Rather than running away pointlessly, getting caught, and coming back battered with bruises, it was far better for my stamina to just catch an extra hour of sleep. So since things had come to this, I had to look on the bright side as much as humanly possible.
If I couldn't live hiding away like a corpse, living in constant, shivering dread sounded even worse. Whether it ended up being one year or two, I could indulge in every luxury available and then figure out a way forward when the time actually came.
“…That sounds pretty solid, doesn't it?”
Out of habit, I drew my knees to my chest and hugged them. I gave my thumb a firm bite and squinted into the dark.
Once Cecil stepped into the picture, Kiers would leave me even if I clung to the hems of his trousers. One way or another, the ending was divorce, so I could just collect my alimony then. Surely he wouldn't throw me out onto the street with nothing after everything we'd done together, right? If anything, building a decent rapport now meant he’d be more likely to hand over a little extra out of lingering guilt.
Besides, while Cecil was a female lead whose presence got somewhat eclipsed by the male lead, she remained genuinely good-natured to the core. A kind, sweet young lady who took care of everyone around her, who believed in and stood by the cursed Kiers until the bitter end. How vicious could a girl like that possibly be to an ex-wife? It would be even better if she was a little dim, but I shouldn't get greedy.
All right, good. Let’s sort this out.
Nothing had fundamentally changed. I came here to get married anyway, so I just had to go through with it. Rose’s presence seemed like something I could gloss over in time, and all that remained was living with him like an ordinary married couple. That would be far better for Rose’s upbringing, and for my part, I could squander money hand over fist while enjoying those dazzling skills he possessed at night…
“Okay.”
I made my decision for now. The catch, of course, was that not a single thing I'd ever decided had actually gone as planned, but looking at it that way, falling into this world in the first place was the real catch.
When I couldn't see an inch ahead of me, what other choice was there besides making the most of the hand I'd been dealt? If an extra tried to play the hero, the readers would demand blood, but acting like a supporting character who knew her place seemed safe enough. If I took what was mine and cleared out cleanly the moment he told me to leave, there shouldn't be any lingering trouble.
Naturally, there was one singular premise holding this whole plan together.
Namely, that I must never fall for him.
“…Are you insane?”
Ugh, listen to me sounding like a female lead's opening monologue. Unable to hide my mortification, I buried my face in the pillow. Still, if there was one thing I was truly confident in, it was this. Why on earth would I fall for a man like Kiers?
I was, through and through, a woman who liked men with warm hearts and warm faces. From that perspective, there was zero chance I'd fall for Kiers, let alone weep, wail, and clutch my chest in agony when the time came to hand him over to Cecil. Yes, absolutely. He might be the male lead on paper, but for now, he was still a savage beast. And was that all? He was a cold-blooded man whose heart didn't soften even when looking at our Rose. Let's see what else he had going for him.
Ugh, even the way he talked was completely…
“Because I find you quite agreeable.”
“Um…”
Granted, his voice was undeniably wonderful. How should I put it—it was as though his words set the air vibrating. On the rare occasion when he let out a low chuckle, there was this distinctive tremor. And I couldn't leave out his scent when he drew close. For a second back then, I'd almost leaned in closer to catch it. A scent of wind hard to find anywhere else, brimming with the raw presence of the wild.
“…What is wrong with me?”
I came up with two lines of insults and followed them with four lines of compliments!
Feeling cheated somehow, I flopped straight onto my back. When strands of Rose’s hair tickled my face, I rolled onto my side and gently stroked her cheek.
“Rose, sweetie, your big sister is going to try to enjoy life a little from now on, but…”
“…”
“I just don't know where to start.”
“Mmh, huh?”
“N-No, it’s nothing. Go back to sleep! Night-night, sweet dreams!”
Pat, pat, there’s my good girl! Look at you sleeping so well! My precious kitten!
Seeing Rose blearily trying to blink her eyes open, I hurriedly patted her shoulder and forced her back to sleep. Eventually, I drifted off too, but the one waiting to welcome me in my dreams was neither a kitten nor a puppy, but a towering beast.
“You came?”
Chuckling softly, the man reclined right there, propping his head on one hand.
“Then… where should we pick back up?”
* * *
“…Elijah, you seem to be avoiding my eyes today for some reason.”
“No. Not at all. It must be your imagination.”
“…”
Just when it seemed he might say more, Kiers closed his mouth and resumed working his knife. Perhaps because he was so skilled with a sword, even his movements while carving the meat were elegant, which ended up stealing my gaze all over again.
…Yesterday, those very hands were on my legs.
“…”
When Kiers lifted his eyes without warning, I snapped my head away. That startled me. He was only looking at me from behind the mask, yet my heart dropped straight into my stomach.
What is wrong with me?
He sat there looking so utterly unbothered, while I couldn't tell whether the food was going into my mouth or up my nose. This was all the lingering aftermath of last night's dream, but it still felt entirely unfair. I mean, why did he have to go wandering into someone else's dream in the first place?
Flustered, I began cutting the meat into small pieces out of habit to hand to Rose beside me, but she was so small compared to the table that only her forehead was visible.
“…Rose, come here quickly.”
“Sister.”
Good heavens, what kind of older sister was I to get so wrapped up in a dream that I hadn't even noticed? I promptly scooped Rose up by her outstretched arms and settled her onto my lap. The old count sitting opposite us looked on with eyes full of envy, but sadly, there was only one child to go around, so I couldn't share.
Still, was it really all right for me to keep acting like this in the Grand Duke's residence? Keeping Rose with me already felt like sitting on pins and needles, and now my cheeks burned at flouting basic dining etiquette. Just in case, I snuck a glance at Kiers from the corner of my eye, but he merely moved his knife with effortless poise.
“…Sister, is it really okay for us to eat this?”
“Of course, Rose. Have some of this.”
I cut a piece of meat and held it to her mouth, but Rose shook her head.
“No. You eat first, Sister. We don't know when we'll get to eat meat again.”
“…Rose.”
W-Why was she making us look so destitute? Sure, it was true that we had nothing, but putting on a personal demonstration of 'Look how poor we used to be' was a bit much…
Though mortified to the extreme before Kiers, the master of the North, I spun my newly minted optimism engine with even greater fervor. Exactly. Looked at that way, whoever you brought before this man would seem dirt-poor by comparison. Even if, among them, we were in an absolute league of our own.
“Mmh…”
Optimism engine, shut down.
For lack of a better option, I speared a succulent morsel of meat with my fork. Still, to my eyes as her sister, nothing looked sweeter than seeing meat go into Rose’s mouth.
“Isn't it good? Chew it carefully.”
“Uh-huh. You try some too, Sister. It just melts right in your mouth. Like cotton candy!”
“…You've never even had cotton candy.”
“Aria told me, though. She said cotton candy is way bigger and tastier than regular candy.”
How did this manage to sound more pitiful with every word? No matter how softly we whispered, the old man across from us looked increasingly heartbroken. Any moment now, he was going to pull out a handkerchief.
Forcing my eyes away, I focused solely on Rose's little chewing mouth.
Let's see… What was the most expensive thing we'd ever spent money on? To hold my head up at this table, I desperately wanted to say something that made us sound at least a little well-off. Ahem. I cleared my throat and raised my voice slightly from its previous hush.
“Goodness, Rose! Oh, stop that. You've even had the Flower of Liden before, haven't you?”
“…The Flower of Liden? Ah, it was so good! That was really, really sweet!”
“Right? I'll take you there again next time.”
“Yay!”
To think the most lavish expense of our lives had been a mere dessert. That was sad in its own right, but at least it wasn't a lie. I straightened my posture with pride, doing my best impression of a lady who regularly indulged in fine sweets.
“It was fairly decent, as far as cakes go. Once I find some time…”
“Pardon me, but by 'the Flower of Liden,' are you referring to The Meltz in the new district?”
“Excuse me? Ah, yes. That's right, Sir Lear.”
Sir Lear, seated next to the count, spoke to me for the very first time. His vacant green eyes had been glued to Rose this whole time, but it seemed he had finally decided to participate in the conversation.
“Have you been there too, Sir Lear? It seemed quite famous around here.”
“I intended to go two days ago… but it had gone under.”
“What? Already?”
Wait, it had only been a few days since I was there. It had been packed to the brim with customers that day, so I couldn't believe my ears. My jaw dropped, even though I was hardly in a position to be worrying about anyone else.
“…Even a place that grand can go under.”
“From what I hear, the manager there was quite a problematic individual.”
“Ah, that figures. Greedy for money like that… a man like that deserves to have his head shaved bald on the spot… Ahem, well, anyway, that's welcome news.”
As my lingering fury from that day began bubbling back up, I caught Sir Lear's stiffened expression and quickly stuffed another piece of meat into Rose’s mouth.
All right, cue the trance. Watching the adorable little kitten accept and chew whatever was fed to her, Sir Lear's gaze softened into a hazy daze once more.
“Yes… truly adorable—ahem. Rumor has it they suffered an attack by some demonic beast. His Grace launched a massive hunt across the entire North upon arriving here, so whatever managed to tenaciously survive back then—”
“Sir Lear.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Having finished his meal, Kiers picked up his napkin and quietly called Sir Lear's name. At the sound of his low voice, everyone turned to look at him, myself included, but Kiers simply kept his eyes lowered. Wait, if you called him, shouldn't you say something? In my dream last night, you had so very much to whisper right into my ear…
“…”
As my thoughts reached that point, my mouth snapped shut as well. Over the suddenly and inexplicably somber table, Kiers lifted his gaze from the center.
“It is mealtime, Sir Lear.”
“F-Forgive me, Your Grace. I let my mouth run away with nonsense…”
“…”
I was the one who did most of the talking, though.
