Chapter 7

"Then, please take a look at this document."

I handed a sheet of paper to Lord Richard, who was sitting gracefully on the sofa in front of me. My older brother, who was standing next to me, leaned in to take a look. Not now, brother!

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Sonia Heldin (16)

- After her mother's death, she was taken in by Baron Heldin.

- Her rare pink blonde hair is cute, and her honey-colored eyes are also pretty.

- A kind-hearted girl who loves animals and flowers.

- She has only recently become involved with the nobility, and sometimes surprises those around her, but she covers it with her natural charm! Truly, Lady Sonia!

- On the day of the enrollment ceremony, she fell and was helped by Lord Rihito, and was drawn to him.

Rihito Libertio (16)

- The third prince of our Libertio country, an exceptionally handsome man with an artistic temperament.

- He has the royal family's shining golden hair! And blue eyes! And a beauty that would make a sculptor warm up before starting.

- He is calm, kind, sincere, and retains the heart of a boy. He's a bit too cunning.

- He lacks a bit of confidence in himself, but he has great potential to grow when praised! How wonderful!

- On the day of the enrollment ceremony, he was captivated by the gentle smile of the girl he helped.

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"…Rose"

"Yes! It's a masterpiece!"

I lifted my head from the document, meeting Lord Richard's gaze, and puffed out my chest confidently. Lord Richard's eyes were half-closed, but he must be amazed by my detective skills.

"…I understand how you see those two. And what you think of Rihito."

"Ah! You can see into my heart!?"

I covered my face with my hands, but it was too late. A girl is shy, after all.

"–What do you like so much about Rihito?"

Lord Richard waved the document with one hand, looking at me with a teasing expression.

"It's just as written in the document! There's no reason not to like him!"

Lord Richard listened with a "hmm" and sat down next to me.

"Calm, kind, sincere, and a handsome man! His lack of confidence is also charming. It makes me swoon."

Lord Richard then took my hand and enveloped it in his large hand.

"And… his face."

Is my voice trembling? With joy. If I didn't have resistance to this demon king's temptation, I would have fainted.

"–A calm, kind, handsome man is right here, isn't he?"

Lord Richard kissed my hand with a very seductive expression.

Nya nya nya nya!! If I didn't have resistance to this demon king's temptation (for the second time today),

"Nya, nya, no! Lord Richard, no!!"

I snatched back my hand and put some distance between myself and the demon king. Watch out! I almost fell for the demon king's trap!!

"Is my charm too much for a child?"

He laughed and changed his seductive expression back to his usual "Lord Richard" self. I relaxed and returned to my usual distance.

"You teased me again! And I'm not a child anymore. I'm a proper lady."

"Hehe, that's right. –You're not a child anymore."

Lord Richard, with that demon king face again, lifted a lock of my hair and kissed it.

Nya! That's unfair, taking advantage of my guard being down!

"Richard. Tease your sister when I'm not around."

"Brother! You're too late!"

Actually, those words didn't really stop him! My brother, who had a slightly awkward look on his face, finally intervened.

"…No, this is quite considerate… or…"

"Patrick is just being overprotective. Nothing will happen here, right?"

"Ah… yes, that's right."

Brother, you're acting a bit strange today. Maybe you're hungry?

"Rose. Why is it that I'm 'no' and Rihito is 'yes'? Tell me."

Lord Richard didn't return to his original position but started playing with my hair, twirling it around his finger.

"Lord Rihito… is really kind. I used to hate the color of my hair when I was young."

I looked at my pale silver hair, which was being twirled by Lord Richard's fingers.

While my brother's hair is a deep silver, mine looks pale silver in the sunlight. I was teased that it looked like an old woman's hair, so I started to dislike the color of my hair.

One day, I was hiding under a tree in the garden, with a scarf wrapped around my head to hide my hair. While hiding, the knot of the scarf came loose, and I couldn't tie it back by myself.

I was holding the ends of the scarf in both hands, unable to come out because I didn't want to show my crying face, and my tears wouldn't stop. The golden-haired boy found me.

–He told me my hair was beautiful. He said it looked like the trail of a shooting star! What a poetic and wonderful metaphor! It captured my heart! That was my first love. Since then, I've admired Lord Rihito. I want to be of help to him, to be a wife he won't be ashamed of, and to be loved by him someday… Lord Richard?"

Lord Richard was hiding his face with both hands, looking down. His ears were red. Why is he blushing at my love story?

My brother was covering his mouth with his hand, looking at me as if he had seen something unbelievable. Why?

"Ah, I get embarrassed hearing my brother's love story. I apologize. And please keep this story a secret from Lord Rihito."

"Why?"

Lord Richard still hadn't recovered and hadn't taken his hands off his face.

"…Lord Rihito has forgotten this incident. But! Even so, he is still very handsome! That's why it's fine."

"What does that mean?"

Finally, Lord Richard recovered and looked at me with a "phew."

Lord Richard is also very handsome, but he's a demon king, after all.

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