“Hmph, heh~.”
A lively girl’s hum echoed through the quiet corridor of the temple. The melody was so refreshing that little birds surrounded her, chirping along to the tune.
“Lilian!”
A woman dressed in elegant attire approached the girl. Lilian, with eyes sparkling like the sea, looked at her in confusion.
“What is it, senpai?”
“What are you doing here?!”
“Huh? I thought there was a bit of dust in the corridor, so I was cleaning….”
“It’s not the time for cleaning! The Pope is calling for you!”
At the unexpected words from the woman, Lilian gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. With a bewildered expression, she asked,
“T-the Pope?”
“Yes! He’s urgently looking for you, so hurry and go. I’ll finish the cleaning. Go on!”
The woman snatched the rag from Lilian’s hands. Without any choice, Lilian was pushed along and took a step forward.
“Then I’ll come back and help right away! Let’s clean together.”
The corners of Lilian’s mouth turned up in a bright smile, causing the woman to blink in surprise. Leaving her behind, Lilian turned and moved forward. The sunny rays of sunlight made her pink hair shine even more vibrantly.
Her cheerful humming once again filled the surroundings with energy. Lilian paused for a moment, stretched gracefully, and slowly extended her arms and legs. As her body relaxed and a cool breeze enveloped her, Lilian smiled brightly once more.
“By the way… I can’t believe it.”
Of all people, the Pope. Why on earth would someone like that be looking for me? Worry mingled with a subtle excitement for new changes blossomed within her.
‘Something good is definitely going to happen.’
Walking along for a while, the girl looked up at the sky with a radiant smile like a flower.
“Right, Goddess?”
As if answering the girl’s beautiful smile, the sky blessed her with sunlight just as bright.
*
“V-Viviana….”
Gulp-
I swallowed hard at the violet eyes glaring sharply at me. The owner of those eyes was holding onto my wrist tightly with a sulky expression.
“V-Viviana? If you could let go of this….”
“Why? Are you off to flirt with other Young Ladies again?”
Viviana’s voice carried a strange pressure that left me momentarily speechless. I quickly tried to wrap my head around her inexplicable mood.
How did it come to this?
Just an hour ago, I had been with Sharione and her group. Sharione had come to cheer me up while I was feeling down about the incident with Mardian, and the other Young Ladies had been patting my head and sharing affection.
My own way of surviving with the love of powerful noble Young Ladies, just like always in my social life. But then, while being petted among the Young Ladies,
“…You seem quite lucky, Lady Tina?”
Suddenly, Viviana had popped up, snatched my arm, and dragged me into the banquet reception room. Her unexpected appearance left me momentarily bewildered, blinking in confusion.
‘Was this banquet hosted by the royalty…?’
No, it wasn’t. It must be a regular, bland banquet held periodically. I couldn’t understand why Viviana, who typically only showed her face at royal invitations, had appeared at such a modest gathering.
Now I was sitting alone with Viviana on the sofa in the reception room. I couldn’t help but feel flustered under her penetrating violet gaze.
“Viviana, why are you at this banquet…?”
“Am I not allowed at this kind of banquet? I didn’t know. I don’t recall being banned.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that….”
What’s the matter with her?
Viviana’s expression seemed quite irritated. She looked slightly angry and somewhat petulant. I couldn’t read her mood at all.
“Viviana, are you perhaps mad…?”
“No? What would I be mad about?”
Even when I asked, she said no.
I had no idea what to do.
As I fumbled for words, Viviana let out a deep sigh and finally released my hand.
“Forget it, I have a different reason for coming to find you.”
“Y-you came to find me?”
“Yeah, if not, what would I be doing at this banquet?”
That Viviana, coming to such a banquet just to see me, stirred up mixed feelings within me. I wasn’t sure how to describe what I felt, but it didn’t seem like a bad feeling.
“I heard the news. You got a few coins from the Count Abreldine and that was it?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
I wondered what she meant; it was about the incident with Mardian. Perhaps because the memory of that time resurfaced, I didn’t particularly want to discuss it.
“Do you want me to help you?”
“Pardon?”
A gentle smile spread across Viviana’s face. Her sharp impression softened, and a cool atmosphere emerged.
“Don’t you dislike that Mardian woman? I can’t promise anything, but I can help you bring her down.”
“Your Highness? Why would you do that?”
“I don’t particularly like her either. Her eyes seemed to challenge me.”
I was taken aback. Mardian had been the villainess when playing as Lilian, but originally Mardian and Viviana had no connection in the game’s plot. There was certainly no development where she took the initiative against Mardian.
So it must be the result of my irregular presence that led to this. I looked at Viviana with a calm expression.
“I’m fine. I’ll just be grateful for your good intentions, Your Highness.”
Well, whatever the original plot was, it didn’t concern me in the slightest. Whether the Empire thrived or fell, whether Lilian became a saint or an empress, all I wanted was to comfortably enjoy life with my mother.
Besides, Mardian would take care of herself just fine. There was no need to complicate things by going on unnecessary adventures.
“… Are you really okay with that?”
Surprised by my answer, Viviana tilted her head in confusion.
“Yes. I just want to let this matter pass.”
“How strange.”
What could possibly be strange? Confused, I returned her question, and Viviana looked at me with a smirk.
“I thought for sure you’d try to sweet-talk me into doing something when the opportunity arose. I expected you’d say something like, ‘I can only trust you,’ or ‘You’re the only one.’”
“E-eh…?”
“Why act like you don’t know? You and I both know your true nature, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t hide it from me.”
“….”
“Or is it that, unlike the other Young Ladies, you feel you don’t need to act with me anymore? You don’t feel I’m necessary?”
Why did I feel a slight ache from Viviana’s indifferent words?
But she wasn’t wrong. In my previous self, I would’ve definitely taken advantage of Viviana. Using the knowledge from the game, I would have wooed her to gain benefits without hesitation.
But I didn’t want to do that.
Unlike me, Viviana had a bright future ahead. If she just played the piano on time to periodically lower her corruption gauge, she would accomplish feats worthy of being called a hero.
How could I possibly keep someone like her tied down?
Of course, in the past, I would’ve thought I didn’t care about such things and tried to use Viviana to my advantage, but now…
“… You fool.”
In a moment of frustration, I unknowingly muttered under my breath. Perhaps hearing my whisper, Viviana raised her eyebrow and lifted my chin.
“Fool? Are you calling me that?”
“… You said not to act falsely.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s why I’m trying my best to express my true feelings, but I keep saying hurtful things….”
“…Huh?”
Viviana’s violet eyes shook intensely. Unable to meet her gaze, I hung my head low.
“A-and I don’t want to treat you insincerely, Viviana!”
This symptom emerged again.
I couldn’t articulate my thoughts.
It was as if I had lost my ability to speak.
It wasn’t like I had injured my head, yet the fluency I usually had in speaking vanished, leaving every single word to exit my mouth like a formidable battle.
As I watched Viviana silently wait for me, I fidgeted with my fingers and began to speak with great difficulty.
“Um, I know it’s strange for me to say this, but… it’s just that I want to treat you sincerely, but I don’t know how… or how to smile properly….”
“…”
If I spoke any more, I felt like my face would explode from embarrassment. I was no child, so why on earth was it so hard to speak?
It was pathetic.
I couldn’t even manage simple language. It felt like I had reverted to a time before receiving social skill training from my childhood friend. I wanted to escape from this timid image, so I wore a mask and learned how to deal with others…
But I had declared I didn’t like such masks, and now I found myself irritated with Viviana for doing as she pleased.
“I don’t know. I think I’ll go now.”
I stood up from my seat, my voice tinged with annoyance. I attempted to leave, but Viviana quickly grabbed my wrist tightly. The grip was stronger than I anticipated, causing a sharp pain to shoot through my wrist.
Startled, I looked toward Viviana. However, she was looking down, avoiding my gaze. In a whisper so small, she finally muttered,
“…I’m sorry, Young Lady. forget what I said earlier. I’d rather you treated me insincerely.”
Viviana’s incomprehensible words ignited my frustration. I was genuinely trying to be respectful, so why did she keep treating me like a liar?
“I don’t want to! I’ll show only my honest self to you, Viviana. Even if you find it tiresome, it can’t be helped.”
I yelled at her, my cheeks flushed. But despite my outburst, Viviana continued to look down, not responding.
How long did that silence stretch between us? Eventually, Viviana released my hand without a word. I stormed out, ready to burst from embarrassment.
Before exiting the room, I glanced back at Viviana. She had covered her mouth with one hand and, still looking down, muttered in a voice too low to hear.
“Ugh, it feels like that’s more dangerous…”
I couldn’t grasp what Viviana was trying to say, and with that, I forcefully closed the door behind me. Once in the corridor, a cool breeze washed over my flushed cheeks.
‘I must have imagined it….’
I was certain that the last time I looked at Viviana, her ears had turned bright red. But after contemplating it several times, I decided that I must have just been mistaken.
After all, it was Viviana.
She wouldn’t blush at someone like me.
