76 – Counterattack

Giving up makes me feel better. Or, admitting it puts you at ease.

The moment you eat comfortably, everything in the world feels comfortable.

I don’t know who came up with that. It was easy to see that the person who coined this sentence was a very brilliant person.

Hwiik-

“Oh.”

“As expected, my lady is the best.”

As proof of that, the blue blade that was swung along with the admiration of the Valencian Knights was the most outstanding among Rebecca’s swords I’ve ever seen.

“······That’s amazing.”

“Sure.”

Has it been said that when you witness a person who is so outstanding that you can feel the difference in rank, you feel awe rather than jealousy or inferiority complex?

That’s how I feel right now.

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Not a sloppy feeling like inferiority or jealousy, but a sense of awe that such an outstanding person exists, and pride that such an outstanding person is my lover.

I wonder if my mind grew along with Rebecca’s swordsmanship skills.

“······Young master. Your ears will be caught in your mouth.”

“Huh?”

“I know you like your fiancée, but… I want you to remember that there are many knights here who are forced to live like widowers because they are dedicated to their work.”

“····.”

Of course, as Hans said, giving me advice with a rotten expression, I could be simply out of luck.

“Hans.”

“Yes, Gongja.”

“Is ‘forced’ correct?”

“····.”

Well, it wasn’t that important.

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No matter what others say, the fact that ‘Rebecca Valencia’ is my fiancée doesn’t change.

I don’t have to worry about Hans, a knight of the Duke of Valencia who subtly reminds me of our pitiful protagonist, the crown prince.

Leaving behind Hans’ heavy eyes full of resentment, I headed for Rebecca, who had finished training, holding the towel I had received from Dorothy in advance.

“It was wonderful.”

“Why did you come out when I told you to wait inside?”

“Do you think I will miss the opportunity to observe the beauty of my fiancée whom I love after a long time?”

“····.”

Rebecca’s face started to turn red as soon as she heard the word ‘I love you’.

My cheeks, which had already flushed from the intense training, turned even redder, to the point where I was worried that they might burst at any moment.

“When will you get used to it?”

“How do you get used to that?”

“Won’t you get used to it if you listen to it a lot or talk about it yourself?”

“What is that…”

“You’re already hearing a lot because of me, so if you talk a lot in person, you’ll get used to it soon.”

“····.”

Chill-

A look that felt several times more powerful than Hans’s resentful gaze was directed at me.

If you’re the first person to see Rebecca Valencia, she originally had that kind of expression added to her cold impression, so she was scared enough to look at her.

“If you stare at me like that, I won’t do it today.”

A person who knows the truth better than anyone else, so to me, even those scary eyes seemed cute in the world.

“····.”

Rebecca withdrew her eyes when she said she wouldn’t do it today.

It must be because of her feelings that she began to have a strange feeling that she had become an adult who seduces children with candy.

“Give me your hand.”

“Do I look like a pet?”

“So you won’t catch me?”

“······No.”

Feeling a little bit of a sense of guilt rising up, I left the Valencia Duke family’s gymnasium while holding Rebecca’s hand tightly.

***

After Rebecca was honest about her feelings, her treatment of me in the Duke of Valencia began to change little by little.

“Oh, isn’t it Prince Albert?”

“······What’s wrong, butler. Feel free. Do it as usual.”

“No. How can I disrespect my lady’s partner?”

That doesn’t mean I was treated badly. Should I express that the hospitality has become a little better?

Before, I had a strong feeling as a ‘guest’, but now that the handling has changed, I definitely feel like seeing them as a ‘family’ from the future.

“Brother! Fighting today!”

“You are also Hwai…”

“Don’t get sick! Don’t make my lady cry! Make sure my lady is happy!”

“····.”

Of course, it’s true that there are times when I think that interest is a bit excessive.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a question mark in my head.

I don’t think they advertised that I was told to kiss Rebecca.

I’m sure I wasn’t advertising that I was determined to marry Rebecca after all.

How the hell did all the servants and everyone in the duchy know that my relationship with Rebecca had changed?

Rebecca isn’t the type to brag about things like this. I’m sure there won’t be anything worth taking…

“······Princess.”

“Why?”

“Can you tell me how long you’ve been wearing the ring I gave you?”

“······Continued.

“····.”

Did you say that it is dark under the lamp? The cause was closer than expected.

That my foolish and cute fiancee never took the ring I gave her off her finger.

“You mean when you go to bed?”

“Yes.”

Even before going to sleep, maybe even after going to sleep.

“····.”

After knowing the truth, it made sense that all the servants of the duchy knew about it.

It’s not like Rebecca usually likes to wear accessories like rings.

If their young lady, who didn’t like accessories very much, was wearing a ring she hadn’t seen all day, it would be abnormal for her not to feel anything strange about it.

Besides, Rebecca’s relationships aren’t that wide.

It would have been easy to figure out that the unidentified ring that their lady was wearing came from none other than the lady’s fiancé’s hand.

“······Why are you looking at me like that?”

Maybe it’s because I was looking at it with an expression that I realized too much. Rebecca, perhaps feeling a strange displeasure in my expression, began to make a sullen expression.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me. You must have looked at me with a mean expression again.”

“······Now you’re trying to judge whether my expression is nasty just by looking at it?”

“Of course. How many times have I seen that expression on your face?”

“····.”

Could Rebecca of the past have predicted that she would say something like that to herself now.

It occurred to her that it would be difficult for her to even imagine beyond what she could possibly do at all.

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Not much time has passed since Rebecca admitted her feelings, but sometimes I am surprised by how much Rebecca has changed from her past.

It was amazing that a small word called love or sympathy could have such great power.

As I stared at myself without answering anything, Rebecca continued her story.

“······So, why did you really look at me like that?”

“It’s really no big deal.”

“So tell me, even if it’s not that big of a deal.”

Because I’m curious.

I just wanted to pass by. My fiancee seemed unwilling to let me pass.

I pondered for a while whether I could bring out the words I was thinking of right now.

She doesn’t get into trouble just by speaking up, she just decided to speak up.

“It was because my fiancée was so cute.”

“·······Yes?”

Rebecca finally heard her urging with her own two ears.

She looks like she heard something she couldn’t hear, looks like she’s hearing something wrong.

“Isn’t it cute? The ring her fiancé gave her was so precious that she slept cuddling it all night.”

“····.”

But that didn’t mean the unfamiliar words that started to flow out of my mouth went back.

“It’s just a simple engagement ring. I’m not stupid and I don’t know why they value it so much.”

“····.”

“Do you like the ring I gave you that much?”

On the contrary, it could be said that if it got worse, it got worse.

Like the more you attack, the more tips you accumulate. If you tease your fiancée, it’s a matter of course that the more she gets, the better she gets.

And then, I thought Rebecca here would blush on her face and not be able to say her any more.

So far Rebecca has always been, and although she sometimes goes beyond my expectations, she never goes further than I imagined.

“······Ah.”

“Yes? I didn’t hear you properly…”

“I like it. This ring you gave me as a gift.”

However, this time was different from usual.

Even when Rebecca blushed instead of lowering her head in embarrassment, she was looking confidently into my eyes.

“I loved the ring you put on me yourself, and I hated taking it off.”

“·······That.”

“Is this not enough of an answer?”

“····.”

In that situation, I could only slowly shake my head, as if I had been possessed by the red eyes and slightly moving lips.

“Now it’s my turn.”

“····.”

“You say that to me, why does the ring stay where I put it?”

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Now it was Rebecca’s turn to attack.