In a very large room, there was a very long table. On either side of it sat girls.
Many, many—even hundreds—of girls. And all of them had their eyes fixed on the person in the main seat.
Me.
Even though I was mentally prepared for this, the pressure was immense.
The table was laden with various delicacies that should have been irresistibly appealing, but under the weight of hundreds of gazes, even the food lost its luster.
However, the girls' reactions were different from what I expected. They were practically glued to me.
Some smiled gently, while others chatted quietly, faint blushes appearing on their pretty faces.
For them, this was a novelty. Because the unfortunate guy who died had an extremely toxic possessive desire, they never came into contact with men. They had never experienced being stared at, let alone eating with a man who didn't threaten to kill them for blinking.
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate...
"My benefactor, aren't you hungry? Please have a meal as soon as possible," Lycoris, who was sitting to my side, spoke up, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
"Ah! That's right, time to eat."
I quickly came to my senses, feeling a little embarrassed. My eyes had been wandering.
'But can you blame me?'
Every girl present was stunningly beautiful. With hundreds of them by my side, who could possibly remain calm? The fact that I hadn't drooled was already a testament to my willpower.
My gaze shifted to the tableware placed in front of me.
Plates, knives, forks, and spoons...
'Don't they have chopsticks?'
Asking a modern Asian soul to use a knife and fork for a feast felt like a chore. But then again, this was a Western-fantasy setting. This was how the aristocracy ate.
"What's wrong?" Lycoris asked, noticing my hesitation.
"I'm not used to using knives and forks. Do you have chopsticks?"
"Chopsticks? Yes, please wait a moment, I'll bring you a pair right away."
Lycoris immediately got up to go to the kitchen. It was obvious that this enormous mansion had no servants; the wives did everything themselves.
"Sister, let me go. You stay here and take care of our benefactor." Another girl stood up quickly.
"Okay, please."
Lycoris sat back down and looked at me again.
"Before she brings the chopsticks, would you like me to help you start? You can tell me what you would like to eat."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Could it be... that you're going to feed me!?"
"If you don't mind," she said with a smile. "After all, it's our oversight for not being prepared in advance."
"Mind? It's impossible for me to mind. In fact, I would say you absolutely must do this."
How could I miss such a great opportunity?
Lycoris laughed softly. The man before her was more... interesting than she had imagined.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Anything is fine."
"I see."
She looked at the spread and chose a meat dish. Meat was the most filling, after all.
Skilled with the cutlery, she quickly cut up several small pieces of meat, sized perfectly for a single bite.
With one hand holding the fork and the other cupping below it to catch any drips, Lycoris presented the meat to me.
"Open your mouth, please."
"Ah!"
I took the bite.
"How does it taste?"
"It tastes..."
I blinked.
'What does it taste like?'
I was so hungry that I had swallowed it whole without even chewing!
To be honest, if it weren't for the hundreds of girls watching, I would have already buried my face in the plates like a starving wolf.
"It tastes great. Very delicious," I lied, giving a thumbs up. I couldn't admit I swallowed it like a snake.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Lycoris laughed, and she wasn't the only one. Ripples of giggles spread down the long table.
"Haha~" I gave an awkward laugh.
'Damn it! That's incredibly embarrassing!'
How many times had I lost face since arriving here?
Seeing my hunger, Lycoris adjusted her strategy. She no longer served one piece at a time but two or three, forcing me to chew.
The feeding hadn't been going on for very long when a voice cut through the warm atmosphere.
"Oh dear, Regulus. You really have the leisure to play such an enviable game with your wives."
The voice was sharp, dripping with sarcasm.
Everyone's attention snapped to the entrance.
Standing there was a woman with short blonde hair, dressed in a gorgeous outfit with black as the main color, and wearing a small golden crown.
But her appearance wasn't the important thing. The important thing was the tension she brought. The girls looked uneasy.
'Who is this woman?' I wondered.
Moreover, the fact that she mistook me for Regulus meant she had never actually seen the dead guy's face.
I straightened up, switching my persona instantly. I had to be arrogant. I had to be Greed.
"Is there a problem with me playing games with my wives?" I asked, my tone dismissive.
I didn't even look at her properly. If I was going to replace that unlucky guy, I had to act the part.
"A problem? Of course there's a problem!"
The woman stomped forward.
"You kept me waiting! I waited for you all night! And not only did you not show up, you have the audacity to ask me if I have a problem?"
She looked displeased, clearly annoyed. But interestingly, she seemed to be holding back, trying not to show too much anger. She was wary of me.
'Wait... speaking of yesterday...'
That unlucky guy fell to his death right before meeting her?
"My benefactor," Lycoris whispered in my ear, her voice trembling slightly. "That is Princess Capella Emerada Lugunica of this kingdom. The reason we are here is because of her invitation."
My mind raced.
Capella Emerada Lugunica.
'Isn't that the Sin Archbishop of Lust?'
No wonder she looked familiar.
The problem was the timeline. Had she already awakened as an Archbishop? Or was she still just a twisted Princess?
She shouldn't have become a Sin Archbishop yet. If she were already Lust, she wouldn't need to work so hard to control her temper. She would have just transformed everyone into meat flies by now.
"This is one of her previous letters," Lycoris whispered, slipping an envelope from her bosom into my hand.
I opened it and took a look.
My eyes scanned the page.
'I'm a fucking idiot!'
I stared at the squiggles on the paper.
'What on earth is written here?!'
I couldn't read the language of this world!
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