Chapter 187
C187
1. Fox and Snakes
"Why? Do you have something to say?"
"...no."
Belreck, biting his lips, shook his head and turned away.
"What do you mean, 'no'? I'm sure you looked at me."
Lately, more and more people look at my ring finger with a face that seems to have a lot to say.
This is because I always wear the wedding ring I received from Isidor. Still, I thought he had opened his mind these days, but my father always made a gruff comment with a trembling expression.
"I don't think it's good for blood circulation."
"What?"
"The ring. The ring! The jewel is so unnecessarily large that it looks uncomfortable."
Yesterday, I heard that the jewels were shining so brightly that my eyes would hurt. Gradually, complaints about the ring became novel and varied.
"By the way, they haven't even had a ceremony, and they've just barely promised to get married, so why are you already wearing something so bothersome? Maybe Duke Visconti is giving us a hint. How dare he?"
My father, who had been quiet for a while, was trying to accuse Isidor again, so I quickly spoke up.
"Oh, yes. I'm getting married anyway, so it's weird not to wear the ring when I have it."
Indeed, there was a more important reason for me to wear the ring all the time.
"Deborah, I'm going to put a strong magic on my finger. No, I will try to develop alchemy that can connect the rings..."
On the day they exchanged rings on board, Isidor looked at the engagement ring wrapped around his ring finger and murmured seriously.
He took the couple ring so seriously that he thought he would be disappointed if I didn't wear it. To be honest, I couldn't help it because my fianc, who was excited as if he had everything in the world, was cute.
"Anyway! You never know what will happen tomorrow. Just think. Who would have imagined that you, who were the last at the Academy, would become the heroine who saved the Empire?"
"I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but for now, I like this ring. It's beautiful."
As expected of that fox...
My father muttered something like a groan and then coughed in vain.
"Hmm! By the way, recently, the imperial family and the Temple seem so eager that they're killing me with annoyance, as they send me letters from time to time saying they want to invite you."
He said it was annoying, but there was a trace of pride in his father's eyes.
"I'm rejecting it on my own, so don't feel pressured and accept it when you want."
"Yes."
Still, I planned to stay away from social activities for the time being. I was hoping for the aftermath of the incident where the Great Demon appeared to calm down a bit.
"Yes... I'm getting too much attention..."
Even the household employees treat me with respect, saying I am the current saint.
It wasn't easy to overlook the gazes of family members looking at me as if they couldn't pierce through my ring finger.Perhaps what increased the attention of the nobles even more.
"..."
"Enrique."
"Yes?"
Enrique's eyes widened.
"You won't break the ring if you look at it like that."
"..."
"Oh, no! You can't make that cute expression."
I smiled as I petted Enrique, who clicked his little tongue. Anyway, the day went smoothly.
* * *
"Sir, what we must do seems endless."
Miguel, who came to Isidor's office for final approval, sighed with a blank face.
In Duke Visconti's office, there was always a mountain of payment documents, but lately, it has been severe.
It was the first time in the history of the Empire that a high-ranking demon, not a monster, appeared, and the imperial family, the knights, the tower, and the temple were all intertwined.
"It's not just the demon holding a grudge."
He clenched his teeth. If it weren't for that damned demon, and considering that it's the end of the year, it would be time to take a break.
This tastes like oatmeal*, but Miguel hated it more when he saw his master smiling gently every day while staying up all night for a week.
(*Note: This expression means that something you're doing is so difficult that you feel like you're almost going to die.)
He wondered if it's really that good.
Well, after all, since he succeeded in the proposal he had been waiting for so long, he is sure he must be excited.
**If He Describes How Strongly the Master Prepared the Proposal, It Would Be Equivalent to the Report of This Great Demon.**
"Miguel, I heard that playing the piano when proposing is a foolproof classic. What do you think?"
"It could be the case if you play as well as Sir Thierry."
"Eh? I can do that if I practice."
Due to Isidor's excessive enthusiasm, Miguel's eardrums were abused for almost half a year. Rather, he felt he was happier when he just watched his fashion show.
"Yes, if the results are good, then it's good."
Anyway, it was good news for Miguel that his boss was in a good mood every day.
"Duke, please sign so I can leave work."
"You are not romantic at all. Isn't the moon really beautiful tonight?"
Isidor, who quickly signed the report, put down his pen and abruptly murmured.
"There are many clouds, so I can't see well."
"It doesn't matter. The ring looks good."
Turning his body towards the window, he raised the pale hand with the ring, and it couldn't be said whether he was looking at the moon or the ring.
A smile resembling a pure white moon hung from Isidor's lips. The gloves he usually wore had been removed after the proposal.
"Every time I see it, I like it more."
He let out a brief sigh as he looked at the papers he had to work on until dawn.
The reason he had been restricting his sleep so much lately was that he wanted to take a long vacation for the New Year. Since there is a holiday period during the New Year, imperial officials will also rest, so if he works hard now, he will be able to play for a week without doing anything.
"Shall we go to a hot spring together...?"
If he can't afford to spend the night, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a date in the capital city.
"These days, I heard that it's worth seeing the lake park on the outskirts of Atra."
Isidor, who even opened a map and studied the date route in his free time, stood up when he heard a knock on the window. It was Muffin, who had brought Deborah's letter.
He had spent an astronomical amount of money and high-quality manpower to train the messenger bird, and he was using it to the fullest.
[I would like to pass by Sir Isidor's house tomorrow morning. Of course, you don't have to overdo it. I heard you're busy.] Isidor briefly smiled at the humble letter. At this moment, the number one person that people most want to meet in the empire is the princess.
As Deborah only stayed in the Seymour mansion, everyone, from the imperial family, the temple, and the social world, was eager to see her. In the past, they pointed fingers at her, saying she was poisonous and didn't even have grace.
"I think it was better back then."
She just needs to be beautiful and amazing in my eyes.
With a somewhat selfish thought, he lightly touched the letter and immediately wrote a response.
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It was a day when the light breeze fluttered and fell like a white butterfly. I, who had been lazing around the house for a long time, headed to Isidor's house.
In the distance, I could see Isidor coming out to meet me through the carriage window. Even among the pure white snow, his blond hair shone like the sun.
As soon as I got out of the carriage, I gently shook the snow off his shiny hair.
"You should have waited inside. It's cold."
"It's the first snowfall of the year. I want to walk while looking at the snow with the princess."
He gently rubbed my cheek with his soft hand.He wasn't wearing gloves.
With a soft touch, the cold ring touched his face, and she felt openly embarrassed.
"Hmm! It's cold these days, but today there's no wind, and the weather is quite warm. Isn't it?"
At that moment, the wind blew, and Isidor immediately wrapped the scarf around his hand. He buried his nose in the scarf with a familiar smell, and then slowly intertwined his hand over her outstretched hand.
The landscape of the Visconti mansion, where snow was falling, was quite charming.
"By the way, what kind of wind blew for the Saint to come without any other purpose?"
He asked in the professional tone of the Blanchia master. It was annoying to point it out even though she knew, so she strongly pressed their intertwined hands.
"I have an important matter. I didn't come here because I wanted to see someone."
"Then you're here to kiss me."
"Clearly, it's Sir who wants to do that, but I'm trying to...!"
Before she could finish speaking, he quickly brought their lips together. And due to the snow touching her face from time to time, the place where their lips touched felt even warmer.
"How did you know?"
His lips slid smoothly, gently kissing her cheek as if he were playing.
"You look prettier today."
"Hmm. That's right. The Visconti Gardens are as beautiful as the Seymour ones. The snow piles up, and the scene looks like it's from a fairy tale book."
For no reason, he touched the snow-covered branches with his hands and delivered an incoherent speech.
"The gardens? I clearly said the princess is beautiful."
Her ears turned red. Because he smiled a little when he touched the lobe of her ear with the tips of his fingers.
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