“Oh, you’re here, Master…?”
I fumbled my words, my eyes drifting around as I avoided her gaze. I welcomed Viviana without too much enthusiasm, but also not so timidly.
“…”
Viviana looked down at me for a while. Although her peculiar gaze made me feel a bit uneasy, thankfully, she soon patted my head with a gentle smile.
“Did you write the letter well?”
“Um… yes. Haven’t you read it?”
“Why would I read that? It’s someone else’s letter.”
Did she really not read it? Viviana has a very meticulous personality. She never lets even the smallest detail slide and does whatever it takes to achieve her goals.
With her determined to make me her own pet, I wondered if I really had no interest in other young ladies at all.
But, on the other hand, I thought that there was no reason for her to lie about that. I wrote the letter knowing she’d see it, so there wasn’t really anything to hide.
Viviana continued to stroke my head and perched herself on the bed. She pointed to a book placed next to the pillow, read its contents, and raised an eyebrow.
“This book isn’t… quite your style, is it?”
“That’s why I enjoy it.”
In fact, I quite like watching others suffer. The more cruel and inhumane the torture methods, the more I feel relieved knowing that I’m not the only piece of trash in the world.
I know it’s twisted, but hey, that’s just who I am.
“Tina, come here.”
Before long, Viviana, distracted from the book, crossed her legs on the bed and beckoned me seductively. I slowly, timidly knelt before her and rested my head on her thigh.
“…”
Viviana looked down at me silently. I cautiously lifted my eyes to meet hers, my voice trembling.
“Are… you uncomfortable? I just wanted to spoil you a bit more, I’m sorry…”
I spoke hesitantly, as if unable to settle.
With a voice that seemed to lack any confidence, I gently addressed Viviana.
These were actions solely for her.
I considered it a form of special treatment.
“No, I’m not uncomfortable.”
See? Even Viviana says she doesn’t mind! That’s her own version of positive expression. With that, I gained a bit more confidence and rubbed my face against her thigh eagerly.
At first, I worried a lot when she said it was confinement. I knew Viviana wasn’t a bad person, but the memory of being assaulted by Mardian left a bit of trauma, making it hard for me to feel entirely at ease.
If I had known it would be this easy, I wouldn’t have worried so much. Honestly, at this rate, I could stay here for more than a month, not just a month.
Just by pretending to be timid and meeting Viviana’s mood for a month, I would get all the blessings of her family and the generous support of the Grand Duchy of Merdellia.
I really wondered what was going through Viviana’s mind to stake her family’s name on this.
To be honest, it feels strange to say, but I didn’t think Viviana had the high intelligence mentioned in the game.
She had the designation of being thorough and a genius in all capabilities, yet she seemed to overlook such gains and losses, which was a bit disappointing.
Well, that just works in my favor.
[b][Tina, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.] [/b]
While I was busy showering affection on Viviana’s lap, I recalled the words my mother once told me.
‘There’s no free lunch, but there are pushovers, dear.’
I chuckled inwardly, missing my mother. It had been a long time since I was cradled in her warm embrace, but I could manage a month without her.
“Tina, are you hiding something from me?”
At Viviana’s voice, I slowly raised my head. Although my expression showed little change, for some reason, I felt an indescribable emotion in her purple eyes.
“Hiding something?”
“Yep.”
Viviana ended her word there, waiting for my answer. I wore a smile that was neither too bright nor too sad as I looked up at her.
“There’s no way I could be hiding anything. I don’t want to hide anything from you, Viviana…”
“…if that’s the case, I’m relieved.”
Viviana patted my head once again, giving me a lingering, soft smile.
A peculiar sense of déjà vu washed over me. After that, Viviana didn’t say much, but an uncomfortable feeling lingered in my heart.
I pondered whether I had missed something.
Come to think of it, didn’t Viviana seem unusually kind?
I knew she didn’t have such a kind personality originally.
Viviana’s character can be summarized in one word.
Sociopath.
A narcissistic tendency that loves herself most in this world, without a shred of hesitation in decapitating anyone who gets in her way.
She’s not a villain, but she’s endlessly cruel to those who are of no use to her, and her sole interests are her own success and reputation.
In the game, Viviana never smiled kindly at anyone. It’s no wonder that even though they’re in the same game, Lilian’s story feels like a dating sim, while Viviana’s turns into an action-packed, overpowered adventure.
Of course, Viviana could have her own romance storyline, but that path doesn’t match her emotional state.
A cold-blooded person, Viviana was now oddly smiling warmly… Seeing Viviana laugh like that in the game was a rarity.
‘It must be my imagination.’
I decided my flattery was simply working that well. And since this wasn’t a game but reality, such small discrepancies were always possible.
Perhaps, eventually, Viviana would fall for me and start doting on me.
“Tina, really nothing?”
Her unnecessarily serious gaze.
Viviana placed her hand gently on my shoulder and asked once more. She wasn’t the type to repeat herself, so I wondered what she wanted to confirm so badly.
“Of course not…!”
Let’s not lose confidence.
My childhood friend once said.
Being cute is the truth.
*
A week had passed since then, and Viviana finally lit up a cigarette in her office after a long time.
[Seriously… What could I hide from Viviana?]
“…”
Recalling Tina’s awkward voice, Viviana took a drag of her cigarette. Amid the thick smoke, her eyes gleamed ominously.
“…sigh.”
I felt worse than unsatisfied.
When did it start?
When did that infuriating little pet young lady hide herself and start deceiving me?
Maybe she was always planning to deceive me from the beginning.
Even though I’d told her countless times how much I hated lies, that little pet chose the path of deception.
And if she hadn’t noticed it at all, she would have probably continued whispering sweet lies to herself.
Still, I hoped until the last moment that she’d confess herself, so I kept asking, but the answers I received were incredibly disappointing.
Perhaps the pet young lady saw me merely as a water bearer, just like the other noble young ladies. If I hadn’t ever seen Tina drop her act, I’d firmly believe that her now passive demeanor was her true nature.
However, anyone who has seen Tina’s hidden side would sense the difference.
The Tina clad in pretense has none of that heart-thumping something.
Sure, she’s pretty and cute. She has an innocent charm that makes you want to keep her cooped up at home. That’s probably why she earned the love and popularity of countless young ladies.
But that’s as far as it goes.
The Tina who hides herself radiates an entirely different atmosphere.
Equally lovable, but of a different texture. The frail face of timid Tina brings forth the inherent violence and primal desires hidden within human nature.
When I was held down on the bed after being assaulted by Mardian, my heart, which I thought unruly, began to race like mad, and I felt an intense flush on my cheeks as I experienced something I’d never felt before.
That was definitely desire.
A dangerous something that could break the high wall of same-sex attraction.
I didn’t want to use such a crude word…
The only term to describe it was “horny.”
In short, Tina’s true form is wildly horny.
And in a dangerously concerning way.
She probably doesn’t even realize that.
I want to lay her down on the bed right away and make her call my name until she cries. Mardian’s young lady would have surely committed such an audacious crime, captivated by that true self.
If unable to bear the suffering the villainess inflicted, Tina must have occasionally shown her original nature to Mardian.
“…”
It’s frustrating.
The time when Tina’s true self emerged during the kidnapping was when Mardian pushed her to her limits. In the end, whether then or before, it was Mardian who stripped Tina of her mask.
It made me furious to acknowledge that I, who could have easily matched her abilities, lost to an overly ambitious lady from a count family.
“That girl shows her true self to you… but hides everything from me.”
You brought this on yourself, Tina.
I tried to treat her as gently as possible.
I had a promise made with her mother, and for some reason, I couldn’t be harsh with Tina, so I tried my best to show some leniency towards my adorable pet.
But all I got in return were unrelenting lies.
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
It seemed I would have to do some things that my mother wouldn’t approve of.
Is it a blessing to realize this now?
Tina tends to look down on those who are kind to her. That’s why she likely wants to play tricks like this.
In the end, being gentle was not an option.
To see what Tina desperately wanted to hide,
I would have to thoroughly break her down.
“Perhaps this is closer to the Merdellia way.”
Viviana’s red lips bloomed into a seductive flower.
