He Likes Me a Lot More Than I Thought!

Since then, I had been thinking about whether it would be uncomfortable to meet Shuel, but it did not take long for me to realise it was useless.

Shuel treated me as usual and behaved normally.

After two eventful weeks, he returned to his normal youth.

“Good morning, Rwen. You look so pretty today. I like you.”

However, what became too much of a normal thing is that Shuel has yet to stop confessing.

The academy life has not changed much over the past decade, so time started to feel faster. And yet, Shuel’s confession did not change.

In the spring of the 6th year, when the petals flutter around the founding festival.

In the fall of the 9th year, when I passed the graduation exam and the Imperial Palace Bureaucracy exam at the same time.

In the late summer of the 10th year. During my graduation ceremony.

Even in the fast pace of time, it continued.

Now, Shuel’s confession seemed like a habit. To the point where I didn’t know what special occasion occurred, but he smiled brightly when he saw my face and said ‘I like you’.

If Shuel was still a young boy, I would’ve said, ‘Oh, that’s cute.’ but the problem was that he could no longer be called a boy.

His puberty came, changing his naive voice, and his slender frame began to become firm. His height also grew rapidly.

My impression of him went from ‘Wow, he’s grown a lot!’ to ‘Really……big.’ and eventually it became, ‘How big are you?’.

It was natural. Shuel, who was nearing 190cm tall and had thick muscles, ate well when he was young so his stature was twice that of my small body.

Who would think that kid……No, he’s no longer a child. Who would look at him and think he would be a civil servant?

I don’t think there would be any difficulties if he jumped right into a battlefield and cut off the enemy’s head.

Where did the blood of the Duke of Sebrirua, who has produced great knights for generations, go?

Now, I had to tilt my head for a while to talk and see Shuel’s face.

And looking at Shuel, who was all grown up now, I was seized with new doubts.

‘Is he serious?’

It was a reasonable doubt.

I graduated from the academy two years ago, and today is Shuel’s graduation ceremony.

In other words, it means that Schuel and I have already been together for 13 years.

12-year-old Shuel said that he would become an adult and still like me, but I wasn’t sure.

They say love has an expiry date of 6 months.

The boy’s first love, which was sappy and cheesy, may end as a beautiful past as he slowly aged.

‘Then I would have to……’

“Rwen, what are you thinking about? Let’s get on.”

I raised my head blankly, as if I was woken up to the soft voice.

Derick smiled at me faintly.

His eyes were wrinkled with folds as they bent, evidenced by the years.

“Derick……”

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Derick answered my call delightfully.

As Shuel, Rieta and I had grown up over the past 13 years, Derick also looked much older than 13 years ago.

The tip of my nose became sour.

“You’re really……getting older.”

“…….”

“What if later, there comes a time where I have to you grandpa and not uncle?”

I use the title uncle alternately for Derick’s nickname, but I remembered that one day his nickname could no longer be called uncle.

I held my breath as if I was going to cry, but I heard a laugh behind me as if they were trying to hold it in.

“Pfft.”

“……Rietta.”

At the sound of Derick’s voice calling out to his daughter quietly, I finally looked at his face.

Derick, whose smiling face hardened up like glass, raised the corners of his mouth forcefully.

“So……you were worried. Our Rwen. That’s nice of you……”

“Pf-Pfft. Hahahaha!”

Rieta burst out laughing carelessly.

In fact, I didn’t understand why she was laughing. It wouldn’t be funny to hear that her father was getting old. What’s the reason?

Rieta has always acted like that, so my curiosity didn’t last very long.

I erased the doubt I had of her and turned to face Derick again. He looked even more haggard today.

Today was Shuel’s graduation ceremony, so Rieta, Derick and Marie, who were staying in a townhouse in the Capital, were going to the academy.

The academy was also located in the Capital, so it was not that far, but we still had to ride the carriage for quite a while so I was worried about Derick’s poor condition.

“You don’t look so well, can you go?”

When Rieta heard that, she let out a sob. Derick had a strange expression, which seemed both angry and burdened.

I could hear a small gasp around me, and I looked around in bewilderment. Everyone was holding back their laughter.

What’s this? Somehow I feel like I’m being teased.

Exceptionally sensitive to hostility, but quite dull in all other aspects, I stood still like a hay sack.

“What’s going on?”

And then, Marie approached us in her gown.

Derick’s eyes lowered, and so did mine. It was only Rieta who was openly amused.

“No, pfft. Sister is sad because dad is old. Hehehe.”

“Rieta, why do you keep laughing?”

“Nothing. It’s just so cute……”

I’m four years older, though. I smiled wryly when I was called cute by my younger sister.

The moment I was about to say something, Marie once again opened her mouth.

“Derick will grow old someday.”

At that subtle comment, Reita’s laughter suddenly stopped.

She looked at her mother in disbelief, and even when she received that gaze, Marie answered calmly.

“Now he’s not.”

“Mom, are you being serious?”

At Rieta’s question, Marie frowned and made a puzzled face.

“He’s just as pretty as before, isn’t he?”

At Marie’s words, everyone’s face turned muddled as they really couldn’t understand her.

Except for Derick.

Derick blushed with surprise.

Sparkling eyes and reddened rims……Sure……He’s still young.

With a face like a boy in love, Derick lowered his eyes and said.

“Marie, how can you say that so casually.”

“……What was the problem?”

“Nothing. I love you, honey.”

Derick smiled pleasantly and kissed Marie’s stiff cheek, feigning that he made a slip of the tongue.

He escorted a red-eared Marie into the carriage.

The servants, who were watching the scene, moved their steps carefully.

As everyone went back to their normal lives, Rieta, who was still staring at the carriage with a frown, muttered absently.

“Ah……I wish all the couples disappeared.”

Uh-huh.

I nodded a little.

Fan translation by Dropped Inks.

＊  ＊  ＊

“Now, after Shuel graduates, we will go down to the estate together.”

I dozed off and woke up abruptly at those words.

I was a little embarrassed because I could see that everyone was looking at me even from a drowsy perspective.

‘You can’t overwork yourself, Rwen.’ Derick, who nagged me lightly, began to talk.

I listened to the story while taking Rieta’s handkerchief embroidered with rabbits to wipe the corners of my lips, in case of any mishaps.

“Shuel didn’t come down to the estate during the last vacation, so his room is full of dust. The servants must be having a hard time.”

“Marie. Our daughter goes into that room to play.”

“……Oh, my.”

I burst into laughter at the sound of the embarrassed voice.

It seems that Rieta, who had gone down first during her holiday, took advantage of Shuel’s absence and played around happily.

Shuel didn’t usually get angry, but he didn’t like someone entering his room and messing up his things, especially if it was Rieta.

I felt as if I could picture it right in front of my eyes. I quietly traced the nostalgic memories.

“Rwen, I’ve cleaned your room again. The palace’s holiday is coming soon, right?”

Still absorbed in my thoughts, I paused at the question that came to me.

Seeing that I couldn’t answer immediately, everyone’s faces flashed and soon the atmosphere in the carriage plummeted.

“Are you very busy……?”

Derick mumbled, ‘those bastards’ while gritting his teeth, then looked at me pitifully.

Before I could answer him, Marie silently held my hand, and Rieta came to my side and whined, begging for me to come along this time.

Struggling in the middle of them, I replied with a vague smile.

“Well, I’m going to live separately from now on……”

At those words, silence fell.