DSFL | Chapter 04

~Chapter 04~

…Huh?

Why is he here?

Didn’t he go to drop Idette off?

I blinked at Ricardo in confusion, tilting my head.

“Where’s Lady Idette?”

“And where is His Highness?”

We were throwing questions at each other, none of which the other could answer.

Had he run all the way here?

Ricardo’s hair was a mess, unlike his usually neat appearance.

He brushed his sweat-drenched hair back and slumped into the seat across from me.

His refusal to give a proper answer was frustrating, and I raised my voice before I realized it.

“Can’t you hear me? Lady Idette—”

“She went home. After visiting that shop you recommended.”

Ricardo gritted his teeth, as if asking, Are you satisfied now?

Well, if they had a nice date, then… good.

But… why does he look so angry?

“I’ve answered your question. Now, let me ask again. What exactly are you thinking?”

“The weather’s nice?”

“…”

“Just kidding. Relax.”

I let out a soft sigh.

“I told you. About your love—”

“You said you don’t care.”

“…”

“Is this how you show you don’t care?”

…Does he think I’m getting in the way of his relationship with Idette?

Or worse, that I’m toying with him?

Okay, if that’s what he’s thinking, then I guess I understand why he’s pissed.

“Yeah, I said I don’t care about you and Idette.”

“Glad you remember.”

“I just… wanted to help.”

“…”

“That’s all. It’s not like I’ve got some creepy hidden agenda.”

Ricardo let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

“You? Bianca?”

“Yep. Me.”

I gave a small shrug.

“You actually expect me to believe that? From you of all people?”

Fair. People don’t just change overnight.

But to be honest, I’m just as confused as you are.

You’re not the same person I knew, either.

The Ricardo I remember from the original story hated Bianca.

He couldn’t understand why she was so obsessed with him, and he constantly lashed out at her for getting between him and Idette.

So now, to have that same Bianca support his relationship?

Yeah, I guess this is too sudden for him.

But if I stay quiet like this, he’s only going to misunderstand even more.

“Then believe it now. That I meant what I said.”

“…”

“First love is precious, right? So… give it your best shot.”

That part, at least, was sincere.

Ever since I took over Bianca’s body, the story had already started to shift.

Ricardo, who had only been the second lead, could become the true male lead.

Even Bianca’s grandfather, who originally died, might have a different ending.

But Ricardo just looked at me like I was talking nonsense.

“First love? If it were really that precious, you wouldn’t be able to let me go so easily.”

“Oh no. What a shame. You aren’t my first love.”

Maybe Bianca’s first love was Ricardo.

But mine wasn’t.

So technically, that wasn’t a lie.

“That’s why I understand how you feel. The first is always special, for everyone.”

First loves are like fantasies, right?

That’s why, in the original story, even after everything, you still couldn’t forget Idette—and lived your life alone.

“So really, give it your all with Idette. Our engagement will be broken off soon anyway. All you’ve got left is time.”

A silence fell between us. Thick, heavy.

Ricardo stared at me, anger flickering behind his eyes.

…Why?

I thought I gave him exactly the answer he wanted.

But his reaction—

Yeah.

He looked even angrier than when I was talking nonsense earlier.

After a long pause, Ricardo finally spoke.

“…You’ve changed.”

Well… that’s because my soul literally has.

A pretty solid reason, right?

“Did something happen during the years we didn’t see each other?”

We first met when we were seven, thanks to our grandfathers, the Duke and the Marquis.

We’ve technically known each other for fifteen years.

But for eleven of those, we didn’t even exchange a word.

Ricardo used to despise even being in the same room as Bianca.

In the original, it was Bianca who begged her grandfather to arrange the engagement when she came of age.

They saw each other again after ten years—at the engagement ceremony.

“You haven’t changed at all,” he’d said that day, looking disgusted.

But now… now he says I’ve changed?

That’s gotta be a good sign, right?

“I guess I finally grew up.”

“Oh, so you were off soul-searching and chasing after your first love, huh?”

“Is that such a bad thing? You’re not so different from me right now, are you?”

Ricardo’s gaze turned sharper, more dangerous.

I shrank a little and quickly spoke up.

“I—I wasn’t trying to mock you. I’m just stating the truth.”

I nervously fidgeted with my hands, opening and closing them, before I finally let out the question that had been bothering me.

“…But seriously. Why are you so angry?”

“You’re really strange.”

“You’ve been focused solely on Lady Idette since the engagement ceremony.”

“So what?”

Is that really something you should be saying?

“I’m just surprised that you’re angry, considering I’m not following you around like I used to.”

Is he unloading all the anger he’s been holding back? It’s a pretty reasonable assumption, and it makes more sense than anything else right now.

I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this if he wasn’t mad about Bianca’s sudden change in behavior.

If I were in Ricardo’s shoes, I’d think, Ah, my crazy fiancée has finally learned her place, and then I’d probably hang out with the female lead.

“…”

I expected Ricardo to immediately cut me off, telling me I was talking nonsense, but to my surprise, he remained quiet.

It was as if he had never thought about what I said before.

“…Because it’s the proper thing to do.”

After a long pause, Ricardo finally spoke, but his reason made no sense.

***

Ugh, I’m tired.

Meeting with Ricardo was physically exhausting.

I never realized it would be so draining to be misunderstood by someone I didn’t even like.

“Miss, there’s a letter from Mr. Age, who you contacted earlier.”

Emily, the maid, cautiously spoke to me.

“That was faster than I expected.”

“Indeed.”

I checked the letter on the table.

[Unfortunately, the Moria fruit is currently in limited supply. You will need to wait at least three months to obtain it.]

…Three months, huh.

The illness my grandfather had been suffering from was one of the rarest in the Empire.

Drimokan Disease.

It was a sickness that slowly hardened the magical energy in the body. As the magic solidified, even the blood flowing through the veins hardened, leading to death.

There was no cure for Drimokan Disease. The Moria fruit I was trying to obtain wouldn’t heal it; it would only delay the process of the magic hardening.

I let out a sigh.

Three months. That was a lot longer than I expected. I wonder if Grandpa can hold on for that long.

“Oh, and the Viscount Cedric stopped by earlier today.”

Cedric?

“Since the hunting tournament is coming up, he asked for you to help with the preparations.”

I’m sure I would have done it anyway, but still, he had to mention it.

It was a topic that had come up over and over again at the dinner table.

He kept reminding me to behave properly at the social events that most of the nobles would attend, and to take good care of my fiancé, Ricardo.

Grandpa had brushed it off with a joke, saying I wasn’t a child anymore, but Cedric still seemed to view me as the same troublemaking kid from my younger years.

Oh, speaking of which.

“Emily, the return ceremony is coming up soon, right?”

“Yes, the knights dispatched to Delphi will be returning next week.”

I felt a bit of relief at that.

Then Emily gave me a subtle glance and smiled lightly.

“Leonhardt will be returning soon too.”

“…I suppose so.”