"One matter regarding that merchant house has been settled."
Leonhardt's voice echoed softly through the corridor.
The petition that Ludwig had submitted to the Royal Council through his debted viscountcy house, the one requesting a re-examination of his royal purveyor application, had failed.
The Forster viscountcy house, having received Duke Viktor's help, testified before the Royal Council. "We were forced by the Elbach Company into submitting a letter of recommendation and a petition because of our debt."
The head of the viscountcy house had attended in person and had spoken with a trembling voice. With the ducal house stepping in and guaranteeing a renegotiation of the debts, the viscountcy house had found a way to free themselves from the merchant. The moment that path became visible, everything that had been bottled up came pouring out.
The true nature of the company's schemes had been officially acknowledged.
His royal purveyor application officially began moving towards rejection. Ludwig's plan to gain access to the court had effectively come to a halt.
Estella listened to Leonhardt's report and quietly let out a sigh.
Was it over?
By the corridor windows. Under the pretense of exchanging administrative documents. But the aura between them carried a warmth that had nothing to do with paperwork.
Even after Leonhardt had finished handing over the documents, he didn't leave.
"There's one more thing I want to talk about."
His tone had changed. It was no longer his administrative voice.
"I'd like to change locations. Here is..."
Leonhardt cut himself off. His eyes shifted as he listened to the footsteps of the students who were passing through the corridor.
"The east side of the garden. There's a bench beyond the hedges. Have your lady-in-waiting wait at the entrance of the path."
Estella nodded.
The academy garden, east side.
A small space enclosed by hedges. Close to the place where the two of them had spoken after her engagement was annulled. Afternoon light slipped through gaps in the hedges, casting blotchy shadows across the stone bench.
Her lady-in-waiting was stationed at the entrance of the path. A semi-private distance.
Leonhardt stood with his back leaning against the hedge. His arms weren't crossed. Unusually, his hands hung at his sides as though he didn't know what to do with them.
Estella sat down on the bench.
Silence fell.
Leonhardt spoke.
"Back then... when the rumors were spreading. You mobilised the ducal house and shifted the focus to the merchant. Was that a rational decision?"
Estella's heart skipped a beat.
She had known this question was coming. Ever since the day Leonhardt had said "I've never been protected," this question was left unsaid between them.
"It was a rational decision."
Estella answered. Her voice was calm.
"If Your Highness's investigation were to stop, it would become impossible to thwart the company's schemes. Protecting the credibility of an ally also serves my own interests."
"Was that all?"
A short question.
Estella's lips opened slightly then closed.
Was that all? Was it a rational decision? Was it really strategic of me to take that risk?
She couldn't answer.
The skill she had cultivated in her past life, "choosing the best words," produced nothing, just as it had on that day. If she lied, this person would see through it. She had known since the day they first met in the corridor that he wasn't someone she could lie to. But if she told the truth...
What would change if I did?
The silence stretched on. The only sound between them was the rustling of the hedge leaves in the wind.
Leonhardt spoke.
"I... can no longer remain rational when it comes to you."
Estella looked up.
Leonhardt's eyes were fixed on her. They weren't the eyes of an observer in the corridor. They weren't the eyes of an administrative aide. They were the eyes of someone who had resolved himself to say something.
"And that frightens me."
His voice was low.
"People who act on emotion end up like my brother. That's what I've always believed. Letting emotion warp your judgment, believing in tears, failing to see the facts, not even realizing you've been used as a pawn. I didn't want to become like that. So I tried to become someone who made decisions based solely on facts and logic."
Leonhardt looked away for a moment, then looked back at her.
"But... when you took that risk to protect me. I knew your actions could be explained rationally and yet, I also knew that there was something that rationality alone couldn't explain. In you and in me."
Estella held her breath.
"If I acknowledge my emotions, I won't be able to remain a rational person. I might become someone whose judgment is clouded, just like my brother. That frightens me."
Leonhardt stopped talking.
For a long time.
"I don't intend to rush you. But... I don't want to lie. Not in front of you."
Something inside Estella quietly crumbled.
I don't want to lie. Not in front of you.
That was exactly what Estella had felt the day she first faced Leonhardt in the corridor. He had seen through her crocodile tears, she had admitted the lie, and she had felt that he wasn't someone she could lie to. From that day on, there had been no need to act in front of this person.
And Leonhardt had felt the same thing.
They were each other's "someone they couldn't lie to." That much was clear. But precisely because of that... if they spoke honestly, the relationship would change irreversibly. Not being able to lie also meant not being able to leave things vague.
Estella opened her mouth.
But no words came out.
She could come up with a rational response. If she used the skills from her past life, she could choose words that wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't break the relationship, and push things off indefinitely while keeping their relationship vague.
But that would be a lie.
She couldn't respond with a lie to the person who said he didn't want to lie...
"I also..."
Her voice was small.
"I do not wish to lie. Not in front of Your Highness."
That was all. She knew it wasn't really an answer.
Leonhardt said nothing.
After several minutes of silence, he took a step back.
"Let's leave it here for today."
His voice was gentle. He had pulled back and wasn't rushing her. One step. He had started to acknowledge his emotions, but he couldn't take the final step, and backed away.
Estella could see that.
Leonhardt, who had said "acting on emotion frightens me," had acted on that fear and backed away. It looked like a rational decision. It was better not to bring up emotions until the problem was resolved. That was the correct thing to do.
Correct, and yet.
When Leonhardt turned his back and began to walk away, a small wound was left in Estella's chest [1].
A wound; it was too shallow to call it that. But something definitely felt like it was missing.
At the same time, she felt relief that he had backed away. Estella would have had to give him an answer if he pressed further. She would have had to acknowledge her emotions. And that was still... frightening.
In her past life, no one had ever waited for her. No one waited to hear the story of the person standing behind the counter.
This person would wait.
That made her happy, and at the same time, it frustrated her.
Evening. Estella gazed out the window of her room while drinking the tea that her lady-in-waiting had brewed.
On the surface, the company's schemes were coming to an end. Their royal purveyor application would be rejected. The viscountcy house's testimony had led to the official acknowledgment of their schemes.
But what lingered in her mind wasn't the company.
"I don't want to lie. Not in front of you."
Those words wouldn't fade, like the lingering echo of a bell.
As she took a sip of tea, her lady-in-waiting spoke up discreetly.
"My lady. A civil official from His Highness Leonhardt's administrative office mentioned that among the company's lending records, there is still one unidentified borrower."
Estella's hand stopped.
"An unidentified borrower?"
"Yes. His Highness is apparently rushing to confirm who it is."
It wasn't over yet.
Estella set down her teacup.
What would happen once that borrower is identified?
She couldn't see the answer to that yet.