Chapter 59: Delayed Gratification

"No."

"W-What...?"

I grinned, stroking Trish’s hair as I exhaled. This was certainly a dilemma. Personally? I wouldn’t refuse. This was my entire goal, after all.

But the timing wasn’t exactly perfect. Doing the deed now, while Trish was still in her transitional phase toward becoming a villainess, might complicate things.

Better to give her a goal first before actually committing to it.

And better yet, ask Anna for details about their deal now that I actually knew about it.

"A-Am I not enough? I can wear something different if you want, maybe even—"

"That isn’t the problem."

I sat down on the bed, patting the space beside me. She sat.

"Here’s what I’m thinking. You can still stay absurdly close to me to protect me. And at the same time, you don’t have to do this."

"But, Reyn..."

"Wouldn’t it be more satisfying if you crushed the bank first before doing this? I mean, just imagine it. And with my condition, you won’t have to worry about another incident since you’ll be close to me like what Anna ’wanted.’"

Trish seemed to give it some thought. Her fingers, which had been resting on her knees, curled slowly into the fabric of her nightgown.

The cold radiating from her skin hadn’t faded, but something in her expression had shifted, the frozen resolve cracking just enough to let uncertainty seep through.

"You’re... not rejecting me?"

"Of course not; I don’t have self-control for that. I’m only redirecting you for now."

I leaned back on my hands, studying her. The moonlight caught the edge of her jaw, the slight tremble she was trying to suppress.

"Think about it. If we do this now, what changes? You feel better for a night. Maybe a week. But the bank is still there. And every time you look at me, you’ll remember that you came to my bed because you failed to protect me."

Trish flinched.

That was the truth of it, and she knew it. Her agreement with Anna, whatever Anna had actually intended, had become tangled with guilt or whatever feeling her ominous expression was hiding.

She wasn’t offering herself because she wanted me. She was offering herself because she needed to feel useful again.

At least, most of it was because of that.

"That’s not..."

"Not what?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Her hands smoothed down the sheer fabric of her nightgown, a nervous gesture she probably wasn’t aware of.

"I didn’t come here just because of that..."

"I know."

I reached out and caught her chin between my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up until her violet eyes met mine.

"But still, I want you to come to me after you’ve won and rid of all the doubts inside your head."

Her breath hitched. For a moment, the cold around her wavered.

"You’re... infuriating."

"I’ve been told."

She let out a breath that was half laugh, half sigh. Then she pulled back, smoothing her nightgown down with deliberate composure.

"Fine, I’ll crush the bank first. I’ll make Richard Aurion regret ever looking at House Fillaunete. And then..."

She stood, looking down at me with that same cold resolve from earlier, but now softened with multiplied affection.

"Then I’ll come back, and you won’t be allowed to say no."

"I wouldn’t dream of it."

She walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the frame. The moonlight traced her silhouette through the sheer fabric, and she didn’t bother hiding it.

"Y’know, Reyn... I’ve been meaning to ask, but..."

She hesitated slightly.

"Do you perhaps have a fetish for evil women? Or at least... morally ambiguous ones."

"Yes."

I didn’t hesitate, giving her the most serious expression to the dumbest question imaginable.

"I’ll note that, then."

She chuckled, closing the door as she walked off.

✧ ✦ ✧

Morning. The ultimate stress test to see if whatever I’d said last night actually landed.

The moment I opened my eyes, just like usual, the first thing I saw was a portrait of Anna hovering directly above me. Trish held it there, waiting, as I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"Morning, Reyn."

"Morning to you as well."

The same as always.

But something was different.

She was standing closer than usual. Close enough that the fabric of her uniform brushed against my arm when she leaned forward to set the portrait aside.

"Your bath is prepared. I’ve already laid out your uniform for the day."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and she stepped back just enough to give me room. But when I stood, she didn’t retreat to her usual position by the door.

She stayed within arm’s reach, her violet eyes tracking my movements.

"Trish."

"Yes?"

"You’re hovering."

"I’m staying close. As we agreed."

She said it without a trace of embarrassment, as if the events of last night had settled something inside her.

Good. Everything was going smoothly.

"I thought you’d forget."

"I would never...!"

She said it playfully, and before I realized it, she had followed me into the bath without waiting for instruction. It was already routine by now, but this was the first time she hadn’t asked permission since her first day here.

"Here."

She knelt beside the tub and began washing my arm, which caught me off guard.

"You’re actually washing me...?"

Before, she’d mostly just watched, helping only with minor things, like handing me a towel, passing my clothes, or steadying me when soap got in my eye.

"Well, of course. Did you see how fast that assassin was? What would I do if someone like that broke in while I was standing by the door, staring at the wall, waiting for you to finish?"

"Maybe you should come closer, then."

I mostly meant it as a joke.

Trish, apparently, didn’t take it as one.

✧ ✦ ✧

By the time I left the bath, the sun had risen fully, and the estate was waking up around us. Trish had laid out my uniform with her usual precision, though she’d also added something I hadn’t seen before: a small silver pin with the Brimstone crest, mounted on a card that read, in handwriting I didn’t recognize, "Congratulations."

"Do you like it?"

Trish asked, leaning against the dresser as I examined the pin.

"Where did this come from?"

"Your father left it. He said you’d earned it after handling the assassin situation and a month of good behaviour."

"Does that come with more allowance?"

Apparently, the answer was a resounding yes.