After stopping Allie, Greg quickly wiped away his sweat and turned around, explaining to Victoria and the other two:
“Of course, please don't misunderstand either! Her name is Allie Hill, the personal maid who grew up taking care of me! What she just said might have been worded a bit... intense, but it's definitely not what you think! She's just... just overly concerned about me, afraid I'll get tricked by some... uh, wicked women, so she overreacted! There's really nothing else to it—”
Before Greg could finish, Allie suddenly chimed in, her tone laced with a quiet resentment:
“When you demanded that money from me back then, you didn't treat me like a maid at all, you heartbreaker.”
Greg: “!!!”
He whipped his head around, staring wide-eyed at Allie with an expression like he had swallowed a fly.
Wait, I was finally about to clear things up! Don't make things complicated again all of a sudden, hey!
“I...”
Greg tried to salvage the situation.
But Allie seemed oblivious to his breakdown. She let out a gentle sigh, one that seemed to hold endless helplessness and indulgence. Lifting her eyes, her light blue gaze swept over Victoria and the other two, whose expressions varied wildly, as she said:
“Very well, but since you put it that way, I'll admit it. I really am Young Master Greg's maid—the kind specifically tasked with handling his desires.”
Victoria's face twisted in disgust upon hearing this.
Silvia's pupils dilated in absolute shock.
Greg felt his vision darken as his blood pressure skyrocketed: “Obviously, I'm the one handling your desire to beat people up, aren't I!? Stop inventing backstories!”
A shy smile suddenly bloomed on Allie's face, and her voice softened, carrying a hint of playful scolding:
“Oh, stop it~ Young Master Greg, why must you talk about our... little games in front of everyone? It's embarrassing.”
Greg: “...”
He opened his mouth, only to find himself completely drained of the energy to retort.
A deep sense of exhaustion washed over his heart.
Enough, I've really had enough... You wicked women, every single one of you, are you all devils?
I want to go back to the dungeon... I miss my Hajimi. Even though she's annoying sometimes too, at least she doesn't roast me over a fire...
Right then, Silvia, who had been trying her best to help Greg maintain order, pushed against the table and suddenly stood up.
Her long pink hair swayed gently with her movement. Looking at Allie, her voice trembled slightly, yet sounded extraordinarily clear:
“U-Um! Miss Allie! P-Please... please stop doing this!”
Silvia bit her lower lip, summoning her courage to continue:
“Senior Greg... he looks extremely, extremely troubled and uncomfortable right now! Please... please, at least be considerate of his feelings and stop saying those... strange things!”
Her gaze was earnest, even carrying a trace of pleading, but deep down lay an undeniable persistence.
The faint smile on Allie's face vanished.
She slowly turned her head toward Silvia. Her gaze was placid without a ripple, yet it caused Silvia to shrink back instinctively.
Then, Allie's gaze shifted back onto Greg. Her eyes curved into crescents once more, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile that could be called sweet—except the warmth didn't reach her eyes at all.
“Young Master Greg... as expected, I really have no choice but to kill you after all~”
Her voice was soft, like a lover's whisper:
“But please rest assured, I'm very fast. I won't let you feel too much pain. And...”
Her eyes swept casually over Victoria and the other two, her sweet smile deepening:
“I won't send you on your way alone, either. Once I clean up the situation here, I'll come find you soon to keep you company.”
Greg: “...”
He silently raised a hand and covered his face.
Despair. Right now, he felt nothing but despair.
The surrounding onlookers were so excited they could barely contain themselves. Their whispered chatter grew louder and louder, and someone even sent their servant to fetch a recording crystal.
Greg knew things could absolutely not continue like this.
As long as these two groups remained together, no matter what he said, it would only dig a deeper hole.
I have to separate them first; that way, the final right of explanation rests entirely on me!
In a flash of inspiration, he made his decision.
Taking advantage of Allie's attention seeming to be drawn by Silvia, Greg shot his hand out and grabbed Allie's wrist!
Her wrist felt slightly cool to the touch, her skin smooth and delicate.
Allie's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, the terrifying gloom and killing intent surrounding her receded rapidly like a draining tide.
She simply stood there quietly, allowing Greg to hold her wrist. Her light blue eyes widened slightly as she looked at Greg, her long eyelashes fluttering, seemingly a bit... surprised.
“I'm going outside to explain things clearly to her first! Afterwards, I'll come back and explain to you guys!”
Finishing his words, without waiting for a response from Victoria or the others, he pulled the suddenly quiet and docile Allie around, striding purposefully toward the restaurant exit under the dumbfounded stares of every patron inside.
Allie offered no resistance whatsoever, even lowering her head slightly as she followed right behind him step by step, letting him hold her wrist as they wove through dining tables laden with delicacies and walked out of the Golden Crucible's front entrance under the gaze of countless complicated expressions.
With the cheater departing with his alleged original partner, the spectacle seemed to come to a temporary close.
Seeing this, the patrons inside the restaurant—though still craving more—could only pull back their gazes in disappointment and return their focus to their own plates. However, the whispers never ceased; this would clearly serve as prime gossip for the foreseeable future.
“Pah! Scumbag!”
Victoria spat angrily toward the direction where Greg and Allie had left, flopping back down into her chair, her chest still heaving with rage.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Snatching the menu off the table, she flipped to the most expensive pages and, without even looking, rapidly pointed out several costly dishes to the bewildered waiter beside them:
“This, this, and this! Bring one of each! Give me the most expensive kind! Someone else is paying anyway!”
Only after placing the order did she seem to vent a fraction of her rage, tossing the menu back onto the table.
Meanwhile, the moment Greg pulled Allie away, Silvia's body swayed almost imperceptibly before she slowly sank back into her seat.
She kept her head lowered, her long pink hair cascading down to obscure most of her face, hiding her expression.
Taking in all of Victoria's indignation and Allie's retreating back, Catherine elegantly picked up her water glass and took a sip.
A glint of realization flickered in her azure eyes.
It seemed Greg Sass's luck with women was even better than she had anticipated.
“How very interesting.”
Not long after Greg pulled Allie out of the restaurant, Wendy—who had been trying her best to minimize her presence at the neighboring table—silently made her move.
First, she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin in an elegant gesture. Then, leaning forward slightly toward the noblewoman across from her—who was still immersed in regret over missing out on the full drama—she spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them, smiling with just the right amount of apology:
“My Lady, please excuse me for a moment. I thought I caught sight of an old acquaintance just now and would like to confirm. I shall return shortly.”
The noblewoman was busy mourning the lack of an even more explosive continuation, so upon hearing this, she merely waved a hand absently: “Go on, go on.”
Wendy nodded slightly once more, gracefully standing up and smoothing down her flawless skirt before quietly following them outside.
Rate on N.U.
