ALL NOVEL “?”
What Kyle slid onto my finger was a ring that looked way too expensive to be just reasonable.
It wasn’t as extravagant as the ruby ring from last time, but it still looked ridiculously costly.
No way…
“Did you buy something expensive again?”
I mentioned this before.
You shouldn’t just splurge on girls like that.
Why doesn’t he ever listen to me properly?
“I told you, you shouldn’t randomly buy expensive things for girls.”
“It’s okay. No matter how expensive or precious it is, it’s fine for Sophia.”
“Ha…”
What if he ends up meeting a bad girl later…
I’m worried.
I was already concerned back during the debutante training, and now I’m actually worried about what would happen if he gets enchanted by some strange girl.
He clearly said he understood.
“So, what do you think?”
“It’s pretty, but…”
The ring Kyle gifted was definitely beautiful.
A lovely ring made of silver.
Is it made of silver?
Anyway, it was gorgeous.
It was neat yet gave off a vibe when you saw it.
Ah, he really thought hard before buying this.
I could feel Kyle’s intention behind it.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“For what…”
After all, it was Kyle who bought it, and I just accepted it; what is there to thank?
He was such a nice guy.
Maybe it’s because we’re temporary lovers?
I felt that side of Kyle more strongly.
I thought that if Kyle ever had a girlfriend, she’d be incredibly lucky, and I was right.
Being Kyle’s girlfriend was really nice.
Even I, as a man from my past life, could acknowledge his looks, his height which was enormous by my previous life’s standards, and his muscular body that every girl would love, among other things.
But the most important thing was not just his appearance but his personality.
Whoever taught him, he was really kind.
No, it wasn’t that someone taught him that.
Kyle was just kind by nature. Anyway, I spent time like that with Kyle.
Since both of us had nothing to do, we just spent time together.
*
“Your Grace.”
“Yes?”
It’s tea time with the Princess.
Miss Sophia wasn’t working, so she wasn’t around.
It was a bit awkward since she was usually behind me, but it wasn’t bad.
Lately, I was feeling happier in general.
I was now in a temporary and experimental relationship with Miss Sophia, but still, we were officially lovers for now.
Despite being virtually like a role play, it was good.
It meant that Miss Sophia started seeing me in a different light.
“You seem to be looking better these days?”
“Haha… Is that so?”
I don’t really look in the mirror that often, so I didn’t know.
It must have been noticeable.
Since even the Princess said I looked good.
“Are you happy dating Sophia? Even though it’s not a real relationship?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Hmm… Do you not feel greedier? If it were me, I’d want to turn this into a real relationship.”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
“Because Miss Sophia isn’t ready yet.”
I obviously wanted to date Miss Sophia properly.
Not this weird trial relationship but an official confession where she accepts it, and we become a couple.
But that didn’t happen.
Because Miss Sophia didn’t want it yet.
I just left the thought hanging in my mind, wondering if she really wanted to become my lover.
“Hmm… Wouldn’t it be okay to just jump in and take it?”
“…”
I started to seriously worry about the future of the Empire.
Why do they like to pounce like that, even my father?
That’s technically a crime, right?
Of course, it’s true that occasionally nasty nobles might pounce on or harass servants, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a crime.
Why do they want to push that onto me?
“By the way, what are you going to do about what we talked about last time?”
“Hmm…”
“As I mentioned before, this ball will be organized by the royal family?”
“I’m still thinking.”
“Why?”
“If I were to go alone, that’s one thing, but taking Miss Sophia with me is a bit…”
“A bit?”
“I don’t want to.”
Yeah, I didn’t want that.
I didn’t want to take Miss Sophia to just any place.
“Taking her when we aren’t really dating feels wrong. What if she gets taken by some other man…”
“Sigh.”
The Princess sighed deeply.
I understood.
I must look pathetic.
“Please don’t feel that way. I’m aware.”
“Thank goodness you do realize that. It’s good to know you know you’re being passive like an idiot.”
“…”
“No matter how much you like Sophia, you need to be proactive. Seeing you so satisfied with the current situation is just pathetic.”
“Haha…”
The Princess’s words hit home today.
A ball…
I really wanted to go with Miss Sophia.
What a beautiful scene to attend a ball together with your lover.
Miss Sophia would surely look stunning in her dress.
“I’ll ask her today.”
“Yes, please give me an answer quickly. As I mentioned before, we’ll be leaving soon.”
“Yes.”
*
“Yes?”
“I’m saying it clearly. There’s a ball coming up soon, would you like to go with me?”
I was so surprised that I accidentally spoke in honorifics like I did a while ago.
A ball, me?
“With Kyle… me?”
“Yes. I want to go with Miss Sophia.”
“Uh…”
A ball…
I was curious about how fun it would be since I’d never been to one.
Of course, those thoughts couldn’t be helped since I had never experienced it before.
But at the same time, I wondered if it was alright for me to go.
It made sense, after all.
I’m a commoner unlike Kyle.
Is it okay for a commoner like me to go to a ball meant for nobles?
“…”
In my mind, I thought it wouldn’t be allowed at all.
The first thing that came to my mind was that Kyle would definitely be teased.
Bringing just any commoner as a partner is bound to attract the wrong kind of attention.
Especially for a Duke.
Kyle wouldn’t say it like before, asking me to come as a servant.
He probably wanted to bring me as his lover, as his partner.
“That might be a little difficult.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
I felt bad for Kyle, but I couldn’t help it.
“Is it because you don’t want to?”
“No.”
I absolutely had no intention of rejecting Kyle.
“I see. Then why?”
“Because I’m a commoner. If you brought me along, it would just make things hard for you.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
I had already learned quite a bit about nobles from my experience at the boarding academy.
In fact, I’ve met more nobles than Kyle has.
Kyle might not know much since he’s only hung around nobles during his time and briefly met some at the debutante.
“You wouldn’t know, but I’m sure there would be rumors spread by the nobles regarding you.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Um… For instance… ‘The heir of the Duke mingling with a commoner,’ or ‘If he saw a big-breasted commoner, he would go crazy,’ or ‘He treats big-breasted commoners like a sex slave and has fun with them every night… What do you think about those?’”
“…”
“Or like how the commoner I brought along is actually a low-ranking noble but pretended to be a commoner to embarrass you…”
“Let’s stop there.”
“Yeah.”
Kyle didn’t look pleased.
Was he just now realizing the trouble I could bring to him?
“Anyway, it would be better for you to go with someone else…”
I felt uncomfortable saying that while it’s technically true.
Even if it’s temporary, I’m dating Kyle.
Is it really right to suggest he should take someone else?
“No, let’s just not go then.”
“Hmm…” Kyle’s expression got a bit brighter than before.
Was he relieved at the thought of going with another lady?
That’s not cool.
It’s not like I was just thinking about whimsical things, but it’s a bit odd to be smiling about that when we’re technically dating.
“Sophia.”
“Yeah?”
“You were worried about strange rumors forming about me, right?”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t be good for a Duke to have those kinds of rumors circulating.”
“Then what if it wasn’t a rumor but the truth…”
Kyle moved right up to me while saying that.
Just like when we kissed before, he was incredibly close.
“Wh… What?!”
If it’s the truth, that was going to be a problem.
What did I say when talking about rumors?
“The heir of the Duke mingling with a commoner, if he sees a big-breasted commoner he goes crazy, treating the big-breasted commoner like a sex slave and playing with her at night…”
“Wait! Kyle, isn’t it too early for that?!”
“Sophia.”
“Hu!?”
Kyle suddenly wrapped his arms around me.
He was holding me with such a warm body.
Maybe that’s why those strange thoughts from before suddenly popped back into my head.
How hot would it be if we hugged each other while being naked…
“J-jump! No… it’s too early for that…!”
No way, it was way too early.
We weren’t even in a real relationship yet, and doing that… was way too rush.
First, we should hold hands, hug, maybe kiss…
“Then how about we kiss?”
“Wh-what?!”
“But we did that last time. Doing it once more isn’t a problem, right?”
“Uh… No, wait a second….”
Being embraced by Kyle made my heart race so much.
I had felt excited before but not like this, not this time.
Why?
Maybe it’s because last time I didn’t expect a kiss, but this time I did?
“Kyle.”
“Mm…”
Kyle spoke to me while holding me.
As always, his voice sounded even better up close like this.
“Do you really not want to kiss?”
“Ah, it’s not that…”
– Chuu…
Then the sensation of his lips brushing against mine.
No, it wasn’t just my lips.
– Chuu… Chup…
Last time it was merely a light peck on the lips.
But this time was entirely different.
Kyle’s hot tongue slipped into my mouth…
“So it means…”
“Puhah… Ahh… Ha…”
I was getting a deep kiss…