Bab 55: Chapter 55 – Extra: The Melancholy of a Young Lady (3)
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Edwin and Ellie, who she could see before her eyes, were doing very indecent acts without hesitation.
First of all, the fact that they were sitting next to each other was a problem.
Even if they were close friends, it was customary to sit facing each other when sitting in a place like this; and they were sitting so close that their breaths were almost touching, not even a long distance away.
If her parents had seen her doing that, they would have been severely scolded and banned from going out for a while.
On top of that, Ellie was continuing even more unscrupulous behavior towards Edwin without hesitation.
She would subtly approach Edwin and press her shoulders against his, or she would stick her finger out and tap Edwin's back, or she would lightly grab Edwin's forearm, and then suddenly her hand would slip in and make a pose of locking arms, or she would whisper in his ear something that could just be said.
"Ellie, you got it on again."
"Where?"
"There, on your left cheek."
"Here?"
"No, not there… Ugh, just stay still."
"Hehe, I like it better when Ed wipes it off for me…"
The act of deliberately smearing cream on her cheek and showing it to Edwin, and finally making Edwin wipe it off with his own hand, was the culmination of all this.
And what, Ed?
She knew they were close, but were they close enough to allow that nickname…?
Iris sat in her seat in a daze for a long time even after the sensory sharing with Sugar ended, and only when she remembered that Pamela would be eagerly waiting for her did she get up.
* * * * *
"…I'm sorry, Pamela. I'm really sorry. Something really urgent came up…"
Iris was earnestly apologizing to Pamela, who was sitting in the front seat.
Even though a long time had passed, Pamela continued to wait, and as if proving a point, the ice in the glass in front of her had completely melted, turning into clear water.
"It's okay. If you say that, then you really mean it. It's okay, Ari."
Pamela pretended to be sulky at first, but as Iris continued to apologize, she eventually accepted it, feigning indifference. With a sigh of relief, Iris, glancing at Pamela, gently broached the subject.
"Uh… Pamela, I have something I want to ask you. If it's okay…"
"Oh, I'm fine, okay? You can ask me without worrying."
Iris and Pamela had something in common: they belong to a count family, were the same age, and were in the same class, so they quickly became friends from the beginning of the semester who could confide in each other.
However, the key difference between them was that while Iris was virtually immune to matters of romance and had little knowledge of boys her age, Pamela, despite being a first-year, was somewhat popular among the female students for her handling of matters related to the opposite s*x.
Although Iris occasionally attended gatherings of female students, Pamela held the position of vice-president in a social club organized independently within the academy, even though she was only a freshman.
Not only Iris but numerous other female students visited Pamela's dorm for advice on romantic matters, making Pamela the go-to person for Iris on such subjects.
"Well… let's say there is a man and a woman who are close to each other…"
Iris recalled Edwin and Ellie's actions from earlier and described them to Pamela.
As the story progressed, Pamela's expression stiffened and when Iris mentioned deliberately smearing cream on her cheek to show a boy and having him wipe it off, Pamela shook her head as if finding the whole thing absurd.
"...Anyway, this is what it is, but it's not something you can do between friends, is it?"
"What? Iris. Even if you're so naive, you should know this much. If there was someone who claimed to be my friend and did something like that, I would have slapped them right in the face."
"I, I know that much too…I just asked in case…"
As Iris hurriedly replied, Pamela clasped her hands together, raised her chin, and looked at Iris with a suspicious eye, "It's strange no matter how you look at it. Judging by what you're saying, it seems like you've experienced it yourself…Iris, aren't you and that kid doing something? I told you. No matter how good a person is, I would never go that far with a commoner…"
"W, what a ridiculous thing to say…! I told you not to say stuff like commoner! And I've said it several times that we're not in any relationship…We're just helping each other out sometimes…"
As Pamela continued to cast doubtful glances, Iris defended herself as if feeling unjustly accused.
"…and would I do something like that…I never did it even when I had a fiancé…"
"Hmm, that's true. Our Iris, who is a pure lady in and of herself, would never do such a foxy thing."
"Fox…?" Iris questioned Pamela in a cautious tone.
"Yes, fox. It's obvious that she's sending signals all over her body saying 'I'm seducing you.' Men…Well, judging by your words, I don't know. Someone inexperienced might just be clueless, or maybe they have feelings but feel too embarrassed, so they act like that."
"What…?"
"Why? If you're interested, I'll teach you a little bit. Well, it's about time our Ari started to be interested in other men. Now that you've gotten rid of that beggar fiancé. Oh, speaking of which, you should also join our social club…"
"No, no! It's not like that…"
As soon as Pamela showed signs of trying to persuade her to join the social club, Iris immediately waved her hand and cut her off.
Pamela clicked her tongue disapprovingly, then leaned back on the sofa, burying herself in it. After Iris took a moment to compose herself, she lowered her voice, adopting a more serious tone as she questioned Pamela.
""So, in any case, you're saying that if a woman keeps acting like this to a man and the man accepts it as if he can't help it, then it's safe to assume that they have feelings for each other, right…?"
"To some extent. I said that just now, but of course, it could also be that they really have feelings for each other."
"Hah…"
Iris let out a sigh, her cold voice creating an echoing void as the smoke dissipated around her.
* * * * *
Originally, she and Pamela had planned to spend the evening together, but Iris couldn't bring herself to do so. She left early.
As she trudged towards the academy, she continued to reflect on the conversation with Pamela. After hearing Pamela's words, Iris could finally identify the nature of the sticky and unpleasant emotions that had enveloped her for so long.
It was anger and resentment.
'Not just friends, but maybe something more…'
As she recalled the sight of Edwin and Ellie flirting, Iris felt an uncontrollable anger welling up from the depths of her heart.
Edwin. You could have done that.
You could have treated me just like you treated that girl.
Why didn't you show me the same kindness, gentleness, and affection that you showed her?
What did you return to me when I treated you with utmost sincerity over the years?
And as soon as you broke up with me, you found another woman and were enjoying yourself like that?
I still haven't gotten over the pain in my heart.
You knew you would do that, so why did you treat me like that that day?
Even if my family brought up the topic of annulment, I was going to do my best.
Father and Mother might have thought of me, but it's not right to break the promise so easily. If we both expressed our opposition, even they wouldn't have been able to go ahead with their plans.
But instead of being able to help me, you rejected me so harshly.
As if it was a good thing.
As if you had been waiting for this day.
How can a person be like that?
What's wrong with me?
My family is a well-known and prestigious family, and I am an unparalleled beauty without a single flaw.
What was lacking compared to that girl?
Is it because she's an obedient woman? Don't say something ridiculous. Edwin, all day today, you were completely drawn to that girl.
Even when she acted provocatively, you just silently accepted everything.
Oh, or is it that?
Is it good to be with a woman who torments her body so shamelessly?
Edwin Reed. Was that all you could do?
Leaving me in such a miserable state after casting me aside, and then reveling with another woman?
"…Huh?"
Iris was surprised by the unbelievable thought that suddenly came to her mind, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
What am I saying?
What am I even saying…?
Calm down, Iris…
Let's rest, she was just too tired today.
Let's go and get some sleep.
Then when you wake up tomorrow, you can start fresh again.
Let's go back.
Hurry…
* * * * *
As if to mock her resolve after returning to the dormitory, Iris could not fall asleep until dawn even though she went to bed early.
She just tossed and turned for hours, wasting time.
All sorts of thoughts stuck to her head and refused to let go, and finally, Iris couldn't take it anymore and got up from her bed.
"Haahh…"
She turned on the bedside lamp, took a sip of water, and let out a long sigh.
The engagement annulment with Edwin had seemed like the end of all connections, but here she was, facing another ordeal. In truth, this was more her problem than Edwin's; he was just a stranger now.
"Should I try to find someone new, even now?"
After the news of her and Edwin's engagement broke, dozens of marriage proposals poured into Robinette's main house.
However, she had not felt like it yet, so she had all of them sent back, postponing them for later.
'If I had known it would be like this, I would have just read them… '
The moment she was lamenting and regretting the decisions she had made in the past,
A signal suddenly came to Iris.
This…
"Sugar?"
She had never been called by Sugar before, only when she had called it.
Maybe something happened and it is calling me…?
Ask for help…?
No, if something happened to Sugar right now, it would be terrible…
"…Sugar!!"
Iris tried to calm her pounding heart and used her powers to check Sugar's location and condition.
As she closed her eyes and focused her mind, she gradually began to feel the sights and sounds it was seeing.
In front of Sugar's eyes, there was a small mansion and an open window.
The surroundings were quiet, and judging from the fact that Sugar was also calm, it seemed that nothing bad had happened…
But why did it call me… ?
Just as Iris let out a sigh of relief, Sugar suddenly took off and flew into the window of the mansion.
It happened so quickly that there was no time to stop it, but for some reason, Iris began to feel strongly that Sugar wanted something from her.
Sugar flew into the room and landed on the bed across from the window.
In Sugar's eyes, a person sleeping in bed was soon reflected, and Iris was shocked when she confirmed the person's identity.
"I'm sorry, forgive me just once… I'm sorry…"
In front of Iris' eyes was the image of Edwin, who was constantly begging for forgiveness in his dreams.
Edwin's muttering continued throughout the night, and Iris couldn't sleep the rest of the night either.
—— End of chapter —–
If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02
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