Chapter 172: Stay Locked up

“Say you’re not feeling well.”

Rushel’s sharp gaze weighs down on me.

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, but say you’re not feeling well and stay quiet here tonight.”

In other words, don’t stick your nose into anything and stay holed up in the annex.

Even though Mardian had summoned me personally, Rushel stepping in like this… I hoped there wasn’t another reason behind it.

She’s trying to block any possibility of losing the affection she holds.

She’s afraid Mardian might show interest in me. After all, nothing is harder to gauge than a person’s heart.

For someone like me, who doesn’t even have the confidence to face Mardian, her suggestion—disguised as a threat—was honestly a relief.

I could’ve just accepted it quietly, but I threw out a question.

“Didn’t I say I’d give all the offerings I received to you, Lady Rushel? Then why…?”

“There’s something I realized while watching you over the past week.”

Rushel grabbed my chin. Her touch was gentle, but her grip was inescapable.

She pulled me close, right up to her face.

Close enough for our breaths to mingle, her crimson eyes pierced into mine.

“You’re too attractive.”

The unexpected words left me momentarily dumbfounded.

“Uh… thank you?”

“So stay away from Lady Black Rose for a while. If I ever lose my place as the official partner, I will make sure to get revenge on you.”

“…Why are you so obsessed with Lady Black Rose?”

Rushel curled the corner of her lips slightly.

“Hehe, why do you think?”

It’s probably because of the generous rewards.

Mardian is one of the wealthiest individuals in Märchen city. She must have enough gold to live lavishly for a lifetime without worry.

To be the most favored by such a woman—how much wealth would come with that?

Rushel would never willingly give up the splendor she currently enjoys.

“Erina’s been getting on my nerves lately with her arrogance. Don’t make the mistake of catching my eye too.”

“…Alright.”

She could make such blatant threats to me because she was confident the youngest wouldn’t dare resist.

One of the things I realized this past week is that Rushel is excessively greedy.

Sure, the other lovers may also be staying by Mardian’s side for money, but Rushel’s greed was especially intense—practically poisonous.

“Good. The youngest should know how to behave.”

Satisfied with my answer, Rushel finally left the room.

In the now quiet space, I turned my gaze to where she had stood.

Tap, tap.

My fingertips tapped against my thigh. The rhythmic sound helped settle my restless thoughts.

I’d heard that this was the first time Mardian had ever called a newcomer personally.

Of course I couldn’t help but be concerned. I’d expected Rushel would try to interfere.

From the very beginning, it had been clear how greedy she was.

Over the past week, the person I’d observed most carefully was Rushel.

Thanks to that, I had a rough idea of when she returned to the annex and when she left her room.

Tap, tap.

The tapping against my thigh quickened.

It was perfect timing, really.

I was planning to leave this place anyway.

I don’t expect Mardian to forgive me.

That would be a selfish wish of mine.

For now, it’s enough if she can live happily.

My existence would only be a burden to Mardian.

She’s only just begun to walk a new path and climb the ladder to success—I couldn’t be the one to drag her down again.

That’s the only reason I plan to leave.

Mardian.

“You don’t need me.”

“…Hk.”

A small teardrop welled up at the corner of my eye and slid down my cheek.

My voice trembled with emotion.

“Y-You can come out now, senpai…”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the closet door quietly creaked open.

A girl about my age, with green hair tinged with blue light, stepped out.

It was Shirley, who had been the youngest before I joined. Her eyes quivered as she rushed toward me.

“A-Are you okay, Tina?”

“Y-Yes… I’m really fine…”

“…I knew Rushel-senpai could be harsh, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad…”

I took a shallow breath.

“…Senpai. Please just say I’m sick today.”

At my words, Shirley furrowed her brows in sorrow.

She looked like she had so much she wanted to say, but maybe she was just as afraid of Rushel as I was—her lips couldn’t form the words.

“I’m sorry, senpai… I called you over because I was bored and ended up putting you through this…”

“No, Tina! Don’t ever say that.”

Shirley gripped my hands tightly, trying to comfort me. Her eyes were heavy with guilt.

I weakly reached out and gently pushed her back, slowly rising to my feet.

“I’ll… get lunch ready. You should rest too, senpai.”

“L-Lunch? Why don’t you just take a break?”

“It’s okay. I just… want to be of help to the senpais, even a little…”

Leaving behind Shirley’s conflicted expression, I quietly stepped out of the room and trudged toward the kitchen.

Might as well cook something.

That’s the only use I’m allowed to have in this place, after all.

***

“Kyaaa!”

A shrill scream echoed through the annex dining hall.

Erina shot up from the table, her face drained of color.

“W-What the fuck…?! There’s a goddamn bug in here!”

Her trembling finger pointed.

There, floating on the perfectly browned surface of the soup, was the corpse of an insect.

The real problem was… Erina had already taken a few bites.

“B-Blegh…!”

She collapsed to the floor, dry heaving.

The other girls rushed to support her, but her pale, frozen expression showed no sign of recovery.

“W-What the hell is this… Fuck…!”

Naturally, Erina’s rage turned toward me.

After all, I was the one who made lunch.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!”

She stormed toward me, her breathing ragged, and grabbed me by the collar.

I had nothing to say. I was just lucky she didn’t slap me.

“I-I’m sorry, senpai… I wasn’t thinking…”

“You weren’t thinking?! You’re supposed to mess up normal things, you psycho bitch! Ugh—”

Erina, who had been hurling curses furiously, suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Then she bolted straight to the bathroom.

The other companions followed her with worried looks.

Only Rushel remained seated calmly, eating her salad.

“You made a mistake, Tina. That’s unlike you, isn’t it?”

Her crimson eyes pierced right through me.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m not feeling well…”

At my excuse, Rushel smiled as if satisfied.

She lightly dabbed her lips with a napkin, stood up, and patted my shoulder.

“Good. You’re playing your role well. For today, you’re in very poor health.”

“…Yes.”

“As for Erina, well, it’s not so bad. She got what she deserved—right in line with her level.”

With a satisfied smile, Rushel stood up.

Leaving behind only a sneering smirk, she walked away gracefully.

***

A rather admirable girl.

That was the impression Rushel had of Tina.

She was clever, and most importantly, she knew exactly where she stood.

She obeyed orders without protest and never rebelled unnecessarily.

And though it wasn’t intentional, this incident had helped relieve some of the stress caused by Erina, who’d been acting up lately.

Seeing her collapse on the floor, vomiting in disgrace—it was quite the sight.

In every way, Tina was a rather admirable girl to Rushel.

If everyone in the world were like Tina, it would be quite a pleasant place to live.

But aside from that admirable nature, Rushel had no plans to allow Tina into the main estate for a while.

Because if Black Rose were to take an interest in Tina, it could threaten Rushel’s own position.

“I’m sorry, Tina. But I hope you’ll understand.”

She recalled all that she had endured to rise to this position.

This was a place she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose.

Born into a family that was neither wealthy nor poor, she had finally seized a golden opportunity.

Just by steeling herself and satisfying the Black Rose’s twisted desires, gold coins rained down on her.

How could she ever let go of such a chance?

At last, she could rise to the ranks of the wealthy class.

And when that time came…

Just as the damned Black Rose had done to her, she too would keep countless women under her, indulging in her dark desires.

“When that time comes, I’ll bring you in as my legal partner. So don’t be too upset.”

Recalling Tina’s downcast face, Rushel gave a faint smile. And with that, her brief daydream came to an end.

Evening was approaching.

It was time to prepare to receive the Black Rose.

She hadn’t received anything yesterday thanks to Erina’s foolishness, but today, she would be granted property for sure.

She straightened her clothes and stepped out of the room.

In front of the annex’s main entrance, the other companions were already lined up.

“What about Erina and the youngest?”

“They’re not feeling well after what happened at lunch. The youngest… also said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Yeah, I guess it can’t be helped.”

Even hiding her smile was a chore.

As always, Rushel moved forward at the front of the group, her expression calm and composed.

“Well then, shall we go greet Lady Black Rose again today?”

It was the very moment she thought everything was going according to plan.

“E-Erina, senpai?”

Through the flustered murmurs of the women, Erina strode forward with blazing eyes.

“You think you can just cross the line ’cause we’ve been letting things slide, you filthy bitch?”

Smack—!

A sharp crack rang out, like flesh being torn, and her head snapped violently to the side.

It happened so suddenly.

Rushel tumbled to the ground without even a moment to react.

A wave of confusion rippled through the crowd of women.

‘W-What…?’

A hot sting pulsed in her cheek.

Clutching the numb spot with one hand, Rushel slowly lifted her dazed gaze.

Erina stood there, face flushed red, eyes burning with rage as she glared down at her.

She’d definitely heard Erina was resting in her room, not feeling well.

So why was she here?

And… why had she just slapped her?

“Erina… have you finally lost your damn mind?”

Rushel muttered coldly, her voice laced with venom.

But instead of backing down, Erina met her head-on with unshaken defiance.

“You’re the crazy one, you bitch. What, you didn’t have anything better to do, so you told the youngest to put bugs in my food?”

“…What?”

“Don’t you dare play dumb, you disgusting tramp.”

Caught in a situation she couldn’t make sense of, Rushel’s eyes trembled with disbelief.

‘She thinks… I told someone to put bugs in her food?’

She could swear—she had never done such a thing.

Which meant there was only one possible conclusion.

No way…

Could it have been… that girl