37. That’s Not Real Love

“…”

“Um. My Lady?”

I called out to her, but the lady remained turned away, stubbornly staring at the wall.

Just what had upset her so much that she was making her displeasure this obvious?

Could it be because of Yuria?

No, but shouldn’t our relationship be strictly employer and employee?

Sure, we got a bit entangled while filming that survival show in the labyrinth, but was there ever any room for it to develop beyond that? Hmm. I’m pretty sure I drew a clear line.

Of course, maybe that was just my own assumption.

Just like how I deliberately ignored the fact that Yuria liked me.

“My Lady.”

“…What?”

“Nothing, you told me to come check in. So I came to greet you.”

“Mhm…”

“Hey. My Lady. Lady Leah.”

“Yeees…?”

“If you have any complaints, just say them. If you keep sulking like this, we won’t be able to enter the labyrinth together.”

Only then did the lady finally meet my eyes.

Her gaze was filled with something like deep resentment.

What could she possibly be so resentful about?

I don’t fully understand her feelings.

I don’t even know whether what she feels for me is affection or possessiveness.

I shouldn’t jump to conclusions before having an honest conversation.

“Porter…”

“Yes.”

“You… really got yourself a girlfriend?”

“Yes. Her name is Yuria.”

“I know. The Guild Leader’s daughter, right? A renowned beauty even in the labyrinth city. Skilled too. Strong enough to earn a Gold Badge soon. I know all about her.”

“That’s correct. It’s her.”

I admitted it calmly.

She seemed to already know anyway.

But my answer must not have sat well with her, because the lady began pressing further.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you dating her?”

“My Lady, what do you mean?”

“You said it yourself. That you wouldn’t date anyone who wasn’t a slave. That you had no intention of dating adventurers. So why are you dating her, of all people? A famous adventurer at that? You said you’d only marry a slave. You didn’t even give me a chance. Why?”

“…”

A cold sweat broke out.

Because the lady was glaring at me with unmistakable resentment.

“At the end of the day, you just wanted power, didn’t you? You realized that nobles from outside the labyrinth city have no real influence here. So you seduced her to get connections with the city’s power players, didn’t you? Or did she offer to become your slave? No way. A proud woman like her would never do that. Porter. I’m disappointed. If only… if only I’d been more capable… maybe I could’ve been the one you chose…”

“Uh… well. About that.”

What should I even say here?

No, Yuria…

She did offer to become my slave.

This seems like some kind of misunderstanding.

Right now, the lady thinks-

That she might have had a chance if she’d been more capable, but I chose Yuria because she was stronger.

It seemed like her bruised ego and a mix of other emotions had made her sulk.

On top of that, hearing her say she was disappointed in me made it seem like she thought I’d chosen Yuria just for power.

But that’s not it.

It’s not like the lady lost me to Yuria, or that she liked me first and missed her chance.

Yuria was just… genuinely in love.

She’d been making moves on me for months.

When we were alone, she even promised she’d happily become my slave.

She even said she’d consider actually buying a slave contract at some point.

All these little things piled up, and that’s how things ended up with Yuria.

But explaining this to the lady is incredibly difficult.

No, I mean, come on.

I can’t just say, “Yuria agreed to be my slave when we’re alone.”

It’s not like Yuria and I had some prearranged agreement.

I’d have to consider Yuria’s feelings before casually dropping that on the lady.

“First of all, My Lady. I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”

“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”

“To start, I’m not really interested in power. I’m already on good terms with the Guild Leader, so I wouldn’t need to go out of my way to seduce his daughter.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. And I don’t know how much you’ve looked into this, but… Yuria and I have had a connection for months now.”

“I knew that…”

“You knew?”

“…Mhm.”

“Then this’ll go faster. I originally only planned to date slaves, but… well, circumstances just ended up like this. You know how it is, right? Nothing in life is absolute.”

“Right. Nothing is absolute. Right?”

“Huh? Uh. Yeah.”

“Mhm. Nothing is absolute. Including you absolutely never dating me. There’s no rule saying it can’t happen.”

“Excuse me?”

“You said nothing is absolute. There’s no rule saying someone else gets to monopolize you.”

The lady’s eyes gleamed with longing.

What the hell? Why is she acting like this toward me?

She’s not even a quasi-noble.

She’s a full-blooded noble lady falling for a mere porter.

Where’s the logic in this plotline?

This can’t be real.

The lady must be misunderstanding her own feelings right now.

No-she has to be.

I need to correct this quickly.

“W-wait a second. My Lady. You’re just… what’s it called? Right. You’re mistaking your feelings because of the suspension bridge effect.”

Yeah, this has to be a misunderstanding.

The lady said she grew up sheltered, never even holding a man’s hand, let alone dating.

So of course she’d develop an abnormally strong attachment to me, the first guy she got close to.

She’s still a frog in a well, so she’s latched onto me too intensely.

The world is vast. Once she meets someone better or more impressive than me, she’ll realize this isn’t real love.

“Suspension bridge effect?”

“Yes. Developing feelings for someone you were with in a moment of crisis. That kind of thing. From what I can see, your feelings right now aren’t love-they’re closer to camaraderie.”

“Camaraderie. Hmm.”

“Right. Camaraderie. You know, like the deep bonds formed between comrades who’ve survived the same battlefield.”

“You’re saying… this is just friendship?”

“Yes. Friendship. Camaraderie. It’s not love.”

It can’t be love.

Because she’s not a slave?

Because she’s an adventurer?

No, that’s not the reason.

I already set aside those two reasons when I decided to date Yuria.

The real problem is something else.

‘Her family, her doting father… and her brother, who is almost certainly a siscon.’

Those men scare me.

99.9% chance they’ll try to kill me.

They might even send assassins into the labyrinth city to quietly eliminate me.

Of course, I know that’s an extreme scenario, but nobles are extreme by nature.

‘I’m scared.’

Honestly, if a beautiful woman like her likes me, of course I’d be happy.

Putting everything else aside, the lady is pretty.

She’s driven to improve, and she’s rich.

But none of that is more important than my life.

“A misunderstanding. You think this is just a misunderstanding?”

“That’s right. The labyrinth city has plenty of impressive, attractive people besides me. Once you meet more of them, you’ll find real love, My Lady.”

“Real love. Hm. Is that so?”

“Yes! Exactly.”

“And if it’s not?”

“Huh?”

“If it’s not a misunderstanding? If it’s not just friendship or camaraderie? If no other man makes my heart race like you do?”

“Th-that’s…”

The lady smiled.

The first smile she’d given me since this conversation started.

Like a chess player who’d seen the endgame.

Why does that confident grin make me so uneasy?

I feel like I’ve stepped into a trap.

“Hey, Porter.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Want to make a bet?”

“A bet…?”

“Yeah. A bet. You’re trying to push me away for some reason right now.”

“….”

“Whether it’s because of that Yuria girl or whatever, I don’t care. I’ll play along. But if I still like you after this, then you lose. If my feelings fade, then you win. How about it?”

It wasn’t a bet about fighting for love.

She was saying she’d test whether her feelings were real or not.

“If this feeling really is just a misunderstanding-if it’s not real love-then I’ll let go of my obsession with you cleanly. But.”

Gulp.

“If I still like you after this… if I’m sure this feeling is real… then you’ll have to accept me.”

“B-but I’m already taken…”

“Take multiple wives.”

“Huh?”

“A truly attractive man should have at least three wives.”

What kind of progressive thinking is this?

This is pretty far from typical noble mentality.

Though I guess the fact that she’s open-minded enough to accept the Art of Resurrection-something most consider social suicide-already shows how unconventional she is.

But I didn’t expect this.

Or maybe this is a noble’s way of thinking?

“Even if polygamy is allowed… the difference in our status is too big.”

“Get a Platinum Badge.”

“What? A Platinum Badge?”

“Yeah. Once you have a Platinum Badge, who can say anything to you? You’d be a powerhouse on the level of national authority. Someone as sharp as you must already know why empires and kingdoms don’t dare invade this tiny labyrinth city.”

The biggest reason world powers leave the labyrinth city alone.

The existence of Platinum Badges.

A Platinum Badge is practically synonymous with a one-man army.

Even a Gold Badge is considered superhuman.

A Platinum Badge is a straight-up monster.

A living deterrent against war.

Sure, it’d be easy to march an army in and raze the city.

But stopping a rampaging Platinum Badge’s assassination attempts is another matter entirely.

“A Gold Badge would be fine too. It’s proof that you’re recognized, whether you’re a noble or not, even outside the labyrinth city.”

If a Platinum Badge is impossible, she’s saying a Gold Badge would suffice.

“No, that’s not exactly easy to- Eek?!”

“Hey, look at me properly.”

As I kept trying to refuse, the lady grabbed my face.

We were so close I could feel her breath. Her eyes bore into mine.

Her lips brushed against mine.

“Are you really going to let me go? You’ll regret it if you do. I’ll handle Yuria myself. You just focus on getting stronger.”

“…”

“Buy a slave. I won’t interfere. But. For the next six months. If my feelings don’t change. You have to accept me.”

“Can… can I ask why six months specifically…?”

“Because it took Yuria six months to win you over. I’ll confirm my feelings in the same amount of time. So? Will you accept the bet? If you keep refusing… this won’t be fun.”

Is this noble pressure?

The stubbornness and obsession of a noble who’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants was on full display.

“If you refuse the bet…”

“I’ll threaten you. I’ll spread the word that I like you until everyone knows. Until it reaches my father’s and brother’s ears.”

“Y-you’re insane?!”

I was being blackmailed by the lady.

A self-destructive threat if I didn’t accept the bet.

“Someone else will come along.”

“We’ll see about that. Hehehe.”

I had no choice but to accept the bet.

For the next six months, I have to make the lady lose interest in me.