The spot where his lips touched felt hot and tingling.
I withdrew my captured hand and looked at him straight on.
Raeyan’s red eyes were shadowed despite the strong chandelier light above.
“Raeyan. There’s something you’re misunderstanding.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve never once thought we stood on different levels, regardless of your status.”
From the moment we first met until now, Raeyan was neither the leader of the Earth Hawk Mercenaries nor the forgotten heir of the Vietan family.
To me, ‘Raeyan’ was simply ‘Raeyan’.
The person who suddenly appeared in my life and confused me, then repeatedly reached out his hand whenever I was in danger.
Someone who, despite showing no change in expression and speaking little, seemed to have such deep wounds that I simply couldn’t leave him alone.
The only companion who knew each other’s secrets.
I thought status or position wasn’t important in our relationship, but was that just my thinking?
“But I’m genuinely glad that you’ve reclaimed your family name.”
Of course, I supported Raeyan’s decision.
I’m not sure if I have the right to say this after hearing only a few words of his story, but reclaiming an unjustly taken position was only natural.
Just as I decided to face everything without running away, I hoped Raeyan would move forward too.
We can’t be bound by the past forever, right?
Raeyan, who had been looking down at me with an unreadable expression, answered.
“I knew you would say that.”
“Did I perhaps make you misunderstand? Did you feel disrespected or……”
I considered him a comrade, but did I somehow give him the impression that he needed to reclaim his status?
As I was deeply pondering if I had made a mistake, Raeyan took another step closer.
“No. This is entirely my problem.”
“Huh?”
“It’s my inferiority complex, my sense of inadequacy.”
Raeyan rested his forehead on my shoulder. His fine hair lightly tickled my cheek.
Raeyan’s voice, sounding like a sigh, continued.
“Whenever I stand before you, I feel pathetically inadequate and lacking. Because compared to your brilliance, I have nothing.”
His murmur was like a confession.
All I could do was offer my shoulder and listen to his words.
“Because I had nothing to show for myself, I thought that if I at least reclaimed my family name, these base emotions might disappear. That’s why I did it.”
“……Did it work out as you intended?”
“No.”
Raeyan let out a low laugh and continued.
“Nothing has ever worked out as intended with you. Not even once……”
For some reason, Raeyan’s back, much larger than mine, seemed smaller than usual.
I unconsciously tried to embrace him but withdrew my hand again.
The thought that I shouldn’t do that restrained my action.
It would be better to be careful, not knowing how my small, thoughtless actions might be interpreted by Raeyan.
“You know, Raeyan.”
“Yes.”
I hesitated, then asked with difficulty.
“Do you like me?”
There was a lot of deliberation before asking this question. The thought that it might be so had crossed my mind dozens of times, but each time I denied and ignored it.
Facing someone’s true feelings is always frightening.
I didn’t mind even if I was scolded for being overly self-conscious.
Raeyan answered without the slightest hesitation.
“No.”
“I see, as I thought-.”
Cutting off my words of relief, Raeyan answered.
“I love you.”
“……What?”
For a moment, it felt like my thoughts had stopped.
‘What did he just say……’
I stepped back, pushing Raeyan away.
His face, which had been bowed, came into view.
Raeyan’s eyes, looking at me, were red. As if he was hurt.
I shook my head, dazed.
“That’s not love.”
I had vaguely guessed from Raeyan’s attitude, which had been blindly devoted to me from the start.
That he harbored some special feelings.
Raeyan treated me as if he had imprinted on me, like a baby bird seeing its mother for the first time after hatching.
As if only I existed in this world.
But no matter how I thought about it, that wasn’t love.
It was just a misunderstanding of love, born from searching for too long for the only person who had reached out during a miserable time, unable to forget.
Anyone can be deceived by being immersed in their own emotions.
But Raeyan gazed at me with utmost seriousness.
“Even if it’s you, Elodie, you can’t judge my feelings.”
“……You’re mistaken.”
“No, I’m not.”
Raeyan added firmly, as if talking to himself.
“There’s no way it’s a mistake.”
Silence fell between us after his quiet voice.
Further conversation was meaningless due to our irreconcilable difference of opinion.
After a moment of silence, Raeyan was the first to speak.
“Am I so horrible to you that you would deny and discard even my feelings?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
My chest ached. I felt stupid for raising my hand to comfort Raeyan, only to withdraw it again.
I was too selfish, wanting a precious person not to drift away while unable to believe in their feelings.
I should never have asked, I thought when Raeyan made a request.
“I won’t ask you to love me. Just please don’t deny my feelings.”
“……I’ll try.”
For me, who was just learning what it means to be loved, accepting love wasn’t an easy thing.
So I couldn’t give Raeyan a definite answer. Giving certainty would be a lie.
“That’s enough. For now.”
Though he said it was enough, Raeyan’s expression remained dark.
I ended up ruining Raeyan’s mood on this historic day when he was officially recognized as Vietan.
Moreover, the atmosphere had become irreparably awkward.
‘Should I just return to the banquet hall like this?’
As I glanced at the doorway, Raeyan changed the subject.
“Could I borrow the sealing stone for a moment? I need it to be recognized as Vietan.”
Relieved that the awkward atmosphere had dissipated, I nodded…
“Yes, just a moment.”
Actually, since it’s originally Vietan’s sealing stone, it would be more correct to return it to Raeyan rather than lending it.
As I took out Greed’s sealing stone, which I had hidden in a pocket inside my dress to avoid others’ notice, Greed, summoned at will, screamed loudly.
[Are you going to abandon me? Are you abandoning me to that human?!]
“Calm down, Greed.”
[How can I calm down! Because of you, I- to Lord Irkala-! Waaah! This is too much!]
Greed started crying pitifully.
It would be troublesome if passersby were to come in because of this.
“There, there, be good?”
[Calling a sin ‘good’ is an insult!]
“……Bad, then?”
[Y-you called me bad?! This is too much!]
What rhythm am I supposed to match here?
While I was pondering how to deal with the thoroughly upset Greed, Raeyan took the sealing stone from my hand.
“Reverse summon.”
At Raeyan’s single word, Greed was reverse summoned and disappeared into the sealing stone.
Raeyan frowned, as if Greed was still chattering noisily even after entering the sealing stone.
“Be quiet. That’s an order.”
After giving the order, Raeyan’s expression relaxed.
By the way, I was worried if Greed would get along well with Raeyan.
I glanced at the sealing stone and listed a few precautions.
“Please take good care of Greed. You need to give snacks three times a day, sometimes be a bit lenient even if it doesn’t listen, and don’t put it on the edge where it might knock things over while running around. And……”
“I’ll return it to you right after the announcement is over today.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, more than anything, it’s troublesome.”
Raeyan looked at the sealing stone as if it were the most annoying thing in the world.
He seemed genuinely bothered by Greed.
“I’ll come find you as soon as I’m alone after the announcement.”
“Alright.”
“And in the rift, ah.”
Raeyan, who was about to say something more, stopped mid-sentence.
“In the rift? What is it? Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing.”
I felt something unsettling in Raeyan’s behavior as he avoided my gaze.
I wonder what happened in the rift.
***
“On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, I hereby announce the reinstatement of the Vietan family.”
The First Prince Adenmir, as the Emperor’s representative, officially announced the reinstatement of the Vietan family.
With this, the descendants of the Wallentian Empire’s heroes were reorganized from four families to five.
The man regained his title and name that he had lost long ago.
Raeyan Vietan.
Applause poured out.
The gazes of people looking at Duke Vietan were full of curiosity.
At the same time, there was one more person who attracted attention.
“Lady Severes. You’re His Grace Duke Vietan’s lover, aren’t you?”
“I’m so envious. You knew all along, didn’t you, Miss Elodie? That the Mercenary King Ian was His Grace Duke Vietan!”
“Oh my, how romantic. When do you plan to get engaged?”
People gathered around, bombarding Elodie with questions about Raeyan.
It was easier to ask Elodie than to directly approach Raeyan, who had an unapproachable atmosphere.
Moreover, Elodie Severes was the only one with a publicly known connection to Raeyan, who had newly become a duke.
“Well……”
Elodie gave an ambiguous answer and sipped her drink unnecessarily.
Having just heard Raeyan’s confession, it was difficult to flatly deny the people’s questions.
‘My heart did pound after hearing the confession, but that’s just a natural chemical reaction……’
Elodie’s conclusion was that while Raeyan was a precious person, she had no romantic feelings for him.
She stole a glance at Raeyan, using the people as a shield.
He was talking about something with Adenmir.
When she saw them before, they didn’t seem to have good feelings towards each other, but they didn’t show it in a place like this.
‘Those clothes suit him well too……’
While she was lost in such thoughts, a young nobleman lightly asked her for a dance.
“Lady Severes. Would you dance with-.”
Elodie, who was at a loss for how to refuse the sudden dance invitation, unconsciously looked up and-.
“……!”
Her eyes met Raeyan’s.
She thought Raeyan would naturally avoid her given the awkward situation right after his confession, but things unfolded differently than expected.
Raeyan approached without hesitation, breaking through the crowd, and extended his hand to Elodie.
“Elodie. Would you be my dance partner?”
Not Lady Severes, but Elodie.
Raeyan boldly used her name as he asked for a dance.
The young nobleman, who was suddenly pushed aside before even finishing his dance invitation, scratched the back of his head.
Elodie looked down at Raeyan’s large hand.
The gazes of people watching the two were blatant and burdensome. The only way to escape this situation was to go down to the dance floor.
“……Gladly.”
As she grasped Raeyan’s hand and left that spot, it felt as if all the gazes in the banquet hall were directed at them, making her face burn.
Elodie looked up at the man who had been appointed less than an hour ago.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t force me?”
“I don’t recall saying I would stay still.”
Raeyan murmured lowly as he pulled Elodie’s waist close.
“I’m free to seduce you, after all.”
As Elodie had wished, Raeyan had no intention of backing down anymore.
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LoverofLove
Thank you so much for translating and sharing this story! I have loved every moment of reading it! The characters are so genuine and lovable and I love their interactions. Thank you thank you! It’s been such a joy and I look forward to what comes next!