[This year, let’s coordinate with red.]
There was no reply to the letter she had sent with that message.
As usual, they met over the Slave Liberation matter, but there was still no special opportunity for just the two of them to talk.
What had once been a small spark had now grown into a large flame, spreading to every corner.
“Did you see? That slave and—”
“I saw. They looked so close.”
“I heard he even called her into his private room.”
“What about the Duke of Frentia’s daughter?”
“I don’t know. Lately, no one’s seen the two of them together.”
“What do you suppose they intend to do…?”
Turning away from the voices she could hear, Patricia straightened her back and kept walking.
Ignoring the pitying looks and mocking whispers—she ignored them all.
She only looked straight ahead.
Today was the day of the debutante ball.
Patricia wasn’t as conspicuous as the leading young ladies, but her attire was still splendid.
Of course, she wore red.
A red hairpin, red earrings.
Her dress was mainly black to make the red stand out, with red jewels glittering more densely toward the hem.
Standing next to Patricia was Alex, dressed similarly with a black base.
His earrings and the accessories at his neck also featured red accents.
Though she had worried the look might be too dark, both of them looked very fitting, projecting a calm and mature atmosphere.
She felt reassured that they wouldn’t distract the other debutantes.
At the venue, the main debutantes were greeting His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.
Once that was over, the dance would begin, and the adults had a moment to wait.
Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, Patricia spoke to Alex, “May I have a moment?”
“…”
Without saying yes or no, Alex headed toward a quiet corner.
She followed silently, and they soon arrived at a tranquil garden.
The last time they had been alone under a big tree without any guards was when they had sneaked away from studying to play as children.
“Why was that slave there in that place?”
To be forced to discuss such a thing in a place with such memories…
It felt like the happy recollections were being overwritten, and it was an unpleasant feeling.
But Alex seemed to feel the same, his face twisting at the unpleasant question.
“Don’t call her a slave… What’s wrong with having servants?”
“She does not belong there. Those who may come into contact with guests should be carefully selected.”
Only a limited number of people were allowed to work at parties where nobles gathered.
Mia was not one of them.
So for her to be there, Alex must have pulled some strings behind the scenes.
“Why did you do that?”
“…She has never been to a party before. Since she wanted to see it, I just let her show her face for a little while.”
“A little while? What if something happened during that time? What about her duties? Can you honestly say no one else had to bear any additional burden?”
“――,”
He couldn’t.
Even if she had finished the work assigned to her before that time, there must have been tasks that could only be done while at the venue.
If she wasn’t there, those tasks couldn’t be done.
If additional work was assigned, her colleagues would surely have had more added to their plates.
Besides, the rumors that Mia was favored by His Highness the Crown Prince must have already reduced the work assigned to her.
That burden inevitably fell somewhere else.
“She should return to her original duties.”
“…Is it wrong not to grant her even the wish to see the party? I will make sure she returns immediately afterward.”
“If she neglects what she must do, dissatisfaction will inevitably arise among the others. And the one who suffers will be her, won’t it?”
“The others are simply jealous of Mia. We should just leave them be.”
Why couldn’t he understand that wasn’t the case?
What could she say to make him see?
Then it dawned on her.
He had never been in such an environment.
Since debuting in society, Patricia had faced envious and jealous gazes as the future Crown Princess.
She had done many things to maintain good relations with those around her.
That’s why she understood how crucial it was to avoid friction.
Whether one is mindful of such things or not drastically changes how one acts afterward.
But Alex didn’t know that.
Because he was born to lead from above, those around him naturally took care to be considerate in that sense.
“That’s not true. Those grievances are not just jealousy to be brushed aside.”
“Anyone who harms her should simply be dismissed.”
“You, who are working toward Slave Liberation, must not fire people out of selfish motives.”
“This has nothing to do with the Slave Liberation Bill. …Enough. I’m tired. You want her to step back, don’t you?”
That was far from right.
If he couldn’t understand what was wrong with this, he would only repeat the same mistakes again.
She tried to stop him, but before Patricia could speak, Alex raised his hand to silence her.
“I said I’m done. Don’t force your opinions on me anymore.”
Having said only that, Alex left without looking back.
“…”
How many times had she watched him walk away like this?
She had looked forward to this day.
She had truly been happy to enter the venue together.
But it always ended like this.
Maybe they could never return to how things had been.
As long as Mia remained in his heart, she felt this relationship would never improve.
“…What should I do?”
But no matter how much she thought, no brilliant idea to break this deadlock came to mind.