Volume 6 Chapter 9 Nice To Meet You, Duke Girard's Family
Elder Brother Chrisrain didn't explain much and handed me over to Sir Roxas, saying, "Well then, Lydia. See you later," while waving his hand cheerfully as he walked away.
He probably went to join Sir Rail and the others who were waiting somewhere we couldn't see.
The soldiers opened the gate for me, saying, "Excuse us, Lady Lydia!" looking very apologetic.
Sir Roxas, who had fallen down, straightened his clothes and glasses like nothing happened and reached out his hand to me.
"...Lydia, over here. Be careful, the ground is slippery."
"Okay... I have to hold on tight so you don't fall again, Sir Roxas."
"I don't fall all the time. Forget about what just happened."
"Sir Roxas, that must've hurt, right? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
I held hands with Sir Roxas and headed towards the Duke Girard house.
I felt a strong sense of duty to make sure Sir Roxas didn't fall again.
Sir Roxas usually wears fancy clothes, but maybe because we were going back to the Girard house, he was in a deep brown coat and trousers, with a fancy vest decorated with gold thread underneath.
He had a red scarf around his neck, and there was a shiny silver decoration on it.
"...Lydia, um, this, uh, fiancé thing... what is it exactly?"
As we walked the long path to the Duke's house, Sir Roxas looked really confused.
It seemed like Sir Rail hadn't explained anything to him.
I thought maybe Sir Rail snuck into Sir Roxas' room to talk to him
"Um... Sir Rail said you need to return to the Duke's house and marry, but you don't want to. So, I'm here to help...!"
I couldn't explain it well, but I wasn't wrong, right?
As I tried hard to explain while looking at Sir Roxas, he furrowed his brow and looked away from me, almost like he was angry.
Maybe I was bothering him.
"...I'm sorry. Sir Rail asked me to pretend to be your fiancé... but I'm not good enough for that, am I?"
I thought of myself as Sir Roxas's friend, but that was just a friend.
If I'm going to pretend to be his fiancé, I should probably be someone he'd actually be interested in.
Like a beautiful woman who has a bigger chest.
I have a big chest, but I wouldn't call myself beautiful.
My face looks younger than I'd like, similar to my mother, Tiansa.
Maybe it would have been better if I looked like Ms. Famine (when she grows up), a glamorous beauty.
I don't know anyone who's a glamorous beauty, but the closest person I know is Mx. Margaret.
"...Maybe I should have asked Mx. Margaret."
"Why would you say that!?"
Sir Roxas suddenly shouted, making me jump.
"Well, because you looked like you were bothered, Sir Roxas..."
"That's not true! If you're going to be my fiancé, I'll act like it. A half-hearted act won't fool my father."
"Y-yes..."
What does a real fiancé act like?
I racked my brain for any knowledge since I had no experience in love.
Oh, there was that time when I was 13 and close to Sir Stefan.
I remember there was a scene in a play he took me to where 2 noble fiancés talked about their love.
When that scene came up, Sir Stefan covered my eyes, saying, "It's too early for Lydia."
Even though my eyes were covered, I could still hear, so I remember some of the lines.
"...Sir Roxas."
"What is it?"
"Um... I admire you...?"
"......Oh, uh... I, I also... I also... I like you, Lydia...!"
"Sir Roxas, just calm down a bit... If you don't, people will see through the act..."
I think Sir Roxas is way more nervous than I am.
I'm really worried about him. Way more than about the messy plan that Sir Rail and Elder Brother Chrisrain came up with.
"Ah, yeah... You're right. I need to calm down. My brothers are probably planning something..."
"Yes... um, they are planning something..."
I remember Sir Rail saying, "It's a secret from Roxas. He shows everything on his face."
It's true that Sir Roxas can't hide his feelings very well.
I heard that Sir Roxas pretended to like FraFra to help Sir Rail, even though he didn't want to be her fiancé.
He was acting like he liked her so she wouldn't find out he was just pretending.
But with that, he probably got caught in his lie pretty quickly.
I want to ask FraFra about it next time.
But back then, FraFra was being controlled by Ms. Famine, so she might not want to talk about it. It's better not to bring it up.
"Well, I guess that's true... So, until my brother comes, I can treat Lydia as my fiancé..."
"Sir Roxas?"
"Nothing, just a thought."
"I might not be strong enough, but I'll do my best. So Sir Roxas can be free from his obligations. And you don't want to marry because of your feelings for Sir Stefan..."
"Why would it be like that?!"
He yelled loudly again, and I jumped a little.
"Because Sir Rail said... Duke Girard liked His Majesty Zeere. So, Sir Roxas..."
"I don't dislike His Highness, but saying I don't want to marry because I like His Highness is a misunderstanding. My father respects His Majesty Zeere, but it's not the same kind of liking you mean."
"Oh, I see..."
"Yeah. It's different. The woman I like is..."
"Sir Roxas has a woman he likes. You don't have to say her name. I'll keep it a secret."
I put my finger to my lips and smiled.
It's okay. If that's the case, then Sir Roxas should be free. I'll do my best.
If I find out the name of the woman he likes, I might want to spill the beans, so it's better not to ask.
"You..."
"Um, why is your face so red right now?"
Sir Roxas seems annoyed.
As we walked to the entrance, he scolded me a few times, and I started to worry that pretending to be his fiancé might be really hard.
When we entered the Girard house, Sir Roxas suddenly stopped.
"Something's wrong...."
"Wrong? Did you eat something that doesn't taste good?"
I asked curiously, and Sir Roxas stood in front of the door with his arms spread out, trying to hide it from me.
He looked really suspicious.
He was sticking to the door like an octopus, which is his favorite food.
"Lydia, wait here, please...!"
"Okay, but why...?"
As I watched, Sir Roxas went inside the Girard house, and I heard some loud noises.
"Um, it's not nice to make a girl wait outside. Come on in."
A kind voice said, and the slightly open door swung open.
What I saw was Sir Roxas holding a strange big painting of a woman wrapped in octopus, and a beautiful woman standing in front of me with a gentle smile.
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