“Don’t live on the edge like that. You’ll get an upset stomach!” She’d manifested that strawberry for him to enjoy—not to give him a stomachache. Sighing, she muttered, “Seriously, eat this one too. Eat it right now. You’ve got me worried!”
“Yes, yes.” Accepting the strawberry, Luke nibbled at it, but then he stilled and intently inspected the fruit. “There’s something inside. It’s a stone… No, a jewel.”
“Whaaat?!” Wondering what in the world was going on, Amelia peered at the strawberry in Luke’s hand. Just like he said, something akin to a sparkling jewel was within the fruit.
“There are shining, pale red inclusions that resemble seeds within the crystal,” he observed. “This is probably…strawberry quartz?”
It was the first time Amelia had ever heard that term, but her eyes lit up at the extremely familiar word. “You can seriously always count on strawberries. I’ve always thought they can do anything, but I honestly didn’t expect them to even summon jewels.”
“Sometimes, I really don’t know where you get your blind faith in strawberries from,” Luke said with a hint of exasperation before schooling his face into a solemn one. “Have you ever created any jewels before?”
Amelia gave it a think, but as far as she could remember, she’d only manifested ordinary strawberries in the past. The only change had been the strawberry sweets and drinks after she’d recovered her memories of Japan.
“It’s likely the first time,” she concluded.
“I see.” He pulled out the gem from the strawberry. “Could I have this?”
Within the clear crystal, something pastel red glimmered. It was captivating. It lived up to its cute name of strawberry quartz.
“Go ahead.” She nodded. “It’s a part of the strawberry I gave you.”
“Thanks.” Taking out his handkerchief, Luke wrapped the strawberry quartz in it and placed it in his pocket. “Now then. Considering what you’ve told me about our future, there are two big problems ahead of us.”
Amelia sat up straight and stared squarely into Luke’s eyes.
“The first is whether the routes are enforced in some way,” he said with a solemn expression. “The second is the cause of the time loops.” Seeing Amelia nod in response, a small smile played at the corners of his lips. “I’m doting on you because I have affection for you. But you’ve witnessed the compulsion of the plot with your own eyes, yes?”
Amelia hummed thoughtfully. “During the first loop with the viscount’s son, he seemed like he was madly in love with Prisca. Her second target, the knight commander’s son, didn’t seem to be that smitten with her, though, and the third target, the high priest’s son, wasn’t too enthusiastic. In fact, with her fourth target, the minister’s son, he looked repulsed by her, but she clung to him.”
Now that she had listed it out, it almost felt as if the affection of Prisca’s targets was decreasing step by step compared to the beginning.
With a frown, she concluded, “But ultimately, even the people who were reluctant proposed to her.”
“Did she do something to them?”
“She seemed to lean her face close to them, but I couldn’t really see what she was doing.”
They’d been physically intimate to the point of maybe exchanging a kiss or two, but Amelia hadn’t seen anything for certain except that Prisca and her target had been close.
Luke analyzed the information she’d given him. “Even by the king’s birthday celebration, which is the key event where the timelines reset, some people didn’t display romantic affection toward the fifth princess. The influence of the plot, evidently, isn’t that strong. In contrast, if she approaches her target at that venue and takes some kind of action, they will fall for her without fail, at least from what you’ve seen so far. It looks like that’s the point we should be careful about.”
His logic was sound. In a couple of cases, her past love interests hadn’t expressed any romantic liking for Prisca until the very last minute. Furthermore, if the level of affection was diminishing with each timeline reset, there was a very real possibility that the compelling force of the routes was waning in tandem.
Amelia caught a glimpse of hope, even if a tiny one. Her heart lightened a tad.
Luke continued to theorize. “If that’s all there is to it, it’s simple. We only have to promptly marry before the year ends, but the second issue is the real challenge. Assuming that the cause of the loops and their power source is the fifth princess, she might reset the timeline again if we marry each other.”
Prisca had said that Luke was going to be the last one, but Amelia didn’t know whether she meant it in the sense that it was the last time Prisca could reset the timeline or if she was going to choose to make it the last time loop. In the latter case, there was a possibility that Prisca could reset the timeline again if she put her mind to it.
Luke gazed earnestly at her. “No matter how many times the timeline resets, it doesn’t change my affection for you, Amelia. But there’s no guarantee that I’d be able to express my feelings successfully to you like this time. Unless we pin down the cause and seal it away once and for all, time might repeat over and over again with no end in sight.”
“Yeah.” Amelia hesitated. “Since she mentioned you’re the last one, I think Prisca intends to marry you for real, Luke.”
“While ignoring what I want and feel, yes.”
Prisca was also a princess—and from what Amelia could remember, soon to be a Saint. On top of that, her looks easily qualified for the label of “stunning maiden,” but Luke’s attitude toward her was brusque. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this world revolved around Prisca, but Luke had chosen Amelia over her. That fact lit up a gentle, cozy hearth within Amelia’s heart.
Luke nodded. “We should proactively attend the evening parties from now on. Naturally, I’ll accompany you as your partner. The fourth consort and the fifth princess make appearances in such gatherings without exception, meaning that we can monitor them.” He narrowed his eyes. “You mustn’t do anything reckless on your own, Amelia.”
Amelia just happened to be thinking about whether she could sneak into the Fourth Palace when he said that, and her shoulders jumped. She replied with a stiff nod.
He must have inferred that she’d been up to no good, because he languidly stroked her head with a wry smile. Just that simple action was enough to send her over the moon—she couldn’t describe how amazed she was at this man.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “I’m sure that everything will turn out well. The strawberry princess is backing me up, after all.”
She tilted her head. “…What are you even talking about?”
“The strawberry princess—an enchanting princess with glistening silver hair and strawberry eyes. Remember the evening party you attended with me a while ago? Those who took the rumor that you’re sickly and disgraceful at face value must have gotten a shock. After all, the rumored fourth princess is, in truth, a dazzlingly beautiful young maiden.”
Luke’s praise delighted her, but she still felt he was laying it on thick. “You…somehow look like you’re having fun.”
“But of course. Anyone in my shoes would want to show off an adorable fiancé like you, Amelia.”
Seeing his sweet smile, Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. “They would? You don’t have to flatter me like that, Luke. Just receiving your compliments makes me more than overjoyed.”
“Now that’s ridiculous. You are cute. You’re cuter than anyone in the world. You’re my precious strawberry princess.” With a smile, he picked up Amelia’s hand and pressed his lips against it in one fluid motion. “Let’s do this together.”
“Eep!” Even though he’d kissed her hand countless times by now, she still couldn’t get used to it, and a yelp slipped out on its own.
Embarrassed and remorseful, she looked up at Luke to see that his golden eyes were softened with contentment. Ugh, sheesh! He’s so handsome, like always! I love him to bits!
Clenching her jaw and forcing down her overflowing affection, Amelia let out a small exhale.
🍓🍓🍓