I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

o the question, Lariette replied with an awkward smile.
Then Lariette spoke quickly.

“Anyway, thank you for coming and talking to me in person.
It wasn’t a big deal, and I don’t really care, so don’t be too sorry.”

“You are kind.
Thank you for saying that.”

“What.
Go back and rest, Erze.”

You’re sweating quite a bit.
Lariette added with a smirk.

Erze responded playfully, telling her not to look down on her because she had a very athletic body.
However, due to her busy workout, she left at Lariette’s suggestion.

Lariette waved her hand a few times toward Erze, who was moving away, and then slowly turned and looked back.

A flow of mana that seemed like empty space, but was subtly awkward.

Her eyes, which have become more sophisticated after discovering the knight who had been hiding in her room a while ago, naturally removed the illusion and found the hidden reality.

Then, a familiar face appeared.

“Are you here early, Doha?”

Lariette’s eyes widened in delight.

Illustration 

* * *

As usual, Doha arrived earlier than the promised time and was waiting for Lariette.

But today, it was too early.
I came a few hours earlier, so I had nothing to say if it was unusual.

But even the time waiting for her was pleasant for him.
It was much more fun to sit still and wait for her than to spend a terrible and boring time stuck in the Temple of Alteon.

However, after I began to doubt my feelings, the time was not as pleasant as it was.

Even though he felt supreme at the thought of meeting Lariette soon, his heart sank endlessly at the reality that she was Duke Kandel’s lover.

The mood went back and forth between the top and the bottom in an instant.
I thought I was crazy.

As I was contemplating whether this should be enough treatment, I heard someone calling her name.

“Lariette!”

Doha thought that he had heard an auditory hallucination because he was too focused on his thoughts.
However, when he turned his head to look at the direction of the sound, he could see Lariette in the distance.

She was also with that blonde guy from last time.

Lariette was dressed up to the fullest.
It made me even more angry at how beautiful she was wearing a gorgeous dress and braided side hair.

Doha bit off his molars in the rising jealousy.
I didn’t want to leave my seat like then.

‘Why it’s not me?’

Meeting that monster Duke, and meeting other guys.
If so, can’t you meet me too?

An absurd thought ran through his mind.

Doha, who lost his reason, took cover without realizing it and approached Lariette.
Without knowing what he wanted and why he approached her.

However, what I realized shortly after moving was that the blonde person was not at all unfamiliar.
As the next pope and high priest, he often came and went to the Imperial Palace, and it was a face he had seen occasionally.

‘… Princess?’

I felt like I was hit hard in the back of the head.
Just by looking at the back, I thought it was a man, but as I got a little closer, I quickly realized that it wasn’t.

Doha stood blankly and looked at the princess and Lariette.
The moment he realized the reality, his ears were burning hot.

Along with that, the corners of his lips curled upwards involuntarily.
His face, which had subsided cold, suddenly became as warm as the spring sun.

“Are you here early, Doha?”

Doha’s golden eyes trembled as if surprised when the clear voice reached his ear.

“How…?”

It wasn’t an elaborately crafted stealth, but it wasn’t something she, who was just starting to learn, could even notice.

As evidence of that, even Erze, who had been learning swordsmanship for many years, did not notice his presence.

As the next pope, he would admit.
It was a remarkable growth, but Lariette replied with a smile as if it was insignificant.

“Ah, I saw a pretty good level of stealth a while ago.
When I saw that, I suddenly understood.”

Is this how you do it? After a brief mutter, Lariette showed her stealth as she understood it.

In an instant, her body disappeared.
Even if he practiced hiding for 10 years, she was so good that he could believe it.

‘If this much, it should be quick enough to identify the knight of Kandel who is hiding…’

Doha thought as he glanced at Gerard, the knight who was hiding from afar.
His skills were among the best in the country, but at this level of growth, it seemed possible to catch up.

Since then, Lariette has continued to practice stealth among passers-by.
If Doha pointed out the poor part, it was a form of fixing it.

It took quite a bit of stamina to erase the presence, so Lariette declared giving up after a while.
By now, her back was drenched with sweat.

They entered the cafe as an excuse to take a break and ordered a variety of desserts and drinks.
As the sweet milkshake ran down her throat, it felt like her fatigue disappeared in an instant.

“Ugh… It’s good.”

“Rie.”

“Yes?”

Lariette answered, sipping the milkshake through a straw.
Doha thought he wanted to pull her bulging cheeks with his fingers.

“Is it good?”

“Yes! This mille-feuille is delicious too!”

Eat it.
Lariette cut the mille-feuille into large chunks and handed it to Doha.

Doha watched the white hands go back and forth, picked up a mille-feuille with a fork and put it in his mouth.

“How is it, is it delicious? Doha, you said you like anything sweet.”

Although it wasn’t something I made by myself, Lariette asked with a proud smile.

As she said, the taste that spreads in your mouth is very sweet.
The pastry was crispy and the cream was soft, and the harmony was satisfying.

Doha chewed and swallowed wheat feuille, carefully organizing his thoughts.

Thump, thump.

Unlike before, when the princess was mistaken for a man, his heart raced happily.

Pink hair that sparkled in the sunlight coming in through the window, purple eyes, beautifully curved eyes and a dazzling smile.

It was just that she was sweeter than anything else.

“… Right.”

I tried and tried to deny it, but I couldn’t get out of it.
Even if he tried to run away, he eventually came back.

It was the very emotion that was terrifying to even think of.

“I like anything sweet.”

What if this is not love?

Doha lowered his long eyelashes and smiled sadly as if he was about to cry.