unedited

“Hey, Noel.”

Rieta stood in front of him and spoke cautiously.

His head was still turned toward his window.

“Did you wait for a long time?”

“Yes! Very . . .”

Noel’s words suddenly came to a halt. Surprise colored his face.

He jumped up and hurriedly grabbed both of Rieta’s cheeks in his hands.

“Did you cry?!”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you cried?!”

A few tears fell from the fingers that covered Rieta’s face.

Noel’s expression got even worse.

“What’s the matter?”

What to do, it’s tears from yawning. But that didn’t mean that Rieta hadn’t cried today.

Because she had met the Duke some time ago and ended up crying.

“Were you scolded by Father?”

With her face still between his hands, Rieta shook her head slightly.

“Then why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying now. I’m okay.”

“Does it matter? You cried anyway.”

“I didn’t cry because I was sad. Just . . .”

Rieta smiled bashfully.

Conversely, Noel’s expression became a little more stern.

He wanted her to answer quickly.

“I . . . said.”

Rieta paused for a moment before continuing.

“I’m turning sixteen soon.”

With the mention of sixteen, Noel remembered a long-standing promise that existed between them.

“So choose between the two. Would you like to live here with me? Or would you like to live in the Kingdom with me?”

Of course, Noel had not forgotten that promise until now.

He never took it as something light.

So he could guess what Rieta would have said to his father ahead of that day.

“You . . . Are you going back to the Kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“Father must have been quite surprised.”

Answering his guess, Rieta nodded her head softly.

“Yes, he guessed it.”

“. . . What?”

“And he said something very nice.”

“What did he say?”

“He considers me as family.”

The word ‘family’ was a very precious and treasured word to Rieta.

Unlike Rieta, who spoke with great joy, Noel’s reaction to hearing the story was somewhat lukewarm.

“Huh . . . Is that all?”

Rieta immediately frowned at his insensitive response.

“It was so great, how happy I was.”

“You were happy to hear that? Aren’t you tired of listening to it?”

“It was the first time!”

“Why would that be the first time?”

He put strength into the hand that had been stroking her affectionately, and pressed down on Rieta’s cheek.

So that her small lips were squished into a fish-face.

“I’ve always told you, you belong to the Duchy.”

Still, it was the first time the Duke had told her that.

Rieta wanted to answer that, but because Noel was holding her cheeks, she could only say “Oohp!”

She wanted him to stop, but Noel didn’t seem to let her go. Perhaps he had enjoyed this prank.

“So, listen carefully to what I usually say.”

“Oohp.”

“Why are you looking at me so unfairly? Have you already forgotten what you did?”

That . . . Was it because she secretly broke into the academy?

“Please don’t take anyone lightly by your side. Okay? What about that faithful Elisha, who was loyal in the first place . . .”

However, the point Noel brought up was subtly different from what Rieta had in mind.

It seems that he was more angry about her hanging out with Everett and Hugh McLean than infiltrating the academy.

“You’re looking at me with that face again. The one that means you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

He lightly poked Rieta’s cheeks, saying, “You idiot,” then dropped his hands.

Rieta immediately glared at him. Perhaps it was a bit too much.

“What are you aiming for?”

“It hurts.”

“You’re exaggerating. What about when you tell people to hit my back?”

“People?”

“Everett Hewitt. He said you told him to hit me?”

“Aahh.”

Come to think of it, she asked him to slap Noel on the back.

It seems that Everett has kept his word.

Seeing how Noel was sharpening his sword for revenge.

“Is that funny?”

“Yes, I’m glad Everett kept his promise.”

“Everett?!”

Noel said as if asking back.

He seemed to be asking if it was even possible for him to call him a friend.

“That’s right, after he officially marries the Princess later, I’ll call him by his proper title. Even if he is a friend, I have to protect my friend.”

“Friend?”

“Yes, friend.”

“Ha, you’re funny.”

Noel realized one thing while living in a dormitory.

It was the fact that all men were children who were not properly fed.

Regardless of social status, their interests were simply vulgar.

Noel was worried about Rieta, who had to live in such a harsh world.

But Rieta didn’t seem to know what he was thinking.

Seeing that she was hiding in a narrow cabinet with two predator men inside.

When he first witnessed it, how upset he was.

This little squirrel didn’t even know how scary the world was.