By Zephyria 
“Yeah. I guess so.”
Ardian nodded, his expression softening.
‘And here he is, always begging for exactly what he wants when we have sex.’
Normally, he was quite the sly one, but every now and then, he looked genuinely innocent. He was far more refined than he had been back when he was Adam—who was practically raw—but his essence remained unchanged.
“Since you’re finished, shall we head back?”
“Yeah. Was it good?”
“It was fine for me.”
We finished paying and left the restaurant while chatting. As soon as we stepped outside, Ardian took my hand and refused to let go all the way back to the mansion. Ardian didn’t tend to sweat much, so holding hands for a long time wasn’t uncomfortable. I stared blankly at our interlaced fingers and gave his hand a slight squeeze.
“Your room is over there, next to mine. You sleep there.”
Upon arriving at the mansion, I pointed toward an empty room. However, as if he had anticipated this, Ardian intentionally pouted and complained.
“Can’t I sleep in your room?”
“No. I don’t trust you.”
“That’s mean. I held back so well today.”
Ardian stepped closer and hugged me, rubbing his cheek against mine. But no meant no. When I kept my lips pressed tight, he tried to tempt me with a different approach.
“They won’t know if I use soundproofing magic.”
He really was full of nothing but those thoughts. Held back, my foot.
“That’s a no, too.”
If he used magic in the house, my family would definitely find it strange. It’s not as if their achievements were low. On the contrary, if they did that and my family—especially Leshnold and Esili—came up to the room to check on us, what then?
After a while of bickering, I eventually won.
As always.
Ardian was stubborn, but I was just as headstrong, and whenever I stood my ground firmly, Ardian always reluctantly backed down a step.
I gave his back a light pat.
“Go wash up first. I think they’ll want us to have dinner together later.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Like a child who hated being away from their parents, Ardian continued to hug me and peck at my lips before finally entering his room. I wondered if he found even that short amount of time too precious, considering we’d see each other again right after he washed.
I watched Ardian until the door closed and he disappeared, then I made my way to my own room. When I came out after washing up, I found Ardian, who had finished long ago, already in my room.
“What are you doing?”
Since he was standing by the bookshelf, I sat on the edge of the bed and asked while shaking my hair dry. Ardian gave a bright smile and sat down beside me as he answered.
“I was curious about what you usually read.”
“So, is your curiosity satisfied?”
“Yeah. I realized you’ve spent your life reading only boring things.”
“Boring? They’re very interesting.”
The bookshelf was packed with titles like <Mana and Life> and <Where Did Mana Come From>. Most were philosophical texts written by humans for contemplation, and the rest were books describing the types and ecosystems of Fiends. Recently, I’d become interested in books related to the history of the Empire, so there were one or two of those as well.
To me, they were all fascinating, and acquiring information was practically a hobby.
“What do you like then?”
The question occurred to me suddenly. Since he had mentioned being curious about what I read, I felt a similar curiosity. Ardian answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Eve.”
“…Not that.”
“I like Ray.”
“Not that.”
“Sex with you.”
Does this guy truly have nothing else in his head?
Or is he just playing around?
I glared at the beaming man and let out a small sigh.
“Then I’ll change the question. What do you usually read?”
It was the same question he had asked me. Since it was a question he couldn’t answer with ‘you,’ he stopped joking and fell silent. After a short hum of thought, Ardian spoke while fidgeting with his hands.
“Actually, I’m not sure. I’ve never really liked anything that much.”
“…….”
“No, I did in the past, but now it’s… blurry. It’s been quite a while since I stopped feeling strong preferences or dislikes toward things or phenomena. That’s why it’s hard to answer.”
This was the first time I’d heard this.
It occurred to me that despite spending over a year together since he regained his old memories, we hadn’t shared this kind of vulnerability as much as I thought. I hadn’t asked, and Ardian didn’t volunteer things that weren’t asked.
At the same time, I felt that unlike a year ago, we had grown into a relationship where we knew how to adjust to one another.
“…You can just start making a list now. Things you like and things you hate.”
Ardian’s eyes narrowed slightly. As he slowly lowered his head, a shadow fell over me. The soft scent of bath oil tickled my nose, and I felt my tension slipping away.
Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.
“Ray! Ardian, you’re here too. They want you both to come down for dinner.”
It was Esili. Snapping back to my senses, I pushed Ardian’s face away and turned around. Fortunately, it didn’t look like we were doing anything strange, as Esili only tilted her head in confusion.
“Got it. We’ll be down soon.”
I answered Esili and sent her on her way. When I looked back, Ardian was staring blankly, pretending he knew nothing. With a short sigh, I decided it really was better not to sleep together while Ardian was staying at the mansion.
“Let’s go down.”
As I left the room first, Ardian followed closely behind. The family we met again in the dining room welcomed us. Their attitude toward Ardian had become somewhat softer.
“We prepared this with care, so enjoy the meal.”
“He said he eats everything well, so we prepared a variety of dishes.”
In the meantime, the formal speech he used because of his status as a prince had disappeared. Esili had also called him Ardian earlier. It seemed they had become very close in a short amount of time. At least on the surface.
“Thank you, Father, Mother.”
Ardian smiled with a charming face at Maximun’s consideration. But ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’? The titles were so cringeworthy that I instinctively looked over, and not only Luciel, but Maximun as well, was accepting those embarrassing titles with pleasure.
I picked up my fork while quietly observing the harmonious atmosphere. He didn’t seem to be pretending to be nice… the family definitely viewed Ardian favorably.
I became even more curious about exactly what words he had used to win them over.
Dinner passed peacefully.
Maximun and Luciel took the lead in asking Ardian questions to ensure there were no awkward silences, and I could tell Ardian was careful to keep the conversation flowing while giving answers like a model student. I noticed it a bit late, but Ardian was actually slightly nervous.
‘Even this guy gets nervous.’
After the meal ended, while Ardian was still being held back by Maximun and Luciel, I called Esili out toward the terrace.
“Why did you call me?”
Esili stepped beside me and leaned against the railing. After checking behind us to make sure no one was listening, I finally spoke.
“About this morning, in the drawing room.”
“Hmm?”
“What did you talk about with Ardian?”
“Eh? Why the sudden question?”
Esili acted a bit mischievous, finding it amusing that I was curious. When I narrowed my brows to signal that I didn’t want to waste mental energy on this, Esili chuckled softly.
“It was nothing much. Just that he’s much more sociable than I expected? And that he likes you incredibly much. He said he wants to love you even if he has to devote his entire life to it. What can we even say to that? Gosh, how romantic.”
Esili twisted her body, her cheeks flushing a faint red. I was slightly surprised that she spoke so normally. I had been certain he would have said something strange.
For example, something with a threatening nuance… or that he had some leverage over me….
Then, Esili asked in a voice as calm as a still lake.
“Do you like him a lot too?”
I looked at Esili for a moment as the wind brushed through her hair.
Then, I cast my gaze far off.
“Yeah.”
I suppose I love him to the fullest extent that I am capable of possessing and understanding. Esili, who had been staring at my blunt answer, beamed a wide smile.
“I hope the two of you stay happy for a long time.”
“And here I thought you were so wary of him until yesterday.”
“Well, that was just me being a bit petty. I mean, he’s the guy who snatched away our cute younger sibling. But since he truly loves you, there’s no reason to hate Ardian enough to sabotage or interfere, so I’m blessing you now.”
Esili shrugged her shoulders.
Regardless of this or that, I knew that ‘I’ was their priority, and that they would get angry or give blessings for my sake. Because of that, I was able to smile happily.