Charlotte shook her head. “No thank you. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Filiel silently saw Charlotte off. Yui felt her footsteps grow distant.
Just as Yui was hesitating about whether to come out, Filiel suddenly spoke.
“Eavesdropping, Yui?”
“Eeek!” Yui squeaked, her heart leaping in her chest. She raised her face and saw that Filiel was peeking at her from outside the trees. “You noticed?”
“Yeah, midway through. What are you doing there? I thought you were going to shut yourself up in your room.” He took her hand, and she climbed out of the bushes.
“My brother contacted me and told me to get out of my room because the grandmaster got hold of a key and was heading there. As I was running away, I heard footsteps, but when I hid, it wasn’t the grandmaster, but you two...” Yui’s expression was awkward. “So that’s why! I wasn’t trying to listen in! Not on purpose!” She frantically defended herself, though she had been interested in their conversation.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s fine, so calm down,” Filiel said.
For just a brief moment, Yui felt relieved that he trusted her. But then she noticed the mischievous grin on his face. She reflexively took a step back, but he swiftly looped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“So, what’d you think?” he asked.
“Huh...? Think of what?”
“You heard what we were just talking about,” he whispered into her ear. “You know who I was thinking of when I was saying that, right?”
Yui didn’t need to ask—this was about how he’d spoken of her so lovingly in front of Charlotte. That was already enough to throw Yui off-balance, but his lips were practically touching her ear, and his sultry murmurs made the whole thing feel almost like they were a couple sharing a private conversation.
It threw Yui into a flustered panic. “Uh, I, that was... Um!” She was so confused that she didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. She heard someone burst into laughter. After calming down somewhat, she looked at Filiel and saw that he had a hand over his mouth. His shoulders were shaking.
He had been teasing her!
When she noticed that, her gaze turned sharp. “El,” she said admonishingly.
“Ga ha ha, sorry, sorry. I’ll buy you some sweets as an apology, so cheer up.”
Yui paused. “I’m not some kid you can trick with candy.” There was a brief silence that was absolutely in no way due to her slight indecision. “I don’t care about the candy, so can you tell me about the engagement she mentioned?”
“Are you curious?” Filiel asked. He had a nasty look on his face. Still, he seemed to judge that it wouldn’t be a wise decision to worsen Yui’s mood any further, so he answered sincerely. “A little while ago, she and her father, the marquess, came for a visit. My brother told me to entertain her while he and the marquess talked. I was only told later that it was a meeting to decide on my engagement. My father and uncle apparently planned to find me a fiancée in secret. But my father has properly turned down the marquess now.” Filiel was stressing that it wasn’t his idea and making sure Yui wouldn’t be left with any doubts. “I don’t intend to marry anyone but you, Yui.” He said once again what he had said many times, but instead of blushing or growing flustered like she usually did, Yui’s expression clouded over. He examined her, doubt on his face. “What is it?”
Yui paused for a moment. “Why me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m not ladylike in any sense of the word, and I can’t even keep up a smile around others. But I think she would be a perfect princess. And besides her, there are plenty of other girls who’d suit you, El. They’d be a much better choice than troubling yourself with me...” As Yui spoke, her feelings of inadequacy grew even stronger. She wasn’t worthy of Filiel’s attention. As that gloomy feeling slowly took over, her words lost energy.
“You’re unusually self-deprecating today,” Filiel said.
Yui was silent. She did things in her own way and rarely compared herself to others, and it wasn’t often that she spoke in a way that degraded herself. Perhaps she was feeling this was because earlier, they had been talking about her father, who looked down on her for being a Liefe. Rather than seeming jealous, she looked depressed.
Filiel lightly patted her head to console her. “You sure are trouble. You have a villainous guardian and overprotective brothers. I clearly expressed my love for you, but you still didn’t notice it, and when you finally did, you instantly refused on the grounds that you didn’t want to see your father.”
As royalty, Filiel had a wealth of options to choose from, all more beautiful or more advantageous to the royal family than Yui. There were other fit and willing candidates for royalty; there was no need for him to put so much desperate effort into convincing someone who’d said she didn’t want to become a princess.
“And yet, no matter how troublesome you may be, I can’t imagine ever being with anyone else,” Filiel continued. “You’re the only one for me. It isn’t that someone else wouldn’t work—there are other suitable noblewomen out there. But, speaking not as royalty, but as me...I need you, Yui. I don’t need anyone else.” The serious look in his deep green eyes pierced into Yui, and she gulped. “Besides, what about you is worse than Charlotte? You’re stronger and more talented, and you work harder than anyone. And if you weren’t worthy, then my father would’ve objected to you. But he didn’t—actually, he’s cheering me on, so there’s no need for you to be so down on yourself.” Filiel saw Yui’s sad, wavering eyes regain their strength, and he put his hand to her cheek. “Also, I don’t think you’ve realized it, but you express your emotions very clearly.”
Yui’s eyes widened. She was often told that she was unfriendly or that she always had a blank look on her face. This was the first time anyone had said that to her. “How?” she asked reflexively, feeling full of doubt.
“You don’t remember all the times you’ve cried in front of me? When I teased you earlier, you got angry. And you’re always smiling when you’re with me. I’ve never thought that you were unfriendly.”
“I’m showing my emotions on my face that much?” She couldn’t grasp it at all.
“Yeah. You smile, you cry, you get angry—your expressions are constantly changing.”
The reason she was so much more expressive than usual wasn’t just because they were close; it was because he was Filiel. He knew that she trusted him more than anyone, so he hadn’t given up on courting her after only a couple of refusals.
“So you don’t have to worry about it,” Filiel continued. Even if she was as expressionless as a doll, because it was Yui, Filiel wouldn’t mind one bit.
“But that’s only in front of you, right? If I’m a princess, I’ll have to do it around everyone; otherwise, I won’t be fit for the position. What am I supposed to do about that?” Yui asked. Filiel suddenly chuckled, and she looked at him with suspicion. “What?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking—you say you won’t marry me, but you’re already worrying about what might happen after we get married.”
Yui only realized it once he pointed it out. She was imagining a future with him without a single shred of dissonance, and she felt flustered. “I-I just misspoke a bit, that’s all...”
“I’m glad that you’re bringing yourself around to it, I really am. My father will be delighted to hear.”
“El! That isn’t it!”
Despite her fervent denial, Filiel just smiled happily and said, “I get it, I get it.”
He didn’t seem like he got it at all, and Yui tried frantically to explain herself, but he just grinned brightly.