Hostility
Floria’s Side
“Violet-san…”
Violet, with whom Floria had finally begun to build a friendly relationship, now stood before her as an enemy. That weighed heavily on Floria’s heart.
However, for Lux’s sake, she couldn’t allow a life to be taken unjustly, so she couldn’t back down.
“If we let the Third Princess pass like this, that man will have his life taken by her… Violet-sama, are you truly fine with that?”
“Right now I’m not acting based on concepts like right or wrong… I’m acting as Ojou-sama wishes.”
“As the Third Princess wishes, you say…”
Hearing Violet’s words brought something to Floria’s mind, and she spoke.
“You said before that long ago, when the Third Princess reached out her hand to you, Violet-sama took that hand… and that’s why you couldn’t take mine.”
“Yes.”
“…Perhaps the Third Princess and Violet-sama misunderstand, so allow me to say this. I don’t deny every act of taking a life.”
To take someone’s life gladly… that wasn’t the case. Yet within noble society, Floria accepted that such acts could sometimes be necessary.
“There are times when problems cannot be solved without taking a life.”
However, she continued.
“But for the act of taking a life to arise out of feelings for Lux-sama…”
A contradiction arose. Because they cared for kind Lux, they chose actions opposite to his kindness. And it wasn’t a small contradiction, but a massive one involving taking a life.
“That alone is something I can never overlook.”
“I see… I understand well what you mean, Florence-sama.”
“Then—”
“But,”
Violet cut off Floria’s words and continued.
“I cannot allow you to pass any farther, Florence-sama.”
“V-Violet-sama…”
Unlike Felisiana, Violet showed understanding of her reasoning. To stand opposed to such a person was painful… even so.
“In that case, I’m sorry, Violet-sama, but I’ll force my way through if I must.”
Floria spoke firmly as she raised her rapier toward Violet. Violet nodded and replied.
“Yes… there’s no need to hold back. Please come at me with full strength.”
“I intended to from the start.”
Simply facing Violet made it clear she wasn’t someone Floria could defeat with restraint.
Floria kicked off the ground and closed the distance to Violet, who stood blocking her path, then began to attack with her rapier.
Felisiana’s Side
Felisiana walked slowly as she followed the man who had run deeper into the alley.
The man kept running and even looked relieved as he glanced back to see the distance widening between them… but.
“W-what…!?”
At the end of the alley was not an exit leading back to the streets… but simply a dead end.
The man looked shocked at the wall before him. Felisiana spoke coldly, almost in exasperation.
“I brought you here intending to take your life. Why would I choose a place with an escape route… To think someone who can’t even consider something that simple dared to interfere with Lux-kun.”
Saying that, Felisiana drew her sword from its sheath.
Hearing the voice and the sound, the man turned around, face pale, thrusting out both hands in panic.
“W-wait! D-do you really think taking my life will be permitted…”
“It will be permitted.”
Felisiana answered coldly, not slowing her steps. A sword was already held in her hand.
The man continued to beg for his life, but Felisiana never stopped walking.
“T-that’s right! There’s a party soon hosted only for dukes’ families! I’ll find you a better man there than some count’s son—”
When she reached him, Felisiana’s eyes went vacant in response to his words, and she mercilessly cut him down.
Then, toward the man who now lay dead, she spoke in a mechanical voice.
“Someone who can’t even understand Lux-kun’s charm and dares to obstruct him… a person like that has no reason to live.”
She said it without emotion, then returned the sword to its sheath.
Turning her back to the corpse, she began walking to return to Lux as quickly as possible.
In the quiet alley, the pleasant sound of her footsteps echoed each time she stepped forward.