“I searched every corner of the Elven village… Never expected you’d be holed up in your own home. That was a blind spot.”
“Ahaha… I put a pretty serious seal on the basement so you wouldn’t find me, Yoru-san. No matter how skilled someone was, they wouldn’t have sensed my presence! Pretty impressive, right?!”
"If you had spent that time on your manuscript, I wouldn't have had to waste 30 years."
“Hiiiii! I’m sorry! I’m so sorryyyy!”
Finally, Dorothea bursts into tears.
However, no matter how you look at it, it was her own fault, so Allen felt no sympathy for her.
“My apologies for all the commotion. Here’s payment for the wall repairs. Please accept it.”
“Haaa....”
The young man handed the envelope to Allen and lifted Dorothea up.
He was absolutely committing kidnapping in broad daylight. Dorothea cried out in despair for help.
“N-nooooo! Allen-shi, please help! He’s going to throw me into the sea!”
“What a ridiculous thing to say. I would never harm an author I’m responsible for.”
“R-Really…? Ohh, that’s a relief. I guess Yoru-san’s really mellowed out in these past thirty years――”
“The sea is too gentle. Let’s start with a volcano.”
“I’ll die!! Even as an elf, magma will kill me!!”
“Haha. Writers must experience things firsthand, after all.”
“How am I supposed to use a near-death volcano experience in a romance novel!?”
With the screaming Dorothea still on his back, the young man passed through a large hole in the wall and left the place.
Seconds later, through the window, a massive black dragon was seen soaring away with two passengers.
Luu remained sound asleep. She seemed to be completely unfazed by all the chaos probably used to it by now.
Thanks to that, the living room suddenly became quiet.
Allen stood there dumbfounded… until a small, hesitant voice tickled his ears.
"Ah, um... Allen-san... that..."
"Huh... Ah, yeah. Sorry."
It was then that he realized he had been holding Charlotte close the whole time.
He quickly and awkwardly stepped back, letting go of her hand. Charlotte, still red in the face, seemed dazed, but soon blinked back to herself and tilted her head curiously.
“Um… what was it you were trying to say earlier?”
"No... it's fine."
Even Allen couldn't say it in this atmosphere.
He let out a long sigh and covered his face. He was exhausted, but there wasn’t a trace of regret.
Even though the confession had been interrupted… there would be plenty of chances to try again.
(If anything, it was a relief that something had happened. I'll have to prepare better instead of just leaving it to chance.)
A romantic view.
A heartfelt gift.
Words that make the heart flutter.
With all of these things, he'll make his confession a success.
Allen was determined.
“Hey, Charlotte.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to do it. So… just wait for me a little while.”
“U-um… okay?”
Charlotte just looked at Allen in bewilderment, her eyes wide with confusion.