Shalltear was nervous.
Uncharacteristically so.
And she had been this way ever since she first heard Eris telling her that Albedo successfully got into Ainz's bed.
If it were not for the information from Eris, she might have dismissed it as a fabrication, but unfortunately, she had to face the reality of the situation. Albedo was winning, and she needed to do something about this.
With this realization, some uncharacteristic thoughts began popping into her head from time to time.
Why her?
How did she do it?
How can I reverse the situation?
Now in the presence of her beloved master, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
Ainz had appeared in the Treasury, readily apologizing to her and Pandora's Actor for being late.
They then proceeded through the Treasury, and she saw for the first time just how big the collection of treasure amassed by the Supreme Beings was.
Mountains of gold coins greeted them from every side, and hundreds of magic items could be seen at every corner of the place.
It didn't take long for Ainz to gather the items he wanted.
To Pandora's Actor, he gave a big scroll by the name of Depiction of Nature and Society.
Her colleague wept tears of joy upon receiving it, praising his creator for his insight, since this item would be perfect for their mission.
She was reminded that Pandora's Actor was previously the guardian of the Treasury, and because of that, was familiar with all the magic items in Nazarick.
She didn't have the time to think about it, thought, for Ainz quickly gave her an item.
"As for you, Shalltear, I give the Jewel of the Seas."
"Thank you, Ainz-sama!"
Bowing her head, Shalltear received the item.
She felt like this was a great opportunity to get closer to her master, so she got ready to talk with him, but the opportunity passed just as quickly.
"Pandora's Actor, I will need your help to prepare for my next role. Do you have the time?"
"Of course, my creator, Ainz-sama~!!!"
Just like that, the two men began chatting, ignoring her.
Damnit!
Why must everything go wrong at times like this!?
She stared at the two of them, feeling jealous for many reasons.
If Peroronchino-sama had remained in Nazarick, would we be just like them?
It was a nice thought, a fantasy that she was sure many of her colleagues secretly had.
To be with one's creator would be the greatest joy for them.
And only 8 beings in Nazarick were gifted with this pleasure.
But her bitterness didn't stem from that fact alone.
She also wanted to get closer to Ainz, but there was always this distance between them whenever they interacted.
To make matters worse, Albedo was the first to get into Ainz-sama's bed, taking him from her, something that both frustrated and excited her.
A part of her wanted to watch them in the act from afar, basking in the feeling of humiliation that somehow only brought her more excitement.
At the same time, the perspective of taking Ainz from Albedo and leaving her in this same humiliating position felt like an even more exciting option.
These feelings, she knew, were blessings left from Peroroncino-sama for her.
The moments when she indulged in her kinks were the ones that made her feel the closest to her creator, so she didn't find any of them to be shameful.
And it was one of these kinks that first made her feel attracted to her undead master.
His marvelous bones called for her, whispering sweet nothings in the back of her head, promising an exciting time.
But even if she felt this way, Albedo still got to taste this sweetness before her.
How could she get closer to Ainz-sama?
Eris had recommended something for her, but she was not sure if she could do it.
As she delved into these thoughts, Shalltear looked curiously at the necklace in her hands.
It had a silver chain and a large sapphire pendant.
This was a world item, one of the greatest treasures of Nazarick, and something that more than outweighed her life many times over.
For her beloved master to entrust her with such a valuable item just for her protection filled her with many unfamiliar emotions.
She was used to the fire of passion that came whenever she found an opportunity to satisfy her kinks, and to the fickleness of joy she felt when she got a chance to play with a new toy, but this was different.
It felt disarming, but also good.
"What's wrong, Shalltear?" The voice of her master came laced with concern, and she finally noticed that she had been crying.
"Huh? What's happening?" Tears fell from her eyes without stopping as this strange feeling coursed through her body.
She saw her master leaving Pandora's Actor and approaching her, something that filled her with a smug satisfaction that clashed with the beautiful emotion seeping into her heart.
Ainz reached into the void and brought out a handkerchief, using it to gently dry the tears on her face.
Seeing his face so close to hers, and feeling those gentle eyes staring at her with concern, finally made her lose her reason.
She jumped into him, hugging his neck with so much strength that she feared his neck might snap.
Ainz gasped in surprise at her gesture, but after a moment, returned the embrace, bringing her up and letting her have her moment.
The tears rolled for a few minutes more before another feeling began to take over her.
Sniff!
She savored the smell of her beloved master, feeling his perfect bones against her body.
She felt a wetness in her underwear, and her eyes glazed over.
Perhaps noticing that, Ainz finally put her down.
"Are you feeling better now? What happened?"
He wasn't angry, only concerned, and seemingly curious.
"I-I…"
What to say? I'm not sure what is happening.
I was happy that you cared for me?
I want to be your woman?
She was reminded of the advice Eris had given her the day before.
I know you want to catch Ainz-sama's attention with some scheme, Shalltear, but I don't think this is the best way. In my opinion, Ainz-sama would rather hear you tell him how you feel honestly, and if you do it, I'm confident that he would accept you.
In her heart, she knew that Eris should be right.
Eris was way smarter than her, and she had heard Ainz saying that when it came to understanding how people think, she was unmatched in Nazarick, but even so, she didn't know how to be honest with something like feelings.
She was Shalltear Bloodfallen, a powerful Floor Guardian in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.
If she wanted something, she would take it, and if she thought something, she would say it. Anyone who had a problem with that could try to fight her, but they would lose.
But there was one man whom she couldn't do any of that to, and that man was Ainz Ooal Gown, her master.
She had repeatedly expressed her attraction for him, but until he summoned her to his bed, there was nothing she could do.
If this was not expressing her feelings honestly, she didn't know what could be.
So she wanted to appeal to him in other ways, but despite their fights, Shalltear knew her own limitations.
She couldn't compare to Albedo in intelligence or figure, so if she approached this honestly, there was no way she could surpass Albedo and become the main wife.
The only thing she had going for her was her strength, and Ainz-sama didn't seem to value it as highly as Albedo's intellect.
So in the end, she just asked.
"Ainz-sama, why did you accept Albedo, and not me? Do you find me repulsive? Am I not as useful as her?"
These were her main concerns in this situation.
She could accept losing to Albedo as a woman, but as a servant of the Supreme Being, her sense of worth came from how useful she was to her master.
Ainz listened to her and went silent, seemingly thinking hard about what she said.
After a while, he responded.
"Of course I don't find you repulsive, Shalltear. You are an incredibly beautiful girl. I think you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who sees you as repulsive." He laughed lightly.
"It would be even weirder to question your usefulness, and I don't think you should compare yourself to Albedo for that, since you two have very different functions."
"While Albedo is certainly strong, her primary role is that of an administrator in Nazarick, one that could very easily be given to Nyx in a time of need. You, on the other hand, are the strongest Floor Guardian here, and the only one to be entrusted with managing 3 floors. If you don't feel useful, I would feel bad for the other ones."
"If you're bothered by your role and want to do more, feel free to take your time discovering your talents and how to apply them to improve Nazarick. You don't need to feel pressured to perform right now, as undead, we have eternity ahead of us." His voice was calm, and his tone gentle.
"I saw that Albedo had been suffering due to her feelings for me. As the one who put these feelings on her, I simply took responsibility by helping her with her emotional and physical needs."
"In your case, I'm sorry, but it seemed to me that you only felt lust for me, and considering that you already have outlets for your sexual urges, it didn't look like a big issue to me. Was I wrong in thinking this way?" Ainz then looked at her with curiosity.
Shalltear felt stupid after listening to her master.
It was true that at first she only felt lust for him.
Who could blame her for feeling this way after seeing such beautiful bones, ones that belonged to such a respected Supreme Being that even outranked her own creator?
Her desire to defile her master had been very strong.
For her, the possibility of being by his side as his mistress was very exciting, especially if she could defeat Albedo in the process.
But today she felt something else for her beloved master, something other than lust.
Is this what Albedo always says she is feeling for Ainz-sama?
Or maybe hers is even stronger than mine.
Love was still a foreign concept for her, so she was taken by surprise.
A feeling of defeat fell upon her.
At the same time, now that she understood the difference between them, Shalltear felt that her loss was justified.
But I refuse to continue losing.
"Ainz-sama!" She kneeled on the ground, addressing him seriously.
"What is it, Shalltear?"
"I know that the way I acted gave you the impression that my feelings for you are not as powerful as Albedo's, and maybe that is the truth, but please give me a chance to prove them to you!"
She never felt as nervous as in this moment.
"I see. And how do you intend to do it, Shalltear?"
"Until I return from the mission you gave me, I won't do anything of a sexual nature."
She trembled just by thinking of how hellish these days would be, but she pressed on.
"If I succeed, please accept my feelings for you, Ainz-sama!"
"I see your sincerity, Shalltear. Very well, I'll be waiting for your glorious return."
"Thank you, Ainz-sama!"
***
"Welcome back, Shalltear-sama!"
Two Vampire Brides greeted her as soon as she returned to her residence.
"Hum. Where's Eris?"
As her demeanor returned to that of the ruthless Floor Guardian, she saw the Vampire Brides trembling in fear.
And they had every reason to be afraid, for as lowly POP monsters, she could kill as many of them as she wanted without harming Nazarick.
POP monsters were monsters that spawned naturally on the tomb, so even if she destroyed all of them, new ones would appear the next day, and as low-level monsters below level 30, they had next to no use in defending Nazarick anyway, making them her favorite toys.
But today she was in a good mood, so these two had no reason to be afraid.
"Eris-sama is waiting for you in your room, Shalltear-sama!"
Oh? Is she raring for some action?
No, wait. I can't do anything right now.
The two of them had done it a few times, although she understood that Eris didn't desire her, only seeing that as helping a friend, but she didn't mind that.
She ran through the halls of Adipocere, the haunted castle, ignoring the many subordinates that greeted her on the way.
Opening the door to her room, Shalltear saw a white skeleton sitting elegantly on her bed.
The red flames in Eris's eyes turned to her, and they greeted each other warmly.
"How did it go, Shalltear?"
"It was great, Eris. Ainz-sama promised to accept me if I complete my mission perfectly."
"Oh? Congratulations, girl! Tell me everything."
She then recounted the events, including her thoughts throughout the process.
"Hum… I see…" Eris looked at her meaningfully.
Shalltear didn't like that gaze. It meant that Eris had analyzed her and understood something about her that even she didn't know.
But Eris didn't seem inclined to tell her what she had seen.
"Oh, by the way, we need to go to the 9th floor right now."
"Why? I was about to go out. I want to finish this mission quickly and come back to Ainz-sama."
The longer it took to complete this mission, the harder it would be for her to hold back, so she wanted to go through it quickly.
"Hum. If you don't want to participate, that's fine, but are you sure you don't want to help decide how Ainz-sama will look as a human? I heard that Albedo will be there, and so will Aura."
"What!?"