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“Give it to me, I’ll take it.”

“I-I’m fine! This much is…”

“If you fall, it’ll be more troublesome to clean up.”

After waking up from a nap, I noticed Wendy coming out after tending to Park Se-hee. I took the basin with a wet towel from her, and she fidgeted nervously.

“Co-Count! It’s okay! You shouldn’t be doing such trivial tasks…”

“It’s fine. No one in this mansion will say anything about what I do.”

“But these things should be done by someone lowly like me…”

“That’s an insult to me.”

“Wh-What!?”

“Are you saying my fiancée is lowly?”

“?!”

At my remark, Wendy was too flustered to continue speaking.

“Th-That’s not what I meant…”

“Are you trying to make me look like a man engaged to someone lowly?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“You’re not lowly, Wendy.”

I set the basin down for a moment and knelt on one knee to meet Wendy at eye level. This was a gesture of respect for her.

“My partner can’t be just anyone. Only a noble and dignified woman deserves to stand by my side. And Wendy, you are that woman.”

“Ah…”

I took Wendy’s hand and gently kissed the back of it. An action I would never have taken if I thought her lowly. Realizing this, Wendy was overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Dinner hasn’t been served yet, but now you are my fiancée. Belittling yourself is the same as belittling me. Keep that in mind.”

“I-I’m really sorry…”

“People don’t change overnight. You can change gradually. You’re the fiancée I chose.”

I reached out and patted Wendy’s head. She shyly lowered her head, looking like a small, adorable animal.

“…Of course, if you change your mind, you’re free to find someone else.”

“N-No!”

“?”

“I… really like you, Count… Every day is exciting… I like you so much… I want to grow up quickly…”

Seeing Wendy speak so shyly made me feel awkward. Her innocent confession was something I could never bring myself to say. Her purity left me at a loss for words, so I changed the subject.

“…By the way, are you still working as a maid?”

“Huh?”

“You’re my fiancée now. You don’t have to work as my exclusive maid anymore.”

Though Wendy was a commoner, as my fiancée, she was treated as a noble. She didn’t need to work, but she still wore her maid uniform and handled chores around me. There was no need for that.

And her reason was very much like Wendy.

“Th-That’s… I want to be helpful to you, Count…”

“…”

“Is… is that reason… not okay?”

“…No, of course not.”

“Huh…?”

I was simply at a loss for words because of her thoughtfulness. Wendy seemed to have a way of rendering me speechless. Compared to a fierce woman like Bella, someone as innocent as Wendy was harder to deal with.

Noticing my expression, Wendy cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Count… Did something good happen?”

“…Something good?”

“Well… It might just be my imagination, but… you seem happier than this morning…”

It was inevitable. After resting my head on Bella’s lap, my fatigue seemed to melt away. I should have listened to her sooner.

“…Something like that.”

As I awkwardly bent down to pick up the basin, I felt a hand stroking my hair.

“?…What are you doing?”

“You always pat my head, so…”

“Co-Count, you pat my head when I’m tired… So… I want to be a source of strength for you too!”

Both Bella and Wendy seemed to have noticed. That I’ve been pushing myself lately. Wendy must have wanted to comfort me in her own way.

Compared to Bella’s, her touch was clumsy and cautious… but it felt strangely magical.

‘…What is this?’

It felt like petting a wild animal. Someone as proud as Tristan would never accept such treatment. But oddly, it didn’t feel bad. Not only that, but every time her small fingers brushed through my hair, I felt warmth deep in my chest.

“Go-Good girl…”

I closed my eyes and felt Wendy’s touch. Was it her personality trait? But Wendy didn’t have such a trait. Neither ‘Hope’ nor ‘Love’ had the ability to boost someone’s energy. That left only one possibility: magic.

“H-How is it? Are you okay…?”

“…What kind of magic is this?”

“Huh?”

“Did you learn a new spell from Myohail? Amazing. Just stroking my head restores my energy.”

“Huh?? Th-That’s…”

“It’s useful magic. Can you teach it to me?”

“Um… That’s not it…”

“?”

Wendy rolled her eyes in confusion and then confessed the truth.

“I-I just patted your head…”

“…What?”

“Just… just patted your head…?”

Just patted my head? It was hard to believe. I definitely felt my spirits lifted.

“…Did you infuse it with magic power?”

“No…”

“…Did you cast a suggestion on me?”

“N-No!”

“…So it’s not magic, and you just patted my head… Is that the truth?”

“Yes……”

I covered my face with my hand. My face was burning.

‘What kind of disgrace is this…’

To mistake a simple head pat for magic! If I could, I’d take back everything I just said. To mistake something like this…

“Um…”

While I wanted to crawl into a hole from embarrassment, Wendy seemed to be in a good mood, fidgeting shyly.

“Co-Count… Did you like it when I patted your head…?”

“…It wasn’t bad.”

“Hehe…”

I tried to play it cool, but it was too late. Realizing what I had mistaken, Wendy giggled and hugged my face tightly. Then she kissed my forehead.

“Th-This is my magic, just for you, Count…”

“Didn’t you say it wasn’t magic?”

“It’s not for others… but it’s magic just for you, Count…”

“…Well, that’s quite a deadly spell.”

It was embarrassing but also amusing. Wendy seemed to think the same, as the corners of her mouth lifted. Thanks to that, my embarrassment faded, and I could laugh and stand up.

But that laughter didn’t last long.

“Count~.”

“…”

“……”

When ‘that thing’ suddenly appeared, Wendy and I froze in place as if we had made a pact. Only after hearing ‘its’ voice again did I feel relieved.

“Count?”

“…Helga?”

I didn’t know how to explain it. The Helga before my eyes… for some reason, was wearing a fluffy outfit. To describe her appearance, she looked like a gorilla? A yeti? Chewbacca? No, with the horns, maybe a yeti?

“Yes. As you can see, I’m your cute bunny, Helga.”

“…Ah, I see. So you’re a bunny. What’s the matter?”

“Those trash… I mean, the guests Se-hee brought over have finished their training.”

Did she really train them in that outfit? Whether it was a custom-made training suit or not, it was anything but educational. The bloodstains on the fluffy fur were likely remnants of etiquette training. But with that grotesque bunny suit covered in blood, it was downright horrifying. Any child who saw this would be traumatized.

I tried not to show my shock.

“…I see. Good work. I’ll go check on them.”

“Okay~ I’ll lead the way.”

The self-proclaimed bunny in the mascot suit hopped ahead. Her bouncy steps were like something out of a cartoon, but the oversized suit made her look more like a mollusk. Or maybe a balloon animal used for street advertising…

Wendy and I stared blankly at Helga’s retreating figure.

“Wendy.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of ‘that’?”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, Wendy didn’t seem particularly scared by such a frightening sight. A normal child would have burst into tears, but even timid Wendy seemed unfazed.

Wendy looked at Helga with a tired, almost familiar gaze. Then, with a resigned tone, she spoke.

“Isn’t that… just Helga being Helga…?”

Hmm. Right.

I decided not to dig deeper.

 

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