Side Story 1 – Chapter 1
* * *
The capital was enamored with “a love that transcends the master-servant relationship between families, like a 221-chapter novel” for quite so ti.
However, after the story’s main characters Claude and lody got married, no one was interested in that long-standing scandal anymore.
So people who were drawn to sensational stories secretly hoped that Ronny or Jeremiah would create an interesting scandal following Claude…
But unfortunately, the two young n completely shattered the expectations of the capital’s nobles and pursued an extrely upright lifestyle.
As more ti passed, people’s attention now naturally shifted to the youngest, Loretta.
With her unique liveliness and cheerful charm, she instantly made all the capital’s nobles her captives.
That popularity was still going strong even now that she was 22 years old, and she was still counted as the person who received the most invitations in the capital.
Among those who cherished her was the young emperor who had newly ascended to the throne 8 years ago.
Whenever he had free ti, he would ask Loretta to spend ti with him separately, treating her specially to that extent.
Another one of Loretta’s close associates that couldn’t be left out was Prince August.
Loretta was now nominally the most influential young lady in the capital.
But Loretta still muttered to herself, “Life is tough.”
The reasons for her tough life were twofold. One of them was that she was very, very worried about lody.
“You know, lody. I’ve been thinking.”
Loretta spun around behind lody, who had been sitting at the desk for seven hours.
“Yes?”
When lody put down her pen for a mont and looked up, Loretta stretched out her arms and hugged her neck tightly.
“No matter how I look at it, it seems like lody has been tricked into marriage by Claude.”
“Haha, tricked into marriage.”
lody leaned her head on Loretta’s arm for a mont and laughed amusedly.
But Loretta wasn’t joking. It wasn’t a figure of speech either.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no doubt lody had been tricked into marriage by Claude Baldwin.
“Listen carefully, lody.”
Loretta pulled lody’s pitiful hand that had been holding a pen for hours towards her for a mont.
“lody is doing the work of the duchess, right?”
“Yes. Honorably so.”
It goes without saying, but the Duke of Baldwin still hadn’t taken a new wife. Based on the current situation, he didn’t seem to have any plans to either.
Thus, lody had been managing both the ducal castle and the capital’s mansion ever since marrying Claude, until now at the age of 28.
“And since Grandfather and Grandmother Higgins retired, you’re also working as a butler concurrently.”
“Well, I’m a Higgins after all.”
“On top of that, you’re also still preparing for the Records Keeper exam!”
“Well, that’s because I have to prepare since I don’t know when the exam will be held.”
“Don’t you think you have way too much work?”
“It is a lot, but it’s okay.”
lody laughed as she lightly kissed the back of Loretta’s hand that had been massaging her own hand.
“There are 24 hours in a day after all.”
“If it were , I wouldn’t have made lody work so hard.”
“Well, it’s not like Claude is particularly making
work hard. I’m just doing the work I chose… I think no matter who I married, I would have lived like this.”
“But that doesn’t make brother’s marriage scam disappear. He’s really an.”
“What does it matter when Loretta hugs
like this all the ti? If it’s a scam like this, I’ll gladly be tricked many more tis.”
At those sweet words, Loretta found herself smiling without realizing it.
But soon she buried her face in lody’s neck and shook her head wildly.
“Ah, no! I didn’t plan to make lody suffer like this!”
“Then what was your plan?”
“I planned to make you happy! The happiest in the world!”
“You know, Loretta.”
lody gently stroked the cheek of Loretta leaning against her and smiled softly.
“I think that plan succeeded a long ti ago.”
“…Oh.”
Even at those kind words, Loretta made a glum face.
“I’m always worried that I couldn’t properly carry out my plan to make Loretta happy.”
“I’m happy too. Second happiest in the world.”
“But that’s.”
lody turned her body and completely embraced Loretta’s cheeks with both hands.
“It’s because today is the day you’re eting Evan, right?”
“It, it’s not necessarily.”
“It’s been three months since you last saw each other?”
As Loretta slowly nodded her head, her face turned irreversibly bright red.
“…Yeah.”
“Hehe.”
Seeing Loretta, who was always confident, noticeably embarrassed was so cute that lody got up from her seat and tightly hugged her waist.
During this passionate embrace, Claude briefly visited lody’s office.
But upon discovering the passionate(?) scene between his wife and younger sister, he displayed the virtue of a great husband and quietly gave them space.
* * *
8 years ago from now.
The forr emperor stepped down from the throne as promised as soon as the crown prince beca an adult.
The winds of change that blew from the imperial family also influenced the Magic Tower, and “Magician Baldwin” also inherited Tower Master Owen’s position around the sa ti.
Jeremiah, who ca to lead the tower of knowledge at a young age, had been focusing on expanding opportunities to interact with foreign magicians from then until now.
anwhile, his disciple Evan not only gained the title of “Magician” but also beca a fully 18-year-old adult and was continuing his independent research on “mana stones”.
“So, I know Evan can’t help having frequent business trips for his research. Echo.”
Loretta stroked the soft fur of Echo sitting on her lap in the carriage heading to the Magic Tower.
After it beca known that Loretta frequented the Magic Tower, Echo began to confidently visit and act as a guest at the ducal residence.
Fortunately, the people at the ducal residence didn’t dislike the mysterious cat Echo.
No, after seeing Echo sitting dignified on the shoulder of the stern Duke Baldwin, they actually began to love Echo definitively.
“But thinking back to the past, I should be happy just being able to et like this.”
Echo let out a deep sigh and lay down even flatter. Because the “past” Loretta ntioned ca to mind vividly.
After Loretta awakened as a physis, narrowly overca a life-threatening situation, and even finished recuperating in Kristonson and returned.
Loretta tried to et Evan again. To the point of getting difficult permission from the Duke to visit the Magic Tower.
But Evan shut himself in his room and absolutely refused to et Loretta.
Three months passed like that without them eting each other.
As the hurt of rejection deepened, Loretta went to find Evan, saying “this is really the last ti”.
“You know, Evan.”
She leaned her forehead against the tightly closed door and whispered desperately in a small voice.
“Will you open the door for
today?”
No answer ca from the other side.
Only the clicking sound of Evan fumbling with the doorknob, not knowing what to do, resonated.
“Evan.”
“…Ah, no.”
“I miss you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Miss.”
“I’m already hurt.”
“I’m, I’m sorry! I didn’t know my mana would still be tornting you…”
“That’s not what I an, I!”
“I was wrong. From now on, I won’t even go near you. So…”
To avoid being swayed by Loretta’s words, Evan covered both his ears and conveyed his resolve again.
But he felt sothing strange halfway and slowly stopped talking.
Evan slowly removed the hands covering his ears.
“Mi…ss?”
Actually, until then, Loretta had been making various threats(?), urging him to open the door.
Among them were many sweet offers that Evan wanted to completely fall for.
But Evan never wavered and maintained his distance from Loretta.
Because nothing good would happen even if he stayed by her side.
But…
“Sniff.”
At the faint sound of crying coming from the narrow gap, Evan was so surprised that he unknowingly opened the door wide.
“Miss!”
Loretta was sitting crouched in front of the door with a tear-stricken face.
It seed she had been crying the whole ti she was talking to him.
“D-don’t cry. Okay?”
Evan sat facing her in front of her, not knowing what to do, forgetting that he had decided never to et Loretta again.
“I hate you, Evan. I really, hngh, hate you.”
Loretta wailed, constantly wiping her eyes with both hands.
“It’s… natural for you to hate , Miss.”
At the answer that ca back in a trembling voice, Loretta lifted her head with an angry face.
When their eyes t, the startled Evan quickly averted his gaze.
After glaring at him for a while, Loretta opened her mouth, still with a voice full of sobs.
“…Hug .”
“Pardon?”
Evan looked at her again, doubting his ears.
Then Loretta stretched out both arms forward and shouted again.
“I said hug !”
As her hands seed about to touch his shoulders, Evan quickly backed away, propping himself on the floor.
“I, I can’t dare do such a thing to you, Miss… D-don’t cry, okay? Ahhh, what should I do…”
As Loretta’s crying got louder and louder, and she even started having difficulty breathing, Evan couldn’t be stubborn any longer.
“Please don’t cry. I’ll do everything you tell
to, Miss. Okay?”
“…Really? You’ll really do everything I want?”
At the question Loretta asked, calming down a bit, he quickly nodded.
“Really! What should I do?”
“First… hug .”
Loretta stretched out both arms forward again, and Evan approached her very awkwardly and patted her shoulders.
“Hngh, heuk”
But sohow, when he hugged her, Loretta’s crying seed to get even louder.
“D-don’t cry. I’ll keep hugging you. I’ll never let go. Okay?”
“Really…?”
“Yes, really. Look, I’m hugging you well, right?”
Loretta nodded slightly and made another request to him.
“Then hug
tight now.”
“T-tight?”
But when he asked back hesitantly at the second request, Loretta looked disappointed and hung her head over his shoulder.
“…You said you’d do anything I ask.”
“Ugh.”
Although still very awkward, Evan hugged Loretta’s back tightly for a mont.
“I, I did it. Is, is that okay? You won’t cry, right?”
When he slightly distanced himself, Loretta quickly lifted her head. Staring at him with reddened eyes.
When Evan asked, squirming, “What else… should I do for you?” Loretta nodded.
“Yeah.”
“T-tell .”
“I like you, Evan.”
The startled Evan froze in place, unable to say anything.
Not knowing his feelings, Loretta tugged on the hem of his robe and spoke again.
“I… like you very much, Evan. Do you like
too?”
“…”
He didn’t answer the earnest question.
And that was Loretta’s second concern that made her mutter “life is tough” to this day.
Reviews
All reviews (0)