The air went still.
Soren blinked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
Across the table, Esper's grin faltered for the first time, her green eyes narrowing slightly as if she was too questioning what she had just heard.
Louise, meanwhile, looked frozen.
Her lips were parted, and her hand was still overlaid onto Soren's.
Suddenly, her eyes began darting between the two of them like someone realising she had just set fire to her own chair.
"W-Wait, just hear me out!" she blurted, waving both hands in front of her flushed face so fast she nearly knocked over her drink. "I just meant, if it's announced that you already have someone, and they're of decent standing, Aunt Sofia won't be able to break it off so easily! It'd be a good way to stop them from forcing you into an engagement, right?!"
Her words tumbled out in one breath, each one growing more desperate as the silence between them stretched.
Soren stared at her for a moment longer, his expression unreadable.
Then, slowly, he placed his head on his palm, running a hand through his snow-white hair.
"...You're talking about faking it," he said flatly.
Louise nodded quickly, relief flashing across her face.
"Exactly! It doesn't have to be real. Just enough to buy time until the other party becomes disinterested. I already heard from Mother that your name has been coming up in social circles recently, thanks to students returning home. She said that you were crude and acted like a commoner, so it might not even take long for the other party to back out. So if they think you already have someone, they'll hesitate before pushing you into anything!"
Esper blinked once, then twice.
"...Right," she said, leaning an elbow on the table. "Except for one thing."
Louise tilted her head.
"What thing?"
Esper looked at her with a pitiful expression.
"You're his cousin, aren't you?"
For a second, Louise didn't understand; her mouth opened, then closed again.
Soren, however, caught on immediately.
He sighed, pressing his fingers against his temple.
"She's saying that even if it's a fake relationship, it'll cause a lot of gossip," he said quietly. "And she's right."
"But—" Louise started, frowning. "Cousin marriages aren't exactly rare among nobles. No one should find it strange if we just pretended—"
"That's the problem."
His tone was calm but firm, making her stop mid-sentence.
"I know you're trying to help. Really. But even if it's normal among nobles, there will still be rumours. And you don't deserve to deal with that just because of me."
Louise bit her lip.
Her hands, resting on her thighs, clenched into small fists.
"...I don't care what they say."
Soren gave Louise a faint smile.
"That's exactly why I do. You shouldn't have to defend yourself for something like this."
The words hung there for a moment, the faint chatter of nobles in the hall filled the silence between them, soft and distant like rain tapping against glass.
Finally, Louise exhaled, her shoulders slumping.
"You're stubborn."
He wore a smile in response to her words.
She stared at him for another moment before sighing again, heavier this time.
"Fine… I was just trying to help."
"I know." He reached out and lightly patted her head. "And I appreciate it."
Her expression softened, though she quickly looked away, muttering something under her breath that he didn't quite catch.
Then, a voice cut through the air like a knife.
"So," Esper said, her lips curving into a grin, "if it's someone else, you'd say yes, right, Cutie?"
Soren froze, and Louise blinked, her eyes jumping between the two of them.
"Wait—what?"
Esper leaned forward in her chair, resting her chin on one hand.
"You said it yourself," she teased. "If it were someone else, you might've agreed to it. So… someone else like who, I wonder?"
A bead of sweat trailed down Soren's temple.
"...I did say that," he muttered, avoiding her gaze.
Esper hummed, the grin on her face growing wider.
"Hmm~"
She didn't say anything else, but the glint in her eyes said more than enough.
Soren had the distinct feeling that he had just walked headfirst into a trap.
Deciding it was better not to take the bait, he cleared his throat and steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Anyway… how've you both been? We haven't talked properly since before the final exam."
Esper raised a brow but let it go, her smirk fading into something more casual.
"Ah, don't remind me. The moment the break started, my father dragged me back home. I thought I'd finally get to rest, but nooo. Apparently, he decided it was the perfect time to tutor me for hours every day. I swear I've aged ten years…"
Esper groaned, dramatically flopping back in her chair.
"It was torture. I could've been travelling, shopping, flirting, anything! Instead, I was stuck at home being lectured about etiquette, bloodlines and responsibility. Can you believe it?"
Soren chuckled under his breath.
"Sounds rough."
"It was hell!"
Louise smiled faintly, shaking her head.
"Surely you're overreacting."
"You don't know the pain until you've had your father quiz you on every single noble family in Fialova," Esper muttered darkly.
Soren and Louise laughed lightly, and Esper's expense, the earlier tension easing into something warmer.
"What about you, Louise?" Soren asked once Esper had calmed down.
"I went home, my mother had some things she wanted to talk about, and I need to prepare for next semester."
"Is third year really that busy?" Esper asked with a raised brow.
"Uhm… It's manageable, but having to take requests and go out often does take up quite a bit of time, especially when you need to keep up your grades in other classes."
"Sounds awful," Esper muttered as she took a sip from Soren's glass.
"You do realise that's mine, right?"
"You should be happy, this is probably the first time a beautiful girl has shared a drink with you~"
"...Whatever, I can't be bothered with her today," Soren said with a sigh as he turned back toward Louise. "So you've been studying and training?"
She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Yeah. Mostly against the knights of the estate. I was looking after the horses, too. It's been peaceful, actually."
"Peaceful sounds nice," Soren said, sighing wistfully. "Maybe I should've stayed there instead."
"You can come next time," Louise said with a gentle smile.
Their conversation faded into a comfortable quiet; the sound of music and clinking glasses from the rest of the hall filled the background.
Soren leaned back slightly, the chandelier light reflecting in his crimson eyes.
"I wonder what the others are up to."
"Professor Roseblood stayed at the academy, right?" Louise said.
"She's probably buried to her neck in paperwork, knowing her," Soren added. "She's always overworking herself."
"Mr Trash stayed, too. Knowing him, he's probably flirting with every girl he meets."
"That's not even an exaggeration," Soren said dryly. "He's got no shame."
"What about those two? Olivia and Alex?" Louise asked.
Soren shrugged.
He didn't even know if his knowledge of the game was accurate anymore; if it were, then they would likely be out adventuring right around now, but he couldn't confidently answer with that.
"No clue. Probably spending the entire break together. They seem happy."
"Aw, you sound jealous," Esper teased.
"Nah, I'm not. It's just nice to see, isn't it?"
"Sure, sure."
Louise smiled, agreeing with Soren's words.
"What about Amelia? She went back to Einhardt, didn't she?"
"Yeah. Her father called her back. I just hope she hasn't caused any trouble."
Esper laughed.
"She always looked so cute when she was next to you, but she is the Wild Wolf after all, so who knows? She could be out there fighting even now."
Soren grimaced for a second at the thought.
Esper's words were too accurate after all.
Then, almost absentmindedly, Soren's lips parted.
"I miss everyone."
Both girls looked at him strangely.
A smirk crept onto Esper's face.
"Aw, you're so cute. You're getting all sentimental."
"I'm just saying it's quieter without them," Soren said with a frown.
"Sure you are~" she giggled, her eyes full of playfulness.
Louise chuckled, and even Soren couldn't help but smile despite himself.
For a moment, everything felt easy.
The light laughter, the soft chatter, the faint music from the rest of the hall.
It almost didn't feel like the same day that was meant to be filled with politics, expectations and pressure.
And then…
CLACK
The door to the hall opened.
All conversation stopped as a herald's voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Announcing. Her Highness, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Fialova, Crusch Aurelia Fialova!"
The room shifted instantly; nobles turned, straightened their posture, and whispered.
The subtle warmth that had lingered between the three of them vanished like smoke.
Soren glanced toward the entrance, his expression a mixture of anticipation and caution.
He didn't know why, but a princess had decided to attend the gathering.
————「❤︎」————