Chapter 54: The Past—After She Was Gone ⑧
The Soliloquy of a Villainous Lady
‘……’
The crown princess’s birthday party was in full swing.
While dancing the first dance with Elvira, Bernhard searched for a certain person among the crowd.
During the entrance announcements, the name of the person he was looking for had not been called.
Given that person’s position, he wanted them to arrive on time.
His father, the king, wore a bitter expression but said nothing.
The same was true of his mother, the queen.
“Bernhard-sama.”
Called by Elvira, Bernhard lowered his gaze.
“What is the matter?”
“Are you looking for someone?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I was wondering if my uncle had arrived.”
“The priest?”
The way she tilted her head in puzzlement felt extremely childlike.
Completely different from Faustina.
Her glossy black hair, like a raven’s feathers, was gathered neatly with a pearl hair ornament.
Dressed in a pure white mermaid-line gown adorned mainly with pearls, Elvira looked like an innocent fairy.
Her slender figure and modest curves only emphasized her delicate charm.
In contrast, what about Faustina?
She had worn a blue-silver dress, and though small and slender, her rich curves, carefully concealed, still exuded a bewitching allure.
As he danced the first dance with Elvira like this, Bernhard realized something.
He had never once danced with Faustina, not even on her debut day.
Because he had always danced with Elvira.
—or rather, he had been made to dance with her.
‘……’
Faustina’s partner for the first dance had always been her brother, Cain.
The queen had scolded him many times.
Did he dislike dancing with his fiancée that much?
Bernhard said nothing.
He only lowered his head and bit his lip in frustration.
Faustina would hurl insults at Elvira dancing with Bernhard, and sometimes even spill drinks to stain her dress.
When Bernhard defended Elvira, Faustina would scream even more viciously, and when driven away, she would flee to the terrace in frustration.
Who would have imagined it?
That the moment the lady chased away by her fiancé stepped onto the empty terrace—
“Honestly… I wish His Highness would just make up his mind already.”
“He likes Elvira, so how long does he plan to stay engaged to me?”
“Hm… what would it take to get His Highness and Elvira engaged?”
“I’m always ready for an engagement annulment.”
“Maybe I really need to do something drastic…”
That the wicked woman, supposedly jealous of her sister who had gained the crown prince’s favor and who bullied her, was actually wishing for the annulment of her engagement.
From a certain point on, Bernhard could not stop thinking about Faustina.
He left Elvira with a friend, secretly followed Faustina to the terrace, and heard her soliloquy.
Engagement annulment.
That phrase had never once crossed Bernhard’s mind.
At first, he hated the engagement with all his heart.
But an engagement decided by Sirius, the king, was absolute.
And Faustina wished for its annulment?
Everyone around them must have thought this.
That Bernhard strongly wished to annul his engagement with Faustina.
In reality, not a single person believed that Faustina wished to annul her engagement with Bernhard.
“…I-It hurts, Bernhard-sama.”
“!”
Lost in memories of past balls, he had unconsciously tightened his grip.
He loosened it and apologized.
The dance ended, and now came the greetings while escorting Elvira.
At such gatherings, Sierra had repeatedly warned him never to leave Elvira alone.
While greeting foreign guests—
The person he had been waiting for finally arrived.
A murmur rippled through the hall.
Drawn by it, Bernhard looked over to see a man of heavenly beauty, perfectly suited to the lavish hall, bowing before Sirius and Sierra.
The person Bernhard had desperately wanted to see tonight—his uncle, Ciel.
Despite sharing the same father’s blood, while even the exceptionally handsome Sirius showed signs of aging, Ciel did not seem to age at all.
If anything, he appeared to grow more radiant.
Beside Ciel stood the familiar Vered, with rose-colored hair and eyes.
Like Ciel, he bowed to Sirius and Sierra, but once finished, he looked up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression.
He, too, showed no sign of aging.
Just how old was he, anyway?
When Ciel and Bernhard’s eyes met, Ciel smiled softly and approached.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, allow me to once again wish you a happy nineteenth birthday.”
“Congratulations.”
Unlike Ciel, who possessed both a polite smile and proper tone, Vered spoke in a near-monotone with a blank expression.
Whether she noticed or simply did not care, Elvira smiled like a young girl and thanked them.
“Uncle.”
Ciel surely understood Bernhard’s desperate feelings.
Pretending not to notice, he shifted his gaze to Elvira’s ruby necklace.
“What a lovely necklace.”
“Is it a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Yes!”
“It’s the same color as when Bernhard-sama and I were blessed by the goddesses!”
“It’s the same color as Your Highness’s eyes.”
“That’s right.”
“I wanted Bernhard-sama’s eye color instead, but he said it was a special occasion, so—”
“…Heh.”
As Elvira excitedly spoke, Vered quietly murmured.
Even if it was troublesome, even if it lacked stimulation as a spectacle, it was still amusing to watch.
The more Elvira talked about the necklace, the more the light faded from Bernhard’s eyes.
If Vered noticed, there was no way Ciel had not.
“Whether it is Your Highness’s color or His Highness’s, both would suit you well.”
“Now then, we shall take our leave.”
“! Please wait, Uncle.”
“May I have just a moment of your time?”
“Bernhard-sama?”
Even Elvira sensed something amiss as she saw her husband clinging desperately to Ciel, just as he had at the church blessing.
But Bernhard pleaded with Ciel nonetheless.
“…Bell.”
“!”
The nickname Ciel had used only in private when Bernhard was a child.
A name he was no longer called by.
“Make your lovely crown princess happy.”
“You chose her, after all.”
“That is why the sister goddesses blessed you.”
‘……’
These words were Ciel’s final blessing.
Understanding their meaning, Vered merely muttered, “Bad taste.”
Bernhard could only stare blankly at Ciel.
Ciel gave one last smile, then turned to Vered.
“Shall we go speak with the last people we need to see before leaving?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Leaving Bernhard behind, Ciel and Vered headed toward the ones who had been staring at them painfully for some time—
Citrine and Ludmila.