Conquest Complete, So Why Is the Affection Dropping? - Chapter 42
***
The next day, and the day after that, Kaint brought me flowers. While the type of flower changed each time, they were consistently yellow.
Daffodils, marigolds, daisies… I was a bit surprised when he brought yellow tulips.
I thought about telling him the flower meanings, but decided against it, thinking it wouldn’t be good to add to his list of things to worry about, so I just smiled and accepted them.
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“I’m glad you like the flowers.”
“It’s not the flowers I like, it’s you.”
“…Ah.”
My response must have been unexpected, as Kaint’s ears turned red.
Of course, I didn’t dislike the flowers. While I hadn’t expected him to approach me with such traditional gift-giving, it made sense considering Kaint’s proper nature.
I waited for his next words with a bright smile. But he didn’t offer any response.
Either he didn’t know he should reply, or he was too flustered to remember what to say, and just left.
Even Hexion, the Holy Knight, wasn’t this awkward.
Realizing that this admiral, who received admiration from citizens and countless gifts from women captivated by his looks, was actually a novice at romance made me unable to control my rising smile.
***
The next day, Kaint came to see me with sunflowers in his arms.
[Kaint]’s current affection: 67
Though I was the one receiving flowers, it was Kaint’s affection that kept rising steadily. At this point, it was hard to tell who was really winning whose favor.
“Thank you, Kaint. Today it’s sunflowers.”
“Shin Joo. Do you know the meaning of sunflowers?”
I looked up at Kaint with round eyes, not expecting him to suddenly bring up flower meanings.
Thinking I didn’t know, he told me with a slightly shy smile.
“It means love that looks at only one person.”
I knew that. Even people who don’t know much about flower meanings can easily guess that sunflowers represent unwavering love.
But I hadn’t expected Kaint to study flower meanings.
Whether he learned it while researching flowers to give me, or someone told him, this wooden man’s growth was dazzling.
“Kaint. Do you know the meaning of the yellow tulips you brought before?”
“…That was a mistake.”
It seems he learned the meaning after giving me the yellow tulips. Then, did he deliberately study and choose these sunflowers to make up for his previous mistake?
‘How cute.’
But still, perhaps due to his lack of experience with women, he knows one thing but misses another.
“Kaint. Are you going to work today too?”
“Yes. I need to supervise training.”
“Can’t you skip that?”
“Shin Joo?”
Kaint’s schedule is regular. He trains at the same time in the same place every day, finishes at the same time, returns to the castle, and spends time with his siblings.
Watching this, I realized something. Since Kaint’s working hours and duties are always the same, tasks that don’t absolutely require his decision-making can surprisingly be handled by others.
“You could leave it to your adjutant for just one day, right?”
“While it’s true that Nix could handle it without issues, may I ask why you’re suggesting I skip training supervision?”
“Go on a date with me.”
“…!”
Though it would be convenient if his affection keeps rising just from receiving flowers until it hits 99, leaving me with nothing to do, what’s the point of playing a romance game that way?
For a man who only knew his siblings, comrades, and citizens to put in this much effort for me, I should respond sincerely too.
“Very well, Shin Joo.”
I thought he’d be flustered since it would be his first date, but Kaint surprisingly quickly regained his composure and accepted cleanly.
After relaying instructions to his adjutant, Kaint turned to me and asked.
“Shin Joo. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Well, we’ve already been on a boat before…”
The Admiral’s castle was near the seaside, surrounded by flat land. We couldn’t take a boat since soldiers would be training at the training grounds. But just walking along the beach seemed boring.
Where should we go? As I touched my lips and rolled my eyes in thought, Kaint suggested a date course.
“Then, would you like to see the underwater garden?”
“Underwater garden?”
I wasn’t sure about the technology level in a world without phones. Well, Niflheim had elevators too, so it wasn’t strange for certain fields to have technology that transcended time.
“It’s on the opposite side of the training grounds, so it’s quiet and easy to look around.”
Kaint smiled and guided my hand to rest on his arm. While it was the same gentlemanly escort as before, there was one difference. I could feel tension in the spot where my hand touched.
Is he nervous? How cute.
“Then let’s go take a look.”
***
The glass tunnel leading to the underwater garden was located near the castle’s back gate. As we descended the stairs of the tunnel covered in transparent glass, the sky visible through the ceiling windows suddenly rippled, and I could see clear water undulating.
“Wow……”
The view transformed from a light blue resembling the sky to a refreshing blue, and then to a deep blue mixed with turquoise. I wondered if this is what it would feel like to build an aquarium under the sea.
The sunlight filtering through the swaying waves and the vermillion light from the tunnel’s lamps created small rainbows inside and out.
Small green clusters floated around, gathering near black rocks and swaying together. The gentle movement of the seaweed looked just like grass swaying in the wind.
As we walked forward, we saw fish gliding along with the current. Above our heads, silver-scaled fish were dancing gracefully.
“It’s so beautiful, Kaint.”
“You like it even though it’s not yellow flowers.”
“I said I like yellow flowers, not that I only like yellow flowers.”
And.
“Besides, the sea resembles the color of your hair.”
“……”
Strictly speaking, Kaint’s hair color was deep sea blue while this place was more of a children’s-story turquoise, but let’s say they’re similar since they’re on the same spectrum.
“If you like both yellow flowers and the blue sea because they remind you of me.”
Kaint suddenly stopped walking and looked at me.
“Do you like me?”
……That sudden direct question caught me off guard.
Who was it that said beginners throw better strikes?
I cleared my throat with a “hem hem” and shrugged my shoulders.
“I’ve liked Kaint from the beginning, you know?”
I was captivated by his looks when I first saw him. Honestly, if it weren’t for the censorship, I would have made a move somehow, but the system blocked me, and Kaint put up his iron walls, which made me quickly back off in surprise.
In reality, I wouldn’t have even dared to try, but since men like this don’t exist in reality anyway, that premise itself is wrong.
“Your face is quite my type.”
“My face, you say.”
Your body is hot too, and especially that uniform was cheating.
Tall with a firm build, wearing a perfectly fitted uniform that showed off his broad yet elegant lines – just looking at him made my mouth water. It was mesmerizing.
If he had been naked, I wouldn’t have been able to look directly at him, but since he was fully clothed and properly covered, I could comfortably stare at him.
……Since I couldn’t say that, I quickly found other attractive points to mention.
“I also like your voice. It’s usually a nice deep tone, but especially when you command, it becomes loud and clear, making my heart feel refreshed just hearing it.”
“I see.”
“Your gait is proper, and your posture is neat too.”
If you were to shape the word ‘dignity’ into a person, it would probably be like Kaint, with his straight and proper posture.
Composed but neither slow nor dull, calm but without being depressing or gloomy. And on top of that, his character is excellent too.
Who wouldn’t like such a proper prince-like person?
“And you’re kind to women and children.”
He’s good to his siblings, and now he’s good to me too.
Of course, I’m probably the only woman he’s kind to, but since I’m likely the only woman he’ll be privately involved with, that’s not wrong.
“……Only to family.”
“But I’m not family, am I?”
“Because you’re someone I want to welcome as family.”
I almost hiccupped at that moment.
