By Zephyria 
The back of my ankle tickled. It was because Carlisle’s tail fur, which had once again crawled under the bed, was gently tickling the back of my ankle. Thanks to the uninvited guest who had barged in so suddenly, I couldn’t even hide properly.
“Hmm.”
The uninvited guest, who had approached so incredibly stealthily that even Carlisle’s senses couldn’t detect him and had burst open the door without knocking, was Allen, as expected. …I didn’t expect him not to know, but I thought he might let it slide since he hadn’t been picking any fights for the past few days, but what was his intention this time? Cold sweat was pouring down inside, but I straightened my back even more, pretending to be calm, and asked why he had come.
Allen didn’t sit down and just stared intently under the bed where Carlisle was hiding with a strange expression.
“If you don’t have anything to say, can you please leave? I’m busy with this and that.”
The honorifics, which seemed to mock me, sounded even more rude. He always spoke comfortably as if revealing his true colors when we were alone, but he was using honorifics for once, perhaps to acknowledge Carlisle’s presence. But those honorifics made me even more anxious.
“Well, yes. Would it be a problem to secretly raise a puppy or so in this vast mansion.”
Should I acknowledge it, or pretend I don’t know…? It was difficult to judge whether the other side was letting Carlisle go because they couldn’t do anything about it, or whether they weren’t doing anything about it. As a result, I found it difficult to come up with an appropriate response. I just remained silent and widened my eyes.
“…….”
“…….”
Only the sound of me swallowing could be heard as we exchanged glances silently. Soon, Allen chuckled as if he would let it go for now.
“But that’s it. I can pretend not to know and play along with you under the bed, but dragging him into the blanket is another matter, isn’t it? I hope you only play with him as much as I can overlook.”
Oh……. I shouldn’t tell him that he’s already crawled into the blanket a long time ago, right? Judging from the fact that he doesn’t know the full extent of Carlisle and my situation, it seemed that he couldn’t see what the two of us were doing together, as Lennox had predicted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
So I decided to deny it to the end. Allen shook his head as if he was dumbfounded, and then smiled sweetly.
“Just play with him in moderation, in moderation. Only until my shallow patience runs out.”
Now, the smile of the man, who was a head taller than me, seemed more menacing than sweet, making my shoulders tremble involuntarily. After finishing his words, Allen tapped my cheek with the tip of his finger and slowly turned around and disappeared from my sight. Before I could even feel bad, all the strength drained from my body. I let out an undignified groan, “Huuueok,” and flopped backward.
“Noah!”
Carlisle, who had returned to his human form again, approached with a worried expression and immediately checked my complexion.
“Are you alright? Why are you sweating so much…!”
“I’m okay, it’s nothing, so you don’t have to worry.”
“But……. Haa, what on earth is it? I really didn’t feel any presence at all. If it were a person, this couldn’t be possible…….”
Carlisle, who had been speaking in a voice as surprised as mine, soon came to his own conclusion.
“Ah……. So he really, really isn’t human.”
He had heard a rough explanation from Lennox, but because of the impression of Allen that remained in his memory, he must have been looking down on the other party without realizing it. It wasn’t exactly his fault.
“Anyway, it’s a relief that he seems to be letting you stay here for the time being. I don’t know what he’s thinking, though.”
“I….”
Carlisle seemed resentful of himself for not being of any help. Instead of saying it was okay or to cheer up, I just hugged his round head tightly. We had gotten through the situation for now. I didn’t have the ability to worry about anything more than that.
After that, Allen would often visit Carlisle and me unexpectedly. Every time, we continued our already exposed hide-and-seek, which was not even funny. Thanks to that, there was no chance to be bored. Rather, I had to tighten the strings of tension.
“…Sir, Young Master!”
“…….”
“Oh, come on, Young Master!!”
“……!”
Only then did strength return to the eyes that had been staring blankly at the window. I was startled and looked up at Nicole.
“It’s time for Countess Renoir to come. You should head to the drawing room soon. Are you very tired?”
Nicole’s expression, as she looked at my face, which had been listless and tired during the daytime lately as if I was not getting spring fever, was full of worry. It was probably thanks to Grand Duke Graham, who was hiding between some garden trees outside the window where I could see everything. I secretly glanced in the direction where Carlisle was presumed to be, took Nicole’s hand, and naturally got up.
“No, I’m not tired. It’s just that there’s so much to learn that I can’t concentrate.”
“Hmm…, Imperial Palace etiquette is a bit……, a lot, isn’t it….”
Nicole innocently relieved her suspicion right away.
The formal engagement ceremony was already fast approaching in just two weeks. The Head Maid of the Imperial Palace came to the mansion every other day to teach me Imperial Palace etiquette directly. It was a pain in the neck to learn every single thing, from detailed greetings to outdated etiquette that had long been abandoned.
Nicole, who would naturally enter the Imperial Palace with me as my chief maid when I became the Crown Princess, also had to learn etiquette with me, so this excuse worked to some extent.
Haaam, I yawned loudly and moved slowly. I hooked my arm with Nicole’s and continued to chat about trivial things, saying that it was honestly too boring and that I didn’t want to learn. Nicole nodded enthusiastically. Perhaps I wouldn’t raise much suspicion even if I spaced out or was exhausted for the time being. Sorry, Nicole…. But it’s better for your mental health if you don’t know……. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Grand Duke Graham, who was the main culprit for making me so tired, was truly elusive. During the daytime, he usually lazed around comfortably in my room, which was unguarded because I was away, but like today, he would sometimes fly around outside the window, following my daily life, and when the day was coming to an end, he would slyly reveal himself and lean heavily on me as if he was making up for the spoiled behavior he couldn’t show. At those times, I was usually in the form of a wolf, which I couldn’t resist, so I didn’t have the mind to stop him.
I think he knows too well that I find him cute and uses it too well……. Until the last Iteration, when he was Allen’s Love interest, his appearance was his appearance, but above all, his personality seemed to be suffocatingly serious and sincere, but when he was with me, he would suddenly show such playful sides. But I didn’t dislike those sides of Carlisle, so I ended up smiling.
“Still, it’s a relief.”
“Huh? What is?”
“It’s true that you look a little tired…, but still, it’s been so long since you’ve looked so carefree…….”
Nicole smiled proudly, saying that it must be because our Young Master was going through growing pains in advance to become the most precious person in the world. Seeing the smile on Young Master’s face, it seemed that the position of Crown Princess was good after all.
“…Well, it is good. Of course, it’s good.”
To be exact, it was the freedom and future that I would gain along with the position of Crown Princess, which I had longed for so much, that made me smile, but it was difficult to explain to Nicole, who didn’t know anything. But it was okay. Because I knew that Nicole would unconditionally be on my side even if I safely reached the ending scene of marrying the Crown Prince, completely shook off Allen’s shackles, and immediately threw the divorce papers in the Crown Prince’s face. Because I knew that Nicole would follow me to the end of the world, even if it wasn’t the North.
If I could safely move forward into the future without returning to that morning of the Day of Blessing…, would I be able to see my young Nicole grow into a handsome young man with my own eyes this time?
Thinking about that made me feel excited for no reason. The sky that stretched out wide beyond the window was dazzlingly blue.
Peaceful time flowed by quickly like an arrow. After Countess Renoir visited exactly seven more times, it was already the day of the engagement ceremony. Fortunately, according to the Imperial Family’s established customs, the Crown Prince and the prospective Crown Princess were not allowed to interact privately from the time the engagement partner was announced until the day of the engagement ceremony. If I had to deal with the Crown Prince while worrying about Allen while having Carlisle dangling around, even the toughest nerves would have rusted long ago.
I followed Countess Renoir’s guidance, cultivated etiquette, and prepared for the engagement ceremony step by step according to the procedure. Most of the procedures, including the venue and guests, were already decided, so all I decided was the color scheme of the centerpiece to be placed on the table and the design of the clothes to wear on the day.
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can go with you today.”
I had left everyone, including Nicole, behind alone in the dressing room under the pretext of calming my troubled mind. Carlisle, who was staring at me in a daze as I wore the snow-white clothes embroidered with silver thread, said in a voice dripping with regret.
The engagement ceremony was to be held at the Grand Temple of the capital. Carlisle said that it was easy to hide his presence from the knights, but it was difficult to avoid the eyes of the priests at the Grand Temple, so he decided to stay at the mansion after all. I actually thought it was a relief, but… I didn’t bother to reveal that fact to him, who was expressing his regret. No matter how shameless I decided to be, it seemed that I couldn’t be so thick-skinned as to show him the scene of my engagement with another person.
“I’ll come back, to your side.”
“Noah…….”
“You know that. Right?”
“I know. But…….”
Please come back as soon as possible, before my patience burns out completely. He bent down and pressed his forehead against mine, whispering quietly like a sigh. I pressed the back of my hand firmly against his lips, which were dry and parched today.
Knock knock.
“Young Master. You have to leave now.”
Along with Nicole’s cautious urging, the tall man who had been standing in front of me disappeared without a trace in an instant. ……I shouldn’t be troubled now. I didn’t deserve to be.
Since the ‘Noah Hamilton’ in the original game had committed various atrocities since Allen’s formal engagement…, it was clear that the quiet atmosphere would be shaken up again after today’s event. Allen Hamilton and Noah Hamilton were now in opposite situations. Noah Hamilton had to break through the barrage of interference and safely reach the royal wedding with the Crown Prince, and Allen Hamilton had to stop Noah Hamilton at all costs and prevent him from reaching the predetermined ending.
“Yeah. I’ll be right out.”
After taking a moment to catch my breath, I calmly got up from my seat. I pulled the doorknob with force. There was a large window right at the entrance to the dressing room, and brilliant sunlight poured in through the window as if it were flooding in. It was dazzling. I closed my eyes for a moment as I felt dizzy, and when I opened them, a refreshing rainbow-colored fountain was framed in the center of the window frame between the rays of light, swaaa, swaaa. As if it were a painting by a famous artist.
It was the engagement gift bestowed by the Crown Prince, which had been fulfilled as Allen had predicted.
“You are indeed beautiful, Brother.”
“…Allen?”
“I’ve come to escort you.”
With the picturesque fountain outside the window as his backdrop, Allen reached out his hand to me. Perhaps it was because of the strong sunlight that was piercing my eyes painfully…. His hair, which should have been a similar blonde to mine, momentarily looked like a shimmering rainbow.