young Lady had been waiting for.
“Being by the side of the ever-radiant Young Lady seems to have raised my standards.”
“…”
“Isn’t there a display case filled with many gems?”
“Gems…?”
“Yes, gems. Just as when you find a gem you truly like among many others, no other gem catches your eye… That’s what the Young Lady is to me.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Hmm. It means that I prefer the existence of the Young Lady over success.”
“…”
“It’d be troublesome if you fell for me. I’m quite a greedy person, you see.”
“Shameless.”
“What can I say? I’m just that impressive.”
Throwing out a trivial joke, I smiled.
“Anyway, I enjoy being with the Young Lady.”
It was embarrassing and cringeworthy to say such things out loud, but the subtle mood created by the bonfire made it easier to express such words.
“The bond we’ve shared since childhood has polished the luster of the gem.”
“The intense fistfight we had during our first meeting seems to have refined the raw gemstone, which was just like any ordinary stone.”
“And…”
Pinching the Young Lady’s cheek, I gazed at the burning bonfire.
“What can I do when the raw gemstone that is the Young Lady herself is so beautiful? After all, gems are meant to bring joy just by looking at them.”
“Ugh… Let go.”
“No. Let’s polish the gem’s luster for the first time in a while.”
“Ughhh! It’s going to tear!”
“Puhaha!”
With a small smile, I looked at the Young Lady.
“I like things like this. Watching the Young Lady live with such pride is amusing.”
My old stories are boring.
The tales from my first meeting with the Young Lady to now are dull and insignificant, in my opinion.
So, I intend to set aside stories of the past for now.
Sometimes, I think a lot about why I serve the Young Lady.
Why would I serve a Young Lady who grumbles and gets annoyed?
But.
The existence of the Young Lady to me was like a shining gem. Though her personality was outrageous, the memories of sitting next to a dirty beggar in the slums and begging together were both the funniest and most radiant.
Perhaps that’s why I feel such attachment.
Suddenly, old memories came to mind.
I remembered the Young Lady nodding off at her desk during etiquette training.
On a day when warm sunshine illuminated the Young Lady, I unknowingly let out a laugh.
-Ah. This is driving me crazy.
It was like the spring day’s sunlight.