Chapter 30: Zoo Date — Part 2
I held my breath to remain unnoticed, but Prince Agustin went and sat right next to me.
The rest area was bustling with tired visitors, and there were hardly any empty seats. But unluckily, a family sitting at the table next to mine had just left.
It’s okay, stay calm…!
Prince Agustin shouldn’t know the true identity of plain-looking Leticia. So as long as Camilo doesn’t come back, I won’t be exposed as Leticia!
I sneak a glance at Prince Agustin’s profile.
Apparently, there is no sign that they care about me… I thought…
Suddenly our eyes met.
For a moment, Prince Agustin looks bewildered, but he soon gives a small smile.
“…Are you here alone?”
W-What?! He’s talking to me?! Nooooo!
Inside, I’m sweating nervously, but I try to concentrate all my nerves on my facial muscles to show a diplomatic smile.
Camilo had advised me to ignore Prince Agustin if he tried to talk to me, but ignoring someone as prideful as him could make things more complicated.
“N-No. I’m here with my fiancée.”
“Oh, I see. Is your fiancé the type to leave behind such a beautiful person like you?”
Prince Agustin sneered sarcastically. I felt his intention to ridicule the word “fiancée” in his words and smile, so I clenched both of my hands with a smile on my face.
“I felt dizzy, so he went to buy a drink.”
“I see. Well, it can’t be helped then… Are you a noble lady? Can you tell me your name?”
…What?
I looked back at Prince Agustin with suspicion at his strange question. His sapphire blue eyes were gazing at me intently, without showing any signs of hidden motives.
“Uh, why do you ask?”
“Is there a reason why a man would ask a woman for her name?”
No way.
Am I being courted by him?
Come to think of it, didn’t Elias-sama say that things weren’t going well with Yserra-sama? They seemed to have had an argument earlier when they parted ways.
“…Fu.”
Once I understood the current situation, I couldn’t help but laugh foolishly.
I see.
So that’s what kind of person he is. When his current love doesn’t go well, he doesn’t break up with her and instead hits on other women.
I really have no eye for men.
But now that I realize this, I feel completely refreshed.
“I happened to be watching, but aren’t you here with your lover? Yet, you’re talking to other women. You’re a despicable person.”
I spoke firmly with a smile.
Prince Agustin seemed to have been taken aback and his face turned pale as he stared at me with an open mouth.
“I have an important fiancée, so I can’t tell you my name. Please treat the person in front of you with respect.”
After saying what needed to be said, I left Prince Agustin standing there, still in shock and not moving.
I think running away is cowardly, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I walked quickly, my trembling legs forgetting that I should have opened my parasol.
…I was scared.
Whenever I face Prince Agustin, I can’t help but think about what would happen if he were to kill me.
I press down on my trembling arms.
Even now, after 3 PM on a holiday, the zoo is crowded with people laughing and having fun, and I am the only one who stands out.
I wonder how far Camilo went to buy drinks. I think there was a juice stand nearby, but am I on the right path?
I want to see him. Where did Camilo go…?
“Leticia?!”
I was called by the voice I wanted to hear the most, and I turned around as if I had been shot.
At that moment, I probably had a face like a lost child.
Camilo stood frozen, holding a bottle of juice in both hands and barely within sight of my expression.
“Why did you walk here? How do you feel? Sorry, the drink stand was crowded——”
As Camilo walked towards me, seeming flustered, I ran towards him and hugged him with a forceful momentum.
He didn’t spill his drink despite my sudden action. He truly is a dragon knight.
Only the sound of my shallow breathing echoed clearly as I put all my strength into the arm around his broad back.
“…L-Letty?”
His trembling voice whispered into my hair.
Camilo took some time to set down the two bottles he had in one hand, and then hugged me back with his free arm.
It was warm. The tension in my whole body, which had been so rigid, seemed to dissipate as if it was a lie.
“What’s wrong… did something happen?”
I should tell Camilo about what just happened.
But now that the words won’t come out properly, I feel embarrassed for acting so strangely, like hugging him all of a sudden.
I feel like a child left behind. Even though I feel relieved, what am I doing in front of everyone like this?!
“I-I’m sorry! I’m okay now…!”
I tried to twist my body to get away from Camilo, but his arms that hugged me tightly only increased in strength, pressing my face into his thick chest.
“Camilo…?”
“You’re shaking. I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”
Camilo’s arm was strong, and just a moment ago it had brought me nothing but relief, but now it made my heart beat painfully.
Still, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to let go, so I decided to stay like that for just a little while longer.
In the end, I suggested to Camilo that we head back.
I really wanted to see the animals a little longer, but there was a danger of encountering The Prince, so there was nothing to be done.
And so, after getting on the Duke’s carriage for a while and telling Camilo about meeting Prince Agustin, he sat down in front of me with a face as stern as a knight heading to battle.
“…So? When he asked for your name, what did you say?”
“I told him I wouldn’t tell him because I have a fiancé.”
What is it? His face is really scary.
“Was it really..? No, no matter what Letty thinks, I…”
Camilo murmured something in a low voice without looking me in the eyes. I first became worried about his expression that seemed to be filled with distress.
“Camilo? Um, what’s wrong?”
The questioning words abruptly stopped. That was because I was pulled by an irresistible arm and placed on Camilo’s lap.
His young grass-green eyes at a slightly lower position were shining darkly.
My entire body was pulsating intensely due to the suddenly close distance, and I realized that my face was turning bright red.
“Letty.”
“What, wha…?!”
W-wait, wait, wait!
Aren’t I too heavy? Or rather, it’s too close! My heart can’t take it!
“I want to kiss you. Is that okay?”
“Huh…?!”
With his heated eyes piercing through me, I unfortunately let out a voice lacking in sex appeal.
I never thought he would ask such a thing. After all, the first time he just did it without asking…!
“Why are you asking now when you didn’t even ask for permission before?!”
“I want your permission. I want to feel that Letty chose me.”
Camilo whispered with a strained voice and buried his face in my neck.
And nothing more. But the breath that touched my collarbone and the hand that encircled my waist were so hot that my whole body tensed up.
What should I do? I can’t even speak.
It’s okay.
If it’s Camilo, no matter what he does——
“Why does Letty…become so stiff when I touch her like this?”
It was a worn-out whisper that sounded like he was hurt.
I gently opened my closed eyes and stared at the red hair that filled my field of vision.
“You were laughing so much today. It’s not like you don’t have any experience unlike me, since you were once married. So, is it because it’s me that you’re shrinking like this…?”
I didn’t immediately understand what he was saying.
As I desperately tried to think with my hazy mind, I realized that he seemed to have a serious misunderstanding. So, I took a deep breath first.
“N-No…that’s not it!”
A much louder voice came out than I imagined. In a moment of losing my calm, I slapped his broad back.
After managing to get him to sit up, I looked into his narrowed eyes with a sad expression.
No, I didn’t want Camilo to misunderstand me like that. Absolutely not.
“Prince Agustin didn’t lay a finger on me!”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t told anyone about this even in my previous life.
Back then, it was too miserable and I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Because I didn’t think it was particularly important at the time.
I’m the worst for hurting Camilo over something like this.
“S-So, it’s just that I’m not used to it! I’m a complete beginner!”
“…Huh?”
Camilo muttered in confusion, and I became even more desperate.
“I mean, it’s not because it’s Camilo…! I’m just nervous, that’s all!”
No, actually, it might be because it’s Camilo that I’m so nervous.
I tried to think about why that might be, but Camilo’s face was slowly turning red, so I interrupted my thoughts.
“…Is it true?”
“It’s true. Really.”
Ugh, it’s painful to admit how unappealing I am. But if he understands that it was a misunderstanding…
“Did Camilo ever have a girlfriend?”
“No, I’ve never had much interest in it, and the first time around, I didn’t care about anyone except for Leticia.”
Camilo nodded easily. Based on the flow of the conversation, he probably wasn’t married either.
I was the one who forced him into a single life.
So why am I feeling such overwhelming joy?
“Me neither.”
Camilo laughed awkwardly to cover up his unease, but he turned as red as a boiled octopus and seemed to have lost his words.
He muttered meaningless sounds like “Uh” and “Eh” and then awkwardly looked around before sighing heavily.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any composure. I’m the worst…”
As he spoke, he buried his face in my shoulder again. In response to his regretful voice, I regained my composure and gently stroked his stiff back.
“No, I don’t think so.”
I don’t think you’re uncool. It just means that I didn’t really understand Camilo.
Since becoming engaged to Camilo, the days had been so dizzying (very fast-paced).
But I didn’t dislike it, it was warm and happy instead.
I wonder. Have I been able to get to know Camilo a little bit better…?
“Letty, let me do over.”
“Mn…?”
Before I could even ask what he meant, Camilo’s words were swallowed up by a breath.
I saw his young green eyes so close that they were almost indistinct. I finally realized that our lips had touched with a hot sensation.
(Y-You mean a do-over? My first…kiss!)
As my thought process refused to function properly, my cheeks grew hotter and hotter.
Despite feeling so confused that I wanted to scream, for some reason I wanted to embrace this painfully intense tension.
After all, he doesn’t need permission or anything.
You’re always so forceful, aren’t you?
There were so many things I wanted to say, but his face, when we gazed at each other from such a close distance, looked so happy.
So I closed my eyes this time.
The third kiss was very, very tender.
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