I'm Being Raised by Villains (3) - 자은향
I'm Being Raised by Villains (3) - 자은향
I'm Being Raised by Villains (3) - 자은향
Got married.
So, to be exact, they got married a year after Enosh and Lilian,
who became emperor, got married.
Lucillion had been going in and out of Enosh’s office every day for
a while, and I heard that Enosh’s eyes were quite dull for a while.
Should I just say that it feels like sharing a room with someone,
rolling around in the same room, having someone’s warmth always
by my side, and having a strong ally who will never leave me?
Only….
Erno Etham…, that is, except that my father and Lucillion started
fighting often.
When her father pointed out that she was no different from a pillar,
Lucillion smiled brightly and told her not to show her age.
In the future, even if the person I gave my heart to dies, I will just
watch it happen. So, I’m sorry about that…That was upsetting.
And other people seemed to know this too, so they hung out with
me as much as possible.
Wouldn’t it be okay to just pack a light lunch and go? When I made
a strange face, my father smiled and stretched out his hand to stroke
my hair.
“Three?”
‘I think I can understand the word homophobia for the first time
today.’
“Yes, three! Brother, Sister Sharnae, and other family members are
all good when they have time!”
So, when I smiled brightly to tell them not to fight, Dad and
Lucillion, who burst out in laughter, lightly shrugged their shoulders.
The two people who spoke words with similar nuances at the same
time looked at each other with smiles.
They’re clearly both smiling, but why does it feel like sparks are
flying everywhere?
“Tsk, I understand.”
I liked the feeling of the big hand stroking my hair and touching my
cheek. And then Dad shook his head with a benevolent expression.
“No, daughter. The reason you were unhappy in your past life is
because your family in your previous life was garbage.”
“Uhm, okay….”
I nodded quietly. What can I say, I felt like I had met a cruel science
student who shattered the sensibilities of a liberal arts student.
“Now that I think about it, why do you want to go on a picnic? Did
you have any plans today?”
What are you talking about when you make that face that says
that’s the biggest problem, Dad?
Dad quietly looked down at the wine glass, shook it lightly and
spoke.
“Wouldn’t it be busy?”
Dad looked at me, put down his glass, smiled, and opened his
mouth.
“But they’re also going to get busier. From what I heard, it seems
like he has a girl in mind….”
“Ah….”
And when they get married, those who are not heirs…I had no
choice but to leave the mansion.
It was a rule that had been handed down for a long time in the
Etham family. Of course, I could force the change, but….
Before you get busier in the future, make sure to make plenty of
memories.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t make any sound, just pursed
my lips, then slowly smiled and nodded.
“Daughter.”
“Yes?”
“….”
“So don’t think about sad things that didn’t happen, just enjoy the
moment and enjoy it.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Did you know that the more you are in a sweet and cozy embrace,
the more anxious you become?
Erno Etham sat down at the empty table and tilted his teacup as he
watched the child walk away with Lucilion.
“…Time flies.”
I didn’t know what the child was worried about or thinking. I was
always a more mature child than I thought.
His one and only wife, whom he wanted to make as his lifelong
companion, blossomed brilliantly in her prime but quickly withered
away.
I don’t blame the child for that. There’s no reason for that.
Dahlia died after living the life she had chosen without any regrets.
To get angry or question it was to insult her.
To think that that child, who suffers from loneliness a lot, will be left
alone until the end as he sees the people, he gave affection to die
one by one….
The child will live like this for a long time to come. You will meet
someone, break up with them, and be left alone again.
The corners of Erno Etham’s lips drew a thin line as old memories
came to mind.
***
“Oh, are you the monster new junior from the Etham family who
came in this time? It’s rumored to be hard and scary, but it looks like
it can cut up monsters with its face.”
“….”
Erno Etham frowned at the red hair shaking before his eyes.
Erno Etham was well aware that people called him behind his
back, calling him the monster of the Etham family and all.
It wasn’t a new call, but it had been quite a while since I’d heard it
so openly.
“Oh, how did you know? My grades are worse than yours.”
Erno Etham opened his mouth with a sad look on his face.
“How are you going to keep up with the class with me when the
topic is so stupid that you can’t even understand what’s being said?”
She was truly a woman who did not even listen to what others said.
Just as Erno Etham was feeling dizzy from frustration, she smiled
brightly and opened her mouth.
“…Ah, yes.”
Even so, I was tired because there were so many people interested
in me as soon as I entered school.
I couldn’t skip classes because my father, the current head of the
family, threatened to select me as his successor if I didn’t graduate
from the academy at the top of my class.
This is because Erno Etham did not want to become the head of
the family and had no desire to be tied to the Etham family.
“….”
Erno Etham, who answered coldly, was just about to turn around
when he heard something that made him startle.
“Do you mind if I introduce you to the congressman?”
“Are there any good lawmakers? I’ll tell you later when it hurts.
You’re kind.”
“….”
It was a moment when Erno Etham looked down at her with a truly
horrified and appalled look as she tiptoed and patted her shoulder.
The woman, who was floating in the air with her backside held up
and naturally laughing, scratched her cheek and smiled as if she was
very used to the unexpected situation.
“Oh right. Sorry, sorry. Are you here to pick me up? After all, he is
my best friend. I love you~!”
“Why do you have dozens of best friends? What on earth were you
doing?! I know you’re merciless about the professor’s tardiness
today!”
The woman, who was grumbling and complaining that she didn’t
like nagging, smiled without being disgusted and pointed at Erno
Etham with her palm open.
“Eh, Erno Etham? Hey, no matter how fearless you are, in front of
someone right now…. Oh, it’s okay. Come quickly. Today’s potion
making practice!”
“Oh, I understand.”
Dahlia said, breaking free from the boy’s grasp. She came in front
of Erno Etham and smiled.
“Etham, I met my first senior and it’s a shame we couldn’t talk for a
long time, but we have to part ways.”
I had a lot of things I wanted to say, but when I said one word, they
responded with ten words, so I didn’t even want to open my mouth.
Either way, she waved her hand with a very shameless, nonchalant
expression.
“….”
“Please!”
At her friend’s urging, she strengthened her legs and quickly ran to
her classmate.
The only person who screamed as he watched her walk away was
the man who came to pick her up.
‘She’s really tired.’
***
“Hello, Etham.”
“Yes, senior.”
The mentoring time I never wanted has come back. In other words,
it was a mentoring time, but it was a time when mentors and
mentees gathered together to work on joint tasks.
“It looks like you can’t see that the sunset is already setting.”
“….”
“Hello, Etham….”
“….”
Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she hurriedly walked over and sat
down in the seat where Erno Etham had already been sitting.
“What on earth do you do every night that you end up like this
when it’s a holiday?”
And for the past half a year or so, she has never looked fine.
As she put down all the materials she was carrying in her arms,
she gave me an apology with a sly smile on her face.
Erno Etham’s heart was shaken again. It was extremely annoying
to see that no matter what I said, I was the only one who smiled and
slyly ignored it.
“If you’re a noble, can’t you at least come out as sane based on
common sense? Tsk. I’m not a street bum.”
Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were swollen from how much
sleep she had had. In addition, the academy uniform, which seemed
to be worn loosely, was loose compared to her physique and looked
like she had gotten it from somewhere, making her look like a street
tramp.
Normally, he would have added, ‘Hey, he’s being harsh again’, but
today he was quiet.
Erno Etham, who was unfolding the materials he had found, looked
up and saw her scratching her cheek and smiling awkwardly.
“…Ahaha.”
It’s also a very thick steel plate that doesn’t break easily even if you
hit it with a hammer.
“Oh, I’m being too harsh on a senior like Haneul. Etham. Come on,
let’s hurry up and go get some rest.”
‘….’
Erno looked at Dahlia with narrowed eyes. The face is not much
different from usual.
Contrary to her acting like a screw was missing, she was more
sincere than I thought and was smarter than I thought.
The only thing I learned over the past six months was that she was
a better person than I thought.
Of course, Dahlia wasn’t a bad person to deal with, except that she
was a free-spirited person who was full of fuss, smiled stupidly no
matter what was said, and rarely got angry, so she had no
constraints.
I felt like I knew why there were always so many people around
her.
Listen carefully to other people’s stories, but do not talk about your
own.
Even though he had to get good grades and had a very difficult
topic for his mentoring assignment, he was able to follow along much
better than expected without complaining.
“….”
Erno Etham, who narrowed his eyes, also immediately lowered his
head and began to organize the data needed for research and
thesis.
It’s already been three hours since they started the task, and the
two haven’t said a word.
In fact, Erno Etham gave off a hint that he did not want to share
personal chats, and Dahlia only fully reflected his wishes.
Dahlia didn’t tend to do things that others didn’t like, and Erno
Etham wasn’t the type of person who was very pleasant to talk to
first.
“Erno.”
“Yes.”
“This data. How about organizing the paper like this and attaching
an excerpt at the back to add explanation? Or should I just add an
explanation before going in?”
“….”
***
“Erno, Ray. What did you guys plan to take next year’s class?”
“…No matter how much you say you are the next duke, aren’t you
doing too much to the next emperor?”
It was the moment the crown prince narrowed his eyebrows and
asked.
The crown prince narrowed his eyes at the extremely excited voice.
“You took the wrong route. Anyway, it seems like there are people
everywhere who are muddying the waters.”
The crown prince pointed to another path.
Michael Colin, the heir of the Colin family, calmly responded to the
crown prince’s words.
Michael Colin, Erno Etham, and the Crown Prince were all the eyes
of the academy’s storm.
Erno Etham was also about to turn away, as he was not in the
mood to interfere in other people’s affairs.
Erno Etham stopped in his tracks when he heard that bright, yet
innocent, familiar voice.
“Of course, Etham has a handsome face, but he looks more like a
younger brother than a man, and he doesn’t have big breasts….”
The crown prince widened his eyes and spoke in an excited voice.
“What, what, what kind of vulgar words…! What I’m saying is,
you’re no different from a lowlife, so don’t lash out like a fox!”
“Oh, did I look like a fox? Thank you for your kind opinion. But
actually, I’ve heard a lot of people say I look more like a dog than a
fox.”
It was the moment when the crown prince hid himself in the corner
of the building with a curious look on his face and peeked his head
out.
“Dahlia Roarnan! You, you, your family is ruined and your parents
who left home died suddenly and tragically on the street, so there’s
nothing to see!”
“….”
They were all circling around, aiming for the beans that fell from
Erno Etham.
‘…Ah.’
The woman with the stiff face did not have the bright and gentle
face she always had.
She lifted the rock above her head with both hands and asked in a
bright voice with a bright smile on her face.
<Side Story 4>
“What are you talking about…. Roarnan, put down that rock right
now!”
As the young lady who was shooting at her turned pale, the other
young girls who followed her shouted with tense faces.
“Well, if you throw that away, you’ll have to pay a settlement fee!
How can you attack someone when you’re broke and have no
money at home?!”
“Yes.”
“Aaaah!”
The young lady, who almost got her foot stuck on a rock, jumped
and screamed and fell to the floor.
But she really smiled brightly without any shadow. She pulled out
another rock from inside the bush and still had a bright expression
on her face.
“As you can see, I am strong and as cute as a puppy, right? Even if
you are expelled without a title, you will not starve to death. Unlike
seniors who only have pretty faces…!”
Bang-!
“Yes~! Cheer up! Seniors who all they have is a family name and a
pretty face!”
“That crazy…!”
“Well, that would be a good idea. Let’s go. I avoid it not because
I’m scared, but because it’s dirty!”
Erno Etham quietly watched the ladies, leaning against the corner,
as they quickly walked away, spouting out the usual lines of a third-
rate villain.
She muttered softly and suddenly buried her face in her palms.
Erno Etham, who saw Dahlia muttering with her hands clasped
together with a serious expression, laughed.
“Ho….”
Hearing the crown prince’s dull voice, Erno Etham silently turned
his head and looked at her again.
“Yes, Viscount Roarnan has bad hand habits. I got into gambling
and had a lot of debt.”
“….”
“It looks like we were attacked. I heard that the corpse was not a
good idea. I think it was probably the work of one of the debt
collectors, but there is no evidence or witnesses. Lady Roarnan also
said that we should finish it so we don’t have to find the culprit.”
“….”
Even when Erno Etham often talked about her personal life, such
as how her family was annoyed or her father was angry, she never
mentioned anything about her personal life.
But today, for the first time, he thought about his careless words.
Erno Etham looked at the crown prince and slowly answered, then
turned his head.
Before she knew it, she was walking in the direction where they
were, with her expression showing no signs of worry or concern, as
usual.
“This….”
The difference was only a few steps, but it was the moment when
the crown prince quickly turned around to avoid meeting him.
“Me? I played with a fox~! It’s really cute what this cute thing does.”
“They all look good. It’s perfect for refreshing your eyes. But the
person in the back is a senior. Hello, I’m Dahlia Roarnan!”
“Yes. Then have fun with your friends, we’ll see you at the next
mentoring!”
She waved her hand with a look on her face that didn’t show a
single trace of worry or concern, and was about to turn away without
any hesitation.
Widely-
“Why?”
Erno grabbed her other wrist and lightly turned it so that the palm
was facing upward.
“You’re hurt.”
“Oh, really? It’s okay, it’s okay. This kind of thing gets better if you
put saliva on it~”
“Hey, even though I was like this, I grew up to be strong and not
prone to minor illnesses. This is a scar from the glory of tidying up.”
Erno Etham took out his pocket watch, took a look at it, then let go
of one of her hands and opened his mouth.
“Uh, thank you, but that’s enough. If I play with you, the foxes will
get jealous so I can’t do it. Let’s not meet except during our
mentoring time~”
As Erno Etham let out an annoyed look on his face at the absurdity,
she squirmed and tried to pull her wrist out of his hand.
Nevertheless, Erno Etham did not let go. The crown prince looked
at them with a very interested expression.
“Nope.”
Bang-!
Dahlia, who strode into the classroom with water dripping from her
lusciously red and voluminous hair, smiled brightly.
“Hello, Etham.”
“Yes, senior.”
“It’s the middle of summer, but I suddenly have to play in the water
even though I had no intention of doing so. Can you lend me your
shirt and jacket?”
Erno frowned as the inside of her thin school uniform was visible.
He stood up, draped the jacket over her shoulders, and opened his
mouth.
For the first time, Erno Etham felt like he understood the meaning
of cursing with the eyes.
“Big….”
After being aggressive by holding a rock the other day, the bullying
started to get more serious, and she was often seen doused with
water or dragged to the backyard every few days.
Of course, if you were to say that Dahlia was just suffering, that
wasn’t the case.
When she got wet, she would come to Erno and borrow clothes
from Erno like she did today, and she would spoil the girls who were
bothering her. When she was taken to the backyard, she would
trample them all with her horse’s feet.
Unlike the other ladies who bowed their heads and gave in after
being bullied a few times, Dahlia behaved quite fiercely, as if she had
nothing to lose.
Thanks to that, the other young ladies who had developed aversion
took a stronger stance, and now, for some reason, Dahlia has
become quite an outsider in the entire school.
Of course, she herself didn’t seem to care much, and some of the
people she was close with also seemed to still be there.
“If you think about it, it’s happening because of you, but I’m only
saying this because you seem to be enjoying it too much.”
Since that day, when Erno Etham took Dahlia to the infirmary, their
relationship had been quite sluggish for almost half a year until
today.
“If you are interested, how about being more supportive? Erno.
Haven’t we passed the time when we thought bullying was
something we didn’t care about since we were no longer children?
Then you will be hated.”
Erno’s expression wrinkled at the prince’s words. Because I
couldn’t understand at once what he was saying.
“If that’s you, well, it’s something like that. Don’t regret it. I’ll just go
to class now.”
The Crown Prince waved lightly and soon left Erno’s classroom.
Erno, who was born with the talent of a wizard but was forced to
enter the swordsmanship club, snorted.
It’s not boring if you just look at it, so it’s just fun to touch it once in
a while.
Okay, thinking that was all, Erno Etham checked the timetable and
went out to the training hall where the next class would be held.
***
“Huh.”
Dahlia smiled shyly, hugged the green-haired boy and gave a small
wave.
Erno Etham, who was about to say hello, paused for a moment.
The green-haired boy looked at Erno for a moment, narrowed his
eyes, and then turned around.
“Hello, Etham!”
Rattling-
“Ah, lover.”
“…Lover?”
Yes, he was definitely a boy with thick lines. This means that to
some extent, he matched up with the ‘handsome man with a big
chest’ that Dahlia talked about when she was bored.
Erno Etham frowned and rubbed his forehead, feeling shocked for
some reason.
“Yeah, what do you think? It doesn’t matter as long as you have the
ability. I have the ability to kill two birds with one stone.”
“…But does it make sense to suddenly date like this? What kind of
person do you think you are?”
“We’ve been dating for two weeks. And since we’ve been in the
same class for two years, I know roughly their personalities. He is
the count’s second son.”
Now in his second year, Erno Etham will act as a mentor, not a
mentee.
Dahlia will be preparing for her graduation exam. Since there was
no scholarship system for advanced courses, there was little chance
that she would remain at the academy until the fourth year.
“But thanks to you, I was able to enjoy it very luxuriously for a year
without the foxes being jealous. Have a good time at school next
year too.”
“Yes.”
“This is my part. Is this yours?”
“Yes, I think the two of us can look at it and make it with just the
bridge part in the middle, and then submit it.”
After working on finishing the paper for about three hours, Erno
and Dahlia were finally able to finish writing the paper that had been
going on for a year.
“Good job, good job! Oh my, thank you for your hard work Etham.”
“What is it?”
“I guess we’ll see each other again in a month anyway. Even if it’s
not mentoring, it will come and go.”
There hasn’t been a time when I haven’t laughed in the past hour.
If you walk around with a smile on your face no matter what
happens, isn’t the bullying getting worse?
In the past year, she has not made him uncomfortable even once.
She said with a slight smile on her face. Erno Etham’s expression
became subtle.
“Was it difficult?”
“…What is that rude thing to say! Do you think I’m some kind of
hard tree?”
Erno, who saw her trying to lift the chair at any moment, quickly got
up from her seat.
“Etham, it’s not like I don’t have any hard times. However…That’s
right. If I show off that I’m having a hard time, the people around me
will also feel bad.”
“…Did you?”
“huh. In that sense, I’m glad that you haven’t changed at all since I
first met you!”
“….”
Erno Etham narrowed his eyes in awe at Dahlia’s bright words, not
sure if they were a compliment or an insult.
“Anyway, Etham. My problem is not your fault, so keep that in
mind.”
“…Yes?”
“No, have a nice vacation. Thanks to you, this year was fun.”
Dahlia roughly waved her hand at Erno and then ran off to the
green haired man who had come to pick me up.
“….”
After returning from the winter vacation, Erno Etham asked back
with a slightly foolish expression after hearing the answer the crown
prince gave to the words he blurted out since he had not seen his
face for a few days.
The crown prince rubbed his chin, thought, and then slowly opened
his mouth.
“What are you talking about? Just saying it like that. You know that
Lady Roarnan is in a bad situation in many ways. I had to maintain
second place to be able to attend, but I heard that my grades were a
little lower and I ended up in third place.”
“….”
It’s a shame.
“Why….”
Still, the hostility that had been suppressed for being a senior came
out.
“You neglected the girls who said they liked you because it was fun
to play with dahlias.”
“….”
It’s not that I didn’t have those feelings, but saying it was only
because of those feelings made me feel a little dirty.
“….”
“I haven’t seen you suffer from a minor illness throughout the first
year, but do you know how many times you got sick just in the
second year?”
I didn’t know.
I didn’t even know I was sick because I never showed it. Erno
Etham felt his mouth going dry.
“He said he had a hard time even though he didn’t show it. Do you
really think that because she’s smiling, she doesn’t have any
thoughts?”
Raiden clenched his fists and got angry. Erno Etham also had
nothing to say.
But today, I couldn’t stop thinking that at least the woman named
Dahlia Roarnan was the worst kind of trash.
It’s true that I thought it was fun. Still, I didn’t intend to make the
situation this serious.
“No matter how immature you may have been because you grew
up as the youngest member of the dukedom, aren’t you being too
reckless?”
“….”
I had no idea that this was what he was talking about. From then
on, Dahlia Roarnan knew that she would drop out.
So, I said something meaningful like that, and that’s why I didn’t
answer when he asked me to meet him after vacation.
When I thought about it that much, I burst into tears. Are you
saying don’t worry about what you are?
“I’m sorry….”
“Dahlia said she doesn’t want to meet you. They said they don’t
want to see me again.”
Raiden glanced at Erno Etham, who was frozen in his seat, and
quickly ran away.
“….”
After a long pause, Erno Etham let out a deep breath, wiped his
face with his large palm, and walked towards the classroom.
‘You don’t want to meet me?’
Well, that could be because she ended up quitting the school life
she had been holding on to for so long.
“…Foolish woman.”
I should have realized from the time I went through the funeral
alone and didn’t say a word that I wasn’t okay with being bullied.
‘I feel uncomfortable.’
***
“Are you saying you settled in the next country? How did you get
over it? There must have been a title….”
“Well, according to imperial law, women cannot receive titles
without an academy diploma….”
Certainly, from her perspective, this was something she didn’t want
to see.
“Tsk, if you want to apologize, you need to know what the other
person likes. Be sure to check out your hobbies and what you do on
a daily basis.”
Those who heard the order paused for a moment as the order was
uncharacteristic of Erno Etham.
Who is he?
Aren’t people who say that gifts in kind are best, and who give
money or gold ingots? Aren’t they the kind of people who only send
gifts as long as they suit the other person’s taste or their own taste?
“Answer.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Etham family’s intelligence agent, who had been under orders
to leave immediately for a month, eventually had to go on a business
trip again.
Erno Etham clicked his tongue lowly and closed his eyes. The
sound of training flowed through the slightly open window.
***
“….”
“I think I asked to see you after vacation, but it was difficult to see
you, so I came to see you in person.”
“Hmm….”
She rolled her eyes once, rubbed my cheek once, and sighed.
After looking around for a while, Dahlia carefully put up the vacate
sign and closed the door.
“…Suddenly what?”
“Because I don’t have a title anymore. It’s not an academy, and I’m
not in a position where I can speak carelessly to Confucius, who is a
nobleman and a commoner.”
“….”
“No, didn’t you get it from Raiden? The letter clearly stated that it
had been delivered properly….”
“Oh, you also exchanged letters with that guy. Well, since he’s my
lover, I guess that could be the case.”
“No, it’s okay because forfeited titles will not be returned. I want to
do something after going there.”
“Go.”
“Get out.”
“Yes.”
That was the moment when he, who had been ignoring Dahlia,
turned his head in the direction from which he heard the sound.
“…I see.”
Dahlia lifted the pot with the seedlings in it with her teeth clenched.
“…Seniors?”
With a bright smile on her face, she trembled and lifted a heavy
vase containing saplings that were larger than her upper body.
“If I go out….”
“Get out!”
“Get out!!”
Clink-!
“…You’re crazy.”
I could hear the surprise in the low muttering voice.
Dahlia was startled by the soft voice and turned her head. She
quickly put a smile on her face.
“Yes, boss.”
“I don’t think I have anything more to say, so I think you can just
turn around and leave as is.”
“….”
“Go ahead, get out, and never come back. I’m going to file a claim
for damages, so don’t even think about running away.”
This time, she was so upset that she bit her lower lip and was
about to slowly bend down.
“I bought it.”
Erno Etham snorted and said. The store owner narrowed his eyes
at that.
“…What?”
Erno Etham clicked his tongue after taking out the money and
throwing it to the store owner.
“It seems like there are a lot of problems with firing an employee
without even asking what happened.”
Dahlia buried her face in her palms at Erno Etham’s actions. Erno
frowned as he saw that even his ears were red.
To say she was happy was because her shoulders were shaking.
Erno, who helped her out even though she couldn’t walk properly,
stopped for a moment in a deserted place and frowned.
“Hehehe….”
She burst out laughing, almost crying, holding her stomach, and
eventually collapsed and squatted, leaning against the wall of the
building.
“Ha….”
Dahlia, who burst out laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes,
waved her hands.
Erno Etham looked down at her with an expression that made her
wonder what kind of person this was.
“Oh, by the way, I lost my job, so where did I get it? If you get
caught up, I feel like I’ll lose everything.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“what? Ah, no. are you okay. I told Raiden. It’s not your fault, don’t
worry about it. and…I would have told you that I didn’t want to see
you again.”
“Etham.”
For the first time, deep fatigue appeared on his always smiling
face.
Erno paused for a moment at that expression and pursed his lips.
yes.” Seeing him answer briefly, Dahlia opened her mouth.
“Let’s stop now. Even if you don’t do that, I’m adapting to this life in
my own way and making enough money to live on my own.”
“….”
“Where am I uncomfortable?”
“….”
“…What on earth are you talking about? When someone hears it,
it’s as if I like my senior….”
Erno Etham instinctively reached out and grabbed her. I felt like if I
sent Dahlia away now, I would never be able to see her again.
“Why?”
Erno Etham pursed his lips. It’s because I didn’t think about what I
was going to say.
“…That is.”
“If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll go. I’m tired.”
‘How stupid!’
“Okay, I understand.”
“I understand! Etham, can’t you hear? Ugh, can you tell Raiden for
me that we’re breaking up? I’ll just go! Good job~”
Dahlia spat out words like a rapid fire and quickly ran away and
disappeared.
“…What?”
Something is strange.
As soon as Dahlia turned down the alley, Erno Etham grabbed her
arm and stopped her.
“Ouch!”
“…Why?”
She asked cautiously, pressing down on her heart with her free
hand.
Erno Etham briefly fell silent and wiped his face as if there was
something wrong with his expression.
He said calmly.
In fact, Erno Etham was right to use force. Originally, women and
men of marriageable age in noble families rarely spoke to each
other.
That’s all.
Erno Etham was very sensitive and could not sleep anywhere.
“….”
I just didn’t like everything about this situation and was just
following my body’s movements.
“Etham, I don’t know why you keep doing this. It’s not like there
was anything between us…It’s not like we were really close enough
for me to let you sleep.”
This was because it took time to decipher, think about, and come
up with a conclusion to the question that was first recognized.
If someone who knew Erno Etham had seen him, they would have
called him crazy, but fortunately, there was no one nearby who knew
Erno Etham’s sensitivity well.
“If I let you sleep today, you won’t come back again?”
“I do not know.”
Dahlia’s mouth fell open as she had never known him to be this
childish.
She couldn’t figure out why he kept giving her this attention.
“…Yes.”
Erno Etham frowned briefly and then answered very slowly, a beat
late.
“So you can’t continue to like me in the future? If you say that, you
can go to sleep. It’s because I’m really tired of being involved with
you.”
“….”
“I’m sorry for saying this. However…. Honestly, I don’t blame you,
but I’m not in a good mood to happily flirt with you.”
Rarely in my life have things not gone the way I wanted, and rarely
have I been rejected so blatantly by someone.
“Here.”
“Oh, the house isn’t clean. Don’t take it seriously and pretend not to
notice.”
“Yes.”
After saying that, she checked the mailbox like she was used to,
took out a letter, and went inside.
And Erno Etham could never turn a blind eye to the inside of her
house.
In fact, her room was beyond filthy and was no different from a
trash dump that had barely been maintained.
For Erno Etham, who tends to keep his dorm room neat, Dahlia’s
house was literally the pit of hell.
After passing through the small living room with a two-seater sofa,
there was a room inside.
Erno Etham walked forward with long strides and opened the door.
“What….”
As Erno Etham tried to enter, Dahlia turned pale and shook her
head.
“Oh, then wait a moment. I’ll make the bed for you….”
Erno Etham burst into laughter when he saw her fluttering her arms
and then chasing him away with her face turning red.
He went inside, turned on the light, looked around the room, and
eventually stopped when he looked at the top of the nightstand.
“….”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it all, so just sit on the sofa for a moment! I’ll bring
the broom, so just wait!”
Erno Etham reached out and grabbed the medicine bottle. There
was nothing written on the pure white medicine cabinet.
He quietly looked through the medicine, took out a few pills, put
them in his pocket, and put the container down again.
“Sit outside!”
Dahlia, who had finally kicked out Erno Etham, slammed the door
shut and began to move around busily.
The kitchen sink showed almost no signs of use. The only thing left
is a mountain of baguettes.
At least when I bought it, it seemed very hard.
Other than that, there was really nothing else in the house.
“…Sleeping pills?”
“It’s done!!”
Meanwhile, Dahlia came out with a very proud face and pulled
Erno Etham away.
When I opened the door, a cool breeze came in and I saw a bed
with curtains fluttering.
It was a bed so calm and rough that it was hard to believe it was
hers.
“What if I do it too?”
“….”
Erno Etham narrowed his eyes at the voice full of pride, slowly
looked around, and silently grabbed her wardrobe.
“Ahahaha….”
Under Erno Etham’s gaze, Dahlia slightly turned her head and
smiled awkwardly.
<Side Story 9>
Dalkak-
Dahlia let out a short breath and covered herself with her robe.
“Sleeping pills, I don’t think they are good ingredients. How about
quitting them?”
“….”
Erno Etham, who had already come close to us, looked down at
Dahlia.
She averted her gaze, and Erno looked down at her, who was
avoiding his gaze.
“Why, don’t you see what I’m like? Since I’m being bullied because
of you, I have nothing to do with you….”
She bit her lower lip lightly, then grinned as if she had never done
that before and continued speaking.
She narrowed her eyes and slightly twisted her body, but Erno did
not let Dahlia go.
“Why?”
She took a step back. Erno took a step back and maintained his
distance.
“Really, why did you keep….”
As Dahlia, who was in tears, lifted her head, Erno suddenly bent
down.
His golden eyes shined particularly brightly under the night sky.
“…Why, why? If you like me, it’s a nuisance, right? What if I can’t
meet my handsome prince because of you? You must be so
famous.”
“If you’re that scared and can’t come, you’re not even a prince.”
Erno Etham looked down at her, who was kissing her lips rapidly
without making eye contact, and then slowly swept her wrist.
“Hey, it’s hard to make eye contact with anyone at this distance
because it’s burdensome, isn’t it?”
“I know I’m pretty, but honestly, I think being exclusive is too much.
A man who keeps clinging like this isn’t cool. I know you’re here
because you’re in love with me, but I’m a waste to you, so it’s better
to give up and go back….”
“Why?”
“Why again?”
“That’s something the other person can handle if it’s this perfect.”
“…Well, it’s not my taste anyway. No matter how you look at it, it
looks like you’re going to fall out of bed first!”
She pursed her lips and screamed with a completely white face,
then turned around.
“…Aha.”
“Let go.”
The hand that was holding Dahlia’s wrist, which turned bright red at
the roughly uttered words, gained some strength.
When Dahlia saw that face, cold sweat ran down her back. It
looked like it was going to chew off the head and swallow it at any
moment.
At the sound of Erno Etham’s voice, Dahlia let out a rare curse.
“So, you have my taste…!”
Last month.
Erno Etham was sure of one thing while she was with her.
“…!”
The fact that she, who had drawn a line from the beginning saying
she didn’t like my face, surprisingly likes my face.
“What….”
“I have one thing to apologize for…. That day, the day you were cut
off from the flower shop.”
Dahlia quickly stretched out her free hand and covered Erno
Etham’s mouth.
Erno Etham opened his mouth and lightly licked her palm, then bit
the tip of her startled index finger.
“I will correct what I said then. I think that’s what you like.”
“Don’t be weird….”
Dahlia, whose face was red, frowned. Erno Etham stared at her
and narrowed his eyes.
I never thought there would be a person in the world who would not
force their greed if they liked it, but would rather give up their greed.
As Erno thought, he stretched out the arm that was not holding her
hand and wrapped it around her waist.
Sure enough, he looked down at her with her eyes tightly closed
and kissed her briefly before slowly parting his lips.
“Now…All you have to do is prove that you won’t fall out of bed
first.”
Erno said, pulling Dahlia into the house. Dahlia quickly shook her
head.
It was about two years later that Erno Etham sent out wedding
invitations.
***
“Okay.”
Erno Etham was very excited as they all went out together and
held the hand of the child who was holding his hand with a little more
strength.
The child’s pink hair fluttered and he smiled brightly. Erno, whose
expression immediately reminded him of Dahlia, paused.
[Erno, when you don’t know what to say to me, just say you love
me. I know you’re not good at it, so that’s enough.]
“Eirin.”
“Huh? why.”
“I love you.”
Erno Etham smiled lightly as he ran over to Eirin and hugged her in
his arms.
[….]
[What is it? It’s really hard to hear the words ‘I love you’ from your
mouth.]
Erno, who was thinking, slowly lowered his eyes. It was always too
late to regret.
“Okay.”
“Yes!”
“Father too!”
After a short break, we will meet our readers again with SIDE 2 this
month.
Thank you