The 14th day of the Month of Wood... Lilia Albert, a Duke of the Kingdom of Sinfonia, stood before a certain house with an expression of grim determination.
Her objective, of course, was to present a Valentine’s gift to her lover, Kaito.
For Lilia, the journey to this point had been an arduous one. In purely physical terms, Kaito's home was right next to her mansion—a mere one-minute walk—but emotionally, it had been a trek across a vast wilderness.
She had practically begged Sieglinde for lessons and struggled desperately to finish the chocolates. Unfortunately, Lilia’s disastrous culinary skills were not the sort of thing that could be salvaged in a single afternoon. To be blunt, the results were far from professional, but she had poured every ounce of her love into them.
Deep down, she had clung to a sliver of confidence that Kaito would surely be happy with her effort. However, life was rarely so simple.
The problem was Lilia’s own crippling bashfulness. For her, giving Valentine’s chocolate to a man who wasn't a relative was a first, and these were undeniably chocolates for the one she truly loved. Even though she and Kaito were already lovers, and even though she knew how gentle he was, her personality made her pathologically nervous when it actually came time for the hand-off.
As a result, a one-minute walk became a thirty-minute ordeal—a pathetic, agonizingly slow crawl. She had nearly turned back several times, only to whip her resolve back into shape and force herself to keep moving. Now, she faced her greatest obstacle yet.
"I... I’ll ring the bell... Once I press it, Kaito-san will come out... and when he does, I’ll give him the chocolate."
She muttered the words like a mantra, staring at the doorbell of Kaito's house. It was a magic tool that would definitely alert him to a visitor even with a light touch. She had already confirmed that Kaito's attendants, Anima and the twins, were away.
Kaito didn't like employing many servants, so his household consisted only of Anima, Eta, and Theta. With all three currently out, Kaito was home alone. For Lilia, the conditions were perfect. All she had to do was press the button.
"M-Maybe I should come back later..."
Despite having been in a relationship with him for years—even having a physical relationship—Lilia remained an absolute coward when it came to romantic gestures. She was still plagued by a sense of bashfulness that she couldn't overcome.
In truth, she had intended to give him store-bought chocolates last year and the year before. But each time the day arrived, her courage failed her, and she had let the opportunity slip away. This year, by making them herself, she had effectively told Sieglinde of her plans to ensure there was no retreat. And yet, here she was, succumbing to her typical cowardice.
Though, Kaito had always told her that he found that part of her cute...
"N-No, I can't do this. I have to give them to him now... All right, here I go!"
Lilia, who had been about to turn on her heel, managed to plant her feet. She took a deep breath, reached for the bell... and immediately yanked her hand back.
"M-My hand is shaking... I need to calm down..."
Retreating because of her trembling fingers, she took another deep breath and began to pace restlessly. It was a pathetic display—one she could never allow her subordinates to see.
However, Lilia had made one major miscalculation. In her intense nervousness, she had forgotten something very important.
"Should I call out to her? What should I do?"
Lilia-san was right outside... I didn't know what was going on, but my Sympathy Magic had been picking up her presence for a while now, sensing her pacing back and forth in front of the door.
Did she have business with me? If so, she wasn't showing any sign of actually ringing the bell. Having known her for so long, I knew she usually got like this when she was overwhelmed by embarrassment... but what was the cause this time?
Then, I suddenly remembered what day it was.
Right, today was Valentine's Day. I think I see where this is going. Lilia-san probably made chocolate for me. She hadn't done anything like this for the past two years, so I'd assumed she wasn't interested in the holiday, but maybe she just couldn't work up the courage until now?
Even after several years of dating, Lilia-san still had such an innocent side to her. She never lost that sense of bashfulness. Honestly, I didn't mind it at all; in fact, I found it incredibly attractive. To this day, just kissing her was enough to make her turn bright red and start stammering, and she was so cute in that state that I often found myself reflexively pushing her down.
Still, if I left her alone, she looked like she’d still be out there pacing when the sun went down. I steeled my resolve and opened the door, pretending it was a coincidence.
"Eeeek!?"
"Oh? Lilia-san... were you visiting? Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"N-N-No, I haven't b-been here for thirty minutes or anything...!"
Lilia-san... you're way too honest. If you tell me straight out that you've been on standby for thirty minutes, I won't know how to respond.
For now, I decided to let that slide.
"It's a bit awkward to talk out here. Come in."
"Y-Yes! Excuthe me!"
"..."
She bit her tongue. That was adorable.
I was filled with an urge to pull her into my arms right then and there, but I suppressed it and guided her to my room. The reason I chose my room over the reception area or the dining hall was because I knew what she was here for, and I wanted to avoid a place where we might be interrupted if Anima and the others returned from shopping.
Once Lilia-san was seated on the sofa, I brewed some black tea. I set it on the table and sat down across from her.
"So, did you come over just to hang out today?"
"T-That’s part of it, but I have another purpose as well."
"Another purpose? What would that be?"
"Y-Yes! Um... well... h-here..."
"This is... could it be?"
"Y-Yes... a V-Valentine’s gift. U-Um, I’m sorry if it doesn't taste good. I asked Sieg to teach me, and I tried making it myself..."
"You went to all that trouble for me? Thank you, Lilia-san. I’m really happy."
I accepted the box she held out with trembling hands. I’d expected it to be Valentine’s chocolate, but I hadn't expected it to be handmade... Yeah, I was genuinely touched. I made sure to meet her eyes with a smile, ensuring my joy outweighed any lingering anxiety about the flavor.
Still, her handmade cooking... Hmm. Sieglinde had supervised her, so I was sure it would be fine, but I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of trepidation based on my past experiences with Lilia-san's culinary attempts.
After asking for her permission, I opened the box.
Wait... what is this?
The chocolates were heart-shaped and actually looked quite nice, but the problem was the illustration drawn on top. What could it be? It looked like a "squashed frog," but surely that couldn't be it.
What do I do? If I react poorly, I’ll hurt her feelings. Think... I need a way to spin this.
"...Kaito-san?"
"Ah, no, the craftsmanship is so beautiful I was just lost in thought. I-I really like this drawing on top!"
"T-Thank you! I’m so glad you like it! I thought a dragon would be very 'me,' so I tried drawing one. It’s a Ground Dragon with brown scales!"
"Ah, oh! Of course! I knew it!! Wow, it really has a lot of... character! It’s great!!"
"P-Please don't praise me that much... it’s embarrassing."
A dragon, huh? I see... That was a harder puzzle than I expected.
But I managed to pull it off. Lilia-san looked bashful, but she had a happy, gentle smile on her face. As I felt a cold sweat run down my spine, I suddenly noticed the bandage wrapped around her hand.
"L-Lilia-san! What happened to your hand? Are you hurt?"
"Oh, n-no, it’s nothing. While I was making the chocolate... Sieg forbade me from using physical enhancement magic. I ended up cutting myself a little with the knife."
"Are you all right!?"
"Y-Yes... The knife broke, but my injury is minor."
"..."
Wait, did I just hear that right? I thought she said that without physical enhancement, the kitchen knife lost to her durability and snapped, but that had to be my imagination. Still, the fact that she was injured was what mattered.
"What about healing magic?"
"Eh? Neither Sieg nor I can use it, and it really is just a minor scratch. I didn't have time for the clinic, so I just disinfected it and wrapped it up."
"But still... Ah! I have the Fruit of the World Tree!!"
"Kaito-san!? W-Wait! Calm down! What are you trying to make me eat?! It’s r-really just a tiny cut... Please don't start lining up those outrageous fruits on the table!!"
In my panic over her injury, I had started placing about twenty Fruits of the World Tree on the table before she finally stopped me.
"But... doesn't it hurt?"
"Thank you for worrying. But I’m truly fine. It will heal in no time."
"I see..."
"...Besides, um, it’s a wound I got from working hard for your sake, so I’m a little... just a tiny bit, but I’m actually kind of proud of it. A-Ahaha, even if it’s just because I’m bad at cooking."
Lilia-san blushed slightly and gave me a bashful smile. She was so incredibly cute I was reaching my limit. When your girlfriend works so hard to cook for you that she even gets hurt, it makes you realize just how much effort she put in. It made me feel so much love for her.
"Kaito-san?"
I stood up suddenly, causing her to tilt her head in confusion. Even that simple gesture stirred my desire. I stepped toward her and pulled her slender body into a tight embrace.
"Hyau!? K-Kaito-than!?"
"...Lilia-san. You're too cute. I don't think I can hold back anymore."
"Eh? E-Ehhh!? B-But... it’s s-still light out... and..."
"...Lilia-san."
She was bright red and flustered, but her resistance was weak. Lilia-san was incredibly shy, but she was also very kind. When the mood turned like this, she would always give in eventually.
Just as I expected, she let her gaze wander for a moment, but as I continued to hold her, she eventually looked into my eyes and let her body go limp.
"Hau... Um... I’ll send a message to the mansion... so... today... can I stay the night?"
"Yes, of course."
"Au... P-Please... be gentle with me."
No matter how much time passed, Lilia-san remained innocent and lovely. Since today was a day for lovers... I figured there was no harm in keeping this precious woman all to myself.
Feeling her dear warmth in my arms, I slowly closed my eyes and brought my face toward hers.