Chapter 525: A Reminder of the First Time
Chapter 525: A Reminder of the First Time
“Hmm. If that’s what you’re looking for…”
As Rachel seriously pondered the options, I secretly motioned for a clerk from behind her.
Seeing my quiet gesture, the clerks seemed to grasp the situation. They exchanged glances, suddenly started a game of rock-paper-scissors, and the winner silently approached me.
That rock-paper-scissors just now. Was that really necessary?
I felt an urge to make a sarcastic comment, but my priority was not getting caught by Rachel.
“I’m looking for a ring that would suit that woman over there. Do you have any recommendations? Oh, and one with size-adjustment magic, please.”
“Ye-yes. If that’s what you’re looking for…”
As I whispered, the clerk twisted her body shyly and led me to a display case on one side.
Her demeanor was a little unsettling, but Rachel seemed to be so focused on choosing a necklace that she hadn't noticed me yet.
Normally, a woman wouldn't be so serious about picking a gift for another woman at the request of a man she has feelings for. She’s just too nice of a person.
I’d better hurry up and pick something while I have the chance.
To be honest, my original plan was to give Silvia a ring before confessing to Rachel, but Silvia’s condition was far more serious than I’d anticipated, so things ended up this way.
What could I do? If I gave her a ring, her life would genuinely be in danger, and that’s no joke.
I’ll give Silvia a ring after I confirm she won’t die from an Apostle Appointment.
“Hmm… It’s a tough choice. This one and this one… Ah, I think this would suit them too. All three of them are so beautiful, anything would look good on them, really. Oh, I know. Why don’t you choose from the ones I’ve picked out, Guwon? The thought is what counts in these things. I think it would be best if you made the final choice.”
“You think so? Thank you for the advice, Rachel.”
“Not at all. It’s my way of thanking you for a fun day together.”
When I thanked her, she replied with a faintly bitter smile.
Seeing that smile made my heart ache again.
Truthfully, she’d spent the whole day getting my hopes up only to let me down, teasing me. I was just trying a similar method myself.
Of course, my plan was the opposite of hers: let her down first, then move her deeply.
But seeing her smile like that, I couldn’t help but feel my resolve weaken.
Should I have just told her from the start that I came to buy a ring for her?
I could have been direct, saying I was here to pick a gift for a certain blonde, blue-eyed woman I know.
Well, it was too late to think about that now.
I had no choice. I’d just have to do my absolute best during the confession to make up for the disappointment.
With that thought, I carefully chose gifts for my three girls from the candidates Rachel had selected.
After finishing our business at the accessory shop, we briefly returned to Rachel’s dormitory.
It wasn’t for anything improper, of course, just to deliver the things from my inventory.
Even I’m not shameless enough to do something like that with Sara following us.
Besides, her dorm was on the way to the restaurant.
“Come, come on in.”
I had been here once before for the same reason, but it was still a fascinating place to see again.
As if to vehemently assert that an elf lived here, everything from the floor to the walls was made of wood.
And it wasn't made of wooden planks; it felt like I had actually stepped inside a tree.
The building looked perfectly ordinary from the outside. How on earth did they build this?
Furthermore, much of the furniture and decorations were related to trees or leaves.
It was something I’d thought when I saw her swift movements and that revealing leaf dress she wore to the dungeon, but she was far more elf-like than the pure-blood elf on our side.
“Heh, heh heh. Looking around again. A-are you ne-nervous, being in your big sister’s room?”
You seem more nervous than I am, though.
She was subtly leaning her hips back as if she expected me to do something.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you.
“Yes.”
Of course, I didn’t let any of that show and simply gave her an honest answer.
“Hehe. Oh, Guwon. Is it really okay for a Saint like you to be like this?”
“No. This has nothing to do with being a Saint. It’s because this is none other than your room, Rachel.”
“There you go again. You shouldn’t tease your big sister so much, you know? You’re always like this, so you must make a lot of people misunderstand. What will you do if someone actually develops real feelings for you?”
Rachel said this in a tone that sounded like she was forcing a playful attitude, lightly tapping my arm.
But wait, isn’t this a golden opportunity?
I was actually planning to confess at the restaurant.
But when the stage is set like this, I have to take it.
“What do you think I’ll do?”
“Wh-what do you mean, what will you do… Th-that’s… R-right! Here, you can put the luggage over here!”
Ah, she ran away.
Just as I thought. It was something I’d felt throughout our date, but this woman, while seeming so skilled at handling men, sometimes shows such an innocent side.
Is it because she feels she can’t show any clumsiness as the “big sister,” or something like that?
Well, it didn’t really matter.
In the end, nothing more happened in her room. I took her things out of my inventory and placed them one by one where she directed.
It was a bit of a shame to miss the opportunity, but I had planned to confess at the restaurant anyway.
After leaving her room, we finally arrived at the high-end restaurant we had visited once before, ‘The Place Where Even the Flow of Time and Space Slows.’
That name is still so grandiose.
Time and space. It was a motto you’d never find at a snack bar, a truly fitting slogan for a luxury restaurant.
Anyway, we entered the restaurant, ordered our food just like last time, and began to eat while making light conversation.
The food was just as excellent as before, practically melting on my tongue.
Last time, I couldn’t even eat properly before we had to leave midway through.
Of course, I don’t think the meals at our mansion are inferior, but eating out like this once in a while isn’t bad. I should bring the girls here next time.
“Hehe. Perhaps we should get ready to hide under the table again?”
As we ate, Rachel must have been reminded of that time as well, as she spoke to me in a playful voice.
But her expression wasn’t entirely playful.
Was she feeling bitter at the thought that we had to hide from my girls?
You don’t have to worry about that.
I’d already dropped hints about it earlier.
“No. There’s no need for that.”
“What? But…”
“It’s fine.”
“I-is that so…”
Surprised by my unexpectedly confident demeanor, Rachel started to object.
But when I cut her off and told her once more that it was fine, she blushed with a slightly expectant look and trailed off again.
She was flustered out of shyness, just like before, but her expression held much more anticipation this time.
It seemed she was gradually starting to believe my words.
To be honest, my heart clenched a little as I said it, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.
I mean, how could she?
The moment I said it was fine, Sara walked into the restaurant.
Sara sat at a table in Rachel’s blind spot and ordered something.
Then, she shot me a glare for a moment before turning her head away with a huff.
It seemed that while she had come in, she had no intention of interfering.
But I’m about to confess.
She must have already been hurt watching my date with Rachel from behind. If she has to listen to my confession too, won’t the emotional wound be too deep?
Weren’t there magic circles at each table in this restaurant to make them invisible to others?
No. But if I did that, she might misunderstand and think I was doing something I wanted to hide from her…
After much deliberation, I decided to just confess right here, in front of Sara.
I wasn’t going to say anything I couldn’t let Sara hear anyway.
And I also hoped that Sara would properly understand my true feelings.
Having made my decision, I focused again on my conversation with Rachel.
It would be rude to both Rachel and to Sara, who was cooperating like this, to keep thinking about other things at a time like this.
As Rachel and I chatted pleasantly, we finished our main course at some point, and it was now time for dessert.
As the meal was drawing to a close, Rachel opened her mouth to thank me.
“Thank you for inviting me to dinner today. I had a wonderful time.”
The moment Rachel said that, I instinctively knew this was the perfect chance to confess.
“No, thank you for coming with me.”
“Hehe. Is it because you could properly repay me this time?”
Rachel. Please, don’t smile like that.
So she really was upset about that last time.
“No. It’s because I got to go on a date with you.”
“……What? Th-that’s…!”
She probably had a rough idea that if I were to confess, it would be at this moment.
After all, when she rescued me, I did say I would confess again from up there.
Could it be that because I hadn't confessed all day, she had half given up?
“Rachel. When you saved me before, I confessed, and you said it was just a momentary confusion of feelings, brought on by the loneliness of being stranded. So I’ll say it again, now that I’m in my right mind. I love you. Please go out with me. This feeling is definitely not a mistake.”
As I spoke, I took out the ring I had bought earlier and presented it to her.
The gem, which shone with the same blue as her eyes, caught the light and sparkled brilliantly.
“Ah, ahh… Guwon… gasp. B-but…”
It seemed she hadn't noticed before. Rachel’s eyes welled with tears as she covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a gasp of awe.
But even so, she didn’t give me a proper answer, her expression hesitant.
“Don’t worry about the girls. I got their permission.”
“What?! P-permission?! They all gave you their permission?!”
Even though I had said things with a similar nuance several times, hearing it stated so clearly made her look shocked all over again.
It seemed she found it hard to believe that I had actually received their permission.
“Yes. They said they’d allow it, if you were to be my concubine…”
To be honest, my voice couldn’t help but get a little quieter as I said this.
I wondered if it was okay to suddenly bring up the word “concubine,” but this was a promise I made with my girls.
Besides, trying to gloss over it now and only telling her she’d be a concubine after she accepted my confession would be an even scummier thing to do.
I figured it was better to say it at the very beginning if I was going to say it at all.
And honestly, this might be arrogant of me, but I had a feeling—a confidence—that she would accept.
I was no longer the same person I was back then, when I had first fallen into this world, knowing nothing, recklessly hitting on her with cheesy lines.
Her feelings for me would be completely different from back then, too.
“A concubine… you say?”
Still, the word “concubine” seemed to make her feel troubled, as she hesitated for a moment.
But the fact that she didn’t reject it outright meant that she was also considering it.
I decided to press a little harder.
“Yes. But being a concubine is just a formality. The fact that I love you doesn’t change. I will never neglect you. I promise I will make you happy.”
“Still, a concubine… I’m the child of a rather noble house, you know? Of course, my status might be a little lower compared to Lady Diana…”
“Lower status?! I’ve never once thought that! You, Rachel, are precious just as you are. The concubine thing is truly just a formality. To be honest, regardless of wife or concubine, I plan to love everyone equally. And I swear I will love you just the same.”
“Do you… do you really think something like that is possible?”
“Yes. I’ll prove that it’s possible. No matter what anyone says, I’m a Saint. If I can’t even do that, then what kind of Saint would I be? I will make you—no, not just you, but everyone I love—happy without fail.”
It wasn’t a question of whether I could or couldn’t. I would absolutely make it happen.
As I conveyed my resolve to her, she finally let the troubled look on her face soften into a gentle smile.
“…Hehe. That’s right. You’re the Saint.”
“Yes. So please, Rachel. Continue to watch over my legend as the Saint. Not as the relationship between an adventurer and a guide, but from right beside me. As my woman.”
As I held out the ring once more, she slowly reached out and took it from me.
After slowly sliding her left ring finger into the ring, she straightened her finger as if to ask if it looked good, then raised her hand beside her face, showing me the back of her hand.
When I nodded, she smiled more happily than I had ever seen her smile before and said.
“I refuse.”
A line I had heard once before.
“…What?”
Rachel. You did just put that ring on your own left ring finger, right?
The truly unexpected answer made me mutter in a dazed voice.
From a table far away, I could see Sara spit out the tea she was drinking.