章 20: Chapter 20- Confession?
Lately, I’ve been feeling like I was being stalked. Why? Well… I hesitantly glanced back to see Prince Clovis peeking out from down the hall, glaring at me.
I quickly turned my attention back to the front and internally cried. What did I do to get you so angry like that?!
At first, I thought it was Alex pulling a prank on me, but I never expected that it was a member of the Royal family. Is this the end? Has Prince Clovis finally gotten annoyed by me because I told him to stay away from the stoves? Am I gonna get executed? Ha, scary! He’s so scary! And I thought Prince Leonhardt was scary!
I took a deep breath and ignored the piercing glare from behind. Someone, please save me! I’m innocent, I promise!
What a great start to a Monday morning…
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“First Prince Leonhardt and now Prince Clovis? You dare to seduce both members of the Royal family?”
I sighed, “I didn’t seduce anyone, Lady Claudia.”
I could only feel relaxed during classes because Prince Clovis won’t be able to tail me. Was this how Lady Charlotte felt when she caught Alex stalking her? It’s quite a frightening feeling. Remember kids, stalking is a no-no.
“I don’t understand why Prince Clovis had been tailing me since this morning,” I stated as I glanced down at our feet.
“Don’t look down,” Lady Claudia ordered. “You’ll be more prone to stepping on my feet if you do.”
“Ah, yes.” I quickly placed my eyes back on Lady Claudia’s face as we carefully danced in our own area of the ballroom.
“If you didn’t seduce Prince Clovis, have you angered him?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “We were fine on the sixth day of the week when we were baking…”
Lady Claudia smirked, “Maybe your baking wasn’t to his taste, so he got upset about it?”
“I don’t think he would be upset over that when he didn’t get upset about Lady Sophia’s baking.”
Lady Claudia grimaced when she remembered Lady Sophia’s so-called cookies. “I see your point.”
I sighed and leaned my head against Lady Claudia’s shoulder. “I guess I’ll just apologize to him even if I don’t know the reason.”
I felt Lady Claudia’s body tense up by my action. “Don’t lean on me!”
Ah, Lady Claudia smells so nice. My body feels lighter just by being near her. As I thought, Lady Claudia is my medicine.
As Dance class came to an end, Lady Claudia quickly placed a huge distance between us. She walked out of the ballroom with me following. She glared at me and quickened her pace. I easily followed suit.
Lady Claudia then suddenly turned around and snapped, “Why are you following me, you rat?!”
I smiled innocently, “What do you mean? We’re going to the same place, no? It is lunchtime after all.”
Lady Claudia grumbled, “But I hate your presence.”
“But I love your presence,” I countered. “If I could, I would cling to you like my life depended on it.”
“You are gross.”
“But I just want to express my love for you,” I voiced. “How can I not nurture our relationship?”
“I knew it!”
I abruptly jumped by the sudden shout from behind me. I turned around to see Prince Clovis with a huge smile while pointing at me. For a royal, shouldn’t he know that pointing at people is rude?
Lady Claudia looked just as frightened as me. “Prince Clovis. Greetings to Your Highness.” She did a quick curtsy and composed herself.
“You scared me, Prince Clovis,” I said. “Please don’t jump out of nowhere like that. So? What do you know?”
“You and Lady Claudia are dating, right?”
Both Lady Claudia and I blinked at his question. “Eh?”
Everyone around us began to whisper. This was bad. Doesn’t Prince Clovis know there’s a certain time and place to ask these kinds of questions? You don’t ask that kind of question out loud in a public place like this.
“Prince Clovis we are not dating,” I quickly answered so everyone doesn’t start assuming things.
“You’re not?” he asked.
“Reiré is right, we are not. I would never be with a commoner. It will be a disgrace to my family name if that were to happen,” stated Lady Claudia.
Ouch. Hearing that hurt a bit too much, but it’s not like I plan on dating her even if I want to.
“But you two were acting so lovey-dovey,” Prince Clovis reasoned.
“That was just me teasing Lady Claudia,” I explained.
So that’s why he’s been following me around. From how Lady Claudia and I acted in front of him during the other day must have given him some ideas.
Prince Clovis didn't believe it and tried to question us again. “But-”
“Oh my, I was wondering why there’s a crowd here.”
Prince Clovis's eyes lit up at the entrance of Lady Sophia. “Lady Sophia! You think there’s something going on between Reiré and Lady Claudia too, right?”
“There is nothing going on between us!” Lady Claudia denied.
I groaned and pulled Prince Clovis to the nearest empty classroom. At least continue this later or in a place with no one around, Prince Clovis! Lady Sophia and Lady Claudia also entered and closed the door behind them.
“Okay, look here Prince Clovis,” I sternly voiced. “I’m fine if you ask me these questions, but I don’t want you troubling Lady Claudia. She has a reputation to uphold unlike me.”
Prince Clovis pouted, “I just wanted to congratulate you if you and Lady Claudia were together…”
I sighed, “I appreciate the thought, Prince Clovis, but please be mindful of where we are.”
Prince Clovis nodded, “I’m sorry.”
If I weren’t good friends with Prince Clovis, I probably wouldn’t be scolding a prince like this. Imagine that, a commoner scolding a member of the royal family. They would have my head lopped off.
I smiled, “As long as you understand, I accept your apology.”
“But you two are together then, right? You were just trying to hide it from everyone, right?”
“No!” Both Lady Claudia and I yelled.
I internally groaned. It felt like I was talking to Alex, but it’s worse because I can’t hit him.
Lady Claudia then gave me a suspicious look. “I’m surprised you would deny this, Reiré since you would always try to confirm it.”
“There’s a time and place for teasing,” I voiced.
“So that’s what this is about,” said Lady Sophia. “And here I was wondering what the big fuss was.”
“Prince Clovis, I am also a marriage candidate for you. How can I be with someone else?” Lady Claudia voiced.
Prince Clovis frowned and glared. “I’d rather be with Lady Sophia than you.”
“What?!” Lady Claudia looked like she was slapped across the face.
“Why…” Lady Sophia turned red as she was suddenly acting shy. “Prince Clovis, you’re making me blush.”
Prince Clovis also blushed as he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. “I only state the truth.”
I moved next to Lady Claudia and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. “It’s alright, Lady Claudia. You still have me.”
She then glared at me. “You mean I still have Prince Leonhardt.”
“Tch.” I couldn’t help but click my tongue annoyingly at the mention of his name. “Yes, him too.”
“How can you sound like that when talking about the crowned prince?”
“I just don’t like him,” I claimed. “He’s trying to take you away from me after all.”
“Can you stop with your jokes?” Lady Claudia asked.
I smiled, “Since when did I say I was joking?” No joke, he will take you away, Lady Claudia. With Alexandra, he will drag you down to the Underworld. How can I like him when he’s one of the murderers that will take your life?
“Why are you making such a scary face, commoner? How dare you glare at me!?”
“Ah!” I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and smiled. “My apologies. I was thinking about something unpleasant.”
“Oh, speaking of unpleasantness, what happened to Raphael?” Prince Clovis asked.
“What do you mean?” I questioned.
“He was acting strangely in the student council room. He would sometimes invite a girl to the room and you know what it means to be alone in a room with the opposite gender. My brother has been quite upset with him,” he explained. “He would also make an irritated face whenever I mentioned Lady Rium’s name. And I don’t like the hurt look Lady Rium makes whenever Raphael acts intimate with another girl.”
I forgot that not everyone knows about the situation between Lady Rium and Lord Raphael. “You could say they had a small disagreement.”
“That’s terrible! Is that why Raphael was acting so cold to Lady Rium? I hope they make up soon.”
“Me too, Prince Clovis. Me too.”
“You know. I think Lady Rium is also picking a fight with Alexis Pearl,” Lady Claudia voiced.
I felt my heart drop. “What do you mean?”
Lady Claudia explained, “I’ve seen her glaring at Lady Alexis, but whenever Lady Alexis confronts her, Lady Rium would avoid eye contact. Honestly, a duke’s daughter avoiding eye contact from a daughter of a Viscount is a sign of running away. What is Lady Rium thinking? She could totally put Lady Alexis in her place.”
I felt relieved to know that Lady Rium was actually following my advice. I couldn’t bear the fact if Lady Rium also came under Lady Alexis’s control. “Would it be strange if I asked you guys to also not make eye contact with Lady Alexis if she ever confronts you guys?”
“How come?” asked Prince Clovis. “It’s rude to not look at the person you're speaking to.”
“I know but…” I don’t want to get them involved.
“I’m a Marquess’ daughter. I hold much more power in status than Alexis Pearl. I won’t run from her. I’m not a coward like Lady Rium,” stated Lady Claudia.
Just the thought of Lady Claudia becoming one of Lady Alexis’s puppets made me dizzy. I don’t want to be in a situation where Lady Claudia was being controlled. I want to protect her. No, I need to protect her. That’s my only reason here. I won’t let Lady Claudia come to harm's way. I swore to save her!
“Lady Claudia, please don’t face Lady Alexis,” I pleaded.
Lady Claudia crossed her arms. “And why not?”
“If you exchange such intimate eye contact with Lady Alexis, I’ll get super jealous,” I said.
“What?”
I fidgeted in place. “I don’t want Lady Alexis stealing you away from me like how she stole Lord Raphael from Lady Rium. I can’t have her stealing what’s mine.”
“Since when did I become yours?!”
I smiled as I blushed, “Haven’t you always been mine?”
Lady Claudia also blushed as she claimed, “No!”
“Oh, there you go again. Not being honest when you clearly like me.”
“I. Hate. You!” Lady Claudia emphasized each word.
“So in other words, you love me!”
“No!”
“But I love you,” I teased.
Lady Sophia sighed, “There they go again.”
“So then I was right! You guys are together!” Prince Clovis hopefully voiced.
“Once again, we are not.” I quickly shot down his hopefulness. “Why are you so invested that Lady Claudia and I are together?”
“Because you guys look cute together!” Prince Clovis claimed with sparkling eyes.
Oh no. I know that look. I’ve seen that look on Alex multiple times. It’s the look of a stalker that wants to play matchmaker.
“We do not look cute together,” Lady Claudia claimed as she crossed her arms. “In what way do we look cute together?”
Prince Clovis grinned, “You two act like my parents!”
“Pfft!” Both Lady Claudia and I acted as if we were punched in the stomach.
“Oh, dear…” Lady Sophia chuckled.
I feel like spewing out blood. Does that mean Lady Claudia and I act like a married couple? Maybe I should reel in on the teasing then, but I do feel happy that we look good together.
“Prince Clovis, any more and you might kill both Reiré and Lady Claudia,” Lady Sophia voiced.
Prince Clovis titled his head in puzzlement. “Eh? I don’t understand. I’m just excited because I don’t see two of the same sex being so affectionate with each other. I’m quite curious about homosexual people.”
The three of us all became quiet as we stared at Prince Clovis who only had a neutral expression. Wow. What a bomb you just dropped on us, Prince Clovis.
Prince Clovis gave us a puzzled look. “Umm… did I say something weird?”
I nodded, “Yes. Very much so.”
Lady Claudia looked very offended, “I’m sorry, what?”
“Prince Clovis, I don’t think you should just assume people’s orientation like that,” said Lady Sophia.
“I will get this out of the way. I am not a disgusting homo,” stated Lady Claudia. “For you to even assume I’m like that is quite insulting!”
Prince Clovis then looked at me. “Is that the same for Reiré?”
“Reiré just likes to joke around. I’m sure she is not actually-”
I interrupted Lady Claudia and said, “But I kind of am.”
“What?” Lady Claudia's face showed the expression of shock, and then it slowly morphed to disgust.
Wow, okay. Ouch. That hurt more than I thought even though I knew Lady Claudia was as straight as a board like Alex.
“I’m not homosexual,” I said.
“...Oh.” Lady Claudia’s disgusted face turned to one of relief.
“But I do like girls,” I added.
Lady Claudia tensed up as she took a step away from me.
“So you are homosexual?” Prince Clovis questioned.
“I’m not because I still like boys. I find both genders sexually attractive,” I corrected as I took a step closer to Lady Claudia, hoping to close the distance she created.
“So Reiré is both homosexual and heterosexual?” Prince Clovis’s face showed that he was extremely confused.
“I don’t think that it's possible to be both, Prince Clovis,” Lady Sophia said.
I nodded. “I can’t be categorized as both homosexual and heterosexual, but I do like both sex. I’d actually fall under the term Bisexual.”
The three nobles tilted their heads in confusion. “Bisexual?”
I guess terms other than homosexual and heterosexual don’t exist yet. “It means that someone likes both the male and female sex. Because I like both genders, you could say that the sex is irrelevant to me since as long as I love the person I don’t care if they are male or female.”
“I see, this is the first I’m learning of the word bisexual,” said Lady Claudia.
“Same here,” voiced Prince Clovis.
“There are still more terms for people out there. You just need to know where to learn it.”
There really isn't a place in this world that could teach sexual orientation currently. It’s just not the right era for it after all. It’s already bad that homosexuals are looked down upon, imagine all those other poor souls who have it worse when it comes to their sexual desires. In my past life, gay rights were recently approved too, there's even a month dedicated to homosexuals and such. I don’t want to go through all that crap again in this life, so I want to speed up the process for gay rights.
“So… Does it make you any different from homosexuals?” Lady Claudia hesitantly asked.
I gave her a confused expression. “What do you mean?”
“Like… you're not gonna assault me, right?”
Prince Clovis frowned, “That’s a really rude thing to say. How will you like it if I asked you not to assault me?”
I shrugged, “It’s fine, Prince Clovis. I mean, I’m already sexually assaulting Lady Claudia with my eyes, so does that count?”
Lady Sophia chuckled, “I don’t think this is a subject where you should be joking around, Reiré. To be honest, I’m also quite worried myself.”
“Reiré, I’m being serious,” Lady Claudia voiced.
I rolled my eyes and gave her a stern look. “I won’t do such a thing. You know I would never cause you harm, Lady Claudia. I don’t believe in forceful behavior. So, Lady Claudia and Lady Sophia, you two have nothing to worry about.”
Lady Claudia had a concerned expression and I noticed how she was inching away from me. Lady Sophia seemed to be more relaxed, but Lady Claudia was still hesitant about me.
I sighed, “I’m not that kind of person. If it makes you feel better, Lady Claudia, I’ve dated guys before. My last significant other was male,” I revealed to them. “And he was actually a really good kisser.”
I blushed a bit remembering the feeling. Now, I never kissed in this body before, but I can still remember how it felt in my last. I might still have lingering attachments since he was the one that broke things off. I really need to get over him since the person he once knew me as was already dead, and I can’t remember his face. Besides, I have a new love now. And she’s quite lovely.
“So then why me?” Lady Claudia asked. “Why not… someone else?”
I hummed, “I just so happen to fall in love with you. Before I was just playing around, but I guess I really did fall for you. I didn’t realize it myself until recently. But I can clearly say that I love you, Claudia Arcement.” My god, saying it out loud is seriously really embarrassing. What a way to confess, am I right?
Lady Claudia’s face suddenly turned bright red. Huh? What is this? I’ve seen her face turn red multiple times, but why is it cuter than usual? Suddenly, I could feel my face burning.
“S-So… Is that like… a confession? You want us to d-date?” she stuttered.
“You totally should!” Prince Clovis happily claimed.
I shot him a quick glare to shut him up. Prince Clovis quickly hid behind Lady Sophia to avoid my heated gaze. I sighed and turned back to look at my beloved.
Lady Claudia was fidgeting as her hands slightly shook. I could see small beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she waited for my confirmation. I really don’t want to scare Lady Claudia away. That’s the last thing I want.
“I’m honestly fine with the relationship we currently have, but I would be lying if I said that I don’t want that,” I answered.
“Then-!”
I cut her off, “But that’s impossible.”
Lady Claudia gave me a puzzled look. “Why is that?”
I gave her a sad smile and said, “Because you’re in love with Prince Leonhardt, are you not?”
She was silent for a few seconds before answering, “I… I am…” She had a troubled expression on her face. I don’t really understand what that means, but she certainly isn’t denying that she’s in love with Prince Leonhardt.
“Then my feelings don’t matter,” I said. “As long as I can see you happy then it’s fine, so you don’t need to worry, Lady Claudia. I’ve already expected that my feelings won't be returned.”
Her expression turned somewhat sad. “Why are you…”
“I love you, Lady Claudia, and that is why I’m not pursuing you, rather I’m rooting for you. I rather you be with someone that makes you happy than with someone who makes you uncomfortable. As I’ve said, I don’t believe in forceful behavior.”
“Reiré…you…”
It became somewhat physically painful to look at Lady Claudia, so I turned my gaze away from her and noticed how both Prince Clovis and Lady Sophia were giving me pitiful eyes. I hate that. That look. That look of pity as if something was wrong with me.
“Reiré?” Prince Clovis called out. “Are you alright? You look a bit pale.”
“Ah yeah. Sorry. I just remember some unpleasant things, but I’m fine.”
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Maybe talking about this wasn’t a good idea after all. At least I’m happy that they aren’t shaming me for not being straight. That would really break my heart.
“Really, guys. I’m fine,” I insisted.
Prince Clovis and Lady Sophia looked at each other and sighed, “If you say so.”
I find it quite amusing how they are in sync already. “Then let’s hurry to the cafeteria. I’m quite hungry.”
“You are right. Let us hurry,” agreed Lady Sophia.
We walked out of the empty classroom into the hallways. I smiled and turned back to Lady Claudia. She had a pretty blank look on her face so I couldn’t read her as usual. “Lady Claudia? Are you alright?”
“I’m alright,” she simply answered as she walked out of the classroom.
Her behavior was different from usual and it was somewhat concerning. Lady Sophia and Prince Clovis were walking a little ahead of Lady Claudia and I, so they probably won’t hear our conversation. I glanced over at the girl beside me and saw dull blue eyes.
“Lady Claudia?” I called out.
“Hmm?”
At least she’s responsive. “Do you hate me now?”
“Always have and always will.”
I smiled. “Is that so, but I like you very much.”
“I know…”
I looked back ahead to make sure I’m looking where I’m stepping. “You don’t have to change the way you act towards me, Lady Claudia. If it helps you cope, you can just pretend like I’m joking with you like I always do.”
“But won’t that be unfair to you?”
“It’s not unfair when I’m the one telling you to. I don’t expect much after all.”
I already know there is no future for this kind of love. It’s always been that way for me. I’m always the unlucky one. So all I could do was to just love Lady Claudia until it completely dies out.
“I apologize for the way I acted towards you… Reiré…”
Huh? “Lady Claudia?” Did she… Did she just apologize? And sincerely too?
“Would you stop staring at me with that shocked expression of yours? Is it so shocking that I apologized?”
Apparently, I was so shocked that I ended up staring. “I’m sorry, Lady Claudia, but it’s just… You never apologize…”
In the novel, she had never once apologized for the misconduct she has done. So this was surprising. Even Alex will be shocked if she heard this.
“I will apologize when I know I’m in the wrong,” she voiced.
So she knows what’s right from wrong. In other words, she’s saying all that bullying she did to me and Alex was justified. No need to apologize for that. Well, at least this is a step in the right direction, I guess.
I smiled. “Your apology is accepted, Lady Claudia. I was a bit upset, but I wouldn’t stay upset at you for long. But I do appreciate you trying to patch things up, so thank you.”
“Hmph!” Lady Claudia held her head high. “Don’t get any wrong ideas! You are still nothing to me! You are a gross commoner and even more so since you also like girls!”
“So, you think my love for you is gross?”
Lady Claudia crossed her arms. “Yes.”
I smirked. “Then… does that mean you think you are gross?”
“What?”
“I mean, you said my love for you is gross. So doesn’t that mean you’re also calling yourself gross?”
“Don’t twist my words!”
I couldn’t help giggling at her response. This is what it should be like. Just some normal lighthearted teasing around without anything heavy. I hope this relationship never changes, but I know that's just wishful thinking. Sooner than later, I will get greedy, like I always do. I just beg it ends off better than what happened in my last life with another friend.
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