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nAfter breakfast, Rieta dragged Noel to her room.

nAnd she requested the maid to bring a very sweet snack before him.

nIt was covered in chocolate and syrup, and it was a burdensome confectionery to eat in the morning.

nNow Rieta put her hands under her chin and glanced at Noel’s face.

n“Why . . . are you looking at me like that?”

nRieta smiled softly.

nOf course, it was because she was very curious about when Noel would frown.

nBut her hopes were shattered.

n“Oh, yes. The flowers the Princess gave me were placed in a vase and placed on the desk.”

nNoel said that, and even put the terribly sweet cookie into his mouth at once.

nWithout blinking an eye!!

n“. . .!”

nEven as Rieta looked at him with astonished eyes, he didn’t mind and swallowed the sweets.

n“It is said that putting a little sugar in the vase helps the flowers. Isn’t that amazing? Did you know that?”

nRieta opened her mouth slightly and shook her head gently.

nIt was because it was more interesting to see Noel’s stomach full of sugar and chocolate than sugar in the vase.

nShe thought that there was no reason to do so today, if it was said that he endured it because of the Princess yesterday!

n“What else are you going to do? How about chess?”

nShe did not respond to his invitation for a while.

nBut she soon nodded her head and was brought chess pieces.

nChess was the best match to bring out Noel’s true nature.

nNoel and Rieta always had a close battle because their skills were equal.

nNoel, who hated to lose, tends to put on a very weak expression whenever Rieta knocks his pieces down.

nHe sometimes stomped his feet and did not hesitate to show that he wanted to overturn the chessboard right away.

nSo, in awakening Noel’s nature, there’s nothing better than stimulating a fight.

nA satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

n“Uhh . . .”

n. . . She would have done that.

nToday, Rieta didn’t seem to be playing well.

nThanks to it, instead of provoking Noel’s victorious spirit, she simply handed over a victory.

nAfter she lost three times in a row, Rieta unwittingly stomped her feet, making it look like she wanted to flip the chessboard.

nSo, as time passed, Rieta was defeated for the fourth time as well.

n“. . .”

n“Well, it would be better to assume that there was no match today.”

nMoreover, far from awakening Noel’s nature, she bought his sympathy.

n“It’s probably something else. It seemed like you couldn’t focus on the game with me.”

n“. . .”

n“It was fun though. Let’s do it again next time. Please focus on me then.”

nHe stood up from his seat, sliding the chess piece into Rieta’s palm.

nNow he seemed to be going to practice the piano.

nAlthough he politely greeted her, saying that he would leave, Rietta only looked down at the black king on her hand.

nImpossible, why on earth . . . ?

n* * *

nA few minutes later, the piano was heard from the living room of the mansion.

nWhen the Duke or Darrel played the piano, a beautiful sound flowed, but when Noel or Rieta played it, it was different.

nIt used to sound like a duck after pressing it slowly, one note at a time.

nRieta carefully opened the door to the living room when Noel was concentrating on his practice for a while

nLooking through the crack in the door, Noel was chasing notes with great difficulty, with his neck stretched long and his back slightly bent.

nAs if he was quite concentrating, Rieta went into the room, but he didn’t notice at all.

nThe out-of-beat performance continued, and Rieta cautiously approached behind him.

nSo as not to be noticed.

nFinally, Rietta arrived right behind Noel.

nHis hand, which was still unaware, was busily wandering in the direction on the keyboard.

nIt was a clumsy performance, but it felt quite enthusiastic.

nTo the extent that she felt a bit sorry for interrupting this time.

nCome to think of it, Noel . . .

nHe was always cool with his words, though he was a show off.

nAt the end of the day, he was just trying to be someone worthy of the Duchy.

nHe was really diligent.

nRieta struggled to shake off the strange feeling.

nBecause it didn’t matter now.

nShe couldn’t let Noel keep pretending to be a fake gentleman.

nI’m sorry, Noel.

nRieta apologized in her heart and held her hands slightly forward.

nIt’s okay to be mad at me.

nNo, I want you to be angry.

nJump up and down! Like you usually do!

nAnd after exchanging hateful words with each other, she wants them to look at each other and laugh as if they never did.

nAs always.

nShe hoped they’ll think together about what to do next.

nRieta’s trembling fingers reached near Noel’s face’s both sides.

nPerhaps he felt a presence, and the performance stopped for a moment.

nNo!

nRieta reached out her hand quickly, and she covered Noel’s eyes tightly.

nThump, thump.

nShe was so nervous about this that her heart raced.

nShe could feel Noel’s eyes twitch in her palm.

nShe felt the tickling sensation and wanted to let go, but she held tight.

nTo be honest, it was a really bad joke to interrupt someone who practiced the piano so hard.

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