Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

――And so, after hearing Mr. Angelo's story this far...

Beside me, as I stood speechless, Lord Cyrus slid down from the barrel and onto the floor with a drag. It seemed all the strength had left his body.

I understood how he felt. ...No, really, this was the kind of thing that left you with no choice but to go limp.

Casting a glance at us, Mr. Angelo pointed the bouquet—more precisely, a magic prop whose sword blade was made of artificial flowers—at us.

"Do you have any questions, Lady Marie?"

"...Um... yes. Well, ah... I really have a lot I want to say, but"

"By all means."

"For now, that—who is the baby you mentioned supposed to belong to?"

"It is Lord Kaede's child. Since Lord Kaede was born, the child was born as well."

"Wh-Whose seed was it⁉"

Lord Cyrus shouted from the floor. Mr. Angelo answered readily.

"Probably mine. On that matter alone, as a man, I cannot state it with certainty."

"Y-You made one...⁉"

"What are you saying, Lord Cyrus. Surely you are not ignorant of such things."

"N-No, that's not what I mean. I mean, in another sense, did you actually... do it?"

"Why, of course. As a man, if you try, you can do anything. If you try, you can make it happen."

"Ah, no, all I'm hearing is 'gozaru, gozaru'..."

Lord Cyrus held his head.

Watching us with suspicious eyes, Mr. Angelo smiled. Just a little, with a hint of pride.

"The social standing between myself and Lord Kaede differs. As is likely the case here in Mizuho as well, it was impossible for us to become a properly married couple recognized by the state. ...Back in my homeland, I would likely have been executed, the infant taken from us, and then drowned or otherwise disposed of."

...Ah... I see, that's true. These two, so that's the kind of relationship they had...

"I am grateful to Lord Cyrus. You created a place in a foreign land where we could live together. This is, well, a small way of repaying a kindness."

"...Then... if that's the case... say so sooner..."

"My apologies. Since I had the chance, I wanted to test my strength against Lord Cyrus at least once. Hahaha."

This time he laughed heartily with a hand on the back of his head.

I put a hand on my hip and sighed.

Honestly, this man... to be blunt, isn't he far more troublesome than Yan and even his mastermind? Including Lord Kaede!

For now, I leaned against Lord Cyrus, who had taken more damage than I had and had completely collapsed, and rubbed his back to comfort him.

"Lord Cyrus, um, cheer up..."

"Ah, Marie, it seems I am done for."

The moment I came close, he pulled me into an embrace. He hugged me tightly, squeezing and squeezing.

"Aah, man, I just hate everything now. Marie is my only comfort. No, the daughter I left behind in Dilz, and the attendants in the castle too. I want to see everyone's faces right now."

"Y-Yes, of course... yes."

"I want to go back to Granado Castle. Marrrieee, let's go homeee alreadyyy."

"L-Lord Cyrus, please, pull yourself together."

"Aaaaah, I want to go home..."

He buried his face in my chest and rubbed against me. Hmm, this is serious.

After that sight continued for a while, Mr. Hadwell suddenly spoke in a voice that sounded unnervingly patient.

"...Where is my family?"

...Ah. R-Right!

I hurriedly shoved Lord Cyrus away and stood up.

"S-Sorry, we kept you waiting! Um, there's a hidden room in the storeroom annex of the Dutchman household... the cell was locked, but"

"Then just tell me where it is. With my katana, I can cut through most locks."

"Really? Then please, lead the way at once. Even if I can't cut it, it looked like we could probably break the door down if we took our time, so somehow—"

Just as we all tried to leave the storeroom, an ear-splitting shriek suddenly tore through the air.

"There's no way I'd allow that!"

It was Yan, sprawled on the floor, screaming.

We looked down at him with sharp eyes. The little man flinched for a moment, but then immediately glared back. However, there was no one there who feared him. Shorter than I was and possessing a small, animal-like cuteness, no matter how fiercely he scowled, he only looked like a puppy barking. Especially since he was bound and pinned down.