“Huh?!” Lucius’s amber eyes widened.
Milly pondered. His facial muscles had to simply be more pliant than hers. “I really envy that.” In an instant, it was as though time itself had stopped.
Barbells, squats... No, maybe pinching my cheeks with clothespins?
In all seriousness, Milly was contemplating ways to train her facial muscles, oblivious to the warmth rising in Lucius’s cheek beneath her touch.
Seconds ticked by. Just as Lucius finally seemed ready to speak...
“Hey! Wait a second!” Suddenly another person came barreling in, yanking Milly’s arm away.
Startled, she turned. Gilbert stood there, panting for breath.
Milly wrenched her arm free, then complained, “That hurt. Anyway, where have you been, Gilbert? I’ve been looking all over.”
“Never mind that!” Gilbert huffed. “Wh-What on earth were you two doing in front of everyone?!”
“What? Just talking. Right, Lucius?”
When Milly tossed the question to him, Lucius, still dazed, hastily raised his head. “What? Oh, uh, yeah. Something like that?”
“Something like that?!” Gilbert exclaimed.
“Oh, stop making this more complicated. Enough already. Let’s go.” Pulling at her childhood friend’s sleeve, Milly let out a weary sigh. “Sorry, Lucius, but I must take my leave.”
“Uh...”
“Thank you for keeping me company. From now on, I’ll be sure to remember your name.” Even if she couldn’t quite call him a friend, she could at least confidently say they were acquaintances now.
Tugging along a grumbling Gilbert, Milly wore a satisfied smile. After parting ways with Lucius, Milly and Gilbert sat down on a quiet bench, away from the crowds of the hall. Here, at least, they could talk without hurry. Milly picked up a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and got straight to the point.
“So then, shall we? It’s about what I mentioned in the letter.”
“Ah, y-yes.”
Whether from nerves or something else, Gilbert’s movements were stiff, awkward. His cheeks even seemed a little flushed, but with Milly crunching through the candy, any semblance of the previous mood vanished.
“Um, s-so you wanted to discuss something with me?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to trouble you in person. I could have been more specific in the letter, but circumstances made that impossible. So, Gilbert, I want you to give me an honest answer.”
“Wh-Why, yes. Certainly.” After a steadying breath, Gilbert’s expression grew taut.
“What exactly is your relationship with Angelina Grey?”
Gilbert froze, his face slowly turning crimson. “L-Lady Grey, the count’s daughter?”
“Yes. Do you know her?”
“Of course I do. W-Wait, don’t tell me that’s the ‘talk’ you wanted to have?” As Milly popped the candy into her mouth and nodded, Gilbert buried his face in his hands and sighed. “I should’ve known. That’s just like you.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, it’s fine. I just let my imagination get carried away. Ah, damn it all.”
Milly was about to ask more when she bit down on the candy, and her eyes lit up. “Gilbert, this is amazing!”
“What?”
“The candy! When you bite it, it fizzes in your mouth!”
“Uh-huh.” She had only wanted to share her delight, but Gilbert’s shoulders slumped. “A-Anyway, about Lady Grey...” he said, returning to her topic of choice.
“Yes, the topic at hand.”
“Why are you even asking about my relationship with her? It’s not like you and she are close.”
“That’s true, but there was something that stirred my curiosity. If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to share.”
“No, nothing like that. Honestly, it’s perfectly ordinary. When we meet at gatherings, we exchange a few words, that’s all.”
Milly puzzled over it. Why, then, had Angelina gone so far as to proclaim she would wed him? In the end, she hadn’t gotten the answers she wanted.
“I see. That’s enough. Thank you.”
“Huh?! W-Wait, that’s really all you came to ask?!”
“Yes. Sorry for taking your time. I’ll see you again at the academy.”
But before she could leave, a figure suddenly leaped out from behind a topiary, bowling Milly over.
“Oh! Prince Gilbert! So this is where you were!”
“Lady Grey.”
It was Angelina Grey, the so-called villainess, the one who had killed her in the previous timeline. Oblivious to the girl she had knocked to the ground behind her, a flushed Angelina smiled bashfully.
“I couldn’t help but run over when I glimpsed you, Your Highness,” said Angelina. “Forgive my lack of decorum.”
“Well, that part was fine.” Gilbert kept darting uneasy glances at Milly, but Angelina seemed blind to her.
Milly rose to her feet and murmured, “Purify.” Dirt vanished from her uniform, but her palm stung. She then saw the blood oozing from a scrape.
Better to just leave.
“Milly, wait!” Milly had turned away to go, but Gilbert’s serious tone stopped her. Angelina finally noticed the object of her hatred and her lips twisted into a scowl.
“Yes? Do you need something?”
“Do I...? Your hand is bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Still, you should have the physician look at it. And as for you, Lady Grey.” He turned to Angelina. “To come charging out like that, knocking someone over—Lady Asteara, no less—and not even offer an apology? That’s not just improper; it’s a complete lack of noble etiquette.”
Angelina flushed scarlet. “M-My deepest apologies. I’ll be more careful from now on.” She bowed perfunctorily and hurried away.
Gilbert sighed. “Being a teenager is no excuse for showing so little courtesy toward the grand duke’s daughter. I offer my deepest apologies.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“You must have been offended. More importantly, how is your hand?”
“Just a scratch.”
Talking with him like this felt nostalgic, even comforting. Gilbert was called the “Perfect Prince” now, but deep within his eyes, Milly still saw the kindness she had known ten years ago.
She smiled faintly. “Gilbert, I’ve made my decision.”
“On what?”
“To join the student council.”
The abrupt declaration made Gilbert blink. “Huh?”
Ten years ago, Milly had had everything. Friends. The courage to try new things. Her mother’s love. That last one was gone now, but surely she could still reclaim the other two.
“The...student council? You, Milly?”
“Yes. The headmaster invited me, so I thought I’d give it a try. After all, I have courage now.”
“I-I’m not certain I follow your logic. I mean, we’re talking about you, here, and you seem to have decided so spontaneously.”
Milly pouted. “What’s wrong with that? Are you against it?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily against it...”
“Good. Then it’s settled.”
“Wait just a moment! The student council is full of people who aren’t anything like you! There’s Ike, the marquis’s son, who’s completely lacking in tact, and Lucius Henrieck, the knight commander’s son, a notorious libertine...”
“I’ll manage.” Cutting him off, Milly lifted her eyes to the sky. “I’m going to change. Staying the way I am now won’t do.”