"No Marriage, Please! vs. Marry Me or Die: The Ultimate Love Showdown" - Episode 27

A Dream. I was dreaming.

It was a dream from my childhood.

For as long as I could remember, it had always been just my mother and me.

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“Mother.”

“What is it, Eve?”

“Where is Father?”

“…Well, your father is a very important man. He’s far away.”

“Important?”

“Yes. If you’re a good girl, maybe someday you’ll get to meet him.”

“I see.”

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Some time later, my mother came to me with news.

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“Eve, there’s something important I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Your father has invited us to come live at his estate. What do you think?”

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I didn’t think too hard about it. I simply agreed.

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“Wow… it’s huge…”

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When I arrived at the Fiares estate, the first thing that struck me was its sheer size.

Bathed in sunlight, the grand mansion sparkled with elegance. A vast front garden stretched out before it, with a fountain at the center. Flowers I had never seen before bloomed in vibrant colors around it.

I was just a child, and simply seeing it all filled me with excitement. I was to greet my father for the first time, accompanied by my mother.

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“So, you’re Eve…”

“Yes, I’m Eve.”

“Hm. You’re calm and seem quite clever.”

“She is.”

“I’ve prepared rooms for both of you. Use them as you like.”

“Thank you very much.”

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Mother bowed politely, so I followed suit. It was then that I understood—my father was a very powerful noble.

I was soon introduced to the rest of the family. The eldest brother, Alto, was full of energy.

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“Whoa! So, you’re my little sister, Eve!”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

“Haha! Well, I hear there’s some complicated backstory, but don’t worry—it’s Father’s fault, not yours! You’ve done nothing wrong! So let me be the first to welcome you, my dear sister. Be proud to have such a magnificent brother!”

“Um… Thank you, Brother Alto.”

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He was a bit too energetic, and it startled me—but being called “sister” made me happy.

The last one I met was Brother Yuri. He was quiet and only gave curt responses, even when greeted. Honestly, he scared me the most.

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“Hey.”

“Y-Yes…?”

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He called out to me in the hallway, and I flinched.

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“You should dress more properly. You’re part of the Fiares family now, after all.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Good. That’s better.”

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I wasn’t yet used to dressing like a noble, and Yuri simply pointed that out.

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One day, I went into the nearby forest. A book I had recently read said there were beautiful flowers there. I wanted to pick some as a gift for my new family. I still wasn’t comfortable talking with them, but I hoped this gesture might help bring us closer.

That’s when it happened—I encountered a monster. A low-rank wolf-type creature. But as a child, there was no way I could fight it.

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“U-uh…!”

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I trembled with fear, tears streaming down my cheeks. Am I going to die here…? I thought.

Then, just in time—Brother Yuri appeared.

With his sword, he swiftly struck down the wolves one after another.

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“Eve! Are you okay!?”

“I-I’m sorry… sniffle…”

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He knelt to meet my gaze and gently patted my head.

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“Be more careful from now on. Don’t come to the forest alone. Always let someone know when you’re going out. Understand?”

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

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That was the only real connection I had with Brother Yuri at the estate.

Before long, Mother and I left the mansion. I had no regrets. I never quite belonged there—I was always an outsider.

But even so… the memory of that moment—when Brother Yuri saved me—stayed etched in my mind.

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“…A dream, huh? But… I see. I… I’ve always…”

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I awoke.

Until now, I had completely forgotten. Or maybe I had forced myself to forget those days at the mansion. But now, I remembered that connection with Brother Yuri.

He used to seem cold and scary. But he was kind—that never changed.

I placed a hand over my chest. That dream made it painfully clear.

Yes… I had already fallen in love back then.

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“Brother’s late…”

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As usual, I was waiting at the adventurer’s guild. But he hadn’t shown up yet. I wonder if something happened?

That’s when Ria approached me.

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“Morning, Eve.”

“G-Good morning.”

“Yuri won’t be coming today. I actually asked him to let me borrow you for a bit—I wanted to talk to you.”

“You want to talk to me?”

“Yeah. How about we go to a café? My treat, of course.”

“…Alright.”

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Still nervous, I followed Ria. We were seated at a corner table.

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“So… what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, Eve—how do you feel about Yuri?”

“Um…”

“What about you, Ria?”

“…I love him. More than anyone else in this world.”

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I froze.

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“You see any girl around Yuri as a threat, don’t you? Even me, as his sister.”

“Hm… how should I put it…”

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I couldn’t make sense of it. Ria scared me. Her eyes weren’t focused on the world around us—they only saw Yuri.

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“I think my love is something like unconditional love.”

“Unconditional…?”

“Yes. Most love comes with expectations. ‘I love you this much, so love me the same in return.’ But me—I’m happy just devoting myself to Yuri. He expanded my entire world. My body, my heart… everything belongs to him. That’s enough for me.”

“…”

“Of course, I get jealous. I want him to praise me too. But I don’t want to possess him. That would be arrogant. I want him to live freely. I’m still figuring out my emotions myself… but I do know this—no one in this world loves him more than I do.”
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Unconditional love… I didn’t really understand that feeling.

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“So… are you saying you support me?”

“Yeah. Because you love Yuri, don’t you?”

“I…”

“Don’t worry. If some random woman tries to get close to him, I won’t hold back. But you, Eve—I think we’re the same. I understand how you feel. Family bonds can be complicated, but love transcends that. I just wanted to tell you—it’s okay to be honest with yourself. I’m not your enemy. I’m your ally, alright? You don’t have to hold back.”

“…Okay.”

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It was all I could say. I was still… uncertain.

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The next day, I went into a dungeon with Brother and Ria. I was reckless—maybe out of desperation—and got scolded for it. I realized I wasn’t thinking clearly.

Later, I spotted a shadowy figure. Could it be… one of those imperial assassins Brother mentioned?

I had to make up for my mistakes today.

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“Hm…? What’s that?”

“What is it, Eve?”

“I saw a figure—clearly trying to hide. Maybe one of the assassins you mentioned? I’ll go check!”

“Eve! Don’t go off alone—it’s dangerous!”

“I’ll be fine!”

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I rushed off, and the others followed—but it was a trap. A teleportation circle activated, separating us.

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“Where… am I?”

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It was dimly lit. Still a dungeon, but I didn’t know where. That’s when I sensed an attack from behind. I activated a skill just in time to block it.

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“Oh? You reacted to that? Not bad.”

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The attacker wore a dark cloak, his magical aura dense and dangerous. He carried a crooked, enchanted dagger.

He was one of the Empire’s assassins.

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“You’re going to die here. Heh… I can’t wait to hear you scream.”

“…Inhale… exhale…”

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I took a deep breath, gripped my sword tightly, and charged. Our fight was fierce—based around speed and skill. We were evenly matched in technique and reaction time.

But in terms of mental strength, I was clearly falling behind.

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“Hah… hah…”

“You’re weaker than I thought. I’ll admit you’ve got talent—but that’s it. You can’t beat me.”

“I… I won’t lose…!”

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It was a bluff.

He kicked me hard in the stomach and sent me crashing into the wall. The pain was blinding—my vision swam.

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“Not much fun, huh? Whatever. I’ll just torture you a bit, then kill you.”

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So, this is it. I’m going to die here.

Strangely, I felt at peace with it. But even then… the only thing I thought about was my brother.

I’m sorry, Brother. You taught me so much, but I couldn’t do anything in the end. I’m sorry for being such a disappointing sister.

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“──Eve. Are you alright?”

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Unbelievable.

Standing before me was Brother Yuri.

And just like that, I remembered—the first time he saved me, all those years ago. It was just like this. No matter what, he always came for me.

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Then, I remembered his words:

“Don’t try to eliminate fear—walk with it. Courage and fear are two sides of the same coin. Be brave and keep moving forward.”

And Ria’s voice echoed too:

“You don’t have to hold back. Be honest with yourself, Eve.”

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Yes… back then, when he saved me as a child—I had already fallen in love with him.

A forbidden love.

But after reuniting with him, that sealed-away feeling had started to awaken.

Now… I couldn’t stop it anymore.