Chapter 32: The Eldritch Godness and an Important Matter

After enjoying the beach, we returned to the hotel.

A refreshing shower later, it was time for dinner.

"It’s a formal restaurant, so mind the dress code."

This was my first time dining somewhere with an actual dress code, but as a marquis’s daughter, I’d come prepared.

We dressed in modest, understated dresses and waited in our rooms for the men to escort us.

Then came a knock at the door—the gentlemen had arrived.

"Apologies for the wait. Shall we?"

Albrecht paired with Frieda, Leonhardt with Emilia, and Felix, somewhat reluctantly, with me.

Being escorted felt... odd. It’s not like I’d get lost without someone holding my hand, and it’s not as if I’d be attacked on the way.

But high society in this era clung to archaic customs—men and women had to pair up, and lone wolves were social pariahs. Had I not reincarnated as a stunning beauty, I’d have died from sheer irrelevance.

"Miss Iris. We need to talk after dinner."

"Y-yes?"

What now? Just when I was ready to savor a gourmet meal, he had to drop this on me. My stomach twisted into knots…

That said, dinner was exquisite.

Course after course, from appetizers to dessert—devoured without remorse. Gloriously stuffed. The Estasian Empire’s native cuisine was... underwhelming, so formal menus imitated Western gourmet traditions. Basically, French.

The only hitch? Felix, my assigned partner, looming beside me the entire time. Not that I disliked it, but the pressure was real.

And once the meal ended—

"Miss Iris. With me."

Felix whisked me away without explanation.

Seriously? A heads-up would’ve been nice.

I trailed him out of the hotel, onto the moonlit beach. The night sky shimmered—stars and a silver moon casting enough glow to see by.

The sea mirrored their light, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Lovely, isn’t it?"

"Yes. It really is."

"My homeland’s shores are colder, lonelier... but this sight remains the same."

Ah. Had he brought me here because I’d shown interest in his past? Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all?

"Miss Iris. Answer me something."

His voice cut through my thoughts as I gazed at the water.

"You aren’t human. Are you?"

Less a question, more a statement—one he seemed certain of. Felix already knew.

Heh. Play it cool. "My, my. What makes you say that?"

"Plenty of reasons."

My teasing smile didn’t faze him. His expression stayed deadly serious.

"I’ve sensed something off about you from the start. The same aura as that heretical underground shrine—or the eerie things that washed ashore back home. Always."

He continued, relentless.

"And when investigating the cult at the academy... That old building’s shrine had something. Something dangerous. I lost my memories of it, yet you were unfazed afterward."

Yikes. His memories are resurfacing. Problematic.

"Finding the dorm’s hidden shrine wasn’t coincidence either. Was it?"

Felix’s gaze pinned me in place.

Deflect. Charm. Now.

"And if I weren’t human... what would you do?"

I flashed him my most radiant, maidenly smile.

"You might not be human... but I don’t believe you’re evil." His voice lowered. "A true monster would’ve had countless chances to attack us. To eliminate us before we uncovered the truth."

A pause. Then—

"Besides. Evil doesn’t go out of its way to protect friends. Right?"

"Maybe I'm just acting to make you think that."

"You don't seem like you're that good at acting."

Felix said that firmly as I tried to dodge the question.

"Now, tell me, Lady Iris. Are you human or not?"

Felix pressed me for an answer, but how was I supposed to respond...?

Honestly, I felt like admitting, Actually, I'm an Eldritch Godness~, but that sounded way too risky. And even though he already had his suspicions, if I kept lying, it might seem like I was doing something wrong by hiding the truth.

The quickest way to get out of this would be to mess with Felix's mind and erase his memory completely. But... somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to do that.

He wasn't a bad person—he even went along with Frieda and Albrecht on their date. This wasn't like with Leonhardt or Marie. If anything, the bad one here was me, sneaking into human society while hiding who I really was.

"I am Iris. Nothing more, nothing less. Is whether or not I'm human really that important? More important than the fact that I am who I am?"

I said that with my ultimate beautiful girl smile.

I wasn't lying. I wasn't even really hiding my identity. I was just choosing my words carefully.

"You're right. It doesn't matter."

Felix gave a small smile and turned his gaze toward the sea.

"Lady Iris. This might sound strange, especially after asking you something like that... but will you hear me out?"

"What is it?"

"Would you go out with me?"

When Felix said that, my mind went completely blank.

"????"

"You’re making a really weird face. I know it’s not exactly the right time to bring this up."

"Uh, um... Felix, you’re saying you want to date me... even though you think I might not be human?"

I-I don't get it. Is that some kind of special fetish? I’m seriously confused here!

"You said it yourself, didn’t you? Whether you're human or not isn't more important than you being you. I feel the same. If you are you, that's enough for me. I just wanted you to know how I feel."

"I see..."

Maybe the reason Felix had always been so curt with me was just because he was shy around the girl he liked? If that was the case... it was actually kind of cute.

"Felix. I'm grateful for your feelings, but... if you saw my true form, I'm sure those feelings would disappear. I'm not as pure and lovely as I might look. I don't want to disappoint you."

"I won't be disappointed. No matter how terrifying or monstrous your true form is, if it’s still you speaking to me right now, then that's all that matters."

"Felix..."

You'd really go that far for me? My heart wavered a little...

"Really, truly, honestly—you won't regret it?"

"I won't. I’ll accept you."

This wasn't Beauty and the Beast—it was more like Handsome Guy and the Eldritch Godness. Could he really still say that after seeing what I truly am?

"Let me think about it a little."

"Of course. I’m not in any rush."

Saying that, I left the beach behind.

…