Chapter 177
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Love Me.
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"Chloe? Curious?"
Rike and Seria's gazes turned to her at the same time.
"..."
She had no idea why such a sharp arrow tip had suddenly turned her way.
But as the saying goes, silence often means affirmation. When asked if she was curious, staying quiet without any response was taken as a yes.
Rike tapped the table with her slender fingers, lost in thought.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"No matter how much I think about it, aside from the stories I already told you first, there's nothing particularly amazing worth sharing."
At Rike's words, Seria flashed a sly grin and clung to her.
"Come on~ There were gaps in time between the incidents you told us about, so there must be stuff that happened in between!"
"Well... those were private matters not really suitable for chatting about out in public, so I skipped them."
"Huh? Private stories?"
Perhaps because the person in question spoke so flatly, without any emotional shift.
Seria didn't immediately grasp the point of what Rike had mentioned.
Rike curled the corner of her mouth into a victorious smile as she watched the girl who was always quick on the uptake in other areas but so oblivious here.
"What else? Displays of affection done out of sight. I didn't peg you for it, Seria, but... you wanted to hear something naughty?"
"Wha—hu—?!"
Seria, who had thrown the first punch only to get countered and backed into a corner, rarely turned beet red—matching her hair color—and showed her flustered side.
Rike, seizing the momentum, pushed her even further into a bind.
"The way you've been persistently prying lately is suspicious. Got a guy you're interested in or something? That's why you're asking, Seria?"
"No!! It's absolutely not like that?!"
Even as she denied it vehemently, Rike didn't let up.
"A strong denial is sometimes a sure sign of affirmation. So you're at that stage too now, huh, Seria~ Whoever he is, I'll cheer you on wholeheartedly."
"Ugh...!"
While watching this one-sided, peaceful banter, Chloe had been keeping silent in the hopes that Rike might subtly bring up something about her big brother.
After driving Seria to the brink of grogginess, Rike popped a cookie into the dazed girl's mouth to calm her down.
"There, joke's over."
"..."
With that one action, Seria snapped back from near collapse to normal. She chewed on the sweet lump in her mouth and waited for Rike's words.
"Calm down. I've thought of something worth sharing now."
"I'm already calm!"
As Seria's expression returned to normal with the sugar in her mouth, Rike chuckled softly and nodded slightly.
"Hmm~ I went to see big brother first. Did I tell both of you about that?"
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
The word 'big brother' coming from Rike's lips felt strangely off to both of them.
But the tone and the emotion reflected on her face felt more natural than anything.
Rike, mulling over past times alone, gazed into empty space while fiddling with the tip of her hair.
"Looking back, even though I was a bother to big brother and went all the way to his house... the reason I couldn't properly confess wasn't because I couldn't face the feelings I harbored. I think it was because my sense of self wasn't established yet."
"...What does that mean?"
What came from Rike's mouth wasn't some sweet, embarrassing incident or moment.
As a philosophical reflection completely out of left field emerged, Seria tilted her head, unable to understand.
Rike simplified the lengthy statement and conveyed it to Seria and Chloe.
"Even though I was definitely in love for that short time, I lacked the confidence that the other person would accept me."
"Why? Because of his impressive position?"
Before Chloe could voice her question, Seria scratched the itching spot perfectly.
Rike shook her head in denial at the question and pulled out her answer.
"Because I didn't love myself. I was scared because I had no confidence that anyone else would love me either."
She had loathed her body, tainted with Skadi's filthy blood, to the point of wanting to end it all.
But her mother's blood, flesh, and even scars were all precious, leaving her torn and unable to steady her heart.
If she hadn't come to accept and embrace that in the process?
She might have spent her life in conflict, wasting away until her body broke, or made an extreme choice.
No one looking at Rike now could imagine such a scenario.
But she herself knew how fragile she became without something to lean on.
"Hmm..."
She had only meant to draw out Rike's hidden expression.
But when an unexpectedly heavy story emerged, Seria let out a groan and wore a complicated look.
"It got a bit long, but in the end, it's about cherishing and loving yourself. If even I don't love myself, it's weird to want love from others, right? Even without bad intentions, it's like forcing it—practically violence."
"You don't have to tell me! I love myself plenty—like, Rike and Chloe think I'm great too!"
Seria exaggerated her actions to escape the heavy mood.
Rike giggled at her explosively cheerful energy—it was so ridiculous—and shoved another cookie into her mouth.
"...I figured you'd say that."
Watching Seria accept and eat it, Rike kept her smile and turned to Chloe.
"Chloe, deep thinking is a strength, but I hope it doesn't veer into self-deprecation or belittlement."
"Th-thank you..."
She had mentioned making a promise with her big brother earlier and thought she felt confident since Rike had so straightforwardly given permission.
But after hearing Rike's words, something hidden in her chest poked sharply.
......
......
Normally, after academy ended, Chloe would stroll leisurely back to the mansion, taking in the surroundings.
But not today!
Her abundant gray hair whipped in the wind as she moved her feet at top speed.
Bursting into the mansion, Chloe flung open her room door and hastily stripped off her clothes.
Swish—
She considered rushing to the meeting spot in her academy uniform, but she wanted to put in at least minimal effort.
The uniform might be the most polite for her position, but going like that felt like it'd just turn into a strict instructor-cadet dynamic. That was the conclusion after much deliberation.
'Gotta get ready quick!'
She had already decided in advance what to wear for their separate dessert date, so her hands moved without hesitation.
Preparation complete.
Rike knew, but just in case, Chloe grabbed a pen to leave a note for her sister too. She smiled at the clear trace of someone in her room.
On Chloe's desk.
Square in the center sat a vase with a single artificial flower.
No matter how skillfully made, it didn't blend with the high-class mansion owned by Eclair.
But she placed it in the most visible spot in her room anyway.
It had no scent, but Chloe sniffed it anyway before standing in front of the mirror to check her appearance.
'I'm really awful...'
Thanks to lunch with her friends today, she had no choice but to face it squarely.
She, who had been immersed in romance novels, had been the most curious about these feelings but had forcibly turned away, clutching her neck for ethical reasons.
But a few words from her friends laid it bare, and now even she couldn't look away.
Knowing this feeling yet unable to refuse her big brother's invitation made her seem so ugly.
She wasn't brazenly coveting him from her sister and friends.
Really?
As long as she could keep her current position and just talk with him, that would be enough.
Truly?
"Ah...! Can't be late!"
Pulled from her reverie where an angel and devil battled fiercely on both sides, Chloe finally lifted her head.
Realizing she'd been standing there dazed, she hurriedly moved and left the mansion.
'Too casual wouldn't do... Clean and simple is best.'
No other safe choice for a man quite like a shirt, even if the muscle size made it a bit snug?
Tighter than baggy tops, sure, but high-quality fabric made up for it nicely.
Moving and twisting his arms confirmed it—no discomfort, worth the price.
When living alone, comfort was king with loose clothes.
But hanging with his girls meant dressing at least decently to avoid embarrassing them, so his wardrobe had grown plenty compared to before.
"Hmm."
Rike and Eclair rated the man named Roman highest.
The man in question felt only pride.
Those two were the source of his positive self-esteem.
Rike and Eclair both seemed to have quite a few thoughts lately because of Chloe.
But at least their opinions aligned in one direction, which satisfied him.
—Even if she went to another man, could Chloe be as happy as with me? Could she find someone in the empire who truly respects that girl? Honestly, I don't know.
—I'd rather seize a certain future than bet on unknowns. If I felt like taking both Dreitna sisters as Rike said, she'd tell me to go ahead... That's how it is. I know Roman won't treat Chloe roughly just because of her disposition.
Sentences that smacked of contrived depravity, the kind you'd squeeze out from some corner of the internet in his past life.
Now, they were his reality.
So today or next time, he'd always face the woman Chloe Dreitna with his best effort.
Creeeak—
Stepping out and feeling the breeze, the weather was nicely cool.
The capital was the capital; everywhere felt much the same on foot.
Heading from the outskirts where his house was to the central shop, Chloe wasn't in sight.
Rather, they'd arrived at a timing where neither had to wait.
"...!"
Spotting each other within eyeshot as they approached, the two gave a small wave.