“Is something the matter?”
Glen peered in concern at Emma, who suddenly stopped in her tracks. She desperately wanted to act like nothing was wrong so he wouldn’t notice. Except her voice remained stubbornly frozen, refusing to cooperate. The rest of her felt wooden too.
“Annette.”
Emma’s fiancé said her closest friend’s name in a tone so deeply, softly, and intimately that it echoed inside her head. She idly tried to recall if he had ever addressed her like that. The thought was so far from normal that she might as well have been thinking about a stranger. Unable to bear it, Emma clapped her hands over her ears, shutting out their voices. Her action and the presence of the two enjoying their secret rendezvous combined to enlighten Glen on the situation.
“Right… Come this way for now.”
He placed his hand on her back and gently urged her to walk some distance away.
“Thank you…very…much.”
But the shock was so great that Emma could barely stutter her gratitude. That was Lord Bernard and Annette just now, wasn’t it? This means they’re… Her head spun. Though she understood what she had encountered, she couldn’t accept the truth.
“Miss Emma… I think it’s perfectly normal for you to be angry right now. Like you were earlier in town.”
Both Glen’s words and tone of voice were reasonable. They pierced through the panic overwhelming her mind and returned her to a much-needed measure of calm. For some strange reason, Emma felt reassured.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just feign ignorance.”
“Why?”
Why, he asks… His matter-of-fact question threw her for a loop as she struggled to pull together the scraps of her tattered pride.
“We were originally just childhood friends. As I mentioned earlier in the carriage, the engagement was merely a reward from the country for my services as a time traveler. So…if Lord Bernard has found someone he truly loves, who am I to stand in his way?”
“Bah, you hide behind logic and pretty words. But let’s suppose what you say is true. There is still no reason to justify or accept his lack of sincerity and fidelity to you.”
Emma tilted her head at him thoughtfully. Though he had been calm and amicable until a moment ago, the passion now coloring his voice surprised her.
“Lord Glen. It is not unusual for a man to take a second wife or keep a mistress. All the more so for a betrothal arranged by our parents and the monarchy…”
“Frankly, that’s the one thing about Reauxvil that baffles me. I truly, truly do not see the meaning in such a custom. In my country, we love and hold dear only one person until the day we die.”
Oh! His words were so blunt, Emma gasped mentally. She almost mistook his passionate speech for a confession of love for her. As if such a thing would ever happen! While she battled her confusion, Glen continued.
“Then… Are you telling me you plan to marry him without ever confronting him about this?”
“I…won’t deny my anger. Yet I have no other choice. My family worries excessively about my future once my time magic runs out. My marriage to him will put their minds at ease, once and for all. And that is enough for me.”
“I’m not convinced. I neither accept nor approve of your decision.”
She would have thought he was personally involved because he was so incensed. Seeing him behave like that on her behalf satisfied her in a way she couldn’t describe. That was perhaps why she unintentionally spilled out the truth in her heart.
“I-I… When I was a child, I wanted to be a lady’s maid. The one who took care of me was smart, knowledgeable, strong, and so incredible that I was always in awe of her. I gave up on my dream when I learned of my time affinity… I’m not sure how to explain it, but ever since then, I’ve learned how to be happy within the confines granted to me. At least this is what my mindset is now.”
“In short, you’re saying there’s no other fate in store for you, so your only lot in life is to accept it without fuss?”
“I am. Besides, traveling to the past is forbidden. I’ve never once thought of doing so, but… Today, for the first time in my life, I did. I fantasized for just one day. One day back in time would be enough for me to avoid hearing them. But what’s done is done and can’t be undone. I can’t erase my memory either, hm?”
Emma smiled wryly. Yet Glen gazed enigmatically down at her.
“…Fine then. I understand.”
Something in his tone struck her as unnatural, so she returned his stare, trying to decipher his meaning. His face remained impassive, giving her no clues.
“Although…”
“Although?”
“Although I would very much like to dump a pitcher of water over Lord Bernard’s head, as I find myself extremely aggravated.”
Wanting to mend the oppressive atmosphere, she forced a laugh.
“Consider it done.”
“I’m joking! I’m joking.”
Glen started chanting a spell, dead set on doing her bidding. Emma rushed to stop him in a panic. Once she calmed him down, they tacitly resumed their journey to the school building. Both pretended nothing of note had occurred. Back inside the reference materials room, they put away the magical goods they’d purchased.
“I enjoyed myself today. Thank you for showing me around the town. I can assure you I won’t forget today,” he said.
“Oh…? Well, I had fun too, Lord Glen. I only wish for your sake that it had been normal, where all we did was clean up and run an errand together. Dramatics aside, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I think we might be great friends, don’t you?”
“Hm… Perhaps.”
Glen smiled, his eyes narrowing in thought. Once again, his uniquely powerful aura shimmered in the air as those mysterious purple orbs glittered softly down at her. At that moment, she found him terribly attractive, especially after his fiery but logical speech.
I… I’m so glad it was him by my side when I discovered those two. The thought rose unbidden in her mind, though she couldn’t deny it was true.
“I’ll be taking my leave now, Lord Glen.”
“Of course. Take care.”
✦ ✦ ✦
🍵🍵🍵
AFTER he and Emma went their separate ways, Glen turned his right hand over, and the symbol for infinity appeared. And just as Emma had wished, he turned back time one day. When the day happened again, his advanced preparations affirmed that Annette wouldn’t make a mess of the reference room, which meant Emma didn’t need to clean up or go to the faculty lounge. It turned out to be a perfectly normal, uneventful day. Since he had the opportunity, Glen also made sure a mysterious waterfall almost drowned Bernard before he could invite Annette to meet him after school.
Of course, that meant Emma and Glen didn’t go on their shopping excursion. He went alone into town and rescued the little girl himself. The days, months, and years passed by, and they graduated from the Magic Academy, without ever exchanging a single word.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍵🍵🍵
LATER, when Glen learned of the canceled engagement, he regretted his actions because they led to even more pain for her. That was why he had his next thought. I want her to live her life as she truly pleases. How long did it take for the truth to open her eyes? If my calculations are correct, approximately two years have passed since the day we went shopping.
Glen knew he’d been the only one privileged to see that side of Emma during the day they spent together. She had looked so beautiful and dignified when she spoke of accepting her fate, dreadful though it had seemed to him. He thought she was truly majestic.
But this isn’t something I can tell her without a by-your-leave. It would only confuse and hurt her again. I would have liked to avoid the debacle at the dinner party as well… Except it was necessary so she could understand that she isn’t a doll to be arranged at others’ whims.
The day before his second summer recess began, Glen ruminated over precious memories only he had.