Ch.358Side Story. Preparation Phase

“Wow, this is so delicious.”

“What are you saying? You always said you didn’t like this. When I bought it last time, you said you hated it.”

Aria grumbles at Elenoa Luden Griffin who’s enjoying the cake I brought.

I thought it would be difficult to satisfy the princess Elenoa’s taste, but it seems I might have chosen the worst option.

“That’s not true? I enjoyed it last time too. I just said I didn’t like it because you bought it.”

Elenoa nonchalantly reveals the truth.

“I even went and bought it myself later because it was so good. As expected of Shinwoo oppa, you really know my taste perfectly!”

Elenoa turns to me with a bright smile.

Aria glares at Elenoa in disbelief, but Elenoa brazenly ignores her, showing only the back of her head despite the sharp gaze.

“Will you cook for me later too? You will, right?”

Elenoa asks with a bright smile. I nod as I carefully wipe away bread crumbs stuck to her cheek.

“Yes, I’ll cook dinner for you when I get the ingredients. Come over and eat with us then.”

“Ah.”

She seemed so childlike that I reached out without thinking, but Elenoa blushed deeply, embarrassed.

“Oh my, you didn’t have to do that.”

With one hand on her cheek, she mumbles in a whisper-like voice. It feels nice to see her youthful innocence appropriate for her age.

“Wow! You’re such a fox! Did they teach you flirting as part of your royal education?”

Aria grumbles as she butts in from the side.

From the first cycle, these two had a hostile relationship, but somehow they’ve become friends who spend time together. It’s quite remarkable.

Not that I mind.

“Special” is actually quite relative. Like in a village of one-eyed people, having two eyes would be abnormal.

These two were special people, which is why they could be ordinary to each other. They had a positive influence on each other.

Elenoa Luden Griffin, who lived as a princess willing to sacrifice herself to save the kingdom.

Aria Rius, who possessed unwanted destiny and immense talent to save the continent.

Both held strong beliefs, but if asked whether they chose those beliefs willingly, that would be difficult to answer.

They matured mentally after experiencing heavy burdens and many hardships at a young age.

They bicker like children in front of me, but I already know from Erika Bright.

That they’re much more mature than others their age.

‘Changing like this in front of me probably means they feel comfortable.’

The fact that they show me sides they only show to each other means I must be special to these special girls.

After all, I did receive confessions from both of them.

“Hey, hey, you two be careful.”

Findenai, unusually wearing her old maid uniform, warns while sweeping the floor with a broom.

“He’s full of desire right now, so you’ll be in trouble if you provoke him.”

“What are you saying to these kids?”

“I’m warning you not to do anything because they’re kids! I’m warning you.”

Having spent so much time together, I can tell from her tone that she’s not being serious.

Findenai is just complaining because she doesn’t like me spending time with the girls.

She doesn’t really think I would do anything to them.

“What are you saying! I’d welcome Shinwoo oppa looking at me that way!”

“We’re old enough to get married now, so what’s the problem!”

Elenoa and Aria immediately pounce on Findenai. They seem to have lost all sense of shame.

Well, they’ve become quite bold since the time they were caught enjoying drawing pictures of me.

“Look at her acting like the legal wife just because she lives with you! Wearing a maid uniform and fluttering her skirt around to seduce oppa!”

“And wearing a maid uniform but not matching it at all with that sweeping! You’re not wearing it for work efficiency. You’re wearing it for naughty reasons!”

“Apologize to all the maids on the continent! Other maids get a bad reputation because of you!”

“Apologize! You lustful creature who only thinks about seducing your master!”

It’s rare to see Elenoa and Aria cooperating, and I never expected to witness it like this.

The two girls shouted and waved their hands at Findenai, their common enemy, but Findenai just smirked.

“Taking care of the master’s sexual needs is also a maid’s duty, you know?”

“Don’t make the kids misunderstand.”

I intervened to stop her, but Findenai had no intention of stopping.

“Satisfying the master’s sexual fantasies by wearing clothes like this is also my job, you brats. Hmm? Jealous? Are you jealous?”

“Sigh.”

There’s no point in trying to stop her.

I just stand up to get more tea because I don’t want to hear any more.

“Jealous? Hell! I’m so damn jealous!”

“Unnie! Do you have any spare uniforms?!”

I couldn’t help but sigh at the two who immediately changed their stance, but

When I came back with freshly brewed tea, the two who had just agreed to cooperate were back in a cold war state with Findenai.

“Hmph, you wear a maid uniform because you lack charm!”

“Right! A maid who can’t even do a maid’s job properly!”

It seems Findenai must have mocked the two who were clinging to her.

Anyway, time passed quickly.

Later, Erika Bright joined us, and then Deia Verdi came along too, making the atmosphere more lively.

But seeing Erika and Deia secretly checking the clock made me feel strangely anxious.

‘Why am I getting tense over this?’

If Deia and the Dark Spiritmaster were really planning to do what they said, I had no intention of just sitting by.

Even if they might discover something in mental body research, I as a person wasn’t ready.

Funny, but.

This was my instinct as a person.

The instinct to maintain rationality.

Though these words contradict each other, I couldn’t explain it any other way.

I wanted to maintain composure in any situation and preserve my rationality.

It was my own strategy for survival while dealing with the ghosts I’d seen since childhood.

An acquired tendency.

To survive, one must remain calm.

That instinct was built into me.

“It’s about time to head back.”

When Findenai said that, all the women except Aria and Elenoa flinched.

“Can’t we stay overnight?”

“That’s right, oppa! We want to stay overnight!”

The two immediately clung to me, saying they wanted to stay. After all, staying here wouldn’t be much different from staying at the dormitory.

I was about to tell them it was fine, but.

“Ahem.”

Erika cleared her throat, giving me a look. It felt like she was warning me not to make useless resistance, which gave me a strange feeling.

“Kids need to go.”

When Findenai waved her hand dismissively, the two students immediately glared at her.

From such small actions, I felt something off.

The suspicion in my mind was growing.

“You’re not old enough yet. Come back when you are.”

When Deia finally intervened, the students immediately protested loudly.

“Actually, I’m a regressor, so technically I’m an adult!”

“What nonsense! If I can’t stay, she can’t either!”

“Wow, you have no respect for your unnie!”

“Why are you my unnie! Last time you said you didn’t want to be called unnie because it made you sound old!”

These two end up insulting each other no matter what they talk about. But what I could tell from their conversation was:

They also knew what the remaining people would do after they left.

I felt like cold sweat was about to break out.

Thankfully, having an artificial body, my forehead wouldn’t get damp.

The fact that the students already knew what should have been kept secret.

The fact that everyone except me knew about it made me anxious.

“Aria Rius. Mental age 20, I’ll be leaving now.”

“I’ll change the law and come back.”

Finally, Aria and Elenoa left. Remaining were Findenai, Erika, and Deia.

The fact that the ghosts Stella and the Dark Spiritmaster had been invisible for a while made me even more nervous.

“Wait.”

Even in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you. I needed to make things clear.

“Deia, you leave too.”

When I spoke as if giving my last words, Erika and Findenai’s gazes pierced into her.

Deia frowned deeply and seemed to want to say something, but I couldn’t accept her yet.

Right now, my feelings toward her as a sister were much stronger.

“Ah, why!”

Deia shouted angrily and grumbled, but what’s not allowed is not allowed.

“That’s right. It’s too early.”

Erika soothes with a gentle smile. For some reason, it looked like the smile of a victor.

“It’s a bloodline issue.”

Findenai butts in, shrugging her shoulders as if it’s obvious.

“They say Deus Verdi went crazy wanting his sister, and now she’s going crazy wanting her brother.”

“You crazy bitch!”

Deia immediately clenches her fist and charges at her.

“How is he my brother! Are you insane?! He’s not Deus, he’s Shinwoo Kim!”

There was some scuffling between Deia and Findenai, but eventually, Deia also left through the door.

Her final act of flipping me off with a tearful face showed just how angry she was.