༺ I Should Have Done Better ༻
“Aheug, ugh…”
With her arm severed, Rifael staggered, rendered incapable of even screaming.
– Sizzle…!
At the same time, she, surrounded by a powerful ruby-colored aura, murmured through clenched teeth.
“Be ready… Frey… You…”
But before she could finish speaking, she disappeared from the mansion’s yard.
“…Frey?”
Clana, who had fixed her gaze on Rifael until the end, finally spoke while looking at Frey.
“Why, why did you stop me?”
She could have easily vanquished Rifael. Her fist held a sufficient amount of solar mana, and she had ample time to strike before Rifael disappeared.
All she needed to do was extend her fist and pierce through Rifael’s heart, now in disarray from Frey’s attack.
“Why…?”
However, after blocking Clana’s punch, Frey’s hand, which was small and fragile but heavily calloused, wrapped around it.
As a result, the attack didn’t reach Rifael, and she successfully escaped.
– Sizzle…
It left a gruesome mark on Frey’s left arm, merging it with her own.
“Could it be… you simply let her go like that?”
Lost in thought, Clana posed the question, gauging Frey’s reaction.
“Are you giving her another chance?”
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have asked such a question, but the person in front of her was Frey. A naive and kind-hearted boy who, even after numerous regressions, could only harbor resentment after directly manipulating his own mind.
“No, not at all.”
However, her concern proved unfounded as the Frey before her exhibited a cold expression.
It wasn’t the false, exaggerated, comical expressions of anger he usually showed. This was a genuine coldness, reserved for moments of true anger.
“The place where she escaped to… is the Demon King’s army.”
“Demon King’s army? That’s even worse… Ah.”
Only upon hearing those words did Clana grasp the situation.
The current leader of the Demon King’s army was none other than Frey. In other words, Rifael had escaped to Frey’s headquarters.
“B-but why bother? It’s troublesome, isn’t it? And… why go so far as to make your arm look like that…?”
“Oh, this arm is fine. No problem at all.”
With a shocked expression, Clana touched Frey’s arm, and he smiled and turned his arm to show her.
“When I treated Kania a long time ago, the nerves were severed here. So, no matter what happens, it doesn’t hurt here. So don’t worry.”
“……..”
“Oh, and this is a secret from Kania.”
After standing still for a moment with a blank expression upon hearing those words, Clana began to examine Frey’s face as he carefully concealed his blackened arm with Stellar Mana.
“…Clana, have you forgotten?”
Frey then grabbed her shoulders and began to speak.
“That girl made your life feel like hell.”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Do you know how much my blood would boil when I had just to watch that happen in the previous and current regressions?”
Frey’s expression turned cold again as he spoke.
“You’ve corrupted your soul as you pleased and fallen so far. Now it’s time for you to pay for all the misfortunes you’ve brought upon yourself. But we can’t just let you die like this. It would be a waste.”
“……..”
“I’ll have a talk with the Demon King’s army about it. It’s entirely up to you on how to dispose of her. If you want to kill her, then kill. If you want to torture her, then torture. I don’t care.”
After saying so, Frey smiled faintly.
“It’s not enough as repayment for saving me, but this is all I can do right now… I’m sorry.”
He tried to smile after saying that.
– Drip…
Then, a single tear rolled down from Clana’s eyes.
“…But why did you talk about that just now?”
Frey swiftly wiped away the tear, a frown forming as he posed the question.
“Don’t utter such words. Haven’t I emphasized this repeatedly? There will be chances ahead.”
“I’m, I’m sorry. I’m sorry… Frey.”
As she looked at Frey in that manner, Clana spoke with a teary voice.
“I know that too… but I was anxious. I was so anxious. I don’t even know why I’m like this…but whenever I think about you disappearing… it’s driving me crazy…”
With those words, her expression turned visibly uneasy.
“It’s not just me. Others also feel the same… Kania, Irina too. Why is that? I really don’t know why… but it feels like you’re going to disappear. That’s too scary.”
They were the ones who had directly possessed their past selves during the Third Ordeal and had felt the greatest remorse among countless regressions.
The consequences of the manipulated Third Ordeal, orchestrated by Ferloche, had left a lasting impact on them, intensifying their emotions far more than the other heroines.
It was only natural for the deep-seated feelings within their souls to erupt.
“Frey, I… We wanted to make you happy during this vacation.”
With a trembling demeanor, Clana gently took Frey’s hand and continued speaking.
“So, to ensure we don’t disrupt your rest, we decided to take turns taking care of you during this period.”
“Mmm.”
“If we all stayed by your side constantly, we wouldn’t get any work done… and the attention from those around us would be overwhelming.”
Clana paused in the middle of speaking and quietly examined Frey’s expression.
“Go on.”
“B-but… because of the constant incidents involving you, I’m starting to think it might not be a good idea. Perhaps we should gather everyone now, and, even if it feels a bit uncertain, leave the investigation to the assigned team?”
Hearing that, Frey chuckled.
“It’s fine. I saw the investigation team this time… they’re not up to much. In the end, I can only trust you guys.”
Frey, having said that, fixed his gaze on Clana without uttering a word, and she found herself lost in contemplation under his scrutiny.
“Frey, I have a question.”
“Mhm?”
Then, in a low voice, she asked a question.
“You don’t mind we are doing this, do you?”
For someone who had awakened as the Empress, the one to rule the empire, she had a rather cute fearful expression.
“After all, we’re doing this because we want you to be happy… It’s not that you dislike what we’ve done, right?”
“…….”
“If you don’t like it, we’ll stop right away. There’s no reason to do it if you’re not happy. Or perhaps you’d prefer all of us to attend to you? I-I can convey that to them if you wish.”
Frey was listening to her words like that.
“…Okay.”
He said with a light smile.
“It felt like a dream… these past few weeks.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah, I was so happy. Time flew by, and I became anxious. I wished it could have lasted longer.”
“I… see.”
“Also, there’s no need to summon everyone back. The Western Continent awaits exploration, and we need to capture people’s attention, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Anyway, you all don’t need to fret about this. I’m thoroughly satisfied with everything you’ve done.”
Upon hearing those words, Clana closed her eyes and said.
“I’m relieved. Really.”
And then, there was a moment of silence.
“…Well then, can I make you happy now, Frey?”
In this moment, Clana spoke while enveloping Frey’s left arm.
“An opportunity to be the highest authority in the Empire… You can rule with all your heart.”
Shifting her gaze, she recited lines she had rehearsed repeatedly.
“…For the next few weeks, would you like to experience having the Empire at your feet?”
As Frey extended his hand with a peculiar smile in response, Serena’s feigned cough echoed from the side.
“Ahemm, hmm…”
“W-when will this… conversation end…”
Due to Clana’s Imperial Princess status and Frey’s warning to keep her distance, Serena sat with a disgruntled expression, holding a vegetable basket where Rifael had disappeared.
– Rustle, rustle
Despite a considerable passage of time, the sweet exchange between the two showed no sign of conclusion..
In the surroundings, Serena, feigning a serious expression, either sifted through the ruby-colored traces left by Rifael, scrawled “Frey, I love you” graffiti, or investigated the spot of the incident with a serious expression.
“We should head back to the mansion soon… I need to prepare lunch… I have to feed him something delicious…”
She said while gauging Frey’s reaction.
“Hello, Lady Serena.”
Noticing Serena’s behavior, Clana cautiously greeted her.
“Oh, Your Highness. Please continue your conversation.”
After a series of somewhat awkward exchanges, Serena’s moon-colored eyes met Clana’s golden ones.
“Ahem… Ahem…”
Then, Serena carefully placed the fruit basket on the ground and wandered around them, carrying her baggage.
“…Ahem, ahem…”
After quite a while of pacing around, Serena, who was uncomfortable with the two not talking and just staring at her, cautiously inserted herself between them.
– Trail, trail.
Skillfully brushing her body against Frey’s left arm and pressing her back tightly against Frey’s front, Serena completely covered him.
“Uh, um… Your Highness.”
Soon, she spoke with a timid expression.
“What exactly is the relationship between Your Highness and Frey now?”
Upon hearing this, Clana began to look in a predicament.
“Daytime Serena is difficult to deal with…”
Handling Nighttime Serena wasn’t much trouble, given the deep connection she shared with the Serena who retained memories from previous cycles. However, Clana remained uncertain about how to handle Daytime Serena.
“Y-Your Highness. Legally, I am still the only one engaged to Frey.”
Serena began to look at Clana with a worried expression.
Kania and Irina, who were in charge of managing her prospective husband’s servants, along with his pet Lulu and Isolet, whom she suspected of having an affair with him.
These were individuals whom Serena could potentially manipulate using her power and charisma.
“Is that so? Right?”
However, Clana was different.
Now as the second in line for the imperial succession and a prominent candidate for the throne, Clana’s status has surpassed Serena’s, and her momentary charisma emanating from the aura of domination remained unmatched.
Moreover, there was something about the dazzling and beautiful dress, the significantly improved appearance with the assistance of her attendants, and her flowing golden hair that inspired a sense of wariness.
In addition, the fact that Frey had ‘proposed’ to her using the ‘covenant’ that he could only use once.
“…P-please answer.”
Adding to the complexity were the tender smiles and blushes exhibited by her fragile husband, appearing so natural as he looked at Clana from a moment ago until now.
A growing unease festered within Serena—fearful that if things persisted in this manner, she might lose him to Clana, who seemed superior to her in every aspect.
“I will explain that in a future press conference.”
In such a situation, Clana regarded Serena with a contemplative gaze, offering an ambiguous response.
Even though Clana was pondering how to handle Serena.
“There is, um, nothing to worry about… Please don’t worry too much…”
“…Y-you must be hungry, right? Frey!”
Thanks to that reaction, Serena, who was quickly cornered in her own mind, soon wore a pale expression and posed such a question.
“I’ll prepare a nutritious meal for you! I just saw a recipe in a newly-bought cookbook! Eating this will restore your energy!”
“Um, well…”
“Please wait! I’ll make it for you right away…!”
After saying that, she ran towards the mansion, fluttering her apron to emphasize the image of a “homely woman.”
“…Will it be okay?”
“But Lady Serena can’t cook…”
Frey and Clana exchanged worried glances.
“Whatever, let’s go inside the mansion for now. Clana, by the way, it’s been a while since you’ve come to the mansion, hasn’t it?”
With the situation seemingly under control, Frey cautiously guided Clana towards the mansion.
“Oh, just a moment!”
When Clana grabbed his arm and called him, he tilted his head in curiosity.
“There’s something I really want to show you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a skill I recently learned, and finally, I can show it to you.”
Clana, who had been gazing at Frey with affection, suddenly began rummaging through her chest pocket.
“W-what is that…?”
Meanwhile, Roswyn, hiding behind a tree at the edge of the yard, observed their actions.
“What are they doing again…?”
She watched with trembling eyes.
.
.
.
.
.
Roswyn had started observing the situation a few minutes ago.
“…Is that Roswyn over there?”
“Ah, no way. Do you think she would wear such filthy clothes? She’s probably a punished sex slave.”
After being hit by Serena’s bombardment magic, she ran to the far end of the yard with her hair disheveled and her clothes in shambles.
Some time later, as protesters and reporters inundated the courtyard, she found herself sitting blankly behind a large tree, opting for obscurity to avoid recognition.
– Tingling, tingling…!
“W-what’s going on…?”
Even after the protesters dispersed, she continued contemplating the words Lulu had shared. Suddenly, a tingling sensation coursed through her body, prompting her to rise unsteadily.
“Come with me… Frey…”
“…..!”
Right after that, what she saw was Rifael, who had turned into the form of a demon, emitting such a powerful magical energy that even she, with her meager amount of Solar mana, reacted to it.
“What in the world is going on…”
Afterwards, before Rifael could even react, her arm was cut off by Serena. Because of that, Roswyn watched, almost entranced, as Rifael fled and then observed Frey and Clana engaging in an affectionate conversation.
“What in the world… huh?”
Then, she widened her eyes.
“T-that’s…!”
Through the binoculars, she recognized the item Clana had retrieved from her chest pocket—a magical device Roswyn always carried. It was undoubtedly familiar to her.
“Do you remember this? You gave it to me on your birthday, the canary flower that I foolishly refused to accept.”
As Clana spoke those words to Frey, Roswyn’s speculation solidified into certainty.
“It’s that flower petal.”
“What’s this? Where did that come from?”
“Although there’s only one… this should be enough.”
That flower was a gift she had ‘received’ from him on his birthday.
Roswyn had secretly chuckled when she witnessed Clana preventing the foolish stomping of the flower and, with a trembling hand, retrieving the flower petal.
Roswyn had carried it in her hair for a few days, eventually discarding it due to the bother of the missing petal from the canary flower. As it turned out, the petal from the canary flower she had cast away was the very thing in Clana’s hand.
‘That thing until today…’
Roswyn harbored a sense of regret, wondering what it would have been like if she had continued to keep that flower—the one she had held onto the longest among those received from Frey.
Roswyn, who had instantly figured out its identity, pondered with a blank expression.
‘…She still kept it all this time.’
Her gaze was fixated on the yellow canary flower petal, which looked almost identical to how it had been back then.
“Huff.”
“…..?”
However, something strange happened.
Suddenly, Clana grasped the petal in her hand and blew on it.
“Uh, oh?”
Then, the petal that had flown into the air was soon carried away by the winter wind to the other side of the yard.
“…Ta-da! The petal disappeared.”
With a bewildered expression, she watched the petal float away, her arms wide open as she spoke.
“…It’s an interesting magic trick.”
Observing the petal carried by the chilly winter wind in the yard, Frey chuckled and looked at Clana.
“So, what was the meaning of that action just now?”
Soon after, he asked with a face full of curiosity.
– Flutter, flutter…
Even at that moment, the petal continued to flutter in the wind, drifting aimlessly around the yard.
“Th-that’s right… that thing. If that’s it…”
At the same time, Roswyn’s eyes started to move frantically.
“It’s the flower I ‘received,’ isn’t it? T-that’s right… So, if I take that with me, he’ll listen to my words. Yup, yup.”
Filled with hope, Roswyn, previously resigned to despair and helplessness, reached for the petal flying toward her.
“Look at that. It’s not too late yet. I can still turn everything around. I can completely change everything…”
She even started smiling as if she had expected it all along.
“Hehe.”
The flower petal carried by the wind came close to in front of Roswyn’s nose.
“What should I say? Well, for now…”
By chance or perhaps miraculously, Roswyn began to reach out for the flower petal that had conveniently paused in mid-air.
– Crackle!
“Kyakk…?”
And just before it made contact with her hand, a spark suddenly emitted from the petal.
“W-what’s going on.”
Surprised by the sudden sparks, she involuntarily retracted her hand and continued to gaze at the petal that kept sparking with a vacant expression.
“Chirp~♪”
“………”
Within those sparks, a tiny canary was born. She looked at the bird with a blank expression.
“Chirp~ Chirp~♪”
Intentionally or not, the canary flew towards Clana, singing a sweet melody.
“Phew… I thought it failed.”
Continuing to stretch out her arms with cold sweat, Clana eventually smiled. She lifted the canary in her hand and then extended it to Frey as she spoke.
“It’s a gift made from the canary flower petal you gave me.”
“Oh…”
“Would you like to raise it? It’s not that hard to take care of. O-occasionally it would be good… if you could pet her.”
“I’m fine with it. But to suddenly receive something like this as a gift…”
For some reason, as Clana posed that question carefully, observing Frey’s reaction and when Frey responded with an apologetic expression, she embraced him before their tongues entwined in silence.
“…Smooch.”
“Puha.”
Time passed like this for quite a while.
“Th-this is enough to repay me…”
Soon, with a flushed face, Clana looked away from Frey.
“Chirp chirp~♪”
The canary chirped sweetly while perched on Frey’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.
It had been a day filled with many events and crises, but the end of that day was peaceful and beautiful.
“…”
Roswyn continued to watch them with a stupefied expression.
“…Egeuk.”
Recalling Lulu’s words about how she should have done better when she still had the chance, Roswyn couldn’t help but shed a tear, even though she wasn’t someone who would cry easily.
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