Chapter 218: Estelle is Smiling (9)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Estelle is Smiling (9)[R-18]
Late at night, in front of the Black Dahlia residence.
"Whew..."
I had marched over here with plenty of momentum, but now that I was actually at the mansion, my hands were shaking and my head was spinning.
Thump, thump!
I knocked on the door and waited a moment. Soon, Frederica peeked her head out cautiously.
"...Who is—oh? Lord Ian? What brings you here at this hour? Did you perhaps leave something behind?"
"I'm sorry for the late hour, Frederica. But... there's something I need to say to Estelle right now."
"...Something you want to say to the Young Lady at this hour? And looking that nervous?"
Frederica’s expression shifted subtly for a moment. Then, as if realizing something, she gave a bright smile and nodded.
"Yes, yes! I understand! Please, come in, Lord Ian! I believe Lady Estelle is still awake!"
A short while later, we arrived in front of Estelle’s room. Frederica knocked rhythmically.
Knock! Knock-knock-knock!
"My Lady? Are you asleep?"
"...No, Frederica. I'm still up. What is it?"
Estelle’s voice drifted from inside the room, sounding a bit tired.
Frederica nudged my shoulder and gave me a playful wink, as if telling me to speak up.
"Um... Estelle?"
"......Ian?"
Estelle’s voice rose in surprise at the sound of my voice.
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry for coming by so late. If it's okay... could I come in for a moment?"
"W-Wait... N-Now? In my room? J-Just a second...! Give me just a second!"
Hearing the sheer panic in Estelle’s voice, Frederica covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Pfft! Lord Ian, would you mind waiting in the hallway for just a moment? Knock, knock? My Lady! I'm coming in!"
Slip—
Frederica slipped into the room by herself.
A few moments later, she stepped back out, pushed me by the back, and spoke cheerfully.
"There we go! You can go in now, Lord Ian! Oh! Right! I just remembered I have some urgent business to attend to... I have to go somewhere! So please, don't mind me at all! Have a wonderful time!"
Frederica disappeared down the hallway with a skip in her step.
"Whew..."
I took a deep breath and slowly stepped into Estelle’s room.
"...."
Inside the room, Estelle was wearing a thin silk nightgown. Her head was bowed low, and she was fidgeting with her fingers.
"Estelle."
"...Y-Yeah, Ian. What... did you want to talk about... at this hour?"
Gulp.
Hearing her voice, the tension I thought had subsided came rushing back.
"Before that, I have one thing to ask... Estelle, you're leaving, aren't you?"
"...Yes, I am. After you left earlier... I told my uncle that's what I wanted."
It was the answer I expected, but it still sent a sharp pang through my chest.
"...When are you going?"
"It's not set in stone yet. But... my uncle said it would be best to move as quickly as possible... Why...?"
Estelle looked at me with eyes full of unspoken expectation. I shook my head.
"...Estelle, I didn't come here to stop you from leaving."
"Ah... Right, Ian. Of course... you didn't. Yeah. I... I knew that..."
Estelle gave a weak smile and nodded.
"I think it's for the best. You'll be with your family, and you can fix your legs. But... there's something I absolutely have to ask before you go."
"...Something you want to ask?"
"Yeah."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode, and my mind went completely blank.
How self-absorbed must I seem, bursting in the middle of the night to say something like this? Honestly, if I were in her shoes, my first reaction would be to ask if I'd gone crazy.
But still...
I had to do it.
"Do you... by any chance, like me?"
"......"
Silence fell.
As if time had stopped, Estelle froze in place, her mouth slightly agape, not even blinking.
"...."
As the silence stretched on, my face began to burn, and cold sweat trickled down my back. I felt like at any moment, Estelle would say in a voice full of contempt, "...What kind of misunderstanding have you cooked up?"
"...."
Just as the overwhelming shame made me seriously consider opening the window and jumping out...
"...Ah."
Estelle’s doll-like, frozen lips began to move.
"N-No! I-Ian... what are you talking about all of a sudden? W-Why would I... l-l-like you? We're... just... f-friends...!"
Estelle shook her head violently from side to side, desperately denying it.
'Yeah, I'm gonna go die now.'
Her reaction was completely different from what Evelyn had guaranteed. Just as I decided that jumping out the window was indeed the only option left—
Drip—
A single drop.
Drip—
And then another.
Drip—
Tears began to fall from the tip of Estelle’s chin.
"...Estelle?"
"Huh...? Ugh.... Huh? S-Sorry... Why am I... like this? This is weird... Heh... hehe... J-Just a second..."
Estelle panicked, frantically wiping away the tears with both hands, but once they started, they showed no sign of stopping.
"Hic... Ah...! Ahh!... Sob!... I'm sorry!... I'm sorry!... Ian!... Yeah... but... hic!... I... I can't lie about this..."
Her voice trembled, and even as she wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks...
"I like you... Ian, I... I like you... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for liking you."
Estelle was looking at me, smiling with empty eyes.
"...Haah... But... actually... I never intended to tell you. Because I knew the fact that I love you would only hurt you. ...And... I didn't think I was the one who should be by your side..."
"Estelle..."
"Ah? Hahaha... S-Sorry, I'm saying stupid things again... Even if I had confessed, there's no way you would have chosen me anyway... right? You have Evelyn by your side, after all."
No longer bothering to wipe her tears, Estelle continued.
"Mhm, no. Even if it wasn't Evelyn... someone like me could never be a match for you. Hehehe... I keep saying weird things.... But... thank you... for giving me the chance to tell you how I feel... one last time..."
"...."
I couldn't stand to listen to her self-deprecation any longer.
Grip—
I grabbed her shoulders with both hands. Estelle looked up at me.
"...Estelle, can I say something absolutely insane right now?"
"Uh... yeah, it's okay. Hehe... Ian. Anything... tell me... I'll listen to everything... Since I'm..."
"Alright, then..."
Exhale—
I took a long, deep breath and put weight behind every single word.
"I've built a harem."
As if her brain refused to process the information, Estelle blinked with a dazed expression.
"......What? Sorry... I must have misheard you..."
"You heard me right. I said I've built a harem."
"...W-What... does that... mean.... Ah. He, hehe... Really... you're doing this for me until the very end... D-Don't worry, Ian. You don't have to tell such a ridiculous lie."
Estelle continued with a smile that was a mix of sadness and resignation.
To think I'd make Ian say something so nonsensical just to avoid hurting me...
Just how much more am I going to make the people around me suffer?
"...I have no intention of making things difficult for you. Just think of what I said... as some nonsense I blurted out while drunk on a midsummer night's dream. Hahaha.... Still... it's a bit sad. I thought that if I ever returned to the Empire... we could at least... be friends again... but I guess even that's impossible now, right? Hehe..."
"...No, Estelle."
Squeeze!
"Ugh...! ...I-Ian...? That... hurts a little..."
"Ah, sorry. But me building a harem isn't a joke or a lie."
"I told you, you don't have to be that considerate—"
"I already got permission for the harem from Evelyn."
At that moment, the forced smile vanished from Estelle’s face.
"...L-Liar... That's impossible! There's no way Evelyn would allow something like that..."
"Evelyn Marigold, Helen Redrose, Yuris Petunia, Laplace Mapleflower, Elfriede Carlleya, Poporing Spai..."
"U-Um? Ian, what are you saying right now?"
"I'm listing the members of my harem."
".....What?"
A look of pure disbelief crossed Estelle’s face.
Well, of course it did. Every single name that came out of my mouth was far from ordinary.
"W-Wait a minute... The names you just mentioned... the Saintess Candidate, the Red Rose Heiress, the Second Princess... and Elfriede is that genius Spirit Mage from the first year, isn't she?"
"Yeah. They're all my women. And the harem has been approved."
"Ha... haha...! ...Right... I see... In the first place... I'm... So?... Ian? Why are you telling me this?... Ah, is that it? You're offended that someone like me said I liked you—"
"Because I like you. That's why, Estelle. I want you to join the harem, too."
"....?"
Caught off guard by a sudden confession in the middle of her self-loathing, Estelle froze again.
I understood. Anyone would react that way if a man shamelessly asked them to join his harem right after they had just tearfully confessed their love.
...Honestly, even I thought I was a total scumbag right now.
But what could I do? This is who I am.
"For the record, once you're in, there's no leaving. You absolutely have to marry me."
"...Ma... Marry? Then is this... like a proposal?"
"Yeah, I guess it is. It's a proposal."
"......I-Ian, are you crazy?"
"I told you I was going to say something insane."
"Ha...!"
A look of sheer absurdity crossed Estelle’s face, and a small chuckle escaped her, which soon turned into full-blown laughter.
"Haha..! ..Ahahahaha!!"
As she laughed for a long time, tears began to stream down her face again.
Whether they were tears of joy, sadness, or confusion at this surreal situation... even Estelle herself didn't seem to know why she was crying.
"...Haah...! Haah..! Really... I... I really have no eye for men, do I? Actually... until now, I-I thought of you as some kind of Prince Charming on a white horse... Ian, you were this kind of man?"
"...."
Slide—
I dropped to one knee in front of Estelle and looked her in the eye.
"Yeah, this is the real me. I can't love only you like a Prince Charming."
That's right. Because I wasn't the storybook prince Estelle had hoped for, I couldn't reach the 'True Ending' of the 'Estelle Route.'
"But... I promise you. No matter what happens, I will make you happy. I'll make sure you never regret choosing me."
Even if it wasn't the True Ending, I could still create a 'Happy Ending' where everyone could smile together.
"...."
What a crazy man.
What woman in the world would accept such an absurd proposal?
There was probably only one such woman in the entire world...
"What... what kind of... proposal is this! Seriously... N-No ring, no flowers, and what is this atmosphere... It's the worst proposal in history. ...Yeah, it's truly the worst."
Estelle grumbled in a thick voice, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"But... I'll do it. ...I'll marry you."
Estelle gave a radiant smile.
She wrapped her arms gently around my neck.
And whispered into my ear, so sweetly and softly.
"So... Ian. Make me happy."
My first kiss with Estelle was as sweet and soft as cotton candy.
"Haah..."
After the brief kiss ended, a shy smile appeared on Estelle’s flushed face.
"...."
She looked so lovely that I leaned in to kiss her again...
But Estelle pushed against my chest, rejecting me.
"Ugh..! ...W-Wait!... Wait, I said! Ian!"
"...No. I'm not waiting. You're my woman now. I clearly said there's no leaving."
"Y-You dummy! Who said anything about leaving...! Ugh...! ...I'm not finished with what I wanted to say yet!"
"Oh, really?"
As I pulled back, swallowing my disappointment, Estelle’s eyes sparkled as she let out a short sigh.
"You... when I come back, you have to give me a proper proposal. Got it? Next time, like a real Prince Charming, you have to book a fancy restaurant, prepare a beautiful ring, and a huge bouquet of flowers! And also..."
Like a child pestering for the gifts she wanted.
Watching Estelle list her proposal requirements, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"And... um... yeah! I think that'll do. It seems like a lot... but you said you'd make me happy... so you'll have everything ready by the time I get back, right?"
"...I got it. When you return, Estelle... I'll give you a proposal that will go down in history for a different reason."
"You promise?"
"Yeah. I promise."
I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked.
"So... can I kiss you one more time now?"
Estelle’s face turned a shade of red that looked like it might explode, and she hugged my neck tightly as she answered.
"...You're not supposed to ask things like that, you dummy."