Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 234

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 234

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After glimpsing Ophelia’s memories, I stayed awake all night.

In the early dawn hours when only the occasional presence of employees moving with muffled footsteps could be heard.

Unable to bear my suffocating feelings any longer, I left my room wearing only a thin shawl.

I planned to walk wherever my feet took me, tire myself out, and then sleep.

However, when I confirmed the place I had arrived at after walking without hesitation as if my destination had been decided from the beginning, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘What am I doing here at this hour?’

Standing before Cheri’s door, I fell into contemplation.

Everyone was incredibly busy with the approaching war, but Cheri was especially so.

Just as I turned around with muffled footsteps, not wanting to wake someone who had barely managed to find time to rest.

Crash!

The sound of something falling and breaking came from inside the room, then Cheri’s closed door burst open.

I looked back bewildered at the room’s owner who had hastily appeared.

“Cheri, are you okay? Just now there was some sound…”

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

That wasn’t what I was going to ask.

Moreover, contrary to his words, his disheveled hair and clothes proved that he had been sleeping soundly until just moments ago.

When I narrowed my eyes and looked up at Cheri, he avoided my gaze like a guilty thief and muttered defensively.

“I heard the Marquess’s Daughter’s footsteps… It’s been a long time since we’ve shared a meal face to face. So I wanted to see your face and came out in a hurry.”

…This is driving me crazy, really. Why does that stoic face look like a large dog begging for a walk?

While thinking I shouldn’t do this to someone who needed rest, I instinctively spoke as if unconscious of my steps that had been heading toward his room.

“I was going to take a walk. Want to walk together?”

“I’ll follow.”

As if to prove we were family, the way he quickly followed behind me was just like Leo, making me laugh.

However, the dawn walk that came to be faced difficulties before we could even step outdoors.

Snow had fallen during the night, piled up to about half the height of a finger. It was the North’s last snow.

While I was wondering whether to give up going out or go get boots right now.

“Please wait a moment.”

Cheri headed alone to the bench visible in the distant garden, then returned retracing where he had stepped.

As I stared blankly at his footprints in the snow, Cheri extended his hand to me and said.

“If you step only where my footprints are, your shoes won’t get snow on them.”

“Ah…”

Throughout the walk to the bench, stepping one foot at a time into Cheri’s footprints that had even considered my stride, my gaze remained on his shoes.

His shoes were the ones that got messy with snow, yet somehow my feet tingled as if they had frostbite.

Soon we sat side by side on the bench after brushing off the snow, and the shadows of sunrise caught on the garden trees flickered over our shoulders.

Looking at the footprints placed side by side in the snow, I smiled faintly as a past event came to mind.

“Do you remember the day I had a nightmare and ran out recklessly? You came looking for me.”

“Yes, I remember. The forest at night is dangerous, so I was worried the Marquess’s Daughter might get lost.”

He spoke as if it was nothing, but he probably doesn’t know. What I almost lost that day wasn’t my way, but my life.

That’s probably the difference between Ophelia and me.

For Ophelia who wanted to return to her hometown, the people of this world couldn’t become her anchor, but for me who wanted to live here, Cheri became a signpost.

It was probably from then.

“Since that day, looking back, you’ve always been by my side.”

That his presence beside me became natural.

Even when he was away at the estate and not by my side, I could see his footprints laid out like a guide in the pure white snow scene.

“The Lady Blanche I’ve seen is never a terrible person.”

“I know you’re someone who provides a place for mages with nowhere to rely on, keeps people by your side without discrimination, and gets more angry at others’ pain than your own wounds.”

“You are an admirable person, Marquess’s Daughter. You’re just not honest.”

His words that I still vividly remember, that let me be myself.

“When we first met, I thought ‘what kind of scrap metal person is this?’ Stubborn, inflexible, and even clueless.”

“Not particularly…”

“Steadfastly always protecting my side, being inflexible enough to do your best in your duties, and clueless enough to try to express your feelings for me anywhere.”

“…I suppose that’s not wrong either.”

I smiled mischievously and looked straight up at him.

The person who first discovered ‘me’ rather than Belinda.

The person who willingly breaks through snowy paths so my shoes won’t get snow on them.

The person who comes to mind first in my head whenever there are difficult times.

The person whose presence by my side became natural at some point.

“That’s why I came to like you.”

The confession that had been so difficult flowed out so naturally. As if my feelings for him were too burdensome to just keep contained.

Soon the fully risen sun colored his face red, but I could be certain that his red earlobes and nape weren’t entirely due to the sun.

It was a pleasant reaction, but to prevent any potential frustration, I said once more.

“Since you’re clueless, I’ll say it clearly once more – I like you in the same way that you like me.”

At my words, he slowly blinked as if waking from a pleasant nap.

“In preparation for such a day… there was something I really wanted to give you.”

Cheri’s hand slowly moved toward his inner pocket.

Though I had lived my entire past and present life avoiding romance, at that moment a certain premonition flashed through my mind.

Mutual confirmation of feelings.

An era where political marriages were natural.

An era where marriageable age was early twenties.

Putting all of this together…

‘What do I do, is he about to pull out a proposal ring!’

My whole body stiffened at Cheri’s sudden acceleration.

Of course we like each other, and I’m also in favor of dating with marriage in mind, but such a sudden proposal!

“Wait, Cheri. This is…!”

It was when I hastily grabbed his hand, afraid he might pull out a ring box with a family heirloom and kneel on one knee.

“This is… what?”

Making my worry meaningless, what he pulled from his chest was a single neatly folded piece of paper. It was so wrinkled from how long he’d been carrying it around.

He’s not an office worker carrying a resignation letter in his chest, so why pull out something like this at this timing?

I unfolded it with a sour expression and was left speechless.

It was a marriage proposal. But it looked somewhat… like a blank contract.

The proposal I remembered seeing somewhere had something written in tiny letters at length instead of the special clause “divorce after 1 year” like the previous one.

Squinting to examine it, it was a terrifying poison clause stating that once signed, even an imperial decree couldn’t break this engagement.

“Here, I’ve prepared a pen too.”

“…Have you always carried this in your inner pocket?”

“Yes. I did my best not to make the same mistake as last time.”

A marriage proposal that could never be nullified.

Right, I can understand that feeling since I have a history of unilaterally breaking off our engagement…

‘Such a contract-like marriage proposal.’

Should I call this romantic, or meticulous?

When I hesitated without thinking of signing, perhaps getting impatient, Cheri’s gaze wouldn’t leave the proposal.

Then soon he nodded as if realizing what was wrong.

“I apologize. I failed to prepare something to write against. Here, you can sign using my back as support. If there are any clauses you’d like to add, please write freely.”

Looking at his back view as he quickly offered me his broad, firm back, I let out a deep sigh.

Right, this is my Cheri.

I placed the contract disguised as a marriage proposal on his broad back and carefully called out to him while writing something down.

“Um, Lord Cheri.”

“Yes.”

“You seem to have learned how to propose completely wrong. Who proposes like this?”

At my words, I could feel his firm back muscles tense up even more through the fabric.

As soon as I lifted my hand from his back, Lord Cheri quickly turned to look at me with a serious expression.

“I will correct it.”

Ah, that expression. He’s decided to devour every romance novel as soon as we return to the manor to find the ultimate proposal method.

I chuckled and handed him the marriage proposal.

“I know what you’re thinking, but you don’t need to propose again. It was good because it was so like you, Lord Cheri. But you see, I want to have a love marriage.”

I pointed with my pen tip at the contract where I had only written today’s date without signing.

“So let’s start by dating first.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the Shadow Crow by my bedside cawed as if scolding us for leisurely dating at a time like this. That warning-like cry brought me back to reality and I quickly added:

“…Of course, after we prevent the world’s destruction first.”

“Yes.”

Lord Cheri carefully tucked the marriage proposal back into his chest, but his expression looked more satisfied than I had ever seen.

“You know…”

“Perhaps…”

Before the sweet afterglow of our confession could even fade, we both started speaking at the same time and looked at each other.

Belated embarrassment washed over me and heat rose to my face.

“You speak first.”

“…Would it be alright if I held your hand?”

“What’s with being so formal all of a sudden? We’ve held hands every time you wielded the magic sword.”

“Yes, but I want to hold the Marquess’s Daughter’s hand without any excuse. Purely for selfish reasons. Would you permit me?”

At his polite request asking for my consent, I willingly extended my hand. However, the next moment, I flinched.

I thought he would just touch fingertips like when escorting me.

His thick fingers slipped between each of my fingers and interlocked so tightly I couldn’t move.

“Would it be alright if I kissed your hand?”

“Y-yes.”

He pulled my hand toward him with a touch far from polite and kissed it.

His lips pressed deeply like a brand on the back of my hand that had grown cold. My toes curled at that heat.

Lord Cheri didn’t stop there and whispered in an even lower voice than before:

“Belinda, I want to kiss you.”

Where?

…That question was swallowed between his lips.

“Mmph!”

Only after breath of different temperatures had passed between us for a while did I realize we had just kissed.

I touched the spot where his lips had been with my fingertips. I couldn’t tell if the hot breath escaping between my lips was his or mine.

As I looked up at his flushed face in a daze, Lord Cheri belatedly pleaded:

“So please give me permission.”

“…Y-you already did it!”

Who are you trying to fool!

Lord Cheri paused for a moment, then whispered in my ear with an even more earnest tone than before:

“Then would it be alright if I did it once more?”

“…”

“Please grant me permission.”

…I absolutely must not let Lord Cheri read any more romance novels from now on. If he upgrades any further from here, I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.

Making that resolution, I nodded as if reluctantly giving in.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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