Chapter 5: Date with Sia – Part 1
Warm morning light streamed through the window into the bedroom.
“Mmm~! Slept great~!”
Byleth, who had grown accustomed to early nights and early mornings, stretched with a satisfied yawn before sitting up.
Today—Saturday—was the day he had promised to spend with Sia.
Because it was a day he had been eagerly awaiting, he woke up feeling even more refreshed than usual.
“……Wait, Sia snuck in again today, didn’t she?”
Though the bedsheets were wrinkled from sleep, the area near his shoulders was unnaturally smoothed out.
This was something he had only recently noticed—
evidence that Sia had entered his room.
She had tried to hide the traces of her hands pressing into the bed as she leaned in to peek at his sleeping face.
Honestly, being watched while asleep was unbearably embarrassing.
He didn’t particularly like it, but he had heard that it was her way of expressing, “I want to be with you as soon as possible.”
Knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to outright forbid it.
So, he had no choice but to silently allow it.
Still, whether out of consideration for his embarrassment or not, she had started erasing the signs of her visits.
“But hiding it too perfectly just makes it obvious… Haha.”
It was amusing enough that she left such obvious evidence, but imagining her earnestly trying to erase her traces early in the morning made it even more endearing.
“……Oh, right.”
Then, Byleth had an idea.
(Maybe I’ll play a little prank today… If it works, that plan might go through too…)
Today was their date—and a day off.
If he didn’t leave the bedroom, Sia would come to wake him in about ten minutes.
With that in mind, he decided on his prank.
“Hup, hup…”
He pressed his splayed fingers into the taut bedsheet, leaving fresh imprints.
(Pretending to still be asleep was another option, but playing a prank where he “overslept on such an important day” wouldn’t sit well with Sia.)
Since she always peeked at him while he slept, he was curious about how she’d react if he faked it, but this wasn’t the time for that. Better to restrain himself.
“Alright…”
Once he confirmed the imprints were clearly visible, all that was left was to wait for Sia—something he looked forward to.
And just as expected, she knocked on his bedroom door at the usual time.
“Good morning, Lord Byleth! It’s morning—are you awake?”
“Morning, Sia. Come in.”
“Then pardon my intrusion!”
Her cheerful voice was as lively as ever, even this early. As she entered, Byleth immediately noticed something.
“Oh, your outfit’s different today.”
“Yes… Today is… um, a special day for me, so I chose clothes that felt appropriate.”
“They suit you. You look cute.”
“T-That’s too kind of you…!”
The moment he complimented her, Sia fidgeted, shrinking into herself as her face turned bright red.
They had only been face-to-face for a few seconds, yet he was already a little worried if she could survive the whole day like this.
(Maybe I shouldn’t have pranked her… No, scratch that—I definitely shouldn’t have…)
There was one reason Byleth muttered that in his mind.
Because Sia, now completely flustered, was staring at the bed.
Her expression screamed, “Why are there imprints!?”
Even in her overwhelmed state, her observational skills hadn’t dulled—impressive, to say the least.
“L-Lord Byleth!”
“Hmm?”
“U-Um… Please wait just a moment!!”
And with that, Sia sprang into action.
She rushed to the bed and—like kneading dough—began frantically smoothing out the imprints.
“Fwip fwip fwip!” went the sheets.
At first, he thought his prank had failed, but seeing her like this made him glad he’d done it.
“Huh? Something wrong, Sia?”
“W-Well, how should I put it… Um, yes!”
Caught between the shock of the inexplicably reappearing imprints and her desperate need to avoid getting caught, her excuse was hilariously flimsy.
Byleth decided to press further.
“By the way… you sneaked into my room again today, didn’t you?”
“Eek!? W-W-Why would you think that…!?”
“Because I was the one who made those imprints.”
The moment he said that, Sia’s hands froze.
As if anticipating his next words, her entire face flushed even deeper.
“If you hadn’t snuck in, you wouldn’t be doing this, right~?”
“Y-You noticed…!?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Uuuh… I-I’m so sorry…!”
“Ahaha, it’s fine, I’m not mad. I never scolded you for it before, so I’m sorry for pranking you.”
He spoke quickly to reassure her as she covered her face in shame.
Back at the banquet’s afterparty, when he had accidentally caught her peeking at him while he slept, he had genuinely let it slide without reprimand.
Their relationship was special.
If he hadn’t scolded her then, it wasn’t surprising she’d do it again.
That said, sneaking into her master’s room was improper.
“That said, (since it’s embarrassing) I can’t exactly give you permission, but next time, try not to get caught, okay?”
“T-Thank you…! I’ll do my best…!”
“Haha, you’re welcome.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
(—Wait, I’m the one who should be thanking you…)
He added that in his mind.
Because of her actions, he could rest easy.
Her feelings—”I want to be with you even a little sooner”—were something he could accept wholeheartedly.
“But! You did do something wrong, so from now on, you’ll have to accept whatever I say.”
“A-Anything, I’ll accept it all!”
“Gooood.”
Now, at last, Byleth could reveal the real reason for his prank.
“First, today’s date plans are entirely up to you. And don’t hold back on anything else you want to do.”
“Eh…?”
“Second, Today is like a festival where there are no formalities, so there’s no problem if Sia gives me orders. Rather, I was thinking I’d like you to order me to do something at least once”
“Eh!?”
Holding up one finger, then a second, he delivered his conditions concisely—earning a hilariously staggered reaction.
“This kind of fun is something we can only do inside the mansion. So today, let’s make the most of it.”
“U-Um, I-I have so many things I want to ask Lord Byleth…”
“Go ahead.”
“R-Really, you’re leaving it all to me? If so, I might… ask you to study together, or go see the flowers in the garden, or maybe even join me for some sunbathing…”
“Of course that’s fine. Honestly, all of that sounds fun.”
“Really…?”
“Studying alone is boring, but with you next to me, it’s different.”
“…!”
Some might call these date plans modest, but—
(Really, so very Sia-like…)
He couldn’t help but smile.
“Lord Byleth is looking forward to sunbathing too…?”
“Honestly? That’s the part I’m most excited about.”
“That’s not… because the rest sounds boring, is it…?”
“No, no! Not at all!”
Sia’s voice had trembled for just a moment—
her eyes even looked watery.
He could see why she’d think that, but that wasn’t his intent.
“Anyway, you’ll see soon enough. That was a misunderstanding.”
“……”
“More importantly, if something did bother me, I’d say so. The fact that I’m not means exactly what you think.”
“Y-Yes…! Understood…!”
Perhaps because of how seriously he spoke, she quickly relaxed into a relieved smile.
“…Just as Lady Luna said…”
“Hm? What about Luna?”
“Eek!? N-N-Nothing at all!”
“Alright.”
(Judging by that reaction, it’s definitely not nothing…)
Her flustered response made it clear she didn’t want to elaborate.
He really wanted to know, but for Sia’s sake, he let it slide.
“Then let’s start spending time together around nine, alright? You probably have things to do until then too.”
“That would help a lot!”
He needed to eat breakfast and get ready.
Sia had bed-making and cleaning to do in his room.
Taking care of their responsibilities first would let them focus fully on their date.
“Then at nine, I’ll come to your room!”
“Got it! Oh, why not start with studying?”
“Understood!”
“See you later then. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“I-I’ll be looking forward to it too!!”
And so, the two parted ways for now—
though their date would begin soon enough.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
***＊
The clock struck nine in the morning.
In Byleth’s room, the two sat across from each other, beginning their studies—but…
“…Hm?”
“Ah…”
How many times had this happened now?
“………Hm?”
“Ah…”
Two people paused their studies and locked eyes.
Well, more accurately—Byleth noticed her gaze and met it, while Sia, the moment their eyes met, let out a tiny sound and looked away.
“If you have something to say, don’t hesitate, Sia. I was planning to speak up too, you know?”
Perhaps because they were “studying,” her fidgeting made it obvious she wanted to say something.
Finally, after a moment, she spoke.
TLNOTE : Like this story? Check out the new novel Love Thy Dark Lord, it’s basically like this novel, but with politics, kingdom-building, …oh, and of course, MC using his modern sensibilities to seduce girls, lol.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
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