3 bar menu

Volume 9 Chapter 234

Apologies, and…

「Riel, I—-」
「Luke-san, you were so cool!」
「Yeah, I guess so— wait, huh?」
「Thank you for protecting me! You looked just like a knight!!」
Riel looked at me with sparkling eyes.
She’s so cute.
「Um, aren’t you mad?」
「……You kissed someone else besides me, right? Of course, I’m mad! You haven’t even kissed me yet, so why are you kissing other girls!?」
「S-Sorry」
「S-So, please kiss me too!」
「Huh!? H-Here?」
「……You kissed her casually at the cafe, right?」
Saying that, Riel extended her hand.
Oh, is that it……
She wants me to kiss her hand
I thought she was asking for a kiss on the lips and panicked.
Due to the exchange with Nard and his friends earlier, quite a crowd of onlookers had gathered around us.
Kissing on the lips in front of this many people would be too embarrassing.
If it’s her hand—-
「My lady」
While taking Riel’s hand, I knelt down.
She said I looked like a knight protecting her earlier, and that it was cool.
So now, I’ll be her knight.
「I pledge my loyalty to my lady」
I kissed Riel’s hand.
Cheers erupted from the dozens of onlookers who had gathered.
Riel’s face turned bright red, but she didn’t seem entirely displeased.

──＊＊＊──
「At that time, I kind of let it go to my head, but I can’t forgive myself for kissing another girl in front of you, Riel…… I’m truly sorry」
「……Even if it wasn’t in front of me, I wouldn’t like it」
「Y-Yeah, I know…… I’m so– fuh!?」
As I tried to apologize, Riel grabbed both of my cheeks.
「Luke-san, you’re so serious」
She chuckled softly as she released her fingers from my cheeks.
Her gentle touch relieved the slight stinging sensation from my cheeks being pulled. It felt as though she was soothing the pain away.
「Since then, you haven’t kissed any other girls, right?」
「Of course!!」
「In that case, it’s fine. Since you kissed me in front of so many people back then, I’ve already forgiven you」
「……Really?」
「Yes. I was really happy」
That’s a relief.
Riel forgave me.
One thing that had been bothering me has been resolved now.
「Is that all?」
「Huh?」
「Did you ask Silph-sama to bring us all the way here just to apologize for what happened at the festival?」
I was met with Riel’s piercing gaze.
Could it be that my second—or rather, main intention is obvious to Riel?
For some reason, Riel seems fidgety.
Her ears were tinged with red.
Well, since I brought her to a place like this, it’s natural for her to expect something.
Let’s meet that expectation.
「Riel」
「Y-yes!」
「Thanks for being with me for the past six months. We can’t meet every day, but I’m really happy that we’ve spent so much time together」
「I’m also happy to be with you, Luke-san. But I won’t ask for the impossible, like wanting to see you every day. Alheim and Glendale are really far apart, you know」
「Do you want to see me every day, or don’t you?」
「…….I want to. I want to be with you every day!」
I tried to visit Alheim as often as possible, almost every week, to spend time with Riel.
Even though sometimes I could only spend an hour with her due to her schedule or school events preventing her from coming, being together with her was so enjoyable. I felt like I was having the best time of my life.
「But, isn’t it quite a burden for you to come all the way from Glendale to here every week? I can’t ask for more than this……」
A burden? I’ve never thought of it as a burden.
Even when I fly all the way to Alheim, I’m already here before I know it, caught up in thoughts about what to do with Riel on our date.
「It’s not a problem at all to come here once a week. I’m here before I know it, thinking about where to go out with Riel」
「Is that so?」
「Yeah. But, I want to spend even more time with you」
「I-I do too!」
Riel jumped into my chest.
She tightly grasped my clothes.
I took out something I had prepared for her from my pocket.
「Riel」
「……Yes?」
We gazed at each other.
「Will you marry me and come to Glendale?」
I showed Riel a pure white ring.
It was a ring I made by processing a rare mineral called an oath stone.
Compared to the ring made of platinum that Haruto gave Tina-sensei, it might pale in comparison, but this ring is still one of the world’s top-class magical items.
I made a vow to make Riel happy with this ring and processed the raw stone.
While looking at the ring, Riel started crying.
「……If I accept this, Luke-san, you’ll face a lot of difficulties, you know?」
Riel hadn’t talked much about her family, so I had an idea.
If a noble’s daughter like her were to marry someone like me, a human, it would probably be opposed by the family head.
But my best friend Haruto overcame the opposition of this country’s ministers and married Tina-sensei, the hero of the nation.
He’s a cheat and a monster, but I’m also the grandson of a sage.
I was prepared to do anything to be with the girl I love.
「If you accept it, Riel, I’ll protect you for the rest of my life. I’ll remove any obstacles to be with you」
I declared as I looked straight into her eyes.
「Let me say it again. Riel, will you marry me?」
「……Yes」
She offered her left hand.
I put the ring on her ring finger.
Ohhhh!
Alriiiiight!
I finally got myself an elf wife!
I hugged Riel with all my might.
「Luke-san, I’ll be counting on you from now on」
「Yeah! I’ll do my best to make you happy」
「……Should we go see my father tomorrow?」
Whoa, that’s sudden.
But it’s okay. It’s within expectations.
「Alright. Let’s go」
「Thank you. And I’m sorry for keeping silent until now. My name is—-」
With a slight pause, Riel uttered the most unlikely word I could have predicted.
「Riel Alheim」
Huh…… Alheim, huh?
……Yeah.
I’ve considered it as one of the possibilities.
So, I see, me.
I am going to be Haruto’s brother-in-law.