Chapter 236
He was in the middle of eating the dinner prepared by the mansion’s servants.
“Did something really happen…”
Franz naturally continued his meal while observing them out of the corner of his eye.
They didn’t seem particularly angry, nor did they seem to be sulking. They were just eating as usual.
The only thing that bothered him was that not even a single common word was exchanged.
It was clear that something was up. Otherwise, there was no way they, who loved to laugh and chat, would be this quiet.
“Just what in the world happened…”
Franz sighed inwardly and continued his meal.
It was a short while after that dreary meal ended.
“Everyone, gather around here.”
Franz ultimately decided to solve the problem. The real trip was starting tomorrow, and at this rate, everything was going to be ruined.
The girls, who had been doing their own things, gathered in front of Franz one by one.
“Did something happen today?”
They looked at each other, as if waiting for someone else to answer.
After a brief moment, Yusti-ah broke the continuing silence and opened her mouth.
“I think you would know best?”
He would know best…?
Franz carefully retraced his memories. But he couldn’t figure out why his memories were acting this way at all.
If he had known in the first place, he wouldn’t have even asked such a question.
“I don’t know…?”
“That’s right. We don’t know either.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we made a promise among ourselves to tease you.”
So this was all just an act?
A hollow laugh, ha-, burst from Franz’s lips as he stared blankly. He certainly understood it with his head, but it was hard to accept with his heart.
“Don’t worry. We won’t fight anymore.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Then are we done here?”
“Yeah, sorry for taking up your time for nothing.”
They flashed bright smiles, grinned, and left to do their own things.
Left alone in that spot, Franz let out a long sigh and drooped his shoulders.
Should he say he felt his worry had been for naught? He felt quite drained.
'Well, it’s a relief that it wasn’t a big deal anyway.'
It seemed he could finally relax.
* * *
Haa-.
Entering her room, Hera let out a long sigh. She had told Franz it was just an act, but in truth, that was a lie.
It had happened during the morning. To be exact, it was not long after Franz had left the mansion to take care of his business.
Everyone, having unpacked their luggage in their respective rooms, gathered in one place to have teatime.
Since they all loved the same man, the conversation they shared was naturally about him.
“Come to think of it, Franz came by a while ago to commission some furniture. I heard he was decorating the Magic Tower Lord’s Office, but I wonder what got into him…”
Hera spoke nonchalantly, but there was a hidden meaning behind it.
It meant: I met with Franz while you guys didn’t know. It could be seen as a kind of boast.
“Ah, that’s because Miss Yusti-ah and I fought.”
“Fought…? How did that happen…?”
Hera expressed her doubt about the story she was hearing for the first time. And it was the same for Yuna.
Afterwards, Arian and Yusti-ah explained what had happened that day.
How the Saintess had arrived while Franz was away, and so on.
This is how they ended up in a fistfight, but Franz appeared, and so on.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was that too. After we fought, Franz came to hear the story. At that time, he kissed me on the forehead, you know?”
Perhaps recalling what happened then, Yusti-ah allowed a soft smile to spread across her face.
That was the beginning. The four of them began to list out every single thing they had done with Franz.
How they had kissed, or had hugged his arm and had squeezed it between their breasts…
“I, I’ve even straddled Franz’s pelvis when he was lying down-!”
Silence flowed for a moment. It was because the rest of them couldn’t continue speaking after imagining the posture Yuna had mentioned.
However, Yuna’s words didn’t end there.
“And I too confessed to him that I like him…”
Yuna’s red-tinted ears were proof that those words were the truth.
Engulfed in shock, the rest could only stare blankly at Yuna with their mouths agape.
Until now, everyone had equally tried to seduce Franz. But no one had ever confessed first.
Arian had done something similar to an engagement, but that was strictly attached to various conditions. In reality, Yuna was the first to express that she liked him.
In the awkward silence, everyone except Yuna thought the same thing. If they stayed like this, they would be left behind.
That was the reason the atmosphere had suddenly become awkward. Because they were keeping a close eye on the others' actions, they couldn’t think of anything else.
Of course, Franz, who was completely unaware of this fact, was merely thinking about the next day’s schedule.
“Where should we go tomorrow?”
It had been quite a long time since he last came to Raham. He had come to catch one of the Seven Great Evils, Deliaspi Dyne’s experimental subject.
He had searched every single lake in the area back then, so he knew many places worth visiting.
Among them, if there was a place he definitely wanted to take them, it would be the place where he fought that half-human, half-demon guy.
The sight of a single ray of light shining down on the crystal-clear lake was truly a spectacular view like no other.
Afterwards, Franz made some rough plans before falling asleep. The bed and pillows were of such high quality that he seemed to have fallen asleep as soon as he lay down.
When Franz opened his eyes, it was still dawn, with the moon hanging in the sky.
“Hera…?”
Following Franz’s gaze, long green hair was swaying gently.
There was only one person with green hair among those who came with him, so figuring out her identity wasn’t very difficult.
“I-I’ll be leaving soon, so keep sleeping.”
“What’s going on…?”
“It’s nothing much, but I have a scented candle that helps with sleep, so I came to light it for you.”
Come to think of it, a fragrant scent seemed to be wafting faintly in the air. It was a smell that strangely calmed the mind and body.
“But why are you still awake…?”
“I just had a lot on my mind. That being said, would it be alright if I talked beside you for a bit? I don’t mind if you fall asleep in the middle of it.”
“Then do that.”
Hera dragged a chair over and sat next to the bed.
In that moment, the scent of the candle wafted over thickly, enveloping them. It seemed the smell had permeated her body.
Franz thought the scent was truly pleasant and listened closely.
“Franz, I heard that you received a confession from Yuna…”
“…You said I could sleep.”
“Of course. If you fall asleep, I will quietly slip away.”
How was he supposed to sleep when she was talking about something like that?
Franz let out a short sigh and sat up.
“Tell me.”
“I-It’s not that important of a story. I was just worried that you might suddenly leave…”
Franz placed his hand on Hera’s head before she could even finish her sentence. He could tell what she wanted to say without having to hear it.
“I’m not going anywhere. Or do I look like someone who you think would throw away the position of grand chieftain and leave?”
“No… You have always done your best in what you were tasked with…”
“Right, you know that. So what are you so anxious about?”
Tap, tap-.
Franz lightly patted Hera’s head with his palm. At that, her ears fluttered rapidly as if they were about to fly away.
In any case, they were ears that were honest with their emotions. Unlike a certain someone who only spouted stuffy words.
“May I ask one more thing…?”
“Go ahead.”
“What was your answer to Yuna’s confession…?”
Hera’s green eyes gazed intently at Franz.
“How should I explain this…”
It was true that he had received a confession from Yuna that day. But he didn’t give an answer. To be exact, she had said she didn’t want to hear it.
But did that matter? No matter how close he was to Yuna, they were ultimately separate people, weren’t they?
'No, that’s not it…'
Having made a decision in his heart, Franz answered quietly.
“You just need to do what you want to do. Regardless of what Yuna did, or what answer I gave. But if you’re still curious, I’ll tell you.”
It was a truly ambiguous answer. Someone might even call him trash if they saw this.
But it was his sincere truth without a single lie mixed in.
He hoped she wouldn’t hide her feelings because of any other reasons.
“No, I don’t think I need an answer. Just as you said, I only need to walk my own path.”
Hera, who had been wearing an expression full of worry just a moment ago, flashed a refreshing smile.
It was truly a relief that she seemed to have realized something on her own.
“Ah, one last thing.”
“Yeah, since you’re here, tell me everything.”
“I heard that you kissed Yusti-ah on the forehead…”
Just what kind of conversation did they have while he was away.
Franz let out a short sigh and lightly flicked her forehead.
“H-Heek?!”
Hera’s eyes widened as she brought both hands to her forehead.
“Go and get some sleep. You idiot.”
“Tch-, understood.”
Hera stood up from her seat with a pout.
She then headed straight out of the room. Of course, she didn’t forget to return the chair she used to its original place.
Watching her retreating figure, Franz gently closed his eyes. Thinking that he could finally sleep again.
Was it thanks to the scented candle Hera had lit? Franz was able to fall asleep quickly.
And so, the next day arrived.
“How is it?”
“It’s my first time wearing such revealing clothes…”
“I’m not used to it either.”
“How is it? Pretty, right?”
A lake inside a cave where no one came or went.
The girls were dressed in swimsuits.