“Liliane! P-Please marry me!” Torre was proposing to Liliane, something we’d already heard countless times. Even Lord Nazel had an expression that seemed to say, Oh, this again?
Torre would propose to Liliane at every opportunity and get rejected every time. Liliane felt guilty about everything that had happened so far, and although she showed signs of caring about Torre, she hadn’t responded positively to his proposals. It was like she thought of this as her punishment for the crimes she’d committed. It seemed that this had remained the same even now that she’d been released from prison. Torre and Liliane’s relationship had loosened up compared to the beginning. In fact, Liliane seemed to also be opening her heart to Torre, which was exactly what made their relationship so frustrating to watch. At first, I’d made it a rule not to interfere, but I’d gradually started wanting to help them out.
“If only she’d just get married already and stop caring about the fact she tried to stab me. I was fine in the end, and her testimony against Robin helped us out,” Lord Nazel leisurely muttered.
“How about you just tell her that?”
“I’ve casually said it, but she stubbornly denied it, saying ‘That won’t do. This is my problem.’”
“Oh dear. But that is to be expected.” Liliane was very strong-willed, or rather stubborn. But I also felt sorry for Torre, whose proposals kept getting turned down because of her guilt. Even though the two of them have such good chemistry. That was what made this so frustrating. Wasn’t there anything we could do about it?
“Aah, goo...” Solis’s voice called me back to reality from my thoughts. It looked like he’d gotten sleepy this time. He was in a crawling position with his eyes drooping.
“Oh, I guess it’s about time for Solis’s midday nap.” Lord Nazel picked up Solis, who was about to lose his balance. Solis was a calm boy and not shy at all, so he simply dozed off in Lord Nazel’s arms. “He fell asleep. How adorable.”
“He really is.”
“When I hold him like this, I realize just how wonderful family is.”
“Me too.” This was because we were fortunate enough to have met each other. There were families like the House of Evantail too, though...
“It’s none of my business, but I think Torre and Liliane would make a wonderful family.”
“Yes, I feel like those two will make for a great couple that cherishes each other. If there is some special impetus that will convince Liliane, will Torre’s proposal be successful? It may be difficult to convince her right now, but...I feel like things would turn out well with just one more push.”
“I agree. But unless it’s some overbearing method, like an order from above like in our case, I feel like Liliane will keep refusing until the end.”
“Should I try ordering her like Princess Mia did with me?”
“No.”
While we were talking, Torre and Liliane came walking toward us. The two of them were talking while looking at each other, until they finally noticed Lord Nazel and me.
“Lord Nazelbart! Lady Agnes!” Torre cheerfully started walking up to us, and Liliane came running. But as they advanced while looking ahead of them, they both lost their balance together in a certain spot.
Ah! That’s where Solis changed the ground with his magic! It seemed that the soil had become so soft that they’d ended up tripping. The culprit, Solis, was sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was going on.
Liliane screamed as she collapsed onto Torre. He quickly tried to support her, but one of his legs sank into the earth, so they collapsed to the ground together face up. I doubted they were injured since they’d fallen onto soft ground, but Torre’s position made it look like he’d been pushed down by Liliane. Liliane came to her senses first and looked desperate as she apologized to Torre amid her confusion. As for Torre...with Liliane leaning on him and having pushed him down, he was frozen in bliss, his face red as a beet.
“Wh-What happened?” I said in surprise.
When Liliane saw us, she started apologizing in her confusion.
“M-M-M-My sincerest apologies! H-How immodest of me.”
“I understand the situation, so calm down, Liliane,” Lord Nazel told her.
However, Liliane remained flustered. She’d undergone a strict education as a noblewoman, so she was completely unaccustomed to the opposite sex. Even when she’d gotten close to Master Robin, they had apparently not done much more than talk and hold hands. The same was true when it came to Torre. Liliane probably couldn’t maintain her presence of mind in a situation like this.
“Yes, you don’t really know what to do here,” I said, earning a firm nod from Liliane.
My education at the House of Evantail had given me strict instructions when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. There were countless rules about social interactions with men, such as only speaking to them while maintaining at least a certain distance, or having no contact besides greeting them. I hadn’t taken those rules all that seriously since I’d been opposed to my house’s policies, but apparently Liliane had been more affected; it seemed that most of those rules were still in her head.
After thinking about it, I came up with something good.
“Liliane, I’ve come up with a great idea.”
Liliane looked at me as if seeking salvation.
“Now that things have turned out like this...you should take responsibility and get married to Torre.”
“Agnes?! What are you saying?!” Lord Nazel looked astonished.
“It’s perfect, isn’t it? You two are mutually in love, after all.”
Liliane stood up as she listened to my suggestion, clearly confused as her eyes darted around restlessly.
“But that would be an inconvenience to Master Torre,” she said.
“It would be no such thing!” It seemed that Torre was back with us after his consciousness had flown away into a world of happiness. He properly replied to my suggestion of their marriage and Liliane’s words.
“But Master Torre...” Liliane, now standing, looked down guiltily at Torre, who was sitting up.
“Just like I’ve said again and again, I want to get married to you, Liliane! If you don’t hate me, I’d like you to take responsibility and be my wife!” Torre’s loud voice was undoubtedly echoing across the entire estate.
Oh, he’s taking advantage of my suggestion. That wasn’t like him at all, but he must have been that desperate.
“I love you, Liliane! Please marry me!”
“Responsibility, I have to take responsibility... Ah, but...”
Maybe they needed one more push.
“You love Torre, don’t you, Liliane?” I said.
“Well...”
“This is important. Please answer me.” I leaned forward, and Liliane nodded her head in resignation.
“I do...” Her voice was tiny, but she did reply.
It seemed that Torre, whose ears were sharp when it came to Liliane’s voice, also heard her, and his eyes started tearing up with joy.
“Then you two should hurry up and get engaged. This is an order from the margravine,” I said.
Liliane was the one who looked absent-minded this time.
“Umm, illicit sexual relations before your wedding are forbidden in our estate. Come to me for advice only if things aren’t working out between you two,” I emphasized to her as she stood frozen. I was a bit forceful, but this was fine. “We’ll return to the manor then.” Lord Nazel and I headed back inside with Solis. The maids would clean up the blanket we’d laid out and everything else.
When I discreetly looked behind me, Torre and Liliane were discussing something, both of their faces flushed red. From the looks of it, nothing bad was going on.
“That was quite a forceful statement coming from you, Agnes. I was honestly surprised.”
I looked up at Lord Nazel with Solis in my arms.
“I tried imitating Princess Mia, but I was actually quite nervous...”
“I think it was perfect for those two. Besides, no matter how you behave, you’re nothing like former Princess Mia. After all, you did this for their sake. Good job.”
I gently leaned against Lord Nazel.