IRGS 18

Chapter 18

“…What?”

“You want… to be doted on by me?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why won’t you praise me? I did well, didn’t I?”

The man spoke while lifting the ointment container with one hand.

With his eyes curved lazily in amusement, he continued,

“My hair is quite soft too.”

“……”

As the man willingly lowered his head toward me, I found myself raising a hand as if bewitched.

If I slowly ran my fingers through his hair, it felt like it would make a soft rustling sound.

“It really is.”

I murmured unconsciously.

“It’s so soft.”

I knew I should pull my hand away by now, but it wasn’t easy to stop. Meanwhile, the man gently gathered the strands of my hair that had fallen near my collarbone into one hand. My strawberry-blonde hair with its faint pink tint.

He brought the strands to his lips and lightly kissed them. At that moment, my heart started pounding wildly. It’s not like the ends of my hair could even feel anything…

When I slowly lowered my hand, the man quietly pulled it toward him, lacing our fingers together before placing our joined hands on top of his knee. I could feel the firmness of his thigh beneath.

With his other hand, he continued stroking my hair as he spoke in a sweet voice.

“It smells like strawberries.”

If voices had scents, then his voice would surely smell like strawberries too.

Fidgeting slightly with the fingers trapped in his hand, I replied,

“It’s actually roses. I used rose-scented oil during my bath earlier.”

At my words, the man let out a pleasant chuckle.

“I think I’m going to start liking the scent of roses now.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Truly. I wish my body smelled like this too.”

The man was very clearly seducing me. In a voice dripping with sensuality, he parted his beautifully colored lips and asked,

“Would it be alright if I smelled milady’s fragrance from a little closer?”

For a moment, I almost nodded.

But absolutely not!

“No way.”

The moment I finished speaking, Popo—who had been sitting on my lap—barked fiercely once.

Woof!

Smart as ever.

I said proudly,

“See? I told you. Popo understands my feelings perfectly.”

The man straightened his back, unable to hide his disappointed expression.

“There truly isn’t a single thing wrong in what milady says. By any chance, for reference’s sake… is Popo male?”

“Probably.”

For a split second, the man ground his teeth audibly. But by the time I looked up again, he wore a perfectly calm expression.

I must’ve imagined it.

As if mocking him, Popo let out a smug little huff toward Young Duke Glentino. Then he hopped down and strutted elegantly across the room.

The place Popo flopped over and exposed his belly was in front of the pile of gifts. My unopened birthday presents.

The man, whose gaze followed Popo alongside mine, asked,

“Are those gifts milady received?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, I should check the presents from important people and send thank-you letters…”

What a hassle. I wouldn’t be able to eat properly for the next few days anyway, and I didn’t want to waste my energy on this.

Well, if I got really hungry, I could at least open the boxes that looked like they contained food.

Without thinking much of it, I walked over beside Popo and sat on the floor, rummaging through the pile of gifts.

Then I spotted a very familiar name.

[Ellouise ta Bartoli]

“!”

My troublemaker little sister, Ellouise! That brat actually sent me a package!

My eyes widened instantly as I hurriedly tore away the wrapping. Beside me, the man asked,

“Who sent it that you’re tearing into it like a beast ripping apart raw meat?”

“It’s Ellie! Ellie!”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard a beast make noises like that.”

“Oh, my youngest sister! Ellouise ta Bartoli!”

Inside the wrapping was a fairly light box tied with a pretty ribbon, and a letter attached to the outside.

I’d been meaning to write to Ellie and ask about Arne anyway, but perfect timing—she’d sent a letter together with my birthday gift.

Still seated on the floor, I tore open the letter and began reading.

The letter read:

[To my beloved sister Sophia,

Sophia, it’s me, Ellouise. I hope you’ve already met the son I sent you. Just in case, your son is currently at the House of Glentino.

You’re wondering why you have a son you never gave birth to? Remember when you promised to become the godmother of my child?

Well, somehow I ended up with a son, but as you know, I’m a wandering artist who can’t stay in one place, so raising a child isn’t easy for me. That’s why I sent him to you.

Once you read this letter, I recommend going to the Glentino ducal estate as quickly as possible to check on him. He’s very smart and adorable, so I think you’ll like him. I already explained to him that you’re his mother, so don’t worry.

Sent by your eternally adorable Ellie.

P.S. I picked out your husband too. Try raising him together with the child.]

This was insane.

Absolutely insane.

An overwhelming urge came over me to shred the entire letter into pieces.

So the tiny hope that maybe someone pretending to be my sister had sent Arne vanished like a bubble.

Then again, Ellouise was the only person in the world who would pull something like this. If there were two of her, that alone would be a sign of the apocalypse.

The contents of the letter were utterly absurd too.

First, the godmother part. There was no way Ellie seriously proposed such a thing. Because even before my regression, Ellouise never married until the day I died! She’d firmly declared to Father early on that she had no intention of marrying.

If I had to guess the context of that “promise,” it probably went like this: when we were little, during an etiquette lesson the three sisters attended together, the governess explained, “Close sisters often become the godmothers of each other’s children,” and then said, “You girls should become each other’s godmothers too!” and we simply answered, “Okay!” That was probably the extent of it!

And what was this nonsense about having a son? Ellie was only sixteen—there was no way she’d personally given birth to a ten-year-old child. So she must’ve taken him in from somewhere. But if she couldn’t raise him herself, then she shouldn’t have taken him in to begin with! And certainly not dump him on me!

And lastly, the climax: she picked out my husband. Even though Ellouise wouldn’t know Arnold was dead! Though to be fair, she’d always told me to break off my engagement with that trash of a man anyway.

But how could she go so far as to send me a child too?!

“That hopeless little menace!”

“What did your sister say?”

Ah.

Only then did I realize I’d shouted out loud and quickly sealed my lips shut.

“…It seems Arne really was sent by my sister.”

“I see.”

As though he’d expected that much already, the man simply nodded lightly.

Looking at Young Duke Glentino, I suddenly remembered the postscript Ellie had written.

[I picked out your husband too.]

And Ellouise had sent the letter asking him to look after my child.

‘Ellie… what in the world are you thinking?’

The feeling in my chest turned strange.

I folded the letter neatly and slipped it back into the envelope. The man sat quietly, silently watching my movements. Beside him, Popo sat just as quietly.

“You must be very close with your youngest sister.”

“Well, we’re pretty casual with each other.”

She was four years younger than me, so it was hard to seriously fight with her in the first place.

Besides, Ellie knew I spoiled her, which was probably why she kept getting bolder.

Shaking my head, I untied the ribbon around the gift box Ellouise had sent. Since I’d already read the letter, I figured I might as well check the present too.

What had Ellie sent me before? Once, she’d sent some small, lightweight string instrument from a faraway country. Its name had been something like ukukrala or okorele or whatever. Maybe this was another instrument?

Thinking that, I carelessly opened the gift box right in front of Young Duke Glentino.

And inside the box…

was an outrageously revealing see-through slip dress. Three of them, neatly folded.

“Gasp—”

I slammed the box shut immediately, but I clearly saw the man hurriedly turning his head away.

And his face was bright red.

In a shy voice, he said,

“Lady Ellouise truly is a benefactor to me.”

“What did you just say?!”

“I personally prefer white, but black and red would undoubtedly suit you as well.”

Get lost!

“You only saw it for a second and you noticed that much?!”

My voice shot up embarrassingly high.

“What can I do? I happen to have excellent eyesight. Since we’re on the subject, I should probably order matching undergarments in the same colors.”

What?! …Though, imagining such a handsome man in sexy underwear was admittedly a little intriguing.

After hesitating briefly, I casually added,

“I like garter belts.”

The man nodded seriously.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And calf garters, and sleeve garters too.”

“I’ll remember those as well.”

Taking it a step further, I added,

“If you’re going that far, wear a choker too.”

“Would leather be preferable for the choker?”

“Yes. A belt-style one.”

“A belt-style choker.”

Both the man and I looked thoroughly satisfied as we closed the box again.

I still needed to check the rest of my birthday gifts, but I was far too tired now.

Besides, I was finally starting to feel hungry again. The man’s sudden visit had startled me enough to temporarily forget my hunger.

I stood up to grab some jerky from the tea table.

Holding the jerky in my hand, I spun around—

and the man, who had been sitting on the floor, suddenly rose as though he’d remembered something.

“Ah, come to think of it, I nearly forgot the reason I came here.”

“The reason?”

“Yes. Yesterday was milady’s birthday, wasn’t it?”

My birthday?

“Well, yes, but why?”

Instead of answering, the man walked right up to me and then—

thud.

He knelt down on one knee.

“?! Wh-what are you—”

I stopped mid-sentence when I saw him pulling something from inside his coat.

The small box was unmistakably a ring case.

The man opened the square black velvet case, and as expected, there was a ring inside.

“……”