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“…Is this Mojito?”

“Yeah.”

Bella narrowed her eyes and stared at the green cocktail.

“Wasn’t Mojito an island?”

“Didn’t I tell you? In this world, Mojito is a drink, and Maldives is the name of an island.”

“Hmm… So this world is the complete opposite of ours.”

Back when I went to Mojito Island with Bella, she laughed at me for confusing Mojito and Maldives. In the original story, Mojito was an island, and Maldives was a drink, so it was understandable that I got confused. Back then, I decided I would definitely take her to the Maldives in this world. And finally, today, Bella and I arrived in the Maldives.

Bella propped her chin on her hand and stared at me.

“So, you still had that in mind?”

“…Not really.”

“Liar. It’s written all over your face.”

“I didn’t make any expression.”

“Do you think I’ve known you for just a day or two?”

Bella poked my cheek with her finger.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

No matter how much I hide it with my expression or attitude, Bella always reads my mind. Feeling exposed, I turned my head. Bella chuckled at my reaction and sipped the Mojito through a straw. Soon, her expression brightened.

“Refreshing…”

“Don’t drink too much. You might get drunk.”

“So what if I get drunk? You’ll take care of me, right?”

“…Annoying.”

“Don’t tell me now that we’re married, you don’t need to take care of me anymore? Tristan, are you really that bad of a man?”

“That’s…”

“Just kidding.”

Bella giggled and kissed my cheek. On her finger was the same ring as the one on mine—our wedding rings.

After my body had somewhat recovered, we finally held the wedding we had been postponing.

Of course, the wedding took place at the Ruelberta Mansion, which had a large estate. The number of guests far exceeded my expectations, and there was no other place that could accommodate them all.

There’s so much to say about my wedding.

Not only did the Izakhel and Wolfbert families attend, but also the families of the Empire’s Seven Stars and other prominent noble families. Just their presence alone elevated the wedding far beyond the ordinary.

And that’s not all. Lucy Meikhael, the Emperor herself, attended as a guest—albeit in disguise. If she had attended openly, my wedding would have been a disaster.

Lucy’s other personality, Luna, apparently questioned why the Emperor had to attend a subject’s wedding in disguise… But thankfully, the wedding was held during the day, and Lucy discreetly attended as a guest.

Still, it was undeniably a grand wedding. It might have been the largest wedding in the Empire’s history.

And as you can see, we came to the Maldives for our honeymoon. Of course, Bella and I weren’t alone.

“Count…!”

Wendy came running, waving her hand. If she had a tail and ears, they would probably be wagging furiously with how brightly she was smiling.

“How do I look…?”

Wendy shyly showed off her swimsuit. The pink frilly swimsuit accentuated her girlish charm and cuteness. In a word…

“…Not bad.”

I actually wanted to say she looked cute, but I couldn’t. Tristan’s personality still influences me, making it hard to say such things easily. It’s getting better, but it’s still difficult to say it outright.

So, instead, I kissed Wendy’s forehead.

“…!”

Wendy’s eyes widened, and without warning, she hugged me. Her cheeks were flushed red.

I chuckled and patted her head.

“Feeling clingy all of a sudden?”

“Count…”

Wendy buried her face in my chest, as if hiding her embarrassment. Like Bella, Wendy was wearing a ring identical to mine—an engagement ring.

On the day of the grand wedding, Wendy and I got engaged. We had considered holding a separate engagement ceremony, but I didn’t want Wendy to feel left out, so we did it alongside the wedding. The engagement ring was even designed to match the wedding ring, and that day, Wendy wore a pure white wedding dress, just like Bella.

At that moment, I felt the emotions of a father marrying off his beloved daughter… except the person she was engaged to was me.

I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Peter, Wendy’s older brother and the protagonist of the original story, cried his eyes out. Seeing him cry more sorrowfully than Wendy’s parents made me feel like I had committed some grave sin. Well, getting engaged to a 13-year-old girl isn’t exactly without fault…

Anyway, even after the engagement, Wendy still seems unfamiliar with the new title.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Count’ anymore, remember?”

“But…”

“It’s fine. You’re no longer my exclusive maid but my fiancée. So, you can call me more casually.”

Wendy hesitated for a moment, then peeked up at me from my chest and whispered in a tiny voice.

“…Oppa…”

I was tempted to kiss her forehead again but managed to hold back.

When we first met, she only came up to my waist when we hugged, but now she’s grown a lot and is maturing day by day. Seeing her adult form after using the Hero’s Power makes me imagine her future.

If she continues to grow like this, she’ll become a beauty who won’t lose to Bella in looks or figure.

“Hmph… Oppa? Really? Considering the age difference, shouldn’t you call him ‘Uncle’? Lolistan.”

Bella, looking displeased, pulled Wendy away from me. I had an excuse for that.

“I gave Wendy a choice. She could call me ‘Uncle,’ ‘Oppa,’ or just use my name—whatever she’s comfortable with.”

“R-right…”

“Then shouldn’t she call you ‘Uncle’?”

At Bella’s question, Wendy stared intently at my face. Realizing she was staring too much, she shyly covered her face and said.

“W-well… I think ‘Oppa’ is better than ‘Uncle’…”

“Ah?! Tristan! Are you patting Wendy’s head right now, saying she did well?”

“I’m just patting her head.”

Honestly, if Wendy called me ‘Uncle,’ it would make me sad. Thankfully, she finds it natural to call me ‘Oppa,’ and I’m so relieved. I patted Wendy’s head with the utmost care in the world.

Still unsatisfied, Bella tried to persuade Wendy.

“Then, Wendy, how about calling him ‘Uncle’ instead of ‘Oppa’?”

But Wendy shook her head without a moment’s hesitation. So, ‘Uncle’ is still a no-go.

As I was about to look triumphant, Bella pouted.

“Tch…”

And it wasn’t just Wendy whose title for me changed.

“Husband~~!”

Someone jumped onto my back. There’s only one person who would do something so bold.

“…You’re the only one who would jump on your married partner like this. Helga.”

“Hehe. Of course, I’m the only one for you, right, Husband?”

Helga giggled and climbed onto me using her arms and legs. Like some kind of monkey. On her finger was the same wedding ring as mine.

Helga was no longer my bodyguard knight but my wife. She started calling me ‘Husband’ on her own. She says it sounds nice or something.

“How do I look in my swimsuit? Tell me I’m pretty! Quick!”

“…How can I tell when I can’t see it?”

“Hmph. Is that so? Then how about this?”

Helga started rubbing her body against my back. Through her swimsuit, I could feel the softness of her chest. It was a situation that would make any healthy man’s heart race. And Helga whispered sweetly into my ear.

“How is it? My swimsuit?”

“How would I know?”

“Ah, Husband! You’re so cold!”

Rubbing her chest against me won’t make me know.

Helga jumped off my back and showed off her purple bikini. It suited her hair color perfectly.

But it looked familiar. Where had I seen it before…

“That’s the swimsuit you showed me on Mojito Island.”

“Correct! I should give you a reward!”

“I’ll pass.”

I stopped Helga as she puckered her lips and leaned in.

“You’re just shy!”

“It’s burdensome.”

“Ah, you’re so full of shyness. Husband~.”

“…Are you even listening?”

“Yes! I heard you say you’re shy about flirting with me!”

Hmm. She’s not listening at all.

Since getting married, Helga has become even more clingy. When she was my bodyguard knight, she at least pretended to keep her distance, but now she doesn’t even seem to care about boundaries. She’s so aggressively touchy that it’s becoming a problem.

“Tristan.”

I turned my head to see Bella making another displeased face.

“Why are you only commenting on Helga’s swimsuit?”

“?…I didn’t…”

“You said it was the one she wore before.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Really?”

There’s another woman who’s not listening to me at all.

I sighed and stared at Bella. She was wearing a white bikini that accentuated her large chest, making it hard to know where to look.

“So, how do I look in my swimsuit?”

“…Not bad.”

“Anything besides ‘not bad’?”

“…It’s fine.”

“Anything besides ‘fine’?”

“……”

“Not saying anything? Then…”

Bella suddenly pressed her lips against mine. I could feel her tongue touching my upper and lower lips.

As my mind went blank from the sudden skin contact, Bella whispered softly.

“…If you keep saying nothing, I’ll do it again.”

This kind of adorable threat is a first.

If someone who didn’t know us saw this, it would be quite awkward, but thankfully, that wasn’t possible. Because we had rented out an entire island in the Maldives for privacy.

Of course, part of it was to spend some intimate time together, but it was also because their appearances were too eye-catching.

Especially Bella, who, true to her setting as the most beautiful woman in the world, attracted a lot of attention even in our world. Paparazzi would swarm to capture her, causing quite a bit of trouble. So, to avoid being harassed during our honeymoon, we rented out an entire island.

The coral-filled sea shimmered in a vivid emerald color. The scenery was so beautiful it felt like something out of a commercial. It’s no wonder the Maldives is a top honeymoon destination.

The stunning beauty of the Maldives even made the usually reserved Wendy excited.

“Oppa… Can I go swimming…?”

“Did you warm up?”

“Yes! Hehe. Then…”

“Just warming up and then swimming?”

“Huh?”

Wendy froze.

“You’re not ready yet, Wendy.”

“Huh? Huh?”

I put a life jacket on Wendy. That wasn’t enough—I also equipped her arms with floaties and wrapped a large tube around her waist. No matter how beautiful the sea is, safety comes first.

Especially since Wendy is a child who needs protection.

“Okay. Now you can swim.”

“I-I’ll be back…”

Wendy, wrapped in various flotation devices, took a step toward the sea. She wobbled as she tried to reach the waves but soon tripped and fell.

“Ugh… I can’t get up…”

Blanshe, wearing a blue leotard-style swimsuit, helped Wendy up. Her long legs were accentuated, giving her a model-like appearance.

“Count, I brought some drinks.”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Not at all. I’ll use magic to make ice, so feel free to use it.”

On Blanshe’s finger was the same wedding ring as mine. Like Bella and Helga, she had married me.

However, unlike Wendy or Helga, her title for me hadn’t changed. I’ve pointed it out a few times, but I’ve had to give up each time.

Why?

“…Don’t you want to call me something other than ‘Count’?”

“Then should I call you ‘Master’?”

“…Just call me ‘Count.'”

I don’t know why, out of all the words, she chose ‘Master.’

“Do you dislike being called ‘Master’?”

“…A long time ago, maybe, but you and I aren’t in a master-servant relationship anymore, right?”

Long ago, our family took her in when she was an orphan, so calling me ‘Master’ isn’t entirely out of place. But it feels quite awkward in a married relationship.

However, Blanshe seemed to think differently.

“From the moment I married you, Count, I vowed to live only for you. Everything I have belongs to you…”

Why would she make such a vow…

I wanted to point it out, but Blanshe’s serious expression made me hesitate. Everyone has different values when it comes to marriage, but…

No, no. Blanshe is just inexperienced. She’s lived a life far removed from ordinary daily life. For now, I’ll just have to understand her…

“Ji-hwan!”

A woman lying on a sunbed under a parasol waved at me.

Come to think of it, there was one more person who joined us on our honeymoon.

“Ji-hwan, can you put some sunscreen on my back?”

It was Park Se-hee. Her short hair and the fact that she had untied her bikini straps, leaving her back bare, made her look quite alluring.

“…Can’t you ask someone else?”

“No. This is something a strong man should do.”

Park Se-hee had bumped into us on the plane to the Maldives. She had taken a vacation to come to the Maldives alone and, upon hearing we had rented an entire island, begged to join us.

I owed her a lot and would likely owe her more in the future, so I couldn’t refuse her request.

“Here’s the sunscreen. You can apply it thoroughly, right?”

“……”

Once again, I found it hard to refuse her request.

“Wait a minute.”

Bella suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Se-hee, isn’t that a bit… inappropriate?”

“What is?”

“Well, Tristan is a married man. Asking a married man to do that seems a bit improper, don’t you think?”

Bella made a valid point. But Park Se-hee wasn’t fazed at all.

“I was talking to Ji-hwan, not your husband, Tristan.”

“Huh?”

“And I just asked him to apply some sunscreen. Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive, Bella?”

“…What did you say?”

“Bella, in your world, maybe, but in our world, this kind of request is very common.”

Huh?

“Especially in Korea, close friends of the opposite sex often apply sunscreen for each other.”

This is news to me. Is this not the Korea I know?

“Right, Ji-hwan?”

“Is that true, Tristan?”

The gazes of both women turned to me. Under their intense stares, I broke out in a cold sweat.

But before I could answer, Blanshe, who had been silent, narrowed her eyes.

“Count… Did you give Se-hee a wedding ring too?”

“??”

No way. I had helped Park Se-hee pick out a ring once, but…

Yet, on Park Se-hee’s finger was a ring identical to our wedding rings.

“Oh, what a coincidence! I bought this ring recently because it was pretty, and it turns out it’s the same design as yours, Ji-hwan? It’s like fate, right?”

Park Se-hee laughed as if genuinely surprised. It was a laugh so cunning that I couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or intentional.

Naturally, Bella glared at her sharply.

“…Se-hee, from today on, you’re banned from approaching Tristan.”

“Sure. Whatever. I’ll just hang out with Ji-hwan.”

“That’s the same person!”

“Ji-hwan is Ji-hwan. Ji-hwan, let’s go swimming instead of arguing here.”

“Tristan! Where are you going? Don’t listen to Se-hee and come here!”

“Ji-hwan, let’s go!”

I tried to slip away unnoticed, but Park Se-hee and Bella started following me.

“Ooh? Are we playing tag with Husband?”

“I-I want to join too!”

Helga and Wendy, sensing the mood, joined in…

“I caught him!”

“This isn’t tag…”

Blanshe suddenly hugged me, and before I could say anything, I was plunged into the sea of the Maldives.

The salty sea and warm sunlight felt refreshing. It was as if the grayness of my life was being washed clean.

Splashing in the transparent sea, we all burst into laughter at the same moment, without anyone prompting us.

In this picturesque scenery, we will live on.

Loving each other.

 

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