24 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

**Volume 3, Chapter 24: Only This Once! Could the Villainous Young Master Really Be the Saintess?** "I'm sorry, Miss Organizer, what did you just say? Apologies, I didn't quite catch that." Wenny's lips twitched slightly, but he maintained the polite yet distant expression he learned from Vannesa. To be precise, he was mimicking the facial expressions he used when he was still Vannesa, but not quite accurately or professionally. "Didn't catch that? Oh my, does Miss Wendy want me to compliment your cuteness again? Well, that's not impossible, you know?" Aesphyra said with a smile. "No need, thank you," Wenny replied, feeling a bit queasy. It began once more, the torment resumed. This wicked nutball knew his true identity and yet praised him—a man—as cute?? Even as goosebumps formed from listening, Wenny knew he had to endure it. Was she messing with him? Seeing his indifferent act, Aesphyra played along, pretending to be clueless too?? Wenny looked listlessly at the sky overhead, now darkened, feeling a sense of helplessness. Did he win? Did he really win? Exposing so much about Aesphyra and winning the beauty competition prize—what was the cost? He was being teased by this white-haired nut, his blood boiling but needing to keep it inside. It was ultimate torture. "Alright, let's go~ Since Miss Wendy has agreed to my invitation," Aesphyra elegantly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, smiling as she walked ahead. Was she still not finished playing?? How long would this continue?? Wenny felt like he could no longer keep up the act. But there was no choice; he could only leisurely follow behind Aesphyra. Well, whatever, who cares about details? He, the villainous young master of the royal capital, never bothered with such things. A man should be free-spirited, open-minded, and generous—what was this? Having this white-haired nut invite him to dinner was a good thing, wasn't it? He decided to eat freely, to eat her out of house and home, just like last time! That's what Wenny thought. Revealing his identity was just a matter of time. Given the circumstances, he had to cut his losses, make Aesphyra admit defeat, otherwise, he'd suffer for nothing. But, revealing himself would come after enjoying a lavish meal at her expense. Following Aesphyra’s lead, they arrived at a private restaurant. Judging by the exterior and interior décor, the place was upscale, much more so than the maid café they’d visited last time. Wenny looked at Aesphyra with a puzzled expression. While the maid café was expensive, it couldn't be considered a high-end dining establishment. Was it his imagination, or did this restaurant seem of a higher caliber than the previous one? Was it intentional or accidental? “Please come in, Miss Wendy,” Aesphyra gestured with a sweeping hand towards the entrance. Wenny stood his ground, folding his arms, saying nothing as the wind gently lifted his skirt and hair. “What’s wrong? Did Miss Wendy change her mind last minute?” “No, I just want to know, with your smooth moves, how many girls have you invited to dinner before?” Wenny narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Aesphyra. “Oh dear~ Is Miss Wendy testing me? Didn’t I say before that even heirs of great noble families aren’t qualified for such an invitation from me?” Aesphyra said, smiling brightly. “Oh, is that so?” Wendy fixed Aesphyra with a skeptical gaze. “Should I feel honored then?” The word “exclusive” sounded odd coming from Aesphyra’s mouth. “Sure, it would make me very happy, Miss Wendy. Besides, you don’t have to call me Miss Organizer anymore; just call me Aesphyra.” “Oh, is that so, Miss Aesphyra?” Wendy tilted her head. “Mmm~ Miss Wendy’s voice is so melodious, calling someone’s name feels like a spring breeze,” Aesphyra said with an enraptured face. Ha, is she trying to nauseate him again?? Wenny couldn’t tell if Aesphyra’s words held any truth, or if she was merely trying to disgust him. “It would be nice if Miss Wendy could always call me with that voice~” And as expected, Aesphyra began hinting again, her eyes flickering like a seductive fox. “I see no need for that. I think after today, there will be no further interactions with you, Miss Aesphyra,” Wenny declared confidently, giving her a side glance. “Oh really? Are you so certain, Miss Wendy?” Aesphyra tilted her head. “Absolutely certain,” Wenny said with a grim expression. Since this tiny bread was so determined to taunt him to a deadly rhythm, he might as well drop the act and reveal his identity after their meal, demanding she admit defeat! “My,” Aesphyra covered her mouth with one hand. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?” Wenny asked. “No, it’s just.” Aesphyra tapped her lips with a finger, then continued meaningfully. “What a coincidence, really. Is there some similarity after all? A very beautiful person I’ve met before also told me the same thing.” The same thing?? Wenny paused in contemplation, suddenly realizing who Aesphyra might be referring to. Aesphyra—could she be hinting at Vannesa?? If he remembered correctly, when he was Vannesa, upon first meeting Aesphyra, didn’t he say the same thing?? Even under the influence of bloodline, Vannesa and Wenny were ultimately the same person, with identical thought processes. No, couldn’t be, right? Was she hinting at that?? It couldn’t be—was this white-haired nutball's imagination that wild?? “Oh, and what does that have to do with me?” Wenny responded nonchalantly, unfazed. The two walked into the establishment, Wenny curious about the restaurant’s background, managing to be located in the central district of Carilliman Academy’s commercial street. Only upon being led by a server to a booth by the window and hearing the server address Aesphyra as “Miss” did Wenny realize the truth. So, the Gelatus family had influence here as well?? Only now did Wenny understand the true meaning of ‘family business.’ “You certainly keep things under wraps, Miss Aesphyra,” Wenny said, not bothering with courtesy. Aesphyra had invited him to dinner after all, and with this being Aesphyra family-run, why act polite? He might as well treat the place as his domain, speaking with boldness. So, Wenny sat with his legs crossed, hands placed on his student uniform’s dark stockings, appearing every inch the lord of the manor. “Oh? Isn’t Miss Wendy well aware of these things?” Aesphyra handed the menu to Wenny, her face adorned with a cordial smile. “Tch,” Wenny clicked his tongue, receiving the menu from Aesphyra with a side-eye glance. Yes, be this audacious; after all, it was Aesphyra insisting on treating him to dinner—what’s wrong with some bravado?? “You barely ordered anything to eat, Miss Aesphyra?” Wenny glanced at her before refocusing on the menu in his hands. “Since you’re treating me, I can order whatever I want, right?” Wenny inquired. “Of course, Miss Wendy can order anything she desires,” Aesphyra said matter-of-factly, “as long as Miss Wendy can finish it all.” “Uh-oh.” The remark promptly made Wenny swallow back the thought of saying, “Then bring out everything from the menu.” Of course, he said it jokingly. There's no way he would waste food like that; he just wanted to embarrass Aesphyra a little. "Miss Wendy, ready to order?" Aesphyra's eyes curved slightly. Wenny immediately took his time browsing the menu. The variety was overwhelming, with many dishes he had never seen before, only heard of by name, and some he hadn't even heard of. Just from their names, he could tell these were high-class dishes, made with rare and precious ingredients. Ugh, what to do? It's so tough to decide. The dishes at Gelatus's luxury restaurant must be the absolute finest, and he wanted to try them all. But if they all came out, there was no way he could eat that much. Sigh, too bad. If only he had a bigger stomach. A thought suddenly struck Wenny: if he switched to Vannesa after he was full, would the fullness in his stomach lessen, allowing him to continue eating?? However, it seemed when he became Vannesa, his appetite significantly increased. Vannesa's physique was quite miraculous, able to eat without gaining weight—perhaps it was stored somewhere in her body. Otherwise, there was no explaining why he could eat more as Vannesa than as Wenny. "Hmm~ Miss Wendy is conflicted?" Aesphyra supported her chin with one hand, amusedly observing Wenny's every subtle expression. "Yeah, super conflicted! There's so much delicious food, but my stomach is only so big, and I can only try a few at a time. So, which should I go for??" In front of such delicacies, Wenny dropped his pretense, adopting a seriously academic demeanor. "Ha ha." Seeing the young woman with light blue hair pouting, legs crossed, about to prop her feet on the bench, yet seriously considering her choices, Aesphyra couldn't help but smile. "Virtue +50." "Current Virtue: 11,634." Huh? Wait, what virtue point did she just add?? Whatever, never mind her, figuring out what to eat is the priority. Aesphyra was really generous, going all out to treat him to this place, giving Wenny the feeling that this cross-dressing wasn't for nothing. No, wait! Wenny, you are the notorious evil youth of Camella's royal capital, how could you be swayed by a mere meal?? Let this be only this once! "Hey, Miss Aesphyra, have you tried all these dishes?" Wenny asked curiously. "Of course," Aesphyra replied with a slight smile. "Wow, I'm so envious; it's different having family wealth. If I get rich someday, I’ll make sure to try every dish in your family's restaurant!" Wenny declared with grand ambition. Ha ha. Having wealth and success, and the only wish is to try all the dishes in a high-end restaurant?? Aesphyra watched the curious Wenny scrutinizing the menu, thoughts practically spelled out on his face, seeming to think "Truly a high-end restaurant, even the menu is made from precious wood." The thoughts were too transparent to miss. This was partly why Aesphyra never fully doubted. In this life, silly Wenny seemed less intelligent than the devilish Wenny from the previous life, with terrible acting skills, always wearing his heart on his sleeve. To Aesphyra, this wasn’t a flaw. After interacting with so many duplicitous, double-faced people, a genuine, straightforward person like this was refreshing, making Aesphyra comfortable in his company. Perhaps that was why Aesphyra enjoyed teasing Wenny; he was indeed more interesting than many others in this world to her. Certainly, she meant this life's Wenny. And honestly, it surprised her quite a bit. Though she always thought Wenny had potential—if he were a girl, he'd be gorgeous. She even joked that if he was a girl, she might reluctantly consider him. But this wasn't something she scrutinized, so when cross-dressing Wenny stepped onto the stage, she was stunned. The stark contrast before and after was heart-racing. Wenny's identity and the resulting transformation created a dramatic chemical reaction, making Aesphyra even think, "As long as they're pretty enough, maybe gender isn't an issue." However... So far, Wenny's behavior in cross-dress hasn't visibly differed from before, aside from calling himself "Miss" instead of "Young Master." Not like she imagined, where he might slip up, showing obvious traits of Vannesa. To her eyes, Wenny was still Wenny, and Vannesa was still Vannesa. As for Wenny's features slightly resembling Vannesa's? That could be easily explained: they were both Ferris family members, possibly closely related, sharing the same bloodline, hence the resemblance or behavioral similarities were perfectly normal. "Hey, hey! Miss Aesphyra, come on, you've tasted them, haven't you? Give me some recommendations, which ones are good??" Aesphyra’s thoughts were interrupted by Wenny. Seeing his earnest expression, all he seemed to care about now was the food, with no pretense at all. She couldn't help but question, would Vannesa ever act this way?? Clearly not. Aesphyra had never witnessed the perfect lady Vannesa acting even slightly improperly in their interactions, not even when expressing discontent with her.