Time passed, and it was time to part. Why did meetings always feel so short?
Thinking about being separated from Seiana, Raymund felt the impulse to just take her with him to the Imperial Palace. But.
'If I did something like that, the Count and his family wouldn't stand idly by.'
Then he would inevitably clash with her family, and Seiana would be angry, so Raymund suppressed the surging desire.
"Ugh... Two of them for my daughter..."
"Father."
"...to have two friends."
Listening to the Count's words alone, he sounded moved, but looking at his expression, he seemed like someone who had just witnessed the world collapsing.
It was certainly a disaster for the count. Dealing with a monster like Raymund was already overwhelming, and now there was a monster named Aries added to the mix.
Raymund glanced sideways at Aries standing beside him. When Seiana’s family offered to see them off, she had initially paid attention to them, but now she was indifferent, staring off into space.
Normally, such a careless attitude wouldn’t matter much… but Raymund nudged Aries with his elbow.
Giving her a hint to be mindful of Seiana, Aries suddenly straightened up in surprise. Since the others couldn’t meet their gaze, being rude wouldn’t matter, but Seiana would notice everything.
Putting on a gentle face, Raymund bid farewell.
“Alright, I’m off now. See you next time, Seiana.”
“Okay. Both of you, get home safely. And make sure everyone has permission from their families for the trip next month.”
"What? A trip? Who are you going with? Surely not those two? My lovie!"
"...Father."
Behind the carriage, which had started moving after their farewell, the Count's wailing could be heard. The sounds of his family trying to stop him from shouting things like how he couldn't let his treasure go with thieves gradually faded away.
'I've been called a thief twice today, huh'
Of course, he didn't feel wrongly accused. It was true that he had stolen Aries's idea, and it was also true that he intended to steal the Count's most precious treasure.
Did the Count know that by calling him a thief first, he actually reduced Raymund's guilt about stealing?
Raymund chuckled to himself, thinking of the Count's flustered expression if he knew Raymund's true feelings, when the carriage stopped.
They had only just passed the entrance to the Count's territory, so they hadn't arrived yet, but the two got off as soon as the carriage stopped without questioning it.
Near the spot where the white, ornate royal carriage had stopped, stood the special carriage for espers they had taken last time. The two left the royal carriage behind and boarded that one.
Whenever he came to the count’s territory, Raymund always took the royal carriage in sight of Seiana, but switched to the esper carriage out of her sight.
It couldn’t be helped. The esper carriage was too plain and would look odd for a prince to ride in.
“Well, it’s more comfortable than worrying about how I look outside.”
Since the royal carriage had heavy curtains drawn to keep out prying eyes, and he had to hold the curtains to prevent them from shaking, the plain esper carriage was more relaxing.
As soon as they switched, Raymund naturally relaxed. Aries did too.
She flopped onto the seat in a casual, almost lazy pose and scoffed.
"Contrary to what I thought, her family was boring."
Her tone held a little disappointment. Aries's comment about them being boring didn't mean she was disappointed they didn't act like clowns.
Aries had hoped that Seiana's family might also have something special about them, just like Seiana. If not all of them, then perhaps her siblings...
Aries asked about the Countess: "Now that I think about it, I didn't meet the Countess. What's the Countess like? Or is Seiana's maternal family special...?"
Only the countess and the youngest son hadn’t come to see them off. Aries asked wistfully, unable to let go of hope, but Raymund shook his head.
“The countess is the same.”
I've only met her once, but I could sense deep fear radiating from her when she saw me. Though I've never encountered the youngest son, I have no intention of meeting him to test my theory.
'Children's minds are more fragile.'
Even a brief encounter could break their spirit. Maybe when they grew older, but not now—it would only bring disaster.
“The maternal family is nothing special either. They’re the Staveweber viscounts.”
“Hmm… I’ve heard of them. I thought maybe they were connected to espers, but apparently not.”
Seiana’s maternal family had a history of producing intelligent people. Most became scholars, others worked as public officials or merchants.
Just an ordinary family with nothing remarkable.
'Putting it this way is bad, but... Seiana must be a mutant.'
'Putting it nicely, she's special.' Raymund looked at his palm, lost in thought.
Being next to Seiana made him feel comfortable. Not just due to emotional satisfaction, but his body genuinely felt better.
He always felt a sense of physical sluggishness even without using his ability, but that feeling disappeared when he was near Seiana.
Also, his body didn't hurt when he used his ability around her.
'Is it just me? Or...'
Raymund wondered if Aries felt the same comfort. He looked at Aries, but she didn't say anything about feeling such a thing, suggesting she didn't notice it.
Indeed, since Raymund was the only ability user whose condition worsened every time he used his ability, it made sense that others wouldn't feel this.
Because of this, there was no one who yearned for Seiana as much as he did... Earlier, when Aries casually held Seiana's hand, he felt like his eyes were spinning.
"I don't like you."
Raymund's dislike for Aries naturally burst out of his mouth.
Anyone else would be flustered hearing such words directly, but Aries didn't care. Instead, she just scoffed defiantly at Raymund, who was glaring at her with displeased eyes.
"Me neither."
It was the same for her; if her rival wasn't there, she could monopolize Seiana. Although Raymund made it possible for her to meet Seiana, Aries felt no gratitude at all.
'Even if he wasn't here, I would have run into Seiana someday.'
While neither of them went out much, Aries, being the same sex as Seiana, had overlapping activity areas to some extent, unlike Raymund, who was the opposite sex.
Places like dressmakers and shops selling items popular with noblewomen…
The chances of meeting were low but not zero.
'Someday, we might have accidentally bumped into each other on the street.'
Seiana probably would’ve stared blankly at the face asking if she was alright. It was a future that would never happen now, but just imagining it made Aries smile.
Because of Raymund, she hadn’t become Seiana’s only friend…
“I’m going to be Seiana’s only female friend.”
She vowed that she alone would be Seiana’s female human friend.
“And if we get closer than now, she’ll allow me to call her by a nickname.”
Actually, by telling Seiana her nickname, she had hoped that Seiana would also give her permission to use her nickname, Lovely...
Of course, from Seiana's perspective, in her previous lives, only her family and former fiancé Pedro had called her by her nickname, so she hadn't thought anything of it.
She had no idea that someone would want to call her by her nickname, so she hadn't simply requested it, and thus hadn't given permission. But for Aries, she couldn't help but be a little upsetting.
'The human heart is indeed fickle.'
She thought she would be satisfied just being next to her, but after gaining permission to be next to her, she wanted a deeper relationship.
However, one comforting point was that Raymund, who has known Seiana longer, also hasn't gotten permission for a nickname either.
"I'll get permission before you."
Aries said, as if declaring war.
Raymund thought, 'Nickname? Isn't that just for family?' He started imagining becoming family by calling Seiana by her nickname, when he suddenly felt like he had been hit with cold water upon receiving the declaration of war.
'I, I knew her first...'
Aries getting permission to use the nickname first? Flames of jealousy erupted in Raymund's eyes.
He envisioned Aries, who had arrived later, becoming closer to Seiana than him. Images of Seiana meeting Aries' gaze tenderly and holding her hand flashed through his mind.
And in that imagination, Seiana smiled brightly at Aries.
'I like Aries best!'
Raymund felt a sudden suffocation. She would be Seiana's first?
Maybe for other people... No, he couldn't accept it for other people either. He had to be her first.
Seeing Raymund glare at her in rage, Aries smiled mockingly.
She tilted her head back arrogantly and looked down at him.
"And when we get that close... we'll have a pajama party together."
"Me too...!"
"You can't. You're a man."
Why would he try to crash a girls' party? After giving him a thorough mocking, Aries proceeded to list off a series of things Raymund could never do.
Going to the changing room together, using the dressing room together... even taking afternoon naps together, not just pajama parties...
While such things might be permissible between same-sex friends, they were completely out of reach for Raymund.
'I'm jealous.'
For a moment, Raymund envied Aries. Why was he born a man? Why couldn't he do the things Aries could?
Of course, Aries had only expressed her hopes, but Raymund treated her words as if they were already settled facts.
His jealousy narrowed his perspective, but he knew Aries' tenacity well enough to understand she'd somehow obtain everything she desired.
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