“B-But he’s the sort of man whom women and children find frightening. They cry when he tries to talk to them.”
“Yes, but you never know. There are women in this world who fall under the blissful illusion that they’re the only ones in the world who know the true face of their man, who is usually so fearsome.” Charlotte paused. “Well, this advice is mostly from books I’ve read.”
She might be right!
Cecily understood what Charlotte was saying. She had wondered why no one else had noticed Zeke’s kindness, but in her heart, this special treatment towards her had made her feel a sense of superiority. Maybe Charlotte was right—maybe she was blinded to the truth by her own arrogance. The shock of this caused Cecily to slide off the sofa and fall to the ground there and then.
“Wh-Whoa, Cecily! Are you okay?”
She couldn’t stand up.
So Zeke and that woman... They must be...
“Listen, Cecily. It would be faster to just ask him directly. I mean, he’s not that far away.”
Charlotte wasn’t even bothering to hide that she knew this was about Cecily and Zeke.
Cecily glanced up in an instant and grabbed Charlotte’s dress.
“C-Can we go together? I’m scared to go on my own.”
“No! Why do I need to come?”
“I thought we were best friends.”
“Huh?”
Best friends?!
Those two words struck Charlotte’s heart.
Stifled by her overprotecting upbringing, she had never had anyone close enough to her to call a friend. The loins were all loins; her maids were simply maids. Being of royal birth, Charlotte was forced to draw a line between herself and everyone she met.
Thus, Cecily’s words were the sweetest thing she could ever hear. She was, simply put, happy. That happiness momentarily drove away the fear of heading to the wyverns’ grounds with all its loins.
“If you insist, then I suppose I must help. I-I suppose I could head over with you. I am your best friend, after all,” Charlotte said with a little huff.
“Oh, Lady Charlotte!”
Cecily clasped her waist and held her tight. Charlotte grabbed Cecily’s hands, which were shaking like a baby deer might, and they both headed to the Celestial Knight Brigade dormitory.
It was now evening. Cecily had spent hours lost in her sighing, so it had become rather late, and the knights were finishing up their daily duties.
“Lady Charlotte, I’m scared. Really scared.”
“It’s okay, Cecily. Relax a little, okay?”
Cecily simply let out a little moan. Her teeth were chattering. As Charlotte pulled her along, she felt more like Cecily’s older sister despite being the youngest in her family. She was full of fighting spirit at having someone rely upon her for the first time in her life. She even thought she could face the scary loins that awaited them.
“Look, Cecily, a group of loins.”
Cecily raised her head at Charlotte’s words.
The sun had set, so the wyverns were all back in their stables. Finished with their duties, the knights were gathering in front of the dormitory. And in the middle of them was Zeke. Since he had started dating Cecily, his hard exterior had softened somewhat, so his fellow knights could now approach him without fear.
“Come on, let’s go talk to him, Cecily. Huh, Cecily?”
Cecily was on the ground, completely still as if her feet were pinned down. She lowered her head in shame at Charlotte’s quizzical expression.
“Lady Charlotte, I’m heading back.”
“Huh?”
Charlotte thought she’d misheard Cecily. But in the next moment, Cecily let go of Charlotte’s hand. It was when she had turned on her heel that Charlotte realized what Cecily had said and how serious she was.
“Hey, wait, Cecily! Don’t leave me in this sea of loins!”
Cecily couldn’t hear Charlotte’s panicked voice. She whispered to herself.
“A coward...”
But it wasn’t Zeke or Nora that she was berating as she ran away.
“I’m a coward.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
What would she gain from talking to Zeke now, anyway? He was entranced by the effects of the love potion. If Cecily asked him about Nora when he was like this, there was no chance he would say he loved Nora, or that she was his true lover. Rather, most likely, he would say that he thought nothing of her. Or that she had once been his lover, but now he didn’t care for her. The love potion would cause him to speak coldly and cruelly of her for Cecily’s sake.
Cecily had been about to force Zeke to say something he didn’t feel just to allay her own worries. She was ashamed of herself. She was embarrassed, pathetic—she couldn’t meet with Zeke like this.
“I knew this from the start.” Her tears hit the ground, darkening it where they fell. “I knew that Zeke shouldn’t be with me.”
Not because she was a witch—there were many who didn’t discriminate against witches. But Cecily had betrayed all the trust Zeke had given her, and crossed a line she should never have crossed.
When Zeke had first drunk the love potion, she should have explained the situation to someone. If she had said it was an accident, that she hadn’t intended for him to drink it, then Charlotte and Maria would surely have understood and helped her.
But now it was all too late.
Cecily roughly swiped at the tears that dampened her cheeks.
She had no time for sadness. There was a lot she needed to do.
“I need to make an antidote for the love potion.”
She needed to return Zeke to his real lover.
With this thought in her heart, Cecily put a lid on her own feelings.