101st Confession - Side Story Episode 5 - Girl's First Love (5)

Side Story Episode 5: Girl’s First Love (5)

In reality, she might not have known, but Ares was quite worried about how she appeared uninterested in any guy. 

She had entered the marriageable age, yet she hadn’t even had a casual encounter, let alone a lover. He even thought that she might not actually like guys, given how she was busy putting up walls when approached by them.

‘Just liked Lucas…’

He hadn’t even realized that she had a crush on Lucas, let alone that he had feelings for her.

Thinking about Lucas, anger surged within him

As close friends, he knew all about his love life. The thought that Arista suffered alone while he was with other girls made Ares furious.

“If Lucas ever upsets you, feel free to talk to me anytime. I’ll give him a piece of my mind.”

“Hmph. You claim you’re best friends, but…”

“That’s one thing, and this is another! Anyway! …Congratulations on your first love. Lucas may have met many girls, but he always treated them well.”

“I know. Thanks to you introducing him on that day, he ended up meeting more girls than necessary.”

“Hmm, hmm!”

Ares, feeling pricked, coughed awkwardly and distanced himself from Arista.

“Oh, right. The conversation we just had is a secret from my brother.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well, he doesn’t know that I’ve had a crush on him for a long time.”

She wants to tell him in her own words later.

“Good grief, what a commotion since the morning. By now, the social scene must be turned upside down.”

“Is this such a big deal?”

“…Just words. You still don’t know your worth.”

“Talking about worth with a person.”

“I mean it differently.”

Ares playfully took Arista’s sharp gaze in stride.

“Do you know how many marriage proposals have come to you so far?”

“…… I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s because neither our parents nor I told you.”

Arista was puzzled. Her parents, in a typical patriarchal style, often asked her when she would start dating and if she had any thoughts of getting married. But the revelation that she had received not just one or two marriage proposals was surprising.

“For one, there hasn’t been anyone our parents approve of, and our father cherishes you. He wouldn’t want to send you off to marry some random guy.”

“Nonsense. I’d rather believe the sun rises in the west.”

Arista was disgusted at the idea that her father cherished her. That’s because, in every matter, he always opposed whatever Arista did, often going against her unconditionally. Swordsmanship was one of those matters.

Facing the distrustful gaze of his younger sister, Ares nodded his head. 

“Anyway, Father wanted to find the best match for you. But things turned out like this…”

Ares suddenly stopped speaking and fell into silence. Soon, with a pale face, he asked Arista.

“When did Father come?”

“He came about a month ago and left, so he won’t be coming for a while. Why?”

“Why? Well, if he sees this newspaper…!”

“Oh.”

Arista’s face turned pale in an instant. Even if her father liked Lucas, it was because of Ares’ friendship, not as the sole lover of his only daughter. Moreover, being a daughter who had never had a relationship with a man, she couldn’t imagine what his reaction would be.

“…Hey, it won’t be a big deal, right?”

“Well, it might be, won’t it?”

“Right. And I have to spend about five days down to the Duke’s place. It will take some time for the news to spread that far.”

“…You can’t keep hiding this forever. You know that too.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Sigh, since we have time, let’s figure out how to deal with Father in the meantime. I can’t handle it if Father gets genuinely angry.”

With that, Ares slipped out of Arista’s room, careful not to leave any correspondence here.

Alone now, Arista picked up the newspaper once again. Despite the lengthy details about her first love, she didn’t feel too bad. Perhaps it was because the person involved was Lucas.

Unable to suppress her laughter, Arista kicked her feet on the bed and suddenly stood up. 

“Well, shall we go meet my brother then?”

In pursuit of a successful first date, Arista headed to the dressing room with light steps.

* * *

Shivering.

Lucas, who had come down to the dining room early in the morning, shook as he held his coffee cup. 

The coffee seemed on the verge of overflowing, but Lucas’ attention was solely focused on the newspaper in front of him. Almost an entire page is filled with rumors of Arista and his courtship. 

Though he expected it somewhat after their public display of affection yesterday, the news had spread much faster than he thought.

His mind turned blank, perhaps due to being unprepared. 

“Good morning, Lucas.” 

John said entering the dining room with Julian. It was only after Lucas regained his composure that he belatedly greeted them.

“Good morning, our son. What’s the matter with you, waking up early today? Do you have somewhere to go?” 

Julian asked, patting Lucas’ cheek. Lucas awkwardly smiled but couldn’t shake off the unease that had plagued him since he started dating Arista.

“Aaron, where’s today’s newspaper?” 

John asked when he noticed it missing from its usual place. Sweating profusely, Lucas eagerly awaited Aaron’s response.

“Heir has already taken a look at it.”

“Oh? Lucas, come here once you’ve finished with the newspaper.”

“Uh, well, you see…”

Lucas couldn’t continue his sentence as he tightly gripped the newspaper. John and Julian looked puzzled when they noticed the absence of the morning newspaper. If he handed over the newspaper now, his parents would find out about his relationship with Arista. Of course, they would eventually find out, but he wasn’t emotionally prepared for it yet.

As he pondered what excuse to give, Aaron announced.

“Young master, a guest has arrived.”

With newfound enthusiasm, Lucas quickly stood up. 

“A guest has arrived! I’ll leave first!” 

Holding the newspaper, he swiftly left the dining room. John, unable to catch him in time, could only stare in bewilderment.

“That lad. He’ll return the newspaper later.”

“It seems something urgent came up. Aaron, could you bring a fresh newspaper?” 

“Yes, madam. Please wait a moment.”

Lucas was oblivious. After all, they could easily get another newspaper. It took another ten minutes for John and Julian to regain their composure after the unexpected turn of events.

* * *

“Ah, Arista?”

The fact that Arista had come looking for him left Lucas bewildered. 

However, even for a brief moment, he was captivated by the beautifully adorned Arista. With a white scarf wrapped around her neck in the cold winter, she seemed like a fox disguised as a person, seducing him.

Arista approached Lucas with a wide smile. 

“Big brother!”

Feeling the sudden chill, Lucas finally noticed Arista’s reddened nose. Despite wearing outerwear, it was January, and the outside must be quite cold. Quickly, Lucas removed his coat and carefully draped it over Arista, wrapping her cheeks with his hands.

“Look at how cold your cheeks are. You should have dressed warmer. Or, better yet, why are you up so early in the morning?”

In response to Lucas’ concerned gaze, Arista opened her mouth and laughed. 

“I came to have a date with my big brother.”

“A date?”

“Yep. Oh, shouldn’t I have called ahead so my brother could get ready?”

Arista glanced at Lucas, admitting that she hadn’t thought of that because she was so focused on the date.

Though startled by her sudden appearance, the way she looked at him was so cute that it left Lucas unable to think. Unconsciously, Lucas stroked Arista’s head. As he gently touched her with a soft smile, Arista blushed and paused.

“Alright, let’s go for our date. Could you wait for a moment? I’ll change quickly and be right back.”

“Uh, yeah…!”

As Lucas hurriedly ascended the stairs, Arista found herself absentmindedly touching her now warm cheeks. Eventually, she felt as if she was standing in the same spot, feeling the warmth of being loved by him.

* * *

“Hah, what should I wear?”

Lucas fell into deep contemplation. 

Until now, he hadn’t cared much about his attire and just dressed neatly. However, the thought of going on a date with Arista made him consider everything – from shoes to shirts, cufflinks, and even his hairstyle.

He felt the urgency not to keep Arista waiting any longer, but he wanted to show her the most impressive version of himself. 

“Alright, let’s go with this.”

Lucas chose clothes that were somewhat similar in color to Arista’s outfit today, and he put on a white-furred jacket. After neatly styling his hair and applying his favorite cologne, he thought.

“Hmm, not bad.”

This should be decent enough even beside Arista. In a situation where they were under the scrutiny of the century, he couldn’t afford to tarnish Arista’s image.

After one last check in the mirror, Lucas hurriedly descended to the first floor. Upon reaching the reception room, he quickly opened the door.

“Arista, sorry for keeping you wai—”

Lucas momentarily stopped, surprised to find not just one person but three people in the reception room. And with a chilling gaze, he discovered his parents staring at him.

It was quite a shocking revelation.