Delusion
If it is only as a retainer, you would not object to me staying by Lux-kun’s side?
And that would put an end to the conflict?
A peaceful solution?
Hearing those words, Siana removed her white brim and let her hairstyle as Siana fall apart, then reshaped it into the hairstyle of the Third Princess Felisiana and spoke with determination.
“My love for Lux-kun has been greatly underestimated. As the Third Princess of this country and the one who loves Lux-kun more than anyone else, how could I possibly overlook Lux-kun’s engagement to Florence and go on living as his retainer? That path does not exist for me.”
“…”
“If you lack even the resolve to fight for Lux-kun or to stain your hands with blood, then at the very least I can guarantee only this: that Lux-kun will be happy. So, will you step away from him?”
Struck by Siana’s powerful words, Floria closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again and replied.
“I thought that was what the Third Princess would say, but this was the only path I could think of that did not require me to oppose you.”
“There is another path. If you will step away from Lux-kun, then not only will I not oppose you, I would even be willing to grant you favor, given your talent to shoulder this nation’s future.”
“That is still not something I can accept. Even if it is for Lux-sama’s sake, I cannot entrust him to the Third Princess, who does not hesitate to stain her hands with blood. And above all, it is because I love Lux-sama.”
Floria spoke in a voice filled with emotion.
Then, after a brief pause, she continued.
“By the way, Third Princess… earlier, you said something rather intriguing.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was when you said that you love Lux-sama more than anyone else.”
“Do you find that intriguing? I only stated a fact.”
“I would like to disagree… but since we are keeping Lux-sama waiting, perhaps we should leave this conversation for another time and resume preparing the tea.”
“Yes, though even if we have this conversation again, my answer will not change.”
With those words, she put her white brim back on, fixed her hair once more into Siana’s style, and the two of them resumed preparing the tea.
Elizalina’s Side
“Yes! Finally, everything is ready, so now all that’s left is to wait for the day to come~!”
Saying that aloud in her room, Elizalina immediately began imagining Lux, her cheeks flushing red as she murmured.
“Ahh! Just wait for me, Lux! I’ll make you happier than being with Felisiana or Florence, absolutely! Right, even though it’s hard to imagine, I should also think ahead about where to hold the ceremony in case things go smoother than expected!”
As she tried to jot that down on paper, another thought connected to the word “ceremony” floated into Elizalina’s mind.
“Wait, wait, before that, I should also try on wedding dresses, right!? I’ll be appearing as Lux’s bride, so I can’t compromise and have to choose the cutest one! Ah, but for that kind of occasion, maybe beautiful would be better than cute? This is hard! …No, wait! If that’s the case, I also need to think about Lux’s groom outfit! He probably doesn’t know much about these things, so I’ll pick one for him! But Lux is so handsome that anything will suit him, so that’ll just make it even harder to choose~!”
For a while, Elizalina indulged in her happy fantasies alone in her room, but then she remembered there was one more thing she should do, just in case.
“It doesn’t matter if this succeeds or not, but I might as well go do it now~”
Muttering that to herself, Elizalina stood from her chair, left her room, stretched out both arms to relax, and made her way toward the audience chamber.