-I like you too.
I scratch my head and look in the mirror.
The reason yesterday’s words stuck with me was simple.
Honestly, I never expected to hear such words there.
Isn’t it no longer just a passing feeling?
The heart that has settled in doesn’t let me hold onto anything properly.
Usually, I’d be busy worrying about other things. This morning, I even got called out for being more careless than usual.
At least the fortunate thing is that I wasn’t caught for coming back late last night.
Thinking back on what happened last night makes my head throb.
This is why I didn’t want to form bonds. I can’t focus on what I have to do because I keep worrying.
Although it wasn’t too deep a relationship yet, I couldn’t deny the feelings that bloomed now.
I like her. In many ways, and I love this woman named Miragen.
You could say she’s in a distant position as a princess, yet she’s someone I can easily reach.
She isn’t as hard to approach as her status suggests, nor does she have a difficult personality.
She’s laid-back and at times feminine.
For someone who lived almost trapped in the imperial palace, she has a free spirit and a lot of pure qualities, yet she’s not the type to ignore others’ feelings.
Isn’t my reputation like that? If it were someone else, they might just ignore me.
If you asked me whether I could not have feelings for a woman who isn’t trying to use me like Teresa, I could only shake my head.
-That’s a bit disappointing. But… this isn’t the end, right?
What Miragen gave me was an artifact we could use to contact each other.
At first, I wondered why she’d give something like this. If we wanted to meet, we just could.
It’s not like we’re in a situation where we can’t meet, and I thought, what’s the point of just hearing each other’s voices?
But now, I really want to activate this artifact.
With a sigh, I gaze intently at the elongated artifact, slowly letting out my magic to wait for a signal.
I realize I’m surprisingly nervous with a heart racing a bit faster.
What is it that’s making me so tense? However, strangely enough, the headache I had just moments ago seems to be fading.
As the long signal tone continues, it suddenly cuts off, and I flinch, waiting in the ensuing silence.
-Robert?
What makes me laugh when I clearly hear her voice in my ear?
I take a moment to not respond and stare into space, and then I realize I have a smile on my lips, bursting out into laughter.
-Why aren’t you saying anything? Is there something wrong?
“Is there even a task at hand?”
“What happened? It just disappeared moments ago. My worries are gone.”
This worry is truly something that can be resolved rather simply. I just need to see one specific person’s face. The place I was heading to was already decided.
The Imperial Palace, to be honest about my feelings. I simply wanted to see Miragen.
“Please wait at the Imperial Palace. I’m on my way now.”
On a night when the moon was rising, it may have been a rather late hour to show my face, but that wasn’t my concern.
#
“Are you crazy? What time is it right now—coming here was already sneaky!”
“It’s fine. I knew the guards would be away for just a moment.”
Using my experience of sneaking into the Imperial Palace, I found that Miragen was examining my body closely, checking if I was hurt anywhere.
Of course, sneaking in meant I wasn’t exactly proud of my entrance. Given that I came in like this, I should stealthily leave as well. But isn’t it silly to question the reasoning behind an impulsive decision?
Wiping the sweat from my hair after running, Miragen naturally handed me a towel and sighed.
“What are you trying to do? If you get caught, it would be a big deal.”
“Well, since I didn’t get caught, it should be fine. And if you didn’t like it, you could’ve just told me when I contacted you. The fact you didn’t means you were expecting me, right?”
As I casually shook off the water, Miragen turned red in the face and couldn’t really argue back.
If it were truly dangerous, she would have said I shouldn’t come from the start. If she had said that, I wouldn’t have come, but she clearly was worried yet somehow expecting me.
Now, what should I do at this hour?
There was nothing to see out there like last time, and moving around meant all I could do was move within this room.
Miragen placed the tea on the table and stared at me intently, then scratched her cheek and moved her lips.
“So what did you come here for? Last time you said you had to go and just left. Why did you come at night, of all times?”
“I came because I wanted to see you. I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep without seeing you.”
Clink.
In that moment, Miragen hurriedly set her teacup down and stared at me wide-eyed.
Her cheeks, flushed bright red, showed her mood, so I smiled softly and sat across from her, savoring the aroma of the tea.
There was no need to lie. To begin with, I wasn’t the type to be shy about such things.
If it were in the past, maybe—after a few encounters with Teresa, I’d say I’ve gotten a bit more indifferent about it.
“…Thinking about it, you mentioned you already have a fiancée, right? So this is why you’re so good at this.”
“Even if I have a fiancée, it doesn’t really mean much, does it? I’ve shared everything I could. Are you perhaps feeling a bit left out?”
“Not like that.”
Somehow, I could tell that for her, I might be her first. Miragen seemed a bit disappointed that she wasn’t my first.
While I pondered how to untangle this, Miragen, noticing my gaze, stood up and took a big step towards the bookshelf.
As I was pondering how to unravel this, my gaze seemed to catch Mira’s attention, and she stood up, striding toward the bookshelf.
“Are you thinking of reading a book or something?”
“Not really. I wouldn’t just read books with Robert in front of me—”
Suddenly, one of the bricks behind the partially pushed bookshelf got pressed, and the wall began to shift, revealing stairs beneath.
For a moment, I stood there dazed, and Mira, lighting the path downward, looked at me and said,
“We can’t just come here and talk to each other, right? Aren’t you coming?”
“I didn’t expect you to have things like this prepared.”
As I spoke, I naturally took her hand, causing her body to twitch slightly.
She must not have thought I would take her hand; her eyes briefly opened wide, and then she clamped her lips shut, starting to walk forward.
I hadn’t expected her to be so surprised.
Thinking about it, we hadn’t held hands many times, which made me feel a bit jittery too.
“…Your hands are big.”
In that moment, I didn’t know how to respond, so I stayed silent. It came out of nowhere, and I might have startled her.
The small thing held in my hand was squirming, and then, with a little huff, Mira turned her head and focused ahead again.
The surroundings were filled with things I would have never imagined in my everyday life.
If it weren’t for Mira’s occasional trembling, I might have looked more closely, but even then, what caught my eye was perhaps the vast underground scale, rivaling that of the imperial palace.
Who would’ve thought something like this was hidden below?
As I gazed at the enormous doors with a slightly agape mouth, Mira answered while lighting the magically created lamps one by one.
“You can think of it as a secret storage that has existed for a long time. Both Kaitel and I receive so much, we needed a place to keep these things. The people of the palace know, but normal nobles wouldn’t.”
“Then, the things you cherish are here?”
“That’s right. Things like treasures I received in the past. I can’t use them anyway, so I put them all here. If you want, I can give you one.”
Even though she spoke a bit louder than usual, it seemed her voice didn’t escape.
In the vast space, the sound bounced back, making it feel like we were deep inside a cave.
Now that holding hands was familiar, Mira walked forward more naturally than before.
We passed a few massive doors and some enormous, magically-created light bulbs.
Once again, we stopped in front of another large door, one adorned with somewhat special patterns compared to the others.
As I stared at it blankly, Mira’s lips, which had been hesitant, fluttered.
“…This is where my childhood memories are kept. Normally, I wouldn’t show it, but I wanted to show it to Robert.”
“If it’s burdensome for you, you don’t have to show it.”
“It’s not that burdensome. Just, I’ve been thinking about something for a while.”
As soon as Miragen’s hand touched, the resonating door slowly began to open.
Was it responding only to something royal? It seemed indifferent until my hand made contact, and naturally, my gaze followed as it opened.
“I thought I’d show it when I found someone I like…”
When I turned my head at that voice, our eyes met, and Miragen quickly averted her gaze as she continued speaking.
“You have someone you like now.”
“…So you mean that’s me?”
A laugh escaped me unconsciously, and I smiled gently as I stepped inside. It was nothing much.
At first, I might’ve felt happy thinking it was as I expected, but the smile I had just made held a much purer meaning.
The woman I like is saying she likes me.
If you asked me if I was happy, I could say without a doubt that I was extremely happy.
In fact, I wanted to laugh even more, but I was trying my best to hold back so Miragen wouldn’t think I was strange.
As I stepped inside, I saw Miragen’s childhood self.
She looked a bit smaller than she does now, but the features like her black hair and golden eyes were all preserved perfectly.
I always thought she was beautiful since childhood, and suddenly, I noticed Miragen standing beside me.
Looking up at her younger self was surprisingly breathtakingly beautiful.
Even though I had seen it countless times before, technically, it was a sight I had seen before the repetitions of reincarnation.
“I think it’s beautiful because I think it’s mine.”
My inner feelings slipped out as words, but with my cheeks turning red, I didn’t think to take those words back.
The painting gradually faded from my mind. I just liked this situation, and Miragen beside me looked especially beautiful.
Whether she was flustered or not, right now, this situation was just making my heart race.
Coincidentally, we were underground, and any sound we made wouldn’t leak outside.
Even if the floor was cold, pressing my hand against it only felt a little warmth.
Before I knew it, my hand that had tumbled Miragen slowly brushed down her cheek.
“Ro, Robert?”
“Miragen.”
If this was my true feelings, perhaps it would be better to say everything during this opportunity.
I felt that if I didn’t do it now, I wouldn’t be able to.
Let’s be a little honest, a bit. Wouldn’t it be better to be honest with my feelings?
Even while conflicting thoughts churned in my mind, my voice remained calm as I softly brushed my lips against the blushing nape of Miragen’s neck.
“Is it okay if I do something bad?”
Naturally, I had no intention of asking for permission.
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