Chapter 21

“Try falling once, flattery.”

Viviana brought her finger to my lips as she spoke. Her voice was endlessly cold, and her eyes showed no emotion, but having played the game several times, I knew well. Whenever Viviana is greatly shaken, she has a habit of suppressing her emotions instead.

“Yes, if that’s what you wish, Princess.”

I left a soft kiss on the finger that lightly rested on my lips. Every time I slightly licked the tip of her finger with my tongue, I could feel her finger tremble faintly.

Carefully, I wrapped both hands around Viviana’s hand. Slowly parting my tightly closed lips, I gently pulled her finger into my mouth.

Her slender finger slowly entered my mouth. Perhaps Viviana could feel my breath through her finger.

And just as I was about to close my lips, I smiled thinly and carefully released Viviana’s finger.

“It’s a joke. Such flattery is only for the masters who love and care for me.”

“…”

“Instead, I’ll give you some information that might be helpful, Princess.”

I sat up and quietly sat across from Viviana. Viviana just stared at me with dark eyes, saying nothing.

I took out a letter I had hidden inside my skirt and handed it to Viviana, but her gaze remained fixed on my face, not the letter.

Honestly, it was a bit scary, but I smiled faintly. After a moment of silence, Viviana finally took the letter and opened it. She slowly read through the contents, then smiled faintly and brushed her bangs back.

“Hah.”

“Is the information helpful, Princess?”

“Blanchard Young Lady. This time, it’s no joke, so I hope you answer properly.”

Viviana’s eyes flashed sharply like a beast’s for a moment. A suffocating air enveloped me, freezing my entire body in an instant. In the midst of the piercing cold fear, Viviana spoke indifferently.

“Who are you really?”

Her gaze alone felt like it could pierce through my mind. Yes, that is the true face of Viviana. The murderer known as the ‘Butcher of the Battlefield,’ stained with countless blood. No one could dare predict where this monster’s blade would point next.

“Did the information not please you?”

“No, it was the information I needed. Suspiciously so.”

Viviana glanced over the letter once more, then smiled a subtle, scornful smile. It was a similar expression to Mardian’s, but it felt more noble on her.

“To have exactly the information needed at exactly the right time… Isn’t it too suspicious for the daughter of a declining baron family?”

“Viviana. I am a pet.”

A chill ran through me as I felt the killing intent in her eyes, but I smiled faintly. Though the coldness made me feel like my neck could be severed at any moment, I was certain Viviana wouldn’t harm me.

“And people, they don’t hide their emotions in front of pets.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Even the young ladies who always wear a thorough mask in front of others become quite honest when they’re alone with me.”

As if she understood my intention, Viviana slightly raised an eyebrow. I smiled innocently as usual and continued.

“Everyone wants comfort and empathy when they’re going through tough times. And thankfully, they rely on me for that.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“Things like their fiancé cheating, or secretly gambling away their fortune, they don’t hide such personal stories from me. They want my empathy.”

“…”

“I always empathize. To provide even the slightest comfort to their sorrow or anxiety. That’s the role of a pet like me.”

Whether they truly see me as a pet or not, they don’t hesitate to confide in me. The young ladies confess their hardships to me, and I do my best to comfort them and ease their burdens.

That’s the role of a pet.

“You wouldn’t believe how many stories I hear in a day, Princess.”

“…So, you’re saying you hold the weaknesses of many young ladies in your hands?”

“Ah, no. How could I use that to hold their weaknesses? I don’t want to betray the masters who care for me. And besides, there’s no real evidence, right?”

I smiled slyly at Viviana. Viviana stared at me with deep, beast-like eyes for a while, then finally leaned back on the sofa.

“…You’re terrifying, Blanchard Young Lady. I can’t imagine how the Blanchard Family will change in a few years.”

“I think it would be good enough if I just paid off the family’s debts.”

In truth, my goal is a simple life. Living peacefully with my mother in comfortable finances, doing nothing, eating when I want, and sleeping when I want.

Hehe, just thinking about it makes me happy.

I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth and smiled brightly at Viviana.

“If you have any difficult worries, Princess, you can always confide in me.”

“After just saying you hold the young ladies’ weaknesses, you say that to me?”

“Ah… I wouldn’t do anything to harm you, Princess.”

“Well, since I’ve seen the hidden side of the young lady, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

It seems that my actions towards Rose were a critical mistake that Viviana found out about. But since it’s already out, there’s no avoiding it. I decided to think positively that it at least caught Viviana’s attention.

“Then we’re secret friends.”

“…Secret friends?”

Viviana raised an eyebrow with a puzzled expression. I slowly got up and approached her. Carefully gauging her mood, I gently linked arms with her.

“I know that you play the piano, Princess, and you know my secret, so we’re secret friends.”

“The weight of the secrets seems a bit different, though.”

“But a secret is a secret. A hidden and thrilling relationship that only you and I share in this world.”

As I smiled brightly at Viviana, she looked down at me with endlessly serious purple eyes.

“Young Lady, I’ve been curious for a while now, that smile. Where did you learn to smile like that?”

“Huh?”

“That sly, tail-wagging smile, I want to know where it came from.”

“…”

Normally, I would have been flustered and wondered what she meant, but I just blinked blankly at Viviana’s sharp observation.

Originally, I didn’t smile much. It’s no wonder my T tendency was 95%. The only times I smiled were when I was alone in my room playing games.

But in social life, a smile is essential. Especially for someone with a gloomy personality like me, I had to smile to blend in with people.

The smile on my face now was the result of hundreds of practices in front of the bathroom mirror, thinking of my childhood friend.

Thanks to that effort, I could now smile naturally, and people started to like me a little, allowing me to blend smoothly into society.

But why is Viviana suddenly bringing up my smile?

“Don’t you like my smile?”

“…It’s a bit strange.”

Strange?

I was taken aback by the unexpected comment.

This can’t be…?

A natural smile is supposed to make me look as harmless as possible, but maybe it became awkward after my body changed.

While other young ladies liked my smile, if Viviana finds it strange, all that effort was meaningless.

Since Viviana is the one I need to persuade the most now, it seems I’ll have to practice my expressions in front of the mirror again for a while.

“…I’m sorry.”

As I lowered the corners of my eyes and spoke in a weak voice, Viviana immediately reacted with a flickering gaze.

“No, it’s not that, it’s just that my mood is strange—, ah, never mind…”

Viviana, breaking away from her usual calm, muttered to herself, then sighed shortly and leaned her head back, looking at me.

“So? What are you going to do now, Blanchard Young Lady?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I don’t attend most banquets. I can’t protect you forever, you know.”

“Hmm…”

That’s true. If it weren’t for the direct invitation from the Imperial Palace this time, I wouldn’t have been able to face Viviana like this. Viviana probably won’t attend the next banquet, and there’s a high chance I’ll face another incident with Mardian.

“Actually, I have another favor to ask of you, Princess.”

Before that, I need to win Viviana’s favor. I need to somehow charm her so that she feels the desire to protect me from Mardian.

“Could you invite me to your mansion?”

“…What?”

Her amethyst eyes wavered for a moment. I blushed slightly and glanced at Viviana with a shy voice.

“I really want to hear you play the piano, Princess. In fact, I’ve been thinking about you all day…”

“…”

“Is that not possible…?”

Viviana’s mansion.

If I can just get there.

I can surely win Viviana’s favor.