Chapter 109: Caught Red-Handed!
"I'm so sorry, Senior, and Miss Cartethyia! I was too excited at the time and did such shameless things to both of you. I have no face left to stay in the position of deacon anymore—I'll just end my life right now!"
"Alright, alright, calm down first, Phoebe..."
The next morning, having regained her composure, Phoebe awkwardly kept bowing her head in apology to Cartethyia, who had suffered quite a bit from her antics the previous night.
Cartethyia, wrapped in a clearly oversized shirt she had dug out of Aeron's closet, watched the apologetic Phoebe with some resignation. The hem of the shirt reached her thighs, her golden hair was a messy cascade over her shoulders, and several noticeable red marks still lingered on her neck.
Because you enjoyed it quite a bit yourself.
Don't speak, you instigator of all this!
Originally, Cartethyia had only intended to let Fleurdelys out to give Aeron a little payback, but she hadn't expected her to go straight for Aeron like that!
Logically speaking, shouldn't the order of such things be to first build affection between two people, go out together to trigger special events, confess mutual feelings, and only then proceed to... that?
In this fast-paced era, that approach is already outdated, you know...?
And yet, you're the one who spent twenty years in Avinoleum...
That may be true, but you were actually quite happy yourself, weren't you?
...I can't deny it.
Although Fleurdelys had made the first move and Phoebe had fanned the flames, Cartethyia had to admit that she hadn't exactly held back last night either.
Thinking this, Cartethyia glanced at the person who had taken turns with the two of them last night and was now lying motionless on the bed.
Aeron: "..."
...And it seemed they might have gone a bit overboard.
She sighed deeply.
With that thought, Cartethyia let out a resigned sigh, walked over to the bedside, and poked Aeron's cheek with her finger. The skin beneath her fingertip was warm, with a slight coolness from lack of sleep.
"...Still alive?"
"...Mm..."
Cartethyia poked his cheek again, her tone carrying a hint of guilty concern. "Um... about last night..."
"Weren't you the one who went at it the hardest..."
Aeron slowly blinked, his gaze first sweeping over Cartethyia's reddened ears and then Phoebe's face, which was on the verge of—no, already—tearing up, before finally turning into a sigh.
Although he hadn't refused, those two really hadn't given him a moment's rest!
Feeling somewhat guilty under Aeron's stare, Cartethyia said quietly:
"Well, even if we bear 99% of the responsibility, don't you have that final 1%...?"
"And where exactly is that 1% I'm responsible for, may I ask?"
"...Never mind that."
With a touch of petulance, Cartethyia stood up, pulled clothes from the closet, and handed them to Aeron—partly to avoid staring at his upper body and having improper thoughts again.
Meanwhile, the golden-haired girl kneeling on the floor was still tearfully confessing and repenting for her actions the previous night.
"I'm sorry, Senior! I really am a bad child. I can't stay in the position of priestess for even one more day, waaah..."
"Boo-hoo..."
After all, Aeron was counting on clinging to Phoebe's coattails for his livelihood. If she really resigned, what would he eat in the future?
And honestly, compared to those days with Fisalia, this level is nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
But is it really okay for the Blessed Maiden and the future Primus to be this lustful?
Thankfully, no one else is around. If anyone really saw Aeron doing such things with the two of them, he probably wouldn't be able to survive in Ragunna anymore.
Rustle—
"W-wait, what's that noise outside the door?"
"Sounds like someone's fumbling with a key? Did they get the wrong room?"
Although Aeron wouldn't exactly refuse being treated like a kept man, he still didn't want to cause trouble for Phoebe and the others.
Of course, the head of the family was something Aeron had earned himself, so that didn't count.
As for Carlotta… Aeron still hoped she'd focus more on her career. The future of Ragunna depended on her.
Click—
And as for Ciaccona? Hah, she's done for.
And then…
"…Thinking of me?"
"Exactly, when it comes to daily life, you really need someone from a similar social class… Holy shit, Zani!?"
At some point, the door to Aeron's room had opened, and Zani stood at the entrance, holding a key she'd just pulled from the lock. She was still wearing that immaculate white shirt and trousers.
"Ah, now? Then let me borrow your place for a shower first—"
"Wait, that's not what I meant, damn it!"
"Hmm… Then what were you all doing just now?"
As she spoke, Zani's gaze swept over Cartethyia, who was wearing an obviously oversized shirt and blushing furiously, then over Phoebe, who was stumbling over her words, before finally settling back on Aeron's "utterly screwed" face.
"—Do I really have to explain?" Aeron felt like crying.
"Go ahead, I'm curious how you'll try to talk your way out of this."
Isn't that just useless no matter how I explain it!?
Aeron was on the verge of tears. Damn it, in front of Zani, he really had nothing left to hide.
"You don't need to say anything." Zani raised a hand to stop him. "Just looking at you, I can pretty much guess what happened."
Zani's words were direct, but neither her expression nor her tone held any hint of blame toward Aeron.
Wh-what a powerful presence…!
Hmm, seems like a formidable rival. Should I step in?
That'll only make things worse!
After stopping Fleurdelys in her mind, Cartethyia cautiously glanced at Zani's expression. Seeing no sign of anger, she tentatively asked, "So… Miss Zani, you don't mind?"
"Mind what?" Zani shot back. "Mind that he has other women around him?"
As she spoke, Zani let out a soft chuckle.
"If I minded that, I'd have lost the energy to work overtime long ago." She rubbed her temples, a hint of resignation in her tone. "The number of people tangled up with this guy isn't exactly…"
"Uh… Is it really that bad?"
"Want me to count them for you?" Zani glanced at him.
"Never mind then…"
"But I really didn't expect you to go after girls this young."
"To be honest, they're both adults now!"
"If you consider their status again..."
"...I was wrong." Aeron admitted honestly.
"Good that you know you were wrong. By the way, I'm on leave today."
What a 'by the way'—that's way too casual.
"...And so?"
"Want to go out with me?"
Aeron was taken aback: "Go out... where?"
"Just a casual stroll." Zani shrugged, "Didn't you say so yourself?"
She took out her terminal and showed Aeron the message from the previous group chat.
[AAA District Wholesale Full Rinascita Can Fly No Cilantro: Next time for sure.]
At this point, Aeron couldn't bring himself to say that this was just a casual reply.
"And also, consider it compensation for all the extra hours I've been putting in for you alone lately."
"You're serious about this?"
"Mhm. I'll wait for you outside."
With that, Zani turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
The room fell into brief silence.
Cartethyia and Phoebe exchanged glances, then both looked at Aeron, who was slumped on the bed.
"...It seems he's done for."