Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 713: Fiancé [3]

From the moment Delilah told me to follow her, I already had an idea of what she was planning to do.

It was for that reason that I was nervous.

But even then, I wasn’t too nervous. I had experienced far scarier things and had even escaped death multiple times.

I was ready for whatever was to come.

I was ready to get scorned at. To get shouted at.

But...

None of it had me ready for what happened next.

"....!?"

Feeling Delilah’s hand pull against my chin as she turned my head, before I even had the time to process the situation, something soft smacked against my lips.

It was as if a jolt of electricity ran down my spine.

My thoughts blanked in that moment, and besides the soft, warm, and... a little wet sensation, in that moment, it was as if my mind had exploded.

I just lost myself in the sensation.

But the sensation didn’t last for very long.

Just as fast as she lowered her head, she raised her head.

"...Is this enough proof?"

She eventually let go of my chin, but as I slowly started to process the situation, and mind mind cleared up again, instead of elation, I felt...

’Short. This was too short.’

Not only that, but it also felt rather abrupt.

It wasn’t as if I didn’t expect something like this to eventually happen.

But...

’No, not this way.’

This was just a light peck to some extent.

I wasn’t satisfied at all.

However, it wasn’t like I could think about this for very long as my attention soon fell on my father-in-law, who alternated his gaze between the two of us with an expression that seemed far apart from his usual calm one.

He looked...

In complete and utter shock.

His mouth was open, and his face was pale.

I could see his mouth open and close repeatedly as he tried to say something, but as though the air had been stripped out of his lungs, he wasn’t able to say a single thing.

He just stood there, staring at the two of us without any words.

A strange silence filled the surroundings.

But it wasn’t for long as Delilah spoke again. This time, she sounded a little annoyed.

"Is this not enough?"

She looked back at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

Don’t tell me...

"No, no, it’s enough!"

Orson’s words came out right after. His voice almost seemed a little bit too loud as he appeared to have forced himself to speak. I was also somewhat grateful, but at the same time disappointed.

Thankful that I didn’t have to go through with another peck, and disappointed that I didn’t go through with another peck...

’That doesn’t even make sense.’

I rubbed my temples, but soon Orson spoke again.

"You’re really not putting up a show when you’re doing this right? If you really want him to be your fiancé, that’s fine... I just didn’t think you’d—"

"It can only be him."

Delilah answered a moment later, cutting father-in-law while keeping her expression straight.

Orson’s face froze upon hearing her words, and soon, his gaze fell on me.

I felt an invisible pressure bear down on me the moment he looked at me, but I kept my face straight while looking back at him.

My heart skipped a beat for a short moment as I got mentally ready for the potential chewing that he was going to give.

But...

"...What about you?"

I received an unexpected question from him.

"What do you think about this engagement? Are you okay with it? She didn’t force you into it, right?"

"Force me...?"

I thought for a moment, and I almost nodded. In hindsight, she did force it onto me. She just suddenly pulled me aside and told me that she was engaged.

It later turned out that I was the one she was engaged with.

"——!"

The room temperature suddenly seemed to drop as I was about to nod, and when I felt the back of my hair slowly starting to rise, I immediately shook my head.

"No, not forced. It was willing."

"...Is that so?"

Orson’s eyes narrowed a little as he looked at the two of us.

He really did seem to be doubting the situation.

In the end, I sighed.

"Yes."

I looked at Delilah.

"...I’m really not forced into this engagement. I really want to be engaged with her."

I wasn’t lying.

I had long realized my feelings.

Not only that, but the thought of her getting engaged to anyone else made me want to puke. It could only be me.

While it was a little early, that didn’t matter.

I had already made my decision.

"Really?"

"Really."

Nodding again, and as if sensing how resolute I was, Orson eventually sighed before sitting back down on his desk and covering his face.

"This was honestly not something that I was expecting. Whether you two are lying to me or not, I don’t really know. However, your engagement is a little problematic at the moment."

"Hm?"

The two of us looked at the Duke.

Problematic? In what sense?

However, I realized rather quickly why.

"Given that the current Rite of Arms is taking place, and I’m supposed to be neutral, the fact that the two of you are engaged might make it seem like I’m not a neutral side. In fact, it might also make it seem like you’re one of my pawns. This will obviously be contested by the other Households, let alone the Marquis."

Tapping into the table, the Duke looked at the two of us.

"Regarding your engagement... It’s not like I really can’t control it. If Delilah really wants to get engaged with you, I can allow it. However, it’s impossible for me to announce it to the world just yet. It’ll be a little bit after the Rite of Arms has ended and the voting for the next head is announced. Is that okay?"

"That’s fine with me."

I didn’t see anything wrong with this arrangement.

It made sense to some extent, and it wasn’t like I minded waiting. At the end of the day, the engagement was already a little rushed.

"...Del?"

But it only seemed like I was the one satisfied with the arrangement.

Even after the Duke called out her name, Delilah didn’t respond immediately. Her brows were furrowed slightly, and her eyes were cast downwards.

But in the end, she nodded.

"Okay."

It was only then that a smile finally blossomed on the Duke’s face as he looked between the two of us.

"Perfect. In that case, I’ll send the engagement documents to the Evenus Household later so that you two can formally be engaged. Once everything is settled, we can have the official announcement, alongside a potential date for your wedding."

Standing up again, the Duke’s face turned a little complicated as he looked at Delilah, then me.

"...I do hope that you two aren’t rushing the decision to be engaged. If you two wish to no longer be engaged, you’ll have until the day you two will officially be engaged. Once that time passes, you two will no longer be able to cancel your engagement. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

I nodded, and so did Delilah.

"Alright. You two can leave. I have several things that I need to take care of in preparation for the upcoming Rite."

"...Understood."

And with that, Delilah and I quietly left the office.

Right as we closed the door outside, the two of us didn’t immediately start walking, as I stopped for a moment to look at Delilah.

She stared at me without saying a word, but I could tell from her expression what she wanted to say.

I stopped her before she could.

"No, I didn’t like it."

"....!?"

Delilah’s eyes widened.

She looked almost shell-shocked.

However, I wasn’t lying.

"It was too short, too abrupt. It was just a peck."

Call me greedy, but that was too little for me.

Too little and too abrupt.

I looked around me before fixing my direction towards the path that led to the main hall. Then, looking back at the still shocked Delilah, I smiled slightly before heading in the direction of the main hall.

"Just so you know, I’m not counting that one."

I’d want to do it again, but now wasn’t the time since we were just standing outside of the Duke’s office.

The mood was also not very great.

’Yes, I’m not counting it.’

***

"....."

Delilah stood in silence, staring at Julien’s departing back.

She stood there stunned, unable to properly process the situation as she thought about his previous words.

’No, I didn’t like it.’

’It was too short, too abrupt. It was just a peck.’

’Just so you know, I’m not counting that one.’

Julien’s words repeated in her mind over and over again.

Too short? Abrupt? Just a peck?

Her mind was in a daze.

In fact, she almost had a heart attack thinking that he didn’t like it.

But after he explained it, she realized what he meant.

’Was it too short?’

She didn’t really think about it. She was just trying to prove to her father that she wasn’t lying, but as she recalled the sensation from before. His soft yet warm lips, and the tingling that arose in her body, Delilah felt something within her stir as she pressed her hand against her lip.

It was something that she had never felt before, and for a brief moment, she felt that she wanted the moment to last for longer.

But she also knew that it wasn’t the time for that and quickly pulled away.

Even so.

Just thinking about it made her realize something.

’He’s right...’

She also felt that it was too short.

But the reason why it had to be short was that her father was present. If he wasn’t present then...

"...."

Slowly pulling her hand away from her lips, Delilah once again stared in Julien’s direction before turning away.

’...I’m also not counting it.’