I’m Not the Final Boss’ Lover

Now that he was closer, I could examine him in a little more detail. His vest and shirt were embroidered with shiny metallic black threads. They looked black at first glance, but the elegance in them was naturally revealed in the light. The suit was very becoming of him indeed. I let out a soft sigh of admiration and forgot to even worry about the handmaidens spreading any weird rumors. “It looks very good on you.”

“I can say the same for you.”

Mayer pulled me toward him with his hand that was big enough to cover mine. I was so close that my nose was nearly bumping into his chest. “Choosing the dress for you was worth the effort,” he whispered, gazing at me, the breath of his voice tickling my forehead.

Feeling strange at the close proximity, I took a step back and jokingly replied, “Indeed. Thanks to you, Captain, I feel relieved that I can look like a suitable partner. I got to hear that the dress goes well on me too. Bellonet and the imperial handmaidens really put in a lot of effort.”

Be it the fabric or design, the dress completely reflected Mayer’s opinions. While we were choosing clothes for the banquet, Mayer couldn’t bear to see me react with disinterest to the fabrics Bellonet showed us. He ended up stepping in to choose every single detail. The result of that was this halter neck scarlet dress tied to an ornate jeweled choker. The skirt was bordered with dark rose vines, above which there were pearls and diamonds scattered like morning dew. It was the fruit of the united efforts of Imperial Court Tailor Bellonet and her apprentices.

“I was worried if you would not wear the jewelry I begged you to take,” Mayer said, smiling in satisfaction as he gently touched the earring on my ear with a fingertip, and I felt its weight shaking. I could understand why he was worried, seeing as I would’ve usually said it was unnecessary. But Fabian would be appearing at the banquet. In the same sense that I gave Julieta her earring, I too did everything I could to groom myself. To show that man who neglected me so much what value I had and how I was treated.

Of course, it was overkill to wear artifacts to the performance report meeting, and then a fist-sized piece of jewelry with an armful of pearls, just to prove my worth.

“Your reputation is on the line, Captain. How could I not wear it? And I also lent some to Julieta while I was at it. It’s fine, right?”

“I left the jewelry box for you to do as you will,” Mayer replied, sounding very uninterested in the whereabouts of the other jewelry. His lips were drawing a constant upward curve, for once, and I didn’t know what he was so satisfied with. However, seeing him smile from so close made me feel a bit odd. I lowered my eyes and avoided looking at him with an awkward laugh. I wanted to put some distance between us, if even a little bit. Contrary to my hopes, Mayer’s face gradually drew closer to mine. “Hmm… You smell good.”

“I’m sure I smell like roses since a rose is in my hair.”

“No, not that… It is a somewhat familiar smell.” Mayer muttered in wonder as he leaned in even closer. He inhaled deeply as if to swallow all the air around me. I inadvertently stopped breathing in that instant. He acted up last time too, saying something about the color of my eyes. The man kept acting as if he was about to remember what happened while I was awakening his mana, making my heart tremble.

I hastily changed the subject. “Captain. You’re too close. We promised.”

“Ah, I apologize. That was rude of me.”

Mayer jerked back, belatedly remembering the promise to refrain from skinship. Finally released from Mayer, I breathed a small sigh of relief. I didn’t forget to give him another firm warning before we entered the banquet hall. “Okay? We’re going to keep any skinship at the bare minimum in this banquet too. And if other people ask what our relationship is, you make it clear that it’s just a formal one.”

“Would it not sound like an excuse to go that far?” Mayer asked with a frown. Sure, some people would take it that way, but… I shook my head unwaveringly.

“They’ll really get the wrong idea if you don’t. It’s better to say it, even if it sounds like an excuse.”

“Fine, fine. Then let us be on our way now. It seems that time is running out.”

“Alright.” I complied with a nod and held Mayer’s hand again. Since the preparations were perfectly done, it was time for round two. For others, the banquet might be a place to socialize and gather information, but to me? It might as well be a harvest festival of revenge. I tugged my lips into a grin and took resolute steps toward the banquet hall to greet the moment I had long been waiting for.