“She may have declined a few times out of modesty, but being fundamentally kind, she naturally accepted.”
When he’s agitated, his tone of voice alters subtly.
It’s one of his qualities.
I laughed.
“Is this even a situation where she can decline because she feels burdened?”
“What?”
“Lady Elodie’s life seems pitiful, now that I think about it.”
Edmund Gloucester’s face distorted in a terrifying way.
“Born with a pretty face but is a low-ranking noble. She can’t really do anything, can she? Her family’s control is shaky, she has no money and no honor. What could she even do… other than marrying an ordinary man in the countryside since she can’t even hold a proper debutante ball.”
In comparison, that would even be a win especially for women her age from where she came from.
“It would be nice to be born with a pretty face, and a unique one. But here we are. The House Windrose is sponsoring her. The people who court her are the same people who courted Ophelia previously. The word is that Ophelia is returning.”
I recall complaining multiple times when playing the game in the past.
None of the routes appealed to me.
As is typical of this type of game, the ‘player’ was unduly generous.
The choices contained nearly no harsh phrases.
When coupled with Cassio Brahamdorf, a few nasty comments were sprinkled in, but the rest of the options were mediocre.
Scenario. The other side failed to remember an appointment and had to reschedule the date.
<Response from the player>
(1) State that you understand.
(2) Pretend you have something else to do.
(3) Silently nod.
That was always the case.
Why isn’t there a single option to become enraged, questioning why he had to ruin an important date because he forgot about his work?
All of the endings were the same.
There are plenty of awful ones.
The uncommon regular ones, which were as scarce as beans in a drought.
There were no happy endings or actual ends, as most people believe.
The gamer was only left with a plethora of worse and less terrible endings.
I felt odd every time I witnessed an ending in which she either cried, was overwhelmed with regrets, or despaired.
“Because Ophelia is the only daughter of the Marquis’s family, everyone would have understood her saying ‘no’ or acting out, thinking, ‘because she’s Ophelia. If she behaves like Ophelia…”
Was there anything left?
Maybe.
At the very least, the Marchioness would not be hovering around like she is now.
Cassio Brahamdorf might be a better fit.
However, the public reaction would not be as positive as it is now.
Labels and social standing always follow and hold one back.
Why would she be so arrogant despite being a humble noble funded by the family of a Marquis? She would be disparaged in this manner.
Why would Edmund Gloucester be so taken with her at first?
Most likely because she embraces him for who he is.
Unlike ‘that’ Ophelia, she never truly rejects him.
People’s perplexed reactions must be related to this as well.
It was both amusing and irritating.
Was her superficial attachment sufficient to provide vicarious satisfaction?
“Does she exist there at all? Huh? Edmund Gloucester, sir, you dislike her because she is sweet and nice, but…”
Something buzzed within my ear.
The next thing I knew, the excessively enthusiastic man had slapped my cheek.
My cheek quickly grew heated.
People standing a little further away, watching us, let out gasps.
“Sir Edmund!”
Unlike Cassio, the voice was extremely intense and aggressive.
With one hand, I grasped my cheek.
It was on fire.
Only after I was hit did I feel bad about what I had done.
Edmund Gloucester is nothing… It would have been preferable if I had ignored his insults. Edmund was a problem for hitting a lady’s cheek, but getting slapped on my debut day was even worse.
I only just raised my head.
Cassio appeared enraged, as if he was about to lose his dignity and charge at any minute. Edmund didn’t seem good either.
He still appeared angry and resentful.
But he paused, his gaze shifting between the charging Cassio and mine.
Cassio grasped my shoulder quickly.
His worried expression was unfamiliar to me.
“Emilia, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’ll relax in the lounge.”
“Is that all you have to say…”
“Sir Edmund Gloucester!”
It was a voice filled with surprise.
I had a headache all of a sudden.
The final straw was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
–means that a seemingly small or insignificant additional burden or problem, when added to an already difficult or strained situation, becomes the cause of a major or final breakdown. It refers to the point at which a situation becomes intolerable or reaches a breaking point, even though the individual issues leading up to it might have been manageable on their own. Just like one more straw added to the load on a camel’s back might cause it to collapse under the weight.No matter how convoluted the situation became, it became much more complicated.
Eloide, her dress hem flapping like a butterfly, was walking towards us as if she were rushing. Her emerald eyes were wide and shocked.
At the very least, she was one of the people I didn’t want to see right now.
And the one next her…
“…What the hell is going on?”
Even Raretis Hope, with his rigid expression.
Oh, my gosh.
Even the lady with gray hair, who may have gotten the news late, was staring at us from a distance with a terrible expression.
I wanted to chuckle but couldn’t.
But I had unintentionally drawn everyone’s attention, so I had to act.
“Lord Edmund Gloucester and I had a minor argument.”
“Lady Emilia, now is not the time to handle it like this…”
“I’d like to take a break in the lounge, Lord Brahamdorf. I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself.”
“… Alright.”
“What is going on, Sir Edmund Gloucester? This is now…”
“…”
Edmund tightened his teeth, as if there was nothing he could say in response to Eloide’s questioning.
How could he tell her how angry he was since Lady Emilia stated, ‘I like Lady Elodie because she looks exactly like Ophelia and behaves obediently like a canary’?
“Emilia.”
When I heard a familiar voice, my body flinched reflexively.
Someone handed me a tissue.
A white cloth was draped over a fair, delicate hand.
Elodie was the one.
I turned down the handkerchief.
I did it in front of everyone.
I didn’t mind if I was cursed for being petty.
“Emilia.”
Raretis Hope called me once more.
Surprisingly, it appeared to be a distressed voice.
It couldn’t be true.
No, it might be… because he’s a kind guy.
In this circumstance, he might be concerned.
The man’s lips were curled at the corners.
His hands reached out to me, like if he was attempting to grasp me without realizing it.
I smiled instead of placing my hand on his.
“I can’t cause trouble for another’s cavalier.”
Cassio Brahamdorf stood by my side, his expression stiff.
I placed my hand on Cassio’s extended arm.
Maybe it was only my mind, but Raretis’s face appeared even worse than before.
Even if he was worried about his friend, he should avoid making that expression in front of his partner.
Because it may cause misunderstandings.
Raretis tightened his fist and twisted his lips.
“I’d like to postpone both summarizing and apologizing. I’m exhausted right now.”
“I will not forget today’s events, Lord Edmund Gloucester.”
Cassio spoke menacingly, as if he was gnawing on something.
Edmund Gloucester, who I expected to retaliate or be angry at me, was unusually calm.
He stared at us many times, frightened and perplexed, as if he’d made a mistake.
He had indeed caused a terrible accident in front of Lady Elodie, who he was desperate to seem nice at all costs.
Despite the fact that I’ve always tried to avoid Lady Elodie,
She is a generous lady who casually extends her hand to me once more.
Elodie’s reputation suffers when her follower causes an accident.
That’s what it had to be.
People were continuously whispering in our direction.
Some even came over to talk to us.
However, after witnessing Cassio Brahamdorf’s and my rigid looks, most of them just awkwardly retreated.
I managed to dodge the crowds by going to the lounge on the outside.
I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I sat on the chair.
It felt like all of my strength was being taken from my body.
“…Emilia, I’m so sorry.”
“What is it for?”
“For not being able to stop it, even though I was standing right next to you…”
“We should curse the one who hit, not the one who failed to stop it.”
“…How do you keep your cool in these circumstances?”
“I’ve realized that getting angry is pointless.”
Cassio Brahamdorf remained silent.
“I’m the one who needs to apologize. I should have resisted. I foolishly inflamed the issue, which resulted in this.”
“… I’ll go get some water for you. You should take a break. Your voice is raspy.”
“Please bring some champagne as well. After being slapped on my debutante, I should at least have a drink.”
“In this situation?”
Instead of responding to Cassio’s astonished tone, I chuckled.
Once upon a time, Ophelia and I were known as the House Windrose’s troublemakers.
It was nothing unusual to steal wine or champagne and drink it in secret.
I understood that attempting to stop Ophelia would only exacerbate the situation.
If she was going to drink anyhow, I figured a glass with me would be preferable to a bottle.
If I were her, I would have felt betrayed.
No, if you know you’re going to die soon, you should do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and live.
Her attitude wasn’t distorted by chance.
Even in this situation, thinking about Ophelia made me feel fatigued.
Is there really nothing else in my life besides her?
Is that everything there is to me?
Is it even legal for me to despise Elodie?
“Alright. But you won’t be able to leave.”
“Unless a swarm of gossip-hungry hyenas barges in, there’s nowhere to go.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Cassio, who had promised again, had vanished.
I sighed while leaning against the chair.
The mirror on one side of the wall reflected my image.
It looked better than I expected.
Despite barely making it past the mob, the dress was still acceptable, possibly due to its initial modest design.
My hair was a little tangled, but that was all.
My left cheek, on the other hand, was bright red.
It appeared to be bloated.
I gently rubbed the inside of my mouth with my tongue, but I didn’t detect any blood.
Would it be less obvious if my right cheek was a little redder?
I find it amusing to think about it.
I felt a presence at that little instant.
Who could it possibly be?
I hope it’s not someone who has come to purposefully provoke me. I lifted my head, against the desire to sigh.
On purpose, I chose the most secluded location with the fewest people.
The timing was perfect.
As I lifted my head, a familiar face drew my attention.
A lady with silver and gray hair, nicely coiled up, was looking this way with a worried expression. That’s the individual who was staring at me with a frown a moment ago.
I hoped it was just a misunderstanding.
“Em, Emilia… is that you?”
Her voice was shaking.
I took a long breath and composed myself.
When I gently turned back, I noticed the red-faced Marchioness, who appeared to be about to cry.
Her face was pathetic, as if she were going to collapse.
“I thought… I assumed you were dead as well, how…”
“I’m glad to see you, Lady Windrose.”
“How could you not send any news during this time…”
“I’m glad to see you looking well.”
“She may have declined a few times out of modesty, but being fundamentally kind, she naturally accepted.”
When he’s agitated, his tone of voice alters subtly.
It’s one of his qualities.
I laughed.
“Is this even a situation where she can decline because she feels burdened?”
“What?”
“Lady Elodie’s life seems pitiful, now that I think about it.”
Edmund Gloucester’s face distorted in a terrifying way.
“Born with a pretty face but is a low-ranking noble. She can’t really do anything, can she? Her family’s control is shaky, she has no money and no honor. What could she even do… other than marrying an ordinary man in the countryside since she can’t even hold a proper debutante ball.”
In comparison, that would even be a win especially for women her age from where she came from.
“It would be nice to be born with a pretty face, and a unique one. But here we are. The House Windrose is sponsoring her. The people who court her are the same people who courted Ophelia previously. The word is that Ophelia is returning.”
I recall complaining multiple times when playing the game in the past.
None of the routes appealed to me.
As is typical of this type of game, the ‘player’ was unduly generous.
The choices contained nearly no harsh phrases.
When coupled with Cassio Brahamdorf, a few nasty comments were sprinkled in, but the rest of the options were mediocre.
Scenario. The other side failed to remember an appointment and had to reschedule the date.
<Response from the player>
(1) State that you understand.
(2) Pretend you have something else to do.
(3) Silently nod.
That was always the case.
Why isn’t there a single option to become enraged, questioning why he had to ruin an important date because he forgot about his work?
All of the endings were the same.
There are plenty of awful ones.
The uncommon regular ones, which were as scarce as beans in a drought.
There were no happy endings or actual ends, as most people believe.
The gamer was only left with a plethora of worse and less terrible endings.
I felt odd every time I witnessed an ending in which she either cried, was overwhelmed with regrets, or despaired.
“Because Ophelia is the only daughter of the Marquis’s family, everyone would have understood her saying ‘no’ or acting out, thinking, ‘because she’s Ophelia. If she behaves like Ophelia…”
Was there anything left?
Maybe.
At the very least, the Marchioness would not be hovering around like she is now.
Cassio Brahamdorf might be a better fit.
However, the public reaction would not be as positive as it is now.
Labels and social standing always follow and hold one back.
Why would she be so arrogant despite being a humble noble funded by the family of a Marquis? She would be disparaged in this manner.
Why would Edmund Gloucester be so taken with her at first?
Most likely because she embraces him for who he is.
Unlike ‘that’ Ophelia, she never truly rejects him.
People’s perplexed reactions must be related to this as well.
It was both amusing and irritating.
Was her superficial attachment sufficient to provide vicarious satisfaction?
“Does she exist there at all? Huh? Edmund Gloucester, sir, you dislike her because she is sweet and nice, but…”
Something buzzed within my ear.
The next thing I knew, the excessively enthusiastic man had slapped my cheek.
My cheek quickly grew heated.
People standing a little further away, watching us, let out gasps.
“Sir Edmund!”
Unlike Cassio, the voice was extremely intense and aggressive.
With one hand, I grasped my cheek.
It was on fire.
Only after I was hit did I feel bad about what I had done.
Edmund Gloucester is nothing… It would have been preferable if I had ignored his insults. Edmund was a problem for hitting a lady’s cheek, but getting slapped on my debut day was even worse.
I only just raised my head.
Cassio appeared enraged, as if he was about to lose his dignity and charge at any minute. Edmund didn’t seem good either.
He still appeared angry and resentful.
But he paused, his gaze shifting between the charging Cassio and mine.
Cassio grasped my shoulder quickly.
His worried expression was unfamiliar to me.
“Emilia, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’ll relax in the lounge.”
“Is that all you have to say…”
“Sir Edmund Gloucester!”
It was a voice filled with surprise.
I had a headache all of a sudden.
The final straw was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
–means that a seemingly small or insignificant additional burden or problem, when added to an already difficult or strained situation, becomes the cause of a major or final breakdown. It refers to the point at which a situation becomes intolerable or reaches a breaking point, even though the individual issues leading up to it might have been manageable on their own. Just like one more straw added to the load on a camel’s back might cause it to collapse under the weight.No matter how convoluted the situation became, it became much more complicated.
Eloide, her dress hem flapping like a butterfly, was walking towards us as if she were rushing. Her emerald eyes were wide and shocked.
At the very least, she was one of the people I didn’t want to see right now.
And the one next her…
“…What the hell is going on?”
Even Raretis Hope, with his rigid expression.
Oh, my gosh.
Even the lady with gray hair, who may have gotten the news late, was staring at us from a distance with a terrible expression.
I wanted to chuckle but couldn’t.
But I had unintentionally drawn everyone’s attention, so I had to act.
“Lord Edmund Gloucester and I had a minor argument.”
“Lady Emilia, now is not the time to handle it like this…”
“I’d like to take a break in the lounge, Lord Brahamdorf. I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself.”
“… Alright.”
“What is going on, Sir Edmund Gloucester? This is now…”
“…”
Edmund tightened his teeth, as if there was nothing he could say in response to Eloide’s questioning.
How could he tell her how angry he was since Lady Emilia stated, ‘I like Lady Elodie because she looks exactly like Ophelia and behaves obediently like a canary’?
“Emilia.”
When I heard a familiar voice, my body flinched reflexively.
Someone handed me a tissue.
A white cloth was draped over a fair, delicate hand.
Elodie was the one.
I turned down the handkerchief.
I did it in front of everyone.
I didn’t mind if I was cursed for being petty.
“Emilia.”
Raretis Hope called me once more.
Surprisingly, it appeared to be a distressed voice.
It couldn’t be true.
No, it might be… because he’s a kind guy.
In this circumstance, he might be concerned.
The man’s lips were curled at the corners.
His hands reached out to me, like if he was attempting to grasp me without realizing it.
I smiled instead of placing my hand on his.
“I can’t cause trouble for another’s cavalier.”
Cassio Brahamdorf stood by my side, his expression stiff.
I placed my hand on Cassio’s extended arm.
Maybe it was only my mind, but Raretis’s face appeared even worse than before.
Even if he was worried about his friend, he should avoid making that expression in front of his partner.
Because it may cause misunderstandings.
Raretis tightened his fist and twisted his lips.
“I’d like to postpone both summarizing and apologizing. I’m exhausted right now.”
“I will not forget today’s events, Lord Edmund Gloucester.”
Cassio spoke menacingly, as if he was gnawing on something.
Edmund Gloucester, who I expected to retaliate or be angry at me, was unusually calm.
He stared at us many times, frightened and perplexed, as if he’d made a mistake.
He had indeed caused a terrible accident in front of Lady Elodie, who he was desperate to seem nice at all costs.
Despite the fact that I’ve always tried to avoid Lady Elodie,
She is a generous lady who casually extends her hand to me once more.
Elodie’s reputation suffers when her follower causes an accident.
That’s what it had to be.
People were continuously whispering in our direction.
Some even came over to talk to us.
However, after witnessing Cassio Brahamdorf’s and my rigid looks, most of them just awkwardly retreated.
I managed to dodge the crowds by going to the lounge on the outside.
I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I sat on the chair.
It felt like all of my strength was being taken from my body.
“…Emilia, I’m so sorry.”
“What is it for?”
“For not being able to stop it, even though I was standing right next to you…”
“We should curse the one who hit, not the one who failed to stop it.”
“…How do you keep your cool in these circumstances?”
“I’ve realized that getting angry is pointless.”
Cassio Brahamdorf remained silent.
“I’m the one who needs to apologize. I should have resisted. I foolishly inflamed the issue, which resulted in this.”
“… I’ll go get some water for you. You should take a break. Your voice is raspy.”
“Please bring some champagne as well. After being slapped on my debutante, I should at least have a drink.”
“In this situation?”
Instead of responding to Cassio’s astonished tone, I chuckled.
Once upon a time, Ophelia and I were known as the House Windrose’s troublemakers.
It was nothing unusual to steal wine or champagne and drink it in secret.
I understood that attempting to stop Ophelia would only exacerbate the situation.
If she was going to drink anyhow, I figured a glass with me would be preferable to a bottle.
If I were her, I would have felt betrayed.
No, if you know you’re going to die soon, you should do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and live.
Her attitude wasn’t distorted by chance.
Even in this situation, thinking about Ophelia made me feel fatigued.
Is there really nothing else in my life besides her?
Is that everything there is to me?
Is it even legal for me to despise Elodie?
“Alright. But you won’t be able to leave.”
“Unless a swarm of gossip-hungry hyenas barges in, there’s nowhere to go.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Cassio, who had promised again, had vanished.
I sighed while leaning against the chair.
The mirror on one side of the wall reflected my image.
It looked better than I expected.
Despite barely making it past the mob, the dress was still acceptable, possibly due to its initial modest design.
My hair was a little tangled, but that was all.
My left cheek, on the other hand, was bright red.
It appeared to be bloated.
I gently rubbed the inside of my mouth with my tongue, but I didn’t detect any blood.
Would it be less obvious if my right cheek was a little redder?
I find it amusing to think about it.
I felt a presence at that little instant.
Who could it possibly be?
I hope it’s not someone who has come to purposefully provoke me. I lifted my head, against the desire to sigh.
On purpose, I chose the most secluded location with the fewest people.
The timing was perfect.
As I lifted my head, a familiar face drew my attention.
A lady with silver and gray hair, nicely coiled up, was looking this way with a worried expression. That’s the individual who was staring at me with a frown a moment ago.
I hoped it was just a misunderstanding.
“Em, Emilia… is that you?”
Her voice was shaking.
I took a long breath and composed myself.
When I gently turned back, I noticed the red-faced Marchioness, who appeared to be about to cry.
Her face was pathetic, as if she were going to collapse.
“I thought… I assumed you were dead as well, how…”
“I’m glad to see you, Lady Windrose.”
“How could you not send any news during this time…”
“I’m glad to see you looking well.”
