I could feel despair in Ryan's expression as he looked at me in my confusion.
He was incredibly perceptive, so he seemed to have roughly figured out what the problem was without me having to say anything.
And... the Emperor too!
A look of realization on his face, as if he sensed something was off!
The moment Ryan gets hurt, the Emperor feels unnecessarily sorry, and even we, the viewers, feel uncomfortable...
"I... I'm not ready to let Dad go yet!"
In the end, I spouted bullshit!
“What are you talking about?!”
Ryan immediately got angry.
"Dad, are you saying you're going to abandon me already?"
"I have to get married too!"
“Eeeeek!”
The male lion's instinct to find a mate easily overpowered the bond with me.
"Uh, rather than that, there were some pretty and lovely young ladies I wanted to introduce to Dad."
Wow, even I don't know what I'm saying.
My vision was spinning, so I said anything, and the Crown Prince beamed and accepted it.
"That's right! Last time, the Princess said she wanted to choose Sir Ryan's partner herself, so I realized I had proceeded too hastily."
"Your Highness! Even so!"
Ryan desperately intervened.
"Still, since you've already arranged a meeting, I should at least meet her...!"
"No, there's no need for that!"
The Crown Prince suddenly stood up.
"The Princess will find a good match for you! After all, isn't it true that a woman is better at spotting talent?"
The Crown Prince who dumped everything on me.
"Your Majesty, your next schedule has been delayed, so you should take your leave now! See you all next time!"
I hurriedly ran away...
***
"Why on earth would you tell such a lie?"
Ryan's room.
While Ryan went out to see the Emperor off, I confessed the truth to Nike.
"No, how could I tell the truth right then and there? I felt bad for Father for bringing it up first, and Dad must have been hurt three times as much since there were so many people around."
“Then what?”
"I guess I'll have to say it separately."
"Ha."
“Ugh.”
We just sighed with the same expression on our faces.
"Isn't there anyone decent? Among the knight families."
"Even if they were there, everyone would be terrified and run away."
"Oh my, what's wrong? What's wrong with Dad!"
A handsome, tall, well-built lord with land.
Once Wassenberg's trial concluded, the Emperor was also scheduled to personally bestow a title upon him as a tribute to the hero.
I mean that in a few months, he will become the Duke of Belgium.
Nevertheless...
"Who would risk their life to meet someone?"
It is not allowed because a quick glance can send a person to their grave in one second.
It is even a power specialized exclusively in the erasure of life, completely different from other offensive supernatural abilities.
'Mr. A man born to kill!'
Perhaps that point might intensify the fear even more. To everyone he meets in the future...
"Of all things, having that kind of ability, plus being tall and big, the anxiety must be doubled. It’s not like I don’t understand."
"What do you mean? Are you saying Dad acts violently or something?"
"..."
"That's ridiculous! It's hard to find a man as good as Dad, you know?"
I'm not saying this just because Ryan is family. I really think it's hard to find a man like Ryan.
Actually... Ryan is a hot-blooded man who conquered the prison with just his fists, even without an instant kill ability like Nike worries.
However, he never once abused his power.
I found that really fascinating.
"It's ridiculous to assume he's violent without even meeting him!"
Well, of course, I was like that at first, too...
I was very afraid on my way to meet Ryan because I knew he was a user of instant kill abilities.
I knew it from seeing it briefly before, but as expected, he has a fierce appearance and an intimidating build.
As soon as I saw him, the sky turned yellow, and I braced myself for the fact that I would have to endure a life of being beaten.
However?
"I tell you, he never hit women!"
“I know.”
Ryan was aware that his physical strength posed a threat to his opponents even without him doing anything, so he consciously tried to be careful.
This is especially true for one's own family.
Even though he always said that men need to be beaten to grow up, he never once laid a hand on the cheeky Alex, and he cherished and protected me, making sure I didn't do any rough work and never got hurt.
Even without this ability, he could easily kill a whole bunch of people, but he really never acted violently, not even once.
But to think that marriage and dating are difficult because of that part that isn't a problem at all?
"He's a good man, Ryan, but how can I prove that?"
Nike sighed and said.
"It’s especially inevitable for heads of noble families. What would they trust in sending their precious daughters away?"
"..."
"And there are hardly any single women Ryan's age these days. Even you were probably daughters of noble families you worked hard to find."
I got really annoyed because Nike was only saying the right things.
"So you're saying my dad has to live alone for the rest of his life and die of old age?"
"I mean, I can't arrange a meeting. If possible, shouldn't they meet naturally?"
"..."
"Surely there's at least one person in this world who will recognize that Ryan is a decent guy."
“Eeeeeek!”
“More than that, you.”
Nike grabbed both of my huffing and puffing cheeks with one hand, enough to make my lips stick out.
Then, raising one eyebrow, he asked with a look full of dissatisfaction.
"Are you not coming home today either?"
"..."
Oops.
This is Count Belzer's mansion right now.
It is a luxurious three-story mansion within the capital that Ryan was granted by the Imperial Family when I got married.
After the destruction of the Wassenberg family, there was much to take care of, so our family members all rushed here and gathered.
"Didn't you catch up enough with your brothers?"
“Hey~~”
Richard and Christa were here, in particular.
I'm busy because I'm called to court every day, but in the evenings we can eat together, talk, and sleep.
I liked it so much that I thought, 'Then should I stay just one more night?' and before I knew it...
"You've been out for a week already, you know that, right?"
Nike, who had been understanding for a few days, seemed to be getting angry.
“Hey~~”
"Don't act cute."
"I still have some work left to do outside."
“What happened?”
“Put your ear to it.”
I whispered to Nike.
I'm not lying; there really is something that needs to be done. It is about Richard and Christa.
To be precise...
"Lover?"
Nike was surprised.
That's right. In fact, I wasn't the only one in my family who had a love of the century before the regression.
Richard and Christa each had lovers they couldn't live without.
"I looked into it, and it looks like neither of them even managed to meet this time."
I could guess the reason for some reason.
The two people who had long harbored treason against the family and abandoned it because of me and Alex, who were expelled unlike before the regression.
Perhaps because we lived completely different lifestyles, it seems even the circumstances under which they met were twisted.
I feel uneasy. I know how much they liked them before the regression, but they are not meant to be in this life.
"It feels a bit awkward to just let it slide without giving it a try."
"So you're saying you'll let them meet?"
"Hmm, I don't know if they'll like each other again after meeting, but I want to at least let each other know of our existence."
I shyly poked Nike's chest and added.
"It would be unfair if I were the only one seeing my boyfriend again~."
"Yes. I get it."
Nike grabbed my finger and spoke firmly.
"Why do you have to do that while staying out overnight?"
"..."
As expected, Nike doesn't just gloss over things.
That's right. Actually, work to be done has nothing to do with staying out overnight.
I just don't want to go home because I like taking walks with Richard and sleeping next to Christa.
"Why would I stay out somewhere I can't? It's Dad's house, and I'm with my family."
"Am I not family? You're a married woman. I'm your husband, and you should be sleeping at home with me. It would be one thing if the Imperial Palace were far away, but it only takes 10 minutes by carriage, so why don't you come back? How long do you plan to keep doing this?"
The machine gun hauling began again.
Now that Nike has regained all his memories from before the regression, he doesn't act all innocent and wary of me just because it's the early stages of our relationship.
On the contrary, I’ve gotten used to the nagging.
"Even when I offer to come pick you up, you say you don't want to. Do you like your family, or do you just not want to be with me?"
After struggling to get married and enjoying our honeymoon, I was anxious about the fact that we couldn't actually be together.
"What kind of talk is that, saying I don't want to be with you? Of course I do it because I like my family..."
“I don’t believe it.”
“Hey~~”
"Eeeee, stop that."
"..."
I guess I've worn off the cuteness after using it all week. In that case, there is only one solution.
"If you don't come home today either..."
Kiss!
I covered his mouth with my lips as he was about to make a decisive move.
I saw him flinch and furrow his handsome brow.
But I pretended not to see, squeezing my eyes shut.
In the end, Nike wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me deeply.
Heh heh, just like any other easy man...
Bam!
And, less than three seconds after our tongues intertwined, the sound of a door opening!
We hurriedly fell.
In front of the open door stood Ryan with a bewildered expression.
'Wow, the timing is killer....'
Me, showing off my kissing face in front of a poor lion who seems to have no chance of even dating, let alone getting married!
I have nothing to say even if he uses an instant kill move right now, so I guess I have to die.
“Don’t you knock?”
However, Nike was shameless.
"This is my room, though?!"
"Ah... you're right. Sorry."
After receiving a quick apology, Ryan walked briskly toward me.
"Now, you bunny! Tell me why you thwarted me!"
"..."
"You must have said that because you really have a woman to introduce me to, right?"
Ryan's expression as he interrogated me looked desperate.
In fact, the quick-witted one probably already guessed.
The fact that there was a problem with the Crown Prince's matchmaking, and the fact that I said anything just to avoid the situation immediately.
Nevertheless, he's asking out of desperation, grasping at straws...
Please. I hope the women I was supposed to be introduced to haven't run away, as I suspected.
'Oh no, what should I do!'
With Ryan's eyes trembling like a baby lion that had lost its mother, I could not bring myself to tell the truth.
"Ah. Dad, actually, the thing is..."
"Ryan, you roughly figured it out."
Then, instead of me, Nike placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder and spoke.
"They said they didn't want to meet. Because they were scared."
"..."
Silence.
Ryan closed his eyes tightly.
The corners of his lips drooped.
“Hey, Ryan!”
"Dad!"
Soon, that large body swayed, lost its strength, and plopped pitifully into Nike's arms.
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