When I Infiltrated the Enemy Nation as a Slave, the Yandere Beauties There Started a Civil War Over Me - Chapter 21: The Worst Two Choices

Chapter 21: The Worst Two Choices

I wanted to reach the Cecifelia estate as quickly as possible, yet at the same time, I wished it would take longer—a conflicting desire.

Still, the carriage steadily made its way to the Cecifelia estate.

And now, we had arrived.

We had arrived… after all.

Sweating nervously, I glanced at the clock in the carriage.

“7:17 PM…”

Cruelly enough, time continues to pass no matter how much I wish it would stop. Even now, as I stand here, time keeps moving forward.

Despite the cold sweat running down my face, I somehow managed to step out of the carriage and walked through the gates toward the front doors of the mansion, trying to calm my nerves.

But I still couldn’t relax, so I took a deep breath and muttered to myself.

“I’ll calm myself down as I walk through the halls of the mansion… up to the room where Cecifelia is probably waiting.”

I might not be able to stay calm right now, but surely, by the time I walk through the hallways, I’ll regain my composure. And once I’m calm, I’ll be able to handle this situation somehow!

Telling myself that, I opened the door and stepped inside the mansion—

“Welcome back, Luke.”

The moment I stepped into the mansion, my eyes were immediately drawn to Cecifelia—her beautiful white hair, pale skin, and her figure, which was clear even through her noble attire, including her large chest and long legs.

“…”

Cecifelia!? Why is she at the entrance!?

What could Cecifelia possibly be doing here at the entrance? I thought things like cleaning or organizing shoes were the only activities that happen here, but there’s no way a duchess like Cecifelia would do those things… And here I was, planning to walk through the halls to calm myself down, but now this unexpected event has made that impossible!

No, wait—calm down. Even if I’m not calm inside, I should at least act calm on the outside and stay composed!

“Yes, I’m back… I’m honored that you personally came to greet me, but why are you here at the entrance, Miss Cecifelia?”

I tried to maintain a calm appearance as I asked the question that genuinely puzzled me. Cecifelia responded:

“I was waiting for you, Luke… A little while ago, I finished my work and was resting in my room, eagerly hoping you’d come back soon… but when 7 PM came—the time I told you to return—you still weren’t here, so I decided to wait for you here instead.”

This situation is bad… If I let Cecifelia take control of the conversation, the focus will shift to the fact that I’m late, missing the 7 PM deadline.

But, I still have a chance to bluff my way out of this…!

I decided to use one of the excuses I had thought of while in the carriage.

“I’m really sorry for being late! But, if you’ll hear me out, I checked the time using a clock in the city, but it seems that clock was off. I only realized just now when I looked at the clock in the carriage and saw that it was past 7 PM! I’m not asking for forgiveness, but I just wanted to explain that—”

“Then, can you tell me which clock in the city you checked? If we go and check it now, and it’s really off by several minutes, then I’ll believe you.”

…!

I knew it would come to this… But I can’t lose to Cecifelia here!

Knowing her personality, I expected her to ask this, so without hesitation, I responded.

“Sorry, but I don’t remember where that clock was…”

If I had hesitated for even a moment before speaking, Cecifelia would have found my response suspicious… but that’s not the case this time.

Since I had prepared these words in advance, I was able to reply without pause, making it sound more believable.

Even if she found it a little unnatural, turning that slight suspicion into absolute proof would be like trying to prove the impossible.

And even if Cecifelia used her influence to investigate every clock in the city, trying to catch me in a lie, I could simply say, “It’s a vague memory, but the clock was old, so maybe it’s been removed.”

I’ve been on the receiving end of Cecifelia’s harsh treatment plenty of times, but after spending half a month with her, I’ve come to understand her much better.

From now on, it’s my turn to use Cecifelia to my advantage!

As I steeled myself with that resolve, Cecifelia looked at me with a serious expression and spoke in a low voice.

“I see… You know, Luke—if you apologize honestly right now and tell me exactly what you were doing, I won’t be able to completely let it go, but I’ll forgive you a little. Are you sure you want to stick with your story?”

She’s trying to shake me, but that won’t work.

“Yes… It’s true I was late, so I won’t try to make excuses for that, but I really did misread the time.”

As long as I keep saying this, she can’t outright prove that I’m lying. With that confidence in mind, I continued speaking, but Cecifelia then asked:

“In that case, there’s something I want to ask you—why didn’t you apologize and explain this to me the moment you entered the mansion?”

“…Eh?”

Caught off guard by this unexpected question, I let out a confused response. Cecifelia continued in a calm voice.

“If your story is true, then while you were in the carriage and even when you entered the mansion, your mind should have been filled with the fact that you misread the time and broke our agreement, right? So, why was the first thing you said a question about why I was at the entrance?”

That… does sound unnatural. But, I can still explain it away somehow.

“Well, I was just so surprised to see you at the entrance, I didn’t expect—”

Before I could finish, Cecifelia cut me off.

“If what you’re saying is true, then even if you were surprised to see me at the entrance, you should have immediately explained why you were late, right? If it was really a misunderstanding or mistake, wouldn’t you have shown more urgency?”

“…That’s—”

“But, Luke, I didn’t see any urgency from you… In fact, when you saw me, you seemed to become even more composed, like you were trying to stay calm. Does someone who’s genuinely sorry and knows they should apologize act that way? Or, is my analysis of your behavior wrong? If I am wrong, that’s a big problem because it would mean you didn’t take the time I asked you to return seriously in the first place.”

Something’s not right. 

Just a moment ago, I had the upper hand… so how did this happen?

“Let me ask you now… Are you lying about misreading the time, or are you disregarding our agreement? Which is it, Luke?”

…How did it come to this? How am I being forced to choose between two terrible options?

“…”

No matter which option I choose, nothing good will come of it. 

If I admit to lying, I’ll be punished, and if I say I disregarded our agreement, who knows what she’ll do to make sure I don’t take it lightly again.

As I struggled over which of the two terrible choices to pick, Cecifelia spoke.

“Luke, I’ll give you one more chance… If you tell me everything that happened today, honestly, I’ll forgive you a little… I asked you to come back by 7 PM because I wanted to see your face, and because if you were later than that, I’d start worrying that you might be doing something strange with a woman… But if you weren’t doing anything like that, just tell me everything that happened today—”

Cecifelia stopped mid-sentence and glanced down at the discount voucher I was holding in my right hand, then asked.

“…Luke, what’s that?”

Thinking about how I could turn this situation around, I still decided to answer her question for now.

“It’s a discount voucher. I was told I could use it at a shop.”

As I said this, I showed Cecifelia the voucher.

“Hmm, so you got something like th—”

Cecifelia started to say something but then stopped as soon as she looked at the voucher. 

“…”

Her eyes and expression changed—her gaze became hollow, and her face grew cold as she stared at the voucher.