Iris sat a bit awkwardly on the chair, and not far away, the sounds of Aqua and Kazuma arguing could be heard; it seemed they were quarreling over something again.
Roa couldn't be bothered and ignored the noise, leaving only the two of them in the living room.
Both were somewhat idle; Roa wasn't very keen on talking. Although Iris's joining was unexpected, it was also within reason.
However, since Iris had joined the team, the plan couldn't be as hesitant as before; they should actively strike and take down the Demon King's subordinates one by one.
Lost in thought, a small head leaned over.
Roa snapped back to reality, noticing a small head resting on his shoulder, golden hair flowing like a sea of gold.
At such a close distance, Roa could even smell the unique scent of the girl.
He didn't push Iris away; he wasn't the type to be insensitive, and of course, he didn't say anything.
The silence continued, but it seemed that seeing her bold action not being rejected made Iris feel much more relaxed.
The atmosphere didn't become heavy; on the contrary, it felt slightly ambiguous.
Iris's gaze turned towards the corridor where Darkness was located; complaints and the sound of boots hitting the floor could be heard from the corridor, indicating that Darkness wouldn't be coming over anytime soon.
Megumin sneaked into each bedroom, starting to choose her own room, leaving only the two of them in the living room.
Iris's eyes moved, her left hand rubbing the ring on her right index finger.
Iris hesitated, but thinking of the girls she saw around Roa, her hesitation turned into determination.
She was not someone lacking courage; in the past, she thought she was the only one by Roa's side in the Royal capital.
But now it was different; her world only had Roa, but Roa's world did not only have her.
She needed to be bolder; otherwise, Roa might eventually be taken away by those girls.
She couldn't let the situation continue like this.
Without much hesitation, Iris took off the ring from her hand. The ring wasn't particularly extravagant; compared to gold and silver rings, it was even somewhat plain.
Taking off the ring already indicated her determination.
Her outstretched right hand trembled slightly; for some reason, a flush appeared on Iris's cheeks, and the unique shyness of a girl surged from her heart, making her feel very shy, yet she tried to appear calm.
She kept telling herself in her heart, "It's okay, it's okay."
Seemingly gathering her courage, Iris finally spoke up.
"Um, brother, I have a gift I want to give you."
Iris's way of speaking was quite special; she didn't directly present the ring but first laid the groundwork.
As she expected, the young man looked over with curiosity; his handsome face was right in front of her, his features exquisitely beautiful. The boy seemed a bit surprised but still smiled and asked, "A gift? What does Iris want to give me?"
"Um, it's this ring. The ring is a relic left to me by my mother; it is the most important thing to me. The reason I want to give this to you, brother, is that I want you to always stay by my side. I hope you can always be my knight. Is that okay?"
Iris might not have even realized that, despite being able to speak fluently in various situations before, she now appeared somewhat anxious in front of this young man.
Roa's expression didn't change at all; he maintained his smile and naturally accepted the ring.
It was a ring that looked somewhat vintage, with not much magical power; it wasn't a powerful magical item, but having watched anime, he knew what it represented.
It symbolized Iris's fiancé; receiving this ring almost meant that he would be Iris's future husband.
And now, the kingdom's first princess, Princess Iris, had voluntarily handed over this ring.
She chose Roa.
She didn't want to be rejected, and even used a small lie to fill in the meaning represented by this ring.
Perhaps her mother handed this ring to her, and the king had always tacitly allowed its existence, hoping that Iris could choose her own partner for the future.
Iris continued to smile, but her gaze had already shifted elsewhere. Her right hand was slightly clenched, and sweat had formed in her palm as she waited for Roa's response.
Roa took the ring, his expression and attitude very natural.
Without saying much, feeling the texture on it, he simply put the ring on his left hand.
Roa asked, "Since this is such an important thing, isn't it a bit too precious to give to me?"
Seeing that Roa didn't refuse, a weight lifted from Iris's heart, and a genuine smile appeared on her face. The girl expressed her most real and sincere thoughts: "The significance of you, Brother Roa, is as important to me as this ring."
Roa's eyes moved slightly; he didn't refuse or accept outright. However, after hearing Iris's words, he nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I'll keep this ring for now, but just wearing it like this might become a bit troublesome for you, Iris, right?"
Iris was suddenly startled; at that moment, she felt as if she had been seen through. She suddenly remembered that the meaning of her ring was not known only to her.
Very few people in the palace knew, but they weren't nonexistent.
Whether it was Claire or Darkness, they both knew the meaning of this ring.
Although no one would be bored enough to explain the significance of this ring to Roa, he wouldn't be so idle as to ask about such trivial matters.
But for some reason, Iris felt a bit flustered.
She had played a small trick, not telling Roa the meaning of the ring, but it also indirectly indicated that this ring was something very important to her.
However, this small lie seemed to have truly become a small lie in front of him.
Did Roa know?
Did he understand the meaning represented by this ring?
Even if he knew, did he still choose to accept it?
Similar thoughts kept swirling in Iris's mind, one question after another, but soon followed by a sense of joy.