SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 98

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 98: Your Heart (2)

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Lady Silver Lily said, “On one condition.”

"From today for a week, until the world meets its end, you must become not the butler of Lady Goldencup, but my exclusive servant."

"Your exclusive servant…"

"Yes. I know my own love, but I've never taught love to others. The only way is to openly show you how I love. So, observe well and learn well. Watch and learn."

"......."

“It feels like I’m at a loss. No, I certainly am at a loss. I'm exposing my private life, something to be embarrassed about. Treat it as the fortune of three lifetimes, commoner."

Truly a haughty noble.

The next day, my dual contract life began.

Not only serving Lady Goldencup but now also Lady Silver Lily.

“Hmm. You’re here?”

"Yes."

Lady Silver Lily welcomed me in her dressing room.

5 AM.

The Lady was already awake. Four attendants simultaneously attended to her dressing. It was a big breach of etiquette to enter the toilette, the dressing room, but Lady Silver Lily dismissed it with "It's annoying, don't worry about it."

As soon as I entered, she said,

“Show him.”

“Yes, Lady.”

The graying servant promptly produced a board. It was decorated with a pattern of lilies, and a sentence was written across it in elegant handwriting.

LESSON 1. (Basic)

Love begins with experiencing a bastard.

"......."

“Last night, I pondered how to teach you love. I'm not leisurely enough to focus only on you, nor can I find your first love for you. Right?”

I was speechless and dazed, while Lady Silver Lily spoke indifferently. Her attendants, mirroring their mistress, emotionlessly trimmed her fingernails.

“So I decided to teach you, step by step, the truths you ought to know beforehand. Listen. Repeat after me. Love begins with experiencing a bastard.”

“L-love begins with experiencing a bastard...?”

“Yes. A bastard. Perhaps even several bastards.”

Lady Silver Lily drew a fan with her left hand. Whoosh! The fan unfolded with a crisp, clear sound. She covered her lower face with the fan.

“There might exist lovers who have a perfect relationship from the first love. People who know how to love and care from the first sight till they're buried together, sharing a romantic love. But that's not you."

"......."

“There is a ninety-nine percent chance that the person you date will be a bastard. Even if they are not a bastard at first, someday they will become one. Why? It is simple. Because it is almost impossible for a human being to go an entire year without being a bastard. By the same logic,”

Swish.

Lady Silver Lily folded the fan and pointed at the graying servant. As though they had been prepared for this all along, the servant impassively flipped the board. There was another sentence on its reverse side.

LESSON 1. (Advanced)

You are also a bastard.

“There is a very good chance that you are a bastard as well.”

"......."

“Do not think too negatively of it. Humans are creatures of experience. Someone who has suffered at the hands of a bastard can learn not to suffer at a bastard’s hands again. Someone who has been a bastard to another person can avoid being one the next time. You learn [what kind of person is a bastard], [when I become a bastard], and [how to avoid becoming a bastard].”

My mind was numb.

“Can’t I just do well from the start?”

“Butler.”

Lady Silver Lily was expressionless.

“Don’t expect too much from humans.”

"......."

“Humans forget what they themselves have said. They make up their minds and then give up. Forgetting and giving up. Regard those two phrases as the fundamental laws of romance. If you truly want to love well, learn the opposite: how to [remember] and how to [make up your mind].”

“R-remembering and making resolutions are also learned?”

“You’re completely a child…”

Lady Silver Lily sighed. What did I do wrong? I really don't understand.

“Seeing is believing. I'll show you directly.”

Directly show me?

How?

"Even though you’ve seen it with your own eyes, you still don’t understand."

Lady Silver Lily stood up. The attendants, like kittens around her, stepped back at once. Surrounded by her attendants, she declared confidently,

“I am the woman who loves the greatest bastard under heaven.”

Huh.

Why does it sound so cool?

“Come.”

Lady Silver Lily walked, and I followed. Not just me, but also her attendants. Though I didn’t understand why, they carried buckets.

We arrived at the most extravagant residence in the academy. The place where the Crown Prince stayed.

“L-Lady Silver Lily.”

The Crown Prince's attendants greeted us nervously. They seemed overwhelmed. Even though Lady Silver Lily was from a ducal family, they seemed unable to raise their heads before her.

“Y-you have arrived?”

“I have.”

“It is not even dawn yet...”

“Has His Highness the Crown Prince risen? A ruler’s morning ought to begin earlier than the mornings of their people.”

“Well, that is...”

“He has not, then. Lead the way.”

The Crown Prince’s attendant trembled.

“His Highness issued a strict command...”

“What command? No, I can guess. He must have ordered you never to let me inside when I visit. Is that it?”

“I regret that I must tell you...”

“When His Majesty sent the heir to this academy, he summoned me especially and commanded, [The heir’s habits are indolent, and he may grow unruly, so you, his betrothed, must take pains over him]. I care for His Highness in obedience to His Majesty’s command. You are an attendant of the imperial family. Tell me: are you the Crown Prince’s servant, or are you His Majesty the Emperor’s subject?”

“M-my lady...”

“Do the likes of you mean to defy His Majesty’s imperial command because you are the Crown Prince’s servants? His Majesty will be delighted indeed when he hears of this.”

The matter was settled in one minute.

Not one of the servants dispatched by the imperial household stood in Lady Silver Lily’s way. She crossed the garden, passed through the lobby, and finally reached the Crown Prince’s bedroom.

“Your Highness.”

Three knocks.

“Have you risen?”

“Do not come in!”

“You are awake, then. I shall enter.”

Lady Silver Lily produced a key as if it were the most natural thing in the world and opened the door. Click. The Crown Prince’s bedroom opened to welcome us, although its owner was huddled on the bed, trembling.

“Eek?!”

“Your Highness, it's dawn, and you’re still in bed. That’s unacceptable. His Majesty wakes up every day at 4 AM to attend to imperial affairs. How can you, the heir to the throne, be lazier?”

“Attend me! Is no one there? Someone help me...”

“Close the door.”

The bedroom door slammed shut. Not one imperial attendant remained inside. Only Silver Lily’s subordinates stood in an impassive row. The Crown Prince’s trembling grew worse.

Lady Silver Lily spoke.

“Butler.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I shall impart to you the second lesson.”

The Lady pointed her chin at the white-haired butler.

The graying servant raised the prepared sign.

LESSON 2. (Basic)

If you cannot avoid a bastard, enjoy it.

“En-enjoy it…?”

“Someday, you too will fall in love. And your first love will be a bastard. My advice is that, since it will 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 a bastard.”

The graying servant skillfully flipped the board.

LESSON 2. (Advanced)

Become an even greater bastard than your partner.

Splash!

The attendants lifted buckets and poured water onto the bed. This was why they had brought the buckets all the way here.

“Huh?!"

The Crown Prince, drenched by the sudden deluge, jumped up. His noodle-like hair swelled up.

“Romance with a bastard is war.”

Lady Silver Lily calmly observed the prince.

“If possible, it is best to avoid war. Peace is the highest value. If your partner is kind, be kind as well. If your partner is good, you must be good as well. But if your partner is inescapably a bastard, remember this.”

Lady Silver Lily took out another fan. It was different from the previous one. Astonishingly, this fan too had letters carved on it.

Today's motto:

Do not be kind to bastards.

Crazy.

"Repeat after me. Don't be kind."

"Do-don't be kind."

"Humans want to appear good to others. Some want to appear smart, others want to appear knowledgeable, and there are those who want to appear kind. From what I see, you belong to the latter category. Restrain yourself."

But the Lady didn't restrain herself at all. Not in the slightest.

"Open the door."

The attendants opened the door. Outside in the corridor, the royal attendants were anxiously waiting.

"What are you doing?"

Lady Silver Lily spoke nonchalantly.

"The Crown Prince is wet. Despite the cool spring weather, I fear his royal health might suffer. Quickly assist him in changing."

"Yo-Your Highness!"

The royal attendants rushed in. They seemed prepared, each holding a towel as if they knew this would happen. It was clear this wasn't the first time Lady Silver Lily had used the water bucket strategy.

"Remember this. This is the equation of love."

Lady Silver Lily slowly walked down the hallway.

“A good-looking person loses to a clever person. A clever person loses to a vicious bastard. Therefore, the one who reaches the pinnacle of love is a beauty who is bastardly clever. Butler, grasp this truth and devote yourself to self-improvement.”

"Uh..."

I turned around to see the Crown Prince’s bedroom still in chaos.

"The love I thought of is quite different. I imagined something more..."

"More romantic?"

"Yes, and..."

"Thought love was about the heart, not the mind?"

"Yes......"

"That's correct too."

Lady Silver Lily tossed her fan. Whoosh. The white-haired butler skillfully caught it and stored it away. We walked and talked on our way to the reception room.

"However, that depends on your fortune. It's not easy to meet someone at first sight and have your heart beat faster. It also depends on the life you've led, which determines whom you'll be attracted to at first sight. Falling in love at first sight, in fact, means seeing at a glance what kind of life the other person has led."

"Such a difficult concept..."

"Difficult indeed."

Her red eyes narrowed.

"If it's too hard, would you like to test it?"

A test.

"What kind of test?"

“I am asking whether you would like to test if your heart will pound for me.”

“What would make my heart pound?”

"Do something impressive."

Impressive.

"What does that mean?"

"Do I have to tell you everything? Should I find and bring you a lover myself? Think and ponder for yourself. Butler, you're smart, you might just succeed."

"......."

"I'll tell you for free whether it's right or wrong."

We reached the reception room. Despite being in the Crown Prince's residence, Lady Silver Lily walked around as if it were her own bedroom. She dismissed all attendants except me and sat in a chair.

A room with a red carpet.

Eyes the same color as the carpet beneath us regarded me quietly.

Hmm.

“Huh…”

I took a deep breath. The breath that entered my throat solidified in my lungs like a hard core. Even though it was just breathing, I decided to treat it as evidence of my resolve.

I took the cards from inside my coat.

[Prosopagnosia Card]

[What a coincidence? Well-timed secret eavesdropping! Card]

[Oops! I shouldn’t have said that! I accidentally misspoke! Card]

Before entering the Apocalypse, the Holed-Up Head Librarian gave me these gifts, saying they would be an army of thousands for me. They were cards originally meant to be used in this stage. Lady Silver Lily tilted her head.

"......? What is it?"

"Cards given to me by the Holed-Up Head Librarian."

And…

"According to the Lady, these too would be a kind of 'strategy guide.'"

Ziiiik!

I tore the cards without hesitation.

The torn cards scattered like colorful sand grains, disappearing without a trace.

[The Holed-Up Head Librarian is amazed by your decision.]

Perhaps those cards could have really helped conquer the stage. But showing my sincerity to the human in front of me was more important.

At least, that's what I believed.

[The Holed-Up Head Librarian applauds your intentions.]

Rewards are just rewards.

Shortcuts only matter when they remain shortcuts.

There's no need for me to obsess over rewards or to find meaning in a path that's no longer a shortcut.

"……Wow."

Lady Silver Lily rested her chin and observed me.

"Indeed."

“Commendable.”

Lady Silver Lily lightly gestured.

"Come here."

I approached.

"Your chin is too high. Bow your head."

I bowed.

Lady Silver Lily whispered in my ear.

"Well done."

She took a vial from her pocket. At first, I didn't understand what it was. But when the lid popped open, I realized. A blue fragrance. Perfume.

Lady Silver Lily took off her glove.

She ran her pinky finger around the bottle's rim and then...

"I should tell you in advance."

She reached toward my nape and, with a soft stroke, dabbed a spot behind my ear.

"I won't take responsibility for you."

Fragrance.

A strong floral scent that made my head dizzy.

"------."

The scent of white lilies.

For a moment, my head spun.

“Is it fragrant?”

Lady Silver Lily held my right hand. I only realized a little later that our fingers were interlocked. The scent was clouding my mind, making time stutter.

"Yes......"

"Do you like it?"

"……Yes."

Lady Silver Lily’s red eyes slanted.

"It pleases me too. It's my favorite scent. I love it."

Softly. Her voice crawled up my neck.

"Since you confessed and destroyed your secrets for me, I'm not displeased. Continue to serve me. Tonight, I too will share a secret with you."

My heart was racing.

[Your immersion into the character is intensifying.]

This is serious.

[Your immersion rate is currently 15%.]

I think I'm falling for this person.