Chapter 17: Duke Edmund’s House (3)

The resentment didn’t subside.

‘Even so, is it right to reject someone the moment you see their face? Am I that ugly? I thought I was at least decent-looking… There’s no need to turn pale and break out in a cold sweat the moment you see my face…’

My fist trembled because of Rody’s actions, which made me angrier the more I thought about it. I thought he would be a good person since the Grand Duke arranged it, but maybe you can’t trust rumors…

After finishing work, I entered Yudith’s room and was preparing to sleep. I felt like I was sitting on thorns because Yudith still seemed angry and wouldn’t meet my eyes today.

‘Should I cancel my vacation… There’s no reason to rest if this is the case.’

As I sighed softly, Yudith climbed onto the bed and lay down. Looking at Yudith’s back, who wouldn’t even look at me and acted sulky, made me sigh even more.

‘Why is everyone doing this to me…’

I turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. I felt even more miserable because Yudith was turning her back to me tonight.

I was already upset about being rejected the moment I met someone, let alone dating, but Yudith, who used to be there for me, was acting sulky, which fueled the fire in my heart even more.

“Milady… Are you angry…?”

“No, I’m not angry.”

Her actions and words were so different, like a child, that I was dumbfounded. Where did her maturity from when she was young go?

“I’m not going to the blind date tomorrow. I got rejected.”

“What?”

Only then did she turn around and make eye contact. I laughed because I finally made eye contact with Yudith, who widened her eyes in surprise.

“I met him today, and he said he couldn’t go on a blind date with me the moment he saw my face, right? Isn’t that too much?”

The resentment boiling inside me seemed to grow even bigger as I spoke it out. Yudith, who was finally turning her head to look at me, also listened to my story.

“I don’t understand why such a person has a good reputation. He’s horrified when he sees someone’s face…”

Yudith, who met my eyes, covered her mouth with the blanket and laughed, as if she was enjoying it.

I was slightly annoyed, but it was more important to ease Yudith’s mood than the person I met for the first time today, so I felt relieved.

I continued to talk about Rody’s faults, like a flower in bloom. I felt that the cold atmosphere of anger had disappeared, and she had returned to the atmosphere she always treated me with.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“…Yes.”

I chuckled as I saw Yudith nodding slightly, as if she was finally admitting it.

I know that Yudith relies on me a lot. So, she must have been angry because she thought I would disappear if I suddenly went on a blind date.

Yudith, who was now wriggling and coming closer, hugged my arm. It’s funny that I feel a little awkward if we’re not this close now.

Yudith raised her head slightly and looked up at me. Only her red eyes peeked out as she looked at me, and I still thought she was childish.

“Then what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“Hmm… Should I cancel my vacation?”

“Don’t do that. Let’s play together tomorrow.”

“With Milady?”

“Do you want to go on patrol with me tomorrow? There’s a market opening tomorrow, so we can look at Magical Tools and eat delicious things.”

I couldn’t refuse when I saw Yudith’s sparkling eyes, who was asking with a slightly excited voice. I went on patrol sometimes, but that was only with the Grand Duke to study as a successor…

Yudith had rarely left this Grand Ducal Castle for the past eight years. She mostly solves everything here and doesn’t go out unless it’s a special occasion.

Thinking about it that way, I felt sorry for her first. It wouldn’t hurt to cancel my vacation and go out with Yudith for a day.

“Shall we?”

Yudith smiled brightly and answered with a smile. I failed at the blind date and marriage activities, but I decided it was okay since Yudith’s mood was relieved.

I felt sleepy as I saw Yudith smiling brightly, burying her face in my shoulder, and closing her eyes.

I’ll disguise myself, and Yudith, who is a Wizard, will protect me, so there won’t be any major problems on the patrol tomorrow. But I don’t know what the Grand Duke will say if he finds out…

---

Yudith raised her head slightly and looked at Chloe, who was deeply asleep thanks to the sleep pillow.

‘…She’s cute.’

I chuckled at Chloe’s appearance, who was flustered and didn’t know what to do when I pretended to be angry.

The easiest way to stimulate Chloe’s heart was to stimulate her sympathy.

The way she doesn’t know what to do even if I show a little bit of anger sometimes stimulated my sadistic side.

I lifted Chloe’s head slightly, put it on my lap, and looked down at Chloe’s face to finish the day.

‘One month left… Less than a month left.’

It felt like my patience was reaching its limit.

I was so surprised when I heard she was going on a blind date today.

Damian was doing things his own way, which was giving me a headache.

But in a month, my Debutante will be held.

The moment the ball held as a coming-of-age ceremony ends, I will be officially recognized as an adult.

Chloe will be by my side, and she will be watching me become an adult right next to me.

‘Then… That’s the limit of what I can endure, Chloe.’

It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand my heart.

I know that you can’t reject me.

If I ask you with tears, you will come to me even if you abandon everything.

Because you’re always kind to me.

Because you think of me first.

You’re the bad one for making even your worries for me shine.

Yudith swept up Chloe’s hair and kissed her lightly.

I felt a deep pleasure that made my head spin from the sweet rose scent coming from Chloe’s hair.

Just imagining these lips touching Chloe’s hands, her neck, her lips, made me feel an unbearable sense of elation.

‘…I’ve waited eight years, so a month is nothing.’

I gently put down her hair and slowly admired Chloe’s features.

Everyone I knew in my past life was still the same.

Count Sergia was still working at the Magic Tower, and I heard that Marquis Karian had gone crazy because he couldn’t get me.

The rest of the people are the same. The bandit gang that attacked the village and the alchemist who cut off my finger are dead now, but their actions are still the same.

Everything, everything, was the same.

Only you are different.

The only color in my life.

‘Haa…’

I bit my lip to hold back my excited breathing.

I could feel my ears getting hot from the flushed breathing.

What should I do with this feeling that I can’t express in words?

Just quietly for now.

I could only watch quietly.

Because I didn’t want to be hated for no reason.

Because I needed the excuse of being an adult.

Today, I quietly waited for time to pass quickly.

---

When I said I was going on patrol, Damian didn’t object.

Anyway, it was less than a month before the announcement as a successor, and it was a rumor that would spread to the Imperial Family after a month, so he didn’t seem to care much.

“Have fun. I might be touched if you buy me a gift when you come back.”

“Don’t.”

“Hmph… You’re like a damn daughter.”

Damian chuckled at Yudith’s sharp answer and gestured for me to leave. Leaving Yudith, who said she would disguise herself, I went back to my room and changed into casual clothes.

I was wondering what to do with the red dress painted with jewels that was stuck in the corner of the drawer when I heard Yudith opening the door, so I turned around.

“How is it? Is it okay?”

“Milady looks good in black hair too.”

Her golden hair, as if woven with gold thread, had disappeared, and her hair had changed to the same black color as mine. Nevertheless, her unchanged red eyes and unchanging face confirmed that it was Yudith.

Yudith, who smiled brightly at my compliment, took my hand and headed out of the Grand Ducal Castle.

I couldn’t help but feel a little excited about the feeling of a second picnic just for the two of us since then.

I hadn’t properly looked around outside either, and it was my first outing with Yudith since the lake eight years ago.

We took the carriage prepared by the Grand Duke and headed to the street of Magical Engineering.

I heard that it was a street created by Yudith using Mana Stones, where many Magical Engineeringers gathered to develop Magical Tools.

There are many unusual items and various modern scientific items, like an electronics market.

When we arrived at the street of Magical Engineering, Yudith jumped out of the carriage and held out her hand, requesting an escort. I wonder where she learned this from…

I gently placed my hand on Yudith’s outstretched hand, and she gently held my hand and began to escort me. The feeling of getting off the carriage while being slowly led by Yudith’s hand was not as bad as I thought.

“Isn’t this etiquette for men?”

“No? It’s etiquette that women learn too.”

“Is that so…?”

“That’s right.”

I had never learned noble etiquette, so I just agreed with Yudith’s words. I looked around the street, thinking that’s how it is in this world, and there were many amazing things.

Shops selling Magical Tools using Mana Stones and many food stalls gathered to form a market-like atmosphere.

“There are more people than I thought… I don’t think there were this many people when I saw it eight years ago…”

“That’s because we developed another Magic stone mine this time. The number of workers has increased, and the output has increased, so developers are flocking in.”

“I see…”

Yudith’s serious expression as she told me about the territory one by one was refreshing. I was surprised that the Milady, who always acted like a child in front of me, was explaining in a serious tone that seemed to care about the territory.

“…? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I was just thinking that our Milady has grown up.”

“Really?”

Yudith’s eyes, asking if it was true, were so serious that I flinched slightly. There were times when the atmosphere would change drastically like this. Every time that happened, I felt burdened by her eyes and avoided her gaze slightly.

“Y-yes. You’re taller than me now, right?”

“Are you talking about height?”

Yudith, who came close enough to touch noses, began to measure her height with me. Yudith, who had grown just a little taller than me, required me to raise my gaze slightly to meet her eyes.

I could feel Yudith’s breath coming so close that our lips would touch. I felt a slightly strange atmosphere in Yudith’s eyes, who was looking down at me slightly, so I pushed Yudith away and created some distance.

“Now that Milady is taller than me, it’s a big problem. The only thing I was better at than Milady was height.”

Yudith, who had been pushed away by me, sighed softly and returned to her usual smiling expression. The atmosphere that had been sinking from the moment she came close changed back to a gentle one.

“…I’m hungry. Shall we go eat?”

“Milady is paying, right?”

Yudith, who chuckled at my cute tone, grabbed my hand again and headed to the restaurant.

I felt a tightening in my heart from the feeling I had felt earlier.

It was as if I had seen a Yudith I didn’t know yet.

At that moment, just a little.

Yudith felt scary.