Chapter 52: The Great Lord’s Lover (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: The Great Lord’s Lover (1)
It started off so well.
I woke up at dawn, and for some reason, Eris happened to drop by. She gave me a shave and even styled my hair into a neat, half-slicked-back look.
But before she left after finishing the simple task, Eris suddenly asked a question.
“Is there enough food in the house?”
“Plenty. Why, are you hungry? Want to grab a bite?”
“No, it’s just that the sun was so bright yesterday, I thought it might be cold today. If you don’t have any groceries, you’d have to go out in the cold, wouldn’t you?”
At the time, I didn’t think much of it.
Stupidly, I had forgotten that Eris possessed a certain prophetic intuition.
And now.
Swoooooooosh—!!!!!
“It’s raining?”
The young lady, dressed in an elegant pale pink gown, had just arrived at my house by carriage. The moment we were about to head out after a brief greeting, a storm broke out as if on cue.
One look was enough to tell it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.
“Arasen, you should head back to the station first.”
“Yup, yup! Thank you! I’ll only charge you for the one-way trip~.”
I wasn’t sure why she had insisted on taking Arasen’s carriage just to get to my house, but Arasen, worried about her horses getting wet, bowed quickly and hurried back.
“What do we do now?”
The young lady looked dejectedly out the window at the rain.
“I worked so hard… on the itinerary for our date…”
She seemed heartbroken that all her preparations had gone down the drain.
Even though her disappointment was obvious, she kept stealing glances at me, checking my reaction.
Well, if what Eris told me about the way of the world these days is true, she’s probably worried that I’m disappointed because the date plans were ruined.
Not at all, though.
“This isn’t so bad either.”
“Huh? But…”
I opened the window just a crack.
Swoooooooosh—!!!
The wind and rain sprayed in, but I laid down several layers of towels where it hit and sat on the edge of the bed.
This spot was directly in line with the window, providing a good view and a clear sound of the rain.
I smiled at the young lady, who was still gauging my mood, and patted the spot next to me to show I was fine.
“The sound of the rain is nice.”
I wasn’t just saying that; there was a certain sense of tranquility to it.
I wasn’t the one getting soaked, and the weather, which had been sweltering until yesterday, had turned cool. It was the leisure of doing absolutely nothing at home.
“It is.”
She sat down right next to me.
Close enough for our thighs to touch.
The point of contact felt unusually hot.
But since the weather was chilly from the rain, it didn’t feel bad.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to escort you properly today,” she whispered, clearly still lingering on her regrets.
“It’s okay. We’ll have another chance.”
“Do you want to go on a date again?”
“Was I being too greedy?”
“No, not at all. If it’s what you want, I’d want to do it every single day.”
“I might have to quit being an adventurer then.”
“Someday, you probably will, right?”
I suppose so.
Especially since Lady Airune is destined to be the Lord who inherits Hus.
“I’m sorry.”
“Again?”
“I said some harsh things back in Massa Village.”
“You meant well, I just couldn’t accept it at the time.”
“I was so angry and hurt by that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
She looked up at me intently.
Her pouting lips were adorable.
“I… I was so upset that you reacted that way to my words, but when Narupa said the exact same thing to you, you just accepted it without a word. I meant the same thing… so why did I…”
Her pout deepened, and her eyes began to well up.
“I wanted to… clear up the misunderstanding in the carriage too… but you only talked to Narupa…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Ugh… sniff…”
That’s strange.
She was the one who apologized first, yet here I am, holding her and comforting her.
Still, as she leaned her head on my shoulder and whimpered, I felt her affection for me once again.
Cowardly as it was, I felt a significant sense of relief as she settled into my arms.
The realization that she liked me this much.
With that relief, I pulled her closer.
“Alto, I really like you.”
“Yes.”
“I’m very jealous, too. I hate it when you’re with other women.”
“Me too.”
If anything, that jealousy made me happy.
“So, stay the closest to me. Be the most intimate with me.”
“Is that… as a friend? Or…”
“As a man and a woman.”
She pulled my hand toward her and rubbed it against her cheek without a hint of hesitation.
“Alto.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Call me Rune.”
“Rune.”
“Yes.”
“Is it okay for me to like you?”
Squeeze.
Rune’s grip on my hand tightened.
“As long as you don’t belittle yourself, you’re more than welcome to love me.”
“But I’m…”
“Alto. I’m showing you with my whole body how much I like you, so why are you making me out to be a woman who loves some ‘nobody’?”
“……”
I couldn’t find the words.
Then, a shocking and completely unexpected question came from Rune’s lips.
“Alto.”
“Yes.”
“How were my father and brother on the battlefield?”
“…!”
“Did they talk about me much?”
“Rune?”
“I know who you are.”
As I waited in suspense, Rune buried her face in the crook of my neck.
“Alto Bertrand. The sole survivor of the Bertrand Unit under my father’s regiment, and my brother’s comrade-in-arms. The No. 1 National Merit Recipient and a living legend who personally defeated Vulcanus of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“…Since when did you know? From the beginning?”
“The night we caught the Serpent, I overheard you talking to the Captain.”
Grandma Maya had been so excited that she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings.
I had made sure everyone was asleep before going out on deck, but I never imagined it would turn out like this.
“Just in case you’re wondering, I was attracted to you even before I knew you were a Bertrand.”
“Um… exactly what part of me?”
“There you go again!”
Rune pulled away and smacked my arm.
I’m not lying—she has natural strength, and it really hurt.
Despite her appearance, Rune is strong enough to lift or throw my Roar and Howling with one hand.
Well, she is the daughter of Marquis Dakuren, after all.
“You don’t treat women carelessly, you’re always caring, polite, and a gentleman. And… and! You’re so strong, yet you put up with my whining… and…”
Rune whispered softly, covering her completely flushed face.
“You held me when I was crying in front of everyone…”
“That was only natural…”
“It’s not natural. You might not know because you’ve been on the battlefield, Alto, but it’s absolutely not natural. Seriously, it’s every woman’s romantic fantasy.”
I’d heard something similar from Eris, but I wondered if it was really that big of a deal.
“The rumors have spread all over Dakuren City. Everyone is so jealous when they see me.”
“Even with… a face like this…”
“I said, stop it!”
I got smacked again.
“The face isn’t the problem; you yourself are just so charming, Alto! Not just me, but Narupa said so back in Massa Village. What on earth could have caused this…”
The furrow in Rune’s brow suddenly smoothed out.
“Lukart…!”
Huh?
“Alto, you came from Lukart, didn’t you?”
“Y-yeah?”
“What happened to you there to make you like this?”
“……”
“Alto.”
She cupped my cheeks with both hands and forced me to meet her eyes.
“Today, we confirmed that we like and love each other, right?”
“Right.”
“I’m yours, and you’re mine, right?”
“Of course.”
“I want to know why my man—the No. 1 National Merit Recipient, no less—is living so dejectedly because of his looks and can’t even properly accept someone’s affection.”
Swoooooooosh—!!!!!
The rain was getting heavier.
The layers of towels I had laid out were already soaked through to the bottom.
The sound of the rain was no longer a pleasant white noise.
I walked over and closed the window. Even though the sound of it hitting the glass remained, the noise was greatly reduced.
“Alto, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine for now, but I’m definitely going to hear it sooner or later.”
Rune even crossed her arms as she gave me a firm warning.
“I need to know exactly what happened, and what bitch made my man unable to fully accept the love I give him.”
“And if you find out?”
“Then she’s dead by my hand. She’s an enemy of Hus.”
I was surprised by her reaction, which was harsher than I expected.
“It’s ridiculous for her to expect to live in peace after treating a husband of Hus that way.”
“A husband of Hus?”
“…You don’t like it?”
“No, it’s just… it feels a bit awkward.”
“What’s awkward about it?”
What’s awkward? Well,
“Until dawn, you were the young lady I was pining for, but now that the sun is up, you’re calling me husband material. It feels good, but it also feels… surreal.”
I quickly added more, fearing she might be hurt if I left it at that.
“But I’ll try my best to adjust. To be a good partner and a good husband. Actually, thank you for considering me husband material.”
“……”
Rune took a sharp breath.
She stared at me intently, so I gave her a smile, feeling a bit bashful.
Since she said she hated it when I lacked confidence, I thought this might be better.
“You know, Alto.”
“Yes, Rune.”
“There’s something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve been seducing me this whole time, haven’t you?”
“Pardon?”
Pardon?
Why is Rune’s breathing so heavy?
“I was being slow. Sorry.”
Her chest heaved visibly, and her neck flushed a deep red as she grabbed my arm and pulled.
“Ru-Rune!”
Rune practically flipped me onto the bed. The look in her eyes…
“Haa… haa…!”
Is that… a hint of madness?!
“Rune, let’s talk for a second…”
Grab!
“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you about my time in Lukart!”
“It’s already too late.”
Riiiiiip!
My shirt—one of only two I owned—was helplessly torn apart.
“Huu… huu… mmmmmm…!”
Before I knew it, Rune had climbed onto my thighs, rubbing against my crotch as she shifted her hips. With one hand, she went for my belt, and with the other, she tried to pull down the zipper of her dress, but—
Tear!
Unable to even wait for that, she ripped it open.
The young lady—no, Rune—was revealed before my eyes in her underwear.
Before I could even take in the sight of her ample chest and slender waist,
“Mwah, haa!”
Rune lunged at my lips.