NOVEL NEXT After that, I spent time talking about love stories with Adela… well, not exactly love stories, but something along those lines.
Well, after all, we still had plenty of time until the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, right?
“What? It looks like there’s less than a week left now.”
This year… it really felt like time flew by.
There were so many events, and instead of calling them incidents, maybe ‘events’ would be more fitting?
Incidents had a vibe that suggested something unfortunate had happened.
Using the term ‘events’ seemed more appropriate.
“When this year is over….”
I figured the Eristirol Duke would leave again, and everything would change in various ways.
Kyle would be taking over the role that the Duke currently held, and I would be… hmm…
“Sigh….”
It felt like I had climbed the social ladder way too fast.
Who would’ve thought a commoner like me would become a Duchess?
“Unbelievable….”
That was truly the feeling.
Of course, becoming a Duchess didn’t mean everything changed dramatically.
It was just that… people treated me with great respect, both inside and outside the castle…?
Everyone I met treated me with extreme politeness and showed me respect.
Of course, many of them were just putting on a facade.
Wouldn’t everyone know that I was common-born by now?
Nobles had their shady sides after all.
Probably everyone who needed to know already did.
I wasn’t particularly worried about it, though.
“At this party, I need to wear a dress….”
Forget about social status. I was ultimately Kyle’s wife now.
From the Duchess’s wife to becoming part of the vast Eristirol territory to govern.
So, at Adela’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, I had to showcase a graceful and beautiful image… like any typical noble lady.
“But how in the world should I do that….”
I thought about it while burying my head in a pillow, but I just couldn’t come up with anything.
It made sense since I hadn’t done such a thing before.
As I lay on the bed, deep in thought, I heard very quiet footsteps.
The door was expensive enough that I couldn’t hear it open, but footsteps were a different story.
“Kyle, is that you?”
“Yes.”
He walked into the room, apparently finishing his chat with the Duke, unbuttoning the top of his shirt.
Well, it must’ve been uncomfortable for him.
Kyle liked comfortable clothes ever since long ago.
I understood that much.
Plus, where he had just entered, it wasn’t a place that required strict formality; it was just our room.
“What did your father say?”
“He just… said that after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he plans to pass on the title.”
“Umm…” I had expected it, but I didn’t think it would come up so quickly.
“So, what did you say?”
“I asked if I could stay at the castle a little longer. No matter that I’ve turned adult, taking on the title at this age is…”
“….”
Isn’t that a bit too soon…? After all, passing the title to Kyle, who just became an adult, seemed a tad off in my opinion.
I didn’t quite understand why the Duke wanted to leave quickly, but still…
“Isn’t it too fast…?”
“Exactly. That’s what I said, but it seems….”
“It looks like it’s going to proceed as planned.”
“Yes.”
It seemed like Kyle really would become the Duke.
He had already told his son, so it probably was a near certainty now.
There wasn’t much we could say to change that either.
It was a bit chaotic in various ways, but still…. Maybe it was something to celebrate?
I decided to stay quiet.
After all, it was ultimately Kyle’s responsibility.
If he didn’t want to… well, wouldn’t he put up more resistance?
“Just keep speaking your mind. You never know, right? If you keep saying you don’t want to do it now, maybe they’ll postpone it a little more?”
“Do you think so?”
“No, honestly, I think my father would just ignore that and go ahead.”
“…Sophia.”
“ᄆ, it’s true!”
There was nothing wrong with that statement at all.
Even if he tried, the chances of it being successful were very low.
“Anyway, let’s talk about Adela’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony that’s coming up soon.”
“Do we have to?”
“Kyle.”
“Alright…. What’s the topic this time?”
Kyle seemed as uninterested as always when it came to Adela’s discussions.
But now he answered well.
Oh, technically, he had no choice.
I had been sulking a bit too, right?
Even Kyle, as laid-back as he might be, couldn’t just leave his sulking wife alone.
Besides… Kyle wasn’t a total jerk; he was quite a nice guy.
Of course, he answered the questions vaguely when it came to Adela’s matters.
“This Coming-of-Age Ceremony is going to be different from yours. They’ll have a proper party, and that’s about it, right?”
“That’s right?”
“Then I obviously must participate, too, right?”
“Probably…?”
“The problem is that this is my first time in such a formal event. So, I’m worried.”
It was genuinely a dilemma I couldn’t shake off.
I hadn’t been born noble, nor had I attended such parties more than once before.
Plus, this time, it wasn’t just attending but was one that Eristirol was hosting.
So, it was bound to be difficult.
“Usually, the people hosting those parties have a lot more to do, you know? So…”
“Umm….”
“Well… you can’t just act weird while you’re at it, right?”
“Like that time at the wedding when you suddenly kissed me?”
“ᄋ, no, that was….”
The atmosphere was just so nice, I couldn’t help but!
Besides, when I told Kyle about it, he didn’t seem to mind at all…
“….”
“Just kidding. Just kidding.”
“…Geez!”
*
“I swear, this kid is getting more and more cheeky as the days go by!”
“Ha ha… but maybe it’s because Sophia likes me?”
“I don’t know about that. But is that guy going to come to the party?”
“Um… I did get a letter saying he would come…”
Oh.
That was good news to hear.
I was a little annoyed since Kyle had been joking around all day, but that annoyance had faded.
Now, I just had to prepare for Adela’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, which was only days away.
Although I didn’t have that much to prepare?
“I don’t know who shook Adela’s heart this time, but I guess I’ll find out soon.”
“ᄒ, ha ha….”
I was genuinely curious.
Adela hadn’t mentioned any names or families at all.
If she had just told me names or something, I could’ve looked it up separately.
But since she didn’t, I was really left in the dark.
That was reasonable too, considering I had heard so much talk over the last two months.
“Looks like we’ll finally meet.”
“Sophia…? Just don’t get too interested, okay? I mean… she has a brother, doesn’t she…?”
“….”
So cute.
Her nervousness was endearing, and genuinely, in various ways, it was just adorable.
I wasn’t some lovesick girl; the only person I truly liked was Kyle.
So for someone like her to suddenly become anxious about a guy…
I felt like I might chuckle, but I held it back as best as I could.
“Hehe, I understand. Even if he comes, I won’t initiate conversation or anything, okay?”
“Phew….”
“Oh, but he could still greet me and Kyle… but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“P-please don’t say anything weird or anything…?”
If someone were to see, they might think she was already in a relationship.
In reality, they had only met once before, and now she was freaking out like this.
And that was Adela.
Well, I wouldn’t mind since it was cute.
“Hehe, got it. Besides, if you don’t tell me who Adela is, I’m going to have no clue who you’re talking about.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“So don’t worry about us having weird thoughts and focus on spending time with him. Got it?”
“Yes…!”
Had I known it would turn out like this, I would have befriended Adela a lot sooner.
Really.
If I had known she was such a kind, cute girl from the beginning, it would’ve been fantastic.
Even though becoming friends after tying the knot with Kyle was nice, I still wanted to grow closer.
After all… we were officially family now, right?
“But seriously, you’re not going to tell me who it is, right?”
“ᄋ, we’re not even close yet… um… I’ll wait a bit longer before sharing….”
“Hehe… I’m super excited!”
I genuinely felt that anticipation.
Who was the incredible person who made Adela into such a charming girl?