Every day, for as long as I can remember, had been agony.
My life wasn’t mine.
It had been stolen — for Father’s sake, for the sake of House Lebetsenka.
The dream of marrying someone I loved, an irreplaceable friend, all of it.
But these days, I have something to look forward to.
”……Fwoo……all right.”
Hidden behind a pillar, I tightened my necktie crisply and assembled the image of Karen Lebetsenka, everyone’s ideal.
Nobody needs a cowardly, uncool me.
The only one who ever accepted that me… was him.
”……Ouga.”
I called the name of the friend who’d been my heart’s support all this time.
The only reason I’d endured every miserable day was the possibility that, once I enrolled at the Magic Academy, I might get to see him.
Ouga Veret.
I love the way he lives by his own justice, never minding what people around him think.
He rescued Miss Liche from the commoner bullying. Rumor has it he saved an orphanage too, and that he’s putting effort into cleaning up a rough district somewhere.
He hasn’t changed a bit since the day he saved me.
For a whole month after enrollment, I watched him — and once I was sure, I finally worked up the nerve to speak to him.
It’s NOT that I couldn’t take that step because I was scared he’d act bored and uninterested. It is not. It is not.
“Morning, Ouga. The weather today makes you feel like it’ll be a fun day, doesn’t it?”
Spotting him on his way to school, I called out, pretending it was pure coincidence.
This had become my recent daily ritual.
”…………”
Hmph, I know.
If he treats me coolly, that’s only fair.
I did enough to deserve it.
As much as I hurt him, I’ll hurt right alongside him. If that’s what it takes for a day to come when he forgives me—
“Morning, Karen. You’re shining today — bright enough to give the sun a run for its money.”
“…………huh?”
A dumb little sound slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“And as Karen said — it really is the start of a wonderful day. I got to see you first thing in the morning, after all.”
”…………”
“If you’ve got time again, let’s talk properly. See you.”
He patted my shoulder, smile still in place, and walked off.
J-just now… was that a dream?
Ouga… complimented me?
He was happy to see me?
I brought a hand softly to the spot where he’d touched me.
The faintest trace of the touch was still there.
“Ouga……”
My heart began to pound, hard and loud.
The feelings I’d thought I had put to sleep were still — even now — alive inside me.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Heh heh heh… Did you see that, Mashiro? That dumbstruck face Karen made.”
“Yup~”
“My prediction was correct after all, wouldn’t you say? Alice, from here on, keep an eye on Crown Prince Arnia’s movements as well.”
“Understood.”
The girls seemed satisfied with my flawless-beyond-flawless performance.
Though the looks they were giving me felt a touch too warm, somehow.
Like a mother fondly watching her child grow up… no, must be my imagination.
“Using me as a political tool? Absolutely not on my watch.”
Yesterday, having seen through Karen’s plan to deploy me as a decoy stallion, I’d immediately gotten countermeasures running.
Going on the offensive like this is part of those measures.
Karen, conversely, can’t turn me away. Her objective is, after all, to make that womanizing prince jealous.
Me throwing myself at her happens to suit her own plan just fine.
“Miss Alice. Ouga is kinda cute, isn’t he?”
“Lord Ouga, due to society’s various petty circumstances, has very little experience socializing with people his own age. As his retainers, let’s simply watch over him as he grows. And besides……”
“Besides?”
“He may be thinking several steps ahead of anything we can imagine. Lord Ouga is, after all, merciful, and possesses a heart capable of executing justice.”
“Ehh~……is that so……? Could be……”
The girls were murmuring something to each other, but I refused to eavesdrop.
The two of them must surely be impressed by my dazzling ladykiller performance.
For now, I’ll keep this operation running for a while.
End point: until Karen judges me as more than she can handle and pulls back.
The moment that happens, the Council’s surveillance vanishes too — two birds, one stone.
A genius, as always. I’ve won. Gahaha!
In high spirits from first thing in the morning, I strode triumphantly into the classroom.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Beautiful hair. I can tell you take good care of it every day. No wonder everyone likes you, Karen.”
“Hm? I caught a fresh, floral scent and turned around — and there’s Karen. I thought a goddess had appeared.”
“Your skin is so fine, Karen. You’re like a snow fairy.”
Lately, my old childhood friend has been acting strange.
He’d been stringing together compliments I could never have imagined out of the usual him, directing them right at me.
That aside, however.
“Heh……heh heh heh.”
After making sure no one was around, I let my cheeks slacken into a grin.
I pulled out the diary I’d smuggled into the inner pocket of my uniform and wrote down what had just happened.
“Ouga complimented me — and.”
Ouga is my prince.
That’s right — we’ve been bound by destiny since we were small.
The me of long ago was so weak that even my attendant maids made fun of me.
Born from a political marriage, I had even thought I never should have been born into this world.
Until that day Ouga reached out his hand.
Ouga was incredible.
Going his own way, overcoming any obstacle in his path.
That sight of him was cool.
“With this, you’re mine.”
When he said that, my body trembled with sheer joy.
The happiness of being needed. I thought — I could devote my life to this person.
……Now that I look back on it — wasn’t that, in fact, little-Ouga’s way of proposing?
He did protect me from the kids who’d been bullying me after that. And there couldn’t have been any benefit to keeping company with a crybaby like me……
It has to be that.
I see. Ouga likes me.
Then — it’s mutual.
Let’s get married.
“Hey, Ouga. That thing you keep doing for Karen — do it for me too.”
“Won’t. Absolutely will not.”
“Ehh~, stingy.”
“You’ve been getting awfully forward lately, you know……”
From the hallway, I gazed at the two of them chatting away companionably in the classroom.
……That was supposed to be my reserved seat.
The number of times we stopped to talk to each other in passing had been increasing too.
And of course that attracts attention from the rest of the student body.
The whisper — “Ouga Veret is trying to seduce Karen Lebetsenka” — had begun reaching my ears here and there.
W-well, I personally don’t mind one bit.
He hasn’t actually put it into proper words yet — but won’t he propose to me a second time?
When he does, this time I’ll give him a real answer.
I’d throw away the Lebetsenka name without a second thought.
For our honeymoon, the city of water, Flozha, or the blessed flower garden, Lirishera, would be wonderful.
They’re both famous tourist destinations — it would surely be a delightful time.
Not a mansion — a small house, no housekeepers, just the two of us, enjoying our time together.
Ah, but I’d want at least five kids—
“Lady Karen.”
—A familiar voice, and just like that, my head cooled.
The one who’d called out was a child from a branch family of House Lebetsenka.
A watcher hired by Father.
“You have a tea gathering with His Highness Crown Prince Arnia after this. We should be moving along soon.”
”……I know.”
A dreary stretch of time.
The escapist fantasy ended, and reality came crashing down on me.
……Why isn’t my fiancé Ouga……?
Pushing down the tug I felt pulling me backward, I left the spot to go spend time with a man I didn’t even like.