I Should've Done Better
"Agh... Ahhh..."
Rifael, her arm severed, staggered without even screaming.
—Fizz...! At the same time, enveloped in intense ruby energy and fading away, she gritted her teeth and muttered, "Mis...understanding. Frey... you..."
But before she could finish, she vanished from the mansion's courtyard.
"...Frey?"
Clana, who had watched Rifael until the end, turned to Frey and said, "Why... why did you stop me?"
She could have finished her off. Her fist had already gathered plenty of Solar Mana, and there had been ample time to strike before Rifael disappeared. All it would have taken was thrusting her fist forward to pierce the battered heart that Frey's attack had ravaged.
"Why...?"
But Frey had blocked Clana's fist, wrapping it in his small, fragile hand callused from years of hardship. Thanks to that, the attack never reached Rifael, allowing her to escape successfully.
—Tsssz... Leaving a gruesome scar where her arm had fused with Frey's left one.
"No way... you just let her go?"
So Clana, lost in thought, glanced at Frey's expression and asked tentatively, "Giving her another chance?"
In any normal situation, she wouldn't have asked, but the one before her was Frey. The naive, foolishly kind boy who, across countless regressions, had only been able to hate everyone after manipulating his own mind.
"No, not at all."
But it was just her imagination. The Frey in her eyes wore a cold expression.
Not the fake, exaggerated, comical rage he usually showed. It was the icy look that surfaced when he was truly angry.
"The place she fled to... is the Demon King's army."
"The Demon King's army? Then that's even worse... Ah."
Only then did Clana understand. The current leader of the Demon King's army was none other than Frey himself. In other words, Rifael had essentially fled to Frey's own base.
"B-but why go to the trouble? And... why let her take your arm like that...?"
"Ah, this arm's fine. No problem."
As Clana touched Frey's arm with a pale face, he smiled and rotated it to show her.
"Back when I was treating Kania, the nerves got severed. So nothing hurts here no matter what. Don't worry."
"........."
"Oh, keep this a secret from Kania, yeah?"
Clana stood there blankly for a moment after hearing that, then watched as Frey carefully concealed his blackened arm with Star Mana. She began staring at his face.
"...Clana, have you forgotten?"
Frey grabbed her shoulders and started speaking.
"That bitch is the one who dragged you to hell."
"Y-yeah, but..."
"In the last loop and this one, do you know how much my blood boiled watching her get away with it...?"
Frey's face had grown cold again.
"She's sold her soul and fallen on her own terms, so now it's time to repay all the humiliations she's put you through. But killing her just like that? Too easy. A waste."
"........."
"I'll talk to the Demon King's army. The disposal's entirely up to you. Kill her, torture her—whatever. I don't care."
With a faint smile, Frey added,
"It's not enough repayment for saving me, but it's the best I can do right now... Sorry."
He gave a gentle eye smile.
—Drip...
A single tear slid down Clana's cheek.
"...But why bring that up just now?"
Frey quickly wiped it away with his hand, then frowned and asked,
"Don't say stuff like that. How many times have I told you? There's definitely still time left, right?"
"S-sorry. Sorry... Frey."
Gazing at him, Clana spoke in a choked voice.
"I know, but... I'm scared. So scared. I don't even know why, but thinking you might disappear... it makes me lose my mind..."
Her expression looked deeply anxious.
"It's not just me—the others feel it too. Kania, Irina. Why? I don't know why, but it feels like you're going to vanish. That's terrifying."
Having directly possessed their past selves during the third trial, they had felt the greatest regrets from countless loops. And because the aftereffects of Perloché's forced manipulation in that trial hit them far harder than the other heroines, the emotions buried in their souls erupting was inevitable.
"Frey, I—we wanted to make you happy during this break."
Trembling faintly, Clana quietly took Frey's hand and continued.
"So we scheduled shifts, one by one, to take care of you without interrupting your rest."
"Mm."
"If we're all around you constantly, we can't get our work done... and it'd draw too much attention."
Pausing midway, Clana quietly checked Frey's complexion.
"Keep going."
"B-but... with all this happening to you, it doesn't seem workable anymore. Should I call everyone now? We can leave the investigation to the subjugation force, even if they're unreliable..."
Hearing that, Frey smirked and said,
"Nah, I saw the subjugation force this time—they're hopeless. The only ones I trust are you girls."
Frey quietly gazed at Clana, and receiving his look, she fell into thought.
"Frey, I have a question."
"Yeah?"
She asked in a low voice,
"You don't hate us doing this, right?"
For someone who had awakened as the empire-conquering tyrant, her frightened, adorable expression was quite cute.
"We're doing it because we want you happy... You're not against it, are you?"
"........."
"If you hate it, we'll stop right away. No point if you're not happy. Or... do you want all of us serving you? I-I can pass it on."
Listening to her, Frey said with a light smile,
"...I like it."
"The last few weeks felt like a dream."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, I was so happy. It passed too fast, scared me. I wanted it to last as long as possible."
"I... see."
"And don't call everyone. We still need to investigate the western continent, and it'd attract eyes."
"Okay..."
"Anyway, no worries. I'm more than satisfied with your service."
Clana closed her eyes tightly and said,
"Good. Really."
A brief silence followed.
"...So, can I make you happy now, Frey?"
Clana wrapped her arms around his left arm and said,
"A chance to use the empire's highest noble freely."
Turning away, she recited the lines she'd memorized over and over.
"...For the next few weeks, how about putting the empire under your feet?"
As Frey reached out with a strange smile,
"Ahem... Hm."
Serena's fake cough came from the side.
"Wh-when... is this talk ending...?"
Due to her princess status and Frey's warning not to approach, she sat sulkily near where Rifael had vanished, clutching a vegetable basket.
—Swish, swish.
Even after quite some time, with the two still sweetly chatting, Serena—poking at the ruby traces Rifael left with twigs, doodling "I love Frey," or pretending to investigate seriously—muttered while glancing at Frey,
"Gotta head back to the mansion... make lunch... feed him something tasty..."
"Lady Serena, hello."
Clana greeted her cautiously.
"Ah, Princess. Please continue."
An awkwardly formal exchange followed, then Serena's moonlit eyes turned to Clana's golden ones.
"Ahem... Hm."
She carefully set down the fruit basket, clasped her hands behind her back, and paced between them.
"...Hm, ahem."
After wandering for a while, seeing them staring at her instead of talking, Serena timidly squeezed in.
—Rub, rub.
Skillfully rubbing her body against Frey's left arm to mark her scent, then pressing her back to his front to fully block him, Serena said with a shy expression,
"Um... Princess."
"What... exactly is your relationship with Frey right now?"
Clana began looking troubled.
"Daytime Serena's tricky to handle..."
She had a deep bond with nighttime Serena, who remembered past loops, but hadn't decided how to deal with the daytime one.
"P-Princess. Legally, Frey's fiancée is still just me."
Serena gazed at Clana with an anxious look.
Kania and Irina handled her fiancé's maids, Lulu was his pet, Isolet suspected of an affair—these she could suppress with power and charisma if needed.
"R-right? Yeah?"
But Clana was different. Now second in imperial succession and a top candidate for emperor, her status surpassed Serena's. Her Dominance Aura matched in momentary charisma. Plus, that flashy, beautiful dress that sparked wariness for some reason, her blooming beauty aided by retainers, cascading golden hair. And the fact she'd used Frey's one-time Oath to propose while he watched.
"...P-please answer."
The final blow: the natural eye smiles and blushes Frey showed Clana earlier. It made Serena fear he'd be stolen by this superior woman in every way.
"We'll explain that at a press conference later."
Clana eyed Serena slyly with an ambiguous reply.
Though Clana had been pondering how to treat her.
"No need to worry... don't stress too much..."
"...Y-you're hungry, right! Frey!"
Cornered in her own mind by the response, Serena paled and blurted,
"I'll make you a tonic meal! From a recipe I just bought! It restores vitality!"
"W-wait..."
"Wait! I'll whip it up quick...!"
With that, emphasizing her "homely woman" image, she dashed to the mansion, apron fluttering.
"...She'll be okay, right?"
"Serena can't really cook..."
Frey and Clana watched her worriedly.
"Anyway, let's head inside. Clana, it's been ages since you visited the mansion."
As Frey cautiously led her in, now that everything was sorted,
"Ah, wait!"
Clana grabbed his arm, stopping him. He tilted his head.
"There's something I really wanted to show you."
"Huh?"
"A skill I learned recently—finally showing it off."
Gazing at Frey lovingly, Clana rummaged in her bosom.
"Wh-what is it...?"
Meanwhile, Rosewin watched from behind a tree at the courtyard's edge.
"What are they doing now...?"
With trembling eyes.
.
.
.
.
.
Rosewin had started observing from a few minutes earlier.
"Isn't that Rosewin?"
"Nah, no way. Her wearing rags like that? Probably a punished sex slave."
After Serena's bombardment left her hair disheveled and clothes ruined, she'd fled to the courtyard's edge. When protesters and reporters swarmed soon after, she hid behind a large tree, dazed, unable to do otherwise lest they recognize her.
—Zap, zap...!
"Wh-what...?"
Still spacing out, mulling Lulu's words until the crowd left, she jolted up as a prickling sensation hit her body.
"Come with me... Frey..."
"...!"
Then she saw Rifael, now demonic, emanating such intense demonic energy even she—with scant Solar Mana—reacted.
"What the hell is going on...?"
Before she could act, Serena severed her arm, Rifael fled, and Frey and Clana chatted warmly—Rosewin watched, entranced.
"What in the world... Huh?"
Her eyes widened.
"Th-that's...!"
What Clana pulled from her bosom was familiar, seen countless times through her ever-present telescopic magic tool.
"Remember? You gave it to me on your birthday, but I stupidly refused."
Clana's words to Frey confirmed Rosewin's guess.
"A petal from that flower."
"Where'd you even get that?"
"Only one, but... this should be enough."
It was the flower he'd "given" her at his birthday party. The one she'd foolishly tried to smash on the floor, only for Clana to snatch the petal with trembling hands—Rosewin had secretly stifled laughter. She'd worn it on her head for days, then discarded it because the missing petal bothered her.
'She's kept it all this time...'
She'd regretted it often, wondering what if she'd kept the longest-held gift from him. Recognizing it instantly, Rosewin thought blankly.
'She kept it the whole time.'
Her gaze fixed on the still-vibrant yellow canary flower petal.
"Fhew."
"...?"
Oddly, Clana held the petal to her mouth and blew.
"Eh, huh?"
The petal floated into the air, swept by the winter wind toward the courtyard's far side.
"...T-ta-da! The petal's gone."
Clana spread her arms wide, saying it with a panicked look.
"Neat magic trick."
Frey chuckled at the petal fluttering in the cold wind sweeping the yard, then eyed Clana.
"So, what's the meaning behind that?"
He asked, curiosity alight.
—Flutter, flutter...
The petal still wafted about.
"Th-that... that thing...!"
At the same time, light sparked in Rosewin's eyes.
"The flower I 'received'? Y-yeah... so if I have that, he'll listen to me. Right, right."
Snapping from despair and lethargy, she lunged toward the wind-borne petal, full of hope.
"See? Not too late. We can turn it back. Everything..."
Even smiling as if she'd known.
"...Hehe."
Reaching the petal hovering conveniently before her,
"What to say? Hm, first..."
Whether coincidence or miracle, as she reached for the perfectly positioned petal—
—Crackle!
"Kyaa?"
Sparks burst from it just before her hand touched.
"Wh-what...?"
Recoiling instinctively, she stared blankly as sparks continued from the petal.
"Tweet~♪"
"........."
A tiny canary emerged from the sparks. She gawked at the bird.
"Tweet~ Trill~♪"
Ignoring her, it sang sweetly and flew toward Clana.
"Phew... Thought it failed."
Clana, arms still out and sweating coldly, smiled, placed the canary on her hand, and offered it to Frey.
"A gift made from the canary flower petal you gave me."
"Oh..."
"Wanna raise it? Not hard. P-petting it sometimes... feels nice."
"I'd love to. But suddenly getting something like this..."
Clana glanced at Frey nervously as he spoke apologetically.
"...Slurp."
She hugged him and quietly tangled their tongues.
"Pha."
Quite some time passed.
"Th-that's your reward..."
Finally, Clana averted her flushed face from his gaze.
"Trill~♪"
The canary trilled sweetly, perching on Frey's shoulder and nuzzling his cheek.
It had been a day of many incidents and crises, but its end was quite peaceful and beautiful.
"........."
Watching blankly,
"...Ugh."
Recalling Lulu's words—"Should've done better while you had the chance"—Rosewin shed a single tear. Or rather, that's what it felt like.