Aaron shouted late, but the door to the drawing room was already moving.
The door opened.
And in that place, a dark brown haired, good-looking woman looked this way.
Somehow, Alice seems to have a hardened face too.
âHi, Alice.â
I glanced at Aaronâs face and swallowed a sigh.
âI havenât seen you in ages.â
âOh, Iâm sorry I left without saying anything. But Sir Claymore.âŠâ
Seeing Aaronâs face, Alice clouded her words.
I hit Aaronâs side with my elbow. He was frozen.
I hope he will make a good excuse.
Aaronâs shoulders leaped. He couldnât even make eye contact with Alice and looked away.
âOh, that ⊠mana. My mana was twisted during the training.â
ââŠ.Does such thing cause you to vomit blood?â
âItâs a very rare case.â
Aaronâs face began to blush, as if nothing had happened in front of me, but itâs different in front of his first love.
Starting from the neck, the hot energy rose. He secretly raised his hand, covered his mouth, and turned his head.
Heâs cuter than I thought.
Looking at Aaron, Aliceâs expression was subtly stained. It was like she was feeling sympathy or seeing someone who was a little bit weak.
After all, Aaron is the only one who knows the other personâs identity.
When I saw Carissa who was standing behind Alice also stiffened, I put a finger in my mouth.
Protect Aaronâs honor.
Carissa nodded her head in a restrained manner, as if she understood what I said by gesture only.
Soon the door of the drawing-room was closed.
Fortunately, the butler, full of sense of duty, didnât seem to notice that Nocton had disappeared.
Sheâs an innocent person.
As soon as the door was completely closed, Aaron opened his mouth. It was still a bit of a mumble because he was still covering his mouth with his hand.
âWell, Iâm going to leave. See you later.â
âItâs fine for you to go, Aaron, but can you really go with that face?â
âFaceâŠ.â
I made an excuse somehow, but I guess I couldnât find a way to deal with it.
Now I felt like it was someone elseâs business, not mine, but with all my heart I looked at the holy water again and Aaron shook his head loudly.
Then Alice took something out of her bag. It was a black patterned handkerchief.
âUse this.â
âYes?â
âYou have a handkerchief. Thank you, Alice. What do I do with the cleaning? Should I call someone to get me some water?â
âYes, but it seems to be difficult when more people see itâŠ.â
Alice dragged her words and put her hand in the bag again. The next moment, it was a small bottle in her hand.
âRoa, I originally brought this perfume for you, but it looks like Sir Claymore needs it more right now.â
âUh ⊠Iâm fine, but wouldnât the perfume smell a little smelly?â
âYou donât like strong scents, itâs almost as fresh as breeze, so it will be fine.â
Alice opened the bottle of perfume and soaked the liquid in her handkerchief. As she said, the fragrance was not too strong even though the perfume was poured out.
Aaron couldnât say a word, and soon got a handkerchief from Alice.
There was a strange feeling in his eyes.
Itâs not possible to know exactly unless youâre the person involved, but it looked complicated.
âThank youâŠ.â
Aaron wiped his face carefully. His hands were as delicate as those who treated something very precious, and he seemed to value the wet handkerchief more than his face.
âBut perfume wonât be good for your skin, so make sure you wash your face when you return to your mansion.â
âI will. Thank you, Lady Alice.â
âAnd one more thing.â
After hearing the somewhat locked thanks, Alice put her hand back in her bag.
At this point, Iâm wondering how wide that small bag is.
Without knowing my useless thoughts, the item Alice took out this time was a necklace. A necklace of platinum strings with a white crystal.
Unlike a little while ago, Aaron and I blinked in embarrassment at the object that could hardly be understood.
Looking at us, Alice was smiling brightly.
***
After wiping his face in moderation, Aaron got on the carriage back to Claymore.
He came to visit his sick fiancee with a rather light mind, but now his body and mind are worn out.
He confirmed the true nature of Nocton Edgar, threw up blood, his proposal was rejected, andâŠ.
âItâs an engagement present. Itâs late, but congratulations on your engagement, both of you.â
A sharp remark was made with a bright smile.
As a friend of Roa Valrose, it was a very natural and kind-hearted congratulations.
Nevertheless, for Aaron, the words were like a blade that went deep into his heart.
He wanted to open his mouth right away and make excuses.
Roa and I are not in love, weâre only friends.
It wonât even lead to marriage.
He wanted to say that, though pathetic.
However, he couldnât.
It was only a while ago that Roa rejected his marriage proposal.
It was obviously sincere and he would love her as a friend.
His sincere proposal was genuinely refused.
To tell Alice, it was also rude to Roa Valrose to say he wasnât going to marry her.
Furthermore, Aaronâs excuse would not be of any interest to Alice.
Maybe she has already heard from Roa that this engagement is a fake play.
But nothing changes even if she doesnât know.
The same is true even after the planned breakup with Roa.
Aaron Claymore couldnât say he was
Ed
to Alice.
It was not only because of a vow made by himself, but also because he was afraid of Aliceâs reaction.
The moment he said
Ed
, It was unbearable to imagine a cold-eyed person, who would blame him.
Yeah, itâs hard to put it in the right way, because in the end, heâs a coward.
He distorted his expression in anguish and covered his face with both hands.
A self-pity, a sense of shame, he blamed his cowardice and regretted his oath. Many emotions were infested with blackness.
He only had a few short words with Alice, but he didnât know his feelings would be like this.
He couldnât foresee a thing.
Aaronâs hand touched the necklace around his neck.
The white crystal was as white as snow, but his heart is ridiculously black.
The moment he heard that, the moment he responded to Roaâs words, Aaron Claymoreâs heart overflowed with black desire more than anyone else.
That was a rather harsh remark.
If I give up being Ed,
If I give up all the memories Iâve made with you as Ed,
Then may I approach you as a friend of Roa?
Indeed, he wondered if he can use such an expedient.
Knowing everything and pretending not to know it was a deception, but even though he knew how much Alice hated it, the wind kept blowing in his heart.
Ah, itâs a ridiculous and funny thing.
Even if he approached Alice as a friend of Roa, there is no guarantee that she will share his feelings, but he was tempted that a family could be everything.
Aaron bit his lips and bowed his head.
Donât be shaken, donât deceive Alice, keep your own oath.
But his determination was not as firm as before.
âShe may become Noctonâs bride.â
The words Roa had planted firmly weighed Aaronâs determination.
He repeated and repeated his oath to keep his mind together.
Nevertheless, it smelled of iron as if the blood that he threw up earlier was collected inside his throat.
***
âThis necklace will shield me from Noctonâs brainwashing?â
I rotated the necklace Alice gave me back and forth. Itâs pretty when itâs lit, but it doesnât look that special.
In an apparent show of doubt, Alice nodded her head gently, as if not offended.
âYes, itâs a relic that protects the body from black magic.â
âI donât think the price will be light just by listening.â
âI donât intend to get paid by Roa, so donât worry.â
âThatâs what makes my hands tremble, Alice.â
Alice glared at me with sulky eyes.
Still, her drooping eyes didnât look fierce, they just looked cute. Well, even if a personâs impression is fierce, whatâs so scary about it? A small word, even a word wrapped in favor, can cut a personâs heart.
For a moment, I laughed bitterly, recalling Aaron, who seemed to have drained his blood.
How is he going to pretend he doesnât know Alice.
Heâs acting like a dead man just by hearing that one word.
I didnât know exactly what was going on with Aaron, but I felt more sorry because his love was clear.
âI was surprised before. For saying it was an engagement gift. Weâve been engaged for half a year.â
âBut you canât just give a gift to someone youâve never spoken to. Itâs the first time Iâve spoken to him, so itâs a reasonable excuse.â
âDoes Aaron need protection from Nocton?â
âI havenât told you yet, indeed.â
The question was unintentionally, but after speaking out of my mouth, I felt anxious all over again.
Come to think of it, why does Aaron need the necklace?
I think Iâve become a fool because so many situations suddenly come in.
Aliceâs darkened face heightened my anxiety.
Aaron Claymore was definitely the main character of <
He and Alice
>.
So itâs the only role I can play against the villain, Nocton Edgar, and I should.
Were they originally going to deal with the sacred object with it?
Alice paused and breathed a long sigh.
âAnd I heard Lord Edgar was here, but heâs gone?â
âThe first person to come was Nocton. I had a lot of guests today, oh, thatâs why you had a stiff face when you came in.â
âSomehow, except for me, the situation is similar. Weâll talk about this a little later, and first⊠âŠis he really gone?â
âYes, he did. He went back by magic, so no one knows.â
Alice muttered a little, frowning around her eyes, like someone who wasnât sure.
Roa Valrose, Aaron Claymore, and Nocton EdgarâŠ.
Our names were listed in solitude.
What does that mean?
It was an act of inflating anxiety and curiosity, but I waited silently for Alice to speak.
âThen is it because of him that Sir Claymore vomited blood?â
âYou certainly didnât believe that strange excuse. Yes, itâs because of Nocton. Conversely, Nocton also vomited blood. But, this is not because of Aaron.â
Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
âWhat?â
Aliceâs eyes widened.
Her face was full of confusion, like someone who had heard something unheard of.
An unknown expression deepened my anxiety, even though I tried to hold on my patience, I couldnât keep listening.