“Wait a second!”
Felyn reached out and gently pressed his hand against the foreheads of the two beautiful girls, pushing them back.
Zervanie and Viloti both looked up at him, eyes flickering with disappointment.
“What are you two even thinking? It’s just a pot… is it really worth going this far?” He whispered, “Why are you two jumping to kiss me in public?!”
“I-It’s just… I thought the shopkeeper was being way too mean, and I wanted to slap him in the face with a win!” Zervanie pouted and tried to inch closer to Felyn again, despite him holding her back.
They were already this close—how could she just give up now?
Don’t stop now, Zervanie!
She leaned back a little, pretending to give up.
But just as Felyn let down his guard and turned toward Viloti, Zervanie sprang forward, aiming straight for his face.
Gotcha!
“What are you doing, Zervanie? Tripping again?”
Felyn caught her forehead with one hand mid-air, freezing her on the spot.
His reflexes had been trained to perfection by Adeline.
Zervanie stared at the tiny distance left between her and Felyn’s lips and let out a frustrated whine.
But while Felyn had his full attention on Zervanie, he felt something soft and warm touch the side of his neck.
Crap, I forgot about Viloti.
He could feel her trembling breath against his skin.
Viloti leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed, cheeks blushing with innocent, girlish red.
Her hands clutched his sleeves, her forehead resting under his chin, her whole body tensed, and her soft pink lips pressed against his neck.
I let my guard down…
Felyn’s heart started pounding.
Viloti slowly let go, tilting her head up, lightly licking her lips with embarrassment, but her eyes lingered on the spot where she’d left her mark.
“What’s wrong? Why are you two so quiet?”
Zervanie, still blindfolded by Felyn’s hand, sensed something was off.
She pulled his hand away and saw Viloti blushing from ear to ear, glowing like she’d fallen into a strawberry cream cake.
“Wait—Viloti! Y-You actually kissed him?!”
Zervanie was on the verge of tears.
The kiss was MY idea!
The excuse was MINE!
Even the chance you just used to kiss him—I CREATED IT!
So why didn't I get to kiss him?!
Zervanie really wanted to cling to Felyn and say, “No fair! I didn’t get to kiss you. I deserve one too!”
But her last thread of rationality held her back. She couldn’t afford to let Felyn get suspicious.
But still… ahhhhhh!
Felyn kissed by another girl right in front of her, and she had to just watch and do nothing?!
All Zervanie could do was try to calm herself down.
This is penance. I’m paying for my past mistakes. I deserve this pain.
Felyn unconsciously reached up and touched the spot where Viloti had kissed him. He could still feel the warmth of her lips.
“Felyn, let me wipe that for you.”
A kiss mark lingered on his neck.
Viloti, despite her embarrassment, hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and gently wiped it away.
This is so embarrassing…
Her amber eyes were brimming with tears.
But…
I got to kiss Felyn.
That’s all that matters.
“Ahem. Even though you kissed, I still don’t think you’re real lovers,” the shopkeeper suddenly spoke up, ruining the moment.
“We did everything you asked us to!”
“Yeah, but I just don’t feel like you’re lovers.”
He pulled out the event rules from behind the counter and slapped them down in front of Felyn.
“See here? Final interpretation rights belong to me. If I say you’re not lovers, then you’re not.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding!” Zervanie shouted.
Felyn gently tugged her hand, shaking his head.
It was all just pretend anyway. Even if the shopkeeper was being unreasonable, there wasn’t much they could say.
“Oh? Miss, don’t be a sore loser,” the shopkeeper smirked, seeing Zervanie still upset.
This was his plan all along. If anyone actually beat the record, he’d use this rule to say they weren’t real lovers.
He never intended to hand over the prize.
“We’re just a little shop run by the Silafiel family here in the capital. If you’re unhappy, you’re welcome to go talk to Lord Silafiel about it.”
He crossed his arms and leaned on his supposed backer.
…
There couldn’t possibly be another Silafiel family in Seiwa, right?
Felyn and Zervanie turned their eyes to Viloti.
“This shop belongs to my family.”
Viloti awkwardly turned her head away.
She’d only come here to pick up a souvenir from a store her family owned and bring it back to Felyn.
The shopkeeper was a distant relative of the Silafiel family, running one small corner of their massive commercial empire.
He’d only met Viloti once—when she was a child, ten years ago.
And Viloti hadn’t revealed her identity when she came in. She had social anxiety and didn’t like dealing with people.
“Felyn, give me a minute.”
She leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, then walked straight toward the shopkeeper.
Felyn watched the shopkeeper’s expression shift from smug, to stiff, to completely stunned.
The moment the daughter of the family appeared, all issues were solved.
Ten minutes later—
“Mr. Felyn! Please visit us often~ Everything here is free for you! Eat and drink as much as you like~”
The shopkeeper’s voice faded behind them as Felyn walked out with his long-awaited pot, flanked by Zervanie and Viloti.
“Viloti, what did you say to him back there?” Felyn asked curiously.
“Nothing much, Felyn.”
Viloti dodged the question.
She hadn’t said anything complicated—just revealed her identity and left two thousand crowns to cover the pot.
What made her blush was her last sentence to the shopkeeper: “Felyn is… my lover. So please don’t tell my father.”
She didn’t even know why she’d said that.
Maybe… maybe she just really wanted to be his girlfriend—even if it was pretend.
No one else had heard it. She decided to keep that memory to herself, tucked quietly into her heart.
“Viloti, I’m going to help Zervanie with some shopping next. What about you?”
“I’ll be heading back soon, Felyn.”
Viloti would’ve loved to spend more time with him.
But she knew he’d come here with Zervanie. If she just forced herself in, it would mess up their plans.
She didn’t want Felyn to think she was clingy.
When she first saw him and Zervanie in the seal game store, she hadn’t even wanted to go say hello.
She was afraid he might find her annoying—always showing up wherever he went.
Even though she wanted nothing more than to stick close to him, in the end, she decided not to intrude on his personal time.
“Viloti, won’t you join us?”
Zervanie, who’d been silent all this time, finally spoke.
She felt like she was fading into the background.
Maybe… if she invited Viloti along, Felyn would think she was kind and thoughtful.
Zervanie knew where she stood.
Until Felyn officially married someone, it didn’t matter who was around him.
What mattered was how he saw her.
Even if that meant letting another girl tag along—as long as it helped him change his impression of her. Zervanie could accept it.
“I think it’ll be more fun with the three of us. Viloti, come shop with us.”
(End of Chapter)