“…Stella, do you really want to marry me?” Claudio asked.
“Of course.”
Ophelia jolted so hard that she leapt in her chair. Stella’s true answer was clear. Gian, still splayed out on the table, sighed again. Claudio had his arms folded, and his head tipped back to look up at the ceiling.
Stella’s eyes flashed with anger as she took in their strange behavior. “What is up with all of you?! You’ve been acting very strange this whole time! …In any case, you need to scurry back to the Architectural Institute right away. I will ask Father to see to it that you’re transferred immediately. You’re nothing but an eyesore!”
Stella raised the arm that held her fan over her head. Gian and Claudio reacted simultaneously to grab Stella’s arm, sparks flying when their sharp gazes met. Some small part of Ophelia, who’d reflexively covered her head with trembling arms and shrunk down to make herself as small a target as possible, took this exchange as proof that the two old friends really were as close as she’d suspected.
“Lady Ophelia, you’ve been shaking nonstop this whole time. Is there something you want to say?” Stella shook off the hands restraining her and looked down at Ophelia coldly. It wasn’t as if Ophelia was shaking on purpose, and she didn’t know what Stella’s objective was in asking this, so she didn’t know how to respond.
I don’t know! I really don’t know! I don’t understand anything. What do you want from me?!
Even Stella seemed alarmed by the way Ophelia suddenly clutched her head as if on the verge of a breakdown.
“H-Hey, are you okay? You have some kind of condition after all, don’t you?”
“This isn’t an illness; she’s just prone to emotionally unstable and suspicious behavior. Don’t mind her,” Claudio said.
“E-Emotionally unstable and suspicious…? What…?!”
“I told you not to worry about it.” With a heavy sigh, Claudio stretched out his left arm across the table. “Oi, Ophelia. Grab on.”
“Why?”
“This conversation is going nowhere while you’re like that. Hold on to me.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Ophelia reluctantly grasped Claudio’s proffered arm, and finally her shaking stopped. Without meaning to, she let out a sigh of relief.
Stella frowned deeply and tilted her head to the side, clearly puzzled, as she sank silently down into her chair again.
“Ophelia, you’ve sat by quietly while all sorts of things were being said to you, but don’t you have anything you’d like to say in return?” Claudio prompted.
“Huh? Me? Um, not in particular…”
“Your legs are shaking. There must be something you want to say.”
“Urk…” Ophelia peeked timidly up at Stella and saw the other woman draw her pinched lips out in an intimidating smile.
“Go on, then. You may speak.”
“Um, Lady Stella… Wh-Wh-Why are you lying like this?”
“…!”
“Lady Stella, you… You don’t strike me as the type of person to speak harshly to others….”
A shocked expression flashed across Stella’s face for a moment before she schooled her features into a calm mask and straightened her spine. “I’m not lying. Your behavior was simply too distasteful to tolerate, so I felt the need to correct you.”
“But, um…”
Ophelia squeezed Claudio’s arm with hands that had once again started trembling. Claudio scrutinized Ophelia’s hands for a long moment before flicking his gaze over to Stella.
“Stella, I’m going to ask you again. Do you want to marry me?”
“It’s not a matter of what I want or don’t want. I am your fiancée, as approved by His Majesty the King.”
“Answer the question. Do you or do you not want to marry me?”
With a beautiful and entirely fake smile that any young noblewoman would be proud of, Stella responded, “Of course I want to marry you.” Ophelia’s shoulders jerked violently.
“Very well. Then if you’re so opposed to her, I’ll send Ophelia back to the Architectural Institute at once. With that, this conversation is over.”
“Yes, that’s fine with me.”
The entire time Stella was looking down at her victoriously with her arms crossed, Ophelia couldn’t stop trembling.
“It must’ve been quite a nuisance for you, too, Lord Claudio, having someone like this persistently sticking to you. It’s good that you’re getting rid of her now before any damage can befall your good name.”
“Ohh…”
“I see, so you were worried about my good name being sullied, is that it?”
“Yes. Even if for just a moment, it’s unacceptable for any untoward rumors to spread regarding you, Lord Claudio.”
“Oh, ohh…”
Stella glared fiercely at Ophelia, who had her eyes squeezed shut and was fighting to control her body’s shaking.
“I’m talking about you, you know! Are you even listening?! What have you been making those weird moaning sounds for since earlier?!”
“Eek! I’m sorry!”
“Please stop, Lady Meucci. That’s just how she is,” Gian piped up, gently interrupting Stella’s tirade.
With a glance at Stella, who was muttering under her breath something along the lines of “Nobody’s that weird!” Claudio spoke up.
“Stella, I have no particular desire to be married. I can have the engagement dissolved at any time. You don’t need to worry about the king. So how about you start being honest with me?”
“What are you talking about?!”
“You don’t want to marry me, do you?”
“Why are you putting this off on me?!”
“Why? You go out of your way to try to anger me. All you have to do is say the words. Tell me you don’t want to marry me.”
“‘I don’t want to get married…’? That’s not something I…” Stella’s lips trembled, and her face grew gradually paler.
“Surrounding yourself with an entourage of simpering gossips, causing scenes in public places, and blatantly harassing Ophelia… You can’t pretend that’s not all for a bigger purpose.”
“…Those things are all just a coincidence.”
“Who do you take me for? …Do you seriously believe I would say this without any proof?”
“…!”
Stella let out a gasp and pressed her hands over her mouth, prompting Gian, who was now propping his head up on his hand, elbow resting on the table, to speak.
“This isn’t an interrogation, you know, Claudio.”
Claudio, who’d conspicuously fallen silent, cleared his throat pointedly.
Stella remained with her hands covering her mouth, looking down at her feet.
The heavy, unpleasant silence continued until Ophelia, unable to bear it any longer, squeezed Claudio’s arm tightly.
“Ow…”
“Lady Stella! The director may be twice… er, make that three times as prickly as other people, but he’s not a bad person! I’m sure he’ll understand if you just explain things to him.”
“Wait, wait, Ophelia, what do you mean ‘three times as prickly’…” Claudio asked in a low voice, raising just one eyebrow at Ophelia’s very specific metaphor.
After a long moment of indecision, Stella focused on Ophelia, a beseeching look in her eyes. “I… I…” Stella spoke with her hands still covering her mouth. “I wish to break the engagement with Lord Claudio.”
A single, silent tear spilled down Stella’s beautiful cheek.
“You want to break the engagement rather than dissolve it?”
Stella nodded in confirmation, causing another tear to fall.
No one said anything. Stella covered her face with both hands, and the only sound in the small room was the rustling of her clothes as she bent forward, almost curling into a ball in her seat.