Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

This is a bonus short story after the conclusion.

It's extremely sweet, so please be cautious of your surroundings.

“I'm home, Marie! I brought a souvenir for today!”

With his usual high spirits, Lord Cyrus placed a package on the table. Inside a white box, elegantly contained, was a brooch shaped like a rose. I started by expressing my appreciation to him.

“Welcome home, Lord Cyrus. Thank you for your hard work today. And thank you as always for the souvenir.”

“...You sure say 'thank you' a lot.”

Even if he said that, I furrowed my brows and gave a wry smile.

“Sorry. I just can’t seem to drop the honorifics... I get used to it when we’re together, but once the day changes, it comes back again...”

It had been almost four months since I arrived at Granado Castle — half a month since the engagement ceremony. Although the wedding at the shrine hadn’t happened yet, we were effectively husband and wife.

Still, that didn’t mean I was completely relaxed. When he showed the dignified face of the lord of the castle in front of servants, or the stately count of Granado before nobles, or when he adorned himself in splendid clothes as the head of the Granado Trading Company when going out on business... Count Kyros Granado was incredibly gallant.

“You’re not being self-deprecating again, are you?”

He asked with concern, and I nodded.

“Yes. But... you’re just too wonderful. It makes my heart race.”

“Hah. I-I see. Haha... I see. Hahaha. I see, I see.”

This time Lord Cyrus blushed and awkwardly scratched his head. I covered my mouth and looked down.

The two of us just stood facing each other for no particular reason.

“...Can you believe this? These two have maintained this distance ever since. With that attitude, I wonder if they’ll manage to have an heir properly.”

“Who are you talking to? It’s far better than newlyweds who’ve already grown cold. What we, the servants, should do is quietly watch over them.”

“Hey, you two! What are you talking about? And why are you in Marie’s room!?”

Embarrassed, Lord Cyrus raised his voice. But Mio and Tunic are usually here anyway. The two who were yelled at just gave a “what?” expression.

Lord Cyrus left the room with a glum expression... After seeing him off, I suddenly thought of something and asked Mio.

“Hey, Mio, when is Lord Cyrus’s birthday?”

She knit her brows and replied,

“Oh... come to think of it, it’s soon.”

“Soon? That’s perfect. When? Around next month?”

“Tomorrow.”

I sank to the floor on the spot.

No way, tomorrow!? Tomorrow!

Panicking, I looked out the window. The sun had already set completely, and beyond the sunset, the night sky was visible. There was no way to go to the market now, and even if I tried to make something by hand, it wouldn’t be anything special in such a short time.

What should I do...?

As I held my head, Mio said curiously,

“In this country, adult men’s birthdays aren’t considered very important occasions. I don’t think Lord Cyrus expects anything either.”

“But I can’t just do nothing. At least something small, if possible on the day itself... even if I make a proper gift later.”

“Then let’s just storm into Lord Cyrus’s bedroom!”

Of course, it was Tunic who suddenly dropped that bombshell. She immediately moved behind me and started undoing the buttons on my back.

“W-wait, what are you doing!?”

“If Lord Cyrus wants something, it has to be Lady Marie, right? Hurry, get naked.”

“Eh!?”

“Wrap a ribbon around the birthday suit, say, ‘I’m your present ♡ Please enjoy ♡’, and Lord Cyrus will be overjoyed—”

“That’s indecent.”

At Mio’s cool voice, there was a loud thud as Tunic was struck with a candlestick and slid to the floor.

...Is this okay? Won’t this become an incident...?

Adjusting my clothes, I patted Tunic’s head. Mio smiled with exasperation.

“Still, Tunic has a point. Don’t feel pressured since you’ve already done so much. Lord Cyrus’s greatest wish is for Lady Marie to be happy and joyful.”