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 09.3: Returning Home with My Fake Fiancée

Chapter 09.3: Returning Home with My Fake Fiancée

“—Dear husband?”

“Wah!?”

Before I realized it, Yuri’s face was right in front of mine, and I nearly jumped out of my seat.

Her bright, round blue eyes filled my entire view, sparkling like sapphires—

And she was so close, I could almost feel her breath on my lips.

I jerked back in my chair on instinct.

The pounding of the rain outside was completely drowned out by the sound of my heartbeat slamming in my chest.

“W-What are you doing!?”

“You weren’t responding even though I called you.”

“Wait, really? …Oh. I guess I didn’t notice.”

If Yuri got that close without me realizing,

I must’ve been more spaced out than I thought.

“Sorry about that, but… still, why were you that close?”

“I figured if you kept ignoring me, I’d just kiss you.”

“Don’t even think about it, Young Lady. Show some self-restraint.”

I averted my gaze as she playfully traced her finger along her bottom lip,

Then reached out and gently pushed her forehead to put some distance between us.

“Fufu, so cruel.”

“Why do you sound happy about that?”

Yuri giggled while rubbing her forehead, clearly enjoying herself, and I could only sigh in disbelief.

Once she sat back down in the chair I’d moved beside mine—so we could read the letter together—I turned my attention back to the envelope I was still holding.

I’d gripped it too tightly.

The paper was crumpled now, and my palms were damp with nervous sweat.

The fact that I hadn’t noticed any of that until now told me everything—

I was way more nervous than I’d thought.

“No matter how many times I read it… it really is about a new gold vein.”

That said, it was still under investigation.

They didn’t know how much could actually be mined yet, so it hadn’t been officially announced to the public.

“And yet somehow, the news still got out.”

“Don’t underestimate a noble’s information network. From scandalous affairs between neighboring lords to runaway pet cats—they know everything.”

“What are they, back-alley detectives?”

Seriously, it was way too nosy.

Then again, nobles were always craving entertainment.

No matter how much they dressed themselves up in shiny jewels and fancy clothes,

Deep down, they weren’t all that different from commoners.

Petty, shallow, and always eager to gossip about someone.

“…Kinda makes you worry for the future of the country.”

“Fufu. Are you saying you’re interested in becoming king?”

“Okay, now you’re just saying scary things.”

I let out a sigh, overwhelmed by Yuri’s usual fearlessness—

Not even the royal family was safe from her casual remarks.

Without realizing it, I was shaking the now-wrinkled letter in my hand.

This was already happening.

There was nothing I could do to stop it now.

Still… for the Ryule Viscount family, this was a massive deal.

It could completely change the course of my life.

A turning point that had dropped out of nowhere—

And neither my head nor my heart had caught up to it yet.

“I guess… it’s supposed to be good luck.”

“Most territories are seeing less and less ore each year. So discovering a new vein—especially one with gold—is nothing short of a miracle. There’s no shortage of ways to put that to use.”

“…It still doesn’t feel real.”

“I think you should be way happier about this, you know? Like, ‘Wahaha! I’m the king now! Kneel before me, peasants!’ or something.”

“That’s not happy. That’s just drunk with power.”

Still sitting in her chair, Yuri struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips.

Maybe for a duke’s daughter, discovering a gold mine wasn’t a big deal.

But watching her act the same as always—

It kind of took the edge off.

Made all my worrying feel a bit silly.

…Wait. Was she doing that on purpose to help me calm down?

“You’ve been staring. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me… you’ve fallen for me all over again?”

“I haven’t fallen for you in the first place, so there’s nothing to fall back into.”

“Oh come on, you’re totally smitten.”

Yeah, not even close.

She was definitely just messing with me.

Still… I did feel a lot calmer now.

“…Thanks.”

“Hm? Fufu, what’s this? Getting all polite all of a sudden?”

“Just figured I should say it.”

“I’d prefer a love confession, personally.”

“Yes yes, I love you, I love you~”

“That was way too light.”

I chuckled at Yuri’s pouty lips.

Despite everything…

Maybe I really did enjoy these easygoing back-and-forths with her.

“Well, I guess I have no choice. I should head home… to the estate.”

“You sound like a poor wife who’s had enough of her married life.”

“Who’re you calling a poor wife who finally snapped at her arrogant husband?”

I’m a guy, thank you very much.

“But still… so you’re really going back for a bit?”

“Yeah. Just reading a letter doesn’t make it feel real, and I’ve got no idea what’s actually happening over there. If things have changed enough… there might not even be a reason for me to stay at the academy. Either way, I should probably show my face at least once— …What’s wrong?”

Yuri stopped smiling all of a sudden.

Her eyes widened in shock.

The teasing glint she always had just a moment ago completely disappeared.

Now she was staring at me like I’d just said something unthinkable.

The shift was so sudden, it threw me off.

“…You’re going to leave the academy?”

“Huh? Oh—well, I don’t know for sure yet. I’m just saying it could happen.”

Honestly, the reason I enrolled here in the first place was simple—money.

I needed a good job, something stable enough to rebuild the crumbling Ryule Viscount house.

So my little sister wouldn’t be forced into a political marriage.

For all that, I needed money.

And if this gold mine really changed everything…

Then I wouldn’t have any reason to cling to academy life anymore.

“My father got caught up in a bunch of stuff over the gold mine. He hasn’t even been handling estate matters properly. My mother’s acting as the stand-in for now, and my sister’s helping too, but… I’m still worried.”

“I see… so that’s how it is…”

“Y-Yuri?”

Just like that, it was as if a blooming flower suddenly wilted.

Shaaa…

The sound of the rain, which hadn’t bothered me until now, suddenly felt loud—almost painfully so.

…Did I say something wrong?

“If it’s about the fake engagement, I mean… even if I leave the academy, we can still—”

“When are you planning to go home?”

“Huh?”

I started to explain, but Yuri cut me off mid-sentence, her voice quiet yet firm.

She lifted her head, and when our eyes met, there was an intensity in her gaze that made my heart skip.

“Uh, I haven’t really decided yet. Maybe sometime soon?”

“Then decide.”

“You’re kinda springing this on me, you know.”

“Just do it.”

“…Okay.”

There was something so overwhelming in her tone that I couldn’t do anything but nod.

Before I knew it, I was being swept along by her momentum—

Even deciding on the exact day and time I’d head back home.

It wasn’t like any of this actually concerned her…

But there was no room to say that.

“…Alright, got it.”

With a nod, Yuri stood from her seat.

She picked up the umbrella she’d left resting on the back of the chair,

Opened it with a practiced motion, and gave me a simple parting line—

“Take care, dear husband.”

And with that, she walked off.

Now only the rain remained, falling steadily beyond the roof of the garden.

The only things left behind were me—completely lost for words—

And our now-cold tea.

“…Ah. The umbrella.”

It wasn’t until Yuri’s white umbrella had disappeared from sight

That I remembered she was the one who’d covered me from the rain on the way here.

Guess I’m walking back soaked.

Just a little more time before the dorm matron yells at me.

◆◆◆

A few days passed.

And then, early in the morning—three days later.

The sky was perfectly clear, as if the downpour from a few days ago had never happened.

A bright blue stretched endlessly overhead, not a single cloud in sight.

It was the kind of crisp morning that could clear your mind completely—

So why did I feel so utterly miserable?

Well… I knew exactly why.

Right outside the academy gates, standing gracefully beside an elegant carriage,

Was a silver-haired duke’s daughter.

Yuri.

She smiled gently and gave a small wave beside her perfectly composed face.

Maybe it was the lingering effects of getting drenched the other day,

But I suddenly felt chills running through me.

Really cold.

Sweat even started to break out on my back.

“…What are you doing here?”

“As your fiancée, it’s only natural I greet your parents, don’t you think?”

I didn’t even have the energy to respond with my usual “It’s fake, though.”

I was heading home because something big had happened—

And yet somehow I was also dragging along a duke’s daughter with me.

If that’s not a walking disaster, I don’t know what is.

But even if I told her not to come,

It’s not like Yuri would listen anyway.

“Haaah…”

“That was a pretty dramatic sigh. You know, they say sighing chases away your happiness.”

If that were true, then I probably didn’t have any happiness left to lose.

Ever since I met Yuri, I’d sighed more times than I could count.

This trip home was definitely going to be a noisy one.

With that vague feeling—or maybe it was a certainty—I ended up heading back to my estate with Yuri by my side.

…Still not sure how it came to this.

◆ End of Chapter 9 ◆

To be continued.