"Hehe... a private room really is the best. Those annoying women glaring at me were driving me mad... How should I spoil my dear Baron tomorrow?"
Lying on her bed, Elysia turned her head to look at the gifts sent by the men who loved her.
"Let us see. That is the magical defensive artifact Boris sent, that is the necklace Baron gave me, and that is the self-defense dagger Ryan sent."
Clicking her tongue, Elysia shook her head.
"They really are such dull men. They glittered so brightly when I read about them in the novel, so why are they like this?"
In contrast, the rumors about the man who had driven her into a corner—Viktor Walterheim, the Northern Grand Duke—were unbearably sweet.
"A cold wolf who bares his fangs for his fiancée, and such deep affection that he does not care if their displays of love become the talk of the town..."
From head to toe, was he not a man far better suited to being at her side? She wanted him even more. That talk of biting and tearing at people
stirred Elysia’s sadistic urges. She wanted to put a collar on him. She wanted to make him submit. She wanted to turn him into a slave of love who looked at no one but her.
No, no, that was not it. She wanted to hold that big dog in her arms and whisper love to him.
"That is right. Rather than letting someone like Cecilia, who will lose control and break down later, have him, he would be happier if I, Elysia—the protagonist—took him into my arms. Hehe."
Thump.
Elysia shoved the gifts aside and sat at her desk. Then she opened her palm.
"The Saintess’s power is awakening more and more. No one will be able to stop me. Just wait... my wolf. I will save you from that villainess soon, all right?"
Poor Cecilia. A doll fated to break, a villainess who would break the moment she learned love. But do not worry. You will never be given true love.
Because every love in this world is
"mine, the [Protagonist’s]."
**
"Hmm."
"Your Grace? What is wrong? Do you perhaps have a cold?"
When I shuddered at a sudden chill, Rushe asked with concern.
"For a northerner to catch a cold would be shameful beyond shame..."
"That is true. When I attended the Academy, the other students would catch colds, but the students from the north were always perfectly fine."
"Northerners are healthy, after all."
"Someone started a rumor that even colds avoid the ignorant, and for a while, northern students went around sharpening their swords to find out who had started it..."
"That really is ignorant."
"Your Grace..."
Leaving behind Rushe, who frowned and glared at me, I quickened my pace toward the women’s dormitory.
"You are going again today?"
"For the time being."
"Hm. It has been so heated that even I have heard about it."
"..."
"You do realize it has not even been a week since you enrolled?"
"I know."
"Father... Butler Jester was very pleased..."
"Hey! You told Jester—"
Rushe’s lips curled into a grin as she looked at me.
"Have you not been getting rather insolent lately? I ought to—"
"Ah, if you send me away for discipline, I will go straight to Father and Mother."
"Stop. It is embarrassing."
If those two in the north learned of my disgraceful behavior, they would surely torment me mercilessly when I returned.
"Whew."
I rubbed my face dry and steadied myself again.
"I need to calm down. Truly."
"...Your Grace."
"What?"
"Father said you have a habit of suffering alone too much."
"..."
"He also said he hopes you will not suppress your own feelings so much."
"Sorry."
With a slightly strained smile, I spoke to Rushe.
"This is just the way I was taught..."
"Honestly, what in the world did they teach you in that baron’s household?"
"Worse than you can imagine."
"Then I do not even want to imagine it."
"Right?"
As Rushe and I exchanged idle chatter, we had somehow arrived in front of the women’s dormitory.
"Your Grace, over there."
"Hm?"
In the direction Rushe pointed, Cecilia was fixing her bangs in a mirror Ran held for her.
"Ran, it does not look strange, does it?"
"Not at all!"
"Really?"
"Yes! You are beautiful today as well!"
"I hope the Grand Duke likes it, too—"
"Oh, Your Grace?"
"..."
Cecilia whipped her head around and met my eyes.
"Ah."
"Good morning, Cecilia."
"...Ah."
"Cecilia?"
"That way of addressing me..."
"Yes."
"Will you... keep calling me that?"
"Of course."
I had said so yesterday, so I should keep my word.
Ah. Wait.
What if it had become too burdensome for Cecilia?
"If it makes you uncomfortable, Cecilia, then I can go back to—"
"No."
Cecilia came up to me and clasped my hand tightly.
"Please call me Cecilia."
"..."
"I like it."
The way Cecilia looked up at me with sparkling eyes was like a puppy clinging to its owner.
Another point added to my ‘I want to carry her off and make her mine today’ stack... Damn it.
This desire of mine was impossible to cast aside, no matter how much I wanted to.
"Is that so? All right."
"And..."
"Yes?"
Cecilia murmured in a whisper by my ear.
"When we are alone... if you would sometimes call me Cecilia..."
"..."
"That would not be all right... would it?"
"...Honestly."
"Yes?"
Why was she so adorable? She was driving me crazy. In answer to Cecilia’s request, I whispered into her ear.
"All right, Cecilia..."
The instant she heard my answer, the tips of Cecilia’s ears began to turn red.
"Ah... only... only when we are alone."
"Hmm."
That would be genuinely dangerous. I would not be able to hold back. I might truly cross the line, you know?
Get a grip!
I steadied myself and drew in a deep breath.
"All right."
"Really..."
Cecilia pouted, then began taking something out of her arms.
"Grand Duke... no, Viktor. This."
"This is? A necklace?"
"Yes. I made it."
"You made it, Cecilia?"
"Yes."
Hm. Then perhaps it had some subtly dangerous magic cast upon it... No, could those innocent eyes possibly be the eyes of someone who made such sinister magical artifacts? Absolutely not.
Yes. Cecilia now is practically a different person from the Cecilia I saw. There is no way she would.
"Did you perhaps put some magic on it to protect me, Cecilia?"
"Ah... that is... yes. I-I am Viktor’s fiancée... after all."
Cecilia murmured, "Even if it is only a contract."
Cecilia has a lot on her mind in many ways, too...
I could not disregard the thoughtfulness of my fiancée, who had worked so hard on it.
"Thank you, Cecilia. I am happy."
"Ah... ah."
When I put on the necklace, Cecilia swiftly placed a necklace around her own neck as well.
"...What is that?"
"Hehe."
What was that adorable smile for? Seriously, this woman kept putting me to the test.
"It is an engagement memento I prepared... The colors of the gems on these two necklaces. The color of my eyes, and the color of your eyes, Viktor."
"..."
"Would it... burden you? If so—"
"I like it."
"Ah..."
"Thank you, Cecilia."
"Yes!"
After escorting Cecilia to her classroom, Rushe came up beside me as I walked away.
"..."
"What?"
"..."
"Just say whatever you want to say."
"No. At this point, why do you not just marry her and keep her at your side?"
"Shut up."
I was troubled enough already.
**
Seated in her place, Cecilia smiled blissfully as the red gemstone around her neck gleamed.
"Whew."
When she closed her eyes, she could see Viktor’s face and the area around him. Beside him stood his guard knight, Rushe.
...Mm. Is she not standing rather close?
Even if she was his guard knight, Cecilia worried that such closeness might lead to affection between them. But Viktor’s attitude toward Rushe
was, in every sense, solely that of master and subordinate, so Cecilia let out a sigh of relief. Before long, Viktor entered his classroom and sat in his seat.
Oh? Wait, who are those young ladies approaching him now?
The female students from Viktor’s class approached him where he sat and began firing all sorts of trivial questions at him.
...Those thieving cats. How dare they.
Just as Cecilia’s violet eyes began to darken slightly, Viktor’s voice rang in her ear.
I am sorry, but I cannot answer anything beyond that. I have a fiancée.
Ah... He truly had not changed.
That is right. I was worrying for nothing.
He would not betray her. As long as she remained within his protection, he had sworn that he would protect Cecilia.
...But I am afraid. Of the day when I want you... and you send me away...
Because that was the nature of their contract, Cecilia murmured.
No. Cecilia, rather than thinking such things, I need to become a woman worthy of the Grand Duke... And when that time comes...
Just as she thought she would stand proudly at his side and protect him—
Grand Duke! Hello!
The voice Cecilia most hated to hear, and the woman she least wanted to appear before Viktor, entered her field of vision.
That woman...!!!
**
"...What is it?"
When I looked up at Elysia, who had barged into the first-year classroom without warning and greeted me, she was smiling blissfully as though she were delighted about something.
"I wanted to apologize for what happened last time. I am truly sorry!"
As Elysia bowed in apology, the eyes around us turned toward her and me.
"Baron’s brother?"
Luisilla’s expression beside me twisted even further.
Well, naturally. It must be absurd to see her brother’s girlfriend come freely to another man and apologize to him.
She was, quite literally, a nuisance with neither manners nor etiquette. There was no sign of respect for others. It was ignorance neatly wrapped up under the name of innocence.
Was Elysia always this sort of character...? What in the world happened?
In the novel, she had at least studied noble customs and etiquette so she could become a woman suited to the male leads,
then entered high society proudly as a proper lady.
I cannot tell where things began to go wrong with her.
"Grand Duke?"
"There is no need for you to apologize to me."
"What?"
"Apologize to Cecilia instead."
"...Ceci...lia?"
"Yes."
"Grand Duke?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you call Lady Cecilia so familiarly?"
"Because she is my fiancée."
"How strange. Even if she is your fiancée, are you not too close?"
Grit.
What was this? Why did I have to be interrogated by a woman who was nothing to me?
"...What? Could it be that the Grand Duke is interested in that specially admitted student as well?"
"My goodness... Then was the way he acted toward Lady Roienthal yesterday merely a smokescreen?"
"Oh my, oh my."
When I sent a sharp glare toward the young ladies who were speaking loudly enough for me to hear, they promptly dispersed and fled.
"My, my. The young ladies of the Imperial Capital truly have no manners, do they?"
"..."
You are not one to say that. More importantly, when I glared at her like this, should she not at least sense something and pretend to flee? Even Luisilla beside me could tell I was angry and was trembling like that.
Is she oblivious, or did she set out from the start to make me angry...?
"Whew."
It did not matter right now, either way.
"You should leave now—"
"Viktor."
The classroom door opened, and a cold, subdued voice rang out.
"...Huh?"
The person who hated and loathed the woman before me most of all.
"Cecilia?"
Burning with a blue haze, Cecilia walked toward me. Proud and elegant all at once.
She approached like a lady descended from the heavens, then quietly looked at Elysia. She simply stood there, silently staring at her.
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