After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 04.3: Let’s Kiss

Chapter 04.3: Let’s Kiss

“…You seem oddly cheerful today.”

“Hmm? Do I really?”

Instead of answering, I glanced down at our hands.

Normally, she’d be clinging to my arm, loudly declaring ‘This is my dear husband’ to anyone nearby.

But today, we were just holding hands.

And Yuri was gently swinging that hand back and forth, like a child playing around.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of a clearer picture of pure joy if I tried.

“Fufu, if that’s how you see it, then maybe I am having fun.”

“Shouldn’t you know your own mood?”

“The hardest person to understand… is always yourself.”

I narrowed my eyes at her vague, poetic reply.

Her cheeks were slightly pink.

And the way she moved… it was kind of floaty.

…No way—

“You’re not drunk, are you?”

“In a way, maybe I am?”

“Why are you being so cryptic today?”

Dealing with Yuri was always a mental workout,

But today was on another level.

What was going on with her?

Still, before anything else, I had to get something off my chest.

“Why did you come all the way to the dorm to get me?”

Just thinking about the commotion she caused outside the boys’ dorm first thing in the morning was exhausting.

And imagining what kind of chaos I’d walk back into later…

Yeah, I was already dreading it.

“You really don’t get it?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be asking.”

“You’ve got a long way to go as a husband, you know.”

“What, in your mind is a ‘husband’ some kind of knight or martial artist or something?”

What kind of training does one even need to become a proper husband?

Like… husband boot camp?

It sounded just as impossible as becoming the perfect gentleman.

“Not that I’m actually your husband in the first place.”

“Fufu… we’ll get to that, eventually.”

“…What does that mean?”

It’s a fake engagement. That’s the truth.

There’s nothing to sort out eventually

As I turned to question her, Yuri suddenly let go of my hand.

She twirled lightly, almost like dancing, stepping in front of me.

Her skirt fluttered as she spun.

“I just wanted to try walking to school with you. As your wife.”

She said it with a smile—soft and blooming, like a rosebud opening.

A gentle breeze passed through the air.

Somewhere nearby, the scent of roses drifted by, tickling my nose.

“…What kind of reason is that?”

I let out a sigh, trying to act unimpressed—

But inside, I was flustered.

Just for a second… I found myself captivated by her smile.

If the breeze hadn’t cooled the heat rising to my cheeks,

I might’ve just kept staring at her like an idiot.

What’s wrong with me today?

I’ve seen Yuri smile plenty of times since we met.

Every one of them had been beautiful, I’d admit that—

But never before had my heart pounded like this.

What made this one different?

I lifted a hand to press over my chest,

Wanting to figure out what was going on inside me—

But before I could, Yuri slipped right back beside me and grabbed that hand.

She laced our fingers together again.

And just like that—my heart thudded even harder than before.

“…There’s no one around us, you know.”

“I’m holding your hand because I want to.”

With that, she was clearly telling me, this isn’t the usual ‘dear husband’ act for show.

And now I didn’t know what to do.

If that’s the case, then there’s no real reason for us to be holding hands at all.

Logically, I should pull away.

But the reason I hesitated… was probably because Yuri’s a girl, and I didn’t want to be rough with her.

…At least, I think that’s why.

Even I wasn’t sure anymore.

Her small, delicate hand in mine—it felt weirdly hard to ignore.

“This whole morning’s thrown me off…”

“Same here.”

Like you have any right to say that.

But the way she smiled at me—so cheerful and relaxed—

Made it impossible to argue.

◆◆◆

“I’ll come get you during lunch, so wait for me in your classroom.”

That’s what Yuri had said with a smile before leaving in the morning.

“She could’ve just said to meet at the garden like always…”

Different classes, different years—our lunch breaks didn’t even start at the same time.

It’d be way more efficient to just meet in the garden.

“Then again, if we’re talking about efficiency, showing up at the dorm this morning was already a lost cause.”

As I sat at my desk waiting for Yuri, I found myself thinking about how she’d been acting lately.

Morning, lunchtime…

She kept going out of her way, never sparing any effort to come find me.

But what exactly was driving her to do that?

Was it just more of her usual dear husband act for show?

I shook my head.

No, that wasn’t it.

She’d already done plenty of that.

The jealous stares I got for having a “fiancée” were proof enough—

There was no need to push it further.

So then… what was it?

I kept thinking, racking my brain—

And one ridiculous possibility popped up.

(Don’t tell me… she’s seriously fallen for me or something?)

I immediately laughed at myself. Yeah right.

She’s a duke’s daughter.

Sure, I could tell she liked me a bit,

But that was probably just curiosity or noble-class playfulness.

It was still a fake engagement.

Just a contract.

I wasn’t about to let myself turn into one of those guys who mistook make-believe for reality.

“But still… if that’s not it, then what is?”

While I sat there, drowning in a mountain of questions,

Someone suddenly appeared in front of my desk.

No way… don’t tell me a classmate’s finally decided to start something with me?

A little nervous, I looked up—

Only to see Yuri standing there.

Relieved, I let out a breath. It was just the person I’d been waiting for.

“You scared me. If you were here already, you should’ve said something.”

“…Dear husband.”

“…Huh? What’s wrong?”

Something felt… off.

She seemed unusually quiet, like all her usual energy was gone.

In fact, the biggest red flag was that she didn’t burst into the classroom yelling “My dear husband!” the moment she arrived.

I mean, that shouldn’t be the norm to begin with—

But still, it was weird.

“Did something happen?”

I tried to peek under her bangs to see her expression—

But before I could, she suddenly grabbed my cheeks with both hands.

“Bwuh?”

A strange sound slipped out as my face got squished.

“—Dear husband!”

“Wha—wait, what!?”

Everything was moving too fast—my brain couldn’t keep up.

Still trying to process things, I gave the most clueless reply possible.

Then—

“Let’s kiss!”

Yuri suddenly shouted it out loud—so loud that the entire classroom froze.

My brain instantly shut down.

I couldn’t even think.

“………………………………………………………What?”

What…

did she just say?

◆ End of Chapter 4 ◆

To be continued.