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Knock knock…

A hesitant knock was heard, followed by an even more hesitant voice.

“E-excuse me…”

Peeking through the door was Wendy, a girl with chestnut hair and big eyes.

“Come in.”

“Y-yes…”

Wendy, with her short tongue, walked in with small steps. Her hair was wet, probably from a shower, and she couldn’t even lift her head. In the past, it might have been because she was scared of me, but now it was probably out of embarrassment.

Earlier, I had unintentionally overheard Wendy’s inner thoughts. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I just happened to hear them while looking for her.

‘As I thought…’

I stared at Wendy. She looked like a small animal… like a baby squirrel.

Wendy, the younger sister of the protagonist Peter, was once my death flag. Her death would have directly led to mine. But that’s all in the past now. Peter is now my slave… well, more of a formality, and he lives peacefully within our family. Therefore, Wendy is no longer my death flag.

Originally, Wendy, who should have exited early as an extra, showed surprising potential by my side. It might have been due to the bloodline of the hero, but she overcame her worst personality trait, ‘misfortune,’ and grew.

In that sense, she was similar to me. I survived in this world with four of the seven deadly sins as my personality traits. Every time I saw her, I felt a sense of camaraderie.

The feelings I had for Wendy were definitely like that. I wanted to cheer on a child in a similar situation as me, watching her overcome hardships and grow. It was like the feelings of a parent watching their child take their first steps.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Wendy was trembling.

“You shouldn’t do that…”

She wasn’t crying, but it looked like she was holding back tears with all her might.

“You shouldn’t like me…”

Her words were pitiful. It was heartbreaking to see Wendy, who could only express herself like that.

Liking her master from the position of a servant. Liking a noble as a commoner. A young girl liking an older man.

She knew all of that was wrong. That’s why she said it was a mistake.

But it was contradictory. Wendy had been openly showing her feelings for me. It might have been due to the innocence of a child, but on the other hand, she probably wanted me to acknowledge her feelings.

Understanding that, I quietly opened my mouth.

“You’re not in trouble.”

“Y-yes…?”

“Liking someone isn’t wrong, is it?”

At those words, Wendy looked up at me with her big eyes. They were eyes that always evoked a protective instinct.

“First of all, I didn’t call you here to scold you. The reason I called you separately is because I wanted to ask you something.”

“M-me…?”

“That brat… Michaela told me, but I heard that there was talk of adopting you as my daughter yesterday.”

“…!”

Wendy’s expression showed that she knew this was coming.

“What do you think? Do you want to be my adopted daughter?”

“…If that’s what you want, then I-I’ll do it…”

As expected, Wendy forced a smile and said that. Her face looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“I know you think of me as special… So if becoming your adopted daughter is what you want, then I-I’ll gladly… I-I’ll gladly accept it…”

“Wendy.”

“Hic…”

“What I think doesn’t matter. I’m asking for your thoughts now.”

It was time to know for sure.

I tightly held Wendy’s hand, which was clutching her apron. Emotions like fear and worry were transmitted through her hand.

“No matter what answer you give, I won’t scold you. And I won’t deny your thoughts and feelings. So, can you tell me your true feelings?”

“…I-I don’t want to…”

My words were the signal, and the tears Wendy had been holding back started to fall.

“Sob… I-I don’t want to be your adopted daughter… I don’t want that…”

“…So you…”

“I like you… Count.”

When I looked up, I saw Wendy’s face. Her expression showed no hesitation or lies. It was only her true feelings.

“I don’t want to be your daughter… I want to be your wife…”

I swallowed hard. There was no room for misunderstanding. It was practically a proposal. I had expected it, but hearing it directly made me more embarrassed than ever.

“Wendy…”

“You promised… You said you’d wait for me… until I grew up… Sob…”

Right. I had made that promise. A promise I didn’t take seriously. It was a promise I made because I thought of her as a daughter-like figure, not a romantic interest.

But now that I knew Wendy’s true feelings, I didn’t know what to do.

“…Later, a good person might appear in front of you. Someone who understands your feelings and only looks at you.”

“That’s right… Count…”

This time, Wendy grabbed my hand. Suddenly, a dazzling light enveloped her, and in front of me stood not a little girl, but a dignified woman.

“That good person is you, Count…”

Wendy, who had taken on the form of a hero, could no longer be called a child.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have thought of becoming a hero. So… the reason I am who I am now is because of you.”

Recognized as a hero, she fought against me, who had become the Demon Lord. And she couldn’t kill me. She would rather have died by my hand. To her, I was a precious existence.

If Peter had become the hero, would I have survived? Absolutely not.

It was all thanks to Wendy becoming the hero. It was because Wendy was by my side that I could survive.

“I… Wendy, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t exist as I am now.”

“Count…”

“You saved me.”

Wendy was no longer my death flag. She was hope.

I stood up and stood in front of Wendy. Even as an adult, she still had to look up at me.

“It’s still awkward for me. Seeing you like this.”

“Am I… very strange?”

“No. You’re beautiful.”

“B-beautiful?!”

Wendy covered her mouth, surprised by her own slip of the tongue.

Her clumsy appearance made me chuckle.

“No matter how much your appearance changes, you’re still you.”

“N-no, I’m not!”

“Stammering doesn’t make you mature. You don’t have to try to act like an adult. To me, you’re still a child.”

“Ugh… Then if I… grow a little older…”

“It seems you still don’t understand what I’m saying.”

I shook my head.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say, Wendy. No matter how much you grow or try to act mature, to me, you’re just Wendy.”

“But… but if I don’t do this… you won’t see me as a woman…”

“It’s not about your appearance. As I’ve said many times, you’re too young. Even if you’ve changed like this, it’s the same.”

“Then what should I do…”

“Don’t force it.”

I reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“No matter what you look like… no matter how you speak, the person who loves you will cherish and love you…”

“Ah…”

For a moment, a look of resignation flashed across Wendy’s face. I hugged her quietly to comfort her.

And I whispered softly in her ear.

“Can I be that person who loves you?”

*

“Ah, sweet. So sweet.”

Bella, who had taken a bite of the colorful ice cream, couldn’t help but smile at the sweetness spreading in her mouth.

“The ice cream from that world is delicious too.”

“Yes. Even though there are many flavors, each one has a unique taste.”

Blanshe, who had also tasted the ice cream in the paper cup, smiled pleasantly.

The ice cream the two were eating was a gift from Park Se-hee. It was from a company that offered over 30 flavors. In the outside world, it was a common franchise ice cream, but here it was a rare delicacy.

“Since we received this, we should give something in return. Blanshe, do you have any good ideas? Something we can give as a gift.”

“Hmm… How about giving her a useful longsword?”

“Huh? A sword?”

“Yes. Last time I saw, Park Se-hee’s house didn’t seem to have any decent weapons. A woman living alone should have at least a simple self-defense sword, right?”

“Hmm… But no one there carries a sword, right?”

“Ah… That’s true…”

“Giving a sword is fine, but it’s better to ask Tristan first.”

Park Se-hee probably sent this gift just to be friendly. But from Bella’s perspective, she didn’t want to leave any unnecessary debts.

Creak.

“Wow, what are you all eating?”

Without knocking, Helga entered the room.

“How did you know we were eating something?”

“The delicious smell was vibrating. How could I not know?”

“…Smell?”

Bella sniffed the ice cream. There was definitely a smell, but it wasn’t noticeable unless you brought your nose close to it.

“What kind of sense of smell do you have…?”

“Hehe… Wolfbert people smell with their heart’s nose. Princess, you too…”

“Alright, what flavor do you want? Very Berry Strawberry? Or Almond Pistachio?”

“Yum. My mouth is watering.”

“Helga… where did you learn to talk like that? And close the door, please.”

“Eh. It’s fine. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.”

Even the usually calm Blanshe was exasperated. Regardless, Helga giggled and picked up a spoon.

“Everyone’s here.”

“Tristan?”

Appearing through the open door was Tristan. And…

“Ah, hello…”

“Wendy?”

Peeking out from behind Tristan was Wendy. She was holding Tristan’s hand tightly. That alone wasn’t strange, but Wendy’s face was bright red.

“Good timing. I have something to tell you all.”

“Yes…?”

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

Unlike Wendy, Tristan’s face was calm. Seeing that, the three women felt relieved. It was the usual Tristan.

But the words that came out of his mouth were something he would never have said under normal circumstances.

“I’m thinking of getting engaged to Wendy.”

Snap!

The spoons in the hands of the three women broke with a sound.

 

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