Chapter 58: Trish’s Special Night... "Visit"?

Back at the estate, it was quieter than usual. Trish hadn’t come to my room for our nightly routine, citing a need for "preparation" with that same look in her eyes as before.

As for John, well, Trish would decide his fate inside the Brimstone prisons.

"Yuria."

I headed to the training room, and despite it being midnight, Yuria was still there, drenched in sweat and still swinging her sword.

"You came."

She said it bitterly, planting her blade into the gaps between the stones and resting against the pommel.

"Of course I would. I didn’t mean to heal your calluses. Your arm was at risk of permanent damage, so I pushed my healing as far as I could. Whatever happened after that, it wasn’t intentional."

Yuria’s eyes seemed to soften at my words. She couldn’t dispute the facts, she was a swordsman. She knew that healing her wounds before something went horribly wrong was the best course of action.

But...

Logic isn’t the only thing that exists in the human brain. If it were, life would be a lot easier, and a lot more boring.

"Grab a sword, Reyn."

I did so without complaint, picking a normal straight sword that complemented my strength.

"Fight me. Without magic. Ten rounds."

I gave the sword a few test swings. The balance was decent, the weight familiar enough from my old world’s combat training, though a blade was a blade no matter the dimension.

"No magic. Ten rounds. Got it."

Yuria pulled her sword free from the stone and leveled it at me. Her stance was textbook-perfect, weight balanced, grip loose but ready. The kind of form that came from years of relentless practice.

I, on the other hand, had spent most of my time in this body throwing magic around and lifting weights. Swordplay wasn’t exactly my forte.

But I’d been trained to fight before. Bayonets, combat knives, improvised weapons. The modern military didn’t exactly emphasize classical swordsmanship, but the fundamentals of close-quarters combat transferred.

"First round."

She moved before the word fully left her mouth.

CLANG!

✧ ✦ ✧

I lost every single match, ending each one on the floor with her blade pointed at my throat. But to both her surprise and mine...

Every single one was surprisingly close.

She had the superior technique, but I had the overwhelming physical advantage. It also helped that I knew how to fight in close quarters.

And if I had to guess, that was enough for her to at least be satisfied.

"...We’re done here."

She said it almost disappointed, sheathing her sword and walking away without a goodbye or an explanation.

I didn’t push.

Yuria was far from my list of priorities right now. Rushing toward a resolution with her would just be dumb.

I’d let her be for now, probably focusing on her more once I gained my third villainess.

✧ ✦ ✧

Back in my room, I was met with sheer darkness. The chandelier’s fire had been put out hours ago.

Sleep was honestly incredible right now. I was tired, all things considered. My original self might have been accustomed to long, prolonged stretches of sleep deprivation.

But this body wasn’t. In fact, this body was the far opposite. Reyn Brimstone was the living embodiment of a spoiled ducal child. Even my trained mind couldn’t overwrite its natural routine.

"Reyn."

When I finally pulled my shirt over my head, I felt Trish’s palm touch my bare back, the sheer coldness of her touch almost making me jump.

I decided that would probably make me look dumb and bit my tongue instead.

"Trish?"

I didn’t turn around, already used to her presence. Although this was definitely a unique setting.

"Do you perhaps need anything of me for tonight?"

"Nothing in particular. I already finished bathing while you were interrogating John, so I don’t have anything else for you to do tonight—"

"What about your other needs?"

Her words stopped me cold, more out of bewildered amusement than actual shock.

"Needs...? You know I can’t just ask that of you—"

I finally turned around, and then I saw her in a sheer nightgown, emphasizing the underwear she wore beneath it. This was the boldest she’d ever been since becoming my maid.

The moonlight streaming through the window did nothing to hide her. If anything, it made the sheer fabric even more transparent, tracing the lines of her body in silver and shadow.

Trish stood there, not blushing like she might have a month ago. Her violet eyes met mine without flinching. Whatever nervousness she felt was buried under layers of resolve.

"My agreement with Anna. It’s time I actually fulfill it."

"What brought this on?"

She stepped closer, and the cold radiating from her skin intensified. Her mana was still running hot from the fight, bleeding into the air around her.

She had likely come straight here after dealing with John. Whatever interrogation she’d conducted, whatever fate she’d decided for him, she’d done it with that same frozen expression.

"My agreement with Anna. It’s time I actually fulfill it."

Her agreement with Anna...?

This...

This was the agreement!?

"Why now?"

"I’ve been putting it off for so long. I kept telling myself I’d only do it after I crushed the bank, that I’d fulfill it once I had something to show for my gratitude. But..."

Trish bit her nail.

"I miscalculated. This whole thing happened because I kept putting off my agreement with Anna. I distanced myself from you to focus on the bank, and that left you vulnerable."

She exhaled, her eyes meeting mine with cold resolve.

"But I’ve decided to change that. From now on, I’ll stay as close to you as possible. I think this is why Anna gave me that absurd requirement in the first place. I spent so long wondering why she’d allow this, why she’d allow another woman to do this for someone she obviously loved..."

She stepped closer.

"But now it’s obvious. It was her way of protecting you. She wanted to make sure there was always someone else close to you, just as she is, so that no danger could reach you through our proximity."

I honestly think she’s making a huge leap in logic here. I doubt Anna meant... whatever this is, as some sort of play to keep me safe.

She probably just wanted me to be happy, while also being concerned about my old reputation as a lecher and the constant proximity of a beautiful woman like Trish as my maid.

Maybe she simply wanted someone around to make sure I wasn’t sexually frustrated...

But honestly, I think I’m also making a huge leap in logic here. Maybe she really was right and I was wrong.

"Reyn, please... use me to relieve the stress I caused you. I failed to protect you from the bank’s informants, so let me make it up to you."