Proposal (2)
Is this a dream?
Charlotte could hardly believe it. That this very moment was real. It was the instant she had longed for in every dream, yet now that it was unfolding right before her eyes, she simply could not accept it.
The reason it felt like a dream was simple: the roles had been reversed. She should have been the one on her knees, proposing to him. Instead, he was the one kneeling, taking her hand, and speaking the words—
“Will you marry me?”
“...What?”
Had she misheard? No—it had to be a dream. She had lived believing he might harbor some affection for her as well. Yet she knew the truth all too well. Edward Frigid was a man who never offered even the smallest smile to a woman. A man who kept a greater distance from women than anyone else alive. The only women permitted to touch his body were his mother, Grand Duchess Camilla Frigid, and his older sister Lirith. She knew that so thoroughly that her dearest wish had been merely to brush him with her fingertips.
Yesterday at the debutante, even knowing he might dislike it, she had boldly seized the chaos among the noble young ladies and hugged him once. The moment their bodies met, the sensation had been pure bliss. Rumors painted the northern Frigid family as cold-blooded, so she had expected Edward, their second son, to feel cold as well. Instead he was warm. He had been startled when she embraced him, yet he never pushed her away. If Bracon beside them had not screamed and made such a fuss, she might have held him a little longer… That tactless Bracon had cut the happy moment far too short.
But the words that left his lips now, as his hand closed around hers, were so unbearably sweet that Charlotte’s thoughts simply stopped and her body locked in place.
“Ah… if you’re rejecting me—”
“There’s no way I would!”
Terrified that Edward might misread her frozen state and withdraw the proposal, Charlotte shouted her answer in desperation.
“Reject it!!”
Reject? Reject what, you lunatic? She lightly ignored the shrieking Bracon beside her. Even if it were the devil’s own whisper, this was a situation she could never refuse. If the beautiful man she had yearned for so long was confessing to her and she had to turn him down, she would simply bite her tongue and die.
“Lirith!!”
When Bracon flew into a fit and tried to hurl herself at Edward, Camilla beside them hurriedly seized her and held her back. What a severe case. Anyone watching would think Charlotte was committing the very sin the Goddess forbade—stealing another’s lover. Why had the Goddess allowed a bitch like that to be born without ever forbidding incest? Well… the Goddess had probably considered it such obvious common sense that she never bothered to mention it…
As I thought, I really was having a ridiculous dream… this crazy Bracon bitch… tsk tsk…
Charlotte clicked her tongue inwardly, then looked at Edward and spoke.
“E-Edward… I didn’t mishear you, did I?”
Keeping her expression under control was agony. She was desperately curious what face she was making right now. If it had gone completely slack and foolish, she must not show him anything ugly…
“If you’re asking whether I proposed marriage, then yes…”
His beautiful voice confirmed she had not misheard.
“Ah♡… Of course! I should have been the one to say it originally!”
That was right. In the proper order of things, she—the woman—should have proposed, not Edward the man. She had planned to confess to him at the debutante, then proceed through engagement and finally marriage… Yet the lovely man standing before her now was asking for marriage from the very first step.
“Ah… thank you.”
“Thank me? I’m tens of thousands of times more grateful!”
Whoosh!
Emotion swelled so fiercely that Charlotte threw her arms around him. Watching the scene, his sister—Bracon Lirith—
“Th-this can’t be! E-Edward… gurgle…”
—wore an expression of pure despair, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed.
“Lirith!?”
“Sister!?”
Hohohoho!!
Edward and Camilla were thrown into panic at the sight, while Charlotte laughed heartily to herself as she watched Lirith crumple.
Lirith had suddenly collapsed.
Why on earth?
Only moments earlier Lirith had been overjoyed to see me recover my strength. Yet the instant she realized I intended to propose to Charlotte, she had desperately tried to stop me before I even spoke. Had she truly been trying to prevent the proposal? The moment the words left my mouth she had freaked out and tried to intervene.
Isn’t she fine enough?
As far as I knew, even though Lirith and Charlotte bickered, they visited each other often and got along reasonably well. There are relationships like that, aren’t there? The kind where they fight a little yet turn out to be best friends underneath. That was what I had believed—until today. Lirith’s reaction made it look as though she were handing her little brother over to a mortal enemy. She had even foamed at the mouth and collapsed… How deeply must she have been shocked? Was that why Allen had told me to leave everything to him?
“Haa… First… please explain later, in detail, why you suddenly decided on such a major matter…”
Camilla also seemed shaken—or perhaps simply exhausted from soothing Lirith; I could not tell which—but she spoke to me with a thoroughly weary face.
“Ah… yes. I’m sorry for proceeding on my own without consulting you, Mother.”
Hmm. Looking back, I really had blurted it out on impulse. But while Charlotte returned to the imperial palace, sent letters, and worked through all those procedures… there was no telling what incidents might erupt. This world had already summoned a lunatic named Lee Hye-yeong as a “hero” purely to torment me. Once the decision was made, the sooner the better. It was true I had proposed in order to use Charlotte… yet seeing how happy she looked made me feel a little guilty. Still, I was certain I had done the right thing. With her there would never be any regret; any man should rather bow in gratitude.
“No… Mother has spoken of this before as well… it was simply rather sudden… Edward… if that is how you feel, this mother will not oppose it.”
Fortunately Mother Camilla did not object the way Sister Lirith had; she gave her permission. She had already been trying to arrange a marriage with the imperial family even before the debutante, so that played a part—but more than anything, Mother seemed determined to respect my will first.
“Yes… thank you. And once again, I’m sorry.”
Still, I had acted unilaterally, so I apologized to Camilla a second time.
“No… but you, a man… never mind, ahem…”
Judging by Mother’s reaction, a man proposing first to a woman truly was not the custom here. Yet I had wanted to be the one to propose even as a man, so I felt not the slightest regret.
“For now, Edward, and Your Highness the Princess—my daughter appears to be in shock, so I will take her and withdraw.”
Camilla wore a complicated expression as she supported Lirith and prepared to leave.
“Yes, understood! Grand Duchess… no, Mother!”
Charlotte greeted Camilla in a loud, clear voice and bowed her head deeply.
Wow, look at her already calling her Mother—she’s progressing fast…
“M-Mother?”
Camilla was startled and echoed the word.
“Please take good care of me!”
“Ah… yes, of course. Then I shall take my leave…”
Camilla returned the bowing Charlotte’s greeting and left.
Thud.
“Hehe… serves you right, Bracon bitch…”
“Um, Your Highness?”
With the sound of the door closing, Charlotte seemed to be muttering to herself, so I called out to her.
“Ayat!”
Instead of answering, Charlotte pinched her own cheek and let out a little whimper.
“Your Highness?”
What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?
Startled by the unexpected behavior, I called her again. Then—
“Ah… it’s really not a dream. It’s reality!”
Charlotte’s eyes were slightly moist as she spoke in a voice thick with emotion.
“Yes? Well of course it’s rea—”
“I truly can’t believe it! That a day would come when Edward would say such words to me!”
“Ah… yes…”
She seemed genuinely moved by my proposal. Was she that happy? I had fretted a little that she might refuse, or be offended by the suddenness of it. Looking at her now, those worries had clearly been groundless.
“I should have been the one to say it! All the plans I had prepared are gone!”
“No… it’s fine. I wanted to say it myself, as a man.”
Was she disappointed that I, the man, had proposed? From the way she spoke of plans, it seemed she had intended to propose to me someday as well. Still—proposals should be done by the man. Absolutely.
“Edward… um…”
“Yes?”
Charlotte, who had been so high-strung only a moment earlier, now fidgeted with both hands and called me in a quiet, hesitant voice.
“Um… could I hold your hand just once more?”
“Hup…”
Wow, she’s really cute.
I almost gasped without meaning to. Wasn’t this a gender-reversed world? Honestly, I had never even imagined I would get to see a woman acting shy. Yet… even though Charlotte was older—the same age as Lirith—the bashful side she was showing me right now was unbearably adorable.
“Ah… if it’s burdensome… but since we’re going to be married…”
“No! It’s fine.”
I answered in a rush so she would not misunderstand.
“Thank you, Edward!”
Charlotte took my hand. And then—
“Ah…”
Swoosh.
Huh?
“Y-Your Highness?”
Thump!
I could not help but freeze when I saw where she had guided my hand.
This is…!
Thump-thump!
“Can you feel it? My chest… my heart… how hard it’s pounding?”
“Hup! Yes? Y-yes…”
I could barely keep my wits about me as I answered Charlotte, who was watching me with a seductive expression.
What is this situation?
“Me too♡…”
Swoosh.
Tap!
This time one of her hands settled against my chest.
“Hup!”
The instant her cool fingers touched me, a sound escaped my throat unbidden.
“I can feel it… Edward’s heart pounding♡…”
Thump-thump!
“Hup! Hup!…”
Ah, I can’t breathe…
“I’m so happy…”
Whoosh!
“Hup!…”
I can’t collect my thoughts…
“Even if you change your mind now…”
Thump!
“It’s already too late, Edward♡”