187 - I Got Engaged to the Blind Duke
“Sister~!”
As Peridot shook Dia's hand and urged her again, Marin stepped forward.
“Peridot, why don’t you get a little closer to our Rabbit after you get to know him a little better?”
“How do I get to know him?”
“Um, how about just watching him for now?”
“Okay……”
Peridot puffed out his cheeks in dissatisfaction and stared intently at BaniBani.
BaniBani stood there blankly with a sulky expression, whether he knew they were talking about him or not.
“Sister, I saw the Rabbit. How long do I have to keep watching?”
“The teacher said to watch him for a few more days. Not just for a little while like this.”
Dia patted Peridot's hand and coaxed him gently.
“Marin was close to him earlier. I want to see him up close too.”
Peridot, who rarely threw tantrums, insisted. He seemed to have completely fallen for the big animal he had seen for the first time.
Dia looked at Marin with pleading eyes.
As Marin wondered what to do, BaniBani suddenly came thumping towards Peridot.
As the large BaniBani approached, Dia widened her eyes and froze.
“Wow! He’s really big!”
BaniBani turned his back to Peridot.
Just like the village children used to ride him.
“Wait-”
Before Dia could stop him, Peridot jumped forward with an excited face. And immediately clung to BaniBani's back.
BaniBani lowered his body further to prevent the child from falling.
Marin watched the scene with an impressed expression.
He played well with the village children, so this must be how he played with them.
“He doesn’t seem like a Monster?”
Jeromian pushed up his glasses as if to confirm that he had seen correctly, and spoke as if he had witnessed a miracle.
“It’s not BaniBani.”
Butler also shook his head as if BaniBani would never do that.
“What are you all saying? Anyone can see it’s Bani……”
“Surenne!”
Olive called out to Surenne, who was pouring cold water on the changing public opinion, and covered her mouth.
“Why?”
Surenne turned her head to Olive, who was standing next to her.
At that moment, Olive's gaze was completely stolen by Surenne's mysterious purple eyes.
In fact, The Duke had succeeded in confessing and proposing one after another, so he had been feeling impatient. So he decided to confess right away as well.
How many times had he gone back and forth near the smithy, hoping for a chance to run into her?
Surenne had locked the smithy door for a while, saying she was making something, so he couldn't meet her, but finally he met her today.
His heart was pounding like crazy, as if it would jump out of his mouth.
The only thought that came to his mind when he saw her was:
Confession.
Sebas Butler's advice kept floating around in his head.
“……Tell her you love her right away.”
However, this was not a good time.
First, he had to ask Surenne if she had time.
‘Surenne, do you have time?’ Let’s say it like this.
Olive shyly opened his mouth to Surenne, who was waiting for his answer.
“Surenne, I like-”
Olive suddenly came to his senses at the words that came out without him realizing it.
What on earth had he done?
“N-Not that, but alcohol! I like alcohol!”
He tried to fix it somehow by adding the last words, but the water had already been spilled.
Olive bit his tongue and rolled his eyes around to look around.
“Hey…… Dia, there’s a star in the sky over there?”
“Oh my, there is.”
Marin and Dia, who quickly avoided his gaze, began to talk about stars in the bright daylight with awkward voices.
Are there really stars? Is my eyes so watery that I can’t see the stars in the middle of the day?
“Oh dear. I have something urgent to do, so I’ll be going now……”
Sebas Butler shook his head and covered his forehead with his large hand before disappearing.
Fortunately, Jeromian was only focused on BaniBani, as if he had no interest in anything else.
“What? Olive You. Are you challenging me right now?”
Surenne grinned and licked her lips.
Olive swallowed a sad smile and nodded his head with difficulty.
It was the moment when a love confession became an alcohol challenge.
“I’ll accept that challenge anytime. Olive You will prepare the alcohol!”
“It’s Olive Lyon, though……”
“Marin, you can come too if you want.”
Olive's pathetic voice was drowned out by Surenne's voice, who was excited at the thought of drinking alcohol.
“No, it’s okay. Dia, shall we go to Peridot?”
Marin took Dia's hand with an awkward face and went to Peridot and BaniBani.
“I want to go see him up close too.”
Jeromian followed with curious eyes.
“Okay. Tell me if you change your mind. I have something to make, so I’ll be going now.”
Surenne shouted loudly to Marin, who was walking away, and waved her hand before disappearing.
In an instant, everyone around Olive disappeared.
Olive covered his face with his hands and tried to suppress the scream that was about to burst out.
At that moment, Gerald put his hand on Olive's shoulder.
“Well done. You completely diverted the attention from BaniBani.”
Olive took his hands off his face and looked at The Duke with sad eyes.
He seemed to know that he had said those words on purpose.
“……Yes.”
“But it’s amazing that you challenged Surenne. It’ll be difficult to beat Surenne under normal circumstances. Get some hangover medicine from Jeromian before you go.”
Olive gave a bitter smile as he looked at his clueless superior, who was the only one who seemed to take his challenge (?) seriously.
\ \ *
A green world with water mist scattered around.
In a forest-like space filled with only green leaves and no flowers, there was a woman wiping a large rice cake leaf.
Light blue lake-colored hair that reached down to her hips, white skin, clear blue eyes, and plump pink lips.
She was a mysterious and beautiful being, as if a mermaid from legend had manifested as a human.
The Emperor, who had entered the 7th Imperial Concubine's palace, took a deep breath of the refreshing scent. Entering this place, which was decorated like a forest, made his chest feel as if it was opening up.
The Emperor's gaze reached the 7th Imperial Concubine, who was diligently tending to the leaves.
What would he have done if he hadn't met that woman?
He had gone out on a secret mission a few years ago and met her hiding in the forest.
She had lost her parents to bandits during a carriage trip, and he had rescued her after she had run away alone.
He ordered that she be taken to the Imperial Palace and cared for with the utmost care, as she was poisoned and on the verge of death.
She was desperately ill and barely woke up, and she wanted to leave the Imperial Palace, but he had already fallen for her and forcibly kept her there.
In this way, Eira, who became the 7th Imperial Concubine, became the most beloved woman in his life.
“Eira.”
“Oh my! Your Majesty, when did you arrive?”
Eira, who turned around to look at the Emperor, widened her eyes like a surprised Rabbit.
“What were you doing?”
The Emperor asked her gently, finding even her surprised appearance cute.
“Can’t you tell? I have to wipe the leaves and cherish them like this so they grow well.”
Eira, who was not much older than the Crown Prince, was still as innocent as a girl even after becoming an Imperial Concubine. Even the way she asked back as if she didn't know was lovely.
“Bring me some tea. Tea that’s good for headaches. That would be good.”
“Yes.”
The Emperor happily watched Eira making tea herself instead of ordering a maid to do it.
Seeing things like that, it was clear that she cared about him.
The sly thing was that she acted as if she was about to approach him, but then she didn't, making him even more anxious.
“Your Majesty, please drink.”
Eira carefully placed the teacup in front of the Emperor. The greenish tea water shone transparently in the golden teacup.
“I’ve been having headaches lately, so it’s been bothering me. I live for the pleasure of drinking this tea.”
“Does your head keep hurting?”
Eira's blue eyes turned blurry with worry.
“It’s okay. Still no news of a baby?”
“Oh my! Hehehe.”
Eira burst into a clear laugh.
“The other Imperial Concubines are all useless. They all only give birth to daughters. It’s only you. You have to give birth to the Crown Prince.”
