Helena's Worries
Helena fel Deigrefy. As the daughter of the Deigrefy Baron family, she found herself facing yet another worry.
Felice becoming his old self again… no, becoming even better than before was an incredibly good thing for her. She had liked him ever since they were children, and to her, who had continued to harbor those feelings all this time, the current Felice was nearly the perfect embodiment of her ideal type.
His appearance? The fiery red hair that blazed like flames and those deep, dark eyes. He himself didn’t seem to realize it, but he possessed quite a handsome face. In fact, the part where he remained unaware of his own good looks was one of his greatest charms.
When he was younger, he had seemed fairly confident in his appearance, but after being rejected by Silvia, that confidence had vanished without a trace. His family background? What was there even to say? He was the second son of Count Astria. Even if he had no interest in becoming the family head, given how close he was with his older brother, there was no way Felice couldn’t borrow the power of House Astria if he needed it.
His abilities? From a young age, Felice had lived under the constant praise of being a sword prodigy. There had been a time when he somewhat avoided sword training because of it, but after his confession to Silvia was rejected, something inside him must have changed. He had thrown himself into training with ferocious intensity. Thanks to that, Helena could see his skills improving dramatically with each passing day.
Returning to the main point. The problem wasn’t actually with Felice himself.
The number of competitors… is increasing…!
Helena’s eyes trembled with unease as she gazed at Felice. He was simply walking along, lost in his own thoughts, yet gazes were already pouring down on him from every direction.
“Is that the Astria guy?”
“……He really is handsome.”
On top of that, rumors had begun circulating about some sort of connection between House Astria and the First Princess—the one most likely to ascend as Crown Princess. As a result, people’s attention on Felice had grown even more intense. Even though he had given up his claim to the title of family head, everyone believed he would serve as the crucial link connecting them to House Astria.
Still…
Helena could confidently say that those nameless young noble ladies were no match for her. The depth of time and history she and Felice had built together was not something they could simply overcome.
The real problem was that people of such overwhelming stature were gathering around Felice that even Helena felt flustered. The first among them was Silvia Versh.
If anyone were asked to name the most popular girl among this year’s new academy students, every single person would mention Silvia. She possessed outstanding beauty and a kind of magical charm that captivated everyone around her. Moreover, Felice had once confessed to her and suffered a spectacular rejection.
Yet recently, the amount of time Silvia spent with Felice had been increasing.
“Felice…!”
Even now was a perfect example. Spotting Felice while passing by, Silvia broke into a bright smile without thinking and headed straight toward him. The saving grace was that, just as he had claimed, Felice truly seemed to have no lingering feelings for her.
“Oh, Silvia.”
The way he treated her like nothing more than a friend allowed Helena to breathe a sigh of relief. It still wasn’t clear whether Silvia saw him as a potential romantic partner or simply as a friend.
At least that’s a relief…
Silvia’s radiant beauty was so striking that even Helena, as another girl, found it fresh and thrilling every time she saw it.
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back down without a fight!
Helena clenched both fists tightly, steeling her resolve. She had liked him for a longer time. She understood him better than anyone else. Therefore, she had no intention of giving him up easily. And if Silvia still hadn’t clearly realized her own feelings yet… then before that could happen…!
“Helena.”
A low, pleasant voice slipped into her ear. Realizing it belonged to Felice, Helena snapped back to her senses and looked at him. At some point, both Felice and Silvia had approached and were now staring at her with worried eyes.
“……Hah! Ah, hello!”
“What were you spacing out for? Are you feeling sick?”
“Yeah…. Helena, are you okay?”
“Ah, um… Y-yeah! I-I’m fine! P-perfectly fine!”
Helena’s usual personality was straightforward and somewhat boyish. That made sense, since there had always been far more young noblemen than noblewomen around her. …To be clear, it wasn’t that she was especially popular with them. It was simply that all her friends happened to be boys. They, too, knew very well that she only had eyes for Felice.
Even so, lately, whenever she stood in front of him, she couldn’t help but speak in a distinctly girlish tone. And the surprising part was that it wasn’t intentional. The words simply slipped out on their own.
For sixteen years she had never once spoken that way! She had tried to figure out what had changed in the past few days, but Helena couldn’t reach any clear conclusion. The only thing that had changed was that Felice’s personality had shifted to match her tastes even more perfectly than before.
……That was it. Nothing else.
Anyway, the second person was—
“……I hope I’m not interrupting your meal.”
“Simply sharing a table with Her Highness the Princess is an honor for our family.”
It was none other than the Empire’s First Princess, Achillea fil Hamen Ulais!!
Helena’s body had gone rigid with tension without her realizing it. She began eating with extreme caution. Perhaps because of Achillea’s sudden appearance, the air around the table felt as if it had frozen solid. …Meanwhile, the very person responsible for creating this situation was casually exchanging conversation with the princess.
……Why?
Thanks to that, only Helena and Silvia were left desperately trying to maintain proper dining etiquette while screaming silently inside their heads.
“You truly do have a way with words, no matter how many times I hear you speak.”
“It is the greatest honor to have pleased Your Highness with nothing but my silver tongue.”
“There is no need to be so formal. Eat comfortably, without minding me.”
Her cold, haughty gaze carried no visible emotion, yet Helena realized that Achillea was showing them consideration.
“Yeah, just eat comfortably. It’s not like she’ll have your head for slightly imperfect manners.”
At Felice’s casual remark, Helena clenched her fist tightly beneath the table and forced an awkward smile as she resumed eating. In truth, even Felice—who spoke so nonchalantly—was feeling some tension… but since it didn’t show on the surface, neither Helena nor Silvia noticed.
“Shouldn’t the young lord of Astria relax a little as well?”
“……Appropriate tension is what allows the body to move efficiently, Your Highness.”
At Felice’s answer, Achillea let out a small, elegant laugh. That tiny laugh was so noble and beautiful that Helena unconsciously bit down hard on her lower lip.
Achillea fil Hamen Ulais. What kind of person was she? She was the noble imperial princess known as the Iron-Blooded Princess and hailed as a political genius. After the First Prince died in an unfortunate accident during childhood and everyone agreed that the Second Prince would likely be named Crown Prince, she had quietly built up her own faction from the shadows, captured the hearts of the nobility, and brought herself to the verge of being named Crown Princess.
Ever since that woman became entangled with Felice over the matter concerning the Third Prince, Leonhardt, she had occasionally begun sharing meals like this with him.
……No way.
Helena couldn’t help but stare intently at Achillea. The princess noticed her gaze but simply smiled back with relaxed composure.
…No, that was too much of a delusion. Thinking so, Helena lowered her eyes and focused on her meal once more. The First Princess—the one said to be the next emperor—why on earth would she like Felice? He didn’t possess any magical charm, nor had they been close before. It had to be nothing more than simple curiosity. Yes, it absolutely had to be.
Because if the next emperor truly did like Felice…
How on earth am I supposed to compete with that……?
Helena pouted, overcome by a sudden wave of melancholy. All at once, Felice felt impossibly far away.
Even though their families were a count’s house and a baron’s house, Felice had always stayed by Helena’s side. After entering the academy he had become somewhat distant while infatuated with Silvia, but now things had returned to normal. So in a way, he was still right beside her.
Yet somehow, she had begun to feel as if even if she reached out her hand, she would no longer be able to touch him.
She had nothing remarkable about her. Her appearance couldn’t compare to Silvia’s, and neither her abilities nor her family background could compare to Achillea’s. If either of them truly developed feelings for Felice and decided to claim him, there was nothing Helena could do to stop them.
Stab.
Helena’s fork mercilessly pierced the meat on her plate. It was a habit of hers whenever she felt dissatisfied.
Slide.
At that moment, someone placed a piece of meat onto her plate. Following it with her eyes, she met Felice’s black gaze looking at her with his usual indifferent expression. With a perfectly calm face, his mouth moved silently.
Why? What’s wrong?
……Felice had always been like this. As if to prove that their shared time together had not been short, he would quickly notice even the slightest shift in her mood and comfort her without pretending not to see.
That’s why…… That’s exactly why……
Helena bit down hard on her lower lip, then—
I can’t possibly give up on you.
She shook her head gently with a bright smile. Seeing this, Felice let out a soft chuckle, shrugged his shoulders as if to say she was being silly, and returned his attention to his meal.
No matter who the opponent was.
She would not give up.
With that vow, Helena smiled.