157 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 157
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Michael Ayres's older brother, two years his senior, was known for his gentle and amiable nature, unlike the Knight of Ice.
Though his looks and skills might have been a couple of steps behind his younger brother, his way of treating people was second to none in the Aires Family.
Therefore, many women flocked around him, and he was now enjoying a happy relationship with a fairly prestigious young lady.
Michael Ayres frowned as he thought of his brother. His brother was a man who always greeted him with a gentle smile and spoke kindly.
When they were young, he would often say "My Mel" and give him feathery kisses on the forehead. Now that they were grown, he no longer did such things, but he never hesitated to show his love for his family.
"You already have a great example by your side."
Lüce Rosian says with a smirk. Sir Ayres being affectionate. The expression on her face suggests she finds it hilarious just imagining it.
Michael Ayres couldn't hide his displeasure, gritting his teeth and growling.
"Cut it out. It's not funny at all."
"But Mel, you really have to. Look at you now. You're showing fear."
"I'm afraid?"
He stared at Lücet Rosian with a slightly surprised expression. He hadn't thought of the anxiety that she might be hurt by him like others as fear.
After a moment, Michael asks, trailing off, "…Lüce, what would you think if Idi acted that way towards you?"
"I'd feel like I could die the next day without any regrets."
Lücet Rosian replies in a serious tone. If she really did that for me, that is. Her eyes, filled with sadness, were fixed on him.
"So Mel, just you be affectionate, even if it's just you. I want you to be happy."
"…I'll try."
"Don't just try. You have to. Do you want her to avoid you? Imagine it."
"That's… just imagining it makes me annoyed. Unpleasant."
"So don't become ice like your nickname. I don't care about other people, but you shouldn't be like that to her."
"Judging by how enthusiastic you are, it seems like your analysis of her is complete."
He sighs and asks, and Lücet Rosian smiles.
"Is it just complete? I've solved all the problems that came up in the middle. It was really trivial."
"There was no intervention from anyone?"
"Nope. It bothers me that it happened when she happened to be in Princess Dieunzel's group, though."
Duke Dieunzel was a difficult person to rely on, but he was perfect for calming the chaos among the nobles when suppressing the rebellion. That's why the Crown Prince asked for his help when he started to take charge of state affairs.
And Princess Dieunzel, like her father, was an inscrutable woman. She was definitely a rival to Lücet Rosian if she debuted in society, so she was constantly watching her, but she sometimes used her family to catch her off guard, so she couldn't be taken lightly.
"Well, it's something we have to keep watching. If she hangs out with the Dieunzel Family's fox, there's a high chance she'll be swayed. There's no other young lady her age who can start things without using her own hands. So I'm going to bring your girl to me."
"Will Idi accept it?"
"We'll both have to work hard to persuade her to do so. The problem is that she mustn't change…"
Rosian trails off, looking gloomy. Her face was as cloudy as a sky about to rain, as if she was imagining a scenario she didn't want to think about.
"Idi is the problem after all."
After a moment, she sighs deeply and mutters. Michael Ayres silently agreed with his friend.
There had been quite a few people who had tried to get into the Crown Prince's group by currying favor with Lücet Rosian.
Rosian, who needed useful pawns to be active in society, knew their intentions but either left them alone or used their psychology to her advantage.
The problem was the Crown Prince. He knew why Rosian was leaving the women around her, but he couldn't stand them approaching him. He refused to allow hyenas, pigs, or mangy dogs into his territory.
So he messed with Rosian's surroundings as if he were testing her. He seduced them with subtle glances and then abandoned them without regret when they were all used up.
Ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred, he did that. When he deliberately pounced on them, there was no room for them to resist. He presented his face, which was so beautiful it was mesmerizing, and begged for love, so they surrendered in less than an hour.
Rosian, who was fed up with it, sincerely tried to stop him, but he snarled and got angry, so there was nothing she could do.
Michael Ayres says with a displeased expression.
"Do we really have to bring her?"
"If she's not a big deal to you, you can just leave her alone."
"You think she'll be my weakness?"
"Mel."
"……?"
"If you ask with that expression, everyone will think like me."
"What kind of expression am I making?"
Despite Michael Ayres's question, Lücet Rosian smiled silently. She felt sorry for and cute at the same time for her friend, who was making a love-struck face and pretending to be innocent as if he didn't know anything. It was amazing that what was hidden inside the solid ice was a sprout of affection that was greener than anything else in the world.
So she advised her friend, who was urging her to speak quickly, in a gentle tone.
"Instead of worrying about that, why don't you think about how to become an affectionate knight? That way, your girl will come to us without being hurt, right? Well, it seems like it'll be possible even if you just smile…"
Of course, Lücet Rosian's words would only be possible if the girl was fascinated by Michael Ayres's appearance and acted as foolishly as the other young ladies.
But since no woman had ever disliked him, she, as well as Michael Ayres, thought that she would not reject the Knight of Ice's courtship.
No, even if she didn't have feelings for him, she would not miss the special opportunity to be admired by everyone.
Since she had just become a noble from a commoner, she was bound to be immersed in fantasies about this world.
But the girl, Sissae de Bishwaltz, was not easy to deal with. When Michael Ayres, who had carefully observed his brother, approached her with affection as a weapon, she built an even stronger iron wall, no, an ice wall. Her indifferent eyes blatantly revealed her feelings of 'Don't come near me, it's annoying.'
When he asked her name, she reluctantly told him, but the basic emotion underlying her was closer to 'doubt' and 'rejection'. Just like Michael Ayres had done to other women.
So he had no choice but to despair. The fact that she kept turning her gaze to the book as if she didn't want to talk to him was no different from saying that he was not in her eyes.
Since he had started to be called the Crown Prince's sword, there had never been such a rejection, so the shock was even greater. It seemed that even the beauty that everyone praised did not work for her.
He didn't know the first thing about romance, but he tried to talk about the book that Cishe de Bishwaltz was reading, but he ended up hearing a subtly sarcastic remark.
The past mistakes of treating women coldly were coming back to tear his heart to pieces.
Unable to bear her attitude of indirectly telling him to disappear, he confessed his feelings openly, but even this did not work.
Her face, staring at him as if she was frightened, was quite painful for Michael Ayres.
He poured out his heart to the point where he didn't even know what he was saying, but Cishe de Bishwaltz's attitude was stubborn. Just like him. Yes, another Michael Ayres, who had been frustrated and fallen out, was standing here.
'Please give me a chance to protect the knight's honor. I don't want others to see your appearance stained with disappointment.'
Had the other party, who had directly faced his venom and coldness, felt this way? Had their hearts ached so much that they couldn't breathe?
More than that, had what he thought was a simple smile grown so much and taken root?
He barely swallowed his frustration and despair and gritted his teeth. His head was spinning and he couldn't bear it. No, he couldn't breathe and felt like he was going to die.
He desperately supported his crumbling legs and managed to say thank you for taking the precious time, but he couldn't hide his trembling hands.
In the past, he had scoffed at Lücet Rosian, who was obsessed with the Crown Prince, and made cynical remarks. He said that he didn't know why she was giving her heart to someone who would eventually fade away, and told her to come to her senses. But now, he didn't know why that thought was hitting him so painfully.
Had his arrogance ever come to him as such a terrible wound as it did today? Looking back, there had never been a time.
Michael Ayres let out a hollow laugh. He clenched his teeth, putting strength into his trembling chin.
Why give a heart that will eventually fade away?
Could there be anything more foolish and cruel than that? The heart doesn't move according to one's will. So he had no choice but to give it. No, he had been robbed of it without realizing it, so he couldn't get it back. But why was he being blamed for giving it?
He bit his lip and staggered away. Strangely, his eyes were hot. His body was cold. His heart was getting hotter as if it was about to melt, but his lips were blue and trembling.
So this was the first rejection he had ever tasted. At this moment, he couldn't be calm, violent, or affectionate. He was just dizzy. It was hard to bear the emotions he couldn't express in words.
He felt like he was going crazy when he thought that he had been eaten up by the emotions that had grown like a snowball without him knowing. His heart was torn to shreds and blood was flowing.
He leaned against the wall of the hallway for a moment and breathed roughly. His toes were crumbling and he didn't know where to step. Everything in front of him was bleak.
When you are rejected by someone you like, you usually show two kinds of reactions. Either you become obsessed with them out of wounded pride, or you fall away helplessly.
Michael Ayres's case was the former, but it was more of a tender and longing feeling than a wounded pride. He felt like he was going to die if he thought he would never be able to talk to her again.
Was that why? The blow he had taken at that time shook Michael Ayres for a very long time. He was often spaced out, and he was making small and big mistakes.
People wondered if the absent-minded Knight of Ice was sick. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to show such a foolish appearance, they whispered.
Even the Crown Prince sneered as if he was dumbfounded.
"I can't forgive my knight for acting like an idiot like this. What the hell is going on? Are you addicted to drugs or something? Tell me, Mel. You're really a moron these days."
That was what Michael Ayres wanted to say. He knew that he was acting strangely, too. But he was just struggling because he didn't know where to start.
But it was strange. Why did a woman who had no intention of talking to him and only rejected him unconditionally touch his heart so much? He had thought about it dozens of times a day, but he couldn't come to a conclusion. No, only regret close to self-blame remained.
Would it have been okay if he had been a gentle person like his brother? If he had been known in society as an affectionate knight, would he not have been ridiculed in that way? Then he wouldn't have been so heartbroken.
Then, he suddenly realized that he had become too lenient with the girl, Sissae de Bishwaltz, and made an astonished expression.
At the same time, he became horrified when he discovered that he was unconsciously observing his brother's every move and imitating him whenever he had dinner at home.
Michael Ayres was waiting for the next meeting with a glimmer of hope, just like the women he hated so much. Even though he himself thought that he really hated clingy women.
'I'm crazy.'
The Knight of Ice covered his pale face with his hands with difficulty.
He knew what kind of behavior she would show him - because he had done it to others - but he was foolishly clinging to her, which was foolish enough to make him laugh. But he looked pathetic for not being able to give up. Emotion was hunger itself, and the sprout of affection was growing greedily and had already reached the tree.
