Special Chapter – Special Love, Special Person (8)

Cecilia Blackwood, who had suddenly rushed out of the room and returned less than a minute later.

Thanks to the collar in Cecilia’s hand, Leonhardt’s mind became complicated in many ways.

‘I never thought I’d see that again….’

Thinking about it, the reason he and Cecilia started to become awkward was that collar.

Ever since he couldn’t properly respond to her when she brought up some incomprehensible story along with that collar, Leonhardt had felt Cecilia’s attitude towards him subtly change.

Of course, even if it had changed, their relationship itself hadn’t completely gone awry, so he wondered if they had returned to their original relationship, but seeing the object in Cecilia’s hand once again, his mind couldn’t help but become complicated.

“M-Master Leonhardt-nim, if your feelings for me are truly sincere…. T-This time, please properly show it as an expression of affection between a man and a woman…!”

What on earth did a collar have to do with an expression of affection between a man and a woman?

But he couldn’t show such a clueless reaction again, like last time. If he couldn’t figure out what Cecilia wanted this time either, there was a possibility that even this engagement would be called off.

“……Alright.”

With those words, Leonhardt carefully took the handle of the collar from Cecilia, and from then on, it was time for deduction.

What Cecilia wanted, and how he should act to prove his love to her.

-Charrreuk.

“…….”

“Hurry, Leonhardt-nim. Please quickly prove your feelings for me as an expression of affection.”

The movement of intentionally handing the handle to his right hand.

The collar, strangely adjusted to a size similar to a person’s neck.

…And Cecilia, who was inexplicably leaning her head towards him with her eyes closed.

‘Could it be….’

Leonhardt naturally thought of the ‘how to use’ this item, but he couldn’t immediately put it into practice.

For him, who had grown up as the First Prince of the Argentia Empire, the act he was imagining in his mind might become an indelible insult and wound to Cecilia.

Even though he was almost certain given the circumstances, he couldn’t move easily. As Leonhardt hesitated for about three minutes, holding the collar in his hand.

“…As expected, you can’t prove it, can you?”

“……!”

Leonhardt flinched, his mind snapping awake at her quiet voice in his ear.

“Ah, no. I-I was just checking how to put it on.”

“…Is that so? Anyway, please prove it quickly.”

“…….”

Cecilia’s voice, which seemed to have turned slightly suspicious.

Now, there was truly no time to hesitate. If he couldn’t provide proper proof, the chance for him and her to be together might disappear forever.

With that thought, he carefully brought the collar in his hand to Cecilia’s slender, white neck.

-Cheolkeok.

“……Huu.”

Carefully, he fastened the lock.

“…….”

After Cecilia, who felt the sensation of the collar being fastened around her neck, slowly opened her eyes again, she quietly gazed at Leonhardt.

Leonhardt, seeing her gaze directly, froze with a breathtaking tension, and Cecilia quietly lowered her head to check the collar around her neck.

-Charrreuk.

“…….”

The sight of it starting from her neck, continuing with a chain all the way to Leonhardt’s hand.

The exact same sight as her mother being bound to her father six years ago.

…In other words, it was the moment she realized that this time, he had truly proven his ‘expression of affection’ to her.

“…As expected, I knew Leonhardt-nim felt the same way as me!”

Cecilia, with a bright, sun-like smile, hugged him tightly.

“Th-That’s right…. I-It’s a relief you understand now….”

…However, Leonhardt still didn’t understand why putting a collar around her neck was considered proof of affection.

After talking with Cecilia for almost an hour with the collar around her neck, Leonhardt was finally able to leave the parlor.

‘…Is this enough?’

It had happened less than ten minutes ago, so it didn’t quite feel real. Neither becoming engaged to Cecilia nor exchanging affection by putting a collar around her neck.

Although he had fallen for Cecilia from the beginning because of something special about her that was different from ordinary people, Leonhardt had never imagined that there would still be room for strange behaviors he didn’t know about.

“Oh, it’s Leon (older brother)!”

“Leon (older brother)! Are you engaged to Lia (older sister)?”

What appeared before him as he walked out of the parlor with a tired expression was the five-year-old twin siblings, Lilien and Everett.

And walking towards them, holding both of their hands, was Lilith Blackwood.

“Ah, greetings, Duchess.”

“Yes, Leonhardt. Did you have a good talk with Cecilia?”

“…Yes, I did.”

“…Your expression doesn’t seem entirely happy. Did she perhaps refuse the engagement?”

“Ah, no! Not at all! She was truly delighted.”

“…Huu, that’s a relief. Cecilia is a child whose true feelings are difficult even for me to discern. I knew she liked Leonhardt, but I was a little anxious, not knowing if she would choose to get engaged. Thankfully, it seems to have worked out well.”

…Indeed. If even Cecilia’s own mother found it hard to know her true feelings, how much more so for him?

His father had always said that love was a process of getting to know each other, so from now on, it was simply a matter of slowly getting to know her better.

“Now, Leonhardt is practically family. Please continue to take good care of Cecilia.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Duchess.”

A true engagement, acknowledged even by Cecilia’s mother.

As Leonhardt bowed his head with a renewed resolve, Duchess Lilith’s belly was, as always, noticeably swollen today.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Although some misunderstandings had arisen and been resolved, two facts were clear nonetheless.

That Leonhardt and Cecilia had felt the same way about each other since childhood. And that now they were engaged, they would continue to do so.

After becoming engaged, Leonhardt was able to visit Blackwood Mansion more often than before. He no longer had to simply follow his father’s imperial tour schedule; he could now go out separately to meet his fiancée.

Cecilia, who used to grumble like a maiden suffering from heartbreak whenever she saw him, had returned to her old self as if nothing had happened, which was certainly a good thing for Leonhardt.

“Leonhardt-nim, I’ll be counting on you today as well.”

“…Alright.”

However, he still hadn’t gotten used to her constantly trying to put the collar in his hand whenever they were alone.

If he didn’t do it, she would look up at him with sad eyes, but if he did, she would become docile and affectionate, so Leonhardt ultimately had only one choice.

-Cheolkeok.

“Hehehe. You’re proactive today too, Leonhardt-nim.”

…To secretly put the collar around her neck and exchange expressions of affection, avoiding the eyes of their parents and servants.

The fortunate thing was that Cecilia didn’t demand this ‘expression of affection’ in front of others. She would say that it was a secret expression of affection that only they could show each other, so it shouldn’t be discovered by others.

Even so, Leonhardt felt a certain sense of relief at Cecilia’s apparent awareness of embarrassment, but he also felt anxious, not knowing when this relationship might be discovered by others.

“Leonhardt-nim, you’ve come after a long time, but no kiss yet?”

“It’s not really ‘a long time’; we just met three days ago.”

“So, you won’t do it?”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

Of course, they also engaged in plenty of other affectionate acts befitting a couple.

Like kissing her cheek as a sign of affection, stroking her hair, or letting her nap with a lap pillow, as he always did.

Aside from the collar, the two of them didn’t engage in anything particularly lewd. Even the collar was merely fastened and never used for anything else.

Leonhardt always reluctantly went along with Cecilia, seeing how she found psychological stability just from that.

…And so, seven more years passed since the day they got engaged.

“I’ll be back, Father, Mother.”

Before they knew it, both of them had reached the age to enroll in Luminor Academy.