Bella seemed to have made up her mind.

Having heard her confession, there was no place for me to run.

It had been a long time since I confirmed Bella’s feelings.

Until now, I had no choice but to pretend not to know, even though I did.

For the sake of my goal to save this world and the ending I so desperately desire.

But now, the time had come for me to respond.

“Me too…”

Staring into Bella’s winter lake-like eyes.

“I will love everything about you… I will love you flawlessly.”

We kissed.

Bella gently closed her eyes and accepted my kiss.

Her lips and tongue were warm and soft. Her gesture, as if she would embrace everything about me, was incredibly endearing.

I was seized by the desire to hold Bella tightly and gently pulled her waist towards me.

Then, a hot sigh escaped her lips.

At that moment, I recalled the days I spent in Bella’s dream before falling into hell.

The days we spent together on a deserted island, having breakfast, meals, and playing on the beach until evening, returning tired and sleeping in the same bed.

In the place where Bella’s dream was projected, I felt her heart towards me. I could feel how much she desired me.

And now, at this moment, I desired her too.

As if pouring out the emotions we had harbored for each other, we explored each other’s lips.

When our lips finally parted, a blush rose on Bella’s cheeks.

Her gaze, slightly looking up at me, added to her loveliness and even a hint of allure.

Bella, realizing I was staring at her face, turned her head away.

“…Don’t stare so intently.”

“What if I don’t want to stop?”

I chuckled softly and gently stroked her cheek, turning her head back towards me.

Bella sighed as if giving up.

“Then… look quickly and forget. It’s really embarrassing.”

“That might be hard. Your expression right now is too… lovely to forget…”

“……”

It was an unintentional truth that slipped out, but it felt a bit cringy.

Even though, as Tristan, I’ve delivered many lines mixed with bluster, this one felt excessive even to me… but it seemed to be the right answer for Bella.

Bella, who had been gazing at me intently, kissed me again.

It was a shy kiss, like a girl in love, as if responding to my declaration of love.

“…Then you should be embarrassed too. I don’t want to be the only one remembered as embarrassed.”

Actually, I had been embarrassed for a while now.

It’s just that ‘patience’ kept it from showing.

Hiding my true feelings had become a habit, perhaps because I was so thorough in managing myself.

‘Ah, right…’

Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I began to tickle under her nose with my finger.

“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”

“You played this prank on me when I was asleep once and ran away.”

“Huh?!”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

As I pretended to draw a mustache with my finger, Bella’s face turned redder than I had ever seen.

“Y-you jerk! Isn’t it polite to pretend not to know and let it go?!”

Bella was cutely angry.

It seemed that she was more embarrassed about being caught kissing me secretly back then than the current situation of us hugging and kissing.

“You fell for a man with no manners, what can you do?”

“What did you say? Who fell for who first? You fell for me first.”

“…I fell for you first?”

This is outrageous.

Bella shamelessly lied.

“Yes. Count, you fell for me first, didn’t you?”

“That’s ridiculous. Where do you get off-”

Bella kissed me, cutting off my words.

“You fell for me first, right?”

“No…”

Bella kissed me again.

“Fell for me first, right?”

“Suddenly doing this-”

Bella kissed me again, cutting me off.

“Fell for me, right?”

“…So.”

“Wrong.”

Without giving me a chance to speak, Bella’s lips sealed mine.

Moreover, each kiss grew longer, as if trying to completely melt my heart.

“Hoo…”

Bella, pulling away from me, licked her lips with her tongue and asked again.

“Even now…?”

“…I fell for you.”

“Hehe…”

Bella smiled contentedly at my surrender.

Actually, it wasn’t meant as a declaration of having fallen for her first.

Rather, it was more accurate to say I had fallen for her ‘again’ now.

Because her appearance right now was so captivating.

“Do you have anything to say…?”

“…No.”

I shook my head.

Having been kissed by her again, my heart was pounding wildly.

Now I understand why Bella is praised as the most beautiful in this country.

We locked eyes as if we had made a promise.

The night had deepened.

And a man and woman, their bodies warmed, stood under the moonlight.

Which means…

“Count. So from now on…”

“Phew. Count~.”

But a voice interrupted, breaking the mood.

“Unfortunately, it seems the idea hasn’t taken root. In that case, until it does firmly…”

Helga, having changed clothes, stopped upon seeing us.

“……”

“……”

“……”

A heavy silence fell.

Our warmed bodies cooled down.

And once again, Bella was the first to speak.

“Take root…?”

At that moment, seeing Bella’s expression, my back was drenched in cold sweat.

*

The misunderstanding was easily cleared.

Fortunately, Bella had some immunity to Helga, the walking misunderstanding generator.

But the situation I was in now was still incredibly awkward.

The place we had come to was my room in the hotel.

And the bed I was supposed to sleep in tonight was occupied by Bella and Helga.

“So, which one is it?”

Bella, with her arms crossed, interrogated me.

“Who are you going to marry? Me? Or this woman?”

Her gaze was cold.

Completely different from when we were kissing earlier.

On the other hand, Helga remained composed throughout.

“Hehe… The princess speaks as if she’s already claimed the Count, doesn’t she?”

But Bella didn’t back down.

“Yes. I claimed him. Much earlier than you.”

“Oh? Then who was it that whined about not wanting to be engaged to the Count back then?”

“That was a misunderstanding…!”

“As for me, princess.”

Helga spoke, her eyes gleaming.

“I can do anything for the Count. If he told me to die right now, I would.”

Right. Helga has always been like that.

Living only for me, looking only at me.

But Bella was the same.

“…I admit it. Back then, I was blind and didn’t understand the Count’s true feelings, foolishly rejecting him. I might have fallen behind you.”

“Hmph. Of course.”

“But I loved the Count just as much as you did. And for a long time. I can swear on my life that’s the truth.”

Yes. Even as she was dying, Bella never forgot me.

“Enough. Arguing about this now is ridiculous…”

“Ridiculous?”

“Yes. What’s important now is this, right?”

Helga yawned and smirked.

“Who can bear the Count’s children the most, isn’t that what really matters?”

“W-what nonsense are you talking about?!”

Bella, her face red, threw a pillow.

But why throw it at me instead of Helga?

“It’s not about how many children you can have!”

“Oh? Then what?”

“Ugh… I mean…! Who gets married first is what’s important, right?”

“Oh? Then what if I bear the Count’s child first?”

“?!”

Bella was stunned by Helga’s question.

“So…! If you marry first, naturally you’ll have a child first… right?! Isn’t that so?!”

“Hehehe. The princess is so naive. Wanting to secure the position of the legal wife but not understanding its essence.”

“The essence of the legal wife?”

“Who bears the child first is important, but ultimately, it’s about how many children you have.”

What on earth is she talking about?

“Last time too, Helga, what makes you so confident you can have so many children?”

“Why not? What’s stopping me? Are you scared…?”

“W-what did you say?”

“I feel like I could bear the Count’s child right now if I wanted to.”

I don’t want to understand what kind of feeling that is, and it’s scary because Helga might actually do it.

Whether she knows my feelings or not, Helga, with the face of a loyal bodyguard knight, said to me.

“I can do anything for the Count. So… Count. Just say the word. Do you want a son? Or a daughter? I’ll bear one for you right now.”

“W-what kind of… nonsense…”

Bella was on the verge of fainting from Helga’s shocking statements.

I, too, though not showing it, felt exactly the same as Bella.

Truly, there’s no limit to madness.

I realized for the first time that the phrase ‘I can do anything for you’ could sound so terrifying.

Anyway…

The important thing now is that the day has come when I must choose between these two women.

Tonight alone, I’ve kissed both of them.

And Bella entrusted me with the key to her bedroom, while Helga also asked me to come to hers.

As a man, one might call this a dream situation.

But in reality, it’s incredibly awkward.

Both are precious to me, and if possible, I want a happy ending for all of us.

I know it’s greedy.

But… I wanted to convey my feelings clearly.

“If I had to choose one… I can’t. Because…”

Their gazes focused.

I swallowed quietly and continued.

“I am a greedy man. So choosing only one is not an option for me.”

“…You know that was a trashy thing to say, right?”

“Yes. I am a trashy man, but…”

I approached both of them.

“I will cherish you. I will protect you. I am prepared to give my life for you, and I promise to dedicate my entire life to you, and to…”

I paused briefly before continuing.

“Love you.”

Honestly, I thought I might be hated for saying this.

In fact, I was prepared for that.

I didn’t want them to fight over me out of jealousy, and even if they decided to give up on me, I wanted them to do so early.

But if I could make the people precious to me happy… I would gladly be a trashy man.

And then, both of them spoke.

“You’re shameless… really… But I can’t help liking you even when you say such shameless things.”

“Hehe… I see. It’s very like you, Count.”

Bella seemed dissatisfied but was trying to understand my words.

Helga… Hmm. I can’t quite read her.

She’s just been smiling slyly since earlier…

Huh? Slyly?

“I think I know what the Count wants.”

“?!”

What happened next was instantaneous.

Helga, who had been smiling all along, grabbed my collar and threw me onto the bed.

Huh? Insurrection?

“W-wait a minute?! Helga!”

“But as a man, the Count can’t help but be drawn to the more attractive woman, right?”

“What are you trying to do…!?

“What am I doing? I’m going to show the Count my charms, slowly.”

Ignoring Bella’s protests, Helga climbed on top of me.

What she intended to do was no mere insurrection.

At that moment, her gaze was unmistakably that of a predator who had found its prey.

“Bon appétit!”

“What? What are you eating!? You said you were going to show me your charms!”

“Oops! Did I say that?”

“You just did!”

Without stopping her reckless advance, Helga smiled awkwardly and, as if stepping on the accelerator, swayed her hips seductively.

“But what can I do? The brakes are broken.”