“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”

But it didn’t seem that way for Lloyd.

His face contorted at Melissa’s firm answer.

“Lady, I know this is rude, but I must say it. Young duke Shortiras was someone you were desperately avoiding until recently. And now you say you’re dating him? How can I believe that?”

“I understand your disbelief. But it’s true.”

“You said you had a big fight before.”

“It turned out there was a misunderstanding. It’s resolved now.”

Melissa spoke in the calmest voice possible.

So he would believe her words.

So he wouldn’t notice the hidden intentions deep in her heart.

“Actually, I was coming to tell you this, but somehow things turned out this way, and I’m telling you now. I didn’t intend to inform you like this……”

“Lady.”

Lloyd interrupted Melissa’s words.

This caused Melissa to look directly into his eyes.

Only then did she realize.

Lloyd wasn’t simply worried about her; he was angry.

“Do you know what your expression looks like right now?”

“……What does my expression look like?”

Melissa wanted to know too.

What state she was in right now.

Why she kept wavering as though caught in a storm.

It had been a long time since she could objectively look at herself. No, it was something she could never do from the beginning.

At least, that was true for Melissa.

Lloyd stared intently at Melissa who was questioning him.

He sighed and said,

“Haa. You keep looking like you’re afraid of something.”

“You think I’m afraid?”

“Don’t you think so?”

Melissa averted her gaze from Lloyd.

She lowered her head and looked at her hands resting on her knees.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

“Of course, if you say you’re not scared, I could believe that too. I can’t know your heart, nor do I have the ability to read the future like you. Perhaps it’s an entirely different emotion.”

“……”

“But lady, at least as far as I know, ordinary people don’t make such faces when talking about someone they love. They don’t continue to be so anxious.”

Lloyd hesitated for a moment, then asked as if he had made up his mind.

“So I’m asking. Are you really in a mutual loving relationship with young duke Shortiras?”

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Melissa’s heart sank with a loud noise.

It wasn’t something she didn’t already know, she clearly knew it already.

Just like when she first realized she had been deceived by Edgar.

[I can’t know your heart, nor do I have the ability to read the future like you.]

‘The ability to read the future……’

If she used precognition to see her future, would she know?

With what intention Edgar approached her, whether his current words were lies or not. Whether his promise to break the magic contract was sincere or not.

Then she wouldn’t waver at such questions anymore.

Melissa concentrated as if entranced.

‘Magic contract…… Edgar……’

Yes, she just needed to find out.

If she found out, everything would become certain.

“……Lady?”

Lloyd asked, perhaps finding it strange that Melissa had suddenly gone silent. But she couldn’t hear him.

She seemed to be in an entirely different space and time.

Eventually, Melissa closed her eyes.

Nothing would disturb her now. Soon she would see what she wanted.

But……

“Ah……”

Melissa opened her eyes with a small groan.

Contrary to her expectations, she couldn’t see anything.

No, more precisely, she didn’t look.

Just before using her power of precognition, Melissa unconsciously stopped herself. The power that had been naturally activating disappeared.

She already knew the reason why.

‘I’m scared…..’

She was too scared to look.

Afraid that the future confirmed through precognition would be pure darkness.

Afraid that despite all her struggling, nothing had changed from her past life. Melissa simply couldn’t bring herself to check.

So even though the power had already activated and pain had begun to rise, she stopped the precognition. It was truly inefficient behavior. What a fool she was.

“Huah.”

Melissa inhaled deeply, feeling like she might burst into tears.

On top of that, her head hurt so much that she couldn’t lift it. Seeing this behavior, Lloyd’s face, which had been watching her with concern, became even more serious.

As if he was worried sick about Melissa.

He examined her and asked,

“Lady, are you being threatened by young duke Shortiras?”

Not realizing how his words might sound.

“What did the young duke say to you?”

[Running away, Melissa? You should use your precognition.]

Melissa raised her head at the auditory hallucination in her ear.

A familiar face overlapped with Lloyd’s face.

She felt as if she could feel the cold temple prison floor against her skin.

“Please say something, lady. With what happened to you at the ducal residence, I’m extremely worried. With the family operating that way, there’s no way the young duke, their only heir, wouldn’t have known about the situation.”

[Think about it, Melissa. What kind of fool doesn’t visit his fiancée even once in six years?]

The cold voice continued.

Those words that Melissa had tried so hard to forget for a long time.

“Even if the young duke truly didn’t know, that’s still a problem. I don’t think you should be with someone who couldn’t notice anything until you ended up in that state.”

[We don’t suit each other anyway.]

Please stop. Stop it.

Don’t say anything more.

Melissa, who was suffering, shook her head.

“……That’s not it.”

“If you need any help, you can be honest with me. I can help you……”

“That’s not it, Your Highness!”

A scream-like shout burst from Melissa’s mouth.

Lloyd stopped speaking and flinched.

Looking at his face, she finally came to her senses.

Flustered, Melissa hurriedly opened her mouth.

“Ah, that……”

This was the first time she had ever raised her voice at Lloyd, so he must have been quite shocked. He was already troubled with worry for her. She couldn’t just leave it at that.

She needed to make some excuse.

That her head hurt too much, that she wasn’t thinking clearly.

But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Meanwhile, the pain grew worse. From earlier, only one person had been on her mind.

Someone who could instantly remove this pain.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“What’s happening?”

Just as Melissa was apologizing to Lloyd, a familiar voice sounded from behind her. Without turning her head, Melissa knew.

Edgar was behind her.

Neither Melissa nor Lloyd could readily answer. They didn’t know how to explain the current situation.

In the continuing silence, Edgar took another step closer.

Even in her pain-addled state, Melissa knew his gaze was fixed on her back.

A moment later, Edgar bent down and said,

“Your Highness, we should end today’s tour and return now.”

He extended his arm and embraced Melissa.

At the same time, the pain pounding in her head disappeared.

In that moment, Melissa realized.

……Ah, I.

“I want to be alone with Melissa right now.”

Perhaps even after becoming free from everything, she wouldn’t be able to let go of this warmth.

Even knowing that everything Edgar said was a lie.

Melissa reached out and grabbed the arm that was holding her.

Lloyd opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head and let out a deep sigh. His face sank into darkness.

“Do as you wish.”

Lloyd stood up first.

As he passed by Melissa, he murmured,

“I’m sorry for pressing you, lady.”

Melissa raised her head.

Lloyd had already moved some distance away. She could see his back as he walked away dejectedly.

She didn’t understand how things had turned out this way.

“Shall we go, Melissa?”

Edgar lifted Melissa while staying close to her.

Even though they could have separated briefly while moving, he seemed to deliberately avoid doing so.

Edgar, holding Melissa completely in his arms, slowly walked away. Eventually, they arrived at Melissa’s house.

He opened the door with a familiar gesture and stepped inside.

“We can finally talk now.”

Edgar asked as he seated Melissa on the bed.

This time, they remained holding hands.

The action seemed as if nothing had happened, and Melissa naturally emptied her mind. Her trembling body also seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“Talk?”

“Yes. About breaking the magic contract as I promised.”

“Ah……”

Melissa bit her lip.

Because she had been doubting whether his words about the magic contract were true until just now, she wasn’t particularly happy despite finally having the opportunity to talk with Edgar.

Moreover.

“Of course, I’m not changing my word. I’ll do it for you. However, I have two conditions.”

Adding such words.

Melissa’s mood, which had been somewhat relying on Edgar until just now, sank further. It was fortunate that her pain had disappeared because they were touching.

“What are the conditions?”

Let’s hear what he has to say.

Melissa asked lightly with such thoughts.

Edgar answered quietly.

“First, I’d like you to distance yourself from His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

Melissa asked with a frown.

At first, she thought she had misheard.

After all, hadn’t Edgar initially acted as if he would naturally break the magic contract? Not only was she displeased with him suddenly imposing conditions, but the condition itself was restricting her friendships?