Chapter 201 - Conspiracy (17)

Cecil, arm in arm with me, seemed to be in a good mood. She was humming and her steps seemed light.

I suddenly had a question and asked her, "What would you have done if someone else had brought it?"

She chuckled to herself and leaned her head on my arm, saying, "You know, I was actually really nervous too?"

"Seems like you threw it recklessly."

"From my position, I needed to be certain. If I left any ambiguity, other guys would keep clinging to me. Now that you've completely stepped on them, they won't bother me anymore."

We left the noisy ballroom and walked into the garden.

The cool early evening air was filled with the scent of flowers. Cecil let go of my arm and walked a few steps ahead. Then she turned around and continued our conversation while walking backward.

"Candy, why did you choose me?"

"What do you mean why?"

"You fought like that because you wanted to be my partner, right?"

"That's right."

"What is it about me that you like so much?"

It was a difficult question. There were many reasons I could give, but in this atmosphere, listing out reasons verbosely would be far from the right answer.

"You're pretty."

It was half flattery, half-truth.

A short and direct answer was much better than taking a long way around.

"Out of 100 points... that's a 60-point answer."

"That's too stingy."

"But because it's a bit cute, I'll forgive you."

"Maybe I should have played with a girl who gives generous scores."

"That's funny, Candy, you don't have any other girls besides me, do you?"

"If I look, there might be one or two."

Then Cecil said teasingly, with a rhythm, "They'd all run away if they saw Candy's terrible face~"

"You won't run away?"

"Hmm. As long as it's not bad enough to make me vomit?"

"..."

"As long as it's good enough to kiss... no, anyway, you and I are just friends, right? It's not like we're going to kiss."

"Then there's no need for you to see my face at all."

Suddenly, Cecil stopped walking and grabbed me. Then she looked up at my face with a fierce expression.

"Will you show your face if I say I'll give you a kiss?"

"..."

She stared at my face for a while, then changed her attitude.

"No, I've never used it before, it's too precious to use on you. I'll save it for when I meet a handsome guy later."

"I hope it goes as you wish."

When I responded indifferently, Cecil spoke as if slightly annoyed, "Someone like Senior Elliot might be possible."

And when I heard that name from Cecil's lips, my heart suddenly turned cold as if ice water had been poured over it.

The wide-open windows and the laughter coming from beyond. The lively music. The gentle excitement in the ripening festival disappeared like a dream with that one word.

And where there had been fantasy, cold and dry reality took its place.

Cecil was just like other girls. I was just the best option in her current situation, and if a better condition appeared, I was someone she would replace.

"Where are we going?"

"...Huh? Just follow me quietly. I don't like dancing while bumping into other people. At the end of the first part, they'll play music I like. There's a place with a good atmosphere where we can hear the music..."

"Let's go back."

"...What?"

I didn't feel anything. I just wanted to get rid of this damn ball right in front of me.

Cecil's eyes wavered.

"What do you mean? We... promised. To do what I want."

"I'm not interested, so let's go back."

She stood dazed for a moment, then spoke in a calm tone, "Okay. Let's dance in the ballroom."

Maybe it would be fine after a few weeks, or even days. But not now. Even if what Cecil said wasn't sincere, I couldn't just let it slide.

I realized anew that I was quite a narrow-minded person.

It wasn’t her fault. She just chose someone suitable for her current situation, and she was just like other girls, ready to switch if a better offer came along.

I just lost interest.

We walked back the way we came without saying a word. I didn't know what Cecil was thinking, but the atmosphere between us cooled rapidly.

We didn't exchange a single word until we entered the hall and stood in the center of the banquet hall.

In the middle of that dance floor, we held hands and pressed our bodies together like others around us. But the atmosphere between us was as cold as if we were strangers.

Cecil maintained a composed face, but her lower lip trembled occasionally.

"Candy, I wanted to dance at the end..." Cecil's voice was somewhat trembling.

I didn't answer.

"What are we going to do after dancing...?"

"Our partner relationship ends there."

"That's... different from our promise."

"..."

"You're my first-ever partner. I don't want to ruin it like this."

I didn't know I could be so cold to someone just because of one word. But no matter what she said, it didn't seem like my feelings would change right away.

Even dancing formally like this felt like a waste of time.

"Why are you doing this... You're like a completely different person."

Cecil couldn't concentrate on the dance. I couldn't concentrate either.

I didn't even feel much guilt. If we ended it like this, my relationship with Cecil would go awry, but… I simply didn't care anymore.

There were many students courting Cecil. She, like other girls, would quickly find a replacement. It might take a month, or as quickly as a week—maybe even a few hours.

I might have been someone's replacement too.

As the music ended, I let go of Cecil's hand.

She spoke with unfocused eyes, "Did I, did I make some mistake? Right?"

The lively and confident appearance I had seen until just now was gone, replaced by an insecure and submissive attitude.

"Candy, is this how it ends?"

"Have fun."

"If we end it now, I... might play with someone else. Is that okay?"

If so, there was even less reason to stay together. I turned around without answering.

Cecil fell silent.

I walked out of the ballroom just like that.

***

Female classmates gathered around Cecil, who was curled up in a corner, crying quietly. Martha, who had come to take a breather after dancing with her partner, couldn't hide her bewilderment at the sight.

"W-what's going on?"

Naias, who was patting Cecil's back, put her index finger to her lips as if to say be quiet.

How did such a good-looking couple end up like this before the first part even ended?

"Are there no other men besides him? You're quite popular too."

"How could he just leave because he got upset? What kind of behavior is that?"

"That Candy guy was a bit strange. You did well to filter him out."

"If you embrace a problematic man, you'll be swept away with him. You know that, right?"

The female classmates were pouring out comforting words to boost her spirits.

Cecil remained silent, her face covered.

It was dizzying to see the tough Cecil, who had never shown tears to others, like this.

Martha grabbed Brisel, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed and clicking her tongue, and asked, "What... happened? Did Cecil get dumped?"

Brisel whispered quietly so others couldn't hear, "Seems like Cecil made a misstep."

"What do you mean?"

"When the boy was being lukewarm... she tried to provoke jealousy by mentioning another guy. But it seems that really scratched him, and he left without looking back."

Martha slapped her forehead.

"I should have stopped her from reading that weird book."

"...What weird book?"

"'The Men of My Life' by Madame Michelle. She's been reading it like crazy lately because of the ball season."

"Wait, she read that nonsense book?"

"Haa."

It was an autobiography known as the “Man Conquest Method”. It once gained explosive popularity among noble women with its unverifiable tales of heroism and methods for conquering men's hearts.

The book detailed which men she had associated with, but the mentioned men testified that they had never associated with Madame Michelle or even seen her face, causing a big controversy at one point.

Martha sighed and approached Cecil, saying, "Cecil, go and speak honestly. That's the best way. If you try weird tricks, things might get irreversibly tangled."

Just then, a few girls who seemed to have been asked by Cecil approached her, panting, "Cecil! We found where Candy is."

Cecil, who had shown no reaction to anything said before, slowly raised her head.

"...Where?"

"He was pacing alone at the entrance of the maze garden."

"...Who's he with?"

"He's alone."

Cecil stood up without a moment's hesitation.

***

She walked quickly, almost to the point of being out of breath.

If she missed this chance, it might take weeks until they met again.

Before the emotional rift deepened further, she had to somehow resolve it through words. That was Cecil's only thought.

Cecil hurriedly headed towards the maze garden near the student plaza.

As the first part was still in full swing, there was no one passing by that area.

And she spotted Candy standing still on a hill overlooking the maze garden.

She took a deep breath and was about to approach when she noticed someone else and paused for a moment.

A girl was approaching Candy first, with her hands behind her back.

She walked stealthily behind Candy like a cat. A voluminous skirt and gray hair slightly swaying in the wind. It was a familiar back view.

The woman approached Candy's back and suddenly hugged him tightly as if pouncing on him.

"...!"

Witnessing this scene, Cecil felt her breath catch. She quickly hid behind a nearby tree and spied on the two.

Candy seemed considerably surprised, as if he hadn't expected this either.

As he tried to remove the woman's arms tightly wrapped around his waist, the woman spoke, "Don't turn around."

"..."

Eventually, Candy's movements stopped.

"I'm doing this because I don't think I can say it face to face."

Cecil's hand trembled as she overheard that voice. It was Lilith's voice.

"Who are you?"

"I know you. And you know me too."

"When have we met before?"

"Of course. We danced together every day, pressing our bodies together. Don't you remember... you promised to greet me during the ball?"

"..."

"I know who you are. I know what habits you have when you dance, and I know well that you have an unusual appearance different from others. I even know what's under that mask."

Candy was silent for a long time.

"Is it okay to abandon your partner like this?"

"I'm a wall flower. All the other boys are boring. The only one who interests me... is you."

"..."

"And, didn't you abandon your partner too?"

"What do you want?"

"I came to tell you that you don't owe me anything. I've repaid the debt from the entrance exam, and now we're equal."

"..."

"Just... greet me when we meet next time. As if nothing happened. Like you did with other girls."

Lilith slowly released her hold and turned around, running away as if escaping.

Candy stood there without taking any action, as if lost in thought.

Cecil couldn't do anything.