First Meeting
“You intend to judge me in Lux-kun’s place…? And why exactly must I be judged by you?”
“I came here to question you about that. Lux-sama’s behavior was clearly unusual. The moment your name came up, he blushed and looked down. And if something happened between you and him last night, it is only natural to suspect you.”
When Floria said this, Siana spoke in a delighted tone.
“So Lux-kun was acting like that because he was thinking about last night. It was obvious that he was concerned about what happened, but knowing that even after going to school he was still thinking about our night together makes me happy. Just the fact that I’m in Lux-kun’s mind…”
“Third Princess, I am not here to listen to your feelings for Lux-sama. Answer me honestly and tell me what you did to him last night.”
“What I did, hmm.”
Saying this, Siana slowly put some distance between herself and Floria and faced her directly.
Although this meant Floria no longer held the absolute advantage of having her sword at Siana’s neck, she judged there was no problem since she herself had drawn her sword and Siana had not. She remained still and focused on Siana’s next words.
Then Siana spoke.
“Perhaps Lux-kun reacted in a way that made it seem like something huge had happened, so you are likely misunderstanding. But I did not do with Lux-kun what you are imagining.”
After saying this, Siana shifted her gaze to the bed in her private room, then turned her eyes back to Floria.
Floria felt slightly relieved at those words, but Lux had undeniably blushed and spoken words of embarrassment. Even if her original guess was wrong, there was no doubt that Siana had done something to him in another way. Since what Floria had originally suspected was wrong, the possibilities became far too broad to predict. She decided to directly pose her lingering question to Siana once more.
“Then… what happened between Lux-sama and the Third Princess last night?”
When Floria asked this, Siana replied.
“…Last night, Lux-kun and I bathed together.”
“Wha…!? You and Lux-sama… bathed… together?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
While it was true this was not the worst answer Floria had feared, the fact that her beloved Lux had entered a bath with another woman, and moreover with the Third Princess Felisiana, who hid behind a false identity and had blood-stained hands, was something she could never tolerate. Floria turned her agitation into anger and spoke.
“Do you feel no shame in entering a bath with Lux-sama, hiding those blood-stained hands that cannot be washed clean even there, beneath a false guise?”
“I feel no shame at all. On the contrary, I gained the honor of being the first woman to bathe with Lux-kun, and that is a wonderful thing.”
“That is no honor at all, only falsehood.”
“Oh my, are you jealous of me? Of course you are. Wanting to love and be loved by the one you cherish while both of you are without clothing and in your natural form is only natural. But you have no right to that, so give it up.”
At these words, Floria drew her rapier and thrust it toward Siana.
“It is you who should give it up, Third Prin—!?”
Just as Floria was about to say this, her sword was intercepted by a figure who should not have been there a moment ago, a person in a black hood who stepped in front of Siana and blocked it with a dagger.
Then the hooded figure spoke.
“…Ah, it was a non-lethal strike. My deepest apologies.”
Saying this in a woman’s voice, she deflected the force of Floria’s rapier.
Floria lowered her rapier, looked toward the hooded figure, and voiced the question weighing on her mind.
“Just who… are you?”
When she asked this, the hooded figure sheathed her dagger, bowed her head to Floria, then faced her once more and spoke.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, Florence-sama. I cannot reveal my identity, but I wish to speak with you for a short while.”
“You wish to speak… with me?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Floria did not know the identity or purpose of the hooded figure, but deciding to investigate that as well, she sheathed her rapier and accepted the proposal to speak with her.