At dusk, when the old butler drove the carriage to the academy gates, this wise old man could see at a glance the subtle shift between his young master and Miss Livia.
It was the natural intimacy that comes after all barriers have been completely dissolved.
Though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, the old butler understood in his heart that his young master had, once again, unknowingly wielded his astonishing charm to win over this proud knight of a noble lady.
Of course, given his young master’s nature, he would never admit to it.
The old butler even keenly noticed that deep within Miss Livia’s clear blue eyes, there now lay a trace of the same indulgent resignation, mixed with helplessness, that he had seen in Miss Marianne’s gaze.
Young master truly is a sinful man.
He stirs the hearts of so many exceptional young ladies, yet he always manages to pass through the flowers without a single petal clinging to him.
The old butler wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for his young master or to offer him some advice.
Still, seeing their relationship improve was ultimately a good thing.
This young lady of the Stern family, that iceberg who kept everyone at arm’s length, had long since melted, and her charm now flowed forth as naturally as a clear spring.
The butler was already beginning to imagine that if his young master were to unite with this noble of pure bloodline, the Laval House would give birth to a Bloodline of the Sigil of their own.
The leap in class from Robe Nobility to Sword-Bearing Nobles would be enough to drive other Robe Nobility mad with envy.
Dressed in the tailcoat Allen had personally designed for him, the butler had only stood by the carriage for a moment before drawing the attention of quite a few young female students.
He had been handsome in his youth, and in his older years had gained an added air of mature composure, so attracting a few admiring glances was only natural.
Still, he couldn’t have those Noble Ladies falling for a servant like him.
The butler ended his brief reverie, opened the carriage door, and reminded the two who were still chatting with steady elegance: “Sorry for the wait, Master, Miss Livia.”
Seeing the butler, Allen looked like he’d spotted a lifeline, letting out a long breath of relief.
Spending a whole day parrying with this Feng Aotian, Livia, was far more exhausting than being with Marianne, that yandere kitten always ready to bare her claws.
“It’s fine. I took some notes on suffering at the academy today, and I feel even more motivated to kick those trash blocking my way right in the face.”
Allen’s tone carried undisguised contempt for the impending conflict, along with absolute confidence in victory.
A gratified smile spread across the butler’s face. He never doubted what kind of fate awaited his master’s enemies.
They would only be ruthlessly crushed and destroyed.
That was the proper dignity of a God’s Messenger walking among mortals.
The butler turned his head, gazing at Livia with warm eyes, and asked with concern: “Miss Livia, did you have a pleasant time with the young master today?”
Livia’s gaze passed over the butler and landed on the man who had so often left her at a loss.
A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips, like a proud boast, mingled with a shyness only she herself understood.
In an utterly sincere tone, one carrying even a hint of sanctity, she said softly:
“Today, he took my first time.”
“…”
The air froze instantly.
A crack appeared in the butler’s otherwise perfect smile.
His impression of Livia had always been that of a cultured, well-mannered young lady who exemplified noble decorum.
So when he heard this statement, so packed with implication and so completely out of character, even this old butler, who had weathered countless storms, was stunned in place.
First time?
What first time? At the academy? In broad daylight?
Young master, he… he… was so bold?
No, this wasn’t bold—this was reckless! Youthful passion was understandable, but this was far too audacious!
If this got out, what a devastating blow it would be to Miss Livia’s reputation!
Watching the butler’s gaze toward him shift at lightning speed from daily respect and trust to shock and the accusation of “Young Master, how could you do such a thing,” Allen nearly choked on his own breath, every hair on his body standing on end.
“Hey hey hey! What nonsense are you spouting?! How dare you slander my good name out of thin air! Where’s that upright and pure knight lady? Have you been corrupted by Marianne?!”
Livia looked at him with those clear blue eyes, her gaze carrying even a hint of hurt: “‘I’m sorry for taking your first time twice.’ Didn’t you say that yourself? You’ve taken so many of my ‘firsts,’ and now you want to deny it?”
Allen opened his mouth and, to his despair, found himself unable to argue.
This nominal Heroine was ten thousand times harder to deal with than that yandere kitten!
Had her character completely collapsed? Was this the same woman who had treated him with icy indifference at the start?
So even the purest lily, once tainted by the breath of a creature like man, turned so rotten?
Aaah! In my beloved yuri world, how could something like men exist?!
Realizing that his grand Lily Plan, through his own series of brilliant maneuvers, was on the verge of total bankruptcy, a deep guilt welled up in Allen’s heart.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
He offered a sincere confession to the pure garden in his heart that was about to turn barren.
Livia’s smile grew even sweeter. She stepped forward and said softly: “So, please take responsibility, my dear fiancé.”
“Responsibility? Take responsibility for what?”
Allen immediately switched states, his gaze clear as water, his expression as innocent as a pure child.
After a whole afternoon of sparring with this ultimate master of evasion, Livia was, truthfully, also a little exhausted.
She let out a soft sigh: “Sigh… forget it…”
Watching the two of them “flirting” as if no one else existed, the old butler’s smile had somehow returned, even deeper than before.
“Young Master, Miss Livia, please get in the carriage. We’re going home.”
…
After finishing her affairs at Heaven’s Haven, Marianne had returned home early.
She didn’t stay in the main hall but sat alone on the garden swing, waiting for her best friend and the young master to come back.
The sunset dyed the sky a gentle orange-red, yet it couldn’t dispel the shadow lurking in her heart.
The evening breeze swept by, rustling her skirt and hair, bringing a hint of chill.
Marianne swung the swing alone, her heart churning with conflicting torment.
On one hand, she sincerely hoped Allen and Livia would get along well.
Only if Livia willingly stayed at the Laval Mansion could the three of them be together forever.
But on the other hand, she couldn’t suppress that sour, gnawing worry. Were Livia and Allen moving too fast?
After all, she herself had fallen just as quickly back then.
Love was, by nature, the most unreasonable of emotions.
Once someone took root in your heart, everything about them became radiant.
Marianne knew her best friend all too well. Livia was no ordinary girl, and for someone like her, a unique existence like the young master could only be a fatal attraction.
She had once promised to help the young master carry out his Lily Plan to win over Livia, but now it seemed that plan had already failed completely.
From the moment Livia had awakened, her soul had already been captured by the young master.
Marianne knew she shouldn’t be jealous, and she certainly shouldn’t blame Livia, but… why did it have to be this way?
Livia had hated the young master so much before… and she’d even thought about whether she should step aside…
But then again, Livia was the kind of person whose charm was irresistible even to another girl.
A belated thought made Marianne’s heart clench.
Livia and Allen’s relationship might be… just one thin paper-thin layer away from being confessed.
If the two of them truly solidified their relationship, wouldn’t she have personally invited the wolf into the fold, losing everything?
Just as Marianne was lost in her turbulent thoughts, the Laval family carriage slowly rolled into the courtyard.
She immediately stopped the swing and rushed over to greet them.
However, the moment she saw the two of them step down side by side, she almost instantly caught that subtle scent between them—the one called “something’s going on.”
Alarms blared in Marianne’s heart, yet her face still wore a sweet smile.
Nervously, she took the lead and hugged Livia’s arm, her posture affectionate and her tone concerned: “Livia, the young master didn’t bully you, did he? If he did, tell me, and I’ll bully him right back for you!”
Livia saw through her best friend’s little ploy to assert dominance, a way to show she was more favored by Allen.
“He didn’t bully me.” Livia spoke calmly, then dropped the heaviest bombshell of all. “I confessed to him.”
“Huh?” The smile on Marianne’s face froze.
Livia quietly watched the look of utter devastation on her best friend’s face, and the desperate, almost pitiful glance she instinctively cast toward Allen, before leisurely adding the second half: “But, I was rejected.”
Realizing she’d lost her composure in front of her best friend, Marianne quickly adjusted her expression and indignantly linked arms with Livia to jointly denounce Allen: “How could the young master reject Livia’s confession! You two are engaged, after all—how heartless!”
Allen merely shrugged innocently, keenly sensing that Livia was putting on an act for her childhood friend.
What exactly was she trying to do?
The next second, Livia smiled, reached out, and gently stroked her best friend’s soft cheek, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, one only the two of them could hear: “Marianne, now, we’re on the same starting line.”
“Livia…”
Marianne looked at her once-best friend and instantly understood what she meant.
Even if the three of them could tolerate living together, as girls… there were some things that simply could not be yielded.
“Last night… you were outside the door, weren’t you?” Marianne suddenly asked.
“Mm.” Livia admitted openly. “So, it wasn’t me who made the first move, was it?”
“…I suppose I can’t hide anything from you.”
The bitterness at the corners of Marianne’s mouth finally faded completely, replaced by a pathological smile of her own, one with an edge to it.
“Livia, my dear friend. But the young master is the one thing I’m not so willing to let go of easily.”
“Mm.” Livia responded calmly, accepting the declaration of war.
Allen felt his stomach begin to ache again.
“Hey hey hey, please don’t treat me like some kind of trophy, alright? If I apologize right now, will you two give up this pointless competition and just be a proper couple already?”
This time, the two young maidens merely exchanged a perfectly synchronized smile, and neither of them paid him any attention.
The last remnants of the sunset’s glow sank completely below the horizon.
The lanterns in the courtyard lit up one by one, stretching the three figures’ shadows alternately long and short, interweaving and swaying upon the ground like a silent play.
Once the three entered the house, the warmth and ambiguity that had shrouded the Laval Mansion vanished completely.
In its place came a chill rising with the wind.
And, from somewhere unknown in the Capital, the distant and somber tolling of Seven Chimes.