* * *
Masera felt the seeds of anxiety growing within him.
Cynthia was avoiding him, and after the books he had seen her reading recently, she was even going to the shooting range where the sounds of gunfire triggered her trauma, all in the name of overcoming it.
Anyone could see that she was preparing to stand on her own.
‘How should I make an effort?’
He had never even come close to dating, so he was utterly perplexed.
“There’s this thing called push and pull,” he recalled his adjutant, a self-proclaimed dating expert, advising a colleague.
“Or maybe he lost interest once he won her heart.”
Could it be that I’m a man who loses his appeal?
Masera looked in the mirror, assessing his condition.
Remembering that she liked his uniform, he had been visiting her in his most impeccable attire.
‘Is it not her type?’
Come to think of it, I never asked her about her taste in men.
He swept back his platinum blonde hair and glared at his reflection.
“Whether I’m not her type, she’s lost interest, or it’s a push-and-pull strategy, it doesn’t matter.”
She’ll have to take responsibility for me for the rest of her life.
Masera decided not to be picky about methods.
“It’s too late to run.”
It seemed he needed to investigate her.
He wore a faint smile.
* * *
Masera secretly watched Cynthia practicing tennis in the shade.
‘What wish is she trying to win so hard to make?’
Her skills had improved since the beginning, but she was still bad.
He couldn’t bring himself to offer to teach her because she had refused, saying, ‘I prefer to practice alone.’
Just as Masera was timing his approach, a hand poked him in the side.
“Uncle, this is my spot.”
It was Eugene, who was hiding for the same reason as Masera.
“I’m going to ask big sis to draw with me.”
“I was here first.”
The timid, cat-like adult man and the little boy bickered for a moment.
Masera, who was peering at Cynthia from behind the wall, asked in a serious tone, “Eugene, what made you want to keep living at the official residence? Was it because there’s a lot of good food?”
He could have gone to visit his relatives back then, but Eugene had insisted on staying at the official residence.
Masera wanted to know the decisive reason why Eugene had chosen to stay with a stranger who wasn’t even related to him.
Eugene, who had been peeking out, turned to Masera.
“That’s part of it… but I also like uncle, and I like the people at the official residence. I think of them as family.”
The boy brushed a dry leaf off his shoulder and continued, “There are so many things I like here that they won’t let me leave.”
“I see.”
While Masera was lost in thought, Cynthia stretched and prepared to return.
The two immediately approached Cynthia.
“Big sis, it’s time to play with me.”
“No, it’s time to have tea with me.”
Cynthia looked back and forth between the two with a bewildered expression.
Eugene made a fair suggestion.
“Big sis, choose between me and uncle. But I asked big sis to play first.”
“I was here waiting first.”
‘Why are they suddenly fighting over me?’
A flustered Cynthia blinked.
Before they knew it, a competition had begun between the two, with each trying to sit next to her.
“My choice is…!”
Cynthia made a decision like a fair judge, and in the end, the three of them had tea and drew together.
Eugene proudly showed her the picture he had diligently drawn with colored pencils.
“Are those beetle friends?”
“Yeah, it’s big sis, me, and uncle.”
“I don’t know why we’re beetles, but you drew it really well.”
As Cynthia praised Eugene’s drawing, Masera subtly pushed his own drawing in front of her.
She carefully analyzed the simple yet abstract drawing and asked, “Ah, a boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant?”
“It’s a hat.”
“Oh.”
As time passed, Eugene, whose class time had come, left first, and finally, Masera had some alone time with her.
“…The weather is nice.”
Cynthia was awkwardly fiddling with her teacup. Her face was redder than usual. She seemed troubled.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions. I hope you’ll cooperate with the investigation.”
Masera began with a restrained expression.
Cynthia’s shoulders seemed to shrink slightly.
“Pardon? What investigation?”
He stared at Cynthia, who was nervously waiting for his next words, and slowly continued, “What are your preferences?”
He needed information to become a husband she would like. That’s why he started the investigation so openly.
Cynthia relaxed slightly and asked back, “In terms of food?”
“I’m curious about your ideal type.”
Cynthia, who had been exclaiming strangely as she watched him take out a notebook, forced a smile.
“I’m not that picky. First, he has to be tall, with a slim waist but broad shoulders and chest so that he looks good in uniform, with long, sharp eyes and overall sophisticated and refined features, and an affectionate and kind personality…”
Her ideal type was very specific.
He tried to gauge how well he fit the criteria and then held out his hand.
“Even if I don’t meet all the requirements, I will try to be a good husband.”
Cynthia hesitated and took his hand. She looked like she didn’t know what to say.
The corners of Masera’s lips curved up with a possessive desire.
If I match her taste and treat her kindly, she won’t even think about running away.
Especially if I give her her favorite food and desserts every day.
He planned to fill this place with her favorite things to keep her from leaving.
Cynthia asked him, with a hidden agenda in her heart, “What does Brigadier General dislike the most?”
“There are too many to list.”
“If you had to pick just one thing you dislike the most?”
After thinking for a moment, Masera lowered his eyes and replied, “I used to hate deceitful lies the most, but now…”
He gently squeezed the hand he was holding with Cynthia.
“The thought of you disappearing from my sight. That’s what I fear the most.”
* * *
After mentioning ‘an affectionate and kind man’ as her ideal type, Masera’s unconditional pursuit began.
Every evening, he brought flowers, turning the room into a flower garden, and he brought her so many shiny things like a crow that she was on the verge of becoming a Christmas tree adorned with jewels all over her body.
Naturally, the concept of a ‘wedding night’ had disappeared. As a result, the servants thought we were spending every day in a honeymoon like a blast furnace.
I looked up at the ceiling where the morning sunlight was seeping in and worried.
It’s not that I disliked this life where I could wake up in the morning and turn my head to see a handsome man sleeping, but I couldn’t just relax.
The problem was that this wasn’t a simple matter that could be ended by confessing the truth.
Nox, the royal family’s legacy, was at stake.
‘To completely hand it over to Masera, I have to use the will’s effect, just like I originally planned.’
Otherwise, it would be dismissed as a lie by the Count family, who coveted Nox.
“The thought of you disappearing from my sight. That’s what I fear the most.”
His words kept bothering me.
‘I feel the same way.’
It hurts more as he becomes more precious!
So I tried to avoid him subtly, but he persistently followed me around outside of work hours, trying to stick by my side.
‘In the end, I failed to distance myself.’
Last night, weak me couldn’t refuse this man’s arm pillow.
His embrace was so warm, fragrant, and cozy.
I sighed as I watched Masera’s broad back as he prepared for work.
Masera fastened his shirt cuffs and approached me, looking me in the eye.
“Please do this for me.”
He was pointing to the tie draped over his shirt.
The day had come when the man who tied the best ties in the world was asking me for help.
I mumbled as I tied his tie, bending my upper body.
“I won’t be able to do it as sharply as Brigadier General.”
“It’s okay.”
But how do you do it?
Maybe it was because our faces were so close, or because our breaths were touching, but my head felt like it was spinning.
He silently looked down at the messily tied tie.
“Is it cool?”
The corners of his lips curved loosely as he looked at me, who was shamelessly asking.
“People might misunderstand that I drank too much the night before.”
He was a man who couldn’t say flattering things.
“I’ll tie it again. I’m confident I can do it well this time.”
When I pulled on the tie, his handsome face was naturally pulled towards me.
“……”
A subtle current passed between Masera and me.
His slightly parted lips closed into a straight line, and he whispered in a low voice.
“Is this perhaps a strategy?”
