Claire’s point of view

“Are you worried, Claire-sama?”

The one who called out to me was Rei’s roommate, Misha .

Today is the day of the Amour’s Festival .

Many people gathered in the ceremonial hall, all are dedicating offerings to the scales, feelings swing back and forth between joy and despair .

If I had to say, those who seriously compete for brides are a minority, the most common sights are fathers and sons competing for their mothers and established couples competing with friends for fun .

In such a situation, without being able to retain composure I’m restlessly pacing in front of the scales .

“… No, not particularly”

I bluntly replied to Misha, but looking at my appearance these words aren’t convincing in the slightest .

“Rei has been going out all the time recently . To dedicate the best offering for Claire-sama”

“…”

I heard about the rematch between Onee-sama and Rei from Onee-sama .

With me at stake they’re competing with the love scales .

Please stop doing foolish things, I implored Onee-sama, but she didn’t listen .

‘Don’t you believe in Rei?’

Onee-sama said so .

I don’t understand why she said it about Rei and not herself .

“Who does Claire-sama want to win?”

Misha asked me such a thing .

“I do not care . I do not want to be acquainted with people who treat me as a prize”

I am angry .

Disregarding my feelings and competing for me as they please, there’s a limit to being foolish .

“It’s certainly not something praiseworthy . But, aren’t you lucky as a woman?”

Misha said in an unusual teasing tone .

With her normally unchanging calm manner, I found her using such a tone a little surprising .

“Who do you think I am? I am a daughter of Minister of Finance Dor François, Claire François? I have long become used to other people’s feelings”

I said so to cast away Misha’s words .

But, I thought .

I wonder if those two are different from the rabble that have tried to court me until now .

Onee-sama is my first love .

Even setting aside that I mistaken her for a gentleman, Onee-sama is a wonderful person .

As she grew up, her personality became more and more lovely, even keeping in mind we have the same s.e.x, I believe I am honestly happy about Onee-sama’s feelings .

How does Rei compare to that .

She’s just teasing me with her ridiculous behavior .

Thinking about it, she’s been saying nothing but ridiculous things since we met .

Shamelessly proclaiming her love to me despite our s.e.x being the same, she continuously repeats words and acts of s.e.xual hara.s.sment .

If I bully the impertinent her, on the contrary it results in her being delighted .

Before I noticed, she b.u.t.tered up to father and became my maid .

“Did you recall something pleasant?”

“Eh?”

“You are smiling”

I only noticed when Misha pointed it out, but I seem to be smiling .

I feel embarra.s.sed thinking of it .

To recall that person and smile .

It’s better such a person isn’t here .

I feel truly refreshed not having her as my maid .

“Claire-sama”

“What is it?”

“This time you have a sad look on your face”

That can’t be, I looked in the hand mirror that I took out, and certainly, I look depressed .

I don’t understand myself .

I dislike that person .

Dislike, that’s how it should be .

“I think you want Rei to win”

Misha muttered .

“Why do you think so?”

“Rei is certainly a strange child . She must have caused a lot of trouble for Claire-sama”

“Truly”

“Yes . But, that child’s feelings are straight and pure . Truly… she loves Claire-sama from the bottom of her heart”

Misha said in a voice that sounds as if she was talking about a troublesome younger sister .

“Even Claire-sama, you don’t honestly dislike Rei, right?”

“No, I hate her”

“… You aren’t honest”

Misha giggled .

“Misha, you are being rude?”

“I’m sorry . But, I couldn’t stand watching Claire-sama for the past few days”

“… How have I appeared to you?”

Suddenly I wanted to ask .

“You seemed lonely”

Misha continued .

“Although you were together with an extremely wonderful person like Manarisama, somehow you seemed absent-minded . It was just like after Lene left”

“Although you were together with an extremely wonderful person like Manarisama, somehow you seemed absent-minded . It was just like after Lene left”

“Such a thing…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence with denial .

After Rei lost against Onee-sama in their selfish match, Onee-sama has always been by my side .

Although I’m happy about Onee-sama’s wonderful escorting that’s completely unlike Rei, I feel like somehow I’m missing Rei’s ridiculous behavior .

“I think the one that can make Claire-sama smile the most right now is Rei after all”

“That commoner…?”

“It’s not about her status, but how Rei is as a person . She’s an odd child, but I think she can mysteriously make her surroundings happy”

Even though the person herself would never admit it, Misha laughed .

“That’s why, Claire-sama . If Rei wins, could you make that child your maid once again . If possible, at Claire-sama’s initiative”

“That is… something I cannot do”

I am a n.o.ble, moreover a n.o.ble close to the top of this country .

I could never bow her head to a commoner and ask her to be my maid .

“Is that so… Which reminds me, it was troublesome being a n.o.ble”

“Misha was also like that”

Before the downfall, Misha’s house was an old family that boasted considerable status .

“Then, shall we hope for a miracle”

“A miracle?”

“Yeah . Everything goes well, such a story-like miracle”

“Such a thing――”

There is no way it would occur, when I was about to say it―― .

“Hi, Claire”

Onee-sama came .

In her hand is a mysterious flower emitting light .

“Onee-sama…”

“Seems Rei is still not done”

“Onee-sama…”

“Seems Rei is still not done”

Saying so, Onee-sama presented me the flower she’s holding in her hand .

“That flower is… no way…?”

“Yup . It’s a floss flower”

It was the flower of light from the Amour’s legend .

It’s the best offering to dedicate to the love scales .

“It seems like I’ll win again”

I stared at Onee-sama’s flower of legend, but, somehow I felt lonely .

“I wonder if we can declare my victory a little earlier”

Saying so, Onee-sama fixed her gaze at me,

“The G.o.d’s scales showed what’s within my heart . Here and now I swear to protect you”

It’s a pa.s.sage from Amour’s Poem .

It’s the line of the short man’s confession of love to the shrine maiden after he was chosen by the scales .

Like a line of a hero of a story, it stopped my tears in the past when I was in Count Larnach’s residence

Was it how the shrine maiden from the poem felt .

Onee-sama put her hand on my chin and gently raised my head .

I absentmindedly thought ah, I will be kissed .

I thought it wouldn’t be too bad if it was with Onee-sama .

But―― .

“Waait a moment!”

I feel I’ve surely been waiting for that voice all this time .