Dream
Siana’s Side
Having watched Lux and Floria’s dance to its end, Siana found herself accompanying them to the carriage waiting in front of the Florence ducal estate.
“Florence-san, thank you so much for today as well! I had such a wonderful time!”
“The pleasure was mine. Thank you truly for allowing me to spend such an enjoyable evening.”
As Lux and Floria exchanged words of gratitude, Floria turned her gaze from Lux to Siana and spoke.
“Siana-san, what did you think of Lux-sama and my dance?”
On the surface, it was a perfectly ordinary question. Nothing seemed out of place. And yet, Siana felt a surge of anger rise within her at Floria’s words.
She knows full well I didn’t want to see her dancing with Lux-kun, and yet she’s actually asking me what I thought of it? Is she seriously trying to mock me?
Though those were her true feelings, Siana responded without showing even a hint of her inner turmoil, careful not to make Lux suspicious.
“I thought both Master and Florence-sama danced beautifully.”
“R-Really?”
Lux asked this with a faintly embarrassed expression, prompting Siana to nod and answer with a smile.
“Yes! It was a truly wonderful dance!”
Hearing that, Lux looked at Siana and murmured shyly, “Th-Thanks, Siana.”
Lux-kun… He’s blushing from the compliment… He’s so pure, so cool, so adorable… so dear to me.
Compared to that,
“Thank you, Siana-san… Perhaps it’s precisely because you were watching so kindly that Lux-sama and I were able to give such a performance.”
Saying things she clearly doesn’t believe… Florence knows better than anyone that there’s no way I was watching their dance with any sense of goodwill. She’s such a spiteful woman.
“That’s right… I didn’t want to look pathetic in front of Siana either, so maybe that helped me dance better than usual!”
Lux-kun…! You could never be pathetic! To me, you’ll always be the most precious boy, no matter what!
That was what Siana truly believed. However, she couldn’t convey those feelings to Lux as love. Instead, she kept her smile and spoke purely as a maid of the Count Rodwell family and as Lux’s loyal maid.
“There is no such thing as Master being pathetic. To me, Master is always someone I deeply respect!”
“Siana…”
Watching this exchange, Floria paused for a moment before speaking.
“Well then, Lux-sama, once again, thank you very much for today… Let’s meet again at the noble academy.”
“Yes! See you again at the academy!”
After saying farewell to Lux, Floria turned to address Siana.
“Siana-san… let us meet again as well.”
“Yes, see you again!”
From Lux’s point of view, there was nothing unusual about the exchange between the two women. At that very moment, however,
Their eyes met, and within them, a silent message passed between them.
I will never give Lux-kun up.
I will never yield Lux-sama to anyone.
That quiet confrontation marked the end of their parting, and Lux and Siana departed the Florence ducal estate to return to the Count Rodwell mansion.
Elizalina’s Side
Ever since she had met Lux, Elizalina hadn’t been able to get him out of her head.
Every day, she thought about him while awake, and when asleep, he appeared in her dreams… That was how much Lux had taken root in her heart, like a prince out of a fairy tale.
“I know boys like that aren’t supposed to exist…”
And yet, if it’s Lux… she couldn’t help but believe, maybe, just maybe…
Even so, Elizalina knew she couldn’t go on dreaming about Lux forever.
“Tomorrow… I’ll go into town, and if I happen to see Lux there, I’ll show him what I look like and end this dream. And if I don’t run into him, then it means we had no connection, and I’ll just forget all about him!”
Repeating those words to herself, Elizalina drifted off to sleep. That night, too, Lux appeared once more in her dreams.