The Imperial Ball (8)
This can't be happening. There's no way I said something like that….
…But I couldn't say for certain that I hadn't. I didn't remember it, but who knew what kind of nonsense I might have spouted while drunk? I swore to myself that I would never drink again. Damn it.
With that firm resolution echoing in my mind, I decided to brazen it out.
“…I don't recall saying anything of the sort.”
“You did.”
“I didn't.”
“You most certainly did.”
“Do you have any proof?”
“My two ears heard it perfectly clearly.”
“……”
It seemed I was at a severe disadvantage here. I needed to somehow gloss it over. With that single thought in mind, I resorted to a cowardly tactic.
“By the way, Lady Aria, didn't you once whisper that you loved me while I was sleeping in my bed?”
“……Pardon?”
Aria's voice instantly flooded with panic.
“Y-you heard that!?”
“Yes. I heard it very clearly. You thought I was asleep and spoke quite freely.”
“But if you heard it, why didn't you say anything…!”
“Why would I bring it up? It would only make things more awkward between us.”
“……Haaah….”
It was too dark to see clearly, but I had the distinct impression that Aria's face had turned bright red.
“T-that was…! I was half-asleep, and it just slipped out….”
“Ah, I see. Is that so?”
“It's true…!”
“Let's go with that, then. It seems this time I also spouted nonsense in my sleep, just like you did back then, Lady Aria.”
“……”
A draw. At least I wasn't the only one with a weakness exposed. That fact brought me a wave of relief.
But something about Aria's demeanor seemed a little off.
“…Lady Aria?”
The hand cradling my face appeared to be trembling ever so slightly….
“…It's nothing.”
“Pardon?”
Had I misheard? As if to deny that thought, Aria spoke again.
“I… I didn't mean that….”
“……Pardon?”
What on earth was this woman saying? Her voice was so quiet I couldn't catch it properly. I asked again, puzzled.
“What did you just say?”
“N-nothing at all!”
“No, it wasn't nothing. You clearly said something just now.”
“I said it was nothing…!”
This woman, honestly….
I tried to sit up, but at that moment a pressure far stronger than before pinned my head down, stopping me.
“Please let go.”
“No. You haven't fully recovered yet.”
“How would you know that, Lady Aria?”
“…A-anyway, just… stay lying down a little longer….”
“……”
For some reason, the moment I heard Aria's voice thick with embarrassment, I couldn't bring myself to force my way up. Really, I'd gone completely soft. That was the kind of man I was.
As expected, by the time the ball was drawing to a close, I never made it to the center of the banquet hall to dance with Aria. My condition was worse than I'd thought. The splitting headache that had plagued me ever since drinking still refused to subside.
“……”
“……”
After the ball—filled with all sorts of incidents—ended, we returned to our reserved lodging and were met with an unbearably awkward atmosphere.
The room we'd been guided to was quite spacious, intended for distinguished guests. It was a gesture of imperial consideration for nobles attending the palace ball. The interior even included a private bathroom, and every piece of furniture and decoration exuded refined elegance befitting the dignity of the imperial family.
Beyond the tall, latticed windows, the night view of the palace gardens shimmered faintly. Everything was so beautiful it was hard to look away.
There was just one problem.
There was only a single bed in the room.
A queen-size bed that could only be seen as meant for two sat prominently in one corner, as if waiting to welcome us. It occurred to me that they might have deliberately assigned us a couple's room after being informed in advance that the two of us—fiancé and fiancée—would be attending together.
Before we left, Aria had accepted the condition that we share a room in exchange for participating in the imperial ball. But now that I thought about it, I realized I'd made a terrible miscalculation.
Sharing a room with this woman? I had to be out of my mind.
And as if to pour oil on a burning house, Aria had been acting in ways that invited misunderstanding ever since earlier.
I'd sensed something strange about her while we walked down the corridor, but the moment we entered the room and closed the door, that sense of unease reached its peak.
She kept stealing glances at me, then awkwardly lifting a hand to brush her hair behind her ear in a shy gesture. When our eyes met, she would flinch and immediately turn her head the other way. At times she even clasped both hands in front of her chest like a bashful maiden, fidgeting restlessly with a faintly flushed face.
Anyone watching would think she had fallen for me.
'I love you, Leo….'
“!”
Suddenly the words Aria had murmured while thinking I was asleep flashed through my mind, and I flinched.
What if she had meant it?
Could this woman actually….
'……No. There's no way.'
I shook my head slightly so she wouldn't notice.
This was all part of the villainess's scheme. A ploy to bewitch me. After charming me at her whim, she would once again cast me aside without mercy. That was the kind of woman she was.
Sooner or later she would grow tired of me and run off after another man. No matter what, I must not waver.
“……”
Come to think of it, did that mean I would have to sleep alone in the same room with this villainess from now on?
The moment I truly realized it, a wave of intense tension washed over me. Of course, back at the Stewart estate we had shared a room several times, but the circumstances were completely different now.
Back then she had barged into my room of her own accord, taken over my bed, and forced me to sleep in the same space out of necessity. This time, however, we had agreed to share the room. The intent behind it was entirely different.
At any rate, this was not a good situation.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
When Aria called me in a voice laced with a hint of coquetry, I deliberately responded curtly. If I showed even the slightest emotion here, she would surely notice my agitation.
“Um… is your hangover feeling any better…?”
“……Yes. It seems to have improved somewhat.”
It was a lie. In truth, my head was still throbbing and I felt as if the floor was swaying beneath me. But if I told her the truth, I knew she would only do something unnecessary again, so I hid my real feelings.
Yet Aria began doing something unexpected.
“Just wait a moment. I brought some green tea that's supposed to be good for hangovers, just in case.”
“…Didn't I tell you I was fine?”
“You're clearly not fine.”
“……Hah.”
An involuntary chuckle escaped me. If that was the case, why had she even asked? As expected, this villainess never listened to a word anyone said….
Well, she wasn't exactly wrong.
“!”
Suddenly the world spun. For a moment I felt the floor tilt and nearly lost my balance.
“Young Master!”
I managed to steady myself, but the moment Aria saw it she rushed over and supported me.
“…I'm fine.”
“Fine? You almost fell just now!”
“No, I simply stepped wrong….”
“Go lie down on the bed right now. I'll make the tea.”
“……”
“Hurry!”
There was an undeniable force in her voice that made refusal impossible. I found myself shrinking back. She almost sounded like a mother. There was simply something about her I couldn't put into words. And I couldn't very well snap at her when she was worrying about me.
What a troublesome situation.
…Something. There was something about this villainess. Ever since I drank earlier, she seemed to be burrowing deeper into my personal space. Perhaps the psychological distance between us had narrowed.
Whatever the case, in the end I couldn't utter a single protest and obediently went to the bed and lay down.
“…Thank you.”
I accepted the tea Aria offered and brought the cup to my lips. A faintly bitter yet refreshing aroma of green tea gently filled my nose.
“This is the highest-grade tea leaf harvested from our territory this season. I hope it suits your taste.”
“It's more than enough. It has a wonderful fragrance.”
We exchanged polite, formal conversation as I took another sip. It wasn't an exaggeration—the green tea Aria had prepared really was exceptionally fragrant. Honestly, it was the most delicious green tea I'd ever tasted. Of course, I didn't say that out loud.
“Well then, it's about time we turned in for the night.”
I set the empty cup on the table and spoke.
“Ah… yes, it is.”
Aria replied with an oddly bashful expression.
“I'll sleep on the sofa, so please use the bed, Lady Aria.”
“Pardon?”
At that moment Aria's eyes widened. What absurd thing was she about to say now? I thought vaguely as I looked at her, and sure enough, she began spouting nonsense again.
“I can't allow that. You should take the bed, Young Master. You still haven't fully recovered.”
“Thanks to the tea you just gave me, I'm completely better.”
“Don't say ridiculous things. A person's body can't recover that quickly.”
“Mine does.”
“……”
Aria stared at my stubborn attitude with a slightly discontented expression, pondering for a moment. Then she glanced at me shyly and spoke in a timid voice.
“Then… shall we sleep in the bed together?”
“No, don't say such ridiculous things. The two of us sleeping together is absolutely out of the question.”
“I understand. In that case, let's decide with rock-paper-scissors again.”
“Rock-paper-scissors?”
“Yes. If I win, we sleep in the bed together. If you win, you get the bed to yourself.”
This pattern again. She must truly believe she's good at this game. Wait, but hold on. Something felt off.
“Just a moment. Isn't the condition strange from the start? Logically, shouldn't the winner get the bed?”
“Then if you win, you can have the bed all to yourself.”
“No. If I win, you will sleep in the bed, Lady Aria.”
“……”
“……”
For a brief moment, a silent battle of wills passed between us as we glared at each other. What a stubborn woman. …Well, that was why she was the villainess, I supposed.
“…Fine. Let's do it this way, then. The winner's wish must be obeyed without fail.”
“Very well. Let's go with that.”
In the end, Aria yielded a step and we finally reached a compromise.
“One round?”
“Yes. No take-backs.”
“Good. I'll start. Ready? Rock, paper….”
This time I had taken enough time to prepare, so there was no chance of the same mistake as before—panicking and throwing out a fist because the game started too suddenly. I had already analyzed all of her patterns from the previous round. She had definitely opened with paper last time.
People had a habit of unconsciously repeating their usual actions. If so, the counter was obvious.
“Scissors!”
I extended my index and middle fingers in the shape of scissors.