Chapter 4……………………………………
The Meaning of Orange Roses
“What are we doing?”
“Getting married.”
At the blunt word, Leon’s upper body stiffened completely.
In contrast, Rowell’s expression as she spoke was perfectly calm. Because of that, Leon had to wonder if he had heard her correctly.
“Did you forget that we met today—no, just now?”
“I know. But still, we spent the night together. I thought it was a pretty nice time.”
Rowell spoke casually as she cast her gaze out the window, where the sky was beginning to brighten. To her, tonight had been a time in which she had secured a very satisfactory contract.
“You… what are you talking about…?”
“Yes?”
In front of Leon, who couldn’t hide his fluster, Rowell tilted her head and asked innocently.
“Spending the night together or whatever—we made a contract about magic power. We did not talk about marriage.”
Faced with that shameless look, Leon slowly inhaled, barely regaining his composure, and spoke firmly.
“I know. But a young woman can’t keep coming and going from an unrelated man’s house.”
But at some point, Rowell had leaned forward, speaking right in front of Leon’s face. Was this table always this narrow? the thought crossed his mind.
“That’s… true, but.”
“And don’t you need physical contact to absorb magic power? Then wouldn’t getting married and staying together be the most ideal option?”
Now Rowell had even placed her hands on the table, leaning her upper body toward Leon. From her raised dark eyebrows, an expression of genuine confusion was evident.
“……”
Caught between her confidence and her brazenness, Leon’s mouth forgot its role for a moment.
Then, as if to prove her point, Rowell placed her palm atop the back of Leon’s hand. Soon, a blue light shimmered, and a very small amount of magic power began to transfer.
In that instant, Leon felt a shiver from the intense sensation born of that shallow contact. Amid the tremor, he barely managed to speak.
“Even so, I’m the son of a marquis. How could I marry a maid like you—”
“Weren’t you the son of a marquis?” Rowell interrupted. “You’ve been expelled from your family now, haven’t you?”
“……”
The light circling their hands, the magic flowing into his skin, and above all, Rowell’s surprisingly sound logic—this time, Leon truly had nothing to say.
In the silence that followed, Rowell wondered if she had gone too far and continued in a soothing tone.
“You’re going to absorb my magic power and earn achievements, right? Then you can return to the House of Riefman—or rather, not just as a mere marquis’s family member, but perhaps receive an even higher title.”
Leon scanned Rowell’s face, now even closer than before. His own reflection was clearly visible in her violet eyes.
Perhaps it was that sincere gaze. Fortunately for Rowell, Leon’s deliberation ended quickly.
For Leon, who was burning with a desire for revenge, nothing mattered more than gaining great power and taking vengeance on those who had dragged him into the mire.
“…When you put it that way, it’s not wrong.”
After a long moment, Leon leaned back and conceded. His gaze drifted awkwardly to the bookshelf beside him, but it was a fairly natural response.
“Oh! Then we’re getting married!”
Rowell pulled her hand free and exclaimed loudly, her excited voice ringing out.
What kind of person is she…
Watching Rowell hop over to the window, Leon thought that despite only having spent a few hours together, she was utterly unfathomable. Of course, the fact that he himself was being swept along by this strange woman was just as absurd.
Miss Aria, this time I will definitely save you.
Unbothered, Rowell gazed at the sun peeking out over the horizon and continued thinking to herself.
In this situation, marriage is the most reasonable option.
As a servant of the Heinstein estate, there were too many restrictions to conduct a full investigation, so she needed to leave that house first. More importantly, the interval before returning to the regression point was growing shorter. To prepare for that, she needed to act quickly.
“Oh! Come to think of it, we’re about to get married, but we haven’t even introduced ourselves.”
Rowell suddenly turned around and spoke.
“What…?”
At her words, Leon slowly removed the hand he had been pressing to his forehead to stave off dizziness.
“Introductions! I’ll go first!”
Rowell exaggeratedly straightened her clothes, then carefully brushed dust from the hem of her skirt before speaking again.
“Hello, my name is Rowell. I’m currently working as a maid at the Duke of Heinstein’s residence. I’m twenty-two this year, and… um, I don’t have any family. And my closest friend is Miss Aria.”
After finishing her free-spirited introduction, Rowell flashed a grin and stared straight at Leon, as if to say it was his turn.
Naturally, Leon had no desire to give a self-introduction in this chaotic situation, so he kept his mouth shut.
But Rowell’s gaze grew increasingly insistent. In the end, Leon had no choice but to play along with this bizarre situation.
“…Leon Riefman. I’m twenty-six, the youngest of two sons and one daughter. As for family… I had them, but as you said, I’ve been expelled from my house, so it’s probably accurate to say I don’t anymore. The person I’m closest to is—”
Midway through, Leon stopped speaking, suddenly feeling foolish for obediently doing as told.
At his abruptly ended introduction, Rowell shrugged lightly and quickly shifted to another topic.
“Well then, now that we know each other and have promised to get married…”
Wary of whatever strange thing she might say next, Leon unconsciously looked at Rowell’s lips.
“I’ll give you my magic power now. Clause One of the contract—let’s carry it out immediately.”
As she spoke, Rowell extended one hand forward.
“Hah.”
Unable to predict her train of thought at all, Leon let out a dry laugh.
What is this…
Clicking his tongue in disbelief at Rowell’s impulsive behavior, Leon nevertheless rose from his seat.
Flash!
Moments later, Leon’s right hand overlapped Rowell’s left, and a blinding light flared.
“Hng….”
After a few seconds, Rowell was finally able to open her tightly shut eyes. That was when she noticed Leon’s trembling gaze.
In truth, Leon felt as though his peripheral nerves were on edge.
I expected it, but it’s truly astounding. I’ve never seen anyone with this level of magic power, even when I was in the knight order.
His pulse raced violently under the force of the magic being absorbed, and intense dizziness washed over him.
Naturally, Rowell, who had placed her fingers on his wrist, was well aware of his condition.
Just as she began to worry whether it was okay for his pulse to be beating so hard, Leon spoke.
“You had power like this and never once felt the need to use magic?”
“Huh? Oh, I’ve used it a few times to grab things from high places, but I never really tried to use it seriously.”
Compared to Leon, who was struggling to steady his breathing, Rowell answered with perfectly calm breaths.
“…If the guys from my knight order heard that, they’d cry.”
“Haha, is that so?”
A small laugh escaped Rowell’s lips. In truth, she suspected that God had granted her this magic power as a special privilege for a reincarnator, in compensation for her unjust death in her previous life—but she kept that to herself, not wanting to sound even stranger.
“Take this with you.”
By the time the morning sun had fully risen, Rowell was preparing to leave after sharing her magic power when something was pressed onto her shoulder.
“Roses?”
Turning her head, Rowell looked at the bouquet of orange flowers resting there.
“You said earlier you told your master you were going on a date.”
“Oh, right. I did.”
She had mentioned it absentmindedly while sharing magic power, feeling awkward about the lack of conversation. Apparently, Leon had remembered.
I thought he wasn’t listening since he barely reacted.
Slightly surprised by Leon’s unexpected attentiveness, Rowell accepted the bouquet.
“They’re enchanted, so they won’t wilt.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Rowell brought the flowers to her nose and inhaled. A pleasant fragrance seeped deep into her lungs.
“If you’re grateful, thank the village women who gave them to me.”
“What?”
At his follow-up, Rowell immediately pulled the bouquet away from her face.
“I used to get them almost every day when I was in the knight order. It was awkward to throw them away, so this works out well. Take them with you again next time you come.”
At his casual words, Rowell’s eyes narrowed reflexively.
“Is it really okay to just give away something you were gifted like this?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Weren’t they given to be taken?”
Leon countered in a flat voice.
“But the people who gave them put thought into it…”
“What use is thoughtfulness I chose not to accept?”
Leon spoke as if he genuinely didn’t see the problem. His languid tone clearly conveyed that he truly didn’t understand why it would be wrong.
“So, are you taking them or not?”
As Rowell stood there, flustered, holding the bouquet at a distance, Leon raised one eyebrow and asked.
“…No. I’ll take them.”
Rowell briefly thought that his thick eyebrows were especially arrogant, but she pressed her lips together and properly took hold of the bouquet.
After all, she did need proof of a “date.”
