Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

…Am I dreaming?

I blinked several times to confirm that this was not a lucid dream.

Marie was holding my hand. At first, it seemed to be just a misunderstanding. But after letting go once, she placed her hand over mine again.

Along with the words, “I love you.”

…The doubt that maybe I was mistaken came only after I held her in my arms. If that were the case, it would be terrible—Marie would shrink away again. I had to avoid that.

Still, I couldn’t let go.

Of course. I had been yearning for this moment until my very soul felt like it was burning. I couldn’t bring myself to release her.

Reluctantly, I pleaded.

“If I heard wrong, then push me away immediately. Otherwise, let it be.”

Yet Marie did not resist; rather, she pressed her forehead against my chest as if nodding in agreement.

A sweet tingling ran through my entire body. I trembled in small shakes from my toes to the crown of my head, and I held her even tighter.

—It’s done.

I didn’t know what had triggered it, but finally, my feelings reached Marie. Now, at last, we could truly be fiancés in the real sense.

I did it—I did it!

“Marie, Marie, thank you. I love you from the bottom of my heart. I will make you happy no matter what!”

She didn’t answer but simply leaned on me. Not so heavily that I couldn’t support her, but the closeness of our bodies increased. Marie’s body, draped in a thin cloth… I could feel the softness of her flesh and every contour. Her breath reached my earlobes. I sensed her body temperature, her scent, her heartbeat — all of Marie. I patted her back gently.

“Marie, you’re a bit too clingy. I’m happy, but it’s not good.”

However, she did not move away. On the contrary, she pressed her weight against me even more, and I became genuinely perplexed.

“This isn’t good. I’m happy, but this mustn’t happen. You should be considerate here. I want you to understand what it means to be a man.”

Still, she didn’t budge.

W-what…? Could it be that Marie, usually so modest and obedient, is actually this forward when it counts!?

The sound of my own heartbeat hurt my eardrums. Holding Marie close, I unfolded a mental map of the entire royal capital in my mind. I picked out places along the way from the market to Granado Castle where we could rest.

No good. The places I use for work all know Count Kyros Granado’s face well. If the manager and all the staff came out to greet us, shy Marie would probably run away.

Then maybe the carriage depot… The second floor there is an inn. If there’s a vacant room… But it’s a simple inn with thin walls and mats, no bath, no ambiance, nothing.

If Marie insisted on right now, I would do anything — specifically, I’d buy out the hotel — but still, something like this should be… well, not like that. So for today, I’ll leave that aside. It’s better to do whatever we want after returning to the castle. Still, even here in the carriage, surely there’s something we can do.

I nervously glanced down at Marie’s face.

…Her eyes were closed.

“Marie… please give me permission to kiss you.”

I whispered. I released my arms from around her and lifted her chin, bringing my lips close. Just before touching, I said again,

“I want to kiss you. Please grant me permission. Please—”

Marie’s body suddenly swayed.

Huh? Losing my support, she went limp like a doll with its strings cut and collapsed right there. She lay down sprawled on the floor of the carriage.

I hurried to kneel beside her. Looking at her face, her eyes remained closed, and she was breathing shallowly, softly chuckling to herself.

“Could it be… she’s asleep?”

I called out to her, but there was no reply.

…Apparently, she was fast asleep.

“No way…”

I slumped my shoulders heavily, lowering my head completely as I lifted her up. Using my knee as a pillow, I laid her down on the bench seat.

That seemed just right, as she didn’t move at all.

I sighed and muttered.

“Well, it’s fine.”

…It was hard to tell where the talking ended and sleep-talking began… but I couldn’t believe the emerald and her holding my hand were just somnambulism. We must have made progress.