Date (2)

"Indeed. Are you not my fiancée?"

At Abel's words, I unconsciously halted my steps. Raising my head, I saw his smiling face.

Abel stood there, gazing at me with tender eyes. His expression seemed to hold a complex mix of indescribable emotions.

'Is he... happy?'

Perhaps we had met somewhere before.

Could there have been some unknown past between Adel and Abel?

But if that were the case, there had been no interaction between them before.

Before I possessed this body, Adel had only ever been the Crown Prince's fiancée.

'I don't know.'

It was an emotion difficult to comprehend. Yet one thing was certain.

This was the first time Abel had acknowledged me as his fiancée. No—he had said similar things before.

But back then, those words had merely been superficial niceties for the sake of our contract marriage.

That clear fact tickled at my heart. As if a feather were brushing against my chest, my heart pounded fiercely.

My face grew gradually warmer, and my head spun slightly.

Abel, seemingly unaware of my emotions, simply smiled with unaffected ease.

That smile wasn't one befitting the Empire's Duke, but rather that of any handsome young man.

The kind of smile one might reserve only for their fiancée.

"Right now, all you need to do is enjoy this date."

'...No.'

I had been denying it, refusing to face it.

Even though the emotions lingering in my heart had been screaming the answer all along. I had stubbornly ignored them, trying to treat him normally.

Because I knew better than anyone that these feelings could never be reciprocated.

Even during our engagement ceremony, among those filled with envy and jealousy, such words had often been exchanged. That the infamous villainess could never be loved by someone like Abel.

'...The title of villainess—I can't deny that.'

Even if the evil deeds weren't mine, to them, I was the villainess. Not just to them, but to Abel as well.

After all, ours was nothing more than a contract marriage. There was no way he could genuinely love me.

As those thoughts swirled in my mind, the pounding of my heart gradually cooled.

'Haha, is this how those men who had unrequited crushes on my sister felt?'

I never imagined I'd come to understand those fools' feelings like this in my lifetime.

If this was how it felt, I could see why someone might seek a substitute—like a twin sibling.

Not that it would be any different from rubbing salt in an open wound.

"Abel."

Summoning my courage, I called his name. The name Abel, which others couldn't so easily utter.

He nodded quietly, waiting for me to continue.

Was this the right moment to lay bare my feelings?

'...Just a little longer.'

Let me delay it a little more.

I couldn't tell if he truly liked me.

If I recklessly confessed and ruined this relationship, I wouldn't know what to do.

It wasn't that I had the absurd expectation of receiving a confession from Abel. Even if it happened someday, the confession would have to come from me.

'Not now, I think.'

Right now, Abel doesn't see me with romantic affection. At most, he treats me as one of the few people close to him—not as a woman he loves.

'...Coward.'

No matter how much I rationalized it, that fact remained unchanged.

I had always been a coward.

A coward who knew I was just a substitute for my sister but stubbornly ignored it. A coward who couldn't let go of a man even knowing his feelings weren't for me.

A coward who, instead of congratulating my sister on getting into a prestigious university, fled to the rooftop.

But even so, cowards had their own ways.

"May I take your arm?"

"If you wish."

Abel readily nodded. So I pulled his arm toward me and linked ours together. His face still bore that same tender smile.

After mustering all that courage, his complete lack of reaction made me inexplicably annoyed.

Holding onto Abel's arm, I pressed closer.

He must have noticed, because his body stiffened slightly for a moment. Even someone as dense as Abel couldn't miss this.

Though this face and body weren't entirely mine, I was more than willing to use them if it meant getting closer to him.

When I looked up, as expected, Abel's smile had grown slightly awkward.

"Uh, Adel?"

"Yes?"

I answered his call with an audacious tone. In moments like these, shamelessness—just like Abel's usual demeanor—was far more effective.

"Isn't this too close?"

"You said I could take your arm."

"Well... yes, but..."

Abel trailed off, deliberately avoiding my gaze as if he had nothing more to say.

Part of me wanted to check if his heart was pounding just like mine.

But I dismissed the thought—doing so in public would be far too ill-mannered.

Well, I could always win Abel's heart slowly.

There was no need to rush. Even as a coward, taking one step at a time would be enough.

After all, I was Abel's fiancée.

"Abel, look! There's something fun over there!"

What I was pointing at was an ordinary goldfish-catching stall.

The kind of booth commonly seen at festivals in Japan or Korea. It was genuinely surprising to find it existing in this medieval-era world.

I couldn't tell whether the author of this world's original work had simply neglected historical accuracy or if this was a cultural element introduced by another Otherworlder besides me.

But honestly, that wasn't the important part.

What truly mattered was enjoying this festival with Abel.

Just as he had said earlier.

With that thought, I tugged at Abel's arm, pulling him helplessly toward the goldfish-catching stall.

"Hmm? Seems the young lady has taken an interest in this."

The stall owner cleared his throat as I approached, then began explaining while pointing at the prize list behind him.

"The rules are simple. Depending on how many goldfish you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scoop from the water within the time limit, you'll receive a prize."

Five or more—5th prize: a goldfish headband.

Ten or more—4th prize: goldfish-patterned decorative glasses.

Twenty or more—3rd prize: a goldfish plush doll.

Thirty or more—2nd prize: a silver fish-shaped necklace.

And finally, if you catch fifty...

"You get this golden goldfish right here!"

The owner gestured toward a fish tank where a shimmering golden goldfish was swimming in intricate patterns.

Judging by how it performed tricks in response to the owner's gestures, it seemed highly intelligent.

"Ahem, care to give it a try?"

A tiny scoop about the size of my fist, a basin filled with water, and beside it, a fish tank large enough to hold three grown men.

"Five silver per attempt."

Ugh, that's expensive for just one try.

Just as I hesitated, the owner spoke up in an excited voice.

"Here, five silver. Thank you."

"Abel?"

"Didn't you want to try?"

He countered while already closing his wallet. Honestly, he only acts fast at times like these. Now there was no backing out.

"Ah, just so you know—magic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is forbidden! Same goes for aura!"

Shouldn't you have mentioned that before taking the money? Not that many would bother cheating in something as trivial as goldfish scooping anyway.

The grand prize was just a golden goldfish—hardly worth using supernatural abilities for.

"You have five minutes. Scoop as many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as you can into the basin!"

...Still, that golden goldfish is kind of tempting.

It was clearly intelligent, performing tricks on command. Cute, even.

The other fish swimming around, though? A little creepy-looking.

After a quick stretch, I took the small scoop from the owner.

"Haa..."

I loosened up slightly and observed the fish darting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the water.

"Ready... Begin!"

The hourglass flipped. As the sand began to trickle, I started scooping.

...Huh. I can see them all clearly.

A strange sensation washed over me. Even though my link with Silpi was currently severed, it felt just like when I had synced with him.

The flow of the water, the movements of the fish—everything became visible at once.

I had assumed that sensation only came when borrowing Silpi's power, but apparently not.

Lately, I had been noticing people's presences more keenly.

Without hesitation, I flicked the scoop, snatching up fish one after another.

"Hoh."

Abel watched with an intrigued gaze. I decided to ignore his stare for now and focus on the task.

After all, the golden goldfish was a little tempting. Of course, I wasn't using magic or aura—just the enhanced dynamic vision from spirit synchronization.

"Uh, uh..."

The owner could only stammer in shock.

The hourglass wasn't even half empty, yet I'd already caught over thirty fish. His pupils trembled slightly.

Did he not expect this? I stifled a laugh and kept going.

After a moment of hesitation, the owner cautiously sidled toward the fish tank. Abel, seeming to catch on, smirked and raised a hand.

Crack!

The magic circle forming behind the owner shattered instantly. Was he really trying to cast a spell in that brief moment?

For a second, I was too stunned to react, just staring at the owner.

Caught off guard, he froze, gaping at Abel.

"Hmm, owner. Didn't you say magic was forbidden?"

Abel's lips curled up in a sly grin as he met the man's gaze.

"Y-Yes! O-Of course!"

The owner broke into a cold sweat, answering in a fluster.

Chuckling, I scooped the last remaining fish into the basin.

"Done!"

The owner's despair was palpable, his mouth drooping pathetically. Well, underhanded tricks at festivals weren't uncommon.

Too bad for him, his opponent was Abel.

There was no way a scheme like that would go unnoticed.