Chapter 5
A year had passed since the engagement announcement, yet my relationship with Lord Floyd had regressed rather than progressed.
Two or three times a month, we held tea parties or attended plays and music festivals together as part of pre-marital socializing between our families—but Mirabel always accompanied us.
I asked Father several times, "Why is Mirabel coming along too?" but the answer was always the same: "She says she loves her sister and doesn't want to be apart," which made no sense...
Father seemed happy that we sisters got along so well, but was he blind to reality?
At the tea parties, Lord Floyd and Mirabel sat side by side while I faced the two of them. Shockingly, this seating arrangement was also applied inside the carriage on the way to the theater.
And then, there was the annual music festival.
The large-scale event held at the Royal Music Theater by the lake required sons and daughters under the age of adulthood to attend with their parents.
Even at that music festival, to my disbelief, Mirabel was seated between me and Lord Floyd.
Since the parents sitting behind us said nothing, I figured asking any further would be pointless, and I silently prayed for the festival to end soon, my eyes hollow.
That strange engagement life continued for three years, and when I turned ten, I finally reached my breaking point.
I went to the garden where Lord Floyd, who had come to see his fiancée, and Mirabel were having a small tea party, and threw the bright red rose handed to me by a servant of the Armle family onto the table with the tea set.
"What exactly is the meaning of this?"
I shot a glare at Mirabel, who clung to Lord Floyd's arm, and questioned the stunned Lord Floyd, who sat with his mouth agape.
"......W-what do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Didn't you come to our house today because it's our engagement anniversary?"
"Yeah... that's why I brought that rose—"
"Then why was it handed to me by a servant and not by you personally?"
"Uh... well..."
"Normally, something like this should be handed over directly by the fiancé... So why are you with Mirabel?"
Watching Lord Floyd lower his gaze and mumble sadly made me feel even worse.
He didn't used to be like this, but lately, just meeting my eyes was enough to make Lord Floyd shrink away.
"Sister?"
As I was about to break down, wondering if I was the one at fault, Mirabel called my name with a sorrowful tone.
"......What is it?"
"Lord Floyd was waiting for you, Sister. I was just keeping him company so he wouldn't be bored... It's cruel to blame him like that."
"......What I'm talking about is the flower gift—"
"Maybe he was too embarrassed to hand it over personally?"
"But..."
"Lately, Sister, you've been a little scary."
"......Eh?"
"Even though it's such a lovely rose, how awful."
Cradling the crumpled bouquet as if it were precious, Mirabel peeked at Lord Floyd's downturned face and smiled.
"Sister wants to receive it from Lord Floyd, right?"
"Yeah."
"Please don't be sad. Sister's just been in a bad mood lately."
"Thank you, Mirabel."
How did things end up like this...?
I, who only wanted to get along since we were engaged, was instantly cast as the villain by the two who trampled on my feelings.
"......Here, Celestia."
"I'm glad. You wanted it, didn't you, Sister?"
Am I supposed to accept this bouquet reluctantly offered by my fiancé?
Should I reach out for it like a fool in front of a smirking Mirabel?
The answer is no.
Logically speaking, I'm not wrong. Even if it's a political engagement, being ignored and slandered is unacceptable. There's no reason I should be the only one suffering.
I had dreamed of building a warm, loving family like Father and Mother...
"I don't want it. Not the rose, and not Lord Floyd either."
I slapped Lord Floyd's hand away, then stomped on the bouquet as it fell to the ground.
Without looking back, I left the scene and returned to my room, entered the storage room in the back, and began tossing neatly arranged dresses and jewelry into a bag as much as it could hold.
I stopped the panicked maid from going to call Father, told her to bring dinner to my room, and asked her to tell Father I wanted to see him after dinner.
Then I went to Mother's room, wrapped a few mementos in a handkerchief, and headed to a certain person necessary for my plan.
"Father. I'm going to stop being the Count's daughter and go to Grandfather's place."
I refuse to let the future Mirabel predicted come true.
Engagement annulment, disrespecting the royal family, being abandoned by Father...? If they think I'll quietly accept that, they're dead wrong.
"......You're quitting?"
"Yes."
That doesn't mean I'm giving up my status. I'm the only daughter and heir—I couldn't give it up even if I wanted to.
I'm simply changing the path I'll walk as a Count's daughter. Meaning, I'll no longer be an ordinary Count's daughter.
"Your Grandfather is at Ransheen Fortress right now!?"
"Yes. That's where I'm going."
As I nodded, I watched my normally calm father bump his leg into the desk and spill ink on the carpet as he stood up.
"Please reconsider!"
I slapped away Father's arms as he hugged me tightly with teary eyes and shook my head to show my resolve.
My determination is unwavering.
I had already sent a letter ahead to Grandfather, arranged the carriage and inns along the way. My collaborator was the butler who assisted Father.
When I said I planned to depart tonight, he pleaded for at least tomorrow, but I took off my fluffy coat and exchanged nods with the collaborator waiting quietly in the corner.
The next day, I set off for Grandfather's place with a few maids in tow.