Sorry for the delay~

After that the lesson ended and I exited the room, walking towards the entranceway.

I wouldn"t say……that I was fully familiar with it, but as expected after coming here every day I had grasped most of the layout of this building.

I no longer required anyone to guide me around.

That made it seemed as if I had been recognized as a fiancée…….as someone who would become family in the future, so it made me a bit happy.

"Oh, isn"t it Mel-chan?"

When I turned around upon hearing a familiar voice and tone, as expected, Romel-ojisan was standing there.

"Romel-ojis……Romel-sama."

I almost referred to him reflexively in my usual manner, but I soon corrected myself and bowed.

"Romel-ojisan is fine. Even if you suddenly start being all polite, it"ll just make me embarra.s.sed."

As usual, that way of speaking felt so out of place in this mansion that it internally made me laugh a little.

"……I am still a novice that reflexively uses that way of calling you when put on the spot like earlier. That is why, please allow me to call you "Romel-sama" until I become accustomed to it."

"……if it"s like that, then it can"t be helped. Even so, Melly-chan really has changed quite a bit. Has Aurelia been making it hard for you?"

"Well……I do agree with the fact that Aurelisama"s teachings are a wonderful thing, but to say that she has been making it hard for me would be a misnomer."

"Is that so? ……your willpower certainly is quite staunch."

"Such words of praise are very kind of you."

"Fuhahaha……you"ve completely taken to it. No wonder why Aurelia spoke well of you, saying that you were fast in understanding things."

"Oh my……"

I felt my face become red at hearing that praise coming from such an unexpected source.

"She"s pretty strict with regards to etiquette. But even so, she was gleefully talking about you. Saying that you were a "strong" young lady."

What Aurelisama meant when she spoke of "strength" naturally did not mean physically, but mentally.

Having received such an evaluation purely made me happy.

Because right now, that was the only weapon I had.

"Well, keep at it. Since you"ll be heading out on a completely different battlefield, I"m sure there will be a lot of things that you will be confused about. If it"s you, then I"m sure you"ll become an exceptional person even there…….on that note, I should excuse myself around now. Sorry for keeping you back."

Saying that while grinning, he walked away on the path that I came through.

I once again bowed and saw him off.

I"m sure he"s quite busy, I thought to myself while absentmindedly watching his back.

He seemed cheerful like before, but deep inside his eyes was a faint shadow.

As expected, Romel-sama is again……continuing to fight at that place he has recognized as his own battlefield.

I"m sure that is the case.

……somehow, it feels like I"ve seen through a part of the members of the Armelia Ducal House.

The past me……when I think about the me before I met face-to-face during the engagement meeting, I feel like punching myself.

Even if I was only seeing a single one of their masks right now, that was enough for me to know that they were "n.o.bles".

It was completely different from my mental image of a n.o.ble, but I"m sure that that was the original form of a n.o.ble.

They understood the duties that they bore, and their figures at they attempted to complete them……I held nothing but respect for it.

And, if possible…….I want to become an appropriate woman for this house, is what I thought.

No, it is not "if possible".

I will make it possible, I thought to myself as I renewed my resolve.

"Melly. What are you doing, standing in a place like this?"

Hearing a familiar voice once more, I returned to my senses.

"Rui! ……I"m sorry, I was thinking about something for a bit."

"I see. There"s no problem with that so it"s fine."

As Rui had also enrolled in the Academy and was living in the dormitories, although I was visiting the Armelia House every day, I could only count the number of times I"ve met him since that engagement meeting on one hand.

……that made me feel a bit lonely.

That being said, Rui was also working hard in his own way, so I couldn"t voice my selfishness.

"……do you have time?"

"Eh……I"ll be making the carriage wait, but I don"t have any particular plans after this."

"I see. Then, join me for a bit."

Like that, Rui grasped my hand and led me on.

It was that same hand that held my own back when we got lost in town.

The warmth that was transmitted to me through it made the corners of my lips rise naturally.

At the same time, my cheeks started to feel a little hot.

Allowing myself to be dragged along after Rui, we eventually arrived at the courtyard.

He escorted me to a bench a near the garden and sat me down there.

And then, he sat down next to me.

"……now is about the best time of year to see the flowers around here. I was thinking how I wanted to show you them one day, so it"s great that wish managed to come true."

The words he said following that made my cheeks feel even more heat gather in them.

"How are the lessons?"

"Well, the training…….or rather, the lessons are very educational. Learning things that I didn"t know before every day is more enjoyable than I imagined it would be."

"I see. That really is enjoyable."

Saying that, Rui made a small smile.

"I can"t imagine there being something that Rui doesn"t know."

"What are you saying? There"s tons of things I don"t know, you know? ……in reality, I didn"t know that Melly was actually the daughter of the Anderson Marquis House, right?"

"……if you tell me that, then don"t I have no choice but to agree with you?"

"Hahaha……that"s true."

As if to cheer up the slightly sullen me, Rui stroked my head.

"How is the Academy?"

"Well…….it is quite interesting. It probably would be impossible to gather all the n.o.bles of the same generation outside of the Academy. Parx-senpai also takes care of me often."

"Oh……do you meet with elder brother often?"

"We"re in different years, so not that frequently. Ever since I went to greet him as Melly"s fiancé, we"ve been talking every now and then."

"I see……"

I will not be able to see elder brother at the Academy.

Because by the time I enroll in the Academy, elder brother will have already graduated.

As expected, is the elder brother that I see as a sibling and the elder brother at the Academy different?

I do miss elder brother as family, and am a bit curious as to how he is.

As I thought about such matters, Rui extended his hand to my hair.

"……your hair has gotten longer."

"Yes. I"m growing it out right now after all…….how is it?"

Rui has always seen me with short hair up until now, so I honestly wanted to know.

"……it suits you. Both short and long hair."

"Fufufu……that makes me happy. Thanks."

The wind blew, and my hair that extended to my shoulders gently swayed.

Approaching him a little and putting my hand on his cheek, I stared at his face.

"……say, are you sleeping properly, Rui?"

……though I asked that, he did not have bags underneath his eyes like Romel-ojisan did, so I felt relieved.

"What is it, so suddenly?"

"I noticed that Romel-sama had bags underneath his eyes…….if he has become busy, then I was worried that it would be the same for Rui too. Especially since it seems like even after enrolling in the Academy, Rui has continued to help Romel-sama."

"……it"s alright. Since unlike Father, I"m young. Even if I"m a little reckless, my body can take it."

"You"re already saying such things. I said it before, but once your body breaks down, it"ll be too late you know?"

"I will thankfully accept your warning."

"Oh, just accepting it is no good. You have to properly listen to it."

When I said such blaming words, Rui laughed once more.

"You"ve got me there…….well, I will make an effort to follow that advice."

"My goodness……..I always had the image of n.o.bles being the sort to hold up their pointlessly high pride stubbornly…….even though I am also a n.o.ble myself."

I smiled bitterly while continuing my words.

"But ever since I came here that image has changed quite a bit. Rather, I"ve become embarra.s.sed at myself who had thought that. At foolish myself who only had a slight impression of things, and made such a conclusion based on that."

"There are also n.o.bles that act the way you imagined amongst n.o.bles. And if you were to change our position, then you"d have a different viewpoint…….impressions are a frightening thing. If you take only one portion of a person and understand it as being everything about them, then you can end up misreading them greatly."

That was indeed true.

Just basing your decisions on something you just happened to learn about someone was terrible.

If you"re negligent and swallow whatever you hear from others and take them as your own thoughts, you can end up lumping people together in groups without looking at them as individuals……and then based on that you make decisions that you believe to be correct. In the distant future, would you still be able to puff your chest out proudly without any regrets over those decisions?

……from now on, I will be involved with all sorts of people, and amongst them there will be those that I will need to make decisions about. When that happens, I have to make sure to never forget this lesson.

"Indeed. I have fully realized that."

"But right now you"re still in the middle of training, right? That being the case, isn"t it fine to just think of it as, "it"s great that I"ve learned something new"?"

"Fufufu, that"s true…….say, Rui. I have a bit of a strange question, but……"

Pausing my words, I peeked at Rui.

He didn"t show any particular gestures to stop my words.

"Why is everyone from the Armelia Ducal House so n.o.ble-like?"

"Even if you ask me why……to begin with, just what is the definition of a n.o.ble to you?"

"……now that you mention it, I wonder what it is?"

Currently in my mind, the most n.o.ble-like n.o.ble was Aurelisama.

She understood the authority that she possessed well, and made use of it for the sake of the citizens…….she held such a stance.

However, if you were to ask me if that was everything to being a n.o.ble, I feel like it"s a bit different.

……that was probably proof that currently, the definition of a n.o.ble in my mind had not fully solidified.

"I"m sorry, allow me to correct myself…….why are you all able of thinking to act for the sake of the people?"

"I wonder why? ……I answer that it"s because that is what"s normal for our house. If I had to say, in my case it was because I was told to know the people and was then brought to various places."

"Ehh……? Is it like that for everyone in the Armelia House?"

Even as I mouthed that question, a corner of my mind had reached an understanding.

I was told that Romel-sama and Father first met in a bar in town, plus Rui and my first encounter was also in town.

The bewildering change in circ.u.mstances rendered me unable to think about it slowly, but right now when I understood that their true ident.i.ties were members of the Armelia Ducal House, that certainly was unnatural.

To meet the head of a large aristocratic family and the next head of family just by walking around town……normally that would be impossible.

……though I was completely the pot calling the kettle black.

"If you don"t know the current situation, then creating new policies or making corrections to them would be difficult, right? Perhaps that is why. In fact, I decided on my own path when I went to the site of the battlefield with Towair."

Although it would have made sense for him to say that it was for the sake of the Crown.

I went into town myself and came into contact with them……because of that, I was able to learn a lot of things.

Above all else, the reason why I myself was able to discover my direction in life was undoubtedly thanks to those experiences.

"I see……"

"But, I find it strange that you find that that is a strange thing."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Not wanting others to experience the same feelings that you had to go through, saying that you want to protect others……in what sort of world would you find a n.o.ble daughter that would resolve herself to do so, and then overcome General Gazelle"s rigorous training?"

At Rui"s question, I involuntarily made a bitter smile.

"In my case, you know……when the training was hardest, my motivating factor was something different after all."

"That"s true…….well, I"ve respected you even back then."

"……eh?"

"Regardless of your intentions, there aren"t that many people who could handle that General Gazelle"s training…….It is true that General Gazelle"s training is popular, but on the other hand, its harshness and intensity is famous you know?"

For me who has only been receiving training from Father ever since I started, even now that statement did not really cause any particular feelings to sprout forth.

Honestly, I am curious as to what kind of training other people are doing.

……though there probably will not be any opportunities for me to find that out anymore.

"That is precisely why those underneath General Gazelle are a gathering of the elites…….leaving that aside, a girl even younger than myself had such a strong will that she was capable of undertaking a training that would even make adult men run away. When I learned of that, I held a sense of respect towards you. And then your existence itself became an inspiration to me."

"……thanks."

At my words, Rui made a soft smile and pet my head.

Rui"s smile really was bad for my heart, as I averted my gaze from him and sighed in my heart.

Since his body was usually clad in a sharp atmosphere, when it softened and I saw him smile, even now my heartrate would increase and I wouldn"t know what to do.

"……incidentally, does Rui come here often?"

"Yeah. When I have a bit of time after reporting to Father, I often come here for a break…….seeing all the greenery calms your heart down, right? When I"m tired I usually do that as a change of pace."

I quietly closed my eyes and listened to the whispering of the wind.

At the same time, the flowers danced and the trees sang.

When I was lured into opening my eyes, the light of the sun shone on the beautiful flowers.

It was as if it was a spotlight illuminating its actors.

"That is indeed true. It is very beautiful……and very calming."

This time, Rui gently placed his hand along my cheek.

"You"ve started smiling better huh."

"Eh……"

For a moment, I was unable to grasp his meaning and reacted in a befuddled manner.

"After you started to learn under Mother, the atmosphere around you has changed. It became tense to the point where it could be felt, and I felt like your smiles had also become dimmer. That was probably because you were working hard to learn new knowledge and skills…….however, there is no need to get rid of the good points that you originally had."

"My…good points?"

"There are plenty, are there not? Your earnestness in aiming for your goals. The way you laugh and cry in an honest manner. The swordsmanship that you"ve polished too, right?"

"But……I cannot remain the same as I was in the past. Isn"t that right?"

Like my hair that has grown a little longer.

"That is true. If you are to involve yourself with a large number of people from now on, then in order not to be ostracized from the group, in order to fit it, it will probably be necessary to hold back some parts of yourself. Like that, you will probably have to create and wear a thick mask…….however, please don"t do that in front of me. Without wearing that mask for going out, it is fine for you to just be yourself."

"Rui……"

Those were unexpected words.

Since I started studying under Aurelisama, I came to understand……how incredibly different my circ.u.mstances were from a normal n.o.ble girl"s.

That was precisely why I thought that I would have to kill the person who I had been up until now.

I thought that it was something necessary for me to advance on my path.

However, Rui denied that.

He accepted who I had been up until now…….said that he liked me as a whole.

"……it may be an arrogant desire."

However, Rui said that while making a wry smile.

"Arrogant? Why?"

"Because I"m the main perpetrator that dragged you onto this path, yet I"m hoping that you don"t change. Even there"s nothing that doesn"t change."

I placed my own hand on top of his.

"However, right now……I have been saved. Being told that it is fine for me to stay the way I am. Moreover, for it to be said by none other than you. It is fine for me not to cast away everything that I have built up until now……since you said that."

Aristocratic knowledge was a single weapon.

Even though Aurelisama also told me that.

Before I realized it, I feel like I have only been prioritizing my own mask.

I softly placed a kiss on his hand.

"Thank you, Rui."

Rui grasped our overlapping hands, and then brought his face closer and made our lips overlap.

"……first, shall I prepare a training ground in this house?"

After our lips separated and he had stopped at a point-blank range with our noses almost touching, he muttered that.

"Is that alright!?"

"……did you not believe the words I said just now?"

"No way. But, I was just wondering if that would be okay."

"Of course."

"Thank you! Rui!"

I was so happy that I hugged Rui.

"……I"m sure that from here on out, you will have to endure a lot of hardships. But, don"t just hold it all in, and tell me anything. I will also be relying on you like this after all."

Rui"s head leaned on my shoulder.

That weight and warmth felt incredibly comfortable.

"Yeah……"

I thought that I would work hard.

I thought that I wanted to work hard.

In order to walk together with him by his side.