Chapter 23
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The mercenaries, sweating profusely, were being interrogated.
“Are you hiding something? Speak honestly.”
“Ugh, please don’t come any closer.”
When I pretended to swing my sword, the mercenaries fell flat on the ground.
I’m not stupid—how could I not notice their reaction?
“Excuse me… Are you scared of me? Are you mocking me?”
“Hahaha… Aaaah!”
“Just tell him! Just tell him everything!”
“No, even if we do, we’ll die!”
“Just run away!”
The mercenaries jumped over the fence and ran away.
Kals, who had been watching nervously, belatedly bolted away in a panic as well.
Watching this, my father spoke.
“They’re quick.”
“Father, how about sparring with me?”
“What? Haha, am I getting old? My ears must be failing. How could family point swords at each other? Why don’t you help out in the fields if you’re bored?”
“……”
When I pretended to swing my sword toward his greatsword, my father hugged it tightly.
“This is a very cherished sword. Don’t do that! Oh, why can’t you just listen when your father is speaking? Rihana, Rihana…!”
The shape of my father’s lips changed into a familiar word.
“Kill.”
The word that would surely follow was “me.”
I couldn’t not recognize it—it’s a phrase I’ve used too often.
“What is it, dear?”
“Ahem. Serupe said he’s hungry. Could you prepare a snack for him?”
“Oh my, it’s still a long way until breakfast. What would you like to eat?”
“Anything you make, Mom.”
“Oh, my sweet boy.”
As I followed my mother, I glanced back at my father, who was sweating nervously and avoiding my gaze.
I let out a deep sigh and turned back to my father.
“What is it this time?”
“Father… I honestly didn’t know until just now. But there seems to be something going on, doesn’t there?”
“Son, do you love your father?”
“Of course.”
“Then that’s all that matters… It wasn’t a life-threatening attack, anyway.”
“What is even going on…?”
When I entered the house, my mother was busy cooking something in the kitchen.
I wonder what it is. I’m looking forward to it.
Since I had to wait, I sat at the dining table and began pondering.
‘The agreed time for Karon to arrive is a week… When Deruna suggested we act, why would someone as perceptive as her make such a reckless move?’
I didn’t know it was the Green Forest Alliance, but Deruna couldn’t not have known. From the beginning, we had agreed to hold out and buy time.
If Deruna knew it was the Green Forest Alliance, she must have assumed she was being targeted. She wouldn’t have taken a risky move without the guarantee of victory.
And before that, no matter how much Karon taught me, there was no reason for Deruna to throw me onto the battlefield like that.
‘Unless she was certain I was strong.’
Come to think of it, she did say I defeated Adela.
Adela, who’s an incredibly strong swordswoman…
I defeated Adela?
I thought Karon was just joking.
And if the bandits had captured Elenien, why would they maintain such a solid encirclement?
Of course, if it was the Green Forest Alliance, they would target Deruna to seize the Archil Count Family’s lands.
But if they had captured Elenien, the spirits’ behavior would’ve been either completely subdued or extremely aggressive.
‘A lie…?’
One thing is certain—there’s something going on.
I had just finished organizing my thoughts when it happened.
“Yawn, ah, Serupe. About yesterday… I’m sorry.”
I was startled by what I heard.
Deruna… apologized first.
Even when she fought with Karon, she would only apologize after being consoled or would dismiss it casually.
“I don’t know.”
I deliberately ignored her, pretending to sulk.
Just then, my mother brought out some delicious braised meat and salad.
I picked up my utensils and took a bite, ignoring Deruna. My mother, noticing our conversation, seemed intrigued.
“Oh my…”
Placing her hand on her chin, she looked at Deruna as if evaluating a potential daughter-in-law.
Deruna seemed to catch on and, flustered, grabbed my arm and acted coy.
“Serupe, let’s have a proper talk. I’m sure you’ll understand.”
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I?”
“What? That’s too much! I… No, never mind. Mother, it’s just a small misunderstanding between me and Serupe.”
“Serupe, what do you think of that Elenien girl? I heard that once an elf falls in love, they only think of their partner. If you two love each other, wouldn’t you live happily together?”
What timing.
As my mother asked this, Elenien, likely awakened by the commotion, came downstairs.
Pretending not to see her, I replied.
“Well… I feel like Elenien is hiding something from me too.”
Thud, thud, thud. Elenien ran over, shaking her head frantically.
“N-no, Serupe, that’s… It’s not… Uh…”
“Hehe… Serupe, I was wrong. Let me explain everything. What can I do to make it up to you?”
My father entered the house, sensing something entertaining was happening, and sat beside my mother.
With their usual chemistry, the two of them quickly got absorbed in their banter.
“Our two daughters-in-law seem to be in trouble. What’s going on, dear?”
“Well, listen to this. Those two are clinging to Serupe, wanting to be his wife. But Serupe is angry… I’m worried they’re up to no good!”
“Really? Couples fight sometimes—it’s natural.”
“We’ve never fought even once.”
“That’s because you’re a wonderful person.”
“Fufu.”
Ah, they’re my parents, but watching them being lovey-dovey is kind of annoying.
Still, they were reliable allies for me at the moment, saying the things I wanted to say.
Hearing their conversation, Deruna raised her voice.
“Excuse me. Since Serupe, Father, and Mother are all here, I’ll speak formally. I am Deruna Archil of the Archil Count Family. I’ve fallen deeply in love with Serupe. Please allow us to marry. I believe I’m more than qualified to be your daughter-in-law.”
Hey, isn’t that supposed to be my line, Deruna?
“Hm, but we are commoners, and the Lady is a noble. It would be a lie to say that the gap doesn’t feel intimidating. It’s not a barrier the Lady can just easily remove.”
“Of course, such a barrier might exist right now. But I believe that Serupe will become a noble in the future. Naturally, he’ll need to overcome it, but eventually, it’ll become a barrier that won’t even need to be overcome.”
“I see. Are you saying that’s the future of this village?”
“No. I’m looking at Serupe’s potential.”
“In that case, to be blunt, could it be that Lady Deruna is not truly in love with Serupe but is instead focused on his potential?”
“What? That’s…”
The fact that she couldn’t immediately deny it can be taken as an affirmation.
Well, it’s not like they’ve known each other for that long—how could she easily say she loves him wholeheartedly?
Given Deruna’s practical nature, it’s also likely that she has certain expectations of me.
“If that’s the kind of marriage you’re after, then perhaps we could aim even higher—targeting another count family or even a duke family. Hahaha. Honestly, I’m not sure if I should brag about this, but I’m someone who doesn’t need to cling to a title. After all, I’ve made contributions to the Empire. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so easy for me to act so proudly as the Chief here.”
Really?
I never heard the details from my father, so I didn’t know about this.
“Dear.”
“What is it, Rihana?”
“Wouldn’t it be fair to give that elf girl a chance to speak as well?”
“Oh, right.”
Elenien, upon receiving attention, was startled.
She hesitated and mumbled in a small voice.
“I… I like Serupe… I’ve been watching him for a long time… And… I came to like him…”
Elenien’s reason for liking me seems to align with what I had guessed.
We sometimes encounter each other through the spirits… And our similar circumstances probably caught her attention.
“In my opinion, that girl seems to genuinely like our Serupe. For some reason, she reminds me of myself.”
Elenien’s expression brightened slightly.
“But if we exclude emotions and look at it objectively, wouldn’t Lady Deruna be a better choice as a daughter-in-law? Rihana, I’m not sure if you’ll understand, but as I get older, I find myself caring more about the prosperity of our family. That elf girl looks frail, and I’m not confident Serupe could play the role of a dependable man properly.”
“Do you think so? Well, Serupe has always been a somewhat delicate child since he was little. It does worry me.”
“She has wealth, experience, strength, and as a woman, she’s… Well, I’m not good at saying these things, but you know what I mean. It’s an important matter for a wife, not just as a mother.”
“Ah! That’s true. Wide hips and a large chest seem ideal. Raising Serupe was tough for me, you know. It’s not something to be embarrassed about.”
Why are you even talking about this…
These people are completely enjoying themselves, aren’t they?
Elenien glanced down at her own body, looking slightly downcast, while Deruna’s face turned bright red.
It was a rare sight—seeing Deruna looking embarrassed like this—one that I didn’t know when I’d get to see again.
But I couldn’t help worrying whether Elenien might lose her confidence or feel hurt.
Elenien has a good figure, so I didn’t think she deserved this kind of teasing from my parents.
Still, considering that both she and Deruna seem to be hiding something from me, I felt like it wouldn’t hurt to let them feel a bit flustered.
“I… truly promise to take good care of Serupe. Please, grant me your permission, Father.”
“Hm? Me?”
Deruna seemed confused by my father’s reaction.
But I understood what was happening.
“Haha, why would I grant permission?”
“Is it impossible for me? I know there were misunderstandings, but I didn’t mean any harm to Serupe.”
“Lady Deruna, I think you’re misunderstanding something. My wife and I were merely chatting among ourselves.”
“Pfft… Pffft… Puhuhu… Ugh… Hahaha…”
My mother, unable to hold back her laughter, hid under the table.
My father delivered the final word.
“Permission isn’t ours to give—it’s something Serupe and his future partner must decide together. Haha. And Serupe should seek permission from his future in-laws, not from us. As parents, we were just expressing our concerns. We’re not here to block our child’s future. Of course, I’m not saying it’s wrong for a woman to take the lead in such matters.”
“Deruna, are you being foolish?”
Unable to hold back, I teased her, and Deruna’s face turned even redder.
Not knowing how to handle the situation, she looked like she was about to cry as she bent down in front of me, pleading desperately.
“Please… let me be your bride. Let me be Serupe’s bride.”
Her appearance was so adorable and lovely that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing this, my parents looked at each other and chuckled.
“Oh, come to think of it, we’re quite busy.”
“Me too. You’ll have to take care of dinner on your own today.”
With that, my father and mother tactfully excused themselves, saying they had something to do.
Feeling confident that Deruna wouldn’t get seriously angry even if I teased her a little, I mimicked her words.
“P-please let m-me be S-Serupe’s b-bride?”
Her expression, entirely different from her usual demeanor, was as amusing as a persimmon.
I wondered how the mercenaries would react if they saw that face.
Though, only I would get to see it.
“Ah… Aah… Aah… That’s not how I said it…”
Leaving the flustered Deruna alone, I turned to Elenien, mimicking Deruna’s tone with a mischievous expression.
Leaving the broken-down Deruna behind, I turned to Elenien with a playful expression and mimicked Deruna’s words.
“Let me? Be your? Bride?”
Then Elenien also copied me playfully.
“Let me… be your bride?”
At that, Deruna, unable to hold it in any longer, glared at me with tears brimming in her eyes.
“Se. Ru. Pe… Don’t you dare move!”
“Hahaha, catch me if you can.”
I skillfully ran to my room and hid. Deruna, unable to find me, looked around and even peeked out the window.
But, of course, she wouldn’t find me—I was inside the room.
“Ahh… ugh, sniff… sob…”
Seeing Deruna collapse and cry pitifully was unbearably cute.
I never thought she could show a side like this.
I cautiously approached her from behind and covered her eyes with both hands.
“Peek-a-boo.”
“Eek! Wh-where did you come from? This… are you not going to move your hands? No… don’t move them.”
Embarrassed that I caught her crying, she kept her face covered and told me to leave her alone.
I smiled at Deruna and said.
“Shall we talk properly now?”
“Uh-huh…”
Responding meekly in a soft voice like Elenien, Deruna let her body relax and sank to the floor.
Though she had always seemed bigger than me, now she fit snugly into my arms.
As she calmed down a little, Deruna sniffled softly, the lingering traces of her sobs occasionally making her body tremble slightly.
Holding her gently, I spoke.
“You opportunist. What made you suddenly like me so much?”
At that, Deruna flinched, trying to explain.
“Well… that’s…”
“It’s fine. I also want an older sister.”
Hearing that, Deruna took a deep breath, glanced sideways at me, and smiled as if she found it amusing.
Then Elenien, her voice slightly trembling, approached us.
“I… I… I like Serupe… a lot, and I liked him first…”
“Elenien, you want me too, right? Both of you like me, so what can I do? As long as you don’t fight, isn’t it fine? I don’t even know how I became so popular all of a sudden.”
Elenien clung to my back.
On the other side, Deruna pulled me toward her as well.
“You’re unexpectedly sly, aren’t you, you little rascal…”
“Serupe…”
Neither of them would let go, and I was stuck between them for quite a while.
—
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