With this, part one is over! The LN will come out on 3/27 and it is said that there are two extra chapters, one in Al"s POV and another in Will"s POV. I"m going to wait until the e-book version comes out, which is in April. Enjoy the chapter!
TL: clover
ED: clover
"I feel exhausted already……Lily, come here. Let"s go to a more secluded place."
Al held my hand and pulled me towards the balcony.
The balcony at the other side of the thick curtain has a room for up to two or three people.
"It"s a nice evening."
"Yes."
I looked over the view from the balcony together with Al. First of all, I can see the courtyard, but unfortunately it"s dark and hardly visible. Light is shining through from the reception hall, so I can see the shape of the trees slightly.
Wind blows. The climate is moderate and it is a beautiful night for moonlight. The chattering of people can be heard at a distance from the reception hall.
"Hey, did you notice?"
Al was talking in a quiet voice while looking at the outside scenery. Al looked at me with a gentle expression as I turned towards him.
"Will said this—you are no longer a 『villainess』."
"Ah……now that you mention it."
He did say something like that.
The impression of Prince Wilfred was so intense that the things he said flew over my head.
"Speaking of which……he did say so……um, well, I……"
"You are not the horrible 『villainess』 anymore. Congratulations. Like what you were aiming for, you have gotten rid of the 『villainess』 label and prove to my brother that you"re not like that."
"……that"s……true."
Right, that"s right.
I would like to surprise Prince Wilfred and say 「Serves you right」 to him one day, that"s why I work hard until now.
Remembering that, I said.
"……I, I"ve always thought that when I am not a 『villainess』 anymore, I would say 「Serves you right」 and laugh loudly with all my heart."
"Did you think about that kind of thing?"
"Yes……"
While nodding, I hung my head down. I feel ashamed of myself.
"Though I considered doing that for real……Prince Wilfred"s impact was stronger and I forgot all about it until now."
Even though I"ve worked hard with that in mind, at the end I forgot about it, it"s too bad.
"Well……isn"t it fine? About your situation with my younger brother, an opportunity to say that may arise in a different situation in the future."
"Is that……so?"
I wonder what kind of situation is that. While thinking that I don"t want to think too much, Al laughed.
"It"s my younger brother. So that kind of situation will surely come. More than that……hey."
"Yes."
Al"s tone of voice turned serious. At the same time, his expression tightened.
"You are no longer a 『villainess』 as a result of your hard work. On the contrary, you have become much more beautiful than when we first met. Now, you can make any man turn around easily. Hey, be honest with me. Do you not need me anymore?"
"Al……"
His tone of voice was gentle, but I know he asked that seriously. And then, I also remembered when he told me that he wanted to hear the answer to his confession during the evening party of my society debut.
Al repeated his words to me who couldn"t answer him readily.
"As I said before, I love you, and that hasn"t changed even now. I want to marry you, but I have no intention to force you. Even if I marry you, if your heart is not in it, it will only be in vain. So, I want to hear your intention. Do you want to break your engagement with me? If you say so, I will make an exception this time and agree. I"ll free you from myself."
The words he said were gentle, but they contained some darkness. And, I also noticed that I found that darkness to be pleasant.
While I was frozen, Al"s hand reached out to my cheek.
"But, if you say that you will take my hand here, I will never let you go again. Whatever you say, I will bind you to my side until death do us apart. Just like the feelings I put into the bracelet. —I will only give you this one chance. So, think about it carefully before you answer."
Al looked at the bracelet he gave me on my birthday.
『I want to bind you to me』
Certainly, it was written on the attached message card. I was surprised that he was serious about that, but it doesn"t feel bad at all.
I stared at Al, and I asked my own heart.
—Are you ready?
And I smiled at the answer that was returned immediately.
That"s right. I have loved him ever since I first saw him.
I wanted to be with this person. As I get to know him, I came to love him more and more, and I would like him to choose me if possible.
—Until now, I have always loved Al.
I am prepared to continue loving him since long time ago.
From the start, I have already made up my mind about my answer to his confession. Since I have made my decision, there is no need worrying about it now.
So I faced Al and said with a smile on my face.
"……if it weren"t for Al, surely I wouldn"t be here right now."
"Yeah."
Al stared at me with calm eyes. As he affirmed it, I spun the words again.
"I was able to do my best because you were there, and I think it will be even better from now on."
"Yeah."
"……please don"t say something like breaking our engagement. I, I don"t want to be without you."
When I told him my feelings, Al let out a small laugh.
"Is it fine for you to say that? Won"t you regret it?"
"No. There"s no way I would regret it."
After I said so, Al said, "Well then," and looked at me. His eyes were burning with heat.
"Say it with proper words then. So that I can understand, say it clearly."
"Yes."
I understood what he was saying and what he was asking for.
The tension I felt was tremendous. This may be the first time for me to feel this nervous.
However, at the same time, I thought I was just as happy as I was nervous.
My eyes met Al"s as I slowly said.
"I have always loved you. I, I would like to be with you even if I am not a 『villainess』 anymore."
"Yeah."
His eyes told me to continue. It"s enough for the story of the past. He was urging me to tell him what I am feeling now.
So I spun more words.
"Of course it is still the same now. I love you."
"—Me too, I also love you. Lily."
"Ah……"
Al stretched out his hands and held my body. He embraced me who was thrown off balance as if expecting that.
"Captured."
His hand gently stroked my head.
My eyes widened due to the sudden movement, but I felt like crying because of his gentleness.
"Well then, I won"t let you go ever again, but that"s fine, right?"
"—Yes."
While I was nodding to the words whispered close to my ear, Al smiled a little.
"That"s good. I thought about what to do if you said that you want to cancel our engagement."
"……did you already know that I wouldn"t say that?"
Originally, while expecting my reply, he said that he would agree if that happens.
When I stared at him with that feeling, Al said, "Yeah, but well."
"As expected, it"s scary when I think about it. I have no intention to let you go from the start, but I was wondering what to do if you told me that you want to leave. I was troubled, I don"t want to use force, you know?"
He said it jokingly, but I stiffened after hearing his words.
—Use force? Eh? What did he mean by that?
I stared at Al while feeling stunned. He was smiling as he said, "Hmm?"
Apparently, no matter how I answer, it seems that Al was planning to make me come back to him in the end. When my answer came out at last, everything was fine because I didn"t choose to leave, but I felt something similar to chills for a moment just now.
—Umm, is Al actually a pretty scary person?
"What"s wrong, Lily?"
I looked at Al who gave me a gentle smile while hugging me.
It seems that the person I am engaged with is not just a kind person.
But well, that"s fine too.
While thinking that way, I said.
"No, it"s nothing."
It is a fact that he paid attention to me and worked hard for me, because I know.
I know that his kindness is real.
Since I understand that, the rest doesn"t matter.
"Lily, from now on, please treat me well as a real fiancé, no, as a lover."
"Yes, Al. I have many shortcomings, but please treat me well too."
With my reply, Al brought me closer to him gently.
Realizing what he meant, I feel impatient, but I decided to close my eyes silently after thinking for a moment.
Because I love him.
"Lily, I love you."
The voice that can only be heard by me was feverish.
Immediately after that, the heat which was not my own was pressed onto my lips.
Thus, I was no longer a 『villainess』, and became the lover and fiancée of the First Prince Alan.
End of Part 1
The author said that the second part will be released maybe at the end of this month. Part 2 will focus on how Lily works hard to become someone suitable as Al"s wife. They will be more lovey-dovey in part 2. So prepare your insulin. But it will have irregular updates. Also, please don"t forget to rate and review this novel in NU page!
*Edit: the prelude of the second part is just released. But well, I will release it next week.