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 05.3: The Line That Should Never Be Crossed

Chapter 05.3: The Line That Should Never Be Crossed

“I’m heeere♪”

Yuri’s cheerful greeting(?) as she waited in front of the boys’ dorm made me instinctively look up at the sky.

It was a day off—no classes.

I figured I’d go for a relaxing walk, and that’s where I went wrong.

The sun was hidden behind thick clouds, giving me no answers and no mercy.

“…Please. Just go home.”

“This is where you’re supposed to say, ‘I’m so happy to see your face first thing in the morning,’ and then gently pull me into your arms, you know?”

Yuri scolded me with her hands on her hips.

She was dressed in a lovely blouse and long skirt, elegant and proper—

Yet somehow, she still couldn’t keep up the image of a graceful noble lady.

“I see. So I handled this wrong.”

Watching her be overly energetic like this just made my headache worse—

But maybe that was my fault for handling things poorly from the start.

“Well then, let’s try again—”

“No need. Go home.”

“So cold!”

When I pointed behind her, Yuri staggered dramatically like she’d been hit by a shockwave.

She pressed her hand to her cheek with a sorrowful pose, like she was grieving—but the whole thing was way too theatrical.

My vision narrowed just from watching it.

“After I went out of my way to come here, and you tell me to go home? Even as a joke, that’s too mean!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

That wasn’t a joke.

Not even close.

“I mean it. From the bottom of my heart—I want you to go back.”

“Coming iiiin~!”

“Hey—no you don’t!”

She tried to casually brush past me and walk into the dorm,

So I quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her in place.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean, ‘what is it’!? Why are you trying to walk in like it’s totally normal!?”

Don’t pout at me like you’re the one getting treated unfairly.

I’m the one who should be complaining here.

“I’m just here to hang out in my dear husband’s room.”

“Don’t make that innocent ‘did I say something weird?’ face. Everything you just said is weird. All of it.”

“Hmm?”

Yuri tilted her head.

Sure, some people might call that look cute,

But to me? It was just irritating.

Wait—no. Calm down.

Losing my temper now is exactly what she wants.

Stay cool. Let’s work through this step by step.

“First of all, you do know girls aren’t allowed in the boys’ dorm, right?”

“Of course.”

“…”

Deep breath.

I wanted to bop her on the head—but later.

First, I needed to get the facts straight.

“It’s not exactly normal for an unmarried girl to visit a guy’s room, is it?”

“Fufu. What are you talking about now? We’re engaged, remember? So there’s no issue.”

“…Did you get permission from the school? Or the dorm matron?”

“No need.”

“There is! You idiot!”

Ugh, seriously—

How did I end up fake-engaged to a girl like this?

Sure, it was supposed to be in exchange for getting access to the garden…

But this wasn’t worth it. Not at all.

Still, it wasn’t like I had any choice back then.

It was practically a trap—like an unavoidable accident, or some fancy scam.

Isn’t there a way to legally cancel a contract like that?

…Yeah, no.

She’s a duke’s daughter. That’s not happening.

“You idiot… You absolute idiot…”

“Ah… sorry. I got caught up in the moment.”

When I was around Yuri, I tended to forget—

She was a proper noble.

A duke’s daughter, no less.

Someone who, under normal circumstances, should’ve been way out of reach.

Definitely not someone I should be yelling at or treating casually.

I needed to watch my mouth more.

That’s what I was telling myself…

But then Yuri looked up at me with sparkling blue eyes.

“That was great! I want more of that!”

“…Why are you happy about being insulted?”

I covered my face.

There was no keeping up with her energy level.

“No one talks to me like that, you know? It feels so refreshing—like we’re actually close or something.”

“Being called an idiot and being close aren’t the same thing.”

“You silly, dear husband!”

I flicked her forehead with my finger.

“Ow—♪”

She leaned back with a grin like she enjoyed it.

I was the one about to collapse.

Seriously…

Why was she in such a good mood today?

I had no idea, but either way, I really didn’t want to cause another scene in front of the dorm.

Last time she showed up here in the morning, the entire boys’ dorm was flipped upside down.

And after that chaos, I got bombarded with questions from guys I didn’t even talk to.

On top of that, the dorm matron gave me a troubled smile and gently scolded me: “Let’s not make such a scene next time, alright?”

Thankfully, she was off-duty today.

If I could just get Yuri to leave before she caught wind of this, all would be fine.

…Though honestly, it already felt too late.

I could sense people watching us from behind the dorm windows,

And it was starting to wear me down.

“Please just go home already.”

“Muu…”

Maybe it was the way my shoulders visibly dropped,

But even Yuri, for once, pulled back her smile and pouted in frustration, her lower lip jutting out.

“You’re making it sound like I’m the bad guy here. But you agreed to help too, didn’t you?”

“Help with what, exactly?”

I definitely never agreed to help her sneak into the boys’ dorm.

Nor did I have any intention of doing so.

“Don’t tell me you forgot? We were going to show everyone how lovey-dovey we are. And you clearly said, ‘I don’t mind helping.’”

“…Yeah. I did.”

I remembered.

We talked about that a few days ago.

I did say it—no denying that.

But how in the world did that turn into Yuri entering my room?

Confused, I gave in and asked.

Yuri gave me a teasing smile and said, “You really are slow, dear husband.”

“Just showing off our affection around campus wasn’t enough. So I thought—why not create a solid fact that no one could ignore?”

“Woooow, genius over here.”

And also incredibly dumb.

She puffed out her modest chest proudly like she’d done something brilliant.

It wasn’t the time for that.

“You do realize this is a fake engagement, right?”

If she did something like that, it would stop being fake real fast.

But of course, Yuri nodded with a radiant smile.

“No need to worry. I’ve already spread the rumor throughout the girls’ dorm: ‘Today, we’ll be sealing the deal.’”

“Wow, thank you so much! Guess I’ll be locking myself in my room for the rest of my life!”

All I wanted was a peaceful day off—

And now I couldn’t even walk around campus anymore.

“With this, those disrespectful fools who looked down on you just because you’re from a viscount’s family will stop sending marriage proposals.”

“Right… except now I’m the disrespectful fool who made a move on a duke’s daughter.”

Ahaha—

For some reason, I couldn’t stop laughing.

It wasn’t actually funny…

But I had no choice but to laugh.

“I’m glad you’re so happy about it, dear husband. Now then, shall we?”

“I’m not happy! Wait—hold on, are you serious!?”

While I was still stunned, Yuri slipped her hand out of mine and reached for the dorm’s front door.

She pushed it open just a little and looked back at me.

“This is your room we’re talking about, isn’t it? Lead the way.”

She gave me a smile and beckoned me with a few small gestures.

And in that moment—

I felt like I had just crossed a line that should never be crossed.

◆ End of Chapter 5 ◆

To be continued.