About Your Pride and My Prejudice

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It was a drowsy afternoon.

“Sandra.”

“Yes, Lady.”

“Will that woman come tomorrow too?”

“…….”

As expected, Sandra was silent. Just a while ago, she was constantly babbling about the difference between Sourne and Lunoa, or that she would teach me Lunoa little by little in the future.

Considering how chatty she is—at this point I feel like I’ve become her buddy—it’s noticeably eccentric.

Three times a day, Sandra takes me to the dining hall, and while I eat, she simply takes a meal from the servants’ cafeteria. Strangely enough, when she sees Monica Elwood sitting in the dining hall, she disappears in a flash, as if her feet are on fire. She did not even say goodbye before heading off to the servant’s cafeteria. 

At first I thought it might be just a whim, but recently Monica has been having lunch with me almost every day, week after week. And on the day Monica is here, Sandra hides herself. This can’t be a coincidence.

“You know, Sandra.”

I didn’t mention it at first because I thought Sandra wanted me to pretend I didn’t know, but it’s weird no matter how much I think about it.

“Is the ‘person’ Sandra was talking about Monica Elwood?”

“What? That’s…. Well…….”

I can’t believe she’s so flustered. This is like a yes.

“Then the person who Mr. Maurice was in love with…….”

“I, I didn’t say anything, miss!”

“But Monica is Elwood, not Leopold, so why does Leopold’s servant serve her?”

I asked the question again, but Sandra closed her mouth tightly, with her shoulders hunched up.

“If they promised marriage since childhood, I don’t think it can be summed up in one word that she is not a lover.  So is she a distant relative?”

“…….”

“A secret illegitimate child who cannot be given the last name Leopold?  Has this gone too far?”

Now Sandra’s hands were trembling pitifully.

“I don’t get it. Sandra won’t tell me.”

“Ah, ah, my lady!”

Then Sandra jumped up and stopped talking.

“I, as I said before, I’m not ready yet……. I’m sorry. But I’ll tell you soon…….”

“…….”

As I looked at her fingers trembling nervously, it was only then that I realized that I was pushing too hard.  Maybe she’s traumatised…….

As soon as I recalled that I too had a traumatic position that I should never touch—in my case, things like hospitals, medicine smells, and needles, but fortunately I rarely come across them—I felt a belated sense of guilt.

“Oh, what did I……. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, miss.”

“But still.”

I don’t know how long she will need to prepare her state of mind or if it will ever be prepared, , but if the level of trauma is serious, I can wait for as long as she needs. Sandra isn’t the one who has to tell me everything, and Monica isn’t the one I need to focus on.

The only opponent I have to face is Alan Leopold. Alan is also the one who will teach me how to face the future when I have to live with a heart that doesn’t embrace him in the end.

It’s ironic at first glance to learn how to stand alone from Alan, but he’s the only key to liberating Melissa Collins. It will make me a free and mature adult who is now still immature and sick as a girl.

But why isn’t Alan Leopold coming back? It’s already been more than 10 days since he last came home…….

“……Goodness.”

“You’re here? Sit down.”

And why does this woman come to me without getting tired.

I sat helplessly looking at Monica, who was cutting croissants in a red dress like her beautiful hair.

“…… Is your nickname rose?”

“Rose?”

Monica moved her red petal-like lips and somehow she was distraught. Are all Lunoa people this beautiful?

“I hear that sometimes, but it was actually a nickname for Baby.”

“Baby….”

I didn’t intend to be obedient to Monica’s wishes. So I didn’t want to have a private chat with Monica Elwood, who didn’t know anything 

“…… You mean Alan?”

“Yes, it’s about baby’s old days.”

I couldn’t get enough of Alan’s nickname, Rose, without asking in detail.

“Why, Why is it rose?”

“His lips are as pretty as petals. It’s red.”

“……What?”

For a moment, I thought of the touch of the lips without realizing it, and I almost spit the soup that I was drinking.

It seemed as if Monica’s blue eyes were slowly thinning, but my hand, more urgent to quench the heat on my face, hurriedly grabbed the glass of cold water.

“What are you thinking? Of course it was a joke.”

“…….”

Then I was stunned as if I had been hit in the head when she scolded me with pathetic eyes.

“Alan is a bit sensitive, like a thorn. So he’s a bit of a perfectionist.…. Well, you wouldn’t know it, though.”

“…….”

“He was also called a rose master. That’s why I gave him a rose perfume when he entered the academy.”

Monica looked triumphant, showing off that she knew Alan’s story that I didn’t know. The arrogant smile matched the gorgeous features perfectly.

But I wasn’t particularly jealous. I’m not naive enough to believe that Alan will one day be mine. I was just thankful that she told me a story that I didn’t know.

It’s a bit daunting to say that Monica Elwood was the first person to gift the perfume, but it’s true that it suits him really well….….

And Rose Master. That’s probably the cutest word I’ve heard recently. I told him not to buy roses without knowing that. I laughed for no reason.

Listening to Alan’s childhood story, I somehow relaxed, so I decided to ask what I was curious about.

“Well, Alan hasn’t been home for more than ten days. Do you know anything? I don’t even know what he’s doing…….”

“Why don’t you know that he isn’t didn’t come home, he just didn’t look for you?”

“……Ah.”

The answer made me pale. As she said, there’s no reason for Alan to come home and look for me, so why did I think so? In an instant, everything collapsed.

Then Monica, who regained her bright smile, said.

“I’m kidding. Alan has travelled to Hwa.”

“……Hwa?”

“The Hwa Empire, Far East.”

“Oh…….”

Her words quickly put me into a trifling thought.

He probably went by ship, right? There’s no plane here. By boat to the Empire of the East……. Then, right now he must be on a  journey……….

In the meantime, there was inevitable relief that he did not come home without me knowing. As soon as the frozen heart slowly began to melt, Monica continued.

“He didn’t tell you, did he? I understand what you think.”

“…….”

Those words pierced my heart like a dagger. My heart became cold.

In a fit of anger, I had the urge to tell her that we kissed, but I managed to use my superhuman mentality and held it in.

It’s true that Alan Leopold and I kissed, and it was as sweet and warm as lovers’ kisses.… But Alan doesn’t love me.

So it doesn’t mean anything.

Alan is a beautiful person that anyone can look up to, and he is surrounded by great and wonderful people around him. If he can share a kiss like that with me, who is nothing, there may be quite a few women who actually know the texture of those lips. Even Monica in front of me right now……….

But this useless disinformation is always the problem.

“……But Alan said he wasn’t in a relationship with you.”

“What?”

Monica’s smooth forehead was crumpled at once. It was fascinating and scary how a person could change so quickly.

“Ha, so? Do you think I’m the same as you?”

She seemed unwilling to hide her agitation. It was just transparent, fiery anger.

“The relationship between him and me cannot be defined only by the word ‘lover’. We are both family and one and only friends. We’re each other’s only allies in this rough world, and at the same time, it’s our secret, okay?”

“…….”

Monica Elwood spoke those  grandiose words without catching her breath. When I just opened and closed my mouth, and didn’t know what to answer, she spoke again.

“Don’t be proud that he has you by his side for a while. He has put you in a separate house because you’re too embarrassing for him to take you outside. That’s your position.”

“……Didn’t you say you wanted to be friends with me?”

“How can I be friends with someone like you? I was just wondering why Alan was interested in you.”

“Ha….”

She didn’t scratch me or rip my clothes like before, but she was staring at me like an angry leopard. Why is she making that face with those pretty eyes and lips?

It was strange that I suddenly felt close to her, whom I had been afraid of not so long ago.

“So, you’re observing me to get Alan’s interest……….”

“Stop. Don’t tell me you’re thinking that I’m your rival”

“But in the end you and I—”

“We’ve been together for nearly a lifetime! We had each other’s first kiss, and we’re destined to get married soon. Dad wants it too.”

“…….”

First kiss, marriage…….

The dreamy words left me speechless. Alan and I are still a long way off, even if we have narrowed the physical distance. Her words forced me to reflect on the fact.

At that moment, a strange question arose in the consciousness that had stopped as if it had tripped over a beautiful reality.

Is Monica Elwood the daughter of a Duke of Lunoa?

I don’t think so, but what the hell is her father’s status, that she’s saying it’s a simple thing to marry Leopold’s successor?

It is true that she looks as splendid and noble as the daughter of a prestigious family. I just don’t know what a great family Elwood is because I don’t know any information about the social circles here.

I was a little embarrassed, but I couldn’t resist my curiosity, so I asked.

“Who’s your father?”

But to my surprise, Monica’s face suddenly changed from anger to relaxation. Like she’s not mad at me. Why? Is it really that great of a family?

Her answer that followed made me even more suspicious.

“Ha, did I worry for nothing?”

“……What?”

“I didn’t expect Alan to really tell you nothing.”