My Former Disciple Wants Me as His Bride

The moment Ciel saw her shoulders stiffen at the sight of him, a pleasant sense of triumph curved his lips.

‘So you do remember me, Master.’

Now that he knew she remembered him, a mischievous impulse suddenly took hold.

“My apologies if I startled you. But… have we met before?”

Contrary to his original plan of treating her coldly and keeping her firmly at a distance, his voice came out remarkably gentle. Ciel even tilted his head slightly and gazed at her with the most innocent expression he could muster.

Seeing Eris’s green eyes dart about in helpless confusion convinced him that he had made the right choice. There was something oddly satisfying about imagining her desperately clinging to the flimsy hope that he genuinely hadn’t recognized her.

“I’m really looking forward to traveling around the Kingdom of Celis.”

Somehow, he had a feeling this trip wouldn’t be boring after all.

* * *

“Miss Eris, aren’t you going to eat?”

Eris, who had been sitting there blankly swinging her legs, raised her head.

Ciel was staring at her with a bright smile, looking as harmless as fresh summer greenery. It was precisely that innocent expression that had kept her tossing and turning the night before.

‘How could he possibly have forgotten me?’

She had been so anxious about when he might suddenly remember that even her bed, where she normally fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, had felt unusually uncomfortable.

‘His brothers must have beaten him so badly that he injured his head and lost his memory.’

She felt as though she wouldn’t be able to relax until she somehow figured out why he couldn’t remember her.

Eight years ago, Ciel had still been a runny-nosed academy boy, while Eris had gone by the alias ‘Lucy Ilias.’ Even so, she had assumed her appearance alone would be enough for him to recognize her.

Yet an entire day had passed since their arrival at the residence, and Ciel still showed no sign of remembering her.

‘Did I change as much as he did?’

Eris absently ran her fingers over her cheek.

Truthfully, if she hadn’t heard his family name and learned who he was, even Eris might have dismissed him as someone who merely bore a striking resemblance to Ciel.

After all, the frail, slender boy she remembered had grown into a broad, powerfully built man, and even his personality had changed completely.

It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps she, too, had changed enough over the years to be difficult to recognize.

“Miss Eris?”

Not that there was any point wondering about it now. What was done was done.

Tap, tap. The dull sound of fingers tapping against the wooden table finally pulled Eris back to reality.

“Yes?”

At her reflexive response, Ciel tilted his head.

“You have a rather bad habit, Miss Eris.”

“Pardon…?”

“Can you really stare that intently at the face of someone who isn’t your type? So intently that you completely lose yourself and don’t even notice when someone speaks to you?”

Only then did Eris realize that she had been openly admiring Ciel’s face. Startled, she immediately straightened her back and dropped her gaze to her plate.

“That’s not it. I’m just tired. I must have dozed off with my eyes open. My apologies.”

It was half true, but Ciel clearly didn’t believe her, judging by the faint laugh he made.

“Keep your attention on me, Miss Eris. That’s what you’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”

Eris nodded without thinking, only to narrow her eyes a moment later.

“I didn’t come here to keep you company—”

“Are you really that tired?”

Ciel smoothly cut off her protest with a gentle question. There was something in his tone that suggested he had no intention of letting her argue further.

Eris raised one eyebrow before sweeping back the hair she hadn’t quite managed to tidy that morning.

“Yes. I’m tired.”

As if to emphasize the sincerity of her answer, Eris deliberately let out a huge yawn.

“You must be prone to insomnia. Unless… you couldn’t sleep because you were thinking about me?”

She had no idea what he found so amusing about any of this, but his eyes even curved with laughter. His tone was unmistakably teasing, though there seemed to be a faint streak of persistence lurking in those blue eyes.

“Yes… probably because someone decided to come here alone and leave me with twice as much work.”

Eris answered his mischievous teasing without missing a beat and turned her attention back to her plate.

The beautifully toasted bread in front of her was undoubtedly crisp and savory, but she had little appetite for it.

‘I’m already exhausted….’

If only there were someone she could take shifts with.

Thanks to the remarkably carefree young duke who had boldly traveled to a foreign country on his own, she would have to endure several more days of this exhausting routine.

And when she considered the miserable working conditions, with no proper breaks, plus the added burden of playing house with him despite that certainly not being included in any special clause of her contract, Eris concluded that she would be perfectly justified in adding a few extra zeroes to the bonus she intended to demand from Prince Lakan.

“Keep thinking about me while you watch over me from now on, Miss Eris. Thanks to you, I slept very well.”

“…Yes. I can certainly tell.”