Chapter 76

"Who is whose what?"

The voice rang out just after Ein broke out in a cold sweat.

In an instant, a hand was thrust between Oscar and Cecilia, and they were forcibly pulled apart. Turning around, Gilbert was there.

"Ah, Gil."

"Gilbert!"

Gilbert pulled Cecilia away from Oscar and hid her behind his back.

Then, he cast a cold gaze at the surprised Oscar.

"Cecil isn't the Prince's, right? What are you raving about?"

"But..."

"Also, as someone who is engaged, you should avoid such careless remarks. I can understand it as a 'friend,' but not everyone will."

In summary,

"What are you saying, you fool? What do you plan to do if Ein finds out that 'Cecil' is 'Cecilia'?"

His sharp words made Oscar's cheeks twitch, but Gilbert's point was valid. Thanks to Cecilia's insensitivity, they were saved, but with a normal person, Oscar's words might have revealed that he recognized Cecil as Cecilia.

Gilbert took a step forward toward Ein, still hiding Cecilia behind his back.

"Anyway, Ein. How many times do I have to tell you not to get close to Cecil? I haven't forgiven you for kicking her."

"Kicked!?"

Oscar asked Cecilia in surprise.

She scratched her nose and smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, yeah. But there were reasons for that! We've made up now..."

Cecilia shifted her gaze to the front, where Gilbert and Ein were engaged in a heated argument.

"Th-That's not your business!! This is between me and Cecil!!"

"I'm also Cecil's friend. How would I feel if my friend continued to associate with someone who is immature, thoughtless, and violent? It's only natural to be worried."

"You always bring up the past in such a slimy way—!!"

"If it's in the past, then your 'responsibility' should also be in the past, right? If so, you should stay away from Cecil."

"Y-You—!!"

Not being a skilled speaker, Ein's face turned red as he trembled in response to Gilbert's verbal attacks.

Oscar, observing their interaction, let out an impressed-sounding voice.

"Gilbert, you're in top form."

"Hehe... Gil always drives him away like that."

It seemed this wasn't the first time. Despite this, Ein still had the nerve to come see Cecilia.

As he watched them, Oscar suddenly seemed to realize something and his face shot up.

"Could the 'responsibility' you mentioned earlier be about the injury you sustained then?"

"Uh-huh. It wasn't a serious injury, but Ein said he would support my school life until the pain completely went away..."

"I see."

A visibly relieved voice came out.

Even though he knew she wouldn't do anything improper, the earlier conversation was enough to shake Oscar's heart.

Oscar looked at Cecilia with a concerned gaze.

"Is the injury really okay?"

"Fine! It was quite painful at first, but now it's nothing!"

Unconsciously, Cecilia rubbed her shoulder.

"How long ago was it? Was it recently?"

"Um, when I talked to Zwey, so maybe since the tea party..."

"Tea party!?"

Oscar, who had thought it was only about a week ago, let out a shocked voice. The tea party meant it had been over two weeks.

"You! Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Eh?"

"About the shoulder injury! You had plenty of chances to say something!"

Shouting, she flinched for a moment, then brought her fingertips together, looking a bit dejected.

"Because, well, it's not like it concerns you."

Oscar's blood pressure rose at her words, which likely meant "I didn't want to worry you." He was incredibly frustrated by her tendency to exclude him from everything, always without malice.

"...Did you tell Gilbert?"

"Well, it's Gilbert, you know."

Feeling inadequate for not being involved, Oscar clenched his teeth. Then, she dropped another bomb.

"Recently, I've been having bad luck. I've even been harassed."

"Huh!?"

"Like, someone tried to drop a potted plant on my head, and strange things have been put in my bag. The other day, someone even dropped a raw egg on me..."

"..."

Another piece of information he didn't know suddenly came to light, and Oscar clutched his head.

Suppressing the urge to shout, "Why didn't you tell me!" he clenched his teeth and held Cecil's hands.

"Cecil"

"Eh? What?"

"If something like that happens again, I want you to tell me."

"Eh?"

"Things like 'I got injured' or 'someone is targeting me,' I want to know about them too."

With a serious face, Cecilia blinked and then looked down, her eyes filled with guilt.

"But that would be too much trouble. Oscar, you're so busy. I don't want to bother you with my problems..."

"I am—!"

He struggled to hold back the loud voice that was about to come out. Getting angry or shouting wouldn't help.

Oscar squeezed her hand again.

"Do I look that unreliable to you?"

"No, that's not—"

"You must have things you can't talk about, and I understand that! But, I—"

(I'm your fiancé, dammit!)

He didn't say it out loud. If he did, she would realize that Oscar had seen through her disguise, and their current relationship would end.

"Oscar?"

"Let me worry. ...Please."

Oscar ruffled his fiancée's head, which was looking at him with a worried expression.

Oscar's love is deep.

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