bookpower Chapter 98: Your Heart (2)
Chapter 98: Your Heart (2)
chapter 98: your heart (2)
“but,” lady silver lily said, “for a week from today—which is until the end of the world—you’ll be my butler, not lady goldencup’s.”
“your butler...?”
“yes. i only know about my love, and i’ve never taught it to anyone. i don’t really know another way to do this other than to show you my love in its entirety, so you have to watch and learn from my side.
“now that i’ve said it, i feel like i'm losing out here. no, it is a loss for me. i’m showing you the most embarrassing part of my private life. you’re using the luck of your previous life, this life, and the next, all at the same time, commoner.”
this noble lady was really snooty.
***
the next day, my double contract life began, serving both lady goldencup and lady silver lily.
lady silver lily greeted me in her dressing room.
“you’re here.”
“yes.”
it was only five in the morning, yet she was already awake. four maids were working together to dress her. although it was considered rude to enter someone’s dressing room, she dismissed anyone who objected with, “you’re bothering me. just leave.”
as soon as i entered, she said, “show him.”
“yes, my lady.” the gray-haired servant quickly pulled out a board decorated with lily patterns. beautiful cursive was written on it.
lesson 1 (basic)
love begins with experiencing an asshole.
i stood there speechless and dumbfounded.
“i thought about how i should teach you about love last night,” lady silver lily confidently explained. “i don't have enough free time to be entirely focused on you, and i can't just find you your first love.”
the servants around her trimmed her nails, emotionless just like their master.
“so i've decided to teach you the truths you need to know beforehand step by step. repeat after me: love begins with experiencing an asshole.”
“l-love begins with meeting an asshole...?”
“yes, meeting an asshole. maybe you’ll run into more than one asshole.”
lady silver lily pulled out a fan with her left hand and snapped it open. she then used it to cover the lower half of her face.
“i’m sure there are people somewhere in this world whose relationships have been perfect even from the first one. they know how to love each other in a considerate way. from the moment they fall in love at first sight, their love remains romantic until they’re buried in the ground. but that won’t happen to you.
“ninety-nine percent of the lovers you'll meet are going to be assholes. even if they're not assholes right now, they will be at some point. why? it's simple: because it's almost impossible for a human to not be an asshole all year round. by the same reasoning...”
lady silver lily folded up her fan and pointed it at the gray-haired servant. on cue, he immediately flipped the board. there was some writing on the back of it as well.
lesson 1 (advanced)
you are also an asshole.
“... there is a high chance that you are also an asshole. but it’s not all bad. humans are adaptable creatures. after dealing with an asshole, no asshole can mistreat you ever again. you can refrain from becoming an asshole once you've been an asshole to someone. after all, it’s about getting an answer to these three questions: ‘who is an asshole?’ ‘when do i become an asshole?’ and ‘how can i not be an asshole?’”
my head went blank. “c-can’t we do a good job from the beginning?”
“don't expect anything from a human, butler.” lady silver lily’s eyes remained emotionless. “humans forget what they say. they come to a resolution, but they also give up. forgetting and giving up—these two elements are the nature of dating. but if you really want to be good at love, you must learn to do the opposite, which is to remember and determine.”
“d-do i also get to learn about remembering and determining?”
“you're such a child...” lady silver lily sighed.
what did i do wrong? i really had no idea.
“i'll show you myself. it’ll be faster and clearer.”
show me? how?
“you’ve actually seen it with your eyes already. can’t you tell?”
lady silver lily stood up from her chair. the servants, who had been bustling around her like kittens, all stepped back in unison.
“i love the world’s biggest asshole,” lady silver lily confidently declared.
huh? why did she sound so cool?
“let's go.”
lady silver lily walked away, and i followed her with the other servants, who were carrying buckets of water for some reason. she led us to the academy's most splendid building, where the crown prince stayed.
“m-my lady.” the crown prince's servants greeted us; they looked confused and overwhelmed.
as a duke’s daughter, lady silver lily couldn’t be more noble than the imperial family. nevertheless, they strangely seemed unable to meet her eyes.
“g-greetings.”
“greetings.” she nodded.
“it’s still dawn...”
“has his highness woken up yet? a ruler’s morning should be earlier than his people's.”
i slowly nodded. “yes...”
“that is also correct.”
lady silver lily tossed her fan aside. the gray-haired servant skillfully caught it and tucked it into his pocket.
we continued to talk as we walked to the reception room.
“but that depends on your luck. meeting someone who makes your heart flutter at first sight is by no means an easy task. the kind of life you’ve lived determines who can inspire such emotions. falling in love at first sight is possible because you can see what kind of life the other person has lived.”
“that’s difficult...”
“it is.” her red eyes narrowed. “do you want to test it, then?”
a test?
“what kind of test is it?” i asked.
“i’m asking if you want to see if i can make your heart flutter.”
“... how do i do that?”
“you just have to do something praiseworthy.”
“what would be praiseworthy?”
“do i have to tell you that too? why don’t you just ask me to bring you your lover?” she walked on ahead. “think hard about it and come up with your own answer, butler. you are smart, so maybe you’ll even succeed. i’ll tell you for free whether the answer is right or wrong, at least.”
soon, we reached the reception room. it was clearly the crown prince’s residence, but lady silver lily walked around as comfortably as if it were her own. she dismissed all of the servants except me and sat down on a chair. afterward, she quietly looked at me, her eyes as red as the room’s lush carpets.
i took a deep breath, the air going through my esophagus and sitting in my lungs like a rock. although it was just a simple action, i took it as proof of my determination.
i pulled cards out of my inner pocket. on each was written “face recognition disorder,” “what a coincidence to eavesdrop on such a crucial and secret moment!”, and “oops, i shouldn’t have said that, but my tongue slipped!”
the indoor librarian had given them as a gift before entering this apocalyptic book; he’d said that they would be reliable as an army in this book.
lady silver lily tilted her head. “... what are those?”
“these are cards that the indoor librarian gave me. based on what you said, these could also be considered some kind of strategy guide, i guess.”
i then tore the cards clean in two. the pieces scattered like fine sand, disappearing without a trace.
[the indoor librarian is surprised by your decision.]
maybe those cards would really be helpful for clearing the book, but it was more important to show sincerity to the person in front of me. that was what i believed, at least.
[the indoor librarian understands your reasons and applauds you.]
rewards and shortcuts were just that: rewards and shortcuts. they were meaningful only when they were what they were. i had no reason to obsess over rewards or turn to a path that was no longer a shortcut.
“... hmm. i see.” lady silver lily rested her chin on her hand and looked over me. her bloody red eyes sparkled. “that’s praiseworthy.”
she gestured at me lightly. “come here.”
i did.
“you’re holding your chin too high. lower it.”
i bowed.
“good job,” she whispered.
she then took a glass bottle out of her inner pocket. i didn’t know what it was at first, but the moment she opened the lid with a pop, i realized that the blue bottle was perfume. she took off her gloves and then ran her pinky finger over its lip.
“i’ll tell you this now.” she reached out to my nape and then dotted something on the back of my ear. “i’m not going to be responsible for you.”
the strong fragrance of white lilies suddenly made my head spin.
“does it smell good?”
lady silver lily grabbed my right hand. it took me a moment to realize that our fingers were locked. the scent was disturbing my thoughts, making it feel like time had slowed to a crawl.
“yes...”
“do you like it?”
“... yes,” i answered.
lady silver lily tilted her head to look at my face with her red eyes. “i like it too. it’s my favorite perfume. i like this scent the most.”
her whispers crawled up my nape and into my ears.
“you voluntarily confessed your secret and destroyed them yourself. not bad. continue to serve me. i will also tell you a secret of mine tonight.”
my heart was pounding.
[your character immersion has deepened.]
this was a big problem.
[your immersion level is 15%.]
i think i’m falling for her.