I will practice

I will practice

As if not wanting to let me go, Sien’s warmth clings to me more and more intensely.

I’m not sure if she’s been practicing or if she’s been imagining based on previous experiences.

She kisses me with improved skill compared to before and embraces me.

‘……’

As I pat her back in response to her strong expression of never letting go again,

Suddenly, a question flashed through my mind.

A question about whether it’s really okay to form such a deep connection in this way, given that I’ve even written a will not knowing what might happen.

I’m not sure how to express this.

Slowly closing my eyes, I felt like a patient with a 50% chance of dying or surviving when undergoing surgery.

‘Now even I don’t know.’

… As much as I wanted to just accept it and move forward,

I hesitated, thinking that acting that way would be too irresponsible no matter how I looked at it.

While I was hesitating, Sien slowly stops kissing and calls out to me.

“Lord Deren.”

“What is it?”

“At least for now… can you focus on me instead of others…?”

It seems she noticed I was thinking about something else.

As I was about to apologize and express regret for having such thoughts while Sien was in front of me,

Before that, Sien gently caresses my cheek and whispers to me.

“I truly… truly love you, Lord Deren.”

As she finishes saying that, Sien kisses me again and starts to cling to me more and more.

Just then, as if remembering something, Sien slightly pulls away from me and whispers with a playful smile.

“Lord Deren, do you know? The doodle you made on me before… it’s still there, not erased.”

I couldn’t help but cough awkwardly at Sien’s words.

I had heard before that she had taken measures to prevent it from being erased, but…

I never dreamed that it would still be there even now.

Hiding my embarrassment at those words, I carefully spoke to Sien.

“Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to leave it without erasing it… Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine. As long as I’m careful during training, bathing, and when wearing pajamas, there’s no problem at all.”

…Isn’t that not okay then?

While I was thinking that if Sien says it’s okay, then it must be fine.

Suddenly, Sien grabbed my hand and put it inside her armor, saying.

“It’s still written around here, so if you want to check, please feel free to tell me anytime.”

Although it’s inside the armor, I can only feel a somewhat hard texture due to the thick leather.

It seems she’s wearing thick leather armor underneath, which is why she’s doing this.

I chuckled at Sien’s behavior and briefly said.

“What would you do if I said I wanted to see it now?”

“Of course, I would have to take it off and show you, wouldn’t I?”

I’m momentarily at a loss for words at Sien’s matter-of-fact statement.

‘Talking to someone who doesn’t even know what they’re saying is quite troublesome.’

Thinking that if it were Rumi in front of me, I would have given her a smack, I slowly withdrew my hand and said.

“There’s no need for that. It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Yes.”

As I was about to take a step back while looking at Sien nodding in agreement.

Sien pulls me closer and speaks to me in a hushed voice.

“This time… I’d like Lord Deren to kiss me.”

As if the very act of making such a request is embarrassing, I notice an expression full of shyness, unlike her usual self.

I smile, finding this side of Sien somewhat cute, and then decide to do as she asks, about to kiss her again.

“Ahem, ahem.”

A sound of someone clearing their throat comes from somewhere.

“……”

As soon as that sound is heard, Sien freezes up.

She quickly takes a step back, blinking her eyes and looking around rapidly.

Then, realizing that people are gathering here, she puts on an awkward expression and speaks to me.

“L-Lord Deren, the night sky looks really beautiful.”

“……”

The night sky, huh.

Finding it somewhat funny that this is her forced excuse, I try to hold back my laughter.

Sien, seemingly displeased with my reaction, pokes my side with her finger in protest.

“Lord Deren, please say something too…!”

Even if you tell me to speak, there’s not much I can say.

I continued speaking while trying to calm down Sien, who kept poking my side.

“Well, now that we’ve seen everything here, let’s move on to the next place.”

“Ah…! Yes! I think that would be good!”

Sien seemed to think this was quite a satisfactory solution, nodding her head quickly as she spoke to me.

“Then for the next place… I think my room would be good. Let’s go this way. I have something to show you.”

Then she grabbed my arm and slowly moved towards the inner part of the mansion.

*

Usually, rooms tend to reveal one’s inner personality, so whether intentional or not, rooms are typically decorated according to one’s character.

I chuckled as I looked at Sien’s room, which was extremely neat and simple… in a good way, it was clean, but to put it bluntly, it was empty.

‘This room is so Sien-like.’

Just as I was looking around Sien’s room, which didn’t seem like it belonged to a member of a noble family, let alone a high-ranking aristocrat.

Sien spoke to me with a shy smile.

“… Well, since I’ve been focused solely on sword training since I was young, I wasn’t interested in decorating, so it ended up like this.”

“I see.”

“Yes…”

If it were this empty, I would have thought the maids or butler would try to fill it up.

The fact that they left it like this probably means this interior includes Sien’s opinion.

Thinking that it suits Sien well, I was slowly walking towards the inner part when Sien pointed to the bed and said.

“You can sit on the bed if you’d like.”

I wonder why she’s telling me to sit on the bed when there’s a chair available.

I don’t know why, but thinking it’s best to do as the owner intended, I sit on the edge of the bed.

Sien begins to remove her armor using tools while talking to me.

“Come to think of it, Lord Deren. What did your father mean earlier by the rumors at the Academy?”

“……”

Considering that she previously asked me about the rumors of the pregnant dog mare, she should know about the rumors spreading at the Academy.

Seeing her ask this question, it seems she wants to address it and bring it up.

I ponder for a moment, looking at Sien who is staring at me intently, and slowly open my mouth.

“It’s nothing. Just meaningless nicknames created by misunderstandings piled upon misunderstandings.”

At those words, Sien looks at me blankly and continues.

“That seems too specific for just meaningless nicknames… Are they really just meaningless nicknames?”

Seeing her speak like that, she probably knows how the nicknames came to be.

‘Well, she did say that as a student council president, all kinds of information reaches her ears.’

Thinking about it, it would be stranger if she didn’t know.

Realizing it would be difficult to keep being vague, I decided to speak honestly.

“As I said before, they’re nicknames born from misunderstandings piled upon misunderstandings. Of course, it’s hard to say they’re completely unrelated to me. But it’s safe to say that none of them were created due to my wrongdoing.”

Come to think of it, it was a somewhat funny situation.

The nickname ‘puppy trainer’ came about because Delia unilaterally said she would ‘become a puppy’.

The ‘pregnant mare’ also came about because Rumi unilaterally asked to be ‘impregnated’.

And ‘playboy’ was a nickname that came about because other girls unilaterally clung to me.

‘So if you look at this situation coldly.’

I’m actually the victim in this situation.

I sighed, wondering why I had to suffer from such slander.

Sien looked at me calmly and spoke.

“… Lord Deren. That… I didn’t mean it that way.”

If not that, then what did you mean?

Unable to understand, I looked at Sien, who turned her face away shyly and said to me.

“If Lord Deren has such preferences… I meant to say that you could pour out those preferences on me.”

“… What?”

“Well. Since I’m going to be Lord Deren’s companion in the future, I thought it would be good to experience it in advance, like taking bride lessons… ugh.”

Sien, seemingly embarrassed to say such things, turned bright red and lowered her head.

Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she concluded.

“I want to become a bride that suits Lord Deren’s tastes as soon as possible.”

The moment I heard those words, it became harder to maintain the composure I had been keeping until now.

I was also a man, and I had emotions like sexual desire and heart-fluttering feelings.

So, just as I was about to reach out, unable to hold back any longer, someone gently knocked on the door.

“Young Master Deren, Miss Sien. The head of the family is calling for you.”

It seems the results of our earlier discussion have come out.

I looked at Sien, who was making an innocent expression in front of me, pondered for a moment, then shook my head and was about to turn away.

Sien grabbed the hem of my clothes and pulled, whispering softly.

“… Lord Deren. I will also practice various things for your sake.”

Practice? Not knowing what she meant to practice, I gave Sien a look asking for further explanation, but.

Sien just gives an awkward smile and passes by me.

I blink at Sien’s behavior, then sigh and head towards where the family head is.