She had no time to think. Taking out an object from its hiding place, she hurled it at him with all her might.
Please don’t miss!
And it didn’t—it struck Yuri’s head.
The object she had thrown was a magic water stone.
Before it could fall to the ground, he caught it with one hand. After examining it, he slowly lifted his head. A vein pulsed at his temples.
“……Hey!”
Uh-oh, he’s angry!
“I-I’m sorry! I was planning to give it to your undine as a token of friendship the next time we met!”
“Don’t go around currying favor with other people’s spirits.”
“Oh, there’s no need to be so strict!”
Though he remained calm, he was angry enough to frighten her. As she backed away, she realized that her body was free, and she could speak. She looked around and saw the frost that had covered everything in sight was gone.
When her eyes met his again, she could tell he was still irate, but that glacial chill was gone. She let out a long breath.
Thank goodness.
Released from their chilly imprisonment, the other students scattered. Most of them were watching Yuri with fear.
Some bad rumors could come from this. After all, he had manifested his incredibly powerful magic and nearly hurt innocent people in the process. Frustrating as it was, Brigitte knew she’d have a hard time preventing people from talking—even though he had gotten angry in the first place only to protect her.
“Miss Selmin.”
Brigitte figured the least she could do was talk to Lisa, who hadn’t budged even after the spell was broken. Lisa looked at Brigitte, and the hatred in her eyes seemed to have only grown stronger.
Undeterred, Brigitte kept talking. “I feel very relieved to have spoken to you today.”
“…? Why?”
“Prince Joseph told me he likes stupid girls.”
Lisa stared at her, uncomprehending.
Well then, I’ll make it easier for her, Brigitte thought, smiling. “I’m relieved to see his taste hasn’t changed.”
“…!”
Incensed all over again, Lisa took in a breath for another tirade against Brigitte. But then, she must have realized she was at a disadvantage because she only said, “…Remember this day, Brigitte Meidell!”
With that, she squared her shoulders and strode away.
“My, my, how rude!” Brigitte sighed, widening her eyes theatrically as she watched Lisa go.
Yuri walked up to her. “I always knew you were mean,” he said.
“You’re one to talk.” Brigitte looked up at him. “…Thank you for protecting me, Sir Yuri.”
She bowed her head low.
If Lisa had said much more, Brigitte was sure she would have broken down in tears. Even knowing that was what Lisa wanted, she doubted she would have been able to stay strong.
I hate how weak I am…
Her dejected expression didn’t stop Yuri from being his usual self. “I didn’t intend to protect you.”
“…I suppose you didn’t. But I was still happy.”
He glanced at her, arms crossed. “…About what?”
“I think anyone would be happy if an acquaintance worried for them.”
“…Then go ahead and think of it like that.”
He’s so irritating!
Somehow, though, she was getting used to his abrasiveness.
“Anyway…what was that all about?” she asked, lowering her voice.
He frowned. “…Can’t say. Lately she’s been like that all the time,” he muttered testily.
“But to change the subject—,” Brigitte began.
“You don’t care?” he interrupted.
She blinked. She thought he was talking about Lisa’s aggression toward him, but apparently something else was on his mind.
“That girl…Miss Selmin…she’s your rival in love, isn’t she? I saw you watching that time.”
“!”
So he noticed me!
Even after all this time, it was embarrassing to admit. But she had something more important to ask him.
“What do you mean, my rival in love?”
“…?” He seemed puzzled. “You like him, don’t you? The Third Prince?”
“Oh… Yes, I did care for him.”
They had been engaged since they were children, and he had been her only friend when everyone else treated her cruelly. But now that he’d ended their engagement, she saw their relationship a bit more objectively.
I mean, it isn’t really right to tell your fiancée you like stupid girls or tell her to wear pink dresses and heavy makeup and pretend to be dumb…is it?
She didn’t know why Joseph had done such things. But she guessed that he’d disliked her from the start, or at least from early in their relationship.
I should have noticed that sooner.
“I haven’t been thinking much about His Highness lately.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. I mean, I’m always thinking about you.”
…Oops.
Did she just say that? She’d gotten so swept up in the conversation, she might have just made a major blunder. She began frantically waving both hands.
“…O-of course I mean I’m always thinking about my competition with you. You know that, right?”
“…!”
“We tied for first place on the written test…but we’re not in the same class, so we couldn’t compete on the spiritology assignment! I’ve been so focused on winning the next round—that’s all I meant, because there’s no other reason for me to think about you!”
But the more she talked, the more it sounded like she was either lying or making excuses. Heat flooded her cheeks, and there was no way she could stop it.
To make matters worse, Yuri was saying nothing. Growing even more flustered and flushed, Brigitte kept spluttering out flimsy excuses.
“…Ha!” Yuri finally blurted, as if he couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Calm down, you silly girl.” His eyes were twinkling a little.
“…!!”
She blinked at him, but no sensible words came out. He covered his mouth with a fist and laughed.
I…don’t think I’m jealous of him…
That couldn’t explain the way she felt about him. It was much warmer than that, but it also ached, and it meant much, much more to her than jealousy. She had never felt this way about anyone before.
I think I…
“I am not a silly girl!”
She looked down, her face burning.
“…I know.” His voice was so impossibly kind, she couldn’t say another word.
“…Hey! Hey, I’m still frozen! Listen to me, Yuri!”
Behind them, a familiar voice was shouting, but Brigitte’s heart was much too full for her to hear it.