Chapter 53: Former Fiancé 3
And so, a week had passed, and I visited the Rufios family in a carriage borrowed from the royal palace.
I never thought I would visit the home of my former fiancée, Flora, whom I had never met in the main story, in this manner...
With such thoughts in mind, I was guided into the Rufios family's estate and directed to a guest room.
Flora was to come later, and after waiting for a few minutes, the door to the room opened, and Flora appeared.
"...This is our first time meeting like this."
"Yes, it is. It's strange, considering we were originally engaged."
In response to Flora's words, I nodded, and she looked at me with a serious gaze.
Wait a second, this situation is just like with Novell-san!
"Jin-kun, I'm sorry!"
"Ah!"
As I expected, Flora lowered her head and apologized to me.
"Flora-san, please lift your head. I came here today not to receive an apology, but to talk," I said to Flora, and we both sat on the sofas, facing each other.
Flora, at the age of 12, was not something I had seen in the game, but she had such a well-featured face at this age.
With her mother's blue eyes and her father's silver hair, Flora was a popular character who ranked high in the game.
Not only in appearance but also as a character, Flora was strong, and she was favored by many gamers as she could be used from the early stages to the final stages.
"So, Flora-san, why did you ask Novell-san to arrange this meeting with me?"
"...I wanted to hear about you from Father and apologize for not being able to extend my hand to you and for not being able to be by your side, even though we were engaged."
"You don't have to apologize, Flora-san. It's all my family's problem, and I was worried if I caused you any trouble, considering the situation I was in, being your fiancé."
"I never felt any particularly negative feelings. There were just times when I felt lonely."
Flora said somewhat bashfully, and inside my heart, I exclaimed, "She's so cute!"
Honestly, the reason I tried to refuse meeting Flora was that in my past life, I was a fan of Flora.
How would such a guy react if Flora appeared right in front of him in the real world? It's obvious my thoughts would go haywire with excitement.
I am currently managing to endure it somehow, thanks to the mental strength I gained through training since my reincarnation, but I don't know when it might collapse.
"I'm sorry about that..."
"Ah, no! Jin-kun, you don't need to apologize. I heard from Father that you were in a situation where you couldn't leave your home."
"Even so, it's true that I couldn't act as your fiancé."
As I said that, Flora said hesitantly, "C-could you please lift your face?" using the same words I had said earlier.
Realizing what she had said, Flora chuckled as our eyes met.
"Flora-san, let's put the past behind us for now. The past is the past, so let's talk about the future," I suggested, and we spent a pleasant time talking about things that happened since I became an adventurer and Flora's hobbies.
When it was time for Flora's lessons, it seemed like Flora and Novell-san exchanged places, and Novell-san entered the room.
"Jin-kun, thank you for meeting Flora. I haven't seen her smile in a long time. Since she broke off the engagement with you, she hasn't smiled at all. At first, she was depressed because she couldn't visit you, her bedridden fiancé, but after hearing your story, she blamed herself for her actions..."
Recently, she couldn't even sleep properly, and she had been suffering from sleep deprivation, Novell told me.
"Today, I guess the worries that had been accumulating within her disappeared after talking to you... Thank you, Jin-kun, for deciding to meet her."
And with those words, I received thanks from Novell.