Chapter 21: Reaching out to the Invisible Future
“I’m sorry, I dropped it by accident.”
Ralph said as he hurriedly picked up what seemed to be a box of sweets that had fallen to the ground. He then said, “I’ll bring you a new one,” turned around, and walked away.
Judging by his reaction just now, there’s no doubt that he had heard what I said earlier.
However, I’m sure Ralph understands and he’s just going along with the conversation. Yes, that must be it.
“Lisette-sama, your face is too cute, it’s unfair!”
“. . .”
“Hey! you there, go and fetch the best painter in the country.”
“Stop it.”
As I felt the heat gathering on my face, I covered both cheeks with my hands. Nadia, who was sitting next to me, started saying something incomprehensible to the maid.
The other young ladies around us were saying things like, “We’ve seen something wonderful,” or “How lovely,” and they smiled at me with affectionate gazes, which made me even more embarrassed.
“. . .Ralph isn’t coming back, huh.”
“It’ll probably be a while. Hehe, I’ve never seen Onii-sama make such a face before.”
Nadia chuckled and continued, “That’s right.”
“Lisette-sama, could you go to Onii-sama?”
“Huh?”
“Yes, Onii-sama really likes these sweets. Please deliver them to him.”
And so, I ended up being handed the beautifully wrapped sweets that were on the table by Nadia. It was so awkward to go and have them delivered at this moment..
“He’ll surely be delighted. Right?”
I couldn’t refuse when she said it like that, pleading to me. I said goodbye to everyone and was sent off in a grand manner, heading towards Ralph.
When I arrived in front of Ralph’s room, I took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and called out, “It’s Lisette.”
In an instant, the door was opened, and our gazes met, with Ralph looking bewildered.
“. . .What happened?”
“Um, Nadia told me that you like these sweets, so she asked me to deliver them. . .”
As I said it out loud, I felt embarrassed again for a different reason. This should have been something I could ask the maid to do.
“I’m happy. Thank you for going through the trouble.”
But Ralph smiled happily and immediately let me into his room. Part of the room that had been neatly organized when I visited before was now messy, for some reason.
Furthermore, Ralph’s clothes and hair seemed slightly disheveled.
“Um, did something happen?”
“. . .I just tripped a few times, that’s all.”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t believe that Ralph, who had stumbled multiple times from the garden to this room, would do such a thing. I couldn’t help but wonder if my previous remark was the cause.
When I pointed out his clothes and hair, Ralph quickly took off his jacket and hastily fixed his hair. His face was red, and he looked somehow adorable.
After he kindly offered me a seat on the sofa, he poured a chilled drink into a glass and placed it in front of me.
“. . .”
“. . .”
Now that we were in this situation, what should I talk about? While thinking about that, I took a sip from the glass.
“. . .’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I apologize for making you feel uneasy with my reaction earlier. You’re just pretending to be my fiancée, and yet I made you worry.”
“I. . .”
“Still, I was so happy. Your words felt like a lifetime of happiness.”
It hurt my chest to see him looking troubled with a foolish expression. Before I knew it, words like “It’s not like that” were overflowing from my mouth.
“I really, really like Ralph’s kind side.”
And here it is again,as I confessed, his eyes trembled. Ralph immediately had a face that seemed about to cry.
“I’m truly, truly happy. Thank you so much. I won’t be kind to anyone but Lisette-sama.”
“. . .Yeah.”
“Only Lisette-sama is precious and special to me. You’re my everything.”
Even though I think it’s too exaggerated,those words made my heart leap again. Right now, the feeling of happiness occupies most of my heart.
Seeing me unable to say anything, Ralph once again had a troubled expression on his face.
“Did you enjoy the tea party?”
“Yeah. It was fresh and really enjoyable.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ll have Nadia organize it every day.”
“Wait.”
Ralph is still too extreme. Of course, I’m happy, but the words he said, “from now on,” bothered me.
──If I could surpass the age of 20, how would I spend the rest of my life?
I used to have a wish, and that was to fall in love and get married. But now, it doesn’t feel right anymore.
“. . .Ralph, do you have any plans for the future?”
Casually asking him, Ralph smiled softly.
“I want to be with Lisette-sama forever.”
Without hesitation, Ralph said that, and I couldn’t treat it lightly like before.
❂❂❂❂❂❂
A few days later, in the morning. Ralph was not in the garden, and after taking a walk with Nadia, we headed to the dining hall, where he had already arrived dressed in what looked like a knight’s attire.
“Good morning, Lisette-sama.”
“Good morning. Are you working today?”
“Yes, it might be in a distant place, so I might have to stay overnight. Please feel free to spend your time however you like in this mansion.”
“Okay, understood.”
After seeing him off to work and Nadia off to school, I returned to my room and planned to read a book. But as I opened the door to my room, I almost screamed.
“Yo.”
“. . .Why?”
Inside the room was a man named Melvin, a magician. I took a step back in surprise, and he gave me a wry smile.
“I told you, I won’t do anything. Beverly is calling for you.”
“saintess-sama?”
“Yeah. She said she wants to talk to you while Ralph is not here.”
Is it about what she mentioned the other day, that she would call me again? But why would she call me when Ralph is not here?
Though I don’t trust this man. . .
When I showed hesitation, he gave a bothered expression and clicked his tongue.
“If I do something to you, Ralph will definitely kill me. I really won’t do anything. Now, let’s go.”
He walked brazenly towards me and grabbed my arm. At the same time, everything in front of me shone brightly.
A few seconds later, when I slowly opened my eyes, saint-sama was there. She was smiling beautifully in a room in the temple, just like before.
