“I was too frightened to look into it. Perhaps because of that, I hallucinated.”
“What a waste, going all that way in the dead of night,” Samuel replied, sounding mildly exasperated.
“So, what sort of hallucination was it?”
“His Highness rejected me.”
The moment the words left her lips, Samuel burst out laughing.
“I see it clearly now, Alicia. You truly adore Joshua. Don’t worry. He isn’t the sort to break his promises. I’m sure you’ll marry him in the end.”
“I’m afraid that may not be the case.”
“Hmm?”
“Recently, Her Majesty the Queen told me that I am unfit to be His Highness’s fiancée.”
Samuel’s laughter faded, his expression turning serious.
“I see. So the Queen herself said such a thing. Without knowing the circumstances, I shouldn’t speak carelessly. Still… Alicia, if I may say so, perhaps in Fran’s stead—would you consider becoming my friend?”
The sudden proposal made Alicia blink.
“Why?”
“Does one need a reason to be friends?”
Samuel offered her a bright, affable smile.
If he had not been Joshua’s schoolmate, she might have nodded. That sort of smile.
He was likely one of those people who effortlessly won others over, much like Mariabelle, though in a different way.
“You are His Highness’s companion. I cannot be your friend.”
“Huh? Why not? This is the first time anyone’s ever turned me down when I’ve offered friendship. Or is it that you don’t want Joshua suspecting you of infidelity?”
“That is not it. Isn’t it strange for His Highness’s companion to suddenly wish to befriend me?”
“Is it? Fran is my relative. You are Fran’s friend. We happened to meet at her wedding, and now we share a secret.”
Smiling pleasantly, Samuel proved unexpectedly persistent.
“Forgive my bluntness. You are far too close to the royal family. It feels as though I am being watched, and I dislike that.”
Samuel gave a wry smile at her words.
“Well now, that was decisive. Perhaps I’ve misunderstood something. Do you dislike Joshua, then?”
“I do not dislike him. I care for him deeply, which is why I do not wish to see him beside Mariabelle.”
“I see. That logic is sound. Very well, I shall withdraw. Take care, Alicia.”
A faint smile lingered at the corner of his mouth as he left the room.
(He’s sharp… far too sharp. How will this be conveyed to His Highness, I wonder?)
Was she testing Samuel, or testing Joshua through him? Even she could not say.
Alicia grew weary of her own unkind nature.
The future shown by the magic mirror had proven true, at least in Fran’s case. She could no longer deny it.
If that was so, then Alicia wished to know who had set her up.
Even if the future could not be changed–
(I refuse to be executed without knowing anything.)
Through the Moore family’s kindness, Alicia was allowed to stay the night.
Fran was said to be constantly at Patrick’s side in her new household, and Alicia abandoned the hope of speaking with her.
Fran had smiled when their eyes met, but in truth, she was likely in no state to meet or speak with anyone.
And yet… there was no doubt that she had smiled then.
Upon returning to the academy, Alicia found the dormitory salon in an uproar. The former dorm head Fran, Patrick, and Charlotte were being discussed as a dirty love triangle, the scandal spreading like a disturbed hornet’s nest.
(If I were executed, it would probably be consumed the same way—as lurid gossip.)
Alicia wanted to block out their voices.
Since no one knew she had attended Fran’s wedding, she managed to return to her room without being stopped.
The following day after classes, Alicia encountered Joshua at the entrance to the library.
“Alicia. Fran’s wedding was quite an ordeal, wasn’t it?”
So it had already reached him.
The thought that Samuel might be the source left her dispirited. How much had he reported?
“No, it is Lady Fran who has suffered most.”
She replied with care.
“Still, I didn’t know you and Lady Fran were acquainted. Close enough to attend her wedding. It wasn’t a matter of family connections, was it?”
He was probing.
“Yes. She looked after me during our time in the dormitory. When I fell ill with a high fever, she helped me.”
“Oh yes, that did happen,” Joshua replied, as though only now recalling it.
She felt unsettled, as if he were searching for something beneath her words.
“Changing the subject, my mother wishes to host an informal tea party at the palace. You and I are invited. Please attend.”
“Understood. When shall it be?”
“The next day off, during afternoon tea. Come to the palace then.”
The Queen was a formidable woman, and Alicia would rather have avoided the invitation. But it was an order in all but name.
(I wanted to finish my amulet assignment in the workshop on my day off…)
She had been eagerly anticipating the completion of the first amulet she had ever crafted.
Like many students in the magic department, Alicia had come to love magic more than her daily meals.
(Still… Did Lord Samuel truly say nothing about the magic mirror? Did he think it too trivial?)
If Joshua learned of it, it would surely reach the Queen’s ears. She had not wanted him to know, yet she could not help feeling strangely let down.
