159 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
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Act 4
The Fourth Piece
Chapter 1: Progress
Michael Ayres said he would take me to the mansion. His wavering eyes were pleading intensely, as if what had just happened wasn't the end of it.
Ah, how could I coldly reject the kindness of someone who was worried about me? After deciding to deceive myself for just one day, the justification to refuse him had already disappeared.
So, I nodded weakly.
"I keep causing you trouble with my foolish actions, Sir. Then, I'll ask you to."
The quick-witted Jack was already running far away, shouting that he would see me next time.
A hollow laugh escaped me at the sight of him running away without even breathing, as if he didn't want to be swayed any further. I should give him some money to keep him from blabbing about today's events.
As my gaze turned to Jack's retreating figure, Michael Ayres spoke as if to reassure me.
"I won't lay a hand on that child."
Then, he added that we should take a carriage. It was consideration for me, who must have been surprised by the unexpected accident. I shook my head, saying it would be better to walk.
"Won't it be difficult for you?"
"No. I'm fine. What about you, Sir Ayres?"
"I'm fine too."
So, we started walking slowly. We were known to the public as lovers, but since we were merely in a relationship of using and being used, the distance between him and me was slightly apart.
It was only a gap of about a finger's width, but somehow it felt unbearably uncomfortable. It felt like a huge wall had been erected.
Was that why? A heavy silence enveloped us.
But that was only for a moment. I opened my mouth and asked him. Now that things had turned out this way, I thought I should at least organize the information I had.
"...How much does His Highness know?"
"He said that Bischwartz Young Lady might meet the Baroness of Flanders."
"Did he say anything else?"
"And that you might be subjected to something like a kidnapping by them."
So, even the Crown Prince didn't know that Beatrice would come to see me.
I quietly turned my head and looked at Sir Ayres' profile. His expression, with his gaze fixed straight ahead, was like a calm lake without a breeze.
The face of a serious, honest, and considerate knight himself. Here was the figure of a pitiful man who helplessly crumbled only before me.
"And?"
"He said you would make a choice as a result of today."
"A choice?"
"Yes."
"What kind of choice?"
"The choice of whether to form a deeper bond, or not."
Ah, so that's what it was. I let out a deep sigh. The Crown Prince probably intended to warn me about the secretly swirling situation by temporarily abandoning me to be kidnapped.
He wanted to test whether I could handle being inevitably caught up in such dangerous things if I stayed with them. And he was also threatening me not to dare think of manipulating Sir Ayres.
But all of this was messed up by the appearance of one pitiful knight walking next to me.
Unless I opened my mouth, he wouldn't know how much I had heard from the Baroness of Flanders, and if I played dumb, I would be giving him a card to mediate between both sides.
Above all, he had realized that his sword, which should prioritize the Crown Prince's orders, was completely in my hands, so he had only lost out in every way.
"How will His Highness act now?"
"He will be angry."
"What next?"
"That will be all. You received a promise that he would suspect but not test you, didn't you?"
I swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out and replied in a quiet voice.
"But he's already broken it several times."
"No, they were just small pranks."
"Pranks?"
I felt like I would be speechless at the absurd words. If the few things I had experienced so far were pranks, I couldn't even imagine the power of a sincere test.
Therefore, I desperately hoped that Michael Ayres had made a slip of the tongue. But he was completely betraying my hopes.
"Perhaps most of them, except for a few, were pranks. If His Highness were to test you with all his heart, even Lüce and I wouldn't be able to withstand it."
After speaking, Michael Ayres gave an awkward smile and swallowed hard. As if he was ashamed of what he was about to say.
"It's probably because I am loyal to Bischwartz Young Lady that this happened."
"...Then, inevitably, he will also be displeased with today's events."
"I swear on my name, there will be absolutely no disadvantage to Bischwartz Young Lady because of today's events. So, don't worry."
A shred of conscience was painfully stabbing my heart. Ah, I really can't stand it.
"That's not right."
I bit my lip and refused the man's devotion for the first time since I met him. Fortunately, I seemed to be still at a level where I could hold my head up and look at the sky.
"No, as I said before, Bischwartz Young Lady, you can use me. That alone is enough."
One-sided affection was heavily pressing down on my whole body. Before, I would have avoided eye contact because it was burdensome, but now it felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because of the progress caused by the shaking.
"What if the relationship between Sir Ayres and His Highness deteriorates because of me?"
"It's okay. That won't happen."
"You always say it's okay, Sir."
"Yes, because it really is okay."
Michael Ayres acted casually as if it was nothing, but it couldn't really be nothing.
A knight who ignores his lord's orders and moves according to his own feelings, who could trust such a person? I'm not stupid, and I don't think I can just gloss over this.
The relationship between the Crown Prince and Michael Ayres must not worsen...
I licked my dry lips and thought quietly. Michael Ayres, who could be said to be the Crown Prince's sword, was nothing less than a symbol of the next emperor's power.
But if a rift were to form because of this incident, it could shake not only the display of power but also the certain future of the Crown Prince becoming emperor.
...What if the Grand Duke becomes emperor? Was there any passage in the Witch's prophecy that hinted at this?
I quickly rummaged through my memories and recalled the words the old woman had uttered.
'Great chaos will come. The sun will lose its light and fall, and the surrounding stars will rise strongly and emit brilliant light. Beware of the moon. The moon and the stars receive light together, so they will not hesitate to shed blood for each other. The giant womb has already served its purpose, but it will release a dog to swallow the dragon, and the dog, originally with stars embedded in its body, will not be afraid to march to the golden castle, and the fate of the blue lion will be decided in the plains where red soil flows.'
Usually, the sun symbolizes the emperor, so I expected that the aging one would soon fall. This was something I would know if I watched the current situation, even if I didn't follow the prophecy.
But I don't know what the surrounding stars mean, or why I should be wary of the moon.
Usually, the sun and the moon are mentioned together, so if I follow the general meaning, it could be said to be the Empress, but I don't know why she, the Crown Prince's mother, is coming out here.
What is the dog to swallow the dragon? There's no way a dog with stars embedded in its body could actually exist. Unless it's some kind of symbol or pattern.
Ah, a pattern?
Come to think of it, doesn't the Empress's family use a dog with stars embedded in it as their seal? No, is this right?
For a moment, my head seemed to ache, so I lightly bit the soft flesh inside my mouth with my teeth. I couldn't bear the current situation, which was so frustrating.
But I couldn't continue thinking because of Sir Ayres' voice, which was speaking as if muttering in a subdued tone.
"Bischwartz Young Lady, all of this is happening because I have you in my heart. If I hadn't conveyed my feelings of affection to you, you would be receiving various educations and preparing for your social debut by now. But you are experiencing all this inconvenience because of me."
He was continuing to speak while fixing his gaze on me. His sharply honed, beautiful face was full of anxiety and nervousness.
A secret obsession and madness to not let me go was also clearly pooling in his shadowed eyes. Only his voice was pouring out his uneasy sincerity.
A bitter smile formed at this cute gap. This is too sweet to be called poison, and too harmful to the body to be called honey.
"So, please resent me instead. Resent my selfishness that I can't let you go, even so."
A heartfelt confession followed. The sensation that swirled through my body as our hands accidentally brushed was making me shrink back.
"You can criticize this base heart that is proud of itself for saving you like a hero. But I can't let you go. No, I can't. Even knowing that you are in danger."
The Sissae de Bishwaltz of the past only forced her feelings on Lustewin Halberd. She tried to irresponsibly pass on only one-sided affection without any sacrifice or compensation. Without even knowing that the other person was getting tired of it.
This is the difference between Michael Ayres and me. The better Sissae was forcing her feelings but was also willing to bear the resulting losses.
As if she had no attachment to the knight's honor, loyalty to his lord, or the peeled-off nobility. She was revealing her ugly inner thoughts without hesitation and rather desperately shouting.
So, how could I turn away? Even though it was an obvious trick, he was making it impossible to even utter words of criticism.
As expected of the Crown Prince's friend, he was very skilled at recklessly pushing forward without considering the consequences. The fact that he doesn't give me various choices is also similar. Perhaps if it were someone else, I would have said that I would do as he wished.
But I had no intention of saying that. If I glossed over it like this, I would be clearly dragged along without any backbone. I had plenty of pity for Michael Ayres, but the issue of control was another matter.
So, I barely swallowed the sigh that was rising again and finally opened my mouth.
"To tell me to resent the person who helped me is too cruel. And to say that you won't let me go while saying that, what could be more selfish? Noble knight, shouldn't you tell me what kind of compensation you want from me first?"
"Yes?"
"How can I express my gratitude?"
It was a way of saying that we should just skip over the Baroness of Flanders's matter. It meant that I would pass on all the resulting anxiety and guilt and focus solely on the fact that he had saved me.
Whether he understood my words or not, he kept his mouth shut and remained silent. His stiff gaze was fixed straight ahead, as if he didn't like this proposal.
Was he afraid that I would leave him because I had cleverly avoided his plea not to let go of his hand?
But that was only for a moment. He opened his mouth carefully with a smile on his face, as if he couldn't help it. Just as I had done to Lustewin Halberd, Michael Ayres also had no choice but to take a step back when it came to my affairs.
In other words, no matter what proposal he made, the benefit would ultimately lean towards me. So, how despicable was this?
Therefore, I was willing to listen to whatever compensation Michael Ayres wanted, as long as it was within an acceptable range.
Kissing the back of my hand, a love letter, or even a hug would be fine. If a public display of our relationship was necessary, I was willing to do so.
"...Then, will you smile for me?"
But I couldn't help but ask back, as I didn't expect him to want such a reward.
"Yes?"
"Please smile brightly at me. That's enough."
Why was he making such a solemn expression when it wasn't difficult to just smile? What was so great about such a trivial thing?
But Michael Ayres was quietly gazing at me with excitement, as if he was waiting for the most precious reward in the world.
And as soon as I gave an awkward smile, his face turned red and he covered the area under his nose with his hand. Not only his cheeks, which were slightly exposed beyond his palm, but also his neck and earlobes were all red.
"Is this really enough?"
"Yes, it's more than enough. It's too much."
It was an emotion I had experienced myself, but affection sometimes exerts a power that allows everything in an incomprehensible place. Even a common pebble, if it is in the hands of someone you love, shines more precious than any jewel in the world.
Perhaps my smile was also one of those things for Michael Ayres.
Otherwise, there was no way he would be acting so happy, as if he wouldn't be resentful even if he died soon, for such an awkward smile that only raised the corners of my mouth. So, I couldn't just laugh at him for being so foolishly innocent.
