ITMFYWCLBU 5

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

On the carriage ride back from the royal castle, Alexis said this in a voice tinged with mild suspicion.

Just as he had declared, he came to pick Clarisse up in the evening, once her duties as a lady-in-waiting were finished. And, without asking, he had even decided that starting tomorrow, he would escort her to and from the castle every day.

Well, fine.

For once, Alexis was right—Clarisse was in a good mood.

Hehe. If he won’t dissolve the engagement, then all I have to do is drag the wedding out.

Clarisse had thought it through.

According to her memories, she would quit her position as a lady-in-waiting in six months to prepare for marriage.

But what if she didn’t quit?

If I ask the queen to let me continue serving as a lady-in-waiting, I might be able to postpone the wedding.

Continuing as a lady-in-waiting didn’t technically mean she couldn’t marry—but in Alexis’s case, marrying Clarisse meant becoming the Brantome family’s son-in-law and beginning preparations to inherit the title. He would be busy learning the affairs of the count’s household under her father, and Clarisse herself would be expected to support him in that role.

In reality, that was exactly how it had gone after their marriage. She had traveled back and forth to the domain with Alexis, living a relentlessly busy life.

However, if Clarisse didn’t resign from her post, she wouldn’t be able to assist Alexis with the domain’s day-to-day affairs.

Which meant that, as a result, the wedding could be delayed until the time she was allowed—or required—to step down.

It might sound simplistic, but this plan would likely work surprisingly well.

The remaining question was whether she’d be allowed to continue serving. Three months before Clarisse was scheduled to resign, Bruette would leave her post to prepare for her own marriage. Aside from Lady Léonie, all the other attendants were relatively new—Clarisse would become the most senior maid left.

Losing multiple experienced attendants at once would be a problem for Queen Félicité. Which meant there was room for negotiation!

If I keep avoiding it long enough, he’ll give up eventually.

If Clarisse didn’t marry, the Brantome household would face a succession issue—but a count’s family had no shortage of relatives. They could always adopt a child from an uncle’s or aunt’s line.

She could avoid marrying Alexis, wait for her feelings for him to fade, and then marry some distant relative instead.

As long as she didn’t marry Alexis, she wouldn’t be betrayed—and she wouldn’t be killed.

“Did something good happen?”

Lost in her smug inner planning, Clarisse felt Alexis gently take her hand, smiling warmly.

The faint darkness that had once lurked in his eyes was gone. They were once again the gentle blue eyes she knew so well.

“What is it? Tell me, Clarisse.”

It was frustrating how her heart still skipped at his kindness.

“N-nothing at all.”

Her face felt like it was about to turn red, so she turned away, pretending to look out the carriage window.

“You don’t have to keep secrets. Come on, tell me.”

There was no way she could say she’d been plotting how to delay marrying him. If she did, Alexis would surely explode in anger and try to stop her at all costs.

“…I was just thinking about the flower-viewing gathering.”

It was a desperate excuse—but Alexis accepted it without question.

“Oh, that’s coming up soon. I’ll be attending with His Highness that day.”

The flower-viewing gathering drew not only royalty but many nobles as well. Along with viewing the consorts’ flowers, tea and sweets were served, making it feel like a large garden party.

“What kind of flowers will be on display this year?”

“I don’t know yet.”

To prevent leaks, the selections were kept secret until the last possible moment. Clarisse knew from her memories that the rainbow rose would be displayed—but officially, she hadn’t been told yet. And even after learning, the attendants were bound by confidentiality.

Even for her fiancé, she couldn’t say a word.

“But you’ll be attending with flowers in your hair again this year, right?”

“I believe so.”

At the flower-viewing gathering, it was customary for consorts to adorn their hair with fresh flowers. Félicité encouraged the attendants to do the same each year, so everyone could enjoy the event together.

“Last year, you wore lilies, didn’t you? What about this year?”

“I’ll likely match Her Majesty.”

According to Clarisse’s memories, Félicité would wear rainbow roses in her hair this year, and the attendants would wear roses in various colors to match.

“I wish you could wear the flowers I give you…”

As he spoke, Alexis reached out and touched Clarisse’s dark brown hair. He reverently took a lock between his fingers and pressed a soft kiss to it.

There were no nerves in hair—at least, there shouldn’t have been—yet a sharp, electric sensation ran through her body.

…Why do you do things like this?

Clarisse wanted nothing more than to erase her feelings for Alexis and dissolve their engagement. But when he did things like this, the emotions she was desperately trying to seal away threatened to spill out.

Where had it all gone wrong?

A pointless question drifted through her mind.

Why had Alexis’s heart changed in the future?

What could she have done to keep his heart from being stolen by Princess Wiejeny?

Was it her fault?

When had his feelings begun to drift away from her?

There was no way she could know—even with memories of the future.

All Clarisse knew were the facts. She didn’t know Alexis’s heart.

If she could find a way to stop his heart from changing, maybe—just maybe—they could have lived a happy married life.

That thought tempted the weakest part of her to run away.

The resentment and despair she’d felt when she was killed still churned inside her, but so did the love she’d carried for so long.

The Alexis before her now truly loved her.

That was why she wavered. Why she wanted to lean on him.

Get a grip… Do you want to repeat the same future again?

Alexis was still idly playing with her hair.

She knew she had to pull away—but if she spoke now, her voice might tremble. So, in the smallest act of resistance she could manage, Clarisse gently closed her eyes.