Fenrir stood still and looked at Presepe in front of him.
Under the tree in full bloom.
Presepe, sitting with her back against the wall, was not doing anything particularly special. She was simply gazing at the surrounding scenery.
Into the most peaceful day Fenrir has ever seen.
"..."
Fenrir, who had been quietly gazing at Presepe, slowly began to move only after a considerable amount of time had passed. Then, he started to approach Presepe.
"It looks like you are resting."
At the sudden sound of Fenrir's voice, Presepe finally turned to look beside her.
"Ah, Grand Duke Fenrir."
She was already living off others, and it was embarrassing that she had slept until noon when she should have been more mindful of their feelings.
Presepe felt she would feel more at ease if she at least greeted him and asked if he was coming in, so she tried to get up from her seat, but Fenrir shook his head.
Then he sat next to Presepe.
"I actually heard about it. Hannah told me. She said you went to the Imperial Palace for an investigation."
"There wasn't really any significant gain."
Fenrir answered in a nonchalant voice.
"We will only begin the investigation in earnest now, so it will take quite a while. It is nothing for you to worry about, Lady Presepe."
Really?
Having gone so far as to leave the Imperial Palace for that reason, she certainly couldn't live as if nothing had happened.
Of course, it was a relief just to have escaped the palace amidst all that chaos.
"By the way, what have you been doing all afternoon?"
"Yes?"
"There are quite a few interesting forms of entertainment at the mansion. The study is overflowing with newly acquired books, and I have stocked up on plenty of dresses and jewelry."
"Uh..."
"I instructed them to prepare this for you, Lady Presepe; didn't Hannah tell you?"
"No, no. She told me. She even kindly showed me around!"
Worried that the cute Hannah might get caught in the crossfire, Presepe waved her hand hurriedly and spoke.
"However, this mansion belongs to the Grand Duke, and I feel it would be a bit inappropriate for me to come and go as I please. Besides, regarding the dress and jewelry... of course, I am very grateful for the thought, but..."
"..."
"The dress I brought from the top is enough for me. I am already receiving far more than I deserve."
"You will get used to it."
"...Yes?"
"Please don't just think it's more than you deserve. It makes me feel really hurt if you say that."
"..."
“You knew, right?”
Presepe unconsciously wore a slightly puzzled expression.
Why is this person treating me so well?
"Aren't you going to answer?"
"That..."
"I am truly disappointed. I am so disappointed that it almost breaks my heart."
"Ha. But you look perfectly fine."
"Well, that’s because I haven’t shown it yet. If I wanted to, I would do it more than enough."
"..."
"Because I am a more capable person than I thought."
For someone who was saying such utterly shameless things, he wore a very nonchalant expression. Finding it both amusing and absurd, Presepe let out a small laugh.
"Thank you. Since you have gone to such lengths, Grand Duke, I will try to get used to such precious hospitality. After all, I cannot bring myself to hurt you."
"That is the best news I’ve heard today."
Fenrir snickered.
"But what were you doing here? Where did Hannah go?"
"Hannah told me to go inside and rest for a while. Of course, she tried to keep attending to me."
"She is a talkative child. Are you perhaps tired?"
"No, actually, it's good."
"What do you mean, it's actually good?"
"Because there was no one in the Imperial Palace who spoke to me so consistently."
"..."
"And likewise, there was no one who treated me so purely."
It was exactly as it was said. She actually liked listening to that chatter. Because she was so sick and tired of life at the top, which was filled with nothing but terrible silence.
"Of course, I'm a little shy because Hannah likes me so much, but."
"Why are you ashamed of that?"
"After all, I haven't really done anything for you since we first met, and it will likely be the same in the future."
"You never know."
"Oh... there are many things you never know in this world, but I am certain of one thing: my situation is not going to get any better."
Anyway, in the game, Presepe was someone who had been stripped of her status as an imperial princess after her mother's infidelity was revealed. Worse than a mere commoner.
But what could possibly get better? Presepe smiled awkwardly.
"I don't agree with that, but what I meant was the former."
“The former?”
"It means I haven't really done anything for you since we just met."
Presepe tilted her head for a moment.
"You never know. It may have been nothing to you, Lady Presepe, and you forgot about it immediately, but for someone else, it might have held such great significance that it would be remembered for a long time to come."
"..."
"Sometimes, moments like that shake life up and shatter everything you knew. Some people experience such things."
"Grand Duke...?"
“Well, anyway.”
Fenrir smiled faintly and changed the subject.
"I didn't know the view under this tree would be so magnificent. Thanks to you, Lady Presepe, I am getting to enjoy this wonderful scenery as well. I never even imagined it when I was young. To think I would be able to spend time like this."
"Ah... I see. I suppose so. You've been very busy lately, so I suppose you haven't had the time."
They mentioned that he had been wandering from battlefield to battlefield. Furthermore, as a close associate of Dietrich, he must have been busy attending to him until he acceded to the throne.
So naturally, he probably spent little time at the townhouse.
"It’s not that I lacked the leeway, but that I didn’t have the opportunity."
However, Fenrir's answer was completely unexpected.
"I was of the lowest social class."
At the unexpected words, Presepe paused slightly.
"I grew up on the streets without knowing who my parents were. All I could do was beg. Or, get beaten up."
"..."
"I had never even imagined such a past."
Presep just naturally assumed he was a distinguished noble from birth. It wasn't simply because he was given the title of Grand Duke.
That was the atmosphere that a person named Fenrir exuded.
A person who has been at the top of the food chain their entire life, close to a natural predator
But to think he wasn't even a commoner, but a member of the lowest class.
"I didn't really think much of it. Those days were just natural to me."
Fenrir continued speaking.
"I thought it was a predictable life. That I would end up just like those bad guys who beat me up day after day and stole the money I begged for."
"..."
"That was the case until I turned thirteen."
"It seems like something special happened on that birthday."
“There was.”
[Hey, are you okay?]
“It’s so special...”
[...May I help you?]
"Something that shook my life to its very core and ultimately even changed it."
To Presepe, it must have been nothing. It was probably just a passing happening.
However, it was different for Fenrir. The events of that day held such profound significance for him that they were remembered forever and ultimately forced him to confront an uncomfortable truth.
Although everything he knew was shattered into pieces and collapsed into ruins, Fenrir built a tower again on top of it.
A tower so incredibly sturdy that it will absolutely never collapse this time.
So, able to protect Presepe.
Only he can have her.
"..."
Unable to find a suitable answer, Presepe closed her mouth and looked at Fenrir.
She regarded them simply. NPCs were just NPCs. She had never once taken an interest in their narratives or pasts.
No, to be precise, she couldn't even think of it at all.
What a foolish thing it was. Even on the very day she was coming to the mansion, watching the people passing by in the carriage, she had thought how envious she was of them living their own lives.
To her, it was a world inside a game, but to the characters here, it was reality.
Like her, unable to even think about escaping. So, having to live on diligently somehow.
"Anyway, it is all thanks to you, Lady Presepe. I am just grateful."
"I didn't do anything. It is all your hard work that has been accomplished, Grand Duke."
No, probably not.
If it weren't for you, I still wouldn't have been able to escape that dreadful back alley.
Fenrir thought to himself.
"I'm the one who should be grateful, but how long do we have to keep just thanking each other like this? It feels a bit awkward."
It wasn't like they were competing to see who had done more, but at this point, she felt a little embarrassed. Besides, she felt even more embarrassed because she really hadn't done anything for him.
Fenrir didn't answer. He just looked at her, feeling awkward, and laughed in a low voice.
Presepe stared silently at Fenrir, who was smiling faintly, for a moment.
His aura still exuded a dangerous, unapproachable aura, but the smiling face looking at her was...
It felt kinder and warmer than she expected.
Because he actually did a lot of things to be thankful for.
...Also, he was incredibly handsome.
"...Yh?"
Presepe's eyes, which had been staring at Fenrir like that, widened slightly.
It was because something engraved on Fenrir's broad chest, inside his slightly unbuttoned shirt, caught her eye.
"..."
Soon, Fenrir also followed Presepe's gaze. He looked down at his chest and smirked as if he understood the reason.
"Shall I just take it off and show you?"
"Yes... Yes?"
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