As soon as I arrived at the site of the party, someone patted me on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Rex wearing a suit. He looked as extravagant and fashionable as he always did, and I could see people were staring at him. Since there were more people than I’d expected at this soiree, I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find each other. So it was a relief that I was able to meet up with him so soon.
“Vivi, sorry I called you out so suddenly. Thanks for making it.”
“Of course. You seem as busy as ever, but are you doing all right?”
“Not really, but I’ll have more free time soon so I’ll do my best.”
I went around with him to greet the nobles, but all I needed to do was stand there and smile. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to pick up some tips from Rex, who was skilled in the art of conversation.
Eventually, Rex said, “Let’s chat a bit while we rest,” which I nodded to. We moved to stand near the walls of the ballroom.
As soon as we got to a nice and private spot, Rex smiled and said, “So, I hear you had a fight with Phillip?”
I wasn’t surprised. I already expected that Phil told him everything and that Rex would ask me about what happened.
“It’s not really a fight...” I replied.
“Phillip looked like he was about to die. Watching him even made me feel bad.”
“I see...” My chest clenched upon hearing that.
“So, why did you think that Phillip was cheating on you?”
Rex’s voice was so gentle, as if he was trying to soothe an upset child. Hearing him talk like that made me want to cry a little bit. I balled up my hands in tight fists and took a second to sort out my thoughts, then I opened my mouth.
“I heard rumors about Phil and the princess.”
“Rumors? What kind?”
“That they’re really close, that they hold hands, and that they hug each other.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Not only that, but I heard that the two of them—just the two of them—went out together and then Phil invited her to his room afterward.”
“Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Her Highness was really happy about that.”
Rex nodded like he wasn’t surprised to hear that and I was lost for words, staring at him in shock. Maybe I was just an extremely petty person, and what Phil did was within the realm of reason for most people?
Uh, no, a man with a fiancée shouldn’t be doing that kind of stuff. That’s highly inappropriate. I mustn’t let him persuade me like this.
“And then?” Rex prompted.
“I heard Little Vio say that she liked the princess, so...”
“I knew that for all he pretends he doesn’t care, Phillip likes to dote on the princess.”
“Dote on?”
“Dote on” seemed a rather impolite way to describe how one would treat a princess. It wasn’t like Rex to be so disrespectful. “For all he pretends he doesn’t care” was also an odd thing to say. Rex was smiling a little, and it was clear that he was happy about something.
“So, what about him cheating on you?”
“Er, I just finished talking about him cheating on me.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Rex stared at me with such confusion that I felt perplexed as well. He usually goofed off a lot, but he was actually someone with a lot of common sense. Since he was reacting with such shock, I started to worry that I really was just making a big deal out of nothing.
“Am I just being petty? Is this within the realm of reason?”
“Petty? Realm of reason? Sorry, wait a second.” Rex pressed a finger upon his brow and started to think. After a few minutes he said, “Let me get this straight. So, Viola, you’re feeling jealous over Phillip and the princess?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded enthusiastically and in response, Rex’s ice-blue eyes widened as if he was surprised. His reaction made me wonder if I was really being that weird, and I shifted uncomfortably.
“Is it really so strange?” I asked.
“No, well, I think it’s perfectly fine... I was just surprised that you liked Phillip so much.”
“Well, of course I do.”
“I see, I see. It’s kind of cute that you’re jealous of a girl that small. But I have to say, I feel pretty bad for Phillip that you think he’s cheating over something like this and spending time away from him.”
“Hmm?”
“A girl that small,” “think he’s cheating,” “I feel pretty bad for Phillip.”
I couldn’t help but feel like there was something off about Rex’s words. The princess I met the other day looked like she was about my age, in fact, she was even taller than me by a little bit. “A girl that small” didn’t feel like an apt descriptor for her.
Despite my clear confusion, Rex looked a little exasperated as he continued, “I’m telling you, Phillip has no interest in little girls.”
“L-Little girls?”
Where did that come from?
Clearly we were on two entirely different wavelengths, so I raised my hand to tell Rex to wait a second.
“I don’t think we’re having the same conversation at all,” I said.
“Huh? Aren’t we talking about Princess Adele?”
“Princess Adele?”
I’d never heard that name before. Like I figured, we weren’t talking about the same thing.
“I’m talking about Princess Luna,” I said. “Is there another princess?”
“Huh?” Uncharacteristically, Rex sounded like he was taken aback and then he murmured, “Don’t tell me... Ahh, all right, I see what’s going on here.”
He nodded as if he was convinced of something before he continued, “Is this a thing that happens to normal people? I guess if this misunderstanding was gonna happen to anyone, it’d happen to Phillip.” Then, he started to guffaw as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “He was so sad that even I felt bad for him. Well, I feel bad for you too, Viola.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. As I stared at him, unable to comprehend, Rex reached out and messed up my hair.
“Viola, I think you’ve greatly misunderstood something.”
“Misunderstood something?”
Just what did I misunderstand?
More importantly, I was curious as to who Princess Adele was. As I waited for Rex to continue, I heard the sound of a familiar voice.
“Rex, here you...are...”
I looked over to the direction of the voice and saw Phil. It’d been two weeks since I last saw him, and he froze the moment our eyes met. I didn’t think that he would also show up in a place like this.
I glanced over at Rex and he said, “Took you long enough.”
It seemed that Rex knew in advance that Phil would be here. Now that I thought about it, tonight’s invitation was far too sudden. I could guess that Rex invited me to try to make me talk to Phil.
“Viola,” Phil said, saying my name like a prayer as he walked straight toward us.
The breath hitched in my throat and I lowered my head. I didn’t know what to say, all I could do was look away.
“I want to talk to you. Alone,” Phil continued.
“I...”
Unlike the other day, I couldn’t run away. Phil reached out and grabbed my arm in a tight hold, preventing me from moving. I looked up at him and saw a hint of sadness behind his blank expression.
“Rex, I’m going to be gone for a little bit,” he said.
“All right. Take your time and talk things out. I’m pretty sure that it’s all just a big misunderstanding and some miscommunication. Do your best.”
Rex waved his hand at us and smiled. Phil tugged my arm and, unable to fight against his strength, I followed him out of the ballroom.