Chapter 77

…Why is he suddenly acting so coy?!

While I froze in place, Dominic held my gaze and continued in a glum, indifferent tone.

“Then try asking me a few questions too.”

“Whaat?”

“Who knows? I might just tell you why Master is acting like that.”

Look at this kid?

I raised an eyebrow playfully.

Dominic, however, didn’t budge an inch.

In fact, wasn’t he looking back at me with eyes sparkling bright?

‘Wait, is he actually serious?’

He usually acted all grown-up, but deep down, he really did have a childish side, didn’t he?

Well, thirteen was still young, after all.

In the end, I opened my mouth, feeling a bit dubiously reluctant.

“Then… what time did you wake up this morning?”

“Hmm, five-thirty in the morning?”

Gasp.

The daily routine of a paladin cadet was truly brutal…

I could barely even open my eyes before seven in the morning.

Shaking my head internally, I tossed out another question.

“What did you eat?”

“Meat stew and black bread. Milk. An apple and a salad.”

Hmm, alright.

That’s pretty solid.

You have to eat well when you’re growing.

Nodding along, I carelessly let out whatever questions popped into my head.

“What’s your favorite snack?”

At that, Dominic let his eyebrows droop as if he felt deeply wronged.

“May, you don’t even know what my favorite snack is?”

“…Isn’t it chocolate?”

Dominic suddenly turned a bit pouting and sour. …Why on earth?!

“If you knew, why ask?”

Hey, you were the one who told me to ask!

And so, groaning internally, I squeezed my brain to wring out another question.

“I’m curious about what color you like.”

He chided me for this one too, telling me not to ask things I already knew. For the record, he liked blue.

“What’s your hobby?”

As expected of an Imperial Prince, his hobby was none other than reading. I hated reading books, though.

“Your specialty?”

There was no way not to know this one. Naturally, it was swordsmanship.

Having asked this far, my mind went completely blank.

‘What do I do? I’ve totally run out of questions…’

Wait, why did I end up in a position where I was showering Dominic with all sorts of questions in the first place?

I just wanted to ask about Brother Adrian’s bright red ears!

Meanwhile, Dominic watched me intently as I floundered, unsure of what to do, until—

“Pfft, ahaha!”

He suddenly burst into loud laughter. …This brat?!

“What? Why are you laughing?”

I glared at Dominic with a sullen pout.

Yet Dominic showed no signs of stopping his laughter at all.

Instead, he kept peeking at my thoroughly annoyed face out of the corner of his eye, chuckling again…

“Gosh, are you really going to be like this?!”

Only after I shouted that out loud did Dominic barely manage to stop laughing.

Wiping away a tear that had gathered at the corner of his eye, he spoke.

“Because, May, you have such an utterly silly look on your face.”

“That’s all because of you, Dominic!”

Astonished, I stomped my feet in frustration.

Just then.

Dominic added in a soft, gentle tone.

“Still, I mean it when I say I want you to pay a little more attention to me, too.”

“…”

For a moment, I found myself strangely lost for words.

Why was that?

The way Dominic spoke to me, his tone and voice, mirrored Brother Adrian calling for Sister Sabina earlier.

That soft voice, light as downy feathers, somehow…

Kept tickling my heart.

‘Huh?’

I had no idea how to respond.

I merely parted my lips slightly without a sound.

At the same time, Dominic shrugged and changed the subject.

“You asked about Master’s reaction earlier, right?”

“…Yeah!”

Snapping out of it a moment late, I quickly nodded.

Dominic continued in a quiet, steady voice.

“There will be a reception at the Duke’s wedding too, right?”

“I… guess so?”

Of course there would be.

It would be even weirder if a massive wedding like that didn’t have a reception.

“You know my Master.”

Dominic casually asked me back.

“At that reception, isn’t he acting like that because he wants to ask Lady Sabina to be his partner?”

Ah!

In an instant, my eyes widened in realization.

***

A short while later.

Sister Sabina and I visited the Winder Marquisate for the first time in a while.

“It has been a while, May.”

The Young Lady of the Winder Marquisate, who welcomed us, offered a warm smile.

“So, are you getting along well with your friends?”

“Yes!”

I nodded promptly.

That was right.

Ever since that play festival, I had actually made some friends!

In particular, Brianna, who used to be so prickly, had now turned into my absolute shadow.

Whenever our friend group gathered, she would stick right next to me!

“Now, as for why I invited Lady Sabina today…”

And so, after sharing light conversation over delicious refreshments, the Young Lady of the Marquisate finally brought up her main topic.

“I’d like to give the guests a special memory at this wedding reception.”

She continued gently.

“So, would it be alright if I asked for Lady Sabina’s help?”

“For me?”

Sister Sabina couldn’t hide her surprised expression.

My jaw dropped as well.

‘Woah, my sister?!’

This was a chance to be involved in the wedding of the Ducal couple.

That meant the Ducal family was publicly demonstrating how much they trusted Sister Sabina—to the point of entrusting her with a matter as grand as a wedding!

‘Just ‘Sister Sabina’ and ‘Sister Sabina who has ties with the Valencia Ducal House’ are entirely different.’

Others wouldn’t dare act hostile toward her easily, if only out of caution toward the Ducal house, right?

Just like what happened during the play earlier!

‘I’ve felt this for a while now, but…’

I looked at the Young Lady with sparkling eyes.

‘Sister Elizabeth is truly so thoughtful.’

Sister Sabina seemed to have noticed that aspect as well.

Her usual stern, expressionless face was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a radiant smile.

“I will gladly accept. Thank you.”

At that moment.

The Young Lady suddenly wore a playful, mischievous smile… Huh?

My eyes widened in curiosity.

She replied in a playful tone.

“There’s no need to thank me. Truthfully, someone else asked this favor of me separately.”

Could it be?

I instinctively glanced up at my sister.

She also had a look that said, ‘By any chance…?’

Sister Sabina asked carefully.

“Someone asked you separately?”

“Yes, there is such a person.”

However, the Young Lady seemed to have no intention of giving an answer, quickly switching the topic with a brightly smiling face.

“Setting that aside, about our wedding reception.”

“Yes?”

“Who have you decided to go with as your partner?”

“Ah.”

For a rare moment, my sister looked flustered.

“I haven’t… really thought about that yet.”

Then, the Young Lady began to gaze at my sister intently.

“Is that so~?”

Her eyes sparkled so delightfully that cold sweat broke out on Sister Sabina’s forehead.

“Um, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just because.”

After answering, the Young Lady gently narrowed her eyes in a smile.

“This is just my guess, though. But right about now, isn’t someone worrying themselves sick over this?”

“Worrying…?”

“Yeees.”

With that reply, she said no more, offering only a sly, knowing smile.