Chapter 56

After exchanging glances for a moment, the two of them started to carefully throw out words, as if trying to match each other’s rhythm.

“…We just met today.”

“Guess we clicked better than expected…?”

“Became friends quickly…”

“Right. Yeah. That’s it.”

“That’s it. Exactly.”

Honestly, the way they both turned to look at me at the same time, as if there was no doubt this was the right answer, was kind of funny. It was even more so because their intention to brush it off was so obvious. It’s not like they didn’t know how obvious they were being.

“Ah, was that it?”

I accepted it with a smile.

Even if I figured out what they were trying to hide, there was no use for it anyway. I should just take satisfaction in seeing them visibly relieved.

Then, from across the field, Sena’s voice called out. She seemed to have rushed over, as her voice was slightly out of breath.

“Princess! You’re late! Hoo… Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, no. Yohan came just in time.”

Sena stopped near me, placing her hands on her knees and bending over to catch her breath. I gently rubbed her back as she tried to steady her breathing.

After taking a deep breath and blinking a few times, Sena turned to Yohan.

“Is that so? Good job, Sonépar. You can go now.”

“…You’re sending me off just like that?”

“I’ll be going.”

“Are you really just leaving…?”

Yohan bowed his head and disappeared in the direction Sena had come from. I was a bit taken aback by how he left without even a proper goodbye.

“Seriously…”

The Health Teacher seemed equally displeased, clicking her tongue before turning away.

“I’ll be going too, patient. You two have fun.”

“Ah, stay a bit longer…”

“Go on. And don’t come back this way, okay?”

“Ugh…”

Sena smiled as she saw her off. The teacher left without a word, though her frown was evident.

In an instant, everyone around us had disappeared. It was practically all Sena’s doing. Is this really how it’s supposed to be?

“……”

“Now it’s just the two of us! Shall we go to the corner?”

“…Sure.”

I relaxed my body and let her lead me by the hand. I even let her naturally interlock our fingers. Since I was the one who started this, I guess I’ll have to endure it.

The sensation of our skin brushing against each other through our interlocked fingers was distracting. The softness of her skin and the firmness of her bones. The occasional loosening and tightening of her grip felt blatant. The warmth from her hand seemed to seep into the inside of my arm.

What am I even thinking, evaluating this? It felt like I should change the mood, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“So, you were with Hans earlier, right?”

“Why him?”

“Huh? No, I was just curious…?”

I realized I had spoken without thinking.

Sena’s voice, which had been cheerful, suddenly turned cold. Her expression didn’t change much, which made it even more unsettling.

Was it a problem that I brought up Hans when it was just the two of us? Even if I knew the reason, I couldn’t help but feel flustered. It’s not like it’s me, so why are you…?

“What are you curious about?”

“It’s not like I really wanted to know. Just… something else…”

“No, go ahead. If you’re curious, you should clear it up, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Since I hadn’t thought much about the question in the first place, I didn’t have a follow-up prepared. I glanced at her and asked whatever came to mind.

“What did you two do? Being in the elite group, I thought there might be something special.”

“Nothing much. We just fought back and forth. You can probably guess who won, seeing as I’m the only one who came back in one piece.”

Sena smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. There was an unspoken pressure in that perfect smile.

But it’s kind of my type. I wish she’d smile like that more often.

“Did that satisfy your curiosity?”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good. Then let’s talk about something else!”

We finally reached the corner of the field and sat down on the steps side by side. From then on, we avoided talking about other people and stuck to light, casual topics like usual. Whether this was the right move or not, Sena’s mood brightened again. I let out a sigh of relief internally.

“Ah, Princess. About Mari…”

Then, the topic I had been waiting for came up.

I perked up my ears.

“Since there’s no afternoon class next Friday, we can meet then. You don’t have any other plans, right?”

“Of course not. I’m always way too free, that’s the problem.”

“I thought so. I was just asking out of courtesy. I already made the appointment, actually.”

By now, I’ve gotten used to Sena’s sharp remarks. It’s because we know each other well enough that we can joke around like this.

I nodded without showing any displeasure. So, I’ll be seeing Maid Ai again. I’m looking forward to Friday.

Though the day before that is a bit of a problem, but it’s unavoidable, so worrying about it won’t help.

I’ll just have to endure it, what else can I do?

***

Wednesday, the day of the first club meeting.

I opened the door to the club room assigned to the observation club earlier than the scheduled time. Despite having only four members, the room was a large multipurpose space, occasionally used for regular classes.

There, I met an unwelcome face I had somewhat expected. I had come early thinking it would be better to meet alone anyway.

“Hi, Remia. You’re early.”

“……”

“Do you have a moment?”

“What if I don’t?”

Hans gave a wry smile.

“Then I’ll just stay quiet.”

“Now you’re being quiet?”

I frowned in annoyance, tilting my head. After all the attention he’s drawn, it’s strange to see him acting reserved now.

“Back then, I had to be a bit aggressive to create any connection at all. But now that we’re at least in the same space, I don’t plan to burden you by approaching you unnecessarily.”

“How unnecessarily considerate of you…”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He smiled and headed to the corner of the club room, seemingly determined not to say anything more. Last week, he was ready to give a long speech as soon as we met. His unexpected attitude left me a bit flustered.

I sighed and threw out a comment.

“Anyway, there’s not much time left. I’ll probably get hit first.”

“Go ahead.”

“…?”

“Why are you making such a dumb face now? Say what you want to say.”

“Huh? Really?”

It was frustrating to see him still dazed even after I told him to speak.

“Don’t want to? Then forget it.”

“No. No, wait. Let me organize my thoughts.”

Hans, who hastily stopped me, closed his eyes and sank into thought.

After a while, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

“First, I’ll skip the apology since I think you’d hate it. If you ever feel like accepting it, let me know.”

“That’ll never happen, so just hurry up and say it.”

“…That day, it was me who reported what I saw to Father. There’s no excuse for that. But.”

Hans met my gaze without flinching, his voice steady and his eyes showing firm resolve.

“I never did it for the benefit of our family. Remia, it was all to save you.”

I nodded slightly, urging him to continue.

Perhaps sensing my inscrutable attitude, Hans swallowed hard and went on.

“If I had let that doomed rebellion proceed, you would’ve been dragged to the execution block too. It was a bit extreme, but I tried to stop the Duke by exposing it and get you out. But… His Majesty was angrier than I expected, and if I had intervened, DiCardi would’ve been dragged down too. So, in the end, I failed.”

I feel ashamed.

A strong scent of defeat and regret wafted from him as he finally bowed his head. He looked pitiful, as if he’d kneel or beg if told to.

Watching him quietly, I calmly shared my thoughts on his story.

“So, in the end, you tried to run away with me but couldn’t, so you ran alone. Isn’t that the same as running alone from the start?”

“If you put it that way… I have nothing to say.”

I glanced at him expressionlessly.

He probably wanted to say his intentions were good. He said he’d skip the apology since I’d hate it, but isn’t that itself an indirect plea? He’s trying to appeal that he’s not at fault, that it’s all a misunderstanding.

What he wants is to return to our previous relationship, like he said before. Otherwise, why would he bring up meaningless past events and try to win my sympathy?

Did he think I’d be moved to tears and revert to the blindly devoted Remia Adelian of the past upon hearing such words?

Of course not. He probably just threw it out there.

Still, the mere thought of trying that irritates me. Why can’t he understand that saying such things is a burden to me, who’s still entangled with him?

Is that why he’s doing it?

That’s annoying in its own way.

“Speaking from a results-oriented perspective, I’m sorry. Honestly, your intentions are none of my concern. Do you think there’s only one or two villains in history who had good intentions? They’re all judged as evil because their actions resulted in evil.”

Even so, I have no intention of cursing or hitting him. I know my place.

I know there’s no benefit in angering him, and I also know he has no right to be angry with me.

“The moment my life ended because of you, our relationship ended too. That’s the only fact that matters to me.”

So, I smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of holding you accountable. Clearly, I have my own faults, and doing something like that would be heartless.”

So, I spoke in a calm, measured tone.

“I just hope you won’t come near me anymore. I want you to disappear from my life, as if you never existed. Let’s bury your sins and mine in some unseen corner and live our own lives.”

So, I hid my true feelings. I tried to sever the faintly lingering relationship with a mature and composed attitude.

Just like I did with Ariana and Sena.

“It’s easy, right? You were already doing well. You haven’t appeared before me for over half a year since I came to the Academy.”

“…That’s because I thought you’d be struggling.”

Hans lowered his eyes regretfully. I couldn’t understand why he was regretting it.

You know exactly.

Then just do as you know.

In fact, you’ve been doing well as you know.

So what’s the problem now?

I twisted my lips and stepped closer to Hans. I tried to stay calm, but my voice began to tremble slightly.

“That’s exactly it, Hans. That’s what I want. I’m struggling. Seeing you, living as me. So, if you could just lighten one burden, maybe my fragile life could somehow hold on.”

“Don’t say that. It sounds like you want to die.”

“…Haha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Every word he said was so accurate that it was unbearably funny. It’s impressive how he understands me so well yet still messes up this badly.

I laughed uncontrollably and impulsively blurted out the thoughts that came to mind.

“Right! I want to die! How did you know? Was it obvious?”

“…You.”

Hans immediately stiffened, grabbed my shoulders, and pushed me against the wall.

A thud sounded, and pain shot through my back. The air left my lungs with a cough, and I started to feel suffocated.

I erased my smile and looked up at Hans, who was glaring down at me.

Bad memories began to surface.