“……Have you been well?”
No, that wasn’t it either.
“Are you feeling all right?”
His voice sounded strange.
“About the last time……”
This time, his expression was distorted.
The reflection in the mirror looked pathetic.
Ricardo fiddled with his neck and grimaced.
What was he doing……
He roughly swept his face with his hand.
They were just exchanging ordinary greetings. Yet everything surrounding him felt utterly bizarre.
His voice was terrible, and his face couldn’t look any uglier.
Ricardo let out a bitter smile.
The bear-like man she held in her heart, Leonhart. That man and I were entirely different.
Leonhart looked like a dog. His eyes glared fiercely when they looked at me, but when they turned to her, the corners of his eyes curved sweetly. He looked just like a dog wagging its tail.
What was so good about that mutt, drooling just at the sight of his master?
……Or was it that she liked men who wielded swords? But in that case, Ricardo was no different from Leonhart.
The family known as the Empire’s Sword, the House of Duke Hessen. And he was the master of that House. No one could rival my swordsmanship.
And yet. What exactly was I lacking?
……No, it must be because I’m this pathetic that her heart changed.
Ricardo clumsily ran his fingers through his hair.
A face I never thought much of before now looked so strange. My eyes looked bizarre, and my hands felt like they belonged to a beast.
But no matter how much I tidied my hair or doused myself in fragrance, nothing changed.
Ricardo looked around at the clothes strewn across the sofa. A heap of outfits he’d changed into countless times.
……So this was what I had been wearing all this time.
Looking this grotesque, of course she’d start to hate me.
That woman Bianca even looked presentable wearing rags. With a woman like her, how embarrassed must she have felt about someone like me?
Honestly, I’d been too distracted by her face to even notice what she was wearing.
She had always been pretty since she was young.
When she smiled, the sharp corners of her eyes would gently curve. When she was nervous, she clutched her dress tightly. When she was angry, her eyes flared.
All of it was what made her Bianca Roygin.
Even without pouring perfume, she always smelled of lavender. It was a scent more vivid than any flower blooming in a garden.
Ricardo stood before the mirror again, adjusting his tie. His anxious face was reflected in his pupils.
‘Damn it, with this stupid face……’
Ricardo’s brows furrowed for a moment, then he cleared his throat and continued speaking.
“Did you bring the annulment papers?”
…….
“……Must you really annul our engagement?”
There was no way a reply would come. And yet, Ricardo felt as if he could hear her voice.
〈Ricardo, I like you.〉
〈So, even if you hate me like this, bear with it.〉
That young and arrogant voice of hers.
Ricardo let out a small laugh. But when he came to his senses, the only thing standing before him was his reflection in the mirror.
Emptiness filled his hollow heart. Still, Ricardo didn’t stop speaking.
“……If you’re to remain by my side, shouldn’t you hurl cruel words at me to match your hatred?”
Right now, he felt he could be satisfied with anything she said. No matter how bizarre or outrageous.
If she said she wanted to kill me, I’d gladly offer her the back of my head. If she made another ridiculous request like before, I’d be willing to fulfill it.
I wanted it. I only wished her time would be wasted on me.
“……If you leave me like this, you’ll never get an apology from me.”
Had I ever been this powerless? It was a feeling I had never experienced before.
Staring at my cooled, lifeless reflection, I grabbed my coat and left the room.
Even knowing the end, my steps toward her felt light.
Whatever the reason may be, I’m going to see you. For now, that alone is enough.
I’ll find a way to keep you by my side somehow.
You never know.
……Maybe you’ll stay with me, smiling like you had no other choice.
“Duke.”
As Ricardo walked down the corridor, Benjamin approached him.
“I have something to take care of now. Let’s talk later.”
“Th-that is……”
Benjamin hesitated, then held out the jacket and letter in his hand. Ricardo’s steps came to a halt.
“……Lady Bianca sent them.”
They were the annulment papers and a jacket.
Not even a single letter.
Indifferent, yet a gentle rejection from her.
“She asked that you sign and return them by tomorrow.”
She had been the uninvited guest. She had barged into his world without permission, and yet now she wanted to leave without hesitation.
The place where you had been had become such a vast void that nothing else could take root.
“Ha.”
His eyes, which had wavered between understanding and patience, now showed reluctant denial. Ricardo’s gaze gradually deepened.
……Bianca, you’ve always done as you pleased.
The only thing the ill-mannered boy I used to be learned from you was that, so I suppose I must follow in your footsteps.
Ricardo crumpled the annulment papers in his hand.
So from now on, I’ll do as I please too.
If this version of me is wrong, then you can come and tell me yourself.
* * *
A sudden chill made me turn around without thinking. And just like that, Allen immediately called out to me.
“Young Lady?”
“……It’s nothing.”
What was that? I felt an ominous chill just now.
Although Allen looked puzzled, he still accepted the basket handed to him by the shop owner. Then he spoke proudly.
“Still, it’s a relief we managed to get even a little of the Molia fruit.”
“Yeah, really.”
The dark bluish fruit looked ominous, but it was the only salvation that could slow Grandfather’s illness.
How much time did Grandfather have left?
Thinking about the future made my heart sink endlessly.
“Sigh.”
As I sighed and fiddled with the fruit, Allen carefully spoke up.
“……It might’ve been better to deliver it to the Duke’s residence in person.”
“What?”
“I mean the annulment papers.”
What, did Allen think I was still thinking about Ricardo?
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak properly.
Only my lips moved silently, so he quickly added in an excuse-like tone.
“I just meant it might’ve been satisfying to boldly throw the annulment papers in the Duke’s face.”
“……Allen, haven’t you been reading too many romance novels?”
“You’re just too lacking in romance, my Lady.”
No, can you really call that romance?
Besides, I wasn’t even that angry at Ricardo in the first place.
Sure, talking to him had been increasingly stressful in real time.
Noticing that my expression wasn’t all that bright, Allen changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, it seems the collateral branches won’t be attending the coronation ceremony this time.”
“That’s right. It’s not like we’re on friendly terms anyway.”
At my words, Allen nodded bitterly.
Cedric and I weren’t close to the collateral family members. It was closer to outright animosity.
The reason stemmed from the tragedy that befell Grandfather after the Magic War.
Thanks to Grandfather’s victory in the war, the Roygin family was hailed as a war hero family within the Empire.
But on the contrary, the mood within the family was grim.
Grandfather’s family had all died in tragic accidents. Everyone—from Grandmother to his children.
The only survivors were Cedric and me.
The collateral branches regarded Grandfather as ominous, saying it was the price of the bloodshed from the war.
‘The fact that Cedric and I ended up with Grandfather too……’
From what I heard, the first place Cedric took me when I was little was to the collateral families.
Back then, since Grandfather was the great war hero, they assumed he would turn us away without a second thought. Looking back now, it was a truly absurd assumption.
Anyway, the collateral families kicked us out, using the excuse that Grandfather’s curse might spread to them. And later, Grandfather heard the news and brought us back.
“Still, it’s too much. Lord Blua was the one who ended the war.”
“…….”
“And there was no need to be so cruel to you and the Young Master either.”
Honestly, that’s true.
Even if they didn’t like us, they could have turned us down in a more civil way. If they had, things might not have gone so sour.
But whatever, as long as I had Grandfather and Cedric, that was enough.
Besides, if we had been close with the collateral branches, the mansion would’ve been bustling for days with guests to entertain.
‘Quiet is better, anyway.’
* * *
……At least, that’s what I’d thought.
“Oh heavens, how heartless the gods are! How could something so dreadful happen……!”
“Sis, are you okay? Goodness, if it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to ever leave my room…… You’re seriously such a strong woman……!”
I blinked blankly, watching my great-aunt and cousin burst into tears while clinging to me.
Oh, why was I so flustered?
Well, not only were they uninvited guests suddenly showing up at our house……
But this was only the third time I had ever seen these people.
Including this moment.