Ch.95Epilogue – Fight On, STL! (7)

“Tesser, brother…?”

In the rapidly changing situation, Eshtiel murmured his name as if entranced.

This was a first.

Until now, Tesser had always been excessively polite to everyone, never needing to apologize. Even if he had done something wrong, as the Crown Prince, he shouldn’t easily offer apologies. So Eshtiel had thought Tesser would never have occasion to give a sincere apology in his lifetime.

Yet here was Tesser, bowing his head like this.

The scene unfolding before her was so surreal that Eshtiel couldn’t help but part her lips in surprise.

“What… what are you sorry for, Tesser?”

“For all the lies I’ve been telling you until now.”

“Lies?”

This too was a concept too unfamiliar coming from Tesser’s mouth. Since he had always approached everything with honesty, the shock hit Eshtiel twice as hard.

“What do you mean lies… Why would you, Tesser…?”

“Because I was flustered.”

Tesser continued after a moment.

“And sometimes because it was difficult. And other times simply because I was a helpless fool.”

There were many reasons. There were many moments when he could only get by with lies.

“So I lied.”

“What kind of lies…?”

“A very old lie. For example, when you were still young, when I said I liked you.”

That lie when he asked her to keep it a secret in exchange for hard candy whenever she wanted. That was undoubtedly the first lie he had told her.

Eshtiel stepped back at this unexpected confession.

“What, what is this… That…”

Eshtiel stopped in her tracks. Then she clenched her small fists and trembled slightly. Her reddish face radiated heat as if about to burst.

She felt humiliated.

She wondered if he needed to be this harsh in rejecting her.

Just as tears were about to well up in her eyes.

Tesser continued speaking.

“And all the lies I kept telling until just last night. All of them.”

“Last night…”

As far as Eshtiel could guess, there was only one thing.

The statement that Tesser already had a woman he liked. She couldn’t think of anything else.

“So Tesser… you don’t actually have someone you like…?”

“…”

The brief silence made Eshtiel’s heart drop with a thud.

That would mean he had made up a fictional love interest as an excuse to reject her feelings.

It was beyond embarrassing—it was humiliating.

… That’s what she thought. Until Tesser’s next words.

“No. There is… definitely someone I like.”

It was just that it had been a lie then, and now it was no longer a lie.

That’s why Tesser carefully chose his words.

To be honest, from Eshtiel’s perspective, it would seem like he was contradicting himself and confessing his affection in just one day.

Organizing his racing thoughts, Tesser parted his lips with difficulty.

“I’ll apologize again, Eshtiel. Certainly, until last night, I thought I didn’t have anyone I liked. I was convinced I never would for the rest of my life.”

“… Yes.”

“Even when I saw noblewomen rumored to be beautiful, or conversed with princesses from other countries, I felt nothing. So I thought I would eventually just have some political marriage.”

But surprisingly, he had never once included Eshtiel as a potential political marriage candidate.

He felt she shouldn’t be included.

He had been obsessed with the idea that he shouldn’t view Eshtiel, who followed him so well, romantically.

He had buried the thought that this was the only reason he didn’t consider Eshtiel as a political marriage candidate.

How foolish.

“I was foolish. I am… undoubtedly an irredeemable idiot.”

It was inevitable that he couldn’t see Eshtiel as a political marriage candidate.

Political marriage meant forming a relationship with profit in mind. But his inner feelings, which even Tesser himself hadn’t recognized, rejected such a connection.

It was a natural aversion.

After all, how could the desire to form a bond with someone your heart is drawn to be limited to just the vocabulary of political strategy?

But until last night, the reality was that reason and morality had obsessively sealed away his true feelings from pursuing a love marriage.

“Let me say it again, Eshtiel.”

“…”

“I’m truly sorry. For hurting you while trying to run away from my own feelings.”

Tesser clutched his chest.

Just one more sentence.

Just adding that one sentence—that he actually liked her—would be enough, but the words wouldn’t come out, as if his throat was blocked.

It was because of guilt.

He felt that even if he confessed now, it would sound hollow to Eshtiel. That’s what he feared.

‘… Ah.’

In that moment, Tesser’s eyes met Eshtiel’s. Eyes that were trembling yet steadfastly looking at him…

Tesser realized.

Despite the humiliation he had caused her last night,

Despite him now speaking incomprehensibly and reopening wounds that had barely formed,

Eshtiel had the courage to listen until the end, seeking composure.

His mother’s assessment that she was a strong girl was indeed correct. Eshtiel was clearly much stronger than someone like him.

Therefore, if he couldn’t even open his mouth because of some petty guilt weighing him down, he wasn’t much of a man at all.

“Eshtiel.”

And so, Tesser’s lips finally held a confession.

“I like you.”

“… What?”

“You might find it absurd. You’d be right to criticize me for completely changing my stance. But… after you left like that yesterday, I thought about it. About where my heart was pointing, and why I went so far as to make up a non-existent love interest…”

“…”

“By the time I reached a conclusion, I regretted it. The person I’m drawn to was already showing me more favor than I deserve, yet I was so oblivious that I pushed her away… I couldn’t be more stupid.”

“What are you trying to… no, what are you saying?”

“I like you.”

For a moment, Eshtiel fell silent as if at a loss for words.

She bowed her head deeply, hiding her face completely. This made Tesser anxious. Did she not even want to show her face now?

“Eshtiel, I like you.”

“…”

“Eshtiel.”

“…”

“I like you. Probably as much as the ‘like’ you see.”

“…”

“As much as you knew the answer when you asked about marriage.”

“…”

“I like you, Eshtiel.”

“…”

“Eshtiel.”

“Stop…”

“I like…”

“Stop, stop saying it…”

Tesser’s confession was cut off as sharply as if with scissors by Eshtiel’s right of refusal.

Was it rejection?

Even if it was, he had nothing to say.

It was Tesser who had rejected her once, and it was also Tesser who was shamelessly confessing again.

A completely reversed relationship.

Tesser carefully examined the expression of the girl who now held the initiative.

‘This is…’

She was red.

Her skin looked as if the heat rising from her throat was burning her entire face, all flushed.

Her crooked lips seemed to hold embarrassment rather than anger.

“Why…”

Eshtiel opened her mouth with difficulty.

“If you were going to say this, why… did you reject me then…”

“Eshtiel…”

“Why did you make me cry…”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Of course you should be sorry! Tesser, you should be extremely sorry to me!”

“Yes… you’re right.”

Eshtiel shouted loudly. Tesser didn’t even think to argue and meekly agreed.

“Hmph.”

“…”

Apart from her embarrassment, Eshtiel looked cute when she was angry.

… Yes, cute.

In the past, he would have dismissed that appreciation of cuteness as similar to looking at a small animal…

But now he knew.

Eshtiel was clearly cute. Cute enough that he wanted to keep seeing that cuteness, even if it took all sorts of effort.

Tesser was now confident he wouldn’t spare any effort for that.

“Eshtiel.”

“… What.”

“Can you forgive me?”

“I don’t know.”

Eshtiel turned her head away with a swish.

Tesser was taken aback by this unexpectedly cold response, but still quietly gazed at her.

Even her cold response was so cute that he wanted to keep looking at her.

‘This isn’t right…’

Once he became aware of his feelings, they were hard to control.

He knew this was the time to earnestly try to appease her anger, but he kept feeling overwhelmed by desire.

Just then, Eshtiel lowered her voice.

“I won’t forgive you.”

“… I understand.”

“How can I believe you when your words change in just one day?”

“I understand.”

“So… I’m going to wait and see.”

“Wait and see?”

“I’ll watch how well Tesser treats me from now on, and then decide… that’s what I’ll do…”

Then Eshtiel added in a small voice:

“Figure it out yourself…”

In truth, Eshtiel was anxious even as she said this.

She was overjoyed that someone could change so suddenly in a day and sincerely confess to liking her.

But she couldn’t express it honestly.

While her feelings were genuine, it was hard to judge whether Tesser’s were the same.

‘But… what if he thinks I’m being arrogant?’

What if she ended up throwing away this miraculous opportunity?

What if Tesser suddenly cooled off and withdrew his confession?

With all these anxieties blooming, Eshtiel grew restless.

“Sigh.”

She heard Tesser sigh.

Simultaneously, Eshtiel’s heart skipped a beat.

So she focused all her attention on Tesser’s next words.

“I see. That’s enough.”

“Te-Tesser. I mean, that…”

“I understand.”

“Huh…?”

Eshtiel stared at Tesser with a blank expression. Tesser gently curved his handsome eyes and smiled warmly.

“I’ll try harder.”

“…”

“I’ll take the initiative as much as the trust I haven’t yet given you.”

“Uh.”

“And as I try, I’ll tell you often.”

“Tell me what…?”

To Eshtiel who asked such an obvious question, Tesser gladly gave the answer.

“I like you, Eshtiel.”

At this fresh and joyful confession, Eshtiel desperately pursed her lips to hide her expression.

When she finally had the composure to manage her expression, Eshtiel spoke in an awkwardly cold voice.

“Hmph, I’ll keep watching you from now on. We’ll see.”

It was a declaration with an indescribable atmosphere.

Like hot iced tea, if one were to make a comparison.

At her voice that contained both coldness and heat, Tesser didn’t dare laugh and barely maintained a solemn face.

That was necessary to preserve Eshtiel’s dignity.

“Since I’ve been given this chance, I should start putting it into practice.”

Lunchtime was approaching.

Tesser naturally escorted Eshtiel, guiding her toward the banquet hall.

“I like you, Eshtiel.”

“Stop, stop saying that so suddenly…”

…… It’s embarrassing.

Eshtiel swallowed the last words and deliberately focused only on what was ahead.

She didn’t have the confidence to look at Tesser’s profile right now.

The subtle distance where their body heat almost touched felt somehow awkward.

Eshtiel had a feeling that today’s memory would stay with her for life.

If she were to name this memory, it would be the achievement of happiness.

Finally, the painful memory at the washing place was melting into a lovely reminiscence.

The sky was blue.

Eshtiel loved this world that had completely emptied itself of the colors of tragic love.

She also loved spring, when the cold of winter had passed.

She wished from the bottom of her heart that days like this would continue forever.