I’m Done Being Your Best Friend

Percy was suspicious of us.
He even glared at Logan as though he was about to charge at him.

“Get out.”

However, Logan, who received the hostile gaze, was calm.
In contrast to Percy, whose blood seemed to be boiling, he was quite composed.

“When did I ever bring up the Grint?”

“What?”

“I never asked you to go back.”

Incomprehensible, Percy frowned.

It’s right now.

I cut in right when he got quiet.

“Lord Grint, we really came to help you two.
So that you can hide safely.”

“….I don’t need any help.”

Percy was still confused, but he snapped bluntly.

“We took some jewels with us when we left the family.
So as you can see, our situation is not that difficult.
We also looked for work to settle down here.”

“Already?”

How did they do that so quickly? They’d found a job that a man as highly and noble like Percy could do? Heidi explained as I widened my eyes.

“Starting next week, Percy is going to learn from the carpenter.”

“A carpenter?”

Since he graduated from the Royal Academy, I thought that he would do something intellectual, but he seemed to have thoroughly chosen the path of a commoner.

Although it was predictable when he abandoned his entire guaranteed future…Still, it was very surprising.

I still remembered his appearance at the year-end party not too long ago.
He was wearing a nice tailcoat and having a conversation with the nobles, which overlapped with the Percy dressed like a commoner.
He didn’t look sloppy just because he’s in this form, but he certainly looked different from last time.

“I’m thankful for your kind hearts, but I will take care of Heidi myself.”

“No.
You’d better not do that.”

Logan said coldly and Percy gave him a disgruntled look.

“Why not?”

“The duke’s tracking troop is catching up with us.
And about their purpose, I’m sure you could make the guess on your own.”

“…!”

“This place is too close to the capital.
If you don’t want to be caught soon, you’d better move to a safe place.”

“And we will help with that.”

I helped Logan out in persuading them.
The Grint sent out a search party before us, so the two were at risk of being caught, it was just a matter of time.

Heidi said to Percy worriedly.

“Wouldn’t it be better to listen to the two of them?”

“But we cannot move right away.
We have to stay until the end of the week.”

Percy turned to us and spoke.

“If we have to move, we’ll do it after the engagement ceremony on the weekend.”

Engagement ceremony? At this unexpected statement, Logan and I both exchanged glances in silence.

I asked them both.

“The two of you?”

“Yes.
We want to have a wedding, but everything is not quite settled yet.”

As Percy replied, Heidi quietly nodded beside him and continued his words.

“So, for now, we’re going to hold a simple engagement ceremony and proceed with the wedding slowly.”

They set the engagement date first thing after they ran away? As my eyes were still wide with surprise, Heidi added embarrassedly.

“I wanted to prove our love through a ceremony.
No need for grandiose rituals…just exchanging rings in the cathedral is enough.
The engagement ceremony itself already has a great meaning.”

Looking at the papers Percy pulled out, it was indeed an engagement pledge.
It was issued in the authority of Ridge, the city where they were staying.

If they signed these documents in front of the priest and held the betrothal ceremony, the engagement itself would be established even if it’s not necessarily in front of their family.

“Please wait until the end of the engagement ceremony.
If we have to move, we’ll do that after it is finished.”

Percy said to Logan in a tone that seemed reluctant.
Heidi looked back at the two of us and made a pleading face.

“It’s the day we’ve been waiting for.
Give me a little more time, please?”

“Aren’t you being chased? We may have found you first, but what if the people sent by the Grint arrive before the weekend?”

Percy flinched at Logan’s cold words.

I was at a loss.
I felt troubled at their conflict.
I wanted them to hold the engagement ceremony quickly, but it’s on the weekend, and if we all waited for it, their risk of getting caught by Duke Grint’s people would increase.

I opened my mouth to Heidi.

“Does the engagement have to be on the weekend?”

“Ah…It’s actually because of the witness.
We couldn’t find any witnesses because we didn’t know anyone in this area.
There will be people in the church on weekends when services are held, so I tried to find witnesses through the priest.”

“So it doesn’t have to be on the weekend, right?”

Upon saying that, I pointed my finger alternately at me and Logan.

“I and the duke will be your witnesses.”

It was not necessary for villagers to be witnesses.
It would be more meaningful for those who were acquainted with them from the beginning to become witnesses.

Heidi looked back at Percy, looking thrilled.

“Percy, shall we hold an engagement ceremony then?”

“When?”

“As soon as possible.
On any day the priest is available.”

Percy stood up from his seat after a while deep in thought at Heidi’s words.

“Alright, then wait a minute.”

Percy said to us and left in a flash.
He then came back after less than 30 minutes.
The words he shouted when the door burst open really surprised me.

“Heidi! They say they’ll change it to today!”

“Really?!”

Today? Isn’t that too fast?

When Percy’s eyes met mine, he hurriedly fixed his excited expression.
As he turned to look at Logan, he said awkwardly.

“It has been moved to 5 o’clock today.
Will you…be our witness?”

“Yes, well thought out.”

Logan nodded.

But for the engagement, there were so many things to prepare in advance.
It shouldn’t be a matter that could be decided so hastily.

Having watched Percy and Daisy’s betrothal proceedings in the previous life, I could hardly get the hang of it.

And after a while, when it was time for me to attend their engagement ceremony in the cathedral, I only realised then.
That’s what simplification really meant.
It couldn’t be any more concise than this.

“Do you promise to take this woman as your future companion?”

“I do.”

In the cathedral chapel, there were only the priest, Percy, Heidi, me and Logan.

Percy and Heidi attended the engagement ceremony wearing the same clothes as before.
There were no fancy dresses, champagne, or orchestras.
All they got was a pair of diamond rings.

The ceremony ended with the signing of the engagement pledge, the priest asking a few questions, and the exchange of rings.

Now, the two were officially engaged in a relationship rather than just lovers.
By merely holding the ceremony in front of witnesses, their engagement was made valid.
I and Logan could always prove they were engaged.

As the priest left the chapel, I handed Heidi a bouquet of flowers I bought nearby.

“Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you, lady Nelson.”

I wondered if it was too short, but since the two of them were so happy, it didn’t matter after all.
The important thing was that the engagement ceremony was over.

Looking at them happily, I spoke to Logan.

“Good for them.”

“It seems like a glamorous engagement isn’t everything.”

Logan also responded with a soft smile.

Now, as Logan had planned, the only thing left was to move them to a safer place.
As we were heading out of the cathedral together, I proposed to Logan.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and as for their new hideout, my family’s estate won’t be bad.
If I tell my grandmother, I think she’ll listen.”

But the moment I opened the door to exit the cathedral, I realised I had said something meaningless.

Because Logan’s knights were aiming their swords at some other strange-looking knights.