“Here, open wide.”
“…Open wide.”
Jared was bewildered. It was dinnertime, and Olivier, sitting beside him, was bringing a forkful of steaming hot potato to his mouth. No one rebuked him for the breach of etiquette. His fiancée’s mother watched with a gentle smile, while the maids attending to the household chores simply gave a thumbs-up with expressionless faces. Unable to refuse his fiancée’s affection, Jared bit into the potato. Instantly, heat spread through his mouth.
“…I-I’m sorry, could I have some water?”
“Oh, was it hot? Well, that’s unfortunate. I’ll blow on it for you next time.”
“No, it’s not that kind of problem.”
Olivier had been her usual self when they greeted each other that morning, but when Jared returned home after being out of the mansion all day, she seemed… different. For one thing, she was a step closer than usual. And she was strangely solicitous. Even now, she sat so close to Olivier that their shoulders were almost touching.
“O-Older Brother! Here’s your water!”
“Thank you, Yeny.”
“I-I’ll give it to you! Here, please!” Compelled by Yeny, who shoved the cup towards his lips, Jared drank the water as his cousin directed.
“Hmm… you’re quite good, Yeny.”
“I was just taking inspiration from Older Sister. And besides, that’s unfair! I want to feed Older Brother too!”
“Alright. Let’s take turns then.”
“Yes!”
—No, no, that’s not what I mean!
Unable to voice his thoughts as the cup was continually pressed to his lips, Jared inwardly cried out. Seeing Olivier suddenly become so attentive, Yeny, rather than feeling competitive, was inspired to try it herself. Each time she acted, approving glances were cast from those around them, making Jared uncomfortable.
“…Youth. I want to feed Conrad too.”
So thought Rosa, the successor to an assassination organization and his aunt, who was younger than Olivier. She spoke longingly of the Duke’s youngest son, who was not present.
—You two are the ones experiencing youth!
Jared knew. Not only was he not averse to the younger boy, but recently, with his mother’s approval, he had been gradually advancing their relationship. There might be various obstacles between a member of the Ducal Family and the successor to an assassination organization, but the two individuals themselves didn’t seem to care at all. Rosa, who was a match for a thousand men, was welcomed despite her relationship with Conrad, or rather, their visits were welcomed. She seemed to be particularly friendly with Tobias, the eldest son of the Ducal Family, and was steadily establishing her position within the Ducal household.
“Here, Jared, you’re in your growing phase, so eat plenty of meat.”
“Older Brother, vegetables are important too!”
Food was being delivered to his mouth one after another, keeping him busy. Desperate to escape this bittersweet meal, he looked to Pfeil, who was silently and steadily eating, for help.
“…”
However, the assassin with light blue hair, without uttering a word, curled his lips upwards slightly before returning his attention to his own meal.
—Say something, at least!
Useless, all of them. As a last resort, Jared turned his gaze to his Master.
“…You too, Master?”
With a fork holding a piece of meat, he looked at Almeida, who was waiting her turn behind Olivier and the others with a very pleasant smile, and despaired. The meal, despite its clamorous and lively nature, progressed, and Jared found himself being fed more than usual by his fiancée, his sister, and his Master.
***
“Lady Olivier, did something happen today?”
“N-N-Nothing happened! Absolutely nothing.”
After dinner, during their usual evening time together, Jared asked Olivier about her odd behavior. The reply he received was so flustered it was almost comical. He wondered if she even bothered to hide anything. As if sensing his doubt, Olivier sighed resignedly.
“As expected, I’m terrible at keeping secrets. Especially from Jared.”
“It seems so. So, what happened to make you so suddenly… well, it wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t like your usual self.”
“Today, I was made to think about a lot of things.”
She moved from her seat opposite him to sit beside Jared. The quiet fiancée rested her head on his shoulder.
“Lady Veronica came to the mansion.”
“I believe she’s your childhood friend?”
“Yes, and my relative. We played together often since we were children, so we’re close like real sisters, regardless of our royal status.”
Jared was inwardly surprised. He couldn’t help but think how small the world was, that his best friend’s sister was more than just a childhood acquaintance to his fiancée.
“Did something happen?”
“We talked about you and me.”
“About us?”
“Yes, there’s talk of you taking a consort.”
“Again… the King said something similar to me just the other day.”
“It’s the same thing. Lady Veronica came to the mansion today to tell me of her desire to become your consort.”
Jared had told Olivier about his conversation with the King but had omitted mentioning Princess Veronica. In his mind, he knew the King hadn’t spoken idly, but he didn’t know how to tell his fiancée. While he was hesitating, Veronica herself had spoken to Olivier. He inwardly panicked, thinking she acted far too quickly.
“To be honest, I think it would be a good thing for you to take a consort.”
“Lady Olivier?”
“But, I like this family as it is. It started with Mother, Trane, and me, then you joined, and Yeny came. Even Pfeil and Rosa, who were supposed to kill me, now live here. And now, your Master and the Princess of the Dragon Kingdom live with us. I love this mansion.”
“Me too.”
Olivier and her family, whom she met through an arranged marriage. People from an assassination organization with whom they had exchanged blows. His Master, his sister, and the Dragon Girl – before he knew it, they had become family. For Jared, who lost his mother in his childhood and was estranged from his father, this was the family he had finally obtained.
“It might be good to increase our family members. Besides, taking a consort would also be beneficial for Jared’s future. But, I… I seem to be more possessive than I imagined.”
“Lady Olivier.”
“Lady Veronica and Lily might become your consorts someday. Rather than strangers, I could accept them, as they are like sisters to me. Like Yeny.”
But, Olivier moved away from Jared and offered a slightly mischievous smile.
“I want to monopolize you. Since this is our first love, I want to make many more memories with Jared.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Thank you. I’m so happy. But, Jared, promise me one thing. When the time comes that you must take a consort, please prioritize me, not yourself, in making the decision.”
“I…”
“You don’t have to answer now. Think about it when the time comes. I need to grow up too. If I’m to be your wife, I can’t just be selfish; I want to do what’s best for my husband. Otherwise, I won’t be able to call myself his wife.”
Olivier, after talking with Veronica, decided to take a step forward in her relationship with her fiancé, which had been stagnant. She didn’t just want to be cherished; she wanted to cherish Jared too. She wanted to consider his future. Since he had already become engaged to her, Jared’s future had narrowed and was already somewhat decided.
“Lady Olivier, you don’t need to worry about that. Please just be yourself, as always.”
“Jared?”
“To be frank, the idea of consorts is troubling to me. Even though it’s decided that I’ll officially become a Court Mage, I don’t really understand the reason for taking consorts.”
“That’s—”
She stopped herself before explaining the connections between noble families, the need for backing and supporters for Jared, who was becoming a rising noble. He was a noble too. He understood that. Jared’s confusion wasn’t about the practical reasons, but the emotional ones.
“Well, Yeny is here now, but she doesn’t feel like a consort at all; she just feels like a sister living with us. Including Yeny, I’m happy with things as they are now. I like it with you, Lady Olivier, Lady Hannelore, and Trane here. And Yeny, Pfeil, Rosa, Almeida, and Rio. I like the present.”
Olivier felt tears welling up. She was incredibly happy that her fiancé thought the same way she did.
“And also, um, it’s a bit embarrassing to say…”
“What is it? Please say it properly.”
“Yes. Um, well, you see, for me, my first love is Lady Olivier. Before I knew it, you became the most important person to me. So, um, right now, I don’t have the capacity to think about anyone else; I want to think only of you, Lady Olivier, I mean—”
Olivier hugged Jared. His words were what she desired most, what made her happiest. She knew his affection. She knew how much he cherished her. Yet, feeling as though she hadn’t been able to do anything for her fiancé, Jared’s words, saying he could only think of her, brought tears of joy to her eyes. That day, Olivier cried in her fiancé’s arms like a child.
