Chapter 31. Lucilline Rubius is Ashamed

The light of a candle flickered in the night.

The day had passed by, and Lucilline rested back in Duke Rubius' manor. He shuffled underneath the layers of blankets, with thoughts racing in his mind, contrasting the silence of the dark sky. His mind wandered back to the chaotic day of the demons invading school; and realizing that one of his associates was actually a demon in disguise.

It was difficult to settle his thoughts down.

Lucilline couldn't stop thinking. Sometimes, he wished that his brain could just stop working, so that he'd finally fall asleep.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Lucilline flipped over back and forth in his bed. Restlessness tickled him by the toe, and he clenched his legs, feeling the cold creeping over his body. His black hair sprawled across the snowy white pillow, making a remarkable polarity.

Underneath the blanket covers, his slender body curled up in a ball. The curtains were closed, but traces of the moonlight still wandered into Lucilline's peculiar golden eyes.

All of a sudden, the sound of noises came from the hallway.

"Huh?" Lucilline felt irked. Unconsciously, he heightened his ears, trying to hear what was going on outside his door.

There were muffled noises, but he could make out what was happening.

A familiar deep voice had huffed, "Why do you look so down?" This voice belonged to Butler Augustine. His footsteps were firm and yet soft enough to be dismissed as pure imagination. Beside him was another familiar voice—female this time. "It's none of your business!" This voice belonged to Willow.

"You look upset." Augustine pressed his lips into a thin line. His face was cold and sharp, enough to cut through an iceberg.

"I don't!" Willow defended herself.

Augustine and Willow stopped walking. They paused in the middle of the hallway, with Augustine taking the initiative to talk, "You're upset."

This caught the maidservant off guard.

Willow flinched, clenching her hands into fists, then argued back, "Of course I am upset! After all, you're still next to me—alive and well."

"I'm not why you're upset." Augustine remained decisive. "You're upset because of the heroine."

Behind the door and inside his bedroom, Lucilline was stunned awake. He could no longer try to fall into slumber. Cold assaulted his senses, with a chilly fragrance permeating in the room. He slowly sat up from the bed, leaving a few wrinkles on the blanket covers.

Willow is upset because of Daphnne? Lucilline felt puzzled. Why would his maidservant be upset by the heroine?

"H-How'd you know!" Willow puffed up like a defensive puffer fish. One could already imagine the toxic spikes that rises up from her body, as she tries to defend herself.

Augustine tilted his head, showing his well-defined neck, "I'm not dumb."

Willow fell silent. Since this butler could not be tricked, why should she continue lying? "Well, you're partially right about me being upset."

She grabbed a fistful of her maid dress, with the black and white fabrics scrunched up in her powerful fists. Her knuckles beamed poignant white, as if showing a glimpse of the strength brewing underneath her skin. Willow pressed a spare hand on her chest—feeling the remains of the burn she'd felt from the curse mark. It had long since stopped burning, but she swore she could still feel it tingling patches of her skin.

Willow sighed. At least her Young Master was safe—and her disciple as well.

"You see," she ran a hand through her long white bangs, "I cannot understand what Daphnne is thinking. I could tell that she wanted to become strong badly. The reason as to why I trained her was because I could relate to what she was feeling..."

Willow's small body slouched, "But in the hospital, she started talking about wanting to learn magic from those mages... Why would she want another teacher when she has me?"

Augustine, "..." He inhaled.

He knew that Willow was feeling down about the heroine, but he had no idea it was because of what happened at the hospital.

"Is it jealousy?" Augustine listed out, "Or... is it an affair—"

Lucilline slapped a hand over his own mouth. He was afraid to make any sounds—trying to prevent the two servants outside from hearing him. At that moment, his mind was racing with so many questions that he automatically tuned out everything else.

Willow and Daphnne have an affair!?! Why didn't I notice?

He racked his brain, and remembered everything. Many images flashed before his eyes. He remembered how excited and flustered Daphnne looked whenever before Willow's presence. He also remembered how caring the indifferent maidservant was to the exception of Daphnne.

I can't believe I didn't even realize it before! I'm so slow!

Lucilline pressed another hand over his mouth. He felt delirious and suffocating, as his thoughts raced even faster. I thought that Azalea and Daphnne were destined to get together... because they were childhood friends and also the main protagonists. But I didn't think that Willow got together with the heroine that fast...

He almost hiccuped. Willow is truly a Master at relationships. She only knew Daphnne for a few months, and they're already dating... No wonder Willow was so upset when Daphnne wanted to learn magic from a mage... it is indeed jealousy that the heroine is paying attention to another woman...

Lucilline's mind went haywire.

What do same-sex couples do? Do they also... hug... kiss... and sleep together? Lucilline tried to imagine his maidservant and the heroine in a scenario.

Willow would hold Daphnne by the waist, and both girls would lean close to one another... They would stare into the other's eyes, trying to find themselves in the iris' reflection. Slowly, their bodies would fall towards one another, and collapsing into a—

Lucilline couldn't finish his thoughts.

Gradually, his slender hands peeled off his mouth. It revealed his lips, which had reddened to a bright colour of cherry red from biting on them so hard. A small blanket of blush aligned his unblemished jade-like cheeks, adding some hue to his pale and delicate face. A layer of mist fell over his golden eyes, making them appear like hazy gold.

His cheeks burned, and his curtain of eyelashes shivered like a fragile leaf facing the harsh winds. "I am so ashamed of myself..." He didn't dare to continue imagining the relationship between his two friends.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Willow and Augustine continued to have their conversation.

—"Or is it an affair?" Augustine asked.

Willow arched an eyebrow. "An affair?" At first, she thought that the butler was joking. However, the latter's face held no signs of playing the fool.

Willow realized it: !!!

"It's not like that!" She really wanted to tear this butler into pieces. If she was a chimney, a line of smoke would have puffed up from her scorching head, "We have a pure teacher-and-disciple relationship! What is going on through your head!"

Augustine didn't bother arguing. He looked away, "It was just a guess. You don't need to be so defensive. It really makes it look like you're hiding something."

The air stagnated.

Willow almost tore her dress to pieces from hard she clenched it. Killing intent spilled out from her silvery eyes, as she gnashed, "I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU, DAMN YOU AUGUSTINE!!!" Despite her threat, the patch of blush on her cheeks really did make it look like she was hiding something.

*****

In the next morning, Lucilline gently picked up a cup of tea.

His noble temperament was soothing, as if it could smoothen every single bump in the atmosphere. The black circles under his eyes didn't seem to fade away, but it didn't affect his complexion.

He sipped the tea, with ripples bouncing on the surface of the drink.

Slowly, he placed the cup back down on its plate, ringing out a soft clink.

"How does it taste?" On the side, Willow asked thoughtfully.

Lucilline raised his eyes. He watched his maidservant, then remembered what he'd heard last night—in an instant, he turned away, not daring to look anymore. Beneath his locks of black hair, his two pearly ears burned crimson red from shame.

"Hmm?" Willow was puzzled. Why won't her Young Master look at her?

"Hello? Young Master?" She dangled a hand across Lucilline's face, "Did I brew the tea well? Is it according to your tastes? Are there any improvements from last time?"

Lucilline looked at his maidservant's dangling hand.

He imagined this same hand caressing the heroine's cheek...

Lucilline: ( ﾟдﾟ) !!!!!

"It tastes fine!" Lucilline babbled. He was like a cat, with his fur rising up high enough to reach the skies. He didn't dare to look at his maidservant, as if he'd burn from mere sight, "I like the way you make my tea okay? Just don't ask me anymore!"

Willow gasped, pressing a hand against her mouth.

"Are you feeling unwell today, Young Master? Would you like me to fetch you your medicine?" She asked genuinely. Her Young Master was acting weird!

"No need! I'm not feeling unwell! I'm perfectly fine!" Lucilline refused any help. He could no longer see his maidservant the same way as before.

Willow was a little disappointed.

"...then what shall I do for you, Young Master?"

Lucilline took a sip of his tea, his lips pursing into a thin line. "Go check up on Azalea and... um, Daphnne for me right now."

Willow: ??? Why do I need to check up on them ???

Despite being confused, she nodded and carried out her order. The maidservant's figure disappeared after exiting from the manor, and slowly bypassing through the traps set through the gates.

Lucilline sighed a breath of relief.

He sipped from his cup of tea again—

"You heard our conversation last night?" Augustine piped up from the sound. In an instant, Lucilline almost spat out the tea he had in his mouth. He controlled his expression, and quickly swallowed down the mouthful of warm tea.

Slowly, he turned his head to look at the butler.

"H-How'd you know?" Lucilline's mouth twitched.

Augustine cherished this sight of the black-haired nobleman panic. It was rare for the Young Master of Duke Rubius to ever show weakness. When he panicked or was nervous, Lucilline's golden eyes would widen and reveal everything. His mouth would also unconsciously fall open, exposing his row of white teeth.

"You've been unwilling to look at Willow this entire time," Augustine informed. "I don't see any other reason as to why you cannot look at her."

He thought to himself, Besides, it's not like that maidservant did anything wrong.

Lucilline shuffled in his seat. He wore a casual attire, with just a white shirt and black trousers. Since he wasn't leaving the manor, there wasn't any point in dressing up. Small slashes of wrinkles donned his pants, as he shifted around from nervousness.

He fiddled with his thumbs, "So... is Willow actually dating Daph—"

"What are you guys talking about?" All of a sudden, Willow stood before them once again.

Lucilline almost jumped out of his skin. "When did you come back!?" His panicked demeanour made the butler behind him lift up the corner of his lips.

"Actually..." Willow was suspicious, with her gaze lingering on the butler, "I never got to meet Azalea or Daphnne. Instead, there was a messenger waiting at the front of the manor's gate. He came from the Royal Palace... and said that there's an important message."

Lucilline was stunned.

His anxiousness had completely smoothened out. Lucilline took a deep breath from his nose. He crossed one leg across the other, and casted his black-gloved hands gently on his lap. His back straightened, and his noble temperament permeated all around.

The black-haired nobleman calmly asked, "What was the message?" It was as if he completely forgot about the matter between Daphnne and Willow. He was no longer embarrassed nor ashamed.

Willow did not pay attention to this.

She reported, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince; Dimitri Von Arthur; would like Young Master to meet with him in the Royal Palace."

A heavy silence dawned in the living room.

Author's Note:

(*'∀｀) You don't have to read this A/N, but I'd appreciate it if you do lol.

Any-who, I've seen like plenty of people place this book under the "Fanfics Reading List". I've written fanfics before—and I'm pretty sure that this book ain't a fanfic. Like please—the characters belong to me—and that separates it from being a fanfic. I'm don't mind it. I'm not offended either, but I'm genuinely curious about what people think the genre of this book is.

I'm the author, (;'༎ຶД༎ຶ') but even I don't know what genre this book is. Any opinions on what genre this book is?

(･ิω･ิ) Well, I just like to rant about stuff in my free time, so please take it with a grain of salt.

LOL and there's this one time I saw someone place this book under "Harem of Gays and Lesbians". I can't say that I disapprove tho-