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The quiet halls of the castle.

It felt deserted, with no presence of anyone around. I was aware that the atmosphere of the castle had been unusually quiet since our arrival today, but this silence certainly wasn’t due to the visit from Orcus and Noel.

Even though the castle was quiet, encountering the staff in the corridors was a different matter.

I knew that the way I held his hand and headed to his room must have impacted how they perceived us, contributing to this stillness.

I had experienced something similar at Winter Castle as well.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t for any romantic reason like they might think, but because I didn’t feel anyone else’s gaze that I could comfortably lean against the door he had gone into.

Strangely, my legs felt weak. Was it because I had run to get here?

No, it wasn’t that I was out of breath or anything. The pain that should have come from exertion didn’t appear no matter how much time passed; instead, a sense of lethargy that started in my legs began to spread throughout my body.

As if my soul was being drained, I took a deep breath in and let it out.

After a few deep breaths, my body, which felt like it could crumble like a sandcastle on the waves, began to regain some strength, even if it was faint. My mind was searching for the reason behind this condition, and the closer I got to understanding it, the faster my recovery seemed to accelerate.

It felt surprisingly good.

The lethargy from earlier and the fullness I felt now were both satisfying.

When I looked up, my reflection appeared faintly in the castle window.

The pure white girl trapped in the glass looked back at me with a small smile. Meeting my reflection, I briefly closed my eyes and gently touched my face.

Suddenly, I recalled what he had said to me before coming here.

“Were you perhaps jealous?”

“Of course…”

It echoed the words I had said when I was in front of Richard before.

Looking back, I wondered if he had intentionally said that to me, wanting to provoke a reaction. Of course, unlike then, I now honestly expressed my feelings.

In truth, he didn’t necessarily need a genuine answer to his question.

Just the fact that he asked it meant he already knew the answer.

However, there was a flaw in this; the emotions I felt back then weren’t merely jealousy. So, strictly speaking, what I told him was just a half-hearted answer, something he had already sensed.

Before I met Noel, I thought I had sorted out everything from the past, but the moment I saw her face, I became ensnared by my past all over again.

While I didn’t show it outwardly, I kept telling myself it was nothing, just curiosity, but deep down, the worry that this sparring would repeat the past lingered within me.

That worry reached its peak when Noel held his hand.

Before that, the anxiety that had been overshadowed by my worries for him surged up all at once. To her, the act of holding his hand was merely healing—nothing more, nothing less—but while I understood that rationally, my heart didn’t want to accept it.

Jealousy.

That’s certainly an accurate description; it felt more fitting to describe my emotions as despair.

“Why don’t you convey your feelings? You already know.”

The current her, holding his hand and speaking to me, felt like she was saying that directly to my face.

That sharp, piercing comment from Noel directed at me before echoed in my mind like a haunting refrain. Unlike before, this time I was definitely clear about it. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as before. Yet, this ringing in my head wouldn’t go away.

It felt as if everything I had experienced after my reincarnation was becoming meaningless. Looking back, I could say I was overthinking something as simple as holding a hand, but with reason dulled by emotions, rational thoughts had no place.

I couldn’t voice these feelings directly to him. Without any memories of a life that hadn’t experienced reincarnation, he wouldn’t understand. More than that, since his act of holding my hand had rendered my feelings meaningless, there was no need to awkwardly verbalize it.

As I felt his touch, the ringing in my head finally faded away.

It seemed like I had just begun to distance myself from the past.

Considering that nearly everything had flipped upside down after my reincarnation, it was perplexing that what brought me the greatest comfort was when he held my hand in front of Noel. It was bittersweet, reflecting on how small-minded I must have been.

Well, what’s wrong with being a little narrow-minded? I feel so good right now.

I silently laughed, and then moved my feet as I heard a noise from behind the door. The sound of heels approaching slowly echoed. I turned my body, preparing to greet him. As the noise ceased, he appeared, neatly dressed.

He glanced at the slightly crumpled hem of my dress and asked, looking worried, “Did you wait long?”

“Not at all.”

I answered with a smile.

*

After changing in the room, I spent some time sitting next to Elena.

I promised to greet Noel again, but considering the size of the Lord’s Castle, it would be inefficient to wander around searching for her.

No matter how royal she was, there was no need for me, Count Kraus’s Lesser House member, to follow her around like a puppy.

Looking around, I called for a servant and asked for some snacks and drinks.

With this, my father would generally know where I was located, so Elena and I could just wait patiently in the room until he summoned us.

While I wouldn’t mind having a moment to relax, truthfully, this was my main intention. After all, I had returned home only to be thrust into this royal mess, and the mental fatigue was extraordinary.

Even if Noel was called a benefactor to Elena, Orcus could potentially be a complicated connection for me. Although the reason he falls in love with Elena occurs later due to some event, he is one of the three male candidates, after all.

I knew Orcus wasn’t the type to meddle with someone who was already engaged, but still, one could never be too careful.

Setting those thoughts aside, I couldn’t help but think that a visit from the royal family required some consideration.

Surely Noel, no matter how innocent, wouldn’t have come here simply to say, “I heard the Knights of Count Kraus are exceptionally skilled! That’s why I came to challenge you!!”

There had to be some reason behind their visit.

I felt reassured that my father, being the head of the family, would be well aware of it, so I didn’t worry too much. Still, I felt uneasy, and I decided to ponder the reason behind it.

If it were a truly serious issue, he would have mentioned it, but since he hadn’t, it might be simpler than I thought. Nonetheless, knowing something is far better than being in the dark, right?

Killing time by mulling over it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Sir, I’ve brought the snacks and tea.”

“Come in.”

Perfect timing to enjoy a treat.

The servant arranged the tea set and snacks on the table, then bowed and exited the room without saying anything. I was curious if my father had left any remarks, but it seemed not.

I poured tea into the cups placed between Elena and me and lifted the cover the servant had brought over.

Familiar snacks, presumably made by the chef I hadn’t seen in a while, were revealed. The moment the cover was removed, Elena grabbed a macaron and took a bite.

“Yum~”

Cream smeared to the side of her mouth as she bit into the macaron. Yet she didn’t seem to mind and continued to pop the macarons into her mouth.

This was a sight I could only see in Sarham. The macarons made in the kitchen at Winter Castle probably didn’t suit her taste, as she didn’t enjoy them as much as she did here.

Has it been a week?

Though not a very long time, it still felt like ages since I had seen this.

I rested my chin on my hand, observing her as she savored the macarons one by one.

The macarons were being devoured without resistance. Naturally, without hands or feet, the macarons had no choice but to be eaten. Just like that, they disappeared from the plate in an instant. Now, the only trace of the macarons left here was the cream smudged on Elena’s face.

As I absentmindedly watched her eat, I soon forgot that she was looking at me. I became aware of her gaze only when the macarons on the plate had all vanished, and her hand had stilled.

Elena looked at me with an eager gaze, as if she was wishing for something. It was so clear, it brought a smile to my face for no particular reason.

Her eyes were very straightforward.

Where had the girl gone who turned red after I fed her macarons before?

But I had no intention of simply giving her what she wanted.

I picked up a stick biscuit that was about the size of my palm among the snacks on the plate.

Holding the biscuit in front of her mouth, Elena glanced at me and looked as if she was contemplating for a moment before happily starting to nibble on the stick biscuit. Unlike before, she didn’t maintain a blank expression. With a natural smile, she took the biscuit into her mouth.

After a while, the stick biscuit, originally the size of my palm, had shrunk down to the size of a small stubby pencil. And just as its size decreased, the distance between my fingers holding it and her lips got closer as well.

Elena must have recognized that the current scenario mirrored a previous one. However, she showed no signs of shyness this time. Each time she moved to take a bite, she boldly leaned in closer.

I was aware of this too.

Crunch.

As the stick biscuit crunched, she leaned in even closer. With just one more move, her lips would touch my fingers. Without hesitation, Elena bit down on it. But my hand moved just a tad quicker than her mouth.

Just before my fingers connected with Elena’s lips, I snapped the biscuit in two.

Surprised by my action, her eyes widened. Yet my hand didn’t stop there. I brought the slightly remaining piece of the biscuit to her mouth. Then I took the leftover cream from it and popped it into my own mouth.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Elena’s expression began to break. Indeed, a face flushed red suited her much better.

“It’s sweet.”

I quietly commented on the flavor as I chewed on the biscuit.

The cream from the macaron was quite sweet, but the biscuit’s dryness balanced it out intriguingly. Yet it was still undeniably sweet.

As the biscuit went down my throat, I lifted my teacup to wash away the dryness it left behind.

And at that moment, a third party’s voice erupted from an unexpected spot.

“Yes, it is sweet.”

“Pft!”

I nearly spit out the tea as I choked, almost spilling it everywhere. Thankfully, I was just about to take a sip.

I wiped the damp corners of my mouth with a handkerchief and turned to see the voice’s owner. Unsurprisingly, it was my long-time family servant, Ken.

When did he come in?

As I was about to ask him that, he looked back at us one more time with a warm smile and said, “It’s sweet.”

I sealed my lips quietly.

 

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