LIGHTNOVELONLINE “Go on, drop it, Aida.”
Viviana spoke as she placed her finger on my lips. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotions, but having played the game many times, I knew well. Viviana had a habit of suppressing her feelings every time she was deeply shaken.
“Yes, if that’s what the Princess desires.”
I left a soft kiss on the finger lightly resting on my lips. Each time I subtly licked the tip of her finger with my tongue, I could feel it trembling ever so slightly.
I cautiously wrapped my hands around Viviana’s hand. Slowly, I parted my tightly sealed lips and gently pulled her finger into my mouth.
The slender finger was now slowly entering my mouth. Viviana must have been able to feel my breath through her finger.
And just as I was about to close my lips, I couldn’t help but wear a thin smile and carefully let go of Viviana’s finger.
“I’m joking. This kind of flirting is reserved for the Masters who take care of me with love.”
“….”
“In return, I’ll give you some helpful information, Princess.”
I quietly sat across from Viviana. She stared at me with her dark eyes, saying nothing.
Presenting a piece of stationery I had tucked inside my skirt, I held it out to Viviana, but her gaze remained fixed not on the stationery, but on my face, completely unmoving.
To be honest, it was a little scary, but I managed to put on a smile. After a moment of silence, Viviana finally took the letter and began to open it. She slowly read the contents, and with a hollow smile on her lips, pushed her bangs back.
“Hah.”
“Is this information helpful for the Princess?”
“Lady Blanc. This isn’t a joke, so I hope you’ll answer properly.”
Viviana’s eyes suddenly gleamed sharply like a beast. The suffocating air wrapped around me, instantly freezing my entire body. With a chilling fear that pierced my lungs, Viviana casually spoke.
“What are you really?”
Just from that gaze, I could feel the deadly aura penetrating my mind. Yes, this was the true form of Viviana. A bloodstained murderer known as the ‘Slaughterer of the Battlefield.’ No one could dare predict where the tip of this monster’s sword would point.
“Did the information not please you?”
“No, it was the information I needed. Quite suspiciously so.”
Viviana glanced over the letter again, and wore a subtle smile that resembled a sneer. It was similar to Mardian’s expression, but on her, it felt even more noble.
“To have the precise information you need at just the right time… Isn’t it too suspicious for the daughter of a fallen Baron family?”
“Viviana, I’m just a pet.”
The chill of the deadly aura she exuded swept over me, yet I smiled gently. I felt a shiver running down my spine as if my head could roll off at any moment, but the conviction that Viviana wouldn’t harm me remained steadfast.
“And people, you know, don’t bother hiding their feelings in front of a pet.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Even the Young Ladies, who always wear a thorough mask in front of others, become quite honest when it’s just the two of us.”
Perhaps realizing my intent, Viviana raised one eyebrow slightly. I spoke as innocently as ever, wearing a harmless smile.
“Everyone wants compassion and sympathy when they’re having a tough time. And thankfully, they rely on me for that.”
“Could you elaborate?”
“When their fiancé cheated, or when they secretly gambled and lost their fortune—personal stories like that are not concealed from me. They want my sympathy.”
“….”
“I’m always there to empathize. To provide a faint comfort for their sadness or anxiety. That’s my role as a pet.”
Whether she truly views me as a pet, or if it’s just that she doesn’t hesitate to spill even the things she should conceal, the Young Ladies confess their burdens to me while I do my utmost to alleviate their emotional load.
That’s what a pet’s role is.
“You might not expect how many stories I hear in a day, Princess.”
“…So, it’s like you hold the weaknesses of many Young Ladies in your hands?”
“Oh no, I don’t leverage that sort of thing. I wouldn’t want to stab the backs of my Masters who take care of me. Besides, there’s no actual evidence anyway.”
I smiled softly at Viviana. She stared at me like a predator with her deep gaze for a long while and finally leaned back against the sofa.
“It’s quite terrifying, the Young Lady of the Blanc family. In just a few years, I can’t imagine how the Blanc family will change.”
“I think I’d be fine with just paying off the family’s debts.”
In reality, my goal is a simple life. To spend peaceful days with my mother without doing anything, living freely to eat when I want and sleep when I want.
Heh, just thinking about it makes me happy.
Wiping the drool from my mouth, I looked up at Viviana again, smiling brightly.
“If you have any troubles, Viviana, feel free to confide in me anytime.”
“After just saying that you’ve caught the weaknesses of the Young Ladies, are you telling me that?”
“Oh come on… I’d never do anything to harm you, Viviana.”
“Well, having seen the hidden sides of the Young Ladies, I can’t easily trust you, can I?”
It clearly seems the actions I took with Rose were a fatal mistake that Viviana found out about. However, since it was already out in the open, I knew I couldn’t avoid it. I decided to think positively that it helped garner Viviana’s interest.
“So we’re secret friends now.”
“…Secret friends?”
Viviana raised an eyebrow slightly, her expression filled with inquiry. I slowly rose from my seat and walked closer to her. Carefully gauging her mood, I gently linked my arm with hers.
“I know you play the piano, and since you know my secret too, that makes us secret friends.”
“The weight of the secrets seems a bit different, though?”
“Still, a secret is a secret. Just between you and me, it’s a clandestine and thrilling relationship.”
As I faced Viviana with a bright smile, she looked down at me with her endlessly serious purple eyes.
“Young Lady, I’ve always been curious, but where did you learn that smile?”
“What?”
“I want to know where that sneaky, flirtatious smile came from.”
“….”
Ordinarily, I’d be caught off guard and think, “What does this even mean?” but I just blinked dumbly at Viviana’s sharp remark.
The original me didn’t smile often. It wasn’t for nothing that my T trait scored 95%. The only time I smiled was when I was gaming alone in a corner.
However, smiling was essential in social situations. Especially for someone with a gloomy personality like mine, I had to smile to blend in with the crowd.
The smile currently on my face was something I had perfected after practicing hundreds of times in the bathroom of my tiny apartment while thinking of my childhood friend.
Maybe as a result of that effort, I had grown capable of smiling naturally, and from there, people began to slowly take a liking to me, allowing me to blend smoothly into society.
But why was Viviana suddenly bringing up smiles?
“Do you perhaps find my smile unappealing?”
“…It’s just a bit strange.”
Strange, huh.
That unexpected remark startled me.
That can’t be…?
If my smile feels unnatural, then how would I appear harmless? Did my smile become awkward after my body changed?
While other Young Ladies had liked my smile, if Viviana found it strange, then all my efforts would be in vain.
Since the most important person to convince now is Viviana, it looks like I’ll need to practice my expressions in front of the mirror for a while.
“…I’m sorry.”
With a pout and a defeated voice, Viviana instantly reacted with her quivering gaze.
“No, that’s not it. My feelings are just… no, never mind…”
Viviana left her usual aloofness behind and muttered to herself, then let out a short sigh, tilting her head back to look at me.
“So? What will you do now, Lady Blanc?”
“What do you mean by how will I do it…?”
“I don’t attend most banquets. I’m saying it’s not like I can protect you forever.”
“Uh… yeah.”
That’s probably true. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s direct invitation this time, I wouldn’t have had an encounter with Viviana like this. She probably wouldn’t attend the next banquet, and then there’s a high likelihood that I’d face something unpleasant from Mardian again.
“In fact, I have another request I’d like to ask you, Princess.”
Before that, I need to win her favor. I want to instinctively protect myself from Mardian, so I need to coax her in some way.
“Could you invite me to your mansion, Princess?”
“…What?”
Her amethyst-colored eyes wavered for just a moment. I shyly blushed and glanced at Viviana with a small voice.
“I really want to hear you play the piano. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about you the whole day…”
“….”
“Is that not okay…?”
Viviana’s mansion.
If I could just go there.
I could improve Viviana’s favor.