Chapter 1: Two-Timing

Chapter 1:
Two-Timing

 

THE TROUBLE HAD STARTED before summer break. Some sort of fuss had kicked up in the distant Alzer Republic, but back home in the Holfort Kingdom, information was sparse. Leon’s two fiancées were concerned about him and his other companions.

One of these fiancées was the headstrong Angelica Rapha Redgrave, whose shining, golden hair was pulled into a braided updo. The other was Olivia. Unlike Angelica—or Angie, as her intimates called her—Olivia was a commoner who had been granted special permission to attend the kingdom’s academy. She was also the original protagonist in the first installment of the otome game series. A cute girl with a flaxen bob, she normally exuded a gentle air.

Right now, however, her aura was grim, and her face was blank. She and Angie were in their cabin, waiting for their ship—the Licorne, which was nearly identical to the Einhorn—to land in the Alzer Republic. Since they were engaged to Leon and he was studying abroad there, they had taken advantage of their summer break to make the trip.

Angie’s arms crossed beneath her enormous breasts, and she irritably tapped her index finger. “I wonder when the republic will begin their infamous ‘inspection.’ We’ve been sitting here for over an hour now. Don’t you find it frustrating to have to wait when our destination is right before our very eyes?”

Olivia—or Livia, as she preferred—nodded, glancing out of the window. “I can see they’ve approached, but they don’t seem to be moving. What are they doing?”

Like its predecessor, the Einhorn, the Licorne was unique in that it had a horn protruding from its stern. The biggest difference between the two was the color; the Licorne was painted white, like the glaring light of the sun. Luxion had done most of the basic design, but Cleare had seen the vessel to completion. She, like Luxion’s remote terminal, had a small, round body—except hers was white instead of metallic, and her eye was blue rather than red. The differences didn’t end there; their personalities were diametrically opposed, and Cleare possessed a feminine voice.

“Perhaps they’re admiring the Licorne’s beauty?” Cleare suggested.

Angie left her seat, glaring coldly through the windowpane. “They sure are taking their time. Cleare, contact their security ship. Tell them that if they keep us waiting any longer, we’ll force our way in.”

“Oh, my, that’s quite extreme. I know you want to see the master as soon as possible, but aren’t you being a bit hasty?”

There was no warmth in Angie’s smile. “I simply can’t help worrying about him. He’s been in the republic for so long, after all. Especially after you discovered that thing—a ‘log,’ I think you called it? Even I can’t maintain my cool after hearing the phrase ‘two-timing’ in reference to Leon.”

Angie and Livia had come all this way to Alzer for fear that Leon was cheating.

However, the two had very different attitudes toward this philandering. Angie was angry about the situation, but she had forgiven Leon for the indiscretion.

“Honestly, the nerve of him. If he’s going to mess around, there’s a proper order to these things. What in the world is he thinking, leaving us at home to twiddle our thumbs while he goes off to play?”

As the daughter of a duke—ergo, part of the nobility—Angie knew infidelity was all too common. To get upset over it would only be unhealthy.

Livia, however, saw it differently. “I can’t believe he would cheat! He hasn’t even gotten intimate with us yet, but he’s already off with some other girl in a foreign country? In such a short span of time?”

Angie gave her a troubled smile. “Well, he is a man. If you worry over it too much, you’ll ruin yourself in the long run.”

“B-but still!”

The girls had grown up in entirely different worlds, and their thought processes understandably differed.

“Oh?” Cleare spoke up. “Looks like the republic’s security force made a run for it.”

Angie cocked her head to the side. “But what about their inspection?”

“Seems we’re free to go on through. How odd.”

Livia fell into thought for a moment but quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of her dreary mood. “At least this means we can enter the country, which also means we can now confirm for ourselves whether Mr. Leon really cheated on us.”

The determination in Livia’s eyes made Cleare stutter. “Uh, a-are you two sure you don’t want to tell him you’re coming? I really think we should say something.”

Angie shook her head. “Now that we’re this close to the republic, I’m sure Luxion must have noticed us. Besides, if we give Leon any prior notice, he might get rid of the evidence of his misdeeds. In any case, if he had contacted us to begin with, we wouldn’t have made the trek all the way here.”

A potential affair wasn’t Angie’s only concern. True, she was worried that Leon might have developed genuine feelings for someone else, but more than that, she wanted to know what type of person this girl was. If she was a real piece of work, it would only spell trouble for the lot of them—and if she was a wicked temptress leading Leon around by the nose, Angie wouldn’t sit by and watch. Whether he liked it or not, she’d put an end to it.

The worst possible scenario would be if the woman had political power. Nothing could be more troublesome than if he’d entangled himself with an Alzerian noble. It would be one thing if they were low-ranking, but if they were a person of any real consequence, Angie and Livia would really have trouble.

“Leon, you jerk… Are you really all right?”

Affairs were morally dubious, there was no doubt about that. On top of that, Leon was the Hero of Holfort, which meant that even if he wanted to mess around with other people, he needed to be careful.

Angie had one other big worry. I simply hope the other person isn’t Marie.

Marie had managed to ensnare the former crown prince, Julius, as well as four other former noble heirs. Worse, she was hanging around Leon. Angie couldn’t help but worry about what might transpire between them.

Don’t you dare betray me, Leon.

 

***

 

We arrived at the republic’s harbor. The ships scheduled to land that morning were late, and the Alzerians were abuzz. In particular, the militia was on edge. Three ships had come from the kingdom, but only one had captured the attention of curious onlookers. It looked like an exact replica of the Einhorn save for its white paint job. If they had been the same shade, even I would have struggled to tell them apart.

“I suppose the minor details might be a little different too. What do you think, Luxion?” When he didn’t immediately answer me, I glanced over at him. “Uh, Luxion?”

We had come to a stop beside the Licorne, and Luxion was vibrating in place as he looked at it. Was he, uh, angry? He really was particular when it came to craftsmanship.

“Now you’ve done it, Cleare,” Luxion muttered.

“Huh? What do you mean? Didn’t you build this thing?”

“No!” he snapped. “She used the Einhorn’s spare parts without my permission to build a second ship!”

Personally, given how beautiful it had turned out, I didn’t see any reason not to let it slide. “What’s the issue? If it’s got the same capabilities as the Einhorn, that just gives me peace of mind. We can have Angie and Livia use it.”

“No—she’s altered my design. I don’t know how its capabilities compare, but I cannot allow this. Please excuse me. I’m going to interrogate her.” Luxion flew off, leaving me behind.

A ramp slowly extended from the ship. I waved my arms at the silhouettes who came moseying down.

“Hey, you two!” I called. It’s been so long since we last saw each other. If I run up to them, I am sure they’ll smile and welcome me with open—hm? That’s strange.

My fiancées were smiling, but there was something off about their expressions…

Crap, what did I do wrong?! A chill ran down my spine, and I shrank back. “Wh-what’s with you two today?” I asked. “Your smiles are looking awfully terrifying.”

Livia approached, pressing her face close to mine—too close. Our noses almost touched. “It’s been a while, Mr. Leon.” Her lips peeled back in a smile that quickly disappeared. “By the way, you aren’t hiding anything from us, are you?”

My eyes flew wide open. Hiding something? Yes, in fact—so many things that I couldn’t keep track. Which one was she asking about? “Uh, what do you mean?”

Talking about it all here could only spell trouble. I turned my gaze to Angie.

She, too, was smiling. “I’m relieved to see you’re doing so well. Too well, in fact. Now, Leon, I think it’s time for you to tell us everything.”

Luxion was supposed to be my savior at times like these, but sadly, he had disappeared inside the ship and had yet to return.

Get your butt out here, Luxion! If there was ever a time I needed someone to swoop in, that time would be now. Please! Hurry it up!

For all of my begging, my wish was not to be. Our thoughts weren’t even on the same wavelength, much to my chagrin. It was little surprise, then, that my prayers didn’t reach him.

Livia latched on to my arm. Physically, I could have shaken her off, but her emotional grip on me was ironclad. “Mr. Leon, first, I would like to see your residence here.”

Angie threaded her arm through my unoccupied one, pressing her lips close to my ear as she whispered, “We already finished all of the other affairs we had planned for summer break, so we came to visit. Don’t you dare think you can escape us.”

What the hell did I do?!

Way too much had happened since I’d last seen them. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what exactly had sparked their anger.

Could it be because I made a political mess of things here? Or because I worked Julius and the boys like dogs? Nah, can’t be the latter. They wouldn’t be upset about that. Maybe it was the cringeworthy letter I penned for Miss Mylene? Oh, yeah, I did also send a gift for Miss Clarice. Maybe that was a bad idea? Come to think of it, I also went out shopping with Miss Deirdre while she was visiting on diplomatic business. I even held a tea party for her, and we went out to a pretty expensive restaurant one night for dinner.

Let’s see, what else… Oh yeah! Maybe it’s because I’m paying for Marie’s daily expenses? That would probably do it. Or would it? If they knew the circumstances, I’m sure they would sympathize—no, okay. They wouldn’t.

Marie had stolen Angie’s former fiancé. It was a stretch to think either Angie or Livia would feel any compassion for her after that.

Dammit! They could be upset about any one of those things. I’m totally lost!

“Mr. Leon, please be completely honest with us.”

“And you’d better steel yourself. Depending on how you answer, I may have to roll up my sleeves.”

They began dragging me away from the harbor.

Just what did I do to upset you girls?!

 

***

 

Things were no less hectic at Marie’s house.

It was summer break at last, which meant Marie had to look after her five boys from morning until night.

“Hey! I had some soup set aside for lunch. Who ate it all?!”

Since she had to prepare all three meals for everyone now, she’d woken up early to make an enormous pot of soup. It had been her hope that it might last them until dinner—okay, at least lunch. Leon was gone for the morning, but she still had five growing boys to feed. Besides the soup, the bread and ham was also conspicuously missing. Whoever had eaten it had left their silverware and plates out in the open.

I can’t…I can’t believe them! Surely they know how I’ve been breaking my back this morning cleaning the whole house!

Leon had informed her that Angie and Livia would be coming, so she’d hastily set to work tidying the place. Kyle—a half-elf boy who acted as Marie’s servant—and Carla had joined her desperate attempts to make the mansion presentable. Once noon finally rolled around, she decided to check things in the kitchen, which had brought her to the magical disappearing soup.

Jilk—who had apparently been preparing tea, if the pot in his hand was any indication—rushed in to see what all the fuss was about. “What’s wrong, Miss Marie?”

She turned to him and thrust a trembling finger toward the kitchen. “That soup was supposed to be our lunch. Who ate it?”

Lunch was less than an hour away. It would be next to impossible to prepare a meal in time now, especially given how many mouths she had to feed. They didn’t even have enough ingredients in the house at present. She would need to go grocery shopping first. Worst-case scenario, she had planned to feed the boys and take Kyle and Carla out to eat with her. But she wasn’t about to let them off the hook for sneaking in an unplanned meal.

“Oh, this?” Jilk asked bashfully. “Well, you see, Greg mentioned feeling a bit peckish…”

“I see. So Greg is the culprit.”

“No. We were also hungry, so the five of us tried looking around to see what we might scrounge up,” Jilk answered completely matter-of-factly, entirely oblivious to her ire. “We discovered some soup in a pot, but that seemed a bit lackluster, so we pulled out some bread and ham and had ourselves a meal. It’s fun to make something on our own occasionally.”

Marie’s eyes went round. Her tiny body swelled with pent-up rage as she debated how best to take it out on them. You didn’t make anything! You just took what was already there! And now what are you idiots going to do for lunch?!

Marie suppressed the urge to scream, electing instead to gather the boys so she could lecture them.

“Jilk, call everyone here. I made a mistake. Since we’re all living here together, I should have taught you the basics of communal life sooner.”

Marie was embarrassed to admit it, but she’d thought these things were common sense that everyone else would simply intuit. In retrospect, she should have spelled it out for them. Their days abroad had been so busy that she had let these issues go without confronting them properly. Alas, her plans were not to be.

“Pardon? They all went out.”

Apparently Jilk was the only one still at home.

“What do you mean ‘they all went out’?!” Marie was at her wits’ end. She, Kyle, and Carla had labored all morning to tidy the place, and in the meantime, the boys had wandered out to have fun on the town?

“Miss Marie, please calm down,” Jilk cooed gently. “It’s almost lunch. Aren’t you starting to feel a bit hungry? I have the perfect snacks for the occasion, and I was just about to pour some tea as well. Why don’t you relax with me before lunch?”

She was still fuming, but she also couldn’t deny her growling stomach. For the moment, Marie decided to calm down and accept his offer.

“Fine. Although, the bigger question I have is where you got these snacks. We finished off everything my broth—I mean, Leon—gave us yesterday.”

Leon’s hobby was tea—tea parties, tea leaves, tea pots and cups—all of that. He often purchased snacks to go along with it. Since Marie shared in the spoils, she could hardly complain, but it did annoy her to see him waste his money on expensive sweets. However, Leon was the one financially supporting them, so it wasn’t her business to judge his spending habits.

The two left the kitchen and entered the dining hall, where Jilk already had the tea prepared. Marie’s jaw dropped when she looked at the table.

“What is all of this?!”

A tea set and snacks were nothing strange, but there was far too much of the latter. Some were in fancy metal cases stacked like towers, and all of them looked pricey.

“Actually, I returned home with them only moments ago,” Jilk bragged, blind to Marie’s horror. “The place I went to visit had the perfect tea set, so I picked it up and decided to purchase some leaves and snacks to go along with it.”

Not only had he spent money on sweets, but he purchased a tea set and tea leaves as well? Marie’s entire body trembled. “You bought these?! Where did you get the money?”

Although she did give the boys a small allowance, that wouldn’t have been enough to cover this kind of expense.

Jilk furrowed his brows. “Hm? Oh. While we were searching for something to eat, we happened to find some money. We split it between us before going out. It’s standard for a party to divide treasure, after all.”

Had Marie been more removed from the situation, she might have noted how the boys’ behavior resembled that of their adventuring forebears. It was one thing to treat searching for food like a treasure hunt, but it wasn’t amusing at all for him to liken the money they found to treasure from a dungeon. The only substantial cash one might have found lying around the mansion was Marie’s savings—in other words, the money Leon had allotted her for their daily expenses.

Marie flew out of the dining hall, making a mad dash for the room where she stored her money. She had let her guard down since she knew everyone in the house, and rather than put her cash in a safe, she had simply tucked it away in a false-bottom drawer. She opened it now to find it empty.

On top of the desk was her accounting ledger, which she had pored over as she debated how best to budget their expenses. It had all been for naught.

“Nooooooooooooo!”

Not even a single coin remained.

Marie sank to the ground, her knees thudding against the floor. The noise caught Noelle’s attention as she passed by the room, cradling the Sacred Tree Sapling in its transparent case in her arms.

“Rie? What’s wrong?” she asked, rushing over.

Marie started panicking for a very different reason. Gah! Why is Noelle here? I heard she was going back home today!

Angie and Livia would be coming later, which was why Marie didn’t want Noelle around. Leon still hadn’t realized that Noelle had feelings for him.

Noelle tucked the case with the sapling under her arm and helped peel Marie off the floor. “What happened? You were screaming like it was the end of the world.”

“O-oh, that. It’s nothing. Just, you know…a pretty big problem cropped up.”

“That doesn’t sound like nothing!”

“D-don’t worry. I’ll take care of it! Anyway, forget about that. Why are you still here? Weren’t you going back home today?”

Leon would be returning any moment now. She needed to get Noelle out of the house—and fast. If things had been any different, Marie would have been forthright with Noelle and convinced her to give up on Leon. …But Noelle was such a good person, and every time Marie saw the way she looked at Leon, she couldn’t find the words. She didn’t want to break the girl’s heart.

That wasn’t Marie’s only reason for holding her tongue, admittedly. The other reason was that as the protagonist of the second game, Noelle had a habit of drawing in the wrong men.

Alas, this was bad timing.

Why do I have to jump through hoops for my thickheaded brother?! That moron. He’ll rant about how much he hates ditzy protagonists, but he’s no more intuitive than they are!

Leon was completely oblivious to Noelle’s feelings. As his sister—or technically, sister in their previous world—Marie was ashamed.

Noelle blushed. “Oh, um, I forgot to leave this little one where it could get some sun.” She held up the sapling. Her face softened, her eyes warm as she gazed at it.

To Marie, it almost looked as though the protagonist had fallen in love with the game’s key item. “Uh, okay. Well, you’d best hurry—ack?!”

Right as Marie was about to find some excuse to shoo Noelle out of the door, the sapling began faintly glowing. The back of Noelle’s right hand shone bright, a seal appearing on her skin.

Marie’s memories of the second game had all but faded, but she recognized the Priestess’s Crest.

Noelle gawked at it for a moment, but her face soon relaxed, her cheeks flushed.

Marie had transcended panic and was now lost in confusion. Wait. Hold on just a minute! Why would that trigger now? What does it mean for her to suddenly receive the Priestess’s Crest out of nowhere? And don’t tell me…that means her partner must be…

Noelle gazed at the back of her hand and mumbled. “Now if a crest appears on Leon too, that will mean our feelings are mutual, won’t it?”

Oh, no. Oh, craaaap! No one’s told her that Leon already has the Guardian’s Crest!

All of the problems Marie had pushed to the side were beginning to move on their own and in the worst direction imaginable. She wanted to break down and cry.

As if things weren’t bad enough—

“We’re home! Huh? Where is everyone?” A carefree voice called from the front entrance. Leon’s voice, to be precise.

Noelle’s brows shot up. She reached for Marie and dragged her out of the room. “Rie,” she said, “for the moment, I think it’s best you rest.”

“Yeah. Yeah… I’m kinda at my limit.”

Leon had come back at the worst possible time. Marie couldn’t take any more. How is this going to play out? Do I even want to know?

 

***

 

After escorting Marie to her room, Noelle turned to find Leon, sapling still in hand. If the same crest happened to appear on him, she knew that would mean their feelings were as good as requited.

The Lespinasse family, once part of the Seven Great Houses, had produced many Priestesses, and they passed a certain legend down from one generation to the next. According to that tale, the Priestess would fall in love with a young man who possessed the power befitting a Guardian.

As a child, Noelle hadn’t given it much credence. Political marriages were the norm in her world. She didn’t think a romantic story could possibly be true. At the same time, she found herself hoping it was. Now, she was on the verge of seeing that wish become reality.

Noelle started down the stairs, squeezing the transparent case to her chest. “Please, little sapling, make my wish come true.”

When he’d first arrived, Leon had been merely a mysterious exchange student from Holfort Kingdom, but he had quickly become a dependable ally. His courage in picking a fight with the Six Great Houses had been impressive enough, but it wasn’t all bravado; Leon had the power to actually face them.

True, Leon had his issues, but Noelle didn’t like him any less for it. When she needed help, he was there. He had a bit of a crude tongue, but he was so open-minded.

Despite being born into the aristocracy, Noelle had been raised as a commoner. Her values tended to veer more toward the latter class as a result, but Leon had no trouble getting along with her because of it. In fact, she felt most at ease when she was with him, and if she could, she wanted to stay by his side forever.

Noelle loved Leon.

Unfortunately, as she made her way down the stairs, she heard a voice at the front door—a woman’s voice.

“Seriously? I was shocked when I heard you were living with Marie, but I never dreamed something like that had happened. You should have told us what was going on sooner.”

The woman in question wore a red dress and stood extremely close to Leon. The way she looked at Leon hit Noelle with a realization.

It can’t be…

Despite the woman’s headstrong air, her eyes were utterly tender as she gazed at him.

And on the other side of Leon was another girl, one who gave off the complete opposite impression of her partner. Although she seemed innocent and harmless on the surface, her eyes burned with jealousy. She was also clinging tightly to Leon’s arm.

“Angie is right. Honestly, do you have any idea how much you worried us?” For as angry as she was, the girl still needled Leon for attention—and he had no problem obliging her.

“My bad. Things were really hectic here, and it only started cooling off pretty recently. But yeah, I should have let you guys know sooner.”

There was a gentleness in Leon’s eyes as he looked between the two girls—a gentleness that Noelle had never received.

When Leon noticed her standing there, he spoke to her the same way he always did. “Oh? I thought you were going back home today, Noelle. Oops, I forgot to introduce you. These are my fiancées, Angie and Livia.”

Noelle’s chest panged. She now knew that Leon had never even treated her like a woman—only a friend.

She had never heard anything about him already being engaged.

What? So I was the only one feeling butterflies?

Noelle plastered a rehearsed smile on her face. “Nice to meet you!” she said cheerfully. “My name’s Noelle, and I’m staying here for the moment. Although more importantly, Leon, if you have such adorable fiancées, you shouldn’t be hanging around someone like me. It’ll give people the wrong idea.”

Noelle did her best to make her relationship with Leon clear, lest the other girls misconstrue it.

Angie smiled. “I heard. You’ve been through a lot.” Her sympathy meant she must have heard about Loic.

Livia, on the other hand, seemed to notice something amiss, though she didn’t let it slip. “Um, I’m Olivia. Thank you for looking after him for us.”

“Oh, no, you needn’t thank me. He was the one looking after me.” Noelle kept grinning the whole time, but she really just wanted to disappear. She shuffled up to Leon and handed the case to him.

“What’s wrong?” Leon knitted his brows.

As much as his obliviousness irked Noelle, she was even angrier at herself. “S-sorry, but I have to go home now.”

Noelle held back the tears until she escaped out of the door. She ran the rest of the way home, sobbing.

It had been a long time since she’d returned. Surprisingly, Lelia was there, and she even tried to strike up a conversation. But Noelle ignored her, retreating to her room, where she buried her face in a pillow.