Chapter 51: Suffering

Since then, the Demon King has been behaving strangely. When I asked him why, he didn’t respond and just turned away. I noticed his gaze on me and glanced up.

“O’Dowell-sama?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

He turned his head away again.

I was curious as to what was going on. But I couldn’t ask him why if he said it was nothing.

the Demon King’s actions persisted till the work was finished.

I roll over in bed and try to imagine myself standing next to Garen.

“I’m not looking good…”

not because of my appearance, but because I felt out of place next to Garen. No, but Garen said I was good enough. Let’s give it some thought. Getting married… It doesn’t bother me to be with Garen. I believe we can work together. Will there be love, though? Can I fall in love with Garen?

What is love anyway? Love is what I used to feel for Garen.

I felt fluffy as our eyes connected, and hearing my name made my heart flutter.

But marriage is more than that. I’m not sure; I don’t have much experience in life and love.

I toss and turn, but no creative thoughts occur to me. Tiredness doesn’t come up.

“What should I do?”

■□■

I groan as I wave farewell to Mica. Mica has been staring at me curiously the whole time.

“Excuse me, brother, yesterday—what’s the matter? Brother.”

Yulin entered the office as I was hanging my head.

“Yulin, what should I do…”

I confess to Yulin that I think I’m in love with Mica.

“Perhaps you do.”

Yulin assures me before sighing in frustration.

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because your actions show that you don’t care about any lady more than the Shrine Maiden, even if you put aside her role as the Shrine Maiden.”

True, when I look at Mica, my heart skips a beat, and when she smiles, I wish she’d smile more often, but was it because I was in love? Yulin sighs again as I groan.

“I told you—you should weep and beg her to stay if you love her—the Shrine Maiden has thankfully resurfaced in our world, but if you hold back this time, you may never see her again.”

“I can’t hold Mica back—she has a precious family back home.”

“Then why don’t you go to Lord Shrine Maiden’s world and leave Crystalia to me?”

Yulin fixed his gaze on me.

“What…?”

going over to Mica’s world?

“So there is that option. But I don’t think you would make that choice—I’m just saying.”

Yulin is right. I can’t give up Crystalia for the sake of love.

“It all depends on how the Shrine Maiden feels.”

That’s right. I didn’t convey my feelings to Mica and get her accepted. Wouldn’t it bother Mica to begin with?

“The question isn’t whether it bothers her or not; it’s whether you want to tell her or not.”

Whether or not I want to tell her? If I tell Mica and she accepts my sentiments, I’ll be overjoyed. But what happens after that…? And if I tell her and she doesn’t accept me, our present friendship would be shattered. That is something I do not want to happen.

“What should I do?”

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