Wedding Preparations? – Q of Hearts (Part 1)

Note: Please don’t read it in the little pop-up for the reader. For some reason it doesn’t reflect my later edits (which I often make a lot of after publishing), so please click ‘view original’.

One Day I Became a Burikko Villainess Noble Girl, out now.
Honto tutorial here.

Think of it as throwing money at the author and Alphapolis, and getting a book with squiggles and pretty pictures as a pleasant extra.

---

“nHyauu-…I-, I said I was sorry.”
The arm that I tried to tear him off with got caught instead, and I got pulled towards him.

“Honestly. You never think, Camille.”

“Uu… But I mean, you wouldn’t think that that kind of thing would be set up in that kind of place, right!? The magic material used for that trap is super rare, you know? The materials are all rare minerals native to Topageria after all, and even in Garnet basically the only items that use it are the jails in the castle.”

“And so, you jumped in, huh?”

…”

Achille gave a sigh. His beautiful face was tinged with unhappiness.

Achille and I have currently returned to the castle.
After we gave a general report to Royce-sama, we borrowed one of the guests rooms at the castle for resting. The other magicians were given their own rooms as gratitude as well. For some reason only Achille and I were given the same room, but…
Geez, Royce-sama, it would’ve be fine even if you weren’t this considerate about this.

It’s quite a better room than the break rooms in the Magic Building.
The walls are cream coloured, and the floor is made of wood. It’s decorated with calming furnishings.
It’s fully equipped with a sofa, and a desk, and a bed prepared too. It might be a room for use by foreign guests or something.

“Camille, you aren’t tired? It was a pretty difficult expedition, wasn’t it?”

For some reason Achille didn’t lecture me today. His frank opinion regarding the expedition was limited to just the questions just now…
Just what’s going on?
And I get the feeling that for a while now, he’s been casually closing the distance between us. Lately Achille has been really indiscriminate with the time and place.
Even in the reclaimed town, I had various things done to me, but…
Being unable to stand like that was a first for me.

“It really is… too worrying, so I really don’t think I can leave you be anymore.”

Next to me, Achille muttered that with a grave expression. While clad in an atmosphere of unrest…

“Camille.”

In a sweet tone, Achille gently called out to me.

“W-, What?”

Achille preciously played with my hair with both hands. I really do think I’m being treasured by him.
He’s always been a good guy, but we got engaged, and ended up in a reciprocal relationship… the longer we’re together, and with each of these events, he gets sweeter with me.
And while I was reflected in Achille’s two cobalt eyes, he asked me seriously,

“Marry me?”

“Hah?”

Just now, what?
Achille raised his two hands to my face with its stupid expression.

“Eh-? Ehhh-?”

Just now, it couldn’t have been, …a proposal?

“Camille, your reply?”

Achille asked me for my reply with a smile, and looking at his eyes, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I mean, well, I have to ask Otousama and stuff as well, so…”

“Already got his blessing.”

“B-, But your family too…”

“No problems there either.”

“Royce-sama…”

“He said he’d be wishing for our happiness with all his heart.”

“…”

..*

“I actually intended for us to get married after we graduated from school. But we’ve withdrawn from school like this, and we probably won’t be able to graduate either, so… we can have it now, right? I’ve already waited plenty after all.”

“Achille?”

“I decided that after we came back from reclaiming the town, I’d properly tell this to you… After this there’s my job at the castle, and I’ll be busy with dealing with the villa too, so I thought that there was no time but now.”

Right, it seems that even after Achille’s back at the castle, he still has a lot of work to do.
On top of that, because of the effect of extremists, there’s the matter of their territory to deal with as well. That’s being taken care of by the family head Soleil, but as you’d expect, there’s probably no way that Achille doesn’t need to help out… I wonder what’s going on with the eldest son, Dominique. Achille didn’t mention his name even once, huhh.

“And so, your reply?”

He peered in one my face at close range.

“Uu…”

“Do you, dislike me?”

“Of course I don’t dislike you.”

Even though he gets it already… the reason that I’m hesitating with my reply.

Why, is he asking now?
Why is Achille this rushed…?
We all have our hands full with the extremist incident right now. Even though it would have been fine for us just to do it after this incident calmed down.

“I see. Then you’ll agree, right?”

“Eh-, ah-… B-, But,”

Achille quietly smiled. It kinda feels like I’m making a fuss on my own.

“Give me your hand?”

“Umm, um… Achille?”

For some reason, Achille was being pushy.

“Hurry.”

“YESH!”

Uuu, is this because we’ve been together all these years…? I obediently listen to his every word now. You might even say it’s already a conditioned reflex.
Just as I was told, I placed my hand on Achille’s palm like a dog.

Taking something out from his pocket, he took my left hand, and put something on my ring finger.

“Mn?”

That sparkly thing is…

“A ring…?”

“I didn’t give you one when we got engaged, after all.”

Is this one of those wedding rings? …It’s my first time seeing one. In the center of the thin ring with delicate decorations shone a pretty stone.
After having a good look at the ring, I tried to take it off my ring ringer… but,

“Huh? I can’t take it off.”

Even when I pulled at it, the ring wouldn’t move.
Even though it’s not as if the ring is all that tight. The ring fits it just right. I don’t recall telling Achille my size, though… I don’t really know the size of my fingers after all.

“It’s enchanted so that nobody except me can take it off.”

“…”

That sounds like something you’d find on a cursed item…
You often find that those type of items can’t be taken off by the wearer.

“Through the ring, I can confirm your location and status at any time. Even if something happen, I’ll be able to immediately tell.”

That’s like, a GPS from my old world, isn’t it… And moreover, to be able to even tell your partner’s status is…
I wonder if he was thinking that if I collapse from mana exhaustion, he could go and collect me.

“A-, Achille. No matter what, this is too…”

If I wear something like this, won’t my actions be hugely limited?
I won’t be able to do anything rash…

“You’ve managed to cause some sort of problem every single time, so just the worry alone feels like it’ll burn a hole through my stomach.”

“Uuu-! S-, Sorry…”

“So, wear this.”

Being told that, it’s hard to refuse.

“Even if I wanted to take it off, I can’t, you know…?”

“It’s crafted so that it can’t be taken off, but I get the feeling that if it’s you, you’ll be able to take it off before long…”

Achille said that the ring was crafted. Craftmanship of a level that can’t be undone even with my magic…
Could it be…

“…Is this something you made yourself, Achille?”

“That’s right. It took me two years to make it, and I used magic to add various enchantments to it. It even covers magic tattoos bypasses.”

“…Amazing!”

He’s too skilled.
But once you consider that, then this ring is quite a precious magic item, isn’t it. There’s never been an item with this many enchantments on the market before.
It’s enough that it makes me wonder if it’s alright to wear this. Long live magic items! (traps excluded, though)

“Achille, what if you became a magic item craftsman? Even though you have this much talent for it.”

“…If I get fired from my job at the castle, I might think about it. Well, let’s leave that topic aside for now.”

“Mn?”

“Won’t you marry me?”

“Uu…”

We’re back on topic.
His way of doing things is overbearing, but it looks like unlike the time with the engagement, he isn’t thinking of unilaterally advancing things.
He’s making sure to get my reply.

“I’ll always treasure you. I’ll properly do the work of your marquis family, and I’ll get along with your father and the servants too.”

“Hey, why are you asking now?”

“Because it’s now. I want to become your husband even a little faster, and the truth is, even when we were going to school, I was always enduring…”

Achille, probably isn’t lying. The words just now were unmistakably his real feelings.
But, I get the feeling that it isn’t the whole picture.
It’s the season for the proposal too…

But…
I’m definitely not unhappy about him formally proposing to me. It made me purely happy.
I don’t know what Achille’s intent is, but he won’t do anything that would hurt me. I can trust in that.
So I thought that I would just obediently accept his proposal.
My mouth moved naturally.

“Okay.”

Even though he was the one who suggested it, Achille’s cobalt eyes widened in shock for an instant. He immediately fixed his posture, and an expression of composure returned to him though…
Realising that I had been intently observing him, to avoid the issue he gave me a tight hug, so I couldn’t see his face anymore.

Could it be that Royce-sama… lent us this room so that Achille could propose?
Only now, did I finally notice that fact.

---

If before the town reclaimation I had Achille say

“When this battle is over, let’s get married.”

or something like that, it seemed like he’d raise a death flag, so I decided against it… (laughs)

---

tl note:
“Achille preciously played with my hair with both hands.”
He was wrapping the hair around his fingers, you see.

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>