Chapter 81: Tonight, Elias Is Ours

"Auntie, stop telling big bro to do weird stuff. And big bro, don’t just go along with everything Auntie says."

Mira then pulled a handkerchief from her clothes to wipe the blood coming from Elias’s nose.

Hearing Mira’s words, Aunt Centipede felt like the whole thing was her fault. Well... even if that was actually true, she still didn’t want to admit it. So she immediately defended herself.

"What do you mean, Mira? I didn’t tell your brother to do anything weird. I just told him to look for the uncomfortable parts of the dress Lady Nocturne is wearing."

"Please, just stop."

Mira said it in a low but firm tone. She then pushed Aunt Centipede away from Elias and the two girls.

Annoyed by Mira’s behavior, Aunt Centipede told her to stop pushing and said she could walk on her own. Hearing that, Mira finally stopped. She then turned and walked toward Elias.

After standing right in front of him, Mira let out a sigh before pulling her brother’s ear.

*Sigh...

"Big bro. You need to keep your eyes in check so you don’t go around staring at a girl’s ’assets’!"

"Use human language. I don’t know what ’assets’ you’re talking about..."

Elias immediately winced in pain and bent over slightly as Mira pulled his ear.

"Don’t go staring at a girl’s chest! Look at those two. Don’t you think they might feel uncomfortable? Besides, they’re your employers, you know."

Mira raised her voice a little as she spoke bluntly. The veins on her forehead were even starting to show. It was only natural she’d be annoyed. After all, she was a girl too, and she knew that kind of behavior could make someone uncomfortable.

"What do you mean I was staring at their chests? I was just checking the uncomfortable parts."

"Then why did you get a nosebleed?"

"...I don’t know either. Besides, those two didn’t look uncomfortable at all."

Elias paused for a moment before continuing with a small mutter.

"If they were uncomfortable, I’d have been chopped to pieces by now."

"Did you say something?"

"No."

Realizing her brother had just said something, Mira felt suspicious. But it seemed pointless to try and ask further.

She finally let go of Elias’s ear and stepped back a little.

"Bottom line, don’t go looking at a girl’s body however you please!"

Elias held his ear, which still hurt from Mira’s pull.

"You keep going on about them being uncomfortable. Why don’t you just ask the two Ladies directly?"

Mira fell silent for a moment, considering Elias’s suggestion. In the end, she decided to ask directly, even though the question was actually pretty embarrassing to bring up.

"Lady, you two feel uncomfortable, right, when Elias stares at your bodies?"

Mira then walked closer to Evelyn and Elysia. She grabbed both their shoulders and shook them gently.

"Right? Hey, answer me. Yes, right?"

Elias could only smile wryly at Mira, who seemed to be forcing the two girls to give the answer she wanted.

’Haha...’

On the other side, Evelyn and Elysia’s faces just got redder after hearing that question. Their hearts also started beating faster.

Evelyn still kept her happy smile. One hand was even pressed against her increasingly flushed cheek.

"W-w-well, um... I-I... don’t mind..."

"Eh?"

"What?"

Mira and Elias froze for a moment. They exchanged glances before looking back at Evelyn with shocked expressions.

Maybe they misheard. Besides, the area around them was pretty noisy with people shouting.

"Sorry, Lady. Could you say that once more?" Mira asked while bringing her face a little closer to Evelyn.

"I-it’s too embarrassing to say it again..."

’Ah...’

Hearing Evelyn’s answer, Mira’s gaze went blank. The answer she got was really far from what she expected.

’She really doesn’t mind.’

Unlike Mira, who was still stunned, Elias actually felt a little confused and suspicious about Evelyn’s answer.

’Is this really the Evelyn I know? This girl doesn’t mind me staring at her body? Does this mean I’ve managed to win at least half their hearts?’

Elias’s plan to become the Caretaker of the two girls wasn’t just to protect the people closest to him living in the village. He also had to prevent Evelyn and Elysia from becoming Villainesses in the future. And if possible, he also wanted to gain their trust and affection.

But still...

’What is this girl actually thinking...?’

To Elias, Evelyn was the hardest person to read. The gentle smile she always showed often made it difficult for Elias to understand what she was really thinking.

"I-in that case, Lady Elysia... What about you?"

Elysia flinched slightly when Mira finally asked her the same question. She lowered her head a little, her face still flushed.

"If it’s Elias... I don’t mind."

"..."

’Seriously?’

Mira heard Elysia’s answer clearly, but she still had trouble believing what she’d just said.

She then turned toward Elias, who was standing behind her. The man was staring at the two girls with a dumb expression.

’From this, I’m sure those two really do like big bro. What exactly did big bro do to make both of these girls fall for him?’

Mira let out a long sigh while holding her head. She was starting to feel a little dizzy thinking about the relationship between her brother and the two girls.

*Sigh~

She then decided to leave them.

Elias, seeing Mira suddenly walk away while holding her head, felt a little confused.

"What’s wrong, Mira?"

Hearing her brother’s question, Mira just waved her hand without stopping.

"I’m fine... I think I should go help the uncles."

Hearing that, Elias just scratched his head. He still didn’t understand what his sister was actually thinking.

"Could it be she just wants to join in on their competition since it’s her birthday now?"

Elias then shifted his gaze toward Evelyn and Elysia standing beside him.

Realizing Elias was looking at them, both girls blushed again. Their bodies also seemed restless.

Elias, seeing that reaction, could only stay silent while rubbing his chin.

’Why haven’t those two gone to the bathroom yet?’

Rather than just standing there with the two girls, Elias finally decided to leave and join the uncles.

* * *

The party got lively again after the main dishes were served. A two-tailed brown bear almost the size of a house had been successfully hunted by Uncle Hunter and several other hunters, with Elias’s help.

"Time to eat as much as you want!"

"Wooo!!!"

The hunters who joined the hunt seemed to enjoy their food the most. They didn’t even stop bragging about themselves and telling stories about how hard it was to take down that bear.

After eating, several barrels of beer were opened again. The atmosphere that had been filled with chatter now got even noisier with cheers from the villagers watching the drinking contest.

Some were laughing, some were challenging each other, and a few even started arguing about pointless things. Elias himself joined in for a while before the night got later and the party started losing its liveliness.

When the night was late enough, most of the villagers started getting tired. Some fell asleep on the grass, while others were still sitting with empty glasses in their hands.

Elias actually wanted to go rest already. But when he saw Mira asleep with her head on the table and an empty glass near her hand, he canceled that plan.

"Ugh..."

Elias stood up before walking over to his sister. Once there, he lifted Mira with his right hand and started walking toward the house.

But as he passed the table where the two girls were, he saw Evelyn and Elysia also asleep with their heads resting on the table.

’They’ll get sick if they keep sleeping here.’

Elias then approached them and tried to wake them up.

"Lady."

"Uhm..."

"Wake up, Lady. Let’s move to my house."

Evelyn and Elysia slowly opened their eyes. Both blinked a few times while trying to shake off the drowsiness.

"Elias..."

"Please follow me, Lady."

After making sure the two girls were awake enough, Elias started walking toward his house. Evelyn and Elysia followed behind.

Once they arrived at the house, Elias asked the two girls to wait downstairs while he took Mira to her room.

"If you want to use the bathroom, it’s near the kitchen."

"...Alright."

Elias then walked to the second floor to lay Mira on her bed.

After making sure his sister was sleeping comfortably, he left the room and went back down to meet the two girls.

"Where’s Lady Elysia?"

"Ah~ She’s in the bathroom. Not sure, maybe she’s feeling nauseous."

Elias was immediately startled. His face turned worried the moment he heard Evelyn’s words.

"Wait here, Lady. I’ll go help Lady Elysia."

"Wait!"

Before Elias could go after Elysia, Evelyn suddenly grabbed his wrist. Elias stopped and turned to look at her.

"What’s wrong, Lady?"

"Just leave her. Elysia really hates it when someone’s near her while she’s feeling nauseous. She says it makes her even more uncomfortable."

Hearing Evelyn’s explanation, Elias fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.

Seeing Elias agree so easily, Evelyn gave him a smile before asking a question.

"So, where are we sleeping later?"

"Ah, you can sleep in Mira’s room. I already prepared beds for you and Lady Elysia there."

"Wow~ In that case, thank you."

*Yawn~

Elias yawned before finally bowing toward Evelyn.

"Glad to help."

"You should go back to your room."

"But—"

"I’ll wait for Elysia here first. Don’t worry about me, you must be tired too."

Elias fell silent for a moment, as if considering Evelyn’s words. It was true he was tired, but he obviously couldn’t leave Evelyn alone here.

"Alright, Lady. In that case, I’ll head to my room first. Excuse me."

Elias then walked toward the stairs, leaving Evelyn waving her hand with a smile in his direction.

But that smile stayed even after Elias disappeared from her sight.

As he walked down the hallway toward his room, Elias yawned again while stretching his body.

"Another exhausting day..."

When he reached his room door, he opened it while rubbing his eyes with his right hand.

"I’m supposed to be on vacation, so why does it feel like I’m still working—"

*Bam!

*Thud!

"Ugh—!"

A punch suddenly hit his head before he could finish his sentence. Elias didn’t even get to see who did it. His body immediately fell and his consciousness slowly faded.

"You hit him too hard, Elysia."

Evelyn appeared from behind Elias. She looked at the man now lying on the floor, then shifted her gaze to her sister.

Elysia, standing behind the door, just shook her head slowly.

"Relax, big sis. I didn’t hurt him too badly."

The two then exchanged glances. There wasn’t a shred of guilt on their faces. Instead, both looked satisfied that their plan had gone exactly the way they wanted.

Evelyn then closed Elias’s room door and locked it.

After that, the two girls walked closer to Elias, still lying on the floor.

Evelyn’s face looked redder. Her breathing was uneven, while a wide smile decorated her face. Her gaze stayed fixed on Elias, with a sparkling heart-shaped light in her irises.

Beside her, Elysia also stood with a flushed face. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing uneven, while her eyes stayed locked on Elias. Her face remained flat without a smile, with a sparkling heart-shaped light in her irises.

It seemed there was going to be a huge surprise waiting for Elias when morning came.

* * *