Chapter 6…
“Did you tell her there’s a guest who arrived first?”
“Of course, but he insisted on coming in immediately……”
“Why is he suddenly acting like this?”
It wasn’t like him. Kindness and gentleness, goodwill and manners—though other fools would scoff at such words—wasn’t this Kevin Tilman?
“Tell him to wait just a moment—”
“If Lady Rea said ‘please wait just a moment,’ I was instructed to relay this message.”
Paula’s voice dropped even lower.
“This is my ‘wish.’”
Was that small “wish” something that even applied here?
Rea tilted her head, but she couldn’t refuse a rare request from Kevin. She carefully asked Oscar for understanding.
“Sir Oscar, I’m truly sorry…… but it seems an urgent guest has arrived. Would you mind coming down to the reception room with me?”
Normally, in social etiquette, the guest who arrived first would say, “Ah, then I shall take my leave.”
“Of course. Let’s go down together.”
“Ah? Pardon?”
Oscar was unexpectedly formidable.
With a bright smile, he added,
“I’m in no rush at all, so I’ll wait beside you until the urgent guest is finished with their business.”
—so he said.
Despite such a strong counter, Rea only let out a small “ah” in surprise once more.
She still did not realize she had stepped into the center of a swamp-like love triangle.
＊ ＊ ＊
When Rea came down to the reception room with Paula and Oscar, she saw Raymond and Kevin sitting at a table.
Kevin rushed over like a lover who hadn’t seen her in months and embraced Rea.
“Rea! I missed you.”
Rea buried her face in Kevin’s chest and asked in response.
“Hm?”
“You missed me too? Yes, I understand. That’s love—wanting to see someone over and over again no matter how many times you do.”
Rea looked up at him with a face that clearly said, ‘Did you eat something wrong?’
Kevin leaned down and whispered into her ear.
“Lean on my chest, Rea.”
“……What?”
Then he mouthed the words.
“Pro—posal.”
It was embarrassing, but Rea lightly rested her head against his chest.
From the outside, they looked like a fairly convincing couple.
Paula’s eyes widened, Raymond’s jaw dropped, and Oscar let out a low groan.
Kevin gave a satisfied hum and added,
“Of course, we also spent last night together.”
“Hm?”
Rea, startled by the outrageous statement, reflexively pulled away.
Kevin winked one eye.
‘It’s the signal to begin the operation!’
Of course. He must have prepared a play to reject Oscar for her sake. Kevin really was an angelic friend. She even felt slightly guilty for briefly wondering if he had lost his mind.
Kevin’s voice followed.
“Why, am I wrong?”
Well, it wasn’t entirely wrong. They had stayed up writing a contract, and the night had indeed passed.
“Uh? Ah…… no, that’s not—”
But in human language, one syllable makes all the difference.
Rea’s ambiguous answer—neither fully denying nor confirming—caused the three others to react in shock in completely different ways.
“Oh my goodness!”
“…What does that mean?”
“No, no way! S-seriously?!”
In order: Paula, Oscar, Raymond.
Raymond in particular sprang up like a spring from his seat.
“Sir Kevin! What is the meaning of this!”
“Oh, Sir Raymond is here as well.”
“You were sitting here just a moment ago!”
Kevin ignored Raymond completely and continued speaking.
“Rea, today is a very important day for us.”
Rea nodded, and Kevin pulled something from inside his coat.
It was an official marriage proposal document bearing the seal of House Tilman.
All eyes locked onto it as Kevin walked forward.
……Toward Raymond.
“Sir Raymond. As the head of House Flynn, please grant permission for Rea and my marriage.”
“……W-what did you say?”
Just as the document was about to be passed from Kevin’s hand to Raymond—
“Wait!”
Oscar stepped in front of Kevin.
The two men locked eyes, sparks practically flying between them.
“Oh my, oh my!”
Watching this, Paula kept exclaiming things like “This is huge!” and “Our young lady is insanely popular!”
“Paula, it’s not like that.”
“Miss, you’re pretending too much!”
Paula giggled and lightly slapped Rea’s shoulder.
‘No, it really isn’t……’
Strictly speaking, it was two men fighting over her.
But the problem was—one of them was a man who would kill her in the near future, and the other had no romantic interest in her at all and was allegedly a “homosexual.”
‘This is kind of weird.’
Rea sighed deeply and—now feeling like a spectator—turned her gaze back to Oscar and Kevin.
Oscar looked extremely agitated, while Kevin remained completely composed.
“What is the meaning of this? Are you Sir Kevin Tilman?”
“Yes, I am Kevin Tilman. And you must be Sir Oscar Donon? Pleasure to meet you.”
Kevin smiled brightly and extended his hand.
But Oscar did not take it.
“I am Rea’s friend of ten years—”
“I know that.”
“No, please listen further.”
As Oscar still refused to shake his hand, Kevin slowly lowered it.
“……I am the man who will become her husband.”
Oscar gritted his teeth.
“I think there is some misunderstanding. Are you aware that a marriage agreement between House Donon and House Flynn is already in progress?”
“Hm, I believe it’s not in progress anymore, but cancelled. I heard Lady Rea rejected your proposal yesterday.”
“……That is—”
Kevin’s lips curled upward slightly.
“Sir Oscar, clingy men aren’t attractive. And just so you know—”
Kevin stepped closer and gently placed his hand on Rea’s shoulder.
“Lady Rea Flynn and I here have been in a long-term relationship.”
“……What?”
Oscar’s face turned pale, clearly struck hard this time.
Watching Kevin wink again, Rea followed along.
“That’s right. Kevin and I have been long-time lovers.”
“Wait, that’s ridiculous—liar!”
Raymond tried to cut in and shout “liar,” but—
“We just kept it among people who knew.”
Kevin cut him off smoothly and met Oscar’s eyes head-on.
“I sincerely apologize to you, Sir Oscar.”
“……”
“Our engagement talks actually happened several months ago.”
Kevin looked down at Rea with an affectionate gaze and continued.
“However, right before I left on a long-term business trip to the Kingdom of Nawita, we had a major argument due to a small misunderstanding. And yesterday, I returned and immediately met Rea to resolve that misunderstanding and formally propose again. Does that clarify things?”
‘That’s surprisingly convincing.’
It was a cliché-like story, but not bad for something improvised in a single day.
Rea, now fully in the mindset of an audience member, nodded blankly.
Kevin whispered to her.
“Hold my hand.”
Rea snapped back to reality and took his hand.
She was slightly surprised by how smooth it felt.
But—
‘No, like this.’
His large, long fingers slipped between hers and interlocked with them.
Somehow embarrassed, she thought:
‘Kevin really is a man.’
Her relatively small hands were completely enveloped by his.
Had his hand always been this big and warm?
As she absentmindedly thought this, her face suddenly turned bright red.
What am I even thinking at a time like this—
“Couples who are close like that can hold hands, I suppose.”
Oscar was not backing down easily.
“But to me, the two of you only look like friends. If Lady Rea had a lover, I would never have proposed in the first place.”
“Hm.”
Listening to Oscar, Kevin narrowed his eyes. One corner of his lips lifted as he murmured to himself.
“……He’s pretty good.”
Did I hear that wrong? Rea wondered.
“Now then, Rea?”
Kevin immediately turned his gaze to her.
To anyone watching, his eyes looked sweet enough to drip honey.
“Y-yes?”
“Sir Oscar here doesn’t seem to believe our relationship at all.”
Perhaps because of his gaze and gentle voice, Rea found it difficult to meet Kevin’s eyes directly.
“Then…….”
“Shouldn’t we show proof?”
At that, she lifted her head again. Kevin was smiling mischievously.
“P-proof?”
“What kind of proof could there be for lovers?”
Kevin grinned and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Get ready.”
‘Get ready?’
The moment Rea’s eyes widened, Kevin’s beautiful face filled her entire vision.
Pale, translucent skin where veins could faintly be seen. Deep-set eyes under a sharp brow ridge, with deep navy pupils. A straight aristocratic nose and slightly flushed lips, giving him both elegance and subtle sensuality.
His strange gaze watching her in silence made her feel strangely tense.
“……Kevin?”
Kevin did not answer.
