Chapter 5
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She could not tell whether the sweetness came from the candy melting in her mouth, or from the smiling face that said he had bought it just for her. Her face burned.
Turning her head away sharply, Collette fanned herself with her hand. Then her gaze fell upon the document envelope resting on the table.
I need to look at that. If I stay like this, my heart might burst. Reaching for the envelope, Collette asked.
“May I see it now?”
“Yes.”
Valerian, urging her to go ahead, wore a curiously expectant expression.
What on earth could be inside to make him look like that? Picking up the envelope, Collette withdrew its contents. As expected, it was a stack of documents. Though not particularly thick, it bore a proper cover page—it appeared to be quite an important file.
An out-of-print thesis, perhaps?
Valerian had once before procured difficult-to-obtain materials for Collette. She assumed this would be something similar.
With a fluttering heart, she turned over the cover—and froze the moment she saw the first page. For there, lined up neatly upon the document, were portraits of young men accompanied by their personal details.
Men not far from her own age of twenty-two, with unobjectionable qualifications. Their appearances in the portraits were also above average. It was clear at a glance that this was a carefully curated list.
“…What is this?”
And so, Collette could not believe it. What could possibly be his intention in giving her such a thing?
Collette turned her head and stared at Valerian. He was still looking at her with tender eyes. Perhaps he even seemed slightly nervous.
As she bit her lower lip, Valerian reached out with his gloved hand and touched the corner of her mouth.
“As you can see, it’s a list for you. And I’ve told you not to bite.”
“This is… for me?”
Collette shot to her feet. The list she had been holding was thrown sharply onto the desk.
“…Ha, haha!”
A hollow laugh escaped her. The sweetness in her mouth had somehow turned bitter.
“How is this for me?”
“Collette.”
“How is this for me?!”
Collette cried out, clenching both fists.
How could you.
Her chewed lip trembled.
How could you do this to me.
“You know I like you.”
Her fingertips trembled. Her vision blurred. Her voice wavered.
“You know I like you, Valen! You know it! And yet—how, how could you tell me to see other men…!”
At her ever-blurring vision, Collette closed her eyes, then opened them. With eyes clear once more, she glared at Valerian. He was moving his lips—like someone hesitating over something.
Please.
Tell me it was a mistake. Tell me I misunderstood, that I was mistaken.
Tell me this is not a list you made to introduce me to others…!
At that moment, Valerian rose from his seat.
“Leonhardt agreed as well.”
“…What?”
He stroked the corner of Collette’s eye. A touch as tender as always.
“He thought it was about time we found you a match. I know you take pride in your research, but for the future, it would be wise to have at least a fiancé. If we miss the timing, only men of poor standing will remain.”
“What…”
“Your mother, Lady Verna, is also concerned that you spend all your time in the Magic Tower.”
“……”
Collette clenched her fists.
She had loved how gentle he was with her, even when he was indifferent to others. It made her feel like she was special to him.
He had been kind to her since childhood, and he always did his best to give her what she wanted. In place of her busy older brother, he had taken it upon himself to be her guardian, rolling up his sleeves to help whenever trouble arose.
Collette had loved everything he did for her. She had loved how he treated her as exceptional.
But she had never wished for him to arrange her marriage this way—with her brother and mother’s concerns at his back.
“What about my feelings?”
“…Collette.”
“Are you not going to consider my feelings?”
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