Chapter 75

I was caught off guard when I was suddenly asked to play the role of a boyfriend. But since she’d be getting a boyfriend soon—though in reality Iris was more of a girlfriend—I decided to treat it as practice and go along with it.

“The main dish is steak, of course. I’ll cut it for you, so just wait a moment.”

I did my best to faithfully play the role of a boyfriend, just like the ones I’d seen in the media.

If someone asked why I was putting in so much effort, I honestly wouldn’t have an answer. Maybe because I’d never been anyone’s boyfriend before.

To be fair, I had to admit; I was actually enjoying it.

A girlfriend who was this pretty, this sweet, and only had eyes for me? Honestly, what wasn’t to like?

Since I had to stick to the original storyline to some extent, I’d never really seen either of them as women. But now that I was actually acting out this little roleplay, I was struck by just how lovely and beautiful Estelle was.

No. Rather than suddenly realizing it, it was more accurate to say I had been deliberately trying not to.

Because in the end, craving something I could never have would only bring me pain.

“Here, enjoy.”

After finishing with the steak, I placed it in front of her. When I reached for the plate in front of her to bring it closer, I saw Estelle’s eyes light up.

“Wow, meat cut by Sir Theo…! It looks so delicious! Hehe…”

Watching Estelle’s face light up with pure joy, I found myself thinking that Iris would get to see this kind of expression all the time from now on.

Come to think of it, I had a similar thought when I was alone with Iris before.

Was I… actually feeling a little disappointed?

I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad at the thought that once those two got together, they probably wouldn’t seek me out anymore.

At first, I had tried not to let myself feel that way, but before I knew it, we had grown closer than I ever expected.

We had spent too much time together.

“…Estelle, what do you think of Iris?”

Even if I felt disappointed, the original story still had to progress.

I had to see the happy ending, and beyond that… honestly, I had no idea how the world would move forward once it was over.

If possible, I wanted to stay here, but I couldn’t be sure if I would be allowed to remain.

Still, I had no desire to be swept up in destruction and meet my end.

“Iris? Hmm, I think she’s a good friend.”

Estelle’s response was unexpected.

I hadn’t thought they were close enough to describe each other as “good” yet.

Somehow, without me noticing, the two of them had already started to grow closer.

“She also feels a bit like a rival.”

“A rival?”

How did we jump from “good friend” to “rival” all of a sudden?

“Sir Theo, are you just pretending not to know? Or do you really not realize it?”

Estelle spoke cryptic words, and I shrugged with an innocent expression.

But in reality… there was no way I didn’t understand what she meant.

“I think you want to ignore both Iris’s and my feelings.”

…Ha, yeah.

Honestly, I wasn’t an idiot.

There was a reason I had worked so hard to turn away from it.

If I had truly believed they had no interest in me, there wouldn’t have been any need to avoid it in the first place.

Yeah, I knew.

I knew their feelings were growing deeper and deeper.

I had just chosen to pretend I didn’t.

I pretended not to know and looked forward to the day when the two of them would end up together.

After all, they were the protagonists.

Once they started feeling drawn to each other, their fleeting first loves would soon be forgotten, and they would be completely captivated by one another.

I told myself that over and over again.

Yet in the end, I was the one who kept turning away from the truth right in front of me.

“…Haha, I have no idea what you’re talking about. More importantly, Estelle, hurry up and eat. It’s really delicious. Ah, should we practice feeding each other this time?”

I deliberately tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“Sir Theo, you already know that I didn’t ask you to play the role of my boyfriend just because I needed practice.”

But Estelle had no intention of letting it slide.

“Estelle.”

“Yes, Sir Theo?”

“As I’ve said before, I have no intention of dating.”

Their feelings? First love? Romance?

Honestly, all of it sounded nice.

I wanted to accept them. I wanted to live happily while dating such beautiful people.

But if I got involved with them, who would deal with the consequences?

Things had already strayed far from the original story, and if I went so far as to tear the plot apart myself…

Then who would be left to handle what came next?

“I already have too much to do, and right now, even taking responsibility for myself is overwhelming, let alone someone else.”

I didn’t want to get caught up in destruction.

I wanted to survive and live happily.

But for that to happen, someone had to bring the two of them together. Someone had to support them so they could hold hands and overcome the crisis ahead.

This damn game was never the kind to flow peacefully without complications.

“I’m not saying this because I expect anything from you, Sir Theo. And I’m not asking for a relationship, either. I just want to ask that you don’t keep ignoring our feelings. Iris… she probably feels the same way I do.”

Don’t ignore their feelings, she said.

Did Estelle even realize that, while claiming she wanted nothing in return, she was actually asking for the most difficult thing of all?

“Whatever the case, I doubt I’ll break this resolve for at least a few years.”

After that, the only thing that remained was silence as we finished our meal.

“Well then, I’ll head in first. Take care, Estelle.”

“…Yes. Take care, Sir Theo.”

On any other day, I would have walked her to the dormitory, chatting with her along the way, before heading back to the men’s dorm myself.

But today, my mind was far too unsettled.

So instead of going to my dorm, I found myself heading toward the training grounds.

***

– Whatever the case, I doubt I’ll break this resolve for at least a few years.

Hearing Theo’s firm response, Estelle felt a sting in her chest the entire walk back to the dormitory.

It wasn’t as if she had confessed properly and been rejected, yet it already felt like she had been.

Tears threatened to spill down her face.

“I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Frustrated by Theo’s constant refusal to acknowledge their feelings, Estelle finally voiced her true emotions.

She had hoped that expressing herself this way might make it harder for him to ignore their feelings, but the only response she received was a firm rejection.

“Why… why won’t you date anyone? Could it be that Sir Theo is… impotent? Or maybe… he likes men?!”

Ridiculous thoughts ran wild in her mind.

“Ugh, I hate you, Sir Theo…”

But no matter how many times she muttered that she hated him, nothing would change.

“Estelle? What are you doing here?”

Just as she was wiping away a few stray tears and grumbling about Theo, someone appeared before her.

“Iris?”

It was Iris.

“Weren’t you with Sir Theo?”

Iris looked at Estelle with a knowing gaze, as if she was fully aware of what had transpired between them.

“You knew? That I had dinner with him?”

“How could I not? It was all anyone was talking about.”

The students who had witnessed them together had turned it into the hottest gossip, making such a fuss that it was impossible not to hear about it.

Even if she had tried to shut out the noise, it would have been useless.

Theo and Estelle stood out too much. Whether they wanted to or not, rumors would always find their way to her ears.

“…So what does it matter?”

Iris finally took a closer look at Estelle’s expression after hearing her sullen response.

Her face was far too downcast for someone who had just returned from having dinner alone with Theo.

Besides, Theo was the type of person who always displayed impeccable manners when he was with them, usually escorting them all the way back to the dormitory.

Yet now, even though Estelle was only halfway back to the dorm, Theo was nowhere to be seen.

“Did something happen?”

Realizing that something must have occurred between Estelle and Theo, Iris carefully asked what had happened.

“I asked him why he kept pretending not to know… I told him I hated that he was ignoring our feelings.”

“What? You actually said that? Estelle, you really are… The more I get to know you, the bolder and more unpredictable you seem.”

Iris found herself both impressed and flustered by Estelle, who had said something she never could have if she had been the one dining alone with Theo.

“I trust you didn’t mention my feelings as well.”

“Don’t trust me. I told him everything.”

“…! It was your story to tell, not mine! Why did you bring me into it?”

Iris shouted in frustration, but unlike usual, there was no bold retort from Estelle.

“…I’m sorry.”

Instead, all that remained was the unfamiliar sight of Estelle apologizing.

“……You’re Estelle, right?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Estelle apologizing so easily just doesn’t seem right.”

Estelle briefly lifted her head to glare at Iris but quickly lowered it again.

“I think we both got rejected. Me and you, Iris.”

“No, I wasn’t rejected. I never even said anything.”

“I didn’t exactly confess either!”

“Then what was it?”

Frustrated by Estelle’s roundabout way of speaking, Iris raised her voice.

“I just… I only asked why he kept ignoring our feelings. I didn’t directly confess.”

“…Are you an idiot? That is a direct confession.”

Iris stared at Estelle in disbelief. She had openly expressed her feelings and asked him to acknowledge them, yet she was claiming it wasn’t a confession.