We were eating in a soundproof and secure room. I never imagined that such a space existed until I had a al with the royal siblings, but now it has beco useful. However, the price was quite expensive, almost equivalent to two weeks’ living expenses.
Perhaps due to the structure of the room, it was priced this high, and I couldn’t help but feel it was a bit expensive.
I don’t know if it was to prevent food theft or because of the price, but it was prepaid. I was prepared to pay the price with tears in my eyes.
“Let pay for it.”
Marie, who had been holding my hand since we entered the restaurant, stepped forward as if she intended to pay.
I looked at her with my eyes wide open.
“Marie?”
“It’s okay. Have you forgotten what my family is? This is nothing.”
The words that ca out of her pride couldn’t be any cooler. When I looked at her with a moved expression, Marie shrugged and gave more strength to the hand she held.
Then Mari paid, and the staff led the way. We followed the staff, still holding hands.
‘It’s embarrassing…’
One might think that I’m an inexperienced person who has never even held a woman’s hand, but I actually had a girlfriend in my past life.
We broke up naturally when my parents passed away while we were dating. However, this is my second life and my second ti having a girlfriend.
In my second life, it was actually Cecily who held my hand first, but she did so half-forcedly, so the feeling was quite different. Moreover, compared to Cecily’s rough and calloused hands that had been trained through hard work, Marie’s hands were soft and gentle to the touch, almost to the point where I wanted to playfully tease her about it.
“When you go in here, please ring the bell if you want to order.”
“Thank you.”
“Have a good ti then.”
The employee politely greeted us and closed the door with good manners. As soon as the door closed, I looked around the room.
The last ti we ca, it was a very spacious four-person room, but the room we entered now was relatively small as it was a two-person room.
Of course, I say “relatively small” because it was still quite large for a two-person room. There was a reason why the price was set so high.
‘First of all…’
I looked around the room and then stole a glance at Marie.
She was blushing and lowering her head, looking nothing like the confident person who had cooly paid for the bill. Nonetheless, she still held onto my hand tightly, which was adorable.
However, in order to eat, I had to let go of her hand. In my heart, I wanted to sit next to her and have a proper al, but the conditions were not right for that.
As I watched Marie quietly, I called out her na.
“Marie.”
“…Yes?”
“Now let’s let go of our hands and have a seat.”
As soon as I spoke, Marie’s head, which had been lowered, lifted up and she stared straight at with her blue, flowing eyes filled with intense regret and a hint of desperation.
Then she looked directly into my eyes, pursed her lips, and responded with difficulty.
“…can’t we just stay like this?”
“…”
This is too dangerous. Marie’s appearance was so different from her usual lively and carefree personality that my heart raced with anxiety.
As she looked at with moist eyes and spoke with a slightly trembling voice, I didn’t know what to say. It was a sudden change in charm, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I quietly replied, looking up at Marie’s cute face.
“…let’s wait until our order arrives.”
“Okay!”
Marie responded energetically with a bright smile. I couldn’t help but laugh at how good that felt.
Before we sat down, we each chose our orders and rang the bell that was hanging on the door as instructed by the staff. It wasn’t long before the staff knocked on the door and entered.
“What can I help you with?”
“I want to place an order. I will…”
After we finished placing our orders, we stood and waited for our als without sitting down, holding hands and chatting with each other.
“… …”
I felt a thousand different thoughts swirling in my head. I don’t know if Marie feels the sa way as I do, but she lowered her head and blushed, only showing her hair.
Although my earlier comnt was a mistake, if I had brought up the subject without realizing the situation, the good atmosphere we had would have been ruined. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling too bad either.
Above all, Marie doesn’t seem to dislike at all. Until recently, Marie was just a simple female friend, but after realizing that she had so romantic feelings for , I felt different about her.
‘…Do I like Marie too?’
Honestly, I’m not sure. But it’s certain that my heart has been fluttering since I held her hand.
I didn’t know what to say in the subtle silence that had settled in the room, so I looked at Marie again. She happened to be looking at at that mont.
Our eyes t, and I smiled like a fool, looking at her eyes shining like sapphires.
Then Marie also smiled happily, expressing her feelings indirectly.
“Isaac.”
“Yeah.”
“Isaac. Isaac.”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Hehehe.”
Marie kept calling my na, and every ti she did, I responded in a soft voice. She seed to be happy just by calling my na, and her smile was so bright that her pearly white teeth showed. It seems like she really liked .
If such a beautiful girl shows that she likes , what man would dislike it? While looking at Marie’s innocent smile, I spoke up.
“Marie.”
“Yeah?”
“Marie.”
“Why?”
When I called her na this ti, Marie answered with a playful tone, shaking her body a little to express her feelings. I held her hand tightly as she swayed, and I noticed that her face beca a little redder.
‘This is really embarrassing…’
This eting was not intended to be like this, but sohow the situation has changed. However, the bigger problem is my own feelings. Since holding hands with Marie, she has looked more and more beautiful and cute to .
However, when I think back to how she looked during the gathering, that’s not it. Marie is undoubtedly a woman overflowing with charm in many ways.
‘If Xenon’s Biography really has such great value…’
Would there be no problem with dating Marie? Of course, from an external perspective, it would look like the daughter of a duke and the son of a baron are dating each other, which is inadequate.
There will surely be negative rumors about us. But everything changes from the mont I reveal that I am the author of Xenon’s Biography.
If the story that Marie brought up is true, then I am a person with an invaluable worth that cannot be recklessly asured. A writer with an imnse reputation that the country itself would want to keep close.
It’s only been less than an hour, but who would have known that my feelings would change like this. While looking at Marie, who was smiling brightly, I rembered the first edition that was tucked under my armpit.
It was nice to just hold hands like this, but we still have things to do, don’t we? With that in mind, I cautiously opened my mouth to Marie.
“…Marie?”
“Yeah, Isaac?”
“Should we sit down now? I have sothing to say.”
“Can’t you just say it like this? I think I know what you want to say.”
No, that’s not it. I barely managed to endure the urge to laugh at her cheerful tone.
“It’s not what you think. It could be sothing bigger.”
“…Sothing bigger?”
“Yeah. By the way, it’s not what you’re thinking, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Not like that…”
Marie tilted her head in doubt at my words, but then widened her eyes and turned her head completely in the opposite direction. It was a aningless gesture due to her ear that was exposed through her hair, although she was trying to hide her embarrassnt.
As I slowly released my hand that Marie had grabbed, she also let go with a soft pull. However, she seed disappointed as she tried to grab my hand again just before I completely let go.
“So, shall we sit?”
“Yeah…”
And so, we sat down after holding hands for almost 20 minutes.
As soon as I sat down, I looked at Marie sitting across from . She happened to be looking at too.
“… …”
“…Hee.”
Marie gave an awkward smile as if she were embarrassed when I looked at her. I smirked and asked her a question.
“Marie.”
“Yeah, Isaac?
“How’s your academy life?”
First, I asked a simple question, thinking about how to deal with this atmosphere. If we continued like this, it seed like it wouldn’t be good for either of us.
After hearing my question, Marie blinked her blue eyes and opened her mouth.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Well… at first, I thought it would be difficult…”
As she mumbled with her index finger tapping her cheek, she looked at my face. Then, with a wide smile, she spoke with sincerity overflowing from her words.
“But then I beca fond of you.”
“… …”
She didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding her feelings anymore. After all, I thought she might be thinking that they were already half in a romantic relationship, having given such a clear indication.
When my heart, which I had just managed to calm down, tried to race again, I suppressed it as much as possible. If I couldn’t suppress it, my face would probably turn red like a burning fla.
“Cough… Ah, I see. That’s good to hear. Is there anything uncomfortable about it?”
“As for anything uncomfortable… there isn’t anything right now. As you know, literature students have fewer classes than non-humanities students and they have to keep up with the lessons every day. Well, it might be different when we beco third years. How about you, Isaac?”
“I don’t have any discomfort either, except for when we did the group project last ti.”
“Ah, the group project. It was really hard at that ti…”
Fortunately, the conversation was able to continue smoothly without interruption even when the food ca in between. There was no interruption in the conversation that flowed back and forth between us.
When I had a al with the royal siblings, it made feel like my blood was drying up, but now I was more comfortable than ever.
I didn’t even notice the ti passing as Marie and I laughed and chatted happily during the al. It wasn’t proper etiquette, but we didn’t care.
And, of course.
“… …”
As soon as we finished our al and cleaned up, we both fell silent, as if we had made an unspoken agreent.
Marie probably sensed it too. That the real conversation was about to begin. I had planned for this mont, so I thought about what to say and how to build up to it rather than blurting it out all at once.
“…Marie.”
“…Yeah?”
Marie answered quietly without looking at , as if she didn’t have the courage to et my eyes. In the anti, I had placed the first edition of Xenon’s Biography on the table, which had been on my thigh.
Marie looked at the first edition on the table with a puzzled expression, wondering what it was since it looked like just a piece of mail.
She probably didn’t even know that I was the author of Xenon’s Biography unlike other people.
“Phew…”
However, when I actually tried to speak, I couldn’t control my trembling heart. Even though I exhaled a deep breath to relax, my heart was pounding as if cold sweat would break out.
‘It’ll be okay.’
Well, whether or not it would be okay depended on Marie.
To gather my thoughts, I closed my eyes tightly and muttered.
“Isaac.”
As I was trying to calm my nerves, Marie quietly called my na. I opened my eyes at that mont.
“What’s wrong?”
When I opened my eyes, I was t with a confusing situation.
“…?”
Marie and I weren’t very far apart from each other, but we weren’t exactly close either. Yet, now Marie’s face was right in front of my nose.
I was perplexed and wondered what was going on when I belatedly realized that she had gotten up from her seat and leaned forward.
“Earlier, you said it wasn’t like that, right?”
Marie spoke to while I was unable to say anything. Her voice was moist and llow, unlike Cecily’s.
“I have a rough idea of what you’re trying to say… but it probably doesn’t matter.”
With those words, Marie slowly approached my face and…
smack-
She pressed her lips against mine, making a popping sound, and quickly pulled away.
It wasn’t a deep kiss between lovers, just a light peck.
However, the feeling that was conveyed to my lips was anything but light. Though it was a light kiss, it was a kind of declaration.
Like planting a flag, it was an action that left no doubt in the mind of the other person.
Thanks to that, my thoughts ca to a standstill. I never dread that Marie would be so bold, and it almost felt like we had skipped all the steps in between.
anwhile, Marie blushed deeply, and with a warm voice, she opened her mouth and said.
“I just like you, that’s all.”
Translators note:
Ahh… Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh… WHY IS IT SO ADORABLE.
Thank you, BaronNeckbeard, for you support on kofi. These 2 chapters have been brought to you by him.
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