The Heart Decides
Idel was about to step toward Jayana, drawn by that insistent gaze that seemed to urge her to hurry. But she stopped short.
No.
Thinking it through, she realized that stopping Jayana now would only create more misunderstandings.
Not long ago she had been fretting over how to keep her distance from Jayana.
It had been hard enough just pushing her away like an overeager toddler.
Perhaps it was best to let her go. If she left now, Jayana would definitely return and cry, but…
Still, safer was better.
If she kept getting tangled up with her, she would only become Melissa’s next target for her crazy love. The curse would persist, and the tightrope act would require her to endure even harsher words.
Yes, this was the better choice for her too. The fewer variables, the better.
Pulling away now was good for both Jayana and herself.
“I-I’m really leaving…! If I go now, you’ll never see me again…!”
The way she had pretended to glance back at her made Idel’s heart ache, but she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, focusing on her goal.
She clenched her fists, then reopened her eyes with a stubborn glare and fired back at Jayana.
“Go! You say I’ll never accept you? Who’s asking me to accept? I don’t want to be stuck with a foolish little cur like you anyway!”
“M-Miss Idel! That’s not—”
“Not what? Just go already! I only need Sigmund anyway! Hmph!”
Jayana froze in place, eyes wide with shock.
She had never seen Idel speak so sincerely before, nor with such bluntness.
Jayana’s eyes teared up again at the sight of Idel clinging so obviously to Sigmund.
“Idel… you—”
“You’re the foolish little cur!”
“You… I really hate you!”
Jayana’s shout echoed after her as she turned and began to run.
“Wait! Miss Jayana!”
“…What on earth is going on?”
“Sir Ivan, Miss Jayana—wait, no, Idel, young lady, I—I must hurry…!”
Diane, who had appeared with Ivan and Vivian, turned deathly pale and babbled frantically.
After a few seconds, Diane gave up explaining and blurted out a hasty greeting before chasing after Jayana.
Jayana’s footsteps had been far too quick.
“Hmph! Go off and don’t come back!”
“Hey!”
Sigmund leaped to his feet when Idel, who had been acting like a spoiled child, suddenly shifted to clingy affection.
Furrowing his brows, he pulled her close and growled in a low voice.
“Why are you doing this? Are you crazy? Acting like a baby who can’t even be weaned off the breast all of a sudden.”
“It’s over. Jayana’s gone.”
“What?”
Sigmund stared at her as if he had heard something absurd, but Idel simply stepped away from him.
“Hah… this is real…”
“Well, then, what exactly happened here?”
Once the situation was roughly sorted, Ivan opened his mouth again.
“Did you quarrel with Miss Jayana?”
“I wouldn’t call it a quarrel. I just left.”
Idel let out a snort and crossed her arms as she asked Ivan.
“So why are you here? You’re not busy?”
“Ah, the wedding has been settled. I expected the commotion from the start. I came to greet young Miss Idel together with the Duke, but…”
Ivan’s voice trailed off. Through his glasses he studied Idel carefully before speaking cautiously.
“Miss Idel, though it may be presumptuous, I feel I should add one more word.”
“Yes?”
“From my short experience… there is no such thing as ‘too late.’ Especially between people.”
The boy’s clear blue eyes seemed to ask what nonsense he was talking about. The stubborn frown on his brows provided the answer.
‘But he understood my meaning.’
Unlike the rumors, she was a wise child.
Therefore Ivan hoped she would avoid the pain of hiding her feelings behind lies.
Right now, she was glancing toward the direction where Jayana had disappeared.
‘It seems she isn’t even aware of it.’
While Ivan was lost in thought, Idel let out a short sigh.
“I don’t know what you mean, but greetings are over, right? Then I’ll be going too. It’s boring now.”
Vivian immediately chimed in.
“Alone without a maid? That won’t do. Lord Roman, please go fetch the carriage. Young lady, you’ll accept this much, won’t you?”
“…I am grateful for your kindness, Duke.”
“Wise choice. I heard you met by chance at the Academy with Ivan. I hope a similar connection will happen between us next time.”
“No thanks.”
Ivan’s laugh slipped out before he could stop himself upon hearing Idel’s sharp reply.
“What?”
“Oh, my apologies. I couldn’t help it. Yes, once our situation grows more stable, I’ll visit then.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Of course not.”
“Oh, and…”
Vivian, standing beside Ivan, suddenly remembered something and added,
“Although we held a small ceremony to resolve Parel’s pregnancy chaos, Roman and I plan to renew our true wedding vows someday. Young lady, you must shine at that time. And you too, Sigmund.”
“…Me?”
Sigmund, suddenly called upon, pointed at himself with a finger and raised an eyebrow.
“Why me…?”
“Without you, I wouldn’t have known Parel was pregnant, and Parel, now the host, would have suffered. That would have been a heavy burden for the Bright Duchy.”
“I didn’t do it, my master did.”
“Magic isn’t my specialty, but spotting talent like yours always excites me. Contact the Duchy anytime if you need anything.”
Idel watched the couple smile at each other and shook her head. Clearly they had no intention of listening to her words.
“Then I’ll go. My master must be waiting, and I’m tired too.”
“…All right.”
Sigmund agreed with a reluctant expression. As they began to walk toward Roman, Ivan’s voice stopped her.
“Miss Idel.”
Oh no, what now?
Idel narrowed her brows and turned her head toward Ivan. Just as sharp words were about to spill from her lips, a warm hand gently touched her shoulder.
“I don’t have the strength to do anything for you. But I promise. No matter how chaotic things get outside, as a reporter I will not turn a blind eye to what I see and will uphold my principles.”
His green eyes behind the glasses held sincerity.
Idel, who had remained silent for a moment, lowered the hand resting on her shoulder and moved her lips.
“Really, who knows if I’m not a reporter? I have no idea what you’re talking about from earlier. Do whatever you want. It’s none of my business.”
She lifted her chin and let out a ‘Hmph,’ then turned and walked away.
Her heart was racing despite her outwardly calm appearance.
‘…Did I really do it?’
Saying she wouldn’t ignore what she saw suggested she wouldn’t coldly abandon her when problems arose.
‘Of course, it’s better to leave before the original plot turns sour, but the more safeguards, the better.’
A satisfied smile tugged at the corner of Idel’s lips.
‘I had no choice with everything piling up, but honestly, I was worried she’d become too pushy…’
Since nothing more was said by Ivan or the Duke, it seemed things had been resolved in a moderate way.
‘Well, my importance wasn’t that great anyway. What else?’
Everyone else had handled it. The offer to help had only been surface-level, spurred on by Jayana’s persuasion.
Idel boarded the carriage with a sense of accomplishment she hadn’t felt in a long time. Now all that remained was to investigate the markings with the suspicious Viled.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ivan watched Idel board the carriage from afar and slowly turned to face Vivian.
Unlike the expression he had shown Idel, a somewhat regretful smile lingered on his lips.
“The promise that help is always available… I couldn’t fulfill it to the end.”
“Why?”
“Even in that moment, I didn’t think Idel would contact me.”
“Yeah, that’s how it looked.”
“The part about lacking strength is true, though.”
Even as a Shell Ami reporter, he couldn’t easily intervene in Idel’s affairs.
Idel was someone from the Clementine Duchy after all.
Moreover, unlike the situation he had been involved in, there was no connection between him and Idel.
Ivan took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking again.
“So only my efforts remain. I must strengthen myself so I won’t fall short for Idel or you. Vivian, will you stand by my side?”
Vivian laughed softly and nodded in agreement.
“My answer is always the same, Ivan. I believe in you. But don’t think you’ll have to do it alone. The one who helped Idel wasn’t only you.”
The two exchanged gentle smiles, their hands resting on each other’s.
“The promise that help is always available… I couldn’t fulfill it to the end.”
“Why?”
“Even in that moment, I didn’t think Idel would contact me.”
“Yeah, that’s how it looked.”
“The part about lacking strength is true, though.”
“So only my efforts remain. I must strengthen myself so I won’t fall short for Idel or you. Vivian, will you stand by my side?”
“My answer is always the same, Ivan. I believe in you. But don’t think you’ll have to do it alone. The one who helped Idel wasn’t only you.”