Chapter 2.5

After rolling her eyes in thought, Rizle decided to try this instead.

“Don’t you have anything you’re curious about me, Count?”

If answering was difficult for him, she would let him ask the questions. It was a reverse approach. She thought it was a good idea, but it seemed just as difficult for Heizen. He hesitated for a long while.

“About you…”

Just when it seemed like he might ask something, he closed his mouth again.

“Is there really nothing you’re curious about?”

“What’s your favorite food?”

Disappointment seeped into her voice, prompting Heizen to ask. His words came out quickly, as if he were desperate.

‘That’s the question I asked you.’

It felt unoriginal, like he wasn’t putting in any effort. Rizle wasn’t particularly pleased, but she answered anyway.

“I like venison.” (T/N: Venison = name for deer meat)

“Venison.”

Heizen murmured the word as if committing it to memory.

“When my father or brothers return from hunting, I always check first to see if they’ve brought back a deer.”

Because of this, Gilbert often joked that there were no more deer left because she had eaten them all. She knew it was a joke, but it still felt a bit much.

Rizle narrowed her eyes and pouted.

“Wiping out an entire species? I don’t eat that much.”

“I see.”

“Oh my, what’s with that response? Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

Heizen’s eyes widened in surprise. Rizle, who had been observing him up close, immediately noticed the change.

She had always remembered him as someone with a perpetually stoic expression, but now she realized his reactions were quite varied. Had he grown more expressive over the past three years?

“Yes, there are no more deer left in the Troskan estate. That’s because I ate every single one of them like a glutton!”

Rizle declared loudly. Heizen’s lips parted slightly, and his eyes wavered as if unsure where to look. Seeing his flutered reaction, Rizle grinned mischievously.

“I’m joking. Count, you’re surprisingly fun. I think teasing you might be entertaining.”

When Rizle laughed, Heizen let out a sigh of relief. While her comment about teasing him made him uneasy, he decided to pretend he hadn’t heard it.

“Do you dislike venison, Count?”

“I neither like nor dislike it.”

“With your build, I thought you’d eat a lot. That’s surprising.”

“Eating a lot and liking something are different.”

Now that she thought about it, that made sense. Nodding slowly, Rizle accepted his explanation.

“Then what about seeing them, not eating them? Don’t you think deer are cute?”

“I think deer are as dangerous as bears. Their antlers are threatening.”

A blow from those antlers could be fatal, perhaps even deadly. Thinking about it, deer were just as dangerous as bears, even if they weren’t carnivorous.

“Sometimes, they’re as dangerous as monsters.”

“Oh, come on. They’re not monsters!”

Rizle dismissed his exaggeration with a wave of her hand. He shook his head, insisting he wasn’t exaggerating.

“There was a man who broke his back while on guard duty.”

A man with terrible luck, Heizen recalled with a serious expression.

Rizle smiled as she looked at him. She liked how the conversation had gradually become more comfortable.

“This may be a silly question, but do people build snowmen or have snowball fights while on guard duty?”

“Some people do build snowmen as a joke.”

He was answering her questions with ease now.

“Have you ever built one, Count?”

“No. Have you, Miss Rizle?”

Moving beyond short answers, he even asked her a question in return. Despite stumbling over her title, a remnant from his days as a knight, it wasn’t bad.

Feeling cheerful, Rizle raised her chin proudly.

“Of course. You might not know this, but I’m quite good at making pretty snowmen. I’m just not good at making big ones. Albert makes ones taller than himself. Someday, I’d like to make one that’s taller than me.”

Rizle shared her ambitious goal.

“May I ask more questions?”

“Do you have more things you’re curious about me?”

“I’m sorry.”

Misunderstanding his apology as a rejection, Heizen apologized. Rizle, startled, waved her hands and shook her head.

“I thought you weren’t interested in me at all, so I was surprised you had questions. Don’t apologize.”

“I am interested. You’re the person I love.”

Rizle was taken aback by his sudden confession. She widened her eyes and stared at him, while Heizen tilted his head.

“I told you everything last night… Ah, right, you said you forgot everything.”

As Heizen’s expression turned bitter, Rizle felt a pang of guilt.

She resolved never to drink like that again. Leaning forward, she rested her chin on her hands atop the table and looked at Heizen.

“Could you tell me what you said last night?”

“I cannot.”

“Even just a short summary…”

“I cannot.”

Although she tried to act cute, it didn’t work at all. In fact, his twitching lips made it seem like he found it unpleasant. Disappointed, Rizle glared at him.

“Why not?”

“Because I was so pathetic that I don’t want to remember it.”

His words, meant to firmly refuse, only fueled Rizle’s curiosity. What could he have said to make him look so distressed?

She was too curious. She had to hear it again.

“Count, I’ve always dreamed of a romantic proposal!”

Long ago, Rizle had always dreamed of being proposed to in a certain way. First, the setting had to be a garden in full bloom. However, standing on the flowers was unacceptable—it was a disqualifying factor.

The proposal in her dreams always took place in a gazebo attached to the garden. And the other person would say something like this:

‘Even when all these flowers wither, my feelings for you never will.’

It was a confession that made her happy just imagining it. But she doubted Heizen would have said anything remotely like that.

“May I ask how many romantic ideals you have in total?”

Such sweet words were too much to expect from someone who asked such moodless questions.

Above all, there wasn’t a garden in full bloom at Troskan Castle in the middle of winter. It was hard to see anything green, yellow, or red—everything was just white snow.

“Did you say something bold like, ‘Marry me’?”

“……”

“Or perhaps, ‘Let’s get married!’? If not that, then maybe, ‘I love you!’?”

She kept probing, but he firmly kept his lips shut. She was dying of curiosity.

‘How can I break through this stubborn wall and make him speak again?’

Rizle smiled brightly as she schemed in her head.

“When did you start liking me, Count? Surely you didn’t suddenly fall for me last night.”

It was hard to verify the truth of his words about wanting to claim the southern lands for her. However, the fact that he had a ring was undeniable. If he hadn’t planned to propose to just anyone he saw, then he must have brought it for Rizle.

‘But how did he know my ring size so precisely?’

The thought struck her as curious. He couldn’t have measured her finger and ordered it custom-made, yet the ring fit perfectly—not too tight or loose.

“I also told you last night when I started to love you.”

It seemed difficult to get answers from someone who hid everything like Heizen. Rizle felt a bit upset.

“You could at least tell me that much!”

“If I start explaining, it’ll be a long story…”

She wanted him to tell the long story, but Heizen absolutely refused to open his mouth. Why would someone who claimed to love her hide so much?

“Do you really like me?”

Rizle asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing. Heizen’s lips twitched, but he avoided her gaze. However, his reddened ears gave him away.

A mischievous smile appeared on Rizle’s lips. Tilting her head side to side in a playful manner, she suddenly stopped and gave him a sly smile.

“Does your heart race when I look at you like this?”

Heizen’s lips trembled silently. Thrilled by his reaction, Rizle pressed on.

“Do you feel like kissing me?”

“……”

“If you propose to me again, I’ll let you.”

Come on, give in. Give in.

Rizle silently chanted as she stared intently at Heizen’s lips, waiting for them to move. The slower his lips parted, the wider her eyes grew in anticipation.

“In that case, I shall wait until the wedding. After all, once we’re married, we’ll be able to kiss every day.”

Just when she thought he was about to give in, he didn’t. Frustrated, Rizle let out an involuntary “Ugh” sound.

“You’re really not going to do it? Are you sure?”

“I can endure it.”

“I mean, I really won’t let you kiss me!”

“I’ll make up for it later, for as much as I endure now.”

The skills he used to defend the empire against its enemies were just as effective against Rizle.