The sight of you took away my breath, looked so good scared me half to

Amelia returned to her room, and left Nick with a lot to think about. But she also left him with a sense of relief, feeling much more confident in his decisions involving the other girls moving forward.

First things first, though. He had to go see Ella. While they had never gotten around to establishing anything formal (one of the few things Nick regretted about last night) they did have a standing presumption of a date today. Only problem- they’d never agreed on a place to meet.

Normally that wouldn’t be a problem; Nick would just pop down to the Banquet Hall and catch up with his date there, when she was getting breakfast. But from what he’d heard, Ella’s presence at mealtime was… unreliable.

If she decided to hole up in her room and order in, nothing he could do about that. Which was kind of a pain, because he hadn’t gotten breakfast himself, either.

…And remembering that was a pain in the ass too, because it reminded him that he should probably check in with Mary and Holly back upstairs to see how they were doing. Normally when he was away from the Master’s Suite all night he would still pop back in when the sun rose, due to Dream Alley’s effects. But this was the first night in a very long time that he’d slept somewhere else.

Also, he needed to change his clothes. And take a shower. And brush his teeth…

…Ella probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he went over to her room right after coming back from a night of sex in the Proximity Palace with another woman.

Amelia didn’t say anything, but she probably thought so too, Nick figured, sniffing his sleeve. Obviously he couldn’t tell if anything was off, but then he wouldn’t, would he?

No, better to be safe than sorry. Nick decided this was the right course of action and headed back to his room, to check in on the two of them and get ready. He owed Ella his best, considering how he’d neglected her recently.

But when the elevator opened and he stepped out into the entryway, Ella was the furthest thing from his mind.

“Hey there, Nick. Walk of shame, I think this is called?”

Vivian was leaning against the door with a smarmy grin on her face. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she sauntered forward, taking advantage of Nick’s confusion at her presence.

“Vi-Vivian,” he stammered, shaking his head. “What are you doing here?”

Of all the girls in his harem, Vivian was one of the most unpredictable. The gleeful grin on her lips did little to hide the depth of her gaze, and Nick realized then and there that she was playing a game with him.

The nature of that game was a nebulous one. But he regarded her with wary suspicion and reminded himself that he shouldn’t be surprised; this wasn’t the first time Vivian had taken a trip to the Master’s Suite when it wasn’t even her night. Most of the time, the other girls respected those boundaries.

Then again, she knew he hadn’t spent the night there…

“Why so tense?” Vivian asked, her smile twitching for a second as she fought off the incoming frown. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by…”

“…Of course not,” Nick said, shaking his head. An unaddressed tension hung over the air. Nick realized that this was the first time he and Vivian had actually been alone since their date; and he realized that neither of them knew whether or not they should bring it up.

That night was worse for Vivian than it was for me, he realized, remembering how awkwardly she’d been acting around him since then. If Vivian doesn’t want to talk about it, then I won’t either. That’s probably the best thing for both of us.

Nick remained silent, waiting to see if Vivian would say anything.

Then, it was like they both realized the moment had passed. The tension drained from the heiress and she relaxed, her lips twitching up into a pleasant smile. They were both content not to dwell on it, at least for now.

“Glad to hear it,” she murmured, drawing closer to him, but not too close. Nick noticed that she remained just out of reach. “Don’t worry, it’s not a social call. And I’m not here to tease you, either, so no worries about that.”

“…Okay,” Nick said, choosing his words (or in this case, “word”) carefully. He didn’t want to give her the wrong impression, and he had no idea what the right impression was, so he felt stuck.

“Where’s Kim?” Vivian looked past him, confusion and concern flickering across her face. “She go in for work?”

“…Something like that, but also no,” Nick said cryptically. His first mistake of the morning.

Vivian’s eyebrow raised curiously and she leaned forward, obviously intrigued. But to Nick’s relief, she didn’t press the subject. She just leaned back and laughed.

“Well… okay then,” she nodded. “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. …And sorry about the whole ‘walk of shame’ thing before, that wasn’t cool either. It just kinda slipped out, of course you wouldn’t have anything to be ashamed of!”

Nick was stunned to see Vivian of all people babbling. Apparently what had happened between them before had affected her a lot more than he thought. “Vivian-”

“No, hey, don’t worry!” Vivian’s fast pace kept him from getting a word in edgewise, something Nick guessed was intentional. Her eyes flickered towards him and she smiled cheekily, switching topics before he could respond. “If you really want to apologize to me for something, apologize to me for last night!”

Well… that was presumptuous of her.

“…I wasn’t planning to apologize,” Nick clarified. “But I appreciate your apology. …What about last night?”

Vivian leaned backwards, showing off a peek at her midriff as Nick’s eyes were instinctively drawn to her belly. “I’ll give you a hint. I was having such a nice dream last night brushing my horse’s mane, and what should happen but I’m suddenly jolted awake by a certain sensation…”

She purred playfully and her fingers drifted across her lips as she narrowed her eyes towards him. “Now what could that sensation have been, I wonder…”

Nick winced. He hadn’t even thought about the effect his multiple bouts of sex with Kim in the middle of the night would have on Vivian, who felt it whenever someone else was getting involved. It was one thing if they’d started the night that way, but they’d inadvertently lulled the heiress into a false sense of security. “Right, uh… yeah. …I guess I do kind of owe you an apology for that, don’t I?”

Vivian’s eyes went wide and she quickly shook her head. “Geez, no, come on!” She groaned, waving her hands quickly. “Come on dude, I was kidding! Don’t take it so serious! Obviously you shouldn’t feel bad for having sex and me feeling sensitive because of it, come on! That would be totally unfair!”

She sighed in exasperation and rubbed her temples, then looked up at Nick with a rueful smile on her lips. “I guess you really are just that nice, aren’tcha?”

Nick couldn’t help but smile. He shrugged awkwardly. “I guess I am, huh? Sorry you had to find out this way.”

Vivian shrugged playfully back to him, mirroring his motions. “Nah, it’s cool.”

Feeling more comfortable taking possession of the silence, Nick decided to get to the heart of the matter. “So if you’re not here for apologies, mine or yours, then what do I owe the pleasure of this morning greeting?” He prodded. “Come for some baking tips from Mary, perhaps?”

Vivian let out a snorty laugh completely unbecoming of her posh accent. She shook her head. “Oh my, no, of course not,” she said through giggles. “I’m just here to pass you a message. From a certain someone.”

“Well that’s not cryptic,” Nick said, rolling his eyes.

She shrugged again. “It seemed fun when you were doing it. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. Actually… it’s from Ella.”

That got Nick’s attention.

“Huh?!”

“Rose came by this morning to ask for my help,” Vivian said, crossing her arms over her stomach and puffing out her chest with pride. “She wanted Ella to have the perfect outfit for her date with you today… you are aware that you two have a date, yes?”

“Err… well, we never decided anything formally but that was my assumption,” Nick said, feeling his face heat up. He also felt relieved. At least this meant Ella was actually looking forward to spending time with him.

Vivian chuckled and nodded. “Good, I was a little worried. You didn’t seem like the type to forget something like that, but…” She waved at him and he felt a little hurt, but at the same time, he kind of understood where she was coming from. After all, they hadn’t actually set up a date. It wouldn’t be too out there for her and Ella to both assume that he wasn’t even thinking about that stuff.

“So you came by to remind me I have a date with her?” Nick asked.

“Normally I would just send a faerie; I’m not anyone’s messenger,” Vivian pointed out sharply. Her eyes flashed, daring him with a challenge. “But… I wanted to see you get all flustered when I told you about last night.”

Nick was probably blushing. But he was sulking more. “Well… you did it. And you’re right, I don’t need to apologize for being with Kim, so-”

“So go ahead and have all the fun you want with Ella,” Vivian interrupted him, taking control of the conversation and driving it in a completely different direction. Nick looked at her with wide eyes and opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. “And just so you know… she’s really looking forward to this.”

“She has something planned, then?” Nick was curious about that. Last time Ella’s awkwardness had led to him taking the lead a bit; he wanted to see what she would come up with on her own. “That’s good. You don’t need to worry, Vivian; I’m going to take this date seriously,” he promised her.

Vivian nodded. She never had any doubts about that. “Well, ‘course you will. Do you ever NOT take something seriously?”

Okay, he probably deserved that.

“Just remember,” Vivian said, sauntering around him. She looked over her shoulder with a playful grin on her lips. “Ella’s gonna want to have some fun. So you better be dressed the part, you hear me? Don’t half-ass things now!”

The playful tone of her voice signaled that she knew full well he’d never do something like that. She was just playing with him.

“Thanks, Vivian,” he called after her as she headed into the elevator. “I appreciate you stopping by. …Wait, where am I meeting her?!”

That would be kind of important.

Vivian spun around as she stepped through the doors, and winked.

Nick felt a vein throb in his forehead as the elevator doors closed in front of her.

“…Thanks. Real helpful,” he muttered, rubbing his head and sighing. Hopefully this wouldn’t end up like his date before with Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin where he had to track her down. Especially since Ella had that stupid invisibility mask.

Sighing, Nick went into the Master’s Suite. It almost felt surreal walking back in here after a night away; the feeling of nostalgia sent a shiver down Nick’s spine. The last thing he wanted was for the Master’s Suite to suddenly feel like home!

“Nick! You’re back! How was your night?”

…Then again, wherever Mary was would probably feel a like home to him now. In fact, Nick wondered what it would be like returning to his house after all this ended; presumably Mary would want to come live with him, but until that happened, could he really get used to that old, empty place without her in it?

He’d been lonely before when it was just him wandering around that old house, rotting away. Without Mary…

Nick shook his head quickly. “S-sorry, I just… sorry,” he apologized, smiling awkwardly. “It’s good to see you, Mary.”

Mary blinked, a little confused by his awkward expression. “Good to see you, too,” she still greeted him warmly. “I take it you and Kim had a good time?”

“They better have,” Holly grumbled, walking over to him with her hands on her hips. She looked upset, which left Nick feeling alarmed. He hadn’t seen her irritated like this in a while.

He had a pretty good idea why; and Holly confirmed his suspicions a second later.

“You guys couldn’t have stayed here and had sex?” She pouted, her irritation melting away into a childish pout to signal to him that she wasn’t actually upset, and had just been playing around.

Nick rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to go take a shower and get changed,” he said. “And maybe if you’re good, Holly, I’ll even give you some details about how last night went. You know, the ones you like.”

Holly eyes bulged in surprise and her mouth dropped open. Mary looked stunned as well. Neither woman expected something like that from Nick. And he didn’t blame them.

Normally I don’t indulge Holly like this, but… yeah.

“Okay! I’ll be good! I’ll be super good! You want me to prepare your clothes? Or I could cook breakfast! In fact, lemme get on that right now!” Holly scurried into the kitchen at a speed that seemed impossible for her short legs. She didn’t want to give Nick a chance to change his mind or jeopardize their agreement.

Mary turned to Nick, her confusion apparent on her freckled face. “…So last night must have really been something, huh?” If Mary didn’t know any better she would have thought Nick had been replaced with his evil twin, throwing red meat to Holly like that. But she hated that plotline in mystery novels so she didn’t entertain it.

“Yeah, I had a lot to think about yesterday,” he said, scratching the side of his head. “About Holly, I mean.”

“I know.” Mary’s lips twitched up into a warm smile. “She told me all about how your date went yesterday. It sounds like you gave her something she’s always wanted.”

Nick blinked, thinking for a moment that Mary meant their little dalliance in the alley, but then he remembered this was Mary he was talking about, and even if she was far more comfortable with sex than she’d been when she first came here, she was still the sweet, wholesome woman he’d fallen in love with.

“…I’ve been neglecting Holly,” he admitted, glancing towards the kitchen door. “And not in the way she likes.”

Well… maybe somewhat in the way she liked. But that wasn’t the point.

“Really?” Mary frowned. “I don’t think she minds. You know how she is. She’s happy just being around you, Nick.”

“I know,” Nick nodded. “But for me, that’s not enough.”

He shook his head. “I’ve been taking her for granted a lot. I know that she’s not officially part of my harem anymore… but I’m not going to just abandon her. I love her. And while fitting her into my schedule- God, that sounds so bad-”

“Nick,” Mary warned him, her eye twitching at him using the lord’s name in vain.

“…Sorry. Just, um… I’m going to look for ways I can spend more time with her,” he explained. “And barring that, just reminding her that I’m thinking about her, and trying to make her happy in general, you know?”

Hence the promise of salacious details, even if he would be as vague as he could for the sake of Kim’s discretion.

Holly probably would care more about hearing his side of things anyway.

Mary smiled warmly up at him and nodded in approval. That was just the kind of thing she wanted to hear from her special guy. “I think that’s just lovely,” she said quietly. “Holly really deserves so much more than she thinks she does.”

“…And you too,” Nick said quickly.

Mary blinked, momentarily taken aback. “…Huh?”

Nick reached out and took her hand into his. Sometimes he forgot how much softer it was. He gave her hand a tender squeeze.

“Holly isn’t the only one I’ve been neglecting around here,” he said quietly. “I haven’t given you the attention you deserve either, Mary. And it’s not on purpose, but I really want to make it up you somehow.”

Mary’s eyes widened and her face turned red. “That… that’s okay!” She stammered, trying to pull back her hand. But Nick had a pretty good grip, and her heart wasn’t really in it. “I-I… I’m your wife, and I get to see you every day, that’s really more than enough…”

Nick shook his head. “Maybe for you, but that’s not enough for me,” he asserted. He knew it wasn’t enough for Mary either, not even close, but if he said that to her she’d just deny it. “I know you think I’m a nice guy, Mary, but I’m a little selfish, too. Can you blame me for wanting more of my wife than just sharing meals with her and saying good night before bed?”

“W-well… I mean… we still get one night a week,” Mary pointed out.

“Yeah but I want more than that,” Nick said. “Not nights. I mean an actual date. When was the last time we went on one?”

He’d had his date with Holly yesterday, to make up for how he’d neglected her since her elimination. But he’d been starting to neglect Mary as well. And that wasn’t okay at all. He had to make it right.

Mary bit her lip and winced. “That… I mean…”

Her eyes flickered up to meet his. “Do you… really feel that way?” She asked timidly.

“Of course I do,” Nick said, grabbing her other hand. Now she had nowhere to go. Not that she seemed like she wanted to go anywhere.

Mary was practically hanging on his every word.

“Nick…” she said finally, wincing up at him, “I just… I want that too… but the other girls… I shouldn’t… I already have so much…”

“You should be more selfish,” Nick said bluntly. “If you want more time with me, then you should just say that. I don’t want you to be a martyr, Mary, I want you to be happy.”

She gazed up at him with a yearning look in her eyes, feeling the truth in his words. But it was so hard for her to express that side of herself…

A lifetime of grooming to be the perfect submissive housewife who put her own wants after her husband’s was hard to overcome.

“…I love you,” Mary said finally. “And… I do want to spend more time with you.”

If it was up to Mary, she wouldn’t leave his side for a second. Part of her still dreamed of a life where it could be just the two of them, and they ran away from this show and the other girls and were happy together all on their own. But that side clashed with the part of her that cared, that loved, that thought of other people besides herself. The part of her that felt Nick’s happiness every day waking up with him, and wishing she could share it with everyone she cared about.

As for Nick, he was just glad to hear her finally express her true feelings.

“…It’ll be a little tricky,” he said, giving her hands a squeeze. “I don’t think we’ll have time this week; my schedule is kind of booked up, I’m afraid.”

Mary giggled and shook her head, making her pigtails bounce. “That’s okay!” She laughed. “I can wait.”

She squeezed his hands back. “I waited this long to finally find happiness with you… I can wait a little longer.”

Nick’s heart leapt in his chest. It just wasn’t fair. Mary really was so perfect. But as perfect as she was, she wasn’t the girl who he was meeting today. So even though it hurt to part from her he let go of her hands, and went to go get ready for his date with Ella.