※ It contain slight sensual depiction. Please avoid the part if you are not good with it.
The Duke’s Daughter 4The next day after the evening party, the Prince suddenly visited the Duke’s mansion.
He visited without any prior notice, and the retainers who have gotten used in dealing with the guests were somehow fl.u.s.tered.
When Christina went to receive him in the entrance hall, he forced a bouquet of rose to her with face full of smile.
“Yaa, my lovely fiancée. How is your mood today?”
If she were to say any contempt, it might basically appeared as a declaration that something really has happened last night.
The retainers who were worried seeing Christina coming back alone, were all sighing in relief.
Although she has explained that she was feeling unwell thus came back first, they were not convinced at all. As the maid who went together with her was told not to say anything to others, the retainers’ imagination were going really wild.
However, even supposing there was any disagreeableness, if the Prince came to meet Christina, there shouldn’t be any problem.
Casting her gaze down, Christina pretended to enjoy the fragrance of the rose, however deep down her heart was actually grieving.
── Unfortunately, in the future this Prince will cast aside this [ojou-sama] of yours, and then choose an adorable beautiful girl.
In order to help the retainers with their preparation, Christina invited him to the terrace hanging on top of the garden. The weather was nice, and it was a nice time for having tea outdoor. However, it was if the partner was not Alberto who never broke his smile.
When they went to the terrace, she handed over the rose bouquet to the butler Hans. Hans, for some reason, “Red rose, is it?” and smiled to Christina. Is there something about it? before she could ask the question, her waist was pulled by Alberto and in the end she couldn’t ask.
Sitting across each other, Alberto was gazing at the garden, and even when the maid poured the tea, he kept on waiting in silence.
Wearing a l.u.s.trous grey suits, he crossed his leg. He lightly placed his crossed arm on top of his lap and squinted his eyes to the gentle wind.
“What a nice weather……”
Christina, who regardless of what feeling she had still thought that all of him looked attractive, raised her eyebrows to that sentence. Until now, he has ever use the weather to start a conversation. To not able to choose other topic other than that mediocre one, it seemed that he is struggling about the conversation.
Fuu, Christina breathed out.
“Indeed…… What kind of business did you come for today?”
He, without looking this way, smiled ironically.
“I only came to see my fiancée’s face”
── But that position of fiancée, will soon be given to another girl, isn’t it?
Christina quietly smiled.
“Thank you very much. It pained me to know that I have worried Your Highness. Please do not mind someone like me.”
Clank, the sound of the tea cup being placed down was heard. With a smile, he ordered the maid to place the tea sets for two.
“Thank you. It’s already fine here so you can withdraw yourself”
This was the Duke’s mansion. Even if he was the Prince, to do such inelegant conduct like ordering other family’s maid was not normal. Usually no matter who ordered them, the maid would still ask for instruction from the people of the Duke’s mansion, however pressured by Alberto’s silent presence, she withdrew without saying anything.
“You’re being quite arrogant, aren’t you?”
When she sarcastically criticized him, he slowly said in a manner as if an unreasonable child being warned.
“Until when are you planning to sulk, Christina. If you keep on being so uncute, I also have a plan on my own”
Her heart grew cold. That plan ── I already know it.
In order to abandon your fiancée, for you to find faults within her, what an awfully cliché thinking it is, as her inner heart secretly muttered, Christina smiled.
“Oh dear, what kind of plan is it? By all means, please tell me”
Sensing his threat didn’t work, he held his forehead. After letting out a long sigh, he started talking with a low voice.
“Yesterday that was……it was not as if I was planning to spend time alone with her”
“……”
“When I realized it I couldn’t find your figure anymore so I planned to search for you, but she kept demanding another for the third song, that’s why I pretended to be tired and left the hall. On the way I was thinking of leaving Miss Clara to another acquaintance. ……I found Miss Cindy and Miss Elena and asked them your whereabouts, but since they started telling Miss Clara off, I couldn’t just leave her there and in the end I took her along with me”
If it was those girls at that time, it wouldn’t be weird for them to blame Clara. Even if she want to refute please do not say bad things about my friend, since she knew that rebuking Clara was an even more unpleasant manner, she didn’t say anything.
Being insisted on I was purely going only to search for you, Christina was at a loss for words. Suppressing her impulse to spit out all the piled up resentments, she muttered a single complaint.
“……when it was with me, even though you have never dance more than one song with me, but you danced twice with that person. Moreover, you are the one that invited her.”
He was slightly surprised. He slightly opened his eyes wide, and averted his gaze.
“Aa……is that so. So you saw it……”
“Is that bad? My eyes, have always followed nothing but you”
Spilling out her true feeling unintentionally, she tightly pressed her lips together. If she were to said anymore than this, she might get emotional and wail.
He, might be used to Christina’s lovers’ talk, answered calmly.
“Certainly I was the one to invite her, but that was because she started learning how to dance only recently , and since she said she didn’t have any experience of dancing in front of people……I was only trying to be tactful. I never thought she would request to dance for a second time, but it seems, she still don’t know the meaning of dancing repeatedly with the same man.”
To dance repeatedly with the same man was, one of the way to tell others that both of them are lovers. He smiled wryly.
“Still, thinking that dancing for the third time is impolite to you, I tried to refuse her, but you were gone so I panicked. When I searched for you worried whether you’ll be crying, you were already being consoled by another man.”
“Eh……?”
She didn’t have any memory of being consoled by anyone, and when she raised her gaze, Alberto was smiling. That perfect smile was, expressing his bad mood.
“How dare you let your hair being touched by other man in front of my eyes, Christina”
“…………”
The memory of her hair being touched existed.
She finally recalled being called out conceitedly by a kind man named Franz. He whispered that he could not leave her who was having sorrowful eyes alone. Was that ‘consolation’? her cheeks blushed.
── I have misunderstood……
Even just a little, she felt ashamed at herself who thought that he was making a move as an opposite s.e.x.
“Christina. What’s with that expression”
“Eh? Ah…..no, there’s nothing at all”
To cool down her blushing cheeks, she covered them with her hands.
“……fine. Then, could you guide me to your family’s library for a moment?”
Suddenly saying he wanted to go to the library, grinning and smiling, his intention was completely unimaginable.
The maid who was called, also tilted her head to the sudden request. Alberto was smiling.
“I just want to read the books about the star possessed by Duke Zariel’s house.”
On Christina’s house, there was a large library. Her great-grandfather seemed to enthusiastically researching the star, and the majority of the library was filled with literature related to star. Alberto who has been going in and out since young, liked to read those valuable books, however it seemed he hasn’t read them much recently.
While feeling doubtful, they headed to the library next to her father’s study on the second floor. As soon as they entered the room, he thanked the maid.
“Thank you. Since after this we will search it by ourselves, it’s already okay now”
“……then, I will wait here……”
To the maid who seemed going to wait in front of the room’s door, he specially opened the door, prompting her to leave the room.
“It’s okay. Since we are reading books it will only be boring. Please leave her to me.”
“…………”
The maid hesitated for quite a long time, but she finally left the room dejectedly.
Even while she strangely pondered why did he treat the maid as if she was a hindrance, Christina went ahead into the s.p.a.ces between the bookshelves. In this library that possessed a thousand books, curtains were put on all of the windows to prevent the books from being burnt. Searching for books by relying on sunlight that faintly entered, it somehow felt like sneaking into secret base, which they enjoyed very much during their childhood days.
“Christina?”
I guess he won’t be able to see me from the entrance. Since she was called, Christina called out to him in the same way she used to before.
“I’m here. At the horoscope area. But, you are searching for something, right? Please feel free to search for it”
Following the voice, Alberto appeared at the aisle Christina was in. Christina was holding the horoscope book they read in the old days, and turned a smile to Alberto who was walking towards her.
“Look, a horoscope book. We did fortune-telling together before, do you remember it?”
Recently, since they were only meeting outdoor, she lost her composure, but when she saw him inside her house, she didn’t need to hold any kind of jealousy nor anxiety, and felt relieved. He who was in front of her eyes was hers only.
Her harsh att.i.tude just now seemed like a lie, and to Christina who talked to him with gentle voice, he also kindly smiled.
“……I remember it. We did fortune-telling on our compatibility, didn’t we?”
Remembering those days, she slightly blushed.
“That’s right. Somehow it turned out that our fate will have many disturbances and also be given trials, so I cried, didn’t I?”
Suddenly, she thought how accurate the fortune-telling was. ── Many disturbances. Be given trials.
What a painful love, she looked up to Alberto. Her gaze entwined with his who was closer than she thought, and then he sweetly smiled.
“Christina, do you remember……? We have kissed many times here……”
“……”
Her first kiss, was when she was seven. They were sitting on the floor and read the books together. Christina was engrossed and enjoyed learning about the shape of constellation, and when she suddenly looked up after feeling a gaze, Alberto was staring at her with a serious gaze. Then, timidly they face drew closer, and did a kiss where their lips simply touched each other’s.
Since then whenever they came to the library, they would kiss. In order to not be found out by the butler and the maid, they kissed secretly, making her heart throbbed fast, the secret that the two shared was extremely sweet.
After reaching adolescence, somehow she became embarra.s.sed and stopped going to the library.
Christina who was remembering those days blushed, and Alberto’s palm drew near to her reddening cheek.
“Eh?”
Could it be, he drove out the maid for that purpose, her eyes turned round. His other arm was circling around her waist.
“No, that kind of thing is……”
Kissing in such a dim room, somehow seemed dangerous. When she tried to run away and backed away, her back was pushed against the wall of the aisle.
“A, Alberto-sama……?”
Within the dim light, those eyes dyed in a deep darkness were noticeably tinged with presence of a carnivore aiming at its prey.
“Finally……You called my name……”
“Ah”
Even though I have been careful to call him as His Highness. She held her mouth immediately, and with a bewitching smile he took those hands away. Her gripped hands, were pushed against the wall.
“You are such a bad girl……Christina. Do you really want to attract my attention that much?”
“……I don’t have such intention……”
I wonder why. He, who should be captivated with Clara, is now, no matter how you look at it was cornering me to the wall, and seems to be preying on me.
“Who is that man?”
“That man……?”
When she asked again absentmindedly, she remembered the conversation they had on the terrace a little while ago.
“Ah……about Franz-sama, ri……”
At the same time she called his name, her lips were covered. The beautiful jet black eyes, were staring only at her. Enjoying the feel of the lips, he who kissed her tenderly, softly separated his face from hers, then squinted his eyes and smiled.
“Why did you let that man touch your hair……?”
Touching her lips while her breath disordered, Christina’s gaze was wandering around.
“That was……While we were talking, it turned to the talk about my hair, and so he touched it……”
“Is that so……What kind of talk did you have……?”
Just by remembering that time, tears started to appeared in the corner of her eyes.
It was an unbearably frustrating, sad feelings. Yet, even now Alberto was looking at her with a composed smile. Thinking that this situation where he kept on judging herself was unreasonable, she turned her face away.
“That person, praised me that I looked like the Moon G.o.ddess. And also the silver hair, so he combed it. But Your Highness, until now you’ve never said such kind words to me even once. Saying that I was beautiful, or adorable……”
Her voice trembled at the end.
Never even once has Alberto tried to court her. Every time they met, he would praised her dress or jewelry, but he didn’t say that he desired Christina herself.
The one who wanted to monopolize was only Christina, and even when she danced with other man, Alberto didn’t changed his expression at all.
“Fuun……”
It was a cold voice that seemed to be uninterested. When she looked up, although he was smiling, but his eyes were not.
“As you were illuminated by the moonlight, you looked like the Moon G.o.ddess herself. ……I discovered your clear eyes were dyed in sorrow and I couldn’t just leave it alone, please forgive me. You really are……adorable”
From those beautiful lips, that night’s words were repeated. She opened her eyes wide in disbelief, and Alberto deepened his smile even further.
“Those kind of words, you know, Christina. To the men that attended the party, those are the kind of compliments that they’ll easily say to anyone, anywhere. It is an old trick that men use to persuade women to sleep with them.”
“…………is that so……?”
For Christina who has zero experience of being courted, when she were refuted, she could only think is that so. Even if she tried to get revenge on him, just by him saying those words, she already lost her motivation to talk back strongly to him.
Alberto only said what a hopeless girl, and shook his head.
“Please don’t let yourself be swayed by such superficial words. Moreover…… to such man who doesn’t understand his own position by courting you in front of my eyes”
“Ah……So you saw it……?”
I wonder from where did he see it, she averted her eyes. Even though she didn’t want to show her face warped in jealousy because her beloved Alberto was being taken away.
He raised his eyes. The expression of his eyes seemed to express his slightly bad mood.
“I saw it. Sorry but, no matter in what kind of crowd, I’ll still be able to find you. And if there is any man around you, I end up wanting to kill him.”
“…………”
Somehow, it seems I didn’t hear the last part clearly──
Christina tucked her hair behind her ear, and tilted her head.
“I’m sorry, it seems I didn’t hear it clearly. Just now, what did you……”
“If there is any man around you, I want to kill him. And if you were to choose any man other than me, I will kill all of the men you chose, so prepare yourself”
For something said while smiling, the content was very dark. Maybe, I also misheard this, she smiled back at him, then he brought his face close.
“Do you understand……? You can’t let even a single hair of yours to be touched by any man other than me anymore……”
Alberto didn’t seem to wait for Christina’s reply. Using the state of Christina who was in confusion and kept on looking back at him as a good excuse, he glued his body to her.
When Alberto’s enchanting beautiful face drew very near to her face, Christina’s eyes reflexively became teary. Just by feeling his breath, her heart would throb fast. Her lips were slowly overlapped, and she couldn’t think of anything anymore.
Gently, as if enjoying the feeling of her lips, he pecked on her lips over and over. Making a sound, her lips were sucked, and in a delirious state, Christina’s lips slightly parted, then with an experienced movement he started kissing her even more deeply.
Whenever they kissed, she usually unable to think of anything. After they get older, that kiss made her heated up, each time that hand touched her body she would begin to tremble.
“……nn, nfu……”
Stroking the back of her ear, from her nape to collarbone, his hand were tracing down to her chest. His other hand was softly caressing down from her armpit to her waist.
Alberto pa.s.sionately called her name.
“……Christina……”
Sticking their body so close to each other until there was no gap at all, it was a kiss that seemed to greedily consume Christina’s entirety. However, even this didn’t continue for long.
Christina who had always endure it, used all of her strength and stopped the two’s rendezvous.
Christina, whose immunity was going weak because she hasn’t been kissed recently, ended up gasping for breath.
Licking the wet lips of the blushing Christina, Alberto made an unsatisfied face. Christina who couldn’t stand up due to the excess stimulation, slowly slipping down her waist on the wall.
“Can we do it, a little bit more……?”
Christina who sunk down on the floor raised a pitiable voice.
“Hee? Ah, kya!”
To the sitting Christina, of all things, Alberto was spreading her leg and slipped his body into that gap. He easily turned Christina’s body around, pushing her down on the floor, and once again stole her lips.
──If we were seen by someone in this place……!
Moreover, Alberto started putting his hand under her skirt. To that ticklish yet pleasant feeling, she tried to close her legs, however there was Alberto’s splendid body occupying the s.p.a.ce between her legs.
“n, n, nn……ah!……you can’t……!”
His hand started caressing her thigh, as it seemed to reach a dangerous place, Christina used all her strength and escaped from his kiss.
But Alberto kissed her earlobe, and there was no sign of him stopping his hand.
“No, you can’t……Alberto-sama……!”
When Christina plead him desperately with teary eyes, he strongly pulled his chin. Gazing down on Christina who was pinned down, he let out a sigh.
“Yeah……that’s right…… If we were to continue this any further, we’ll end up doing it to the end……”
──to the end……?
His obsidian eyes, unlike usual, were clouded with l.u.s.t.
Seemingly unsatisfied, that gaze of a beast was looking at her disheveled hair, her nape, her shoulders that became exposed, her chest, and her smooth legs revealed under the rolled up skirt, as if licking at them.
Haah, he let out a pa.s.sionate sigh and hugged Christina’s body tightly.
“Christina……”
When Alberto tried to say something, suddenly there was a sound of the library door being opened.
“……!“
Alberto quickly fixed Christina’s dress up, and since she had no strength left in her body, he put his hand under her armpit and then get her to stand up.
Christina was completely exhausted, but she somehow managed to stand by her own. With a perfect matching timing, the butler Hans peeked into the aisle that the two were in.
“Aah, so you were here, Ojou-sama, Your Highness Alberto”
Christina looked at the butler that was in his prime of life, who has known both of them since they were children.
Christina, realizing her still disheveled hair, tidied it with her hand in a panic, but it was already too late.
Without mentioning her hair, he quickly run his eyes over Christina’s whole body and turned a gentle smile to Alberto.
“……Your Highness Alberto. If you do too much ‘mischief’, I will reported it to master, okay?”
Alberto’s cheeks were stiffen in a startle, and then he started averting his eyes.
Christina’s father, despite his position as the Prime Minister, was doting on his daughter so much. When his daughter’s name was mentioned as the Prince’s fiancée, the look on his face seemed as if it was the end of the world.
[The position of Queen holds heavy responsibility. If you feel it is hard, just say it. Father will do whatever I can] and those were her father’s favorite phrases after she were engaged.
By that father, be moderate in your relationship ── was not what he said, never put your hand on my daughter until you are married ── was what he intensely ordered to Alberto ever since he were young, and Alberto has been repeatedly aware that his actions were against Duke Zariel’s favor. If he done it poorly, it was highly probable that he wouldn’t be allowed to meet Christina at all until their marriage.
“I understand……”
“If you understand, from now on please be careful not to force the maid to withdraw again”
“…………”
The butler who has known him since young, never held back. On top of him knowing that Alberto will never say something like you are guilty for being disrespectful, he also kept on being careful while giving him a threat, a crafty man indeed. He resembled her father a little.
As the Duke Zariel was important to him, as well as the daughter Christina, he has always been hard on Alberto since before.
To Alberto who did not give any reply, Hans inclined his head.
“Your Highness Alberto. From now on you will be careful not to force the maid to withdraw again, right?”
As he wouldn’t budge until Alberto gave a reply, the defeated Alberto lazily responded.
“……yea, I’ll be careful……”
“And, recently, it seems Your Highness Alberto is falling in love with a lady other than Ojou-sama?”
Christina shuddered to that sudden remark. Alberto frowned.
“……!”
“What’s with that story”
With a cool face, Hans looked back at Alberto who was showing a displeased expression.
“Oh, did you not know? It is a very famous story. That you invited a certain lady from a Marquis house to the royal palace, that you regularly sending her presents, and that there are broken hearts around. A man who keep on paying attention to another woman despite having Ojou-sama by his side, as I cannot think such man can give happiness to Ojou-sama, I have already reported this matter to Master……”
“YOU HAVE!?”
Unusually, Alberto raised his voice. Hans nodded.
“I have. As I see it, you look like you didn’t realize it but, but we do not have any business with such thoughtless person that does not even notice any rumor about himself. Please choose whether to control the rumor quickly, or give up on Ojou-sama and marry that lady from the Marquis house. I personally, hate such kind of man that torments Ojou-sama’s heart.”
“────kh”
Alberto, seemingly didn’t know how to refute it, looked enraged.
By the butler who spoke with such audacity and frankness, Christina went beyond surprised and looked up dumbfoundedly. However at the same time, she felt relief.
“Is that so……Father, also knew it……”
“Yes. Although we feel very sorry, but all of us think of Ojou-sama’s happiness as the most important thing of all. Ojou-sama, in this world, there is a saying that first love doesn’t bear fruit. Even if it may be hard for now, if it’s Ojou-sama, you will definitely find the most wonderful gentleman in the country. I ask of you from the bottom of my heart, please do not be swayed by a moment’s emotion.”
Hans’s words, somehow fell deeply into her heart.
As the person she loved for the first time in her life was s.n.a.t.c.hed away by another woman, she was always burnt by flames of jealousy, and at the same time boiled by the hatred. However, she heard that there are lots of love that didn’t bear fruit. Rather than the unattainable object that was the Prince of the country, there would surely be a man who saw only herself somewhere else, as she obediently thought.
Christina, gracefully smiled.
“You are right……Hans. Thank you……”
“No, please forgive me for being too meddling”
Hans returned her a smile resembling her father’s. Between the two, there was an understanding atmosphere, but Alberto destroyed that atmosphere.
“Wait. Why are you continuing the conversation as you please as if our engagement are going to be cancel……?”
Christina raised her eyebrows in puzzlement.
“Eh? Because……Your Highness is attracted to Clara-sama, right?”
Alberto, seemingly having a headache, pressed his forehead while groaning a little.
“Oh dear, You Highness, what happened……? Do you feel unwell……?”
“……you returned and called me [Your Highness] again……”
He kept on looking at Christina.
“Look here, until just now, we’re having pa.s.sionate kiss here, right……?”
“Ah……”
Remembering the exciting deed just now, her cheeks blushed. However──
“But……For men, even if they do not like the woman, they’ll be able to kiss her, right……?”
During the tea party, she often heard the story about unfaithful men. How the men did not go hand in hand with their heart, and how it ended up that kind of relationship with the women.
Alberto surely holds affection towards Clara, but somehow he remembered the old days, so it was just a mere kiss. Even though it was a very pa.s.sionate one, enough to make me afraid, yet still a wonderful kiss that could melt me away──
Alberto , seemingly unable to believe, spread both of his hands and drew closer to Christina.
“Did you think of me as such cold-hearted man? The only one I ever kiss, is only you. Even the dance, the only one I want to dance with is on you, and even the dance with Miss Clara the other day, although I have already explained so much, but in the end Emil still noisily asked me to invite her for a dance. It was because she seems to approach me with good will, but actually I hated it……! Listen, the only one I will marry is only you! If I were to marry any woman other than you, I will rather kill you then kill myself……! “
──The last part, as expected I seems to not hear it clearly.
Even though inside the game he is a black-hearted, the one in front of me, somehow become a man who will turn into a sick man if he take one wrong step――
Christina who was slowly backing away, was cornered to the wall again.
“In the first place, you are the cause, you know”
“Eh……?”
He was grimacing as if filled with frustration.
“No……sorry. You are not wrong. But, at the party when I greeted Miss Clara――”
The day Alberto fell in love. With the smile he usually never shown in public, he greeted Clara.
“When I greeted Miss Clara, I thought that the hair ornament she wore looked a little like the one I gifted to you. Then, I noticed that you didn’t put on the present I gave you, so I grew pale.”
“――that is……”
Because somehow I didn’t have any motivation, and that hair ornament is the one that the love rival girl wore, and putting it on also ended up annoying――is something I cannot say.
Alberto lowers his eyebrows sadly.
“It was the first time that you didn’t put on the present from me. Thinking that maybe have I sent you such a bad taste thing, I panicked. That day, since it overlapped with the army’s inspection day, I also ended up unable to directly see your response…… Thinking what if you, who is leading the fashion in this country, think of me as someone without sense, I became unable to think clearly, and on the spur of the moment I ended up saying things like I’ll help that girl……”
“We, well……is that so……”
On her forehead, sweat gradually exuded out.
Although there was no intention to lead this country’s fashion, he extremely paid attention in choosing the present for Christina.
She thought he surely fell in love, and wanted to help Miss Clara, however as a matter of fact, it was actually because he was upset and it was only a slip of the tongue.
Alberto put both of his hand beside Christina’s face, blocking her away from escaping.
“Because I said such stupid words, it seems I have let Miss Clara misunderstand it”
“Misunderstand……?”
“It seems she thought that I am interested with her…… She is very a.s.sertive, you know. She take my words seriously, and together with Emil saying that she wanted to visit the royal palace. Since Emil seemed to be in love with her, I thought it would be okay if it was with Emil but……we ended up running into you…… It was the worst……”
Even though everything went according to the scenario, but the person himself said [the worst].
“Sending the presents and inviting her to the royal palace, were because I misunderstood thinking that there was a quarrel between you and her during the tea party with Mother……”
“Eh……?”
He painfully grimaced, and lowered his eyes.
“That surely you were jealous seeing her walking alone with me and splashed the tea…… Even though I realized that you are not the kind of girl who would do such things…… Emil was convinced that there was no doubt about that and I ended up going with the flow. That’s why, with intention to apologize I sent what she wanted, and since she said she wanted to come to the royal palace again, I invited her. All of them……I thought it was all for your sake……”
“……well. Did you not ask the for the situation from Queen-sama and Anna-sama?”
He was acting very rashly.
“I asked but……they said to ask you instead……”
“……then, you should have asked me”
Alberto frowned.
“But……on that day, you seemed to be very angry. It was the first time you glared at me……so I was upset……”
Certainly, until the day of the tea party, Christina who always looked at Alberto with sparkling eyes, couldn’t even be imagined as a girl who would glare at him. However, since that day, after knowing her fate, Christina’s heart was fully tainted in flames of jealousy and did not trust Alberto.
However, she thought that even if he was upset, he could still ask her later.
“But……if you were to asked, I would answer, you know”
“…………”
There was no reply.
“In the end, who did you ask?”
“……Anna…… She said, to not contact her for a month, you will surely be dumped. Nee, Christina. You……will not dump me, right……?
“…………”
Since she thought that Alberto was the one who would dump her, Christina spontaneously couldn’t say anything. As everything was confessed with a vigor like a surging wave, she was slightly in chaos by the overflowing information.
When Alberto’s eyes started to be dyed in despair, Hans sluggishly appeared and grabbed him by his neck.
“In short, you are afraid that you might be hated by Ojou-sama, and unable to confirm, you just blindly sending tribute to the Marquis’ Daughter, that kind of coward”
“Well……”
――When you say it like that, you are right, Hans.
Without denying anything, Alberto was obediently pulled apart from Christina.
Although Alberto always showed a composed att.i.tude, inside, he was not very different from Christina. Acting for the sake of their partner, where in fact, they were actually scared to confirm and did such fruitless effort.
His appearance where he hang his head down dejectedly, was the identical to the one he had during their childhood, when they were engrossed in playing, ruining the flowers in the garden, and were scolded by Hans.
Christina, finding it amusing how they both somehow were having wrong impression and acting to the wrong direction as they please, fufu, showed an innocent smile that was unchanged since her childhood.
“It seems Al is also the same as me”
Alberto raised his eyes.
“Kuu……” [1]
Calling each other by their old nickname, her chest gradually felt warm.
“I was, scared of hearing your relationship with Clara-sama, and gave up as I pleased. Both of us, were thinking too much and doing such fruitless effort. We are so alike, how strange it is”
Forgiving everything, the moment he saw her smile, Alberto escaped from Hans’ hand and hugged Christina vigorously.
“Hya……!”
“Kuu,I beg you…… When you turn sixteen, please say that you will marry me……!”
Her beloved person that was deeply in love with, with no atmosphere at all, propose to her with only vigor.
However, still, she felt happy to be craved by the one she loved. Christina blushed and bashfully said.
“Yes, with pleasure”
The Prince she has fell in love with since young, after hearing her answer, unexpectedly be moved to tears and then laughed carefreely.
When we were child, I often saw this kind of smile. Remembering the old days, Christina’s heart beat fast again.
Even though I also like the cool Alberto, but he who honestly crave for me, and seems a little bit childish, makes me want to hug him.
No matter which kind of Alberto-sama――I love him.
Christina, while her heart throbbed fast, I really don’t understand how it ended up like this. But, if this is that game’s bad end, it isn’t bad at all, whispered inside her heart.
In a place slightly apart, Hans laughed faintly, and after a while, until when are you planning to hug, and tore Alberto off from Christina.
Later on, Hans would told her secretly.
In the language of flower, red rose meant [I love you so much I could even die] ──
A/N :
Next time, I will upload the story from the Prince’s side.
Although I’ll be glad if you can get to know him, but if there is anyone with a wide heart that say I will read it, please do so.
T/N : This is the complete story from Christina’s POV! Hope you enjoy it! By far this is the hardest chapter for me, not because of its length but because of the hot scene >< i="" almost="" fainted="" of="" blood="" loss="" (lol)="" let="" me="" have="" a="" short="" rest="" before="" going="" to="" albert’s="">
[1]Christina = Kurisutiina (クリスティーナ), hence her nickname, Kuu (クー). I’m keeping it!↵