69 – The princess is deep in thought.

A delicacy that will break your legs in front of you.

Until now, I hadn’t visited the Duke’s residence in Valencia and had tasteless food, but it was the first time that such a delicacy was served.

“It seems that the chef put a lot of effort into it because of rumors that Gongja-nim has been ill recently.”

The full story of the delicacy incident that flows from Dorothy’s mouth.

My prediction that everyone in this mansion seemed to know that I had a cold seemed to come true.

From Dorothy, Rebecca’s exclusive maid, to the chef at the Duke of Valencia’s residence, whom I highly praised, seeing how they treat me in this way.

“······Really? I’m fine now.”

On the one hand, the seeds of doubt about whether I had done something worthy of this kind of treatment also bloomed.

In fact, the only thing I’ve managed to do is to catch a cold from fussing over and worrying the people around me.

On the contrary, he made the princess, who is like the owner of this house, suffer.

I wondered if I deserved such a great treatment.

“······Do nothing else and just eat.”

“····.”

“I’m going to get sick again if I don’t eat again.”

Rebecca’s cold voice, heard later, was enough to cool the overflowing emotion.

If it was Rebecca, who has been warming up to me lately, she would have just let it go. It was clear that she was still holding on to the things she had been teased by me until now.

“·············The lady is worried about Young master, so she’s doing it for no reason.”

“Yes, Young master. Do you know how surprised Rebecca was when she heard that Young master had a cold?”

As I continue my pointless snowball fight with Rebecca, I hear Dorothy’s low voice and the Duchess’s voice supporting it.

“Mother, what is that…”

It was only natural that Rebecca rebelled against the voice that was helping her partner rather than helping herself.

Rebecca at least thought her mother and her maid would help her.

“Did this mother say something wrong? As soon as she heard that Prince Xernias was ill, didn’t she stir-fry this mother saying that she would go to the count’s house immediately?”

“····.”

Even if the backlash didn’t help the situation at all.

She whispered softly to Rebecca, who couldn’t say anything, blushing little by little.

“······Sometimes you insisted that you weren’t worried. In the end, it turned out that you were worried.”

“····.”

“As expected, it was strange. How the hell did I find out about a cold that I hadn’t even told you about? You came to me right away like that and gave me a key…”

“Wait a minute!”

Tup-

My mouth, wanting to say something more, was blocked by Rebecca’s hand, who approached me very urgently.

“······Stop, stop talking.”

“····.”

“I’ll admit I was worried. Don’t tell me any more.”

Nothing else, she was just bringing up what she had done herself, but Rebecca’s cheeks were already flushed as if she had been shamed.

“My God, my God.”

“·······hehehehe.”

If two people who are expected to be very light-mouthed are watching with their eyes wide open, and making such a bold contact, how on earth do they not want others to know that they kissed me?

Well, Rebeccaini is cold internally and externally, but has the title of a genius princess who excels in all fields.

If it were revealed that he tried to cure his fiancé’s cold by transferring it with a kiss, the image he had maintained would be completely changed.

She is cold to others, but a princess who is infinitely affectionate towards her fiancé.

······Well, I think the second nickname is dozens of times better than the first.

Her party, Rebecca, might think otherwise. In this regard, as her broad-minded fiancé, it wouldn’t be bad for me to give in once in a while.

“Is there any benefit to me if I keep my mouth shut here?”

“····.”

“I don’t really care if it turns out that the princess kissed me directly.”

Of course, it is a horse that takes care of everything.

Situation like this doesn’t come easily. I couldn’t easily blow away this good opportunity that might give me the right to wish.

“······I have to do something to keep you quiet.”

Rebecca, who heard all of her whispers, squinted her eyes as if she was dumbfounded, but then she lowered her head as if she couldn’t help it and said her words.

“That’s right. What should the Princess do to keep me quiet?”

“What is that…”

“As some people say, I’m a fool who can’t even understand her fiancée’s heart.”

“····.”

Rebecca, who took back what she said in her past, shut her mouth as if she had nothing to say.

I put her mouth to Rebecca’s ear and whispered her words.

“I’ll see you now. Instead, I’ll tell you the conditions a little later, so you’re nervous.”

“······Okay. Please don’t say more.”

My fiancée cried because she had nowhere else to go and she had no choice but to accept the most unreasonable contract in the world.

What can I do?

That this was all brought on by himself.

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No one made Rebecca kiss me, and it was Rebecca’s own will that kissed me.

And because Rebecca, the person in charge of her, knew that fact better than anyone else, she didn’t say much and stayed still.

I didn’t mean that someone threatened to kiss me with a knife.

“······Young master, it’s great that Young master and Rebecca have a good relationship… But I want you to remember that they are not alone here.”

Maybe it’s because she put her nerves into making fun of Rebecca.

The Duchess, who had been watching me and the princess’s whispers, sighed.

“So. So what was Young master trying to say earlier?”

“······If that’s what I meant to say earlier…”

“You said only up to ‘key…’ And didn’t say anything more. What will you say after that?”

“I’m very sorry, but I can’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“Hasn’t the Duchess seen me whispering in her ear just now? This is a secret between me and the princess.”

It’s not easy to tell others.

The Duchess put on a disapproving expression after hearing me say that it would be difficult to tell.

The look on his face asking if he would tell me something interesting only made me want to tell him about Rebecca’s past.

“I’m sorry, Duchess. It’s about me and my fiancée.”

At least I wasn’t a fiancé who broke promises, so I didn’t fall for desire easily.

“······Well, it’s a pity that I’m curious, but… It’s okay, if that’s what Young master thinks.”

The Duchess also respected my judgment and seemed to go over it well.

“Thank you…”

“Instead, can you tell me for sure today? When are you going to get married?”

“····.”

“As Rebecca’s birthday is approaching, Gongja knows very well that now is the time to really think about it.”

Until the Duchess detonates a big bomb called ‘marriage’ just like the scene she experienced before.

Marriage.

A word that seems so far away, but if you look closely, it’s actually not that far away.

Three years have passed since Rebecca and I were engaged.

Considering that it was normal for nobles in an empire to get engaged after two to three years of engagement, it was quite late to think about getting married now.

The reason I didn’t think much about marriage until now was simple.

Because Rebecca only saw me as a must-win opponent, and I had to win somehow to keep my feelings from being discovered by her Rebecca.

It was between us who always moved our bodies first for the game rather than our feelings for each other.

In a way, it was only natural that I did not think of marriage even though I was in an engaged relationship.

But now it was different.

I was fully aware of my feelings and expressed them all along. Rebecca has also changed her behavior to the extent that she can feel her body as she has become aware of her own mind.

Although the story the Duchess brought out might not be the story she brought up after reading Rebecca’s feelings and her feelings, but as the Duchess said, it was time for both of them to seriously think about marriage.

“····.”

Even Rebecca, who would have challenged her own mother about what kind of marriage she would have had if she was usual, seemed to be lost in her own world as if she had something to think about.

To that extent, it was as if the meaning of the word ‘marriage’ had changed for us.

It was as if it meant that the time to really think about it had arrived.

“······The Duchess.”

“Why are you calling?”

“Can I stay overnight at the duke’s residence today?”

And the most important thing at this time was the conversation between each other.

Without a single lie or pretense mixed in. A sincere conversation full of only each other’s sincerity.

All the usual playfulness is gone, and a conversation full of seriousness about the future.

When I thought, what we needed most was a conversation like that.

“Of course. The Duchess of Valencia is always open to future sons-in-law.”

Befitting a duchess who wants me and the princess to be connected as quickly as possible, she readily accepted the rather sudden request to stay overnight.

“Thank you…”

“Instead, on condition that Young master sleeps in the same room as her future wife.”

“····.”

“I’m sure we’ll be staying in the same room in the future anyway. Doesn’t it really matter?”

With the additional condition of the Duchess, who has gone through too much now and is not surprised, with the logic of miracles.

In a very different sense, she was the mother-in-law of a good future.