Side Story 1 – Chapter 15

 

* * *

 

Now he was even trembling from his shoulders.

“Your, uh, face…”

“My face?”

“I wanted to… touch it slowly. I, I couldn’t believe how someone could be so beautiful…”

“…”

“I-I’m sorry! You must feel bad, right? To think I imagined touching your face without your permission…!”

Loretta thought for a moment, then held out her hands to him.

“…Want to hold them?”

“R-really?”

In response to his cautious question, Loretta quickly pulled her hands back.

“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

“Please let me! I’ll do anything if you just let me hold your hand.”

As Evan shouted, magic started leaking out of his hands again. He quickly shook his hands and tried to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry. Just the thought of touching you makes my magic flow…”

“Why?”

“B-because I’m a crazy magician. I keep… wanting to leave my mark on you.”

“Like we did when we were young?”

“I’m sorry, it was a painful time for you, and I’m so ashamed of myself for not being able to control even one of my instincts…”

Hearing his sullen words, Loretta secretly extended her hand again.

“….!”

“If you hesitate again, I won’t allow it.”

“I’ll hold it.”

Evan quickly and politely knelt, carefully taking Loretta’s hand in his.

“…Your hands are cute too, Miss. I always thought so.”

“That’s an exaggeration, Evan.”

“It’s not an exaggeration at all!”

The moment he shouted that, magic power burst out from his hands again.

“…Haah.”

Though he didn’t make the mistake of letting go, Evan seemed to be constantly struggling to control himself.

“I’m sorry it keeps happening like this.”

“It’s fine. I have Melody, so it’s alright.”

“I need to calm down, but being with you makes me so happy…”

He slowly shook his head with a touched expression.

“Usually, I just think to myself.”

“New… thoughts?”

“Yes, thoughts about you. I do it all the time. Probably won’t be able to stop for the rest of my life.”

“…Suddenly… saying things like that so casually…”

“Of course! Because you are truly beautiful.”

Loretta was about to nod, about to say “Of course I’m pretty,” when she suddenly remembered how she looked.

It was fine to say she was wearing pajamas, but…

 

“At least comb that bomb-hit hair of yours!”

 

“…Oh.”

“Miss, your curly hair is also pretty!”

When Evan actually complimented her hair, Loretta was shocked and shook her head.

“Don’t lie! Brother Ronny said it looked like a bomb went off!”

“He must have meant that cuteness exploded like a bomb. You look like a fairy.”

“Even if you praise me like that, I won’t let you touch my hair! Besides, I haven’t even washed yet today.”

“But you always smell good.”

Despite her embarrassment, Loretta found it fascinating how Evan kept saying these flattering things.

He had acted as if he had no interest in her for so long, and now he had completely changed overnight.

‘…This isn’t really a dream, is it?’

This was a dream that Loretta had created on her own, overwhelmed by the stress of her relationship with Evan taking a turn for the worse.

“Miss.”

Soon, Evan pulled her hand closer. Now her hand was almost touching his heart.

“Lady Loretta.”

“…”

“You look… afraid of something. Are you alright?”

Loretta shook her head slowly.

Because if this was a dream, she would feel terribly lonely after waking up…

“Don’t be afraid, Miss.”

Loretta slowly reached out and placed her fingertips on his chest. Evan flinched a little, but didn’t pull away or try to escape.

‘Evan’s heart…’

His heartbeat was so fast that it felt as if it might burst out of his chest.

“It… really wasn’t a dream.”

“Were you afraid?”

“Yes.”

“I am right here.”

Evan lowered his head, his nose and lips almost touching the back of her hand. She could feel his breath faintly tickling her skin.

“I will not leave your side until you command me to. I truly like you.”

“Yes.”

“I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”

“…Yes.”

“You are the most precious person to me now.”

“…Uh, yes.”

“You are so precious to me that I don’t know what to do.”

“…”

“I love you with all my heart.”

“…Do you… still have… more to say?”

Embarrassed, Loretta pulled her hand back and lowered her gaze.

Even her hand that he had been holding felt hot for some reason.

“If you allow me, Miss, I could tell you all night… ah.”

Evan smiled brightly as if a good thought had come to mind.

“If you’re okay with it, would you like to come to my room next time?”

“To your room? Me?”

“Yes. You said you wanted to watch a meteor shower last time, right?”

“But last time…”

 

“Mo-moreover, meteors falling is late at night… That’s really not possible, Miss.”

 

Loretta remembered what he had said while refusing, but she did not bother to bring it up again.

“Would you come?”

Evan asked again with an expectant expression.

‘Evan truly wants to… watch a meteor shower with me, right?’

Loretta looked at Evan, who smiled innocently, and chastised herself for thinking his intentions might lie elsewhere.

‘But… wouldn’t that be a little disappointing?’

Loretta, who had that thought inadvertently, quickly brushed away such wicked cunningness.

Now was the time to be thankful that Evan had opened up his heart.

It would be greedy to want anything more than that.

 

* * *

 

It was well past afternoon when Melody finally arrived at the study for their regular experiment.

She said, “Sorry I’m late,” but it didn’t seem like she really meant it.

Loretta realized that it was thanks to the consideration of her whole family that she was finally able to resolve her misunderstanding with Evan.

‘Everyone… was worried. How did they all know that Evan liked me?’

Even Loretta, who had spent her entire life by his side, was never completely sure of his feelings. She had always harbored small hopes, that was all.

‘Did Evan tell everyone but me?’

Loretta received a proper answer to this question only when the experiment was over, and she met Ronny again.

He answered Loretta’s question, “How did you know?” while carefully combing her tangled hair.

“You were so obvious, have you never wondered how anyone could not know?”

“But Evan didn’t show it at all. Ow!”

Ronny lightly tapped the top of her head with a round comb.

“Why are you hitting me?!”

As Loretta turned around with a pout, he grinned, still tapping the comb against her hair.

“I guess you’ve gained a bit of sense now.”

“…Brother, I hate you.”

“Seeing you say that, it seems you haven’t gained any sense at all.”

“Hmph.”

Loretta pursed her lips and looked at the mirror across from her.

Ronny was carefully combing her hair, holding it in sections so as not to hurt her.

‘Actually, I know you like me. And I… like you too, brother.’

However, they said that normal siblings don’t seriously talk about such things, so Loretta kept her lips sealed.

“Why is your hair so ugly?”

“…”

“I am so grateful to Evan that it brings tears to my eyes.”

“Ugh, really!”

Loretta decided to retract everything she had been thinking earlier.

“I really hate you, brother!”

As she screamed, the round comb hit the top of her head once more.

 

* * *

 

While Loretta was having a fun(?) time with Ronny, Evan was anxiously pacing back and forth in the second-floor hallway of the Duke’s mansion.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to do it another day?”

Melody carefully suggested, but Evan shook his head.

“It’s been delayed enough.”

He took a deep breath and knocked on the large door of Duke Baldwin’s office.

As if the Duke had been waiting for him, a response came right away.

“Magician Evan.”

The Duke rose from his seat and greeted him warmly. He seemed to have just returned from an outing and was dressed very formally.

“I apologize for visiting the owner of the manor so late, Duke Baldwin.”

“It can’t be helped, as I just returned to the mansion.”

Since Evan received the title of ‘Wizard’, the Duke had been using honorifics with him.

“Would you like a drink?”

Moreover, since Evan became an adult, he had even offered him drinks.

“Ah…”

Evan had always thought that alcohol was a luxury item that didn’t suit him, so he always declined his offer.

But for some reason, it was difficult to do so today.

‘The look in the Duke’s eyes is… scary.’