「From tomorrow on, I will live over there.」

「……Eh?」

「From tomorrow on, I will live over there.」

「No, I heard you.」

Next to a perplexed Jean-sama, I strengthened my resolve.

「Are you fine with that?」

「Fine or not, I won't let it end while being treated as a fool!」

I'll definitely make him say he's glad to have married me.

I can't imagine it though.

A Mikhail that says that is no longer Mikhail.

But well, I'll make him say something like that!

As I walked with nostrils flaring, Jean-sama laughed wryly from beside me.

「Father, I,」

「I heard from His Highness. Do as you please.」

「……Thank, you?」

Calling out to stop my Father who just returned, I thought to desperately negotiate, but I was given permission immediately.

Strange. It's not a talk that would be pa.s.sed by or acknowledged so easily.

「Father?」

「From tomorrow on, I……」

「You're going to His Highness Mikhail's place. Are you done preparing?」

「……Yes.」

「His Highness Mikhail is in your care.」

I got relied on.

Though his daughter is going off to be a bride ahead of schedule, in converse he worries about her partner.

Is it alright?

Though those words were stuck in my throat, I didn't voice them.

If he says it's ok then it should be ok.

Tottering as I followed behind Father who gave his luggage to a maid, Father suddenly turned back.

「Sorry」

For what? Is he feeling ok?

「Without asking your will, the result of tying you to His Highness Vissel turned to this」

……No, Vissel-sama wasn't a bad person. I didn't think much of it til it came to this point, and I wasn't really against marriage. And now that it's come to this, I only got angry and wasn't really hurt.

Well in the end, I didn't care much.

「Father, I don't really care who my marriage partner is.」

……Somehow, a complicated face was returned.

「I feel like I could work it out with about anyone, and since we'll be spouses I'd want to come to love him. But because Mikhail is a little special, as expected I'm happy.」

「If possible, both of you become happy」

With a bitter smile, he placed his hand on my head.

It’s probably been over 10 years since he’s done this.

「Yes!」

As I grinned, Father's face turned a little gentler.

「I'm home!」

The next day, with the key I received from Jean-sama I entered the room as I pleased.

From today on, this is my home.

「……What did you come for.」

「Your voice sure got low.」

「……What is that luggage.」

Ignoring his question I silently wrapped a towel around his hips.

I saw nothing.

Ah,

「It's really your body」

I heard about it but I was surprised at the gap between what I felt and saw.

It's good it didn't crumble away.

「Aren't you too thin? Are you eating?」

When I grabbed around his hips, the area above his hip bones was amazing.

Rather, huh, aren't his rib bones sticking out? This isn't because of the sand but because he's really thin.

「Don't stick to me.」

「No, this is dangerous! You're too thin!」

「You're loud」

「No, but to a degree, you're just as you look. Meaning you really grew this tall!?」

「Shut up. Hurry and go home.」

My childhood friend who is unceasingly cold.

But no matter how uncute he is, if his appet.i.te dwindled so he slimmed down this much, as expected I would be worried.

「Like I said, I've come home.」

Teehee.

It's a flop.

「……Me, wife. Here, home. Got it?」

「Go home.」

「No, like I said, here is my」

「Go home right now!」

「Don'tーwanーnaー」

Clinging to his body I refused. As if I'll move from here.

「You really don't change! Let go! This is why Vissel threw you away!!」

「Oi」

「Oi?」

「BAKAaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」

「O, oi,」

「BAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKABAKA!!」1

「You can't say that! Mikail really hasn't changed either! Only your body has gotten bigger, you haven't, you haven't turned into an adult at all!」

「No, that's because you,」

「The adulterer is the one who's wrong! Don't get angry at me for it!」

「It's not like I'm mad, no, in the first place, adultery……」

「Be quiet!! Just get out!!」

「Haa!?」

「I don't like you at all Mikhail!!」

「Jeez, what are you……」

Though angry, I shamelessly unpacked my luggage.

Thankfully he really didn't have any belongings, so there was plenty of s.p.a.ce for me to put my stuff.

「Go home. I'm well aware you loved Vissel……」

What.

「He was truly at fault. I apologize as his younger brother. But just because of that,」

「HAaAAAA!?」

「I don't like him! Even though I don't like him I was dumped! In fact, I don't even care but being told by Mikhail makes me angry!」

He stiffened like a doll made out of sand but I didn't care.

「Good grief, what will I be told at the next evening party. I even tried my best in my hated studies for after marriage. I'm done. I decided that when I marry, I want to live a shut-in life.」

While saying that, I felt in the contrary it suited my personality. Lazy b.u.m banzai. 2

「……You」

Saying that mixed in with sighs, he entered into give up mode.

Good good.

「Hey, how do you live here? What about baths? Meals? Laundry?」

「I do everything myself.」

「……No way?」

「It's not a lie. That's why you should」

「I won't leave. What about food ingredients?」

「……Jean brings them.」

I'm at a loss for words.

Naturally, I as a Duke's daughter am unable to do such things.

I bragged about being someone who did daily tasks myself, but after all I was a n.o.ble, so it was only to a certain level.

「You can do those things Mikhail?」

「A little bit.」

He's been through such difficulties.

No, wait.

A little?

With him in this unreliable state of affairs?

「That's why you're so thin! What about bathing!? Are you really taking them? Or rather, you're not wearing any clothes so you don't have any laundry to do, right!?」

That was close, that was close. I almost respected him for being so capable.

Moreover, if he was this apathetic he'd die.

「When I'm this covered and dripping with mud, I don't need clothes. Even if I wash them they won't get clean, and as if the cooking made by these hands would taste good」

Saying so he lifted his right hand and looked at it, and no matter his sand-like appearance I could feel his sorrow.

However,

「Mikhail………………What are you saying?」

「You're not dripping or anything, you know?」

I don't know how to explain it, but it's been a little odd since yesterday.

Jean-sama was saying things I didn't really understand too, maybe what I'm seeing is different from what he's seeing?

「Draw on this!」

「Ha?」

Taking paper and a pen from my bag, I dragged him to the table.

「How do you view yourself now, Mikhail?」

To clarify, there was only that.

「Go on!」

「Go on, you say……」

「Jean-sama also commented that I could tell if you were wearing clothes, so……Incidentally, for me………………It's like this?」

I fluidly drew a simple drawing of his figure.

It's a good drawing if I say so myself.

While the sand-like quality wasn't conveyed, the rough feeling showed up well.

「Like this you're all brown, and you're like sand so I can't really tell your expression. But I can tell you have a high nose. And your hair doesn't really move. I like your red hair so it's a bit regretful」

While adding a detailed shadow I continued conversing.

Yes, he, or rather all three brothers had red hair.

And within them, I think his is the most beautiful. With no brown blended in, a perfect red.

His face wasn't bad either. It wasn't a kind face like Vissel-sama's, but his sharp almond eyes, as one looked at them more, or rather as I looked at them, I felt they were pretty cool.

「Because it's the same color as Vissel's, right」

「You're wrong, I said. Mikhail's is the most beautiful.」  

「……Your hair grew out pretty long」

I feel like he's finally looking at me.

I'm happy.

「Ehe. Right?」

Grabbing a section of my long golden hair that fell loosely to my waist, I felt a little prideful.

「You haven't changed from being a shorty though.」

「I'm not a shorty. I'm normal!」

I'm just a little smaller.

As expected, a Mikhail that ends with praise isn't like him at all.

「Only weird places have gotten bigger」

……I feel like he's made another unnecessary remark.

The estimated destination calculating from where his face is tilted is・・・

「Wha!? Pervert!」

「My eyes are drawn to it whether I like it or not. It was big before, but now it's gotten quite……」

「Don't comment on it so seriously!」

Though he was talking about a woman's chest, he didn't have a shred of lasciviousness. On the contrary, it looked like he was in a bad mood.

「Even if someone didn't like you, if they grew up this big then they'd want to touch them」

Facing the other way, it seems he didn't have any intention to draw.

Furthermore he was insisting that I loved Vissel-sama again.

「Like I said, there's nothing between me and Vissel-sama! Since I was told to, I figured I couldn't get married anywhere else, but really,」

「You're all lies.」

「I'm not lying!」

「Then, take off your clothes.」

………………Yes?

Eh, I don't understand,

Right now, I was probably making an extremely stupid face.

I don’t get how this conversation goes from “leave” to “get naked” so suddenly either, Angel… Lol.

I felt like leaving it in the original language was best huhu. Everyone knows baka means idiot/stupid right? ↩

Banzai is like “cheers!” or “hooray!” in celebration. ↩