fishech

[fishech]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏-𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒆

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(this sucks…..)

Gilbert: "……….."

(…really, this totally sucks…)

I woke up in the morning and literally turned into a rabbit.

I don't know why, I'm sure it was just an extension of my dream, that's all there is to it.

The problem is that Prince Gilbert, who somehow came to my room early in the morning, found me.

(If it is a dream, this is a nightmare ……)

I am honestly scared of Prince Gilbert looking down at me from a higher position than usual.

I am about the same size as Prince Gilbert's shoes., I could have been crushed by him by accident.

Gilbert: "Heh. I didn't think you had a rabbit."

Prince Gilbert, who had been frozen for a while, kneeled down as if he had finally come back to reality

He may be taking care not to scare me, a rabbit.

Gilbert: "Hello. I'm just wondering if you could take me to your master."

(……impossible)

Since I cannot speak, I lowered my ears instead.

Gilbert: "Is that a 'yes'? Thank you."

(you don't get it at all!)

Gilbert: "Will you show me the way?"

I flap my ears frantically, but his smile only deepens.

(What should I do?)

Prince Gilbert is kind to me, but his kindness is always malicious.

If he finds out that the "rabbit can't lead to me"…

I don’t know what kind of attitude he would have toward those not worthy of his kindness.

(…………)

Let's pretend to be obedient here and run away when the opportunity arises.

I stood in front of the door, jumping up and down to show that I was useful for the time being.

I turn around and wait for Prince Gilbert to open the door, and his red eyes are unusually wide.

Gilbert: "You really understand human language, don't you? You are an excellent rabbit."

(Yes, I'm good! So don't do anything bad to me.)

When I twitched my ears, Prince Gilbert blurts out, as if he can't stand it any longer.

Gilbert: "It's as if you are begging me for your life."

(…… Oh, you can tell.)

Gilbert: "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you."

Gilbert: "Only if you lead me to your master properly.…?"

(…………)

When I shake, Prince Gilbert pats my head. Contrary to my fear, it felt good to be stroked. But the cold hand soon leaves and the door is opened in front of me.

Gilbert: "Come on"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The corridor, which seems many times bigger than usual, never seems to end, no matter how fast I run. Still, an opportunity presents itself.

Clavis: "………hmm? Well, well, well, Prince Gilbert, what are you doing?"

Luke: "To me, it looks like he is chasing a rabbit around."

(Luke, Prince Clavis!)

I jump in front of them, seeing an opportunity to get away.

(Please help me, please!)

Clavis: "Ha ha, you're a very friendly rabbit, aren't you? Do you want me to help you?"

(Yes!)

Gilbert: "That's odd. The rabbit and I are friends, right?"

(I can't say we are not because I'm a rabbit.)

Luke: "Where did you get it from?"

Gilbert: "In the rabbit's room, she wasn't there, so I'm asking this one to show me the way."

Luke: "What? A rabbit will show you the way?"

Gilbert: "If it’s love for it’s master is strong enough, I might be able to find her."

Clavis: "Well, you are full of dreams and romance, aren't you? I didn't think that you had such a childish heart."

Gilbert: "Thank you for the compliment? Well, we're busy."

Clavis: "Wait. Just in case you haven't heard Emma doesn’t own a rabbit."

Luke: "Isn't that just a stray rabbit that wandered into the palace?"

(……….)

I shake my head, but Prince Gilbert looks down at me with a thoughtful face.

Gilbert: "Heh, that means……"

Gilbert: "You lied to me when you said you would show me the way."

(How can that be?!)

(…………)

Prince Gilbert hates lies. He hates lies, and he will kill anyone who tells a lie.

(There is no such thing as a lying rabbit. Have I lied?)

I acted as if I could lead him to my "master" when I couldn't.

As my blood boiled and my body trembled, Prince Gilbert gently picked me up.

Clavis: "Miss Rabbit!"

Luke: "Hey, you ………… what are you doing?"

Gilbert: "What do you mean, she is not a domesticated rabbit, is she?"

Gilbert: "Then I'm going to make her mine…"

Gilbert: "Then I can train her not to lie."

Luke: "How can a rabbit lie?"

Gilbert: "this one seems to understand the meaning of the word and is very sorry…?"

(….I’m scared.)

Even at a time like this, the cold palms of his hands feel comfortable, perhaps because I am a rabbit.

Gilbert: "Let's go, shall we?"

Clavis: "Aren't you looking for Emma?"

Gilbert: "Not today."

(It's okay.……..)

Gilbert: "I'll take good care of you, little rabbit?"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Unable to get help from Prince Clavis and Luke, I was eventually taken back to the guest room, where I lay on the soft sheets..

Gilbert: "Well, first of all…"

(what is he going to do to me ……)

Prince Gilbert opens a desk drawer and takes out a white ribbon.

The ribbon, which had a rose pattern through it, was familiar to me.

(It was the same ribbon I used when I offered Prince Gilbert sweets before.)

(I didn't think he had taken care of it so carefully.…)

Prince Gilbert comes back and wraps the ribbon around my neck.

(This is ……)

Gilbert: "Pretty collar, isn't it?"

(…… He was serious about keeping me. )

Gilbert: "Hungry? Shall I bring you some vegetables?"

Gilbert: "Oh, and I'll have to make you a bed."

Gilbert: "And if you are a wild rabbit, I’ll have to wash you first."

(!?!)

Gilbert: "I'll have to prepare hot water, wait a moment."

(Please …… Please don't do that!)

I clung to Prince Gilbert's cloak as hard as I could as he tried to move away from me.

It didn't take much strength, but Prince Gilbert stopped.

Gilbert: "Oh, could it be?"

Gilbert: "are you lonely?"

(lonely?)

Gilbert: "I see, you missed me so much that you don't want to be away from me even for a moment."

(No, no, that's not what I meant!)

Gilbert: "I can't help it. Then I'll make this your special seat."

(No, no, no, I didn’t mean that!)

After holding on to him so that I wouldn't fall off, Prince Gilbert walked out in a good mood.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The destination is the bath.

(No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!)

(But I am afraid to jump from this height.)

The distance to the floor seems to be quite long, and my body trembles just looking down.

Gilbert: "You shake a lot, don't you? are you cold?"

Gilbert: "I will wash you with hot water, so be careful."

(Why can't I communicate like this?)

(Aaahhhh!!!!)

Gilbert: " I didn't think rabbits could overheat in hot water."

Gilbert: "are you okay? Are you alive?"

(I can't …… )

Prince Gilbert sits cross-legged on the ground, puts me on top of his lap and wipes my wet body with linen.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The air outside is cool and comfortable, but the heat in my body does not go down at all.

(Every inch of my body was washed.)

(He is absolutely amused.)

I am so weak that I don't even have the strength to stand up.

Gilbert: "are you sulking?"

(yeah, I'm sulking…)

Gilbert: "I'm sorry. I got carried away because of the cute reaction of the little rabbit."

(I'm still convinced)

Gilbert: "I'll feed you lots of vegetables as an apology.

(……..)

Gilbert: "I'll even get you a bed of the finest quality."

(………)

Gilbert: "Speaking of which, I've always had an interest in cooking rabbit."

(!?!)

Gilbert: "If you don't look at me, I'll eat you."

(Outrageous!)

I gathered all my strength and glared

Gilbert: "So you think you're intimidating me?"

I am a rabbit now. Therefore, there is no need to be concerned as usual.

(This is a dream anyway.)

(Take that, special kick--rabbit kick!)

Gilbert: "!?"

I leaps with all my might, aiming at Prince Gilbert’s face.

However, perhaps overconfident in my own strength, I lands on his feet without reaching the ground.

Gilbert: "………"

(…….)

Gilbert: "…. pfft…..ha ha ha ha!"

(I hate this so much, I'm so embarrassed I'm going to cry)

I wiggle back into the linen and roll myself up.

My body feels hotter than before.

Gilbert: "hahaha ------ I really think I'm going to die"

Gilbert: "My stomach hurts… . haha …… Hahaha!

(Laughing that hard?!?)

Prince Gilbert seems to have really hit the funny bone and has tears in the corners of his eyes.

Unlike his usual emotionless smile, he seemed to be sincerely amused.

(It’s complicated, but ------ I like this one better than his usual laugh.)

Gilbert: "Hah your revenge is horrible. Let's not be mean."

???: "You are quite lively."

(!!!)

The voice echoed in the balcony, which until then had been empty except for me and Prince Gilbert

I looked around and saw a man wearing a black hood at the edge of the balcony.

(…… who is it?)

Gilbert: "It's the little rabbit's fault. Look at it, isn’t it adorable?"

Prince Gilbert wraps his hands around me and raises me to a height where the man can see me.

???: "Where did you get that? "

Gilbert: "In the rabbit's room."

???: "you stole it."

Gilbert: "I already put a collar on it, so it's mine."

(This hooded man looks pretty bad too…)

The man stares at me, and I stare back.

After a while of this, Gilbert suddenly lowers his hand and puts me in a position in his pocket.

Gilbert: "I'm jealous that you and the little rabbit are staring at each other."

Roderich: "…I beg your forgiveness."

(unreasonable……)

However, the man who was called Mr. Roderich kept his face down.

Perhaps he is a follower whom Prince Gilbert brought from Obsidian.

Gilbert: "So, what's the problem?"

Roderich: "……I've lost the little rabbit. she is not in the court, nor in the city."

(Rabbit? You mean me?)

Roderich: "I have asked several agents for information, but no one has seen her"

(…Agents?…)

Gilbert: "How could you lose sight of the subject?"

(Wait, now you're saying you're always keeping tabs on me -- how is that possible?)

(Wait, I can't say that, can I?)

Because I’m a rabbit, it's frustrating that I can't ask him directly.

Gilbert: "Any incidents?"

Roderich: "None. The possibility of being involved in some kind of incident is extremely small."

Roderich: "It seems that the Rhodolite side also noticed the disappearance, and their personal butler was making a fuss about it."

(I was so upset about being a rabbit that I didn't think about it. ……)

Roderich: "A search party has already been formed with some of the soldiers."

Roderich: "I think it's only a matter of time before this is treated as a missing person case."

Gilbert: "I see.…….. That's terrible."

Roderich: "Are you sure? I don't know where she is."

Gilbert: "Yes, no problem. I'll take care of it, but could you bring me some fresh vegetables?"

Roderich: "Yes, right away."

Roderich wanted to say something else but he withdrew without saying another word.

Gilbert: "Well little bunny"

(...eh?)

Gilbert smiles menacingly

Gilbert: "I just had an evil idea"

| Main-route | Sweet | Premium | Epilogue |

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒕: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝑬𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯���𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Gilbert: "Well, little rabbit."

(hmm?)

Prince Gilbert, smiling, stands up with me in his bosom…

Gilbert: "I just had an evil idea."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Rio: "Emma! Where are you! Answer me!"

Sariel: "Rio, Emma can't be in a vase like that. Calm down."

Rio: "I'm sorry, but I'm worried. Emma is so cute, I'm sure some bastard took her away…"

Gilbert: "That's a possibility. For example, a big villain who loves the little rabbit might have kidnapped her."

(What?)

Prince Gilbert's unmindful steps led him to Rio and Sariel's

As reported by Mr. Roderich, they seemed to be looking for me.

Rio, who for some reason had stuck his face in a vase, had a rose petal stuck in his hair.

Sariel's eyebrows rose the moment she saw Prince Gilbert

Sariel: "What do you mean by that?"

Gilbert: "It means exactly what I said."

Gilbert: "I like to keep pretty things to myself."

Gilbert: "I want to lock them up in the middle of nowhere and love them so much that only I can see them."

Gilbert: "I want to spoil it so much that it says, 'I can't live without you, Gilbert."

(that was strangely specific, but it was a joke, wasn't it ……?)

But Rio and Sariel don't know that the rabbit in Prince Gilbert's arms is me.

The air in the corridor changed to a swarthy atmosphere, and Rio was leaking a murderous spirit.

Rio: "where did you take Emma?"

Gilbert: "What?"

Rio: "Prince Gilbert!"

Gilbert: "Even if I knew where the little rabbit was, I don’t have to tell you."

Gilbert: "And stop with the scary faces. It’s going to frighten my little rabbit."

("Little Rabbit" this is a bit complicated.)

Rio and Sariel look at me as if they just noticed.

I tried desperately to tell them with my body language that it was me, but of course they couldn't understand my words.

Sariel: "Don't you hate that rabbit?"

Rio: "How dare you touch not only Emma but also a real rabbit… What an outrage!"

(so misleading?)

Rio casually holds a vase in his hand, and Sariel holds his shoulder.

It was only a matter of time before that thing flew at Prince Gilbert

(It can't be helped, this is ……!)

I gathered my courage and jumped down from his elevated bosom to the floor with all my might…

Gilbert: "Hey, little rabbit!"

(Oh, I landed!)

Relieved that I didn't get hurt, he grabs me by the neck and lifts me up.

Gilbert: "Rabbit, that wasn't very nice."

(Wait, wait! I just want to clear up the misunderstanding between Rio and Sariel!)

(………..)

No, I don't know if jumping up and down will get the message across!

Prince Gilbert smiles as he is lifted up to the same eye level as me.

But his blood-colored eyes were not smiling at all.

(Why?)

Gilbert: "Well, it seems that I have to have a thorough discussion with Miss. Rabbit."

Gilbert: "I have something to do, so bye-bye."

Rio: "Do you think I'll just let you say bye-bye?"

Gilbert: "I won't tell you where the little rabbit is if you throw that vase at me."

Gilbert: "Wouldn't you guys rather spend your time searching rather than wasting it?"

Gilbert: "Good luck with that. Oh, by the way"

Gilbert: "You can take your time to look for her, ha ha ha!"

Prince Gilbert turns away with a fresh laugh like a scoundrel.

With a frantic struggle, I was once again placed in his pocket.

Gilbert: "you need to be disciplined.

(No, no, I don't.)

Gilbert: "you will get hurt if you jump like that."

(………)

Gilbert: "It scared me. Do you know that rabbits are fragile creatures?"

A slight poke on the nose delays my reaction.

(Could it be that he is worried about me?)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Prince Gilbert returned to the guest room and gently put me down on the bed.

Then he sits down on the floor and looks at the little me.

Gilbert: "If that happens again, I will never let you out of the room again."

Gilbert: "I'm going to cook you and put you in my stomach."

(………..)

Gilbert: "Okay?"

I nodded, trying not to let him take me into the kitchen.

(……..)

(I was surprised, to be honest. Prince Gilbert is kind to animals too.)

(Or maybe he likes rabbits…)

I was so enraptured by the caresses on my head.

The exquisite pressure is so comfortable that I hear a small sigh as I unconsciously lean in closer.

Gilbert: "By the way, lately, I'm always thinking about the little rabbit."

Gilbert: "This is a problem, isn't it?"

Prince Gilbert puts his face on the bed and stares at me.

Normally, I would turn my head away from him, but because I'm a rabbit, I can bear it.

Gilbert: "I can't help but be lenient with the little rabbit, I’m going to lose my reputation as the villain.”

(……)

(……rabbit? I think you mean me, not actually the "rabbit”.)

Gilbert: "Even that farce earlier was for the sake of the bunny."

(What? provoking Rio and Mr. Sariel?)

Gilbert: "The fact that she disappeared suddenly without saying anything to anyone means that she had a very serious reason."

Gilbert: "But if everyone thinks I kidnapped you when you came back……………"

Gilbert: "You don't have to tell them what happened, do you?"

(So he plays the bad guy.)

Gilbert: "I don't have the right to do this much for little bunny. I still care about her"

A cold fingertip tickles my throat.

I felt Prince Gilbert's eyes were gentler than usual, and I gulped.

(What is it? I feel somewhat embarrassed…)

Gilbert: "Ah, could this be…"

Gilbert: "Love?"

(………Huh!?)

The cold fingertips tickle my throat.

I jump up and down on the spot unintentionally.

Like my ears are on pins and needles, my body is hot, and I'm freaking out anyway.

(Did you just say love?)

(Prince Gilbert…?)

Gilbert: "Ha ha! Interesting reaction."

Gilbert: "You act as if you were just told…?"

(calm down)

(Now I'm a rabbit … Yeah, let's pretend I didn't hear that.)

My little heart feels like it's jumping around like a rabbit.

(It can't be love.)

(If you really like me, then all the ill will you've shown me will be a lie.)

Gilbert: "Hmmm, what do you think happens when a rabbit is favored by a beast?"

Prince Gilbert gently wraps his hands around my neck and tickles my skin.

Gilbert: "I don't want to protect her because I like her. I think I want to eat her because I like her"

Gilbert: "I'd rather kill the rabbit I like than have it taken away by some other beast."

Gilbert: "Well, when I stare at her, she looks delicious."

(I was a fool for panicking even a little!)

Feeling in danger, I jumped into the sheets and heard Prince Gilbert's laughter.

Gilbert: "I hope my feelings are not love?"

(Yes, really)

(……..)

(that's ……)

(……but why does my chest hurt a little?)

( is it my imagination?)

Prince Gilbert puts his hand on my head again through the sheets.

When I peek out, his usual smile is tinged with a hint of sadness.

(What's with that face? You've been threatening to eat me if I fall in love with you.)

the look in his eyes is somehow lonely, I'd rather him laugh at me like he always does than see this face.

(………… I didn't thank you for what you said earlier.)

(this is a thank you)

(there is no deeper meaning...)

I move closer to the handsome face right in front of me and kiss his cold cheek

Prince Gilbert's expression, which was probably only one he would show in front of a rabbit is etched into my mind

| Main-route | Sweet | Premium | Epilogue |

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒕: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝑬𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

This morning I went to the rabbit's room because I was hungry.…only a few minutes after I had eaten breakfast.

(I was going to ask her to make me lots of sweets. ……)

The room was empty, except for a small rabbit.

When the rabbit saw me, it reacted in a frightened way and froze.

(The color of its fur, the color of its eyes, it looks like her.)

(But had he ever reported that she had a rabbit? Roderich wouldn't have stayed silent…….. that’s a bit strange.)

Gilbert: "Hello. I'm just wondering if you could take me to your master."

Surprisingly, the rabbit lowers its ears as if it understands the words.

If it were really communicating, that would be a "no".

Gilbert: "Yes? Thank you."

(…….)

Well, I'll take you with me whether it's impossible or not.

(I'm sure you'll make me some snacks if I hold your cherished rabbit hostage ------ or even better, a pawn…)

Gilbert: "Will you show me the way?"

The rabbit flapped its ears frantically.

(Rabbits have never been such clever creatures, have they? I can't believe they can understand human language like this.)

Suddenly, I looked at the bed.

There were clothes there in a messy state, not unlike a little rabbit.

It was the only clutter in a clean room.

It was not like her to rush out of the house to change her clothes and go out .

(No, no way!)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Later, I was informed that this rabbit was not kept by the little rabbit, and the feeling of discomfort turned into a hunch.

In order to make this premonition into a certainty, I headed for the bathroom.

Gilbert: "Rabbit, does it feel good?"

I carefully wash the rabbit's body in a tub of hot water.

I didn't feel the slightest need to wet its beautiful fur, but I needed to be sure.

The rabbit, which resembled the little rabbit, was resisting with all its might, thrashing about in the hot water.

When I lathered my hands with plant-based soap and touched every nook and cranny, the rabbit reacted as if it were about to cry.

(…………)

It is obvious that the rabbit is embarrassed.

I held the rabbit down with just enough force not to crush it, no matter how hard it tried, and rinsed the lather off with hot water.

(It is obviously abnormal for a rabbit to be shy.)

(is it reasonable to think that it looks like a rabbit, but it is human inside?)

(It's not very realistic, but when the circumstantial evidence is so complete…)

(I'm sure this is the little rabbit I know.)

As soon as I conclude this, I suddenly notice that the "little rabbit" is not in good spirits.

she had been rampaging wildly just a few minutes ago, but now, perhaps exhausted, her movements have slowed down and her body has a faint feverish glow.

(………No way. ……)

(………… I don't think so… It must have gotten overheated.)

I was washing it by pulling out the knowledge from the old zoological illustrated books I had read.

However, knowledge and practice are two different things.

I hastily wrapped the rabbit in linen and left the bathroom.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(……..)

(I thought it’s life was about to be shortened.)

Fortunately, the cold breeze on the balcony seemed to restore the rabbit's energy.

I was relieved to see that her body heat seemed to be purely due to embarrassment.

(I've got to find a way to get her back as soon as possible.)

Rabbits are cute creatures that should be loved. If it is her inside, it is even more so.

(Sometimes it's nice to have a day to love a real "little rabbit" without malice or anything.)

(But I’m hungry)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

At that time, I thought to myself, "It's okay for you to be a rabbit for a little while."

Later, that thought would come crashing down like a house on the sand.

Gilbert: "You will get hurt if you jump like that."

After receiving Roderich's report, I "took action" before word of the rabbit's disappearance spread.

I hugged the little rabbit tightly in my bosom and returned to the guest room.

(I was in a real hurry earlier.)

{flashback}

Rio: "Emma is so cute, she must have been taken away by some rascal…"

Gilbert: "That's a possibility, isn't it? For example, a big villain who loves the little rabbit might have kidnapped her. ……"

Sariel: " What do you mean?"

Rio: "where did you take Emma?"

Gilbert: "I don't know?"

Gilbert: "Hey, little rabbit!"

{end flashback}

(I didn't expect her to suddenly jump from my bosom onto the floor.)

A few minutes ago, the little rabbit made a huge jump from a height that could have broken her leg.

Her ears are down from a while ago.

(I was a little too mean to the butler and the bureaucrat.)

Gilbert: "It worried me. I wonder if you know that rabbits are fragile creatures."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I go back to my room and put the little rabbit down on the bed.

I am not worried.

It's just that if you're wounded, I can't wield my malice at full strength, and that's just not fun.

(……….)

(Let's keep it that way)

(I don't care if the little hare breaks her leg or not, it's even an advantage because she won't be able to run away.)

(Even the farce earlier was for the sake of the little rabbit.)

(When she turned back into a person, I didn't want her to be at a loss for an answer when she is asked where she had been. ……)

I felt frustrated, angry

Gilbert: "By the way, lately I've been thinking about the little rabbit all the time."

Gilbert: "This is what's bothering me."

I bury my face in the bed and stare at the rabbit

Normally, she would flee away from me, but perhaps because she is a rabbit, she doesn't react very much.

The more I spin my words as I think back to what I just said, the more I wonder why I'm doing this for the sake of the rabbit.

Gilbert: "Ah, could this be…"

Gilbert: "Is it love?"

It was a joke

Her ears perked up and she was so flustered that I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Gilbert: "Ha ha ha! Interesting reaction. You act as if you were the one who was confessed to."

(It's so cute…it makes me want to keep it locked up forever…)

A bad feeling starts to grow in me, and I gently reach for the little rabbit's neck

Gilbert: "Hmmm, what do you think happens when a rabbit is favored by a beast?"

(Yes, that's exactly the reaction I was hoping for.)

(But it's no fun for me when you're that embarrassed.)

Gilbert: "I don't want to protect her because I like her."

Gilbert: "I'd rather kill the rabbit I like than have it taken away by some other beast."

The little rabbit shivered and I felt it in my palm.

Gilbert: "Hmmm… it looks so delicious when I stare at it…"

(Yes, that's right.)

The little bunny dives into the sheets at the speed of light

(Yes, yes, that's the right response.)

(If I ever fall in love with you, you will be nothing but unhappy.)

Gilbert: "I hope my feelings are not love?"

(this one is not a joke, I'm serious)

When I put my hand on the pockmarked part, the linen moves and the little rabbit comes out.

And for some reason, It was staring at me

(What is it thinking about ------?)

A few seconds of staring with dull eyes

I don't know what she was thinking, but the little bunny came a little closer to me and pressed her mouth against my cheek.

I couldn't read her train of thought and my eyebrows unconsciously furrowed.

(Why did you decide to kiss me in the course of this conversation?)

It was sudden.

Gilbert: "?!”

Emma: "Whoa!"

Before my eyes, the rabbit turns into a person.

Even a beast with such a grandiose name as "the scourge of the world" was startled.

Emma: "Oh, that I'm back to …….."

Emma: "……………I’m naked?"

Gilbert: "You are completely naked."

(I shouldn't look)

I casually look away, and the little rabbit curls up in a ball on the bed sheet at an alarming speed.

Emma: "Did you see anything?"

Gilbert: "I don't know"

the pile of sheets is trembling, even though I didn't even really see anything.

at this rate, she won't come out for a while.

(there is no change of clothes for the little bunny in this room. that means....)

a bad thought occurred to me

(I was just thinking I wanted to get back at her)

Gilbert: "Hey little rabbit, you can borrow my shirt?"

| Main-route | Sweet | Premium | Epilogue |

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒊𝒕: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓��𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The inexplicable phenomenon of a human becoming a rabbit can be explained if it were a dream.

However, dreams are essentially a reflection of the depths of the human psyche.

(If this were a dream, what would I want?)

A few seconds ago, there was a cute little rabbit on my bed, kissing me on the cheek.

But in an instant, the little rabbit is back to her normal self.

It was a dream, but it felt strangely real, except that she was not wearing any clothes.

Gilbert: "Hey, little rabbit…"

Gilbert: "you can borrow my shirt for now?

The rabbit that had crawled into the sheets at blinding speed, and only her face peeked out.

The sight of her cheeks as well as her ears turning bright red made me feel somewhat lewd.

(However, I wouldn't want her to be naked forever either.)

I took out the black shirt I always wear from the closet and put it beside the rabbit

Emma: "…… thank you."

The bunny thanks me in a fading voice, grabs the shirt, and hides back into the sheets.

I sat on the sofa and waited leisurely, and finally not only her face but also her upper body came out.

(It is indeed a bit too big for her.)

When the little rabbit put on my shirt, she looked like she was wearing a short one-piece.

(Oh no, if someone were to enter the room here, it would immediately become a rumor.)

Emma: "…….."

Gilbert: "What? I can tell by the way you're staring at me without saying a word."

Emma: "Prince Gilbert, you don't seem surprised. I was a rabbit.………"

Gilbert: "Of course, I was aware of it."

Emma: "Since when?"

Gilbert: "Well, since… I found out you didn't have a rabbit…"

Emma: "……is that true?"

Gilbert: "Yes, that's right."

Emma: "then when you gave me a bath....."

Gilbert: "………."

Emma: "Oh, you suck!"

Gilbert: "Ha ha ha! Even the rabbit is embarrassed?"

Emma: "you would have noticed that I was embarrassed!"

Gilbert: "I noticed it……"

Emma: "………"

The little rabbit grabs a nearby pillow and stops trying to lift it up.

She seemed to remember that he was dealing with a guest of honor from another country, and buried her face in the pillow that she had almost flung at me.

(I guess it's better to tease a person in human form.)

Gilbert: "Are you sulking?"

Emma: "I just realized once again that Prince Gilbert is this kind of person."

The bunny, who had been fainting in agony, looks up and finally gets off the bed.

(…..eh?)

As she was about to go to the doorway, I stood up and grabbed her by the hand.

Gilbert: "Don't tell me you are going back to your room like that?"

Emma: "would that be too hard?"

Gilbert: "You don't have to ask, right? See?"

I push her shoulders and move in front of the mirror in the corner of the room.

She is wearing only her bare skin and a shirt, with a ribbon tied around her neck, the ribbon she wore when she was a rabbit.

If I were to walk through the court, tons of people would turn to look at her

(This is a den of beasts, after all.)

The little bunny also looked at her reflection in the mirror and realized how foolish she had been to say what she had just said.

Through the mirror, her eyes and gaze were at a loss.

Emma: "Prince Gilbert--"

Gilbert: "No."

Emma: "I haven't said anything yet."

Gilbert: "You're going to ask me to get you some clothes, aren't you?"

Emma: "……."

Gilbert: "But you can't go outside dressed like that either. I don't want other men to see you dressed like that."

(There might be some unwanted pests, I'll have to kill them.)

I put my hands in front of the rabbit's body and fasten the top button, which she had probably left open because she was flustered

I was a little concerned that I could see some skin when I looked down at her from behind.

Emma: "I'll never get out of here."

Gilbert: "I won't be bothered, I told you I would keep you, didn't I?"

Emma: "What?"

{flashback}

Luke: "Hey, what are you ------ doing?"

Gilbert: "What do you mean? ……… She's not a domestic rabbit, is she?"

Gilbert: "Then I'm going to make her mine."

Gilbert: "I'll take good care of you, little rabbit. ?"

{end flashback}

Gilbert: "I don't lie."

When I traced the ribbon around her neck with my fingertips, the little rabbit stiffened her body.

Emma: "No, I am not a rabbit now."

Gilbert: "Don't worry. Rabbits and people are the same."

Emma: "Not at all!"

Gilbert: "Well, if you were still a rabbit, I would have made you a bed, but since you are a person now, you could use the bed."

Gilbert: "I'll make sure you eat every meal. Oh, and of course, I'll give you a proper bath."

Emma: "No, thank you!"

The rabbit turns around and covers my mouth with her hand.

She had restrained herself from throwing the pillow at me, but she finally couldn't take it anymore.

(…… stupid. You should have just turned pale.)

My heart beats for a moment as I look down at the bunny, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes moist from the repeated shame she has felt.

(…………..? No, no way.)

her warm hand does not pull away, and I let my tongue crawl between her fingers as a test.

Needless to say, the little rabbit withdrew her hand

Gilbert: "You have no discipline. As the owner, I have to teach you a lesson."

Emma: "Prince Gilbert is being twice as mean as usual today, aren't you?

Gilbert: "Yes?"

(I do think I'm having a bit too much fun.)

Gilbert: "I can't help it. Because i am having fun."

Emma: "I'm not having fun at all!"

Gilbert: "Ha-ha-ha, liar."

(It's a miracle that I can laugh with someone in the middle of hostile territory.)

(………)

(Oh, I see. If it's a dream, then this is my deepest wish.)

(I feel stupid, dreaming of fleeting moments…)

Emma: "Prince Gilbert. Do you have any more clothes I can wear?"

Emma: "I would be happy to borrow some pants at least."

I lock the little rabbit in my arms as she stares angrily at the closet.

The bite on her shoulder through my shirt was almost an impulsive act.

I bite a little harder, so as to leave a mark on the skin.

(Even if it leaves pain, ------ it won't last long anyway.)

(If it's a dream, it's going to disappear soon.)

Emma: "…….. What are you…? …"

Gilbert: "The proof of being my pet."

Gilbert: "I won't lend you anything but my shirt."

Just as the little rabbit suddenly became a person again, this time will soon come to an end.

Still, I pull away with a mean smile.

(Just a little longer)

(let me dream)

| Main-route | Sweet | Premium | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖: 𝑳𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒖𝒓

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

◈𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚'𝐬/𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲◈

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

On the morning of my birthday, I woke up to...

Leon: "Good morning, Emma."

I blinked my eyes as Leon, who had apparently woken up earlier, looked at me tenderly.

Emma: "good morning."

(right, I stayed in Leon's room last night)

I remember falling asleep next to Leon, who told me he wanted to make love to me the moment the date changed on my birthday.

My cheeks flushed with heat as I thought of last night when I was loved more sweetly and tenderly than usual.

(I'm so embarrassed.)

I pulled up the sheets to cover my face, but Leon grabs my hand to prevent me from doing so.

Leon: "Don't hide, okay? You look even prettier today. I want to look at you more."

Emma: "I look the same as usual?"

Leon: "No, it's a "special day" and you look extra adorable……Happy Birthday, Emma!"

I feel a warmth in my heart as I am told again the same words that were said to me last night.

Emma: "Thank you, Leon."

Leon: "Hmm, but don't get complacent yet, okay?"

Leon: "I'm going to spend the whole day celebrating you, so be prepared."

Leon strokes my hair gently and dropped a kiss on my forehead.

(I'm going to spend the whole day with Leon.)

Thinking of this made me so happy that I naturally started to smile.

After getting ready, we decided to go to town together.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

When we got off the carriage and entered the square, Leon's hand pulled my hand along.

I can tell that Leon is slowing down to keep pace with me so that we can walk side by side.

(I really like this kindness.)

Emma: "Leon, where are we going?"

Leon: "somewhere you like."

Emma: "Maybe a bookstore?"

Leon: "Correct."

(I'm glad, because I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to come here.)

(But it's not supposed to be open yet at this time of the day.)

With doubts in my mind, I walk after Leon, and when we reach my favorite bookstore…

(What? It’s open?)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

We walk in and are greeted with a smile by the owner, who we know very well.

(Does that mean we have the place to ourselves? Leon, you had this done just for me)

When I turn around, Leon's lips are pursed.

Leon: "You can choose a book more calmly this way, can't you?"

Leon: "And take a good look at the books lined up."

I do as he says and look at the books.

Emma: "What?"

(This is a rare book that I've always wanted to read, but I couldn't find it because it's out of print. This one too)

Surprise and joy welled up in my heart at the same time, and I looked at Leon again.

Leon: "It's your birthday, right? You can choose any books you like. It's my present to you."

(It's impossible to find so many precious books in a store by chance.)

(Leon, you've been arranging this for a long time.)

Emma: "Thank you, Leon I'm so happy, I feel like I'm going crazy."

Leon: "Don't worry your pretty face, you have time to relax and have fun."

Leon: "You not only like books, you like spending time in the bookstore, don't you?"

Emma: "yeah."

(Not just books as a gift)

(He noticed that I also like to spend time looking for books.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After we shopped at the bookstore we went into a more upscale café than usual, we sat down by the window, and a cup of tea was offered to me by Leon.

(Ah, this is a rare kind. I'm curious about this one too, but… I can't drink them all.)

Emma: "Sorry, Leon. I'll decide soon."

Leon: "No, take your time, I never get tired of seeing you being so cute."

I was startled by his teasing expression, and as I looked down at the menu again, a cake that I had not yet ordered was brought to me.

Emma: "huh?"

The cake in front of me was decorated with brightly colored fruit in the shape of a rose.

On a plate on top of the cake was a message wishing me a happy birthday

(Leon had prepared this for me.)

I had told Leon about the beautiful rose decorated cake I had been served at a previous party.

(I thought about that at the bookstore too, but I guess Leon remembers what I like.)

(And the fruits used in the cake are all my favorites, too.)

Emma: "Thank you for the beautiful cake. It's a shame to eat it."

Leon: "That's just like you"

Leon: "Eat it, will you? Not only does it look good, but I think you'll like the taste too."

Emma: "Thank you If I have this cake, I'll have this tea."

Leon: "Then I'll have the same tea as you."

Leon orders the tea, and soon after, the tea arrives.

Emma: "Bon appétit!"

As I eats the cake, happiness spreads in my mouth and a smile breaks out on my face.

Emma: "this is really delicious!"

Leon: "Your smile makes me happy too."

(I’m happy that Leon celebrated with me)

We continued to enjoy our date and the time passed quickly.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In the evening, I returned to Leon's room, where a sumptuous dinner had been prepared.

Leon: "And after dinner, we will have a drink of this"

Leon pulls out a paper bag, and inside is…

Emma: "This is the tea from the café…"

(I wanted to drink that one as well)

(I didn't say a word, but you noticed...)

Emma: "I don't know if I deserve everything that you've done for me."

Leon: "It's ok. I want to celebrate your special day."

Leon smiled cheerfully, insisting that he did it because he wanted to.

Emma: "Leon, I wanted to celebrate my special day with you. thank you so much for today."

After expressing my gratitude once again, Leon gently pulled me into a hug.

He stroked my hair and looked at me tenderly, making my heart beat faster.

My heart is pounding and I can't help but smile as Leon gently strokes my cheek with his fingertips.

Leon: "This day is not over yet, okay? I want to make love to you now, the way you like it. What do you want me to do?"

Emma: "I want you to…..kiss me."

As soon as I spoke, Leon pulled my face close and slowly layed his lips on mine

Leon: "Anything else?"

Leon: "Anything you want, I'll do it."

Emma: "What about you?"

Leon: "It's your birthday"

Emma: "Leon, is there anything you want me to do?"

Leon: "Don't worry, I already got something."

Emma: "What?"

Leon: "That you were born and that you are here now, next to me."

Leon: "I'm more than happy for that."

Emma: "…Leon"

(I'm also glad to be beside you like this. ……)

Leon's hand pulled me tightly into his chest, and I nuzzled into his chest.

Leon: "I'll say it again and again. Happy Birthday!"

Leon: "Thank you so much for being born and for meeting me."

(It's a good birthday. ………)

I had a very good birthday, feeling loved until the very last second.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒐 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒄𝒊

◈𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧-𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞 ◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮��, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As the days get colder and the winter season deepens, the normally bustling city becomes even more lively and glittering than usual.

My first Christmas in Benitoite was approaching.

Emma: "Silvio, this is ……."

One afternoon, when I visited Silvio in his room to bring him tea after he returned from a business meeting, I found a mountain of letters on his desk.

What was not on the desk was piled up on the floor, making a corner of the room look like a sea of letters.

Silvio: "These are all invitations to Christmas parties."

Emma: "All of them?"

Silvio: "Yes. We can't fit them all in here. There are more in the other room."

(It's going to be hard just to check ……)

When I blinked my eyes, Silvio looked as if it was natural.

Silvio: "Well, for merchants, the event is a great time to make money. With the new year coming up, too."

Silvio: "There are a lot of people who want to do business with me on the pretext of having a Christmas party."

Silvio: "Of course, I can't attend all of them, and they know that."

Emma: "I see…….."

(It is true that Silvio is usually invited to various occasions.)

(It must be natural to receive this many invitations at Christmas time.)

(Somehow, I was hoping that the two of us could celebrate Christmas together, but that would be difficult.)

Emma: "Do you know which parties you will attend this year?"

Silvio: "We're having a party at the castle because it's a good excuse to turn down the others."

Silvio: "Besides, as my woman, you should be out in the open at least once."

(Silvio's woman ……)

(I've been introduced as this many times at parties, but I get shy when he says it)

I didn't want him to realize that I was embarrassed, so I looked away as if to deceive him

Silvio: "The castle's Christmas party is something you might like."

Silvio: "The dance hall will be decorated with a tree and there will be many Christmas dishes."

Silvio: "It's the best way to get to know Benitoite Christmas."

(Silvio, you noticed that I am looking forward to spending Christmas in Benitoite!)

The atmosphere of Christmas in Benitoite is totally different from that of Rhodolite.

Walking around town, I saw decorations I had never seen before, and food I had never eaten before.

(What do I do, I'm so happy)

But it was embarrassing to say it out loud. a question suddenly occurred to me.

(Come to think of it, do I only have to attend one party at the castle?)

(When you have business meetings, you have several appointments in one day, don't you?)

(Maybe Silvio has other plans than just organizing the party himself.)

Emma: "Silvio, don't you attend parties other than the ones at the castle?"

Silvio's expression was distorted in a way that was easy to understand when I asked him.

Silvio: "You should already know that, you idiot!"

(He is suddenly in a bad mood! )

(What? …… But if I look closely, I can see his ears.)

Slightly red

(Silvio, you have minimized your schedule for my sake.)

The moment I realize this, my cheeks heat up with joy.

(My face is red just as Silvio's is)

(I'm embarrassed, but I should thank you properly.)

Emma: "Thank you very much. Silvio."

(When I say thank you, Silvio looks away with a mortified expression on his face.)

Silvio: "I have already arranged the business meeting to happen the day before to make up for Christmas."

Silvio: "We will have less time to see each other, so don't complain."

(I know you are busy, but you are making arrangements for me.)

I feel a hot feeling welling up in my chest, and I hug him tightly as if conveying my emotions

Emma: "thank you so much!"

Silvio's cheeks flush as I kissed him softly on the cheek.

Silvio: "Hey, let go!"

Emma: "I won't let go!"

Emma: "Silvio, let's make the best Christmas memories together."

(Silvio gave me his time.)

(I love Silvio.)

(I want to make a lot of sweets that Silvio would like and decorate the room.)

(I want to make this the best Christmas.)

When I smiled, Silvio's face turned even redder than before.

But after a moment, he looked at me as if he had an idea, and the corners of his lips lifted up.

Silvio: "If you're going to work so hard, I hope you're going to prepare a present for me, too?"

Emma: "Of course I will, but…"

Silvio: "I don't want anything that money can buy."

he said firmly and brings his face to mine.

Silvio: "You know what I want, don't you?

The sea-colored eyes in front of me were shimmering with heat. The look in his eyes made it clear what Silvio meant by "what I want".

My heart starts pounding, and I let go of his body as if to run away from him.

Emma: "Yes, that's right! I'll do my best to think of a present that will please Silvio"

Silvio smiled

(Silvio, who was embarrassed a moment ago, now has a completely relaxed expression. It's frustrating…)

At the same time, I thought of a little revenge.

Emma: "If Silvio also prepares a present for me……"

Emma: "Please make it something other than what money can buy, okay?"

(I have a feeling that if I don't say this, you'll give me something worth a lot of money……)

Silvio: "Huh?"

As expected, Silvio sounds unhappy.

Emma: "you know what would please me, don't you?"

(I'm already satisfied with the fact that Silvio will celebrate Christmas with me.)

(If I have Silvio's feelings, that's all I need…)

Silvio's face turns cocky as he stares at me.

Silvio: "I'll give you a present that will surprise you. Look forward to it."

(He is full of confidence!)

Emma: "It's the same for me. You can count on it."

Silvio: "Well, let's play a game, shall we? Which one of us will surprise the other on the day with a gift?"

Emma: "I think I will win."

Silvio: "Ha, of course, I will!"

After we said this to each other, we looked at each other for a few seconds and blew each other off at the same time.

Emma: "I'm looking forward to the day."

Silvio's eyes narrow gently as he expresses his heartfelt feelings.

Silvio: "Oh, you better look forward to it."

After that, I parted from Silvio and left the room.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The wind on my cheeks is cold, but the sun is warm so I don't feel cold.

Sitting on a chair by the pool, I gaze at the sparkling water reflecting the sunlight.

(I can think clearly here.)

I take a small deep breath and recall the exchange I had with Silvio earlier.

(Whenever I talk with Silvio, we always end up quarreling.)

But I enjoy such arguments and feel happy.

(I can't think of many gifts.)

I remember Silvio's passionate eyes when he told me what he wanted.

(I am sure that what Silvio wants is me, but…)

----------flashback----------

Silvio: "Well, shall we play a game? On that day, which one of us will give the other a gift that will surprise the other the most wins."

Emma: "I think I will win."

Silvio: "Ha, of course, I will!"

---------end flashback----------

(Having said that, I'd like to give something that will surprise you. What should it be?)

I thought about this and that, but I couldn't think of anything, so I let out a breath.

But as I gazed absentmindedly at the pool and gazed at the rippling surface of the water, I suddenly remembered something.

(Oh yes, I had a little something saved for just such an occasion!)

I got up and went to the library with great enthusiasm.

Then I returned to the garden and put down on the table as many copies of "The Adventures of Prince Silvio" as I could carry.

(Here are some of the things that Silvio had experienced during his voyage.)

(It may contain some clues.)

(Read this and I might be able to think of a gift for Silvio!)

With such enthusiasm, I picked up a book and started to read the adventure tale.

(Wow, Silvio was in such a dangerous place?)

Before I knew it, I had forgotten my purpose and got carried away.

Silvio was watching Emma, who was absorbed in reading with a twinkle in her eye, from a little distance away…

Silvio: "That's a book based on my voyage, isn't it?"

Silvio: "She's reading it with such a weird look on her face."

He mutters grimly, but his cheeks are red and his sea-blue eyes are filled with a joy that he can't hide.

Silvio exhaled heavily to let his emotions escape, and left.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A few days later

(I've been reading adventure tales, today as well)

I was so absorbed in the world of books that time passed in a blink of an eye and before I knew it, no one was awake.

(I'm thirsty, l should make something to drink.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I left the room and walked down the hallway to go to the kitchen.

(Silvio's adventure story was very interesting. ……)

(I didn't expect him to find the treasure hidden in that place.)

(The treasure that the villagers have protected must have been very beautiful.…..Huh?)

I was thinking as I walked along the hallway I found myself in a place I don't usually visit.

(I should go back…)

Just as I was about to turn back, I saw a familiar figure at the end of the dimly lit corridor.

(Silvio?)

(Is he working late?)

(Silvio has been really busy since then, and I haven't been able to see him often)

Holding my floating heart, I walk up to Silvio, who is about to enter the room.

Emma: "Silvio!"

When I called out to him, Silvio's shoulders jumped.

Silvio: "You……"

Emma: "Are you working in this room? I was going to make a drink in the kitchen"

Emma: "If you like, I can make one for you…"

When I had said that much, Silvio took a step toward me.

Emma: "What?"

(Is he in a bad mood?)

(But why?)

As I blinked my eyes, Silvio pulled me into his arms and put me in his cloak.

(Oh, Silvio's warmth…!)

My whole body is enveloped in a comfortable warmth, and my heart begins to beat fast.

(If I'm this close to you, I'm sure you can feel my heart pounding)

As I wriggle in embarrassment, Silvio lets out a small breath.

Silvio: "Don't go out in light clothes this late at night."

Emma: "Oh..."

(Huh? It's the usual gentle Silvio. But something doesn't feel right.)

Just when I tilted my head, Silvio put some strength into the arm he had put around me.

Silvio: "Hey, come on!"

(What?)

Silvio continues to walk down the corridor and eventually stops in front of the kitchen.

Silvio: "You have business here, don't you?"

Emma: "That's true, but..."

I look at him questioningly, but Silvio looks away awkwardly.

Silvio: "well, don't hang around in the middle of the night."

(This seems like there's something you are hiding.)

(But my original purpose was to make a drink.)

Emma: "Well then, I'll go make a drink. Would you like a cup of herbal tea, Silvio?"

Silvio: "Yes."

After that, we continued to drink the freshly brewed herbal tea all the way back to my room.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After arriving at my room and drinking the herbal tea, I asked Silvio about something that had been bothering me.

Emma: "Silvio, were you working in that room?"

Silvio: "I'm not working in it, just stay away from it."

(I can't get anything out of you!).

When I was dumbfounded, Silvio drinks the herbal tea and stands up.

Silvio: "go to bed soon, and don't go out like that anymore."

Silvio: "And…Listen, don't ever go near that place."

With these words, Silvio left the room.

After that, I immediately went to bed as I was told

(I wonder what that was about.)

(I know there's something in the room, but I shouldn't pry into it…)

After thinking about it, I felt sleepy and closed my eyelids.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After such an incident, I continued reading Silvio's adventure stories whenever I had time.

One day, I finally finished reading the last one.

(Oh, what fun! The secret expeditions, the hidden treasures, and the interaction with the local islanders.)

(I haven't thought of a gift for Silvio yet…)

(I've learned a lot about Silvio from reading his adventure stories.)

(but I can't come up with a gift that would make him gasp in surprise.)

While I was thinking about it, a cup was presented in front of me.

Rio: "Here you go. It's rose tea."

Emma: "Rio!"

The sweet aroma wafting through the air is from the tea leaves that I have loved since my days at Rhodolite.

Rio: "I used to be your personal butler, remember? I still remember your tastes."

(I know you're busy, but you always look out for me.)

(I really appreciate it.)

Emma: "Thank you, Rio."

Rio sits in the chair across from me and smiles mischievously.

Rio: "I just wanted to have tea with you."

Rio: "Hey, if there is something bothering you, why don't you talk to me?"

Rio winks at me with a snap, and I unexpectedly smile back.

Emma: "You know everything, don't you?"

Rio: "I'm your friend, right?"

Emma: "Thank you."

After thanking him, I explain to Rio that I'm having trouble finding a gift for Silvio.

Emma: "I read all the adventure stories to see if I could come up with something, but I couldn't think of anything at all.…"

(In the end, I had fun without achieving my goal.)

Rio: "if he gets it from you, he'll be happy even if it's just a rock from the side of the road."

(a piece of stone ……)

Emma: "No way.……"

Rio: "It's true"

(I have to choose something that can't be bought with money, something that I put my heart into...)

As I thought about it, Rio squinted softly and then laughed.

Rio: "If he gets something with your feelings in it, he's going to be in a good mood."

Emma: "What?"

(Silvio is a kind man, and now he recognizes the value of "something money can't buy".)

(I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that, but aren't you getting carried away?)

When I nod my head, Rio explains to me.

Rio: "You know, he was always profitable in business meetings…"

Rio: "He's doing better and better since you came to this country.

(I didn't know that! I'm kind of happy.)

(I don't know if I had anything to do with it, but it's better than being told He is not doing well anymore.)

Rio: "Well, he always had a lot of luck."

Emma: "It is true that Silvio is a lucky man."

Emma: "During the voyages, Silvio was attacked by various troubles."

Emma: "Some of them could have killed him"

Emma: "When I think about it, I am amazed that he is alive and well now."

(The adventure story was fun, but I was a little nervous at times.)

(I believe in you, but I will not be able to get rid of the feeling of worry when you go out on a voyage in the future.)

Rio: "Don't worry, if you wish that, no matter what predicament he is in, he will come back unscathed."

Rio: "He won't make you sad. I know he's a pain in the ass, but I believe in him."

Emma: "Thank you Rio"

After thanking my best friend, I reminded myself: "I'm not going to let you down.

(Yes, Silvio always granted my wishes.)

(I want Silvio to be fine. I want you to smile. I want you to be happy.)

( I wish I could put those wishes in a gift. ----)

I smile, and Rio's face lights up.

Rio: "To have that angelic, cute smile by his side now and in the future."

Rio: "That is the best gift for him."

(Now and in the future …… I guess…)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

And on the night of Christmas Day…

Emma: "I told you!"

When Silvio visited me in my room, he gave me a big box, and when I looked inside, I saw another box.

It contained a set of dresses that were expensive by any standards.

Emma: "You know what I said, a present which money can't buy!"

Silvio: "Ah? Except for gifts. Consider it a freebie."

Emma: "But…"

I look at the dress again. It is expensive, but not gaudy, and has a classy design that suits my taste.

(This is not something that money can buy either.……)

(I can see that Silvio has prepared this dress with me in mind.)

(it's just too expensive, I'm getting dizzy…)

Silvio: "You need clothes for the party anyway…"

Silvio: "If you don't want to wear it, I'll forcibly remove your clothes. Put it on."

Emma: "I understand! I'll take it!"

After putting on the dress, Silvio escorted me to the dance hall.

Emma: "Wow, beautiful!"

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒐 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒄𝒊

◈𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝 ◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Silvio: "You are surprised, aren't you? Rhodolite Christmas is totally different from ours, isn't it?"

Emma: "Yes…it is amazing."

While Christmas in Rhodolite is usually decorated with red, green, and roses, the open-air dance hall with a view of the sea is a little different.

The ornaments decorating the large Christmas tree in the middle of the hall were decorated with shells, corals, and other sea-related motifs, which are rarely seen in Rhodolite.

Silvio: "be excited! Today I will personally teach you about Christmas in Benitoite"

Silvio: "First of all, look at this"

Silvio picked up a glass jar with a golden ribbon on it.

Inside the jar, there are many cookies in the shape of stars, trees, and other Christmas-like objects, as well as fish, seashells, anchors, and other sea-related objects.

Emma: "Wow, they are so cute!"

Silvio: "They are common in Benitoite, but you rarely see them in other countries."

Emma: "Yes, I've never seen them before!"

Silvio: "we used to have cookies with a nautical motif."

Silvio: "Sailors who wanted to enjoy Christmas brought them on board in jars."

Silvio: "The custom spread to the land and cookies with Christmas motifs were added."

Silvio: "Nowadays it's a classic Benitoite Christmas pastry, eaten on land as well as at sea."

Emma: "I see, it's a pastry filled with people's wishes."

Silvio: "Well, yes. You should try some."

Silvio opens the lid of the jar, takes out a shell-shaped cookie from inside, and puts it in my mouth.

Emma: "they are delicious!"

I didn't know it from the outside, but the cookie has spices in it.

The more I chew, the more the spice spreads in my mouth.

Silvio: "You look really happy when you eat it."

Emma: "These cookies are so delicious…"

(I was so engrossed in eating them.…..)

When I turn my face away in embarrassment, Silvio smiles pleasantly.

Silvio: "Right? These cookies are not only sweet but also good. Here, eat some more."

Silvio puts a star-shaped cookie in my mouth and starts eating an anchor-shaped cookie himself.

Silvio: "Well, let's go…"

After that, Silvio introduced me to all kinds of things. I could not have had a more pleasant time.

(I am happy to get to know Benitoite, but what made me happier was the fact that Silvio is here with me.)

(Silvio usually has business meetings between parties, but he didn't do any today.)

(Perhaps, Silvio's gift is ……)

When I looked at him, Silvio looked at me as if he noticed it.

Silvio: "What is it? Come here, There is still something I haven't given you."

Silvio's eyebrows are furrowed in annoyance

I know that he isn't actually annoyed by what he has been saying and doing, and from his sea-colored eyes, which are filled with tenderness.

Emma: "you are giving me a special night for Christmas, aren't you?"

Emma: "For being by my side all this time, for telling me about Benitoite…"

Emma: "The present is your time, isn't it?"

(I'm sure Silvio finished the business meetings he was going to have today in advance.)

(I'm sure that's why he looked so busy.)

Emma: "Thank you very much for the wonderful gift."

When I bowed, Silvio's eyes widened.

Then he stared at me with an even bigger frown than usual.

Silvio: "What an embarrassing thing to say!"

(I'm pretty sure he's embarrassed.)

I smiled involuntarily, and then Silvio's face came close to my ear.…..

Silvio: "Later, you'd better prepare yourself."

After that, Silvio immediately returned to his usual state of mind, but the heat that had gathered in his face did not quite disappear.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After the party was over, we returned to our room.

Silvio: "Hey, come here!"

I hurriedly moved away from Silvio, who naturally wanted to hug me around the waist and kiss me

Emma: "Silvio! Wait a minute, please!"

(It's okay to kiss him, but I probably won't be able to stop!)

Silvio: "Oh? You know what I want, don't you?"

Emma: "That's true, but before that, I want you to receive something."

Saying that, I took out a small box I had prepared and opened the lid.

Emma: "This is…"

Inside was a bracelet made of natural stone beads.

(I'm not sure if it's too cheap, but…….)

(Compared to the national treasure jewelry that Silvio usually wears, it's just a toy.)

(I wonder if he will be happy with it? )

Silvio received the box, put the bracelet on his palm and stared at it.

Emma: "After reading your adventure stories, I saw that each stone has its own meaning."

Emma: "So I chose one that matched my feelings and made it with all my heart."

Emma: "I wish Silvio to always be in good spirits, to always have a smile on his face."

Emma: "And to be filled with happiness.……"

(I was thinking about Silvio while I was making it.)

Emma: "I would like to always be close to you and protect you……"

Emma: "Will you ever sail again?"

Emma: "Even if you don't, I don't think you will be able to stay with me all the time because of your busy schedule."

mid-sentence, Silvio takes the bracelet and puts it on his left hand.

Emma: "Oh, it's okay if you don’t wear it, It's not as valuable as jewelry, so"

Silvio: "Oh? It is much more valuable than jewelry."

Silvio says without a pause, lifts up his left hand, and stares at the bracelet.

(He said he never wears poor things)

When I look at his satisfied figure, Silvio smiles happily.

Silvio: "Of all the ornaments I have, this one shines the most beautifully……"

Silvio hugs me and buries his face in my neck.

Silvio: "I lose."

Emma: "What?"

Silvio: "I said I lost, you idiot. You're too good at surprising me, aren't you?"

---------flashback----------

Silvio: "Well, let's have a game, shall we? On the day of Christmas, whichever one of you gives the other a gift that will surprise the other."

Emma: "I think I will win."

Silvio: "Ha, of course, I will!"

---------end flashback---------

(The game)

Emma: "I was surprised, too."

Silvio looked up slowly as he spoke.

Silvio: "What? I told you I was more surprised than you."

After a few seconds of staring at each other, we simultaneously sigh

(We were competing to "win" then, but now we are competing to "lose.")

(Same exchange, even the same part about blowing up.)

As I continued to giggle, Silvio covered my lips.

Emma: "......mn."

Silvio: "Anyway, I lose."

Silvio: "The bracelet was a surprise and I am supremely happy."

Silvio: "But you know what I want more."

The moment he looks at me with his eyes shimmering with heat, my heart starts to beat fast.

Emma: "I understand."

Silvio: "…Naturally, you'll give me this too, right?"

Silvio strokes my cheek with his finger as if he can't wait.

Emma: "Of course, I'll give you myself, but only if I can have Silvio too."

Silvio's eyes widen for a moment, then his cheeks turn red as he kisses me.

(No matter how much I get, I will never stop wanting Silvio)

(I love him more than anyone, he's the love of my life.)

We smiled at each other and kissed again, deeper than before.

Our first Christmas in Benitoite together was filled with miraculous happiness.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒐 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒄𝒊

◈𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 ◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Silvio: "Ha, are you surprised?"

Emma: "This is amazing, there are so many things I've never seen before.……"

Christmas in Rhodolite is usually decorated with reds, greens, and roses.

The open-air dance hall with a view of the sea is decorated in the same chalk and gold as the castle.

All of them were unusual and beautiful, but one, in particular, caught my attention.

Emma: "What is this?"

I approached the large Christmas tree in the middle of the hall and pointed to the ball.

(amazing ……)

While there are many sea-related motifs such as seashells and corals, the ornament with a simple shape is a good example of a spherical ornament.

The ornament has a mysterious luminosity, as if it is not a reflection of light but is itself luminous.

(I could watch them forever. ……)

Silvio: "Oh, they are ornaments made by the traditional craft of Benitoite."

Emma: "Traditional craft?"

Silvio: "They are decorated with shells and have specialized craftsmen."

Silvio explained, taking the ornament from the display and placing it in my hand.

I gazed at the miraculously beautiful ornament for a while.

Emma: "It's so beautiful."

(If I had stayed in Rhodolite all these years, I would never have seen this brilliance.)

Emma: "I have never been outside of Rhodolite before."

Emma: "Being with Silvio reminds me that there are still beautiful things in the world that I don't know about."

(It was such excitement that I felt when I read your adventure stories.)

Emma: "Well, what is the most beautiful thing you have seen so far, Silvio?"

Silvio: "……..."

When I look up, Silvio's cheeks are slightly flushed.

(…… I didn't say anything strange, did I?)

Emma: "What's wrong?"

Silvio: "Shut up. I'll tell you later."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After that, Silvio continued to teach me about Christmas in Benitoite. After enjoying the party to the fullest, we went back to the room and…

Emma: "Silvio, thank you very much for spending time with me at the party today."

(I received a lot of Silvio's love that money can't buy.)

(I also want to return the favor. Okay……!)

I brought the gift I had prepared and opened it. When I handed it to Silvio, his sea-colored eyes looked at me.

Silvio: "This is... not a Benitoite candy, is it? You knew that?

Emma: "I read about it"

I prepared glass jars filled with cookies with nautical motifs such as fish and shells, and Christmas motifs such as stars and trees.

(Sailors used to make them to celebrate Christmas on the sea.)

(Originally, cookies with nautical motifs from Benitoite were brought on board.)

(Then it spread to the land, and at some point, Christmas motif cookies started to be added.)

(And now it has become a typical Benitoite Christmas pastry…)

Emma: "I love Rhodolite, but I love Benitoite just as much."

Emma: "And I hope to get to know and become more familiar with the country"

Emma: "This is the country where Silvio was born and raised and where I will live."

(I'm really happy to be able to live in this country that I love.……)

Emma: "I have been thinking about it for a long time, but the first step is to master the sweets of Benitoite.……

Silvio: "that's not a bad idea."

Silvio opens the lid of the jar and takes a bite of one of the cookies inside.

Silvio: "this is"

Emma: "What, is it bad?

Emma: "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to make it go with alcohol…"

(I practiced a lot to surprise you…)

Silvio: "What's the rush? I didn't say anything about it being bad……."

(When I turn away from him, Silvio's gaze wanders and then he opens his mouth."

Silvio: "it's delicious."

If I look closely, I can see that Silvio's cheeks are slightly reddish and his eyes are filled with joy.

(I don't know what to do if he says that to me with such a face, I'm so happy…!)

I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart and stare at Silvio

Emma: "Well, I'm going to live with Silvio in Benitoite, so..."

Emma: "I wanted to make something that you would enjoy eating."

(I almost got discouraged because I failed so many times, but it was worth the effort)

When I smile, Silvio wrinkles his brow.

Silvio: "Oh, my God!"

Silvio: "If you say that to me, I'll want to hold you like this."

Silvio glares at me reproachfully and hugs me…Then, with a long, thin exhale, he let go of my body regrettably.

Silvio: "It's not cool if I just take it from you. Come on."

(What? Just take it?)

As I blinked, Silvio took me by the hand and led me down the hallway.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I pushed my way down the corridor and ended up in a familiar place.

Emma: "This is ……"

---------flashback--------

Silvio: "Listen, don't go near that place."

----------end flashback----------

(The room from that time)

Silvio: "let’s go in"

Silvio opens the door.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The moment I entered the room, my eyes widened involuntarily.

(Woah! there are a lot of things that I don't know what they are! )

I am amazed to see a magnificent crown inlaid with large jewels, a brightly embroidered tapestry, and a tree as tall as I was.

Emma: "Silvio, what is this room?"

Silvio: "It was just an empty room, where I recently brought this loot."

Silvio picked up the golden cup nearby and looked at it with nostalgic eyes.

Emma: "Trophies?"

Silvio: "Yes, what you see here are the things I have acquired during my voyages."

(What you got on your voyages……)

(Then, could it be that what you are holding in your hand now, is the item from that adventure tale?)

Seeing me stunned, Silvio's lips lifted up.

Silvio: "Let me tell you a story."

Emma: "What?"

Silvio: "You have a strong curiosity. You like books because you like to learn new things, don't you?"

Silvio: "You read my voyage record with pleasure. That's why I've been collecting treasures that you might like."

Silvio: "And now I'm going to tell you the story behind these memories that I didn't leave in the record."

Emma: "Are you sure?"

Silvio's eyes widened in amusement as he leaned forward

Silvio: "I said 'I'll let you hear it', so it's only natural."

Silvio: "Come on, sit down."

As I sat down on a nearby chair, Silvio also sat down across from me.

(This is the first time in my life that I have received such an exciting Christmas present.)

Emma: "Thank you, Silvio"

Silvio looks away embarrassed as he smiles.

Silvio: "what the hell. I've been watching you for the past few days and I've been thinking about you."

Silvio: "I can't lose the game."

(................)

Emma: "Silvio, you tried your best to please me."

Emma: "Thank you so much."

I stared at him, and Silvio looked straight at me as if he was desperate.

Silvio: "That's right! I wanted to make you happy!"

Silvio raises his voice, clears his throat, and regulates his breathing.

Silvio: "Then I will tell you. First of all, this cup was mentioned in the book you were reading, wasn't it?"

Silvio: "In a certain tribe, it was sealed as a "cursed cup"

Silvio: "In the book it only says that the misunderstanding was cleared up, but in fact, after that…"

Silvio told me one after another of stories that were not written in the book.

(Wow, I've never heard such an outlandish story, even in a book)

Time flew by as I listened to Silvio's adventure story told with realism…

Silvio: "That's the end of the story."

(My heart is pounding as if I had gone on an adventure.)

I exhale deeply, unable to contain my elation, and at that moment, Silvio glances at me.

Silvio: "And this is for you."

Saying casually, Silvio puts a delicately decorated brooch on my hand.

Emma: "This is ……"

Silvio: "This is the treasure of the people I just told you about."

Silvio: "There is a legend that whoever possesses it will be blessed with all kinds of happiness."

(Among the stories that Silvio told me, I was particularly impressed by this story)

The stones embedded in the silver base are engraved with geometrical patterns, the way the light hits them, and the colors of the stones seem to blend together, and their mystical beauty draws you in.

Silvio: "It's not worth that much as a jewel"

Silvio: "I kept it near me on the return voyage, and I kept getting very lucky."

(Oh, that's really ……)

Silvio: "The sailors were talking about how this stone helped them to survive the last big storm.

(A real "treasure"…!)

Emma: "No, I can't have such a precious thing! You must keep it, Silvio!"

As I reached out to return the brooch, Silvio makes a grumpy voice.

Silvio: "Why? Don't you like it?"

Emma: "No, I do….. I just want Silvio to be happier than me!

(So I can't have it, It has to stay by Silvio's side.)

Silvio: "Then you should hold it even more so."

Emma: "What?"

Silvio: "I can't be happy without your happiness."

Silvio's cheeks are red, but my face is hot too.

(I really love Silvio)

Emma: "Then we both have to be happy, don't we?"

Emma: "I can't be happy unless you are happy too."

Just as I said this, Silvio ruffled my hair.

Silvio: "Of course, idiot."

Silvio: "Anyway, you keep it on."

I smile, clutching the brooch that was pushed back to me with both hands.

Emma: "Thank you so much, Silvio. I guess I lost the game."

Silvio: "Really? You're so auspicious, aren't you? I was happy about your sweets too."

Emma: "No, this time I lost!"

Emma: "I really enjoyed the party, and the treasures in this room and the adventure stories I heard from you were very exciting."

Emma: "And this brooch… it makes me very happy… "

Emma: "It is definitely a real treasure. I am so happy."

(The best Christmas ever!)

Emma: "Thank you so much, Silvio"

Before I can finish, Silvio pulls me close and picks me up in his arms.

Emma: "Silvio!"

I look up at his face, which is close to mine, and with my hands around his neck, I see the heat in his sea-colored eyes.

Silvio: "The pastry was delicious, but it's not enough. You know what I want most, don't you?"

Silvio: "Give it to me."

When a low voice whispers to me, there is no way I can do anything but nod.

Emma: "I understand. well, I was originally going to give myself to you."

As soon as I muttered in embarrassment, Silvio left the room and went back to his room.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As soon as we entered the room, he lowered me onto the bed and I was laid out on the sheets.

Silvio: "I'll take all of you!"

Silvio whispered to me, and then he roughly pressed his lips on mine.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒐 𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒄𝒊

◈𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 ◈

< contains mature content, minors dni >

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

On Christmas night, Silvio gave me the best present of all.

Now it is my turn to give the gift that Silvio wants most…

Silvio: "I'll take all of you!"

When he said this, Silvio roughly put his lips on mine and inserted his tongue into my mouth.

As I desperately respond to the kiss that seems to take everything from me, before I know it, the buttons are unbuttoned and my clothes are disheveled.

Emma: "Silvio"

When I call his name between kisses, Silvio pulls away and stares at me. I looked into his sea-colored eyes and saw a burning heat shimmering in them.

(I can feel that Silvio "wants" me.…)

(I'm embarrassed but I want you to have me.)

(I want to repay you for your beautiful gift)

I look back at him and Silvio smiles, tracing my body through my clothes.

Sometimes gentle, sometimes intense, my body begins to tingle with sweetness.

Emma: "........"

I let out an inarticulate breath, wanting to release the heat that was building up inside my body.

But Silvio does not give me any stimulation beyond touching me through my clothes.

Emma: "Silvio?"

(Why?)

When I question him with a glance, Silvio smiles in a funny way.

Silvio: "What's wrong with your face, you're not getting enough?"

Emma: "You are so mean…"

When I turn my face away in shame, Silvio smiles with satisfaction and puts his face to my ear.

Silvio: "It's not that I don't want to take it off. It's a present for me"

Silvio: "I have to start enjoying it from the very beginning when I rip off the wrapping."

Whispering in a seductive voice, Silvio carefully undressed me and then dropped countless kisses on my exposed skin.

Emma: "Ah!"

As my body trembled with the sweet stimulation finally given to me, Silvio looked at me and kissed me

Silvio looked at me and let out a small sigh

Silvio: "--love you."

Emma: "What?"

Before I can finish, he picks me up and takes me straight to the mirror.

Silvio: "You're a present tonight, you know. Look at what yourself"

(……You are really mean! )

I stared at Silvio in the mirror, but all I could see was my own face, which looked like it wanted Silvio's attention.

When I twisted my body in shame, Silvio looked at me through the mirror and traced my skin with the palm of his hand.

Emma: "ah.."

My hips bounced in response, which was embarrassing, and my whole body was burning hot.

(Oh, God! )

Silvio: "You look like you want me. Aren't you cute?"

Silvio says with satisfaction and lays his lips together.

Emma: ".........mn"

The two of us are carried to the bed again as we are tossed into an intense kiss where our tongues entwine with each other.

As soon as I feel myself being submerged in a sea of sheets, Silvio removes his own clothes and covers me with them.

As if to make up for his meanness, he gently lays his body on top of mine.

(I knew Silvio-sama was mean after all…)

Silvio: "Emma ……"

(He is so mean to me, but his voice is too gentle when he calls me like this…….)

(I can't blame him, and above all, it makes me think that I love Silvio from the bottom of my heart.)

(I'm so happy.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Emma: "Silvio, how much stamina do you have?"

I wrap myself in linen and look at him reproachfully, and he smiles at me.

Silvio: "Voyaging is a game of stamina. As I said before, I don't intend to be moderate. You have to train yourself."

As soon as he said that, a kiss fell on my forehead and my heart was wrapped in warmth.

(I'm so simple that this is all it takes to make me happy.)

As I smiled, I suddenly remembered something.

Emma: "By the way, I haven't heard your answer to my question at the party."

Silvio: "What?"

Emma: "Well, what is the most beautiful thing you have seen so far, Silvio?"

Silvio: "……..."

----------flashback----------

(I didn't ask anything strange, did I?)

Emma: "What's wrong?"

Silvio: "Shut up. …. I'll tell you later.

----------end flashback----------

(He said "later", so he will tell me now, right?)

Emma: "What is the most beautiful thing you have seen in your travels around the world?"

Emma: "I'm even more curious now that you've told me about your adventures in person."

Silvio smiles and frowns.

(I can't imagine at all……… Exciting!

Silvio: "It's something from Rhodolite."

Emma: "What! it's from Rhodolite?"

(I can't believe that what the discerning Silvio finds so beautiful is from the country where I was born and raised.)

(I'm so happy…)

Emma: "What is it?"

Emma: "Roses, jewelry, wine ----- or food?"

Silvio's cheeks turn red

Silvio: "-----"

(Huh?)

Silvio: "Of course, it's you, you idiot!"

Emma: "…...."

Emma: "....eh?"

For a moment, I stopped thinking, and I realize the meaning of what was said.

Emma: "Well, you know…"

Emma: "Um, Silvio.."

(What should I do? I'm too happy, I don't know what to say……)

Silvio: "I'll never find anything more beautiful than you, no matter how many times I sail!"

Silvio: "That's why I'll never let go of you."

Silvio whispers and kisses my lips.

(Don't let go)

(I want to be with you forever and ever. I want to be close to my beloved Silvio all the time.)

The first Christmas night in Benitoite was filled with a miraculous happiness.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

◈𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧-𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Christmas will come soon here in Rhodolite

(I never thought I would get an invitation to a Christmas party)

The envelope with the royal rose crest on it was given to me by Mr.Sariel.

Every year, a Christmas ball is held at the court. The first-class cooks serve an outstanding Christmas dinner.

People dance around the Christmas tree that is decorated in roses The ladies are dressed as glamorously as the roses on the tree.

I read all of this in a memoir written by an aristocrat, "Christmas in the Land of Roses," which I had found in the library some time ago.

(I'm looking forward to it!)

As if in response to my feelings, snow falls from the sky.

Emma: ".....beautiful"

I reached out to grab a handful of snowflakes wandering in the air, but another hand reached out from behind ......... me.

???: "You act like a child, don't you?"

( it's Prince Gilbert).

I froze, unable to shake it off, and Prince Gilbert's cold fingertips crawled on my wrist.

(I can't seem to escape)

His other hand reaches out from behind me and ties a black ribbon around my wrist.

Emma: "What is this?"

Gilbert: "proof that you are my Christmas present."

Emma: "huh?"

Gilbert: "Thank you. I will take good care of my present."

(Wait a minute. I don't understand.)

Prince Gilbert looks at the ribbon with satisfaction. He ties it into a bow.

Emma: "am I your present?

Gilbert: "Yes. So all your Christmas time is mine. I'm so happy to have it all to myself."

Emma: "I'm sorry. I have plans for Christmas..."

Gilbert: "Which is more important, your plans or my entertainment?"

I thought I heard the threat of "I don't care what happens to my country" on the snowy winds.

Emma: "Prince Gilbert is more important."

Gilbert: "Right? I'm glad you didn't say no."

Gilbert: "As expected, I don't want to do anything mean on Christmas."

(....... It was a close call)

Gilbert: "You're going to wear the ribbon all day, right?"

Emma: "Why?"

Gilbert: "Because it's easier to show that you are mine."

Emma: "......."

Prince Gilbert, smiling freshly, turns on his heel and leaves.

(I think I'll give up on the ball.)

I'm sure it's impossible now that Prince Gilbert has his eye on me.

A sigh of emptiness melted into the cold air.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

On Christmas Day, the sky was as clear and fresh as Prince Gilbert's smile.

Gilbert: "..........this is delicious too! There are so many delicious foods in the Rhodolite market."

Clerk: "you're a good eater! And take this with you!"

No one seems to have expected that a man with such a big appetite is the prince of Obsidian, and the shopkeeper's face lights up.

Gilbert: "Thank you. Don't just stand there, little rabbit, eat. Here, ah!"

Emma: "Nggh?"

(This pattern again!?)

Prince Gilbert puts a piece of food in my mouth.

Since arriving at the market, we have been stopping at every food and pastry store we could find, tasting and buying.

I can't finish the whole thing, so I bite off a piece, and Prince Gilbert ate the rest in one bite.

(he looks slender, but he has a big mouth...)

Gilbert: "Let's go to that store next. It looks like they have cookies in the shape of roses, but what are they?"

Emma: "They are one of the traditional confections of Rhodolite they are sold all year round, but there is also a Christmas special ......"

Emma: "No! Are you still buying?"

(I already have my arms full of stuff.)

Prince Gilbert's hands are full of food.

I am also carrying some of Prince Gilbert's stuff, so I don't have that much room to spare.

Gilbert: "Don't worry little rabbit. I have baggage for you to carry, Lucien?"

(Eh?)

When Prince Gilbert calls out his name, a man appears silently from the shadows of the market.

I recognized the long-haired man in the uniform of the Rhodolite Guard.

(I remember that he was the covert man that Prince Chevalier had ordered to watch Prince Gilbert)

(I didn't think he was hiding.)

Prince Gilbert takes the package from my hand and hands it to Lucien

In addition, he also put his own package on top of it without hesitation, and in no time at all, he had become a package bearer.

Emma: "Sir Lucien is not a baggage carrier."

Gilbert: "I'm letting him watch me, isn't it fair?"

(so ......)

Gilbert: "Oh.."

As if he had thought of something, Prince Gilbert looks at me and says .....

Gilbert: "Are you jealous that we are not alone?"

Emma: "No, I'm not!"

(Prince Gilbert makes a lot of jokes like this.)

Gilbert: "Haha, you're so boring."

He pinches my nose and walks away

(By the way, Prince Gilbert seems to be in a very good mood today.)

Who would have thought that one of the many people that were enjoying the winter market would be the beast of destruction?

At least the people in the market seemed to like the friendly Prince Gilbert.

Gilbert: "If you want something, I'll buy it for you. You can think of me as your wallet."

Emma: "I can't do that.."

Halfway through my sentence, I spot a stall selling an unfamiliar candy. I was fascinated by the gorgeous pie with layers and layers of strawberries.

Emma: "Wow ...... That looks delicious!"

Prince Gilbert is enjoying the Christmas market a lot

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Gilbert: "Well, this is where the real work begins."

After visiting the market and taking a rest on a bench, Prince Gilbert suddenly declared, "Now, this is where the real work begins."

Emma: "Wasn't the Christmas market the main attraction?"

Gilbert: "No, it's not. I'm going to meet a friend today."

Emma: "Prince Gilbert's ...... friend?"

Gilbert: "Why do you look so surprised? I'm good at making friends."

(Prince Gilbert's definition of "friend" has a different meaning.)

I am also a "friend" according to Prince Gilbert's standard. I was forced to be his friend even before we became friends.

Gilbert: "It's Christmas, so I'll introduce you."

Emma: "Just in case, your friend isn't a bad person right...?"

Gilbert: "Hmmm.."

Emma: "Wait! That laugh what is it?"

Gilbert: "Follow me and you'll understand."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(I'm just worried - but Lucien is here too, so I'll be fine.)

Prince Gilbert is moving deeper, and deeper into the alley.

(What if it's a really bad friend?)

Just when my heart was about to be crushed with anxiety, I saw a back alley square ahead of me.

For some reason, many children had gathered there, and at the sound of Prince Gilbert's cane they turned around

Boy: "Oh, it's Gil!"

Girl: "It's big brother Gil!"

(Gi ...... Big brother Gil....?)

Gilbert: "Haha, no. I'm Santa Claus today."

(Santa Claus?)

The somewhat dreary back alleys of Christmas are suddenly filled with activity by 'Santa Claus.

Gilbert: "As promised, I brought you lots of sweets."

Prince Gilbert looks at Lucien.

Lucien, who was carrying a large amount of goods, placed them in a nearby wooden box with a blank expression on his face.

A big smile appeared on the children's faces as they ran up to him.

boy: "Wow, it's true! Gil, thank you!"

Girl: "I love you!"

Gilbert: "Oh, really? I'm so happy!"

(This is unexpected)

The number of food items, which I thought he had bought too much of, quickly dwindled as he shared them with the children.

It seems that Prince Gilbert had been selecting gifts for the children from the beginning.

(He really likes children.)

His red eyes, which are usually threatening and threatening to violate others, are somewhat soft today.

(What's the use of fawning over them?)

I came to my senses, put my stuff on the crate, and went to the boy who had first called out to Prince Gilbert.

boy: "......Hey, Emma?"

Emma: "Oh"

(Wait, this is the boy who lives in the neighborhood.)

(We have to be careful in our conversation.)

Boy: "Do you know Gil by any chance?"

Emma: "Uh......yeah. We are friends."

Boy: "I didn't know that. Gil is a nice guy, isn't he?"

Emma: "Yes, he is. Do you guys play with your him a lot?"

Boy: "Sometimes! We met him on the street by chance and made him one of us."

Girl: "Gil knows a lot of things. He taught us how to write."

Boy: "He also knows how to pickpocket in case of emergency, how to protect himself, and how to retaliate against someone he dislikes."

Emma: "Prince Gilbert"

(what are you teaching them?!?)

As he looks at me, Prince Gilbert holds up a finger in front of his own lips.

Gilbert: "Shhh, call me Gil here, and don't put 'Prince' in front of my name"

Emma: "Gilbert, sir."

Gilbert: "You are so stubborn."

(As expected, even I can't behave like the children.)

Prince Gilbert also did not intend to force me to do so, and simply withdrew.

Gilbert: "Even if they are bad things, it's good to have the knowledge, isn't it?"

Gilbert: "Someday it may become a weapon to protect yourself."

Without seeming to be offended, Prince Gilbert patted a nearby child on the head. The child seemed happy to be patted.

Gilbert: "Many of the children here are from the poor class."

Gilbert: "It is difficult to have a special meal on a special day. But you know, a child has to dream."

Gilbert: "In every country, children have the right to be happy. They have committed no crimes"

(Prince Gilbert's philosophy?)

Lots of sweets, lots of smiles - this place is full of dreams.

(I know nothing about Obsidian, but)

(Maybe this is the kind of scene that is there.)

(------ or maybe this is Prince Gilbert's ideal)

(a prince who has trampled and ruled over many nations)

Prince Gilbert smiled his usual fresh smile and beckoned a boy who was standing by my side.

Boy: "What?"

Gilbert: "You seemed to know a lot about this sister, don't you?

Boy: "Yes!"

Gilbert: "She is shy and won't tell me anything about herself."

(Oh, no...!)

Gilbert: "What does your sister usually do?"

But the children are an exception.

boy: "she works in a bookstore. My sister used to read books to me."

There was no way he could fake it.

Gilbert: "Well, isn't she a noblewoman?"

Boy: "What are you talking about? Emma is my neighbor. She's good friends with my mother!"

he gives me a meaningful look, and I quickly look away. I have never felt such a cold sweat in my life.

(I wonder if Prince Gilbert invited me because of this from the beginning.)

(......I was carless.)

Gilbert: "Something else--"

Emma: "What.....Yes, that's right! It's Christmas, and I'm going to tell you a funny story!"

I raised my voice, forcing Prince Gilbert to suppress his words. All the children's eyes turned to me at once.

Boy: "Really? Emma's stories are so interesting, I want to hear them!"

Girl: "I want a love story!"

Emma: "Then I'll tell you a story about a prince and a princess......."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(.....I'm tired...)

(...I tried my best to keep Prince Gilbert from interrupting me, I was really tired...)

After playing with the children in the back alley, we came back to the square. If I could, I would have just pretended that nothing had happened.

Prince Gilbert smiled and took my hand in his. There was no way he would let me go.

Gilbert: "Aren't children so cute and honest?"

Gilbert: "Adults can keep their mouths shut, but children don't know how to lie."

Gilbert: "Besides, they know the city better. They're better than a bad informant."

Emma: "------ You are taking advantage of children?"

(Prince Gilbert's good intentions were not just good intentions, those kids were little secret agents.)

Of course, they were not aware of it.

Gilbert: "If you call a little chit-chat "exploitation", then maybe you're right...?"

Emma: "......."

Gilbert: "By the way, how do you explain what that boy said?"

(he didn't need to ask the child, he knew it from the beginning.)

Prince Gilbert once visited the bookstore where I worked. He had already been identified before, so that wasn't a big problem.

The problem is that I am trapped in a situation where I can't even tell a good lie.

I have no excuses today. Even if I could, there are witnesses who cannot be fooled.

Emma: "...... Please. Please don't tell anyone about me."

I had to admit defeat.

Gilbert: "You are an idiot."

Gilbert: "When you "please" me, it's as if you chose to be subservient to me."

Gilbert: "You really belong to me now, don't you?"

(Not a good thing coming from the beast of destruction.)

While the town was in a festive mood for Christmas, I felt that the temperature around me was different.

Prince Gilbert reached for my hair with a gentle smile on his face.

He tied it with a black ribbon and lightly twirled it around his fingertips.

Gilbert: "You belong to me, so you'll do whatever I say, right?"

Emma: ".....as long as it doesn't involve me betraying Rhodolite"

Gilbert: "Well, then..."

(...what if he asks for something outrageous?)

I close my eyes as if in prayer and feel a breath in my ear.

Gilbert: "I'd like to visit your house."

Emma: "What?"

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

◈𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Gilbert: "--so? Why did we come back to the market?"

Gilbert: "Oh, maybe you are going to make me a Christmas cake?"

Emma: "Yes. If I invite you to my house, I have to make a show of hospitality!"

(I'm desperate…)

I don't know why Prince Gilbert wanted to come to my house, but it occurred to me, he likes food, so I should take advantage of it

(No, rather, it is the only way left for me.)

The prince of the evil empire loves food.

If I show him hospitality from my heart, he might show me compassion.

I was am so cornered that I could even think such a foolish thing.

(But there's no other way.)

(And ……)

Gilbert: "I'm so happy. I love it when you say that, little rabbit."

Emma: "Of course...."

("I'm looking forward to it" is written on his face)

(This is the kind of thing that makes him hard to hate.)

When I buy the ingredients for the cake at the stall, Prince Gilbert casually takes my bags.

Even though I knew that his kindness was a trap… … I also believed in Prince Gilbert's goodness.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Gilbert: "Heh, this is the little rabbit's house"

Emma: "It's small, but please----"

Prince Gilbert looked around curiously as he entered my house.

(Is it unusual for a commoner's house?)

By the way, …… Lucien was forbidden to enter the house by Prince Gilbert

"It would be scary if two men enter a woman's home, wouldn't it?

Lucien obeyed the ban with a logic that was both understandable and unintelligible to him.

(Lucien's job is to watch Prince Gilbert, not to protect me.)

(If something happens, I have to do something by myself.)

Gilbert: "Looking at you like this, I can see your taste."

(It's embarrassing to be stared at at ------)

Emma: "I'm going to go to the kitchen and make a cake."

Gilbert: "Yes."

Prince Gilbert stops in front of the desk without looking at me.

Then he reaches for the notebook that's been placed on the table and…

Emma: "Oh no! You can't do that!"

I rushed over and collects it before Prince Gilbert can pick it up.

(Oh, that was close!)

Gilbert: "Is there something wrong with it?"

Emma: "It's a diary! You mustn't look at it!"

Gilbert: "Oh, a diary…"

Emma: "I can't show you what's in it, even if you order me too!"

It is just a diary of my daily life and my impressions of books, but I don't write for the purpose of showing it to others.

(Besides, Prince Gilbert knows everything about me.)

(It would be too embarrassing.)

Gilbert: "I want to see."

Emma: "I don't want you to."

Gilbert: "I want to know about you."

Emma: "…… you don't need to know."

Gilbert: "Hmm, you don't seem to know your place, do you?"

Prince Gilbert scoops me up by the chin with his cane handle…

Gilbert: "Shall I show you what 'mine' means?"

(I don't think so.....)

Emma: "I already know ------ enough as it is."

Prince Gilbert always gives me two choices: to accept or to be forced to accept.

Emma: "Since it's getting late, why don't we bake a cake together?"

Gilbert: "You want me to help you?"

Emma: "I'm sure the cake will be better, than if I made it myself!"

(I'd rather be rude to the prince than have him ransack my room.)

Now that we have known each other for a long time, I know that Prince Gilbert would never be offended by this level of disrespect.

Rather, he is tolerant of rudeness that is not malicious.

Gilbert: "If you say it like that, I can't help it. What am I supposed to do?"

(Thank goodness!)

Emma: "Well, may I ask you to help me cut the fruit?"

I quickly wash the fruit I bought at the market in the kitchen and take it to Prince Gilbert

(Oh, I forgot to bring a knife!)

Just then, Prince Gilbert sits down in his chair and pulls out a folding knife from his pocket.

Emma: "Do you always carry that with you?

Gilbert: "Yes. But don't worry, I've never killed anyone with it."

Gilbert: "I use it to prepare meals when I was camping."

(Camping, I'm sure you are talking about war or military training, right?)

Emma: "Even though you are a prince?"

Gilbert: "It doesn't matter. What kind of idiot would ask a man to take care of himself on a battlefield where everyone is exhausted from fighting for their life?"

(I always thought that Prince Gilbert is supposed to be of noble birth, but he doesn't like to act like it.)

(He may be generous and kind to his people, but I don't think that's the only reason.)

(I wonder if one day I will know the reason…)

Prince Gilbert opens the knife and immediately reaches for the strawberries.

I also started to make the dough, but my hands stopped immediately.

Emma: "Prince Gilbert, that's!

Gilbert: "Yes, it's a rabbit."

(Wow, it's a cute rabbit!).

It was so perfect that if it was put on display in a store, it would be very popular in no time.

Emma: "You really can do anything, can't you?"

Gilbert: "I have always been good with my hands."

Emma: "ah"

(I was just admiring... I'm supposed to be the one to win him over, but he's winning me over.)

I regained my strength and resumed making dough from a distance where I could see Prince Gilbert's figure.

(..........)

When I think about it, making a cake with the prince of Obsidian….it's strange

(This Christmas is going to be an unforgettable Christmas in many ways.)

Emma: "…… Speaking of which, how do you usually spend Christmas, Prince Gilbert?"

I ask a random question, and Prince Gilbert laughs.

Gilbert: "Every year is different, so it's hard to say. Sometimes you're playing in the city, sometimes you're killing people on the battlefield."

Emma: "I see.…"

Gilbert: "Oh, but you're the first one who made me a Christmas cake."

Gilbert: "I'll let you be pampered for today at least, since you look so cute in your miserable, desperate attempts to get mercy from me."

(…he saw right through me.)

Of course, I have my suspicions, but that is not the only reason.

When Prince Gilbert was giving sweets to the children, what kind of intentions were behind it?

Emma: "I'm trying to win him over, but… this cake is my way of repaying Prince Gilbert"

Gilbert: "Paying me back?"

Emma: "You gave me a lot of things at the Christmas market, didn't you?"

Emma: "In return, and also ……"

Emma: "Today is Christmas. I wanted to make sure that Prince Gilbert enjoyed it as well."

(I wanted to give something to the prince who always gives things to others.)

I don't know where these feelings come from, but I am sure they are sincere.

Gilbert: "I think that would be more effective for me than a cake, don't you think?"

Emma: "'That'?"

Gilbert: "Hmmm…"

Prince Gilbert smiled meaningfully, and for some reason he beckoned me over to him…

(I think he's up to something.)

As I fearfully approach, a rabbit made of strawberries touches my lips.

(Is he trying to get me to eat it ?)

(but ……)

Gilbert: "Oh, you don't want to open your mouth?"

Emma: "……"

I take one step back, far enough away, then opened my mouth

Emma: "Such a cute rabbit, it's too good to eat."

Gilbert: "I see."

Prince Gilbert takes a deliberate breath and throws the strawberry rabbit into his mouth.

(what is it? …… why am I so embarrassed?)

he is eating what touched my lips without hesitation.

The sight of him wiping his lips with his tongue also made me feel like I was seeing something I shouldn't see.

(Even though I didn't have anything done to me.)

(Prince Gilbert always calls me "little rabbit".…..)

(I feel like I'm the one who got eaten.)

When I unnaturally fell silent, Prince guy Gilbert suddenly laughed.

It was a mischievous laugh, as if he couldn't hold it in.

(No way. ……)

Emma: "…… Did you do that on purpose?"

Gilbert: "It was payback."

(It was really on purpose ……!)

Prince Gilbert knows how to play with my mind.

Gilbert: "You are an idiot."

Emma: "Whatever!"

I turn away to hide my heated face and reached for the dough I was about to make.

Gilbert: "I've taken advantage of your weakness, and now I'm going to make it harder for you."

Gilbert: "I don't like that about you."

Emma: "Then don't use me."

Gilbert: "I can't do that."

As I continue to knead the dough vigorously, as if to shake off the previous incident.

Prince Gilbert, who was standing behind me, put his hand on my shoulder.

Gilbert: "You are already mine."

Gilbert: "I won't let you go until I'm satisfied."

(…… I'm being threatened now, aren't I?)

(It's as if he's telling me not to defy him now that he has my weakness.)

My heart reacts in a funny way to the sweetly whispered words, as if they were poison.

Not out of fear, not out of anxiety about an uncertain future.

(This is crazy.)

(I can neither hate nor be angry because I have realized that he is not just a bad person.)

In a very real sense, I have become Prince Gilbert's "Christmas present".

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

◈𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐝◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Prince Gilbert really came to my house.

At first, I was a little apprehensive about what he was going to do, but then I treated him to a homemade Christmas cake.

Emma: "What do you mean, Prince Gilbert?"

The incident happened on the way back to the court.

Gilbert: "Yes, it looks good on you. As expected, the store that Clavis introduced me to has good taste.

Clerk: "Thank you very much."

(Why am I like this ……)

Looking into a nearby mirror, I see a black lace dress with a thin floral shawl over it, and a black ribbon given to me by Prince Gilbert.

No matter how you look at me, I am dressed as if I am about to go to a party.

(I even have makeup to match my dress, but I wonder what's going on.)

Gilbert: "I'll take it"

Clerk: "Yes, sir".

Emma: "Prince Gilbert!"

Gilbert: "Hey, I told you a long time ago that you belong to me. You are mine."

Gilbert: "Why do I have to explain every single thing to you?"

(I have no words to reply with)

Gilbert: "It's my Christmas present to you."

Emma: "It’s such an expensive--"

Gilbert: "Don't make me say the same thing over and over again."

(he is not to be disobeyed?)

Prince Gilbert swallows his words and smiles.

Gilbert: "You will accept my present, won't you?

Emma: "Thank you very much ------"

Gilbert: "You are welcome. Shall we go?"

He smiles and holds out his hand like a prince.

Emma: "Where are we going?

Gilbert: "There, of course…"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(Wow ….this is a courtly Christmas tree!)

The dance hall is filled with elegant music and decorated with a Christmas tree made of roses.

As soon as I entered the hall, escorted by Prince Gilbert, I saw it and gasped in amazement.

(I've never seen it before, it's beautiful.)

Gilbert: "Miss Rabbit"

Emma: "Wow!"

Prince Gilbert pulls my hand and we blend in with the ladies and gentlemen enjoying the dance.

He puts his hand on my waist, and I rush to take a step.

Gilbert: "Hmm, you wanted to be a part of this, didn't you?"

Emma: "How did you know?"

Gilbert: "Because I saw you looking at the invitation with a happy face."

(Oh, when we met in the rose garden…)

Gilbert: "You were wondering who to ask to escort you, weren't you?"

Emma: "Yes."

Gilbert: "But you didn't think of me at all.."

(I know you hate lies)

Emma: "Prince Gilbert is not who I thought of"

I confess without any attempt to make up for it, and his cold fingers intertwine with mine as if he were my lover, and he takes me by the hand…

Gilbert: "It's so sad that I'm the only one who thinks we're friends."

Emma: "…….!"

In between dances, Prince Gilbert's lips touch my fingertips as he casually tugs on my hand.

Emma: "Please don't…"

Gilbert: "Why is your face so red?"

Emma: "Because I'm embarrassed!"

Gilbert: "I wish you had said that it was because you were nervous."

(I would never say that, because you’re just teasing me.)

I feign calmness so as not to be noticed by my noisy heart.

Gilbert: "You're being so mean to me because you're being so blunt."

Gilbert: "I was lonely because I was excluded."

Emma: "No way. …… You're not going to tell me that everything that happened today was bad, are you?”

Prince Gilbert looks back at me and smiles a smile as bright as the sun.

Gilbert: "Now you know what happens when you make me sulk, don't you?

(I'm mean to Prince Gilbert?)

(No, that's right…Prince Gilbert is always like this)

Gilbert: "It's Christmas and I'm lonely"

Emma: "…….."

Gilbert: "Do you think there is something behind this?"

Emma: "Yes, I have my doubts."

Gilbert: "You are so honest."

(Because you want to spend Christmas with me…)

(I don't think you would have spent the whole day with me just because…)

He seems to have a secret plan even for the gifts he gave to the children. Even my gifts could have been planted.

Emma: "Is this another trap to isolate me?"

Gilbert: "You are already isolated, so what does it matter now?"

(when you put it that way ……)

No one in town had noticed the true identity of Prince Gilbert, but the court was different.

Even now, I feel the piercing glances coming from everywhere.

(I've given up recently, but I'm already seen as Prince Gilbert's mistress.)

(Even if I came to the party alone, no one would speak to me except the princes of Rhodolite.)

Emma: "Then there was something you wanted from me."

Gilbert: "Yes…"

Gilbert: "What I really want, something only you can provide."

(…… Really, what do you want? )

I feel the red eyes go down and I gulp involuntarily.

Gilbert: "But that doesn't matter today. I didn't want to ask you for anything."

Emma: "Then there is only one thing left."

Gilbert: "But that doesn't matter today."

Emma: "I'm sorry!

Gilbert: "That's because you're thinking about something else. Why don't you just enjoy yourself now?"

Emma: "Then tell me your purpose."

Gilbert: "My purpose…"

Emma: "I was happy with the dress that Prince Gilbert gave me and this party."

Emma: "I enjoyed the Christmas market, eating and playing with the children, everything."

Emma: "That's why I'm afraid of being betrayed."

(………… I don't want to be betrayed just today.)

(Even if it's the Prince of Obsidian, it's true that I had a lot of fun.)

The music was interrupted just as I put pressure on my fingertips.

Prince Gilbert held me around the waist and slipped out of the circle.

He was silent the whole time.

It was unusual for Prince Gilbert, who rarely breaks his silence, and I was getting more and more scared.

(Did I offend him?)

Emma: "that…"

I look up and look him in the eye.

Prince Gilbert was ………… blatantly sulking.

Gilbert: "Hey, little rabbit--"

Emma: "That ……"

Prince Gilbert, his smile gone, lifts my hand and, unlike before, bites my finger with all his might.

Emma: "It hurts!

Gilbert: "My heart hurts more"

Emma: "What do you mean?"

I tried to back out, but Prince Gilbert does not allow me to run away and bites me again.

Gilbert: "On the contrary, I ask you, what do you think about when you give someone a Christmas gift?"

(When you give a Christmas gift it is, of course--)

Emma: "I want to make the recipient happy."

Gilbert: "Right? Then, who would you like to spend Christmas with?"

Emma: "I want to have fun with that person. ……"

Emma: "…….."

Emma: "No, you don't, do you?"

Gilbert: "Why not? Isn't that what Christmas is all about?"

I finally notice Prince Gilbert, who leaves a mark on my finger, as if he's in a bad mood.

Emma: "I'm ……………."

Emma: "I'm sorry."

(I was rude.)

(I suspected before I believed in his goodwill.)

It seems that Prince Gilbert didn’t have bad intentions today

The fact that he seemed to be in a good mood from start to finish is proof that he really enjoyed spending Christmas with me.

Gilbert: "Your apologies will not heal the wounds in my heart."

Gilbert: "Who in the world is evil enough to make a prince of a great kingdom depressed?

Prince Gilbert was sulking, not angry. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying even this situation.

(Come to think of it, Prince Gilbert doesn't do terrible things to me every time.)

(…… I would like to be able to tell whether he is doing me a favor or not.)

I still don't know what kind of person Prince Gilbert is.

Even though we spent the whole day together today, I still couldn't get a grasp of him. However, I am sure that if I don't give up and face him, I will be able to see him.

I am sure I will be able to see Prince Gilbert's true feelings and the hidden favoritism and malice …….

(I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing to know that.)

(At least today, I can enjoy yourself without hesitation, right?)

Gilbert: "…hm"

Emma: "What is it?"

Gilbert: "you should take responsibility?"

Emma: "……… responsibility?"

Gilbert: "Yes, for hurting me and messing with me."

Emma: "I didn't play with you."

Prince Gilbert releases my hand and brings his face to my cheek instead

For a moment, I didn't know what had happened, but the sensation of being bitten on the skin took away my composure.

(What? ……… did you just bite my—)

My face was hot. My heart is also noisy.

I am so happy to see Prince Gilbert smiling at me so innocently. With the most joyful smile of the day…

Gilbert: "Since it's Christmas, you'll entertain the heartbroken prince, won't you?

(Oh… Tonight is going to be a long night.)

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕; 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆: 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏

◈𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

This Christmas, I was so full that I felt sick

I went to the Christmas market with Prince Gilbert to eat and walk around with him.

I had a lot of fun with the children whom Prince Gilbert went to meet as Santa Claus, and I invited Prince Gilbert to my house, as well as made him homemade cake

He even enjoyed a Christmas party in the Land of Roses at the end of the day.

Even if the person I spent Christmas with was a prince of an enemy country, I still had a lot of fun.

I wanted to end the Christmas party with that feeling of "Oh, that was fun." However, reality was not so sweet.

Emma: "Please eat as much as you can!"

Emma: "I'll bake as much as I can until Prince Gilbert’s wounded heart is healed."

With a thud, a large amount of cookies were placed in front of Prince Gilbert

The freshly baked cookies were made in the shape of a star

Prince Gilbert, who was sitting on a chair in the kitchen and waiting for the cookies to be ready, immediately reached out his hand.

Gilbert: "You think you can just give me food when I'm in a bad mood, don't you?"

Emma: "That's not true. ……

(……Yes it is)

I doubted Prince Gilbert's goodwill at Christmas.

The first thing I thought of as an apology was sweets.

Gilbert: "Do I look like such a simple guy?"

Emma: "I wish you were."

Gilbert: "..............."

Emma: "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

Prince Gilbert reaches out to take the cookie.

Gilbert: "Do you want me to destroy your country?"

Emma: "don't say that with a smile."

Gilbert: "Ha-ha-ha."

(I'm glad you liked it.)

Prince Gilbert's hands are constantly busy eating.

He has already eaten a lot today, but I wonder where all the food is disappearing to.

Gilbert: "But you gave me a Christmas present again. I have to pay you back"

Emma: "No, this is just an apology. take it as a token of my gratitude."

Gilbert: "that means you can't receive any more gifts from me."

Gilbert: "that's hurtful."

Emma: "Thank you, I can't wait to see what you give me!"

Gilbert: "Right?"

(tough…)

Gilbert: "Give me your hand, little rabbit?"

Emma: "Like this?"

Prince Gilbert put linen over my hands

(…..?)

When I tilted my head, I felt a heavy weight.

When Prince Gilbert removed the linen, I found a dagger

(it's not just any dagger either)

Perhaps because it is a gift from the prince of the land of ore, there is a jet-black jewel embedded in the hilt.

Probably the same obsidian as Prince Gilbert's earrings.

Gilbert: "It's not a decoration, you see."

Prince Gilbert pulls a dagger from its scabbard and slices through the linen he has thrown into the air.

The linen is cut in half, and the blood drains out of it.

Gilbert: "You can cut properly with it, can't you?"

Emma: "Why did you give me a dagger?"

Gilbert: "I've been worried about you for a while, there are a lot of senseless beasts in the court.

Gilbert: "You see, you have already been in many dangers, haven't you?

I couldn't deny it.

It is easy to gather ill will around me when I are in close contact with Prince Gilbert.

I had seen the blood spill more than once.

Gilbert: "It's useful for killing and also for threatening. Oh, may I show you how to use it?

Prince Gilbert grabbed me by the hand, leaving the dagger bare.

He then pointed the polished tip at his throat.

(……….)

One little mistake and the consequences are irreversible. Even as a joke, it was vicious.

My hand shakes, and the blade trembles in response.

Gilbert: "You don't have the strength, so you have to aim here."

Emma: "…I don't think I'll ever have the chance to use this."

Gilbert: "Why?"

(because )

(Prince Gilbert does not tolerate "anyone who hurts me.")

The reason I have been able to stay safe in the face of danger is because Prince Gilbert has saved me every time.

I don't know what his intentions are, but at least he doesn't want my body to get hurt.

I am sure that I will never be hurt again, unless by accident.

(There is one person who can hurt me. …………)

(There is one person who can kill me if he feels like it)

Emma: "If I have the chance to use the sword"

Emma: "It would be against you."

Gilbert: "..........."

Emma: "you cannot be unaware of this."

Emma: "In other words, this is a gift given to me in order for me to compete with Prince Gilbert"

Gilbert: "Hmmm…you're smart after all…"

Emma: "……"

I am speechless, and Prince Gilbert smiles at me with a face so beautiful that I can't help but admire it.

Gilbert: "A good gift for Christmas, isn't it?"

Gilbert: "What do you think about when you give a Christmas gift to someone?

Emma: "I want to make the recipient happy."

Gilbert: "Right?"

Emma: "Did you think that would make me happy?"

Gilbert: "Yes. Because you don't want to be at my mercy, do you?"

Gilbert: "I thought it would make you feel a little safer to have a weapon against a man who has a weakness for you."

(Sure, I had a weakness that I would never be able to resist.)

(But that doesn't mean I want to hurt Prince Gilbert.)

The dagger slips to the floor as he relaxes his fingertips.

Emma: "………… I don't need it."

Gilbert: "Really?"

(Maybe there will be a time in the future when I will need a dagger.)

(But violence should not be the only way to escape from domination.)

Emma: "I'd rather grab Prince Gilbert's heart and appeal to his conscience!"

Gilbert: "……….."

Emma: "If you feel guilty about dominating me and show me mercy, I'll be happy to be friends with you."

Emma: "There is no need to threaten you with a sword or to kill you."

Gilbert: "……..yes?"

The silence was long.

The longer it went on, the more I felt embarrassed

Gilbert: "I mean"

Gilbert: "is it a trick?"

Emma: "Prince Gilbert would not fall for such a cheap trap."

Gilbert: "Ha-ha-ha, what is it then?"

Gilbert: "I can't wait to see how you're going to control my mind."

(This face says "Absolutely not!")

(I should at least be a little bit threatening.)

(I'm a friend of Prince Gilbert's.)

I guess my disapproval showed on my face.

Prince Gilbert took his hand away from mine and picked up a cookie.

He puts the cookie in front of my lips, not his own.

(Does he want me to eat it to fix his mood?)

I open my mouth and take a half bite.

For some reason, Prince Gilbert's face came close to mine and he nibbled on the other half of the cookie that was left.

(….…)

I froze in surprise and a cold finger wiped the edge of my lip.

Gilbert: "Well, it seems like you have a tough road ahead of you if you freeze at this level."

Gilbert: "If you want to control people, don't let them take the initiative; you have to let things turn out the way you want them to."

Prince Gilbert licks his finger from my lips.

Maybe there was a cookie crumbs on it.

(………… I'm getting played with right now, but someday I'll make you pay for it.)

The day's victory was decided when I couldn't look Prince Gilbert in the eye.

Gilbert: "Well, the dagger didn't work anyway."

He picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor and put it back in its sheath, and Prince Gilbert put it in my hand again.

He hid it in the linen that had been cut in half and snapped his fingers…

The fearsome dagger was instantly transformed into an obsidian rose.

Emma: "Wow, I've never seen that before!"

Gilbert: "Right? I did my best to carve it."

Emma: "I see, you carved "

Gilbert: "Yes, I carved it."

Emma: "……."

Gilbert: "Think of it as me and take good care of it, okay?"

(I feel like I'll never be able to compete with this person.)

A prince who is unusually dexterous with his hands, a glutton, and a master of domination.

And yet, here I am, on this Christmas night, gently clutching an obsidian rose.

I secretly prepared myself to reach out to the heart of the beast that laid waste to me.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

| Main-Route | Sweet End | Premium End | Epilogue |

[fishech]

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖: 𝑳𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒕 𝑲𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒏

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

◈𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚'𝐬/𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲◈

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

One night, a few days before my birthday

Licht: "It's almost your birthday, what do you want as a present?"

Emma: "hmm......."

Licht: "Before you go any further, I don’t want you to say that you think simply being with me is enough."

Emma: ".....Okay."

He sees right through me, and I have to think about it again.

(A present.... Oh, yeah.)

Emma: "I want to see your smile on my birthday."

Licht: "A smile? Do I not smile often with you?"

I shake my head in panic as Licht raises his eyebrows a little uneasily.

Emma: "Oh, sorry, no! you smile at me a lot"

Emma: "But there are times when you give me a certain smile"

I don't know when he does it, but it's different from the one he usually shows me.

Emma: "I wanted to see that smile on my birthday."

Licht: "A certain smile…."

(He looks troubled, did I trouble you?)

But in the next moment, Licht nodded.

Licht: "Okay. I'll give you a big smile on your birthday."

Emma: "really?"

Licht: "I want to give you what you want with my own hands."

A calloused hand gently caresses my head.

(I'm looking forward to spending my birthday with the person I love more than anything else.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

And then, on the day of my birthday

Licht took me to many places. The sun was directly overhead, and in no time at all, the sky was tinged with an azure color.

That night...

Emma: "Licht, thank you for today. I have never been to so many places on my birthday."

Emma: "And this cake! It's so delicious."

The cake, decorated with cream and fruit on a plate, was a surprise present from Licht.

(I wasn't expecting it, so I was surprised when he brought out cake and tea.)

Licht: "Aren't you tired from me taking you around to so many places?"

Emma: "Not at all! rather it was a lot of fun, so I'm not exhausted at all"

(On my birthday, I was happy to spend the whole morning with him, but what made me even happier was the fact that he smiled at me during the date.)

When I think back on today, I can't help but smile.

Licht: "..…...."

Suddenly, I notice that unlike on our date, Licht's eyebrows are raised in dissatisfaction.

Emma: "Licht, what's wrong?"

Licht: "I haven't given you a real birthday present yet."

Emma: "A real birthday present….."

(I asked for that certain smile?)

Emma: "But didn’t you show me your big smile?"

Emma: "In the carriage, walking around the city, eating lunch, everywhere we went...I was happy to see you smiling from morning to night."

I was able to see as many smiles in his eyes as he had on his face.

I think it was because it was my birthday that I was able to experience something that is very rare.

Emma: "That's enough."

Licht: "I'm not satisfied."

Licht: "......that’s right."

Emma: "What?"

As if he had just thought of something,icht suddenly holds up both index fingers.

Then he pushed up the corners of my mouth with his two fingers.

Emma: "…………"

the corners of my mouth is forced up, and my face is smiling.

(It is a smile, but this is ......)

Emma: "..............."

Licht: "Emma?"

Emma: "Licht, that's a foul!"

I finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. Licht stares at me with a puzzled look on his face.

Licht: "Huh, what's wrong with you having a big smile instead of me?"

(Ah )

he gave me the big smile I had asked for as a gift.

Emma: "Licht, that smile"

Licht: "What?"

Emma: "That's the smile I wanted to see."

The smile you just showed me is like a warm sun embracing the winter earth.

Licht: "Was it the smile you wanted to see?"

Emma: "Yes, I got a nice birthday present."

Licht: "I see, I'm glad I was able to give you the present you wanted."

Licht strokes my cheek, his deep red eyes squinting happily.

Licht: "To be honest, I don't know what makes me smile the way you said you wanted to see me smile."

Emma: "…………….."

Licht: "So ...... Let me love you more, I want to give you more smiles."

Emma: “hm"

Slowly, Licht's face moves closer to mine, and our lips meet.

Him holding me tight, the hair that tickles my eyelids, I was so much in love with each and every one of them that my chest tightened up.

Licht: "Emma, I love you."

Emma: "…………"

("I love you" said with that smile is too destructive!)

Emma: "....I love you too."

He gently pulls my face toward him, and our gazes are once again entwined.

Licht: "Don't look away."

Emma: "I'm embarrassed......."

Licht: "Why? My smile, everything, is yours."

Licht: "I'll give you whatever you want from now on."

Licht: "I'll be by your side forever and ever."

Licht: "I've decided to be happy with you."

Emma: "Licht…"

Licht: "Emma, thank you for being born."

Licht: "I was so happy to celebrate your birthday with you."

A kiss falls on my lips, making a light sound.

The room was filled with a sweet atmosphere as our lips touched each other again and again.

Emma: "Thank you for today, I'm happy to have you celebrate with me, too."

Licht: "Yes."

The smile he showed me again filled me with happiness

I will never forget the day I celebrated with him.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖: 𝑵𝒐𝒌𝒕𝒐 𝑲𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒏

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

< contains slight nsfw (minors dni) >

◈𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚'𝐬/𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲◈

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

On the day of my birthday, I was in a horse-drawn carriage with Nokto, visiting a town not too far from the royal capital.

Nokto: "take my hand, Emma."

Emma: "Thank you."

I take the hand that Nokto offers me, and get off the carriage.

Nokto: "Few people here know that I am a prince. We can have a "normal" date just as you wanted."

Emma: "huh?"

(How did you know that? I didn't tell you.)

It all started a few days ago.

________________{flashback} ________________

Nokto: "It's almost your birthday, is there a thing that you want?"

Emma: "There really isn’t a thing…"

Nokto: "Of course..."’

Nokto: "So? What do you want from me for your birthday?"

Emma: "I want to go on a normal date with you."

Nokto is a prince, so I’m a little bit shy. Even though it’s just a date he always does lewd things, and it makes my heart restless

(That's fine, but I thought it would be nice to have a normal lover-like date. )

Nokto: "Hmmm, a date."

After looking at the air thoughtfully for a moment, Nokto smiled

Nokto: "Okay. I will make your wish come true."

Emma: "Really? Thank you, I'm excited!"

(Since I’m spending the day with Nokto, it will be the best birthday ever.)

________________{end flashback} ________________

(I would have been happy with any type of date, as long, just as I got to spend it with Nokto)

I didn't have to say anything, but Nokto seemed to know what I was thinking

Nokto: "You are too simple, just bringing you to the city makes you smile."

Nokto: "You wanted this, didn't you? A normal date"

Emma: "Yes, I want to have a normal date, but how did you know?"

Nokto: "Because I am your lover, I know everything about you."

Emma: "Nokto......"

The sweetness of the words whispered in my ear makes my heart jump.

The first thing to do is enjoy the happy surprise prepared by my lover that wore a foxy smile.

We had come to a marketplace with an assortment of goods, to shop first.

Emma: "There are a lot of rare foods and clothes.... they have such a different selection from the royal capital."

Nokto: "Yes, that's true. Aren’t you are a little too excited?"

Emma: "Sorry."

Nokto holds my hand while laughing at me scurrying around the store.

(Is that ......?)

Normally, he would have hugged me around the waist, without worrying about being in a crowded place.

However, today, he only held my hands

Nokto: "Emma, what's wrong?"

Emma: "Oh, no, it's nothing!"

(Just a little weird.)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After shopping, we went to a sweet-smelling café, with hospitality that is even sweeter than the sweets.

Nokto: "Emma, say ‘ahhhhh’"

Emma: "I can eat it by myself."

Nokto: "Why don't you want to accept my feelings, and that I want to spoil you as much as I can on your birthday?"

(I can't refuse if you say it like that..)

Emma: "Ahh!"

I open my mouth, stifling my shame, and Nokto feeds me a cake with fruit on it.

(Is it my imagination that it feels awfully sweet?)

Nokto: "Good girl...ah."

As if noticing something, Nokto's long fingers scoop up my chin. And slowly, his handsome face comes closer.

(Is he going to kiss me..?)

I close my eyes reflexively, but it is not the touch of his lips that touches me, but .....

Emma: "Hmm?"

Nokto: "There was cream on your face, see."

Nokto smiles and holds a napkin in his hand.

(I thought I was going to be kissed. )

my face starts to turn red, because I made an embarrassing mistake.

(Normally Nokto would have kissed me...it’s not good to assume!)

Surprise, delight, and ticklishness at the unusual date intertwine in my mind.

(It's kind of refreshing…)

There is something just a little bit frustrating about it. Such feelings were welling up in a corner of my heart.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

That night, we decided to stay overnight in the inn that Nokto had arranged for us.

Emma: "Wow, the stars look so beautiful."

The night sky in a new city is different and more beautiful than the one we are used to seeing in the capital.

while I was gazing at it for a while, Nokto came out of the room and stood next to me, gently hugging my shoulder.

Nokto: "Did you like it?"

Emma: "Yes! I had an amazing date with you on my birthday, and I have been smiling since this morning."

Emma: "Thank you for the wonderful present."

Nokto: "You're welcome."

(Ah)

Our gazes lock, and I close my eyelids at the hint of a kiss.

but the heat only touched my lips for a moment, and then quickly leaves them.

(That's it?)

(I am happy to be kissed by Nokto, but ......)

(I thought he would do more...)

The heat that has nowhere else to go fills my chest slowly.

Nokto: "do you know how you look?"

Emma: "What?"

Nokto's fingertip traces my lips in a bewitching manner.

Nokto: "You look like you can't wait to do something dirty to me."

Emma: "That's not true."

(That’s a lie, actually I was expecting a little something more)

Nokto: "Your expression is honest, but I'd really like to hear it from your mouth."

The fingertips, which had been tracing my lips, gradually descended to my neck then to my chest.

My body, which had been feeling frustrated all day, reacted sensitively to just that.

Nokto smiled mischievously.

(This face......)

Emma: "Did you plan to have a normal date all day today, just so I would react like this?"

Nokto: "Well? What do you think?"

(.....I'm screwed.)

It seems that I fell for the fox's cunning and sweet temptation.

Nokto: "Let me ask you one more time. What do you want for your birthday?

(I'm so frustrated and embarrassed, but )

(I think I'm even happier than before.)

As if admitting everything, I slowly opened my mouth.

Emma: "I want the usual Nokto to celebrate with me."

Nokto: "Nn, that’s good."

Emma: "Mmmm..."

Nokto puts his hands behind my head, pulls me close, and inserts his tongue into my mouth.

The kiss is so long and intense that I can hardly breathe, and it quickly raises my body temperature, then my head started to get fuzzy

Nokto: "Your legs are already shaking, was it that good?"

Nokto: "Then I'll make you feel even better."

Emma: "Nn, ha"

After whispering, he kissed me again and again, making lewd sounds.

His other hand was squeezing my breast over my blouse.

I looked up at the stars in the sky and a sigh escaped my mouth

Emma: "Nokto, in a place like this??"

Nokto: "No? I don't care where you and I make love"

Emma: "Oh!"

The very first thing that comes to my mind is the fact that I am not sure if I am going to be able to do anything about it.

(Someone might hear me.)

When I try to keep my mouth closed, Nokto chuckles and dropped a kiss, this time, on my lips.

Nokto: "It's not bad to have fun with you while you try holding back your voice desperately, but since it's your birthday, I'm not going to be mean to you."

Nokto: "But you will receive my best present on the bed, won't you?"

The red eyes are lit up with sweet heat, and my heart started pounding.

Nokto: "Happy birthday, Emma."

Nokto: "I'm going to continue to monopolize the day you were born."

(Just thinking about the fact that such a birthday comes every year, makes me happy.)

To convey this feeling as much as I can, I stretch up to meet his lips and kissed him.

After that, as Nokto had declared, he continued to make love to me languidly on the bed...

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

[fishech]

"𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆": 𝑲𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍

◈𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧-𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

| main route | sweet | premium | epilogue |

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Some time has passed since Prince Keith began to stay in Rhodolite

Gradually Prince Keith and I had gotten closer, however I had a bad premonition the moment Prince Clavis invited me for tea

Clavis: "You seem to have gotten very close to Emma lately, haven’t you?"

Keith: "She's a good person, so I’m looking after her."

I hide in the shade of a nearby tree and listen carefully to the conversation that is being carried on by the wind. it was not my intention to eavesdrop.

It was just that when Prince Clavis called me to visit the garden, there was an unexpected person there

Prince Clavis and Prince Keith are sitting on the sofa drinking tea with each other. The scene was picturesque, as the princes were sitting side by side.

Clavis: "So, is Emma your type, Keith?"

Keith: "What?"

(……!?)

Prince Keith chokes on his tea, the picturesque scene was destroyed in an instant.

(What are you asking a prince of another country?)

Clavis: "No, it's just that Keith, who has never been the subject of any romantic rumors, seems to be very interested in Emma."

Keith: "You’re misunderstanding ! I have no ulterior motive, although I am very close to her."

Clavis: "You have no ulterior motives at all?"

Keith: "Yes…..well maybe."

Clavis: "What do you mean by 'maybe'?"

Keith: "No, I don't mean anything serious! I really think she's a nice girl, that's all."

Clavis: "Don't you know, Keith? I wouldn’t take my eyes off the girl I was interested in…I mean…"

Clavis: "That's a common phase in relationships."

Keith: "Clavis, I wish you'd stop being so mean."

Keith: "She's listening, isn't she?"

(……Did he notice me?)

Clavis: "Ha-ha-ha, as expected of you, Keith. You're not so stupid, are you?"

(Prince Clavis was also pretending not to notice.)

I give up and get out of the shade behind the tree, and Prince Keith stands up and escorts me to the table.

Emma: "Thank you."

Keith: "No I’m sorry. I may have made you uncomfortable with what I said earlier."

Emma: "No, no, not at all!"

Emma: "Rather, I am the one who gave the wrong assumption to Prince Clavis, and I apologize."

Clavis: "Ha ha, is it really a misunderstanding? There's a rumor going around that you two are lovers."

Keith: "It's a long story…"

Clavis: "Oh, no need to divulge the details, I know how difficult love is."

(I don't think anything we say will get through to him)

Clavis: "That's where I come in."

Emma & Keith: "No"

Even before we heard what he had to say, Prince Keith and I had the same thought process

Clavis: "You two are also alike in your reservedness, aren't you?"

Clavis: "But don't worry, I'll be your Cupid of love."

Keith: "You will be our..…… of love. What did you say,?"

Emma: "………… Cupid or something."

(What is a Cupid of love? Neither Prince Keith nor I want any part of it!)

The puzzled golden eyes looked at me.

But I shook my head, not understanding what Prince Clavis was really trying to say.

Clavis: "Emma, you must be wondering if Keith likes you or not."

Keith: "Is that so Emma?"

Emma: "Yes, that might be true."

(………… it's rude to say I don't care, and it's a burden to say I do care.)

(Prince Clavis you know exactly what you’re doing, don't you?)

I glared at Prince Clavis, but his smile only got deeper and deeper.

Keith: "I see. Of course I like you too"

Emma: "…………"

Keith: "Yes, I like you."

Prince Keith's gaze was sincere and direct.

(How should I respond this!?)

A breeze with the scent of roses blew through the air between us.

Emma: "…………"

Keith: "………."

(my face is getting hotter and hotter.)

Keith: "Oh!"

After we were frozen for a while, Prince Keith suddenly spoke up and started waving his hands in a panic.

Keith: "No, no! I meant that I like you as a person!"

Keith: "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry!"

Emma: "It's okay, I understand."

(Prince Keith and I pretended to be lovers for a while, and we walked around the city together, but that was it.)

(I know it wasn't love or anything like that…)

Keith: "….eh"

Clavis: "hmmm. I didn't have to be Cupid, did I?"

Emma: "Please, don't say anything else, it'll complicate things."

Keith: "…… Okay, I'm sorry."

Emma: "No, no, no, I was talking to Prince Clavis, not you…"

Clavis: "Emma, don't be so desperate to deny it."

Clavis: "There is no crime in liking someone, even if he is a prince of another country."

(Someone, please help me…)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Emma & Keith: "…ha"

we both sigh in sync. In the end, Prince Keith and I decided we were "out of our depth" and ran away from Prince Clavis as fast as we could.

(I feel like I've spent a day's worth of energy in such a short time)

Keith: "Emma, let's forget about what just happened."

Emma: "Yes, I think that would be the best thing for both of us."

(I don't want to make things awkward )

Prince Keith stopped walking in front of me and turned around.

Keith: "By the way, why were you there?"

Emma: "I was summoned by Prince Clavis, but I'm sure it wasn't for anything important."

(It seemed like love cupid was the main topic, so let's pretend it wasn't.)

Emma: "What were you doing with him, Prince Keith?"

Keith: "Oh, we were talking about pharmaceuticals at first. Clavis knows a lot about medicine, and I know a lot about medicinal herbs."

Keith: "So we exchange ideas from time to time."

(I didn't know that Prince Keith and Prince. Clavis had such a relationship.)

Keith: "But the moment he sensed your presence, Clavis changed the subject."

Keith: "I never thought he would ask me that."

I'm itching just thinking about it, even though I promised myself I'd forget about it.

(………… I know you like me as a "person")

(Those words made me happy. It's embarrassing, but everyone likes to be liked.)

(I wonder why…)

I know that It’s not necessary for me to know, I also know that it is not something that I need to dig deeper into.

Still, I was inexplicably curious about it.

Emma: "I'm going to ask you something a bit out there"

Emma: "What do you like about me, Prince Keith?"

Keith: "……….."

Keith: "……that was bold."

Prince Keith's stunned reaction brought me back to my senses

Emma: "I'm sorry, I got carried away. please pretend you didn't hear that."

(What am I asking you?)

(I can't help it.)

I bow, and turn to leave, but he grabs me by the hand.

Keith: "Wait."

Prince Keith's hand is much bigger and sturdier than mine, and I am strangely conscious of it.

Keith: "If you want to know, I should seriously think about it."

Keith: "I only have a vague sense of it, but I can’t put it into words, so I need some time."

Emma: "It's not something you should take so seriously…"

Keith: "I want to think about it."

Keith: "why I like you."

(What kind of like…is that?)

Keith: "Well, tomorrow, if you don't mind, I'd be happy to stay by your side."

(I'm sure Prince Keith doesn't mean anything by this, right?)

He is a man of goodwill and kindness to all.

I nodded, telling myself I was imagining the slight jump in my heartbeat.

Emma: "I'll ask Sariel"

Keith: "Thank you, Emma."

Emma: "No, it's my pleasure. Thank you very much."

(You are so kind to take my silly question seriously.)

I smiled softly, and Prince Keith's golden eyes narrowed softly.

Keith: "……The first one."

Emma: "What?"

Keith: "I like your smile."

Emma: "Is that so…..?"

Prince Keith holds my hand and doesn't let go.

I don't know if it was unconsciously or "on purpose," but I couldn't escape because of it.

(I'm just making this up as I go along, so it's okay, right?)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The next morning started with a lesson taught by Sariel.

Sariel: "Since Prince Keith is here today, how about learning about the history of Jade?"

Keith: "Then, may act as the instructor? I'm the prince of Jade, after all."

Sariel: "Are you sure? Emma would benefit from learning from you, Prince Keith."

Keith: "That makes me nervous, but I'll do my best. I want Emma to know Jade."

Emma: "Thank you very much, Prince Keith."

(I didn't think I would be learning directly from Prince Keith.)

Prince Keith clears his throat and stands in front of the map on the wall.

Keith: "Jade covers a wide range, so let's just talk about the relationship between Jade and Rhodolite today."

Keith: "Jade and Rhodolite originally had the same origin, so to speak"

Keith: "Today, Rhodolite is Benitoite's ally, but in the past, Jade was more…"

Prince Keith's words were so well-spoken that you would have thought he had a history book stuffed in his head.

(His speech was easy to understand and I can tell that he is a very intelligent person.)

I was frantically taking notes, but I found myself stopping my pen.

(Prince Keith is very lively when he talks about his country.)

(It's just like his face when he talks about his favorite things.)

As I stare at him, Prince Keith seems to notice my gaze and shuts his mouth.

Emma: "Oh, I'm sorry-"

Before I can finish my apology, a soft face looms in front of me.

Keith: "Lady Emma Could it be--"

Keith: "that you’re actually a hard working person"

Emma: "What?"

(I wonder if this is unconsciousness too.)

Keith: "you looked like you wanted to say something."

Emma: "I just found your story interesting and was listening to it."

Keith: "You are very good at giving compliments."

Emma: "Am I?"

Keith: "That's the thing…"

mid-sentence, Prince Keith's gaze shifts from my face to my hand.

From my face to my hand, there is a summary of what we talked about.

Keith: "Emma, you are very good at summarizing. I don't know how you manage to summarize my poor story so beautifully…"

Keith: "You really are a brilliant woman. And a hard worker."

Emma: "Hardworking?"

Keith: "They say a person's handwriting can say a lot about their character. I can tell from your handwriting and the way you put together your notes."

Keith: "likeable, meticulous and hardworking."

Suddenly a coughing noise came from behind us

Sariel: "……don't forget I'm here."

Keith: "Oh, oh, I'm sorry! Let's continue."

Prince Keith jumps back and continues talking again as if nothing happened.

(Prince Keith?)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After the morning lesson, Prince Keith invited me to lunch outside, saying, "It's a nice day today."

Keith: "the breeze feels good."

Emma: "Yes, it's so warm, It makes me feel sleepy."

Keith: "In that case, shall I lend you my shoulder? Or maybe my lap?"

Emma: "No, no, no, don't bother. I can sleep sitting up!"

Keith: "That's sounds skillful, but it make me nervous."

With a gentle laugh, Prince Keith, who had been sitting at a distance from me, stands up and sits down next to me.

Keith: "Look."

(and….the pressure of kindness)

Emma: "Thank you. If I get really sleepy, I'll think about it."

I fumble with my story and reach for the sandwich on the table. Just then, a gust of wind blows through

Emma: "Whoa!"

I rush to hold the basket with the sandwich in my hand to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

Then, for some reason, Prince Keith, who was sitting next to me, grabbed my shoulders.

Keith: "…!?"

Keith: "Sorry, I thought you were about to be blown away."

Emma: "I'm not that light, am I?"

Keith: "To a big guy like me, you look like you're going to fly away like a piece of paper."

(Is that how you see me?)

(But it's true that I feel safe when I'm held by Keith..)

(I'm nervous……)

When the gust of wind stops, Prince Keith's hands leave my shoulders, he then casually brushed my messy hair.

Emma: "Thank you….."

Keith: "Emma, are you perhaps embarrassed?"

Emma: "……Am I blushing?

Keith: "A lot."

Emma: "……….."

Keith: "Three."

Emma: "Which one is this……?"

Keith: "I like you because you're cute when you're upset."

(What's this feeling)

(It is weird. It wasn't supposed to be like this.)

(Prince Keith is so kind, but sometimes his words are so straight and pushy that It makes my heart race.)

(I wonder if he is "sweet" like this to everyone.)

(But I don't think he was this sweet at first…)

Keith: "But, I'm in trouble."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After the picnic, which had been sweet and sour throughout, I was on my way to my afternoon lesson.

Prince Keith, who was walking at the end of the corridor, suddenly stopped and I also stopped.

Keith: "Maybe I like everything about you, Emma."

(What an outrageous-)

I couldn't look at Prince Keith any longer, so I turned my head to the side, knowing it was rude to do so.

Keith: "Oh, of course, as a person."

Keith: "I don't mean it in a weird way or with ulterior motives or anything…"

Emma: "…………"

(Why am I so nervous?)

Keith: "Uh……right!"

Keith: "I'd like to ask Emma something too."

Emma: "What?"

I was ready to jump into any topic if it would help to dispel any awkwardness.

Keith: "Do you like me, Emma?"

(No, this is the kind of thing I shouldn't indulge!)

The situation was getting worse, not better, and I wanted to sink into a hole

Emma: "Of course I like you"

Emma: "….As a person."

Keith: "Well, good. …… I'm glad that even a weed like me is liked by you."

Keith: "You are the nicest person I've ever met, Emma. That is the fourth one."

(more )

Keith: "I'm on a roll, but… can I ask you what you like about me?"

(I shouldn’t think too much about it...)

(I asked the same thing, so it wouldn't be fair if I didn't answer properly.)

Emma: "Well…the way you are so friendly to me even though you are a prince…"

Emma: "The way you always helps me when I'm in trouble, the way you are kind that you worry about me"

Emma: "The way you are intelligent, and the way you look so dignified."

(that's a lot more than I thought it would be.)

(This is like saying "I love you" instead of "I like you"…)

Emma: "………And anyway, more stuff"

Keith: "… Emma"

Emma: "What is it?"

Keith: "I want to hear all about this "stuff"."

(This guy is impossible……!)

His golden eyes, filled with curiosity, shoot through me.

Emma: "Let's see……"

I'm at the limit of my embarrassment, but Prince Keith shows no sign of backing down.

(It can't be helped, if it comes to this. ……..)

Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone in the corridor. I reached out my hand to the wall as if to trap Prince Keith…

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

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[fishech]

"𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆": 𝑲𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍

◈𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝◈

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

(I have no other choice)

Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone in the hallway.

I thought it would be okay, so I reached out to the wall to trap Prince Keith

Keith: "Emma!"

Emma: "Please don't ask any more questions."

Emma: "If you do, I won't ever let you go?"

(This should be a good cover-up. I'm sure this position will keep him from seeing my face.)

(I don't know what I'm doing…)

I'm dizzy just thinking about how I've got Keith backed up against the wall.

I breathe in and out to calm down, but the smell of the trees in the deep forest fills my body, having the opposite effect.

Keith: " please don't do this. If I discover any more of your charms, I won't be able to back down."

Emma: "What?"

Keith: "No…"

Keith: "Emma…..I don't mean to meddle, but you shouldn’t do this to a man"

Keith: "You're going to get him all worked up, aren't you?"

Emma: "……..!!!"

I jump back, sensing something wrong with the tone of his voice.

I look up from my distance and see that Keith is not smiling.

(Ah………)

He was neither angry nor troubled, but his face had a sense of sensuality to it

(he is a man….)

I found myself turning on my heel facing such an obvious fact.

Emma: "I have an afternoon lesson starting, so I'm going to go to it!"

I leave as if to run away, not having time to apologize, Prince Keith did not follow me.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After all the lessons, I returned to my room and threw myself into the sea of sheets. I buried my face in the pillow and flapped my legs as if to scold myself.

(I’m a fool! It was my fault and I was rude.)

Just remembering what happened during the day makes me feel embarrassed

(I owe you an apology.)

(Prince Keith is so kind, I'm sure he'll accept it.)

I get up from the bed, letting the memories that itch just to remember sink deep into my mind.

(Okay……)

I slap my cheek to cheer myself up, and open the door, and step out of the room…

Keith: "…..ah"

Emma: "…..ah"

I bump into a pair of golden eyes.

Keith: "…………"

Emma: "…………"

(Why is Prince Keith here?)

Prince Keith's guest room is located far from here, there is no way we ran into each other by chance.

Keith: "Sorry!"

Prince Keith bows his head before I do.

Keith: "I wanted to apologize for what happened today"

Emma: "Why? I'm the one who should apologize!"

Keith: "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just got carried away."

Emma: "No, I'm the one who got carried away."

Keith: "No, it was me."

Emma: "It was me.""

Keith: "You are the victim."

Emma: "The victim is Prince Keith."

Keith: "No, I am not. You are the victim because I had an ulterior motive."

Emma: "That's not…"

Emma: "an ulterior motive?"

Keith: "Oh."

Emma: "…………."

(what should I do, it's extremely awkward)

Keith: "………The stars are beautiful tonight."

Prince Keith also felt the awkward air and turned his eyes to the window as if to turn away from the reality of this situation.

(I knew it wasn't my imagination that made me feel that way.)

(But…)

I grab Keith's cloak as he turns his back to me.

Emma: "I….. didn't mind."

Keith: "………."

Emma: "I was just a little surprised, that's all…"

Emma: "There is nothing to apologize for, Prince Keith"

(I just ran away at that time…….. I didn't know what to do.)

To be honest, I still don't know what to make of this "ulterior motive" of his

I didn't want the distance between me and Prince Keith to be an awkward atmosphere.

Keith: "I'm glad."

Keith: "I was afraid you would be so disgusted with me that you would never speak to me again."

Emma: "How is that possible?"

Keith: "You see-"

Prince Keith breathes a sigh of relief and suddenly turns back around and puts his face to my ear.

Keith: "Emma, can I talk to you in a different place?"

Emma: "Why?"

Keith: "………."

Prince Keith's eyes point to the end of the hallway as he whispered in my ear.

I casually move my gaze to the end of the hallway.

(……………)

From behind a pillar in the distance, a mysterious figure was growing.

(That distinctive silhouette. It's Prince Clavis)

Keith: "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'm good at getting away."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The quiet battle with the self-proclaimed Cupid of love finally ended in Keith's victory.

Keith: "I think we've come far enough"

Emma: "Thank you very much."

(I wonder how much Prince Clavis saw.)

(I hope I don't get teased tomorrow)

Keith: "But … I brought you here on a whim."

Keith: "And in the middle of nowhere."

(I'm …… I'm a little conscious of it.)

Emma: "Do you still have ulterior motives?"

Keith: "Ah…"

Prince Keith looks at me unnaturally and breathes resignedly.

Keith: "I do…"

(There is)

Keith: "I've been thinking about you all day…and all I could think of was 'I like you'."

Keith: "I was afraid you were going to run away again when I say this…."

Keith: "I think you were always my favorite."

Emma: "………"

Keith: "Oh, but don't worry, It’s okay!"

Keith: "I'm not allowed to like anyone, and I'm going to …… eventually anyway."

Emma: "Prince Keith?"

A rose-scented breeze sweeps away the words.

The shadow on Prince Keith’s face was deep.

Keith: "No, anyway I want to be your friend!"

Keith: "Even if I have ulterior motives, I'll draw a line"

Keith: "So ……..I’m sorry"

Emma: "What are you apologizing for now?"

Keith: "Can we keep talking like we have been?"

Keith: "Can I keep liking……..you?"

Emma: "Oh… Of course!"

Emma: "Who doesn't like to be liked?"

Keith: "even with me like this?"

Emma: "I don't mind because it's Prince Keith"

Keith: "…………."

Keith: "………… I'm sorry If I made you feel uncomfortable."

No matter what I said, all that came out of Prince Keith's mouth were words of apology.

It was dark, as if he had something to be guilty about "liking" me.

(……………)

It's not about ulterior motives. I think there is something deeper to it….

Keith: "Yeah, but if I fret, you'll worry too much."

Keith: "I'm sorry…"

(Before the next apology can be heard, I put my finger on Prince Keith's lips, taking his words away.)

Emma: "you don't need to be reserved with your friends."

Emma: "The next time I hear an apology, I'm going to do more than I did during the day!"

I speak in a cheerful voice to pull Prince Keith up from the bottomless pit he seems to be sinking into.

Prince Keith blinked his eyes and blew out a small puff of air

(Sigh, I can feel his breath on my fingers. ……)

I tried to pull away quickly, but he grabbed me…..

Keith: "What's more than the daytime thing?"

Emma: "…..forget about it."

(I didn't have any deep thoughts about it. I just wanted to make Prince Keith feel better.)

Keith: "It's a shame, I was interested."

Emma: "But I'm glad you're feeling better Prince Keith!"

Keith: "Thank you, you made my day."

Emma: "You are welcome"

Emma: "……….."

Emma: "Um, your hands"

Keith: "Your hands are small."

Emma: "No, they're not. ……."

Keith: "Oh, does it hurt? Sorry."

I felt slight loosening, but no release.

(Is he doing this on purpose?)

When my eyes meet Prince Keith's, a gentle smile is turned back to me.

I don’t see any malice or meanness in his smile.

(He just wanted to hold my hand)

I want him to let go, but looking at that smile, I can't say let go.

(If this happens, I have no choice but to surprise him)

I pulled my face closer to his

Keith: "………!"

Prince Keith's eyes widened and he let go of my hand.

(good)

When I pull my face away and smile, Prince Keith’s stunned expression turns into a wry smile.

Keith: "Don't agitate me too much. I'm still a man."

Emma: "…… I understand."

Emma: "… I knew what I was doing."

(Since I'm conscious of it, I can't stand holding his hand.)

The air starts to get awkward again.

It's totally different from "air between friends"

(I don't know what to do.)

(Why did I ask Prince Keith, "What do you like about me?" in the first place?)

I feel like the answer is in the air right now, so I look up at the night sky as if to escape.

Emma: "The stars are so beautiful!"

Keith: "yes, they are"

Keith: "…………"

(I can feel his eyes on me)

As I desperately pretend not to notice, suddenly something soft touches my left cheek.

(!?)

Keith: "…… By the way, the fifth one."

Keith: "I like you for taking away my worries, my thoughts, and everything."

(I wonder what this type of "like" is )

I regret having asked this question. For a while, I could not look at Prince Keith.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

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