I faltered at the words that stabbed in sharp as a sword. Liking someone wasn’t the same as loving them, but I felt like a thief with guilty feet for no reason.
“What are you suddenly talking about. Of course I l-like him. How many years have I known him?”
“No. Even if you like him as a friend, nobody goes this far. Would you cross-dress for me if I said I needed a partner? I wouldn’t do it for you. So why are you so devoted to Cesare? When you’re always getting scolded by him.”
Cain folded his arms and looked at me sharply. Though Cain usually went around like a clueless protein monster, he was a born warrior, so he had sharp and keen corners in strange places.
However, I didn’t want it to be revealed here that I liked Cesare romantically.
‘The moment they know I like another man, I’ll be despised….’
Before my possession, I had no family and few friends, so I didn’t have many happy memories. That’s why after possession, my current life felt more like my life and I was quite satisfied.
I had absolutely no desire to create a disturbance about liking the same sex and lose this life, lose a good friend like Cain.
Having organized my thoughts, I looked at Cain and raised the corners of my mouth.
“I’m devoted to Cesare?”
“……”
“He’s the Young Duke of Yanox, Cain. I’m a commoner nouveau riche. So I really want to look good to him. Isn’t that natural? If I look good now, the Mellans Merchant Company will benefit later, right? That’s why you’re sticking to Cesare too.”
That’s not it. I really like Cesare, Cain!
I can’t help iiiit! Sorry!
Behind me screaming loudly in my heart, mini Cesare seemed to pat my shoulder saying ‘that can happen, don’t be too heartbroken.’
It’s because of you, because of you! Unable to suppress my anger, I grabbed mini Cesare’s head and shoved it down hard.
Mini Cesare’s eyes instantly shrank into little dots as he whimpered.
It’s no use making that crying face, you adorable little cutie!
“And Cain, if you were in this situation, I could do it for you too.”
When I quickly changed the subject, somehow Cain’s eyes sparkled ominously.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if you’d want i…”
“Then can you be my partner during senior year?”
Cain cut off my words.
Senior partner. Truthfully, I didn’t even want to do it, and at the Imperial Academy, a senior’s partner had a somewhat important meaning. It was the year of graduation, and the degree to which one seriously considered their partner was different.
That’s why senior year nobles often either didn’t choose a partner specifically or invited their fiancé to participate. Me there? No way.
This was definitely Cain’s prank to see me flustered.
“You know what being a senior partner means, right? Your future lover will hate it.”
“Rye. I have no intention of marrying a woman. You said if you’d do it for Cesare, you can do it for me too?”
It was a rather serious voice for a joke.
However, even if it was a joke, I didn’t want to give a definite answer, so I smiled and primly grabbed the hem of my skirt like ladies do and lowered my eyes.
“Coming to ask to be partners without bringing a single flower. You’re the worst kind of man, Cain Astol.”
At my playful rejection, Cain hesitated for a moment, then soon erased his heavy expression and cheekily bowed his head.
“Phew. First time in my life getting rejected with this face. I’ll definitely keep that in mind for the next request, Lady Mellans.”
Raising his head again, he giggled as usual and bent his arm, holding it out. It was the standard escort posture for men.
“Here, put your hand here and hold it. Put your other hand here. You don’t know ladies’ etiquette at all, right?”
“Yeah.”
I knew the basic etiquette from learning it at the academy, but I was completely hopeless with ladies’ etiquette, so as a special measure, Lucy made Cain join the plan to practice together.
Apparently you improve faster by doing it directly.
“How do you know this stuff even though you’re a guy?”
“Nobles are locked in salons from childhood for homeschooling, you dummy. We learn ladies’ etiquette then too. Basic understanding of ladies, you could say.”
“Ugh. Nobles, the worst.”
“That’s why there are so many twisted guys.”
Cain pulled me quite gentlemanly and matched his stride.
“Like me.”
“Like you.”
At Cain’s and my words coming out simultaneously, we ended up bursting into laughter. We laughed for quite a while until Lucy came, not practicing at all.
* * *
The night before homecoming season was about to start. I finished bathing in the bathroom attached to my private dorm room and sat at my desk while drying my hair.
I roughly shook out my hair that was still dripping wet and picked up the chocolate biscuit I’d set aside. With one in my mouth, it was nothing short of heaven.
“Aah, I wish tomorrow wouldn’t come….”
On the desk, along with thick textbooks, was a letter from Aunt Belitia saying she would arrive at the Imperial Academy tomorrow.
“A three-way meeting with Aunt aside, I need to start studying early to do well on the exam….”
I really don’t want to study. I hate it to death. I’m not doing it yet, but I want to not do it even more fiercely!
What is this that I couldn’t even bring myself to open the book. Even though I wrote a pledge to work hard on the condition that they’d let me join the excursion group if I did well on the exam.
Who on earth is the root cause of all this? Huh? Who’s that cutie? I rummaged through my head, feeling like I could relieve some resentment by grabbing mini Cesare by the collar and shaking him.
However, mini Cesare, who had tied up a hammock in my heart at some point, was swaying while lying down leisurely.
I thought about flipping the hammock over, but at his appearance looking so peaceful, all my energy drained away. At times like this, it’s annoying that I’m an extreme N-type with rich imagination.
“Sigh. I twisted my own fate.”
Even though it was obvious I’d be the only one suffering if I went on a trip pretending to be close with Cesare, I didn’t know why my desire to go with him was so desperate.
Sighing, I finally opened ‘Mana Operation Theory.’ It was the most serious subject I knew nothing about.
<To understand mana operation, first your amount of mana…>
‘Ugh. I’m so sleepy….’
Strangely, whenever I opened the mana operation textbook, I got insanely sleepy.
“Can’t sleep… Lionel…. I haven’t even read one line, let alone one page. If I sleep here, I’m really dumber than Cain….”
I muttered to myself like that, but I absolutely couldn’t resist the pouring sleepiness.
Forget it, I’ll just be dumber than Cain.
“Hmnya….”
– Knock knock.
As I was dozing at my desk in a half-awake state, someone knocked on my door. I wondered who it was at such a late night, but I was already drunk with sleep and couldn’t come to my senses.
“Lionel. I don’t think I’ll need this, so you can use… hm?”
Someone who entered my room spoke to me in a low voice, but I didn’t want to wake from my sweet sleep. Even if I wondered whether they were a dangerous person, this was a place with tight security where even the Crown Prince attended.
Well, probably one of William’s gang coming to ask about homework.
“Ah. Already asleep because of the curfew? Geez, is this a desk? It’s a pigsty. It’s also a talent to even think of studying in such a chaotic place.”
Rustle—the owner of the voice made buzzing sounds as they organized the area around the desk, but I couldn’t understand it in my sleep.
“At least dry your hair before coming out of the bathroom. Really, I can’t tell if you’re a 5-year-old or a puppy.”
– Swoosh swoosh.
A few fingers gently passed through my hair. Then soon a warm, soft breeze rippled and began to warmly envelop my hair.
“Lionel. Are you planning to catch a cold and pass it to me? Phew. Me using magic to dry hair…”
‘It’s warm and feels good.’
“Hehehe. Good….”
“Good? It’s good, he says.”
The soft touch of the softly laughing person and my body state becoming more comfortable made all the tension of the day start to release.
“Go sleep on the bed.”
“Mmng…!”
Squish.
With the force gripping my waist and the floating sensation of my body lifting, I flailed my arms and hugged what was in front of me. Conveniently, there was something firm and soft like a support in front, perfect for wrapping both arms around.
“Don’t move, you little shit puppy.”
With the swaying feeling, I stuck my face into one of the hollows dug out on both sides below the firmly gripped support and rubbed my heavy head.
“Iiing….”
– Thump.
Along with the sensation of soft blankets touching my back, a hot, soft lump settled on top of me. With eyes heavily drunk on sleep, I vaguely looked ahead and a black cat flickered.
“Huh…? Kitty… cat….”
“Kitty? What are you saying, Lionel?”
Some cat in front of me narrowed its eyes and tilted its head. A cat in my dorm, is this a dream? Right, it must be a dream.
Though I loved animals but couldn’t raise them, wanting to hug a cat even in a dream, I grinned and hugged the cat tightly.
“Cute kitty, come here….”
“Urk?!”
The kitty must have eaten too many wet cans somewhere. Heavier than I thought.
Looking at the cat with strangely reddish-aura-tinged black eyes, the corners of my mouth rose first at thoughts of that guy naturally coming to mind.
“You, your eye color is really pretty. Like jewels…. Kitty must be popular…. Because you look like Cesare….”
I pressed my lips down on the struggling dream cat’s nose bridge with a smooch. The cat that had been squirming continuously stayed still without moving at all as if under a spell from my kiss.
I slowly closed my eyes while stroking the cat’s back.
“Even when I wake from the dream… when I open my eyes… I hope I can see you.”
After that, I completely fell into a deep sleep.
