Chapter 13

"Milady Angelina, please don't worry. It has been quite some time since you ordered me not to approach him."

"...Has it really been that long?"

"Yes, about half a year."

"Half a year!"

Misha had protested against being ordered not to approach Lord Dennis after I left for Baltsline.

"Besides, Milady Angelina, you are going to marry into the borderlands, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I am to marry Lord Baltsline."

"In that case, perhaps it was for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps this is what 'fate' means, Milady Angelina. Even after you marry into the borderlands, will you still be close to me?"

"Of course, naturally, Misha."

"Thank you. Actually, Milady Angelina, about that..."

"It's fine. Go on?"

I encouraged Misha, who seemed hesitant to continue.

"The possibility of you becoming the fiancée of Prince Leonhardt was the highest."

"...Well, maybe. I can't say for sure if it was the highest."

Lady Sandika of the Roddick Dukedom was also a candidate. She and I are the same age, so we were both considered potential fiancées for the prince.

"Anticipating this, my father told me to get close to you."

"Oh..."

Misha's father, Viscount Trymer, is a power-hungry man and is strict with his daughter. Forming a friendship with the duke's daughter was one of his desires. The best outcome for him would have been for his daughter to become a friend of the future queen.

However, that didn't happen. But the relationship between us as foster siblings hasn't changed. I've heard that my brother Carlos, who will inherit the dukedom, is in the prince's good graces. There is some meaning in our families being connected.

But whether Misha, who is only close to me, can benefit from this is uncertain. My relationship with Carlos is not good at the moment.

In that case, how will Viscount Trymer act? I am still worried about Misha.

"If my engagement to Lord Dennis had been realized, and if I had been told to stay away from him afterward, I might not have been able to give up on Lord Dennis. I would have clung to him more desperately... In that sense, perhaps it's better that he rejected me now. If it's a love that can never be, it's better to give up."

"Misha..."

Misha has already reached a point where she is starting to find her own answers. I was too late to support her emotionally.

"Given my father's wishes, I can't say anything now, but Milady Angelina, if it's allowed... I wish to be with you even when you marry into the borderlands. I hope to be by your side."

"Really? That's..."

"It's still a long way off. This is how I feel. If you were to enter the palace, I wanted to be by your side. ...My initial, childish infatuation started that way, Milady Angelina."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I tilted my head and looked at Misha. She smiled and answered.

"In other words, what I wished for first was to be by your side, Milady Angelina. So, I thought, 'Is there a suitable man among those who serve in the palace?' And if it was someone my father could accept, that would be fine. That's why... I rather shamefully chose among the men."

Misha looked embarrassed and troubled.

"I thought, 'If these conditions are met, this person would be good.' And that's how I found Lord Dennis. That was the beginning of my love. So, now, yes. I believe there was no 'fate' with Lord Dennis. Instead, I am thinking about how I can be by your side. This is only because you have decided to marry Lord Baltsline."

"Misha, you... I didn't know."

I widened my eyes and looked at my old friend. I didn't know Misha had such thoughts.

"Yes. So, Milady Angelina, rather than worrying about the matter with Lord Dennis, I would like you to guide me on how I can be with you in the borderlands. And I hope that your relationship with Lord Baltsline will be solid."

"...I understand. If you say so, I will think about how to help you on your path."

"Yes, I would be grateful if you could do that, Milady Angelina."

Our 'fate' was formed by political strategy and authority, but now, I truly feel that a friendship is growing between us. It warms my heart.

"By the way, Milady Angelina. Instead of worrying about me, I heard that you will have a rendezvous with Lord Baltsline in the capital."

"...Where did you hear that?"

"It's a widely spread rumor."

Why is such a rumor spreading!

"Probably, for both of you, this will be your first rendezvous in the capital. You might want to make it a memorable experience, but please choose a safe place, Milady Angelina."

"...Y-Yes, that's true. Can you also hear about that, Misha?"

"Of course."

While it is a rendezvous between a duke's daughter and a border lord, we won't have as many guards as royalty. There shouldn't be much danger if we don't leave the capital. As a student, I might get excited and giddy about a rendezvous with a man, but of course, I intend to maintain my decorum.

And so, while I continued my school life, I prepared and eventually welcomed the day when I would guide Lord Ash in the capital.