This chapter happens sometime after chapter 7. If you don’t remember, chapter 7 is when Ana is sick with mana overload or something and MC helps cure her. During that time, he made a promise to go to the lake with Ana.
The reason that Ana is getting a fever so often is due to the flow of mana within her body, or rather, her magical pulse being unstable.
I want to stabilize her magical pulse, but as someone with little medical knowledge, fundamental treatment is beyond my capabilities.
However, there exist health devices that can be used to stabilize magical pulses that even I can make.
In my past life, there was a product called [Pipuē Rekibāru]1.
The principle behind the magic flow adjustment for this is simple, and anyone with knowledge equivalent to an elementary school student from my past life can make it.
The effect is only to comfort the mind, but it’s better than nothing.
Since it works by wearing for long periods of time, it’s better to turn it into an accessory that can be worn for a long time.
So, I decided to make it in the form of a ring.
The only problem with this is that I don’t know Ana’s finger size.
In the end, I asked Bridgette-san, who is Ana’s exclusive servant, for help.
When I went to Bridgette-san’s private break room and got Ana’s ring size…
“So, how do you plan to give her the ring?” (Bridgette)
Bridgette-san asked me such a question.
“How…? I’m thinking of giving it to her the first time we meet after the ring is done.” (Zhino)
Even though it only has a minor effect, it’s still a health device.
It’s better to give it sooner rather than later.
Bridgette-san let out a deep sigh.
“Zhinorius-sama, you really don’t understand anything. Seriously! You don’t understand anything at all.” (Bridgette)
Bridgette-san says as she shakes her head vigorously.
Her ice-blue eyes looked at me as if I was an incompetent man.
Perhaps because we’ve been getting closer recently, she seems to have stopped being reserved with her comments.
“Are you sure you want to do it this way? This will be the first time the young lady receives a ring from a man. I’ve been serving by her side since she was young, and I know everything about her. So, I can confidently say that this is her first! Zhinorius-sama, surely you don’t intend to make such an important occasion happen at the entrance of the mansion, right?” (Bridgette)
Guh.
The phrase “I know everything” about Ana triggers a sense of rivalry within me.
She probably wants to assert that she knows Ana better than I do.
It’s clear she’s trying to take the upper hand.
Certainly, considering the time spent with Ana, Bridgette-san has an advantage.
But even then!
I don’t intend to lose in terms of my feelings for Ana!
…No, that doesn’t matter right now.
What’s important is Ana’s memory.
As frustrating as it is, Bridgette-san is right.
If this is going to be an important memory for Ana, I must do my best to make it a memorable and precious memory.
As I think about it, I realize something.
Could it be?!
Am I not giving a ring to a woman!?
Until now, I’ve only been thinking about suppressing Ana’s symptoms.
It was just a gesture of giving her a health device.
But this magical tool is ring-shaped.
A ring for a woman?
From me?
Eighty-two years in my past life, and sixteen years in this life.
Adding them together, I’ve lived for about a century.
Even having lived for that long, I’ve never once given a ring to a woman.
The longer the period of not doing something that you’ve never done before, the higher the hurdle becomes when you finally attempt it.
I can feel my face getting hot all of a sudden.
My mind feels like it’s boiling, making it hard to think straight.
“Zhinorius-sama, surely you’re not backing down from this now, are you?” (Bridgette)
Bridgette-san says with eyes that look at me like I’m trash.
“W-Well…” (Zhino)
I’m tongue-tied after being hit so directly.
I was just thinking about whether I could really overcome such a hurdle.
“Zhinorius-sama, you’re inexperienced when it comes to women. I understand that it’s embarrassing to give a woman a ring for the first time. However, if you can overcome that embarrassment, the young lady will surely be delighted. Zhinorius-sama, don’t you want to see the young lady’s smile?” (Bridgette)
Her smile, you say?
Of course, I want to see it!
But, can I really give a ring to such a wonderful woman?
I want to do my best to make Ana’s smile.
However, no matter how hard I try, there are limits to what a human can do.
“Be prepared. You’re a man, aren’t you? Don’t be so pathetic!” (Bridgette)
“U-Uh, yes…” (Zhino)
Under pressure, I ended up promising to give her the ring.
It can’t be helped.
The hurdle is high, but I have to try my best.
“By the way, Zhinorius-sama. You had promised to go to the lake with the young lady, hadn’t you?” (Bridgette)
“Yes.” (Zhino)
“How about giving it to her by the picturesque lakeside?” (Bridgette)
“I see. The lake, huh.” (Zhino)
Considering my lack of expertise in dealing with women, it would be wiser to follow Bridgette-san’s suggestion as a woman herself rather than relying on my own judgment.
Alright.
I’ll give her the ring at the lake.
It will be an important memory for Ana, so failure is absolutely not an option.
I’ll need to scout the area at least five times before the actual event.
I can’t let Ana trip or get stung by bees.
I need to clear away any potential tripping hazards and remove any beehives.
When should I go for the reconnaissance?
I must also avoid encountering group tourists.
I need to check the reservation status of all the inns in the royal capital…
I start assembling the future plans in my head.
“And also, Zhinorius-sama. When you give the ring to the young lady, please make sure to convey your feelings clearly.” (Bridgette)
“W-What!?” (Zhino)
“That surprised reaction… Were you planning to just silently hand it over?” (Bridgette)
“Well, um…” (Zhino)
I hadn’t even thought about how to give it to her.
But knowing my personality, silently handing it over seems like something I would do.
“Are you sure about that, Zhinorius-sama? A thoughtful young nobleman like yourself should also dedicate a love song when giving a ring.” (Bridgette)
“A song…!?” (Zhino)
“Haa… You really don’t know anything at all, do you? Yes, a song. You compare the young lady to the sun or a rose and improvise a song expressing your feelings. Of course, it mustn’t feel like a recycled song. You incorporate the current season, the scenery, the young lady’s dress, and so on into the lyrics. And you sing with all your emotions. As a noble, presenting a ring requires elegance, and adding passion to that is what makes it a song.” (Bridgette)
…Th-This is too much, isn’t it!?
Amidst the extreme nervousness, is it really possible to come up with an improvised love song incorporating the scenery and the dress of the moment?
Even if I could come up with one, it would be impossible to sing it without messing up the rhythm and pitch under pressure.
“Ah… That expression. Perhaps it’s just not possible after all. Well, only those skilled in handling women, even among the noblemen, can do such things. It seems like it might be too much for you, Zhinorius-sama.” (Bridgette)
Of course.
It’s only natural.
A beginner can’t suddenly mimic an expert.
It’s like entrusting national governance to a five-year-old.
“Then, let’s just convey words of love normally. You can do that, right?” (Bridgette)
I try to imagine that scenario.
…No good.
I don’t think I can do it at all.
“…Could it be that you can’t do that either? Why can’t you do it? Didn’t you propose to the young lady during the engagement?” (Bridgette)
At that time, I overlapped Ana too much with my past self.
As a result, the pent-up frustrations and regrets from my past life exploded, and I lost all control over myself.
That’s why I could do it.
But it’s different now.
I can see Ana as a separate individual.
I understand in my heart that she’s a different person from me, so I won’t identify with her as much as I did before.
Above all, my feelings for Ana have grown too strong.
Ana is no longer just a cute woman to me.
For a century, I’ve been a worthless man who has never been intimate with a woman.
Even my engagement with Ana was just a result of a political marriage proposal that happened to come up.
You could say I got engaged by sheer luck.
I’ve never once managed to win a woman’s heart on my own.
The chances of Ana liking such a miserable man are low.
If I were to confess my love… Ana would surely…
She would probably smile awkwardly…
Impossible!
I absolutely don’t want to face such a dismal reality!
I still don’t want to wake up from this dream!
I don’t want to hear the answer!
“Then I’ll ask you the opposite. What kind of confession could even a coward like Zhinorius-sama manage?” (Bridgette)
Coward…
Bridgette-san, you’ve really become less reserved lately.
If we were in a formal setting, Bridgette-san’s attitude would be considered rude.
But considering her position, it’s within the acceptable range in an informal setting.
A personal servant of a high-ranking noble holds significant power.
High-ranking nobles, as their masters, often consult their servants for opinions, so punishing their servants could incur the displeasure of those nobles.
This is especially true in Bridgette-san’s case.
If she were to be punished, Ana would be saddened, and if Ana were to cry, it would displease the Duke, who dotes on his daughter, as well as Ana’s stepmother.
The Duke is the Prime Minister of this country, while mother-in-law is the younger sister of His Majesty.
Even the heads of high-ranking noble families prefer to avoid conflicts with these two.
For me, Bridgette-san’s current straightforward approach is actually easier to deal with than her previously reserved demeanor.
Equality was something I was accustomed to in my past life. It’s easier to work without differences in status.
For a while, Bridgette-san continues her stern guidance.
“Are you alright with this? Every piece of advice I give, even if you don’t want to hear it, is for the sake of the young lady. I’m assisting Zhinorius-sama for the happiness of the young lady. So please, make sure not to disappoint her under any circumstances.” (Bridgette)
From Bridgette-san’s perspective, the idea of me and Ana getting closer might not be something she finds amusing.
Yet, despite that, she still helps for Ana’s sake. Her loyalty is truly genuine.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Hey, look what’s back. Anyways, these are the extra chapters I talked about before. A couple of the chapters occur before marriage, and a couple are after the marriage. This one is, of course, before the marriage. There are about 23 extra chapters so yeh.
This isn’t going to be a daily release or anything, it’s just whenever I have time.
Ok so it’s been a while, so forgive me if anything was inconsistent. I’m a bit rusty.