Chapter 9
He was surprised and took her hand. Her red and swollen hand. She was so angry that she didn't even feel the pain at this moment.
"Kalis..."
Her hand throbbed slowly.
"If I were you..." she said, looking at Kalis, "I would break this marriage and propose to Saint Lina."
"What?" Kalis's face twisted. "That... What do you mean? You are the woman I love."
"Who would hold another woman's hand in front of their supposed beloved fiancée?"
"Seria!"
Maybe he just didn't understand the situation, as Kalis had said. Lina was sick, so she deserved his help. But why was she so angry?
She knew he didn't love Lina. So why?
After possessing the body of the original Seria, she struggled to live for a long time. She believed that the original story had a great influence on her. But the fact that Kalis was a second male lead remained unchanged. He devoted himself to the heroine, but he wasn't chosen by her and ended up committing suicide.
Seria loved Kalis. At first, to survive, she healed his wounded arm, but she couldn't resist Kalis, who slowly lowered his guard and befriended her.
At first, it was a sense of duty, but it became increasingly difficult to control her attraction to him. If there were a happy ending for the main characters, wouldn't it be fair for the secondary characters to be a little happy? She rationalized it this way and didn't guard her heart. In the end, one day, Kalis knelt and proposed to her.
"Seria, wouldn't I be the best choice if you had to get married anyway?"
"...What do you mean? It's not me, but you who is in a hurry."
"You are still the same. Anyway, Seria, are you okay with me?"
Before meeting Lina, Kalis was concerned about the sanctity of marriage. He was romantic, so he didn't want to be in a stereotypical marriage. On the other hand, Seria didn't care much about political marriage. Still, she thought marrying Kalis wasn't bad.
He, the second male lead, and she, the villainess, both destined for a sad end. If there were a way for both to have a peaceful ending, it wouldn't be bad to be greedy. That's what she thought.
Even though the priests questioned their intention, asking if they really wanted to get married. They were worried that a Stern belonged to a family instead of the temple, so she could only continue the marriage with Kalis after promising she wouldn't forget her duties as a Stern.
They didn't really love each other like the main characters in a romance novel, but Seria liked Kalis a lot. But Kalis knew nothing.
Every time she saw him, it seemed like she saw a foolish and tragic moth jumping into the fire without knowing anything. It was so disturbing...
Her eyes were cloudy. She covered her face with both hands and turned away from him.
"Seria...?"
Kalis's angry voice quickly faded. Standing in front of her, he pulled her hands that covered her face. Then, he murmured in a worried voice.
"I made you cry. I'm so sorry. Seria, don't cry. It's my fault."
Then he proceeded to hug her and wiped her tears.
"Let's go to Haneton Estate immediately after the wedding ceremony. It's a beautiful place. After this treatment, I will never see Saint Lina again. So please, don't cry."
After a few minutes, Seria calmed down. Then she felt mortified.
Perhaps it was because Seria had strong pride in the original body, and after crying in front of others with this body, an endless humiliation came.
Kalis, however, as her fiancé, knew her disposition. He walked with her and talked. The atmosphere improved suddenly, and Kalis joked.
"And now I can't break up with you, Seria."
"Why can't you?"
"Because I will definitely marry you. If I want to marry a precious Stern, I will have to endure a lot."
"That's true... Don't be late on the wedding day."
"Okay. I will never be late."
"It's hard to believe."
"Why?"
"Where would you find a woman who easily trusts her fiancé who asked to change the wedding dress for the words of another woman?"
"...Ah. Are you still thinking about that?"
Kalis seemed embarrassed.
"That's... I have nothing to say. Was it really wrong of me to do that?"
"It even made me think about breaking up."
"What? For that?" Kalis said in a confused voice. "But, Seria, at that time, I was angry when I heard about the designer's insolence towards Saint Lina."
"Kalis, how would you feel if I asked you to change your wedding suit for that of His Highness Lesche Berg?"
"Why did the Grand Duke suddenly appear in our conversation?"
"How would you feel?"
Kalis looked up at the sky and sighed.
"I'm sorry."
He took her to the stable. After Seria mounted the horse, she looked back. Kalis seemed to be talking about something with the healing priests who had come. Perhaps it was about Lina. Then, she remembered what Kalis said before reaching the stable.
"After treating her today, I will not see her from now on. Seria, I swear to be a husband who is only faithful to you."
Since he was designated Lina's protector, he said he couldn't help it. Seria nodded slowly.
Looking beyond the main gate, Kalis was still there as a dot.
Lina, who had a haggard complexion, was delighted to see Kalis.
"Kalis...!"
"Lina..." Kalis approached her and sighed. "Today will be the last time we call each other by our names."
Lina's eyes widened. She seemed about to break down crying.
"...Alright, Kalis."
However, contrary to Kalis's expectations, Lina was surprisingly calm and agreed. Kalis asked again in confusion.
"Don't you want to ask why?"
"I was scolded by Baron Aison. I also heard some words from the priest regarding Lady Seria."
From the temple's point of view, Lina, a Saint, was a precious being that couldn't be exchanged for anything. However, that wasn't a reason to neglect Seria Stern's special treatment. They even sent high-ranking officials to Berg territory just because Seria had a cold.
"Then, starting tomorrow, we will call each other by formal names."
"Yes. I won't be able to see you anymore after the wedding."
"You are my dear friend..." Transparent tears shone in Lina's eyes. "It would have been nice if we met earlier."
Kalis said nothing.
Suddenly, Lina noticed a bracelet with a hexagonal magic crystal on her wrist. She hadn't seen it before and it didn't seem like her taste. It looked small on her wrist. Lina knew immediately it was a gift from his fiancée, Seria. Lina, who was feeling down, said abruptly.
"I want to be friends with Seria."
"...Are you calling Seria by her name? When did you two get close?"
"Well, we didn't."
"If you're not close, calling her by her name is against etiquette, Lina."
"Whatever I do, it's always manners this, manners that!"
Finally, Lina broke down crying.
"Can't you see me enduring? I'm afraid of going to the temple and afraid of losing a precious friend like you...!"
Tears poured from her eyes. Kalis panicked, trying to wipe Lina's tears, but then stopped and withdrew his hand. Lina cried out between sobs.
"Do you know how many times my world is changing now? You said you were my guardian. You said you would protect me forever! Was all that a lie? I was happy enough with that, but why...!"
"I'm sorry, Lina. Don't cry. Please stop crying."
Lina cried, burying her face in her hands. The backs of her hands were covered in yellow bruises. Kalis felt weak. A sick body would easily weaken the mind.
He patted Lina on the back.
How long would it take to heal?
The agitated Lina calmed down after a while. Then she said, drying her wet cheeks with Kalis's handkerchief.
"Kalis, I want to go to the glacier."
"The glacier? Why out of the blue?"
"I said I wanted to be friends with Seria. I'm also a Stern, if I go to the glacier, I can ease Seria's burden and we can get closer faster."
"Lina, I know your good intentions, but you are not in good shape right now."
Lina laughed sarcastically with her crying face.
"Are you afraid I'll take away your fiancée's reputation? Don't worry. It's not like that. Well, of course, I'm envious that many people praise your fiancée, but..."
She joked, but Kalis's worried expression couldn't be resolved. Lina bit her pale lips and said.
"Are you saying it's not possible? Then I'll go alone."
"Lina!"
Finally, Kalis looked at Lina and sighed, feeling defeated.
He had a good understanding of her personality. She was the type of person who wouldn't take no for an answer. She would climb out the window alone at night if she had to.
She was a Saint under the protection of Marquis Haneton. If there were any issues with Lina's personal matters, it would also affect him, and above all, today was the last day.
"Fine. Instead, we'll just take a look and come back."
Lina was excited and immediately stood up.
"Let's sneak out and come back in secret."
Sneak out?
"Don't you know?"
"......"
"It's fun! It's like in a movie."
"A movie?"
"Well, do you know novels? It's like a play."
"Is that something from your world?"
"Yes!"
Lina's eyes sparkled. She was a woman with a very unknown smile. After all, she came from a different world... Kalis loved listening to her. He seemed delighted.
"Tell me more about it."
"What are you talking about?"
"The place where you come from."
"Oh, so..."
And so, Kalis left to tell the guard that he and Lina would go to the glacier quietly.
