“Ha… Ha…”
What the heck is this girl mumbling in her sleep?
For a moment, I almost misunderstood—thank goodness it wasn’t a dream after all.
Especially since she was hugging me while doing it. That really took me by surprise.
– Thump thump.
I think I’ve never been this shocked in my life.
Kyle was holding me in his hot embrace, and maybe that’s why it felt so hot.
However, there was no way I could escape from Kyle’s arms right now.
The difference in strength is just too great.
“Hah…”
– Thump thump…
I must still be so shocked that my heart is racing.
Confessions from a guy? I really can’t help but be surprised.
In my previous life, I had never received a confession from a guy. I was always the one getting confessions from girls.
And I’ve never received one in this life either, so of course, I was bound to be shocked.
“Awawawawa…”
It may be just sleep talking, but seriously, I was really, really amazed…
Of all people, it was Kyle who suddenly spoke words that were almost like a confession.
“He definitely said he had someone he liked before.”
Could it be that person?
Of course, even if I asked, he wouldn’t answer, so I have no idea.
“Hmm…”
Who could it be?
The person Kyle likes…
Elin? Louise?
Or maybe one of the three noble ladies he met before?
I have no clue.
He doesn’t really socialize with anyone besides me.
The closest people would probably be Elin and Louise, but…
Louise doesn’t seem to be involved in that sort of thing at all…
“Oh.”
Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve been reading some weird romantic novels lately.
Could it be that it’s because of Kyle…?
That seems like somewhat of a plausible guess.
“The coupling of Louise and Kyle…”
Well, if you look at appearances, Louise is quite pretty, so they would make a nice match.
“…”
But something feels off so I’m passing on that.
In a way, they’re a teacher and student, aren’t they?
What kind of weird relationship is that?
And in that sense, I’m passing on Elin as well.
Elin and Kyle are also in a teacher-student relationship.
“So then…”
Catherine and the other two…
But thinking about the three noble ladies is even harder.
Catherine and Lily visited once, but since then, there hasn’t been any connection.
Honestly, I could say that Louise and Elin have more relevance.
“Hmm…”
“H… H…”
While being snugly wrapped in Kyle’s warm body who was sleeping so comfortably, I kept thinking.
But no conclusion came.
I have no idea who the person Kyle said he liked is.
The mumbling he just did was probably directed at that person too.
“I really have no idea who it could be.”
It’s completely unpredictable.
Even though I ended up in Kyle’s arms and was thinking about it, I still have no idea who it is.
I guess I’ll find out when Kyle eventually sends a wedding invitation later.
Just because he has someone he likes, doesn’t mean he has to marry them, so there’s really no need to overthink things.
If anything, Kyle might have multiple wives.
After all, among nobles, there are families with many concubines.
If it turns out that there are several girls Kyle likes, it sounds like I’d be attending a lot of weddings.
“Hah…”
Thinking of how I might attend my younger friend’s wedding more than three times is both ridiculous and amusing.
In my previous life, getting married again only meant divorce.
– Thump thump…
By the way, could it be that Kyle is keeping me in his arms that’s causing all this?
My heart keeps racing.
Like, really racing.
“Calm down already…”
I was seriously about to explode from all this.
I was already shocked, but being hot made it race even faster.
In any case, it took over five hours for Kyle, who was drunk, to wake up.
Until then, my heart never settled down.
“Ah…”
When Kyle woke up, I loosely accepted his apology and barely made it to the bath.
“Wow…”
When I took off my clothes, they were drenched in sweat.
Just like that.
“What kind of sweat…”
I completely understood.
I mean, I was lying on Kyle’s warm bed in a heated room.
And that too, hugging him for several hours.
If I didn’t sweat, that would be odd.
And I was still in my formal attire.
“Shirt… I can’t wear this tomorrow…”
It definitely needed washing.
If I don’t wash it, my sweat smell will surely waft off the clothes.
“Even Kyle would frown at this.”
Yeah, this is just not right.
I need to hand this over to the maid soon.
“Ha…”
After taking off all my clothes, I washed myself with soap and water before getting into the tub.
Once I was in the tub, I felt like my heart was finally starting to calm down.
Why was I racing so much?
It makes no sense.
I’m not a girl who suddenly realizes her feelings for Kyle after his confession.
There’s no reason for me to be fluttered by a guy’s confession, right?
Right, I guess I was just surprised.
Surprised that the guy was Kyle.
I’ve known him since he was 12 and raised him.
There’s no way I could have feelings for Kyle like that, right?
Kyle wouldn’t have feelings for me either.
“That makes no sense…”
Kyle and I are like family.
*
“Sophia, is your schedule okay for tomorrow?”
“Why do you ask?”
It had been several days since Kyle returned.
Though days passed, nothing much had really changed.
There was the big deal of a succession ceremony, but for now, the duke was handling things.
Kyle was officially appointed from the Duke’s Son to Duke.
I’d imagine the royal family would send a gift soon.
It didn’t really concern me, though.
Oh, but it would be nice if they sent a gift.
It would be somewhat amusing if they sent a princess as a gift.
Anyway, as Kyle was walking down the corridor, he suddenly asked me.
“You remember the promise we made last time, right?”
“Oh, that one.”
Of course, I remembered.
There’s no way I’d forget how worried I was about Kyle that day.
“Yes, so I was thinking, how about we go tomorrow?”
Tomorrow?
Well, since I always went with Kyle, it wasn’t a problem.
At least, it shouldn’t be.
“Yes, that sounds fine.”
“Then is it alright if we go together tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
Since he was asking, it seemed he had already prepared for it.
A reservation at the restaurant and everything.
So that’s probably why he mentioned tomorrow.
If I were to back out now, I would just mess up Kyle’s plans for no reason.
Since I had the time, I decided to just go with it.
“Then let’s head out together tomorrow morning. Make sure to dress warmly.”
“Yes.”
Even without saying it, I was going to wear something warm.
It’s still winter, after all.
But I appreciated the concern for me.
Now, what should I wear?
Now I had more clothes than before, making it harder to choose for a different reason.
“Um…”
After finishing my work, I thought while looking at my closet alone.
What should I wear?
I had worn a dress once before, so it wasn’t that appealing to me.
As for pants, there were plenty of options that were different from my usual formal pants.
There are completely tight pants and a lot that aren’t as well.
“Pants…”
I have no idea.
At least they’re warm clothes.
In fact, I usually wore warm pants when going out.
But do I really have to wear something like this tomorrow?
“Skirt…”
I’ve tried wearing it a few times, but it’s still an uncomfortable outfit.
While it isn’t as uncomfortable as the dress Kyle bought me, the perception that it’s a bit awkward still lingers.
I dislike the way air gets between my legs, and my wide hips mean sometimes my panties show if I wear a short skirt.
In any case, I honestly don’t want to wear it.
Yet this was a promise I had made with Kyle.
So I thought it might be polite to wear something a bit prettier this time.
After all, Kyle is no longer just a kid, but a duke. I should wear something that fits his status.
“Ugh…”
Maybe just this once, it would be good for me to wear something like this?
Kyle had jokingly said before that I looked good in skirts.
That short skirt Kyle picked out was definitely an exception, though…
“Maybe something like this wouldn’t be too bad…”
Since I’d probably wear the coat Kyle got me over it, it might not be so bad after all.
Long skirts and coats surprisingly go well together.
Even though I usually don’t wear skirts, I still have some knowledge about fashion.
After all, I was taught about it back in the dormitory academy.
*
“Young Master, how do I look…?”
Anyway, the next morning arrived.
Kyle was wearing a wonderful suit that gave off the same vibe as my usual attire.
He generally went down wearing somewhat more common clothing, but not today.
“You look pretty…”
“Really…?”
I was relieved if I looked that way.
I chose my outfit hoping to look pretty for Kyle.
I wore a knit sweater to keep warm under the coat and a long skirt.
Seeing that Kyle thought it was okay, it seemed not too bad.
“Shall we go now?”
“If that’s what you wish, Young Master.”
Kyle and I were inside the castle.
Since there was no reason to meet outside, we naturally met inside.
“Then let’s head out first.”
“Yes.”
I followed behind Kyle as we made our way outside.
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“…”
“…”
And then, for some reason, a carriage was approaching the castle gate.
A single carriage lavishly decorated in purple.
I looked at it and had only one thought.
I bet Kyle wasn’t thinking anything too different either.
What the hell.
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