5 – for breakup (5)

Although Count Krauss is said to be a great aristocrat, even the breakfast menu is not as glamorous as a splendid castle.

Nobility does not sprinkle gold dust on their food. Of course, you can do it if you want to, but why? Not only does it lead the way, but unnecessary extravagance is not good because it is noble.

An attendant came in with a prepared meal. Today’s breakfast is a small steak seasoned with the chef’s special sauce and a moderately well-grilled fried egg. In addition, various types of dishes were prepared, including warm soup, but they were all small enough to be eaten in one bite and the quantity was not so large.

Elena took a knife, cut the meat into small pieces, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth. Elena put on a satisfied face as if she liked the taste. After seeing that face, I was able to start eating in peace.

Likewise, I took a knife and sliced the meat and put it in my mouth. Because the meat used is of the highest quality, the gravy that comes out of the tender meat is art. It seems that it has been quite a while since my taste has changed to high-end, but nevertheless, I never get tired of gourmet food.

“Does Damian like meat?”

“Yes?”

I was experiencing the ecstasy of taste for a while, so I couldn’t pay attention to the eyes of the people around me.

“Of course I like it. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that I enjoy eating delicious things rather than meat. How does it feel in Elena’s mouth?”

Almost all meat is delicious if it is properly grilled, unless the quality is extremely poor.

“It suits my palate well. Krause’s chef really does everything he can’t do. The quality of the desserts is really good, and I really want to live here forever.”

“Ha ha. Thank you for the compliment. After the meal, I will guide you to the castle. If you say the same at that time, the chef will be happy too.”

Surely, that’s not the reason for getting engaged to me, is it?

Seeing her admiring her hands together, I immediately thought that this might not be the reason for her engagement. Rather, it would be nice if it was like that. I may miss the chef’s cooking, but it’s still better than me directly intervening in the story.

Even while eating, Elena couldn’t stop admiring the view of the garden through the glass wall, which was rarely seen. To me, her happy face seemed more beautiful than a mere flower, but to her growing up in Merohim, a land of cold snow like Russia on Earth, this southern side must have felt different.

“It’s hard to see things like this in Merohim. There is a glass garden where my father puts a magic to adjust the temperature, but it’s the first time I’ve seen flowers bathed in sunlight through a window like this.”

As far as I know, I remember that there is an event like the Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan in Merohim. Maybe if I had gone to that festival, it wouldn’t have been that kind of reaction. For me, who grew up in a country with four seasons, it feels more exotic and new to be in an area with snow throughout the year than here, where all four seasons exist.

‘More than that…’

Isn’t this guy’s tension too high?

It’s completely different from yesterday. Is it really the Elena Edelweiss I know?

It’s like getting engaged, and it’s getting farther and farther away from the image of Elena I remember in the original work. Could it be that Damian was the one who completed the character he had when the original work began? It’s a story with plenty of potential.

‘But it has nothing to do with me.’

Regardless of how her personality has changed compared to the original, it has nothing to do with Damien. It might be better for her. If she fixes a lot of her introspection from now on, she will be able to reduce the needless suffering in the future, so it is unlikely that this will adversely affect her.

I conclude to pay attention to her high-tension personality.

Afterwards, she talked about what she saw and felt when she came to Sarham and why she admired it.

The dessert I had told Ken arrived just in time, and the mood wasn’t bad.

the problem is

“Ah, Damian! On my way here…”

“I see. That must have been very strange. Now, here are the macarons. Eat them.”

“Wow! Thank you.”

Yum!

“…Ah, Damian! Because they do macaroons…”

“I see. There is such a famous shop in Jedo. How about going there next time? Oh, here’s macaron. Have a try.”

“Wow! Thank you.”

Yum!

“…Anyway, that’s why it was so amazing! It was my first time seeing something like that!!”

“I see. Here are the macarons. Please eat them.”

“thanks!”

Yum!

Elena’s words do not end.

As if in an infinite loop, I hand her a macaron every time she finishes a story, and she eats the macaron and continues the story.

It’s cute to say that you like it like a child. I only passed it on once, but I didn’t know it would turn out like this.

what? Is it Requiem? Can’t I see the end of this conversation?

Elena’s mouth continued to flow non-stop like a broken faucet.

What the hell did the Deganom in the original work do to make such a talkative child so mute? Come to think of it, even in the original work, he wasn’t a male lead candidate, but when Elena had a conversation with a friend of the same sex, she seemed to talk a lot.

That friend was one of the few people Elena opened her heart to, and if so, it means that she feels so comfortable with me.

Although it is the complete opposite of what I want.

At some point, all the prepared macarons ran out. There are still other desserts left, but it’s clear that we won’t be able to leave this room today if we use this up. Now is the perfect time to stop and look around. I took the initiative in the conversation again to resolve yesterday’s curiosity.

“Elena. I have a question for you.”

“? Ah, ah… I just talked too much about myself. I’m sorry. I-I’m so excited…”

“No. It’s okay. Seeing Elena happy made me feel good too. But I have something to ask about our engagement.”

“Engagement? Ah! Come to think of it, when should we have our engagement ceremony?”

“Yes?”

what is this again

I put on a dumbfounded expression at her words, but Elena continued with a flushed face as if she hadn’t seen me like that.

“Spring would be nice, right? No, it should be in the spring! It’s been a dream of a long time since I had a ceremony surrounded by flowers in full bloom. I don’t know about other things, but the scenery is nice to see.”

“Eh? Yes? Uh, wait. Calm down for a moment, Elena.”

I barely stopped her, who was spitting out words like a runaway locomotive. If it was a little too late, he might have even heard of the 2-year-old plan with a body that hadn’t even come of age yet.

This is too rushed.

Even if I wanted to point out something, seeing her smiley face, I couldn’t guess what to say because it was sincere no matter how I looked at it. My heart, which should have been pounding normally, and the shady desire that always crawled out when I saw her face were weighed down by her force, leaving me with only embarrassment.

After thinking for a long time about how to talk to her, I decided to just go back to the original theory. It was unknown what kind of reaction it would be, given Elena’s personality, which seemed to have already changed a lot from the original, but I thought it would be better to say it coolly once in a while.

I was afraid of how that smiling face would change, but I still mustered up the courage to open my mouth.

“Elena. We haven’t talked clearly about our engagement yet. More than anything, it’s still too early for an engagement…”

“Yes?”

cold.

It was just one word, but the feeling it gave me was more than a blizzard blowing from the permafrost.

Her face, which had been shining with a warm smile like sunlight until just now, had turned into cold moonlight, and her body seemed to freeze just by looking into her eyes. A completely opposite voice called my name.

“Damian.”

“Yes, Elena.”

The weather was obviously warm, but her hand holding mine was as cold as ice. Elena continued to caress my hand, as if coveting its warmth, and I shivered at the cold that rode through it. I was never intimidated by her mood.

Her slender hands grew stronger and stronger. It didn’t hurt. Only the question remains why she is doing this to me.

But she told me as if she wouldn’t even give me a chance to think about it.

“Damian did that. He said he would respect my choice. And I chose to be engaged to you. Then, wouldn’t that be enough?”

The ice that seemed never to melt melted and the water fell.

Her frozen face was full of water, and the purple eyes looking at me shimmered with water droplets that seemed to overflow.

“But why are you saying that?”

it seems to break

Is it like thin ice that cracks even if you touch it lightly? Maybe I was fascinated by her somehow dangerous appearance, and I put words in my mouth that I thought I would never say.

“sorry.”

I grabbed her hand holding mine with both hands. It was still freezing cold, but I still have to catch it now. It seemed like it had to be done.

“I didn’t say that to make you feel insecure. It was just too sudden. I was just trying to say that we need some time to get to know each other. That’s all.”

I took her hand and pulled her into my arms.

The only thing I could do was to slowly pat her on the back as she slipped into my arms and wait for her to calm down. Her breath, felt against her chest, told her that she was gradually stabilizing.

There was a bright smile on her face as she held me in my arms like that, but it was inevitable that I felt mixed feelings when I saw her face like that.