Chapter 16

“Oh, you asked me what happened. Something did happen. As you often say, I can’t tell you why.”

“Roa.”

“I’m not joking, and I’m not trying to make fun of you. I don’t even know the reason.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“That’s it! It’s the feeling I felt everytime you shut your mouth.”

Aaron’s face was subtly distorted, but on the contrary, I felt refreshed.

I didn’t make it obvious, but I was very frustrated because of Aaron’s first love, which he couldn’t marry and tell my why.

Who the hell is that woman who replaces Alice?

With a shrug, I got up from my seat. I came in person instead of sending someone because I was in such a hurry, but after hearing the answer, I thought I came for no reason. It’s like I’m here in the evening to interrupt someone’s dinner.

“Please reply that you will not be attending. No, it might be better not to send a reply until the day.”

“Why would you— If I asked, you wouldn’t answer. But isn’t that disrespectful to His Grace?”

“What’s so important about courtesy? Maybe.”

Maybe it’s my life on the line. I laughed bitterly, swallowing the words.

“You know, Aaron. This may sound strange, but be careful of him. Just in sense.”

If the gossip lovers hear it, they’ll think it’s a story of being betrayed by an unrequited love. Fortunately, Aaron nodded seriously.

If he doesn’t agree, he’ll be in danger, so it’s good in many ways.

I raised my hands to clear up my wrinkled skirt and say goodbye.

“Then, I’ll go back—”

“Roa.”

Aaron came up with an unexpected suggestion.

“A good drink came in, would you like to stay for a while?”

***

The Marquis Claymore and his wife vacated the mansion on a knighthood basic, and Aaron had no other brothers, so it was only me and him who headed for the dining room.

Although we were engaged, it would be awkward for me to have a meal with a man alone. Because it was the first time, except for my father and Nocton. That doesn’t mean I want the Marquis couple to accompany us.

Still, I was relieved by dividing the wine glass a few times and the atmosphere was about as usual.

No, it may have been a little loose than usual.

At least I don’t think there’s much difference, but the man’s eyes in front of me were uncanny. Aaron blinked his eyes out of focus.

Maybe it’s because I don’t usually enjoy drinking. It was a good drink, as he said, and it wasn’t too strong, but Aaron was unexpectedly drunk.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

In the meantime, it’s kind or cool that nothing get twisted.

When I looked into Aaron’s eyes without any particular answer, the question followed.

“Roa, will you accept my proposal if I ask you to marry me?”

He’s gone, he’s gone.

I tried to think about it, but I was pretty shaken up, probably because I was a little tipsy.

His eyes are round by the cold response.

He looks like a rabbit with red eyes like that. The strange thought made me smile.

“Aaron, do you know what I’ve grown the most since I’ve been with Nocton?”

“What is it?”

“It’s my hunch.”

As I spoke, I was thirsty again and reached out to my glass. Strangely, the glass kept slipping away and I couldn’t judge the glass until after three attempts.

Maybe because it’s a glass, it’s too slippery.

“Don’t ask me if I want this when you don’t intend to. It’s a bad way of speaking.”

I shook my head, recalling the face of a scary childhood friend.

Thanks to being attached to Nocton, I learned like a ghost how others feel.

Ironically, I don’t know a bit about the feelings of Nocton Edgar.

In my time with Nocton, I’ve committed too many misgivings. I felt like I’ve become his special person, the arrogance that he regards me as a friend, that I know enough about him.

I know almost everything about his favorite tea, favorite color, favorite food, disliked behaviour, disliked classes, and disliked food. I thought I knew about him.

If you share a long time together, you’ll find out a lot about the other person, whether you want it or not.

But not everything.

The secret that the other person has hidden, the treasures that he really cherishes, under the pale flesh, under the beating heart, may not be known no matter how much time we spend together.

Recently, I’ve been realizing it again.

All I know is a shell that can be peeled off at any time.

In just a few days, I was suspecting that Nocton might be someone out of the frame of society.

The time I have spent is meaningless and the emotions I’ve built are full of pain. My empty heart filled with unprovoked sorrow.

No, let’s not make a conclusion. I can’t be sure of anything until the goods arrive.

Even though I thought it was a meaningless denial, I shook my head, holding on to the feelings of regret or failure.

My trembling hands turn back to the glass. I could clearly deep a puffy and cold liquid going over my neck and sinking into my stomach.

“I’m not asking without thinking. Roa, you’re a good person and you really don’t seem to be in a relationship with His Grace. I thought I wouldn’t at least be unhappy if I married you.”

“You must be unhappy now.”

“I’m not happy. The reason—”

“You can’t tell me?”

At my sarcastic remarks, Aaron burst into laughter.

Surprised by the first sound of his laughter, I felt a little woken up.

Am I drunk?

It seemed to me that my eyes were spinning somewhere. As I pressed my eyes firmly, I heard another laugh.

That’s really a weird laugh. I straightened my face when I saw his cheerful smile.

“You can’t tell me.”

“No, I’m going to tell you today.”

“Umh … did you just speak today? Right?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“You pretend you don’t know.”

“To tell you the truth, having a broken engagement with you is already a secret. I wondered if it would make a difference if I added one more.”

Though I don’t like him saying the opposite and pretending not to know, I liked his point, so I decided to forgive Aaron.

“That’s a perfectly desirable attitude.”

“Is that so? Haha.”

“So what’s the secret?”

“There’s someone I love. A person who I can’t even think of marrying.”

“That’s already—”

“She’s dead.”

A chill ran down my spine, as if suddenly it was winter.

The one he loves died?

I knew no one would joke with these words, but I took another look at Aaron’s face. His expression was serious.

Aaron continued his words with calm face.

“I met her on my knight trial before. As you may know, if you want to be a knight, you have to leave for a mission after you finished your training. I had to be knighted to my father, so I had to catch the monster as he said. He told me not to come back until I catch 150 drakes.”

“….It’s more complicated than I thought.”

“Yes. It was a test of sorts, so there’s no family support, and I had to solve everything myself. Even with the help of another company, it was difficult. That’s why I did a little bit of disguise, but anyone who knew me would recognize me. Even if I wore artifacts, they can tell by the aura or the way I speak.”

That’s true.

I nodded in sympathy. Not many people have acted so fiercely even if they’re from a knight family.

“And there, I met her. When I was selling monsters or animal skins for living, I encountered her often in the market. I thought she was a commoner at first because of her rough hands and poor clothes, but I knew she was a noble after I spoke to her.”

“Did she give you her name?”

“No, she never told me her last name. But I could tell from her posture. I pretended I didn’t care, but I knew who she was then. Coincidentally, there was only one noble family in the land.”

“It was a small territory.”

“Yes. We were getting closer and closer, and I was going to confess when the trial was over. That day, I would have done so if my grandfather had not passed away and I didn’t need to rush up to the capital.”

Aaron’s words reminded me of something not long after.

Come to think of it, it has been less than a year since Claymore’s title was inherited by the current Marquis. The previous Marquis died of a sudden illness and his title was handed over the next generation.

Looking at the timing, I held my breathe.

However, I’m not sure yet.

As if to take a breath, Aaron stopped talking, reaching out to his glass. The glass was empty, so I poured him wine.

He expressed his gratitude with gesture.

“I attended the funeral and headed back there, but she wasn’t in the market. I waited for a few days, but she didn’t show up for months. That’s why I went directly to her family, not to be a coward. I didn’t say my name either. And….”

“Did you hear the news of … her death?”

“When I said I couldn’t believe it, a man of her family guided me. To hear tombstone.”

Aaron’s face was distorted. He spoke again, with a look of anguish as if his heart had broken.

“Alice’s tombstone.”

I didn’t hear him wrong, did I?

I felt like I was out of my drink.

Aaron might have been drunk and said the wrong name, but there is no way he could have said that name unless it was on the tip of his tongue.

It was hard to think that she was of the same name as Alice I knew.

Aaron is a supporting character who falls in love with Alice in the original story, but isn’t it too fast to say that his first love’s name is Alice?

Now I wasn’t sure what the original story was about.

He didn’t see the body even if he saw the tombstone.

If the Limorand has taken action, it would be no wonder.

Of course, it was hasty to confirm that Aaron’s first love was Alice.

Even though she was expected to be discussed as his marriage partner, he changed his partner to me and avoided her.

I’ve heard that Alice wore a disguise and occasionally escaped from the baron, but she couldn’t use magic items due to her poor situation.

And they must have recognized each other after she came up to the capital.

However, there is a reason why one should avoid his or her loved ones without revealing their circumstances.

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I’ve always suspected it, so I had a strange conviction in my mind.

But my head still couldn’t accept it.

One thing, if Aaron’s first love is Alice, then they spent time together when they were under their disguises.

The two of them had that kind of story.

Is Aaron Claymore really a simple supporting character?