# 93
His fist was so strong that it frightened Dearyn for a moment. At that moment, Dearyn clearly felt that Sirius was not just a “man,” but more like an angry animal. Until now, Sirius had endured and restrained himself for her sake.
Sirius's face came close to hers, and Dearyn couldn't move or even take a normal breath. She felt as if she was completely tied up, even her gaze that met his gaze became as if she was a prisoner who could not move away. Deep in his eyes she saw her frightened image reflected.
“No…Sirius, this is not permissible.”
She pleaded with difficulty. It was not possible at all. If they cross this line, there will be no going back. If you let that happen, you can't just be someone who helps heal Sirius' wounds and then leaves.
But her departure was inevitable. If she allowed this, she would not only harm Sirius, but herself as well.
“...it is not permissible...”
Deyarin refused until the end, with unwavering determination. Faced with this clear rejection, Sirius hesitated for a long time. He was so close, so close that his breath almost touched her. If he had moved just a little, their lips would have met.
However, he was aware that this simple proximity was actually an unbridgeable distance. He knew that if he crossed it, this distance would expand forever. So, he decided to retreat.
“…Later. I’ll do it later.”
In the end, as always, Sirius lost the battle.
“Huh...”
Dearyn finally breathed a sigh of relief after being freed from his grip. She felt as if all her energy had been drained, and her hand was shaking. She was gripping the earring so hard that the sharp edge cut her hand, and blood flowed.
“Dyaren, your hand.”
"What?"
“You're bleeding.”
Sirius didn't miss the smell of blood. He grabbed her wrist before she could do anything.
"You... you're not going to lick it, are you? It's not healthy."
“It is said that licking heals wounds...”
“Who said this? Don’t believe the myths that charlatans tell us.”
“….”
Despite the intensity of the moment, Deyarin couldn't bear the thought of something so unclean. Sirius let go of her wrist in disappointment.
A loud sound began to sound as the orchestra prepared, finally changing the atmosphere.
"Yes."
Deyarin sighed lightly and began to calm her tense shoulders. She felt like she could no longer control this “puppy” of hers. He's turned into a scary man whose threats can't be ignored, even when he looks like he's joking.
Dearyn looked at the stage anxiously. The excitement I felt when I entered the theater completely disappeared.
'You came to see the opera, what's going on?'
She felt like she was caught in an unnecessary emotional drama, and she almost made a huge mistake due to the tense atmosphere. She looked around grumpily at the stage. Her seat was in a position where she could see the entire stage without being visible from outside.
Between the audience seats, they could see each other.
“…?”
“Sirius!”
Deyarin turned to the now familiar voice, which attracted her with its gentle voice.
“Are you the prince?”
The third prince, Sybian, was in the next cabin.
Dayaren felt a cold feeling in her heart.
What if Sybian had seen them doing this and that?
Fortunately, Sybian, waving hello, looked like he hadn't seen anything.
Charlotte was by his side.
Charlotte...did she see her?
Dayarine was nervous and worried.
“Oh, it's an honor to meet you, Your Highness the Third Prince and Charlotte....When did you get here?”
“We just arrived. As for this seat, I heard that Count Leto reserved it.”
“Count Leto…?”
Who is he?
It was an unfamiliar name.
As Diarin tilted her head questioningly, Charlotte laughed gently.
“Maybe he introduced himself as Hulian.”
“Ah! Yes, right! I received a transfer from Mr. Hulian… who?”
It was difficult for Diaren to be very happy after she recalled the memory.
“Holian... Count Leto...”
“Yes, did you not know him?”
Charlotte asked her with a funny look.
Holian was just a drunkard, but Count Leto was an important figure.
Dearyn, who knew nothing about the natures of nobles, knew that this was a well-known name among the aristocrats.
The title of “Count Leto” was a famous family known throughout the generations for their ability in martial arts.
When children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, there is always one or two who answer, “I want to be Count Leto!”
“...I didn't think it was.”
Who would have thought that the person in the morning was “that” Count Leto?
Charlotte smiled again, laughing at Dearyn's honest answer.
"I heard about you. It was said that you brought down everyone at the morning drinking meeting."
"…Yes."
"Thanks to that, they said everyone couldn't get out of bed because they were drunk, which led to many canceled tickets. I didn't know Count Leto was one of them."
“Ah, no, that is, when I happened to pass by I was invited… If I had known who he was, I should have been more interested… or not?”
After he drank casually and knocked everyone down, does this indicate what might have happened if he had acted seriously?
It wasn't really his intention, but he had become the killer in this area, and he didn't know how to deal with Sirius now.
“Count Leto was an opponent of the war against Sorvin. He started drinking under the pretext that he was facing war, and then he became really addicted.”
“…Ah…”
“He's not a bad person.”
That day too, he didn't feel like a bad person.
But it was better for Sirius not to get involved in this world.
“Yes, thank you for your kind reception...”
“Ah, no meetings are easier than morning drinking meetings.”
“Is it difficult to join other meetings?”
Diaren asked for advice timidly.
She thought that everything would dissolve naturally on the day of the victory celebration.
But when she was exposed to the world of social communities, she felt that things were not that way.
The bonds they formed between them were very strong.
To be treated right, she had to break through those connections.
...Except for morning drinking meetings.
“Mmm… In the end, the meetings are usually group, so special standards are set for each group.”
Charlotte began to explain the different types of meetings.
There were strange meetings of all kinds.
Such as the meeting of building towers from matchsticks, the meeting of counting flower petals, the meeting of running on one foot, and so on.
She didn't know the reason behind these activities, but since it made them happy, she couldn't object.
“I hope Sirius joins us for good meetings...”
...Except for morning drinking meetings.
If there was a group Sirius could join, it was a group that didn't need much talking.
Since he drank it was bitter, but if he joined a group that prided itself on its eloquence, he might be completely “brushed off.”
“Mmm… good meetings. Where you can join without recommendation.”
Charlotte stopped to think about it.
The goal of these meetings is mostly to strengthen relationships, so a recommendation or invitation to join is often requested.
The morning drinking meeting was a rare exception.
“I've heard that there are chess meetings that can be joined without recommendation.”
"Yes!"
If that's the case, he can do it.
As long as he doesn't need to speak, he just has to use his mind.
But the question was whether our dog could play chess at all.
“Sirius, have you heard of chess?”
"I don't know."
“Ah… well, it can be learned.”
It was a simple game, so it wouldn't be difficult to learn.
If the group is aiming to socialize while playing chess, a beginner is fine.
Based on Sirius' learning ability, it seems that he can learn to play quickly and reach a reasonable level to blend in with others.
“Thanks for the recommendation, Charlotte.”
“It's okay. From now on, until you become the center of social life in the Imperial Palace, keep working hard.”
"…Yes."
Diarin screamed internally as if a knife had entered her neck.
It was true that she was excited about raising Sirius, but she had not expected to receive such enthusiastic support from her boss.
She had hoped to work as hard as possible in proportion to the amounts paid, but due to her overzealousness, she was now in trouble.
“Well, first of all, I will aim to become a respected noble in the eyes of others.”
“Oh, but you really look like a nice prince now.”
Charlotte gave Sirius a wide smile.
But Sirius showed no reaction, like a stone statue.
Dearyn shook her head.
No, how could that be a “nice prince”?
He's just a dog in "wait" mode...
“Ah, starting now.”
By the time Dearren could neither agree nor disagree with Charlotte's words, the lights around the stage began to dim.
The orchestra's playing was slowly cutting through the darkness and spreading.
Dearyn closed her mouth and looked at the stage.
The curtain opened and the actress appeared.
As the actress began to sing, the orchestra began to play more powerfully, matching her voice.
While Deyarin was absently watching the stage, she suddenly felt something moving next to her.
“…?”
The opera she experienced for the first time was enough to make Deyarin's mind wander.
As she suddenly remembered what she had forgotten, she looked at Sirius.
“Sirius?”
Sirius's face had a very annoyed expression.
Deyarin was surprised to see him in this state, so he turned to him completely.
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