CHAPTER 134………………………………
That night, fatigue swept over me without warning.
In the midst of it, I wondered how I could return the three brothers I received for my birthday.
But it seemed impossible.
Both the Duke and the three brothers were far too pleased.
It felt like only I, the gift recipient, was troubled.
“Hoo… What am I supposed to do with the villainous three brothers?”
Just as I set the lantern I was holding on the table, I sensed a rustling movement.
“…!”
I had told Britta that I’d be washing and changing alone tonight, so no one should be entering.
Then this must be… an intruder!
I quickly gathered mana and amplified the shaking lantern.
The room brightened instantly with the flare.
And the intruder I saw before me was…
“…Huh?”
They were dolls that made me doubt my eyes.
All of them were baby lion dolls.
Then, like playing a “spot the difference” game, I spotted Ron hidden among the dolls.
“…Could it really be Ron? Ron!”
“Hehe. Ta-da. It’s me. You recognized me right away?”
Of course I could recognize him.
Among the cute baby lion dolls, an even cuter and mischievous Ron revealed his face, holding back a smile.
Straightening up from his crouch, Ron picked up one of the dolls and handed it to me.
“It’s a gift. Since you missed baby lions, I wanted to give you this.”
“Thank you, Ron.”
The baby lion doll, small enough to fit in my arms, was extremely adorable.
It even resembled Ron when he was a baby lion.
But there was one unusual feature.
“The baby lion has wings? Did Lady Sherbert design this?”
“Yeah, I met her when we went to order the doll.”
As expected, his mother liked wings. Maybe because she had an angelic beauty?
I hugged the doll tightly.
“Thanks so much, Ron. I didn’t expect you to prepare a gift like this.”
“But Anne, the real gift is still separate.”
“The real gift?”
Ron nodded and stepped closer.
The distance between us became very short.
I could feel his warm yet refreshing scent.
His eyes, unusually red, looked down at me.
My eyelids, heavy and almost sleepy, refused to close, while his gaze persistently focused on my lips.
“…No way, right now!”
I swallowed nervously.
My mouth was dry despite all the saliva flooding it.
Frozen like ice, I couldn’t move at all.
The baby lion doll in my arms fell to the floor.
As Ron approached, I closed my eyes, but a thought struck me.
“Wait, isn’t this novel supposed to be all-ages?”
We weren’t adults yet.
Based on countless experiences from my past life as a romance fantasy reader, I got overly absorbed.
Of course, Ron might have intended only a light kiss, but typically, things that start light between a man and a woman often grow heavier and more intimate.
Besides, it was the middle of the night, and only the two of us were in the room.
This is extremely good… no, dangerous.
“Not the lips yet!”
I quickly opened my eyes.
Just before Ron’s moist lips touched mine, I hastily grabbed his head and turned him.
Then I pressed my lips firmly against his cheek like stamping it, and pulled away.
“….”
“….”
Frozen by the sudden disaster, Ron furrowed his brows intensely.
“…Anne? What just happened?”
I couldn’t answer “a choice for peace for you, me, and everyone,” so I simply smiled.
And I lied.
“A cute little peck? Ron, weren’t you going to do this too? Hehe.”
“Ah.”
He tilted his head slightly and twitched his nose in innocence, and Ron blinked nervously like a fish out of water.
“Y-Yeah. That’s it. That’s what I was going to do.”
“Right. Ron, we’re not adults yet.”
I comforted him, who looked a little disappointed, and clasped our hands tightly.
“Your hands have grown so big.”
It felt like my hand would be buried in his.
Ron chuckled quietly.
“Well, I don’t have much time left before I become an adult. But Anne, do you know something?”
“Huh? What?”
He gave a deep smile, then leaned close to whisper in my ear.
His voice was sweet, making my heart flutter.
“The truth is, I’ve already grown up.”
“…!”
“But I’ll wait. If that’s what you want.”
When he pulled away, I exhaled roughly without realizing it.
And as he moved farther, I mechanically waved my hand, still hearing his words echo in my ears.
“Hmmm… well, by anyone’s eyes, he really has grown up.”
Judging by his appearance, that was true.
His tall height easily surpassed the Duke, and his solid build was even more than Sherbert’s.
I wondered what would happen once Ron legally became an adult under imperial law.
“No! Stop it!”
I shook off the naughty thoughts and ruffled my hair.
It was a night when sleep simply wouldn’t come.
The Crown Prince’s tour had now reached the western region.
Upon hearing the news, I immediately went to meet him.
After a long time, the Crown Prince still gleamed, adorned entirely in gold.
After politely greeting him, we looked for a quiet place where we could speak alone.
Although knights surrounded us on all sides, the distance was enough that our voices wouldn’t carry.
“Miss Delve, you’ve come to see me.”
“I’ve been waiting for Your Highness.”
“Me? Is it something urgent…?”
The Crown Prince’s expression darkened as he looked at the letter I handed him.
“This is…”
Even without reading it, he recognized it immediately.
“I should have delivered it sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
“I heard from reports that you went to the area affected by the landslide. Did you… meet Lea there?”
“Yes. She delivered a letter to me.”
The Crown Prince’s gaze slowly moved to the letter.
As he read line by line, his face shifted between joy and surprise, showing mixed emotions.
But when he read the last line, his eyes were filled with sadness.
“She congratulated me in advance on my wedding next year.”
“To her?”
“Yes. I suppose we’ll never see each other again.”
I tried to calm my nerves as I watched the Crown Prince stare quietly at the distant view.
“The golden armor… the gift you gave her, Your Highness.”
“….”
“She liked it very much. And she said she always wanted to stay by the sun’s side.”
“….”
His gaze turned to me.
I trembled but continued speaking firmly.
“Besides the letter, there’s something else she asked me to deliver.”
“What is that?”
“It’s her heart… her inevitable feelings.”
“….”
The Crown Prince’s eyes fell helplessly.
After a moment of deep thought, he lifted his head.
“Who currently knows about this?”
“Only me. I’m the only one who knows.”
“You’ve done so much for me, Miss Delve.”
“If Your Highness needs any more help, just say so. I’ll support anyone’s sincere love, just as I did.”
The Crown Prince gave a faint smile.
“Come to think of it, I heard Miss Delve has won someone’s love?”
Ah, the rumors had reached the Crown Prince as well.
Suddenly, the atmosphere softened.
He trusted me completely.
“I should have realized sooner. Such an amazing Miss Delve is helping me—I suddenly feel courage I never had. Yes, I must do it.”
“Eh? Do what?”
“Annul my engagement. I want to do it like you, Miss Delve. I must win my love.”
“…?”
Have I become the icon of annulment?
Seeing the Crown Prince so eager, I regretted my meddling.
But there was nothing I could do now except guide the path of love.
“By the way… Bianca is a problem.”
Of course, changing the Crown Prince’s fiancée wouldn’t be easy, but what Bianca would go through was an even bigger issue.
Judging by the current situation, Bianca seemed to have dreamed of being the Crown Princess.
Sigh… what kind of divine joke is this?
Fate had twisted everything in a complicated way.
Thanks to me, the Crown Prince gained courage and quickly made all the plans.
He intended to annul his engagement with Bianca before next year’s wedding.
“But she’s a saint with sacred power.”
“Right. That’s the biggest problem.”
Compared to Saint Bianca, Leatrice was not suitable as the Crown Princess.
Marrying the third princess of the small Hemel Kingdom wouldn’t be particularly beneficial for the Empire.
“Your Highness, I think one more person is needed for this matter.”
“Who would that be?”
“Viscount Sherbert Careys.”
The Crown Prince widened his eyes in surprise, then let out a sigh as if recalling something.
“Are you saying the Viscount has feelings for Miss Alter?”
“Yes.”
Just as Sherbert said before, the Crown Prince already knew.
