Unedited
The revised contract was handed to Keran along with a quill. He underlined the sentence I had modified and then tapped the space between sections 3 and 4 with the tip of his quill.
“There are no provisions regarding skinship… I’ll refrain from doing it as much as I can because you probably don’t want to, but I will do it if it’s absolutely necessary.”
“What do you mean when it is absolutely necessary?”
“Like when we need to show off our relationship. I’m asking just in case—have you ever been kissed?”
It seemed to imply that kissing might be included ‘if absolutely necessary’. I knew how Keran kissed, and that made me feel a little hot. I smoothed out some of my hair to cover the side of my cheek.
“It won’t be the first time.”
Keran elegantly lifted the corners of his mouth when I replied in a voice as soft as a pixie’s sneeze. I couldn’t tell if he liked my answer or not.
Suddenly, I wondered how Keran would react if he learned that my first kiss was with his parallel self. And that it wasn’t simply touching lips together and then taking them off. Watching him get flustered would be amusing. Simply reliving the moment, the kiss turned my stomach because it was so intense.
On the other hand, he might just shrug it off. It left a strong impression on me as it was the first kiss in my life, but it was clear that it would not be the case for Keran. If it was his first time, it meant he was truly a genius at it, and he should be proud of it.
The blonde nobleman who sought me out at the women’s dormitory, the plaza, the teleportation circle to Milua, and Dalton Mansion came to mind. I had no idea why he had come all the way to Milua, so I took out the crystal ball and fortune-telling rune card I used when I was in third grade the day before yesterday. When I chanted a spell to reveal Keran’s feelings, the crystal ball cracked and the cards scattered. I was confused as to whether my magic or the requirements were the problem.
The important thing was that the same blonde nobleman was right in front of me now. Now that I think about it, he was the prettiest crystal ball for me. Is there anyone who knows Keran Illestia’s heart better than he himself?
“Hey—”
“What do you mean by ‘maintaining dignity’?”
Unfortunately, I was not given the opportunity to stroke the pretty crystal ball. The moment when I opened my mouth after pondering and the moment when Keran expressed his doubts about Article 2, Section 4, happened almost simultaneously.
Section 4. Both parties shall strive to maintain dignity to avoid tarnishing each other’s reputation as lovers.
Though it was this world’s Ariel who wrote that clause, I understood her thoughts perfectly. Words flowed smoothly, as if they had been prepared in advance.
“It means not neglecting your appearance. As you know, I really like handsome men.”
Then Keran replied with a brief, ‘Ah.’ After that, Article 2, Section 4. was never mentioned again.
Article 3, Section 1, spelled out the astronomical sum he would have to pay me at the end of the contract. As I had realized before, my parallel world self was a very resourceful person.
For the daughter of Viscount Milua, who was only a normal citizen, it was an astronomical sum, enough to leave her astounded. But for the crown prince of Illestia, whose pride was hurt by not being able to pay everything on dates, it seemed like it was nothing. Not even a trace of agitation could be found in his calm demeanor.
At the bottom of the contract was a space for signatures. Keran retrieved an Eternal Oath Troll Quill from the table drawer. It was a horrifying magic weapon that let people who broke their oaths get spanked by little trolls until they felt regret for it. I couldn’t contain my excitement and shouted.
“That’s mine!”
“Not anymore, since it was confiscated. You knew it was prohibited to be used at the academy.”
“Then what about you?”
“The omnipotent student council president?”
Keran elegantly signed in the blank space and handed me the eternal oath troll quill. I pursed my lips and signed my name next to his with a magic tool that was once mine but no longer was. A laurel, symbolizing the troll’s eternal oath, emerged faintly behind the contract.
After many twists and turns, our love contract was completed. Now that there was no turning back, my mind cleared, and I grasped the calamity that had befallen me with greater clarity than ever.
When I looked back on the conversations I had with Keran, it was quite clear why the crown prince of Holy Illestia signed a contract that seemed like a bad prank. The purpose was to provoke the system.
If Florence Belle’s world was the same game as Rosemary Blossom’s world, it would have been completely absurd for a background character to take the place of Keran’s girlfriend. If it were the system I knew, it wouldn’t leave it uncorrected.
However, it was difficult to guess why Ariel Dalton was selected as the partner for the contract. Keran had plenty of people at his disposal he could use without needing a cumbersome contract. Among the Illestia spies stationed at Fitzsimmons, someone would be prettier, smarter, or nicer than me. Perhaps all three could even be satisfied at the same time.
Ariel Dalton’s reputation as an experienced pretend girlfriend probably hadn’t reached across parallel worlds. I didn’t quite understand it, so I tried to ask. The student council room, cluttered with a mountain of documents—mostly requests for permission to bring in prohibited items for the upcoming Joke Month Banquet—was not the right place for idle chatter. I was practically pushed out of the student council room.
“Ariel.”
As I was about to close the half-open door with my heel, my name was suddenly called. The refreshing forest scent enveloped my whole body, and then a large palm came to sweep my back.
“Is this one of those times you mentioned when we need to show off our relationship?”
When I asked hesitantly, Keran burst out laughing in my ear.
“And what would you do now that you knew?”
After laughing so hard that it tickled my ears, he whispered. I awkwardly hugged Keran, and he responded with, “That’s it, that’s right,” like he was comforting a baby, which made me want to die of embarrassment.
***
After the door to the student council room was completely closed and I walked down the hallway, I slapped my forehead when I realized that I had not achieved the purpose of jumping into Lake Fraswell. I wanted to hear from Keran about Jaden’s secret and what happened with Florence Belle.
I couldn’t even reveal that I was ‘Ari’ and not ‘Ariel’. I had been entirely distracted by the love contract.
“Ari!”
After a moment of contemplation, just as I was about to turn back, a familiar voice caught my ear. A red head quickly appeared around the corner.
“Kyle?”
“Disciplinary action again? What did you do this time?”
“What do you mean again?”
Kyle came closer and blatantly stared at the top of my head. I looked at his mouth, which was completely closed, and then raised my head. All I could see was the dust clinging to the folds of the old wizards’ robes carved on the ceiling.
It seemed Kyle saw something entirely different, and whatever it was, it had completely deflated his spirits.
Technically, in Rosemary Blossom’s world, Kyle started to like me in second grade. If the same could be said for Kyle in the parallel world, he is infatuated with me right now.
Maybe that’s why Kyle’s expression was so miserable. There were definitely words written above my head that he could easily misunderstand. The so-called ‘title’ perhaps.
Or he might have witnessed Keran’s ostentatious skinship. Honestly, no matter which way you look at it, it would have been a hug that felt like a financial interest. However, not to brag or anything, Kyle likes me a lot.
Seeing my childhood friend so suddenly downcast made me feel uneasy. However, the most emphasized clause in the love contract with Keran was ‘not to disclose the contents of the contract.’. I did not want to subject poor ‘Ariel’ to the agony of the small trolls’ small clubs hitting her in the buttocks.
I quickly picked up topics that might excite Kyle. Joke Month banquets and gag gift exchanges have always energized Fitzsimmons’ greatest prankster.
“How’s the preparation for Professor Dwyer’s costume coming along?”
Among the documents Keran was reviewing, the vast majority were requests to bring in transformation tools that can make humans look like dwarves. Unlike the crude magic that the students were practicing, shapeshifting potions and magic tools were not something that were easily allowed at the academy due to their potential for misuse and abuse.
Kyle, however, had a knack for getting permission for things that weren’t easily allowed. He’d filled out at least a couple hundred requests. If Keran were to stamp all of them with a disapproval stamp, he was sure to write hundreds more.
And if even those hundreds of copies are rejected, well, somehow the goal will be achieved. Kyle Villard never failed to accomplish a prank he had set his mind to.
“What about you? Are you sure you won’t incur Professor Humphreys’ wrath?”
So Kyle became quite relaxed. He chuckled as he responded. From the way he spoke, it seemed ‘Ariel’ was determined to dress up as Professor Humphreys this year. If a muscular baby with a beard were to appear at the Joke Month banquet, it would certainly be much more interesting to see it accompanied by a middle-aged woman with an attractive ten-inch forehead.
“The professor seems to secretly enjoy it whenever I tease her, so I think it’ll be fine.”
After all, it would be “Ariel,” not “Ari,” attending the Joke Month banquet. I responded appropriately and headed toward the cafeteria. It was because of the Jack-o-lantern toffee sold only in October at the Fitzsimmons snack bar.
It was a toffee that tasted like pumpkin and made your eyes and mouth glow for a moment when you ate it. A snack I love almost as much as slime pudding. Wandering around looking like a devout Stia believer was fun, and I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get to taste them before going back.
I bought two Jack-o’-lantern toffees, ate one myself, and gave one to Kyle. We soon became as sanctimonious as the other students leaving the snack bar.
“What about the gag gift exchange?”
“Its crazy, Kyle. Your eyes are so dazzling when you talk. It’s hilarious.”
“Do you think you’re any different?”
When Kyle pointed at me, his green eyes shone like the lights that decorate Fitzsimmons during the graduation banquet or Professor Chapman’s teeth. I was laughing until I couldn’t breathe, and suddenly it occurred to me that I was really suffocating.
Soon, air began to leak into my throat. It was a sensation so vivid that it was difficult to dismiss it as a mere illusion. As I tried to calm my rapid breathing, a voice echoed inside my ear.
“Ari!”
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