Chapter 20

“…Presenting the Merdelia Princess.”

Mardian’s expression was cold, but she forced a smile and politely greeted Viviana.

“It’s nice to see you again, Young Lady.”

“Have you come to see Tina again?”

At Mardian’s question, Viviana nodded with a charming smile. In response to her positive reaction, Mardian looked at me with even darker eyes.

“It seems you had quite an enjoyable conversation yesterday, Tina.”

“Ah, well…”

Though Mardian shot me a fierce glare, Viviana naturally stepped in front of me, shielding me from the pressure. Seemingly displeased with Viviana’s actions, Mardian furrowed one eyebrow and expressed her dissatisfaction.

“…Even if you are a princess, isn’t this a bit rude?”

“Forgive my rudeness. But your gaze is so sharp that the Young Lady of the Blanchard family might get scared.”

“…Huh?”

At Viviana’s straightforward remark, Mardian let out a stifled laugh. It was practically an outright insult, so her reaction was understandable.

“Princess, you may not have known Tina for long, but Tina and I have been close for over a year. So please, don’t meddle in our relationship.”

“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”

Viviana gave a short nod and then extended her hand to me. When I looked at her outstretched hand with a puzzled expression, she smiled lightly and whispered softly in my ear.

“You know what? You’re the first Young Lady to make such a bold request of me.”

“Huh?!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Viviana slipped her arms under my back and legs, lifting me up in a princess carry. My body suddenly suspended in mid-air without warning. Startled by the unexpected situation, I let out a high-pitched scream.

“Ah, ah!”

In my surprise, I instinctively wrapped my arms around Viviana’s neck to balance myself. Seriously, who just picks someone up like that? I looked at Viviana with a flustered expression, but she only smiled, seemingly enjoying my reaction.

“Princess! Did you not hear what I just said?!”

Perhaps unhappy with the strange atmosphere between Viviana and me, Mardian frowned deeply and shouted. In response to her sharp outcry, Viviana raised one eyebrow and wore a smirk-like smile.

“…Haa.”

“Where are you taking Tina this time?!”

“Young Lady of Abrelldane.”

In an instant, Viviana’s voice turned icy cold, freezing not only Mardian but also me. It might have been my imagination, but the surrounding temperature seemed to drop as well.

‘…It’s cold.’

I was shocked at how such an aura could emanate from a person. It felt similar to what people call “killing intent,” something I thought only existed in novels or manga as a fantasy setting… but it seemed all too real now.

“You should remember that it’s best when I’m smiling while talking.”

“Guh.”

Viviana gave a sly smile to Mardian, who was trembling with chills, and walked out of the hall while carrying me. I turned my head slightly to glance at Mardian, who was left behind. Her red eyes, trembling helplessly, were filled with deep dread.

‘…I need to be careful.’

I was reminded once again of who Viviana really was. In the game, she was a familiar and versatile playable character, but here, I couldn’t even meet her gaze properly.

“We’re quite the center of attention, Young Lady Blanchard.”

“Huh?”

At Viviana’s cryptic words, I blinked in confusion. Slowly looking around, I realized we were now in the center of the banquet hall, not the secluded balcony.

‘…Wait, am I being carried in a princess carry right now?’

Countless nobles were staring at Viviana and me with wide eyes. The overwhelming weight of their gazes made my face burn with embarrassment.

“…Could you let me down, Princess? I can walk on my own.”

“No. I’ll carry you like this, so just relax, Young Lady.”

“But everyone’s staring.”

Even though I’m called a pet by people, I really didn’t want to be humiliated like this in front of everyone.

However, Viviana, whether she knew my feelings or not, simply smiled slyly. In the end, I was carried in her arms, under everyone’s gaze, all the way to the reception room.

Viviana quietly closed the door to the reception room and gently placed me on the sofa. With a heavy heart, I glared at her sharply, but Viviana lightly brushed off my gaze and smiled.

“This is the first time I’ve attended the same banquet three times in a row. Do you know it’s all because of you, Young Lady?”

She took out a letter from her pocket and waved it in front of me. It was the letter I had secretly placed in her coat yesterday.

“Care to explain the letter?”

“Ah, that?”

It seemed I had successfully piqued her curiosity.

The contents of the letter weren’t anything special. One was a request to protect me from Mardian, and the second was a promise to repay her in kind.

With Mardian’s behavior becoming increasingly rough, I needed my own insurance. Seeing her twisted personality, even going so far as to kiss her pet, I couldn’t predict what she might do to me someday.

While I could endure being spanked or choked, I absolutely couldn’t tolerate disgusting acts like kissing or worse.

The reason I only approached other young ladies and flattered them was precisely because of that. Even if I could develop feelings for another woman, at least I wouldn’t feel sexual desire.

But I hadn’t anticipated Mardian’s repulsive tendencies. I couldn’t resist Mardian on my own, but if I could make Viviana my ally, the story would change.

So, I gave Viviana the letter.

I promised to repay her if she helped me.

It would be nice if Viviana acted for me naturally like the other young ladies, but since we hadn’t known each other for long, pure goodwill alone wouldn’t be enough to move her.

In any case, I had sent a kind of warning to Mardian through Viviana. Now that I had someone else to rely on, she should stop treating me harshly.

Of course, I still intended to remain her pet, as I owed her a great deal. But if she continued to look at me with those lustful eyes…

“So, what is this ‘repayment’ you mentioned, Young Lady?”

Viviana’s curious voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She waved the letter in one hand and smiled at me.

“I was so excited about the repayment you mentioned that I couldn’t sleep. I hope you can meet my expectations.”

You’re so fake…

I know that’s not your real personality. But well, if you’re going to act like that, I can play along.

I approached Viviana’s side and took her hand. Slowly intertwining our fingers, I noticed a faint tremble in Viviana’s calm purple eyes.

Come to think of it, Viviana had said something like that before. With a playful smile, I looked up at her.

“Didn’t you once tell me to try flattering you like you did with Mardian?”

“…And?”

I lifted one of Viviana’s fingers from our clasped hands. Her slender, pale finger. I gently brought my lips to its tip.

*Mwah-*

The sound of my lips touching her finger was embarrassingly loud. As I lightly licked the tip of her finger, I tasted a sweet cherry flavor. Mardian’s fingers always tasted salty, but Viviana’s were just sweet.

I let go of her hand and snuggled into Viviana’s embrace, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you for helping me, Viviana… This isn’t enough to repay you, is it?”

“You…”

At Viviana’s unusually faltering voice, my body shivered. I had acted on instinct without thinking, but since we hadn’t known each other for long, this probably wasn’t the right stage for such behavior.

I quickly sat up and smiled at Viviana.

“Just kidding. Actually, I have something else to offer you as repayment.”

I know a lot of information. Information about the past and what will happen in the future. While it’s useless to someone as weak as me, it could be invaluable to someone as powerful as Viviana.

If I use that, I should be able to move Viviana for a while.

“Viviana, did you know? Actually—”

“…This is fun. Do it again.”

Viviana’s steady voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, cut me off. Her usually calm purple eyes seemed slightly faded for some reason.

“Huh?”

“Try flattering me again. I’m not sure if that’ll be enough as repayment, though.”

Viviana extended her hand to me with a relaxed smile, but I could hear the slightly higher pitch in her voice.

I looked up at her ear.

“…”

Though not as much as mine, Viviana’s pale earlobe had a faint red tint.