Why didn’t I think about it more deeply? There were any number of factors lying around that I could have noticed, but I ignored the small questions, and now I’m stuck with the results.
“Chelsea, shhh…….”
The face of the duchess, apologetic and sorry for being such a son, comes back to me.
I wondered why he reacted that way when I just gave him a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Why. Seriously, Why did I really let it go?
“Ugh.“
“Eh?”
He hugs me tighter than ever, and Lord Solomon buries his face in my shoulder.
On the spur of the moment, his lips pressed against my neck and make me let out a small scream.
Even if I tried to escape, I could not move because I was held tightly.
All I can do is tremble like a captured prey.
I feel like punching him in the face when I think that his current predicament was created by his past self who didn’t care about details.
(Oh, how could this happen?)
We look back to the past, escaping from a reality we cannot face.
It has been half a month since I started spending time at the Duke’s house.
Although she was intimidated by the luxury, she was able to live comfortably thanks to the caring Duke and Duchess of Beardsley and Master Solomon.
But there is a problem.
Lord Solomon’s magic power accumulates more easily than I had imagined.
Moreover, for some reason, the probability of a color change occurring when I was near him was ridiculously high.
Morning greetings, bedtime conversations, and tea during Lord Solomon’s break time.
It is as if we have nothing in common in time or place, but why? Each time I tried my best to hide him.
I push them off to a nearby room or behind a bush and let them pass, but what if I am out and about? It was so frequent that I consulted the Duchess.
However, it seems that the frequency of Solomon-like changes has only increased recently.
It seems that the symptoms started before adulthood and have since spread to other areas, so there are hardly any symptoms.
The duchess was also concerned, and she has arranged for a magician she knows to visit me in the near future.
Of course, she knows about the change in Lord Solomon and that she is the one who taught me how to deal with it.
Leave it to the experts, and you’re sure to get it.
I simply thought that it would be resolved soon and that I could help until then.
I should have been more careful.
Invitations to the evening party addressed to Lord Solomon arrive daily.
Unable to miss all of them, she was obliged to attend the evening party of a nobleman with whom he had a close friendship.
I can’t bear the thought of another change happening at the evening party, and I can’t bear the worry.
On the other hand, I don’t want to attend as a partner.
It is hard to be seen as an enemy by young women, including my friends, and it is not my intention to make Solomon-sama squirm when he finds his soulmate.
After checking, I found that the Reed family had also received an invitation, so I persuaded the reluctant father to escort me to the evening party.
Lord Solomon persisted until the last minute that he wanted to be my escort, but I misled him with the appropriate words, saying that we could do it the next time.
After sending his father off to greet the guests, who were anxious to get home, I watched Solomon-sama closely.
At the center of the circle, he was as radiant as ever.
His smile, without a single flaw, is as beautiful as a painting or sculpture, without any sense of reality.
Although I couldn’t hear the conversation, I could see from a distance that they were responding to all the people who were talking to them in turn without a hitch.
He looks like a different person with a bright red face and a bashful look on his face.
(But I prefer a smile like a child.)
I thought absentmindedly, then came back to my sense.
I was astonished to find myself beginning to go off the deep end after only being treated kindly for half a month.
(In the first place, the idea that I have to protect him is brazen in itself. Solomon-sama will be fine without me.)
The way he behaved so majestically as the next duke made me realize once again that he lives in a different world than I do.
Yes, he is Solomon Beardsley, the eldest son of the first duke.
He can even marry a princess from another country if he wants to.
There is nothing someone like Mr can do for you.
“Chelsea, you’re here.”
“Lana.”
I was lost in thought when I was startled by a voice calling out to me.
I turned around and there she was, Lana Kimberly.
She is my proud friend, loved by everyone for her dainty appearance and innocent personality.
“I’m so glad to see you, I didn’t expect to see you. I was feeling lonely at last month’s evening party because you left before I knew it.”
How adorable are those cheeks that bulge out as if they are sulking?
Even though the words were directed at me, the single men around me were holding their chests as they were being bombarded.
“You must be jealous” I thought, feeling a little superior.
“I’m sorry, I looked for you, but I couldn’t find it.”
“I’m just kidding. You’ve been sick so I can’t help it.”
Lana smiles, her cheeks pulled back.
‘Anyway, how are you feeling?’ I felt a pang of guilt at the kindness of her concern.
I can’t tell her that I had skipped out on socializing because of a temporary illness, and that I had done something terrible and run away.
When I vaguely tell her it’s okay, her conscience aches at Lana’s relief.
“I’m sure we’ll nice chat today. Oh, that’s right. I have someone I’d like to introduce you to if you’d like.”
“Me?”
(Come to think of it, last time we were going to be introduced to the son of the Viscount. I wonder if he is here today?)
I can vaguely picture a face that exudes the goodness of people.
“Perhaps from the Viscount’s family?”
“I’m sorry. He’s apparently gotten the better end of the deal.”
Lana says apologetically.
I replied that I didn’t mind, but was inwardly surprised.
(In just less than a month?)
If there was someone who was originally a close friend of mine, I don’t think Lana would have asked me to introduce her to me.
In other words, we met while I was on the offensive with Lord Solomon and our relationship went straight to the wire.
(I’m a little jealous.)
I do not have any unresolved feelings for the son of a viscount, but I do have a longing for a relationship where we meet, are immediately attracted to each other, and are passionately connected.
I’m the kind of person who messes around and gets stuck.
“Don’t apologize, it’s a good news. Besides……”
I am not looking for a marriage partner right now either.
I just don’t know how to explain that without talking about Lord Solomon related stories.
“Chelsea?”
I said, “…… No, it’s nothing. More importantly, who would you like to introduce me to?”
“He’s my brother. The second one.”
“Lana’s second brother …… I think he was studying abroad, right?”
“Yes, he just got back the other day.”
As I recall, he was one or two years older than Lana, so he was about nineteen this year.
I believe he is an aspiring magic knight and was studying in a neighboring country.
Although there are magic knights in our country, the neighboring country is larger in scale.
He was studying abroad for the purpose of learning their techniques, but I have heard that there are other complicated circumstances involved as well.
“I have an older brother, so he can’t inherit the title, but he has been chosen to join the Order of Magical Knights in our country, and I’m sure he’ll be promoted in the ranks because of his abilities.”
(…… hmm?)
As I was walking along as Lana led the way, I questioned the flow of the conversation.
For my part, I didn’t think of it as meaning more than saying hello to a friend’s family, but if that’s what she meant, I wonder if that’s what she was trying to introduce me to.
(That’s kinda a bit bad.)
The Kimberly family is different from ours, even though they are the same counts.
It is a venerable lineage and the family home of a certain duchess.
Several generations ago, His Majesty the King’s concubine was also from the family of the Earl of Kimberley.
In other words, her relatives are full of high-ranking aristocrats.
To be honest, I’m troubled when I’m introduced to such a promising young man of noble birth.
(And ……)
I glanced back.
I had mixed feelings when I saw Lord Solomon surrounded by beautiful women in the center of the crowd, which my emotional was thicker than before.
I have not changed my mind that Lord Solomon has someone more deserving, not me.
Still, it is true that Master Solomon is now courting me.
I am not comfortable with holding off on responding to him and asking him to introduce me to someone else.
“Lana. I’m sorry if I’m mistaken. I have some circumstances and I’m going to stop looking for a marriage partner for a while.”
“What?”
Lana’s big eyes widen even more.
“I’m happy to be introduced to your family, but I’m sorry if that’s what you meant.”
“Did you pull out of last month’s evening party because you found a good one?”
Lana, for some reason, seems a bit impatient.
I shake my head in wonder.
“Not quite true, but ……”
Lana’s expression did not clear up, perhaps because of the muddled manner in which I had phrased the question.
“I thought it would be so wonderful if you could be my sister-in-law.”
I feel bad for Lana, who looks so dejected and shriveled.
I am very happy to hear her say that, but even Lana’s brother has the right to choose.
He probably would have refused even if I had not been reluctant to do so.
“I wish my brother had come here sooner.”
“Did you call me, Lana?”
A large hand is placed on Lana’s slender shoulder.
Her shoulders jumped at the sudden appearance of a large figure.
“You’re late, brother. There’s a lot going on.”
Lana looks up over her shoulder, her mouth pouted.
Each and every gesture is really cute.
And she and her brother were not much similar.
He had a tall figure that made me look up…probably not two meters, but close.
His physique was suitably muscular, not only in length and width but also in depth.
Even with his clothes on, I could see that he worked out a lot.
His face is dignified, and he is more aptly described as handsome than beautiful.
He does not have a gorgeous face like Lana or his older brother, but he is beautiful enough to catch people’s attention.
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