When I told him that we would cooperate, Albert was overjoyed.
The details of the plan would be discussed another day, so he asked us to rest for now and had us shown to another room with beds.
Taking him up on his kindness, we decided to give our bodies a break.
We ate lots of delicious food, relaxed in the bath at our leisure……
And then we got into bed.
“……”
I got into bed, but for some reason I couldn’t get sleepy, so I stepped out onto the terrace attached to the room.
When I looked up at the night sky, a crescent moon was shining.
“What are you doing?”
When I turned around, Licorice was floating gently in the air.
She wasn’t wearing her usual clothes, but pajamas instead.
On top of that, she had a nightcap on.
Naturally, it was a minimum size tailored for Licorice—but where did she even get it?
“I just can’t seem to fall asleep.”
“Hm.”
“What about you, Licorice? Did I wake you up, maybe?”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. As an older sister, listening to the troubles of a troubled youth is the duty of a beautiful fairy, you know.”
We’ve been together a long time, but that’s the first I’ve ever heard of such a duty.
“You’ve looked like you’ve been deep in thought lately. What’s going on? Come on, tell me.”
“Forcing someone to confess their worries is a pretty novel approach.”
But maybe that was exactly what I needed right now.
Thanking Licorice in my heart, I put the haze in my chest into words.
“About cooperating with Albert… yeah. That itself is fine. I decided it was the right thing to do, and I don’t regret it… I want to help somehow.”
“And?”
“But… I don’t know, it just feels unsettled. And somehow, I don’t really want to be around Albert…”
I don’t think he’s a bad person.
He’s chosen the extreme method of usurpation, but that’s because he’s thinking about the people suffering under the current situation.
To free the people from tyranny as soon as possible……
And at the same time, prevent a coup and stop a great deal of bloodshed.
Albert, who’s acting for that purpose, is probably a good person.
Even so, I feel unsettled.
I find myself not wanting to be around him.
What is this feeling?
“That’s jealousy.”
After listening to my story, Licorice declared it without much hesitation.
“Jealousy?”
“You know what that means, right?”
“Of course I do. But…”
“It’s simple. Albert confessed to Sofia, didn’t he? You’re jealous about that, Fate.”
I was so taken aback by the completely unexpected conclusion that I just stared blankly.
Me, jealous of Albert?
Because he confessed to Sofia?
That can’t be right—or so I thought……
But I couldn’t find anything to refute Licorice’s guess.
If anything, when I thought about it calmly, there were far too many things that made me think she’s right.
A lot of self-awareness came flooding in.
“I see… so I really was jealous of Albert…”
“And I think there’s also the fact that you see him as a rival, so you don’t let your guard down around him. Look—Fate, you usually call people you just met ‘-san,’ but with Albert, you just call him Albert, right? That’s what it means.”
“That’s… something I might not have been aware of at all.”
I’d been calling Albert by his name without honorifics almost entirely unconsciously.
That was probably because I was seeing him as someone special.
After realizing all these things, I felt… well……
“…This is embarrassing.”
“Why? There’s no need to be embarrassed.”
“But jealousy and rivalry—I’m the only one thinking that way on my own, you know? I don’t think he cares at all, and Sofia too… and yet here I am… sigh.”
“What’s wrong with that? Jealousy and rivalry are perfectly fine.”
“You think… so?”
“Honestly, Fate, you really don’t understand a girl’s heart. In moments like this, it’s worse if you feel nothing at all. Being jealous, having a sense of rivalry… that’s what makes us happy. It feels fulfilling, like, ‘this person is doing their best for me.’”
I kind of get it—and kind of don’t.
But still……
Maybe I’d been worrying too much.
Sorting out my feelings won’t be easy, but I should try to be more positive.
Even if only a little, I managed to feel that way.
It was thanks to Licorice.
“Thanks, Licorice.”
“Fufun. I’ll accept my thanks in the form of sweet, milk-loaded cookies!”
“Haha. Yeah, I’ll buy some next time.”
Licorice and I laughed together……
And above us, the moon shone quietly.
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