The moment Sidis kissed her fingers, Lyse recalled her past life. Memories of seeing other people’s engagement rituals. Back then, she’d dreamed of getting engaged and having one for herself, but she’d thought it impossible since being reborn in Olwen...
Lyse held her breath. The brushing of lips against her fingertips was much more ticklish than she expected. She flinched reflexively, but she would have to return the gesture next.
Yet before that, Sidis had to go and say something incredibly embarrassing: “Even your nails are dainty and beautiful...”
“What?!”
That’s impossible! Despite Lyse’s internal disbelief, the knight was staring at her fingers, entranced. He cannot be serious... She was aghast.
“Now, you do the same thing. That will complete the spell,” Sidis urged.
Lyse steeled herself. She’d never even thought of kissing a man’s fingertips before...but if she had to do it for the ritual to work, then she would. She quickly pulled Sidis’s hand close, touching his fingers to her lips before she had a chance to rethink things.
A single second—that was all it took for her to be overwhelmed with the feeling of gears shifting into place. But at the same time, the sensation of another human’s skin on her lips mortified her. She hurriedly pulled away...only to find Sidis smiling at her. She thought her cheeks might burst into crimson flames.
What was going on? Sidis looked genuinely happy to be engaged to her. It was unbelievably embarrassing.
As she burned with such feelings, he said, “As promised, if we’re able to resolve the emperor’s condition during our stay, you’ll be given the choice of nullifying our engagement. If not, however, we shall ask that you accompany us back to the empire for a formal wedding. Until then, I’d like for you to think about whether you’d prefer it to be with me...or Alcede.”
With a small sigh, Sidis slid a lock of Lyse’s light brown hair between his fingers. As she sat shocked by the sweet gesture, he made to leave the dressing room.
“Um, Sir Sidis!” she called in a rush to stop him. “I understand that this marriage is because of the mana I possess, but there’s something important I need to tell you...”
If Lyse would be forced into marrying imperial nobility, there was one thing they absolutely had to know.
“While it’s true that I was born to the Winslette barony, the current baron is not my father, but my uncle. And because our territory isn’t terribly well off, I could never ask him to pay a dowry for someone who isn’t his own daughter. As such, I had planned to stay unmarried. If you were to wed a woman like me just because I have mana, your social standing would...”
Lyse hoped that bringing up such a practical concern might get him to reconsider. No one wanted to marry a woman without a dowry—especially one who wasn’t in good standing with her own family.
But when he heard this, Sidis stepped back toward Lyse and took both of her hands.
“Huh?!” she squeaked.
“You needn’t worry about a dowry, Qa...Miss Lyse. If we are wed, it will be after we return to the empire. We shall pay for your clothing, living expenses, the ceremony—everything. All you need to bring is yourself for the wedding. Don’t worry about a thing. Not even about your family. I’ll see that everything is to your satisfaction. Should any issue arise, we can always cut ties with them.”
All I need to bring is me?!
Lyse’s eyes went wide. Why in the world would Sidis go so far for someone he’d only just met? She couldn’t believe it was all just because she had mana. Sidis seemed to realize she was wavering.
“You’re still worried, are you?” he remarked, releasing one of her hands and raising his fingertips to her face. “We are the ones who got you into this, forcing you into an engagement against your will. Still, I promise you this: I will work my hardest to ease your doubts about the situation.”
After stroking Lyse’s cheek, he finally left the dressing room.
“Sir Sid—” she started, but stopped short when she realized that if she followed him, they would be back in front of the emperor and Alcede. This was far too embarrassing a conversation to have with an audience.
And so she backed down despite her misgivings, but the situation still didn’t sit right with her. Unfortunately, the opportunity to ask anything else never arose. After a quick rundown of her duties as a lady-in-waiting, Lyse was sent back to her own room.