The mood can be terrifying.
Even though I realized last night had been part of Yuna’s scheme, I still got swept up in it as naturally as water flowing downstream.
So, how did I feel about it?
“Ahem, hmm-hmm…”
Honestly, it felt good.
I paused to smooth out the corners of my lips that were trying to rise.
“So… what now?”
I may have gotten swept up in the moment, but a kiss had already happened. There was no turning back.
What’s done is done.
But now, I have no idea how I’m supposed to face Ariel.
Yuna will definitely use this as an excuse to torment her endlessly.
And then? Ariel will take it out on me.
Can’t be helped. That’s the fate of someone at the very bottom of the food chain.
“In the worst-case scenario…”
I die.
Ariel already became an Archmage and ended up in some unstable condition. Whether it was an aftereffect or something else, I didn’t know.
If she finds out about this, who knows what might happen?
Thankfully, I still had a bit of a grace period.
Thanks to Lobelia’s order, I’ve been banned from making contact with Ariel. I need to use that time to come up with a solution.
First priority?
Making sure Yuna keeps her mouth shut.
“Phew…”
Having finally decided what I needed to do today, I got up from bed.
***
Finding Yuna wasn’t as hard as it had been last night.
I ran into her in the hallway on my way to her room.
“Yuna, do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to talk about.”
“Hmm? What is it? And come on, you don’t have to be so formal with me. Not with everything that’s gone on between us.”
“……”
Yeah, just as expected.
She’s absolutely thrilled.
“Yuna, just to be safe… how about we keep what happened last night a secret between us?”
“Johan, I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried I’ll go torment Princess Ariel, right? I’m not that cruel, you know? So you don’t need to worry.”
“Really…?”
Funny, I clearly remember her provoking Ariel in every possible way up until now.
“Oh, come on. I backed off when I had to, didn’t I? Like that time we came to Count Damus’s mansion. I didn’t interfere, did I? I’m not the kind of person who flaunts being ahead.”
“Hmm… I guess that’s true?”
Still, Yuna wasn’t the type to go back on her word.
And surely she knows by now that provoking Ariel through lies would only backfire.
It’d just ruin whatever good feelings I have toward her.
I’m sure Yuna will keep her promise.
All in all, it seemed like things had settled smoothly, and I could finally breathe a little easier.
If there’s one issue, though…
“Yuna.”
“Hmm?”
“…Sometimes, I really do admire you.”
“Out of nowhere?”
Yuna and I had kissed just last night.
That’s a pretty significant moment when it comes to relationships, wouldn’t you say?
Because of that, there was naturally some awkwardness. Even I, when I woke up this morning, had a hard time suppressing the smile creeping up on my face.
I tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal, but honestly, since I did have feelings for Yuna, it felt pretty good.
Anyway, trying to talk as usual in a situation like that wasn’t easy. Even just making eye contact with Yuna felt a bit burdensome.
However…
“How can you pretend to be so composed in that state…?”
“W-Wait a moment.”
It seemed Yuna had it even worse.
Despite how clingy she’d been with me before, she was apparently more embarrassed about what happened last night. Her face was so red as she tried to speak to me casually that she looked like she was about to faint.
It was painfully obvious to anyone that she was embarrassed.
The fact that she could keep talking like normal in that state was honestly impressive.
“What do I look like right now?”
“Yuna, it’s not weird. If you think about it, it’s the first time for both of us when it comes to romance. This is only natural.”
“Wh-What are you even talking about? I’m totally fine!”
She was flustered. It was a rare sight, considering how she usually acted.
But seeing her like that, I couldn’t just think it was cute and leave it at that.
“This is bad…”
At this rate, even someone who didn’t know us at all could tell something had happened between Yuna and me.
Anyone who saw us often would notice even faster. If we ran into Lobelia in this state, even if we said nothing, she’d probably press her fingers to her forehead on the spot.
My path of suffering was already crystal clear.
“Ha… hahaha.”
At my remark, Yuna glanced at her reflection in the window to check her complexion, then broke into a cold sweat as she let out a hollow laugh.
Even if she was good at putting on an act, she couldn’t completely suppress her emotions.
Since this was unfamiliar territory for her too, the impact was all the more visible.
She was someone who usually hid herself perfectly behind a thick mask, so the backlash now must have been just as great.
“…I’m going to go train.”
“You need training for something like this?”
“Of course I do! How am I supposed to face anyone else looking like this?!”
So you do care about that kind of thing.
With the way she usually acts like she lives only for today, I figured she didn’t care at all about how others saw her.
“Okay, just don’t overdo it.”
“…I’ll be back before dinner.”
That sounds more like she’s going out for fun.
Maybe it’s not as serious as it seems after all.
Then again, I’m not exactly in a position to be worrying about Yuna right now.
Maybe not as badly as her, but I should probably get a handle on my own expression too.
***
But the truth was, Yuna was taking it very seriously.
To others, it might have looked like a trivial matter, but to her, it was something serious enough to shake the foundation of everything she’d built up until now.
As the so-called queen of assassins, her entire skillset had been rattled.
Her poker face and the ability to blend into any situation naturally—
Those were her signature assassination tools.
“Ugh… this won’t do at all.”
This had been the moment she’d dreamed of.
Something she had meticulously planned out and executed flawlessly.
But she hadn’t accounted for the aftermath.
Or rather, she never imagined it would hit her this hard.
“Ugh… composure. Composure…”
Yuna even resorted to meditation to calm her mind and body.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, but instead, the memories of the previous night only became clearer.
The mood of that night, the happiness, the sense of accomplishment—
All those warm, fuzzy feelings stirred her thoughts into chaos.
“Are you alright?”
“Eek?!”
Just as she was trying to shake off the heat that had built up in her head, an unexpected person appeared in front of her.
Yuna realized how serious the situation was when she noticed she’d been so out of it that she hadn’t even sensed someone approaching.
“Big sister Yuna?”
Helena, the silver-haired girl, looked at Yuna with a bright smile as she meditated with her eyes closed.
She tilted her head curiously upon seeing Yuna’s flushed face.
Still young, Helena couldn’t yet grasp what had happened between Johan and Yuna.
“Your face is red.”
“It’s… just your imagination.”
“Your temperature’s high, too… is it a cold?”
As Helena began analyzing her condition, Yuna had no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut again.
It felt like a public execution.
That shameful feeling of being broken down and examined piece by piece.
“I’ll heal you.”
Brilliant light wrapped around Yuna.
A warm, divine power gently spread through her body, as if melting away all her fatigue.
“Huh?”
But… Yuna’s condition didn’t improve.
Rather, the healing through divine power only heightened her senses.
Feeling her own condition more vividly than ever, Yuna’s face turned even redder.
I want to die.
If there were a mouse hole nearby, she would’ve crawled into it.
“Th-This is bad! This is really bad! If divine power doesn’t work, that means…!”
“Helena.”
“Don’t worry, big sister Yuna! I’ll do something, no matter what!”
“Please… just stop…”
Yuna covered her face with both hands, pleading with Helena.
Looking at that innocent, pure expression only made her feel even more miserable.
“Don’t say that.”
But Helena, seeing Yuna like that, only spoke more firmly.
“In the name of the Prophet, I swear I will heal you, Sister Yuna!”
“Ugh…”
In Helena’s eyes, Yuna looked like someone suffering from an incurable illness.
And yet, the moment Yuna realized divine power wasn’t working on her, she gave up on healing altogether.
It was because she was simply too kind.
Helena believed that Yuna was just like her past self.
She must not want to be a burden… just like I used to be!
That’s why she must have come all the way out here on her own, quietly enduring the pain.
Tears welled up in Helena’s eyes.
Tears welled up in Yuna’s eyes, too.
But for entirely different reasons.
“Please… just kill me instead.”
“It’s okay! You’re going to get better for sure.”
It would take quite a long time before Helena finally understood the truth of the situation.
And during that time, Yuna wished for death more times than she could count.
***
Yuna returned.
Just as promised, it was around dinner time.
Unfortunately, it seemed the embarrassment still hadn’t been resolved.
No, before that…
“What is this, some kind of contagious disease?”
Helena who was standing next to her had also turned bright red, just like Yuna.
I could guess what had happened. She must’ve talked to Helena about her worries.
“You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”
“Mhmm.”
“No.”
“Let’s go eat together, then. Thinking about it, I figure the best thing is just to get used to it. Anyway, I’m not allowed to have contact with Ariel for the time being.”
There’s plenty of time for everyone to get used to each other.
It’s not like this will last forever. Time tends to take care of these things.
It was just as I started leading the two of them to the dining hall—
“Um, doctor.”
“What is it…?”
Helena tugged at the hem of my clothes and looked up at me.
Just seeing the curiosity in her eyes was already giving me a headache.
“Are you going to marry Yuna?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought you were definitely going to marry Ariel…”
“That’s right too.”
“Huh?”
“Mhmm.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s something like that.”
“H…Huh…”
Helena could only repeat the word “huh” in confusion.
Well, it can’t be helped.
She’s still too young for this.
And so, with a dazed-looking Helena and a slightly drowsy-looking Yuna for some reason, I headed to the dining hall.
Usually, Yuna would cling to me and strike up a conversation to the point of being annoying, but today was different.
I’m not sure this is okay…
Embarrassment is something she’ll get used to over time, but there’s no guarantee her attitude will return to how it used to be.
People change for all sorts of reasons, after all.
Thinking about it on my own won’t change anything.
So…
“I mean…”
I found someone to ask for advice.
I ran into Lobelia, who was already eating at the dining hall.
She immediately picked up on the strange atmosphere between Yuna and me and started blinking slowly.
“That’s how it is now.”
“No way.”
No long explanation was needed.
The bond between us made words unnecessary.
“Hmm… well, I suppose I should say congratulations. It’s a headache, but given your situation, I understand.”
“Thank you for understanding. You really are the most dependable, Your Highness.”
“Cut it out. That’s annoying.”
“Yes.”
Yeah, this level of distance between us feels just right.
“But as you can see, Yuna’s much more shy than I expected.”
“I really don’t want to hear something that embarrassing, you know?”
“I really don’t want to hear something that embarrassing, you know?”
“What should I do, then? If she keeps acting differently from usual, Ariel might start to suspect what’s going on between us.”
“…Handle it yourself.”
In the end, the blushing epidemic had spread to Lobelia, too.
Looks like I won’t be getting any useful advice here.
Honestly, I must be surrounded by nothing but pure-hearted people.
***
Lobelia couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of emotions as she watched the seemingly deepened bond between Yuna and Johan.
It was a good thing. There was no doubt about that.
When two people who love each other confirm their feelings, nothing could be better.
If only it had been mutual on all sides, there wouldn’t be a problem.
But as someone watching this tangled love triangle from the outside, Lobelia found it all quite troubling.
Especially since she was also a friend of Ariel’s, which only made things more complicated.
“Ariel, are you feeling any better?”
While bringing Ariel her meal, Lobelia carefully gauged the atmosphere.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m fine. Still a bit sluggish, but I’m sure this will pass soon. But, Your Highness…”
“Hmm?”
“Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing.”
“I see.”
Ariel nodded gently.
She could tell just from Lobelia’s oddly cautious demeanor.
“If it’s something you can’t tell me, then I suppose it must be about Johan.”
“……”
Lobelia flinched.
The Archmage’s absurd intuition was sharper than she had ever imagined.
Ariel, wearing a clear smile and sharp eyes that seemed to grasp the whole situation in an instant, stared directly at her.
Lobelia quietly clenched her fists. She knew instinctively.
“Ariel, don’t do anything reckless.”
“Reckless? Whatever do you mean?”
She had to stop Ariel now.
“I’m simply going to do what must be done, Your Highness.”
If not, Johan might not live to see tomorrow.
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