Looking for My Fiancé's Lover

My teeth were grinding, but my head hurt, so I turned and circled the garden again. It didn’t matter if they trash-talked behind people’s backs, but the problem was that I overheard those gossip. My heart, which had been thumping with embarrassment, gradually calmed down after the short walk. I was having a meeting with the women I didn’t even have any connection with. But at the same, I felt like it’s because there was no relationship between us that they had yet to know what kind of person I really was before judging me.

Well, all ignorance came with a price. I walked fast toward the direction they would be sitting, thinking of flipping the table upside down. They must still be laughing while talking behind my back right now. And Caron would be biting her lip, not knowing what to do again!

However, the atmosphere at the table when I came back in a hurry was a little different from what I thought.

“You’re here? How are you feeling? Your face is a little red, could the allergy effect have taken place already…?”

As I approached, Caron hurriedly stood up and came next to me. Her expression was that of a mother bird worrying about her crying baby bird, so I couldn’t ignore it.

It’s been almost five years since I decided to become an elegant lady. I still tended to leave my behaviors to instinct, and the journey to find my inner peace and stay calm was still far. Even so, it was all thanks to Caron being by my side that I was able to act as a human being outside of Ezelot.

“Do not worry. I didn’t swallow it, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Caron’s silver hair fluttered under the sunlight. If Caron back when I first met her was like a fairy, it was safe to say that Caron, who had reached 20 years old, was not a fairy, but a goddess herself. She could just be breathing, and I would still feel like my self-esteem was dying whenever she stood next to me. But that was all in the past. Now, every time I saw Caron smiling brightly, I feel like my vision was being purified.

“I’m not too late, am I? What were you talking about? I could hear you laughing from afar.”

I would like to strain my eyes and stare them down with all my might, but I couldn’t adapt to the strangely cold atmosphere at the table so I opened my mouth first. What happened in that short time? They must have been excitedly cursing at me until about 3 minutes ago, right?

“Did-, did we? I don’t recall… anything like that…”

“I guess it’s because spending time with lady Katrina just makes us really happy. Is-isn’t that right?”

“Tha-that’s right! I was just wondering what you meant, but that must have been what you’re referring to…it seems?”

I had no idea why they were asking me about that.

At that time, Caron was just quietly drinking the cold tea next to me. She was just sitting there quietly, but all the women who were busy talking kept stealing glances at Caron.

I slowly scanned around, feeling puzzled. There didn’t seem to be any significant change during the time I was away.

“Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Nothing.”

The answer came from Caron this time. Calmly lifting her chin and slicing her cheesecake, she smiled softly at the women sitting across from her.

“Nothing, right?”

At those words, the three guests sitting next to each other said in sync all at once.

“Right!”

“Oh ho ho, nothing happened, really. All we said was how we can’t wait to meet Mr.Gred.”

There was no way that the sound I heard was just a hallucination, but if they had insisted so enthusiastically, I had nothing else to say. As they started to close their mouths one by one, the table was suddenly enveloped in silence.

Haaah, I shouldn’t have eaten that muffin then….How could I even end up eating a muffin from the furthest plate? And how come that carrot muffin even pretended to be an apple muffin?!

“Ex-excuse me, everyone. It’s a pity, but I think I’ll have to go back to Gebeenze Manor. I just remember that I have a dinner appointment…”

It was obviously a lie.

“I think I’m not feeling well…”

An awkward laugh echoed through the chrysanthemum garden as they excused themselves. As the two waved the white flag, the third and last woman also said her final goodbyes.

“The mood doesn’t seem to be very good now, so I’ll go back as well.”

“Are you all leaving? It hasn’t even been a few hours, what a shame.”

With Caron’s last word, the fourth tea party of the year came to an end without much fuss. How many times had something like this happened already? Every time I tried to find a decent woman, something unlucky happened. Even my expectations were starting to get lower as things did not work out properly.

When Gred arrived at the chrysanthemum garden, only Caron and I were left at the empty table. It sucked. In the end, I had to go back to Ezelot after spending another while with Caron.

I had a dream.

In my dream, I was a short small citizen who had just turned 17, and I was enjoying a happy vacation with the joy of finally becoming a high school student.

I was a little worried about having to study for college entrance later on, but every day was fun when I thought about my high school life that would unfold in the future.

I didn’t remember exactly, but the hazy sky I saw during the height of the cold wave in early February was the last scene I remember. I died in an unexpected accident. The hard pavement and the surrounding eyes filled my field of vision. The snow falling on my cheeks was not cold, but hot like fire. That feeling was what I last remembered.

“So, what do you want to say?”

Rick rolled up his sleeves tiredly and stared at me. His long fingers ran leisurely across the paper, even though his eyes were looking toward me. Even if it might seem to be scrawled roughly, it was still more elegant than the handwriting that I put my utmost effort into. I pouted and fell on the table, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

“My stomach hurts so much, I think I have a stomachache. I guess I can’t go to the victory celebration party today…”

“Do you think I don’t know? Your stomach only truly hurts when you can’t even walk properly. You are not listening to mother and will fake illness and sneak out of your room again, aren’t you?  I don’t have time to listen to your whining right now, Kate.”

“Oh my gosh. How can you speak so ruthlessly? Rick, you’re so cold these days. You haven’t been coming home lately either. It’s been almost fifteen days since we last met.”

“Because there is still work to be done. Kate, I’m telling you this since you don’t seem to be aware, but professors who return home like me are very rare. To the extent that I was asked three or four times whether I had hidden my secret lover in Ezelot.”

Before long, Rick put his pen down, lifted his face up, and crossed over the table to where I was sitting. I had heard before that most of the professors lived in mansions near the academy. It was something I fully understood, but being left alone in a large, bustling castle (referring to the victory celebration) made the time seem to pass more slowly, which perturbed me.

It was also true that it had already been five years since Nezar and Lockheard left for war, and as soon as the summer of the year after that arrived, Eden left for the institution on some island to learn business management. (County Ezellot is located in the northeastern part of the Caval Empire, near a group of islands…)

At the time, I couldn’t adapt to the suddenly quiet castle and always stuck to Rick like a leech. That was, at least until Rick had to leave for the Imperial Academy to get his degree the year after Eden left. In short, I had to live alone with my mother in this spacious Ezelot Castle for several years.

It was a terribly boring period of time, except for when I attended tea parties with Caron.