Chapter 20: Cornelia's Proposal

 Oh, this is a dream.
Amidst the floating feeling, I vaguely follow my consciousness.

"Tia, my God! A wild dog is attacking Cornelia-sama ……!!"

When did we get here?
We’re wearing … a middle school uniform.
Yes, this was when I was 13.
In an extracurricular class in middle school, I went out to observe the valley of a small mountain nearby … I was spurred by Leni's cries.

This mountain, which was preserved back in the era of the Principality, was full of beauty but as the Imperial Army ravaged the environment and left food and other items unattended, it has since been exposed to dangerous creatures that had never existed before.

But in such an open area.

“Cornelia-sama …”
"Adele !! Teacher !!! Adele !!!"
I rushed to the scene where my eyes darted around.
Wild dogs were running away.
Cornelia clung to the crouched boy and raised her voice.

"Tia! Call the teacher!! Adele drove the dog away, but he was bitten!!!"
Blood oozes between Adele's fingers as he frowns and holds onto his arms.
Cornelia clings to Adele with teary eyes, and Adele replies that it's okay, even though her face is distorted by the pain.

This is a dream.


Gradually, my consciousness returns to my 18-year-old body.

“--- Don't be silly, it's not a joke!”
Adele's voice. What are you so angry about?
What happened to Cornelia?
“Anyhow, let's turn him in for questioning.”
Oh, I wonder what happened to everyone … What about the evening party? And I was just starting to enjoy it …

I was as happy as if I was dreaming.
But I should have known.
You eventually have to wake up from that dream.

"Tia?"

I awoke suddenly.
A beautiful person with long golden hair jumps into my field of vision looking at me with anxiety.
"Cornelia-sama …”
I mutter and try to get up.

"Don't overwork yourself, Tia"
Cornelia worriedly poured cold water from a jug into a glass and handed it to me.

"I'm sorry, I … the party …”
"It's okay. We've all had enough fun for one day."
The night looms through the window.
I get up slowly and drink the water. We’re in an unfamiliar room where I lie on a warm bed, gently lit by a single lamp.
Later I change into a soft cream-colored silk nightgown.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry …”
“It's okay. You don’t have to apologize."
"I had a strange dream …”
Where did the dream come from …

--- “Your real partner isn't Adel Berger, sorry Tiana!!!!!”
An abominable scream resonates in my ears, and I almost drop the glass.
"Weird dreams …”
No, it’s different.
That wasn’t a dream …

"Cornelia-sama …”
I look up at Cornelia.
Cornelia shakes her head and smiles sadly.
"Julius and Adele are accompanying Dirk Neumann to his mansion. They’re going to talk to his father … administrator Neumann."

Then it’s real.
That wasn't a dream.
--- “Your original pair was … Julius Khan, Tiana!!! Adel Berger's partner is Cornelia Arita!!!!! I changed it, tweaked my dad's paperwork!!!!!”

What a nightmare.
To do such a thing.
What the hell …

"Adele …”
Adele. I want to see Adele.
My hand clasps the blanket tightly, and … and Cornelia's white, soft fingers overlap mine and I raise my face.
Our eyes meet.
That's right. Not just me.
Cornelia must also be worried and anxious to know that Julius wasn’t her partner.
I have to be firm.

"It'll be okay, Cornelia-sama! I'm sure Julius-sama and the others--”
"Tia."
Cornelia quietly opens her mouth.
"I have a proposition, Tia. I wonder if you can listen to it."


＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊


It wasn't long before Adele and Julius returned to the Arita residence.
It was already midnight and the mansion was sunk into darkness.

"Good, Tia. You’re awake."
Julius smiles as he enters the room when he sees me sitting in a chair with Cornelia.
From behind, Adele has a frustrated expression coming in.
I look down.

"How was it? Did administrator Neumann …”
"He didn't seem to realize what Dirk did this time, either. He was pale when he listened to us, but he's as defensive as they say. Before we could finish, he tried to suggest that we might have forced Dirk to change the matches. "
"It's unbelievable. I'll slash him to ribbons."
Adele spits.

"Administrator Neumann says he will come to the mansion to investigate tomorrow morning with the Chief Executive of the region. Perhaps then … he’ll accuse us of going against the Empire for trying to change our matches. "
Julius sighs.
Adele turns on his heels towards the door.

"Should I leave that Dirk half-alive until he spits out what he did in front of the Chief Executive?"
"You can’t do that-"
Cornelia, who was listening silently, finally spoke in a quiet voice.
"-Doing that will close your path to a Knighthood in the Empire."
"But Cornelia …”

"I’m-"
Cornelia stands up from her chair.
"-I think it's best to set things the way they should be tonight."

Adele frowns.
"What it should be …?"
"That's right -fortunately, Tia and I haven't had children yet.
Tonight, we'll restore the original matches. Adele and I. And Julius and Tiana. "

"Don’t be an idiot-"
Adele spun back to face everyone.
"-You don't have to go along with this farce, Cornelia. I’ll kill Dirk right now …”
"Maybe we should do as Cornelia says."
Adele's movement stop at Julius' words.
I’m surprised as well.

"If that pair is what was supposed to be in the first place, we won't be risking too much by going against it. Come to think of it, all he did was change the matches among the four of us. It's not something I thought Dirk would do, I would have thought he’d do something like pairing himself with Cornelia or Tia. The mere thought of it makes me shudder, don’t you think so too? Compared to that, I'm much more accepting of this situation.”

Adele looks at Julius with an incredulous scowl.
"You guys are crazy. We’re leaving, Tiana."
Adele approaches with a stride and pulls my arm.
" … Tiana?"
I don't get up from my chair.
While facing down, I speak.

In a soft but clear voice.

"………. I would be very happy if I could be paired with Julius-sama."

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