The Noble Lady of Lust

Chapter 425: Heart-To-Heart

”Haaah~, okay, you’re right, honey. A lot has already been said; if she doesn’t understand... it means she... needs me more. She may be an adult now, but as long as she feels she needs me, I’ll be there for her... even if she ends up not liking it.” (Astrid)

”Mother, you...” (Cordelia)

”...what about her?”

”...” (Cordelia)

”Hey, finish what you were going to say.”

”...It’s nothing.” (Cordelia)

I wanted to hear Cordelia’s thoughts, but she just left her sentence hanging.

That frustrated me a little, but oh well, anyway, that’s not the main point here.

”Anyway, Cordelia, tell me what you think about all this.”

”...Okay... you and my mother... are in a relationship... that strange girl over there too—they’re the other girls Alice mentioned. Plus, Elena is a superior being I can’t quite figure out.” (Cordelia)

Well, it seems Cordelia isn’t a lost cause. It would be too much for her not to understand when I basically told her straight out that I was her stepfather, or well, stepmother, or whatever.

”Aja!, honey! There you go. My daughter isn’t lacking in reasoning or anything; she said everything perfectly—Ah! No, wait. L-Lia, I... well, she... we, he, you... I...” (Astrid)

”Hey! Who’s the strange woman?” (Leyla)

Astrid’s reaction was something to remember: at first she seemed happy and elated, since Cordelia—except for that last bit about Elena, which I’m not sure was right—didn’t get anything wrong.

But then, she seemed to make the connection in her head about what Cordelia’s words meant...

Cordelia realized that the two of us are a couple. This was the moment of revelation—that impending moment that had always caused Astrid anxiety.

It made her panic as she tried to explain better, but she just got herself tangled up.

But what made me most curious was Cordelia, because she said this without changing her expression at all.

”So, what do you think about your mother being my girlfriend?”

If she came to that conclusion, it means she was indeed following our conversation, but she hadn’t said a word.

She only spoke when I mentioned the misunderstanding.

”W-wait, honey, don’t be so blunt. Let’s calm down, I calm down, calm... I... you... first, before, after you, her, when, next level... after that, exterm—” (Astrid)

”Hey!... what the hell were you about to cast?... Lily, help me deal with Astrid.”

”At your service, dear. I’m going to tie her up and gag her.” (Leyla)

The one with the revelation was Cordelia, but she was very calm. On the other hand, Astrid went into a frenzy when I asked my question directly.

She jumped at me, babbling incoherently, and out of nowhere, she started reciting a spell for some reason, but I sealed her mana with a few jabs before she could do anything.

I don’t understand why she’s acting like this if she set all this up herself.

’Well, Astrid is usually the type to act on impulse and then regret it, always taking on more than she can handle.’

Anyway, I turned my attention back to Cordelia.

”So, Cordelia, what do you think or feel about me dating your mother and you?”

”...I don’t know... I think it’s weird.” (Cordelia)

”Mgmgmf!” (Astrid)

Cordelia said in a slightly hesitant tone, and Astrid seemed to want to say something, but she was already tied up and gagged. Lily is quick and efficient.

”Stay calm, Astrid. I’ll handle this. ...So, Cordelia, why didn’t you say anything about it when we hinted at it all this time we’ve been talking, or, well, when you were metalized and I said a lot of things? Don’t you care? Or is it something else?”

”...” (Cordelia)

Well, here’s where my curiosity really kicks in. I’ve really made a huge effort to understand Cordelia up to this point.

I think her answers could help me understand her even more deeply and build an even deeper connection.

According to Astrid, when she doesn’t answer, it means she’s a little nervous, so I carefully approached her, sat down next to her, and spoke softly.

”Don’t be nervous—just speak calmly. We’re already dating, but I want to know more about you. That also helps avoid any misunderstandings. I’m here to listen to you. You don’t have to worry about other things—just say what you think, that’s all.”

”...I... I’ve always found it hard to understand people. When I talked to my siblings, I didn’t get their jokes and I didn’t understand a lot of what they were saying... I’d listen to your conversations, but I thought I wasn’t understanding correctly or that it was a joke I didn’t get.” (Cordelia)

”I see. Yeah, when you put it that way, I understand your actions. It must really be hard for you.”

Cordelia has never been stupid. In fact, she’s a person with above-average intelligence, very competent, and so on.

But, as I’ve always thought, her emotional intelligence is very low. She isn’t very good at that; she has a hard time even understanding herself, let alone others.

She must have her own unique way of thinking. What might seem funny to everyone else wouldn’t seem that way to her.

She also tends to take things literally, which causes her to miss the point or get confused.

I suppose she’s gotten used to it in her own way: she doesn’t ask questions or challenge what she hears; she just takes what she heard at face value, thinking that maybe she’s the one who didn’t understand correctly.

It’s not a lack of common sense or reasoning; she’s just socially awkward. I was going to ask her other things, but Cordelia curiously kept talking.

”...I also think I’m really bad at expressing myself, since I made you think... that I hated you.” (Cordelia)

”To be honest, I don’t know how you hadn’t noticed. You’re really bad at that. ’Hate’ was an understatement. I actually thought I’d done something unforgivable to you, like killing your parents or something like that.”

”...I see /_ \, I’m sorry.” (Cordelia)

”Hmmmgphm mhf!.” (Astrid)

This is the first time I’ve seen her with a sad expression. Yes, she may be lacking in some ways, but she’s just like anyone else: she can be happy, she can be sad, she can get angry; she can feel just like anyone else.

It’s not that I want to be mean to her, but I’ve learned that being direct, making things clear, and saying it concisely is the way to communicate with her.

It seems there’s someone who doesn’t like that, but for now, I won’t pay attention to them.

”You don’t have to apologize... Cordelia, can you give me your hand?”

”...” (Cordelia)

I asked for her hand, since I don’t know if she’ll get the idea if I do it first. She looked at me blankly, but obediently held out her hand, and I took it.

She seemed to stiffen a little; I thought it was Iron Syndrome, but luckily, the next moment, she started moving again.

”Well, Cordelia, since we’re being honest, let’s start from the beginning. Why do you think I asked you to be my girlfriend?”

”...” (Cordelia)

”Don’t hold anything back. If you’re thinking of something, don’t hesitate to say it. Like I told you, I’ll listen.”

”...To make your harem bigger... I can’t think of anything else.” (Cordelia)

”Hee~ Yeah, I told you to say what you were thinking, but for you to say that...”

I found her answer amusing; she’s definitely not bad at analyzing and drawing reasonable conclusions based on the information she has.

The problem right now is that she only uses objective facts and ignores a lot of other things.

”...I’m sorry.” (Cordelia)

”I told you there’s no need to apologize. I guess you said that because you didn’t really understand why I asked you out. Which means you accepted my proposal just because, right?”

”...Yes.” (Cordelia)

I really felt like we were finally having a real conversation. There really are a lot of things wrong with this superficial, rushed relationship we’ve built.

Cordelia isn’t good at handling this kind of thing, and I didn’t handle it well either, but luckily Astrid set this moment up, and I’m going to do what I should have done before.

”Look, Cordelia, to be honest, at first it was just your beautiful appearance that caught my attention.”

”...” (Cordelia)

”But, unfortunately, from the very beginning you were very hostile toward me, doing things like stealing from me, spying on me, stalking me, and so on, as if you were plotting my downfall.”

”T-that’s...” (Cordelia)

”It’s a misunderstanding, yes, I know that now, but that’s what I really thought back then. Even so, I didn’t stop. You know, I’m very tenacious, and that allowed me to see other sides of you.”

”...” (Cordelia)

”Cordelia, I know. Despite how coldly you always act, you never minded helping others. If any of your subor—I mean, friends asked you for help with anything, you’d do it. You’d even take the time to explain things to them when it was something theoretical.”

”...” (Cordelia)

”Yeah, it was amusing to see how calmly you explained it over and over again to those idiots who didn’t get it. You looked like someone who would just throw the book down and walk away, but you kept explaining... and you weren’t any different with me. If I forgot my homework, you, without any hesitation or questions, would give it to me, and you helped me with so many things.”

It happened a lot when Elena used to get mad at me and wouldn’t let me copy, and she’d even make sure the others wouldn’t let me either—in those moments, Cordelia was always my last and most reliable option.

”...” (Cordelia)

”Now that I know you have a hard time understanding others, I think these ’simple’ things actually have a deeper meaning. You’ve always tried your best, despite your flaws.”

”...” (Cordelia)

”It was also fun to tease you, since you seem like someone who gets angry easily, but no matter how much I did, you never actually got angry; you’re a very patient and calm person.”

Come to think of it, I teased her quite a bit, testing how long she could keep that indifferent, cold stare, but she’d just react by looking at me intently.

I always thought she was warning me or something like that, but I guess it was because she was embarrassed or because she didn’t know how to react to my teasing.

Looking back, I’ve spent a lot of time with her this year.

”Cordelia, you may have acted that way toward me, but I’ve known for a long time that, at heart, you’re a good girl.”

”...” (Cordelia)

I looked at her. She simply remained silent with her calm gaze, tinged with a hint of that piercing look. I guess she’s confused.

In this case, what I said would confuse anyone, not just her.

The time I spent with her as Chris made me see her in ways I never could as Seraphina. That’s why she was always a prospect for my harem.

The only reason I was about to give up was because she didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in me in that regard, and it seemed to me that carrying on was a futile effort to force the impossible.

But deep down, I’ve always known: Cordelia is a good girl who has a hard time expressing herself properly, and along the way, I discovered that it’s even worse for the person she’s interested in.