To tell the truth, I was hoping that the appointed time wouldn’t come, but there’s no way that such good luck would visit someone like me . I’m so unlucky that I’d rather be cursed than whatever I have now . Although, I did develop some expectations since nothing happened at the academy .

            My fight with Tuvalu cost me three times as much as it should have .

            The Prince was right there to witness that incident . What if he brings that up?

            No, I don’t think I was wrong . In the first place, I was just hoping to return the favor to Tuvalu . Even though the outcome wasn’t what I expected, Tuvalu did it to me, so I should do it back .

            “… . But, still, maybe I went too far . ”

            Of course, not for Tuvalu, for Runa . For Tuvalu, I think it was too light . What’s wrong with wanting him to do some self-reflection?

            He insulted my precious childhood friend, so I’m never going to change my stance .

            But, I also did the same to Runa . At the time, I wanted to return the blow, so I insulted his precious Tuvalu .

            I was the same as Tuvalu then . It was like I hit him with a stray bullet, so of course I feel upset .

            It wasn’t right of me to involve Runa, just because I wanted to hurt Tuvalu .

            “I should probably apologize, huh…”

            Well, I regret what I said about as much as a flea, but I will reflect on making Runa uncomfortable .

            Honestly, I should’ve apologized to Runa while at school, but Tuvalu was always around him so I never had the courage to talk to him . It felt like trying to get past a vicious beast to talk to its owner—suicide .

            “… . Yeah, this will be a good opportunity . ”

            Since I have this opportunity, I won’t have to apologize when I’m back at school, right? I resigned myself to some anger . It should be fine as long as I properly lower my head… probably . Runa isn’t particularly friendly but he is the nice type of character . Although, maybe only to the heroine .

            “… . What kind of clothes should I wear to that kind of place?”

            I’ve never been to a high-cla.s.s restaurant before . There had never been a need to, since the quality of food at home was wonderful already . However, an unforeseen drawback is that I don’t know how to dress for certain occasions . I don’t like eating out though, so I hope this doesn’t happen again .

            It would have been fine if I could consult with my mother but when I think about the contents of the card, I stop myself .

            “Furthermore, keep this matter a secret . I want to talk just the two of us . ”

            The writer is the grandiloquent prince, after all . It’s best to look the other way when they push troublesome things on you .

            I fear he might bring up the topic of my fiancé candidacy again when I meet him too . I don’t want to think about anymore unnecessary worries . Honestly, if anything more happens, I’ll probably become a shut-in and never leave my house .

            “If I wear a party dress then it might be weird . ”

            When I think about the occasion it’s definitely strange, also they are hard to move in . They don’t look like clothes that I’d go out to play in either . I need something that won’t arouse suspicion from my mother…

            “… Maybe one of these is fine . ”

            All of the clothes in my closet are high quality . I don’t have clothes that are unsuitable for my older appearance nor do I have clothes that are too cute for my mental age .

            As a result, my clothes give off a mature vibe and don’t make me uncomfortable . I never thought they would be useful like this . What a fortunate miscalculation .

            “Rather than a dress, maybe this set… yes, looks good . ” [like a set clothes]

            I chose a random matching set of clothes and put it on a stand . If I do so, Ann and the other maids will choose matching shoes and accessories to go with it .

            One of the problems I had with dorm life was that I couldn’t have Ann help me coordinate my outfits . Well, they usually picked clothes that I liked, so there wasn’t much coordinating . They did have fun with it though .

            Now that I’ve picked my clothes, I just have to wait until the appointed day .

            I’ll just tell my mother that I’m going out and when I come home I’ll go barge in on Keito .

            “Haa… My stomach hurts . ”

            I wonder if I’m the only one who feels more agony when I’m on standby than during the actual event .

×　×　×　×

            I said that waiting was the worst, but I change my mind . The actual day is the hardest . I want to go back three days, before I saw the letter would be best .

            The effects of Neriel’s healing aura ran out before the appointed day . This is the feeling when you head for the guillotine, trust me, I’m talking from experience .

            “You are Mariabell Tempest-sama, yes?”

            “Yes . ”

            As soon as I entered the restaurant, even though I wasn’t being particularly loud, the workers respectfully bowed . They did it so perfectly that I felt a little grossed out . It didn’t seem human . Maybe I shouldn’t talk since I am cared for by service dolls .

            The private room I was guided to had a gorgeous door . It was a double door, as wide as the hallway . It even had a doorman… . Is it really okay for someone like me to be here?

            “Mariabell Tempest-sama has arrived . ”

            “Enter . ”

            When the person guiding me heard the answer, they put one knee on the ground and stayed where they were . The door was opened by the doorman .

            Until I entered the room, they kept their heads lowered . It reminded me of a ball from a picture book . When the princess entered the venue, in an instant, everyone fell completely silent .

            The person in this room could organize such a ball though, so it’s nothing to joke about .

            “Pardon me . ”

            I took one step in the room . Yep, there was a disparity between the atmosphere of the room and a kid like me .

            Even so, the person sitting in the center of the room in a sofa did not show any sign of discomfort… If anything, he was so majestic that the room didn’t suit him .

            “I’m sorry for making you wait… Prince Runa . ”

            “No, don’t worry . I was the one who called you here suddenly without telling you why . ”

            I will worry . Not as a royal’s subordinate, but as a villainess with a scheme and a capture target . I’m worried .

            “Um…”

            I approached the couch across from Runa and stopped next to it . Before I sit, I should say what I came here to say first .

            “I’m very sorry about the other day . ”

            “… . . !?”

            I vigorously lowered my head, causing my hair to slip in front of my face and obstruct my field of view .

            Victory goes to the one makes the first move… or maybe that doesn’t fit quite right with this situation . However, I am hoping that by apologizing before he starts to scold me, I’ll rekindle the kindness in his heart and he will let me off . He doesn’t seem like the type to stay angry for a long time, so if I curtail his initial anger, maybe he’ll rea.s.sess his feelings .

            “… Lift your head and sit . ”

            “… . Yes . ”

            I swept my hair back in place when I raised my head . I have plenty of experience bowing my head in society . It is the bare minimum to not show anyone anything unsightly . These are the fruits of my efforts as a n.o.ble lady .

            I arranged my skirt to sit down in the sofa and was surprised when I sank into the seat . As expected of a high-cla.s.s store—their tables and chairs are on a different level . I have never felt this sensation before even in my room . This is not just any restaurant .

            “You’re apologizing about the incident in the student council room, right?”

            There isn’t anything else besides that… eh, there shouldn’t be anything else right?

            If there is, I certainly don’t remember .

            “If it is about that time then Miss Mariabell, you did not do anything wrong . ”

            “Eh… . ”

            “Actually… Tuvalu said something very rude . I’m very sorry . ”

            “Eh, no… Prince Runa, that’s not something you should say . It’s my fault, I ended up getting you involved . ”

            I did not expect this development . Is this person lowering his head to me really the Prince? He’s not a body double?

            No, no, no . Runsama apologizing to me troubles me . Furthermore, Runa didn’t do anything wrong!

            What do I do, this is too unexpected!

            “At that time, I didn’t stop him . I should have apologized sooner but… I’m always with Tuvalu at school . ”

            Well, that’s true . That’s why I didn’t go to apologize to you, after all .

            “I thought about summoning you to my house but… Tuvalu might have found out . He should apologize too but… If I force him to then there’s no meaning . ”

            Forcing him to apologize would just dig the hole deeper after all . Although with Tuvalu it wouldn’t just be any hole, it would be a hole straight to h.e.l.l . As expected of a childhood friend, an excellent decision .

            It seems like Runa called me thinking the same way as me .

            I wanted to apologize for involving him and he wanted to apologize for not stopping his childhood friend . Thanks to Tuvalu being an obstacle, we didn’t get to apologize until now .

            Give me back all the time I spent being nervous . I’d like to bill Tuvalu, who was the indirect cause of my anxiety .

            “To you and Eilis, I’m sorry for giving you an unpleasant experience . I considered inviting Eilis here too but…”

            “I didn’t tell Keito . ”

            “That’s what I thought, so I didn’t invite him . I would do the same if my childhood friend were attacked . There’s no need to hurt them meaninglessly . ”

            “… Thank you . ”

            Right now, looking at Runa, I seriously wonder why Tuvalu turned out the way he did, when he had a great role model beside him . It’s truly a mystery .

            I do understand his family situation influenced his personality but even so, he was around such a good human being from a young age… Aaah, that’s why he’s such a yandere . If I think of the heroine as his second target for his yandere affections, then Runa is definitely the first . His little sister will always be his little sister so I’ll exclude her as a target .

            “I too should not have acted in such a way and gotten Prince Runa involved . I’m very sorry . ”

            Yes, with this, the friction between Runa and I should be resolved .

            It’s not like we got along well in the first place but… we were at a good point of neutral acquaintances .

            “But, Prince Runa . ”

            You apologized to me and I have apologized to you . My apology was from my heart, I meant it .

            However, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea .

            “I will not forgive Tuvalu-sama . ”

            I reflected and then apologized only to Runa . Tuvalu? I hate him from the bottom of my heart . What of it?

            “I don’t understand his intentions by saying those things and I don’t want to know . I do feel sorry for involving you but… I won’t forgive him . ”

            “… Yes, I understand . ”

            I’m not mad, it’s much more than hatred or a grudge . I’m sure that if Tuvalu talked to me with a smile I could reply with a smile . I will disparage him in my heart though . Acting like I am over the events of that day is no problem .

            But, I won’t forgive him . I’ll never forgive him . I hate Tuvalu from the bottom of my heart .

            I am well aware that he is Runa’s precious childhood friend but, if Tuvalu were to misunderstand that my apology to Runa meant I had forgiven him, I might end up hating Runa too .

            “You might think Tuvalu is the worst . No matter what I say or how I try to reason, I can’t justify his words and conduct on that day . ”

            The reason why Tuvalu picked a fight with me, was just because he hated me . Or it was because of that event that happened in the past at the castle .

            “But, for me, Tuvalu is my precious childhood friend . ”

            Even if you don’t hate me, even if you don’t speak poorly of me, even if you don’t forgive him .

            However, just like me, Runa’s stance on his childhood friend will not waver . That’s what he is saying .

            “If that’s what you have decided, then I have no right to say anything further . ”

            Not just me—no one has the right to say anything about your relations.h.i.+ps .

            There are people who will dislike you because you like someone they dislike . They’ll think you were tricked, or that your judgment was clouded by a common interest, or that you get along because of an equally bad personality . They’ll think things like “birds of a feather flock together . ” To a rather refres.h.i.+ng degree, there are a lot of people who believe that their beliefs are shared across the world .

            Yes, like me, Mariabell . Mariabell had that same view and forced the heroine to be friendless . She was poor at studying and had only her splendid craftiness .

            “My feelings are my own . I should have ended the matter between Tuvalu and I… I insulted your precious childhood friend in front of your eyes, I’m truly, very sorry . ”

            Repeating myself again, I feel like I’m speaking from a higher position . But, I don’t have anything else to say… I really am just sorry for involving Runa, truly from my heart .

            I just want to make my feelings completely clear .

            “Is that so…”

            “I say so impertinently . ”

            “No… Thank you . Your feelings, I have received them . ”

            I don’t need to ask other n.o.ble ladies to know that this is definitely a strange conversation . The two of us apologized, without the person in question even being here . Even if he were, I wouldn’t forgive him .

            He thanked me in the end, but I’m glad he accepted my apology .

            I finished my business here but since I came all this way, I drank some black tea and ate some sweets before returning home . It was the prince’s treat .

            “The one who invited you was me, so please don’t hesitate . ”

            This place is absurdly expensive, you know? The prince quickly signed some kind of bill and that was it . That’s royalty for you . I was a little moved seeing it happen . I am also a n.o.ble but on the inside I’m just a commoner .

            Ah, by the way, this was my last memory of my long vacation . Vacation was a little tough . I’d like to say that it was a good vacation in the end but, it was neither good nor bad… It was just normal, maybe .