Clearing up the Misunderstanding
"..."
"..."
Rudell and Leje, with Cayley between them, stared at the two with awkward expressions.
"So... why exactly did our cute little sister not listen to her older sister?"
"Th-That's..."
Leje avoided Cayley's gaze at her question.
In the first place, it was she who hadn't kept her promise.
Naturally, she had nothing to say, no matter how many mouths she had.
"Look at what you've done to Young Master Weinstein."
"..."
At those words, Leje raised her head and looked at Rudell sitting opposite her.
His appearance had completely changed in just one month.
His once lustrous hair had lost its shine and become dull, and dark shadows had settled under his eyes.
The emerald-like sparkle in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.
Literally, he looked like a person whose soul had left their body.
"..."
Leje stared at him with a surprised expression.
And at her reaction, a short sigh escaped Cayley's lips.
"You've always been like this. Once you set your mind on something, you don't see anything around you. That's why this happened."
"Th-That's..."
"Wrong. The person you should be talking to right now isn't me, is it?"
At Cayley's pointed words, Leje hesitated, unable to speak, then turned her head towards Rudell.
And she looked at him with a face full of hesitation.
How much time passed like that?
"Sorry... I shouldn't have done that. I was just so angry at myself without realizing it..."
Speaking in a low voice, Leje lowered her head.
Because she was the princess of the Lagrind Dukedom.
Because she had to be superior to everyone else.
Because a weak her had no need to be by his side.
"..."
Unable to accept that fact, she bit her lip.
Suppressed emotions surged, and perhaps due to the intensity of her feelings, her body trembled slightly.
But it was at that moment.
"It's okay."
"What...?"
At Rudell's subsequent reply, a bewildered voice escaped Leje's lips.
When she raised her head, she saw Rudell's appearance, clearly different from before.
His dull hair and the dark shadows under his eyes remained, but the life had returned to his eyes.
And, above all, a faint smile played on his lips, which had held no emotion before.
"Rudell...?"
Seeing him looking at her with a relieved smile, a bewildered voice escaped Leje's lips.
Rudell, who had been watching her for a moment, spoke in a thin but gentle voice.
"I thought you had grown tired of me..."
"Me? Of you? That's impossible."
To her, Rudell was an indispensable existence.
A world without Rudell was no different from a world without reason or meaning for her to live in.
"Right. That's how it was. Even though I knew that, I was foolishly anxious. I was afraid you would leave my side."
"Rudell..."
At his words, Leje suppressed the emotions welling up inside her.
She didn't want to show an unsightly appearance in front of him.
And then...
"Ugh... This is so sickeningly sweet, I can't stand it. Are you two putting on a play?"
"Ahem...!!"
"...!!"
Cayley, who had been watching the scene, narrowed her eyes with a dumbfounded expression.
Only then, remembering Cayley's presence, the two quickly averted their gazes, wearing embarrassed expressions.
"Youth, it is."
"..."
"..."
At their reaction, Cayley chuckled.
And, rising from her seat, she spoke to them pointedly.
"Now that the misunderstanding seems to be cleared up, hurry up and go. The Student Council President's work is much busier than you think."
"R-Right..."
"Th-Thank you."
At her words, the two hurriedly rose from their seats, bowed their heads to Cayley, and headed towards the hallway.
"Um... Hey, Rudell."
In the already darkened hallway.
Leje, who had been walking down the hall in silence, cautiously opened her mouth.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Well... that is..."
At the sight of Rudell looking at her with wide eyes, Leje hesitated and averted her gaze.
Even though the misunderstanding between them had been cleared up, the accumulated awkwardness didn't disappear easily.
But it had to be done.
To prevent further misunderstandings from piling up.
"Tomorrow... would you like to go out together?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Well... we haven't been out lately. So... I thought it would be good to change our mood..."
What if he refused?
Leje's heart pounded with anxiety, but...
"Sure. Let's do that."
"Really!? No take-backs!"
Rudell answered without a moment's hesitation.
At his response, Leje beamed.
Just like that, the misunderstanding between the two was gradually clearing up.
* * *
The next day.
"She should be here soon..."
Muttering so, Rudell took out his pocket watch.
About five minutes remained until their appointed time...
"Will she be late again today?"
Since Leje always arrived on time or slightly late, he muttered so and put the pocket watch back in his pocket.
"Whew..."
Perhaps it was because of what had happened.
Unusually, Rudell felt nervous.
And how much longer did he wait...?
"Waaah—!!"
"Whoa!?"
Suddenly, someone shouted and jumped on him from behind.
At the same time, a surprised cry escaped Rudell's lips.
"Hee hee. Surprised?"
"Leje... you really...!!"
At the familiar voice coming from behind him, Rudell calmed his startled heart and turned his head.
And...
"..."
He was speechless at the sight of her before him.
Certainly, her appearance wasn't much different from usual.
The white dress she often wore when going out, the wide-brimmed hat.
The simple blue hair pin he had given her.
But if there was one thing that had changed...
"Wait, were you always this tall?"
It was Leje's physique.
The height he remembered of her was only up to his chest.
But now, she was much taller than that.
Previously, Leje had to raise her head considerably to look at Rudell, but now she could meet his gaze just by moving her eyes.
"Huh? Come to think of it, I think I've grown a bit taller?"
At Rudell's words, Leje looked at him with a puzzled expression and began to compare her height with his.
"Oh, I really have grown quite a bit!"
"..."
Subsequently, at the sight of her speaking in an admiring voice, Rudell felt his heart pounding.
Leje's appearance, much more mature than he remembered...
That sight made Rudell perceive her as a woman for the first time.
Realizing how significant puberty was, Rudell let out a short sigh.
"Stop teasing me... That's enough."
"Okay, okay. If you say so."
Honestly, who could stop her...
With that thought and a short sigh, Rudell asked her, "If you don't have anywhere in mind, there's a restaurant I've had my eye on. Shall we go there?"
"Sure, anything is fine. The places you pick are always good."
Leje nodded at Rudell's question, and at her response, Rudell averted his gaze and extended his hand.
And, chuckling at the sight, Leje took Rudell's hand and started walking with him.
'It seems like it's going to be a difficult day...'
Walking down the crowded street with Leje, Rudell thought so.
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