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Could it be Alex? Ever since he said he would buy me more time, the way she had been looking at him had been unusual. Feeling her anxiety, I cautiously asked my sister.
“Can I ask who it is?”
“Will you be surprised when you hear it?”
Who’s there? Just as I was about to ask, there was a knock on the door, and it opened. As I rose from my seat, a long shadow stretched across the bed.
“Theo?”
The shadow got a step closer to my sister’s question.
“This is father, my princesses.”
It was my dad. I thought for a second that it was Theo. He stopped by my room when I wasn’t there, so it seemed like he came all the way here on purpose.
“Ciel. If you bother your sister, you won’t be able to use that excuse.”
“It’s all right, father. I also want to sleep with Ciel today.”
“Look at that. She said she wants too.”
In response to my shameless words, my father took a seat beside his bed and gently caressed my head.
“I would be happy if Clara could behave more like Ciel.”
My sister blushed at my sweet father’s words. Hang on. I’m not the one, am I? Even after my father left the room, Clara’s sister couldn’t tear her eyes away from the door.
“Clara. Do you know what?”
“What?”
“Could it be that the person you like is in our family?”
Please, not dad. When I said I was praying hard, my sister laughed and pinched me on the cheek.
“I got caught.”
No. It’s impossible. I was restless and confused, and I worried that the genre might suddenly end.
“Because he’s mature and kind. At some point, I found myself liking him without even realising it.”
Theo is excluded from this part because of his blunt nature. Clara continued to talk incessantly, but she didn’t know that I was crying bloody tears inside.
“He takes good care of me all the time, so I keep leaning on him. He is just looking after our brothers and sisters.”
Hold on a second. Brother? Then the person you like is.
“Do you like Theo?”
“Yes. Let’s go to sleep now. It is already too late.”
Hold on. So the fact that Theo likes Clara and that one Clara likes is Theo….
Clara, who had suddenly fallen asleep, was breathing heavily. Theo must have been up all night in tears by now.
“Sister, get up.”
Are you sleepy now? But she didn’t move, no matter how hard I tried to wake her up. Are you really asleep or just pretending to be?
If she were more honest, I would be able to come up with an answer. However, having my sister by my side frustrated me, and I had to spend the night with my eyes wide open.
* * *
Was it because I slept too late? When I woke up, the sun was already up in the sky.
“Miss, please get up right now.”
Meryl woke me up. I think I fell asleep in my sister’s room yesterday, but looking around, this is definitely my room.
Why on earth am I here? As soon as I woke up, the first thing I did was ask where Clara was.
“What about my sister?”
“Lady Clara went to the Imperial Palace very early in the morning.”
“What?”
I’m doomed. What if she went to say yes to the proposal of marriage? Clara went to the Imperial Palace while Theo stayed in his room and didn’t eat breakfast. I am the one who knows best what this person is doing.
I’m sure he’s crying alone in a corner of his room. I can’t let him act like a miserable sub-male lead as long as I keep my eyes open.
“Brother! Open the door!”
No matter how much I call, I can’t stand watching this doorbell that won’t open. I decided to force the door open by injecting as much magic as I could.
“Open the door, you fool!”
With my shout, the big door slammed shut and broke into four pieces. So instead of opening it, I ended up breaking it, but I still reached my goal.
“What are you doing?”
Theo, with red and puffy eyes, closed the door, restoring it to its original state. Unlike me, who was still in my pyjamas, Theo appeared neatly dressed and ready to see Clara off.
“Are you going to give up this way?”
“It can’t be helped.”
“You idiot. The person Clara likes is Theo!”
Maybe it would be good for this ugly child to come to his senses only if I spoon-fed him. Even though I hit Theo’s chest as hard as I could with my fist, he seemed more shocked by what I said.
“What?”
Now I know why the two didn’t end up together. Obviously, in the original, Clara was closer to older brother Theo, but it was highly likely that she was pushed by the surrounding circumstances and chose to become engaged to Alex.
Just like now.
Because Theo likes Clara as much as she cares about him. Unlike me, who only knew me, the two people who were so precious to each other endlessly passed each other as they tried to clear up this misunderstanding.
“Meryl, get the carriage ready right now. I’m going to the imperial palace.”
“Yes, miss!”
I took Theo by the wrist and went downstairs.
“Miss! You need to change your clothes and go!”
Ignoring Madame Lisbon’s call, I urged the coachman. I arrived at the entrance to the imperial palace much faster than usual. The gatekeeper, who saw me in my pyjamas, was embarrassed and asked Theo about it.
“What is happening?”
“Where is Prince George now?”
Upon receiving the guard’s report of witnessing him with Clara in the rose garden, we immediately turned our attention to him. By the time I reached the entrance, Theo had even carried me and started running.
“What should I do? I guess it’s already too late.”
As we reached the rose garden, we were surprised to find not a single antling in sight. In a state of despair, I glanced around and noticed Prince George in the distance. He recognised us and greeted us with a wave of his hand.
“What are you doing here, miss, dressed like that?”
“Your Highness, where is my sister, my sister, right now?”
Prince George gave me a bitter smile when he saw me grab his sleeve and ask.
“I never thought that winning her over would be easy, but if her partner is such a cute girl, I’m not sure I can win.”
“What?”
“Lady Clara said. It’s difficult to leave the capital because her cute sister is still young.”
He said it again, but in the end, he was rejected. Prince George laughed as if he was frustrated when he saw me openly happy.
You may be sad, but I am happy. Leaving me cheering, Prince George stood up and faced Theo.
“Can I just call you Theo?”
“Do what you please.”
Prince George looked at Theo with an awkward expression on his face. My sister gave him a reason, but I also think he figured out who she liked.
“I think it would be better if you were more honest about how you feel, young master.”
“What do you mean…….”
“Excuse me right now.”
The sight of someone who knows when to leave is truly beautiful. George’s elegant departure almost makes me want to cheer. From a distance, Burnett spotted me and enthusiastically waved her hand, while Theo stood motionless.
“Miss Ciel!”
It seemed like the palace of the Crown Prince already knew that I was looking for Clara. We now ran towards the Prince’s Palace, led by Burnett.
“Lady Clara came to visit us earlier. She wants to quit her job as an pharmacist at the imperial palace.”
“What?”
What does this mean again? My sister would definitely have rejected George’s offer. Theo was feeling anxious as well. As soon as my brother could see the Crown Prince’s palace, he jumped out of the carriage and ran as fast as he could.
“Brother, come with me!”
As soon as he got out of the carriage, holding Burnett’s hand, Theo had already run far away to find Clara carrying her luggage.
“Clara!”
“How can you be here……”
Alex, who had seen Clara off, came towards me, unwrapped the cloak from his back and covered it for me.
“Why are you in pyjamas?”
“Does that matter now?”
Clara and Theo both looked at each other. Clara placed the heavy bags on the ground before tending to Theo’s dishevelled hair, which had become messy due to his rush.
“You too. Why did you come out in such a hurry?”
“Clara, I’m….”
Theo bit his lip and glanced at Clara, unable to utter a word.
“I still have something to say to you.”
I feel like my heart is going to burst. Her usual timid appearance disappeared, and my older sister raised her head and looked at Theo.
“I love you, Theo.”
Upon hearing my sister’s confession, a profound silence enveloped my surroundings. Alex was standing next to me, along with Burnett, who had stopped the carriage, and the other chemists who had come to see my sister off. In front of everyone, my sister showed all her courage.
“I know that you only see me as your younger sister. But I…”
“Clara!”
As soon as he called her name, Theo’s lips met Clara’s in a kiss.
“I wish it had been like this a long time ago.”
Theo took advantage of the moment when their lips separated to say those words and then hugged Clara as hard as he could.
Just looking at the back made me feel like I was seeing my mom and dad when they were younger, and tears welled up in my eyes before I knew it.
I wish they had confessed their feelings to each other like this a long time ago. Alex, who saw me crying, took out a handkerchief and wiped away my tears.
“Your Highness, what happened?”
“Lady Clara said. She is leaving because she is afraid the aftermath of her refusal to marry will affect the Valentine family.”
It was Alex who stopped working and kept my sister, who wanted to leave without telling anyone, until we came.
Thanks to my hard efforts to convince her that I would be sad if she left like this, my older sister managed to change her mind.
“If you like someone, you should tell them so you don’t end up regretting it. I was sure you would say that, so I said the same thing.
“Good job, Your Highness. Thank you very much.”
Theo and Clara, who knew each other’s feelings, were still immersed in their own world.
Now that my wish has finally come true, I don’t have any regrets. Alex was happy to see how happy I was.
“You seem happy.”
“Of course. Now I really can’t ask for anything more.”
Even if she quits her job as a pharmacist, Clara’s future is guaranteed because she will now become a future duchess. I just need to convince Mom and Dad, and then all they need is a happy ending.
“Is that so?”
“Ciel. Let’s go home!”
After confirming their feelings for each other, Theo brought Clara’s luggage and called me.
“Please go back first. I have something to talk about with Ciel for a moment.”
I was deeply moved by his kind-heartedness and his willingness to let them be alone. I was happy to see Clara and Theo off, telling them to go first.
And since I couldn’t stay in my pyjamas forever, I followed Burnett to my room, which had been prepared for me in the Crown Prince’s Palace.
“This place is still the same.”
“Of course. I have prepared for Miss Ciel to return at any time.”
Maybe if Alex gets a new lover, I’ll have to vacate this place as well. However, now that it was mine, I leisurely enjoyed a bath and then put on a cosy winter dress.