Leia pretending to be close with Ares in front of me was unpleasant to witness, but I wasn’t angered by Ares revealing his closeness with Leia. I suppose I just had to accept it. It was strange. While I felt jealousy towards Leia, towards Ares, it was not jealousy but rather a sense of sadness. Was it because I loved him? I couldn’t find any resentment towards him.
So, even after hearing Ares’ response, I could still smile.
“As expected, Leia is kind. She wanted to come and see me, but I had to decline due to being unwell.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, thanks to her.”
Having finished the tea, the cup was now empty. My thoughts were organized, and unexpectedly, meeting Ares as well meant that I had no reason to stay here any longer.
“I should be going now. You were planning to head to the wine bar, right?”
“Ah… yes. I did plan to go to the wine bar, but it seems there’s no need now.”
“?”
Whether he found my expression amusing or not, he responded with a deep smile.
“Next time, when you’ve recovered a bit more, I hope we can go to the wine bar together.”
Well, this is another unexpected turn. However, mimicking Ares’ manner of not probing further, I decided not to ask more.
Ares offered to drop me home again this time, but as the sun hadn’t set yet, I politely declined his suggestion. I wasn’t the type to shamelessly accept his kindness when I hadn’t given him a proper answer yet. Despite the fact that I hadn’t provided a clear response to him, I wasn’t audacious enough to accept his generosity.
As I was about to leave the tea house, a sudden thought crossed my mind, causing me to pause. While I believed Ares wouldn’t enjoy a date with Lea during the cherry blossom festival, what if I actively intervened in the story’s important “pillar,” as suggested by the “author”? She did encourage me to put up a good fight, right?
So, what if I took the initiative and asked Ares out on a date during the cherry blossom festival?
If I could eliminate any chance of him being with Lea by doing so, wouldn’t that be better?
The thought of being able to remove the pillar of the novel filled me with a momentary burst of courage.
Impressive, Bianca! What a determination to live!
“Um, Ares?”
“Speak, Bianca.”
Ares, who seemed a bit disheartened by my refusal, responded to my question.
“If it’s okay with you, would you consider going to the cherry blossom festival together in a few days?”
I blurted out the date proposal without hesitation!
Oh my goodness! I asked him out! I did it without trembling!
After confessing to Ares, the embarrassment of pretending to be brave flooded over me like a tide. I couldn’t help but bow my head deeply. Oh no, it feels like blood is rushing to my face!
As I lowered my head, Ares’s polished shoes appeared in my view with a subtle clicking sound. I had no idea what expression he wore; I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face due to the overwhelming embarrassment.
Ares approached me and gently held my limp right hand. I unconsciously followed my gaze along my fingers. At the end of my line of sight, Ares, more radiant and beautifully smiling than any smile I had seen before, held my hand and lightly pressed his lips onto the back of it.
“Anytime. I’ll come to pick you up on that day.”
Huh? Did I succeed?
As I stared at him with a bewildered expression, Ares softly chuckled, his beautiful face shining.
“Bianca, I’m still waiting for your response to my confession, but…”
His golden-brown eyes softened, radiating warmth.
“Just, if I confess once more, I don’t know how lovely you look right now.”
I must have had a foolish expression, even without checking in a mirror.
Argh! Why is Ares Stanley so effortlessly capable of saying such embarrassing things? Why do I have to bear the embarrassment!
I truly felt my face flush with embarrassment and hastily withdrew my right hand from Ares’s grasp. I mumbled a brief farewell and practically rolled down the stairs of the tea house’s second floor. With a red-hot face, I fanned myself continuously and briskly headed towards the area where the public carriage was.
Still, I was relieved that Ares didn’t awkwardly reject my invitation. That’s karma for you. I wondered how disappointed he might have been when I declined his offer to take me home in the carriage.
Even after returning home, I couldn’t quite calm down. Despite my age, I found myself unable to sit still like an excited child.
It was still several days until the cherry blossom festival, but I couldn’t help but think about it. Then, all of a sudden, as I thought about Leia Saturanos, my chest, which had been excitedly pounding, instantly cooled.
In the original novel, Lea realizes her feelings for Ares while enjoying the festival with him. It hinted that her heart was already filled with emotions for him, even though she might not be fully aware of it. I may not know the exact nature of those feelings, but that’s the gist of it.
I hope Lea doesn’t notice the full extent of her emotions. That might be a bit too much to ask.
Honestly, my true wish is for Leia not to be jealous but to support Ares and me. However, that might be wishful thinking on my part. Even though I know Ares and Lea are already set as the main couple in the novel, it’s still hard for me to express my blessings to Lea.
Yeah, the main couple. Ares and Lea.
Even if I were to enjoy a date with Ares during this cherry blossom festival, this world will move according to the author’s plan for Ares and Lea, the main couple. It would take an immense effort to change that, and even with my efforts, I might not succeed in the end.
Hehehe. Love can be so painfully difficult.
But if that’s what it takes to shatter the ‘pillar’ in this novel, to completely change the ending, then I’m willing to do anything.
With excitement and tension, I eagerly awaited the day of the festival.
＊ ＊ ＊
A few days before the cherry blossom festival, as part of social activities, I set out to meet Metis at her salon. It was an opportunity to declare my complete recovery from the recent illness and, at the same time, alleviate Metis’s concerns.
I don’t know how the author depicted this season in the novel, but I’m truly grateful for creating such a beautiful setting. Along the streets, cherry blossom trees were lining up, ready to shower the ground with petals before fully blooming. Some eager trees had already blossomed, standing awkwardly alone.
Passing through the pink-drenched streets, I pushed open the door to the salon. Inside, Metis Nereid was elegantly reading a book at a table.
“Metis.”
“Oh, Bianca! Is your health fully recovered? I was really worried after receiving your letter.”
“I haven’t been that sick in a while. Anyway, I’m fine now.”
“Whew. By the way, everyone in this salon probably knows you were unwell, especially after the letter.”
Huh? What does she mean by that?
I never wanted the fact that I was lying down groaning to be widely known. What about the dignified image of a strong woman that I had cultivated with sweat and effort all this time!
When I let out my frustration, Metis spoke, sticking out her tongue.
“I warned you a bit late, but it was after Lea Saturanos made a fuss in the salon and went around the town. She said she’s so worried that Bianca Uranos is refusing visits, as if she’s too sick.”
“Ugh….”
I haven’t even met the teacher who wrote my introduction yet!
I felt my face contort without even having time for facial expressions.
Metis continued speaking.
“Anyway, if I get a bit nosy today, please understand. But still, everyone will say a word of concern, so bear with it.”
“…Yeah. I guess I have to.”
Leia Saturanos probably didn’t act with malice. But would she really know that causing trouble without malice is the scariest action? As Metis predicted, everyone who entered the salon asked me with great concern, saying things like, ‘Are you feeling better?’ ‘You’ve lost a lot of weight,’ ‘What happened to make you suffer so much,’ and so on. Each time, I had to diligently repeat the rehearsed words like a parrot while making an effort to keep a smiling face and not ruin it.
Wow, this is really labor-intensive as it is.
Around the time when the facial muscles were gradually succumbing to paralysis, the door of the salon opened quietly, and someone walked in. Without taking my eyes off the book, I sighed at the sound of the door opening.
The start of repeated greetings again. Oh well.
At that moment, a person’s shadow fell over the sofa where I was seated.
“Bianca.”
The owner of that voice has never been so welcome.
“Ares.”
A genuine, unadorned smile involuntarily appeared on my face. Ares was truly dazzling today as well.
“You came to the salon today. The last time we met at the tea house, you still didn’t look well.”
Ares said it with concern.
At that time, it was right after meeting the ‘author,’ so maybe my complexion wasn’t that great.
I replied as I casually brewed tea.
“I had something urgent at that time, so I went out hastily. I’m fine now. Did you keep visiting the salon?”
He then smiled warmly and nodded.
“I thought you might be here.”
Ugh! I can feel my face heating up again!
Was I such an easily swayed woman? Where did all the efforts for my poker face go? This is the most urgent moment for it!
Unlike my scattered self, Ares calmly savored the tea I had prepared with serene movements. Just as I was trying to compose myself and engage in a normal conversation with Ares, the sound of the salon door opening reached my ears.
“Oh, Ares! Bianca! Everyone is here!”
Ah! The one shamelessly shouting loudly to make the entire salon echo was undoubtedly Lea Saturanos!
My face instantly wrinkled, and Ares stiffened up.
Lea rushed over to the sofa where Ares and I were. I made a fleeting eye gesture towards Metis, who was sitting far away, but she seemed to give up and shook her head in resignation.
I patiently said this as I waited for Lea to sit on the sofa.
“Lea, there’s no need to call me so loudly from the entrance. It can be disturbing for others who are having conversations.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just so excited to see Bianca after a long time…!”
Lea apologized with clasped hands, seemingly genuinely sorry. What more could I be annoyed about? I didn’t want to be the only unforgiving person here.
So, I added just one more sentence.
“Did you happen to take the introduction letter I wrote to him before?”
“Um… I’m sorry, not yet…”
Ares had been silently listening to Lea and me converse. His expression was hidden as he sipped his tea, holding the teacup.
“Please make sure to go as soon as possible. He is so famous and busy that it’s challenging to schedule a meeting.”
“I will.”
Her response was as perfect as that of a well-behaved child.
Hehe, quite the rival. Come on, Lea Saturanos, let’s have a showdown.
