Chapter 2: Girl, Forestalls the Inevitable
SWEET poison infiltrated Nichika’s ears and directly jolted her brain. She snapped right out of her intoxicated state as if someone had doused her tipsy mood with ice water.
Sobering up made her current situation suddenly very sketchy. She and Oswald were all alone on top of a bed in a room illuminated only by shafts of moonlight spilling in through the blinds. They were so close they were practically on top of each other, and she felt her pulse throb under his hand on her wrist.
Bad. This was an extremely bad situation. And she was pretty sure she had run her mouth saying something preposterous only seconds ago. Something about wanting kisses and fear of being hated. She put a little strength into her free hand to give his chest a gentle push.
“Um, Oswald?”
The man she called master briefly looked into her eyes and smirked as if that told him everything he needed to know.
“Good morning, my fair lady,” he greeted in a ridiculously polite voice.
“Yup, I’m up! I’m all here now! I’m sorry for running my mouth! I’ve regained my sanity, so you can stop—wah!”
He lifted her into the air and sat her on the edge of the bed. She was dead scared of his smile because she was fully aware of going overboard this time. Stupidly overdrinking caused her to become oddly giddy. Swearing to herself to never again touch another mug of Magico Beer wasn’t going to do much about her present predicament. What did he have in store for her? A lecture? Or a taste of his unforgiving sarcasm?
Nichika braced herself for the worst when he presented her with an unanticipated suggestion.
“Why don’t we go ahead and enjoy ourselves since we’re already part way there?” he whispered into her ear.
“Enjoy what?!” she shouted against her better judgment.
Oswald knelt in front of her. Was he continuing his butler farce? He took her right hand in his and reverently pressed it to his forehead.
“I live to serve your every desire.”
Nichika’s heart practically leapt from her chest with the way he touched her like an irreplaceable treasure. Flustered, she fumbled over her words. “U-Um…”
“To your fingertips I offer my admiration. The back of your hand, my respect and affection.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ah!” Nichika gasped as he planted a kiss on each spot he mentioned. Electricity coursed under the skin his lips brushed along.
“Desire. Love…obsession.”
“Anhh…”
Wrist. Arm. Neck. His lips gradually moved higher as he slowly pushed her down on the bed.
“Where do you wish it next, my lady? Order me however your heart desires.”
Her whole world was monopolized by the beautiful blue of his eyes. A peculiar color, she thought. It was different from sky blue and ocean blue, and wholly unique to him.
“My…desire…is…” she breathed.
She was being swept up in his pace. The words froze on her tongue with his weight on her chest.
“My everything belongs to you, my lady,” the butler whispered against her nape.
Though her mind knew it was all an act, her heart was swayed by the passion dripping from his husky voice. She should have been sober, but a bewitching heat lit her up from the inside, dazing her mind once more.
I want him to touch me more, then take me—what? Oh my gosh. What in the world am I thinking?!
Nichika was horrified by her indecent thoughts. But the terror was washed away by the stimulation it caused. She was drowning in the feelings raging inside.
“Nichika…”
“Ahhhh!”
Something deep inside her squeezed tight when he called her real name out of the blue. Nichika lifted her gaze after releasing that longing, breathy sigh. She reached both hands up to take hold of the handsome face gazing down at her, when—
“Wha-?!”
“Kya!”
A light barrier suddenly formed between them, momentarily lighting up the dark room. Frowning, Oswald drew back a foot, and Nichika took that chance to push herself upright and scoot away.
“Wow! Wow! What a sh-shock! Ahaha! That was some static shock! You okay?” she asked in a purposefully loud voice and hastily escaped to the other side of the bed.
Silently clicking his tongue, Oswald pulled his loosened tie off.
“……”
“……”
The silence was painfully loud. Nichika endured his burrowing stare while her cheeks were still aflame. Hurtful words flew out of her open mouth of their own volition.
“S-Stop joking around with this stuff.”
“What?”
“I know you’re just teasing me, but I don’t have any experience in that area, so…well…” I might take you seriously. Not that she could say that out loud. A pause stretched out before she lamely finished with, “you can’t…do that.” She clutched the sheets and hung her head.
When he finally spoke, his voice was devoid of emotion. “I see. You mean to say you and I aren’t a good match.”
“I mean, isn’t that obvious?”
This man only kisses me because of our deal. He’s forced into it to keep me alive. That’s all, Nichika told herself.
“You’re only troubling me by doing what’s more than…necessary.”
She was ashamed of herself for hoping for more. Especially when her master had a multitude of admirers lining up at the door to win over his affections. There was no way he would get serious about a kid like her. So she drew a line in the sand, forestalling what came next. After all, emptiness was all that went with physical relationships without feelings involved.
Just how much time passed before anything else was said? The next she heard Oswald speak, he addressed her with the indifference of a servant.
“Your wishes have been noted, my lady. Please forgive my many indiscretions. I am not worthy.”
“Hey…” When she raised her face, Oswald had switched completely into butler mode.
“Goodnight, m’lady,” he quietly said with a facile smile, elegantly bowing before departing the room.
“……”
Left all alone, Nichika pulled her knees to her chest in the pale light of the blue moon.