Reiner clicked his tongue.
"Honestly, wasn't this the result you expected? You didn't give her a heads-up, and you didn't even interact often. To propose out of the blue as soon as she became an adult—does the timing even make sense?"
“…”
“Anyone can see that you look like a pervert who has been harboring sinister thoughts about a minor girl, waiting for her to grow up so you could kidnap her!”
Yeah, if people who don't know see it, they naturally have no choice but to think that way.
Four days before this incident occurred.
So... just as the Emperor was about to bring up the topic of a marriage alliance.
“The reason I intend to have you as the Princess's bodyguard is...”
Nike knew what choice he had to make for the Empire.
He knew it very well...
But he just knew it.
"Your Majesty, since I have passed the age of marriage, I believe it is time for me to discuss an engagement. In fact, I have someone I am engaged to."
Nike thought it was fortunate that he spoke before even hearing the Emperor's command.
Unlike before the regression, there was no need to reverse a marriage proposal that had already been accepted. He could have made it impossible for them to even speak of it from the very beginning.
Naturally, the Emperor was surprised and asked who it was.
Now that things have turned out this way, Nike, seeing no need to hide it any longer, was about to mention Vania's name without hesitation.
"Wait, wait! Stop, Nike!"
His older brother hurriedly stopped him. Once again, it was his grateful brother's job to clean up the mess. That was how Nike was able to leave the imperial palace.
"I'm so curious I can't stand it anymore, so please tell me what you're thinking."
Rainer, who had come this far with him while still being wild, asked.
"Are you serious? Did you really harbor feelings for Lady Belzer and propose? It's not some kind of disguise to deceive His Majesty the Emperor, is it for real?"
"My proposal is sincere. However, I haven't harbored any romantic feelings for Vania. I'm making this clear so you don't misunderstand."
"Yes, of course I should. I'll believe you. Then, under what circumstances did you arrive at the crazy idea of proposing?"
“To be honest, I didn't intend to rush like this either...”
"By any chance, appearance?"
"What?"
“The reason Your Highness is suddenly making advances toward Lady Belzer.”
Reiner looked up in admiration, as if thinking of Vania.
"To be honest, I didn't know she was that beautiful, so I was a bit surprised too. Her beauty was shocking."
“…”
"Maybe it's because it's been a while? I didn't recognize her at first. I felt like the capital would be turned upside down once she debuted in high society. She is indeed a rare beauty."
"You looked really closely."
"Why am I looking so closely again? I have eyes, and she's right in front of me, so I just looked. You're being too sensitive."
He can't help but be sensitive. Wasn't Reiner the one who fell head over heels for Vania after she saved her life, even before the regression?
"Then go around with your eyes closed."
Nike, feeling angry for no reason, ran his hand over Reiner's eye as if to hit it.
Honestly... that's right. In the year they hadn't seen each other, Vania had become a beauty that no one could deny.
How surprised he was the moment they reunited.
He was so dazed he couldn't even speak, just like those pathetic men. He kept stealing glances, but he couldn't even make eye contact, afraid he might drool like an idiot.
He lived thinking he was the type who wasn't easily moved by beauty or ugliness, but he turned out to be a snob no different from the rest of them...
"No!"
"Surprise!"
"That's not it. My older brother ordered it. I just followed orders."
"Yes?"
How dare you make such a pathetic excuse by blaming your brother!
Nike was embarrassed, but he couldn't help it.
Doesn't it seem like he just blurted out a proposal because Vania was surprisingly beautiful?
And, indeed, the Crown Prince was actually urging it.
"Leave the rest to me, and while you're there, go propose."
"Yes?"
"Weren't you the one who wanted to do it with Vania anyway?"
Nike was flustered, but isn't his brother someone who always has a plan?
He likely intended to take this opportunity to resolve the situation at the same time he was facing pressure from his father to marry.
'And me too...'
He thought it was urgent, but since the result was going to happen anyway, he wondered if he could skip the process.
"Why... why? Why Belzer? I mean, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was always someone who planned the big picture, but..."
Reiner tilted his head as if he couldn't understand or say.
"But you got rejected, what should I do?"
"Why do you think I got rejected?"
"Did you think you wouldn't get rejected?!"
Reiner was shocked.
"Did you perhaps just go for it with the guts of thinking, 'But I'm royalty, after all'? Like,' Surely she wouldn't reject me'? Did you think everyone would fall for it if you just used your power?”
“That's not it...”
"Lady Belzer is still too young to know the ways of the world. She is at an age where she would prefer a kind older brother from next door to a Prince living in the palace whom she has barely met."
"..."
"She hardly wants to give up a peaceful life on the estate to enter the Imperial Palace, where there's so much to worry about. Belzer, how great is it? There are more people now, and it's bustling with tall, handsome young men of her age."
Suddenly, Nike frowned.
Reiner spoke at length, but only the parts about the 'kind older brother next door' and the 'handsome young man of the same age' stood out particularly loudly.
The question of why Vania hadn't met him for a whole year welled up in his mind again.
It's not that he didn't worry that he might have changed his mind.
"I don't like it. Like this, suddenly..."
Vania refused while crying.
Even though it was sudden, it was a proposal she was bound to receive eventually, so she wondered what the reason was for such a reaction.
If?
"Reiner."
Nike choked up at the sudden ominous suspicion.
"Why?"
"So what if one person in a relationship avoids meetings for a whole year without even giving a reason? You have the right to ask for an explanation, and if you don't understand, it is justified to get angry, right?"
"Suddenly? But why get angry? It's just grounds for a breakup. Who ghosts someone for a whole year in a relationship? It's not like they're a deep-sea fish."
That's right.
He should have asked this properly first after meeting Vania, but the order was wrong.
Nike had thought that there was an implicit agreement regarding his relationship with Vania.
They aren't lovers yet, but they will become lovers anyway.
In that case, Vania cannot be like this.
He stood up with a solemn expression.
"I'm sorry, but I need to demand the truth from Vania right now."
Nike couldn't have done this to me.
He said he would wait for me, so I believed him. Even if he has no memory of loving me, he made a promise, so it is a matter of trust.
From then on, our relationship was practically a tacit agreement.
We can't hold hands, hug, or kiss right now, but we've agreed to do all of those things later. That kind of relationship.
And after all that, how could Nike...
"Are you really not going to tell me why you cried? You aren't in pain, are you?"
Lindsey, who was fixing my smudged eye makeup, asked worriedly.
"No. I just heard a sad story."
"Honestly, wasn't this the result you expected? You didn't give her a heads-up, and you didn't even interact often. To propose out of the blue as soon as she became an adult—does the timing even make sense?"
“…”
“Anyone can see that you look like a pervert who has been harboring sinister thoughts about a minor girl, waiting for her to grow up so you could kidnap her!”
Yeah, if people who don't know see it, they naturally have no choice but to think that way.
Four days before this incident occurred.
So... just as the Emperor was about to bring up the topic of a marriage alliance.
“The reason I intend to have you as the Princess's bodyguard is...”
Nike knew what choice he had to make for the Empire.
He knew it very well...
But he just knew it.
"Your Majesty, since I have passed the age of marriage, I believe it is time for me to discuss an engagement. In fact, I have someone I am engaged to."
Nike thought it was fortunate that he spoke before even hearing the Emperor's command.
Unlike before the regression, there was no need to reverse a marriage proposal that had already been accepted. He could have made it impossible for them to even speak of it from the very beginning.
Naturally, the Emperor was surprised and asked who it was.
Now that things have turned out this way, Nike, seeing no need to hide it any longer, was about to mention Vania's name without hesitation.
"Wait, wait! Stop, Nike!"
His older brother hurriedly stopped him. Once again, it was his grateful brother's job to clean up the mess. That was how Nike was able to leave the imperial palace.
"I'm so curious I can't stand it anymore, so please tell me what you're thinking."
Rainer, who had come this far with him while still being wild, asked.
"Are you serious? Did you really harbor feelings for Lady Belzer and propose? It's not some kind of disguise to deceive His Majesty the Emperor, is it for real?"
"My proposal is sincere. However, I haven't harbored any romantic feelings for Vania. I'm making this clear so you don't misunderstand."
"Yes, of course I should. I'll believe you. Then, under what circumstances did you arrive at the crazy idea of proposing?"
“To be honest, I didn't intend to rush like this either...”
"By any chance, appearance?"
"What?"
“The reason Your Highness is suddenly making advances toward Lady Belzer.”
Reiner looked up in admiration, as if thinking of Vania.
"To be honest, I didn't know she was that beautiful, so I was a bit surprised too. Her beauty was shocking."
“…”
"Maybe it's because it's been a while? I didn't recognize her at first. I felt like the capital would be turned upside down once she debuted in high society. She is indeed a rare beauty."
"You looked really closely."
"Why am I looking so closely again? I have eyes, and she's right in front of me, so I just looked. You're being too sensitive."
He can't help but be sensitive. Wasn't Reiner the one who fell head over heels for Vania after she saved her life, even before the regression?
"Then go around with your eyes closed."
“Ouch!”
Honestly... that's right. In the year they hadn't seen each other, Vania had become a beauty that no one could deny.
How surprised he was the moment they reunited.
He was so dazed he couldn't even speak, just like those pathetic men. He kept stealing glances, but he couldn't even make eye contact, afraid he might drool like an idiot.
He lived thinking he was the type who wasn't easily moved by beauty or ugliness, but he turned out to be a snob no different from the rest of them...
"No!"
"Surprise!"
"That's not it. My older brother ordered it. I just followed orders."
"Yes?"
How dare you make such a pathetic excuse by blaming your brother!
Nike was embarrassed, but he couldn't help it.
Doesn't it seem like he just blurted out a proposal because Vania was surprisingly beautiful?
And, indeed, the Crown Prince was actually urging it.
"Leave the rest to me, and while you're there, go propose."
"Yes?"
"Weren't you the one who wanted to do it with Vania anyway?"
Nike was flustered, but isn't his brother someone who always has a plan?
He likely intended to take this opportunity to resolve the situation at the same time he was facing pressure from his father to marry.
'And me too...'
He thought it was urgent, but since the result was going to happen anyway, he wondered if he could skip the process.
"Why... why? Why Belzer? I mean, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was always someone who planned the big picture, but..."
Reiner tilted his head as if he couldn't understand or say.
"But you got rejected, what should I do?"
"Why do you think I got rejected?"
"Did you think you wouldn't get rejected?!"
Reiner was shocked.
"Did you perhaps just go for it with the guts of thinking, 'But I'm royalty, after all'? Like,' Surely she wouldn't reject me'? Did you think everyone would fall for it if you just used your power?”
“That's not it...”
"Lady Belzer is still too young to know the ways of the world. She is at an age where she would prefer a kind older brother from next door to a Prince living in the palace whom she has barely met."
"..."
"She hardly wants to give up a peaceful life on the estate to enter the Imperial Palace, where there's so much to worry about. Belzer, how great is it? There are more people now, and it's bustling with tall, handsome young men of her age."
Suddenly, Nike frowned.
Reiner spoke at length, but only the parts about the 'kind older brother next door' and the 'handsome young man of the same age' stood out particularly loudly.
The question of why Vania hadn't met him for a whole year welled up in his mind again.
It's not that he didn't worry that he might have changed his mind.
"I don't like it. Like this, suddenly..."
Vania refused while crying.
Even though it was sudden, it was a proposal she was bound to receive eventually, so she wondered what the reason was for such a reaction.
If?
"Reiner."
Nike choked up at the sudden ominous suspicion.
"Why?"
"So what if one person in a relationship avoids meetings for a whole year without even giving a reason? You have the right to ask for an explanation, and if you don't understand, it is justified to get angry, right?"
"Suddenly? But why get angry? It's just grounds for a breakup. Who ghosts someone for a whole year in a relationship? It's not like they're a deep-sea fish."
That's right.
He should have asked this properly first after meeting Vania, but the order was wrong.
Nike had thought that there was an implicit agreement regarding his relationship with Vania.
They aren't lovers yet, but they will become lovers anyway.
In that case, Vania cannot be like this.
He stood up with a solemn expression.
"I'm sorry, but I need to demand the truth from Vania right now."
***
Nike couldn't have done this to me.
He said he would wait for me, so I believed him. Even if he has no memory of loving me, he made a promise, so it is a matter of trust.
From then on, our relationship was practically a tacit agreement.
We can't hold hands, hug, or kiss right now, but we've agreed to do all of those things later. That kind of relationship.
And after all that, how could Nike...
"Are you really not going to tell me why you cried? You aren't in pain, are you?"
Lindsey, who was fixing my smudged eye makeup, asked worriedly.
"No. I just heard a sad story."
"Yeah. Lindsey, what would you do if you had a boyfriend and he said he was going to marry another woman instead of you?"
"A sad story?"
"A sad story?"
"Yeah. Lindsey, what would you do if your boyfriend told you he was going to marry someone else?"
"It is indeed a sad situation. You were getting along well, so why did it suddenly turn out this way?"
Lindsey has no idea about the relationship between Nike and me. She probably can't even imagine that this is about me.
Nike's visits were also a frequent occurrence for one reason or another...
In fact, even if the two of us were madly in love, if we said we were getting married, everyone would say in unison, "Is that even possible?"
"My family is a bit opposed to it. It's hard for her to marry him right away. Her lover is a high-ranking noble, after all."
Lindsey, who had been nodding, pouted and said.
"If you love someone, you have to let them go. There is nothing you can do about the difference in social status."
"I see."
"Whose story is this?"
"Just a story about someone I know."
"What would you do, Miss?"
"Me?"
Of course, I felt betrayed enough to cry, but I couldn't just meekly say, "Yes, marry her," and let him go.
“I can't give up...”
It was because I loved Nike so much.
He said something crazy like, "Is it okay to marry another woman?" but at least he didn't cheat...
'That's why I'm letting it slide.'
What can be done? The one who loves more has no choice but to lose. Let's let this matter slide, taking into account the fact that he lost his memory.
“If you don't want to, I won't do it.”
It is a relief that even though love is gone, loyalty seems to remain.
I have a busy road ahead of me, and I cannot waste time on my relationship with Nike.
The ending where everything ends and my man and I fall in love again is a given, and I'm saying that now is not the time to leisurely worry about that.
So let's resolve this as quickly as possible and get it over with.
I checked my perfectly restored makeup in the mirror and stood up with a determined look.
I'm sorry, but I need to deal with Nike right now.
***
The second round has begun.
We sat facing each other in the drawing room.
'Being like this makes me feel like I've gone back in time.'
I am sixteen, Nike is twenty.
Perhaps because I had reached the age we were back when we first met and started building memories together, Nike felt more comfortable than before.
It's like we've gone back to our days as lovers...
'To be precise, it's that feeling you get when you're standing at attention and arguing!'
We have stated quite a few times.
Well, I often throw unnecessary tantrums, and Nike was the one who tried to soothe me.
"I've been thinking about it."
As I did whenever we argued, I crossed my arms with a sulky expression to gain the upper hand.
"Yes. Tell me."
“...?!”
I was surprised.
As if he had been waiting, Nike also sat down in the same pose as me, with his arms crossed and even his legs crossed arrogantly.
“Uh oh~?”
It was a clear battle stance.
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