Chapter 173
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Not a Knight, but Sister! -2-
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"...What do you think of Chloe?"
Eclair squeezed her eyes shut, her face twisted like she was doing something utterly unforgivable.
'?'
A question mark slammed into my head at the same time.
It had been ages since a single phrase had left me so utterly speechless, blocking out everything before and after.
Could I break the flow here and ask what she meant by that question?
Or did I have to answer faithfully first?
Maybe she was deliberately prompting me to mention something vulgar or lowly.
'Tricky...'
I felt like I'd been dropped onto a stormy night sea, clouds and gales raging, no sense of direction at all.
No lighthouse in sight, and I had to come up with an answer.
"What do I think of Chloe...?"
"..."
Since she'd asked, I pictured Chloe in my mind, drew her image, reflected on her.
Her purity was a mystery in the empire's harsh reality, something that cleansed the viewer's mood just by existing.
Like a fresh green sprout rising from cracked, dry earth.
Yet, regardless of her intentions, she gave off a vibe that drew malice and exposure from all sides.
But Eclair didn't seem to want this kind of abstract impression.
She wanted something deeply personal, raw, unfiltered.
A cute little girl who reacted well even to my dumb stories, followed me around calling me "Oppa"?
What guy in the world could hate that?
"Just looking at her makes her pretty and cute. She clears my mind right up."
"...And?"
"She's sharp when she needs to be, but usually she seems to overthink everything, which worries me."
"..."
The line I came up with on the spot didn't seem wrong.
Eclair's expression looked pleased with my answer, but...
It didn't seem like it had fully resolved whatever she was holding inside.
If she'd asked about some random girl I had no connection to, I wouldn't have praised her looks so easily, no matter what.
But Chloe was different.
Knowing how much Eclair cherished her, I didn't utter a single negative word about Chloe in front of her lover.
And my words weren't lies to spare her feelings, either.
They were exactly what came to mind when I thought of Chloe.
"Need more?"
As the silence dragged on, I asked, and she shook her head.
"No... that's fine. Anything more would be pointless."
"Hmm."
From a hum to silence.
Her actions and emotions today were a rainbow kaleidoscope of every color.
Worry, satisfaction, fear, hesitation, tension.
Raw human feelings transmitted to me transparently.
Her mind, pulled taut like reins, gradually loosened in her lover's arms as the silence stretched.
Her body slumped further into Roman's embrace.
The tension drained from her voice.
"No matter how close we are, conversations like this aren't pleasant. I'm sorry for testing you like that. Sorry..."
I felt her body tremble faintly as she clung tight, burying her face against me.
I gently stroked her back, and she dug in even harder, as if to pierce through my chest, hiding her face.
"How did our Kitty get so cute~?"
She nuzzled her silver hair against me like a sulky child, then lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me with complicated eyes.
"...I'll just say it straight."
"You sure?"
"I feel like if we keep going like this, we'll just be spinning our wheels..."
"Impressive."
Compared to the past, Eclair was growing mentally, step by step.
"Chloe came to the church alone recently, right?"
Nothing to hide, so I stroked her hair and nodded.
"She'd wander around at odd times—not lunch or dinner—and yeah, she came often. She kept me company, so I wasn't bored."
She came with Rike sometimes, or popped up at truly random hours.
In this big room, alone, there was no one but Gleipnir to talk to, so I was always glad to see her.
"Today, she said she wanted to help make the side dishes for the lunchbox, so she picked up a kitchen knife for the first time."
"The lunchbox value just skyrocketed... It was delicious."
Three beautiful women gathered from morning, pouring their hearts into it.
Probably worth more than the same weight in pure gold.
"Now do you get what I'm trying to say? If you don't, I'll bite your chest..."
The info to infer her point ended there.
I wanted to tease her by making her spell it out, but now wasn't the time for jokes, no matter how I looked at it.
No need to look far.
One thing came to mind right away with a little thought.
'Sigh...'
But I'd completely closed off that possibility in my head.
The reason was simple and thus powerful.
I knew Chloe's personality well; she was worlds away from sweet, budding romantic exchanges.
I wasn't uninterested, but the negatives on the opposite end were overwhelmingly huge.
And!
When a man has power and wealth, nothing's more off-putting than an axe-wound girl.
Even as Platinum adventurer, that label made others wary or prejudiced, which acted as a leash preventing my own nonsense.
Building karma through my rumors and habits, meeting Rike and Eclair felt like a miracle.
Chloe, countess's second daughter and noble, would've heard rumors at the academy or come checking on her sister, so she'd know all that easily.
I saw her as a good kid who overcame her shyness, thinking of me as future brother-in-law and family.
I myself had a vague sense of family, so beyond looking after her, there wasn't much I could do.
But now that it had come to this... I couldn't ignore it.
"No way... Chloe? Likes me...?"
Saying it out loud made my face burn with embarrassment.
But Eclair's face was dead serious.
"She hasn't said it herself, but from what Rike and I saw... it's pretty certain."
Rike had natural intuition, plus skills making it beyond foolproof.
If it were just Eclair, I might deny it as a misunderstanding, but with Rike too, my denials hit a dead end.
One response came to mind.
"...I need to keep my distance from Chloe. I've been too careless."
"!!!"
Eclair's eyes widened, and her arms around me tightened.
"Sorry. I'll be really careful from now on. No excuses."
"Roman. W-wait...! Hear me out first."
She grabbed me urgently, though I was sitting still, not planning to run.
"Kitty? Calm down. I'll listen to everything."
I resumed stroking her hand, and she released the chokehold grip.
"Sorry..."
"Stop apologizing. If you're hesitating because it'll bother me instead of Chloe, just say it straight."
As we grew closer, her unspoken thoughts became naturally readable.
"...To sum it up bluntly. I don't think you'd reach out to Chloe first."
"Right."
I'd just thought a cute little sister had dropped into my lap by fate.
That relationship was plenty fun as is.
My past life's values didn't let me imagine more, realistically.
"But if Chloe makes up her mind and approaches you directly, and you like her rationally... you don't need to worry about me or Rike."
"..."
Nodding openly here would make me look like a crazy guy, so I kept quiet and listened.
"But! Promise me this one thing."
"I promise."
She dropped her serious face at my nod without hearing details, let out a small laugh, and relaxed fully as she made her request.
"If your heart doesn't move, never! Absolutely never take her. Even as your lover, I won't force you or Chloe into that."
I knew where she was going—nobody would be happy.
Making that call out of meddlesome half-measures might cost me Eclair too.
"I'd never do that."
"You know this too, Roman, but nothing's as pitiful as a woman pushed on you by force. If there's no feeling, I'll handle convincing her somehow, so never accept out of pity."
"I know. Like you said, Kitty, I don't form proper relationships unless I intend to take responsibility. Can't commit a lifetime without feelings."
This wasn't just physical fun for mutual pleasure.
"Realistically, Chloe's the second daughter of a countess. Coldly speaking on marriage, she might fall short for a Platinum adventurer. Still..."
"Still?"
"Titles from society aside, I think she's truly lovable..."
I didn't deny her words.
..
..
From Eclair's perspective, spilling her heart and getting a positive reaction from Roman lightened her load a bit, but the future worried her.
Still, she'd cleared the tallest mountain for sure.
"It wasn't just a sick visit; seems like she came with an obvious ulterior motive... Mmph!"
It was so predictable, so I covered her mouth to block the words coming.
"Gonna say sorry again?"
I removed my hand, and before she could, Eclair pressed her forehead to mine, then her lips close.
She whispered with a smile.
"...I was just gonna say I love you."