The Capricious Young Lady
Crunch.
Chew.
Inside the carriage bound back for the Grand Ducal Castle, only two sounds filled the air—the different noises of the same fruit being chewed.
I gazed out at the snowy landscape beyond the window and sank into thought.
Piecing together the situation roughly, it seemed the heroine had flung the Grand Ducal crest that Kyle had brought her onto the floor and stormed out of the venue.
She had broken her promise to award massive points and left without a second glance.
Which meant only one thing.
She’s furious beyond measure.
I had expected the anger. After all, her final ultimatum—and that bait she had seasoned to the hilt for the perfect catch—had failed completely. On top of that, her masterstroke of confessing love to her enemy must have left a deep gash in her pride.
Even so, I had no intention of withdrawing my forfeit, nor of shouldering the original character’s karmic debts for the sake of her revenge.
I felt sorry for her, but obsessing over a bystander who had already stepped outside the fence was far less wise than focusing on the ringleaders I already had bound. By clinging to a forfeiter who had freely slipped his own leash, she had already handed me a perfect pretext.
I sincerely hoped I would never have to use it.
All I asked was that she consider the possibility that human nature can change—that even the heavens might split in two when they witness a nature that was never supposed to change. If she could not believe a soul from another world had possessed this body, then let her understand it that way instead.
Of course I did not want every one of the heroine’s plans to collapse because of me.
I simply did not want her dragging me into them either.
I had not the slightest desire to relive a previous life thrashing about in injustice and resentment.
Nor did I wish to provoke her deliberately. Everything I did was only a desperate struggle not to take the bait she cast. Even if that struggle happened to sting her, I would not reverse course. I would not stage some clumsy farce just to soothe her temper. The moment she saw through such a thin ploy—or spotted any opening—she would only attack more relentlessly and more blatantly.
Better to stand tall and show her the modern man named Lee Junuw, and drive home that even the heavens might split in two.
A modern soul who had been flung, without warning, into the body of a villain destined for a full Hupijip route was allowed that much. For a transmigrator who only wanted to leave in search of happiness and longing, it was the best path available.
Therefore nothing would change.
If she loosed a rain of arrows, I would open an iron umbrella. If she poured down scorching sun, I would step into the shade. If she whipped up a typhoon, I would simply retreat into a cave and rest. Endure, dodge, and rest long enough, and the Engagement War would end; then we would each go our separate ways.
“…What thoughts occupy you so deeply, Young Master?”
Rachel’s voice pulled me from my reverie. I had no idea how long I had been staring at the snowy scenery rushing past.
“Ah, nothing. Just random thoughts.”
“I see. That was delicious. Thank you.”
Rachel held up the now-skeletal remains of the fruit and offered a polite thanks. I had not been fishing for gratitude, so I merely nodded. She spoke again at once.
“Young Master, may I ask one question?”
“As many as you like.”
“You have been strange of late.”
“I hear that a lot. Boring. Next.”
“…….”
My half-joking reply left Rachel momentarily speechless. The rare reaction was so funny I snorted a quiet laugh.
“Pfft. I’m kidding. Has my teacher finally taken an interest in her disciple?”
“It is merely for reference in your education.”
“Then how does it look to you, Teacher? Does even a little of your disciple’s change seem genuine?”
The question left my mouth before I realized how off-kilter it felt. It did not take long to understand that it had been the quiet frustration building inside me finally spilling out—the frustration that no matter how many times I shouted I was Lee Junuw, not a single person would believe me.
I was about to brush the whole thing aside as pointless rambling when—
“Yes.”
An unexpected answer came from Rachel’s lips.
I had expected, at best after a hundred concessions, something like “I do not know.” Instead she answered without the slightest hesitation.
“…I-is that so?”
The surprise wrung an awkward reply from me.
Rachel turned the denuded fruit over in her fingers and continued.
“It felt as though you had become an entirely different person, which was strange… yet because of it the annex has grown lively. Even the maids have begun to smile again.”
Under the original Elden’s reign, the annex had been a daily storm. Not a single day passed without shouting, screams, and violence; every morning the maids had to clean up the wreckage while holding their breath. Knowing those sins all too well, I felt an unwelcome twinge of guilt and turned my eyes back to the window.
“…I’m glad to hear it.”
“May I ask the reason, if it is not too forward?”
The reason.
There was nothing grand enough to call a reason. This was not the story of a wicked man who had lived an evil life, then repented and sought a new one.
So I answered while watching the dazzling snowscape—the brilliant white light shattering across the world outside.
“I just… want to try living a dazzling life for once.”
A life spent craving light from the bottom of a dark basement room. A life that had hungered for light yet only ever accumulated debt. Now, even late, I would set the debt down and take up the light instead.
That was the thought behind the words I tossed out. And once again an unexpected reply came back.
“I will cheer for you.”
…She was being unusually warm today. My normally blunt, laconic teacher kept firing off questions one after another.
“Thanks. But only a few days ago you still thought I was a ‘scumbag,’ didn’t you?”
I could never endure that kind of sappy atmosphere for long, so I tossed out the jab. Rachel’s eyes filled with pure contempt as she casually lifted her sword toward my chest, forcing me to look out the window again.
“That part remains unchanged.”
Ah.
Mm.
Right.
Your convictions really are rock-solid, aren’t they?
Ariel’s head snapped up.
Today, because of Elden’s second evaluation match, she had skipped lunch and submerged herself completely in her reading. Now she stared at the empty seat across from her.
The seat Elden had occupied for the past several days—from their chance reunion until yesterday.
…
They had only read together for a few days. Why did the empty place opposite her feel so hollow? It had been empty every single day since she first began coming to the library. Why did the ridiculous notion that it ought to be filled keep rising unbidden? There was no reason to wait for him today, so why was she waiting?
It made no sense.
…
After staring blankly at the vacant chair, Ariel forced her eyes back to her book.
It had only been a few days. Ridiculous. Besides, tomorrow she might be able to read with Elden again. How silly.
Scolding herself, she shook off the idle thoughts and returned to her reading.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Rustle.
A sideways glance.
……
Yet her gaze drifted of its own accord toward the library entrance. For a moment she almost saw Elden approaching with the book she had recommended clutched in his hands.
…
She could almost hear him sitting down and pouring out the words she wanted to hear—how fun it had been, how deeply moved he was, how he wanted another recommendation just like it.
Ariel shook her head hard.
Honestly… me.
The daydream had gone too far. She should stop reading for a while. Completely.
It was only because she had finally learned that sharing impressions was as great a joy and pleasure as reading itself. Only because she had discovered how happy it felt to recommend a book to someone and then hear their thoughts.
Elden Raphelion was merely a classmate she had met by chance—an encounter that would pass in a flash. Any further expectation was excessive; any further wish was extravagant.
Besides, I personally delivered the Grand Duchess’s confession to him. Right now he must be giving everything he has for victory in the second evaluation.
Just this morning she had sincerely wished for him to become the Grand Duke’s son-in-law. And now she felt empty because the seat across from her was vacant? A seat that had been empty for thousands of days, now felt lonely after being filled for only a handful?
Absurd.
She had only wanted to return a little joy to the person who had given her joy. She had never intended to leave lingering attachment or regret. She had done it solely to help the Grand Duchess—and to help Elden.
All that remained for Elden was to become the Third Grand Duchess’s husband, to become the Grand Duke’s son-in-law, and to achieve even greater feats. Their worlds would diverge; the places they stood would no longer be the same. Each would return to their proper station.
Elden as the Grand Duke’s son-in-law; she as the solitary guest once more, sitting alone in the library’s hush with her books.
If she had one small wish before that day arrived—
Maybe we can still read together and talk until the Engagement War ends?
—she quickly realized how badly she had miscalculated.
Ah… it won’t work.
The only reason Elden had been free to idle away hours reading novels in the library was because he had been a forfeiter. Now that he was a leading contender for victory, he would have no time left for novel-reading; he would be preparing for the remaining evaluations. The Third Grand Duchess, so generous and so kind, had willingly embraced a man who lacked every qualification.
Once the Engagement War ended he would become the Grand Duke’s son-in-law and they would never even cross paths again. So from this very moment she could simply return to her old routine—those ordinary days.
Yes.
It was a shame, but what could she do? Finding a reading companion only for him to vanish more fleetingly than a midsummer night’s dream was disappointing… yet it was for the best. Honestly, forfeiting after reaching the final candidates had never made any sense.
And so what if she felt regret? What was she going to do about it?
Right. You, what, can you do something?
No.
Exactly.
Then just read your book.
Yeah.
Having firmly abandoned the thought, Ariel once more focused on her reading. Amid the sudden stir of whispers that rose around her, she caught the words “Young Master Kyle has won,” and the tip of her foot began to tap slowly against the floor.
They said Kyle’s score in the second evaluation was the highest of all.
Idiot.
So he lost?