Capricious Lady
Crunch.
Crunch.
Inside the carriage returning to the Grand Ducal Castle, only the sound of two people chewing the same fruit filled the air.
Gazing out at the winter landscape through the carriage window, thoughts wandered.
Piecing together the situation, it seemed that the heroine had thrown the Grand Ducal family’s Emblem to the ground and left the venue in a hurry after Kyle had brought it.
She had broken her promise to award significant points, departing abruptly.
That meant.
‘She must be extremely angry.’
It was the final ultimatum, and even the bait she had laced with all sorts of seasonings for fishing had failed; it was expected she would be angry.
Especially since the plan involved making a heartfelt confession to her nemesis, it must have deeply wounded her pride.
Yet, there was no thought of retracting the decision to abstain, nor any intent to bear the burden of the original character’s karma for her revenge.
It was wiser to focus on the actual instigators rather than obsessing over a bystander who had stepped out of bounds.
She had already given a good excuse by obsessing over an abstainer who had untied his own leash.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to use that.
Sincerely.
Just hoping she could consider that a human’s nature could change, that even the sky could split in two, acknowledging that change.
If she couldn’t believe someone from another dimension had taken over, then I hoped she could understand in some way.
I certainly didn’t wish for all her plans to come to nothing because of me.
But neither did I wish for those plans to drag me in.
There was no desire to repeat a previous life writhing in injustice and resentment.
Nor was there any intention to provoke her unnecessarily.
It was simply an effort not to bite at the baits she threw, and even if that inadvertently provoked her, there was no turning back.
There was no need to pander to her by playing out a farce.
The moment I appeared shallow and vulnerable, she would attack more persistently and blatantly.
It was better to firmly show her modern-day Lee Jun-woo, to instill that even the sky could split in two.
After all, a modern person who had unwittingly possessed a nefarious character deserved that much.
All I wanted was to seek happiness and aspiration as a possessor; that was the best path for me.
Thus.
Nothing would change.
If she rained arrows, I’d open an iron umbrella; if she scorched with blazing sun, I’d seek shade; if she whipped up a storm, I’d retreat into a cave and rest.
Enduring, dodging, and resting—that would see the end of the engagement battle, and then we could simply go our separate ways.
“…What are you pondering so deeply?”
Lost in the rapidly passing snowy landscape, Rachel’s voice suddenly brought me out of my reverie.
“Ah, just some random thoughts.”
“I see. I enjoyed the fruit, thank you.”
Rachel held up the core of the fruit she had eaten as she spoke.
I hadn’t expected a thank you, so I simply nodded absently when Rachel approached again with a question.
“Sir, may I ask you one thing?”
“Of course.”
“You’ve been unusual lately.”
“A question I hear often. It’s getting old. Next.”
“…….”
My playful response puzzled Rachel, and the rare sight of her caught off-guard made me chuckle quietly.
“Heh. Just kidding. Has the teacher finally taken an interest in her student?”
“It’s merely for educational purposes.”
“So, teacher, what do you think? Does the student’s change appear at all genuine?”
I felt a twinge of dissonance immediately after speaking.
It didn’t take long to realize that it stemmed from a frustration building quietly within me.
No matter how many times I shouted it, no one would believe I was Lee Jun-woo.
Feeling silly for my outburst, I was about to drop the subject when…
“Yes.”
Rachel unexpectedly responded without hesitation.
“…Really?”
Caught off guard by her answer, an awkward acknowledgment slipped out.
Rachel fiddled with the fruit core as she continued.
“It did seem strange as if you had become another person, but because of that, there’s a new vitality in the annex. Even the maids are smiling more.”
The annex under the original Elden had always been a stormy place.
It was a daily routine of shouts, screams, and disturbances, with the maids quietly cleaning up the aftermath every morning.
Knowing those misdeeds well, I felt almost criminal and had to turn my gaze back to the carriage window.
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
“May I ask why?”
Why.
There was nothing grand about the reason.
It wasn’t that a man who had lived as a villain regretted and reflected, wanting to start a new life.
Thus, looking out at the brilliant snowy landscape, I responded.
While gazing at the dazzlingly bright, shattered white light of the scenery.
“I just wanted to live a radiant life for once.”
A life in the dungeon yearning for light.
A life that, despite yearning for light, had only accrued debts instead.
Now, I would lay down those debts and take up the light.
It was a spontaneous response, and yet another unexpected reply came.
“I’ll support you.”
…Today, she was unusually affable.
Normally reserved, my teacher had suddenly launched into a barrage of questions.
“Thanks. But didn’t you think of me as ‘lowly’ just a few days ago?”
Unable to bear sentimentality for long, I threw in the comment… But Rachel, with a contemptuous look, lifting her sword toward her chest, made me turn my gaze back out the carriage window.
“That hasn’t changed.”
Ah.
Hmm.
Right.
Indeed, you’re very clear about your opinions?
Suddenly!
***
Today, because of Elden’s second evaluation, Ariel, who had skipped lunch and immersed herself in reading, raised her head.
She then looked at the empty seat across from her.
It had been Elden’s seat since a coincidental meeting, up until yesterday.
‘….’
Why did the empty seat across from her, where she had only read together for a few days, feel so empty?
It had always been empty before she started reading, so why did it feel like it needed to be filled?
There was no need to wait today, yet why did she feel like waiting?
It was unclear.
‘….’
Ariel stared blankly at the empty seat before shifting her gaze back to her book.
It had only been a few days.
How silly.
Maybe tomorrow she could read with Elden again.
How ridiculous.
Chiding herself, Ariel shook off her thoughts and continued her reading.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Glance.
‘…….’
Unknowingly, her gaze drifted towards the library entrance.
It almost seemed as if she could see Elden approaching with a book she had recommended.
‘….’
Then he would sit down and spill out how incredibly interesting it was, how moved he was, asking for more recommendations like it.
Ariel shook her head.
‘I… really.’
This is too much fantasy.
Maybe I should stop reading. Seriously.
Sharing readings and thoughts was just as delightful and fun as reading itself.
Realizing that recommending books to someone and hearing their thoughts on them was a joyful thing.
Elden Rapellion, a classmate, was just a fleeting connection made by chance, and that’s all it would ever be.
Too much expectation, too much hope.
‘Besides, didn’t I deliver the Grand Duchess’s confession myself? By now, he must be doing his best to win the second evaluation.’
Just this morning, I had sincerely hoped he would become the Grand Ducal family’s son-in-law.
After doing all that, now I’m lamenting the empty seat across from me?
That seat had been empty for thousands of days, and it had only been filled for a few days, yet I miss it?
Nonsense.
It was just me wanting to return the joy to someone who had brought joy to me, not out of any lingering regret or sorrow.
For the Grand Duchess, for Elden, I did what I had to do.
Now, all that remained for Elden was to become the third Grand Duchess’s husband, and for him to achieve greater deeds as the Grand Ducal family’s son-in-law.
Our worlds would differ, our standings would change.
We each had our places to go.
Elden would be the Grand Ducal family’s son-in-law, and I would return to being a solitary guest in the silence of the library, just like before.
However, if I had one simple hope before the engagement battle ended.
‘Could we continue reading and talking together until then?’
But that thought was a huge miscalculation, as Ariel quickly realized.
‘Ah… It’s not possible.’
The reason Elden had been able to laze around in the library and read was because he had been an ‘abstainer.’
Now that he was no longer an abstainer but a likely winner, he couldn’t afford to spend time reading novels in preparation for the remaining evaluations.
The Third Grand Duchess, generous and compassionate, had willingly embraced him despite his alleged lack of qualifications.
Once the engagement battle ended, he would become the Grand Ducal family’s son-in-law and likely never see him again, so it was time to return to the routine of old.
Ordinary.
Those days.
‘Yes.’
It’s regrettable but what can I do?
It’s great that the short-lived reading companion was just a brief dream of a midsummer night, but that’s fine.
Honestly, it was unreasonable to expect him to forfeit from the final candidates, right?
And what.
What can I do if I miss him?
‘Right. You, what, become?’
It’s not possible.
Right.
Then I might as well read.
‘Yes.’
With that, Ariel decided to focus on her reading again, but amidst the sudden murmurs, she heard someone say, ‘Prince Kyle has won.’
The second evaluation’s highest score, they said.
‘Idiot.’
