My Childhood Friend is Like a Stone - Chapter 29

Episode 29. Chapter 5. Life always goes in an unexpected direction (8)

What?

Before she could even ask back, Adrienne loosened her hand that she had been clenching the whole time. Two grass rings were placed on the palm of her hand. A small yellow rose was tied in the center where the jewel should be.

Cyril stared at the pair of rings.

It was a very ugly set of rings made with poor skill. Still, in a good light, it was worth giving a comment that it was cute and adorable.

“Let’s live a good life as good friends. Seeing you before, I think we can do that.”

Good friends. 

At that point, Cyril paused for a moment.

Cyril was looking forward to it, and he knew it would be the most realistic future, yet his heart was cold. Because that was the closest time, it seemed like a line had been drawn that could no longer be crossed.

Even though he certainly didn’t think about crossing the line.

Adrienne blinked after speaking as if asking him to give his hand to her. After some hesitation, Cyril reached out as he was told. Adrienne put the sloppy ring on him and put the other one on her own finger. Surprisingly, the mess vanished as a result of that simple act. He was curious as to what Adrienne thought of him.

Cyril, who was a little disappointed, swallowed a sigh.

Cyril thought Adrienne was exactly the same as when she was young.

It was the same when she made him the Prince and gave him a small ring made of grass, saying that they were now a married couple.

If there was a difference, it was the fact that it was a joke at the time, but were they going to become a real couple this time.

“There was no coreopsis here. I was going to do it with that for you.”

“….”

“Do you want me to make another one in Cassinel for you? There’s a lot of coreopsis in there.”

“—One ugly thing is enough, what else will you make?”

After a grunt, Cyril quickly lowered his hand. She might get upset if he took it again, so he was preparing herself. Adrienne was looking down with a face of regret, thinking about whether or not he really meant it.

That was obvious.

Cyril inwardly thought with pleasure.

“Cyril, what are you thinking about? Your thoughts are showing on your face.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just do it normally, normally.”

You say that my face is not normal?

The voice that brought back memories that had almost been completely forgotten seemed a little cheeky.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hm?”

“Take this.”

Cyril pulled the case from his arms with his other hand, which was free of the grass ring. On the table, he placed a round case of black velvet. He didn’t have the will to open it himself, but Adrienne opened the case with a puzzled face as Cyril raised his chin.

There was a thin bracelet of platinum. The shape itself was simple, but the blue diamond, which was surprisingly similar to Adrienne’s eye color, was shining brightly, illuminating the center.

“Cyril—”

Adrienne, unable to speak for a while, called out to Cyril in a small voice. She had to have been moved. Something like this would move her. Especially if she lacks this type of experience—

Even though it wasn’t about him, Cyril was good at thinking about the topic.

“—You haven’t received my dowry yet—.”

“What?”

“It’s not that you won’t receive it in the future, but you haven’t received it yet. As you know, there are a number of reasons for financial problems— You know, right?”

Yeah, enjoy it as much as you want now.

Cyril, who looked at Adrienne with a generous gaze, opened his mouth.

Adrienne gave an explanation with her eyes drooping as if she was genuinely sorry. She seemed to have thought of him as a snob.

“Do you think I’m giving you this to get something?”

“Then?”

I just wanted you to think about this a little bit. I thought you might like it even for a moment when you receive it

 —I am just thinking of you. 

The only thing that came to mind was that he didn’t like any of them.

Furthermore, if one thought about it, it would be a hundred times better to just become a debtor than to be an emotional man who prepared a gift ahead of marriage.

“—I’ll look forward to what you bring.”

Cyril did not hesitate and chose to become a debtor.

Countless gifts were waiting for Adrienne, so with this kind of light, she would be able to receive them over and over again.

“You’re not going to make a fuss in Cassinel, are you?”

“Only you will be a beggar even in Cassinel.”

“No matter what you say—”

Such a childish quarrel continued until the butler announced that the dinner preparation was over.

******

The meal was held in a pleasant atmosphere.

Adrienne smiled continuously, erasing the gloom caused by the gap in the past. There was a lot of tension for the bride-to-be who was ready to get married, but Adrienne felt at ease.

A cup of refreshing mint-scented tea tickled the tip of her nose with moderately sweet walnut pie, various desserts, and an old friend to talk to.

All the elements that made up the table were extremely peaceful. Adrienne, who had just put down her teacup, suddenly saw the bracelet on her wrist. The wrist, which had always been empty, was still unfamiliar, but it did not give any negative weight.

It was a ridiculous idea, but she liked it even more because it fitted perfectly as if he had thought of her. She also liked that it was a bracelet, not a ring. If Cyril had held out a ring, she might have been a little embarrassed.

They would exchange gifts anyway, but the meaning of a bracelet and a ring were clearly different— Of course, the grass ring, which was close to a joke, was an exception— At least Adrienne thought so.

“Did you choose this, Cyril?”

Adrienne asked the questions that she had been curious about all along. When she raised her hand and waved it slightly, the bracelet on her wrist also shook. The light from the crystal candle holder added a warm color to the blue diamond, enhancing the brilliance of the bracelet.

Cyril’s attention, which had been drawn to the bracelet for a brief while, slipped away. Adrienne noticed the golden eyes wandering aimlessly with nowhere to go.

“—Do I have nothing to do?”

“Well. You’ve been promoted, so you’ll be busier. Still, thank you. I guess the person who chose it has a good eye.”

“….”

The blunt voice gave the answer as expected. She wasn’t disappointed because it wasn’t what she expected in the first place.

Cyril Valentin who directly designed the jewelry at the Jewelry store— It was a scene that she could not imagine no matter how much she thought about it.

Adrienne quickly agreed, and Cyril shut his mouth with a subtle expression. It was such a strange expression that she couldn’t really explain it.

‘Did something happen?’

She was curious about the unfamiliar expression, but it was Cyril Valentin who didn’t open his mouth the more she asked.

Adrienne pretended not to know and moved on to the next topic.

“Oh, and Cyril. Please don’t rush the wedding. The Duke seems to want the ceremony to be held right away but—”

It was nearly half a year after Adrienne de Cassinel Bluea stepped into the capital, Ruther. In other words, it had only been half a year since she had shown her face in society.

‘Sir Thesar is just a friend I’ve known for a long time. I don’t have any feelings in private. Of course, there’s friendship.’

It was also said that it had only been less than half a year since she said stuff like this.

“Is there a reason to do that?”

“I need some time.”

“—Do you have anything left to organize?”

“Yes.”

Of course, there was.

Like a parrot to countless questions, ‘Sir Thesar has nothing to do with me.’ What if she suddenly announced that she was going to marry Cyril?

Perhaps Adrienne will be burned at the stake. She might even be stoned by all the women of Ruther, or— Or she might see a miracle of debt pouring like rain. It was clear that it was terrifying either way.

Regardless of whether it was like this or not, the future of suffering from countless backbiting awaited.

Nevertheless, it was better to gain at least a little time.

In fact, Adrienne was very upset about that. It’s because she didn’t do it on purpose—

However, she also knew that there was no one who recognized it even when she was sad. Most of them would curse even if they knew it was a political marriage.

‘What’s wrong with his expression?’

Adrienne wanted to cry when imagining the thorny path scheduled for her future, but Cyril looked worse for some reason.

Even if the marriage was postponed a bit, the marriage conversation would not be null and void, but it was too gloomy.

“Cyril, are you okay with that?”

“Yeah.”

When asked to confirm, a short answer came back. The answer was firm and clear.

Adrienne suddenly wondered if Cyril was free from rumors.

On the day of the debutant, she told her aunt that Cyril would be in a similar situation to Adrienne, but that was just a cover-up.

“Didn’t you hear anything?”

“—What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Is the military quiet? I’ve been listening to everything about you all the way through the party. Like what’s our relationship. Well, it’s hard to explain.”

She thought only Cassinel’s knights were quiet, but it didn’t seem to be. She thought, “It must have been comfortable,” but Cyril’s expression changed with every second that passed by.

He frowned, then eased, then frowned again. Cyril, who finally returned to his original expression, opened his mouth.

“The military can’t be quiet. How light-hearted do you think those guys are.”

“Really? Then don’t you need time to fix it?”

“—Did you mean to clean up the rumors?”

“Do you have anything else to do?”

Property was something that each person had to do on their own, and it was enough to discuss the issue of agreement gradually. The only thing that had to be resolved right now was to hold onto the reputation that was only going to fall.

If she goes back down to Cassinel, she wouldn’t need to care about anything, but the weight of her name would change as soon as Thesar’s last name was added. She had to be more careful as it was not a name that only she used alone.

“Adrienne, come to think of it, I think I need to organize myself, too.”

“As expected, the places where people live are all the same.”

Cyril, who had been silent in the meantime, reversed his position. He was in a much more relaxed state than he had been before.

It was an abrupt emotional change, totally unlike Cyril Valentin, who was synonymous with stability, but Adrienne understood it.

Isn’t it weird that he’s actually in his right mind when he’s about to marry a childhood friend he only just met after a long time?

Even Cyril, who is accustomed to keeping his composure, must have had a difficult time.

‘Because it’s a sudden marriage.’ 

Adrienne thought it was time to bring out the prepared words.