Chapter 392: A Strategy to Save a Marriage

"Who told you?" Finn raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

"Does it matter?" Erza frowned, crossing her arms defensively.

"It does," Finn nodded. "You aren’t exactly known for being sharp when it comes to reading the room romantically."

"Are you making fun of me?!"

"Put your hand on your heart and honestly ask yourself if you think I am making fun of you."

Erza’s face instantly flushed the exact shade of her scarlet hair. She was completely embarrassed because she knew he was absolutely right. If someone hadn’t explicitly spelled it out for her, she never would have noticed. She read plenty of steamy romance novels in her spare time, but reading about love and actually navigating its messy, irrational reality were two completely different things.

To Erza, love was synonymous with loyalty and the guild. That was why this situation was so distressing.

"That’s not the point!" Erza snapped, her breathing turning shallow. "You slept with Bisca! What if her family is destroyed because of this?"

If Finn was exclusively seeing Bisca, Erza might have begrudgingly written it off as a tragic, unstoppable affair of the heart. But Finn was seeing Lisanna, too.

"Why can’t you just stay with Lisanna?" Erza pleaded, desperation bleeding into her voice. "I know she’ll make you happy. And if anyone in the guild dares to complain about you two being together, I’ll beat them half to death myself."

Finn merely chuckled. Having permission or approval from the guild meant absolutely nothing to him. If anything, the taboo nature of forbidden romances usually just made the flames burn hotter. "Have you actually talked to Bisca about this?"

"I—I have," Erza admitted quietly.

"And what was her answer?"

"She told me... that I didn’t understand anything." Erza offered a bitter, defeated smile. She knew she had overstepped into a deeply private matter, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch her friend’s marriage implode.

"Even if I’m entirely out of the picture, relationships can still fail, Erza," Finn pointed out smoothly. "Look at Macao. Didn’t his wife leave him?"

"That’s different. Macao is a scumbag," Erza retorted instantly. "Bisca and Alzack love each other. They have a beautiful daughter."

"Macao’s wife loved him once, and they share a son," Finn countered effortlessly, leaving Erza momentarily speechless. He sighed, slipping his hands into his pockets. "But fine. If it means that much to you, I’ll step away from her."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "I’ll admit, getting tangled up with a married woman brings unnecessary complications. I won’t sleep with her again."

Finn felt zero guilt over the affair—Bisca had been the one to initiate it, after all—but his time was limited anyway. With Lisanna, Flare, and potentially others entering the picture, he had plenty of company.

"Thank goodness..." Erza exhaled a massive sigh of relief, suddenly realizing Finn was actually quite reasonable.

"However," Finn added, his tone shifting into something far more dangerous, "while I can easily stop myself from pursuing her, what happens if she comes to me? If she begs me to take her again, I don’t exactly have the confidence to reject her."

"..."

Erza froze. She had managed to corner Finn, but what about Bisca? If Bisca threw herself at him, a healthy, red-blooded man wasn’t going to turn her away. If Erza couldn’t stop Bisca’s desires, this entire conversation was useless.

Caught in a logical trap, Erza’s mind raced until a deeply flawed, desperate, and incredibly bold idea surfaced.

"I... I will take care of it," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

"...What?"

"I will take care of your needs for you." Erza’s face was burning with a mix of fierce resentment, intense embarrassment, and a strangely captivating vulnerability. "If you are too exhausted... you won’t have the energy to sleep with Bisca, right? So let’s do it. I’ll act as your distraction—"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Finn quickly clapped a hand over Erza’s mouth, genuinely startled. "Are you trying to broadcast this to the entire capital?!"

Erza swatted his hand away, her cheeks practically glowing in the dark. "Then why didn’t you put up a sound barrier like you did on the beach?!"

"Because I never in a million years expected Titania to proposition me in the middle of the street!" Finn shot back. He studied her flushed, determined face. "Are you absolutely sure about this? I’d be more than happy to accept, but you are going to regret this in the morning."

Finn wasn’t going to force her, but he certainly wasn’t a saint. If a beautiful, legendary knight was literally throwing herself at him to play the martyr, why should he refuse?

Erza stared at him. He maintained a respectful distance, not making a single predatory move to touch her or capitalize on her vulnerable state. It confused her.

"...Are you actually okay with someone like me?" Erza asked softly, her gaze dropping to the cobblestones.

"Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Well... I’m not effortlessly cute like Lisanna, or gentle like Mirajane, or bursting with blind confidence like Lucy." Erza gripped the hem of her skirt. "I’m rough. I act like a man most of the time. Do you honestly even find me attractive?"

Finn fell silent. It was genuinely baffling how a woman who had half the men on the continent swooning over her could harbor such deep-seated insecurities about her femininity.

Suddenly, Finn began scanning the dark alleyways and rooftops around them.

"What’s wrong?" Erza asked, bewildered by his sudden shift in focus.

"I’m just checking to see if you’re setting me up for an ambush."

"...Do you really think I’m that kind of person?" Erza asked, thoroughly offended.

"Don’t blame me for being paranoid. I didn’t claw my way to the top of the Council by walking blindly into traps," Finn replied easily. "But for the record, Erza, you are an incredibly captivating woman. Any man would consider himself the luckiest bastard alive to have you in his bed."

"..."

"...What?" Finn asked, noticing her intense stare.

A soft, genuine chuckle escaped Erza’s lips. She reached out, firmly taking his hand. "I have no idea if you’re lying just to flatter me, but it put me in a much better mood. Let’s go. Do you know a discreet hotel nearby?"

"...."

Finn smoothly adjusted his grip on her hand, seamlessly falling into step beside her. "I know the best one in the city. Let’s go."

"I can’t stay for long," Erza warned, her knightly practicality kicking back in.

"How long do we have?"

"Um... two hours? No, wait, one hour!"

"Let’s compromise on an hour and a half," Finn negotiated smoothly.

"Agreed," Erza nodded sharply. Then, she paused, looking at him with a deadly serious expression. "Can I keep my armor on?"

Finn stopped and gave her a long, highly evaluating look. Even wearing rigid metal plating over a short skirt, her beauty was undeniable. "...It’s a very weird request. But you look incredible in armor, so yes."

"...You have a very weird fetish."

"It’s only because you’re the one wearing it."

"...Is this smooth-talking how you seduced Lisanna and Bisca?"

"For the last time, they seduced me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Erza looked at Finn’s sharp, handsome profile illuminated by the streetlamps, feeling a sudden flutter in her chest. She had to admit, it was starting to make perfect sense why Lisanna had fallen for him.

Despite her brave front, Erza was incredibly nervous. She knew she was crossing a line of no return. Yet, when the heavy doors of the hotel suite finally clicked shut behind them, Finn’s touch was surprisingly, overwhelmingly gentle. He guided her with a slow, meticulous patience that melted away her rigid armor—both literal and emotional—until she finally, breathlessly understood exactly why her friends were so hopelessly addicted to him.