She felt like she was having a pleasant dream. While the content of the dream is hard to remember, she did remember her father smiling calmly at her.
"…dad."
Monica, who had been sleeping in a blissful dream, shivered from the chilly weather. The early morning wind when the winter approaching penetrated even through the slightest crack in the blanket. Crawling into the depths of the blanket, she noticed that there was something warm nearby and unconsciously approached it. When she put her body against it, it felt warm and cozy.
But he does seem rather large for Nero… hmm…
I don't know what it is, but it's warm, so it's okay, thought Monica, abandoning her thoughts and falling asleep. A soft hand stroked Monica's hair, and then something softly touched her cheek.
Monica was familiar with this pleasant feeling.
"…Paw… Good morning, Nero…"
"Nero?"
Monica was instantly arisen by a voice that came from close by. Opening her eyes to the limit to stare at the voice revealed jewel-like blue eyes staring tenderly at Monica.
Monica squealed inaudibly and rolled off the bed. Which followed by dynamic rumbles after.
As she crawled on the floor, the prophecy of Mary Harvey, the [Star Oracle Witch], flashed through her mind.
—I can foresee your love life is on a roll right now! Moreover, you might end up spending a passionate night with a nice gentleman~☆
Could this be the kind of thing where maybe, just maybe, I have crossed the line? thought Monica as she rubbed her forehead on the floor before saying in a shaky voice.
"Exe…"
"Exe?"
"Will I be executed…?"
Felix chuckled at the deathly look on Monica's face as he raised his upper body on the bed. He's not wearing anything on his upper body, completely naked. She had snuggled against that chest, after all. Having her head chopped off wasn't something she could complain about.
"Do you think I'd kill a cute little kitten just because it got into my bunk?"
"Eh? A cat?"
Monica brought her face up and glanced around. Yet, she could not see any cat in the room. Where's the cat? thought Monica as she tilted her head, at which Felix looked with amusement.
"You drank a glass of wine last night, then all of a sudden you took off your clothes and fell asleep."
Monica finally realized why she was in her underwear. No wonder she felt so cold. At least, she didn't cross the line and breathed a sigh of relief at that fact.
"Don't you feel cold in that outfit?"
"Oh, yes. I apologize for showing you something embarrassing. I'll get changed soon… Huh?"
Feeling a strange sensation around her neck, she touched it with her fingers and felt thin chains that felt like a necklace. As she lowered her gaze, she saw small greenstone glittering on her chest, reflecting the morning sun.
Monica gave Felix a puzzled look to which Felix rested his cheek on his propped-up knee and narrowed his eyes.
"It resembles the color of your eyes, after all. They look good together."
"This is…"
"You told me you wouldn't be as happy as that time if I gave you jewelry."
Monica lowered her eyebrows and gave a small nod. But looking at her response, Felix felt a bit lonely before giving her a sad smile.
Monica silently studied the necklace. Hanging at the end of the thin golden chain was an olive green stone, slightly larger than her pinky nail. The bright green color with a slight golden tinge was probably peridot. The modest and cute design must have been chosen with her personality in mind. Nevertheless, she, not accustomed to accessories, looked up at Felix in confusion.
"Um, I know you've been paying for this room, and you also paid for the book for a huge sum, but I can't receive any more than this…"
Monica would feel bad if she received any gifts more than that. So she reached for the clasp on the back of her neck to take the necklace off and return it to him. But not familiar with this kind of thing, she didn't know how to take it off.
As she clumsily moved her fingers, Felix got off the bed to hold her hand from above. But, the moment he touched her, Monica's body tensed up.
Growing up with her father's personal medical books and models of the human body, the idea of seeing or being seen naked was not a concern for Monica. But being touched by people is scary. Recalling how unreasonably violent her uncle was, her body unconsciously tensed up.
Felix brought Monica's hand down from where it was trying to remove her necklace when she was shivering for a different reason than the cold. After which, he ran his fingertips along the gold chain that adorned Monica's neck.
"I know you were thinking that this necklace is too early for you… But I didn't give this necklace to you. I'm giving it to you for my own satisfaction, for my own sake."
Unsure of what Felix was trying to say, Monica looked up at him with a confused look in her eyes.
Felix gave a slightly bitter smile and plucked the peridot with his fingertips, pulling it lightly. The thin chain dug into Monica's skin just a little.
"A tangible gift—especially a wearable one—is a good way to hold people's hearts together, right?"
Holding people's hearts together with things. That's a very proud aristocrat thing to say.
So why does this person look so lonely?
Felix's exquisite fingertips lifted the peridot. His shapely lips drop a kiss to the olive green jewel which's much like Monica's eyes.
"I want you to remember these memories. The memories of [Eig] who's been hanging out with you."
At first glance, the scene would have looked like a man and a woman who had spent the night together vowing their love to each other in the morning light, with their clothes in disarray.
However, as she gazed at Felix's long eyelashes in front of her, Monica was quietly thinking.
—I will probably never be able to hang out at night with [Eig] again.
That's why Felix gave Monica so many gifts, to the point of being excessive. To preserve as many memories as possible of the young man named Eig.
Once Felix took his hand away from the peridot, the beautiful olive green reflected against Monica's pale skin. The peridot shone beautifully in the colors of the meadow as the morning sun glimmered through the window. Her eyes, which usually looked brownish, likewise turned a little darker green in the bright light.
"Peridot glows beautifully, even in the slightest light on a dark night. I'm sure I can find you easily if you wear it."
The usual Monica would have thought "you don't have to find me" to Felix with a pale face. But right now, she doesn't want to hurt Eig by denying him. So, she tried her best to choose her words, despite her clumsiness.
"…Eig."
"Hmm?"
"I had a lot of fun hanging out at night with you… even though there were a lot of surprises."
"…yeah."
In the future, the likelihood that Monica will wear a peridot necklace herself is not likely to happen. Still, for now, she stopped reaching for the clasp, feeling that Eig would be sad if she took the necklace off.
Eventually, Monica got up and picked up her clothes, which were folded on the couch. She was strangely happy to see that the book she had bought yesterday was also neatly placed on top of her clothes, away from the drinks and food.
As Monica was getting dressed, Felix suddenly remembered to look at Monica's back and said.
"Actually, I've been wondering since yesterday… how did you get that old scar on your back?"
"…? there's still some scars remains?"
"To a certain extent. Especially around the shoulders."
Fortunately, there was a large dressing table inside the room, so Monica twisted around a little to look at her own back. Sure enough, there were some bruises and raised skin marks on her back. All of them are remnants of the time when she was beaten by her uncle.
"Was that done by Count Kerbeck's family?"
Monica shook her head in alarm at Felix's words. Her current status is that of a nuisance to Count Kerbeck's family, but it would be dishonorable to accuse Isabelle and the others of abusing her.
"Not at all! Count Kerbeck's family has been treating me really, really well! This scar was from a long time ago…"
"Have you ever wanted to make that scar disappear cleanly?"
"…no, not really."
Monica meant this from the bottom of her heart. Besides, the scars weren't anything that would hurt her now, and having an old scar on her back wouldn't interfere with her work. She lacked the sensitivity to regard scars as ugly, but for Felix, the presence of scars on a woman's body was not something to be overlooked.
Suddenly, Monica noticed. Felix's body also had a scar on his side that looked like it had been stabbed by something. His perfectly proportioned body was beautifully smooth, which made the scar on his waist stand out even more.
"That scar on your waist… do you want to remove it?"
Felix looked down at his own scars and shook his head gently when Monica asked timidly.
"… it's okay. This is the scar required for me."
She didn't know what he meant by that, but she felt that she shouldn't pry too deeply into the matter, so she just kept quiet and finished getting dressed.
＊ ＊ ＊
The girls of the House of Madame Cassandra gave Felix and Monica a grand send-off. Doris, in particular, after kissing Felix passionately on the cheek, beckoned Monica over to listen.
"If you have any trouble eating, you can always come to our house. We'll take care of you."
"T-Thanks…"
"Also, Sir Baron's weakness is—— …you get it. Keep that in mind."
Monica felt like remembering that would not be helpful at all. So she just smiled vaguely and nodded back at Doris.
After leaving the House of Madame Cassandra, Felix made his way to the place where the carriage was parked. Although he had offered to give Monica a ride in his carriage, she had politely declined.
"You sure you can make it to the meeting before noon?"
"Y-Yes, I have my way, so…"
After all, with Lynn's help, they can easily fly away with wind magic. It's much faster than riding in a carriage back to the academy.
"Thank you very much for everything."
As Monica bowed her head, hugging the book that had been bought for her, Felix gave her the same gentle, friendly smile that he always gave her at school. A smile which different from mischievous of Eig, but a smile of royalty that adored by everyone.
The time she's been spending with Eig was over. Now, the man before her was not the Felix Ark Ridill like before, but the second prince of this country.
…Noble and distant.
"I'll see you then."
"Yes."
The carriage that Felix had boarded started to roll.
Monica remained there watching the carriage go by until she could no longer hear the sound of its wheels. Eventually, a small yellow bird landed on Monica's shoulder. It was Lynn, a contracted spirit of Louis Miller.
"You have worked hard guarding the Second Prince, Miss [Silent Witch]."
."Y-yeah…"
Could I call that protection, wondered Monica as she smiled wryly inwardly. Since she had forgotten about the escort in the process, got swept up by Eig, and then became absorbed in reading. She was having fun.
The book in her arms and the peridot necklace, even if they were just his whims, was surely unforgettable memories for Monica.
As Monica was thinking about this, Lynn, in her little bird form, moved up to Monica's ear and whispered in her ear.
"I'd like to take you to the academy now, but before that, I have some bad news."
"Eh!?"
Lynn told the news to the tense Monica.
"The infiltrated assassin in the chess tournament who'd been captured was………….."
