A Night of Misunderstandings
It had already been ten minutes since Leo stepped out, saying he had something to talk about with Hanna. As more time passed without him returning, my heart grew increasingly anxious with every passing second. What could they possibly be discussing? Surely those two weren’t secretly meeting behind my back, keeping it from me….
“…….”
No. There was no way those two would do that. In our past life, Leo and Hanna had always maintained an appropriate distance, clearly separating personal matters from duty. There was no chance of anything like that happening between them now. Besides, Hanna was a precious benefactor who had helped me in countless ways. I needed to stop entertaining these pointless suspicions.
I let out a small sigh and turned my gaze toward the window. The lakeside view, illuminated by faint streetlights, filled my eyes.
“Haah….”
Suddenly I wondered if the five years we had spent apart had only caused my unnecessary jealousy to grow. No matter how deeply I loved him, being too obsessive wasn’t healthy. I had to maintain a proper boundary.
Still, I felt some relief in the fact that Leo didn’t seem to have done anything with Lady Floria that would cause me worry. I didn’t know the exact details of their conversation, but from what Hanna had told me, it appeared Leo had given that woman no opening whatsoever and had kept an iron wall firmly in place.
Yes. That was truly fortunate, but… the problem was that he was raising that same iron wall against me—his own fiancée.
Would time eventually solve it? I could only hope so.
The faint chirping of insects drifted through the narrow opening of the window. The cool night air slipped into the room.
Once again, Leo’s face rose in my mind. The weather was so cold; I hoped he hadn’t gone outside somewhere. What if he was shivering in those thin clothes? He mustn’t catch a cold. The fear that he might disappear from my side gripped me.
I wished he would stay right beside me and never leave. At this point, wasn’t this an addiction? Even as I recognized how much worse it was becoming, I couldn’t bring myself to stop thinking about him.
-Click.
At the sound of the door opening, I reflexively turned my head. Could it be Leo returning? With that thought, I looked at the person who had entered.
“I’m sorry it took so long. I ended up talking with the young master longer than expected.”
But the one who came through the door was only Hanna. There was no sign of Leo. I felt a little sorry for her, yet I couldn’t hide the disappointment that bloomed in my chest.
Perhaps reading my expression, Hanna offered a small smile and sat down gracefully before me.
“Young Master Leo said he has some business on the first floor and it will take a little longer. He should be back soon.”
“Ah… I-I wasn’t really waiting for the young lord or anything…. Hoo.”
I tried to offer a half-hearted excuse, but the meaningful gentleness in Hanna’s smile made my voice grow smaller and smaller. Just like in our past life, it seemed I still couldn’t fool her eyes in this one. My face burned. It was probably scarlet by now.
The small mercy was that Hanna said nothing and simply looked away, pretending not to notice. Or… was that not a mercy?
“Ahem, ahem!” I cleared my throat deliberately and turned my gaze back to the window. “U-um, by the way, Hanna, shouldn’t you go rest? It’s already nine in the evening—you must be tired.”
“I’m fine. My usual bedtime is midnight anyway, and speaking with you like this is quite enjoyable.”
“……!”
My heart gave a heavy thud. How could such a kind and adorable girl exist in this world? I wanted to throw all dignity aside and pull her into a tight embrace. Had this been our past life, I would have already done so.
Her slightly youthful voice that didn’t quite match her polite tone, paired with that cute face—those were Hanna’s greatest charms. The glossy, neat black bob suited her perfectly.
“More importantly, my lady. Have you heard the news?”
“Yes? What news?”
I had been staring at her face as if enchanted, but her words snapped me back to attention.
“They say a ball hosted by the imperial family will be held this weekend at the Edward Palace inside Raphael Castle.”
“Ah… yes. I did hear something about it.”
The Raphael Empire, the nation to which both the Grace Fief and Stuart Fief belonged. At the heart of that empire stood a colossal structure known as Raphael Castle. Deep within its impressive high towers and sturdy walls lay the Edward Palace, home of the ruling Edward imperial family. The emperor hosted social balls once every quarter, inviting nobles from across the land.
This particular imperial ball carried one special tradition. As the evening drew to a close and the orchestra began to play classical music, the young unmarried men and women of marriageable age would approach someone they fancied and ask for a dance. If accepted, they would dance together and then be given the chance to request an after.
Of course, anyone who had no interest in another guest could simply refrain, but most attendees came with that tradition in mind, so the atmosphere made it difficult to sit out entirely.
Naturally, since I had a fiancé, I had never participated. Attending an event that was essentially a hunt for a spouse would have been disrespectful to my betrothed. In truth, many couples had formed at those balls.
And the same held true in this life, so I smiled at Hanna as I answered.
“I don’t particularly enjoy noisy events like balls, so I’ve decided not to attend this time. Besides, I already have a fiancé.”
“…Are you truly all right with that? It seems Young Master Leo intends to participate in the ball…”
“Yes?”
What did she just say?
“Leo—I mean, Young Lord Leo?”
This was the first I had heard of it. He had never mentioned it to me. Of course he had no obligation to report his every move, but a single word of warning would have been nice….
Yet Hanna’s next words froze me in place.
“Yes. And I heard that Princess Edellyn will also be attending this time.”
“…….”
The moment that name reached my ears, the world seemed to go black. Edellyn Clara Edward, First Princess of the Raphael Empire. In some ways, she was an even more dangerous figure than Lady Floria.
Born as the empire’s First Princess, she was an extreme consequentialist and ambitious schemer who would stop at nothing—no matter how dirty—if it served her rise. In my memories of the previous timeline, she had become entangled in Crown Prince Reinhardt’s rebellion not long after Leo’s death in the war and was eventually executed. But until then, she had wielded staggering power and wealth within the palace.
Above all else, she had been one of the women who persistently pursued my Leo.
If Leo attended the palace ball this time and that woman approached him at the end of the evening to make some reckless move… I didn’t even want to imagine what might follow. Of course I didn’t believe Leo would fall for her schemes, but one could never be certain. Princess Edellyn might try to use her authority to force his hand.
“…I’ve changed my mind. It seems I should attend the imperial ball after all.”
I corrected myself with a stiff expression. While it was true that Princess Edellyn was counted among the most beautiful women in the empire, I was confident my own appearance could rival hers. More importantly, Leo had told me countless times that I was the most beautiful woman in the world.
If I remained at Leo’s side as his fiancée, even Princess Edellyn would be unable to approach him openly. Yes. This was the perfect opportunity to announce our engagement before everyone at the imperial ball.
Of course Leo probably wouldn’t want that… but it couldn’t be helped. Everything I did was for his sake.
“A wise decision. Will you tell the young master yourself?”
“Yes. I’ll speak to him when he returns.”
“Understood. Then on the day of the ball, I’ll help you prepare your attire, my lady.”
“Oh, really? If you would, I’d be most grateful. Hehe.”
The dress code for the ball was unnecessarily complicated; managing it alone would have been difficult. With Hanna’s assistance, the burden would be much lighter. As expected, Hanna truly was a good person. I felt it all over again.
After that, while waiting for Leo, I spent a long while chatting pleasantly with Hanna.
POV: Leo
After finishing sorting my thoughts, I returned to my room and turned the doorknob. The moment the door opened, however, I saw Hanna sitting in the chair beside the bed, turning to look at me. When I gave her a puzzled glance, she gestured toward the bed with her eyes, then raised a finger to her lips in a clear signal to stay quiet.
Following her gaze, my eyes landed on…
Just like yesterday, Aria lay on her side atop my bed, sleeping soundly. The silver-haired girl, naturally covered by my blanket with both hands gathered in front of her face, breathed softly in peaceful slumber. No matter how many times I saw it, the sight was angelic.
At least on the surface.
But this woman—had she decided to sleep in my room again today?
…Should I just wake her?
The impulse rose, but Hanna’s silent plea from the moment I entered made that impossible.
I pressed a hand to my throbbing temple, let out a small sigh, and gestured for Hanna to step outside. We left the room together, closed the door carefully, and only then did she speak.
“It seems Lady Aria was very tired. I suggested she use your bed for now. Was that all right?”
“Yeah… it’s fine.”
That woman had already slept in my bed yesterday. Thanks to her, I had ended up on the floor. She really was a selfish person who never considered anyone else’s position.
Letting out another small sigh, I asked, “Hanna. Is there an empty room where I can sleep? It looks like I’ll need to use a guest room.”
“What? Aren’t you sleeping with the young lady again tonight?”
“…What?”
Hanna’s eyes widened as she asked the question as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. My dumbfounded reply was only natural.
“What do you mean, ‘again’?”
I had clearly told Hanna the truth about my relationship with that woman. Yet her face turned unusually shy, and she averted her gaze while mumbling.
“W-well… from what Lady Aria told me, the two of you slept together in the same bed last night as well… so I assumed…”
“…….”
What kind of nonsense had that woman fed this innocent girl?
No, it was true we had been in the same bed, but the circumstances were completely different. Aria had been lying on the bed while I slept bent over it from a chair beside her….
I love you, Leo….
“!”
The sudden memory of Aria’s unexpected confession from yesterday made my face burn hot.
Then, from the fidgeting Hanna came a sudden bombshell.
“Young master. Um…”
“Yes?”
“Do you… need a condom…?”
“Wha—! N-no, I don’t need one!”
After the words left my mouth, they somehow sounded even worse.
“Ah… you don’t need one… I understand. Have a good night…”
“…….”
With a face full of embarrassment, she spun on her heel and hurried down the corridor.
“…….”
All I could do was stare blankly at her retreating back. It seemed she had completely misunderstood the situation. No—more importantly, about that empty guest room….