Chapter 4 of 6

Chapter 4

16 min read3,884 words

My fiancée is so cute.

I try to hold back the words that I've repeated a hundred billion times in my head, pushing back her soft silver hair with my clean hand. Just two more years, two more years, two more years.

"Hey, Yurisha, sit on the chair, not on my lap!"

"No way!"

Her silky hair brushes against my cheek, and it smells good. Yurisha loves the scent of flowers and honey, and she uses sweet-scented oils. I love the sweet scent that wafts when she shakes her hair, when she leans on my shoulder, and when she hugs me like this. I love her scent more than any other in the world.

She's the girl I love the most in the world, my beloved fiancée. I wipe my fingers while looking at her, the world's cutest face, to resist with all my might. To endure for two years, three months, and eight days.

"I said just a little bite!"

"We didn't make a specific promise with words!!!"

I pull Yurisha, who is clinging to me desperately. It's not in front of people! It's not in front of people! But it's no longer an issue of that.

I wonder if I should let her have a rough time, or if it's all her fault for trying to give herself to a sixteen-year-old boy who is full of desire without thinking.

My lewd thoughts and desires are interrupted by the fact that it's daytime at the school and there are many people around.

During the time when there are many students, several voices can be heard from the hallway.

"Ugh, the Haminton's 24-hour couple is at it again..."

"Shh, don't look, non-dating people will go blind!"

"I finally got a girlfriend... I'll pray for us to last long."

"Your girlfriend was praying for them the other day, good for you, it's mutual."

The conversations of the students, heard amidst the lunchtime noise, are too unbearable. I look up at the white clouds outside the window with a distant gaze. Yurisha must be hearing it too, but she shows no sign of giving up on my lap.

Don't nuzzle your head against me, don't tug at my sleeve as if inviting me, and realize soon that you're the cutest girl in the world and I'm about to lose it with every move you make.

I avert my eyes to avoid looking directly at her and grab both of her arms to pull her away. What should I do with this cute fiancée?

---

When I first saw Yurisha, I thought she was such a cute girl. Her hair, loosely braided to her waist, was silver like the moon, her large eyes were a bright amber, her nose was slightly upturned, and her lips were soft and pink.

Her parents, who were extremely superficial and doted on Harold, allowed the engagement, and I couldn't help but be captivated.

She sat across from me and made tea, picked up my handkerchief, and thanked me. She was cuter and kinder than anyone I had ever met. I bit my lip, thinking that I wished she wouldn't be engaged to Harold and could find someone who would make her happier.

Because if she were engaged to Harold, she would definitely be unhappy.

Harold, my brother, was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. He loved to mock people's flaws, never apologized or bowed, and couldn't tolerate anyone better than himself. However, he was the most handsome, and thus he was adored by our parents, the servants, and the noble children in their stories.

Whenever I was called to family dinners, I had to listen to endless praise of Harold and how he captivated everyone's hearts.

"At the tea party the day before yesterday, everyone was captivated by Harold! All the other boys who attended were as ugly as monkeys, of course."

"Hehe, in front of the beautiful Harold, the others look like ugly animals! The daughters of the marquises were captivated by Harold... But Harold, you shouldn't be satisfied with just a daughter from a marquis family. You deserve a daughter from a duke or even the royal family. Anything less is just a tool to serve you. You are that beautiful."

"Of course, Mother. I will become the king of this country or an even more prosperous one. I am that wonderful. Everyone loves me, so it's only natural that I choose. Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Marvelous, Master! For such a wise and beautiful person to be the next head of Reycliff, our territory's future is bright!"

"That's right! Only when Harold becomes king can I finally show up the foolish father who didn't let me inherit the Fender Marquis family and the stupid brother who doesn't understand my worth. Harold, I won't spare any money on you. I'll buy you anything you want."

While gnawing on rich and flavorful dishes and drinking famous wines and fruit waters, my parents and Harold repeated the same stories over and over. Servants who didn't agree were quickly fired, and only those who praised Harold and my parents remained. These servants were more busy with flattery than work, so the rooms where my parents and Harold spent their time were the only ones that were clean.

It was a twisted family. Everyone was living in a delusional dream centered around Harold. Now, I can see how foolish their beliefs were. But as a child who knew nothing of the outside world, I was made to believe that Harold's beauty was absolute and that he was loved by everyone despite his bad character.

Of course, even when Harold turned twelve, no royal or duke family bowed to take him as a son-in-law. My parents, who initially belittled others for their lack of discernment, gradually became anxious and irritable. They started taking it out on me and the servants, and the atmosphere at home became the worst it had ever been. That's when the engagement talk from Haminton came up.

Although the other party was only one rank higher, a marquis family, my parents were dissatisfied. However, it was rare for a high-ranking family to not have an engagement by the time their daughter was a debutante, so they decided to engage Harold, who was two years older, with Yurisha as a temporary measure until they found a better match.

By then, I had been forgotten by the world, spending my days reading dusty books in my room and eating the meals left outside my door. When I was finally called to a dinner for the three of us, they were speaking to Harold in a cajoling tone.

"Sorry, Harold, I know you're not happy that your fiancée, the most wonderful in the world, is not as beautiful or of high status, but please bear with it for a little while. You'll find a better match soon."

"That's right, after making Haminton pay off their debt, you can break the engagement. Being engaged to someone as handsome as you, even for a short time, is a blessing for the other party."

"I understand, Father, Mother. Not only will I make them pay off their debt, but I'll also make that unattractive girl do as I say and take all the marquis family's wealth. The other party will be happy to be of use to me."

"Excellent, Master!"

The luxurious meal and the labels on the bottles all looked revolting. What an ugly conversation. Harold's face, praised as beautiful, and my parents' faces, who should have been well-featured, were horribly distorted.

And so, I, who inherited the blood of these two, must be ugly too. Despite being constantly belittled for my appearance by my parents and brother, I truly hated my blood. I was glad I wasn't beautiful and didn't look like them.

This family should have ended. That's what I thought when Yurisha came.

---

While eating sweets and talking with Yurisha, I first felt relieved that she had no intention of marrying Harold. The family had already been talking as if the engagement was finalized, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

If she had been attracted to Harold, I would have tried to stop the family from doing anything to her, but she firmly said there would be no engagement and that Harold had the worst character of anyone she had ever met.

"I never want to see him again. ... Haha! What's that face?"

After casually dismissing Harold, she narrowed her eyes and looked at me with a different, playful expression.

I was surprised as I talked with Yurisha. I didn't know that Harold wasn't loved by everyone. I didn't know that someone else thought his character was as bad as I did.

What I felt was relief. I had always been an outcast in this family for not praising Harold, so I was deeply relieved to know I wasn't alone in the world.

But, I only met this girl because of Harold. If Harold and Yurisha hadn't had a face-to-face meeting for the engagement, I wouldn't have met Yurisha at all.

I lowered my eyes. The steam from the cup was gone, and the teapot was empty.

I wanted to talk to this girl more. I wanted to see her changing expressions. I was sad and reluctant that Yurisha would soon leave.

Why does it always have to be Harold? Why only me?

"... I can't compete with Harold. Yurisha, you came to be engaged to Harold, right? I envy Harold for being able to meet a beautiful and cute girl like Yurisha as a fiancée."

To Yurisha, who was praising me, I said such a lingering word. I was more jealous of my brother than ever before.

Yurisha blinked once.

Then, she declared that she would take me home.

Before I could react to her declaration, she asked with a cute face, "Is it okay?" and before I knew it, I was in a carriage.

Sitting next to Yurisha's father, who seemed to be in a daze, I was captivated by the girl who was happily talking to me. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the Haminton Marquis family's estate.

And so, I became a part of the Haminton family.

I still don't understand what happened that day. It all happened so suddenly. Maybe something about me touched Yurisha's heart. I think I'll ask her when I become more self-controlled and can withstand any destructive words. I don't know when that will be.

In any case, I started living with Yurisha.

Yurisha's mother was a beautiful and kind woman, and her brother was a handsome guy with hair and eyes similar to Yurisha's.

I was amazed by the elegant posture of the servants and the beautiful manners of the maids, and before I knew it, my room was decided.

"Let's have dinner!"

Holding my hand, she said, and I nodded, feeling light-headed. The most luxurious meal I had ever had was a blur because I was too focused on Yurisha.

Yurisha's family and the servants were really kind to me. Having snacks and having water prepared to wash my face when I woke up were all new experiences.

"I hope you can get used to it. If there's anything you like, Kairi, please let me know."

Yurisha said, holding my hand and showing me around the large estate. Every room was well-furnished and spotless, completely different from my old home.

As I spent time with Yurisha and got to know her, I fell in love with her. Living surrounded by many people was fun, and I wished it could continue forever.

After getting used to happiness, I started to fear the next day.

What if I wake up and find out these days were a dream? What if I wake up in a dusty bed with stale bread and cold soup at the door, and Yurisha is nowhere to be found?

Suddenly being treated so kindly and cherished, I feared losing it all again.

I became afraid of sleeping and studied at night instead. I wanted to be useful, to repay their kindness. I didn't want to be abandoned. I wrote on a stack of paper, not knowing who to pray to.

Yurisha was the one who ended my long nights. She held me, unable to sleep, and whispered that it was okay in bed.

"It's okay, I'll always be by your side. We'll talk a lot and have meals together tomorrow. Okay?"

So, I'm not afraid of anything, she said, stroking my head with a gentle voice, and her amber eyes narrowed. I dozed off in the warm blanket, wishing to be with her forever.

We talked, played, went out, had adventures, and laughed together.

Before I knew it, I stopped having scary dreams.

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