“Good morning, Luthia.”
A gentle voice echoed out.
“Good morning, Nigel-sama.”
I mouthed a greeting in response, and sat down in my usual chair at my usual table.
The sturdy oak table that Nigel-sama had made for only us two to use cannot hold a full course of plates at once. But in my opinion, it’s just the right size, so we can lean in and reach out a little and touch each other.
“I lost today.”
As I said this, Nigel-sama gave a slight smile.
“…Ah. I guess I won.”
We were secretly competing to see who would get to say the morning greeting first.
It was a small and playful custom every morning, and one of my little morning pleasures.
It was the same as exchange as usual, but I detected a slight hint of moodiness in the sound of Nigel-sama’s voice.
It doesn’t feel like it’s directed at me, and it’s really very slight, but I can tell it’s because we’ve been steadily building up our time as a couple.
For now, though, a good breakfast seems to be enough to fix his mood…
But even though he’s pretending to be as expressionless as usual, his eyebrows seem to be slightly furrowed—It probably means that there is a problem that Nigel-sama needs to think about.
If I don’t do good, I have a feeling that the next moment after breakfast is over and my time with him is over, he’s going to be in a bad mood again.
I wonder if something happened?
When I woke up in the morning, I was the only one in my bed.
I think Nigel-sama didn’t use his bed last night because the one next to me was completely undisturbed.
Probably an all-nighter.
Nigel-sama doesn’t have a problem with staying up all night, and it doesn’t change at all.
Well, how am I supposed to ask?
I don’t want to know everything, but I would like to know the cause of Nigel-sama’s grumpiness. But there’s no way I can ask him why he’s in a bad mood.
“…What is it? Luthia.”
Seeing me a little distressed, Nigel-sama tilted his head slightly.
It’s kind of a cute gesture, so when the expressionless Nigel-sama does it, it’s funny because there’s a gap moe. My cheeks seem to loosen up every time I see it and I shake my head as if it’s nothing.
According to Phil-Lin, Nigel-sama’s closest aide, this seems to be the gesture I often make to Nigel that he developed.
…I’m not aware that this is a gesture I do often, but if Phil says it is, then maybe it’s true.
I’d be very happy if my gestures were so close to Nigel-sama’s that they were done unconsciously.
“…Is it something you can’t tell me?”
Nigel-sama’s eyebrows squeezed together.
Misunderstanding, Nigel-sama frowned much more than before.
“No…Nigel-sama was thinking about something difficult, and I was just wondering if it was right for me to ask him about it.”
I confess quickly.
It’s not my intention to pretend to be thoughtful and be misunderstood, so it’s probably best to just ask up front here.
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
I nodded deeply, and then pointed to my own brows, which were a bit closer here.
Nigel-sama looked a little concerned and touched his own brow to stretch it out.
“…I was also a little worried about you because you didn’t seem to be using your bed last night, so I was wondering if you had been up all night.”
“I forgot that today was the holiday of St. Verona…”
“…What does that have to do with the fact that Nigel-sama didn’t sleep?”
St. Verona is one of the saints in the Orthodox Church.
In order to prove her late husband’s innocence, she surrendered herself to the enemy who had wronged her husband, and when she had proof of her innocence, she appealed to the Archbishop and gave a successful testimony of her innocence. But she was ashamed that she had given herself to her enemies, and dedicated herself to God.
It is said that a white rose is a sign of sincere love because a white rose bloomed at the place where her body was buried, and I heard that there is a saying that says if you offer a white rose to a man when he asks you to marry him, he will not refuse you.
…I’m pretty sure that it’s some kind of flower language.
I remember thinking it was interesting how similar it was to the other world.
“…On St. Verona’s Day, the latest fad is for husbands to give gifts to their wives as an expression of their gratitude.”
Nigel-sama’s words were a bit crisp.
“……that is?”
“…I’m not knowledgable of the trends, so I wasn’t prepared for anything…I was thinking about what to get you.”
His eyes drop as he looks away slightly.
“…You stayed up all night just with that?”
“………Ah.”
I gently put my hand over my mouth, trying to hold myself back.
What a…
What an adorable man, I think.
Perhaps this is not something I should think of a man fifteen years older than me, but at this moment, I think Nigel-sama is very adorable.
I feel a warm, fuzzy feeling overflowing in my chest.
“…Luthia?”
Nigel-sama looked at me as if he were asking.
“…You are an idiot, Nigel-sama.”
Nigel-sama turns a puzzled expression to me as I say it with a laugh.
I think he’s so cute like that.
“…You’re the only one who makes me an idiot.”
He seems to be sulking.
……What should I do
I think I love this person.
I don’t know what to do with this feeling that’s spreading and packing inside of me, so much s that it’s about to overflow.
“Nigel-sama.”
With overflowing love, I call out his name.
The special and precious name that only I call.
“……Ah.”
His cheeks loosened as he looked somewhat prepared, wondering what I was going to say.
“Nigel-sama. I believe that more than any gift, the time I spend with Nigel-sama like this is the most precious.”
At my words, Nigel-sama’s eyes fluttered a few times.
Then he slowly thought about the words as if he was chewing on them, put his hand to his forehead and breathed deeply.
“…Luthia…”
“Yes.”
He responded by calling my name in a tone of voice as if he didn’t know what to say.
Nigel-sama shook his head repeatedly, as if he couldn’t find the words.
I quietly open my mouth.
“…I am the most happy to be with Nigel-sama. So please don’t stay up all night for something like that.”
‘If you’re going to give me a gift, please give me Nigel-sama’s time,’ I said, and Nigel nodded silently.
“…and…”
At this point, I thought I should say what I wanted to say, so I continued with my words.
“And?”
Is there more? Nigel-sama looks at me with an expression that says as such, and I look straight up into his eyes. The good thing about Nigel-sama is that he makes proper eye contact with me.
“…Please don’t let me sleep alone on a cold night like yesterday…We’re a married couple.”
Remembering that St. Verona’s Day is a holiday for loving couples, I not only complained that I missed him, but I added a word.
Nigel-sama looked down this time, put his hands to his face, took a deeper breath than before, and groaned a little.
What is there to groan about?
Then, looking up, Nigel-sama said with a slightly tired look on his face.
“………You need to be a little more careful with your choice of words.”
“…….Yes.”
I nodded, not understanding.
“No…my mind is just dirty…Luthia can stay the same.”
As I tilted my head, Nigel-sama nodded his head as if convinced.
I didn’t know that Phil-Lynn was laughing his head off when he saw us.
And I am also not supposed to know that afterwards, Phil got revenge on Nigel-sama with all his might.
—End—
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T/N: This was one of my favorites so far! In any case, there is just one more extra story to go that the author has written so far. After I finish, I will periodically check the author’s website to see if they publish any new chapters that can be translated. Or if someone messages me that a new chapter(s) is out, then I will check it out too!
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