Ch.124124. ….It’s truly beautiful.

“How is it? The scenery is truly beautiful, isn’t it?”

As I was about to fall asleep gazing at the stars twinkling outside the window, Elina Parseche came to my bedroom.

She said she had something to show me, and now she was dragging me up the mountainside in the middle of the night?

I actually wanted to refuse.

I was tired from the long journey, and I had planned to tour the market in the Parseche territory early in the morning.

But this was a request from Elina, who had just lost her mother.

Given the circumstances, I reluctantly climbed the mountain…

“…It really is beautiful.”

The view of the city shining in the darkness was truly fantastic.

The street lamps and small lights from each house harmoniously illuminated the night.

And that wasn’t all.

Above, countless stars brilliantly filled the sky.

As I stood there entranced by the scenery, Elina giggled as if finding something amusing.

“So Lord Selden can also be surprised when seeing something?”

“I’m human too. Being amazed by such beautiful scenery is only natural.”

Elina pointed to her own face and made an expressionless look.

“I still can’t forget our first meeting. When I asked about the broken engagement, saying ‘Baron Byron might think differently?’ you made this exact expression and said, ‘He’ll be fine. After all, I’m just a scoundrel…'”

“You remember all that?”

“Of course. The memory is so vivid in my mind—can’t you tell by how well I mimicked your expression?”

“I apologize. Breaking off the engagement without discussion was bad enough, but I was also impolite.”

At my words, Elina remained silent for a while before clearing her throat.

“Actually, I went to meet you out of arrogance.”

“Arrogance?”

“I thought once you saw my face without the veil, you would cling to me. I’d heard rumors that you frequented pleasure houses and liked women.”

“…What?!”

“I, I couldn’t help thinking that way. Your reason for breaking the engagement was that you couldn’t be tied down by marriage. I thought someone with my looks would satisfy you…”

Elina Parseche squirmed, seemingly embarrassed by her past thoughts.

Seeing her adorable demeanor, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, you’re right. To be honest, I was indeed shaken when I saw your appearance.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. However, if a person judges everything based solely on appearance, they would be quite shallow.”

“Are you saying my personality is lacking?”

I waved my hands in the air, assuring the now teary-eyed Elina that wasn’t what I meant.

“No, that’s not it. I just disliked how I myself changed upon seeing your appearance.”

“Ah… I see. Then what do you think of my personality?”

“I haven’t known you long enough to judge, but from my current perspective, you seem very decisive and kind-hearted.”

“And why is that?”

“Because of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for your financially struggling family, and your determination to come to Lake Territory in person even when things went awry.”

At that, Elina blushed and subtly averted her gaze.

“I was too clingy with you, wasn’t I?”

“Not at all. It was because I saw how hard you were trying that I shared the Fail Fruit business, which I had kept to myself.”

“…I feel like I owe you a debt I can never repay. That’s why I gave you my first kiss.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned intimate.

A man and woman alone on a mountainside in the dark.

In the depths of the mountains, Elina slowly removed the veil she was wearing.

And then those cherry-like plump lips that had stolen a kiss on my cheek.

Feeling my mind growing hazy just sitting there, I hastily changed the subject.

“Ahem! By the way, did you send off your mother well?”

“Ah… yes!”

“May I ask how she passed away?”

“She had been ill for quite some time. We procured every medicine from across the continent, but in the end, this happened. Money can’t buy a person’s life, it seems.”

“…I see.”

Elina, also disliking the gloomy atmosphere, clapped her hands and spoke up.

“Oh, right! Have you heard about House Cardrian?”

“House Cardrian?”

“Tras has disappeared somewhere, and House Cardrian itself seems to have taken a financial hit because of the Fail Fruit.”

“Ah… is that so?”

“So now they’re trying to cause trouble for us. They’re looking for any excuse to create friction with our family.”

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Their house suffered losses from the Fail Fruit while House Parseche benefited?

Would they consider this a coincidence?

They would likely suspect some hidden conspiracy.

Moreover, Tras Cardrian had been actively courting Elina Parseche.

A series of coincidences.

Noticing something suspicious was, in a way, a predictable outcome.

Naturally, the arrows would be aimed at House Parseche and at me, who had directly dealt with Tras.

Among these targets, who would they focus on?

Without needing to think, they would harbor resentment toward the weaker of the two houses.

I looked at Elina with concerned eyes.

“House Parseche should prepare for a possible conflict.”

“I might be overthinking it. Since we’re neighboring houses, it’s natural to be wary of a suddenly growing family.”

“Are your knights training well?”

“Until now, I couldn’t pay much attention because of my mother. I’ll have to focus on building them up from now on.”

“If war breaks out, many houses will come to your aid. I saw today how popular you are.”

I clenched my fist encouragingly, and Elina Parseche gave a faint smile.

“No, they’re all just illusions. They’re only people attracted to my appearance.”

“I hate to say this, but I think appearance is also a kind of weapon.”

“Haha, even though they’re the same people who turned their backs on me when I was in trouble?”

“That was before you removed your veil, wasn’t it?”

“I also dislike people who change suddenly based solely on appearance, like you said.”

At Elina’s words, I scratched my head and let out a hearty laugh.

“Indeed, there’s something that connects us.”

“…It was only you. When everyone turned away, you were the one who took my hand.”

“I’m also pleased to see House Parseche’s finances recover.”

At my words, Elina hesitated again before carefully continuing.

“This might surprise you, but do you know what my mother’s last wish was?”

“Last wish?”

I tilted my head at the sudden mention of a ‘last wish,’ and Elina looked straight into my eyes.

“When my mother was bedridden, all I could do was talk to her. I told her everything about my first meeting with you until the end.”

“Ah… so what was your mother’s last wish?”

“When I told her I wanted to see you, she said that if Lord Selden Alphonse came to her funeral, I shouldn’t miss the chance and should confess my feelings…”

“…What?!”

“At the time, I scolded her, saying she should focus on getting better instead of talking about such things, but that was the last thing she ever said to me.”

The atmosphere keeps turning intimate.

And this woman…

Whether because of her mother’s last wish or not, she’s being incredibly forward today.

But what can I do when I don’t have time for romance?

It feels like I’m leading her on if I give her any hope, so all I can do now is maintain our relationship.

I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth.

“You might know this, but my family’s situation is not good in many ways.”

“…I overheard a conversation between my father and Baron Byron. It’s because of Jason Alphonse, isn’t it?”

“Yes, while I appreciate that you think too highly of me, currently—”

At that moment, Elina suddenly stood up and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Don’t answer completely! Anyway, it’s not that you dislike me, but that you’re in a difficult situation because of your family, right?”

The reason was different, but I couldn’t deny it.

If I did, I would truly become someone who disliked Elina herself.

I also slowly stood up.

“…Yes, that’s right. I don’t dislike you, Lady Elina.”

*Smooch*!

It was the second time.

Of course, I wasn’t caught off guard.

Wasn’t I someone who could dodge even the sword of an elite knight?

I was just surprised because this time, it wasn’t on the cheek but on the lips.

“I must be crazy!!”

Elina Parseche covered her flushed face with her palms and hopped around in place.

Then she ran down the mountain.

“Hey, wait! I won’t chase you, so go slowly! You might fall!”

Elina Parseche was already disappearing in the distance.

Why was she running away after she was the one who kissed me?

Concerned that something might happen to her in the dark mountain, I put strength in my legs and raised my voice.

“No, wait, let’s go together!?”