“……”
“Alright, let’s go.”
“…. Y-yes….”
Why am I sitting here right now?
I have no idea why I’m here, acting like this.
Just an hour ago, I was chatting away with Kyle in the library.
I wasn’t even having any extraordinary thoughts; I was just enjoying my ordinary day…!
“….”
Internally, I’m screaming like a madman.
Well, I couldn’t let it out, considering where I was.
It wasn’t like I was alone with Kyle, and even if he were here, this was not the kind of setting for that.
So, following the very intimidating instructions of my companion, I picked up the fork and knife.
What lies ahead is just a normal… slightly peculiar meal.
“How does it taste?”
“Mmm, it’s delicious. Yes, really….”
I tried to calm my trembling hands as I continued speaking.
Even though I usually don’t act like this, I’m a graduate of a boarding school and have gone through my fair share of experiences.
Of course, that kind of background means nothing to the intimidating figure across from me.
I used the fork and knife as quietly as possible so as not to annoy him.
A tiny slip could possibly be a big deal.
Then again, it might not, but I really had no way of knowing.
How could I know anything about someone I had never talked to before?
“What about with Kyle…?”
“Um… It seems we’re getting along well. Kyle… is treating me well, and I’m… trying my best to do the same.”
“Is that so.”
Crazy.
It’s been so long since I’ve had to talk in such an overly formal way, and this whole situation is driving me nuts.
Though I’ve dealt with plenty of bizarre situations before, it’s my first time in a one-on-one with my father-in-law…?
I’m technically not married yet, so I’m not sure if I can call him that.
“That’s a relief then. You’ve known Kyle for a while, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have.”
“And what do you think of Kyle?”
“….”
Why is he asking such sudden questions?
I mean, given that he’s the father of his son’s partner, it makes sense, but it was way too abrupt.
What do I think? It’s not something I’ve considered beforehand, so I didn’t know how to respond.
“Um…”
I wracked my brain for what to say.
How should I answer? I definitely shouldn’t say anything bad about Kyle.
“He’s a… good kid. A good man, a good person.”
“I see…”
“….”
It’s likely that I’m not the only one feeling awkward in this situation.
That noble is probably just as uneasy talking to me.
After all, we’re not exactly the type to have deep conversations.
When he called out to me out of the blue while I was walking, I was truly shocked.
I never expected him to suddenly call me over.
Sure, Kyle and I are in the midst of wedding talks, but I never imagined he’d ask me this soon.
It hadn’t even been a week since Kyle told me what his father thought about marriage.
“Is it alright to ask what your parents think of Kyle?”
“Oh, let me explain.
The duke especially asked about things related to Kyle.
It seems there was more importance behind it, but whatever…
I relayed pretty much exactly what my parents said about Kyle.
Naturally, I filtered out slightly weird remarks beforehand.
I couldn’t afford to say anything odd to the man who might soon be my father-in-law.
“I’m glad to hear there were no bad words.”
“He’s just a kid who doesn’t deserve to hear anything bad.”
I paused my steak cutting and replied a bit more seriously.
Regardless of what my parents thought, I felt that way about Kyle.
With that in mind, I really thought he was a guy with more strengths than weaknesses.
His looks, his personality—he was a good dude in most respects.
“I’m not sure how the duke views the relationship between us. But Kyle and I are seriously considering our current situation.”
After all, I had to say something important in this moment.
The duke probably wanted to know something significant and not just trivial chatter.
“Hmm…”
“….”
“As I told Kyle before, I don’t really have anything to say about you two. I’m just not the sort of father who can act like a proper one.”
“?”
“The reason I called you here was no big deal. I just wanted to see your face.”
“Um…”
I never expected to hear that.
Honestly, I thought it would be more like, ‘I won’t let my son marry someone like you!’
I truly never saw that coming.
I came mentally prepared, fearing a verbal beating was on its way.
“If my wife hadn’t passed away first, it would’ve been her sitting here instead of me. She’s definitely a much better person than I am.
“….”
“You and Kyle will get married anyway, and Kyle will pass on the duke title and go about his merry way.”
“…. Did you tell Kyle?”
“Haha.”
“….”
Maybe it’s because he’s a noble.
Just like Kyle, he responds with a resigned laugh when things get awkward.
Really… they are so similar in this regard.
I bet if the duke shaved his beard, they’d look even more alike.
“I’ve said what I needed to say. Now, enjoy the rest of your meal.”
With that, the duke picked up his fork and knife again and continued eating his steak.
Nothing dramatic happened, but the tension in the air was still thick.
I was eating some of the finest steak, but it didn’t feel like it at all.
I couldn’t even recall the sensation of swallowing it.
With the duke making his usual midlife comments, it felt oddly like a surreal stand-up show…
He probably wanted to get closer to me as Kyle’s partner, but honestly, it felt utterly out of place…!
Well, given the duke’s appearance, it made sense!
He looked like someone who could take on 700 men without any magical help, with a beard long enough to be mistaken for a Viking!
Plus, with his towering height, likely inherited from Kyle’s dad, he had an incredibly intimidating presence…
*
“It must’ve been really tough.”
“Seriously?! A servant just suddenly calls me, and I have to go—almost dozed off in there!”
“But you said nothing eventful happened?”
“That’s true, but….”
Separately from that, the situation was indeed tough.
Eating the steak wasn’t even enjoyable.
“I find it even weirder that the topic of marriage came up.”
“Right? Just a little while ago, you were lost in your own strange thoughts.”
“Y-yeah, but…”
“And now after barely two months of dating, marriage? Wow… at this rate, it’s like I’m a conquered hound from the start!”
“E-Elin?!”
It was an unexpected but hard to refute statement.
Even I thought it was way too fast.
For sure.
Like Elin said, I’d been unnecessarily agonizing over whether I liked Kyle or not.
Had it not been for that ridiculous dilemma, I would have started dating him ages ago.
That same worry had delayed us from actually dating.
Looking back, it was indeed a ridiculous concern.
Considering I had been fluttering just from a kiss… how could I even question my feelings for Kyle?
“By the way, I can’t believe you’re getting married. I had no idea.”
“Haha… you know life can be full of surprises…?”
“You’re saying that, but you used to freak out over even the slightest touch from a guy.”
“Y-yeah, haha.”
I was left speechless by those words.
That was how I used to be.
Honestly, I probably still would be today.
If a stranger suddenly tried to touch me, I would probably find a way to hit them where it hurts.
Of course, Kyle was a different case.
“Anyway, it won’t happen anytime soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Except you’re the one who started bringing the duke up and even mentioned marriage, right?”
“…Heh.”
“Agh… I can’t even say anything about this…”
“If only you weren’t the Young Master’s partner, this wouldn’t matter at all.”
As I drank my tea, I realized I wasn’t even tasting it.
It wasn’t as bad as the steak incident, but it wasn’t much better either.
Two days in a row in this atmosphere? Oof, tough times ahead.
It felt more like an interrogation than anything else.
In fact, today felt more like a real hearing than yesterday…
“Sophia, have you…?”
“Excuse me?”
“Have you done it? I mean, that thing.”
“….”
When referring to “that thing,” my mind narrowed down significantly.
Elin had always been quite interested in the physical side of my relationship with Kyle, so the narrowing felt even sharper.
“….”
“What’s up? Your expression changed.”
“Right? Normally, you’d be yelling ‘N-no way am I doing that!’ by now.”
“….”
I couldn’t answer hastily.
We hadn’t gone all the way yet, but things had definitely escalated from before.
After all, last time, I had dreamt of doing that with Kyle.
It was just a dream, and Kyle wouldn’t remember, but still…
The vibe was getting weirder…?
It was becoming a strange atmosphere…
“Haha.”
“No, just answer already!?”
“What is it? Did something happen? Sophia, tell me quickly!”
It seemed like the moments Kyle’s father and I would be embarrassed by often ended with a resigned laugh…
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