Chapter 5

"Ladies and gentlemen, please listen! As of this moment, I, Sebastian Smith, am breaking off my engagement with Melisha Arnol and will marry Luluna Verbois! I will make this vow to God here, with all of you as witnesses!"

Instantly, the murmurs around us grew like a storm.

It was so loud that no one could make out what anyone was saying. Probably everyone in the hall was shouting something.

Amidst this chaos, my heart was strangely calm.

-- Ah, yes. Finally, it's over between us.

No other words came to mind.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, still facing away from the newly married couple. Then, I slowly turned around and looked them straight in the eye.

Sebastian and Luluna were in the middle of their vow kiss. But even seeing this, my face and heart remained cool.

It felt as if that black-striped cat had possessed me. I found myself smiling, thinking how indifferent I had become to these two fools.

Finally, I could become a complete stranger to them. The thought made me feel refreshed.

(My page of youth has turned into a rather tragic one... but perhaps this was the best way to end it.)

I smiled coolly, straightened my back, and addressed them.

"I, Melisha, accept the breaking of the engagement. And to you, Sebastian and Luluna, congratulations on your marriage. I sincerely wish you both happiness! May you have a long and happy life together!"

The last part came out with a bit of a sting.

At this moment, I probably looked the most like a villainous lady. ...I didn't burst into laughter, though.

Sebastian smiled smugly, and Luluna clung to his arm, wearing a triumphant grin.

That's it, it's over. Now I'm busy integrating with the wall.

Just as I was about to turn away,

A man suddenly approached.

In the center of the stage, now empty of the audience, he stepped forward in front of me.

His tall, slender figure was well complemented by his white, slightly bluish outfit. His straight black hair and slightly intense golden eyes, along with his cool, composed appearance...

"...Oh? A priest?"

The young male priest stood there with a calm face. As I let out a surprised voice, he knelt on one knee.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Cisford Scheglista. Please understand that what I am about to say is not as a priest, but as an individual."

He took my hand, which was frozen in shock, and said with a composed face,

"I, Cisford, truly admire you, Melisha. I would like to propose to you, and I have taken the liberty to speak to you about it."

W-W-Want to propose?

E-Engagement?

I was frozen solid for what felt like ten deep breaths.

The murmurs of the nobles, which had been like a flood a moment ago, stopped instantly. A moment of silence followed, unlike anything you'd expect at a party.

After taking my time, the only sound that came out of my mouth was a meaningless one.

"...H-Huh? ...Um... ...Eh...?"

He smoothly brushed off my strange voice and continued,

"Your hands, which lovingly care for small lives, are warm, and your kind heart is invaluable and beautiful."

"...H-Huh..."

-- What's this sudden talk about? Could it be about the cats I've been taking care of?

"For the five years you were in school, I have always been moved by your pure love for the insignificant lives of small animals, which you treated like precious jewels."

"Five years...?"

-- Didn't we only start talking recently?

As I couldn't hide my shock, the murmurs around us gradually returned.

"Is that Cisford from the Scheglista family, the great mage...!?"

"I think Cisford is the fourth son... I didn't expect someone from a ducal family to show up."

"Maybe there are other noble guests here! I should start talking to them..."

The voices of the nobles flowed into my ears, and the information about him became clearer...

The fourth son of the Scheglista ducal family, a great mage, a noble priest...

I understood that something extraordinary had happened.

He knelt, still holding my hand, and looked up at me with a serious face.

I had to move the situation somehow. I tried to calm myself and spoke to him.

"Um, Priest... no, Cisford, let's go to a quieter corner, shall we?"

"Please call me by my name, not my family name. Let's go then."

He stood up and elegantly escorted me. The cool, refreshing feeling I got from his every movement was probably due to his outfit or his profession as a priest.

As we walked, holding his hand, cheers and screams rose from all around. It had become a perfect entertainment for the nobles.

Engagement broken, then proposed. What a day for gossip. My parents will probably have a heart attack when I get home.

-- Just then.

Sebastian and Luluna, who had been pushed to the sidelines, raised their voices.

"Melisha! Proposing to another man right after breaking off an engagement is a bit too forward, isn't it?"

"Melisha, and you, um, whoever you are, couldn't you show a bit more consideration for us? You should do the engagement at home! It's only polite to celebrate the newlyweds—us!"

Cisford stopped at their voices. I quickly spoke to him.

"I-I'm sorry, Cisford! My... ex-fiancé—no, friend—no, acquaintance, was being rude..."

He looked at me intently and replied in a flat tone.

"Yes, they are being impolite. Since I understand that you are no longer close, I will let them say what they want to say."

"Huh?"

He turned and looked at Sebastian and Luluna with a cold expression. Luluna tried to say something, but Cisford spoke first.

"Luluna Verbois, I believe. Your childish and despicable act of threatening Melisha to perform a ridiculous play to win your lover's attention is quite something. Threatening to burn her beloved cat alive is not something a lady would do. Is this kind of barbaric behavior common in the Verbois baronial family?"

Luluna's eyes widened. Then, she glared at me with a sharp look.

I flinched reflexively, but Cisford stepped forward and placed me behind him.

Luluna glared at us, her eyes watering. She spoke in a trembling voice, but it carried well.

"That's terrible...! Just because I'm from a newly ennobled family, you say such things... I could never do such a thing to a cute little cat! I can't even step on a bug...!"

"---Yes, I happen to have this piece of paper. Did you write this?"

"Wh-What!?"

Cisford casually dismissed Luluna's words and pulled out a few sheets of paper from his coat pocket. He read the contents with a blank expression.

"---On the day of the month, the place is the dining room.

Melisha will bump into Sebastian and me as we walk by.

(Turn over the lunch tray and dirty my uniform)

Then I will scream, and Melisha will say,

'Oh, Luluna! You're here? I didn't see you at all. For a noble lady, you have no presence. Plain girls are disliked by men, you know?'"

As Cisford read, the nobles around us murmured in recognition.

"Wow, that's nostalgic! I was there."

"She had a really loud laugh, so I remember it well. The conversation was exactly like that. I remember those days..."

"Wait, so that was an act? Why did they do that?"

Cisford continued to unfold and read the papers.

"These parts are quite threatening. 'Let's set the cat's tail on fire.' The next one says, 'Isn't the cat's tail too long? Let's make it shorter!' And this one: 'If you fail, you'll see the pitiful state of your cute little cat. Is that okay? My orders are absolute, so follow them!' There are more, but should I read them all?"

Luluna was sweating profusely. Sebastian's eyes were wide.

"L-Luluna? Is it true that you staged this bullying...?"

"N-No way! This person is a liar! No one would want to be bullied on purpose!"

Cisford, with a cool face, muttered to himself,

"Is that so? I thought the magic I felt from the paper was yours. In that case, let's send it to handwriting analysis. We'll have a neutral third party handle it."

"Wait, wait a minute...! This is just someone's prank! If you take it to a strange place, you'll just embarrass yourself...!"

Luluna's cold sweat had soaked her entire face. Her lovely makeup was smearing, and her eyelids were distorted.

"Besides, the cat was always fine...! Nothing bad ever happened to it!"

"Is that so? Your persistent malice was quite bothersome."

"..."

Cisford snapped his fingers lightly.

-- At that moment.

A gentle breeze blew, and his body was enveloped in sparkling light.

Cheers rose throughout the hall. The sight of the light particles dancing was so beautiful that I couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"

But when the light dissipated and revealed what was there, I let out another exclamation, "Wow!?" in a different sense.