“My ear’s been itching a lot lately...”
As I stood in front of the gates of House Embergreen, waiting for Lady redia’s arrival, I found myself idly scratching my ear and muttering under my breath.
“No wonder.”
“...Ah, my lady. You’re here?”
The mont I heard that familiar cold voice from beside , I turned to see redia standing at the half-open carriage door, looking down at with her usual impassive expression.
“The more famous you get, the more people there’ll be who don’t like you.”
“But I haven’t done anything worth resenting anyone for...”
“...Are you joking?”
“No, I’m serious...”
I know my appearance tends to draw suspicion, but in terms of behavior, I’ve always been decent. In fact, isn’t it precisely because of that that Saintess Hestia, currently in the Theocracy, was moved by ?
I an, if even a saintess acknowledged , that should count for sothing. And yet, this shallow world’s obsession with appearances... Ugh. Reincarnation or not, so things never change.
“Even if you truly haven’t done anything wrong, there are still plenty who would resent you.”
As I stood there, montarily downcast, redia looked down at and spoke in a firm voice.
“Take the Theocracy, for instance. They’re supposed to fully support the Hero, and yet recently they sent a knight to spy on you under the pretense of service.”
“...Wait, how do you know that?”
“You’re underestimating my intelligence network.”
Her words made a chill crawl up my spine. As I warily glanced at her, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“If I wanted to, I could have soone report your every move to by the minute.”
“...That’s a little terrifying.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to plant anyone in your estate. Not yet, anyway.”
Even as she smiled faintly while saying that, the fact that it was redia saying it made it impossible to take as a joke.
“I know there’s no privacy between married couples, but isn’t that a bit extre...?”
“Sorry, but that’s just how I do things.”
...Well, I guess I should take so comfort in the fact that she’s now openly treating like her fiancé. Even if it’s still ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a fragile relationship that could change at any mont.
Still, the fact that she’s wearing the ring I gave her—every ti we et—gives at least a little peace of mind for now.
“Co on. Let’s get going.”
“......”
“If we leave now, we’ll probably reach Lun Ordo’s headquarters by sundown.”
I opened the carriage door wide, mindful of the tight schedule—but for so reason, redia didn’t move.
“Did I ever say I’d go with you?”
“...What?”
“Contacting not even a day in advance? You’re still as rude as ever.”
I froze for a mont as she suddenly turned cold. And yet—she was dressed in comfortable travel attire, held her usual folding fan, and even had just the right amount of makeup on, subtle enough not to stand out.
None of that matched her words. But rather than pointing it out, I bowed and apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry, my lady.”
“......”
“I should’ve considered your circumstances more carefully.”
When I cautiously looked up, I caught the brief flicker of satisfaction that passed across her face.
“If you needed a guard, you could’ve brought that knight of yours.”
“...Haha.”
“If you needed a strategist, you could’ve brought that arrogant little brat.”
As she scolded coldly once more, I quietly listened—then offered the best answer I could manage in this situation.
“Even with both of them combined, they still don’t compare to you.”
“......”
“You’ve never lost a single duel, and you always ranked first during your academy years...”
“...And where did you learn that?”
Oops. That was definitely information I only knew from my previous life.
Still, I had enough experience to cover that sort of slip with ease now.
“My intelligence network might be inferior to yours, my lady, but when it cos to you, I pay closer attention than anyone.”
“...Creepy.”
“Ahaha...”
Or so I thought—but the way her expression twisted in disgust told I might’ve gone a little too far.
‘What can I even do for her, really?’
The problem is, even if I want to give her sothing, there’s very little I can give her.
Even if I prepared an extravagant gift, she could just snap her fingers and have the exact sa thing delivered to her estate within a day.
There’s a reason the Empire’s top rchants bow their heads to her, even while ignoring imperial decrees.
“If you help this ti, my lady... I’ll grant you one wish. Whatever you desire.”
That’s why, in the end, the only thing I could offer her was a vague promise—backed by myself.
“...Anything?”
Surprisingly, she took the bait.
“Of course. I wouldn’t lie in front of you.”
“Hmph. You must be truly desperate.”
She cast a sideways glance at , then stepped into the carriage. I quickly followed her in, cheering inwardly.
“You’d better keep that promise. Even if it costs your life.”
“...No doubt about it. Haha.”
Her words sent a small chill down my spine, but that was a problem for future .
“I’m getting tired of having to cast an eavesdropping ward on this cheap carriage every ti.”
“I’ll make sure it’s ready in advance next ti...”
As soon as she sat down, she snapped her fingers and cast the ward as easily as breathing. Watching her, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d sohow been maneuvered into all this.
‘Nah... just my imagination.’
Surely, surely the Lady wouldn’t manipulate just to win so favor from my promise, right?
“Well, back to what we were saying earlier...”
While I nervously scratched my head, redia snapped her fingers again, closing the carriage door with a soft click, and looked at quietly.
“There was a ti... when I did nothing wrong—and yet still found myself the subject of everyone’s gossip.”
“...Really?”
“So I gave people a reason to hate .”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
She shrugged with a haughty smile, but knowing a bit of her past, the sight struck as a little... sad.
“That’s kind of depressing.”
“...Why?”
“If people could see the face you make for sotis, a lot fewer of them would hate you.”
I cracked a teasing grin as I said it, but redia’s face imdiately twisted into a grimace.
“I should’ve known—more nonsense out of your mouth.”
“Though I do prefer having that face all to myself... Ow!”
I tried to keep the joke going, but I ended up with a sharp smack on the head from her fan. That finally shut up.
‘...That wasn’t a fan, it was a damn club.’
The servants at the estate should’ve seen in that pitiful mont. No—better that I take the hit than have redia continue to be misjudged as so villainess.
“If you joke like that one more ti, it won’t be the fan—I’ll start snapping fingers instead.”
“...Haha.”
And just like that, with all the ups and downs, our journey with Lady redia now aboard had grown far more reassuring.
***
As Whitney leaned back in his seat with a slightly content smile—
So this is what they call “the push” part of push-and-pull...
redia sat across from him, hiding her face behind her unfolded fan as she observed him quietly.
But how exactly do I “pull”...?
Had Clara been there, she might’ve burst out laughing at the innocence of the question. But redia, for her part, was taking the dilemma with the utmost seriousness.
If I only push, there will definitely be side effects.
“......?”
But I don’t want to look like I’m chasing him either.
Unlike Clara or the other noble girls at the academy, who probably read their share of romance novels, redia had zero background in that departnt.
“Hey.”
“Ah, yes?”
As she continued peeking at Whitney over her fan in deep thought, redia suddenly called out.
“Give your hand.”
“...All of a sudden?”
“When did you start questioning my orders?”
“Haha, I never said no.”
Whitney blinked in confusion, then quickly held out his hand at the sharpness in her tone.
“Not your right hand. Left.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He obediently switched hands, then asked with a sheepish look—
“This isn’t so kind of training for dogs, is it?”
“Shut it and stay still.”
Ignoring him, redia reached into her sleeve and pulled sothing out.
“Ah.”
“......”
“This is...”
Whitney’s eyes widened slightly when sothing slid onto the ring finger of his left hand. He looked up at her in surprise.
“The lucky ring you gave —turns out it’s such an ancient artifact that there aren’t any like it left.”
“Oh...”
“So I had one specially replicated by a jeweler.”
On Whitney’s finger now sat a ring identical to the one redia wore on her own.
“I doubt it actually increases luck or anything, but—”
“......”
“—the design’s basically indistinguishable.”
In truth, it wasn’t so jeweler’s work. redia had stayed up late herself to replicate it by hand, then waited for the right mont to gift it. But that part was her little secret.
“You’re giving this to ?”
“What do you think engagent rings are for? They only have aning if both people wear the sa one.”
“Well, when you put it like that...”
“Then shut up and accept it already.”
Unable to co up with a smooth way to do any actual “pulling,” redia had made a bold play instead.
Whitney looked down blankly at his left ring finger, murmuring in a low voice.
“Now even strangers will be able to tell we’re together, just by looking.”
“...Yeah.”
redia instinctively responded, then flinched and turned toward the window.
“I was expecting a ‘Don’t get the wrong idea, this is part of the contract’ or sothing...”
“...Shut it.”
“Yessir.”
According to Clara’s rule of push-and-pull, you were supposed to alternate the two with a healthy gap in between—but...
“Still, Lady redia, just now I might’ve actually fallen for y—”
“...I said shut it.”
Even if redia’s version didn’t follow the textbook thod, it got the result she wanted—so that was that.
***
anwhile, in the underground levels of Lun Ordo’s headquarters—a room covered in ominous magical symbols.
“My lady, the Hero has just departed.”
“...H-Huh!?”
As the maid who entered the room delivered the report, the girl tucked in a corner, poring over sothing, jolted and quickly hid what she was holding behind her back.
“Yes, yes, fine! Now go!”
“...I understand you want to look good for your guest, but how about a bath first?”
“Get out!!”
The girl’s commanding voice faltered the mont the maid spotted the hand mirror poking out from behind her back.
“Honestly...”
Sighing as though watching her moody teenage daughter, the maid left the room, shutting the door with a loud bang.
【Sanctum of Tiffany Astellade – Guardian of Radiance, Keeper of Celestial Secrets, Heir to the Great Mage of the Seven Stars, Bearer of the Eyes of Luminous Wisdom, Controller of the Galactic Flow... (abridged) ...Supre Sovereign of White Magic】
Reading the absurdly over-the-top title plate plastered across the door, the maid muttered in a tone of resignation—
“...They say Ringaarden servants are paid well. Maybe I should switch jobs.”
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