Interlude 1
Elena and Byleth were chatting closely, creating a space where no one else could intrude.
Meanwhile, Aria of the Duke’s family continued her conversation with her friend Luna.
The topic of their discussion was about the pair in their peripheral vision.
“Hey Luna, those two aren’t dating, right…?”
“Not as far as I know,”
“I see… They seem so comfortable with each other, I couldn’t help but wonder…”
(That’s definitely a couple’s distance! It’s weird if they’re not dating…)
Aria thought to herself, keeping her true feelings hidden behind her polite facade.
“Given their atmosphere, it’s understandable to think that way,”
“So he must think of her as someone special,”
“Indeed, he seems to be that kind of person,”
Luna said, her eyes narrowing slightly with pride, showing no sign of embarrassment.
“If you say so, Luna, I have no choice but to believe it,”
(How nice, I’m jealous… They’ve both found someone they want as a partner…)
Although she hadn’t given it much thought before, Aria understood well enough.
She knew that someday, she would have to get engaged.
Of course, there might be cases where she’d have to marry without knowing much about her fiancé.
And when she got engaged, she wouldn’t be able to show her true self – to avoid tarnishing the Duke’s name or her reputation as the “Beautiful Songstress.”
(Ugh… I wonder if I could find someone too… Someone who would forgive me when I act spoiled like Sonya does, who wouldn’t get angry even if I’m lazy, who wouldn’t mind if I stay in bed all day, who wouldn’t get mad if I try to sleep with them…)
Aria’s hope was for an “overly tolerant” man.
Someone who wouldn’t tell anyone about her true self, though she knew this was an impossible request she had already given up on.
The Aria that everyone wanted and admired was the elegant and graceful “Beautiful Songstress.”
Breaking that flawless image would cause trouble for her family.
Feeling a clear difference between her friend who might soon find her greatest happiness and herself who definitely wouldn’t, Aria spoke:
“It’s only a matter of time before they get together.”
“I think it depends on when Elena san makes her move. No man would refuse her invitation. She’s beautiful, kind, and has status… It’s all so enviable,”
“My, my, you’ve changed so much in the short time I haven’t seen you. Didn’t you used to think that as long as you could read, that was enough?”
“I was forced to change… Because of him, I’ve become greedy beyond my means,”
Aria glanced at Luna, trying to gauge her reaction.
She saw Luna’s lips curled up slightly in a happy expression.
(She’s so… wow…)
It was clear that Luna was more invested in Byleth than in her beloved books.
“Can I ask you something? Is Byleth really that charming? I don’t have much interaction with him, so…”
“If you can’t quite grasp it, why don’t you attend school and see for yourself, Aria? I heard from someone that ‘you have days when you could go to school, but you always make excuses not to go,'”
“Well, that’s because I need to manage my condition…”
“I suppose that’s something only you would know,”
“Yes, indeed.”
Aria knew that only her personal maid, Sonya, would know such details.
She mentally decided to punish Sonya for sharing this information by forcing her to sleep together tonight.
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“This is just my personal opinion, but his good qualities are most visible when he’s being his true self,”
“When he’s being his true self…? That’s unusual,”
Aria remarked, This is especially true for Aria, who usually pretends to be herself.
her pink eyes widening in surprise.
Just then, a crisp voice interrupted their conversation.
“Excuse me for interrupting your chat, Lady Aria, Lady Luna.”
Luna immediately bowed her head upon recognizing the newcomer.
“It’s been a while, Sonya. Don’t mind me,” Luna said.
“It has indeed been a while, Lady Luna. Thank you,” Sonya replied.
“…What is it, Sonya?” Aria asked.
“Yes. I wanted to suggest that you take a break for about thirty minutes, including time for warming up your voice for the upcoming performance. What do you think?”
“I’m not particularly tired, so I don’t need a thirty-minute break, but—”
Aria began, her eyes sparkling at the mention of a break despite her words.
“—I’d like to warm up thoroughly, so I suppose I should step away for a while,”
“Understood. I’ll relay that message. I apologize for interrupting. If you’ll excuse me—”
“—Sonya, since there’s still time, why don’t you join our conversation? It’s a rare opportunity, isn’t it?”
“If Lady Luna doesn’t mind,”
“I have no reason to refuse,”
Luna nods her head in affirmation without pause.
When Aria goes to school, Luna and Sonya also see each other every time.
The three of them continued their conversation, with Aria bringing up a topic that had been on her mind.
“Hey, Sonya. I saw something unusual earlier. You were having quite a long one-on-one conversation with someone.”
“With Byleth sama, you mean?”
“Yes. Luna, you were curious too, weren’t you?”
“I am interested in what impression you had of him,”
Luna led on because Aria herself was curious.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for sounding ordinary, but he was a very likable person. He didn’t become arrogant even when praised, and in a good way, he wasn’t like a typical noble,”
“…You praise him that much?”
Coming from Sonya, who had seen many people and could discern even hidden motives and ill intentions,
calling someone “unlike a typical noble” was the highest praise.
“It’s unusual for you too, Lady Aria. Bringing up a conversation about a man,”
“Well, he’s the object of someone’s affection,”
“!”
Sonya tried to counter, but Aria skillfully deflected and changed the subject.
“Is that so? Lady Luna, about Byleth sama…”
“If I were to have feelings for him… would you find that strange, Sonya?” L
“I would support you. I feel he’s a wonderful person,”
“…I see,”
Luna mumbled, lowering her face as if not wanting her expression to be seen, her voice barely audible.
It was the first time Aria had seen the usually calm and collected Luna so flustered.
(So this is how much love can change a person…)
It was particularly shocking because Luna had always considered books to be her only love.
Aria felt even more envious of something she didn’t have herself –
having a man she could trust and open her heart to.
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