“Ah.”

“Aah-.”

“Aah, ah-ah-ah-!!”

Even the echoes in the narrow cave were subdued.

Shar-tee, with a trembling face, once again exerted strength on her throat and made a sound. Now, her voice, which had faded away, produced a sound quite similar.

She cautiously scratched her throat.

‘What’s happening here?’

Shar-tee couldn’t hide her confusion at the sudden change from the eerie frog-like croaking to a normal voice.

As far as she could remember, until yesterday morning or until the start of the heavy rain, there had been no change in her voice.

‘Did it happen when I took the strength out of my voice to calm Ren?… Since then?’

Only the sound of pouring rain pounding down intermittently came to her mind, and she couldn’t recall exactly what sound she had made or when her voice started sounding different.

Even after waking up from sleep, her attention had been solely focused on Ren, making her insensitive to her own changes.

“Sha-.”

“Hmm?”

Shar-tee, lost in thought, was surprised when Ren suddenly held out a bag of clothes.

“I understand being surprised by the changed voice, but changing clothes comes first.”

“Uh, well…”

“I’ll go outside and change.”

Ren took out ordinary clothes obtained from the CROFEL mercenary group.

“Hey, Ren-.”

Ren, about to go outside the cave, turned around and looked at Shar-tee.

Unlike Shar-tee, who was belatedly recognizing the unfamiliar voice and seemed flustered, Ren’s reaction was calm.

Even if he didn’t congratulate her, she thought he would at least comfort her, relieved that the horrible voice was gone.

“My voice, and my face… Why didn’t you say anything? I didn’t know.”

Ren looked at Shar-tee with a calm gaze.

The sunlight slipping through his facial features slid down. His previously dark face gradually brightened.

“I didn’t say anything because I thought it wasn’t necessary to consciously speak, express emotions, and act naturally. I knew you’d be awkward like this.”

“Huh?”

“Acting naturally, speaking well, and expressing emotions without being conscious of it are things that don’t need to be worried about. I thought it was better not to consciously notice, especially when you might be embarrassed.”

“Didn’t you think it was strange that my voice suddenly changed?”

When Shar-tee asked while glancing at him, Ren chuckled.

“Childishly, that moment when all your attention was solely on me was precious. Even that uncomfortable feeling that you couldn’t remember yesterday was forgettable in that moment.”

Ren finished his last words and went outside the cave.

Left alone, Shar-tee struggled to get up, using the bag as support. She held the bag full of clothes with both arms and buried her face in it.

‘Ren unexpectedly says such nostalgic words.’

Ren’s expression and the affectionate tone of his low voice tickled her cheeks and ears.

If the voice suits the face you like, that should be fine.

Now, heat surged to her face again, time and again. However, it was only for a moment; Shar-tee sighed deeply.

‘Compared to Ren, my confession is…’
It was spontaneous and monotonous. She only spit out the words that came to her at that moment, and there was a possibility that they might not have been heard properly amidst the sound of rain.

She succeeded in calming Ren, but the sincere confession she should have conveyed was no different from a failure.

‘Besides…’

Shar-tee looked down at her swollen head in embarrassment.

Her jet-black curly hair had become a mess with mud and rain, a complete disaster. It couldn’t be compared to Ren’s.

‘It’s better that Ren doesn’t remember the confession.’

Instead of making herself look pretty, she confessed out of nowhere in such a state.

Shar-tee buried her head in the bag of clothes. Her neck muscles screamed.

“Ugh…”

Shar-tee made a distressed expression.

If things continued like this, her first confession would be remembered as the worst embarrassment in her mind.

‘No way!’

Feeling the crisis, Shar-tee endured the screams from her muscles and stood up properly.

She opened her eyes wide and rummaged through the bag for clothes.

Dressed in a clean top and a long skirt, Shar-tee diligently wrapped bandages around her pale legs.

It was to hide the long scar grotesquely.

Tying the bandage tightly, Shar-tee made up her mind grimly.

“Let’s do it like Ren.”

Just like Ren, she needed to practice not being embarrassed, to express her feelings honestly as they were. Also, she had to consider the special treatment that she could subtly feel, just like the smile Ren showed only to her.

Shar-tee took out the silver ring, looked at it discreetly, and put it back in her pocket.

‘It’s better to take off the ring when I’m alone with Ren.’

Revealing her face, which she used to always hide, showed trust in him. It might be considered special treatment because she didn’t take it off often, afraid it would become a habit in front of the Biretta family.

Above all, her face had a positive effect on Ren.

‘He said he likes my face.’