Chapter 61:
Enzhe’s sweet voice was calmer than ever. Her black eyes were fixed solely on Fritz. And then, she said something that even Sue hadn’t expected.
“Marry me.”
“……….”
The entire ballroom was stunned by the sudden proposal.
Marriage. She had clearly said “marriage”.
Of course, all the students knew about their fight, but this was the first time they had publicly acknowledged it. As Sue watched in confusion, Fritz gently placed his hand on Enzhe’s shoulder.
He seemed troubled by the passionate public proposal, suppressing a sigh. He said awkwardly,
“We’re only sixteen.”
“We’re old enough.”
Enzhe replied immediately.
Sixteen. It might be considered young in the ‘modern world’, but in this world, it was old enough for marriage proposals, especially for the children of grand dukes. Perhaps they had been engaged since birth.
“We’re… going to get married. It’s decided. We promised, didn’t we?”
“…That’s not it.”
Enzhe held his hand on her shoulder, her voice laced with a hint of despair.
“Shina, do you hate me?”
“Of course not. I don’t hate you. I like you.”
He was clearly omitting the phrase “but not romantically”.
Was this consideration? If it was, she didn’t need it. Enzhe probably knew that too. But she didn’t press him further or try to get him to confirm his love. She blinked slowly.
“I understand, Shina.”
“Enzhe.”
After a long, drawn-out fight, it was Fritz who finally offered a truce.
“I’m sorry for avoiding you. But I need time. If we give it time… we’ll eventually get married, as promised.”
“Time…”
“Yes. Our promise…”
Enzhe covered his mouth with her hand. It was a silent sign that she didn’t want to hear it. And it was clearly a gesture for the people around them. By covering his mouth, she was accepting his proposal.
“…Right. Time will solve everything, won’t it?”
Fritz nodded reluctantly.
The gears continued to spin, seemingly interlocked, yet not quite meshing.
A month. And now. Enzhe’s eyes finally regained their spark. And then, Enzhe Lopetrefer, with the most beautiful face in the world, smiled the sweetest smile.
“Alright. Yes. For now, it’s good.”
Her black eyes, which had been vacant for a month, finally regained their shine, like clear, black glass beads. Fritz smiled faintly, seeing her smile. They looked like a couple destined to be married, no matter how anyone saw it. Many of the students in the audience were clapping. The ones who weren’t clapping were probably the ones who knew Enzhe.
With this grand event, Enzhe had solidified her hold on Fritz and made everyone else think about their relationship more seriously. No matter what anyone thought, Fritz’s partner was now Enzhe Lopetrefer. Enzhe had made it that way.
Enzhe was painting a picture on a blank canvas, a picture of their happiness. They looked happy in the picture. It would be nice if it ended with “And they lived happily ever after.” But the clock continued to tick, oblivious.
Sue, as the masked emcee on the stage, clapped her hands.
And then she winced as the lights came back on.
Acrea’s ‘good idea’. It was both a gesture of support for his friends and a form of revenge.
The gears continued to grind, misaligned, and the script no longer had any lines for her.
***
“Thank you for your hard work, Lady Byron.”
The maid who had assisted Sue approached her as she was catching her breath, leaning against the side door. Sue just nodded, not answering.
“Master Acrea said ‘thank you’.”
“Yes… I see.”
Sue replied listlessly.
He’s such a cheapskate, not even showing his face after I did such a great job for him. Well, maybe he’s busy cleaning up after Fritz and Enzhe’s grand performance. But it wasn’t something she cared about.
“I’ll be going then.”
“Yes. May everlasting glory be upon the empire.”
The maid bowed her head respectfully as Sue turned the doorknob.
As expected, the ballroom was buzzing with talk of Fritz and Enzhe’s marriage. “I can’t believe they’re getting married!”, “It’s about time, considering they’ve been engaged for five years.”, “That was the most interesting event of the National Founding Festival!” Everywhere she went, it was all about Fritz and Enzhe.
But the protagonists of the event were nowhere to be seen. She didn’t know if they had gone somewhere together, or if one of them had disappeared.
‘Whatever. I don’t care about them anymore.’
What did she care about a psychopathic couple?
Enzhe, Fritz, Acrea.
The grand duke trio, who only brought her anxiety and sighs, were nowhere to be seen. All Sue had to do now was enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted.
She quietly joined a group of people and picked up a wine glass from the table. Of course, it wasn’t filled with alcohol, but with the finest grape juice.
There were still people dancing in the ballroom, but Sue no longer had the energy to dance.
As she was sipping her grape juice, enjoying the atmosphere of the ball, someone tapped her shoulder.
“Um… Marie.”
She turned around and saw a girl wearing a familiar mask and dress. It was Tegasa, the girl she had talked to before the ball started. She was clutching her mask with both hands, her body trembling with excitement. Sue smiled, happy to see her, and adjusted her mask.
“We talked earlier, right? Tegasa.”
“Yes! Yes! Nice to see you again, Marie!”
Tegasa nodded vigorously, as if grateful that Sue had remembered her. Then, she said in a trembling voice,
“Marie, you were the one who was on the stage earlier, right?”
She couldn’t see her face behind the mask, but she didn’t seem calm. Sue didn’t think it was something she had to hide, so she nodded, looking at the girl who was nervously holding her mask.
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
The girl suddenly grabbed Sue’s hand. Her face was so close that Sue instinctively leaned back. Her eyes were sparkling behind the mask.
“Marie, are Master Fritz and Lady Lopetrefer really getting married? Does the Fairy of Love really exist? Or did you summon it? Who are you?!”
The girl’s body leaned closer and closer towards Sue. Sue had to lean further and further back. She felt a strong grip on her hand. Sue, losing her balance, hurriedly placed her glass on the table.
“Haha… It’s all… God’s blessing…!”
“God’s blessing…!”
Sue had just mumbled something vaguely, but Tegasa nodded vigorously, as if she had just had an epiphany.
She believes it.
I’m relieved. It was a good thing she was a naive noble girl. She couldn’t just reveal confidential information to anyone. But the girl, her questions answered, was still excited and didn’t leave Sue’s side. Sue felt strangely elated by her endless praise. Tegasa scratched her cheek shyly and said,
“Lady Lopetrefer is the perfect match for Master Fritz! I used to admire him, but… it’s fine!”
Tegasa’s words, as she reminisced about the past, were unfortunately wrong. Fritz had never felt any romantic feelings for Lopetrefer, and he never would. But Sue just chuckled, keeping her knowledge of the future to herself.
They chatted for quite a while. Most of the conversation was about Tegasa’s admiration for Fritz, but it was surprisingly enjoyable to listen to the girl chatter.
“Ah, right. If it’s okay with you, can I bring Isti over? Let’s talk together.”
“Yes, of course.”
Sue readily agreed to the cute girl’s suggestion.
“Then please wait a moment!”
The girl ran off. Sue waited for her, exchanging a few words with the people around her. They were all friendly. She couldn’t hide her joy, basking in their kindness.
It had been a long time since she had genuinely smiled and talked to others.
A few minutes later, Sue walked towards Tegasa, who was approaching with Isti.
dun dun! Tegasa is Halo (FL protagonist)