Ricardo replied in a bored voice.
“Shut up.”
“Still, just in case, go check it out. There’ve been some pretty disturbing rumors lately. You know the Princess hates Idette because of the Picard territory incident, right? She was so full of venom after losing the estate to Idette.”
Roam frowned as if he didn’t even want to think about it.
“And in the midst of that, His Highness favors Idette…….”
“…….”
“His Highness, really. He has absolutely no sense of tact.”
Roam let out a long sigh.
Ricardo’s eyes slowly began to sink into thought.
Roam had a point. To the Princess, who showed a strange obsession with what she considered hers, Idette was a thorn in the eye. Everything she longed for ended up in Idette’s hands.
And standing behind that was him.
To Ricardo, Idette was a necessary existence.
Someone who would stir up massive waves in a world that had calmed after the war. Idette was the wave that would swallow everything.
Ricardo came to an abrupt stop. Roam snickered knowingly.
“Knew it. You’re worried about Idette, aren’t you?”
Roam waved him off, urging him to go.
“There’s still time, so you’ll have enough to at least see her face. If you go, that wild Princess won’t be able to pull any funny business.”
“……I’ll follow soon.”
Ricardo checked his wristwatch and turned toward the lake.
Idette’s existence must not be known to the world yet. At least, not until he achieved the long-cherished wish he had hoped for.
That was the extent of their relationship.
The woman who would fulfill his wish.
It was something he had longed for over a long time. For that, Ricardo was willing to do anything.
Even if it meant faking a ridiculous love affair.
〈By the way…… doesn’t Your Grace intend to correct the rumors?〉
And yet, strangely, the words Idette had said wouldn’t leave Ricardo’s mind. Even though he thought he had brushed them off.
Would he be able to maintain his engagement with Bianca until all this was over?
Ricardo was confident that Bianca would not leave him. She had always stayed, after all.
But strange thoughts kept creeping in.
……Really?
Could he be sure that woman wouldn’t change?
The woman who used to be crazy about lavish parties had changed. She had become someone who preferred staying at home.
The girl who never touched sweets as a child had come to crave chocolate. The one who had once spoken of love to him now whispered those words to someone else.
……So many things had changed.
Could he be so sure she would stay the same from now on?
‘Ridiculous.’
Ricardo scowled. He had been the one who wanted to break off the engagement in the first place. And now he was entertaining such foolish thoughts—this wasn’t like him.
……He had wanted the breakup so badly.
“Your Grace!”
People near the lake were pacing nervously, staring in one direction.
Ricardo gritted his teeth as he saw the bubbles rising from the water’s surface.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Through the crowd, Hestia approached him with a deep smile.
“Oh dear. It looks like your lover lost her footing.”
“……Lover?”
“Lady Idette. It’s quite deep over there, I’m a little worried.”
Ricardo let out a sharp laugh. But his judgment was quick. He had to save Idette. That woman must not die here.
He tossed off his jacket and entered the lake.
“Your Grace……!”
Damn woman. She wasn’t just poisonous—she was a viper.
The thought of the scandal this would cause already made his head throb.
Later…….
Once everything returned to its place, if he confessed then—
‘……Would you be hurt?’
Ricardo lifted the sinking Idette from underwater and brought her back to the surface.
In a social circle overflowing with gossip, this rumor wouldn’t die down easily. You’d once again become the subject of people’s whispers.
‘Would you say it’s fine this time too?’
……I don’t know.
What kind of expression would Bianca make when she saw him? Would she smile and tell him to do as he pleased, like last time? Or would she declare the breakup with a face full of disgust?
He hoped for the latter. And yet, the current him didn’t find that idea so welcome.
Why?
He was someone who always made decisions quickly and clearly, but just this once, he couldn’t come to a firm answer.
The vague future he pictured still had Bianca at his side.
“Guh……!”
Idette lay on the ground, coughing violently.
People rushed to where Ricardo had rescued her.
Hestia said something to him, but Ricardo couldn’t respond as he stared at the collapsed Idette.
……Thankfully, she wasn’t dead.
Ricardo brushed back his wet hair and checked the time. The hands of the waterlogged wristwatch had stopped.
Then, Idette came to her senses and urgently grabbed Ricardo’s pant leg. As he tried to shake off her hand, she cried out desperately.
“Lady Bianca! She suddenly disappeared. I’m sure she fell off the boat with me!”
……What?
At that moment, Ricardo’s face froze completely.
What did she just say……?
“Bianca!”
Just then, the sound of wet footsteps came from behind.
……Bianca.
Why are you here?
Leon, who had hurriedly followed the woman, was also soaked.
The woman standing in front of Ricardo was—
“……I wasn’t the one who put Idette in danger.”
Once again, she uttered something he couldn’t understand.
With lips that had grown pale.
* * *
When I possessed Bianca—
I was on the verge of losing my mind. Entering someone else’s body—this was not something I could accept with a sound mind.
Even so, I decided to acknowledge it. I tried to make sense of it. There had to be a reason.
The new family I met was warm. Just like the world I used to live in. That’s why I wanted to save Grandfather.
Even if they weren’t my real family, I had grown attached. That was the human thing to do.
Even if I got lucky and returned home, I hoped at least Grandfather would be happy.
……And yet, why was I being shown such a vision?
〈When are you coming home? Ever since you moved out, you’re having too much fun! Mom is bored to death without her daughter.〉
When I barely escaped the hallucination, I was being dragged beneath the surface, just like in my final memory.
Was I dying? If I opened my eyes again, could I believe all this had just been a dream?
But in that moment, someone grabbed my hand.
……Leonhart.
The moment I saw that man, I realized one thing. This wasn’t a dream.
No matter how much I tried to brainwash myself into believing it was real—this place was clearly a nightmare.
“Bianca!”
Leon, who surfaced, frantically checked on me. Quite a few royal attendants had also jumped into the lake after him.
……Was the air always this sweet?
Even though my nose burned, I felt relief now that the water no longer pressed down on me.
Leon gritted his teeth and carried me out of the lake.
He kept whispering in my ear, over and over, that everything was okay, that we’d go home and rest.
Home?
Where was that……?
A question I couldn’t ask lingered in my mouth.
As we emerged from the lake, startled maids rushed to bring me a blanket.
……I didn’t want to use a royal blanket.
But I wasn’t in a position to be picky. I caught my breath and draped the blanket over my shoulders.
“Bianca, let’s head back to the mansion first.”
Leon tried to lead me away. I followed his hand until a voice burrowing into my ear made me stop in my tracks.
“Was there a problem with the boat? If not, maybe someone who was on the boat with our Lady Idette pushed her.”
I tried to ignore it, but the one listening to Hestia’s words was Ricardo.
He stood there, completely frozen, listening to her.
……You’re not actually buying that bullshit, are you, Ricardo?
Whether he saved Idette or not, Ricardo looked no different from how Leon and I must have looked.
‘Since you saved Idette, would it have killed you to save me too?’
A dull ache hit me deep inside. Ricardo had no reason to save me.
……And I wasn’t in a position to feel disappointed in him, either.
But letting it slide like this—it just didn’t sit right with me.
“Brother, wait a moment.”
“Bianca!”
I shook off Leon’s hand and walked up to Ricardo. As he noticed my approach, Ricardo’s pupils widened.
Like he was looking at a ghost.
Then, I saw Ricardo’s hand trembling violently. It was deathly pale.
Idette had nearly died—it made sense.
Ricardo carefully reached out his hand to me. But his ghostly pale hand couldn’t quite touch me.