The letter that arrived from Lucas yesterday remained tucked away in Alice's drawer even this morning. I want to show you the rose garden. That single line, which didn't exist in any route of the game. Every time she thought about it, her head spun. But right now, there was something she needed to do first. Fifth day of the new term. Today was the day she'd crush his affection points. Alice held a tray in the great dining hall Mirabelle, mentally running through today's strategy one final time. She just needed to stop being well-behaved. If she displayed eating habits unbecoming of a noblewoman, even Lucas would surely think, "Well, this is a bit much..." It was a perfect plan. She sat at her usual spot by the window and surveyed her surroundings. For some reason, Lucas had come to sit beside her again today. In a dining hall with 300 seats, how was it that they kept converging at the same table every single time? Alice sighed heavily in her heart. "[serious]Then I shall begin," She declared it in a voice no one else could hear, then began stirring her soup spoon in circles. As noble etiquette dictated, one should scoop soup quietly from near to far. She deliberately did the exact opposite. Next, she tore off a piece of bread and shoved a rather large chunk directly into her mouth. For the finishing touch, she rested her elbows on the table. She could sense the other students beginning to whisper. "Lady Claire is..." "Eating like that..." Small voices leaked out. Good, it's working. If she could just make him lose interest this way—— "That looks easier to do," Lucas narrowed his eyes gently. His silver hair gleamed in the midday light. Those odd eyes of his——right one blue, left one red——gazed at Alice peacefully. "I've never seen a noblewoman not bound by formality before. I've never been around anyone who eats like that," Alice's spoon stopped. (Don't admire it!!! Back away!!! Lose interest!!!) Lucas glanced at Alice's tray and laughed again. "Ah, but drinking soup straight from the bowl is a bit much, even so..." "[cold]I wasn't planning to drink it!" She responded before she could stop herself. Lucas's shoulders shook with amusement. Around the dining hall, students held their breath watching the rare sight of the crown prince gently chiding the villainess while laughing. Alice set down her spoon and quietly gazed at the stew before her. Steam rose from it. (The manners-breaking strategy... completely backfired.) Her appetite vanished entirely. --- The next day. The corridor of the main building Luxhall was crowded with students moving between classes after morning lessons ended. Along the red brick walls, vases were placed here and there. In the spring season, the roses arranged in them released a sweet fragrance throughout the corridor. As Alice moved toward her next classroom, she spotted Lucas stopping in front of a vase by the window in the corridor. In the pale spring light, his silver hair gleamed with an almost translucent glow. "[gentle]Beautiful," He said it softly, like a whisper to himself. Something detonated in Alice's mind. This was her chance. Roses were the symbol of the kingdom, a flower cherished by the nobility of the Eldrich Kingdom. If she disparaged roses here, she could at least give the impression that their tastes didn't align. Alice stopped and examined the vase. Looking closely, the base of the stem was indeed slightly blackened. "[sarcastic]My, that rose is already blackening at the base," Lucas kept facing the vase but turned only his head toward her. "It'll be wilted in three days. Right now is the best it's going to get—its prime has already passed," Silence. Alice waited, thinking surely he'd show a hurt expression now——but Lucas crouched down and stared intently at the base. Then he stood up, his face looking slightly amused. "You're right. That's exactly it," "...Only you would notice and tell me that. Everyone else just says it's beautiful and moves on," From there, Lucas launched into talk about rose varieties. How the royal palace Weissrose had over fifty types in its gardens, how the rose crown festival——where the king awards a crown each spring to whoever cultivates the most beautiful rose——had court gardeners competing every year, he chattered away happily. As Alice listened to all this, she stared at the stone floor of the corridor. (Why does disparaging roses start a rose discussion...) Students walking through the corridor seemed to notice that the crown prince and the villainess were having what looked like an enjoyable conversation by the vase, and several stopped to watch. By that evening, the rumor that "Lady Claire has remarkable observational skills with plants" had circulated halfway around the academy. --- Two days later. Alice was certain of complete victory today. Operation name: Complete Avoidance. If she spotted Lucas in the corridor, she'd take an alternate route before making contact. No eye contact. No acknowledgment of his existence. There was no simpler strategy than this. While walking down the second-floor corridor of the main building Luxhall, she spotted Lucas standing off to the side. The distance was still about twenty meters. Alice immediately changed direction and turned into the back corridor. She quickened her pace. Perfect. A perfect retreat. Footsteps behind her sped up. Alice walked even faster. The footsteps sped up too. Alice turned a corner. The footsteps turned after her. "[laughing]When you run, it makes me want to chase," Lucas caught up with her around the corner. His breathing wasn't even slightly labored. His 185-centimeter frame was shaking slightly with what looked like enjoyment. "[sarcastic]...You didn't know chasing would happen?" "[laughing]You didn't know?" Alice pressed her back against the corridor wall and looked Lucas directly in the eye. His odd eyes were laughing peacefully. This guy was completely amused. A few students passing nearby stopped in their tracks, witnessing the scene of "the crown prince chasing the villainess down the corridor." It was the moment the rumor's speed doubled. By noon that day, the academy's consensus had become that Lady Alice of the Claire family was venomous but never lied, and was actually an interesting noblewoman. Three strategies, all eliminated. During class, Alice secretly continued thinking of her next move. But nothing came to mind. --- Afternoon of the seventh day of the new term. After evening classes ended, Alice was heading toward the library Sternbiblio. In the library with approximately 30,000 volumes, there was a reading spot in the back of the second floor that Alice used for information gathering. She wanted to cross-reference her game memories and check if she'd overlooked anything. The shortest route was through the space between the main building and the magic practice building Arcana. It was also a time of day with few people passing through. When she reached the rose courtyard, her feet stopped. In the courtyard where over fifty varieties of roses were planted——leaning against the pillar of a stone gazebo in the distance——was a person. In the orange light of dusk, soft, tousled silver hair. It was Lucas. Alone, gazing up at the sky. Alice instinctively tried to step back. She could return before being noticed. There were other routes to the library. A rational decision. Then she heard Lucas's voice, small and quiet. "...I'm tired." It was a whisper to himself. Alice's feet stopped. She knew from the game's strategy information that Lucas had a loneliness setting. As royalty, he'd been demanded to be perfect since childhood, and everyone around him wore masks when interacting with him——that kind of background. Written in character sheet text. But now, Lucas's profile as he stood alone in the gazebo at dusk carried a weight entirely different from those written words. (Leave. You should leave. Every time you approach, the destruction flags grow.) Her feet wouldn't move. Lucas lowered his gaze from the sky. His eyes, moving downward, caught sight of Alice standing at the entrance to the courtyard. One second of silence. "[cold]I wasn't eavesdropping, so don't worry. I just happened to pass by," While deflecting with her venomous tongue, for some reason her feet were already turning toward the gazebo, and she was sitting down on the stone steps. She didn't quite understand her own reasoning. Lucas's eyes widened. Then his expression became somewhat lighter. "[gentle]...When you're here, it feels like I can speak honestly," As Alice received those words, part of her mind was thinking this was dangerous. But her body remained there. --- The rose courtyard was bathed in the slanting light of dusk. Somewhere in the distance, a bird sang. The stone pillar of the gazebo was slightly cold to the touch. Lucas began speaking in fits and starts. About the border issues with the Glenvast Duchy to the north——the unstable boundary line between the kingdom's northern edge, divided by the Frostvind Mountains. It was a problem that had been smoldering since the Northern Border War eighty years ago, and no matter what move was made, criticism came. There was no one to consult. No place to speak honestly. Alice tried to return with sharp sarcasm. But her words came just slightly delayed. "[serious]...That really is difficult, isn't it," After saying it, she was slightly surprised by her own words. She quickly added more. "[sarcastic]Well, it's not like you chose that position," Lucas's eyes widened. His odd eyes stared intently at Alice. Then, slowly and quietly, he laughed. Alice tried to look away, but her gaze caught on an old stone monument standing beside the gazebo. On its moss-covered surface, a crest was carved. A design combining a rose motif with a crossed sword. (What crest is this...?) She searched her game memories. The crest of the Van Eldrich royal family was roses alone. The Claire family was a combination of mines and swords, but the shape was different. Thinking back through all the game routes, she had no memory of this crest. It bothered her. It bothered her quite a lot. But she didn't have the leisure to ask about it now. She pushed it to the back of her mind and stood up. "[cold]I'm leaving now. If the crown prince is found alone with a noblewoman in the courtyard after school, it'll become gossip. You might like it, but I don't appreciate it," Lucas nodded and stood up. In the dusk light, his face looked slightly warmer. "[gentle]Right. ——Tomorrow, there's a place I want to show you. Wider than the rose courtyard," "[serious]Give me time to think of a reason to refuse," She left the gazebo at a brisk pace. The fragrance of roses drifted at her back. The sound of her own footsteps on the stone pavement seemed unusually loud. Alice pretended not to notice something quietly pulsing deep in her chest. --- After finishing dinner, she returned to her room in the girls' dormitory Lilienhaus. As she was trying to organize her game memories in her mind, a white envelope slid smoothly through the gap beneath her door. Alice picked up the envelope. She checked the sender's name, and her fingers tightened slightly. Lucas Van Eldrich. When she opened it, there was a short message in careful handwriting. "Tomorrow after school, I want to show you the academy's rose garden. I also want to tell you about the stone monument." Alice rapidly confirmed all the game routes in her mind. There was an event where Lucas showed the heroine flowers in the rose garden. It was a standard scene that appeared in every route. But. There was no scene where the villainess Alice was shown the rose garden——not in any route, not in any branch, not in a single one. And the stone monument. In her game memories, there was no such element as a stone monument in the gazebo. Alice held the letter and looked out the window. In the night c