Epilogue
A glimpse into their heartwarming days after the events. The first half
is from Layla's perspective, and the second half is from Ashren's perspective.
Layla's POV
「Ashren-sama, you are too close.」
「In the Kanista Kingdom, this is the normal distance for an
engaged couple.」
Saying so, he planted a kiss on my hair, even though we were in the
middle of a carriage ride on our way to work. As my ears turned bright red at
the soft chu sound, his ice-blue eyes gleamed mischievously, and this
time, his lips brushed against my temple.
Are engaged couples in the Kanista Kingdom really this intimate?
Even so, the reason I couldn't argue back too strongly was out of a
sense of guilt; I knew Ashren-sama was compromising to accommodate my
circumstances.
Our engagement was settled quite smoothly, complete with my parents'
consent (I was too scared to ask exactly how he managed to persuade
them). However, the issue that arose was the differing customs of our
respective countries. In the Jilgista Kingdom, an engagement period of
over a year is the standard. Couples take their time to know each other, the
bride studies the territory management of the family she is marrying into, and
only then do they wed. In contrast, the Kanista Kingdom sees a lot more
free-willed romance. Engagement periods are short, usually lasting only the few
months it takes to prepare for the wedding.
Ashren-sama apparently intended to marry me
immediately, but when I told him I wasn't mentally prepared for that yet, he
reluctantly agreed to meet me halfway.
He smiled and said that in exchange for agreeing to a one-year
engagement, he wanted me to accept Kanista's customs. And thus, his relentless
doting began.
Isn't an engagement supposed to be a purer thing? With Carter-sama, the most we ever did was briefly hold hands
at evening banquets. But there was no way I could say that out loud. As the
carriage finally rolled to a stop, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Days like this have already continued for half a year. Lately, I had
been trembling with fear, wondering what would happen once we actually got
married, given that his expressions of affection were escalating day by day.
Then, a shockwave ran through the laboratory.
「Eh! Tick and Flora are engaged?」
Right in front of my widened eyes, the two of them huddled close
together, looking a bit embarrassed but smiling with absolute happiness.
「Since when...? I didn't notice at all.」
「We had some great camouflage around, so that really saved us!」
Tick laughed brightly as he said it, but that
"camouflage" was definitely referring to me and Ashren-sama.
Even though Ashren-sama didn't engage in unnecessary physical contact at
the workplace, we still stood out quite a bit.
「So, when are you getting married?」
「We plan to do it in two months. Will you attend?」
「Of course.」
While I held Flora's hand and offered my congratulations, Ashren-sama
was the only one standing next to me draped in a gloomy aura.
「Two months... and here I've already been enduring for half a year.」
「Just half a year left for you, sir! Excuse us for going on ahead!」
Tick patted his shoulder encouragingly, only
to receive a fierce glare in return. But even under that piercing gaze, Tick
just smiled a goofy, happy smile. He's strong.
As for me, I leaned in and whispered something I had been wondering
about to Flora.
「Hey, how exactly do engaged couples in the Kanista Kingdom usually
spend their time?」
「How, you ask?」
「Well... for example, sitting right next to each other and holding hands
in the carriage...」
「I suppose that happens, yes.」
「Or touching each other's hair...」
「Yeah, sure.」
「Or having 'I like you' or 'I love you' whispered in your ear whenever
there's time. Or kissing your hair and forehead, or getting dragged into bed
every morning when you go to wake them up, and also...」
I was rambling on until I noticed Flora staring at me with a
look of absolute disbelief. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
「I-I just heard this from somewhere, okay?」
「Right... um... well.」
Flora looked over at Ashren-sama with
half-closed eyes. He was still bickering with Tick about something and
hadn't noticed our conversation.
「Layla, let's see. Yeah. In another half a
year, a daily life will begin that will make all of those things seem perfectly
cute by comparison.」
I didn't think that really answered my question. But seeing Flora
laughing so happily, I couldn't press the matter any further, and instead
offered her my words of blessing once again.
Ashren's POV
After dinner that evening, having finished her nightly lamp signal of
"Good night" with Karin, Layla was relaxing on the
sofa, reading a book. The early summer breeze blowing in through the open
window ruffled her freshly washed hair, drifting a sweet scent through the air.
Drawn in by that scent, I placed the cup of brandy-laced black tea I
was holding onto the low table, lay down on my side, and rested my head right
on Layla's lap.
「Ashren-sama!?」
It was simply too cute how she called my name in that embarrassed,
slightly angry voice whenever I did something, which is exactly why I always
ended up pushing the envelope.
「Ashren-sama! Please move.」
「No. Besides, isn't it completely ridiculous that Tick and the
others are getting married before us?」
「Even if you say that... And besides, even though we aren't married yet,
isn't it fine since we are living together like this?」
「It is because we are living together that I am at my limit.」
I looked up, wondering how she could possibly not understand, only to
see her tilting her head with a blank, innocent expression. Do you have any
idea how many times I've had to suppress the urges welling up inside my body
every time I see that face? Just half a year left. Couldn't we just get on
with it already? ...No, I suppose not.
As I lay there, practically pressing my nose against Layla's
stomach, her slender fingers began gently stroking my hair, as if she had
finally given up. It felt like she was soothing a toddler, but it wasn't a bad
feeling. That sweet scent, the soft touch, the cozy warmth. While plugging my
ears to the bickering of the angel and demon on my shoulders, I simply savored
the moment for a while...
「Fufu, Ashuren-shama... so cute.」
Suddenly, a face peered down at me accompanied by a lisping, slurred
voice, making my heart jump wildly.
Her eyes were drooping and incredibly alluring, her cheeks flushed
bright red. I recognized this fluffy, floaty demeanor.
I bolted upright and looked at the cups on the table. It seemed she had
mistakenly drunk my brandy-laced tea instead of her own normal tea. No,
wait, shouldn't you have noticed after one sip? Why did you drink the whole
thing?
As I held the cup, wondering what to do, I was suddenly enveloped by
something soft. Layla was clinging to my neck, affectionately rubbing
her cheek against mine.
Wait. Let's wait. Calm down, me.
It was just the two of us here. My brother wasn't here, and my mother
wasn't here. Who was going to stop us?
「...Layla. Let's just go to sleep for now.」
「'Kay.」
「Can you stand?」
「No caaan dooo.」
I was pretty sure she could stand, but picking her up would be faster.
Resigning myself, I wrapped my arms around her body, and the arms she had
wrapped around my neck tightened their grip. Right, just hold on quietly
like that.
I carried her up the stairs, pushed the door to her room open with my
body, and laid her down on the bed.
「Layla, let go of my arms.」
「Uuun.」
「Layla...」
「Ashren-sama, I love you soo much.」
「...」
Ah, geez. Just what exactly am I fighting against here? I was starting to lose sight of who my enemy even was. I mean, this
couldn't be helped, right? I felt like I had done a pretty damn good job
holding out this far. Stringing those excuses together in my head, I lay down
on the bed next to her. Layla immediately began to breathe softly in her
sleep.
「...She fell asleep. Right. Of course she fell asleep.」
It was the same at the villa; whenever Layla drank alcohol, she
passed out immediately. I knew that. Yeah, I totally knew that.
I gazed at her adorable sleeping face and gently touched her lips. Soft
and warm. I planted a soft kiss on them—I had lost count of how many times I
had done this—and pulled the covers over us.
Ah, I'm kind of sleepy now. The tension
drained out of me all at once, and drowsiness attacked with a vengeance. I
decided I might as well just sleep here tonight.
I was looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction she would have
tomorrow. Watching her cute sleeping face, I drifted into a light sleep.
Needless to say, the next morning, Layla's scream echoed loudly throughout the separate estate.
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