W, was Alex-sama truly going to do that to me!?

Alex-sama lifted his hand from my shoulder and gently moved it to my face.

Then, he pinched my cheek.

I stared at Alex-sama. In turn, he stared back at me with his sapphire-like eyes.

“Alisa’s cheeks are… soft.”

For him to put it in words, it was a bit embarrassing…

Then, he gently caressed my cheek with the palm of his hand.

I trembled.

Afterwards, I’d likely be hugged and we’d rub cheeks…

…That’d be embarrassing!

But Alex-sama blushed and didn’t move.

Then, he shook his head.

“Let’s stop here.”

E, eh?

I was at a loss. Was there something wrong? I might be nervous, but not as nervous as when I thought we were about to kiss…

Elena teased us.

“Oh my, are you feeling shy?”

Alex-sama smiled and shook his head.

“While that may be the case, I think the act of rubbing our cheeks together is a bit strange. After all, I’m Alisa’s fiancé, and Alisa is my fiancée.”

With that said, Alex-sama looked at Elena and Felix before smiling.

Elena was still hugging Felix. Elena was younger than me, while the cute, petite, Felix seemed like her younger brother.

Of course, the relationship between those two was different from what we had. Certainly, to rub our cheeks together—that’d be weird.

While being hugged by Elena, Felix whispered.

“That may be true, but you should’ve done it without thinking about it so much.”

Alex-sama and I stared at each other. As we stared at each other, we began to blush.

Maybe it was as Felix said…

…Our challenge wasn’t to rub our cheeks together, but something else.

For example, kissing.

We also tried to practice kissing to prove our relationship to Elena.

As I thought, let’s stop.

One more thing—I hadn’t heard it from Alex-sama, yet.

Why does Alex-sama love me?

I thought there must be some reason, but I was too scared to ask.

I was who decided to come with him to Arkhangelsk.

However, the reason I became Alex-sama’s fiancée in the first place was neither because of my power nor my will.

I was fortunate to be selected as Alex-sama’s fiancée.

That was right—I was simply lucky. It wasn’t an inevitability.

I was merely his fiancée in form because of a marriage of convenience.

Then, for what reason did Alex-sama need me?

If I didn’t know the reason, I wouldn’t be able to move forward.

However, Alex-sama didn’t seem like he would tell me the reason soon, and I also didn’t have the courage to ask for it.

After all, if I were to know the truth, our relationship might no longer be the same.

When I suddenly raised my face, I saw Elena playing with Felix.

I smiled softly at Elena who seemed to be enjoying herself and Felix who seemed troubled but otherwise not angry.

“Hey, onee-chan, can you make this boy my exclusive servant while I’m here?”

“What? That’s…”

Troubled, I turned towards Alex-sama—after all, Felix was Alex-sama’s servant.

I had no authority over Felix.

However, Alex-sama smiled and nodded.

“It’s no problem. Here in the mansion, having someone to guide Ms. Elena would be for the best. Felix would suffice for such a role.”

Staring at me, Alex-sama, and Elena, Felix turned red as if he were about to scream.

In the end, he nodded.

“Of course, I’ll do as Lord Alex says.”

“Hooray!”

Elena was genuinely pleased, to which I laughed bitterly. I’d ask Felix for his personal opinion later.

I could say that Alex-sama and I didn’t dislike Elena. Perhaps, Felix also didn’t dislike Elena.

At that time, a low noise echoed from beyond the window.

We rushed to the window on the North side.

What happened?

A vast forest laid outside.

Our mansion, which was located on a hill, allowed us to see the distant town and the harbor.

“That’s…”

Alex-sama was speechless.

Many warships had entered the harbor.

On their highest points, a flag with a red and blue cross fluttered.

Warships from the United Kingdom of Sterling had visited Arkhangelsk.

---

***T/N: They must’ve consulted a physic before hand and get to know that you’re about to sell them lumbers!!!

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