I Own A Brothel In Another World (Ch. 1-196)

Chapter 97 - A Peculiar Quarrel

"You see... It's a little bit complicated..." Elise smiles wryly while glancing away.

"How so? Did you already get yourself into something troublesome?" Ria asks, slightly squinting her eyes at the young receptionist.

Elise quickly starts shaking her head and hands. "No, no, no! It's not about me! Well, okay, it is partially about me, but not in the way you think!"

"Perhaps you should explain it to me then. Since Alastair has brought it up, I'm pretty sure it is somehow connected to my work there, right?"

"I can explain it if it's too much," I interject, trying to save Elise from the embarrassment.

She glances at me and smiles. "No, it's fine. I should have spoken about it with Ria anyway. I completely forgot. I'm sorry." She lightly bows her head.

"Alright. No need to apologize."

Elise nods and turns back to her friend, sitting back down on her chair.

"You see, there's that other person who was working at the reception before I came, Cornelia, and she is a beautiful mature lady with an aura of a scholar. She's been a great help to me. She's also part of the girls that call themselves Alastair's wives and is very close to him. She and Alastair often argue with each other jokingly, or more like bicker and tease each other, both knowing it's just for fun. And... she can be a little stubborn..."

Finally getting to the important part, Elise chuckles to herself and starts rubbing her hands together as she continues.

"Not that long ago, she said that my arrival was good since most men like cute girls at the reception and Alastair countered that by saying that there's plenty who love mature women. They made a bet and we started asking our customers about their preferences. But... one of Alastair's other wives suggested that the loser would have to walk naked inside the mansion for a week... So... Yeah... A lot of girls really want him to lose, hahaha..."

Elise finishes with some crimson surfacing on her fair cheeks, what was to be expected. The unexpected part is the little spark in Ria's eyes that I notice when the younger girl explains the consequences of losing the bet. I'm not sure if it was just me or what, but I swear there was something there for a split second.

Ria softly clears her throat and smiles at her friend. "While I admit that it's quite a surprising bet, I don't think it will be an issue. As you can imagine, Elise, it wouldn't be the first time I get to see a man naked. I would be more concerned about how the other person would feel with all the gazes on them."

"We might learn about that soon." I sigh. "But, don't worry about me. I've been through a lot. And I do mean it. It's not even half as crazy as a thing or two that I've already done."

"That sounds like a very interesting story."

"And embarrassing."

She chuckles a bit. "That makes it even more interesting. It's always those stories that end up the best."

I smile wryly and nod at her. "Perhaps I'll share one day. It's not a talk for tonight though. It would take way too long."

"But of course. Let us return to the original topic then. As I said, I don't think I have any problems with that. Something that I can't confidently say about Elise."

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are doing amazing keeping your persona at work but we both know how your dating experience looks. The last time, you almost fainted when a guy was just fixing his belt, showing a bit of his lower abdomen."

"AHHHHHHHHH! Don't tell him that!" Elise tries to swat Ria to stop her from saying anything else, sending me some side glances in the meanwhile.

The older woman chuckles again with a teasing smile. "And now we are even."