I had no idea what was going through Phil’s head right now. That was when something shiny caught my eye. Curious as to what it was, I reached out and picked it up, but what I saw made the breath catch in my throat.
“H-Hair?”
To my surprise, there was a beautiful and long strand of golden hair resting on his sofa. To my memory, none of the women in House Lawrenson had hair this color or length. Not only that, but I recognized this hair.
“I found another woman’s jewelry and hair in his room, and that was how I found out he was cheating on me! Can you believe his nerve?!”
At the same time, I remembered what Jamie said in the past, after she found out about her lover’s affair. My heart started to pound, and my fingertips grew cold. Phil, of all people, would never do this to me. I knew that in my heart, but I still couldn’t get rid of the alarms ringing in my head.
I was frozen on the sofa, the hair I’d picked up in hand. That was when Phil finally noticed me.
“I’m sorry. I’ll have someone clean that up. It’s probably the princess’s hair.”
“What?”
Why in the world would the princess need to come into this room?
I was at a loss for words, and yet Phil still acted like everything was perfectly fine.
“After we went to the menagerie, she insisted on coming here to spend some time, so I took her here. She ended up falling asleep on the sofa, so that was probably where the hair came from.”
“Wh-Whaaa...?”
“Viola? The tea’s hot, so please be careful.”
I was no longer able to hide my shock. Upon seeing that, Phil tilted his head to the side. Then he placed two teacups onto the table and sat down next to me as if it was a given. He was acting so calm and so brazen about everything that I no longer had any clue as to what was right and what was wrong.
“Is something the matter? Do you feel sick?” Phil asked as I remained silent.
He leaned down to peer into my face, and there was a sincerely worried expression on his face.
I wasn’t all right at all. Not only did he take the princess—just the two of them—to a spot that was perfect for couples, but he also invited her to his room. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t feel right. This seemed beyond the realms of what’s considered professional responsibility.
“Sometimes people cheat without realizing they’re cheating, you know. He didn’t seem to feel guilty at all.”
Once again, Jamie’s words rang through my mind, and my chest began to throb with pain. But even so, there was the chance that this was all just a big misunderstanding. Right when I thought that, Little Vio on my arm suddenly let out a heavy sigh and then she opened her beak.
“I actually really like Luna...”
That was what she said, clear as day, looking right at me as I stared down at her in shock.
I actually really like Luna.
By “Luna,” she must mean “Princess Luna.” And even if Princess Luna came to this room, I doubted that she would say something like that to Little Vio. My heart felt tight, as if something was constricting it, and my entire body felt cold.
I slowly took a deep breath, picked up the cup of milk tea before me, and drained it in one gulp. It wasn’t as if the tea did anything to me. After I placed the tea back down on the saucer, I looked up at Phil.
“Thank you for the tea. I’m going to go home.”
“Viola?”
I picked up my bag and stood up from the couch before saying, “I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
Upon seeing the way I was acting, Phil hurriedly stood up as well.
“What’s the matter? You only just arrived.”
“I’m sorry. I want to be left alone.”
I tightened my hold on my bag and without stopping, I hurriedly walked toward the door.
“Wait! What’s wrong?”
There was a seriously panicked look on Phil’s face. He ran after me and grabbed my arm. In reality, his question was hardly enough to encompass the sheer wrongness of the situation. I felt like I was about to burst into tears. I feared that if I spent any more time with him, I’d say something terrible to his face.
“I apologize if I did something to offend you,” he said.
“Everything you’ve done has offended me.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean. Can you tell me what I did? I’ll make it right.”
He stared at me as if pleading for me to talk to him. I did nothing wrong, and yet seeing that look on his face made me feel guilty.
Why can’t he figure it out? Yes, sometimes, Phil is remarkably slow on the uptake. But this time, he surely has to have some idea as to why I’m acting this way?
“Viola?”
I love you so much, Phil. All this time, I kept thinking about you and worrying about you. And while I was doing that, you were going on dates with the princess and inviting her to your room? That’s a step too far.
“Phil, you idiot! Cheater! You’re terrible!”
“Ch-Cheater? Wait, I think you misunderst—”
“It’s not as if I’m a right match for you anyway.”
“Where did that come from?”
Phil looked perplexed, and the expression on his face told me that he genuinely had no idea what was going on. I was in the same boat. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t want to know.
“I want to cool off for a bit. I would like us to spend some time apart.”
“Some time apart? That’s the last thing I want, please, Viola, wait.”
“I’m sorry.”
Phil looked seriously hurt, and seeing him made my chest clench in sympathy. But even so, I bid him good luck with his work and then left the manor.