I’m Not the Final Boss’ Lover

As soon as the performance meeting ended, Fabian turned around and left. He had to find the woman he suspected to be Jun. As he passed through a throng of people, he only had one thought: checking her identity. It was a foolish idea. Even if she really was Jun, she wouldn’t know who Fabian was right now. A slightly more careful approach was needed to give the best possible first impression on their first meeting.

He thought that since the woman would show up at the banquet, after all, he just had to make his approach then. If she was the real Jun, then he had to somehow get her out of her current corps as fast as possible. Fabian knew well that it would be almost impossible to bring the vice-captain of the Dark Knights into his group. It was merely a low-middle-class expedition corps, but he knew Jun well. Although she had strong self-esteem and was reluctant to rely on others, she was weak to kind and tender words. That was probably because she had gone through many hurtful experiences. Such words were something Mayer Knox would never be able to offer her.

Fabian was confident he would succeed. Moreover, Jun had liked him. Although she tried not to show it, she couldn’t hide all her emotions. He vividly remembered how Jun would gaze at his red hair, entranced. He recalled the sacrifices she made for him, and how she even swallowed the humiliation of being mocked as his dog. Since that was how she was like in the past, there was no way there’d be much of a difference now.

Of course, there had been the big incident where Fabian saved Jun back then, but still… He could win her over again even without that. He held no doubt whatsoever in this belief. Even though Fabian had claimed he couldn’t believe what he didn’t see with his own eyes, he didn’t realize that he was presuming the emotions of another person.

“Fabian?” April called out, worried to see Fabian remain silent for so long. Only then did he cast a smile at his corps members who were looking at him with concern.

“I’m sorry. Did I fluster you guys? I think I was a little nervous.”

“You startled us.”

The members of Fabian’s corps felt relieved to see him return to his usual self, and Fabian let out a laugh. Despite the lack of sincerity in his mirth, it was effective in fanning the air. “For now, let’s go and get ready for the banquet too.”

“Okay. Sounds good! We’ll be late at this rate.”

“I still have a lot to ask of the other expedition corps.”

“You’re hunting for knowledge even at a banquet? Ugh, the lengths mages go to.”

They chatted and argued among themselves while moving to their accommodations. The member lineup was slightly different from the first playthrough, but only Fabian knew about this. He smiled apologetically and followed after his team a second later. Jun had stood with them in the past, smiling quietly in a corner. Today, for some reason, Fabian missed her presence. But he consoled himself that it was okay because they would eventually be together again.

Fabian’s blue eyes glinted like that of a hawk hunting for prey, his face twisted by the impatience he failed to hide.

* * *

We set about preparing for the banquet as soon as we reached our accommodations. It was a nightmare during the first playthrough, what with having to do the dressing and make-up all by myself. This time, it was much more relaxed thanks to having handmaidens assist me. Although, of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t distracted out of my mind.

“Vice-captain, what color shall we do the lips?”

“What color do you prefer for the eyeshadows?”

With more choices to make and more things to be concerned about, it was dizzying to follow what the handmaidens were asking. To be honest, it took me several years to find the right tones for my original face and skin. How hard would it be for Jun’s face? Especially since I rarely looked into the mirror over the past year, spending most of it in dungeons. I would’ve taken some care if this was a banquet I had to stand out in, but I just had to look good enough to not disgrace the Dark Knights. And the handmaidens were experts in that field.

“Please, just do what’ll suit me.”

Tired, I handed all power to the girls. No sooner than I gave permission, their eyes began to shine with eagerness. It wasn’t this intense when I had to take my graduation photo, or when I was getting spruced up for a close friend’s wedding. As a result of the handmaidens’ efforts, I experienced applying five shades on my eyelids alone for the first time in my life. After finishing the makeup, the girls exchanged glances with contented smiles.

“It’s so satisfying to work on your features, Vice-captain. You’re gorgeous enough to look good even with major makeup, and it doesn’t feel overdone.”