“May I stay by your side? I have nothing to do.”

“…As long as you don’t interfere.”

“Yes! I won’t interfere!”

Her answer was prompt. Veronica turned her attention back and focused on the letter again.

Magnolia watched with curiosity as she carefully moved the pen, one character at a time.

The scratching sound of the pen filled the quiet room once again. A cautious voice mixed with that sound.

“Miss Hardness. Are you perhaps very angry with me?”

The pen paused for a moment, then moved again.

“What reason would I have to be angry with Miss Rining?”

“But I suddenly came here and said I’d be staying, so you must have been uncomfortable.”

“My father permitted it.”

“It seems like you didn’t want it though.”

At Veronica’s silence, Magnolia smiled bitterly.

Silence fell again.

“I used to exchange love letters often too.”

A voice lost in reminiscence flowed out softly.

“I exchanged letters with that person often. Not wanting to seem like an unrefined woman, I would find good phrases to use, or get perfume to spray, or make pretty envelopes, but if I had known it would be like this, I should have just sent them carelessly. That man was probably holding another woman while reading my letters.”

It must have been foolish, Magnolia let out an exaggerated laugh as if embarrassed.

It wasn’t something to laugh about. It wasn’t something to belittle herself over either. Veronica quietly listened to her laughter.

One only realizes something has gone wrong after experiencing it, and it comes unexpectedly one day. And looking back on the past, all that remains is bitter regret and self-blame.

It was an emotion Veronica knew well too.

“Ah, but Miss Hardness doesn’t have to worry about this. His Highness Theron is faithful to his fiancée! Unlike me, Miss Hardness will surely be happy.”

A flustered voice continued from behind. Displeasure spread deep in her chest.

Veronica finally put down her pen and faced Magnolia. Magnolia apologized, shrinking her neck.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you…”

“There’s an issue with the broken engagement, isn’t there?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

How would I know, it’s obvious.

“If the engagement was broken, you wouldn’t have run away, would you?”

“…That’s right.”

Embarrassment swirled on her pale face. Veronica gestured for her to speak.

“Actually, when I first brought up breaking the engagement, he said he was wrong and begged for forgiveness, asking for one more chance. Because I loved him, I believed him and gave him a chance. But… he soon met another woman again, and I couldn’t stand it and declared the engagement broken at a banquet. But that man pretended to be repentant in front of me, yet at the banquet he claimed he had never done such a thing.”

It was a predictable process. The situation to follow was also clear.

“My father didn’t believe me. Rather, the other family caused an uproar. They said their son was usually diligent in his conduct and asked what I was talking about, demanding evidence…”

But there was no way she could provide evidence. Even if there was evidence, it was likely already destroyed.

The reason Magnolia’s fiancé pretended to repent and bought time was for that.

“I thought it wouldn’t go wrong. I believed it was surely the path to happiness. I thought we were sharing our hearts… but it wasn’t. It was my misunderstanding.”

Her face, which had been smiling forcedly with her hands clasped, gradually distorted. She lowered her face.

Veronica thought Magnolia would be crying. But when her face rose again, she was still smiling stupidly.

That laughter was even more exaggerated and ridiculous. Like struggling to ignore the sadness.

“Well, that’s the situation, I guess. Ahaha.”

“…”

“Haha, ha…”

The forced laughter she let out while scratching her head quickly lost strength. Then it suddenly became gloomy. Going from pretending to be bright to gloomy, it was chaotic.

Veronica stared at the depressed Magnolia. Was this the first scar engraved on her who had lived without worries?

If so, it would be remembered for a long time, but it was ultimately a problem she had to shake off herself. Or choose another method.

“Yes. The process of such things is predictable. I expected it.”

Veronica responded flatly. Magnolia was flustered.

“Y-yes. It’s a predictable story.”

“Yes. It’s a predictable story.”

“Haha, that’s right. It’s a predictable story to the point of being boring. Not interesting at all. I-I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Yes, it was boring.”

Veronica turned her body back to the desk. Then she continued writing the letter.

“It wasn’t something Miss Rining should be ashamed of either.”

After reading the perfectly finished letter once more, she sealed it with wax. Then Veronica checked the time and stood up.

Small footsteps followed a little late behind her as she left the room.

The destination was an outdoor table outside. Veronica sat down first, and Magnolia cautiously sat down quietly beside her after checking the mood.

Soon Lady Arin appeared. It was the scheduled lesson time with her.

Lady Arin noticed Magnolia and smiled warmly.

“Oh my. Isn’t this Miss Rining?”

Magnolia was startled when she saw the lady and stood up. Then she bowed her waist, and the lady also exchanged greetings cheerfully.

Magnolia was flustered. Lady Arin laughed again when she heard her mumble ‘A-Aria…’.

“It’s Aria Thompson. My surname changed.”

“Ah, Lady Aria.”

“I’m usually called Arin.”

“Lady Arin…”

Magnolia shyly called her name. Lady Arin’s face became pleased. Then the lady tilted her head.

“But what brings Miss Rining here?”

“I’m staying at the Hardness house for a while.”

She finished explaining briefly. The lady said I see and sat down.

“Oh right, I was too busy before to say it, but congratulations on your marriage. I’m sorry the congratulations are late.”

“Ah, um, that, we br-broke off the engagement.”

“Broke it off?”

Lady Arin was perplexed.

Magnolia lowered her head in embarrassment. Veronica opened her mouth on behalf of her who didn’t know what to do.

“She says something came up.”

“Oh my. Why? Was there some problem?”

Magnolia couldn’t easily answer the lady’s question. It would be difficult to go around talking about her fiancé’s infidelity.

In the end, Veronica covered for her again who couldn’t say anything, saying ‘All sorts of things come up with marriages, don’t they?’. Lady Arin also tactfully didn’t ask further.

“I see, Miss Rining is still young, so you can meet a better man.”

“Thank you, Lady Arin.”

Magnolia expressed her gratitude towards Lady Arin who spoke kindly to her. Lady Arin looked at her as if she was cute.

“By the way, you two.”

Lady Arin looked back and forth between the two people sitting in front of her.

“When did you become friends?”

Her voice conveyed congratulations of a different meaning. Magnolia smiled shyly. And Veronica clarified the situation with her usual plain face.

“We’re not friends.”

“Pardon?”

“We’re not friends.”

Lady Arin looked uncomfortable at the words firmly corrected twice and glanced to the side.

Shadows had already settled on the face that was smiling shyly. A moment of heavy silence came.

Magnolia lowered her head again and fidgeted with both hands. Then she spoke with a slightly courageous voice.

“I-I want to be friends with Miss Hardness!”

“I don’t want to.”

As if she hadn’t expected to be rejected, Magnolia was flustered.

“W-why?”

“Because I don’t want to be friends.”

“Oh, oh, oh. Why?”

“Because I don’t like it. More importantly, if you’re done with your business, could you please go somewhere else now? I need to have my lesson now.”

It was a cold voice cutting off the other’s will.

Magnolia had a shocked expression, and Lady Arin who was watching the situation hurriedly intervened.

“Veronica! It would be good to learn together, right?”

“Not for me.”

In the end, Magnolia stood up. Before leaving, she looked at Veronica once more, but nothing changed.

Lady Arin looked sadly at her retreating figure walking dejectedly towards the mansion with slumped shoulders.

“Veronica. Why are you so cold? It seems like Miss Rining really wants to be friends with you. Come to think of it, Veronica, do you have friends…”

“I don’t.”

Lady Arin hurriedly closed her mouth. Silence fell again.

“B-but you had friends before, didn’t you?”

“We cut ties.”

“I see. You can make new friends later, right? Haha.”

“Shall we start the lesson?”

“…Let’s do that.”

And so the lesson began in an awkward atmosphere.

After seeing Lady Arin off and coming back in, she met Magnolia. It seemed she had been waiting for her.

Magnolia hesitated with her hands clasped, but when Veronica tried to pass by her uninterestedly, she hurriedly grabbed her arm.

“−Miss Hardness!”

“Yes, is something the matter?”

“Are you really angry with me after all?”

“I think I said earlier that I’m not angry.”

“Then did I make some mistake towards you?”

“No.”

“Do you… dislike me?”

“I neither like nor dislike you.”

“Th-then why don’t you want to be friends with me?”

“Because there’s no reason to be friends.”

There was no reason not to be friends, but there was also no reason to be friends.

At those words, Magnolia’s face went blank. It was a reaction as if she hadn’t expected to hear such an answer.

Veronica removed the hand holding her arm and turned around. Magnolia, belatedly coming to her senses, followed after her.

“Th-th-then can I call you by name?”

“No.”

“…”

“Don’t call me by name.”

At that moment, Magnolia’s face turned red. Veronica pretended not to see her stammering, not knowing what to say.