Chapter 139

Rodella finally succeeded in shutting Cecilia’s mouth this time.

“Huh?”

Aivert raised his eyebrows, but Rodella shook her head back and forth.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Hmm.”

Cecilia crossed her arms.

Then she smiled at both of them.

“A merchant doesn’t give favors without a price.”

Rodella, understanding the meaning, hurriedly proposed.

“I’ll do my best to broaden my trade with your company as much as possible within my authority.”

Is it okay to make a backroom deal like this? But since it’s not about price adjustment, maybe it’s fine?

Anything is better than that embarrassing situation where she says those words… in front of Aivert!

“What in the world is it?”

Cecilia said to the curious Aivert.

“Same for you. If I hadn’t made the connection, she’d still be wandering around.”

That was true.

Aivert slightly nodded his head.

“I’ll repay you for sure.”

It felt like it had become a dark backstreet deal.

“So, when did you two start officially dating?”

Cecilia slyly asked.

At those words, Rodella suddenly blushed.

‘When can I say that I started to like you?’

His words came to mind.

When did we… No, the answer Cecilia wants isn’t when we started to like each other.

Rodella, barely regaining her composure, said.

“During the holiday.”

“I knew it, it was during the holiday! How, how did it happen?”

A story about someone else’s love life is, by nature, the most fun!

To the sparkling-eyed Cecilia, Rodella finally opened her mouth.

“Actually, well, I had a bit of a hard time in the middle…”

Aivert thought Rodella only saw him as a friend, so he didn’t dare to approach her.

And Rodella, even after realizing her feelings, tried to distance herself, thinking Aivert would be at a disadvantage because of her.

Rodella told the story.

Since the contract engagement was a secret to others, it was a story that could only be told inside this carriage.

And the conclusion of Cecilia, who had heard the whole story, was this.

“The conclusion is a lack of communication, isn’t it? The person watching was so frustrated they thought they’d die! What? A relationship where you can’t even be friends? Noooooo!”

Cecilia, in her frustration, finally flung the window open.

It was an especially cold day, but it seemed she couldn’t stand the stuffiness without doing so.

Rodella, who had nothing to say, and Aivert, who also rarely had anything to argue about, just looked at each other and laughed.

***

Rodella’s birthday party was attended not only by Cecilia but also by Lady Royden, Count and Countess Syveric, and even Latine and Ameris.

The number of people was small, but the party was significant in the weight of the individual titles and power of those present.

Of course, since it was a gathering of people who didn’t like to show off their authority, it wasn’t apparent.

“You three came together?”

“Yep, we got on the carriage together so we wouldn’t be late. I’m sorry to interrupt a couple’s time.”

As Cecilia bowed her head, laughter erupted among the adults.

“There are things only friends can talk about.”

Latine shrugged his shoulders.

“It seems the two of you had a quite enjoyable time…”

Lady Royden also smiled.

This was because Rodella’s face was flushed, and the smile on Aivert’s face had not yet faded.

“You must have had a very interesting conversation. What was it?”

Ameris twirled the glass she was holding and slyly asked.

“Oh, um, it was nothing much. It’s nothing the five of you need to worry about at all…”

Rodella waved her hands.

To tell the story from the carriage, she would have to expose the fact that ‘we weren’t actually dating until recently!’ to these people, so it was something she could never say.

“Hmm.”

Ameris looked curious but couldn’t find the right timing to ask further.

“My daughter!”

Countess Syveric, who had gotten up from her seat, came to hug her tightly.

Next to her, of course, was Count Syveric.

“You were hurt, where is the injury?”

“It’s all healed.”

Fortunately, she was told there would be no scars. It was thanks to the power of doctors and magical artifacts.

Rodella showed her arm, rotating it vigorously.

“You were hurt though.”

Count Syveric narrowed his eyes.

“The ship exploded, of course, she was hurt. Oh my, my daughter…”

While Countess Syveric was worried, Count Syveric clenched his fists.

“I’ll just get that Duke Benerix!”

He looked like he was about to wildly swing a sword if they were in an open field.

Rodella waved her hand at the killing intent heading far away.

“He’s a man who’s going to die anyway.”

Duke Benerix’s execution date was coming soon.

The Emperor had said he would begin to change the empire with the execution of Duke Benerix.

And it seemed as if he had pierced through the very thing Duke Benerix hated the most, as if he were a true blood relative.

“I hear the execution will be made public to the imperial citizens?”

“They’ll tie him up in the square for three days.”

He would become a spectacle for the imperial citizens he hated and looked down on, and then be executed in the most lowly manner.

After that, the Emperor declared that he would be just with rewards as he was with punishment.

Of course, the families that would receive the biggest rewards were the Roydens and the Syverics.

“Speaking of which, His Majesty the Emperor asked if we would be interested in having a territory near the capital.”

The Countess said next to Count Syveric, who was trying to calm down.

Rodella blinked.

“Near the capital?”

Rodella knew her mother disliked social gatherings and the like.

Would she want to come?

As expected, Count Syveric shook his head.

“I said we appreciate the offer, but we would prefer to stay in Syveric.”

“The Emperor must have been quite pleased.”

At those words, Aivert said.

While Ameris laughed and Latine tilted his head as if to say, ‘Is that so?’, Count Syveric nodded.

“He said he would grant a different, significant reward along with a marquisate, and we couldn’t refuse that.”

He held out his hand.

“He said if we ever wanted to move near the capital, we should just say the word.”

At those words, Rodella laughed.

“The mom and dad I know would never come.”

Countess Syveric nodded.

“I can’t stand noisy things. I probably wouldn’t have married your father if he were from the capital.”

Hearing that for the first time, Count Syveric’s expression hardened.

“What?”

“Syveric is quiet and nice, isn’t it? I accepted your proposal after falling for the hill in front of the mansion.”

Count Syveric, with a thoroughly flustered face, pointed to himself.

“It wasn’t because of me?”

“That much?”

She said ‘a little,’ but she spread her arms wide to make a big circle.

At the Countess Syveric’s wit, laughter erupted from all sides, including Count Syveric himself.

“By the way, when are you two getting married?”

As the laughter subsided, Latine asked, going with the flow.

“I know, it’s very late.”

Ameris, who knew everything, added a word as if she didn’t know.

“You really need to set a date now. I feel like I’m going to shrivel up from waiting.”

With Lady Royden’s words added, there was no way to avoid an answer.

The two looked at each other.

Normally, they would have had to give a perfectly natural-sounding answer because they had to act, but not now.

The two were truly in a difficult position because they hadn’t discussed it.

‘What should I say?’

Since they couldn’t tell the truth that they hadn’t even thought about it, Aivert finally answered.

“When we are ready.”

“That’s always your answer, honestly.”

Just as Lady Royden was pouting.

A flustered Rodella waved her hands.

“This time it’s for real.”

And a few seconds of silence followed her words.

…Oh no.

Rodella’s mind went blank.

“This time? So it wasn’t until now? Is something wrong…?”

It was probably not a coincidence that Lady Royden’s face turned pale.

“No, no, that’s not it!”

Rodella shook her head incredibly fast.

“We love each other! We are so in love, there’s no way we’ll break up, and we’re looking forward to getting married, we just need to set a date!”

‘So please don’t faint!’

As Rodella spewed out her words, Aivert, who had approached Lady Royden, quickly supported her.

“Is that really true?”

Lady Royden asked in a pathetically trembling voice.

And next to her, Aivert, who had confirmed his mother was safe, smiled.

He clearly liked the words she had just blurted out.

Rodella, her face bright red, finally nodded.

“Y-yes, of course.”

It wasn’t a lie… well, it was the truth.

And Latine, who was watching the two of them, whispered to Ameris.

“You said they weren’t dating before. I knew this would happen. Were you just teasing me again?”

Ameris smiled sweetly at his words.

“So… are you upset that they worked out?”

“Of course not.”

Latine shrugged his shoulders.

“This is the best time.”

He sighed.

“From friends to lovers…”

‘How romantic.’ He was nodding his head.

Ameris said, as if tossing out a casual remark.

“I know, I’m jealous.”

Coincidentally, Latine, who could be called Ameris’s friend in this situation, paused.

And he looked back at Ameris.

“Huh?”

Latine himself knew that she didn’t have many people she considered friends.

‘Who could Ameris be dating?’

“I said I’m jealous.”

Ameris said, looking straight at him.

Latine blinked a few times.

“…Huh?”

‘Why… are you staring at me like that?’

‘But did Ameris have any male friends besides me?’

Just as he was belatedly reaching a conclusion, Ameris whispered in his ear.

“Why? Do you not like me?”

How many times did the lingering echo of those words reverberate in his head before…

—Thud.

Latine dropped the fork he was holding.