Brendu's Point of View:
When I feel Maki's presence disappear from the house, I can finally finish getting ready without any trouble. He's always like an annoying mosquito buzzing around me when I'm doing my makeup, and only after a good smack does he finally calm down.
I feel a little guilty about kicking him out of his own house, but I don't have another choice. There have already been too many eyes on us since we started living together, so we need to keep the perimeter closely watched. Some ridiculous rumors about us have already started circulating.
I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I went to a restaurant with Lully. The journalists would go crazy. It doesn't matter if we hide our faces with Grade 4 items, they have certain abilities that allow them to identify when someone is using an item like that.
It also doesn't help that the only high-end restaurant is always booked and closely watched. We could easily get a table, but journalists aren't stupid. They'd know something unusual was happening, and the chances of them finding us would be high.
The fact that I don't want to use any item to hide my identity has also influenced my decision; Lully must also be tired of constantly hiding who she really is.
Well... she'll just have to do it a little longer. Today, she'll come to the residence as discreetly as possible. If everything goes according to plan, she'll be able to go unnoticed along the way. A small price to pay for the comfort of being at home.
"Don't forget to ask her about her true intentions." Marga's voice sounds from the side.
"Yeah, and ask her what kind of cream works best for skin dried out from training." Arisa shouts.
"You could also discreetly ask her about the dress collection coming out next month." Sol's delicate voice is the complete opposite of Arisa's.
"That's a good question. Lully has probably already seen the entire collection, and the clothes might've even been adjusted according to her opinion." Marga speaks again.
"Girls... it's true that Lully is a good person, and from what I've seen, she doesn't have any bad intentions toward Maki. But... give me ideas about how to approach the subject if she has feelings for that musclehead, not about fashion or makeup." I respond through the call.
The silence from all three of them lasts longer than expected, followed a few seconds later by some nervous laughter.
We approach the subject as best we can, and the brainstorming allows us to come up with a good plan, one where our guest won't become nervous or uncomfortable with the questions. I'll probably do the exact opposite... those are my thoughts. Sometimes I prefer to act naturally when I'm talking to someone.
At some point, they start flooding me with suggestions and questions for Lully again, and every single one of them is related to fashion or makeup. At least that proves they aren't afraid of losing what they already have.
"I've got your questions in my head. I'll call you if the opportunity comes up during the conversation. Wish me luck, Lully should be arriving soon." I say goodbye to them.
The girls say goodbye and wish me luck; I'll probably call them in the middle of the conversation so they can ask Lully their questions themselves. I could've memorized everything they asked, but I don't want to waste my brainpower on that today.
Sure enough, my guest doesn't take long to arrive. I open the door and find a completely different person standing outside; her eye color doesn't match, her hair is a different color as well, and her facial features are much rougher than usual. It's strange seeing her with brown eyes and brown hair.
"Let's get inside quickly. The less time we spend outside, the less time they'll have to speculate." After formally greeting each other outside, I invite her in.
"Yes, let's go inside. The situation with those nosy journalists isn't as bad as I thought, it's actually kind of fun." Lully lets out a small laugh as we enter the house.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Once we're inside and the door closes, her appearance changes completely. Her brown hair becomes an intense red, her large eyes turn as blue as the sea, and delicate facial features replace the previous ones.
This is supposed to be a casual lunch on paper, but it doesn't look like one from the very beginning. Her clothes, which looked like something she'd wear on an excursion, transform into a white dress with floral designs that falls above her knees. Lully definitely chose well, not only her clothes, but her makeup too.
I expected something like this. I'm also wearing a soft yellow dress that highlights my figure. Shoes are an important part of occasions like this, but neither of us is wearing any because we're inside the house.
"What a lovely house, it's very cozy." Lully is sitting cross-legged on the sofa.
"Thank you very much. We've put a lot of effort into giving it some life and warmth. At first, it was as simple and plain as the color gray... Maki has no sense of fashion or any desire to decorate it." I respond to her comment with a big smile.
When I first came to this place with the girls, it was an assault on my eyes. Everything was so empty and plain, this place looked more like an office than a home. Little by little, we brought our home to life, slowly transforming it into something beautiful and comfortable.
The conversation flows like water. It feels like talking with a friend I haven't seen in many years. We've moved in similar social circles, so there are plenty of topics we can easily talk about.
I don't even have twenty percent of her experience in the fashion world. It's a world I've never been particularly interested in. Most of the events I've attended were either at my mother's suggestion or because I wanted to get certain clothes before everyone else.
Listening to Lully talk about that world opened my eyes even more. I knew how shitty people in that environment could be, but I'd truly underestimated just how two-faced they could become.
Lully eats a snack from the table before continuing. "When I started understanding more about the world and people's hidden feelings, I thought about quitting several times. Realizing that most people were only pretending to appreciate me or be my friends was pretty terrifying."
The red-haired woman lets out a dry laugh. "I was pretty naive. I thought my mother was half-crazy when she told me never to completely trust people. She was always right, that world can be horrifying sometimes."
"There were fashion shows, events, or gatherings where I'd simply go to smile and have a few quick conversations; I felt lonely while surrounded by so many people, and it felt like the expensive clothes I was wearing were worth nothing." Lully lets out another dry laugh.
I can understand that feeling. Most nobles from powerful families go through something similar when they're children. We can become confused about how the staff really sees us. At some point, we consider many of them part of our family because we see them every day and they spend so much time with us.
In the end, very few of them actually see us as family or genuinely care about us. In many cases, they're simply doing their jobs, and in the worst situations, they hate us for having the kind of life they always wanted.
In the world Lully has lived in, it's much worse. People show one face in front of the cameras or everyone else when, in reality, they're worse than rats. Always talking shit behind your back or trying to bring you down.
"I'm glad you didn't quit. The world would've lost a star. I know many of them don't deserve it, but the vast majority deserve to have a clear and shining example to follow." I share my genuine opinion.
"I'm glad I didn't quit either." Lully smiles softly. "In the end, I did manage to meet genuine, kind-hearted people, and they've become great friends and very precious people to me."
"But you know... when I met Maki, it was different. Seeing him sitting at his table trying to look perfect made me laugh on the inside. My years of experience made me immediately realize how inexperienced he was and how hard he was forcing himself to stay somewhere he clearly didn't want to be." Lully lets out an infectious laugh, and I laugh too as I imagine Maki.
"I always try to drag him to more events, but he always turns down the invitations. He only attends when it's a truly important event, because then he can't refuse." I shake my head from side to side.
"I know. That's why when I saw him on the balcony staring at the sky and the horizon, I became really curious. My feet moved on their own, and before I knew it, I was standing on the balcony beside him. His eyes were fixed on mine, as if he was wondering, 'What is she doing here?'" Lully takes a sip of wine.
"I was a little nervous for a moment. I thought I'd made a huge mistake, but Maki handled the situation quite well despite his lack of experience at these kinds of social events. He made up for it with his natural social skills." That certainly sounds like Maki, I think as Lully continues telling her story.
Everything continues smoothly, without interruptions. Our topic of conversation eventually turns into something I'd already expected: my fiancé. We're both making fun of him while also talking about his good qualities; that's exactly why I didn't want Maki staying in the house today.
"Isn't having four fiancées a problem? I've heard you all get along well. I've crossed paths with the other three at a few events, and they all seem like good people and they're beautiful; but you know... that's four different personalities all the time." Lully asks with genuine curiosity.
"I can call them. They'll be happy to answer your questions." I immediately suggest.
"I'd love that." Lully responds with a huge smile. At that moment, I understood. This had already gotten out of my hands. How did we even end up in this situation?