“I’m not sure about the details. However, considering that the Great Witch is accompanying them, it must be a significant matter, don’t you think?”
The light tone carried no hint of disappointment whatsoever.
It was as if she were a loyal dog faithfully executing her master’s orders. Without harboring a single doubt about I-an’s choices and decisions, she handled only the tasks requested of her, like a clever pet.
“…I see.”
Ceria nodded, seemingly convinced for the moment.
Honestly, she still hadn’t assessed the situation properly, but what could she do?
Her beloved senior had already left.
With that final response, the conversation in the hospital room abruptly came to a halt. Shi-en no longer paid attention to Ceria, and it was only natural that Ceria kept her mouth shut as well.
How much time had passed like that?
While absentmindedly watching Shi-en sew, Ceria felt a sudden question arise.
Shi-en’s expression, as she created a doll resembling I-an, was shining with pure joy. Her beaming smile clearly revealed the girl’s delight.
Even while making a mere imitation of a man, this was the state of affairs.
There was no need to ask how much she cherished and yearned for the original, I-an.
She is in love.
It was a startling realization. The original Ceria would have normally felt her countenance darken at this point.
But today was different.
Ceria’s heart, faced with her romantic rival Shi-en, was strangely calm. Like a landscape painting of a buoyant boat on a lake, her heart showed no signs of disturbance.
There was just one question that followed.
“…Aren’t you jealous?”
It was an unexpected question.
Only then did Shi-en stop her sewing and shift her gaze. Upon meeting Ceria’s look filled with curiosity, her calm expression remained unwavering.
“There’s a significant event occurring that you didn’t share with His Highness the Imperial Princess. You’re even out and about with another woman… aren’t you angry? I feel like this has happened several times already.”
And silence.
Instead of answering, Shi-en returned silence. The gaze fixed on Ceria appeared oddly blank.
This too only lasted for a moment.
Suddenly, the Imperial Princess leaped as if she were a loyal subject suggesting a treasonous plot and shouted.
“Wha—What are you talking about! How could I be jealous of Sir I-an… Of course, if I said I wasn’t disappointed, that would be a lie… But, but still, it’s not jealousy! I was the one who bothered Sir I-an at one point, right? So I have no right to be jealous! Right?!”
In the end, her answer trailed off into a question.
It meant she was flustered to that extent.
Ceria nodded and turned her gaze away. How to interpret that was left to Shi-en, who began to assert her innocence with a sorrowful expression.
“Please, Senior… you will believe me, right? If Sir I-an happens to hear this and thinks that I’m overstepping my bounds…!”
She even began to tremble.
It was unclear what paranoia she was caught up in. Despite such ambiguous reactions, Ceria’s gaze did not turn back to Shi-en.
Because something even stranger was reflected in her view.
It was black mud.
It seemed almost alive. The fact that this amorphous entity moved with intention gave Ceria déjà vu, but it was evident that this existence intended to say something to the woman.
Suddenly, bloody eyes emerged from the viscous liquid.
“The, the jealousy… Hehe, heh… the jealousy shall come…”
Most humans would look away, calling it grotesque. However, Ceria’s sensitivity had an unusual quality, and moreover, today her emotional changes were specifically rare.
Was she still half-asleep?
Ceria blinked a couple of times before pointing at the strange creature in front of her with her index finger.
“Do you see it?”
Only then did Shi-en stop mumbling excuses and turn her gaze.
Following the index finger, to the empty space.
Soon, the Imperial Princess tilted her head in confusion.
“…There’s only a white wall? Never mind! Please don’t misunderstand. I’m still a foolish woman who has much to reflect on and atone for. So I absolutely, absolutely hold no prideful thoughts of jealousy!”
After that, the Imperial Princess continued to chatter on, but Ceria’s attention had long since fixated on the newly appeared black mud.
It was more like an instinct-driven act.
The black mud was sludging closer. Due to its small size and slow speed, it didn’t evoke fear, but.
Its endlessly muttering voice reverberated in Ceria’s heart.
“Jealousy… yes, jealousy has come!”
There was a strangely repetitive word.
“Jealousy.”
It happened to be the very emotion they were discussing. So Ceria unintentionally let slip her innermost thoughts.
This came just as the Princess was withering in insecurity.
“Therefore, it’s absolutely not jealousy…!”
“It’s a lie.”
With a thud.
Silence descended, as if the power had been cut from a phonograph. Ceria’s assertion was imbued with a strong conviction.
The Imperial Princess could do nothing but shut her mouth tightly.
The surprise was evident in the round eyes of the girl. Born as a princess, she had rarely experienced such blunt rebuttals from nobility, and Ceria’s nonchalant gesturing with her lips was unfamiliar to her.
In the scene floating over the blue pupil, Shi-en had no place.
Only staring blankly at the empty void, seeing nothing.
Her dazed gaze exuded a captivating atmosphere.
“Just because I committed sins, excuse me? Because I lack the qualifications, I don’t feel jealousy? That’s a lie. It’s because I’m lacking, insufficient, that I feel jealousy… it’s something I can’t have, yet desperately want.”
It was a weighty topic for something that slipped out without thought.
Perhaps this was Ceria’s unhidden sincerity.
The unfocused eyes and the faint alluring breath were proof of that.
Did it not mean that she was unable to maintain complete reason?
At this point, Shi-en sensed a peculiar intuition. It felt ominous and strange, as if stepping into a patch of mud.
Regardless of everything, Ceria’s words continued without hesitation.
“Therefore, Your Highness the Imperial Princess is lying… Only imperfect beings can feel jealousy. A being who possesses everything has no reason to covet something.”
“…Then what about you, Senior!”
It was a reflexive retort.
Only then did Ceria’s gaze blankly turn to Shi-en. A hollow look devoid of any emotion.
The Princess was certain.
Ceria seemed off. She longed to withdraw at any moment, but she suppressed that urge.
Hadn’t she been asked by I-an? To take good care of this woman.
She couldn’t just break a promise without a reasonable cause.
Thus, Shi-en had to crouch down like a frightened little rabbit and ask again.
“So, what about you…?”
It was a timid question cast with her eyes cast downward.
After uttering it, Shi-en suddenly felt alarmed for having spoken that. The thought that it might be rather rude crossed her mind.
What about you?
It was, at its essence, a question implying that Ceria was very jealous, and moreover, according to that line of logic, Ceria too would just as inevitably be seen as a lacking human being. Regardless, either way was an impolite statement.
Ceria, however, did not visibly exhibit displeasure.
The woman rather nodded obediently.
“That’s right, I’m also a person deficient in many ways. I’ve been like that since childhood. Always compared, always looked down upon… Even so, I had hoped that if I worked hard, something might change. But you know, Your Highness, that was a misguided thought.”
The soft voice, laden with sincerity, was heavy and dark. Even giving an impression of sludge, Shi-en shivered once.
Something felt wrong.
Even after mulling over it several times, the Princess couldn’t bring herself to leave.
I-an’s plea, or the friendship with a comrade who had crossed the line with her.
It had become nothing more than excuses.
It just seemed that, for some reason, she felt she had to remain.
It was a stubbornness without reason. Hard to understand even for herself.
“Of course, I had sweet dreams too. In a life of repeated defeats, there was a miracle that connected me with someone unbelievably wonderful… but that was about it.”
Before long, Ceria had bent her upper body down to come as close as possible to Shi-en.
Breath, body scent, sweet and hazy sensations.
The Princess had almost forgotten to breathe, focused entirely on Ceria’s words.
“In fact, that person I so desperately desired was already taken from me. I hesitated, and I couldn’t forgive myself for my pitiful state… What if I had gone to any lengths necessary in the first place?”
“Se, Se-ria…”
“Your Highness too, right?”
The whispers of the girl with a pale complexion seeped into Shi-en’s ears.
Ceria lowered her voice as if conveying a secret conspiracy.
“The truth is, you’re jealous. But you can’t forgive your ugly self, and so, aren’t you willfully looking away? Afraid that if you become brazen, you’ll be hated…?”
Shi-en’s breath caught.
