TWFLLYM Ch 123

Side Story: Other People's Love Stories (1)

[Elona] "Lady Roserikta!"

Elona returned from her outing. Once again, both her hands overflowed with baby supplies. One full room in the palace already contained nothing but items for the unborn child, but Elona always bought more, acting as if that room were empty.

[Elona] "They told me this is cutlery for a baby. Just look at this adorable rabbit pattern. Isn't it absolutely cute?"

The silver fork and knife, crafted uniquely to fit a baby's tiny hand, were undeniably beautiful. The problem lay in the fact that they were just as expensive as they were useless for a newborn.

[Roserikta] "Lady Elona. It will take at least five years before the baby can even use these."

[Elona] "Then the baby can just use them five years from now!"

[Roserikta] "My point is that you could have bought them as a gift five years later. In fact, you don't need to give any more gifts. You have already given far too much."

[Elona] "You mustn't say that! Do you have any idea what I went through just to buy these!"

She spoke with a thick, stuffy voice, sounding on the verge of tears. She had wept only once before, on the day Roserikta returned from the Witches' Kingdom. She was not the type of person to cry over trivial matters.

Realizing something serious had occurred, Roserikta quickly patted the space beside her on the couch.

[Roserikta] "Sit down here first, Lady Elona."

[Elona] "Sob…… It is an honor, Lady Roserikta."

Tears genuinely welled up in her eyes. Roserikta, who had been drinking tea, handed over a clean, unused napkin.

[Elona] "Thank you, Lady Roserikta."

She blew her nose loudly.

[Roserikta] "What is troubling you so much?"

[Elona] "Well, it's like this……."

Elona had received permission for a day off to match Arad's rest day. The two went down to the capital city, took a walk along the riverbank, and enjoyed delicious cake and tea together. Afterward, they stopped by the shopping district to pick up the baby items Elona had ordered in advance.

The trouble started right there.

[Elona] "Sir Arad repeatedly insisted that he would pay the bill!"

She found his behavior utterly ridiculous. While it remained a fact that a knight of the Royal Guard earned a more generous wage compared to other jobs of the same rank, it didn't mean he possessed enough wealth to casually buy expensive, custom silver pieces for others. Arad undoubtedly intended to drain his entire savings.

[Elona] "I asked him why he wanted to push himself so hard when there was no need for it, but he stubbornly refused to listen."

She gladly accepted when he bought her cake and tea. A knight's monthly salary easily covered those expenses. Anything beyond that was unnecessary.

[Elona] "I mean, this is my personal gift to the baby, isn't it? Why must he force his way into it and strain his finances? When I flatly told him to stop, he claimed that watching me pay for everything made him feel completely incompetent and useless. Goodness, does that make any sense at all?"

[Roserikta] "Mmm……."

Since it involved an issue between lovers, Roserikta carefully held back her comments.

[Elona] "True incompetence and uselessness mean wasting even your tiny, miserable savings out of reckless pride. I am simply spending my own money, so why must he act that way?"

Their exchange escalated into a fierce argument. Elona firmly paid the bill for the silver cutlery and returned to Kiriyen Castle alone, leaving a furious Arad behind.

[Elona] "Still, my heart feels heavy."

She pressed the napkin against both eyes.

[Elona] "I've never once demanded that Sir Arad overextend himself. I can't comprehend why he acts so stubbornly."

[Roserikta] "Mmm…… I see."

Roserikta had never experienced a conflict regarding money with Kalart, so she had no perfect advice to offer. Yet, she understood the knight's perspective.

[Roserikta] "Even between lovers, viewpoints can differ. Sir Arad probably wanted to give you absolutely everything within his power."

[Elona] "Then he should offer things that are actually within his power! Like securing an extra day off. I don't understand why he insists on spending money. I wanted so badly to buy this cute silver fork for the baby. He completely ruined that joy for me."

[Roserikta] "I agree. It would be wonderful if Sir Arad looked at this from a different angle."

[Elona] "Right?"

Elona wiped her nose one more time and composed her face. Looking proudly at the fork engraved with the rabbit's face, a bright smile returned to her lips as if she had never cried at all.

[Elona] "How happy I will be every time our baby grips this rabbit fork with a tiny hand to eat."

Following her words, Roserikta imagined the unborn child holding a fork and eating independently, which brought a warm feeling to her chest. Roserikta smiled softly.

[Roserikta] "I am sure you will be."

When Lady Elona has a baby in the future, I must gift her silver tableware as well.

[Roserikta] "Where do you order things like this?"

[Elona] "Ah, there is a silversmith guild. You schedule an appointment to visit first, and then……."

Her mood lifted instantly. Elona sat side by side with Roserikta, sharing a pleasant time as they chatted comfortably.

---

Meanwhile, Arad was venting his distress over the same issue to those around him.

[Arad] "It is an absolute nightmare to experience this every single time. Standing a step behind and watching blankly while your lover buys something."

Lady Elona was a flawless lover. She was cute, affectionate, fierce, passionate, fun, and highly intelligent. Furthermore, she came from an excellent family and possessed a large inheritance. She had everything.

Deep down, he worried about that reality.

[Arad] "Who could ever refuse such a woman? Yet, she chose me as her lover out of all people. She is someone who could marry into a high noble family without any shame. If I perform well, I might receive the title of Baronet eventually, but that is……."

[Eaton] "Ahem, hum!"

At the mention of the Baronet title, Baronet Eaton cleared his throat loudly. Becoming the Captain of the Royal Guard traditionally brought the title of Baronet. It represented the highest success an ordinary citizen could achieve. Arad's words essentially meant he wanted Eaton's current position.

As Eaton glared at him while coughing, Arad hurriedly added to his statement.

[Arad] "Well, that will take an incredibly long time. At least after the Captain retires. In any case, I am a man with no wealth and little significance, yet I can't even buy the things my lover desires. That is why I fixed my mind on paying the bill myself this time, no matter what."

Arad let out a heavy sigh that seemed to drain his entire strength.

Klein sat on the floor in front of the sofa, sharing dried cheese with Clobellina, who had come to visit the room with the snack cupboard after a long time. Klein scratched his chin.

[Klein] "I apologize, but I know nothing about romance……."

Arad nodded gloomily.

[Arad] "Aren't you the most intelligent person in the imperial palace, Secretary Klein? Can you at least tell me how to make peace after a fight with your lover?"

[Klein] "Does that not vary wildly depending on the person? Everyone is different. Clobell, do you have any words of wisdom to offer?"

As for Clobellina, she was a cat who considered human romance worth less than a fraction of the dried cheese she currently chewed.

[Clobell] "Asking a cat about human romance? This human has entirely lost his mind."

[Klein] "Ah, now that you mention it, that's true. But you are so clever, Clobell, it feels like you know everything."

Compliments, however, moved her heart. With a proud expression, she swallowed the cheese she was chewing.

[Clobell] "Fine, I shall give you a piece of advice."

[Klein] "Oh, Sir Arad. Clobell says she has something to say. Listen carefully."

Arad nodded, lowering himself onto the floor to sit opposite Clobellina.

[Arad] "Tell me, Clobell. What on earth should I do?"

Surprisingly, she offered completely objective advice. It was a cold clarity that only a cat viewing human romance as trivial could possess.

[Clobell] "First of all, there is no cure for your poverty."

[Arad] "Ah……."

His shoulders slumped.

[Clobell] "It's not like you can suddenly change your life right now. Will you quit being a knight and start a business? Is there any guarantee you will succeed? And is there any guarantee Elona will like you as a merchant more than she likes you as a knight?"

[Arad] "Uh, well…… I don't possess any talent for business."

[Clobell] "Exactly. A person must live according to who they are. Besides, Elona never demanded that you pay for her."

[Arad] "The fact that she doesn't demand it is exactly the problem. I want to be a cool man who presents splendid gifts to his lover without hesitation."

[Clobell] "Again, how do you expect to spend money you don't have?"

[Arad] "That is why I saved money by mending and wearing socks with holes instead of throwing them away."

Hearing that, Klein and Eaton clicked their tongues in pity, while Clobellina raised her front paw and smacked Arad's leg hard.

[Clobell] "Wake up! Wealth is not your strength! How can you even compare your money to the wealth Elona possesses?"

[Arad] "That—that's true, but I want to do my best for Lady Elona……."

[Clobell] "Think about your actual strengths. Why did Elona start dating you in the first place?"

[Arad] "My strengths…… um……."

He hesitated to speak. His confidence had been thoroughly shattered during the argument. He couldn't think of a single reason why Elona loved him.

[Clobell] "Think carefully. There must be something she praised about you."

[Arad] "Uh, well…… she mentioned she liked that I am still dense and innocent compared to how much dating experience she has……."

[Clobell] "That makes sense. What else?"

[Arad] "There is something else…… um, she said she liked that I am incredibly strong."

[Clobell] "What else?"

[Arad] "That I am tall?"

Elona had mentioned that lifting her feet during a kiss was inconvenient, but she loved how it looked. Because of those words, Arad lifted her into the air every time they kissed. That was when she told him she loved his strength.

[Arad] "She also said she liked that I am still young, and…… well, while I don't earn a massive fortune, she likes that my profession brings great honor. Since we work in the same place, she also considers seeing each other every day a wonderful thing."

[Clobell] "Then you have your answer. Just hone the qualities you actually possess."

[Arad] "But those are such simple things."

[Clobell] "Tsk, tsk…… you still don't get it. Having even one strong quality is a blessing. Elona loves you precisely because you possess those traits."

Klein, who had been listening silently, clapped his hands.

[Klein] "That sounds like a profoundly wise truth, Sir Arad."

[Arad] "Is it really?"

[Klein] "Yes. Just as Clobell stated, you aren't going to switch careers to become a merchant right now, are you?"

[Arad] "I suppose not……."

Eaton, realizing that Arad didn't actually harbor a greedy desire for his position, patted the younger knight's shoulder.

[Eaton] "This advice comes from the two smartest minds in the imperial palace. You have nothing to lose by following it."

[Arad] "Still, I…… ……No, you are absolutely right! Yes, I will do that."

He pondered Clobellina's advice and nodded firmly. Though he remained unaware of it, these exact traits formed the charm that captured Elona's heart. Beneath his image as a fierce, dedicated knight, he possessed a gentle and pure nature.

[Arad] "Then I shall go and ask Lady Elona for her forgiveness."

[Eaton] "Go on, bring out your best."

[Klein] "Have a safe trip, Sir Arad."

[Clobell] "Stop talking nonsense about money. Just drop to your knees and tell her you can't live without her."

Receiving the support of two men and one cat, Arad squared his shoulders with effort and went to find Elona.

---

The two met at their usual location. The secret corridor used by the servants remained safe and completely hidden today, offering a space free from interruptions.

[Arad] "Lady Elona."

[Elona] "Yes, Sir Arad."

Because resentment still lingered between them, Elona stood two steps away with her arms crossed.

Strengths. She told me to use my existing strengths.

Elona had told him she loved his face, his muscular and solid body, and his excellent kissing skills. Yes, that was it.

[Arad] "As you know, I don't possess much wealth."

[Elona] "I don't understand why you suddenly bring that up again. I've never once felt disappointed by that fact. Furthermore, I believe it is entirely wrong to say you don't possess much."

[Arad] "Yes, I know that. I simply……."

[Elona] "Simply what?"

He bit his lip for a moment before speaking.

[Arad] "I wanted to become a lover you could show off proudly to anyone."

Elona uncrossed her arms. Hearing this young, handsome, physically fit man with a bright future express such worries filled her heart with absolute tenderness and affection.

[Elona] "Sir Arad. I've always felt proud that you are my lover. Everyone envies me, you know."

[Arad] "If you say so…… I shall believe it."

He finally summoned his courage and closed the distance between them. Leaning down toward Elona, he spoke in a murmur.

[Arad] "And I recently received some wise advice. Would you care to listen to it for a moment?"

His expression shifted entirely. He wore a teasing, alluring look that subtly hurried her, the exact face he made whenever they were entirely alone, doing the things only lovers could do.

She swallowed hard.

[Elona] "What kind of…… advice was it?"