"......"

"......"

For me, Claym Bradley, and her, Freesia Greyfrost, to sit face to face like this was exceedingly rare—almost unheard of.

There's no need to go into details about the reason. Even if I explained, or you listened, it wouldn't be an enjoyable story. What mattered was that Freesia Greyfrost utterly disliked, despised, resented, and, at times, might have even wished to kill Claym Bradley.

She truly felt that way in the first timeline.

Even if the young Freesia hadn’t gone so far as to want me dead, the rest—hatred, loathing, and resentment—was undoubtedly true. Whenever the Greyfrost family's duchess-to-be was invited to our garden tea parties, she would be entertained in the arbor surrounded by flowers, where she could indulge her love for both blossoms and tea.

But unfortunately, first-timeline Claym Bradley, being an unrestrained little brat, couldn't appreciate a tranquil tea party or admire blooming flowers. Instead, I always ended up sneaking away from the gathering and playing pranks on her.

Plucking flowers from nearby bushes, flinging them around to splash mud everywhere, or tossing jars stuffed full of insects at her, knowing how much she hated bugs...

Yeah. Looking back, I was absolutely a little devil. No wonder she hated me—I did everything imaginable to deserve it.

Sipping my tea, I silently scolded my past self. As I mulled over how to repair my relationship with the perpetually scowling Freesia, no brilliant ideas came to mind.

Today's weather was perfect: a clear sky, and the well-tended flowers of the garden sparkled under the sunlight, radiant and lovely. The gardeners had worked tirelessly to prepare everything for this tea party. In stark contrast, the arbor we sat in was stiflingly heavy with silence and unease.

"......"

"......"

Our attendants stood awkwardly behind us, exuding a palpable discomfort. Freesia’s maid, in particular, glared daggers at me.

Feeling as though I'd be killed if I said the wrong thing, I turned to Kanna, my attendant, seeking help. But she merely gave me an encouraging glance that said, "Do your best, my lord." Maybe she and the other staff still harbored ill feelings toward me.

As I wallowed in these thoughts, Freesia suddenly broke the silence.

"You're unusually quiet and well-behaved today. Aren't you going to slip away like always and play one of your pranks on me?"

"Ugh..."

Her pointed words, laced with sarcasm, left me speechless. Instinctively, I wanted to apologize for everything, but knowing she wouldn’t believe any apology from someone she so thoroughly distrusted, I swallowed my words. Instead, I resolved to face her sincerely and patiently.

Expecting forgiveness was absurd. I had done too much for that. If I could at least soften her hostility to a point where she thought, "Fine, I won’t kill him," that would be enough.

Shifting my mindset, I forced myself to speak.

"How can I put this... Lately, I’ve been very busy—mostly thanks to that old geezer—and I haven’t had the opportunity to relax like this..."

"......And?"

"...My apologies. I seem to be upsetting you by being here. I’ll leave immediately if you’d prefer..."

Nope, I couldn’t do it. The way she looked at me was so terrifying that I could barely stand to face her. Every ounce of my trauma screamed to flee.

"If you can stay put and behave, that will suffice."

"Ah, yes..."

"......"

Seeing my unusually compliant demeanor, Freesia looked skeptical. Of course, she would. She even started to suspect I was scheming something. In truth, I was just overwhelmed by guilt and my resurfacing trauma. I wasn’t capable of devising any clever ploys at this point.

As we endured this excruciating tension, a cheerful interloper arrived, completely unbothered by the heavy atmosphere. For both Freesia and me, this guest was nothing short of a savior.

"Brother! Sister! May I join your tea party too?"

"Of course, Alice! Freesia, would that be alright?"

"Ah, yes..."

"Thank you!!"

Saved. Alice, wearing her brightest smile, approached the arbor and swept away some of the oppressive air. Though the atmosphere wasn’t entirely lightened, the improvement was palpable.

While I inwardly sighed with relief, Alice hesitated over where to sit, glancing between the two of us. Freesia promptly spoke up.

"Alice, come sit beside me as usual. It’s dangerous near that man."

"Ugh..."

The two of them were as close as real sisters. Back in the first timeline, when I would skip out on tea parties, they would happily enjoy the gatherings together without me. But this time, things were different. Alice and I had already mended our relationship. Now, we shared a normal sibling bond.

That’s why Freesia was utterly shocked when Alice declared:

"Hmm... Sitting next to Sister is tempting, but lately, my favorite place is near Brother!"

"Wha—?!"

"Alice..."

Alice plopped herself down on my lap with a beaming smile, leaving Freesia dumbstruck. In that moment, my sister seemed like a literal angel. What an adorable creature... Oh right, she’s my sister.

"How can this be, Alice? Have you forgotten what that man did to you...?"

"I haven’t forgotten. But Brother apologized for everything."

"S-So what? An apology alone can’t make up for it... You’ve suffered far more than me because of him..."

Freesia, now openly seething, fixed me with a glare so intense that my entire body tensed up. It didn’t just dredge up trauma—it left me utterly awkward and unnerved.

Her anger was completely justified. Human emotions weren’t so simple. The only reason I was being treated with kindness was because Alice was far too forgiving.

"What words did he use to deceive you, Alice?"

"He didn’t deceive me at all!"

"Then... why are you acting like this?"

"No matter how you look at it, today's Sister is the strange one..."

Alice buried her face in my chest, trembling. Reflexively, I hugged her close to comfort her. The unintended result: I now appeared to be shielding her from Freesia.

The moment she saw this, Freesia’s expression was something I’d never forget.

Despair, betrayal, and deep sorrow twisted her face before morphing into rage. Rising to her feet, she glared at me and declared:

"Claym Bradley! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Huh?!"

"I don’t know what dirty tricks you used to deceive Alice, but I will take her back!"

And so, I was suddenly forced into a duel with the duchess-to-be.