Ch.94To You (3)

Rofena quietly observed her lady sitting at the desk.

Her lady had glanced at her with a subtle expression before returning to her usual emotionless face while seated at the desk.

Though it wasn’t completely back to normal—occasionally her face would flush red when alone, clearly indicating something was on her mind.

‘…As I thought.’

Rofena smiled quietly as she recalled the early morning.

When she had knocked on the door and received no answer, she had quietly left, but hadn’t she told her lady to come to her room yesterday when she was making porridge?

They say the first time is difficult but everything after is easier—her lady had clearly taken action while caught up in the moment.

‘No wonder she smelled strongly of the knight.’

The bath water Airine usually used mostly contained rose scent.

She always carried that seductive rose fragrance, but now that scent had faded and mixed with another.

Rofena nodded to herself, easily recognizing that scent as Evan’s.

“How was yesterday?”

“…It was fine.”

Airine answered quietly. To be precise,

Airine had answered without even knowing what Rofena was talking about.

Her mind was completely filled with memories of yesterday and this morning.

She bowed her head, blushing again at the thought of the sleep-talking she had done.

She had tried so hard not to show any vulnerability in front of Evan,

but showing such a side of herself while half-asleep caused her great embarrassment.

-Hehe… Evan…

What would Evan think of her? Though he had managed a smile, Evan had seemed quite flustered too.

Crunch-! An innocent letter in Airine’s hand was violently crumpled.

It was from the Crown Prince, but what did that matter now?

Every time she recalled what she had said that morning, she felt as if each strand of her hair was standing on end.

When she first met Evan, she had treated him quite coldly.

She had tried to insult him and gave him the cold shoulder until he would give up.

But even after her opinion of Knight Evan Fried had changed over time, she couldn’t easily change her attitude toward him.

It felt awkward to suddenly treat him gently,

and being gentle with anyone was quite unfamiliar to her in the first place.

So she had maintained that attitude even after considerable time had passed.

Airine looked at the letter in her hand, trying hard to suppress her embarrassment.

The letter was badly crumpled, but if she squeezed it one more time, it would be unrecognizable.

After calmly putting down the letter, Airine stared into space and sighed.

“Haah…”

“My lady?”

Airine turned her head at the voice from one side and looked at Rofena.

Though this had started with Rofena’s advice, now she doubted whether Rofena’s advice had truly been advice at all.

For something supposedly excellent in that area, hadn’t it ended without any real progress?

Perhaps next time it would be better to follow her own thoughts.

After organizing her thoughts, Airine carefully opened her mouth while looking at Rofena.

“…Evan said it would be better not to listen to your advice.”

“What?”

“I appreciate the advice you gave me, but from now on, I’m thinking of doing things my own way.”

Rofena’s eyes widened. Setting aside the fact that her lady had such a conversation with the knight,

her lady’s attitude had suddenly changed. Various thoughts began flooding Rofena’s mind.

There’s an old saying to be careful of pillow talk, but wasn’t this situation completely gender-reversed?

“My lady, do you trust the knight’s words more?”

Rofena asked anxiously, raising her head, but

as soon as she saw Airine’s expression, her face showed disappointment.

Despite serving Airine for over ten years, Airine… already trusted Evan more.

“You’re asking the obvious.”

At Airine’s firm answer, Rofena gaped blankly.

But Airine paid no attention to Rofena’s reaction;

she began to unfold the crumpled letter to check its contents.

Another letter from the Crown Prince. Hadn’t she confirmed the contents about possibly meeting the Emperor last time?

This letter probably contained information about how that matter had been resolved.

Since only one duke in Yuris had ever directly met the Emperor, even Airine didn’t know much about the Emperor.

She only knew he was the Crown Prince’s father and the ruler of the Empire.

The Crown Prince was always the one who appeared in public, with the Emperor only appearing at events celebrating the founding of the nation, so how could she know everything?

Airine had questioned the previous letter stating that the Emperor wanted to meet Evan directly,

but she decided to check the letter first and slowly began unfolding the crumpled paper.

And then.

“…What is this.”

[It seems His Imperial Majesty wishes to meet your knight directly. I find it strange that he’s being so proactive this time, but I would appreciate your compliance. It’s likely related to the extinction. After all, the one controlling information that even I don’t know would be the master of Evangelium. I hope you understand. I will notify you of the date later, but could you possibly send Sir Evan alone? I wish for glory to come to Yuris.]

For the Emperor, who doesn’t even allow war heroes to meet the Crown Prince, to want to meet Evan directly.

Airine carefully examined the letter, deep in thought. Though not as anxious as during the Roman subjugation,

there was clearly something unknown to both her and the Crown Prince.

At that moment, a fierce gleam flashed in her blue eyes.

#

Though he had come out to buy a ring, he was completely at a loss about what to buy.

He had never paid much attention to such things, and only knew about giving rings with diamonds in them.

A cloud passed over Evan’s expression as he walked through the quiet afternoon streets.

‘I can’t figure this out.’

When to give such a gift, what to say when giving it.

Moreover, each gift carries meaning, so shouldn’t he act carefully?

The breeze carried a chill, signaling that the greenery covering the world was gradually retreating.

When winter comes… he would be much busier than now.

Evan wanted to finish various things before autumn arrived.

Confession was one of those things.

Ding-a-ling- As Evan opened the door of the jewelry shop,

the owner, Gerard, quietly raised his eyes.

In fact, the jewelry shop Evan had entered wasn’t a place many customers visited.

Despite being located in the center of town where many people passed by, the main reason for its unpopularity was the shop owner.

What customer would like an owner who selectively chose his customers?

“…What brings you here?”

Evan slightly hunched his shoulders at Gerard’s intimidating appearance.

The long scar across his eyes and mouth was enough to make one wonder whether he was a jewelry shop owner

or a mercenary leader.

Realizing there were no accessories displayed around, Evan scratched his cheek before carefully speaking.

“…I want to have a pair of rings made.”

“A pair, you mean wedding rings?”

Should he be this honest about such things?

But unable to avoid answering the piercing gaze, Evan struggled to open his mouth and replied.

“I’ll use them when I confess. You could call them… engagement rings.”

If they get married, he would probably have new ones made.

Since he couldn’t guarantee marriage yet, Evan said no more and closed his mouth.

Gerard looked at Evan and snickered.

It didn’t seem like he was simply trying to waste wealth,

so Gerard quite liked his pure intention.

“Finger size?”

When Gerard held out samples, Evan handled several rings before selecting two and holding them out.

As for Airine’s finger size, he had been touching her hands almost daily recently.

Therefore, it didn’t take long to determine her finger size.

While watching Gerard handle the two rings and guessing their shape, Evan slowly opened his mouth.

“But… I’m not sure what to buy. Everyone says to buy something with diamonds, but isn’t there meaning behind all of that?”

“Meaning, huh.”

Gerard quietly smiled. Not many customers asked about such things,

and with interest piqued, Gerard’s lips moved.

“Diamonds are commonly said to symbolize eternity. They don’t get scratched by any impact and maintain their form for a lifetime, so isn’t that why they have such meaning? Immortality, that’s why people put diamonds in rings believing their love will be eternal.”

After catching his breath briefly, Gerard laid out various gemstones and continued.

“But even diamonds aren’t unbreakable. Every gemstone in the world eventually loses its luster and breaks. Did you know? Diamonds burn away quite easily in fire. Even gems praised for eternity and immortality have weaknesses. They may not get scratched, but they still break when struck hard.”

“Then doesn’t that mean diamonds have no special meaning?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that not everything in the world flows so romantically. Nothing is eternal. Even love, it often fades like a flame after a few years. People try to entrust everything to mere gemstones with such expectations. In the end, when love fades, they’re treated as trinkets worth only a few dozen gold coins.”

Evan frowned at those words. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, was it?

He came to have rings made and was told love wouldn’t last forever.

But not wanting to show his displeasure, he just sighed softly and waited for Gerard to finish speaking.

However, Gerard didn’t miss his customer’s expression, and chuckling, he opened his mouth.

“Seems you’re displeased. Well, it’s not something to say to someone who came to have rings made.”

“…Did you say that knowing it would upset me?”

“You look like someone from a noble family, and I just wanted to tease you a bit. You didn’t seem like someone who would leave in a huff after hearing such things. Hehe.”

Gerard didn’t particularly want to make a lot of money.

Setting diamonds in gold rings would earn him more, but would they really last as long as their implied meaning?

His wish was for the gemstones and ornaments he crafted to be used for a long time with proper meaning.

“The reason rings are worn on the ring finger is because it’s thought to be connected to the heart. Since the heart symbolizes feelings, wouldn’t you want those feelings to be better perceived?”

“I see.”

“There are many gemstones besides diamonds. There are several more that symbolize eternity, and many more that symbolize love. Since it’s a ring you’ll wear for life, wouldn’t it be right to give rings that have special meaning to each other?”

After saying that, Gerard took out a crafted emerald and placed it in front of Evan.

Gerard preferred gemstones that resembled human eyes.

That’s why as soon as he saw Evan’s eyes, he thought an emerald would suit him.

The brilliant green color seemed to capture the forest itself. The thin lines visible inside intertwined like a garden,

showing the fresh greenery of the coming season, and Evan quietly opened his mouth at the gemstone.

“An emerald.”

“Eyes are often said to be windows reflecting a person’s heart. Even when meeting someone for the first time, you can learn quite a lot just by looking at their eyes. Like how you’re experiencing quite a passionate love, or that you had many worries before coming here.”

With a flick of Gerard’s finger, the emerald rolled toward Evan,

who carefully picked it up and examined it.

The bright green gemstone, like looking in a mirror, seemed to represent himself.

“I don’t know the eye color of the person you’re giving the ring to, but wouldn’t it be nice to match each other’s eye colors? It’s a gemstone that symbolizes happiness, so matching meanings would be good too.”

“…Not bad.”

Evan quietly looked at the gemstone. The deep green, just like the color of his own eyes—

if such a gemstone were on his finger. At the laughter that escaped, Evan tapped his ring finger.

It wasn’t a bad idea.

No, rather, it was a very good idea in that it would be different from what others did.

If he set a sapphire in his ring, and an emerald or peridot in Airine’s ring…

even when apart, they could think of each other while looking at their rings.

Evan slowly nodded and looked at Gerard.

If he had gone to another jewelry shop, he might have ordered rings with diamonds without knowing why,

but perhaps coming here was an unexpected stroke of luck.

“So, have you made up your mind?”

“I can’t deny that using gemstones other than diamonds is better. Even I think it’s more meaningful. If things go well… it’s a ring to cherish for a lifetime, isn’t it?”

Gerard burst into laughter at Evan’s words, which implied marriage.

Until just now he had seemed uncertain, but now he was talking about a lifetime.

But he liked it. The way he considered the meaning of each little thing,

it showed he was sincere about everything in his own way.

“Gold is easily bent and curved, but that’s why it doesn’t break easily. Human relationships should be the same, which is why rings are cast in gold.”

With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Gerard continued looking at Evan.

“I hope you two live well together for a long time. Since an engagement among nobility might become news, I’ll support you from afar.”

“…Thank you.”

Though he had actually planned to do it quietly with just the two of them, Evan smiled slightly and nodded.

After asking for a sapphire in the larger ring and an emerald in the smaller one, Evan began thinking about the future.

How to present it, what to say when giving it.

…It felt quite overwhelming. And so, he could only smile bitterly.

#

“…Oh my.”

After Evan left, Gerard swallowed hard as he looked at the newspaper and then at the door.

He never imagined that the person who came to have rings made would be such a big shot.

How could he have known it was the knight who directly subjugated Duke Roman?

“With a face like that, I’d expect him to have many women.”

The knight with the undeniably handsome face had shown the face of a young man experiencing puppy love,

and recalling that image, Gerard tilted his head and closed the newspaper.

Well, someone else’s love life wasn’t his business.

But since it had been quite a while since he had such a customer, he did feel somewhat concerned.

“I should probably pay a bit more attention.”

He had said he would support him, and the person in the newspaper had done him a personal favor.

Though the knight wouldn’t know, Gerard smiled slightly and began engraving a magic circle on the gemstone he was crafting.

Someday he could help once.

Whether it was that knight or his fiancée.

Wouldn’t that be sufficient repayment? As usual, the quiet jewelry shop was filled with chuckling laughter.