Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 251: Scandalous Headlines and Squishy Cheeks

For heirs to two of the most powerful families, the idea of marrying someone below nobility was practically unheard of—unless they were absolutely determined to defy convention.

With an exasperated sigh, Rocco continued down the list of potential fiancées.

A foreign princess.

The daughter of a prestigious marquis.

A highly sought-after and famously talented male courtesan...?

Okay.

That last one was unexpected.

He didn’t recognize most of the names, but based on their descriptions, they were all well-known noblewomen, distinguished young heirs, or even elite courtesans.

Munching on a cookie, he read for several minutes, expecting more of the same.

And then—

A certain headline nearly made him choke.

—"Are Both Heirs Secretly After the Di Malvento Family’s Hidden Treasure?! A Deep Dive into the Mysterious ’Hidden Angel’!"

"Pfft—!"

Rocco spewed his tea all over the newspaper.

The absurdity of the article hit him like a brick.

Who was this "Di Malvento’s Hidden Treasure" supposed to be?!

His gut already told him the answer, but he still scanned the subheadings, just to be sure.

—"Di Malvento’s Hidden Treasure: Rocco Di Malvento!"

—"Exclusive Scoop! The ’Nation’s Most Beautiful Boy’ Has Even Captivated His Own Brother?!"

—"A Love Triangle Scandal! Who Will Win the Angel’s Heart? The Devil’s Duel Begins!"

—"Exclusive Interview with Insider ’G’: ’He’s seriously adorable~! His cheeks are sooo squishy!’"

—"Breaking News! The ’Hidden Angel’ Has Extremely Squishy Cheeks!"

Rocco tossed the newspaper away.

Nope.

He was done.

He flopped onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.

"What is wrong with the newspapers in this country?"

Just in time, too—he had finished his last cookie.

As he lay there, he let his mind drift.

Setting aside the nonsense about himself...

Laxus and Sylas, huh?

So they really were at the age where marriage was becoming a serious discussion.

Sylas’s future spouse was impossible to picture.

Since birth, Rocco had always believed that Sylas and Laxus were meant to end up together.

No other possibility had ever crossed his mind.

And yet, just a hunch—

But he had a feeling Sylas wouldn’t be getting married anytime soon.

Rocco had spent enough time around him to know.

Sylas showed no signs of romantic interest in anyone, and if anything, he seemed entirely uninterested in the idea of marriage itself.

If it were about Sylas’s personal wishes, that was one thing.

However, if it was about his duty as the Di Malvento heir... that would be an entirely different matter.

That thought lingered in Rocco’s mind for a moment before another question surfaced.

"...Does Laxus get those kinds of talks too?"

Laxus was the same age as Sylas, shared a similar background, and held nearly the same position.

Surely, he was also constantly hearing about heirs, successors, and marriage just like Sylas.

The thought made Rocco feel strangely dejected.

"I’m... too short. Not worthy at all..."

—Not worthy to be Laxus’s bride...

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he snapped back to reality.

Wait.

What was he even thinking?!

Not worthy? That sounded like—like he actually wanted to be Laxus’s bride!

B-but that wasn’t it! Not at all!

Mumbling to himself in flustered confusion, Rocco buried his face in his hands.

And then—

A sudden poke to his cheek snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Ngmff?! Who goes there—! ...Georgio?"

"Hey there, Master."

Rocco flinched.

Hadn’t he been alone in the room?

Yet, when he turned his head, there was Georgio, resting his chin on one hand, leaning against the sofa where Rocco lay.

Rocco hadn’t even noticed him approaching.

Georgio’s ability to move undetected was truly on a whole other level.

Before Rocco could even process what was happening, Georgio continued to prod and pinch his cheeks.

"Mmmph, stop it. You’ll stretch them out," Rocco grumbled, pouting as Georgio continued to squish and knead his face. "They’ll turn all into mochi..."

Georgio simply grinned.

"What’s wrong, Master? You’ve been mumbling ’Laxus, Laxus’ this whole time... Could it be—lovesickness?"

"W-wrong! You idiot! A-and why are you here?!"

The teasing words hit Rocco like a slap, making him flail in embarrassment.

Lovesickness? Lovesickness?!

Absolutely not!

Ridiculous!

Georgio was being a total fool, as usual!

Still red-faced, Rocco huffed and crossed his arms.

Georgio, however, only gave a lazy smile as he answered.

"I had the day off, but my errands finished earlier than I expected, so I came back."

"Oh... Right. Your sister?"

"Yep. I hadn’t visited her in a while, but Vaan kept nagging me to go."

Hearing this, Rocco sat up.

Lying around didn’t feel appropriate for this kind of conversation.

Today was one of Georgio’s rare days off.

His only guard for the day had been Ragar, who was currently stationed outside the room.

The reason for Georgio’s leave had been a visit to his sister’s grave.

The moment Rocco heard that, he had granted him permission immediately.

Well, he would’ve allowed it no matter the reason, but still.

"Vaan... You mean that Vaan, right? How’s he doing?"

"He’s fine now. There was a time he almost died, but he’s back to his usual self."

"...Almost died?"

Rocco sighed, exasperated.

That guy...

Had he done something reckless again?

Vaan already had the air of someone with a short supply of luck—he really needed to be more careful.

"Hmm... I see. What about you, Georgio? Are you doing okay?"

"Hm? Yeah! I’m super fine, as usual! Though I guess I’m a little tired since I went on a long trip today."

Georgio flashed a loose, easygoing smile, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Still, for some reason, hearing that made Rocco’s chest tighten just a little.

So, without thinking, he reached out and wrapped Georgio in a firm hug, as if to cradle his head.

"You did good today. I bet your sister would be happy."

For a moment, Georgio stiffened completely.

Then, in a small voice, he murmured, "...Yeah." He nuzzled into Rocco’s chest, like a contented cat.

Rocco smiled, gently stroking Georgio’s head.

After a while of petting and comforting, an idea popped into his head.