An Improper Invitation From An Important Woman

“Jo… Jonah, what is this…?”

The person he bumped into was the woman who had first noticed Jonah, who had first praised him, the one who mattered more than anyone else—Marguerite Hagenberg.

“Ah… La—Lady Marguerite—…”

He had also been forcefully invited by Patricia, but the main reason Jonah—who had at first refused—decided to go to the Imperial Capital was the faint hope that he might be able to meet Marguerite Hagenberg again.

Even though he had been reunited with the important woman, and should have been joyful from the bottom of his heart, Jonah couldn’t find the words he wanted to say.

But a situation occurred that left no time to dwell on that.

“Ah… aaaahhh…!”

“…!? Lady Marguerite?”

As if a dam had burst, Marguerite began to shed large, heavy tears from her crimson eyes.

She had been thinking of him the whole time.

She had met him in the town of Zwerg; he was the one who had saved her respected father, their estate, and her own heart—Jonah.

A boy more wonderful than anyone else in this world, with fleetingly beautiful onyx eyes.

But he had vanished from before Marguerite’s eyes.

Without exchanging any words of farewell, without even being allowed to.

And now that Jonah stood before her.

“Jonah… Jonah… I wanted to see you… I wanted to see you so much…”

“Ah…”

Marguerite leapt into Jonah’s chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

Jonah, bewildered and unsure what to do, could at least say this.

Two months had passed since he parted from Marguerite.

She had thought of him so much even after he had disappeared.

That someone who had long been called a failure… a worthless fool, could be thought of so dearly by her.

“Th-that… I wanted to see you too…”

Jonah had sealed his heart, giving up because he had only one year left to live.

But now those tears—Marguerite’s hot tears soaking into his shirt—pried that lid open.

“Uuuu… waaaahhhhh…!”

Before he knew it, Jonah was holding Marguerite and sobbing just like her.

He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. In nine months he would die. Therefore, he should disappear from her sight immediately.

Those thoughts raced through his head, but Jonah couldn’t resist. He couldn’t fight it.

Because he had come to know Marguerite’s gentle warmth—someone who cared for him so dearly and shed tears for him.

Jonah could no longer… let go of this warmth.

◇

“…So then, why did you suddenly disappear?”

“……………………”

Jonah had finally stopped crying, but in the middle of the Imperial Palace corridor he was being interrogated by Marguerite, who had also stopped sobbing.

Naturally, while sitting properly in seiza.

“I-it’s not that I was lonely, you know? But still, Jonah and I are, uh… important… friends, aren’t we?”

Carried away by impulse to say ‘lover’, Marguerite hurriedly corrected herself.

Of course she had been thinking that ideally she wanted to marry Jonah in the future. She had even already conveyed that wish to her father, Duke Hagenberg.

Then, the first thing to do was to become engaged to Jonah.

If left alone, the boy before her might leave without a word like that time. She had to block his escape route so he couldn’t run away even a little.

And yet, at this point Marguerite had wavered.

A wave of regret washed over her heart, wondering why she had done such a thing.

Meanwhile.

“E-ehehe…”

Despite being interrogated in seiza, Jonah smiled bashfully with happiness.

He couldn’t hide his joy at Marguerite telling him and showing him that he was someone important to her.

“C-come on! Are you even listening?”

“Ah… of-of course I am! But, ehehe…”

Jonah’s face inevitably broke into a smile.

Marguerite wanted to press Jonah further, but seeing that expression she found herself unable to say anything, and instead her cheeks flushed.

“R-really, Jonah is unfair…”

“Th-that’s not true, you know?”

“No! Jonah is unfair! …So please, escort me.”

Marguerite had attended with the faint hope of meeting Jonah, but the real purpose was Patricia’s celebratory banquet for the White Dragon’s defeat. In that case, it was proper for a man to escort a woman.

More than that, she wanted to spend today with Jonah. Marguerite blushed and extended her right hand… but.

“W-well…”

Yes… Jonah was here because he had run away from the banquet.

He didn’t want to face Duke Langheim, whom he had once called father.

So, the hand he truly wanted to hold, Jonah could not take.

Then.

“Eh…?”

“Hmm, could it be that Jonah dislikes parties?”

She didn’t know the reason why Jonah disliked the banquet.

But Marguerite immediately understood when she saw Jonah’s sad expression.

It wasn’t the party itself but something more that was causing her beloved Jonah to suffer.

So, hoping to lift Jonah’s spirits even a little, she embraced him gently.

Whether such a thing would bring him back to his usual self, she didn’t know.

Even so, Marguerite couldn’t help but hold him.

Praying that Jonah’s sorrow might be saved.

And then.

“In that case, shall we go somewhere together now?”

Saying that, Marguerite gave a mischievous smile.