Chapter 3: 3

“Nngh…”

 

Elena’s face right now was as red as a beetroot.

 

On the table between me and Elena, there were two empty tea cups and two plates with what looks like crumbs on it.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t really like sweets. I had cut a small piece of cake and could barely finish it. That said, how did everything on my plate get wiped clean?

 

What do you mean “how?” This lady over here ate it all.

 

Have you ever seen a hamster eat sunflower seeds? When you give a hamster a seed, it gobbles on it with its tiny mouth, nibbling the seed into little pieces. It keeps doing it so it makes you want to give it more which is so adorable. For me, Elena Edelweiss was that hamster.

 

If this was a webtoon, there would be an obvious sound effect, “nomnomnom” next to her eating. She picked up the snacks one by one with a fork, chewing them slowly. She reminded me of a small animal.

 

That cute side of hers made me put the desserts from my plate to hers, just as I used to give sunflower seeds to the hamster. Without noticing my gesture, she simply enjoyed the food with a happy expression.

 

Currently that same Elena was turning red realizing what happened too late.

 

“You must like sweets a lot more than I imagined, Lady Edelweiss. I guess it’s a good thing I prepared some ahead of time.”

 

“Nnngh! T-Thank you… I’m sure you like them a lot, but you gave them all to me… T-The next time I visit, there’s a famous parfait store in our region, I’ll bring one of each type from there!”

 

No, it’s okay. I can’t eat sweet things like that…

 

She was very embarrassed, but she seemed to be doing better than she was earlier when she was stiff and unable to say a word.

 

“It’s fine, I appreciate the gesture. Rather, the chef would be quite pleased if you told them you enjoyed the desserts a lot. If you would like more, please tell me anytime.”

 

“Really?”

 

Elena burst into a big smile, looking even happier than before. As a result, strange emotions begin to bubble.

 

Was it the dessert? The effect which made one satiated and satisfied? Her appearance was so bright it was to the point that it made me question whether she was the same person as the one who had been fiddling with the teacup earlier. Maybe it’s because they found something in common with each other, which was supposedly liking sweets.

 

I shouldn’t have said that I enjoyed them. Anyway, this is good. We can now hold a conversation. If things were like it had been before, I probably wouldn’t be able to hear her opinion on the matter even if we stayed here all night. It’s more likely, I would be the only one to talk and things would end there. I wanted us to communicate, I did not want this to be one-sided.

 

What I wanted from this opportunity was for her and I to be united in our decision to invalidate this engagement. In order to do so, a conversation was necessary, the most basic communication between people. 

 

To be honest, if I just said, “Let’s call off the engagement,” it would happen without a hitch. She wasn’t good at being self-assertive and she tended to be swept away easily. If I said that, she would be bewildered, but she would most likely do whatever I want even if it did hurt her pride.

 

However, that won’t do. I don’t know if this overreaction was pointless or not, but I don’t plan on doing anything that would negatively affect her, even if it is trivial.

 

This was essentially the world of a novel I used to read and the story was bound to revolve around the main character. It would not be an exaggeration to think of her as the heart of this world. Of course, not all novels were like that. It depended on the genre and the writer’s inclination. 

 

However, the story of “The Princess is Loved” had a world revolving around Elena Edelweiss.

 

It may be impossible, but what if the world saw me as a villain for any action of mine that could potentially influence her adversely? Of course, this was an unproven delusion of mine, but if it were the case, I’d suffer a misfortune in some shape or form. It’s not improbable for me to get killed off by one of the male leads who loved her. 

 

What I was trying to get at was that in some incident or another, Count Kraus would get obliterated. That’s why, the soundest method was to end matters smoothly with her in the best way possible. If our engagement was broken, there wouldn’t be any reason for us to meet. When the original story commences, an incident would occur that would make her forget her ex-fiance and past acquaintances anyway. I could automatically slip out of her story then.

 

Above all, the closer I got to her, the more my body tried to lose control. For the past five years, my body listened to me well. Yet, the moment I met her, I started to feel weird. Particularly in the emotional and mental aspect, it tended to keep steering toward a strange direction.

 

Perhaps it’s luck that Elena Edelweiss was a barrier of sorts. It’s clear that I would have been overwhelmed by such emotions.

 

Was it a good thing that it only happened around Elena?

 

Actions dictated by uncontrolled emotions was tantamount to madness. Of course, it’s not to the degree where I couldn’t control it. It kept popping up like mold, interfering with my reason. So long as I stayed focused, I could do just about anything.

 

However, if I had to focus on several things like I am now, I may end up with a mental disorder someday. From then on, I will truly become a lunatic. I didn’t want to be a psychopath, I would hate it even more if I were ruined by this madness. So unless I wanted to be a beast that lived purely on its instincts, I could not get close to her no matter what.

 

After I completely organized my thoughts, I asked her a question.

 

“Um, Lady Edelweiss. Pardon me, but would you allow me to call you by your name?”

 

“Ah, yes! Of course! Then, can I call you Lord Damian?”

 

“Yes, go ahead. Although it’s not official, we are still engaged. So long as it’s not a swear word, it doesn’t matter what we call each other.”

 

“E-Engaged… That’s right, we are.” Remembering their relationship and why she was there, Elena gave a faint reply and bowed her head. 

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Um, I understand how you feel, but it doesn’t feel that great when you’re so sullen in front of the person concerned.

 

Just tie her and put her in a room where she can’t…

 

Grip.

 

Begone, you devil. Who are you trying to make into an SM player?

 

This god awful madness truly came out all the time. Thanks to you, my thighs are the only ones suffering.

 

It’s understandable why Elena was so sullen.

 

Marriage was generally something a person could do only once in a lifetime. Whether they be a man or a woman, everyone’s fantasies on marriage varied from person to person. However, it didn’t apply to her now. Unlike ordinary political marriages, she and I had the opportunity to choose.

 

The option to decide whether to maintain this engagement and make it official or to return to a relationship where we had nothing to do with each other.

 

Obviously I’d pick the latter, and looking at her reaction just now, I would say she would too. However, due to Elena’s personality, she couldn’t directly say it to me, so I would have to make her say it first.

 

“Elena, I understand how you’re feeling right now. It’s natural that you’re reluctant to be engaged to someone like me, who’s as good as a stranger.”

 

“Ah. I-It’s not like that!”

 

“You don’t have to force yourself to say that. It’s the same for me.”

 

“Eh.”

 

I may have hit it on the nail since Elena stiffened.

 

Your face says it all, do you really expect me to believe it’s not like that?

 

“Um, do you mean to say you do not wish to be engaged to…”

 

“No, of course not. How could I hate my engagement with you? Marrying a lady like you is what all the men in the empire could dream of.”

 

Of course, I liked it. If this was a world without the original plot, I would have done three somersaults right here and now. Who would hate to have a wife, who has a great personality and is the most beautiful in the world?

 

The problem was that this was a world in a novel with a fixed plotline. In that story, our separation was a requisite. With such a fate, a normal engagement could not last. All I could do was end this relationship differently from the original.

 

With the values of marriage in mind, I chose my words as carefully as possible so I wouldn’t offend her.

 

“Rather than a happy marriage for myself, I want one where both me and my partner are happy. Please be honest, Elena Edelweiss. Are you in love with me right now?”

 

“That’s…” She trailed off, unable to answer my blunt question.

 

It’s only natural. It’s our first time meeting today, and we’ve never talked to each other through letters before. Unless she was someone who fell in love at first sight, there’s no way she would say she loved me.

 

“I don’t believe marriages must be unhappy and must be between those who don’t love one another. My parents did, and other families have done the same, but unlike them, we can make our own decisions.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“It’s very difficult to choose a stranger as a partner to be with for the rest of your life. No matter how popular political marriages are among nobles, the relationship between us is not like any other political arrangements. Unlike others who were forced into one by their families, you and I have the right to choose.”

 

You don’t have to choose someone you don’t know well.

 

Elena Edelweiss. This engagement is not for someone else to decide, but something that you can decide on your own. So pick the option you want the most. Such were my thoughts.

 

“No matter what you choose, I will respect it, Lady Edelweiss. Please don’t feel pressured and tell me what you think. This meeting may be for us to get to know each other before the engagement, but it is also for us to tell each other what we really think about our engagement.” I said.

 

Despite the answer being set and stone, I pressured the hesitating lady to make a choice.

 

Soon enough she gave me her response, with a determined look that indicated she had made up her mind.

 

“Then shall we get engaged? Formally, I mean.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Translator’s Note

Teaser of one of our upcoming projects. It’s a Fluff wholesome novel with its fair share of heartwarming comedy. It has received good reviews. Mass release will happen at a later date, for now I hope the readers enjoy these 3 chapters.

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