“Olivier-sama, Olivier-sama! What is it?”
“—Ah, s-sorry, I really didn’t expect it, I was just, no, I was incredibly surprised. I’m so sorry, but I’ll be borrowing Ari-san, not Lily. Jared, please take Ernesta and head to the room where our mothers are waiting.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I’ll explain later, hurry!”
“Yes! Excuse me, Ari-san. Let’s go, Ernesta-san.”
Startled by the loud voice, Jared instinctively straightened his back and led Ernesta through the entrance. He glanced back at Ari once, who waved her hand as if to say she was fine.
“R-Right! I’m sorry, Ari-san, please excuse me.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be there later.”
Ari waved goodbye and watched Jared and his companions leave with Olivier, who stood with her arms crossed, glaring. Then, her demeanor completely changed.
“Hey, Olivier. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Her tone and attitude were like those of a completely different person. Olivier didn’t mind that it could be considered disrespectful to a Ducal Family’s young lady. She ostentatiously let out a loud sigh, then fixed a piercing gaze on Ari and asked,
“I was perfectly fine until I saw your face. No, that doesn’t matter, answer me. —Explain why you’re using a false name as Jared’s secretary officer. —Lily Rüdiger!”
“Hehe, I’m also lying about my age.”
“What?”
“Because an eighteen-year-old girl who’s not even a magician wouldn’t be chosen as a Court Mage’s secretary officer, would she? That’s why I made myself twenty-two. Oh, and I also made a few requests to the Mage Association.”
Olivier was so dumbfounded by Lily’s statement that she felt a headache coming on. While she seemed to be putting on an act in front of Jared, Olivier knew that the person before her was none other than the Lily Rüdiger she knew well.
“Honestly, you’re always like this. You need to fix your habit of doing things your own way.”
“I’m hurt if you think that. I just wanted to get to know my future husband.”
“—What?”
Lily’s words, “future husband,” left Olivier speechless, but she merely smiled faintly.
“Don’t look so surprised, it’s not like you. You know I’m hoping for a marriage arrangement with Jared-sama, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know. I was troubled by it together with Yeny the other day.”
Ari Fel—no, Lily Rüdiger, is the daughter of Duke Rüdiger. She is eighteen years old. Known as an adventurous young lady, she doesn’t have many bad rumors, but she is famous among nobles, much like Olivier. She is particularly interested in magic, and her dedication to martial arts in lieu of magic power is sometimes admired by noble boys and girls as valiant. Olivier also knew that such a person wished to become Jared’s consort. Her partner was from a Ducal Family. She couldn’t simply dismiss it, and had intended to make time to meet Jared and question her intentions. She never dreamed that she would appear as a secretary officer under a false name.
“You’ve really done it… I never imagined you would approach Jared directly.”
“It’s Mother’s advice. She heard that the cute consort herself went to you and asked to become a consort. So, I thought I’d meet Jared-sama himself and try to win his favor.”
Lily, who declared she would find her own marriage partner, had gone to such lengths by disguising her identity to approach Jared. It was clear that it wasn’t Duke Rüdiger who had sent his daughter, but she herself who desired marriage. Their fathers were rivals and childhood friends, so Olivier and Lily had known each other since childhood. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were close. Their relationship hadn’t been close since Olivier’s mother was targeted because of Cornelia and she could no longer trust anyone, but she knew Lily cared about her. In a sense, she was like a younger sister, though not by blood—that was Lily Rüdiger.
“Are you serious about becoming Jared’s consort?”
“Yes. At first, I wanted to investigate what kind of person Olivier’s fiancé was. From there, I became interested. It was unintentional. I never knew someone like him existed—it was like being struck by lightning. But I couldn’t take Olivier’s fiancé, so I decided to become a consort.”
“I’m glad you thought of me too, but can you tell me what it is about Jared that you find so appealing?”
Lily’s cheeks flushed, and she smiled like a young girl, despite her words.
“I believe Olivier herself knows best what is good about Jared-sama?”
“What do you mean?”
“He fought and saved a mother and child he had just met, at the risk of his own life. He stopped the former court mage who sought revenge, though the outcome was regrettable. He is currently taking care of the bereaved family. One could simply dismiss it as being too good-natured, but I knew it was more than that. That’s why I was drawn to him. And I wanted to meet him to confirm if I could truly love him, and if I wouldn’t regret becoming his consort.”
“…Does the daughter of Duke Rüdiger really intend to become a consort?”
Even though Jared was decided to become a court mage, the idea of a duke’s daughter becoming a consort was unheard of.
“Father and Mother have both given their consent. Now, it depends on my own feelings. Oh, and Jared-sama’s feelings are also important. Even if he is the destined person for me, if I force myself to become a consort without his desire, it will only cause him suffering.”
While she seemed selfish, she did consider the other person to some extent, so Olivier couldn’t find fault. That she was willing to be a consort was also out of consideration for Olivier, in Lily’s own way.
“I’ll tell you this, Olivier. I don’t care about titles if I can be with the person of my destiny. Of course, I won’t care about his position either. And even if there are other consorts, or a main wife, I’ll just love him with all my might. I won’t ask for anything in return. That is—my love.”
“I won’t ask for anything in return”—Olivier, feeling the same way, couldn’t say anything. In her case, she sometimes felt guilty because she felt she was only receiving. However, from now on, she wanted to give Jared many things too. To that end, she had secretly started taking lessons. Olivier dreamed of the day he would feel glad that she became his fiancée, and she worked hard every day. Therefore, she couldn’t deny or reject Lily, whose feelings, though directed differently, were similar.
