“Hey.”

Finally, Luna couldn’t hold back any longer and called out to Antes. At this, Antes, who was looking for some pasta, briefly turned his head to gaze at her.

“Why?”

“The ring-“

Before she could even finish her sentence, Antes, who seemed to have guessed what she was about to ask, interjected.

“Oh, didn’t you like the cookie?”

“No? It’s not that…”

“If you don’t like it, I can give you something else. I have a high-end snack I received as a gift from a business partner.”

“No, it’s okay.”

It’s not the time to eat snacks now.

She tried to reply, but he busily pulled out a truly luxurious snack without waiting for her response.

“It’ll take a while, so why not wait in the parlor? The kitchen is rather cramped, and I feel a bit overwhelmed. I might make a mistake.”

What a thing to say. Truly, Luna was the one feeling overwhelmed. Between the ring, the cooking, and everything else, she felt her head was about to explode.

Before she could bring up the topic of the ring again, Antes pushed her out.

“You don’t like the cookie, do you? Then wait in the parlor and relax. Feel free to look around the mansion.”

“Are you avoiding the topic?”

“Who’s avoiding what? You’re disturbing my cooking. I’ve been busy since morning, so I wish you’d eat some cookies.”

A mix of annoyance and concern. She wished he would get straight to the point. She felt ignored by his unending, incoherent replies.

Luna’s eyes sharpened.

“Alright. If you want it that much, I’ll eat the cookie.”

With that, surprisingly, she took a step back, accepting his point.

What’s she planning? Antes, who knew Luna wasn’t the type to act like this, closely watched her with a furrowed brow.

As expected, Luna suddenly took a large bite of the cookie and chewed very energetically.

“…!?”

Such an act could cool even a millennia-long love. Antes, momentarily at a loss for words, stared at Luna with a cold expression.

Of course, it wasn’t that his millennia of love had cooled. He just hadn’t expected her to go to such lengths to satisfy her curiosity.

Either way, after vigorously chewing the cookie, Luna took a sip of her slightly cooled tea to wash down the dryness in her mouth.

With a sense of accomplishment, she hastily asked:

“I ate the cookie. Satisfied? Now it’s my turn. What is this ring about? And why did you invite me when you said you don’t like having someone around? You were even trying to stay at my mansion. What’s the truth?”

“…”

Originally, she should’ve asked more carefully, but due to the awkward situation, Luna was quite aggressive.

Seeing Antes with wide eyes, Luna realized she might’ve been too confrontational and quickly added:

“I’m not angry. I’m just curious. It’s strange to adjust a ring like this. Normally, rings are adjusted only for special occasions.”

Especially since Antes had personally put the ring on her finger. She couldn’t back down now.

Listening to Luna’s detailed explanation, Antes’s gaze gradually softened.

Seeing her babble while trying to get an answer made him want to ask about his own curiosities as well.

“What would you do if I said it was special?”

“What?”

“What would you do if I said the ring was special?”

Luna was speechless. She’d asked boldly, but she hadn’t considered what she’d do if he actually gave her an answer.

“…?”

Wait, he’s suddenly affirming it?

This unexpected reply left her in the dark. It was a statement she’d never heard in both her past and current life, so she couldn’t help but be flustered.

Unable to retrieve her composure, her cheeks reddened, and she began to stammer.

“Um, I mean…”

Watching her, Antes’s eyes took on a peculiar expression. He’d expected her to get angry, perhaps even slap him, but her surprisingly shy reaction left him confused.

Seeing Luna flustered by his unexpected response, a glint appeared in Antes’s eyes.

And soon, as if asking when he had become serious, he softly smiled and opened his mouth.

“I only have a young lady, so it’s natural for her to be special.”

“…Yes?”

“I made a bit of an effort to show our close relationship, but I didn’t expect you to be this flustered. Do you think my existence is that insignificant to you?”

Luna blinked for a moment as Antes asked calmly while putting the remaining cookies in her mouth.

So, by ‘special’, he meant something like friendship?

Really? Did she overthink it? Is he making fun of her again?

As Luna silently asked him these questions, Antes seemed to understand her and gave her an affirmative look.

It wasn’t wrong. To Antes, there was only Luna, and she really was special. It was also true that they matched rings to show their somewhat deep friendship.

“W-what, really?! You surprised me!”

Luna, slightly upset by his vague answer, scolded Antes.

“Stop joking around! Do you know how much I struggled with what to answer?”

And then, as if relieved from tension, she touched her flushed cheek and said she would wait for the food, hurriedly disappearing into the kitchen.

“It’s not a joke.”

Only the than delayed response lingered in the kitchen.

‘So she did respond?’

Considering Luna’s personality, if she truly disliked it, she would have immediately told him to stop spouting nonsense.

But instead of showing such a reaction, she chose to stutter and blush slightly.

He had to really restrain himself from smiling.

‘I thought it was okay enough as it is…’

Maybe not. If he hadn’t known her feelings, it wouldn’t matter. But now that he had glimpsed into her heart, he became greedy.

What should he do next? Reassuring her every time has its limits, and if he suddenly becomes assertive, she might run away like earlier.

Antes began to look for ingredients to make ‘Panne’ while pondering these things.

There was a lot to think about, but first, he had to prepare a meal for Luna.

* * *

Although she heard him say ‘no’, Luna, with still flushed cheeks, wandered around the mansion, recalling the recent events.

Who on earth jokes so seriously? And such a shocking joke at that.

She thought her heart was dropping. Luna grumbled, thinking that if there were a contest for surprising people, he would undoubtedly win first place. She reached the last room at the end of the second floor.

Having explored every room from the first floor up, she naturally opened the door and looked inside.

‘What’s this… Why is it so bleak?’

The room only had the minimal furniture, making it look desolate.

Yet, it felt like someone lived there, so Luna cautiously entered, wondering if it might be Antes’s room.

‘Really… No wonder he’s so unpredictable.’

The room needed at least a flower vase, or a painting, some patterned bedding, or even just a splash of color. The monotone and gloomy room started making her feel down when she noticed something out of place.

‘This is…’

It was the flower ring he had bought at the night market. The ring that he had turned into a necklace because it didn’t fit.

Although it wasn’t expensive, it was carefully placed in an elegant case as if it was a treasured item.

‘Why would he…?’

As Luna recalled the earlier situation, she frowned.

– What would you do if I said it was special?

She remembered the very serious face of Antes.

Seeing the carefully displayed ring, there was no doubt about its special significance.

‘…Ugh. I shouldn’t have asked.’

Instead of getting a clear answer, she felt teased. Even if Antes denied it, why did it still feel significant?

Maybe he just collects rings as a hobby. Luna tried to convince herself with this absurd reasoning and left Antes’s room to sit on the terrace.

The somewhat chilly night breeze cooled her flushed face. She should have just cooled her head from the start.

As she enjoyed the wind and had a peaceful time, Antes came to fetch her, saying the meal was ready.

When Luna saw the panne that Antes had made without much expectation, she was momentarily at a loss for words.