Ayumu Makes a Heartbreaking Decision!

The reception room of Berion estate was rife with tension.

Maria stared at the young man with expectation. The man's name was Fabian Aes Berion, someone Maria held dear to her. But right now, there was something particularly bothersome about his behavior.

From the very start of this meeting, she felt a deep sense of wrongness. His silly greeting by itself could be ignored as an innocuous joke, but you would be hard pressed to excuse his actions after that point.

Yes, indeed, Maria couldn't just shrug it all of as innocent misbehavior. If she did, she wouldn't be able to call herself Fabian's fiancée.

Maria requested for the maid to leave so they could stay alone and regain some privacy. After her request, the young man went quiet.

No doubt, most nobles—no, most people would be able to make the decision on the spot. It would be foolish to prioritize an attendant over his own fiancée. Especially since she made sure to highlight her displeasure.

It was only natural to accept Maria's request, but the young man didn't immediately do that. That meant there was something that made him hesitate. So then what was the source of his hesitation?

Was it his personal principles? Some unknown motivation? Fear before Maria's wrath? Or was it the sympathy for the servant?

Maria glanced at Lucy. She carefully took in her expression, comparing it to what it was before. The maid, just as always, seemed unaffected by what was happening. But that couldn't be further away from the truth.

Most people would be hard pressed to tell the shifts in her expressions since they usually came down to very minute differences, but Maria could. And that's why she knew just how tense Lucy was at the moment.

She was once again reminded of a simple truth: just because you'd never seen a person cry or laugh, didn't mean that they lacked tears and joy. 

But it was only human to pretend that what inconvenienced you didn't exist.

Knowing about Lucy's inner turmoil, Maria felt glad. After all, there would be no point in anything she was doing if the maid didn't care. Recognizing that emotion within her made Maria feel somewhat twisted, but she wasn't about to let that stop her.

Now, it all hinged on what the young man's answer would be.

And so, she listened carefully to his next words.

As Maria waited, the room was eerily quiet. It was only a few seconds of silence, yet those seconds were enough to ramp up the tension in the room.

After a deep breath, the young man finally began speaking.

"Maria, I..."

For the first time, there was confidence present in his tone. He was clearly nervous and tense, but accompanying that tension wasn't panic but rather extreme focus and intensity.

As the young man spoke, the rest of the room listened with bated breaths. Everyone carefully waited for his answer. That wait only lasted a single moment, but that moment felt like an eternity. 

And what came out of his mouth—

***

"...I have to decline."

—were firm and concise words of denial.

When Ayumu delivered his answer, the room once again went completely quiet.

Lucy's face was expressionless, and Maria was facing downwards, making it impossible to see her features. Meanwhile, Ayumu was—

W-what in the world am I doing! Why the hell did I just say no?!

 —panicking big time.

You see, after feeling the tension and realizing that a single misstep could cost him his cover, he became nervous. In addition to that, those annoying memories of Fabian kept clouding his judgment.

When all of those factors combined, it resulted in an unbelievable amount of stress for him. This was quite possibly the tensest situation Ayumu had ever been put in his entire life.

As a result... He became incredibly panicked. So panicked, in fact, that all emotion died within him, and it resulted in the most confident tone he'd had all day long! 

At the end, he ended up blurting out whatever answer first came to his mind. But soon after that, his emotions came back. And when they did, the panic he felt was multiplied many times over.

Agh, it's all that damn Fabian's fault! Why the hell do you prioritize a servant instead of your own fiancée. Are you an idiot? A filthy playboy? A cheating scumbag? No, you're all of those you damn fool!

Despite making the decision himself, Ayumu continued to shift the blame on Fabian. Very typical.

In part, however, those complaints were also directed at himself. At the end of the day, he was the one who made the decision. After all...

...Maria was absolutely terrifying! 

He definitely didn't want to stay alone with her in the room. And, not wanting to admit that his judgement was clouded by fear, he kept shifting the blame. But it didn't help, and his terror remained. Or maybe even intensified.

While, Ayumu was busy losing his marbles, his fiancée was preparing to break the silence. Slowly, Maria lifted her face. As she did, her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.

Ayumu gulped nervously.

This is bad! She's so angry that she's shaking!

As she lifted her face, her features finally started coming into sight.

"...That's—"

Her face was tense and was ignited like a raging flame.

Oh no, even her face is boiling with anger! She's definitely pissed...

"—That's not fair at all! You always pamper Lucia so much! I also want to be pampered by Fabian!" 

She shouted like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

Huh?

While, Ayumu was too stunned to respond, Maria continued.

She was as red as tomato and her cheeks were puffed up in a pout. Her whole body was shaking in embarrassment.

"Fabian, you're always so nice to Lucia!" she said in a trembling voice, "she sticks with you like a glue—you guys are together twenty-four seven! Meanwhile, I only get to see you once in a red moon... She's closer to you than I am! That's not fair at all!"

As her explanation continued, Maria became more and more heated.

W-what...? I-is... is she just... 

...Jealous!?

As that realization slowly hit Ayumu, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Phew, thanks God. I didn't need to be so terrified of her...

...It was for the best, however, that Maria didn't know what the source of his relief was.

So, at the end of the day, it's all Fabian's fault again, right? It's all because this stupid playboy neglected his fiancée so much, that I now have to deal with all of this. Damn it, Fabian, what did I even do to you to deserve this?!

...I guess, I did steal your body, now that I think about it... Huh...maybe I am at fault, after all?

While Ayumu wondered if his karma had finally struck him, Maria continued.

"You refuse to tell her to leave during our private time, and more importantly," she pointed at Lucy, "why do you call her Lucy, but then call me Maria? I'm supposed to be your fiancée here!"

Yeah, Fabian is such a moron. Tell him, girl! Wait. Now that I think about it, everything she's describing is my doing, not his...

"Well? What do you have to say in your defense?" Maria asked, her tone slightly intimidating.

Slowly, Ayumu realized that it was, in fact, his own behavior that caused this situation to unfold. That realization, however, didn't help him come up with a good response, and he remained silent like an accused waiting for the judge's verdict.

To his relief, his lawyer Lucy (once again) came to his rescue. 

"Lady Maria, with all due respect, leaving an unmarried man and a woman alone in a room together is a serious breach of etiquette—even if they are engaged," she explained, "I'm afraid I would have to notify Master and Mistress if such things were to take place."

Aha, so servants are supposed to be present! I knew it! Well, maybe I didn't, but I did have a sneaking suspicion, alright? I-it wasn't just fear clouding my judgement—it was hard, cold logic, okay?

Ayumu, always optimistic and totally, completely objective and fair, continued to watch the two girls argue.

"Hmph! so what? Let them know that we get along well. That stupid rule traces its origins back to old, prude way of thinking. Commoners—or even young nobles nowadays—don't think it's that big of a deal," Maria retaliated, "you're telling me we can't even have a little bit of privacy as a couple? Seems overly strict, don't you think so? You wouldn't want your relationship constantly monitored, would you?"

With that explanation, she stared at Lucy with a challenging glare, as if inviting a response.

"Lady Maria, I can't quite relate to what it's like to be in your position. However, I do have a duty to uphold," Lucy responded.

Maria paused and stared at her for a second as if remembering something.

"...Now that you remind me—when you're serving Fabian, you often stay alone with him. That means you also break the etiquette!" Maria attacked aggressively.

"But I'm just a servant?" Lucy deflected innocently, "Besides, who else would serve him? There aren't enough servants in the household."

"That's because you don't even let others servants do it in the first place!" Maria continued her relentless (read as picky and petty) assault.

"Why would they be assigned to him if there aren't enough servants?" Lucy dismantled Maria's offence.

She was genuinely puzzled at Maria's statement and it uncharacteristically showed in her tone.

"Hrrgh, how convenient for you!" Maria added a spiteful tag-along as a desperate attempt to turn the tide.

In response, Lucy tilted her head in confusion...

"...Is that a problem?"

...and brutally shrugged her spitefulness off. All the while, her voice remained completely unchanged.

"Argh, I can't anymore!" Maria resigned. "Fabian, help me! Your maid is being mean!"

She hugged Ayumu, searching for consolation. Maria pretended to cry as she did so, but the smug smirk she directed at Lucy made it clear that her tears were all pretense. Clearly showcasing her ability to turn every loss into a benefit. Even though a loss was still a loss...

In contrast, Lucy noticed Maria's expression, but once again only tilted her head questioningly, this time to the other side. She was still unaware of the brutality she had committed on her future lady.

At the same time, Ayumu was reevaluating Maria, who was currently burrowed in his chest.

Y-yeah, this girl isn't nearly as scary as I thought... Huh, that's weird... And here I was terrified of her just a few minutes ago... Well, whatever, the only thing I'm worried about now is how handsy she is.

Such closeness with a beautiful girl was causing him nervousness and panic, but he wasn't in a hurry to push her away. Despite his complaints, Ayumu was clearly enjoying himself, not realizing that she already had him under her thumb.

As her reputation suggested, Maria was indeed a fox in sheep clothing. Ayumu, meanwhile, was clearly just a sheep.

"I-it's okay, Maria. I-I promise you, we'll go on a secret undercover date later. Just the two of us! I-I promise!" he said, remembering the excuse he gave Lucy before and trying to utilize it to his advantage.

She beamed at him in response

"Really? Hehe, thanks Fabian, you're the best!" She said and leaned away, releasing him from her hug. "But I told you already. Don't call me Maria—call me Mary, like you usually do!"

"M-Mary," Ayumu replied hesitantly.

"Hehe, yep! That's pretty good," she nodded to herself, "Oh, yeah. Your preferential treatment to Lucy aside, I applaud you for sitting next to me this time!"

"Huh? Oh... oh, yeah, that. I mean we are engaged after all... It's only natural," he replied after stumbling at first.

"Usually you act all jittery and keep yourself at arm's length so it's a nice change of pace, hehe."

So Fabian wouldn't sit close to her, huh? That's surprising... or maybe not? I think I'm starting to figure it out... Fabian might be one of those dense characters. The sort that misses out on all the clues that girls give him yet still somehow ends up popular. How typical. What is he? Some sort of main character? 

Well, too bad, if you think about it from the perspective of web novel tropes, then I would be more of a main character, right? I mean, I got reincarnated and stuff.

Despite the annoying nature of his thoughts, Ayumu was (regrettably) correct.

After that, the three began their tea party. To be specific, Ayumu and Mary were the ones who were having the party while Lucy attended to them.

As it went on, they discussed the state of Berions Manor (Ayumu was nodding along cluelessly), talked about the upcoming festival (still clueless), and ended up with a conversation about their upcoming date. Maria was clearly excited about seeing how commoners lived.

Finally, after finishing her cup, Mary stood up.

"Alright! Now that that's done, let's get down to business!" She said with a somewhat challenging smile on her face.

"B-business? W-what does that mean?" Ayumu asked.

"Well, of course I'm talking about that, you know?" she started her explanation that didn't quite seem like an explanation, "I'm talking about magic! Did you forget? I'm here to help you out with that."

She stated and stood up from her seat. Maria then headed outside.

"Come on, I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard," she said as she opened the door and left the room.

 As the door closed, Ayumu started processing what he had just heard.

M-magic!? So this world does have magic after all... Wow, that's awesome! I'm getting excited...

Wait, aren't there some big issues here? In the first place, I just learned that magic exists here—how the hell am I supposed to cast it!?

Ayumu's mind was occupied by the upcoming magic session. At first, his thoughts turned to the realistic problems that the situation presented. However, very quickly he ended up fantasizing about magical powers he could soon possess.

Hehe... me, a mage. Could I launch fireballs or cast earth walls? Oh, oh maybe I could even fly, or turn invisible—

"—Young Master," Lucy interrupted his daydreaming.

***

Lucy knew that her master was preoccupied with the thoughts of the upcoming training, no doubt considering serious matters that she couldn't even begin to comprehend. But she nonetheless interrupted him, albeit with some trepidation.

"Young Master."

"Mghm... Oh, yeah, what's wrong?" he asked her somewhat absentmindedly.

She knew that if she didn't say it now, she probably wouldn't get an opportunity to speak about it for a while. So, she collected her courage and spoke.

"Thank you," Lucy started, "thank you for not chasing me out of the room before..."

Uncharacteristically for her, she paused, searching for the right words. She wasn't sure how to put her feelings into something tangible. That was always something she struggled with, but as she rarely required that ability, most of the time she was fine with her incompetence. Now, however, was an exception. 

After some hesitation, she spoke.

"...Because being by your side means everything to me."

"..."

Fabian stood in silence, unable to reply right away. His expression shifted several times as he wavered in his answer. At first, it was surprise, then the apparent realization of her words set in. Finally, a tinge of awkwardness appeared on his face.

He gave a wry smile and replied.

"Don't mind it", he said, "I was just scared of staying alone with Mary. That girl is terrifying when she's angry, you know?"

Lucy felt that his words were spoken half-heartedly. As if his heart wasn't in it, and he was merely going through his words like they were lines in a play. As if he didn't know how to accept her gratitude properly and sincerely.

He's just as awkward as usual, she thought but didn't say anything.

After not getting a reply from Lucy, Fabian laughed slightly. There was something awkward about his laugh. When she saw it, Lucy's expression softened.

"...Yes, let's go with that. You're so helpless without me, Young Master," she replied, not wanting to trouble her master more than she needed to.

And then she smiled. 

It was a slight, almost unnoticeable smile. But there was one person who knew just how precious that single smile was. How much pain and loss she had to go through to regain a simple expression that many people took for granted. 

And as long as that one person knew, Lucy felt her life was worthwhile.

For a second, Fabian stood in silence, staring at Lucy. His eyes slightly widened in surprise as he watched her smile.

Finally, he replied.

"Yeah, you're right. Since your master is so worthless, please, be there for him."

Lucy answered her master's orders with a bow, and a simple line of affirmation.

"As you wish."

Those were words she had said many times before. They represented the connection they had. Even if it was one of a master and servant. Some would probably consider that relationship twisted, but to her, there was nothing more important in her life than that. 

Fabian then turned away from her and headed outside of the room. 

As the boy left the room, a warm, fuzzy feeling filled the inside of his chest. The void within him began filling up bit by bit. Even he himself didn't notice that.