Perez smiled slightly as he added, “Think of me as a close friend, and when we are together, let me see her freely.”
“…?”
“I have a lot of affection for you, and I'm also curious about the girl. Of course, I will respect you as a person!”
This was not a bad condition.
In fact, it was good.
Perez seemed keen to maintain a long-term relationship with Dedrick.
If we shared a secret like this, things would definitely work out in Perez's favor.
“Dedric, agree to it. It's okay.”
“…”
Daedric's eyebrows twitched slightly in disapproval, but he quickly controlled his expression and straightened his hunched back.
"Good."
Should we try contacting her again? I won't make it uncomfortable this time!
Perez seemed unusually excited.
I asked Deidrick a simple request.
“Can I touch the prince?”
“…why?”
“I want to check if I'm only visible when I'm in contact with you, or can others see me too.”
“…I understand. But if you don’t want to, I won’t.”
"…decent."
“What do you say now?”
“She asked to touch His Highness for a short while, to see if others could see her as well.”
Even with the unexpected request, Perez nodded without hesitation.
“Of course. Go ahead.”
However, I didn't really want to touch it.
She approached Perez and gently took his hand.
Perez was surprised by the sudden contact, but he quickly tilted his head questioningly.
“She is invisible. It seems that only contact with you reveals her presence.”
Deedric's face smiled slightly. I let go of Perez's hand and went back to sitting next to Deidrick.
Perez rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking a serious question.
“By the way, I'm curious—what's that monster eating? I'd like to hear from her directly.”
I took Daedric's hand, and answered as he asked.
“I eat anything you give me!”
Perez's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Do you eat trees too?”
Will I?
___________________________
~Knock on the door~
Upon hearing the sound, I stuck my head out of the closet.
Deedric looked uncomfortable, but smiled when he saw me peeking out from inside the closet.
“Did you say goodbye to everyone?”
"Yes."
Perez, who had spent the night asking me constant questions, had returned to the palace early that morning.
Although we were sad to see him go, we were truly relieved that he was gone. Even though we knew he wouldn't tell anyone, the situation was still uncomfortable.
“By the way, Daedric, look at this!”
The closet door opened dramatically. Inside was a paper on which was written:
“Let's be happy, Daedric!”
“This...”
"I thought it would be nice to put it here. It's hidden from view, so no one will see it. I want you to see it every time you change and feel happy."
I was very careful that the paper was hidden behind the clothes.
Deidrick considered the note silently, then held my hand tightly and nodded.
"… Thank you."
I was happy. I gained more points with Daedric.
I came out of the closet happily holding his hand.
“And also, there's something I want to make sure of.”
“Be sure?”
"My face! I've never seen it in all this time. If others could see me, wouldn't I appear in the mirror too?"
“…What if you don’t show up?”
“Then I will trust you when you say I am beautiful and live accordingly.”
Although I said it as a joke, he held my hand tightly, his expression serious.
“It's the truth. You're beautiful.”
Hearing such praise from someone known as the most handsome man in the world was exciting.
I smiled and led Deidrick to the mirror.
I placed it in front of her first, then looked in the mirror briefly before pulling myself away.
“…!”
In a short moment, I saw it—a girl with wavy gray hair reflected in the mirror. That was me!
“I am visible!”
Motivated by the encouragement, she stood fully in front of the mirror.
For the first time since I got here, I finally saw my face.
My skin was as pale as flour, my big golden eyes were round and luminous, and my lips were full and red.
Then…
“My horn!”
“…”
“I didn't know my horn was red!”
Excited, I couldn't help myself…..Dedric gently touched my horn and laughed.
“It looks like a rose.”
“…”
In the mirror, I saw myself blushing, my cheeks turning bright pink.
I shook my head hesitantly, making the ornament on my horn make a sound.
“Isn't this a beautiful accessory?”
"Yes."
"It's blue, like your eyes. That's why I liked it so much. And don't you think my horn looks like coral if you look closely?"
"coral?"
I gave him a hopeful look, and he nodded hesitantly.
“It kinda looks like him...”
“There is coral in the sea, right? The sea is blue! I found something else that looks like you, right?!”
This may be a long way off, but who cares!
I smiled as I looked at him. Finally, he nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, he looks like him.”
As we were smiling at each other, I suddenly noticed the difference in our heights.
I was startled and hit his shoulder.
“Are you getting taller?”
“I'm still growing.”
“What about me?”
Just smile silently.
“Has my growth stopped?”
I couldn't decide if I was still growing or not.
As I looked down at myself, Deidrick pushed me against the wall and drew a line over my head.
"Let's measure your height. See if you're growing or not."
"Clever! Let's figure out your height too!"
On the wall, two lines were drawn next to each other, showing the height of each of us.
As I looked at those two lines, I held Deidrick's hand tightly. I felt a strange, warm feeling in my chest.
It was the first time I was able to visually confirm my presence, which had been a blur until now.
________________________
The weather was getting colder, indicating the change of season.
In the midst of this, Somerset was suddenly smiling with a sparkle in his eyes.
Especially, he was nervously waiting for someone in the lobby.
“Oh, how annoying.”
I could hardly suppress the desire to spit on Somerset's smiling face.
“Is he really that happy?”
“Because he likes Miss Primo Rose,” Deidrick answered indifferently.
This made sense. In the novel, Somerset's feelings for Joanna Primo Rose are exceptional.
She was a supporting character, and Somerset and Joanna were involved in an arranged marriage due to family interests.
But Somerset truly loved Joanna, even though she did not feel the same way.
Despite their frequent interactions, Joanna's heart never opened to him.
Later, when they became adults, Johanna fell in love at first sight with Diederick, and became a model villain, interfering in the lives of the heroine and the hero.
“By the way, Didric, do you have a fiancée…?”
"no."
I had not finished speaking until Deedric interrupted me firmly.
"I don't have one. And I won't have one in the future."
"in the future?"
“…Maybe not,” he muttered.
I patted him on the shoulder as he stopped talking.
Maybe not.
The appearance of the villainess means that the heroine will soon appear as well.
At the upcoming party, the hero and heroine will meet for the first time.
Although their meeting will be fleeting, it will feel like a dream, and Deedric will open his heart to her warm words.
Some people go through all kinds of struggles, but heroines get through things easily.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves brought me back to reality.
I looked out the window and saw a carriage bearing the Primo Rose family crest arriving at the entrance.
Somerset's smile stretched from ear to ear as he beamed with enthusiasm.
Should I spit on him? No, if I did that, he'd know it was Daedric and bother him again.
What a shame.
I clicked my tongue angrily as the carriage door opened, revealing a glimpse of a red dress.
Joanna quickly came down, her pretty face glowing in the sun.
Her blonde hair was carefully braided, her green eyes reminded of abundant greenery, and her attractive features sparkled under the sunlight.
“She is so beautiful...”
The photo seemed accurate, as she was supposed to be more beautiful than the heroine.
“Deidrick, have you seen her before?”
“Once, from afar.”
“Isn't she beautiful?”
"I don't know."
He didn't seem to care, just glanced at her quickly before pulling me away from the window.
“Should we make a good impression on her this time too?”
It wouldn't hurt to make a good impression, but she was the type of person who would cause problems for Daedric if she interfered.
It would have been better to avoid them altogether.
There is no need for a love triangle to add drama between the heroine and the hero.
I shook my head and told Deedric, “Let’s relax this time.”
Now that Joanna has arrived, Somerset will be too busy pleasing her to bother us.
This was the perfect opportunity to relax.
Anyway, the storm at the winter party was about to arrive.