Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Arkabella Duke's Residence (2)
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Irene led Lucia and Yujin to a garden.
"Hmm. This is the garden where I used to play with Irene when I came to visit."
"Hm?"
"We read books together there, tried some magic, and played with dolls too."
She pointed to a flower bed where the grass lay evenly spread.
"Doll play?"
"Yes. A little house play with the teddy bear doll and the rabbit doll..."
Doll play, huh...
Imagining a younger Lucia and Irene, their cheeks chubbier than now, sitting huddled on the grass playing with dolls brought a natural dad smile to his face.
Even these girls who seemed so mature had such times.
"Do you remember the stories?"
"Um... probably the melodrama of the cheating teddy bear and the rabbit who finds out and tries to get revenge by cheating back? We did that kind of thing a lot."
"......?"
Sending a "really?" look, Irene—who had been quiet—subtly turned her head away.
...Looks like it really happened.
"...I see. How old were you then?"
"Um. Around twelve? Something like that."
"...Hoo."
...Whether in his previous life or this one, kids these days sure were precocious. Of course, those kids had grown up and were now standing right in front of him.
As fiancée candidates, no less.
'...Hm. Precocious is good, right?'
As long as they hadn't gone overboard. In fact, both of them had zero experience with men up to now.
"What were you like as a child, Yujin?"
"Me? I..."
...What did I even do back then?
Right.
I often went to see Sena. Back then, she was the only one who showed me any kindness as my fiancée.
...Of course, it didn't take long for that kindness to turn into distrust and wariness.
Excluding that, it didn't seem like I did anything particular.
...
No, more precisely, I couldn't do anything.
They actively blocked a bastard like me from even holding a sword, insisting it was absurd for the likes of me to learn the great Banus family's sword arts. Naturally, I received no other education either.
Beyond that, I couldn't roam freely, and with no money, I had no luxuries or amusements.
...The only consolation was sneaking tattered old books from the family library to read in secret. But even that got discovered soon enough.
I got beaten badly for it. So really, there was nothing I could do. Being used as a stress-relief punching bag by the direct family line was my daily routine.
'...My face ended up with a lot of scars too.'
My body always had bruises somewhere. There was never a time it was pristine and unscathed. Even my face got nasty wounds and swelling from the hits, and on days I met Sena in that state...
'......'
I'd get those suspicious looks like, "Where'd you get into a fight this time?"
...When I hadn't fought at all—just taken a one-sided beating.
If I'd even counterattacked, it might not have felt so unjust. And no matter how much I protested, she never fully shook off her suspicions.
Grip—
...In that sense, when war broke out with the Eastern Alliance and the family sent me off to the front lines as their sacrificial lamb, it felt almost like liberation.
I could finally hold a sword officially and start building bonds with comrades, one by one.
...But as if paradise awaits no escapee, they began dying off one after another. In the end, very few remained at my side.
Even the woman who shone as a ray of light for Yujin—who promised him a future—turned into a cold corpse.
Her heart pierced through, profusely spilling red blood...
...
Yujin's face darkened slightly.
"...Yujin, are you okay?"
"Your expression looks bad, Yujin."
They wore worried looks as they enveloped Yujin from both sides.
Lucia gently took his hand, mindful of his dark expression. Irene hugged Yujin tight, stroking here and there across his body.
...As if caressing the scars etched all over his body, as if consoling him that such a past was now gone forever.
Yujin's eyes shook for a moment before he slowly drew their heads into his embrace.
"......Lucia, Irene."
It had been almost a month since they met, but in that time, their presence had grown overwhelmingly large.
"...Thank you."
"Hehe, no need."
"What thanks?"
Thus, Yujin held them close for a while, basking in their warm embrace.
.
.
.
.
After a brief hug, a maid approached from afar, and only then did they part. She quietly set out tea and drinks before leaving.
Lucia, seated beside Yujin, calmly gazed at his profile.
'He's so handsome.'
Her slender fingers pleasantly stroked Yujin's arm.
'Packed with muscle.'
She smiled quietly to herself.
She didn't have any particular standards for men, but just feeling his muscles through his clothes stirred a very naughty sensation.
'Irene's seen this bare-skinned, huh?'
A twinge of envy.
She herself hadn't shared proper skinship with Yujin yet.
Like hugging face-to-face, interlocking fingers, or... kissing.
'...Once we're married, we'll see everything anyway, so this much shouldn't matter, right?'
Then, Lucia slyly hooked their pinkies together.
"...Lucia?"
"Hehe, nothing, Yujin."
Of course, Irene—who saw it all head-on—could only shoot daggers at her friend's cheeky move.
'That little minx...'
Doing something I haven't even tried sober first... As expected, the meek cat climbs the ridgepole ahead.
...Conveniently forgetting how she had feigned coincidence to drink with Yujin, lay him in bed in that state, and gone all the way.
Then, to not lose to her friend—and to earn even more love from her beloved man—Irene attempted a bold move.
Namely, kissing Yujin's cheek right in front of Lucia.
"...!"
"...Do you like it, Yujin?"
"...It's good."
This time, Lucia shot daggers with her eyes. In the end, to not lose to her friend, she thrust her face toward Yujin too, but...
'...His eyelashes are so long.'
Captivated by a strange shyness and Yujin's face, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Yujin, realizing what she meant to do, found it cute.
'She froze up from embarrassment.'
Well, that could happen.
Lucia was the bold, confident type who boldly suggested it was fine to see other women even with a fiancée, but in the end, she was a virgin who had never dated.
He smirked and surprise-tilted his head forward.
Mwah—
Whoosh—
"Y-Yujin?"
"What's wrong?"
Lucia blushed and rubbed her own forehead.
"Th-that... just now your lips were on my forehead..."
"Oh, that?"
Mwah—
Yujin surprise-kissed her once more. This time on the bridge of her nose.
Mwah—
Next the cheek, then the earlobe.
Soon, her entire face save her lips had been peppered with kisses.
"Any problem?"
"...No."
She shyly cast her eyes down. Always so confident, but right now her face burned and she couldn't meet his gaze.
She kept shrinking in on herself.
Thump, thump—
'H-he can't hear that, right?'
Her heart pounded fiercely.
Who knew mere mucosal contact could feel this good? And they hadn't even kissed lips yet.
'Strangely ticklish, with warm heat spreading through.'
She couldn't think of any better way to describe it.
"...Yujin."
As they lost themselves in their little world for a moment, Irene's voice called out. Her cheeks puffed, her face screaming, "I'm sulking."
Yujin, catching his mistake, showered her with kisses just like Lucia's, finally soothing her mood.
Since Irene broke into a beaming giggle.
Lucia blushing and subtly dodging his gaze, Irene cat-like yet puppyishly grinning—the sight was immensely satisfying.
After sharing affection through light skinship for a while,
"Oh right, Yujin—how would you like us to handle the engagement order?"
At Lucia's question, Irene stared fixedly at Yujin. His answer came without hesitation. No need for elaborate deliberations on engagement order anymore.
"Both of you at the same time."
"'At the same time'—two ceremonies on the same day? Or all three of us together?"
"The latter."
Who gets engaged first?
This was more sensitive than it seemed. Such things always carried political undertones.
A misstep could spark rumors of favoring one over the other. To foreclose other interpretations, simultaneous engagements were best.
Even setting politics aside, both were incredibly precious to him.
So, separate from any future wedding, he wanted the engagements equal and fair, without distinction.
'...Speaking of which, the wedding.'
How should that go?
Combined like the engagements? Or separate?
...This one seemed ripe for debate.
"Hmm... so no decision on who's the principal wife, then."
Irene muttered with regret.
...Principal wife.
"...Both of you are precious to me. So how could I possibly rank them?"
"Hmm."
It wasn't the answer she'd hoped for, but she had no choice but to accept it.
Irene had only one man—Yujin—but Yujin had Lucia and Irene, two women.
'...Was I a bit mischievous?'
Irene resolved to be more careful next time.