“Welcome home, Clay.”

The silver-haired girl who greeted me in my own room—Freesia—smiled gently as she acknowledged my presence. Her figure was strangely alluring, somewhat provocative, and enchantingly bewitching, exuding an air of confidence as if she had cast off all hesitation.

Feeling a slight sense of discomfort at her demeanor, I continued my questioning.

“I’m back… So, what’s the reason for lying in wait for me in my room?”

“Do I need a reason to come to your room?”

It was another one of her usual word games, though something about her seemed different today. Even if I ignored the fact that, fiancée or not, a duke’s daughter frequently making herself at home in my estate was odd, this situation still felt strange.

“That’s not what I meant… But what’s with you today? You seem unusually girly.”

“Girly? I’ve always been a girl, you know?”

When I teased her with a lighthearted jab, Freesia puffed out her cheeks in a sulky manner, as if genuinely displeased.

Something was definitely off about her today. It was as if she was trying to distract me, to keep me from realizing something, to deceive me while showing concern for me. And like a fool, I let myself get caught up in her wordplay, responding as I always did.

—Even though I know I don’t deserve it.

What a farce. A bitter smile escaped me naturally. Even now, I was trying to cling to something again. Being treated kindly made me misunderstand things. Trying to shake off such a weak-minded thought, I decided to forcibly put an end to this strangely comfortable conversation.

“I’m sorry, but can we do this tomorrow? I’m a little tired… I just want to be alone for now.”

Doing my best to keep my composure, I spoke to the girl still occupying my bed.

Normally, that would have been enough for her to back down. She might have enjoyed messing with me at times, but whenever I was genuinely tired or needed space, she always respected that. And yet—

“I suppose I have no choice. I’ll sleep with you tonight. You look terrible, you know? Come here, lie down. I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep.”

Today, Freesia refused to back down. If anything, my words only seemed to reinforce her resolve not to leave me alone. Her uncharacteristic insistence made my expression stiffen.

Stop it. Don’t look at me with those gentle, warm, yet sorrowful blue eyes full of concern. If you look at me like that, I’ll misunderstand. I’ll become helpless.

“…Haha, that’s an unusual joke coming from you, Freesia. But I’m really not in the mood right now. So please… just for tonight, leave me alone.”

“No.”

I forced a laugh, trying to keep things peaceful as I asked her to leave, but she shook her head in refusal.

“I can’t leave you alone right now, Clay. Something happened at the royal castle, didn’t it? When you were outside? You don’t have to tell me everything. Maybe I’m not good enough to help, but if you talk, even a little, it might ease some of what you’re holding in. So—”

“Get out.”

I cut off her gentle, persuasive words. Something dark was welling up from within me. It was ugly, repulsive, misplaced—emotions entirely inappropriate to direct at her. Yet, once it surfaced, I couldn’t push it back down. I no longer had that kind of control over myself.

Right now, I was probably filled with pathetic self-loathing, my face twisted in frustration and selfish anger. My already sharp gaze had turned even harsher, my brow furrowed as I glared at the one person who had done nothing wrong—someone who was only trying to show me kindness.

“Get out.”

“No.”

“I said, leave.”

“Absolutely not.”

Freesia remained steadfast, refusing to nod in agreement. Her expression was tinged with worry, yet she looked at me with concern and kindness, as if she wanted to stay by my side.

But that very kindness was what infuriated me.

“I said, get out!!”

“—”

After countless exchanges, I found myself shouting at Freesia, my emotions completely taking control. My voice made her flinch, a slight tremor running through her body as my ugly outburst echoed through the room.

If I had realized my mistake then, it would have been fine. If I had said, “I’m sorry” or “I didn’t mean that,” it wouldn’t have been too late.

But once something like that spills out, it’s impossible to stop.

“Just leave me alone! I don’t deserve your kindness!”

“C-Clay…”

Don’t look at me like that. If you keep looking at me with those gentle eyes, I’ll start believing something foolish—that I’m innocent, that I’m a victim, that I’ve done nothing wrong, that I can cry, that I can depend on you—

That I can be forgiven.

—No! I don’t deserve that! Not from you!

What a pathetic farce.

“I’m not the kind of person you all think I am! I’m selfish, self-centered, and don’t belong here! I’m not someone who deserves your concern!”

What kind of “simple, peaceful life” was I even aiming for?

“The real me—the Claym Bradley of my first life—was lazy, arrogant, selfish, and a worthless scoundrel who never put in any effort!”

What was I thinking, trying to escape my disastrous fate, trying to live a satisfying second life?

“You know it too, don’t you, Freesia? You must know! The Arrogant and Lazy Scoundrel! I was someone who only cared about myself, who thought nothing of others, who neglected my own family—who even tormented my own precious little sister! You know this, don’t you?!”

What was I thinking, trying to avoid a future of ruin, pretending I could live quietly, unnoticed, and free from responsibility?

“The person I am in this second life—it’s all a lie! A fabrication! Deception! It’s all—everything—everything—!!”

What was I thinking, struggling so desperately to avoid a doomed fate, crawling through the dirt for a future that should never have existed?

“Did you know, Freesia? In my first life, you and I were enemies. We were never alone together like this. In fact, you hated me so much you probably wanted me dead.”

“His Highness, Schvia Gravitell… And worst of all, Weiss. In my first life, I crossed swords with them over and over again. We tried to kill each other. I was branded a traitor, judged before the people, and executed—beheaded for my crimes. No one saved me. No one would have. Of course not—I committed countless atrocities and earned their hatred.”

I find myself laughing as I recount my own end, the whole sequence of events leading up to it. It’s so absurd, so pitiful, so entirely my own fault—truly a death that could only belong to Claym Bradley. It’s almost comical.

The girl standing before me must be in shock, no doubt. She must be disappointed. By now, she must have realized that everything was a lie. She will rage, she will curse me, she will scorn me.

"That's why... just leave me alone. Don't be kind to me. Forget about me and live happily—"

"It’s okay."

But my expectations are overturned.

"—Huh?"

Suddenly, I feel warmth. Something soft, comforting, and reassuring surrounds me. The unexpected sensation makes me let out a foolish, unconscious sound. A few seconds of silence pass. Even then, I still don’t understand what has happened to me—until I feel the arms around me tighten, as if refusing to let go.

Simply put, I—Claym Bradley—am being embraced.

By whom?

There is no need to question it. After all, in this room, there are only two people—my foolish self and one other. A girl whose long, white hair is as pure as freshly fallen snow, both beautiful and distinctive beyond anything else.

Freesia is holding me.

—Why?

Even as I grasp the situation, my mind is flooded with questions. I try to pull away, but with her well-trained strength, escaping her grip is no easy feat.

"I see… so the feeling I had back then wasn’t a mistake," Freesia murmurs, as if finally making sense of something.

She presses her head against my chest, as if confirming my presence.

"I don’t really care about the past… I don’t think the first Clay has anything to do with me, and honestly, I don’t really care about it. Sure, for the Clay who remembers his first life, it must not be such a simple matter. It must be a painful past full of regrets. But the me standing here now doesn’t know the you from that time—"

Freesia’s blue eyes, clear and beautiful, look at me gently as she lightly strokes my cheek with her pale, slender fingers.

"I fell in love with the person you are now, the way you have lived."

"—!"

"That’s why… when you say that Clay is a terrible person, that you’re trash, that you’re a bad guy—it doesn’t make sense to me. Because the Claym Bradley I know is honest to a fault, a hard worker, someone who cherishes his family, treasures his comrades, helps the weak without hesitation, and shoulders his responsibilities… That’s the Claym Bradley I know. That’s the Clay I respect, and the Clay I love—I love you."

I can’t breathe. My eyes are locked onto the girl before me.

"Alice, Lord Feid, His Highness, and Weiss feel the same. So even if you bring up a past we don’t know about, it doesn’t change how we feel in the slightest."

"But because of me, all of this happened… Alice, Granduncle, you, and the others—everything you all have suffered through is because of me—"

Yes. That fact remains unchanged. My very existence, an anomaly, is the cause of all this. But before me, the girl looks neither angry nor resentful—no, she looks… sad. With tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don’t say that. Because you were here, things turned out this way? Then what about me? Because you were here, I became strong. I learned what it means to care for someone. Don’t act like none of that ever happened!"

"—!"

At that moment, I realize my mistake—my terrible misunderstanding.

There are things I can only see because of who I am now. There are things that wouldn’t exist if I weren’t here. They are irreplaceable. They are connections I’ve built with others. They are not things I can decide on my own. Not things I have the right to discard.

—Ha, how arrogant and self-centered of me…

The moment I become aware of it, I recognize my own foolishness once more. I had been fighting a battle against myself, all alone.

Held gently in her embrace, the desperation that had consumed me melts away like snow.

"…I’m sorry. I was being an idiot. Thank you for making me realize it."

I gently wipe away Freesia’s tears and offer my gratitude. She looks up at me, then shakes her head weakly before burying her face against my chest, as if to hide her tear-streaked expression.

A brief silence follows. The girl pressing against my chest continues to cry quietly, her shoulders trembling slightly. Just that alone tells me how much I had worried her, how much I had hurt her. Guilt weighs on me. Freesia holds onto me as if reaffirming my presence, her grip softening before tightening once more, as if to make sure I’m still here. In response, I gently wrap my arms around her as well, careful not to break her.

"……"

And then, as if embarrassed, she slowly lifts her tear-stained face to look at me. Her eyes, still wet with lingering tears, shine like blue jewels. Those captivating eyes slowly close as she tilts her face up, offering her lips.

At this point, even I am not so dense as to not understand what she wants—what she is allowing me to do.

—But still…

The somber atmosphere from before has completely shifted into something sickeningly sweet. Under normal circumstances, this would be the moment for something… romantic, but—

"Sorry, but let’s save that for another time."

"Eh—?"

There’s someone eavesdropping outside the room.

Pressing a finger against her soft, flushed lips, I turn toward the door.

Carefully, I step toward the unseen intruders, making sure not to alert them, and then—I swing the door open.

"Whoaahhh!?"

A mass of bodies topples into the room. Weiss, His Highness, Schvia Gravitell, and Levia Haydenrott spill onto the floor in a heap.

"Eh… Ehh!? EHH!?"

Freesia, having been completely unaware of their presence outside, widens her eyes in utter shock. Then, as she remembers everything that had just transpired, her face instantly turns bright red.

Yeah… getting caught in a moment like that by acquaintances is just plain embarrassing.

Meanwhile, the shameless eavesdroppers, having been discovered, look terribly awkward. Their faces twitch as they struggle to come up with an excuse.

"So, do you guys need something? My dear friends?"

For the first time in days, I am able to smile naturally, without any weight in my heart.

"—Hiiiii…!"

Still sprawled on the floor, my ‘dear friends’ let out short yelps, their faces drained of all color.