episode_0010

“…Uh..what?”

“Just as I said. I hope you will refuse all future marriage proposals.”

..My mind is confused.

Why did she even send a letter asking about my relationships with women to our family in the first place?

And why is she trying to interfere with my marriage talks?

Especially telling me to refuse them.

..

..

..

..

..Ah! Is that it?

Thinking about it, perhaps due to the Serion family’s reputation as a prestigious knightly family, they have a unique tendency to obsess over chivalry.

And what is that chivalry? It is to realize justice without remaining silent even when seeing injustice.

Surely she, in whose veins flows the blood of the Serion family, must have been influenced by that as well.

Being someone who is infinitely cold to others but warm only to her own people, that influence must have been even greater.

Now, in our third year of enrollment, it is the time when marriage talks are starting to circulate among the academy students.

It would be good if marriage were based on mutual love and affection, but aristocratic society is not that easy-going.

Therefore, children from noble families with little power often end up in unwanted marriages.

And I, too, although my family’s power was weak, my appearance was quite outstanding, so

I had also received proposals from nobles whom I had never even seen.

Perhaps Serafina Serion was worried that I, one of her close friends, might end up in an arranged marriage regardless of my own will, and that is certainly why she did it.

In a way, one might think that another family is meddling too much, but

Still, other than that, I couldn’t think of any other reason why she would try to stop my marriage talks.

Well… but coincidentally, that problem had already been resolved.

Although it was a little early and not intentional, I had already decided on Lilith Tistina as the woman I would be responsible for in life.

The Tistina family is also a high-ranking noble family, but their influence is simply undeniable, so my father would likely not object.

I hadn’t sent a letter yet, but I was just thinking of sending a letter to my family stating that I would refuse all future marriage proposals.

“Haha, you don’t need to worry about that, Serafina. Even if you hadn’t said anything, I was planning to ask my father soon to refuse all subsequent marriage talks anyway.”

“..?! You..! What do you mean by that..!”

“Yes.. It’s embarrassing to say it directly, but I think I’ve already found that person.

It’s really funny, isn’t it? I thought I had no connection to such things, but it turns out my life partner was right nearby.

Since the woman who has been by my side as a lifelong friend was that person.”

“Ah… As expected.. As expected, you are…!”

“Uh.. Serafina? Are you okay?”

After answering, I was a little flustered.

Serafina Serion’s face upon hearing my answer,

Her expression, which had been endlessly cold and rigid when she told me to refuse the marriage talks,

Melted away softly into an infinitely warm and joyful expression, as if nothing had happened.

I was even more surprised because she clasped her hands around mine and held them tightly, and brought her face close to mine.

“No.. Thinking about it, it’s only natural.. This is regrettable, I worried for nothing and showed an unsightly side of myself.

I shouldn’t have doubted your upright heart even a little bit.”

Serafina continued speaking with a brighter face than ever before, seemingly so happy about something.

“This is truly joyous news… Thank you so much for answering my question, my dear.”

“..I don’t really understand, but I’m glad my answer was helpful.”

“Thinking about it, this is no time to be idle. If his answer is thus, I too must prepare quickly.

The sooner we hold the ceremony, the better, if possible.”

What is she talking about..?

Could it be that Serafina intends to even help with Lilith’s and my marriage?

No.. No matter what, that level of meddling is too excessive.

Why is she so excited in the first place?

It’s true that we had a connection in the past and I became a friend recognized by her, but

Her current actions were completely incomprehensible.

Is a friend being in a relationship with someone so joyful?

I hope there isn’t some kind of misunderstanding.

“No, no.. Hold on, Serafina. While I am certainly thinking of marriage, isn’t it a little too early?

And I know you’re happy, but please calm down for now. You seem too excited.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently stroked her cheek, calming Serafina down.

Then, Serafina rubbed her cheek against my hand and spoke in a lower voice, as if she had calmed down a little.

“Hoho… I apologize, I waited for this moment for so long that I got quite excited…”

“And regarding the wedding, you don’t need to offer too much help.

When the time comes, I plan to prepare well myself. After all, aren’t there many problems we need to overcome right now?”

“Certainly.. Preparing for the ceremony already doesn’t make sense.

There’s getting the family’s permission, and socially you also need to prove that you possess the capabilities worthy of your match.”

As much as I had vowed to take responsibility for Lilith Tistina’s life, there were many problems I had to solve in the future.

Not only getting permission from the Tistina family, but also having to prove my capabilities to become a husband worthy of her.

But preparing for the ceremony already…

It was talking far too ahead.

“I understand your intentions well. It seems this conversation should proceed a little more slowly.”

“Right? Thank you for understanding.”

“Then I should get going as well. As much as I’d like to enjoy this time with you longer…

I was away from my post for a whole night, you see. The servants are probably in a panic looking for me right now.”

“That’s a good idea. Go quickly for now and rest well during the remaining time.”

“I sincerely look forward to the day I meet you again later.”

And so, she came and disappeared like a passing storm.

Honestly, the way she showed herself today was completely unexpected.

It’s not for nothing that she has the nickname ‘Cold Rose’.

She is someone who never loses her cool and collected demeanor, whether in sparring or at any other time.

There have been only a handful of times when she has shown such excitement and raised her voice like she did today.

..Could it be that, surprisingly, Serafina was the type who is very interested in others’ romance?

It seemed like it would be a good idea to prepare some romance stories she might like for the next time we meet.

Coincidentally, I’ve become romantically involved with Lilith Tistina, so telling her stories about her wouldn’t be bad either.

. . .

When I first saw the reply that flew in from his family, it felt as if my heart had collapsed.

For Ropel Teufel, countless marriage talks with young ladies are scheduled after graduating from the academy.

This was a plan that had been made in advance before admission, and it stated that it would be carried out as is unless there was a special reason.

Ropel Teufel was a benefactor who had shown her a new path and helped her rededicate herself to the path of her sword.

Furthermore, he was the only scabbard capable of holding the sharp sword that is Serafina Serion, and

He was also the one and only sun capable of melting her heart.

The only man in the world she recognized.

For such a man to someday meet a woman other than herself and hold her hand.

For such a man to someday smile at a woman other than herself and kiss her.

For such a man to someday loosen the hem of his shirt for a woman other than herself and offer that utterly obscene body.

Unacceptable.

Absolutely unacceptable.

Just the thought makes my fists clench so hard that blood would flow from my hands.

I don’t even want to imagine him marrying someone other than myself.

Other audacious female cats that come to mind along with him.

The orange cat with golden eyes who cunningly followed Ropel around and rubbed her body against him like an animal in heat.

The black cat mixed with yellow light who furtively watched Ropel from afar and mixed unknown drugs.

The red cat with purple eyes who cowardly used her position to coerce him into meetings.

Decisively, even the gold cat with blue eyes who brazenly approached without knowing the shame of her past.

Around the excellent and charming Ropel were many beastly bitches who needed to be dealt with.

Although there had been a lull due to his statement during academy life,

As it is soon to be the final semester, those beasts are likely shamelessly licking their lips again.

Thinking thus, as soon as she received that reply, she immediately headed to the academy and searched for him.

Her mind was so anxious that she didn’t even notice that a whole day had passed while waiting for him, who hadn’t yet returned to the dormitory.

Fortunately, unlike her worries, she was able to receive a very satisfactory answer from him.

That he had found a partner to spend his future life with,

And that the person was the woman who had been by his side as a friend.

Heh.

To think he would say such a thing right in front of me.

It was a moment where my mind felt faint and distant from the joy of the sudden confession.

To the extent that I didn’t even care about the strong scent of other females coming from within his embrace.

Thanks to that, unlike usual, I became excited and ended up showing the unsightly behavior of already preparing for the wedding ceremony with him.

It was a good thing he stopped me; otherwise, I would have tried to prepare for the honeymoon right then and there.

I could still feel the warm sensation on the side of my cheek that he had stroked at that time.

…Someday, I will do even more than this.

Gulp.

Serafina Serion swallowed.

Carefully, his well-trained body and outstanding appearance that she had seen over time began to surface in her mind.

His well-trained chest that was occasionally glimpsed through the gaps of his flapping clothes during vigorous movements,

His thick forearms with clearly raised veins that make women weak in the knees,

His thick thigh muscles that even make her harbor audacious expectations,

Even that enchanting smile of his that captivated women around him without him knowing.

All those things would soon be touched by her fingertips and she would be able to indulge in them to her heart’s content.

It was a thought that had remained merely a fantasy when it was blocked by the wall of being friends in the past,

But now, it is not far off.

From his most dependable and proud parts to his precious and intimate parts, they will all become hers.

…

But, if,

By some slim chance,

If some beastly bitch were to indulge in his body first,

Polluting and polluting his clean and pure body with her terrible scent and body odor,

Greedily holding his mouth, which has lost its purity without knowing anything,

And embracing his one and only precious thing in that vulgar hole,

The moment someone snatches him away, him who is clearly hers,

At that time, Serafina Serion herself would also be unable to control herself,

She monologued quietly.