"Hmm~"

In the small kitchenette next to my bedroom, I found myself humming. It had been quite a while since I'd cooked a proper meal rather than just snacks, but now a tune naturally flowed from my lips.

'Once Nikephoros leaves, I can sleep in all I want... Ah, and drink as much as I please late at night.'

While sharing a room with Nikephoros, that straight-laced young man, my lifestyle had necessarily become more restrained.

Even when I wanted to sleep in, his stare and his "Princess" would make me uncomfortable, and when I tried to have a drink, his firm voice saying "It'll stunt your growth" would weigh on my mind.

So in that sense, Nikephoros leaving for a few days...

"Sister."

"Eek!?"

W-when did the door open? I didn't hear it!

Startled, I turned around to find myself face-to-face with my brother John standing right behind me. Looking at the half-open door, it seemed he had deliberately entered quietly.

"What is it?"

I asked as I took the fried rice I'd been cooking off the heat.

John was going through puberty these days. It felt like it had been ages since he'd approached me like this.

In response to my question, he glanced at my hand holding the fried rice and answered in a calm voice.

"I heard you're holding a farewell party for the Deputy leaving for Kibotos. Just the two of you."

"Ah, that... Who told you?"

"I heard it from a eunuch."

Which eunuch? I wanted to ask, but the court eunuchs being gossips wasn't exactly news.

"That's right, it's the first time we'll be apart for so long."

I replied casually as I resumed cooking the fried rice.

A moment later, I sensed him step closer, and John's voice continued.

"I didn't realize you two were that close."

"Of course we're close. We're a lovey-dovey newlywed couple, after all."

I might have to pretend in front of others, but in front of John and Maria, I had to act like a princess in love.

I glanced at John and asked in a playful tone.

"Why, are you sad your brother-in-law is leaving too?"

But John didn't play along with my joke. Instead, his expression grew even more serious.

What's with that reaction? Feeling a bit awkward, I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the fried rice.

"Sister."

After a moment, John spoke again.

"I heard from your maid. Your bedding is always clean."

"...What?"

What did I just hear? I looked up with a blank expression.

"I've also heard rumors that the Deputy barely hangs onto the edge of the bed when sleeping. And I've personally noticed he still calls you 'Princess' rather than 'wife.'"

John's voice continued, calmly and gravely.

"Since your marriage, you haven't spent time with the Deputy except for official matters. He always goes to the prayer room alone."

His gaze even held a hint of suspicion.

...Has he caught on? My heart began to race.

With narrowed eyes, almost glaring at me, John continued.

"Sister, could it be that you've entered into some kind of contract marriage with the Deputy?"

※※

"You want me to act like a lovey-dovey husband?"

"Y-yes, like a newlywed couple overflowing with love."

"Why so suddenly...?"

Knock knock.

"Sister, it's me."

"...This is driving me crazy, really."

What's with him coming right back? John clearly suspected something between us and wouldn't even allow a moment's time.

If I stalled any longer, he would surely draw his own conclusions. I grabbed Nikephoros firmly by the shoulders and whispered.

"Act convincingly enough to fool John. I'll forgive anything, so do whatever you want. As a man!"

Then I quickly ran to the door and opened it.

Amid the delicious aroma of the food I'd prepared, John entered with a bottle of what looked like fine wine.

"Thank you for inviting me to the farewell party, Sister. And Deputy."

John's sharp gaze immediately turned toward Nikephoros.

Nikephoros still seemed a bit dazed, but he soon stood up and bowed his head respectfully.

"Not at all, Your Majesty. It's an honor to have you join us."

As Nikephoros politely offered him a seat, John carefully examined the room while slowly approaching him.

"There's only one blanket on the bed."

John muttered.

"Of course. Do married couples use separate blankets?"

I quickly moved to his side.

When I sat down on the sofa first, John watched me carefully before taking the seat of honor. Nikephoros sat down across from me with a bitter smile.

'That beanpole really...!'

John's gaze instantly sharpened, scrutinizing us both.

I casually stood up and naturally moved to sit next to Nikephoros.

"Hahaha, our Niki seems a bit nervous. No need to be so stiff in front of your brother-in-law."

"N-Niki?"

"Hahahaha."

I pinched Nikephoros's back hard. While smiling forcefully.

John opened his mouth, still with eyes full of distrust.

"I didn't know Sister called Nikephoros 'Niki' like Maria does."

"Calling him 'husband' every day gets boring, doesn't it? When we're alone, I use pet names. Nikephoros calls me 'Anna' too."

"W-what?"

Pinch.

"Right?"

"Y-yes, that's how it is."

Nikephoros's voice trembled slightly as if in pain, but his expression remained well-maintained.

With an awkward smile, Nikephoros cleared his throat and continued.

"Anna and I always spend time overflowing with love. Even today, we couldn't bear to be apart due to the sadness of our upcoming separation. Like this."

"...Ugh."

Nikephoros's arm gently wrapped around my shoulder. His hand softly caressed my shoulder.

This crazy bastard, what is he... While internally screaming at the goosebumps rising on my skin, I managed to force a smile.

"John, you know I'm not the type to throw farewell parties like this. It just shows how much I'll miss him."

"...That's true."

John, who had momentarily looked dumbfounded at our skinship, painfully closed and opened his eyes.

Then he put down the wine bottle he'd been holding and picked up the fork in front of him.

"Well, may I try some food? I'm hungry."

"Of course, eat as much as you want. Niki, let's eat too."

As I picked up my fork, Nikephoros hesitantly took his as well. His left arm still wrapped around my shoulder.

'This is going further than I intended...'

But acting was acting. I couldn't show my discomfort.

I speared an artichoke fritter with my fork and brought it to Nikephoros's lips.

"Here, say 'ah.' Niki."

The classic cheesy couple move: feeding each other.

Glancing at John, I saw he was staring at us intently, not even chewing the fish in his mouth.

"W-what?"

But our Niki also hesitated with an expression of shock no less intense than John's.

"Hmm?"

John's gaze instantly filled with suspicion.

Ignoring this, I rubbed the fritter against Nikephoros's lips haphazardly. Meaning: eat it quickly.

When Nikephoros finally opened his mouth cautiously, my fork slipped inside.

"How is it? Delicious, right?"

I asked, urging him on. Though he hadn't even chewed yet.

Nikephoros glanced at John, then nodded with an awkward smile.

"Yes, it's much more delicious when Anna feeds me than usual."

As expected of the Imperial Deputy. Emphasizing "than usual" to imply that I often cook for him was brilliant.

Feeling relieved for the first time, I gently opened my mouth.

"Then, ah~"

I thought this level of affectionate display would be enough for the devout little John.

Indeed, glancing at John, he was staring at us with an expression of someone half out of his mind.

"..."

But... for some reason, Nikephoros also seemed half-dazed.

His intense gaze was fixed on my lips, almost embarrassingly so. At the same time, his Adam's apple bobbed.

I urged him with my eyes to put something in my mouth quickly, but his disoriented hand was only poking at a piece of beef too large to fit in my mouth... one he hadn't even cut.

There I was, mouth open wide enough to make my jaw ache. John staring blankly at us, and Nikephoros frozen like ice.

After a brief silence, finally, someone's fork moved.

"Mmph..."

"T-this is quite delicious, Sister."

But what entered my mouth wasn't from Nikephoros but from John. He shoved a fork with fish into my mouth, then awkwardly cleared his throat and turned to Nikephoros.

"You, is something bothering you?"

A voice full of suspicion.

With an ominous feeling, I quickly chewed the fish in my mouth, praying that Nikephoros wouldn't say anything unnecessary.

But making my efforts futile, the now-unfrozen Nikephoros shook his head briefly before speaking.

"I was momentarily entranced by Anna's beauty."

"Kack... cough, cough."

This crazy bastard! My breath caught involuntarily, and the fish in my mouth mercilessly went up my nose.

"W-what did you say?"

John also asked in disbelief.

But Nikephoros continued with an unwavering voice.

"I apologize to Anna, but I wanted to keep looking at her. Her calmly closed eyes, her cutely parted lips, the gentle way she brushes her bangs aside. Everything was so lovely."

"Hack... kueack..."

I was nearly at the point of respiratory distress. It felt like I might throw up.

But Nikephoros didn't even blink. Even as John wore an expression of reality shock, he whispered calmly.

"I suppose I love Anna too much. Regardless of what others say, even what she herself thinks."

Perhaps he finally noticed me struggling to breathe beside him. Nikephoros's hand gently patted my back.

Only after gulping down the water he offered did I finally calm down.

How should I react to this? I couldn't figure it out. Looking at John's blank face, such thoughts just kept spinning in my head.

"Eep?!"

But what happened next was even more shocking.

Fingers... Nikephoros's fingers brushed past my lips. As if trying to wipe my mouth, which was a mess of saliva and water.

He wiped those fingers with a handkerchief, then gently cupped my chin. And then...

"Aaaaaahhh!"

John's scream echoed.

He jumped up, pointing at Nikephoros and shouting.

"You, you, you, you crazy pedophile!"

As expected of my brother. He said exactly what I wanted to say.

But Nikephoros still didn't even raise an eyebrow. He just answered with a gentle smile and a calm voice.

"I am not a pedophile. The person I happened to fall in love with just happens to be Anna."

That was... well, incredible acting. Enough to startle even me, who knew this was all an act.

John also shook his head blankly, as if he'd been hit on the head. Then he turned to me with a resigned look.

Well, as long as we reached our goal, the method didn't matter. I also took a deep breath and acted naturally.

"I don't like older men either. The person I happened to fall in love with just happens to be Nikephoros."

"..."

John wore an expression as if his world had crumbled.