Chapter 6

A short story to commemorate the release of the e-book on December 7. This story takes place when the two were around thirteen years old.

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It was a night where the heat was strangely absent.

"Good evening. I've come to replace your hugging pillow while it's being washed."

"...No, you can't."

Despite being in a deep sleep, when the door was suddenly knocked on and opened, there stood my fiancée in the dimly lit room. In my blurry, sleepy vision, the hem of her favorite, soft, long nightgown was swaying. Sighing at this sudden but not unprecedented intrusion, I shook my head, and Yurisha's lips pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Don't say that. It's late, so let's go to bed quickly?"

"Don't try to come into my room."

I held Yurisha's shoulders to stop her from entering my room with the agility of a cat. She muttered, "No fair," and tried to jump onto my bed, but I tightened my grip, and she wriggled to try to slip away. After a brief struggle, I said, "You don't give up, do you...?"

"That's my line, isn't it?"

I'm the one who wants to sigh. I noticed her thin shoulders and the pleasant scent of bath oil, but if I let my guard down and touched her, she would pounce, so I couldn't relax for a moment. Checking the clock, both the long and short hands were almost pointing straight up. Even though she's my cute fiancée, being woken up at this hour isn't cute... but she is still cute, everything about her is adorable, I thought, almost succumbing to sleepiness. Still, to ensure a good night's sleep, I held her back with sleepy eyes. Finally, she seemed to give up, placed her head on my shoulder, and sighed again.

"Kairi is so cold... even though we're engaged."

"It's because we're engaged. But, isn't this the first time at such a late hour?"

"I'm really sleepy," she murmured, stroking my head. When we first met, we were about the same height, but at some point, I grew a bit taller than her, and now when I look at her face up close, she looks up at me with her eyes.

"I was busy today... I came to invite you. Do you want to sleep together or stay up late in my room?"

She smiled and said, "The bed is right there," and I thought, even if she has no ulterior motives, and instead of answering, I took her hand and left the room.

The room next door was lit by a single candle, and on the familiar table by the window, there were unfamiliar wine glasses and a bottle with a label depicting a jacro. "If it were winter, I could have offered warm milk," she said, pouring a crimson liquid into a transparent glass with both hands.

"...It's sour."

"I thought you would say that. I borrowed this."

When I lightly licked it as she suggested, it wasn't undrinkable, but the strong acidity was a bit too much for a sweet tooth. My face twisted slightly, and she then offered me a small bottle of honey, explaining that the flavor and taste vary depending on which flowers the bees collected nectar from. She used a small spoon to swirl the sticky golden liquid.

In the dimly lit room, only the stars in the sky and her eyes sparkled. The subtle differences in the colors of the honey bottles were hard to see due to the dim light, but I could tell her honey-colored eyes were the most beautiful.

She dropped some honey from a silver spoon onto the back of my hand, and I thought it was impolite but licked it anyway. As she said, there were differences in the intensity of the sweetness and the lingering flavors. I gave my impressions, and Yurisha watched me happily. After tasting all the bottles, I chose the honey from Harusha flowers, and she dropped a spoonful into her wine glass and stirred it. The surface of the liquid, similar in color to wine, rippled like waves.

She did the same to her own glass and raised it slightly above her chest.

"To your health."

"...To your health."

The sweetened liquid was easy to drink, and although it contained no alcohol, it slid down my throat smoothly. I was no longer sleepy, but I watched the girl, who was mimicking adults and swirling her glass in her palm, as if in a dream.

We had slept together many times, in my bed or hers. To seek comfort, to feel loved, and to convey that I cared, I combed her silver hair with my fingers.

One of the unquenchable desires of humans is to be understood. To have someone, preferably someone you like, understand and accept your emotions, actions, and even yourself. To smile and say, "I understand."

Any words or gestures become mere means to achieve this desire.

The first person I ever felt fond of was Yurisha. I liked her, wanted her to smile, and wanted her to know how I felt. That's why we slept together, I gave her scented oil, and I offered her my hand when we went down the stairs.

When did this feeling change?

"Hehe, Kairi, open your mouth... Your tongue is red."

"Can you see in this darkness?"

"Sort of?" she replied, her lips stained red from the honey-infused crimson liquid. They looked smooth and soft, and I imagined they would be sweet and tangy.

I wanted to know, so I bit my cheek.

She has been cute since the day we met, and she will become more beautiful every day. This girl will grow into a woman, and I will become a man. We will find other ways to express our affection, and simple fondness will evolve—wrapped in desire. And so, we will become adults.

The not-so-distant future feels a little lonely. It's because I have cherished her for three years.

I opened the box. Inside was a pocket watch. A shiny silver watch, small enough to fit in my palm, with no fingerprints or scratches on the lid, where the Hamilton family crest was engraved. When I pressed the crown and opened the lid, the time was just a few seconds past midnight.

The large family crest would be useful to prove I am a Hamilton, I realized. I understood why we had a toast and why this gift was given today.

I remembered. Three years ago, when I was taken in by this family, I met my uncle and grandfather from the Hamilton family. When they were signing documents in the study, a slender, white hand was holding mine.

"...I became the adopted son of the Fendel Marquess family on this day three years ago."

"Correct," her red lips moved.

"Three years ago today, you officially became the adopted son of the Fendel family and engaged to me. The period during which the family giving up a child can object is three years. Now you are a perfect member of the Fendel family. Tomorrow... or rather, today at noon, your adoptive grandfather and uncle will come to congratulate and welcome you. I wanted to celebrate early, so I wanted to stay up late."

"Your uncle, who loves pocket watches, will definitely, definitely give you a Fendel family crest pocket watch. I haven't even given you a watch yet."

So I decided to give you a present first, she said, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank—though she was indeed like a child who had succeeded in a prank. She narrowed her eyes.

The silver watch in my hand was heavy. The name of the workshop engraved on the back, known for its exceptional craftsmanship, meant it would take months to receive.

—For these three years, my biological family never tried to involve themselves in my life. I think they have forgotten. Even the day Yurisha brought me back and the day after, when my adoptive brother visited the Reiklrich family for negotiations, no one in my original family or the servants noticed I was gone.

I felt no sentiment. I just thought it was good that nothing happened for three years. They were people I had no connection with, just because we shared blood.

I traced the glass face of the watch without hesitation. I have already gained the best. Even if I received a watch from anyone else, I would use this one for the rest of my life.

"Thank you, I'll treasure it. ...You remembered."

"Of course. To them, it's the day you became an adopted son, but to me, it's our engagement anniversary."

"Ha, I'm incredibly happy. But sorry, I didn't prepare anything..."

"Last year and the year before, I didn't do anything either. It's natural. If you really want to, just sleep with me in the bed."

"That's not happening."

"Why...?" she tilted her head, but why did she think it was okay? After I told her I didn't want to sleep together, she started to pester me more, but she never showed any embarrassment.

I don't think she will keep hugging me for years to come.

I chuckled, thinking, "There's a lock on the door, so give up."

"Ah, the lock."

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing."

"I just ordered more watches from the workshop, so I'll be busy from now on," she said, her eyes gleaming, and offered me another glass. I thanked her and raised my glass for another toast. Just thinking about trying different honeys made me happy, joyful, and affectionate.

The peaceful night sparkled, and the two of us were alone.

Until the day she realizes.