Chapter 58

A Wonderful First Love Becomes a Memory

Unfortunately, my experience with love is quite limited.

In my previous life, perhaps, but in this one, I’ve only had something less than a first love—a childish, play-pretend kind of romance.

Of course, I’ve never had a conversation about love with anyone.

So, I don’t know how to react in this situation—but it seemed to me that Magnolia needed to sort out her emotions right now.

“I think you should also have a proper talk with Zacks.”

“…Hmph.”

Magnolia let out a huff.
She didn’t seem convinced.

Choosing my words carefully, I spoke to her.

“If, after that, Magnolia-sama truly feels you can’t accept the engagement… I think you should discuss it with your parents.”

Crying alone won’t change the situation.
If that’s the case, the only option is to take action to change it.

Fortunately—or perhaps I should say—Zacks doesn’t seem like an unreasonable person, in my opinion.

Moreover, Zacks cares about Magnolia and likely values her deeply.
If she genuinely refuses, I’d like to think he wouldn’t force it… or so I hope.

Either way, if she has feelings about it, she should talk.

Thinking this, I looked at Magnolia, who was sulking in silence.

However, talking with me seemed to have calmed her down a bit.

Perhaps regaining her usual demeanor, she haughtily flicked her hair. Her silver hair, perfectly curled as always, swayed with a twirl.

“…You’re right. I’ll confess to Prince Lian.”

“That’s the spirit! Nothing starts if you don’t express your feelings!”

Magnolia stared at me intently.
It was a gaze that seemed to hold something she wanted to say. Her eyes were still red, but they were no longer teary.

“Magnolia-sama?”

“…You’ve experienced heartbreak, haven’t you?”

“Ah, ahh…”

She must have recalled what I told her before.
That I had… something like love for my fiancé, but it didn’t come to fruition.

Magnolia’s eyes wavered as if hurt, and she spoke.

“…It was painful, wasn’t it?”

She said it softly.
She must have thought we shared the same pain.

“I’m sorry for saying harsh things before.”

Magnolia suddenly said that.

Harsh things… I couldn’t immediately recall what she meant, but she seemed to feel guilty.

Lowering her eyelashes, she continued, speaking slowly.

“Having your love unreturned… it’s this painful, isn’t it?”

“Magnolia-sama…”

“Hey, how did you overcome this pain? He was your fiancé, right? And he was taken by your own sister, wasn’t he?”

Magnolia leaned forward, asking eagerly.
I gave a wry smile.

“I haven’t overcome it.”

“Eh…”

“I looked away. I… ran from it. I thought facing it and getting hurt was foolish. After all, it was my own sister and my fiancé, you know? And they were said to be fated for each other… I had nowhere to direct my emotions. So, I pretended not to see it… from here.”

I gently placed a hand on my chest.

Magnolia’s eyes wavered in confusion.
To her, I smiled.

“I’m jealous of you, Magnolia-sama. This might upset you, but… you’ve had a won—a wonderful love, haven’t you?”

I almost said “not fallen for a jerk,” but corrected myself.

Felix-sama was a self-centered jerk who prioritized his philanthropy over others’ feelings.

My fleeting, faint love for him cooled quickly, and I deeply regretted my emotions.
Why did I fall for someone like him? That regret.

To me, that first love was a cursed past, a dark history I wanted to bury, a memory I wanted to forget.

But surely, Magnolia is different.
She probably even takes pride in her love.

Being able to think you had a good love… to me, that’s dazzlingly, enviably precious.

At my words, Magnolia’s silver eyelashes shot up.
Then, with a face on the verge of tears, she nodded.

“You’re right. I have no regrets about this love. So… as you said, to leave no regrets, I’ll confess my feelings.”

She looked much more refreshed compared to when she arrived.
I felt a slight relief at that.
When she came here, she had a somewhat desperate air about her.

Returning her smile, I picked up the now-cold tea cup and asked her,

“I’m going out with Prince Lian tomorrow. Would you like to join us?”

If Magnolia said yes, it might be good to invite Zacks too.
As I thought this, Magnolia sighed.

“…I’ll pass. I don’t want to be disliked any more than I already am.”

“Disliked…”

“I understand that much, okay? Prince Lian doesn’t like pushy women.”

“…”

“You’re probably thinking, ‘If you know that, why?’ It’s obvious, isn’t it? Because I love him. I’m bad at playing love games. ‘If you love someone, push, push, and keep pushing.’ That’s what Mother taught me.”

“That’s… a passionate mother.”

“It backfired with Prince Lian, though.”

Magnolia said sulkily.

“That’s enough about me. So, have you managed to get the candy out?”

She spoke like a tutor checking a student’s homework progress.

“…”

I responded with silence.

Magnolia sighed.

“…You haven’t, have you?”

“…No.”

I answered honestly.

Magnolia crossed her legs and arms, looking at me.

“I think I said this before, but magic is something invisible. Like air. So trying to understand it is like grasping at clouds. It’s sensory, so it’s hard to explain, but…”

She furrowed her brows, choosing her words carefully.

“You shouldn’t think about it too much.”

“Think about it?”

“Yes. Magic manifestation usually happens in childhood, but conversely, awakening magic as an adult is incredibly difficult.”

“So children are better at understanding sensory things?”

“Exactly. In other words, it’s better not to think too much. The more you focus, the further the sensation slips away, don’t you think?”

“That’s… difficult…”

As I furrowed my brows, trying to process her words, Magnolia suddenly spoke.

“Hey, Felicia.”

“Yes?”

When I looked up, Magnolia continued, looking down, her face bright red with embarrassment.

“If you… decide to stay in this empire…”

“…Yes?”

“I’d be willing to help you. I’ll cooperate with you.”

“…Thank you.”

I’ll probably return to Tsaobera.
I feel like I have to.

But her words, her kindness, were genuinely heartwarming—and I smiled, thanking her.

and also none in this one?