I Just Wanted to Call Off the Arranged Marriage With the Princess—Someone I Could Never Possibly Be a Match For—But for Some Reason, She Took a Liking to Me and Is Now Closing in on Me
“Welcome, Lady Iris.”
As I passed through the entrance, I was greeted in the large hall by a beautiful woman with long, purple hair. Since this is a brothel, I suppose she is a prostitute,
but the dress she wore was heavily frilled and covered most of her body.
She had such an elegant air about her that I would have believed she was a noblewoman if told so, and her bow was so beautiful it took my breath away.
Somehow… she’s amazing.
Just as I was having this childish thought, her violet eyes, sparkling like jewels, turned toward me, making my heart skip a beat. Without a trace of confusion, she gave me a gentle smile.
“Welcome to your companion as well. All of us at the White Lily House are deeply honored by your visit.”
“Well, um… thank you.”
Her excessive politeness made me feel a bit overwhelmed. More than anything, I was struck by her delicate beauty, like a pure white flower, and her gentle, welcoming aura, which made me feel flustered—something completely out of character for me.
I suppose this is just one of the tricks of the trade, but it’s incredibly powerful. I hadn’t been particularly interested in brothels before, but now I understand how men could become regulars just to see her.
“I am the proprietress of this establishment. My name is Lilium. If I may ask, could you please tell me your name?”
“Ah, um, I am Lucian of the Magnolia Viscount family.”
“Then, may I call you Lord Lucian?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you!”
With a genuinely delighted smile, Lilium gently pressed her hands together.
Since she’s in the service industry, it’s only natural she’d do what makes the other person happy. Even though I’m suspicious of her motives, I can’t help but feel happy myself, which is a bit of a problem.
Really, it’s a problem.
“……Hey.”
It was a cold voice that seemed to echo from the depths of hell.
Instantly, a chill ran down my spine.
“…………It really is a problem, isn’t it?”
“Your nose is getting longer, you know?”
“Hahaha, no way”
I quickly pretended to brush the tip of my nose with my hand to hide it.
Well, I don’t think it’s actually getting longer, but… When someone stares at me like that, it makes me self-conscious—or rather, it really is a problem. Wondering what kind of face I must be making, I glanced over at her out of morbid curiosity, only to be met by a pair of pitch-black eyes.
It was a blackness I could see even through her tinted glasses. Eyes devoid of light, with no way to tell where they were looking. They reflected me into that darkness and trapped me there.
“Glad you got to meet such a beautiful person, huh?”
“Nah, it’s not like I wanted to come or anything…”
“So you’re saying Lilium isn’t beautiful?”
“…………She is a beauty, though.”
She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me down
“Stop it, my clothes are getting torn—or rather, I’m going to fall.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
Even though you’re pulling me really hard?
She pursed her lips and tugged at my hem as if to say, “Here, take this.” I get that she’s upset. I mean, yeah? We aren’t officially engaged, but according to Iris, I’m her fiancé—at least for now.
If a guy like that was acting all lovey-dovey with a woman from a brothel, she’d have every right to be angry. But… the excuse that “Iris is the one who brought him here…” probably won’t fly.
This time, she presses her forehead firmly against my right shoulder as I try to pull away. Just as I flinch and twist my body to escape Iris’s barrage of complaints, a clear laugh, like the ringing of a bell, cuts through the air between us.
“Hehe, this is the first time I’ve seen Lady Iris bare her emotions like that.”
“…It’s not like that at all.”
“You two get along quite well, don’t you?”
“Who would want a lecherous guy like this?”
She headbutts my shoulder. That hurts.
“It’s such a lovely relationship—I’m truly envious.”
“Does it look like that?”
She looks like she’s about to stomp on my foot any second now?
“Yes, very much so.”
Lilium-san smiles as she says this, looking composed and mature. Since she runs a brothel, she must be older than me, but she looks so youthful she doesn’t seem to be in her thirties at all.
Is it because she achieved success at a young age, or something like that? Her appearance and achievements seem mismatched, and she even gives off a somewhat seductive aura.
……I feel a strong gaze from beside me again. Just as I’m suffering from a phantom pain that feels like thorns pricking my cheek, I hear hurried footsteps coming from somewhere.
Following the sound and looking up, I see a girl in a maid’s uniform on the second-floor corridor, which opens up to the atrium. Hugging a broom to her ample chest, she peered down at the first floor and let out a cheerful “Ah!”
As the girl continued down the stairs two at a time, Lilium admonished her, “That’s dangerous.” “S-sorry!” she apologized, but her momentum didn’t stop; once she reached the bottom in the grand hall, she flew across the room and threw herself into Iris’s arms.
“Iris Nee sama! Welcome home!”
“……Yeah, have you been doing well?”
She didn’t make a single displeased face at the maid girl hugging her tightly.
In fact, she wore an expression full of the kind of compassion befitting someone called “sister,” and I widened my eyes in surprise.
So you can make a face like that, Iris.
Since a grumpy expression is usually her default, that gentle look was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but stare. Iris, who had been gently stroking the girl’s black hair, turned to face me. Our eyes met.
“……Do you have a problem with that?”
“I just thought it was nice to see you two getting along so well.”
“Right?”
Iris parted her lips slightly, but the maid girl agreed first and immediately clamped her mouth shut. She looked a bit embarrassed and pulled the corners of her eyes up sharply. It was kind of funny.
As I stifled a chuckle and my throat quivered, the maid girl—who had finally noticed my presence and lifted her face from Iris’s ample bosom—looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
She tilted her head to the side.
“Who might this gentleman be?”
“Ah, I’m—”
Just as I was about to introduce myself, Iris covered my mouth with her hand.
Iris put on an extremely serious expression and began introducing me.
“He’s a womanizer who drools over beautiful women, the third son of a viscount with neither money nor power, and my fiancé.”
“That’s not an introduction—that’s just slander.”
We’re not even engaged yet. Don’t tell lies.
The girl’s face, which seemed to take it completely seriously, and Lilium, who stood behind her quietly chuckling, left a strangely strong impression on me.