I Sincerely Adore You
Confirming Cecilia’s gaze, Elysia began to lift the corners of her mouth in a sly little smile.
"Lady Cecilia! I’m so sorry I never properly apologized last time…!"
"Lord Victor."
"Yes?"
Pulled along by the wrist Cecilia had seized, I left the classroom at once.
"…"
"Cecilia?"
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. I’m fine, but…"
"Haa. I came just in case, and sure enough…"
So I wasn’t imagining it… Cecilia’s mana right now…
It was thrashing. Which meant her emotions were thrashing just as hard.
Because the woman who already stole her fiancé once is trying to snatch her contract fiancé as well?
It was possible. Once might have been bearable, but losing to the same woman twice would wound Cecilia’s pride no matter what.
"Cecilia."
"Yes? Ah… hm?"
When I stepped closer and took her hand, the blue haze rising from her body began to fade little by little.
"I’m fine. Far more than a two-faced woman like that, someone as kind and beautiful as you, Cecilia…"
"…"
Ah, damn. We’re only in a contract relationship—what am I supposed to say? The right words refused to surface in my head.
"So, uh… that is…"
"Cecilia Roeyental!!!"
Right then someone bellowed Cecilia’s name at the top of their lungs. Whoever it was, I was grateful!
"…What now."
"Haa… haa."
"Sniff… sniff."
Boris stormed toward us wearing a face full of fury, and beside him Elysia trailed after him sniffling like a scolded puppy.
She was perfectly fine a minute ago—why is she walking over looking ready to cry?
"How dare you… how dare you cause another mana rampage right in front of Elysia!"
"Mana rampage… ah."
Cecilia looked at me as though she had just realized something. The bright purple of her eyes began to cloud over.
"What have I… done."
"Sniff… Boris, please don’t scold Lady Cecilia too harshly."
"No—this is already the second time. I will personally request that the academy faculty expel Cecilia Roeyental—"
"I have no idea what you’re talking about."
"What?"
When I cut Boris off, he stared at me in open confusion.
"You seem to have completely lost track of the situation. Just now—"
"I will ask the students of Class B. Did Cecilia just come here to speak with Elysia?"
"Uh…"
"No?"
"Exactly. Cecilia visited Class B to speak with me, her fiancé. She never threatened Elysia."
"Th-that blue haze just now! That is clearly the precursor that appears whenever Cecilia’s mana runs wild—"
"Hmph."
I pulled Cecilia in and tucked her against my right side.
"V-Vict…"
"Look."
"A… a blue haze?"
"H-haah…"
Fainter than before, yet still unmistakable—blue haze rose from Cecilia’s body once more.
I’ve seen the haze appear every time we touch lately, so I decided to try a more intense bit of contact.
Bingo. Anger wasn’t the only intense emotion; embarrassment counted too.
"There, you see. Cecilia’s emotions are simply stirred by contact with me. My fiancée is quite the shy one, you know."
"…That can’t be."
"What?"
"Then why did she never react that way last year whenever she was near Crown Prince Baron?!"
The moment the name Crown Prince Baron left his mouth, the blue haze flowing from Cecilia vanished as if it had never been there.
So Crown Prince Baron is Cecilia’s cold-water switch.
I filed that away for future use.
"I never felt anything of the sort."
"What?"
"Even if we were engaged, in the end we were less than strangers."
"Th-that is…"
"But Lord Victor is different. Because I sincerely adore him!"
"…"
"…"
At Cecilia’s single sentence the young ladies nearby began letting out soft squeals and collapsing into delighted chaos. And then—
Thump, thump!
Whether or not it understood the situation, my own heart started hammering like mad.
Settle down, heart! Don’t fall for the line Cecilia just threw out to clean things up… a lie meant to hide that we’re only in a contract!
"Lord Victor."
"Uh… yes?"
When Cecilia’s cool fingers brushed my cheek, I froze on the spot.
"How deeply I adore you…"
At the same time blue haze poured from her body again, and Boris could not hide his shock.
"Impossible… You’re not letting your emotions run wild—you’re controlling them while releasing mana?"
"Magnificent!"
"Principal Arcain?!"
Walking straight into the center of the commotion came the academy principal, the archmage Arcain, said to stand on equal footing with the Sage himself. He smiled faintly as he looked at Cecilia and me.
"Unlike the rampage you showed last year, you are controlling your mana with remarkable delicacy, Lady Cecilia."
"Yes. It is all thanks to Lord Victor’s help."
"However… such intense physical affection, ahem."
"Ah… that is…"
"Yet rather than harming others, it seems to embrace them—something almost too gentle to call a rampage. Heh heh."
"Well…"
Struck speechless like a mute who’d swallowed honey, Boris scowled and took Elysia’s hand. In that instant I glimpsed a faint red haze flickering behind his back.
What is that… a mana rampage? From Boris…?
"Elysia, let’s go."
"Uh… o-okay."
"…Cecilia Roeyental. I will be watching you."
"Yes. Please do—"
"Who gave you permission."
I hid Cecilia behind my back and fixed Boris with a hard stare.
"Who are you to say you’ll be watching someone else’s fiancée."
"Uh…"
"Mind your tongue, Boris Finnel. You are not the Sage—you are merely his disciple. You have no right to pass judgment on another mage as you please."
"Kh… kuh."
"The moment you lay a hand on Cecilia, I—and the North—will formally protest to the Magic Tower regarding the words and actions of Boris Finnel, disciple of the Tower’s Sage, who dared to touch my fiancée."
"…"
Boris swallowed hard and froze in place. I set a hand on his shoulder. He was so scrawny I abandoned the idea of squeezing as a warning and simply finished the threat with a razor-sharp glare.
"Get lost. Now."
"…"
Boris fled as though running for his life, Elysia trailing after him in little steps.
"Heeh, how interesting."
I flinched at the look on Elysia’s face, but I turned at once to soothe Cecilia, who was still clutching the back of my coat.
"Cecilia."
"…"
"Are you all right?"
"…"
"If it’s too much, just say the word. We can use a gate right now and return to the Walterheim mansion…"
"Pfft… I-I’m sorry."
"Pardon?"
Face flaming scarlet, Cecilia hid behind both hands, flustered beyond words.
"Wh-what did I just say…"
"Cecili—"
Feeling the weight of every stare around us, I sighed and ushered her away from the spot.
"Haa. Forgive me. There are too many eyes and ears around Cecilia; we won’t be able to talk properly, so for now…"
Thump.
"…Cecilia?"
"Right now… my face is a complete mess…"
"…"
"Don’t look."
After bonking her forehead against my back, Cecilia stayed there for a long while, leaning her head against me in silence.
"Haa…"
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes. But Lord Victor."
"Yes."
"Don’t turn around."
"…"
I wanted nothing more than to check on her right that second, yet if Cecilia refused, there was nothing I could do.
If I turn around and an angry Cecilia rampages… no, even before that…
I didn’t want to disappoint her.
This is… just personal greed, isn’t it… haa.
"Lord Victor."
"Yes."
"Thank you for shielding me earlier."
"It was only natural."
"Because I’m inside your fence."
"…Yes."
My answer came a fraction late, but Cecilia would understand.
"I see."
Thump. Thump.
"Cecilia?"
Worried by the way she kept knocking her head against my back, I started to turn—
"You mustn’t."
"…"
"Heh."
How was it that a single word from her could freeze me solid?
…Is this Cecilia’s magic somehow?
"It’s strange. Even without looking into the Grand Duke’s eyes, my face has gone completely red."
"…Because of that illness?"
"Hmm…"
Thump.
After a thoughtful hum, Cecilia bonked her head against my back again.
"Yes. That must be it. Probably."
"Prob…ably?"
"Heh."
"Cecilia. This is no time for jokes. Your mana rampages have fortunately been taking a good direction, but the illness you’re suffering from could, if mishandled, connect back to the rampages—"
"Honestly."
Thump. Thump.
"Lord Victor."
"Yes."
"Sometimes you protect me more than a mere contract requires, and I think that’s making the illness worse."
"Huk."
Because of my actions?
"Th-that is…"
Not good. I thought I was holding back, but is it still dangerous?
"…I’m sorry."
"Heeh?"
"Cecilia?"
"It feels… like a huge oversized dog that just did something wrong and is hanging its head."
"Cecilia, don’t tell me you…"
I turned my head to look at her.
Poke.
"Mm?"
"I told you not to turn around—you’re so mean!"
"…You look fine to me, Cecilia."
"Do I?"
"Yes."
As I stared blankly at the finger that had poked my cheek, Cecilia broke into a broad, sunny smile.
"By the way, Lord Victor."
"Yes."
"Earlier you pulled me into your arms in such a hurry."
"…"
"That."
"Protecting one’s fiancée is a fiancé’s duty."
"That’s true. But that was so very…"
Cecilia leaned in and whispered against my ear.
"It made my heart race. I’ve never felt that before."
"Cecilia?"
"Yes?"
"…Is this something from those romance novels too?"
The one I’d seen before—Taming the Northern Grand Duke? Was this the flirting from that book?
"Hmm."
Cecilia studied me for a moment, then shook her head firmly.
"No."
"Pardon? Then what?"
"…It just came out naturally."
"…"
"Isn’t this the sort of thing a fiancée would do for the fiancé who protected her?"
"It’s bad for the heart. Things like this."
"Oh my. Lord Victor, your ears…"
"Kh."
Barely restraining the urge to pull the smiling Cecilia into my arms, I saw her off and returned to class.
"Haa."
"…Um."
"Hm?"
What greeted me was Princess Luisilla, waving with an awkward little smile.
"Um…"
"Please speak."
"Y-you two seem close. The lady and the Grand Duke… like a really wonderful couple… I suppose?"
"…"
"Hic. If I said something wrong—"
"Thank you."
My estimation of Princess Luisilla rose a notch. Next time she needed help, I would make a point of assisting her.
Once Victor had taken his seat, Princess Luisilla found herself replaying the earlier scene.
If… if either Lady Cecilia or Grand Duke Walterheim had truly lost control in that spot, it would have been terrifying…!
Even with eyes that could not use magic, Luisilla had seen the mana haze pouring from Cecilia. And then there was Victor, who had restrained that same Cecilia as if it were nothing and had even been praised by the academy principal for guiding her properly.
He even drove off that unpleasant red-haired overachiever…
Lady Cecilia’s dramatic growth since last year, when she had been written off as unremarkable, surely owed a great deal to her fiancé Victor. What an extraordinary… truly extraordinary couple they made.
"Like a really… wonderful couple, I suppose."
E-even so, I never expected the cold Northern Grand Duke to actually respond to a compliment like that…
"…Thank you."
He does?
The information about Victor inside Luisilla’s head began to swirl into fresh confusion.