SRDHEBDF Chapter 7 – 8

In front of the fountain, Rosamiris was restless.

Sanun had told her to go out today.

Even though he said that, she hadn’t gone out to play since she regained her memories from her previous life. She didn’t know what to do or where to go. It would have been nice if at least Nina had come with her, but Nina had sent her off with a smile, saying, “Enjoy yourself!”

(I wish Sieg would have declined…)

Yes, the reason Rosamiris was restless was because she was in the neighboring town with her fiancé Sieg. She had originally planned to take a walk alone for a change of pace, but Nina had informed her with a smile, “When I asked Lord Siegforten about his schedule, he forced open a date time for you.” What’s more, it was after the fact. Not only was Nina’s quick action surprising, but so was Sieg, who had made time the day before they were to go out.

Seig: “I’m late. Have you been waiting?”

Rosa: “No, I chose to meet here because it was convenient for me.”

Seig: “I see. If I had had the time, I would have come to pick you up directly from the mansion…”

Rosa: “It’s obvious that meeting here is quicker.”

Having the guards stand back, Rosamiris looks up at her fiancé.

The golden canary.

Unlike when they are together in public places or at tea parties, he is dressed more casually than usual. This town is beautiful and safe, and even the upper-class nobles visit. The fact that it’s not far from the capital is another point that the nobles favor.

Seig: “You look… cute. Well, you’re always cute, but today, Rosa, you’re especially cute. Is the outfit Nina’s choice?”

The one who was most enthusiastic about the date with Sieg was Nina.

She had picked out Rosamiris’s clothes, saying things like, “I’ll make him bleed from the nose!” that would likely be considered disrespectful if said to the person in question. Today’s theme seems to be “first date of the summer”.

Her dress for going out is white.

Apparently, it’s fashionable to intentionally show off the upper arms.

Nina explained to her that it’s a tactic to expose enough skin without going overboard, but to still grab the attention of the gentlemen. She’s bewildered by the change in her usual attire. She had given up on variations of hairstyles since she cut her hair short, but she had it braided. She even wore a cute barrette, and she was worried that she might come off too eager to Sieg.

Rosa: “Please don’t stare at me… It makes me blush.”

Seig: “No, I really think so. Your mysterious black hair shines like the night of the moon, and it suits you very well… You look beautiful.”

Rosa: “Is, is that so?”

Seig: “Yes.”

(…I’m relieved.)

While Sieg isn’t exactly bad with words, it’s rare for him to praise someone fluently. Having observed him up close in both public and private matters, I have rarely seen him give compliments.

Sieg’s heart has moved towards me.

Just that makes me feel very happy.

Rosa: “Shall we go then?”

Seig: “Yes. Do you have a place you want to go?”

Rosa: “I haven’t decided yet. What about you, Sieg?”

Seig: “There is. I have a present I’d really like to give you.”

Rosa: “A present? I’ve always received many gifts from you, Sieg.”

Seig: “It’s just a small token of my feelings. I’m always grateful to Rosa.”

Seeing him, who usually doesn’t smile much, give a small smile…

I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that I love this man.

---

“Welcome.”

The shop had a lovely antique vibe.

The female shopkeeper who welcomed us bowed respectfully as soon as she saw Siegforten. It seems like this store is a preferred shop of the Rondinia family. It’s one of the groups managed by an old friend of Siegforten’s father, the Duke of Rondinia, and it’s said that they offer high-quality and elegant decorative items.

Antique decorations are to Rosamiris’s liking.

Having black hair is a minority trait in our empire. Antiques, which are universally admired, serve as a kind of weapon to compete on equal terms with the overwhelming majority of blondes.

In other words, they are amulets.

They carry the message: “I possess the same things as you, and I love the same things as you. So, please do not hurt me.” It’s a tale of how the black-haired clan, in order to understand the people of the empire, willingly adopted the culture of the empire.

When she heard this story, Rosamiris fell in love with her black hair and with antiques, which she had previously thought were old-fashioned.

“Siegforten-sama, thank you always for your patronage.”

Seig: “Ah, is the shop owner well?”

“He has been complaining about his back recently and hasn’t been able to work on new pieces.”

Seig: “That’s concerning. I’ll have some medicinal herbs for back pain delivered later.”

“Thank you very much.”

Siegforten, as expected of a future duke, carries himself with a dignified air as they converse. His gallant profile is reassuring. She wants to keep watching him.

Seig: “I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my fiancée, Rosamiris.”

She wasn’t staring at him because she wanted to be introduced, but he seemed to have misunderstood.

Rosamiris grabs the hem of her dress and quickly finishes her greeting. She tried to be as polite as possible, but the shopkeeper looks at her intently, which confuses her a bit.

(Is there something on my face…?)

She touches her cheek.

It’s fine, there’s nothing there.

“Oh, so you’re the one I’ve heard so much about. You’re a very charming young lady. I can clearly see why Siegforten-sama declared his lifelong love and protection for you.”

Rosa: “Eh…?”

A lifelong love and protection.

For whom?

(For me…?)

Seig: “Cough…!”

Looking up at Siegforten, who is coughing exaggeratedly, she can’t help but notice that his ears seem a bit red.

The female shopkeeper has a beaming smile.

(Do young people these days… even go as far as to say things like that to save their fiancée’s face?)

Siegforten, whose face is identical to Sirius, her fiancé from her previous life, holds the same feelings for Rosamiris as she did for him. “Isn’t it wonderful that the person you love is your fiancé?” Nina once told her. However, for Rosamiris, who holds memories from her previous life, her feelings are complicated.

What if she is once again disengaged and abandoned?

Despite loving him, she can’t accept Siegforten’s words honestly because of these thoughts. Her twisted heart leads Rosamiris’s thoughts in an unexpected direction.

Siegforten said such a thing out of consideration for his fiancée, Rosamiris.

(Siegforten-sama is truly kind.)

Seig: “Is the item we discussed last time ready?”

“Yes. It has become one of our finest pieces. I am sure your lady will be pleased.”

Seig: “We’re not married yet.”

“But you are a promised couple, aren’t you? Fufufu, how envious. Now, I’ll fetch the item for you.”

The cheerful shopkeeper goes into the back room.

It’s probably the gift that Siegforten mentioned wanting to give.

After a while, the shopkeeper returns, seemingly carrying the item, and presents it to Siegforten. He swiftly signs the paperwork and receives the item, then he and Rosamiris exit the shop.

Seig: “Rosamiris.”

Rosa: “Yes?”

His voice calls out to her after they’ve walked for a while.

She looks up at the handsome face that has captivated many women.

No matter how often she sees it, she finds it beautiful. No matter how much she looks at him, she never tires.

The deep green of Siegforten’s eyes held suppressed feelings of love and regret. What was he regretting? Rosamiris couldn’t keep her gaze on him for long; his intense stare made her shy.

“With my gratitude for everything till now, and my feelings to always be with you from now on,” he said, hanging the necklace around her neck.

Embedded in it was a large emerald, the same colour as Siegforten’s eyes. It was an exquisite and obviously expensive piece of jewellery.

Rosa: “Thank you. I will cherish it.”

Seig: “Are you happy?”

Rosa: “Of course. There’s no woman who wouldn’t be pleased with a gift from Lord Siegforten.”

Seig: “You didn’t seem to be that happy.”

(I messed up. I look too gloomy. Rosamiris should be cheerful and smiling. If I keep being such a gloomy woman, I wouldn’t blame Siegforten for leaving me.)

A good relationship was born from smiles. If one of them was down, it wouldn’t work.

Just then, Rosamiris noticed a familiar woman passing by. She quickly disappeared into the crowd, but there was no mistake.

Seig: “Wasn’t that Lady Bianca just now?”

Rosa: “You know her well. I thought you only knew her name, not her face.”

Seig: “A couple of days ago, I received a letter from Lady Bianca’s mother, Lady Charlone. It was full of nauseating praise for me and my parents, and at the end, she asked me to dance with her daughter at the ball.”

(Nauseating? Was Siegforten always this blunt?)

Siegforten might be more dark-hearted than she thought.

Seig: “It seems Lady Charlone wants to pair me and Lady Bianca.”

Rosa: “So, what was your response?”

Seig: “Of course, I refused. I told her I already have my beloved fiancée, Lady Rosamiris.”

Rosa: “You refused? According to the rules, it would be fine for you to dance with Lady Bianca, right?”

Normally, one would dance with their betrothed at a ball. But after the designated time, it was acceptable to dance with anyone else. It was a common-sense decision to dance with ladies other than one’s fiancée to build good relations between houses.

Seig: “Even though she is adopted, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings if I were to dance with your sister. Besides, I have no interest in any lady other than Rosa. Are you dissatisfied with this answer?”

Rosa: “No, I’m just a little surprised.”

Rosamiris showed him a bright smile.

Rosa: “Let’s go check on her. It would be terrible if your sister got lost and was taken away by some sketchy person.”

Seig: “In a town with such good security and knights always patrolling, I’d be curious to see if there were any kidnappers… Ah, I see. If that’s the case, I’ll go.”

Seig: “No, when you see Lady Bianca, you always look like a demon. If you look like that, she’ll be scared. Yes, really.”

Siegforten’s face when he saw Bianca was murderous.

He probably got angry because she tried to pour hot tea on Rosamiris. He must have been acting out of a strong sense of justice.

(No matter the reason, the fact that Siegforten cares about me hasn’t changed…hehe, I’m quite the wicked woman to find joy in the fact that the woman trying to steal my man is being glared at by him with such a demonic expression…)

She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of living selfishly.

Rosa: “I have a reliable escort. Yes, if anything happens, I can pretend to be a worried younger sister. You can leave me and go.”

Seig: “In that case, I will also go. As a man concerned for his betrothed’s sister whom he happened to spot in the city,” Siegforten replied, a grin tugging at his lips.

It was rare to see him smile. Well, Sirius, Rosamiris’s fiancé in her past life, would often pull this face when he was up to some mischief. For Rosamiris, this wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

Rosa: “Peeping and eavesdropping aren’t exactly gentlemanly behaviours, you know?”

Seig: “If it’s for understanding the nature of women, I’d like to observe. I wish to understand what kind of beings women are.”

Rosa: “We are indeed alike, aren’t we? Very well, shall we go together?”

Seig: “To the very end.”

With a mischievous smile on his face, she oddly found her spirits lifted. Their relationship was not conventional, but in their shared mischief, they found a unique sense of closeness. As they headed to find Bianca, both were filled with a strange and delightful anticipation of what was to come.