“……How may I help you?”
“You’re still as cold as ever, I see.”

“Hmph,” Yule snorted mockingly, causing Aurora’s brow to furrow in annoyance. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing them in the room. He didn’t bother to offer her a seat; instead, he remained where he was, his gaze raking over her with blatant rudeness. Aurora let out a quiet sigh, noting how drastically his attitude had shifted since their last encounter by the fountain.

“If you dress up, you’ll look a bit better; but to really attract everyone’s attention, you need to wear something unconventional, right?I’ll admit, the silhouette and the craftsmanship are fine… even the embroidery on the bodice is exquisite. But it’s likely the work of Duchess Laetus, isn’t it? If the wearer isn’t equally exceptional, then such a treasure is simply wasted on them.”
(Come to think of it, this man is known for being quite the dandy…..even if he doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of formal attire…..Still, the embroidery on the white uniform is lovely; I hadn’t realized the design was different from the navy blue version.)

Surprisingly, he approved the dress, but then she remembered,
Men’s fashion differs significantly from women’s, ranging from the intricacies of a necktie knot to the color coordination of a vest, and even down to the specific weave and texture of the fabric. Yule is remarkably well-versed in these nuances as well.

“It’s a pity, it would have been better if another girl had worn it.”

Aurora glared back at Yule in disgust.

“Of course. But if it were anyone else, there would be no need for them to wear this color anyway, so there’s no point in discussing ‘what ifs.'”
“Even so, your voice and face are both quite ordinary….. I still don’t understand it ……. Why are you Clavis’s fiancée? Do you have some special skill? Or have you perhaps discovered one of his weaknesses?”
“All I can say is that I was chosen by the ring.”
“I have heard the details of that story. But it would be foolish to believe it as it is.”
(Well, that’s true!)

Only a simple-minded or dreamy child would believe such a ridiculous excuse. Had Aurora been a stranger, she would have suspected a hidden motive—that there was a real reason behind the engagement, one that could never be revealed to the public.
Unfortunately, however, the undeniable truth in this case is that she was ‘chosen by the ring’. How on earth can she even convince him?

“Why are you so concerned about Felix-sama’s fiancée?”

When she implied that it was none of his business, Yule’s beautiful features were distorted in a wasteful way.

“…… that’s because he’s Clavis.”

After a long pause, the words he uttered came out almost like a groan.

“We were born in the same year, into households of equal rank and standing, yet from opposing factions—and both of us legitimate sons! We both have beautiful faces, and we’ve followed the exact same path, from the military academy to the Imperial Knights!”

Dang! Yule’s hand hit the wall. Aurora stared blankly at the man who had declared himself beautiful. He had been acting theatrically that time as well, but it seemed to be a habit of his.

“And yet, I have never been able to beat him, not even once!　His magic, swordsmanship, and horsemanship are outstanding among his classmates. He is the only one of his classmates who has joined the Imperial Knights and is already a captain. The people around him, who have an overwhelming advantage over the others, simply praise him. It’s no wonder, because the gap between him and the rest is so great. But do you know how irritating and miserable it is for me, who is always coming close and never able to beat him at the last moment?!”

As Yule began to speak, golden light danced across his hair. Aurora watched, mesmerized, as his pale fingers traced faint, shimmering paths through the darkness.
As Aurora was not a knight and rarely compared herself to her peers, his words felt foreign to her, making it difficult to truly empathize.

“Are you saying that ……Felix-sama is too good to be true, and you don’t like it?”
“No!”

DADAN!　His fist strikes the wall again.

“He’s …… he’s perfect. Beautiful, strong, aloof, and always so calm—you saw it yourself during that mock match! No matter what I do, I always fall just one step short of him, even when I resort to being a coward. I’ve wanted to make him crawl, to knock him to the floor… I’ve dreamed of it since I was fifteen—no, since I was five when we first met! But not once! Not even once have I been able to beat him!”

His canines showed beneath his thin lips. Yule’s blue eyes, bloodshot and bright, flashed as he fixed a glare on Aurora. As she grimaced, he leveled a finger directly at her.

“A man like that! My eternal rival! Why?! Why would he choose to marry an ordinary woman like you? He is supposed to be my eternal wall! He has such a stunning sister—I always imagined he would marry a woman of such insurmountable beauty that it would make me gnash my teeth in envy! But you? It would be far too easy for me to marry someone more beautiful than you! If I can’t overcome him at his absolute best, then it isn’t a complete victory!”
“Um… so, what you’re saying is, you can’t forgive the perfect Felix-sama for having a flaw like me?”
“That’s right!!”
(This is …… no way ……)

As Yule made his sweeping statement, Aurora’s mouth—which had been about to open in protest—snapped shut.
In other words.

(……So Loomis likes Felix-sama, so much so that it can’t be helped.)

I had prepared myself for a room full of women and their belittling remarks, but I never imagined being told ‘You are not worthy of him!’ by a man. It’s a perfect example of how reality is often stranger than fiction. He’s like a maiden so blindly in love that she cannot stand the thought of anyone else being associated with the person of her dreams.

(What should I do? No—I don’t actually need to do anything, right? Not to be prejudiced, but this is a shock! My brother mentioned having a few close calls himself; I’ve heard it’s not unusual for men to fall for one another in male-dominated spaces like dormitories or the Order of Knights! Wait, school dorms and the Knights’ Order… aren’t those the exact situations they were in?)

–Setting aside whether or not her theory was actually correct, Aurora reached her conclusion. She stole a glance at the man; Yule, oblivious to her gaze, was heaving his shoulders as he struggled to steady his ragged breathing.

(I can’t bring myself to shatter his maiden-like delusions by telling him that Felix-sama’s cold, expressionless face is actually just shyness. But if I mention this is only a temporary engagement, he might fly into a rage. How can I get him to accept the situation peacefully?….. No, in a case like this, I’m the one who should just stay out of it.)
“What are you doing, making a stupid face?”
“…… Well, this is my usual self.”
“What a disappointing woman. I still don’t understand. Why you?”
“As I said, the ring made the choice.”
“Don’t think such nonsense will work!”

Yule spat his reply. Aurora didn’t flinch at the shouting—she was used to the rowdy knights back home. When she glared back at him, a dark, twisted smile appeared on his lips.

“I suppose I can admire your audacity and strong will. However, I’m not nearly a good enough person to accept such a blatant lie. –Hmm, Looking at you now, I see you’ve quite the voluptuous figure. Is that how you seduced him? With that body of yours?”

A vein popped on Aurora’s head. A sharp, sickening feeling surged up from her stomach. What an incredibly foul thing to say about someone as earnest and clumsy as Felix!

“How rude! Felix-sama is a gentleman! He is not the kind of man who would touch a maiden before marriage!”

When she yells at Yule, implying not to lump Felix with him, he gets annoyed and replies.

“Then what else do you have?! Why you?! There must be something! Tell me!”
“As I said, the ring chose me! It’s real!”
“There’s no way that’s true!!”
“Ahhh?!”

With a thud, Yule’s arm reached out and pushed Aurora’s shoulder. Aurora staggered, but still managed to take a step back without falling.

“I won’t accept it! His fiancée is an ordinary person! I refuse to accept it! —I see, so I just need to remove you from the equation? Then I’ll just have to make sure you’re removed!”
“Huh?!”
“If that body of yours is tainted, you will never be able to become the Marquis’s fiancée!”
“What are you talking about――!”

In his excited state, Yule’s arm reached out towards Aurora again, causing her to hurriedly escape in the opposite direction.

“Hey, what’s going on? Don’t take matters into your own hands! If you do that, you’ll be the one forced to take responsibility once I’m no longer Felix-sama’s fiancée, don’t you know?! Don’t be so desperate for an unrequited love!”

She dodged the outstretched arms three times, flapping her dress as she jumped to avoid the long legs extending toward her. The table next to the sofa toppled over, and the glass shattered with a clang, spilling its remaining liquid.

“Shut up! If I can teach him a lesson, that’d be great!”
“You are worse. Are you drunk?”
(I thought something was wrong with him!　Come to think of it, this guy was drinking when I came into the room!)

Considering he had already drunk wine at the evening party, this was a considerable amount of alcohol. If he were drunk and out of control, his outrageous actions would be understandable. Nevertheless, even if understandable, this is still a pinch for Aurora.

(This is indeed not good. What should I do?)
“Oh well, just a little!”
“Ouch!”

She ran left and right around the chairs, knocking over small pieces of furniture and circling the desk. Chased by a knight in such a small room, there was no way the young lady could keep running for long; without much pause, Aurora was driven back against the wall. He placed a hand on the left side of her neck, and she gasped in fear as his rough hand approached the vital spot that held her life. She furiously sifted through her memories, hoping to find a way out of this situation somehow.

(Oh, yes, in times like this, bend over and ……)
“Give up!”
“Who would!”

Aurora looked up at Yule with a snap and sat back down. She remembered her brother’s words. Her brother—who possessed the beauty of a young girl and a slender frame, yet had to behave as the man of the household—had learned several self-defense techniques that could be used even by children lacking in physical strength. He had taught them to Aurora the year before her social debut, saying, ‘Laura is a girl, after all.’

(Breathe in, lower your hips, aim for the chin, and with all your might….headbutt!)
“Take that!”
“Guh!?”

Bang! Without a moment’s hesitation, she headbutted him with all her might, landing perfectly on Yule’s narrow jaw. A sparking pain and shock jolted through both her forehead and Yule’s chin. He staggered back from the sudden impact, likely never expecting a Earl’s daughter to strike back at a knight.

“Ugh… ugh!”
But he did not fall, though he held his chin and wobbled. His long fingers hung around Aurora’s thin neck.

(Ahhh, what a quick recovery—as expected of a knight! …That’s right, my earrings!)

『Help me, Felix-sama!』

At that moment, magic power rushed into the earpiece

The blue magic stone at Aurora’s chest exploded with light. In the blink of an eye, the light stained the small room, and everything before her turned white—and in that moment, she lost consciousness as something enveloped her.

Author’s Note:-

A gag episode (or so it’s intended).