[Spirit of Lust 2] Chapters 855 & 856. (Patreon)

Chapter 855: Building up resolve.

Red came back down to the kitchen at some point to drink water from his bowl. I checked the time and saw that it was still early enough that I didn’t need to get started on lunch.

…

I had plans of taking Red out for a walk, but I didn’t want to leave the house with our guest sleeping on the second floor, so instead I went to get his toy ball. I squeezed it and it let out a dull, squeaky sound from how much use it’d seen. Apparently he’d had it for like three months already. Still, Red perked up, big ears pointing up as he walked towards me. He followed me outside and I started playing with him. We had a huge backyard, so I could throw the ball pretty damn far for him to go get it, and he ran as fast as he could before walking back to me and giving it back for another throw.

I chuckled. “Diana’s clearly played with you a lot, huh?”

It’s a little painful to remember, but for a while Red was Diana’s only companion. Of course Maria was there, but as working adults, they couldn’t see each other often. Red was there for Diana when she needed him most.

“I hope you can get used to us, boy,” I told him, scratching behind his ear as he panted and looked up at me. “You’re part of the family now.”

Red barked, and while it was likely just him telling me to hurry up and throw the damn ball again, I’d like to believe it was an acknowledgement of what I’d said.

The cool, fresh air out here agreed with me. I could hear some birds chirping and a soft breeze blowing. The sight of the green hills and the large pond were beginning to become synonymous with home, and how quiet the area was compared to the city was the best part of it.

…

Which is why seeing those guys passed out in our front yard shook me so much.

It’s one thing to know these things can happen, but seeing it actually happen in front of you is a different matter. I suppose that’s why Frey had to keep reminding me about it, warning me about the supernatural side of the world. If she hadn’t, I probably would be taking this way worse. I’m thankful that the girls are taking this so well, but… I think part of it is that they trust me to protect them. They haven’t said it explicitly, and I don’t believe they’re fully aware of it themselves, but I can sense it. The way they rely on me and feel safe when I’m around…

…

It makes me feel some level of pride, and it’s flattering, of course, but it’s also a heavy load to carry. I suppose… this isn’t stuff I can ignore any longer, huh?

I squeezed Red’s toy ball as he stomped with his front paws, eager for another run. I took a deep breath, felt my body warming up like it did whenever I used a spell to clean or mixed a special cocktail. Then I threw the ball again… and it went much, much farther than before, hitting the privacy fence at a high speed with a dull thud.

Red went running after it while I looked at my own hand.

“Frey… It’s not power we lack now, is it?” I muttered. “I know you want me to stay away from all this, and I wish I could, but… It’s not realistic, is it?”

I knew she wouldn’t answer, and I didn’t really need to say it out loud, but I think I was the one who needed to hear it. Luke and I would have a lot to talk about.

After a while, I went back inside the house to help with some of the chores. It helped take my mind off these troubling thoughts for a moment. Alice and Diana helped me with lunch, and when we were close to being done…

“We should probably wake Lucy up,” I said, sighing. To be honest, I had the feeling that lunch was going to be a bit awkward.

“Let me do it,” Diana said. “We work for the same man. That might ease her up a bit after waking up.”

It made sense to me. “Please do.”

As we watched Diana leave, Alice moved closer and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey, I get that all this has you anxious, but I think it’ll all be fine.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked. “Actually, you’re all more relaxed than I expected you to be.”

“Really? I mean, yeah, knowing that people tried to break into our home is scary, but… they couldn’t. They failed the moment they tried, and it was all thanks to you, right?”

“I…”

Alice leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Oliver, you not only do a lot for us, but you don’t appreciate it enough yourself. The fact that this house is a safe, comfortable space is your doing. Be proud of it.”

“...” I sighed, smiled and gave Alice a kiss on the forehead. “Yeah. Sorry I’m such a pain in the ass.”

Alice chuckled and shook her head. “You say that like we don’t come to you to complain and moan about our own troubles. We just want you to be happy, Oliver. I know it’s impossible not to worry, but you don’t need to overthink everything. You’re not alone.”

I nodded. “I know.”

A while later, Diana came back down with some clothes in her arms, and I immediately noticed Lucy’s leather riding suit. Cake was walking beside her and she went directly to her water bowl.

“I asked her if she wanted to take a shower,” Diana said. “She accepted. Now, question. Are you feeling well enough to give these a magic cleaning? I don’t think we can throw this in the wash, and I’d be faster, too.”

“Sure I can, but… I spy something else in there.”

“Ah, yes. I asked her if she was okay with you seeing her underwear,” Diana said with a small smirk. “She blushed and said it was fine.”

It’s funny. I’ve seen plenty of women’s underwear already. I even buy it for them on occasion. But even so… I still felt some shame cleaning Lucy’s clothes.

…

Sports underwear, by the way. That, a pair of shorts and a black tank top.

************

Chapter 856: Lunch with Lucy. And Luke comes to talk.

Lunch wasn’t as awkward as I’d expected, and it was surprisingly thanks to Fern of all people. Lucy thanked us for the room, the shower, the clean clothes and the meal.

Wearing her shorts and her tank top, she sat down with us to eat at the other end of the table from me. It was looking to be a very quiet lunch, with practically everyone, Lucy included, keeping everything they wanted to say inside. But that was when Fern forced out what she simply HAD to say.

“H-Hey, Lucy,” she began. “I’m sure I don’t entirely understand what’s going on, but… You protected us after we parted ways at the car meet, didn’t you? I… Thank you very much.”

“I was just doing my job,” Lucy said, but despite her words I did see her shoulder relax as she quickly hid a smile behind a glass of juice. She took a sip, swallowed and let out a big sigh. “Still… I apologize that I had to lie to you.”

“Did you, though?” Mila casually asked. “You actually do know Alice’s brother, right?”

“Um… Yes…”

“Then you don’t read comics and books?” Alice asked, tilting her head.

“N-No, I do…”

“And you didn’t want to work as a book editor at some publishing agency?” Fern asked.

“I… did want to, but…”

“Ah, I suppose she did lie about being unemployed,” Mila said, then crossed her arms and tilted her head in confusion. “Wait. DID she say she was unemployed?”

Alice chuckled. “She said something along those lines, I think.”

Fern giggled. “Unacceptable!”

Their lighthearted tone pretty much won Lucy over. She smiled and sighed in defeat. “I suppose it’s a shame that I couldn’t really enjoy my time with you there. I was… a bit on edge since I was worried something could happen.”

“Really? I didn’t notice at all,” Mila said.

“So… there really are people after Fern?” Noelle asked, unsure if she should even bring the topic back up.

“Yes, sadly. Though it’s not ‘people,’ exactly. Just this one pathetic man with too much of daddy’s money to throw around,” Lucy explained. “He believes money can get him anything, and you know he’s stupid when even the man fueled by pure greed understands that’s not always the case.”

I found myself nodding. Luke did throw money around like it was nothing, but he understood that things like loyalty, respect, trust and especially love couldn’t be bought. But I suppose this Milán guy is not expecting that from our Fern…

“But you won’t need to worry about it for much longer,” Lucy continued. “Mr. Allen isn’t just sitting idly by. I’ll be around until he settles things, and I promise to keep you all out of danger.”

“It’s appreciated,” Diana said with a nod. “But so long as you’re in our house, you can allow yourself to relax a bit, right? I mean, not even you could enter the property without Oliver’s permission.”

“...That’s true. It’s a bit shocking just how powerful this domain’s effects are. You…” Lucy looked directly at me. “You’re a lot more powerful than you let on.”

“...”

Sarah sighed. “Oliver… can we be present when you talk to Luke?” she asked. “We won’t get in the way, but…”

It took me a second, but I nodded. “Yes. We shouldn’t have anything to hide from you.”

“...” It was Lucy’s turn to go quiet. She looked down at her meal, which she had yet to touch. We made frittata for lunch, and having already tried it, I was fairly happy with it. I could see where I could make it better, though, so I was a little worried she would like it… but I could clearly sense the giddy chill that ran up her body the moment she had a taste. She didn’t comment, but she began eating faster, cleaning her plate before any of us. We all watched her for a moment, and I think we couldn’t help but think it was pretty endearing.

It was about an hour later that I opened the door for Luke’s car, making sure to explicitly invite him in. This would be his first time here since it was finished despite practically paying for the whole thing, and I didn’t want to risk the domain seeing him as an intruder.

Alice, Grace and Lucy were by the door and watched him park his car, a vintage, glimmering silver coupe, which made our car enthusiast’s eyes nearly pop out. She came up to me and whispered, “If you ever feel guilty of how much money he paid you to buy the house again, know that his car is worth at least three times that.”

“Wait, what!?” Grace had to keep herself from screaming.

I swallowed. I STILL can’t wrap my head around how much money some people have. Even if I know the number, it’s hard to imagine what that looks like. The fact that a car could cost more than our huge, three story house with a pool put it in perspective a little more.

“I really wish this could be a more frivolous meeting,” Luke said, stepping out of his car and walking up to me. “But then again, maybe I should be thankful. I was able to make time for this thanks to its urgent nature.”

I looked him up and down, sighed and smiled wryly at him. “You look like shit,” I told him bluntly, shaking his hand.

Luke laughed. “Well, I’ll be. You can tell.”

Alice, Grace and Lucy all blinked and tried to see in him what it was that I meant. They wouldn’t see anything, though. His suit was immaculate, his blonde hair clean and neatly swept to the side, his shirt was spotless, his tie perfectly knotted and his shoes were almost sparkling. What gave it away was nothing that could be seen.

“It’s not my domain, is it?” I asked for confirmation.

Luke shook his head. “Though it is noticeable. The moment I came in, I felt a pressure in my shoulder, and I do feel my legs heavier than normal. It’s not your fault, though. It seems to be the nature of our powers clashing against each other.” He chuckled. “But no, I’ve just been rather busy lately.”

Busy, huh?

“Ms. Valentine, Ms. Knight,” Luke continued, now addressing the girls. “I apologize for the trouble we’ve caused your family. I promise we’ll make things right.”

Grace shook her head. “No, thank you for your consideration. We would’ve appreciated being notified, however.”

Luke made a short bow. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Mr. Allen…” Lucy began.

“Nothing to apologize for, Lucy,” Luke told her. “You had your orders and fulfilled them to the letter. None of us saw those other two coming, and we couldn’t have. I’ll explain more in short.”

“Yes. Please, come in. Want me to make you a drink?” I offered.

Luke’s face brightened. “That would be excellent. Thank you.”