Engagement (3)

A leisurely afternoon.

A garden brimming with lush trees and flowers of every color.

At the center of that garden, seated across from each other at a tea table, were Adel and I.

It was Adel who had first proposed this tea time, and yet, she remained silent, merely savoring the tea brought by her maid without a word.

After waiting for some time in hopes that she would speak first, I could no longer hold back and addressed her.

"Why did you call for me?"

"Does one need a reason to summon their fiancé?"

"Hmm... I suppose not."

The slightly thorny tone in her voice was likely due to yesterday's assassination attempt.

Indeed, compared to previous attempts, yesterday's was particularly threatening.

After all, assassins had stormed into my very office.

The reason she had grown more at ease around me was probably because of that. In a way, I had placed her in the path of an assassination threat.

With that thought, I took a sip of tea. Adel watched me for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Duke Hardenberg."

"Hm? What is it?"

"There's something I'd like to ask regarding our contract."

"And that is?"

"Who else knows about the contract?"

"Evan, Allen, and myself. Only the three of us."

"Are you certain?"

"Is that important?"

"Of course."

"If you're not certain, then make certain."

"...Pardon?"

"Was that answer sufficient?"

At my implication that I would silence anyone if necessary, Adel's face stiffened momentarily.

Perhaps my way of thinking was incomprehensible to her.

Well, of course. To someone like her, who still retained the sensibilities of a modern person, my thought process must seem utterly alien.

There was an undeniable chasm between us—between me, who wouldn't hesitate to kill if necessary, and her, who harbored a deep aversion to taking lives.

For some reason, the tea tasted slightly bitter, and I frowned.

She quickly smoothed her expression and changed the subject.

"...I see. Then let's sort out the finer details."

"What finer details?"

"Things like the reason for our engagement. Surely you're well aware of my infamy, Duke Hardenberg?"

"Of course. I know it well."

Adel Este.

Originally the young lady of Duke Este's family, she became the daughter of Count Este after the family's demotion from ducal rank.

The reason for the sudden fall from duke to count was never officially disclosed.

Because of that, rumors circulated that the family's rank had been lowered due to her actions.

'Though that's impossible.'

No one in their right mind would genuinely believe such a thing.

A ducal house—especially one as prominent as the Este family, famed for their vast merchant guild—reduced to a mere count over the actions of a single young lady?

Moreover, the rumor had the sequence of events entirely backward.

Adel didn't commit evil deeds before the demotion—she began after the family was stripped of its ducal title.

'Though that's not particularly important.'

What mattered was that the very existence of such rumors spoke volumes about Adel's notoriety.

After becoming a countess, Adel's engagement to the Crown Prince was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠broken.

She came to believe that the female protagonist of the original work—who had grown close to the Crown Prince—was the cause, and in her resentment, she repeatedly crossed the line in tormenting her.

Though her evil deeds stemmed from a simple misunderstanding, they were excessive by any measure.

As a result, Adel gained a towering reputation for wickedness.

Of course, the Adel I was referring to was the one before the possession.

"So you're saying we need a reason that justifies it?"

"Yes. Otherwise, it would bring great harm to House Hardenberg."

I frowned slightly at that.

Did she truly believe that merely announcing our engagement would damage a ducal house?

Was House Hardenberg so easily undermined in her eyes?

With a furrowed brow, I spoke.

"That's an unpleasant thing to say."

"...Pardon?"

"Why do you assume House Hardenberg would suffer for it?"

"But... didn't you say you care about public perception?"

So she even remembered that.

Given the hyper-awareness typical of regressionists, it wasn't surprising she recalled such details.

But it seemed Adel had misinterpreted my words.

"You seem to be misunderstanding something."

I continued, correcting her misconception.

"I consider public perception—but I have no intention of being bound by it."

Of course, I, too, began paying attention to rumors after suffering from false ones when I first became duke.

But that didn't mean I would let them dictate my actions.

Perhaps things were different in the past, but now, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the rightful head of House Hardenberg.

And one of only four dukes in the Arieh Empire.

"In other words, the time when I could be swayed by such rumors is long past."

"But shouldn't we at least decide on a reason for our engagement?"

"That's true."

Admittedly, she had a point. Establishing at least a basic cover story would help prevent strange rumors from circulating.

Just because I wouldn't be bound by false rumors didn't mean there was any reason to let them run rampant.

Though nothing particularly clever came to mind...

Perhaps it would be better to leave it to her. With that thought, I addressed Adel.

"How about we go with whatever you prefer?"

"...Are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serious?"

"Indeed. At the very least, I don't speak empty words."

I took a sip of tea as I watched Adel fall ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into thought. The faint bitterness mingled with the scent of roses.

Tea really doesn't suit me, it seems.

"Then what about this?"

"What is it?"

"That the Duke happened to meet me at a travel destination and fell for me at first sight."

"Hmm... That's certainly an interesting romance tale."

My dry response made Adel tilt her head slightly, as if taken aback. Did she really expect me to be flustered by something like that?

Come to think of it, if she sees me as a character straight out of a RoFan novel, it makes sense she'd think that way.

After all, the male lead getting flustered by bold confessions is one of the genre's clichés.

But having grown up listening to every kind of romance tale from Laura, my personal maid, I found it utterly trite—even if I was the subject of the story.

"Then how about this?"

My unexpectedly composed reaction seemed to have sparked her competitive spirit, as Adel began listing off various scenarios.

She probably wanted to see me flustered, but honestly...

If I were the type to get embarrassed by such things, I would've replaced Laura as my personal maid long ago.

"What if we—"

I cut her off before she could suggest another idea.

"Enough. Let's stop there."

"Huh?"

"We'll go with your first suggestion. Cliché as it may be, it's the most plausible."

"So then..."

"Yes. You and I met by chance during my travels and fell for each other at first sight. That should suffice for noble society, don't you think?"

"...That should be enough."

I couldn't help but smile at her slightly pouty expression.

Given that this was around the midpoint of the original story, it seemed she still retained much of her innocent demeanor.

The Adel of the later chapters had been a truly ruthless woman—cold-blooded and merciless.

Her original fate was to become a psychopath obsessed solely with Abel.

That's why these glimpses of her innocence reassured me. They were proof that I was changing this world's future.

"Then let's settle on how we address each other too."

"Address each other?"

"Yes. You can't keep calling me 'Miss Adel' forever, can you? People would find it strange for a couple who fell in love at first sight to be so formal."

"That's true enough. So what do you propose?"

"Call me just Adel."

Her confident tone made me chuckle involuntarily.

Was she still not giving up? It seemed she was determined to fluster me through titles.

I couldn't tell if this was admirable persistence or just pointless stubbornness...

"Adel."

"...Yes?"

When I called her name without hesitation, she blinked at me in surprise.

Did she really not expect me to say it so easily?

I wasn't some naive child who'd get flustered just from saying someone's name.

If anything, turning the tables on her seemed like the best way to break that stubbornness of hers.

"Come to think of it, it seems unfair that only I call you Adel."

"Huh?"

Watching her flustered expression, I continued.

"So why don't you call me Abel as well? My beloved Adel."

At my words, Adel's lips pressed together momentarily. She clearly hadn't expected to be cornered like this.

This was the perfect opportunity to push further.

"I've certainly called you Adel. Surely you can call me Abel in return?"

Adel squeezed her eyes shut briefly before slowly parting her lips.

"A-Ah..."

"I can't hear you."

She glared at me as if I were some insufferable villain. Well, too bad—she started this.

"...Abel."

"Your voice is too quiet, don't you think?"

"Ugh..."

After a brief struggle, Adel finally spoke again.

"Abel!"

She practically shouted my name before ducking her head in embarrassment.

Now that I thought about it, it had been nearly a decade since I last heard my own name spoken aloud.

"Good. You'll call me that from now on."

Feeling oddly satisfied, I smiled at her. When she lifted her head, her cheeks were faintly flushed.

Left speechless, she could only sip her tea in silence.

As expected, turning the tables had been the right move.