Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

When we broke the kiss without either of us initiating it, Lord Cyrus covered my face with his hands and pressed his thumb gently against my cheek. Then, immediately, he kissed that spot. After a kiss that was barely a touch, he moved to the other cheek.

He pressed his lips near the corners of my eyes, beside my ears, and on a strand of my hair, then stepped back. Standing close by, he lowered his gaze.

“...Marie, are you really here?”

It was a strange question, but I understood how he felt. I smiled and answered.

“I am. I haven’t disappeared.”

“...Now I understand well how you must have felt when you first arrived at your castle.”

He furrowed his brows. With a self-deprecating smile, he gently stroked my head and doted on me.

“I’m so happy that I might accidentally start crying.”

He said something like that.

“Marie, I will cherish you.”

“...That’s already more than enough.”

“No, even more. Honestly, I want to cherish you more and more. Wherever you go, I’ll carry you so you won’t have to set a foot on the hard ground.”

“That would weaken my legs.”

“Exactly, which is why I’m holding back.”

Lord Cyrus buried his face in the sheets and sighed. Hm? Was that not a joke just now?

He chuckled quietly. His shoulders shook as he genuinely laughed.

“I’m happy... not just because I got a wife. I’m very happy that Marie can finally express her will to me... There’s nothing else that makes me happier.”

Lord Cyrus sat on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at me. Occasionally, he reached out his hand and gently patted me.

I silently met his gaze, sometimes suddenly feeling shy and looking down, then raising my face when he stroked my head. Every time our eyes met, he smiled softly, and I couldn’t help but laugh along.

Such meaningless moments passed by quite a bit—

Suddenly, Lord Cyrus exclaimed, “Ah!” and stood up.

“I forgot. The doctor told me to notify him when you woke up.”

“Oh my, that won’t do. It’s already dawn; the doctor should be allowed to rest too.”

I hurriedly tried to get out of bed, but Lord Cyrus stopped me with his hand.

“I can go alone. You should go back to sleep.”

“...I want to stay with you a little longer.”

“Ugh!”

Lord Cyrus suddenly clutched his chest and crouched down. Eh? Could it be that I have an infectious disease!? Panicked, I rushed over to him. He groaned while holding his chest.

“It’s okay. My heart just almost stopped for a moment.”

“That sounds serious!? Lord Cyrus, you should rest. I’ll call the doctor!”

“No, the ancient city gets cold at dawn. I’ll be back soon. Wait for me in bed.”

I gasped sharply, blushed, and looked down.

“Y-yes. I-I understand... I’ll be waiting.”

“...Ah, no!”

“Huh? Ah.”

Realizing my misunderstanding, my face grew even hotter. Screaming inside my head in a flurry of panic, I hid under the sheets and trembled silently.

Lord Cyrus groaned for a bit, then gently patted me through the sheets to comfort me (though he seemed to think he was patting my head—it was actually my bottom). Then he cheerfully declared he was leaving and exited the room.

Left behind was only me, blushing all over and writhing in embarrassment.

“Ugh... I guess I’m still not used to being alone with Lord Cyrus...”

It’s not like I’m so nervous that I don’t know what to say anymore, but sometimes it feels like a little communication gap. We might misunderstand each other’s words or actions, then end up in all sorts of trouble...

From now on, I have to make sure those misunderstandings don’t happen.

Because we’re going to be husband and wife.

Just thinking that made my face flush again. I buried my face in the pillow and whimpered.

“Ah, but still, I wish there was someone... someone thoughtful who knows both of us well...”

At that moment—

Clang! A hard sound of something hitting something else echoed from afar. What was that? At the same time, I thought I heard a man’s scream. Could it be Lord Cyrus!?

I threw off the sheets and dashed out of the room barefoot. The ancient city before dawn was cold, but I didn’t care. I looked around and saw Lord Cyrus crouching at the end of the long corridor.