"Darling....

　Erica was looking at me with hot, wet eyes.

　I was getting a little nervous.

　A girl as beautiful as Erica is giving me priceless favors.
　She's approaching me like she was born.

　No doubt I'll be excited, no doubt I'll be happy.

　But I'm...
　I move in slowly.

"Ah...

　With a happy face, I hung my undressed clothes on Erica, who closed her eyes and turned her face upwards.

''What...?''

　Erica opens her eyes.
　Disappointment and trepidation.

　An expression of two mixed emotions was on her face.

'Why....'
'I know Erica is serious about it. So I'm going to take it seriously, too.
Seriously...?
I still don't like Erica.

　I could almost hear a garnish.
　Erica's expression did.

　She was overcome with despair and abandoned by everything in the world.

　Such a face.

'Oh no, no, that's not what I meant, I mean, don't be so quick to blame me, but my words weren't quite right either.'
What?
'Sometimes we have fun together, and I like it when we're friends. I don't hate you. But not as a lover.
Isn't it?
Yeah, no.

　I nodded clearly.
　This is not the time to cheat or anything like that.
　I thought it was time to say it loud and clear.

'Well...'
'I don't think it's right to be in a relationship like that under those conditions. Erica doesn't want me to be just a marriage partner, does she?
Of course!

　Erica nodded loudly, with enough force to bite.

　The nobility - well, Erica was a queen, royalty.
　For a nobleman, you don't necessarily have to curry favor with your marriage partner.

　Rather, it is the right marriage between noblemen to divide them up and use their connection to the other's house to take advantage of each other.

　This is also reflected in a series of ceremonies.
　The best example of this is when, on the wedding night, a grandmother or someone around her household brings out a sheet with the blood of a broken pumpkin and exposes it to the public, thus strengthening the bond between the two innocent people as if they had been joined together.

　There is no love there, there is no need.
　Just clerical.

　It would be, but Erica would never want it to be.

'So no, not now. I can't have Erica.
....

　I said what I wanted to say.

　This is something I feel because I'm starting to feel for Erica, in no small part, because I'm starting to like her.
　I hope that comes across.

　A silence passes.
　After doing so for a few minutes or so, Erica quietly picked up the clothes she had taken off and slowly put them back on.

　Then, after putting it all on - after she had returned to the way she looked when she walked into the room.

'I'm sorry, darling,'

　He apologized.

'No, don't apologize. I'm the one who's sorry for embarrassing you.
'No, I know what you mean, darling. Erica, I was in too much of a hurry. You're right, that's not what you want, Erica.

　The fact that I withdrew here made my favorability towards Erika increase a little more.
　There are people in the world, both men and women, who think that once they have a physical relationship, the rest is just a matter of time.

　It's not surprising that people in Erika's position would think that they could achieve their goals without having to resort to any means.
　In fact, I almost did.

　I'm secretly glad you didn't think of that.
　I think it's great that you can push and pull.
　I looked at Erica a little, well, quite a bit.

　That Erica was desperate and mournful or moist from earlier.
I threw off those airs and smiled brightly, as usual.

'Then I'll try harder and harder to get my darling to like me.
Okay.

　I smiled a little and nodded a little.
　Yeah, this kind of expression suits Erica better.

'It would be nice if you did. Because this kind of thing should come from a guy.
Aang!

　Erica suddenly jerked and wiggled with her shoulders, as if she'd been struck by lightning.

'Duh, what's the matter?'
"Darling, it's cool!　I'm in love with Erica again.
Yeah.
I still love my darling!

　Erica hugged me.
　It was different from the one before, a crisp, pure outpouring of fondness.

　I'm okay with this, I thought, and I accepted it.

　This is the end of the matter - or so I thought.
　This incident became a rumor and spread among the maids with the speed of light.

　　　　　☆

　The next day in the early afternoon.
　I was playing with my dog in the garden, where no one was visiting, when my sister popped in.

'I heard that, Hermes,'
What is it now, sister?

　As soon as she came in, she said something strange.

'I heard you preached to Erica-sama yesterday?
Huh?　Sermon?

　I wondered what you were talking about.

'Yeah, well. Was that a sermon?
The maids have been talking about it.
I didn't know you were listening...

　I chuckled and was a little relieved.
　In a way, I'm glad.
　The fact that it was heard means that if I had given in to temptation, the maids would have seen it too.

　Oh well.
　Every house has a servant who knows everything about the night life of a nobleman.

　In the first place, the laundry maids who wash the sheets every day are 100% aware of what's going on.
　This is already fate.

　Be that as it may.
　I'm glad I don't have it all figured out now.

　I thought.

'People are getting excited.'
What?
He said he was unfazed by the queen's advances. He says you can't have a relationship with a queen if you don't do it right, and he's very masculine.
"Huh?
'The look on Hermes' face when he said that was the coolest thing ever. He said it was cooler than when he said he wasn't going to take me as his wife.
"No, wait, there's something wrong with the comparison criteria!

　That's what you're talking about.

'Some kids, neat!　Cool!　I'll follow you forever!　I said.
I didn't expect that...

　I was disappointed.

　I'd given up on the idea that Erika's favorability rating would go up after what happened yesterday.
　But I didn't expect that to happen to the maids.

　The damage from a direction I hadn't expected was stronger than normal, and that hurt my heart.