"I-I committed a grave sin...? Wait...!" I implored, kneeling on the floor with my arms raised up.
'How did she know? So fast!'
It was humiliating because everyone was present, yet I'm here on my knees getting scolded by Lily! Out of all the days, everyone chose this day to get together! Albert was having a blast, seeing me like this. It's pissing me off. I want to tear his smug face off. Then next to him was his sister, Rosalyn, unlike her brother, she was showing sympathy and tearing herself up from not being able to coax me because of the person beside her—It was Arya.
'What happened with the two?'
Meanwhile, the demonic dragon princess was also having a blast seeing me getting railed on. Then, there's Clara beside Adelle and Rinna. Erik was also with us. It's his first time joining us. Arya's eyes glistened in excitement, thinking of whether I'll get beaten up or not. It—the same goes with Albert who was having the best time of his life, laughing his ass off from my demise. I would also love to point out that it's my first time seeing his laugh or smile.
If only he would smile often, he'll be more approachable, but it goes without saying, there's a reason why.
"Care to tell?" Lily said in a cold voice.
"...She suddenly kissed me! It's not my fault... Partially... But nonetheless, she instigated the situation! She's too tempting, and I got too carried away with the atmosphere! I won't do it next time! I promise! Just a spur-of-the-moment! My body intrinsically did that on its own... Fuck." I closed my eyes, expecting a yell.
However, the yell that I'm expecting did not happen, so I slowly opened my right eye to see Lily and Stephanie's darkened expressions. It looks like they're about to murder someone—and that someone is none other than me! Beads of sweat began dripping down from my forehead.
"Who?" Lily added.
I gulped nervously, as I am well aware of the predicament that befall me—One wrong thing to say and I'm out.
"Oi... What are you dazing for? You haven't answered the question yet." Stephanie exclaimed coldly.
"Cytheria Karmeut, Mam!" I exclaimed.
"Who?" Lily asked.
"The faction head of Polias Faction, one of the major factions. The third princess of Lemnos Kingdom. She's known as the 'Witch', due to her unorthodox magic and bewitching appearance." Stephanie glowered.
"Oh, she's a princess, no wonder she's so elegant and beautiful." I blatantly assented.
"Raise your arm!" Lily shouted.
"Yes!"
A second later, I felt hot air blowing into my ear, so I turned my head and saw Rosalyn's devoid eyes as if she recently lost someone in her life. I inwardly cursed myself for not being able to control myself yesterday. Since Rosalyn is here, that means one thing... As I felt her hands behind my head, I closed my eyes accepting my fate as Rosalyn's face got close, slowly pressing her lips into mine.
"O-O-Oi!" Stephanie shouted.
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After the hectic mishap earlier, Stephanie and Lily dragged me over to the next room in order to separate me away from Rosalyn who's now in the custody of Arya. In addition to that, Clara and Adelle also joined in the next room.
"Tch! The red hair's a pain in the ass." Lily remarked.
'Who snitched on me?' I thought.
"What do we do with him?" Lily asked with a hinting tone of disgust.
'Hold up. Why does it sound like they're about to murder me?'
I lowered my head and spoke softly. "Forgive me. "
The thick silence is driving me crazy, so I briefly glanced at them. Lily had her lips pursed while Stephanie's staring at me with a weird expression, both sharing their mixed feelings. On the contrary, Adelle was seemingly showing some sympathy to me which flabbergasted me.
I sighed and contemplated for a bit. 'I'm to blame. I should've controlled my lust... However, there's something odd about that woman, and until today, I can't seem to put into words what I felt yesterday. Oh, well, there's no point in dwelling on the past when it already happened.'
"Lift your head up," Stephanie ordered.
"So how does it feel?" Lily smiled sarcastically.
I stared at their faces and responded to Lily's sarcasm with a meek smile. 'How do I even respond?'
"Just kidding. I know you're not that kind of person. Adelle said so." Lily said with a bright smile. Her blinding bright smile was an array of hope for a sinful person like me. Tears almost formed around the corner of my eyes. Or so I thought because once she whispered the next words into my ears things became different. "I'll forgive you for now. Master Irene informed me about the puberty of human males, so I guess it's a normal reaction."
"Um, Lily, you're being creepy."
Yet, she continued on. "Plenty is already enough, but adding one or two more... Is not okay. Do you understand? Say yes, while I'm still being merciful."
"Y-Yes?"
"Good. Adelle and Stephanie told me that you've been a good boy from the years that we're apart, so I trust you. Fix it. Be mindful of the women you're attracting, okay? Or else, the suggestion I gave you before is slowly getting stronger and stronger."
"S-Sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."
'Damn, her presence is absurd.'
"Apology accepted." Lily flashed a smile that only lasted for seconds. Then she narrowed her eyes in disdain "Go screw yourself, okay?"
"Huh, wait! I thought I was forgiven!"
Before I knew it, Lily took Stephanie and Adelle along with her, leaving Clara and me in the room. "Ah... I'm fucked."
"You truly are." said the person next to me.
I jerked my head over in the direction of the voice.
"Looks like the timing is unfortunate. Do you want to discuss this next time?"
"It's fine, Rinna. Have you gotten the information?"
"You sure? You don't sound fine in my ears."
"All good. I'd rather be done with it. So, what did you get?"
"Yeah... This is what you wanted." Rinna handed me a pile of papers.
I began flipping the pages, skimming through the contents. "Keris Lykaios... Adopted by the Lykaios Family at the age of 6. Grew up in the underbelly of society... The slums... Then an orphan... Did the academy give you permission to contact someone from the outside?"
"Yes. My informant also told me that you need to be careful around that person... because he's crazy dangerous. He's also a part of a criminal organization in his city, funding them with the Lykaios family's money."
"Yeah, I see. He's putting it under as an expense. To be able to gather such crucial information... Your informant was doing an excellent job."
"Of course. As an excellent detective, it's normal to be surrounded by great people."
Kiva gang was the name of the gang Keris Lykaios had ties with. The name itself doesn't ring a bell to me, but it's stated here that it's an infamous group. However... "According to this, the Kiva gang is relatively a large group... It's possible that he acquired it from them. What about his acquaintances?"
"There were a few of them, I concluded that perhaps it was his organization that had malicious intentions toward you, or especially your master. Yet, according to your reaction, this is your first time hearing their name."
"It's possible. She had a ton of enemies, especially the criminal organization."
"Do you want me to go deeper into it?"
"This is more than enough. We're going into deep unknown territories and I don't want you to get caught in this. Sticking your nose into it will be dangerous for your well-being. If it's really because of Master Irene, we should leave it alone unless it happens again, but until that time, we shouldn't involve ourselves in it anymore." I patted Rinna's head.
"Hehehe~ Okay~" Rinna replied with bliss.
Rinna glanced up, locking her gaze on my face. "What about Cytheria Karmeut?"
"For later."
"Okay~!"
"This bunny... Someday, someone will take advantage of you. We're still practically strangers, you know?" I said ruffling her hair.
"We are. However, I know who you are, what kind of person you are, practically everything about you."
"Tch. I forgot you're a creepy stalker... You're lucky that I'm a tolerable guy. If it's somebody else, they'll react differently."
"I know. That's why I didn't hesitate to tell you."
I heave a sigh. "Okay, okay, Ms. Stalker... Anyway, thank you for helping me. So, about the deal, what do you want then? Please, make it reasonable."
"Hm... I haven't thought about it yet."
Rinna's ears were wavering back and forth while contemplating.
"Take your time. Well... I trust you to make a reasonable request..." My eyelashes fluttered, looking askance.
"Geez, I'm a reasonable person."
Instead of replying to her with words, I smiled wryly. Rinna's ears perked up and puffed her cheeks. "Muu-muu! I'm not like that! I'm a detective! I fight for justice! Solving crimes for justice! Making the world a better place, fighting criminals!"
"Fine, fine, I apologize for my rude remarks." I caressed her head to ease her up.
Rinna averted her gaze down and her ears stooped down. She seems to be loving every moment of this. Throughout this time, I've been figuring out her goal and why she's interested in me. She's willing to help me without any hesitation. She's a self-conceited person that lives through her father's principles—everything revolves around her, pleasing and living up to her father's expectations.
In short, someone with father attachment issues—that have been established since the beginning.
"Be careful though. People will come for you. I'm sure you're aware of your own circumstance, but as time passes, your situation will gradually worsen. After what happened yesterday, they now see you as a threat."
"Old news. An exiled noble from an old-prestigious family that's now a disciple of a Saintess who also had a lot of enemies from the nobility. Most importantly, they fear me out of uncertainty. Their doubts are justified since there are a lot of uncertain variables present regarding me." I calmly said.
"The fear of revenge."
"Hit the mark. Also, what happened yesterday doesn't matter, those people aren't the ones I need to be cautious of. They're just some horny dogs who wanted to get in the skirt of my women. If that's their purpose, I'm confident I can win against them. Rather than worrying about them, I'd rather worry about the likes of Keris Lykaios."
"Cytheria Karmeut and Prince Lykos."
After Rinna mentioned those names, I pinched her cheeks. "You know a lot about what's happening with my life. Creepy little stalker."
"At least, your little stalker is cute." Rinna thumped her chest.
I flicked her forehead.
"Awww! That hurts!" Rinna exclaimed in pain.
For a brief moment, my cheerful smile turned into a solemn one. 'If they want me, they'll also target the people around me. Rinna did a fine job on the request I have given to her; however, I can't risk it. This matter should be done by a professional. I don't want to pile workloads on Clara, but she's the only perfect person for this job.'
I pulled my hand away from Rinna's head and smiled. "You can go ahead, Rinna. I'm going out for some air."
"Okay... Don't forget our deal, okay?"
"Sure, sure, I won't ever forget about it. I'm a man of my word."
As we headed out, I met Arya on my way out. She smirked and said. "I like the look on your face."
"Hm?"
"I know the look when I see one. Truly cut from the same cloth." Arya patted my shoulder as she passed me. "Be wild."
I halted in my steps and locked my gaze on Arya's back. 'The what? What nonsense is she talking about?'