Schneider was of the same age as me, and the Zeolant family is expecting me to grow into a beauty in the near future. All I could do was paste a smile on my face as I listen.
In short, I am to be a woman good enough to be displayed by his side. To him, I would be just a decoration. And I would have to answer his expectations and have to work harder in my classes from now on.
At that moment, all I could see was darkness but thinking it properly this is the novel's world. In the future, he would go to the same school as I do and annul our engagement.
That's right, if I accept that fate, I can be free after.
The engagement annulled, I would be expelled from the school as well as the Gavizera Count family. Until then, I would need to discuss the matter beforehand with my grandfather and start my preparations… After, I can definitely live a laid-back life.
According to the novel, the annulment would proceed when I become 16. Which means I would need to persevere until I turn 16. If I can preserve… If I can just preserve until then… Then definitely… and so I suggest to myself.
Within the simple sandglass, the beautiful grains of green emerald peridot jewel-like sands shine beautifully and fall towards the lower part.
Will all really be well if I just preserve? 7 years is a very long time. How many times would I need to flip in terms of this sandglass' time? Or alternatively, how much sand would it need to make a sandglass to measure the 7 years?
I imagined as I gaze upon the shining grains of green jewel-like sands…. What a waste of time.
Rather than using up that time to preserve, it would be better to get to a quicker way to annul the engagement.
Just like in the novels I read in the previous life, like the stories of how the protagonist reincarnated into the villainess and changed her fate.
If possible, I would hope for a peaceful way to annul the engagement but that would prove to be difficult. Then, like the protagonists in the novels I read in my previous live, I should act to make Schneider hate me. Even though I resolved to do so…
The day I first met Schneider, he blurted out an unexpected speech.
"Even though our parents decided on this political marriage, but I want to be in love with you. Let us rear love within each other."
The young him with an serious expression like an adult's, held out his hand.
His words and action astonished me. What he wanted was not a decorative woman beside him.
As I gaze towards him to ascertain his real intentions, I let out a smile.
Aah, he is not telling a lie. He is not looking towards me as his partner of a political marriage but instead, he looks towards me with love in his eyes.
—Then maybe, what awaits me is another fate different from one of the novel's.
That I can graduate without any problems and become Schneider's wife, a loving couple.
As I imagine being in a future where Schneider loves me, I felt that I could bear living a stuffed noble life. That moment when a seed of hope is planted.
—I want to lay back.
One day, I shared the wish I have long had with Schneider. He didn't rise in anger or scorn me, but encouraged me, saying 'Rhonya, you have preserved enough'. I who was filled with much happiness, realized I had shed tears. On days during Schneider's visit there are no classes, for he is the son the younger brother of the king, the son of the Zeolant Duke. He is to be prioritized than classes.
During his visits, I would ensure that no eyes are on me and would lay down on the room's sofa or on the grass beds and act loosely. Then, he would definitely say as so.
"Rhonya, please don't use the time for us to spend together to nap instead."
"..."
"Already asleep? Rhonya?"
"... *make sleeping voice*"
"You're just pretending asleep, aren't you!" Schneider who shrugged his shoulders and dumbfounded.
But he allows me when I want to relax, which made me very happy.
The time we spend together is spent without stories of others. It was all about our likes and dislikes, about the school we would go to when we turn 12 and that we will learn magic there.
Although the time I spend together with him is by far not long, but it was always peaceful and full of warmth.
Each time I meet with Schneider, I would bake sweets and brew coffee myself.
This all started due to a certain incident. One day, me and Schneider was spending time together in a certain room of the house with the presence of another young servant, which prevented me from acting too loosely. I then reached out to the coffee the servant brewed which was too thick and did not match my taste. But asking him to brew another cup would be ungrateful. Hence I brewed another one by myself, and then…
"P-pardon my actions, Rhonya-sama!"
The young servant turned pale and lowered his head.
"Please do not apologize, I just…"
"My deepest apologies!"
"…"
The young servant who fervently apologize even though I was not angry bewildered me.
"Please forgive me as I am unable to brew it as properly as the others…" As the young servant spoke and kneeled.
The others who he mentioned would probably be the other servant. So to speak, the servants of the Gavizera house are all perfect. Thus the pressure got to him, and being nervous was probably the cause of him being unable to work optimally.
Schneider was dumbfounded towards the young servant who continuously asked for forgiveness in front of Rhonya.
"…Rhonya, don't tell me you are strict towards others?"
"That is not true, Schneider."