"...What do you mean?"
Vermont might regret it, but I didn't intend to end it like this.
"There will always be a cozy room for cats to live in. I'm going to clean it every day."
He looked at me and spoke in protest in a sullen voice, and Vermont immediately asked.
"Of course, there will be snacks, right?"
"Of course!"
I thought the answer was close to the affirmative, so I quickly raised my head and answered.
Vermont tilted his head as if to think about it, and then muttered.
"I really can't do it to you."
"So... You're going to rest a little and come back, right? I often send letters in between."
I took advantage of his gap and asked him again.
A gentle breeze blew, and I could hear the rustling of leaves in the garden.
Just then, Vermont spoke. With a smile in harmony with nature.
"Yes, I'll be back."
Immediately, there was a popping sound.
It took me a long time to realize that he had returned to the Demon Realm right away.
"He's in a hurry."
I chanted quietly and stared at the place where Vermont had been standing for a long time.
I felt like I had a big hole in my chest. It was that empty.
I raised my hands high in the warm sunlight.
Thanks to his kindness to the end, the wounds he had inflicted every time Vermont was summoned had vanished without a trace.
Even the near ending was not so good.
***
I was left alone and walked around the garden a little longer, and then I returned to the greenhouse, where the party was in full swing.
However, there was an unexpected new face. Words came out of my mouth in surprise.
"Huh, you...!"
"Your Highness, the Grand Duchess Kronhardt."
He always has a smile on his face, and his voice is lightly playful. It was Tristan I hadn't seen in a long time.
"What's that title?"
It was a formal way of speaking, like a party with eyes to see. I responded with a lot of awkward respect.
He was very helpful from the beginning of the auction case involving the co-author.
Sometimes I thought of Tristan, but I thought that the confession I received on my wedding day had made our relationship spiral out of control.
The invitation to Francis was in the name of the family.
And Tristan was also a member of the family, so he could attend as much as he wanted.
I wanted to see him a little bit, but I didn't expect to see him.
Then my eyes fell to Tristan's side. An elegant-looking woman stood beside him, dressed in uniform.
When she made eye contact with me, she smiled slightly and bowed her head in greeting.
We exchanged greetings with each other.
I wondered, and Tristan smiled and said.
"My lover."
"Oh, what... It's really good."
A sigh erupted spontaneously.
I felt like the heavy burden that I had kept secretly in the back of my mind was gone.
That confession that day was so desperate that I was often worried.
"Well, did you know that I would never get married and die of old age alone?"
Tristan teased, as if it were a misunderstanding.
"Not really... I was worried that it would be like that."
I let out a sigh of relief several times. It would be a good thing if I were someone who passed by him like a light breeze.
Now I felt like I was the only one who had misunderstood.
I smiled and looked at them. I really wanted him to be happy.
"I'm just here to pick you up, so don't worry too much."
"Don't do that, it's okay to stay longer. I eat a lot of food."
It would be embarrassing for Tristan's lover to continue the conversation any longer.
He just kept his gratitude in his heart and said goodbye.
"You heard about the work of a Duke, right? I've been so grateful."
"I was grateful."
I don't know what he was thankful for, but I laughed.
I went back to Raphael, who greeted the other guests with a light heart.
I don't even know what kind of conversation took place behind the scenes as soon as I left.
***
"My brother is dead now. You don't have a woman to bring as a lover, so you asked your cousin to pretend to be your lover."
Tristan's cousin, Elena, snorted and laughed at him.
The fact that he, who is famous for being a troublemaker, had asked her to do such a thing, without much interaction, was worthy of ridicule.
"... I told you it was because I wasn't ready yet."
"How dare you have a crush on Her Highness the Grand Duchess? Oh my god, the liver is big."
Ignoring his sister's voice, Tristan stared at Enrica's backside.
He resented why it had to be that girl.
He knew better than anyone else why he was that woman.
"She looks so happy now."
"Well. His Highness will do a much better job than you."
Elena looked at her pathetic cousin's face and replied bitterly.
For the first time in his life, he even did this to make the other person feel at ease.
It was something she could never understand. Tristan tossed Elena's hair with his hands.
"Ugh, what are you doing!"
"That's enough. Let's go see her."
***
Perhaps because he had seen so many types of people he didn't usually deal with, Raphael had a slightly tired face.
"Oh, Enry..."
He smiled happily as I approached him, but his expression changed, and he asked.
"Who did you meet?"
"Eh, why?"
"It smells a little different than usual."
Is it an animal sense? I was so shocked that I thought about it.
But that didn't last long. It wasn't long ago that I decided to be friends without secrets from now on.
"Vermont has returned to the Demon Realm. After that, I met Tristan... In fact, on our wedding day, he had confessed that he wanted to leave with me."
I admired his honesty without even seeing Raphael's expression.
"Of course, I refused at the time, but now that I'm watching him, he has a new lover. It's a good thing."
As soon as I finished speaking, I looked up at Raphael's face.
'Oh, no. It's a big deal.'
It was the first time I had seen him so much that I immediately thought of it.
'After all, I needed a proper secret!'
No, I thought it was too early to regret it. I made excuses.
"That... On the wedding day, we weren't both in a hurry to talk right away, and we were really busy after that. I had almost forgotten."
"I see."
Raphael replied in a stiff sentence and turned his back again. Embarrassed, I grabbed Raphael's sleeve.
"Where are you going now?"
"Aren't you done with what you have to say?"
This was the first time he had ever had such an attitude. I decided it was a big emergency, so I looked around.
I had just returned, but I thought it would be okay to leave for a while. I quickly grabbed Raphael's hand and walked out of the greenhouse.
"...What are you doing?"
Even as I was hurrying to the garden, I was scared to hear a voice from behind me.
I went to a place where there were no people at all, took Raphael's hand, and sat down on the grass. It was the same place where I had been asked to marry Raphael a few months earlier.
Before I knew it, the sun was starting to set. When I go back, the party will be over soon.
But I couldn't spend the end of the party with the angry Raphael. I asked, glancing at him.
"Were you very upset? I've never seen you so angry."
I asked him gently, but I didn't get an answer.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, but you must have been very offended."
It was still silent. I didn't know because I had never seen Raphael angry before, but I guess he tends to shut up when he gets angry.
I thought I shouldn't do that, but I started to get frustrated.
I grabbed Raphael's arm and forced him to turn it around to make eye contact.
"What, how... Ugh."
His eyes were red. I waved my arms in embarrassment.
"Huh, no. That's it."
"I'm not angry. I'm anxious."
Raphael finally confided in himself. I also looked at him with a puzzle, but after a while, I realized.
Yes, he was this kind of man. An idiot who lives without knowing that he is good.
The solution was easy and clear. I tilted my head for now.
As soon as I kissed him lightly, I could see the corners of his mouth loosen slightly.
"I only love Raphael. It's always been like that. Can you hear my heart right now?"
It's a bit childish, but if you praise him like this, he'll feel better.
"You were the most handsome person at the party."
I shrugged my shoulders and felt good... Whoops.
Sure enough, after a while, Raphael closed my mouth with his lips, and I was still speaking for a long time.
"..."
After a while, he removed his overlapping lips and lifted me up.
"I'm sorry. I caused trouble."
Then he opened his mouth as if to apologize profusely, and I giggled.
"If you're sorry, go back to the greenhouse quickly. They might be looking for us."
I meant to lower the arm that was holding me, but Raphael shook his head.
"I'm going to go on like this."
"What?"
"I'm going to go like this and tell everyone that I love you. Don't let such an incident happen again."
What did you just say?
It was something that Raphael had never imagined due to his heavy personality. Because of that, I could tell that he was serious.
"No! Please drop me off!"
I struggled in the air.
[End]
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