Chapter 152: Hanae Cheered Up Lise

Translated by AmaLynne

“Lise, are you okay?”

Hanae looked into Lise’s face as she lay on her bed with a gloomy look on her face.

Worried about Lise, who had locked herself in her room after lunch without talking to her family, Hanae followed her and stayed in her room.

“……Hanae. I’m sorry I made you worry. But I’m fine.”

“You don’t look okay.”

There is nothing more unreliable than someone who is not okay.

Hanae was sincerely concerned about Lise, at least in her words.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed, to tell you the truth. I was having such a good time with Sam and Hanae, and I never thought it would be ruined by one man.”

It was not that Lise was shocked to see Julien again.

Of course, she was not surprised by the unexpected reunion. She also felt that her good time had been watered down.

However, that was not the cause of Lise’s depression.

What shocked Lise more than anything else was the fact that she was afraid of Julian.

“I thought I don’t give a damn about that guy. No, I didn’t care about him. But when I met him, I couldn’t move my body.”

She stiffens at the mere sight of his face and shivers when he calls out to her.

She felt ashamed and frustrated with herself.

Above all, she felt sorry for Sam that she had been held captive by such a man for so long.

“I’ve been keeping quiet about it because I didn’t think it was something I should say much about, but I know about Lise’s situation too.”

“…I’m sure you do.”

“It’s easy to say “everything’s fine”…but I understand that it doesn’t really work that way.”

“Thank you…I’m glad you said that.”

“I should have just blown that guy off myself.”

“I thought I could slap that annoying face, but I couldn’t do anything. I’m so frustrated about that.”

Sitting down next to Lise, who bites her lip, Hanae gently reaches out her hand.

She takes Lise’s hand in hers and offers words of comfort.

“I don’t think we will see each other again. Besides, Lise has Sam. She has someone to protect her. So you don’t need to worry about it.”

“……”

“I envy Lise. She has someone who loves her unconditionally.”

“…yes, I am blessed.”

“I have no one like Sam. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it does make me a little sad.”

Lise’s eyes widened at Hanae’s unexpected words.

She had never thought she would say something like this, even as a consolation when she looked forward to fighting strong people and demanded a strong man for her marriage partner as well.

“…That surprised me. I didn’t expect Hanae, who I thought was only interested in strong people, to say such a thing.”

“Right. That’s part of it.”

“Hey, why is Hanae looking for someone strong?”

“Between you and me, I don’t care if the person is not strong.”

“What?”

“I’m a girl, too, and I want to be protected.”

“Umm, you mean that?”

“Yes.”

A smile escaped from Lise as a slightly flushed Hanae nodded.

“Fufufu…”

“Don’t tell the grandma about this. I say it because it’s Lise. She is my dearest friend.”

“Thank you, Hanae. I also consider you a dear friend.”

“Yes, and it’s a little bit of a guess.”

“A guess? What do you mean?”

Lise tilts her head, and Karen, her lips slightly parted, says.

“I have met men in arranged marriages, but none of them would even look at me. I am only the granddaughter of the court wizard Murasaki Magnolia.”

“……Hanae.”

“The goal was to make a connection, and I was an added bonus. I was a little angry about that. So I set the condition that I had to be a stronger man than myself. Otherwise, there is no way I can do it.”

Lise couldn’t believe that was the reason why Hanae wanted a strong man for her marriage partner, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fufufu, I didn’t realize that Hanae was also a girl. Hanae is also a girl, isn’t she?”

“Excuse me. I am always a girl.”

She looked at Haren, whose cheeks were puffed out.

The two of them suddenly go crazy and start giggling.

“Fufufu.”

“Haha.”

Lise realizes that the gloomy feeling that had been dominating her has cleared up.

Perhaps Hanae was intentionally making Lise feel better by talking about herself.

“To tell you the truth, I like Sam after living with him. He is kind. Above all, I can tell from the way he treats Lise that he is a loving person.”

“Yes, Sam loves me very much.”

“So, Lise, don’t worry about that man anymore.”

Hanae, who did not always show her emotions, smiled clearly.

Her expression was very gentle and warm.

“What Lise needs right now is not to lock herself in her room and worry about her family. I think what she needs is a hug from Sam and lots of love.

“――Yeah, right. I would love to. I want to be hugged by Sam so much right now.”

“Then let’s leave the room together.”

Grabbing the hand offered by Hanae, she gets up from the bed.

But before embracing her loved one, she wanted to hug her precious friend who had cheered her up with all her strength.

“Thank you, Hanae.”

“Nn. No problem.”

Lise, who had been ruled by her worst feelings, was able to return to her usual, cheerful face.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep