Ominous Clouds and Blushing Cheeks
An ominous cloud had settled over my relatively peaceful work life.
If I’d known this would happen, I never would have taken a job at the imperial palace.
It would have been nice if the memories of my previous life had returned just a little sooner—about ten years earlier, ideally.
Still, it’s not completely too late yet.
I’d been on high alert for every rumor connected to the national marriage, then buried in work, and before I knew it another week had slipped away.
It’s good that the day I’m supposed to meet Everett is coming up soon, but…
Yet my steps toward our meeting place felt heavy, weighed down by worries.
The national marriage with Bellot seems all but decided now…
But then what happens to the Saintess if the Emperor marries the Bellot crown princess?
And what about the Emperor’s true nature?
What about my perfectly ordinary, mildly annoying office life?
I stopped in the middle of the street, looked up at the sky for no particular reason, and let out a long sigh.
For now, I should lie low and watch how things develop.
The Emperor of this period was a walking natural disaster.
Even Kylers, his closest aide, secretly believed the Emperor was unstable.
Like a calm sea that suddenly surges into a tidal wave.
It was probably meant to show how drastically the cruel Emperor would change after meeting the female protagonist, but if ninety percent of that setup’s victims come from the imperial palace, doesn’t the story need some serious revising?
People let their guard down after hearing rumors that his temperament seemed mild, only to suffer terribly for it.
Quite a few nobles who dared try to tame the Emperor had lost their heads.
Recalling the Emperor’s brutal methods from the original story, I clumsily traced the sign of the cross in the air.
I have no such ambitions, I swear. So please, let the donation I made last month still be working.
After finishing my short, worldly prayer, I took a deep breath and walked straight to the exhibition hall where Everett was waiting.
The moment I spotted him in the distance, my steps quickened without my permission.
“Lord Rohas.”
Everett seemed deeply lost in thought; he hadn’t even noticed me approaching.
Only after I called his name and slipped my hand into his did his distant gaze sharpen and finally settle on me.
“Miss Diaz.”
Everett, realizing it was me a beat too late, startled visibly.
He twitched as if wanting to pull his hand away, but stopped when he saw the faint disappointment on my face.
What is this reaction? What is this attitude?
I pouted theatrically.
“Should we not hold hands?”
I wasn’t planning to let go, but I drooped my eyebrows anyway, testing him. Everett fidgeted, carefully watching my expression.
“It’s not that…”
He avoided my direct gaze as he spoke.
His cheeks were unusually red today, and his golden eyes looked a little hazy, but he didn’t seem displeased.
Is he suddenly getting shy?
Why?
We’d already held hands several times.
Last time we’d even linked arms for a little while. There was no reason to feel embarrassed about it now.
I tilted my head, still holding his hand.
After some time passed and his complexion returned to normal, Everett offered a small excuse in a tiny voice.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised because you suddenly took my hand.”
When I turned toward the sound of his voice and our eyes met, his words trailed off into a mumble.
Then his cheeks, which had barely calmed, flushed red again.
Knowing his face was burning, Everett squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
“Really. I was surprised.”
He emphasized it once more, as if making a solemn vow.
“Yes, next time I won’t suddenly grab your hand.”
I nodded obediently and gave him a bright smile.
At the same time, Everett’s gaze darted away from me.
His captured hand felt warm, as if the heat had reached all the way to his fingertips.
But I tightened my grip on Everett’s hand just a little more.
As long as it’s not ‘suddenly,’ it’s fine.
I had, after all, dug a very small, sly, and trivial trap.
I sneaked a glance at his reddened ears and laughed quietly to myself.
By the way, it seems Everett is the type who startles easily.
His appearance suggested strong nerves, so it was unexpected.
Kind of a charming twist, I suppose.
When I realized I was interpreting everything about Everett in the most positive light possible, my own cheeks grew warm.
It was fortunate that he was still staring into empty space.
My gaze turned in the opposite direction from his.
We stood like that for a moment, backs to each other, hands still linked.
Thanks to the cloudy weather, the chilly air brushed my cheeks several times, and my blush quickly faded.
“Ahem. Shall we go inside now?”
I gave Everett’s hand a light shake.
“Yeah.”
Everett nodded, but his cheeks were still faintly pink.
The fourth exhibition, being the last one, had plenty to see.
“They say there are artifacts related to ego swords on display today.”
Since Everett was a knight, it was a topic that might interest him, so I walked into the exhibition hall with rather confident steps.
But surprisingly, the section displaying ego-sword-related artifacts was smaller than expected.
“The catalog made it seem like a big deal, but there aren’t many actual pieces.”
When I expressed my disappointment, Everett gave a faint smile.
“Still, it was enjoyable.”
His eyes looked exactly like someone watching an adorable child perform little tricks. The same expression I’d probably make when giving him chicken jerky.
Meeting eyes that resembled the sun on a spring day made my whole body itch with the urge to scratch everywhere.
I subtly avoided his gaze and tugged on our still-joined hands.
“Then shall we head over there next?”
My ears were burning.
So much that I wondered if I shouldn’t have tied my hair up.
I dragged the obediently following Everett from place to place.
At first I’d done it to look nonchalant, but today’s exhibition truly stimulated the heart of an ancient-artifact enthusiast.
I soon became completely absorbed.
“It is said that different colored gems were used in the creation of ancient magic tools depending on the type of spell engraved on them. This influenced the color mana studies of later mages…”
The explanatory text for the particularly interesting exhibit was written in tiny, cramped letters.
I brought my face close and read it in a soft whisper, when I felt Everett laughing behind me.
“Why are you laughing?”
I turned to ask him.
Caught laughing secretly, Everett answered sheepishly.
“Because you’re cute.”
The words had clearly bypassed his brain. The moment he finished speaking, Everett looked utterly horrified.
“No, that’s not…”
After opening and closing his mouth several times, he seemed unable to find the right words and simply buried his face in his hands.
As if his mind had gone completely blank.
But I was in much the same state.
He called me cute.
Even though the exhibition hall was made of stone and quite cool, it suddenly felt as hot as standing under the midsummer sun.
I fanned myself frantically with my free hand to cool down.
I have no idea what I should say.
A heart-fluttering tension swirled between us.
Lord Rohas and his strange comments.
I unfairly blamed Everett.
Not a single word passed between us.
Yet inside the crowded exhibition hall, it felt as though only the two of us existed.
In the awkwardness, my fingers wriggled about as if they had developed a mind of their own.
“U-um, we’ve seen everything here!”
“R-right? They said the next exhibit right over there is the highlight of this show. Shall we go see it?”
After standing there for who knows how long, we both moved at the same time, as if by silent agreement, to look at the other artifacts.
We walked stiffly, not even holding the hands we had been gripping so well earlier.
The artifacts that would normally have excited me didn’t catch my eye at all.
We wandered around the exhibition hall two more times without really seeing anything.
I need to suggest we leave, but I’m dying of embarrassment just thinking about speaking first.
Everett seemed to be in a similar state, so we continued pretending to observe the artifacts with utmost diligence inside our shy, awkward silence.
In the end, it was Everett who broke the quiet.
“Um, about that tea room we couldn’t visit last time.”
He meant the one we had postponed during our previous meeting because the restaurant reservation ran out and the place was too crowded.
“Yes, that tea room.”
I answered quickly before silence could wrap around us again.
“I remembered you mentioning it’s a place you visit often, Miss Diaz.”
Everett spoke as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
But the way his eyes slightly avoided mine and his awkward tone gave me a strong sense of déjà vu from the time he had memorized the exhibition catalog.
“It’s somewhere I used to go occasionally. Lately it’s become too crowded, so I haven’t been.”
“Would you like to go again?”
Encouraged by my interested reaction, Everett bravely made the suggestion.
“I’d love to.”
I smiled brightly, pushing back the date course I had spent all week preparing—the one I was sure Everett would enjoy.