"Well, mother did say that our men saw you walk off with an adventurer." The man, Laurence, looked me up and down, a smarmy grin painting his lips. "Guess they weren't wrong."
"We met shortly after I caught those very men trying to advertise our House's sale with fliers! He saw that I was alone and offered to walk me home; that's all there is to it! What I do with my free time is none of your concern."
"Or who you do, apparently," Laurence added, crossing his arms.
"L-Laurence! What are you–"
His voice took on a mocking tone. "Making love underneath the moonlight, was it?" He laughed. "Who knew my bookish little sister was hiding such desires!"
Isobel's cheeks heated. "W-well, perhaps I wouldn't have looked for the comfort of another if I had the support of House Greaves behind me! All I want is for this Great House to return to its former glory, but instead I'm treated as though I'm some naive child for–"
"Don't get me wrong, dear sister, I have absolutely no problem with you and your little," He looked me up and down. "Friend here. In fact, I encourage it. I'm pretty sure everyone in the House would encourage it. I was just thinking you needed something to stop your nagging. Guess you found the age-old remedy to stress, didn't you?"
"Laurence, you bastard! Don't make light of me!"
"Make light of you? I'm proud of you! You've finally let go of that vice grip you had on your virginity and found yourself a man to run away with. Run away from here. Far, far away from here, so that none of us have to hear you complain ever again!" He laughed, finally stepping from the marble stairs and approaching his sister. "That is, if you even can run away with this man. Who even is he? Is he really an adventurer? Or is that simply a… roleplaying thing? I am admittedly curious." Laurence gave me a disinterested look. "I hear the brothels in town have their workers peruse the streets for drunks and depressed citizens to get a quick buck off of. As much as I enjoy teasing my dear sister, I'll have to ask you to return any money she gave you. I don't need her in debt to any–"
And that was my limit. I had tried to stay out of this, considering he and I weren't family and I'd never seen him in any prior loop, but… my patience had its limits. At least he didn't run into Lyra. She would've killed him by now, then turned back time to do it again! I wasn't that aggressive. I preferred to handle things as simply as I could.
"I'm an adventurer," I corrected, stepping closer to the man, looming over him. The man was barely taller than his sister. "A 5-Star Adventurer. I know you know my name. There's only one male 5-Star in Podros."
Laurence snorted, turning his head while maintaining eye contact. "Lloyd May," He confirmed. "Those two fools, Vincent and Levi, were talking about you and your friend Lyra in the taverns."
I took a step closer, forcing him to take one back. I also gathered a small amount of mana in my fists. It wasn't like I was going to hurt him, but I did need to send a message. "So you do know who I am. Yet you decided to act like I was some male escort. You're a funny man. Has anyone ever told you that?"
The remaining embers of smugness had finally burned out in Laurence's expression. He was visibly afraid now, breaths heavy, head low, and body shaking. "I-I have been told that! My mother, whom I love very much and cannot wait to return to, always tells me that I have her sense of humor. How'd you know?"
I placed a glowing hand on his shoulder. "That's good to hear, Laurence. Going forward, I'd appreciate it if you saved the humor for the tavern. If I want to hear your jokes, I'll ask for them." I thumbed back at Isobel. "And, for your own sake, stop picking on your sister."
"Believe me… I'm saying that for your sake."
Laurence froze, looking back at his sister before returning his focus to me. "Y-you're right! I'm too old to be pestering her as I do."
"Wow, wisdom and humility from Laurence Greaves? Perhaps I should call my 'male escort' friend over here every day." Isobel said, walking behind me.
She squeezed my arm, likely as if to indicate that I should stop with the "show". I did, releasing my grip from her brother's shoulder, and crossing my arms to look down at him.
He nodded at me. "Forgive my rudeness." He nodded at his sister. "Forgive my… continued rudeness. I will be better to you."
"Of course you will," Isobel snorted. "Now return to mother. I'm sure she can't wait to hear your latest stand-up routine."
He scrunched his brow at her, though he quickly undid the gesture with a pointed look from me. With a groan, the man turned back into House Greaves, leaving me alone with Isobel once again. The woman barked with laughter the moment the door closed, and I found myself laughing alongside her.
"I must say, it does feel nice to have someone stand up for me like you do." She grabbed my hand in hers, leading me back towards the gravel path and away from the steps of House Greaves. "Come, let's end our conversation away from the door this time. I don't need anyone eavesdropping on us again."
"Or watching, I suppose," I added.
Isobel blushed, looking toward the ground. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with that kiss. It's just… I wasn't sure how else to show you how much I appreciated our time together. You listened to me, didn't talk down to me like everyone else in the House, and you treated me like a lady. The last person to do that for me was my grandfather." She stopped in her tracks, looking up at me with a smile. "It certainly didn't hurt that you're a handsome man."
"Hearing that from someone as pretty as you means the world to me, Isobel."
"Oh, but what if I wasn't so pretty? Would you still be honored to receive the compliment?"
"We don't live in the world where you aren't, so we'll never know."
She laughed, jabbing me in the chest with a finger. "So superficial. All you men are the same!"
"Oh, don't act like you're perfect. Would you have accepted my offer to walk you home if you didn't find me attractive?"
Isobel shushed me, getting on her tiptoes and kissing me on the cheek. "You worry too much."
I rolled my eyes and snorted. "You're dodging the question."
"Only because you did."
Like before, we were standing across from one another again. Her eyes were just as radiant as they'd been the last time we stood like this. When she stood on her tiptoes this time, I pulled her in from the waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck once again, and I once again accepted her, pulling her into a tender kiss.
I was used to being flirted with. I'd even been used to getting kissed. This, though, was a first. I'd never… wanted someone the way I wanted Isobel. Desired someone. As our lips met and our tongues collided, I found myself unsatisfied with how little of her I was getting. That quickly, I'd forgotten that this was the woman destined to be the Demon Queen and instead saw her as the beauty from House Greaves.
"I want you, Lloyd May," Isobel revealed, her voice breathy and sultry.
"Then have me," I said, surprised by my own words.
She pulled back, lowering her hands to rest on my cheeks. "I… cannot. My House. I don't know what's happening with it. I can't afford to spend time like this with you." She pulled me into another tender kiss, her lips soft and full. "Forgive me, love. Perhaps if we meet after I've found a way to claim House Greaves, we can rekindle what we have. Would you like that?"
"I would," I answered, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. "You're going to do great things with House Greaves. I know it."
Isobel smiled. "You're a flatterer, adventurer. Don't you dare think about sharing that talent of yours with anyone but me."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"You'd better not. Or I'll use the full might of the reinvigorated House Greaves to destroy you."
I laughed, though a small part of me was a bit concerned. Had I accidentally just emboldened Isobel to become the Demon Queen…?