The Bad Ending of an Otome

“I understand you want to fulfill her wishes by being here, but nothing is more important now than your safety. The state capital is…”

Was all the rhetoric about fleeing a test for a situation like this? 

I’m not sure. 

What might Cassio have gained by disclosing my disagreement with Edmund to high society? 

Certainly, because Edmund is an eager suitor of ‘Elodie,’ it may strain relations with the Marquis’s family, who serves as Elodie’s guardian. 

Even though I was Ophelia’s close friend, my dealings with the Windrose family would be difficult. 

It also allows the angry lady to withdraw to her mansion for a while.

But what else is there? 

Edmund Gloucester’s repentance? 

A chance to make fun of him? 

What about my tarnished reputation? 

Edmund and I were already at odds, as evidenced by the incident in the dressing room. 

Maybe they didn’t anticipate us to cause a commotion at the debutante ball in front of everyone. 

Or perhaps they did.

“I’m not going.”

My mind cleared, in contrast to my convoluted thoughts. 

It was something I had predicted from the beginning.

 Yes, I never had complete faith in Cassio Brahamdorff. 

It’s difficult to admit. 

Despite my repeated warnings not to trust him, a part of me did, fooled by his sneaky smile.

“Emilia.”

“Not stopping it when he could… Cassio Brahamdorff, that’s almost sweet for a ‘him’ plot.”

“It’s your decision.”

“I’m not going to die from a slap. You are fully aware of the agony Ophelia and I endured.”

I chuckled dryly.

“I considered returning the potion you gave me, but I’ve decided to keep it. As a precaution…”

“It was for you from the start.”

“Given how things are, I suppose I should tell you. I believe Cassio Brahamdorff sees ‘something’ in Ophelia and Elodie that goes beyond their appearances.”

“…”

Raretis remained deafeningly silent.

“…”

“He came to me because of Ophelia’s letter to him. It just stated that I should debut with Cassio as my companion. To be treated as well as any member of the royal court… There is another page, but I have not yet received it.”

“…So you chose Cassio as your partner not because you wanted to but because Ophelia forced you to?”

His voice was tinged with delight.

“Yes… Well… our relationship wasn’t that great to begin with.”

Raretis hastily nodded, his look strange.

“Is there a chance the letter was forged?”

“I don’t believe so. It was written in her signature way.”

“Right. He’d never go that far.”

That was my thought as well. 

Cassio would never risk being discovered forging Ophelia’s letter to me. 

He has a sense of self-worth.

“… I also have something to say. Right now, the capital is not safe.”

“…”

“The king’s health is failing. There is an undercurrent of disagreement regarding the succession because the prince is too young. The current social season is comparable to the quiet before the storm.”

I’d heard similar things before, but never so directly. 

Such delicate topics are not freely discussed, especially in a culture where light talk about ribbons, dances, and romances reign supreme. 

The king’s ill health, the heir’s fragility, and the number of nobles favoring Grand Duke Franz are all serious issues. 

As a result, the princess, who wasn’t scheduled to appear, attended the debutante gala. 

Raretis paused before continuing.

“Recently, there have been disturbing disappearances in the capital.”

“Disappearances?”

“…Yes. Mostly single women. Some nobles, too.”

That had yet to be reported. 

Raretis moaned quietly as he realized my surprise.

“Without a clear perpetrator, announcing it may simply cause panic. It’s still being looked into…”

“…”

Raretis understands the distinction between public and private affairs. 

He wouldn’t tell anyone about an ongoing probe. 

Knowing I wouldn’t casually disclose important information, this must be a unique concession.

…He must be concerned. 

My emotions were complicated. 

His expression was filled with concern, which he tried to hide with a soft sigh. 

The weight of his responsibilities made dismissing that sigh lightly impossible. 

His fingertips tentatively brushed my cheek as if holding something important, then retreated as if afraid of causing a scratch. 

He spoke as if he was confessing.

“…I want you to be careful.”

His words are always powerful. 

Despite my precautions, I feared that taking his statements too seriously would throw me into a tailspin. 

It was profound and resonant, like massive stones rolling into an empty pit.

“At least…”

He chose his words with care.

“…I wish you were within a distance I could protect.”

It sounded almost like a confession. 

His intense violet eyes shone through his tousled black hair. 

Unsurpassed in power, the Iron Knight of the kingdom was concerned about the distance he could guard me from.

Of course, he follows the knightly ethic of prioritizing the defense of women, children, and the old. 

But for someone who has pledged to safeguard the entire kingdom to be concerned with how far he can protect me…

“…Sir Raretis, you guard the entire nation. So…”

“Don’t get hurt in my absence.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say. 

The seriousness in his gaze as he peered at my now scarcely swollen cheek made it impossible for me to meet his gaze. 

If Edmund Gloucester had been present, the rage in those eyes may have crushed bones. 

Why…? 

My voice sounded almost drowsy.

“I’m not that fragile, you know…”

“I know.”

His remark sounded like a sigh. 

How did our discussion lead to this?

“…You said nothing else mattered to you except Ophelia.”

“…”

His tone was very harsh. 

It was as if I was tasting something bitter just by listening to it. 

I paused involuntarily.

“Then, I don’t know how much weight my words will have to you, but…”

It was all a lie. 

Everything was not unimportant to me. 

I did have some residual feelings for the Marquis’s family. 

But, like swallowing terrible medication, I kept these unspoken sentiments to myself.

“That’s my request.”

I involuntarily went out to caress his cheek as he uttered those words because he appeared so vulnerable. 

His skin jerked slightly as he felt my touch. 

Instead of shoving me away, Raretis simply closed his eyes like a well-trained hound who only allowed its master to touch it.

What a gentleman he is. 

Why was he so uninteresting in the game? 

Was it because Elodie, unlike me, was a kind person who didn’t cause trouble? 

Maybe. 

A player in the game could never envision picking fights or getting slapped. 

It’s similar to how people like to see a once-bad person becoming good rather than someone who has always been good. 

After two years of silence, I am getting smacked in front of him… 

Yes. 

I laughed, nearly sighing.

“…I’ll try.”

Raretis opened his eyes and pressed my hand against his cheek, which had been caressing his cheek. 

I was taken aback and removed my hand. 

With a hint of desire, his violet gaze followed my fingertips.

“…Sir Raretis?”

I had reached out to soothe him on the spur of the moment, but it was so unlike me. 

Do I want to kiss Raretis Hope on the cheek? 

Why? 

Even though he did not chastise me and appeared to respond positively…

“I value your care. Yes, you are correct that the capital is perilous. And I’ve realized I can’t rely on Cassio Brahamdorff…”

“Can I come to see you again?”

“I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to get deeply involved with the Marquis’s house where Lady Elodie is staying…”

“I am still Raretis Hope.”

…Is that even a debate? 

I was perplexed as I gazed up at him. 

He may still be called ‘Hope,’ but no one in the land doubts he is the true heir to House Windrose. 

Is he also Elodie’s cavalier?

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Raretis locked his gaze on me and extended his hand. 

He delicately took the fingertips I had been staring at and put them against his cheek. 

His cheek felt slightly scratchy, possibly from traveling and facing the wind. 

I would have stretched Cassio’s cheek without hesitation if he had done this.

Raretis smiled as I struggled to draw away. 

His violet eyes gleamed entrancingly, his normally motionless lips curling like a crescent moon, and it was a smile I could never have imagined coming from him.

“So, I hope you’ll indulge my insistence.”

When confronted with that smile, I found myself speechless.

Raretis recalls a day when Ophelia summoned him. 

Emilia was sick with a summer cold, although Ophelia was fine. 

The water games they’d done the day before with the staff had been too much for her. 

Usually, Ophelia would have been busy keeping at Emilia’s side, but not today. 

The Marquis and Marchioness were gone on urgent business, and Emilia occupied the few remaining servants. 

Ophelia quietly fled the mansion while pretending to slumber.

She ventured past the estate’s huge grounds, over the fence, uninhabited farms, and into the mountains. 

These were places that were typically off-limits to her and were only visited by Raretis when he got tired of the training grounds. 

But, following her note, Raretis went there without hesitation that day.

In comparison to the Marquis’s garden, the unmanaged fields were untamed. 

Ophelia didn’t even turn around when Raretis arrived, lying unprotected on the ground without a blanket beneath her.

‘I have some advice for you, Brother Raretis.’