SSS-Class Revival Hunter

Chapter 98: Your Heart (2)

“But,” Lady Silver Lily said, “for a week from today—which is until the end of the world—you’ll be my butler, not Lady Goldencup’s.”

“Your butler...?”

“Yes. I only know about my love, and I’ve never taught it to anyone. I don’t really know another way to do this other than to show you my love in its entirety, so you have to watch and learn from my side.

“Now that I’ve said it, I feel like I'm losing out here. No, it is a loss for me. I’m showing you the most embarrassing part of my private life. You’re using the luck of your previous life, this life, and the next, all at the same time, Commoner.”

This noble lady was really snooty.

***

The next day, my double contract life began, serving both Lady Goldencup and Lady Silver Lily.

Lady Silver Lily greeted me in her dressing room.

“You’re here.”

“Yes.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

It was only five in the morning, yet she was already awake. Four maids were working together to dress her. Although it was considered rude to enter someone’s dressing room, she dismissed anyone who objected with, “You’re bothering me. Just leave.”

As soon as I entered, she said, “Show him.”

“Yes, my lady.” The gray-haired servant quickly pulled out a board decorated with lily patterns. Beautiful cursive was written on it.

LESSON 1 (Basic)

Love begins with experiencing an asshole.

I stood there speechless and dumbfounded.

“I thought about how I should teach you about love last night,” Lady Silver Lily confidently explained. “I don't have enough free time to be entirely focused on you, and I can't just find you your first love.”

The servants around her trimmed her nails, emotionless just like their master.

“So I've decided to teach you the truths you need to know beforehand step by step. Repeat after me: love begins with experiencing an asshole.”

“L-love begins with meeting an asshole...?”

“Yes, meeting an asshole. Maybe you’ll run into more than one asshole.”

Lady Silver Lily pulled out a fan with her left hand and snapped it open. She then used it to cover the lower half of her face.

“I’m sure there are people somewhere in this world whose relationships have been perfect even from the first one. They know how to love each other in a considerate way. From the moment they fall in love at first sight, their love remains romantic until they’re buried in the ground. But that won’t happen to you.

“Ninety-nine percent of the lovers you'll meet are going to be assholes. Even if they're not assholes right now, they will be at some point. Why? It's simple: because it's almost impossible for a human to not be an asshole all year round. By the same reasoning...”

Lady Silver Lily folded up her fan and pointed it at the gray-haired servant. On cue, he immediately flipped the board. There was some writing on the back of it as well.

LESSON 1 (Advanced)

You are also an asshole.

“... there is a high chance that you are also an asshole. But it’s not all bad. Humans are adaptable creatures. After dealing with an asshole, no asshole can mistreat you ever again. You can refrain from becoming an asshole once you've been an asshole to someone. After all, it’s about getting an answer to these three questions: ‘Who is an asshole?’ ‘When do I become an asshole?’ and ‘How can I not be an asshole?’”

My head went blank. “C-can’t we do a good job from the beginning?”

“Don't expect anything from a human, Butler.” Lady Silver Lily’s eyes remained emotionless. “Humans forget what they say. They come to a resolution, but they also give up. Forgetting and giving up—these two elements are the nature of dating. But if you really want to be good at love, you must learn to do the opposite, which is to remember and determine.”

“D-do I also get to learn about remembering and determining?”

“You're such a child...” Lady Silver Lily sighed.

What did I do wrong? I really had no idea.

“I'll show you myself. It’ll be faster and clearer.”

Show me? How?

“You’ve actually seen it with your eyes already. Can’t you tell?”

Lady Silver Lily stood up from her chair. The servants, who had been bustling around her like kittens, all stepped back in unison.

“I love the world’s biggest asshole,” Lady Silver Lily confidently declared.

Huh? Why did she sound so cool?

“Let's go.”

Lady Silver Lily walked away, and I followed her with the other servants, who were carrying buckets of water for some reason. She led us to the academy's most splendid building, where the crown prince stayed.

“M-my lady.” The crown prince's servants greeted us; they looked confused and overwhelmed.

As a duke’s daughter, Lady Silver Lily couldn’t be more noble than the imperial family. Nevertheless, they strangely seemed unable to meet her eyes.

“G-greetings.”

“Greetings.” She nodded.

“It’s still dawn...”

“Has His Highness woken up yet? A ruler’s morning should be earlier than his people's.”

“That is...”

“Of course he hasn’t. Show me the way.”

The crown prince's servant trembled. “H-His Highness has given us strict orders...”

“What kind of orders? No, I have an idea. He told you not to let me in when I visit, am I wrong?”

“With all due respect...”

“When His Majesty sent him to this academy, he summoned me in private. During that audience, he said that His Highness might become idle and arrogant, so I, his fiance, should take care of him. And here I am. You’re an imperial servant, so tell me: are you a servant of His Highness, or are you a subject of His Majesty?” Lady Silver Lily flatly demanded.

“M-my lady.”

“Do you believe that you can resist His Majesty’s orders because you’re His Highness’s servants? His Majesty will be very pleased to hear this.”

The situation was resolved within a minute. Not one of the servants stood in her way. Crossing the garden and the lobby, she finally arrived at the crown prince's bedroom.

She gave three elegant knocks. “Your Highness, have you woken up?”

“Don't come in!”

“You’re awake. I’m coming in.” Lady Silver Lily took out her key and opened the door as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The crown prince's bedroom door opened invitingly. However, the owner of the bedroom was shivering in bed, gasping.

“Your Highness, it's already daybreak, yet you’re still in bed. That isn’t acceptable. His Majesty still rises at four in the morning every day to tend to the nation’s affairs. As his heir, you will one day lead the empire. You shouldn’t be lazy.”

“Anyone! Is there no one out there! Someone come—”

“Close the door.”

The door was slammed shut. There was not a single servant of the imperial family in the bedroom. Only Lady Silver Lily's servants stood there, impassive. The crown prince's shoulders trembled harder.

“Butler,” Lady Silver Lily called.

“Yes, yes,” I quickly answered.

“I’ll give you my second lesson.” Lady Silver Lily jerked her chin at her gray-haired servant.

The servant raised another board.

LESSON 2 (Basic)

If you can't run from the asshole, enjoy it.

“E-enjoy...?”

“You will fall in love someday, and your first love will be an asshole. Since it’s going to happen anyway, you might as well enjoy it.” Lady Silver Lily snapped her fingers. “And there is only one way to enjoy your time with an asshole.”

The gray-haired servant skillfully flipped the board over.

LESSON 2 (Advanced)

Be a bigger asshole.

The servants hefted the buckets of water and splashed their contents onto the bed. I realized that they had carried the buckets all this way just for this moment.

“Hnnngh!” The sudden torrent made the crown prince flail his arms. His blond ramen hair was drenched now.

“... Dating an asshole is a war.” Lady Silver Lily watched him calmly. “If possible, it’s better to avoid war since peace is the greatest virtue you can seek. When a person is kind and nice to you, you should also treat them with kindness. But if you’re with an asshole you can’t avoid, keep this in mind.”

She took out a new fan. Surprisingly, it also had writing on it.

Summary of Today’s Lesson: don't be nice to an asshole.

What the hell?

“Repeat after me: don’t be nice.”

“D-don’t be nice.”

“Humans are animals that want to look good to others. Some want to look cool, while some try to look smart. Many people want to look kind, too. It looks like you’re the latter type, so try to keep that under control.”

However, Lady Silver Lily didn’t hold back at all.

“Open the door.”

The servants opened the door to the hallway where the imperial servants were waiting restlessly.

“What are you doing?” Lady Silver Lily demanded as if nothing had happened. “His Highness’s clothes are wet. It’s relatively warm because it is spring, but I fear he will still catch a cold. Hurry and change his clothes.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

The servants rushed in. Each of them was already holding a towel as if they had expected this to happen. From their reactions, I could tell that this wasn’t the first time that Lady Silver Lily had used the strategy of water splashing.

“This is the truth of love. You would do well to remember it.” Lady Silver Lily slowly stepped into the hallway. “A handsome person will lose to someone smart, but the smart person will lose to an asshole. That’s why a beauty who is annoyingly smart stands at the top of this pyramid. You should realize this truth and work hard to improve yourself.”

“Uh...” I looked back at the crown prince’s bedroom, which was still engulfed in chaos. “It’s a bit different from the love I had in mind. I...”

“You expected something more romantic?”

“Yes, and...”

“You thought you love from your heart, not your head.”

I slowly nodded. “Yes...”

“That is also correct.”

Lady Silver Lily tossed her fan aside. The gray-haired servant skillfully caught it and tucked it into his pocket.

We continued to talk as we walked to the reception room.

“But that depends on your luck. Meeting someone who makes your heart flutter at first sight is by no means an easy task. The kind of life you’ve lived determines who can inspire such emotions. Falling in love at first sight is possible because you can see what kind of life the other person has lived.”

“That’s difficult...”

“It is.” Her red eyes narrowed. “Do you want to test it, then?”

A test?

“What kind of test is it?” I asked.

“I’m asking if you want to see if I can make your heart flutter.”

“... How do I do that?”

“You just have to do something praiseworthy.”

“What would be praiseworthy?”

“Do I have to tell you that too? Why don’t you just ask me to bring you your lover?” She walked on ahead. “Think hard about it and come up with your own answer, Butler. You are smart, so maybe you’ll even succeed. I’ll tell you for free whether the answer is right or wrong, at least.”

Soon, we reached the reception room. It was clearly the crown prince’s residence, but Lady Silver Lily walked around as comfortably as if it were her own. She dismissed all of the servants except me and sat down on a chair. Afterward, she quietly looked at me, her eyes as red as the room’s lush carpets.

I took a deep breath, the air going through my esophagus and sitting in my lungs like a rock. Although it was just a simple action, I took it as proof of my determination.

I pulled cards out of my inner pocket. On each was written “Face Recognition Disorder,” “What a coincidence to eavesdrop on such a crucial and secret moment!”, and “Oops, I shouldn’t have said that, but my tongue slipped!”

The Indoor Librarian had given them as a gift before entering this apocalyptic book; he’d said that they would be reliable as an army in this book.

Lady Silver Lily tilted her head. “... What are those?”

“These are cards that the Indoor Librarian gave me. Based on what you said, these could also be considered some kind of strategy guide, I guess.”

I then tore the cards clean in two. The pieces scattered like fine sand, disappearing without a trace.

[The Indoor Librarian is surprised by your decision.]

Maybe those cards would really be helpful for clearing the book, but it was more important to show sincerity to the person in front of me. That was what I believed, at least.

[The Indoor Librarian understands your reasons and applauds you.]

Rewards and shortcuts were just that: rewards and shortcuts. They were meaningful only when they were what they were. I had no reason to obsess over rewards or turn to a path that was no longer a shortcut.

“... Hmm. I see.” Lady Silver Lily rested her chin on her hand and looked over me. Her bloody red eyes sparkled. “That’s praiseworthy.”

She gestured at me lightly. “Come here.”

I did.

“You’re holding your chin too high. Lower it.”

I bowed.

“Good job,” she whispered.

She then took a glass bottle out of her inner pocket. I didn’t know what it was at first, but the moment she opened the lid with a pop, I realized that the blue bottle was perfume. She took off her gloves and then ran her pinky finger over its lip.

“I’ll tell you this now.” She reached out to my nape and then dotted something on the back of my ear. “I’m not going to be responsible for you.”

The strong fragrance of white lilies suddenly made my head spin.

“Does it smell good?”

Lady Silver Lily grabbed my right hand. It took me a moment to realize that our fingers were locked. The scent was disturbing my thoughts, making it feel like time had slowed to a crawl.

“Yes...”

“Do you like it?”

“... Yes,” I answered.

Lady Silver Lily tilted her head to look at my face with her red eyes. “I like it too. It’s my favorite perfume. I like this scent the most.”

Her whispers crawled up my nape and into my ears.

“You voluntarily confessed your secret and destroyed them yourself. Not bad. Continue to serve me. I will also tell you a secret of mine tonight.”

My heart was pounding.

[Your character immersion has deepened.]

This was a big problem.

[Your immersion level is 15%.]

I think I’m falling for her.