Chapter - 5
After a scrumptuous but moderate dinner, the adults seemed to have decided to have a drink. My father came to me with a giddy look on his face.
He doesn't drink much at home, and I think he said he doesn't like to drink, but I guess he's in the mood for it sometimes.
I was told that I could stay and talk with Wolf for a while longer, so I invited him to show me around the library of his mansion.
I had some things I wanted to talk about, so it was perfect.
A magical light illuminated the library at night.
The magic light was perfect for this place where flammable books were gathered. There was no need to worry about fire, and the oil would not run out even after long hours of use. More importantly, unlike a flame, the light does not sway unsteadily, making it easy to follow the text with my eyes.
Although it is a luxury item, it is a lighting fixture that can be used on a permanent basis. If you take the palm-sized sphere out of the glass container and expose it to sunlight during the day, it can be used as a light throughout the night. It can be easily imagined as a rechargeable solar power generation system.
One drawback is that it cannot be turned off with a switch like an electric light. If you want to turn off the light, you have to cover it with a thick cloth like a blackout curtain.
Under the magic light, we were discussing each other's book recommendations.
However, the topic of conversation veered off to whatever caught our interest.
The free-spirited conversation was rambling, and adults would probably say it was pointless, but I enjoyed it. I'm sure Wolf enjoyed it, too.
There was no one to hear, but we were both whispering for some reason. I wonder if this is a consequence of the limited "night time" allowed to children.
We children try to be as unobtrusive as possible at night to avoid being overheard by adults. This is because when adults notice that we are doing something in the middle of the night, they try to take away our precious time by saying, "Children should go to bed early."
Our whispered conversation was suddenly interrupted.
I took advantage of this moment to say something important to Wolf.
"Hey, Wolf, I'd like to talk to you about our engagement."
Wolf was a little taken aback by my abrupt words and shouted, "What?"
"I'm talking about the engagement that our fathers are talking about. I don't know how serious they are about it, but I just wanted to make my intentions clear."
I think I've built up a good relationship with Wolf, so I've decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
He immediately knew what I was talking about when I said, "There are some problems."
The engagement between me and Wolf is actually a bit of a risky bet for the Dukes of Leelia. In the carriage, I asked my father some questions and found out what he was thinking.
The question, of course, was whether I, the only daughter of my father, the Duke of Leelia, should marry into another family.
Even though I can't inherit the throne myself, the safest course of action would be to choose a son-in-law from among my relatives.
The reason for not doing so, according to my father, was that there was no one who would fit the bill.
So my father decided to take advantage of his youth and take a gamble. He wanted to marry me off to Wolf, the son of the current Prime Minister, whose family background and talent matched his father's, and have his child, his grandson, inherit the dukedom of Leelia.
In other words, my father was betting that I would bear two or more children, preferably boys, who would succeed both Ranuncula and Leelia.
My father's intentions will be known when the engagement between Worf and I is announced. There would be an outcry if two of the most powerful families of the Five Dukes were to marry, and some of my family members must have thought that their son would be suitable to be the next Duke of Leelia.
As for me personally, of course, I can't explain it. It was not my intention to do so.
However, I am grateful to my father for explaining all the circumstances to me. It was my father's way of showing his sincerity to me, and I have to show my sincerity to him as well. In other words, I needed to have at least one reason to convince my father that I was clearly against it.
At first I was going to use the evidence of Wolf's character difficulties as my reason.
"Don't you think we can cooperate?"
"Cooperation?"
"Yes. Because frankly speaking, you don't agree with this engagement story, do you?
"....What?"
I wondered if he had noticed that I had been repeating myself or pronouncing only "eh?" since a while ago.
"We are still children, and we will be children for a long time. We're just kids, and you never know what we'll encounter in the future."
Specifically, at the school he started attending at the age of twelve, Wolf had a fateful encounter with a girl with golden hair and bright emerald green eyes.
However, she won't move in until his sixth and final year of school, so it's a long way off.
"So I don't think it's necessary to obey my parents and get married at all. I don't think you have to obey your parents to get married at all, but with our family history, if you turn down this engagement, they'll probably just come back with another one."
"............"
"In other words. It's a good idea to pretend that you're both happy with the engagement. Keep in mind, if you have another girl you want to marry, just let me know and I'll be happy to help."
So don't stab me to death, I'll tell you.
It was a conclusion I had come to in my own way to deal with this engagement talk with the utmost sincerity.
It was a compromise because I knew that Wolf was a much better person than I had imagined, or rather, that he was a much better person than I had originally imagined, and that he could communicate well.
"So, you're....?"
It was completely unexpected for Wolff to sound so gloomy.
"You already have someone you want to marry? So I'm out of the picture."
Wolf reached out and grabbed my wrist.
It was not a painful force, but it was sudden and startling, as if a hand had reached out from the darkness.
".....What are you talking about?"
I tried to shake off the hand, but on the contrary, the force of the grip on my wrist increased and my body moved closer.
I was taller than him, but his hands were much larger than mine. He said he was learning to use a sword, so it may be natural, but he also had a strong grip.
I couldn't let go of his grip and I encountered his deep blue-violet eyes that seemed to be sucking me in.
I'm not sure what kind of encounter I'll have with you in the future....., he said,
"But the way you talk about it excludes the possibility that I'll be your match. So I'm asking you if you've already met your destiny for you. Is there a man you like?"
I was taken by surprise by the voice that seemed to condemn my lover's wrongdoings.
My face flushed red and I shook my head to deny it. I shook my head so hard that it made a buzzing sound.
The corner of Wolf's eyes, which had seemed angry until just now, softened.
The next thing I know, I hear a little sigh of exasperation.
"How long have you been living without men in your life? No, it's normal for a duke's daughter...."
"What?"
Do you have women around you, Wolf? Oh, you know, maybe with a beautiful maidservant sister .....or......
It's a great way to get to know the people around you. When I let my imagination run wild, he gave me a disapproving look.
"It can't be, can it? I myself am innocent. But some of my servants are lovers, and when I go in and out of the palace, I hear all kinds of ugly stories about relationships between men and women."
So, Wolf is trying to say that he is better than the box girl when it comes to love affairs. I've been feeling like a friend and a sister to him, but this unexpected look on his face is making me nervous.
The fact that Wolf's hand was still gripping my wrist added to my confusion.
It doesn't hurt, but it feels like there's heat in the area. And his face is close.
I wanted to use my knowledge of my previous life to say something that would blow his mind. But I have no idea what I should say. Something vulgar?
Knowledge of health and physical education?
In the game, wasn't Wolf a bit fastidious and misogynistic when it came to non-heroines? It's too late now. Is it okay to get so close?
I'm confused.
As if he saw through the confusion, Wolf smiled a mature smile. It's not a mature smile, but it's a somewhat nasty one.
"So you're just not emotionally mature in that sense?"
I don't want a ten year old to say that to me! Never!
"It would be more constructive if you thought about the man in front of you instead of just pinning for the prince in the story."
I don't want to be told that either! I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
"I'm not calling off the engagement."
It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.
I've been at his mercy for a while now.
"........."
I've been at Wolf's mercy for a while now, and it's really not my fault that I haven't even rebelled, but my face is as red as a boiled octopus, and no matter what I say, I don't think it will look good.
When Wolf stood up and said, "Let's go back to your room," I nodded repeatedly anyway. I just want to be alone and calm down.
"Good night, fiancée. Sweet dreams."
So when Wolf walked me to the guest room and kissed me on the corner of my eye (or maybe on my cheek) as a final touch, I couldn't complain about what I was doing without permission.
My fiancé, who was chosen by my parents, was hardly a yandere.
However, he seemed to be a person to be reckoned with.
***