I Sell Bottled Water for Gold in Another World!-Chapter 248: Nosebleed!

Riya stopped pacing and turned to face Alex.

"So let me get this straight," she said, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"You have the power to travel between two worlds. You could bring literally anything back and forth between them."

"And you chose to sell bottled water?"

Riya pressed her palm to her forehead. "You literally had access to two worlds and your grand business plan was to become a water delivery boy. Alex, I love you, but that is possibly the most ridiculous thing way of making money."

"It worked!" Alex protested defensively. "And it's not like I planned it that way from the start! The city was experiencing a three-year drought. People were desperate. I saw this as an opportunity to help while establishing myself, and I took it."

"You might not know, but I have also created quite a reputation. Even the County Magistrate of the city has to treat me with proper respect now."

Riya said mockingly and started laughing. "Oh! The mighty water merchant, feared and respected across the land."

Alex face darkened.

"You can make fun all you want," Alex said. "But it gave me whatever wealth that I have right now."

"Okay, so... water aside," Riya after laughing for a while said, "how did Lucy actually come into the picture? You said something about her taking care of you when you were injured?"

Alex settled beside her, grateful that they were finally having a real conversation instead of shouting.

"When I first arrived in this world, I appeared randomly right in the middle of the city," he began carefully. "City is called Ironhold by the way. I met a merchant family here called the Hartwells. They were the ones who helped me get properly established in that world."

"And Lucy is part of that family, right?" Riya asked. It was not really a question.

"Her grandfather is the head of the family. I saved him from a serious illness." Alex paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Her brother Nathan manages a great deal of their business operations now. And mine too."

Riya's face relaxed a bit. "So, you saved her grandfather's life."

"I did what I could," Alex said simply. "Lucy was kind to me from the very beginning. She never once treated me like I was strange or an outsider."

"So that was why she became your lover?" Riya asked, looking at him directly.

"Because you saved her grandfather?"

"Not exactly," Alex said. He shifted slightly in his seat. "It was not that simple."

"There were mountain bandits operating around Ironhold. They were stealing grain from the people there, keeping the whole city starving while the drought was already making things desperate. I exposed their hideout and disrupted their business. So, they in turn retaliated with an assassin attempt, I was injured by them heavily that day."

"Lucy helped me manage everything. We spent a lot of time together, working side by side. And somewhere during all of that, the time we spent it just... happened."

Riya was silent for a while and staring at his face trying to find any signs of lies, but found none.

"That's... that's like something out of a romance novel, Alex, are you really telling me the truth?"

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's the truth."

"No, I mean, I get it," Riya cut in. "I'm not saying I'm happy about it. I'm still mad at you for not telling me sooner. But I understand what happened."

She looked at him straight on.

"But you're still a cheating bastard, though."

"Riya—"

"No, let me finish." She raised a hand. "You cheated. That's a fact. You had a girlfriend here with me, and you started something with another woman without telling me. That's what cheating is, Alex."

Alex couldn't dispute that.

"But," Riya continued, her voice softer now, "I also believe you when you say the circumstances were complicated. I believe that you didn't plan for this to happen. And I believe that you genuinely care about her."

She stopped speaking, her tone a little softer now.

"And from the way she stuck up for you back at the villa, I think she cares about you too."

She paused.

"We're going to have a long talk about trust and communication later, but for now..."

She stood up and smoothed her coat.

"For now, I just need some time to think about all of this."

Riya held out her hand to him. "Take me back. I want to talk to Lucy alone."

---------

The white light surrounded them once more, and they were back in the living room of the Lotus Crown Villa in a matter of seconds.

Lucy was exactly where they'd left her, sitting serenely on the couch as if people vanishing and reappearing in bursts of light was just a normal Tuesday afternoon.

She looked up at them, her face cautiously optimistic.

"Welcome back," Lucy said softly.

Riya took a deep breath and walked over to the opposite end of the sofa from Lucy.

Then she turns to look at Alex "Give us the room," she said simply.

Alex blinked.

Riya tilted her head toward the door, her face making it clear this wasn't a suggestion. "Go do something else for a while. Take a walk. Make some tea. Count your gold coins. I don't care."

"...Okay," he said slowly, backing toward the hallway. "I'll just be outside."

The door to the living room clicked shut behind him.

-----------------

What happened next between Riya and Lucy in that living room, nobody else would ever know.

Alex certainly didn't.

Alex was on his third cup of tea and beginning to genuinely consider whether it was possible for two women to have buried each other in a living room without making any noise, when the door finally opened.

Both of them walked out together.

Alex immediately scanned their faces for signs of damage.

There were none.

Neither of them looked like someone who had just been in a fight.

"So..." Alex said carefully, setting down his tea cup trying to look calm. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," Riya said simply, picking up her bag from the sofa.

Then they looked at each other briefly, and something passed between them that Alex could not read at all.

Riya walked to the door.

"I'll call you tonight," she said to Alex.

Then she glanced back at Lucy.

"It was nice to meet you, Lucy," she said finally.

Then Riya nodded once and walked away without another word.

The door closed behind her, and the silence that followed settled over the living room like a blanket.

Alex collapsed onto the couch, suddenly exhausted.

"That went better than I expected," he admitted.

"Did it?" Lucy asked softly, moving to sit beside him. "She's still mad at us."

"Yes, but she didn't break up with me on the spot. That's a victory in my book." Alex rubbed his hand through his hair.

Lucy was quiet for a moment, then turned to face him with a peculiarly thoughtful look on her face.

"Brother Alex?"

"Yes?"

"That costume Riya was wearing when I first saw her..."

Alex's stomach turned over. "What about it?"

"The one with the cat ears and the tail," Lucy went on innocently. "It was quite... fascinating. Could I get one just like that?"

The question was like a punch to the gut. Alex's mind immediately conjured up the image of Lucy in a catgirl costume like Riya's, complete with ears, tail, and that skintight bodysuit that left very little to the imagination...

His nose began to bleed.

"Brother Alex!" Lucy leapt to her feet in alarm. "Your nose! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'M FINE!" Alex shouted, tilting his head back and pressing his hand to his nose. "Perfectly fine! Just... just a nosebleed! Completely normal! Nothing to worry about!"

"But why would you suddenly" Lucy's eyes went wide as understanding hit her.

Her face turned a deep, fiery red. "Oh. Oh. Brother Alex, were you picturing me in that—"

"NO!" Alex denied hastily, which only made him look more guilty. "Absolutely not! I wasn't thinking about anything! My mind was completely blank!"

"You're bleeding from your nose because you weren't thinking about anything?" Lucy asked, and despite her embarrassment, she was obviously trying not to laugh.

"It's... it's the dry air!" Alex protested desperately. "Very dry in here! Need to get a humidifier!"

Lucy covered her mouth, but Alex could see she was trying not to laugh.

"So that's a no on the outfit then?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION!" Alex shouted, standing up and making a beeline for the bathroom. "I'm going to... to clean up! You stay here! And stop asking about cat outfits!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"But Brother Alex, I was just wondering about the design!" she asked, her voice following him into the bathroom. "I've never seen anything like it in my world! Is it common fashion here? Should I get familiar with it?"

"NOPE! NOT LISTENING!" Alex shouted back, fumbling with the bathroom door handle.

"What about the ears? Are those removable or do they stay on all the time? And the tail.."

"LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

The bathroom door slammed shut.

Lucy felt like she'd won a small battle teasing him.