Chapter 34

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with my bones."

"…Sorry."

Cecilia, while disinfecting Oscar's arm, let her shoulders droop.

Oscar had been injured protecting her about half an hour ago.

Bernard had already been taken away by Jade and Gilbert, and Cecilia and Dante were left to treat Oscar in the infirmary. The treatment was minimal; the bite on his arm, though bleeding, was only a minor injury. The most they could do was disinfect it and protect the wound from bacteria with gauze and bandages. This was more of a temporary measure until Mordred woke up. Once he did, such an injury would be easily healed.

Incidentally, Dante had disappeared at some point, saying something about having an idea after hearing Emily's story, but Cecilia suspected he was just slacking off. He had been so frantic when Oscar was injured, but now that it was just a minor injury, he was nowhere to be seen.

Mordred, who had been knocked out by Hugh, was sleeping quietly on the bed behind them. The two who had carried him in were also nowhere to be seen.

So, the infirmary was left with only Cecilia, Oscar, and the sleeping Mordred.

"Really, I'm sorry. It's all because I couldn't dodge…"

"That's why I said I'm fine. And stop apologizing. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Okay. Thank you, Oscar."

Despite her dejection, Cecilia continued the treatment with surprising efficiency. Though her cooking skills were disastrous, she was not exactly clumsy. Plus, she had been trained in basic first aid by Hans.

"By the way, I meant to ask you—"

"What?"

At Oscar's voice, Cecilia kept her eyes on the bandage she was wrapping and responded.

"Was the reason you were following Mr. Mordred recently because of this?"

"Huh?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Cecilia looked up at Oscar. His cheeks were suddenly flushed, and he was staring at her intently.

"Um, yeah."

"Haah—"

Cecilia nodded, and Oscar let out a deep sigh, as if expelling all the air from his lungs. He then lowered his head.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, it's good, I guess."

"What's good?"

"…Never mind."

When she leaned in to look, he turned his face away. Had she given the wrong answer?

(In Oscar's route, there wasn't supposed to be an event in the infirmary, though.)

Well, since he didn't seem angry, she decided not to worry about it. Besides, the story had diverged so much from the game that her in-game experience was often irrelevant.

Cecilia continued the treatment. Then, she suddenly noticed something and looked up.

"Hey, this is the opposite of before, isn't it?"

"Opposite?"

"Remember the field trip! I got my cheek treated by Oscar, right?"

She pointed to her right cheek, the place where a piece of a cutting board had hit her. Back then, they weren't on such friendly terms, and that incident had brought them closer.

Oscar smiled.

"Oh, right. I remember."

"Oscar used to be so scary back then."

"Did I?"

"Yeah! Your eyes were all narrowed, and you were always demanding, 'Let me see Cecilia!' and 'Is the schedule set yet!' It was really annoying, to be honest!"

"R-really…?"

The word "annoying" made Oscar look as if he had been punched in the solar plexus.

"But now it's a good memory! By the way, you don't say things like that anymore."

"Things like that?"

"Like, 'Let me see Cecilia' or something."

Though not as often, he used to say things like "It's about time to see Cecilia" at least once a week before they went to the cottage. Now, he hardly ever said such things. While she found it more comfortable, she was also a bit curious as to why he had stopped.

"Ah, maybe! Because we met again at the cottage, and you're satisfied now?"

"It's not like that. …I just don't need to go out of my way to see you anymore."

He said this hesitantly, deepening Cecilia's confusion.

"By 'don't need to go out of my way to see you,' do you mean the situation is set for a peaceful engagement annulment?"

"Huh? Engagement annulment!? Why would you think that!?"

Oscar's eyes widened in shock.

"What? Because you wanted to end the engagement with Cecilia peacefully, right?"

"Wh-what!?"

His angry voice made her flinch.

"Wait, hold on. I can't follow this. Why would I want to annul the engagement with Cecilia?"

"Well, Oscar likes Lean, right? So, to, you know, smooth things over…"

"Huh?"

Oscar's cheeks twitched, and he looked at Cecilia as if she were an unbelievable sight.

He started rubbing his head, as if he had a headache.

"Why would you think I like her?"

"Well… a guess? It just seemed like it—"

"Guess?"

His eyes widened even more, and he repeated the word "guess" in a trembling voice.

Confused by his unexpected reaction, Cecilia tilted her head.

"Maybe you've given up on Lean now?"

"Why would you think I liked her a little before…"

"Is that not true?"

Oscar didn't answer, just rubbed the crease between his eyebrows. After a long silence, he said, looking exhausted:

"I don't like Lean…"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Why would you even ask that?"

He spoke in a low, displeased voice, and Cecilia was taken aback by his expression.

(Could it be that in this world, the basic premise that 'Oscar likes Lean' is different!?)

If that were the case, it would be a serious problem.

If Oscar had someone else he liked, and Cecilia had unknowingly hurt that person, it could lead to a BAD END for both Cecil and Cecilia.

He himself was the biggest flag for a Cecilia BAD END.

(I have to find out who Oscar likes, no matter what!!)

"So, who does Oscar like?"

Her straightforward approach, asking directly instead of beating around the bush, was both a strength and a weakness.

"…Who…"

"I'm your friend, Oscar! I'll support you! Who is it?"

"…"

Oscar's face was pale, and he seemed a bit angry.

"Oh, I get it! You said you don't need to go out of your way to see her, right? So, it must be a duchess from a family of equal status to the Silvy family! That way, the Silvy family wouldn't openly oppose it!"

"…"

"So, it must be Sonia Wills, right? She's known for being beautiful—"

"No!"

Unable to contain himself, Oscar stood up. The chair he was sitting on fell over with a loud noise, and the bandage started to come loose.

"Ah! The bandage!"

"I don't like Sonia!"

"Then…"

"I like you, of course!"

"…Huh?"

Time seemed to stop.

Cecilia replayed the conversation in her head several times. After about three minutes of careful consideration, she finally came to a conclusion.

"Again, a joke—"

"It's not a joke!"

Her three minutes of deep thought were dismissed in just 0.1 seconds.

When she looked up at Oscar, his face was beet red. Seeing his expression, she finally realized:

(This is for real…?)

His words finally sank in, and her cheeks grew hot.

"Um, you like… me?"

She asked, seeking confirmation, and Oscar replied quietly, "Yeah."

Then, silence enveloped them again.

(What… should I say…)

She had never anticipated this situation.

As Cecilia stood there, frozen, Oscar suddenly started scratching his head.

"Ah, forget it! I'm leaving!"

"Huh? Wait!"

"You can finish the rest yourself! Don't worry, I'll make sure to get proper treatment when Mr. Mordred wakes up!"

With that, he hurriedly left the infirmary.

Watching him go, Cecilia held her head in her hands.

"What do I do…"

(Oscar likes… "Cecil"…?)

The events of the day ran through her mind, turning into a wave of embarrassment.

"Oscar likes men?"

There was no one around to comment on her muttering.

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