5.5 Interlude: Gold and Silver (11)
‘Love’ was a really embarrassing topic.
Wouldn’t everyone be like that? Feelings without substance only revealed ambiguous and ambiguous boundaries the more you dig into them.
It’s a strange story.
A man who has been through a coming-of-age ceremony for several years is asking himself about ‘love’.
But no matter how embarrassing it was, I couldn’t help but question it.
What is ‘love’?
Could it be that the words Emma was reciting just now had something to do with him?
My brain went blank.
It was the same as when I heard the confession from Elsie-senior in the past.
While I was stunned, the silence continued.
Only the crackling firewood in the fireplace gave this place time.
Emma didn’t look away from me for a long while.
Silently, while exhaling sweet breath.
I suddenly realized that the two of them were too close.
What would happen if you slightly stick out your face like this?
Every time Emma’s soft breath brushed the tip of my nose, my heart tickled. I wondered if the same scent would come out even if I covered my lips.
that hesitating.
As if on a single rope, my mind lost balance and stumbled. Just as the thought of being on the verge crossed my mind, I noticed that Emma’s face was still slowly drawing closer.
What happened after that was obvious.
Even so, I couldn’t back down as if frozen.
My mind was a jumbled mess of all sorts of options. I couldn’t make up my mind whether I should attack Emma or quit.
There were just a few faces that passed through my mind.
Elsie-senpai, the saintess, Delphine-senpai and Seria.
It shouldn’t be like this.
By the time he finally made that decision, he was already close to Emma’s face.
Even if you want to leave, you can’t.
The moment you see even such a sign, your lips will touch.
It was that close.
Ha ha, the sound of breathing Emma exhaled was enough to wet her face.
By the time I made up my mind like that.
“… … Pooh.”
A clear laugh sounded out of nowhere in the silent bedroom.
Needless to say, the epicenter was Emma.
She twisted her body back, then grabbed her stomach and burst into laughter.
He looked so happy that tears came out.
I was taken aback and embarrassed, so I had no choice but to narrow my eyebrows slightly.
“Aha, ahahahaha! Ian, aren’t you being too serious?”
“… … Shall I snort?”
Feeling sad for nothing, I replied bluntly.
But Emma found my tone even more ridiculous.
The sound of pure laughter continued for a long time.
Until I put on a sullen face and Emma wiped the dew from my eyes.
After Emma calmed down a bit, I asked a question mixed with a sigh.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Emma had a smile on her face as if she was relieved.
To be honest, I didn’t feel good because I felt like my expectations were betrayed, but what can I do?
As soon as I saw Emma’s happy smile, I was relieved.
I remembered what Emma once said to me.
‘Idiot, idiot, Hogu. And then you’re just being used by a commoner girl like me.’
Those were the words he told me that he didn’t want anything in return on the day he sacrificed his demonic beast to save Emma.
I laughed it off then. Because I thought it was nonsense.
But looking back now, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
It was hard to get rid of the feeling that somehow, that meaningless warning was gradually coming true.
No matter how much I thought about it, I was poisonous to Emma.
Of course, it would have been nice if Emma was happy.
Eventually, I bit off a bitter smile.
“Isn’t it too much though? To play with my innocence as a lie.”
“yes?”
As if to say something, Emma blinked innocently.
All I could do was let out a sigh.
“Emma, no matter how close we are. A sincere confession… … .”
“Didn’t you lie?”
That time when I was about to spit out a word like a joke, not to be funny.
I stopped looking into Emma’s eyes.
And I knew.
The fact that Emma is infinitely serious.
Again, my eyebrows narrowed.
“I really like you.”
“But just before… … .”
“Yeah, don’t be serious.”
It was more serious than ever.
Intuitively, I closed my eyes. It seemed like it had to be done.
If he faced that sorrowful smile, everyone would have.
“I knew it for a long time, but now I realize it. You and I don’t get along.”
I deliberately did not show any emotion.
He just stared blankly at Emma.
How did you take this as a sign?
Emma added with a bashful laugh.
“Is that so? You are an aristocrat, and now a divinity of the empire, even trusted by His Majesty the Emperor. But I’m no help, commoner, poor, so I can’t help you.”
“Emma, you have already saved my life several times.”
“Thank you, Ian. For saying so… But it didn’t matter to anyone other than me.”
I sighed and let out a deep breath.
No matter how many times I had this conversation, it was pretty frustrating now.
Not knowing my heart, Emma kept repeating self-torture.
“Ugh, anyone other than me… If I threw 10,000 gold to any commoner girl in the Faculty of Alchemy, wouldn’t anyone have done it?”
“Emma.”
“It’s fortunate though, I’m good at grasping the subject. If I work hard from now on, will I be able to become your concubine? Ahahahaha… I will work hard in the future… … .”
I finally decided not to put up with it any longer.
Emma’s feelings were understandable.
Inferiority was like a monster that gnaws at the heart. Fighting alone was close to impossible.
I too have been like that.
Because I’m a lower noble, I’m not very talented.
Somehow, I was lucky enough to be stronger than that now.
But I wasn’t sure if this was a role that would suit me.
A hero who saves the world.
I felt like I was the main character in an outdated fairy tale.
I don’t know if that’s why I was more careful with Emma.
Because that self-deprecating side resembled me.
It’s scary and painful, so I endlessly put myself down, but on the other hand, I want someone to tell me that I’m not.
The object was just me.
“Let’s stop whining.”
At my words wet with a sigh, Emma widened her eyes.
And soon he lowered his gaze.
As if he knew that would happen, with pitiful eyes.
“That, right? Sorry, I just… town?!”
He covered the lips of the muttering woman as if overlapping them.
It was an odd feeling.
The kiss I shared with Delphine was more passionate. Compared to the pleasure of tongue-to-tongue entanglement, it was difficult to find any meaning in the act of merely touching mucous membranes.
So it was even more interesting.
Emma’s lips tasted as expected.
Soft, moist, and sweet breath was felt.
Emma looked more startled than ever.
There was a look of astonishment in his round eyes. Like a criminal who had violated a taboo, he was ready to part his lips at any moment.
Of course, it was only a weak resistance.
All of Emma’s resistance was shattered just by my hand lightly holding her chin.
seconds from it.
When his lips fell, his breath, which had been blocked for a while, was released.
Emma’s face had been heating up for a long time as she let out a cute breathing sound.
I asked Emma, who hesitated and looked at me.
“Are you going to stop now?”
It was a question that even omitted the object.
Even though she could have asked what, Emma had no objection.
He only slightly turned his head to avoid my gaze.
And the voice that came out after a while was mixed with a faint moisture.
“I-Ian… … .”
He was ready to burst into tears if left alone.
I quietly waited for Emma’s next words.
“I really think I’d be fine as a concubine.”
I’m already so happy.
Hearing that confession, I kept a bitter smile inside.
Suddenly, there was only one question that hit my brain.
But can I do this?
**
It was the next day that I came to my senses.
“… … Are you crazy?”
I didn’t know because I was in a bad mood the night before, but thinking about it again, it was as if I had committed a major accident.
How many women are entangled with me right now?
Elsie-senpai and Saint, Delphine-senpai and Seria.
I can’t handle it even now, but I kissed Emma yesterday.
It was a serious crime that would not be strange even if it was torn to pieces.
Fortunately, the problem I entrusted to the princess was successfully resolved.
The reason I was able to meet Delphine today was thanks to that.
Late at night, as always, Delphine put on a light smile as if she was having fun.
“Are you having fun? After all, it means that Yurdina should be responsible for the process of making the elves into subjects of the empire.”
“That’s not bad for the Yurdina family.”
I quickly added, in case Delphine’s feelings were hurt.
In fact, Delphine’s brain was superior to mine. Wasn’t she a woman who had been receiving successor lessons since childhood?
Nevertheless, the reason I bothered to explain it was probably because I wanted to show off to Delphine.
Condescending that I suffered this much.
Men were such childish creatures in front of women.
I finally began to unravel the plan I had heard from Leto.
More women are going to join lol like the princess,celine,sisters etc