With that bold declaration, Logan sent his father and father-in-law away, and after taking a deep breath, he stood up from his seat. At this hour, Eileen should be at the training ground.
“Contact the female knights’ training ground. I’ll visit personally…, no, never mind. Let it be. I’ll go check myself.”
“Yes!”
Logan, who was about to leave his office with great energy, suddenly stopped in his tracks, halted by the simplest question that flashed through his mind.
‘What… should I say?’
After an event in his previous life involving Riina, Logan had developed a distaste for women and didn’t have any relationships with them throughout that life. It wasn’t just an emotional issue; his life was never smooth enough to leisurely meet a woman and form a family.
As a result, he couldn’t help feeling inadequate when it came to Eileen, a precious relationship he had made in this life.
Yet, their good relationship was entirely thanks to her broad-mindedness. At least, that’s what Logan believed.
‘And here I was, having given no thought to marriage.’
He let out a wry smile.
She was someone whose mere presence was comforting to him, and he had taken her for granted as a matter of course.
That’s why he felt even more apologetic and thankful.
So now, it was time to clearly convey to her his desire to spend the rest of his life with her, but the right words to fully express his feelings just wouldn’t come to mind.
‘Thank you for waiting all this time. Will you marry me…..?’
Ugh, no. That’s cringeworthy.
‘It’s about time we got married, isn’t it?’
…That’s trashy.
‘Will you become the queen of this nation…..?’
Pathetic!
None of the phrases he thought of felt right.
“What am I to do….”
Surely she wouldn’t refuse or hate the idea?
His heart began to beat as if he was facing a life-or-death foe.
“…Let’s just go.”
Unable to come up with a better alternative, Logan, as always, decided to just go ahead and do it.
* * *
“Your Majesty. What brings you here without notice…?”
When Logan arrived at the training ground, Eileen and the other female knight instructors came running over.
Startled for a moment, Logan quickly composed himself and sent all the instructors away, leaving only Eileen behind.
He caught a glimpse of their bowed heads and mysterious smiles as they left, but he had no time to dwell on it.
He had seen this scene often, but today, all his attention was solely focused on Eileen.
“What is the matter?”
“Ah, well…”
Logan couldn’t continue his words. His baseless hope that he would think of something when the moment came had completely faded long ago.
Finding his expression amusing, Eileen chuckled and gently grabbed Logan’s arm.
“If it’s difficult to discuss here, let’s go to the manor. The carriage is always ready.”
“But, what about the training…?”
What the hell are you talking about, you idiot!
Even he knew the remark was nonsensical.
“It will run fine without me for now.”
Unaware of his internal self-deprecation, Eileen simply smiled and dragged him along.
Drip, drip.
Tea was being poured into a cup, accompanied by a refreshing fragrance.
That aroma, which always calmed his mind, seemed ineffective today.
His heart kept pounding, and his eyes kept wandering around.
It wasn’t the first time they had tea in his office, but Logan was unusually restless. Eileen, sensing his odd behavior, asked in a concerned voice.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ah, I was just noticing how spartan the office is… I’ve been too thoughtless, reflecting on it.”
The office—just a desk, a chair, and a simple bookshelf—seemed especially barren today.
“Didn’t you say it’s better being neat before?”
“Ah, ha. Did, did I?”
Gulp.
Embarrassment crept up his face, so he hastily hid behind the teacup and took a sip. Eileen looked at him with a peculiar expression.
“Really, what’s wrong today? Do you have something special to say?”
Cough!
He spluttered out the tea upon a sudden choke.
His face grew even hotter.
“Ah, erm. The tea is a bit hot. Ah, it’s hot.”
“But didn’t you say tea should be hot to taste good?”
His attempts to deflect only made the room sink into an awkward silence.
“….”
“….”
Eileen’s blue eyes stared directly at him.
Those eyes, which usually seemed adorable, now felt disproportionately heavy, and his gaze kept dropping.
“Do you have something to tell me? You’re not being like yourself.”
It was only after Eileen’s words that Logan snapped back to reality.
Why am I acting this way?
It’s something I have to do anyway, and it’s not like she would refuse.
Surely. Perhaps…
Ah.
“Ah. Erm… Yes. I have something to say…”
As Logan struggled to find the courage to speak, Eileen suddenly blurted out.
“Are you proposing marriage?”
Pfft!
Cough, cough.
This time it was real choking.
As he coughed violently, both embarrassment and anger surged through him.
“Who said you can start…”
“Really?!”
Her startled expression and high-pitched voice, the heat rushing to her face—it cleared Logan’s misconceptions.
“Ah… That, that’s…”
“Really, really that…?”
The couple, both stunned for different reasons, looked at each other.
Then, startled by their mutual gaze, they quickly turned their heads away.
‘Why do I keep making such a fool of myself.’
Suppressing his racing heart, Logan took a shallow breath.
When he glanced sideways, he saw Eileen’s neck flushed red. Her adorable appearance made him feel ridiculous for his previous concerns.
With that thought, speaking to her became much easier than before.
“Ahem. Ahem. Yes. That’s right. Eileen, will you marry me?”
There were no lengthy florishes in his voice.
He spoke simply and honestly.
No ornate adjectives were needed to fill his words with sincerity, and Logan looked at Eileen with a brightened face.
“……”
Yet, disturbingly, Eileen gave no reply.
Ah. Surely not.
No, that wouldn’t be the case, would it?
“…You don’t like it?”
“No, no, that’s not it! It’s not that I dislike…”
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