After arriving in Reveren, Reus’s mood had been steadily declining.

He had hoped that leaving the Grand Duke’s castle for an unfamiliar place would give them a little more time together, but that was too big of a misunderstanding.

With Roel, who had lived trapped in a small world, surrounded by things she had never experienced before, there was no way someone like him would catch her eye. It felt ridiculous that he had expectations, knowing full well how insignificant he was to Roel.

It was unbearably laughable that he was now regretting it, when he was the one who had proposed the contract and said never to cross the line.

‘From the beginning, it was a relationship that started off wrong.’

Would he have been less anxious if a pure marriage without a contract had been premised? He asked himself, but the answer was negative.

‘Since it’s a relationship bound by contract, I guess this is how it is.’

Reus was well aware of the fact that Roel had never been fond of him from the start.

Among the many people filling the ballroom, the only woman who looked at him differently always had feelings beyond mere dislike.

Resentment and unease.

Where those emotions came from, why they were directed at him – Reus didn’t know then, and he still didn’t know now.

He didn’t even hope for her to like him, but what if there wasn’t even the slightest bit of fondness, but rather a feeling of hatred remained in a corner of her heart?

Could the conversation he had with Teron a few days ago be related to that? Was that why she hesitated to hold his hand?

He spent agonizing days attaching all sorts of meanings to Roel’s small actions and tone of voice. But Helen, oblivious to his feelings, kept calling Roel out at every opportunity.

‘Does the queen have so little to do?’

Reus found it a bit absurd. He had been worried that Roel might turn her eyes to other men in the Kingdom of Reveren, but in reality, the one he was concerned about was his own friend.

Today too, Reus couldn’t snap out of the overwhelming sense of self-loathing.

* * *

‘As expected, in times like these, it’s best to just do it and see.’

Teasing Reus wasn’t something that required such a grand method for Helen.

‘I just need to call Roel.’

The sight of Reus’s disappointment, with a new expression each time his wife distanced herself, never got old.

Somehow she ended up imitating the behavior of the husband she disliked, but what could she do? It was just too fun to tease her stoic friend.

Perhaps Claude had been venting his grievances against Reus in the same way?

In fact, even without such reasons, the time spent with Roel was enjoyable enough.

It had been a really long time since she could talk to someone without worrying about them having ulterior motives or harboring some kind of scheme.

“What? You often skipped meals on the battlefield?”

“Yes. He hated eating with others so much, you know?”

“How could he swing a sword in that state……”

Even though it was all in the past, it was dizzying just to hear about it. Roel’s face, filled with worry, quickly turned pale.

“That’s why Reus was famous in various ways. He looked like he was about to die at any moment, but after battles, his complexion would actually improve, you know? So even people who were worried couldn’t say anything no matter what Reus did later. It’s funny to say this, but among the soldiers, there were even rumors that war was in his nature.”

“I see……”

Although Helen meant to say there wasn’t much to worry about, Roel’s concern only deepened. Quickly noticing this, Helen swiftly changed the subject of conversation.

“By the way, I heard you’re planning to travel around Reveren a bit when you leave the palace?”

“Yes. I probably won’t be able to go around as much as I’d like, but I’m planning to see as much as I can.”

“Then how about staying to watch the swordsmanship tournament at the palace in a few days before you leave?”

“Swordsmanship tournament?”

Helen wanted to keep Roel until the end of their scheduled stay in Reveren, but she was a bit scared that the innocent Kingdom of Reveren might face destruction at Reus’s hands if she did so.

But she couldn’t give up on teasing Reus either.

“Roel. Do you know what the three famous things of Reveren are?”

“No, I don’t really……”

“Men, the swordsmanship tournament, and Melsia. Among them, the swordsmanship tournament is like the flower of Reveren.”

Roel paused for a moment upon hearing the name of the herb used for her cold medicine.

“I’m asking you because I know Reus won’t go anyway. Reus watched it once and never attended again, saying it wasn’t his style.”

There was a good reason for that, but Helen left out the most important part. Roel, having no particular reason to refuse, accepted the suggestion without any suspicion.

She had no idea that the swordsmanship tournament was more of a festival-like event that prioritized looks and physique rather than requiring serious swordsmanship.

* * *

Reus, who had been quite displeased about Roel spending the entire day with Helen again, asked in a voice full of sulking.

“Was your conversation with Helen fun again today?”

“Yes.”

Reus inadvertently smiled at Roel’s bright, smiling face, but quickly stiffened his expression.

“What kind of conversation do you have to spend such long hours every day?”

“Just this and that……”

Although it didn’t seem like they had discussed anything particularly grand, Roel evaded the question just like when she had hidden her conversation with Teron before.

As Reus had expected, there wasn’t a particularly grand reason for hiding the content of the conversation. It was because Reus’s stories had taken up such a large portion of her talks with Helen that she felt a bit conscious about it.

‘He might feel a bit uncomfortable if I tell him we talked about him when he wasn’t there……’

Although there weren’t any sensitive parts like in the conversation with Teron, for some reason, the words just wouldn’t come out.

Reus, already in a bad mood from having all their time together stolen, decided to stop waiting patiently when he saw Roel drawing lines even at times like this.

Yes, if he was curious, he just needed to coax it out of her skillfully.

As Roel approached, Reus put on a gloomy expression. He had accurately grasped how to attract attention.

“Reus, is something wrong?”

“……”

“Reus?”

Reus, who had been quietly waiting for the right moment, immediately intertwined his fingers with hers as soon as her gentle touch landed on the back of his hand.

It would have been fine to pretend to be pitiful as he had done so far, but today it seemed better to speak outright, leaving no room for escape.

Soon, Reus spoke in a slightly gloomy voice.

“I feel hurt.”

“……What?”

“I thought we had gotten a bit closer, but.”

“……”

“I guess it was my misunderstanding.”

The aqueous eyes beneath the blinking eyelids shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred. Reus maintained a shamelessly pitiful expression as he met her gaze, then immediately drove the point home.

“I guess you’re still very uncomfortable with me, Roel.”

The icy blue eyes that fell dejectedly, as if already hurt before hearing an answer, were a work of art. Naturally, Roel was greatly flustered and fell into Reus’s crafted strategy.

“No, Reus! Why… why do you think that?”

“……”

“Re-Reus, it’s really not like that.”

Seeing Roel more flustered than he had expected, Reus almost cracked the carefully crafted expression.

But Roel, completely unaware of this fact, even jumped up from the bed and crouched on the floor when Reus showed no sign of raising his eyes.

“It, it’s really not… Can you tell me why you think that?”

Her tone was just like soothing a young child.

Although he felt a pang of conscience for exploiting Roel’s consistent kindness, it was only momentary. This was the best Reus could do, as there was no other way to get her attention.

It was time to stop teasing the woman and hear her answer.

“Isn’t it because you keep avoiding conversations these days because you’re not comfortable with me?”

“……It’s not.”

The response speed was very late by anyone’s standards.

She definitely had been avoiding him, it seemed. If only she would clearly explain the reason, he was willing to fix it, whatever it might be.

It was frustrating how she seemed to be opening up, yet remained elusive in certain aspects.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s not.”

“That, well……”

“It’s alright. If it’s that uncomfortable, you don’t have to−”

“So, with Helen!”

Finally completely ensnared, Roel confessed with a trembling voice.

“We talked about… Re-Reus……”

“Hmm.”

“It’s true. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Seeing Roel’s resolute expression, Reus’s mischievousness began to creep up.

“Aren’t you just making excuses? I can’t believe it.”

At the voice full of doubt, Roel’s face quickly filled with indignation.

“When we first met, and how Reus came to save Claude… Um, also……”

As she struggled awkwardly, still trying to somehow soothe and placate him, Reus finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. At the sudden sound of laughter, Roel awkwardly stopped speaking.

“……You were teasing me again, weren’t you.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Then why do you keep laughing!”

“What can I do if I just feel like laughing?”

At those words, Roel’s face flushed bright red.

This time, it wasn’t from embarrassment, but because she felt a bit angry at the sense of betrayal washing over her. But Reus was just as skilled at evoking sympathy as he was at attracting attention from Roel.

“I was sincere when I said I felt hurt.”

“……”

At his following words, the soft-hearted Roel slightly softened her expression.

“You’re the only person I’m comfortable with here, but it doesn’t seem to be the same for you.”

Reus gently pulled Roel to sit beside him.

“Don’t you think I’d feel hurt when you hide even such trivial stories?”

“I was afraid you might feel bad……”

“Me?”

Reus asked back as if dumbfounded.