Chapter 87
It felt as though she had been having a very happy dream.
She couldn't remember what the dream had been about, but she did remember her father smiling peacefully.
"......Father."
Monica, lulled by her happy dream, shivered at the chill. With winter approaching, the early-morning air crept in through even the smallest gap in the blanket.
Monica burrowed deeper beneath the blanket and noticed something warm nearby. She unconsciously moved closer to it, and when she pressed her body against it, a cozy warmth spread through her.
(...But it seems awfully big for Nero... Hmm...)
Since it was warm, Monica decided it didn't matter what it was and gave up thinking about it, drifting back toward sleep. A gentle hand stroked her hair, and something soft pressed against her cheek.
Monica knew this happy sensation well.
"...Ah, paw pads... Good morning... Nero..."
"Nero?"
At the voice from right beside her, Monica woke up in an instant.
She opened her eyes as wide as they would go and stared toward the voice. A pair of jewel-like blue eyes gazed gently at her.
Monica let out a soundless scream and rolled off the bed, tumbling dramatically to the floor.
As Monica crawled along the floor, a prophecy from Mary Harvey, the 〈Star-Reading Witch〉, flashed through her mind.
──Right now, Monica-chan's romantic luck is at an all-time high! You might spend a passionate night with a wonderful gentleman☆
Could this possibly—or rather, surely—be what people meant by crossing the line?
Monica pressed her forehead against the floor and said in a trembling voice,
"E-ex-exe... e-ex..."
"E-ex?"
"Execution...?"
Felix, sitting up in bed with his upper body raised, chuckled softly at Monica's deathly pale expression. His upper body was completely bare.
Monica had actually rubbed her cheek against that broad chest. He would have been fully justified in having her head chopped off.
"Would you kill a cute kitten just for crawling into your bed?"
"...Huh? A cat?"
Monica raised her face from the floor and looked around frantically. But there was no cat anywhere in the room.
Where had the cat gone? As Monica tilted her head in confusion, Felix watched her with amusement.
"Last night, after you drank some wine, you suddenly took off your clothes and went straight to sleep."
Only then did Monica realize that she was wearing nothing but her underwear. No wonder she was cold.
For now, Monica breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, she hadn't crossed the line after all.
"Aren't you cold in that outfit?"
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I'll get dressed right away... Huh?"
Feeling something strange around her neck, Monica touched it with her fingers and felt the fine chain characteristic of a necklace. When she lowered her gaze, a small green stone glittered against her chest, reflecting the morning sunlight.
When Monica looked at Felix in confusion, he propped his cheek on his raised knee and narrowed his eyes.
"As I thought, it resembles the color of your eyes. It suits you very well."
"Um, what is this...?"
"You said that even if someone gave you an accessory, you wouldn't be able to accept it wholeheartedly."
Monica lowered her brows and nodded faintly.
At Monica's candid response, Felix smiled a little sadly.
"If you feel you're not ready for that necklace yet, wear it when you've become one of those fashion experts."
Monica silently looked down at the necklace. Dangling from the end of its fine golden chain was an olive-green stone slightly larger than her pinky fingernail. Its bright green color had a faint golden tint; it was probably peridot.
The modest, adorable design had surely been chosen with Monica's personality in mind.
Even so, Monica, unused to wearing accessories, looked up at Felix uncertainly.
"Um, you've already paid for this room and for the book, so anything more would be too much..."
She felt far too guilty about having him do anything else for her.
Monica reached behind her neck to remove the necklace and return it. But she wasn't accustomed to this sort of thing and had no idea how to undo the clasp.
As she fumbled awkwardly with her fingers, Felix got down from the bed and placed his hand over hers.
The instant he touched her, Monica's body went rigid.
Monica had grown up surrounded by her father's medical books and anatomical models, so seeing or being seen naked was nothing special to her.
She was afraid of being touched by others. The unreasonable violence of her uncle came back to her, and her body stiffened unconsciously.
As Monica trembled for a reason unrelated to the cold, Felix lowered the hand she had been using to remove the necklace.
Then he traced the golden chain adorning Monica's neck with one fingertip.
"I'm not giving this necklace to you for your sake. It's for my own self-satisfaction... I'm giving it for myself."
Unable to understand what Felix meant, Monica looked up at him in confusion.
Felix gave a slightly bitter smile, pinched the peridot between his fingertips, and tugged it lightly. The thin chain dug just slightly into Monica's skin.
"A gift that remains in physical form—especially something a person wears—is good for keeping someone's heart tied to you, isn't it?"
Tying someone's heart down with material possessions. It was an utterly arrogant thing for a nobleman to say.
And yet, why did he look so very lonely?
Felix's beautiful fingertips lifted the peridot. His shapely lips pressed a kiss against the olive-green stone, so much like Monica's eyes.
"You, at least, remember the 'Aik' you played with."
To an onlooker, the scene might have looked like a man and woman who had spent the night together, their clothes in disarray, pledging their love beneath the morning light.
But as Monica gazed at Felix's long eyelashes before her, she thought quietly.
──Surely, she would never spend another night out with 'Aik.'
That was why Felix had given Monica an almost excessive number of gifts.
So he could leave her with at least a few memories of the young man named Aik.
When Felix let go of the peridot, its beautiful olive-green color adorned Monica's pale skin.
Bathed in the morning sunlight streaming through the window, the peridot shone beautifully, the color of a meadow.
Monica's eyes, which usually appeared brownish, likewise became just a little greener in bright places.
"Peridot shines beautifully even in the faintest light on a dark night. If you wear it, I'll be able to find you right away."
Normally, Monica would have thought, growing pale, You don't need to find me, to Felix.
But Monica didn't want to dismiss Aik so thoughtlessly and hurt him. So she chose her words awkwardly but earnestly.
"...Aik."
"Hmm?"
"Nighttime outings... There were lots of surprises, but... I had fun."
"...Yeah."
From now on, there was almost no chance that Monica would ever choose to put on the peridot necklace of her own accord.
Even so, for now she felt that Aik would be sad if she took off the necklace, so she stopped reaching for the clasp.
Monica slowly stood and picked up the clothes folded on the sofa. The book he had bought her yesterday had also been placed neatly on top of her clothes, away from the drinks and food, which made her strangely happy.
As Monica changed, Felix seemed to remember something and spoke while looking at her back.
"Come to think of it, I've been wondering since yesterday... How did you get those old scars on your back?"
"...Huh? Are there still scars?"
"Quite a few. Especially around your shoulders."
There was a large full-length mirror in the room, so Monica twisted around slightly to look at her back. Sure enough, there were puckered scars where the skin had pulled tight and risen, along with several bruises. They were all remnants of the time when her uncle had abused her.
"Was that at the Count Kerbeck household?"
At Felix's words, Monica jerked and shook her head.
It was true that Monica was currently playing the role of the troublesome member of the Count Kerbeck household, but if suspicions of abuse arose as well, she would feel terrible for Isabel and the others.
"N-no, nothing like that! Everyone at the Count Kerbeck household has been incredibly, incredibly kind to me! Th-these scars are from much earlier..."
"Have you ever wished you could make those scars disappear completely?"
"...No, not really."
That was how she truly felt.
They weren't wounds that still hurt, and having old scars on her back did not interfere with her work.
Monica simply had no instinctive sense that scars were ugly. But to Felix, the presence of scars on a woman's body was probably something he could not overlook.
Monica suddenly noticed that Felix had a scar on his side as well, a mark that looked puckered. His perfectly proportioned body was smooth and beautiful, which only made the scar on his side stand out more.
"Um, that scar on your side... Do you want to make it disappear?"
When Monica asked hesitantly, Felix lowered his eyes to his own scar and slowly shook his head.
"...No. It's a necessary scar."
Monica didn't understand what those words meant, but she felt that she shouldn't pry, so she silently finished changing.
＊ ＊ ＊
The women of Madame Cassandra's House sent Felix and Monica off with great fanfare.
Doris, in particular, passionately kissed Felix on the cheek, then beckoned Monica over and whispered in her ear,
"If you ever have trouble making ends meet, come to us anytime. I'll take care of you."
"Th-thanks..."
"And as for the gentleman's weak spots—... be sure to remember those, too."
Even if she did remember, she doubted it would be of any use.
Monica gave Doris an ambiguous smile and nodded in return.
After leaving Madame Cassandra's House, Felix headed toward the place where his carriage was parked.
Felix offered to let Monica ride in the carriage as well, but Monica politely declined.
"Will you make it to the gathering before noon?"
"Y-yes! I have... a way..."
With Lin's help, Monica could fly back using wind magic in no time. It was far faster than traveling by carriage.
"Thank you for... everything!"
Holding the book he had bought her against her chest, Monica bowed. Felix gave her the gentle, affable smile he always showed at the academy.
It wasn't the slightly mischievous way Aik smiled. It was the smile of a member of the royal family beloved by all.
The time she had spent with Aik was over.
The person standing here was Felix Arc Ridill, the Second Prince of this country.
...A lofty, distant figure.
"Well then, see you again."
"Yes."
The carriage carrying Felix began to move.
Monica remained where she was and continued watching the carriage depart until the sound of its wheels faded away.
Eventually, a yellow bird perched on Monica's shoulder. It was Lin, Lewis Miller's contracted spirit.
"〈Silent Witch〉-dono, thank you for your hard work guarding the Second Prince."
"Y-yes..."
Monica privately gave a wry smile, wondering whether that could really be called guarding.
After all, halfway through she had forgotten about her duty, been swept along by Aik, and then become absorbed in reading. She had actually enjoyed herself.
The book in her arms and the peridot necklace, even if they were merely the result of his whim, would surely become unforgettable memories for Monica.
As Monica thought this, Lin, disguised as a bird, moved up beside her ear and whispered,
"I would like to escort 〈Silent Witch〉-dono back to the academy, but before that... I have one piece of bad news."
"...Huh?"
As Monica stiffened, Lin delivered the news.
"The assassin who infiltrated the chess tournament and was captured..."