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 08.2: The Duke’s Daughter in Glasses

Chapter 08.2: The Duke’s Daughter in Glasses

…Are people staring?

As we walked through the streets on our way to the town square,

I started to feel it—eyes.

At first, I thought I was imagining things,

But no—people were definitely looking. A lot.

Every single glance seemed to pass right by me,

Landing squarely on the quiet, graceful girl walking beside me.

Yuri—beautiful as always.

Ah… yeah.

That explains it.

“Something wrong?”

“No… I was just wondering what to do here.”

Yuri tilted her head and looked up at me, still holding my hand.

Her expression was innocent, even a little puzzled.

Because she usually carried herself so maturely, that curious look made her seem younger than she actually was.

Was she teasing me?

Or did she seriously not notice?

Either way, trying to read her expression was pointless.

Yuri’s inner thoughts were always a mystery—

Unlike mine, which she could probably read like a book.

With a quiet sigh of surrender, I glanced around at the passing crowd.

“…We’re kind of standing out, huh?”

“Are we?”

Yuri tilted her head again.

It seemed like she really didn’t notice at all.

Maybe she was just used to being the center of attention.

“Fufu, well, with beauty like mine, it’s only natural people can’t help but stare, right?”

“…Can’t say you’re wrong.”

But still—

We were only getting these looks because of that beauty.

And she was acting so calm about it.

Come on. Be at least a little humble.

With that thought, I tried to imagine a modest, reserved version of Yuri in my head…

“Oh nooo! I’m not pretty at all, not even a little!”

…

“…Yeah, Yuri’s best just the way she is.”

“That’s only natural, but… was there a hidden jab in that?”

“Nope, not at all.”

For some reason, in trying to imagine her denying her beauty,

She turned into one of those girls who secretly think they’re cute while pretending to be modest.

And it was kind of annoying.

Guess this was a perfect example of how too much modesty can feel like humblebragging.

“…Come to think of it, was it really okay for you to leave the academy grounds alone?”

“…?”

“Wait—why are you going silent like that?”

That’s terrifying.

She froze for a moment, completely still—like a statue.

Then suddenly snapped out of it.

“…Sorry. I think I blacked out for a moment after hearing something so careless.”

“You’re not actually sorry, are you!? You’re totally mocking me, right!?”

“I mean, it’s something you probably should’ve asked before inviting me on a date, don’t you think?”

“…Yeah, I’m really sorry about that!”

Come on, give me a break!

Yuri had been acting strange lately, and I panicked—

Next thing I knew, I was asking her out!

Stuff like “Is it even okay for her to leave campus?”

Totally slipped my mind.

…Yeah. That was careless of me.

As I held my forehead, groaning over my own lack of foresight,

Yuri gave me a small laugh.

“That thoughtless part of you is so typical of my dear husband.”

“…That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“That’s because it wasn’t.”

Yeah, I figured.

“Still, you don’t have to worry about that. No matter what anyone says, I’ll do things the way I want. Even if something happens because I left the academy grounds, I won’t blame you for it, dear husband.”

“…Yeah, well, I’ll be the one blaming myself.”

“In that case—”

Yuri leaned forward a little, looking up at me with a teasing smile.

“Will you protect me, dear husband?”

“…It is a date, after all.”

I mumbled it, partly out of embarrassment—

Which only made her giggle and say, “You’re not very honest, are you?”

And that just made my face even hotter.

So this is what it feels like to be completely wrapped around someone’s finger…

While I was busy frowning at myself,

We hadn’t even reached the main square yet,

But we were already starting to see stalls lining the road.

They were simple setups—just mats laid out with random items like second-hand clothes and chipped plates.

It didn’t look like actual merchants, more like regular folks selling off their old stuff for extra cash.

Pretty sure none of these had a permit…

Still, this kind of thing always had a certain charm—

You never knew when you’d find a hidden gem.

After telling Yuri I wanted to take a quick look,

I crouched down and started browsing through the items.

Let’s see… anything interesting?

Oh—there. That looks promising.

I handed some coins to the old woman selling it and picked up my item.

Just then, Yuri—who’d been watching silently from beside me—looked confused.

“…Why’d you buy something like that?”

“‘Something like that’…?”

Well—yeah, I guess it was kind of just junk.

“Yeah, I mean… it’s basically junk.”

I wiped the item clean with a cloth,

Then gently placed it on Yuri’s face as she leaned in curiously.

“…What’s this all of a sudden?”

“It’s not exactly a disguise, but I figured it might help hide your face a little.”

Yuri gave me a mildly annoyed look from behind the lenses.

It was a pair of glasses—

But they were just empty frames, no lenses at all.

Practically worthless junk, really.

Still, I thought maybe it’d cover her striking features just enough to help her blend in a bit more.

“…Though now that I see it on you, I gotta admit— it kind of brings out a different kind of charm.”

With that elegance of hers mixed with a hint of bookish beauty,

It was just… an overwhelming combo.

“Thinking you could dull my beauty with a single pair of glasses was a bit naive, dear husband.”

“Yeah, well, usually glasses are supposed to make a guy look cooler… But you’re wearing them like it’s nothing and totally pulling it off.”

“Fufu.”

I wasn’t even trying to compliment her,

But she laughed anyway—clearly pleased.

I guess depending on how you heard it, it did sound like praise…

Still, it felt weird.

But yeah—this definitely wasn’t working to hide her face.

I should’ve had her try them on before buying.

Now I was just regretting spending money on a useless pair of lensless glasses.

“…Alright, I’ll come up with something else,” I said, reaching for the frames on her face—

But she quickly dodged.

…Okay, let’s try that again.

I reached out a second time—

Dodged again.

…Why!?

“You don’t really need that, do you?”

“You’re the one who bought it for me, right, dear husband?”

“Well, yeah, but… wait, you want it?”

“Of course I do.”

Yuri touched the glasses and gave them a little tilt up and down.

“And besides, you said they looked good on me, didn’t you?”

“They do…”

“Then it’s mine.”

…That logic made no sense.

Watching Yuri gently stroke the old, lensless frame like it was some kind of treasure

Made her look like a child who just got a toy they’d been begging their parents for.

She was a duke’s daughter—

Someone who probably had access to anything she wanted.

So why was she so happy over a pair of glasses that didn’t even work?

Was it because I gave it to her?

Or was it because I said it looked good on her?

Just thinking about it made my back itch.

I let out a breath, trying to act like it was no big deal.

Whatever the reason… it was kind of embarrassing.

“They sell all kinds of things at the Sunday market, right? Fufu… I can’t wait to see what else you’ll buy me.”

“…Please go easy on me.”

Yuri tugged at my hand, urging me to hurry.

At this point, I really did feel like a parent trying to keep up with a curious kid.

“If I had a kid this energetic, I’d probably collapse.”

“Excuse me? I’m clearly a refined young lady, no matter how you look at me.”

“…Was that supposed to be a joke?”

“…Fufu.”

When I joked back, Yuri’s smile darkened just a little—

So I shut my mouth right away.

…Terrifying.

As she continued to pull me along, the foot traffic grew thicker.

Before long, the town square came into view, lined with colorful stalls.

Even from a distance, the lively atmosphere was obvious.

Yuri narrowed her eyes, taking it all in.

“Well then, dear husband. Would you be so kind as to escort me?”

“At your service, my lady.”

I played along and gave a mock-polite bow,

But Yuri just chuckled and said, “That doesn’t suit you at all.”

Embarrassed, I muttered, “Shut up,” under my breath,

And with that, we stepped into the bustling market together.