26: Feelings

“Julius-sama?”

Emilinne looked up at Julius who had suddenly gotten off his chair.

Julius walked up to Emilinne and wiped her tears with his fingers.

She looked like she did the night before he went onto the battlefield.

“Please don’t cry. There’s no way I would hate you.”

“Do you forgive me, Julius-sama?”

“I don’t need to forgive you or anything. From the beginning, I wasn’t angry with you.” As he stated these words, his expression wasn’t mixed with anger at all.

In the first place, Julius was aware that people saw him as a “woman disguising herself as a man”. He was aware of this ever since he was little.

Of course, it was against his will, and it was also true that he tried his best to fix this misconception.

However, he never resented those who thought he was “a woman disguising herself as man”, nor did he resent the ringleader ── his mother, Elizabeth.

“Of course I was troubled over the fact that you thought I was a woman. But I’ve never hated you for that. One of the reasons why you thought like that was because I also didn’t act like a man. That was why I tried to act more masculine……”

Emilinne was a special woman to Julius, and he was more shocked when she couldn’t recognise him as a man, more so than when others couldn’t. However, he wasn’t discouraged by this and tried his best to act masculine.

“Did you also participate in the war because of this……?”

“Yes, well…… That was a part of it. I thought that people would see me as a man if I achieved excelled achievements in the war.”

“So that’s what you meant when you said those things that night.”

“I wanted achievements so that I can marry you with confidence,” Emilinne finally understood the meaning behind Julius’ words.

“But, I’m really sorry after all. That means that I caused you to take dangerous actions, does it not?”

Emilinne, who had heard Julius’ words, looked apologetic once again and hung her head.

If Julius went to war to dispel any thought she had of him being a woman, then it could be said that the cause of all this was her. Moreover, even after gaining achievements, Emilinne still thought he was a woman, so the dangerous actions he had took weren’t rewarded.

However, Julius shook his head at what Emilinne had said and declared, “You’re wrong.”

“I am?”

Julius’ forceful declaration caused Emilinne to raise her face and stare at him.

“I was the one who decided to go to war, you have no responsibility for that. Even if you were the reason……”

“Even if I were?”

“It’s not your 『fault』, I did it for your『sake』.”

Emilinne was dumbfounded for a moment when Julius said that with a mischievous smile on his face, and then she couldn’t help but smile.

Julius smiled happily when he saw her smile after a long time. She had been depressed this whole time.

“I’m glad, you finally smiled.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your crying face is also charming, but I like your smiling face better.” Julius took the opportunity to say something pretentious and Emilinne turned bright red.

“A-ack…… Don’t tease me, Julius-sama!”

“It’s unthinkable to tease you. These are my true feelings.”

Emilinne, who was red, puffed her cheeks out and pouted. Julius boldly shook his head in an exaggerated way when he answered.

The grim aura from before faded and a gentle aura flowed between them.

“Which reminds me, I would like to ask you a question.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Julius muttered as he remembered something and Emilinne straightened her posture again to listen to him.

“What are your feelings towards me, now that you know that I am a man?”

“My feelings? I already mentioned it earlier, I’m sorry for misunderstand you……”

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant……”

Emilinne once again looked apologetic at Julius’ question.

However, Julius looked at her and shook hastily because that wasn’t what he meant.

Emilinne tilted her head in confusion.

“That’s, what I meant was…… You thought I was a woman until the other day, didn’t you Emilinne? You accepted your engagement with me even though you thought I was a woman.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Has your feelings changed now that you know I’m a man?”

Emilinne got engaged to Julius even though she thought that he was a woman. In other words, she liked woman more than men, so wouldn’t that mean that she wasn’t interested in Julius anymore since she found out he was a man? Julius was worried about that.

He stated clearly and she was finally able to understand what he meant since he looked so serious and worried.

For Emilinne, his doubt was totally unexpected. She quickly stood up and denied it, “N-n-n-no! It’s not like I like you because you’re a woman, Julius-sama! It’s just, I longed for you and I wanted to be together with you even if you’re a woman!”

“La-lady Emilinne?!” Julius was taken aback by Emilinne because she had been red for another reason just a while ago, but now her hands were shaking in the air as she desperately tried to deny this.

When she saw his face, her excitement faded and she returned to her sense.

“Ah…… I, I’m sorry! I panicked.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind…… In order words, you’re fine with being our engagement even if I’m a man?”

“Yes, of course!’

She nodded vigorously. Julius saw this and was relieved, a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had been worried about this the whole time.

And with years of worry lifted off his chest, he made a decision.

He felt his pocket to confirm the item there and looked around the room to confirm the places of the remaining items.

Emilinne was in bed before so she wasn’t wearing them. However, it was place on the side table next to her bed.

“Julius-sama?”

Emilinne was confused as to why Julius was suddenly looking around the room. However, instead of answering, he went to the side table and picked up the items of interest. He approached Emilinne who was still standing in the same place.

“Excuse me.”

“?”

Emilinne still didn’t understand what he was doing.

Julius cut her off with a single word and put the necklace and earrings on her neck and ears.

“Ah, this is……”

The necklace and earrings were her treasures and she wore them a lot. She recognised the familiar feeling of these items and finally realised what Julius was going to do.

“Please let me fulfil the promise I couldn’t that day.” He said and took the ribbon and ring out of his pocket, the same ones he had failed to hand over on the day of the assault.

This was the promise he had made to Emilinne before he went to war.

“Please let me give you this ring and the ribbon that I’d borrowed. And I hope that you would be my partner for life.”

“Ah……”

Julius kneeled in front of Emilinne and presented her the ribbon and ring.

Emilinne wasn’t prepared for this, but she had no reason to refuse his proposal.

“…… Yes!’

She accepted his proposal with her best smile as tears ran down her face.

Julius gently took her left hand when she replied and gently put the ring on her ring finger.

Necklace, earrings and ring. She now wore all three.

It was an ancient marriage rite, and even if they weren’t formally married, from this moment on Emilinne was Julius’ partner for life.

“I’m happy, Julius-sama.”

“So am I, Lady Emilinne.”

Julius stood up and stared at Emilinne, who had just became his life partner, closely.

They had taken a little detour, but they were finally found as lovers. They closed the distance between them while being embarrassed and their shadows eventually became one.

Emilinne lifted her face and closed her eyes while they were hugging tightly.

Julius pulled her face closer to his and their lips eventually touched.

Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam

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