Chapter 9

When Patrice and Claris visited Lord Carriere's mansion together, the widowed countess and Lord Carriere were quite surprised.

Moreover, while Lord Carriere treated Patrice politely, he was also wary of him.

It was a reaction that Patrice had expected, but he couldn't refuse when Claris invited him to plead with her.

In the end, Lord Carriere persuaded the hesitant Patrice to stay at the mansion, and Patrice, unable to resist the temptation of spending time with Claris, decided to move into the Carriere mansion with his servant.

Fortunately, there was still time.

Perhaps his brother Felix had anticipated this development.

To make the most of the time, Patrice spent as much time as possible with Claris.

They enjoyed riding together, discussed their favorite books in the library, and sometimes exchanged opinions on the management of the estate.

Patrice told Claris about the other estates he had been visiting for the past two months, which he had neglected.

Claris listened with interest and enthusiasm, no matter what he said.

Patrice also talked about the days since their reunion, filled with regret.

It was too late for excuses, but he didn't want to lose someone important by lying about his feelings.

At such times, Claris listened quietly and even showed understanding with her generous heart.

The more time they spent together, the more Patrice was drawn to Claris.

Furthermore, interacting with the widowed countess and Lady Carriere helped to dispel Patrice's prejudice against women.

He felt that he had been bound by his mother's influence since childhood, even rejecting the love of his grandmother and brothers.

(I was the arrogant one all along...)

Patrice looked at Claris, who was sitting next to him, laughing happily.

When Patrice revealed his dislike of beans, Claris mischievously asked the cook to prepare only bean dishes for last night's meal.

When he lightly scolded her, Claris said with a serious tone, though still smiling:

"That's the end of my revenge. So, please, Patrice, end your regrets too. We are friends, so let's be equal and not bound by anything, okay?"

"...Yeah. Claris and Chris are important friends to me. Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. Besides, I won't ask for bean dishes anymore, so you can rest assured."

There were better words he could have used, but he could only say such commonplace things.

Still, Claris smiled softly at him.

Lost in her smile, Patrice couldn't even stop Claris when she stood up to return to the mansion.

Of course, his friendship with Claris was important.

However, if they were just friends, this time would eventually come to an end.

He had let it go just a few months ago, so Patrice had no right to hope for more.

(But can I really give up like this?)

He didn't know how to handle these unfamiliar feelings.

One day, after days of such thoughts, Patrice received an invitation to a ball from Lord Carriere.

It was definitely the ball Claris had mentioned when they met again, but he hesitated to ask her to be his escort, wondering if she would accept.

(If only I had lost that time... No, that would be cowardly. But how do I ask her...?)

Patrice was agonizing over this, knowing that his brother Lucien would laugh at him if he knew.

Time passed without him asking Claris, and Patrice, sitting on the window frame reading a report from Hugo, suddenly looked outside and rushed out of the room.

He didn't run down the hallway, but he hurried down the stairs to the entrance hall, where he saw Claris laughing as she entered the mansion.

Beside her was one of her cousins.

"Patrice? Are you going somewhere?"

"N-no... just... to the library to do some research..."

"I see. I'm sorry to bother you."

"...It's fine."

Patrice managed to answer Claris's question and looked down at the report he was still holding.

In truth, he had panicked, thinking Claris was with an unknown man while out for a walk.

Claris answered cheerfully without suspicion and left the scene.

Patrice entered the library, where he had claimed to be going, took a random book, and returned to his assigned guest room.

That afternoon, Patrice made up his mind.

If he did nothing, he might lose Claris to another man, and it would be better to take the initiative and face the consequences.

He would only get hurt himself.

First, he decided to ask to be her escort for the ball and headed to the library.

Fortunately, he had a pretext for returning the book he had just taken.

In the library, where Claris was reading, Patrice abruptly spoke up.

"Claris, I hear there's a ball the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, yes. It will be a bit noisy, but the guests are all from the neighborhood, so no one will be staying at the mansion. So, you can do as you please, Patrice."

"...Will you be attending?"

"Just for a little while. It's a celebration for my uncle's knighthood."

"I see..."

Patrice was more nervous than he had ever been on his first battle.

But he couldn't run away, so he swallowed hard and said it all at once.

"Then, would you let me be your escort?"

"Huh?"

"Have you already decided on an escort?"

"N-no! I thought one of my cousins would do it, but I haven't made any specific arrangements."

"If that's the case, would it be alright if I did it?"

"W-well, about the bet..."

"The bet is over. This is simply me asking you, Claris. But considering our relationship, would it be a bother?"

"N-no! Of course, I'd be delighted! Umm... if Patrice attends, my uncle will be happy too..."

Claris answered, flustered by the rapid-fire questions.

Perhaps it was good that he didn't give her time to think, as Patrice secretly celebrated his success, clenching his fists at his sides, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

"Um..."

"Then... I'm looking forward to it, Claris."

"Yes!"

Hearing Claris's cheerful response, Patrice felt happy and left the library with a light step, heading to his room.

It felt like a dream, and he still couldn't believe it.

He remembered what Lucien had said before: "Love is a loss when you get serious."

At the time, he thought love had nothing to do with winning or losing, and he didn't understand what a serious love was.

He still didn't understand what a serious love was, but now he felt he could lose to a new recruit in a sword fight.

Yet, he also felt he could win against anyone, which was strange.

(A mystery...)

He didn't understand what was happening inside him, but he felt elated.

Standing by the window, Patrice looked up at the hawk soaring high in the sky, and a smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.