Everything Was a Mistake

“Take care of the blood, Aaron.”

“Yes?”

“It’s okay to come in, Alice.”

“Wa … Roa!”

Aaron shouted late, but the door to the drawing room was already moving.

The door opened.

And in that place, a dark brown haired, good-looking woman looked this way.

Somehow, Alice seems to have a hardened face too.

“Hi, Alice.”

I glanced at Aaron’s face and swallowed a sigh.

“I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I left without saying anything. But Sir Claymore.…”

Seeing Aaron’s face, Alice clouded her words.

I hit Aaron’s side with my elbow. He was frozen.

I hope he will make a good excuse.

Aaron’s shoulders leaped. He couldn’t even make eye contact with Alice and looked away.

“Oh, that … mana. My mana was twisted during the training.”

“….Does such thing cause you to vomit blood?”

“It’s a very rare case.”

Aaron’s face began to blush, as if nothing had happened in front of me, but it’s different in front of his first love.

Starting from the neck, the hot energy rose. He secretly raised his hand, covered his mouth, and turned his head.

He’s cuter than I thought.

Looking at Aaron, Alice’s expression was subtly stained. It was like she was feeling sympathy or seeing someone who was a little bit weak.

After all, Aaron is the only one who knows the other person’s identity.

When I saw Carissa who was standing behind Alice also stiffened, I put a finger in my mouth.

Protect Aaron’s honor.

Carissa nodded her head in a restrained manner, as if she understood what I said by gesture only.

Soon the door of the drawing-room was closed.

Fortunately, the butler, full of sense of duty, didn’t seem to notice that Nocton had disappeared.

She’s an innocent person.

As soon as the door was completely closed, Aaron opened his mouth. It was still a bit of a mumble because he was still covering his mouth with his hand.

“Well, I’m going to leave. See you later.”

“It’s fine for you to go, Aaron, but can you really go with that face?”

“Face….”

I made an excuse somehow, but I guess I couldn’t find a way to deal with it.

Now I felt like it was someone else’s business, not mine, but with all my heart I looked at the holy water again and Aaron shook his head loudly.

Then Alice took something out of her bag. It was a black patterned handkerchief.

“Use this.”

“Yes?”

“You have a handkerchief. Thank you, Alice. What do I do with the cleaning? Should I call someone to get me some water?”

“Yes, but it seems to be difficult when more people see it….”

Alice dragged her words and put her hand in the bag again. The next moment, it was a small bottle in her hand.

“Roa, I originally brought this perfume for you, but it looks like Sir Claymore needs it more right now.”

“Uh … I’m fine, but wouldn’t the perfume smell a little smelly?”

“You don’t like strong scents, it’s almost as fresh as breeze, so it will be fine.”

Alice opened the bottle of perfume and soaked the liquid in her handkerchief. As she said, the fragrance was not too strong even though the perfume was poured out.

Aaron couldn’t say a word, and soon got a handkerchief from Alice.

There was a strange feeling in his eyes.

It’s not possible to know exactly unless you’re the person involved, but it looked complicated.

“Thank you….”

Aaron wiped his face carefully. His hands were as delicate as those who treated something very precious, and he seemed to value the wet handkerchief more than his face.

“But perfume won’t be good for your skin, so make sure you wash your face when you return to your mansion.”

“I will. Thank you, Lady Alice.”

“And one more thing.”

After hearing the somewhat locked thanks, Alice put her hand back in her bag.

At this point, I’m wondering how wide that small bag is.

Without knowing my useless thoughts, the item Alice took out this time was a necklace. A necklace of platinum strings with a white crystal.

Unlike a little while ago, Aaron and I blinked in embarrassment at the object that could hardly be understood.

Looking at us, Alice was smiling brightly.

***

After wiping his face in moderation, Aaron got on the carriage back to Claymore.

He came to visit his sick fiancee with a rather light mind, but now his body and mind are worn out.

He confirmed the true nature of Nocton Edgar, threw up blood, his proposal was rejected, and….

“It’s an engagement present. It’s late, but congratulations on your engagement, both of you.”

A sharp remark was made with a bright smile.

As a friend of Roa Valrose, it was a very natural and kind-hearted congratulations.

Nevertheless, for Aaron, the words were like a blade that went deep into his heart.

He wanted to open his mouth right away and make excuses.

Roa and I are not in love, we’re only friends.

It won’t even lead to marriage.

He wanted to say that, though pathetic.

However, he couldn’t.

It was only a while ago that Roa rejected his marriage proposal.

It was obviously sincere and he would love her as a friend.

His sincere proposal was genuinely refused.

To tell Alice, it was also rude to Roa Valrose to say he wasn’t going to marry her.

Furthermore, Aaron’s excuse would not be of any interest to Alice.

Maybe she has already heard from Roa that this engagement is a fake play.

But nothing changes even if she doesn’t know.

The same is true even after the planned breakup with Roa.

Aaron Claymore couldn’t say he was Ed to Alice.

It was not only because of a vow made by himself, but also because he was afraid of Alice’s reaction.

The moment he said Ed, It was unbearable to imagine a cold-eyed person, who would blame him.

Yeah, it’s hard to put it in the right way, because in the end, he’s a coward.

He distorted his expression in anguish and covered his face with both hands.

A self-pity, a sense of shame, he blamed his cowardice and regretted his oath. Many emotions were infested with blackness.

He only had a few short words with Alice, but he didn’t know his feelings would be like this.

He couldn’t foresee a thing.

Aaron’s hand touched the necklace around his neck.

The white crystal was as white as snow, but his heart is ridiculously black.

“Aaron is my fiancé. So please be nice to my friend. Not to your first love, but to my friend Alice.”

The moment he heard that, the moment he responded to Roa’s words, Aaron Claymore’s heart overflowed with black desire more than anyone else.

That was a rather harsh remark.

If I give up being Ed,

If I give up all the memories I’ve made with you as Ed,

Then may I approach you as a friend of Roa?

Indeed, he wondered if he can use such an expedient.

Knowing everything and pretending not to know it was a deception, but even though he knew how much Alice hated it, the wind kept blowing in his heart.

Ah, it’s a ridiculous and funny thing.

Even if he approached Alice as a friend of Roa, there is no guarantee that she will share his feelings, but he was tempted that a family could be everything.

Aaron bit his lips and bowed his head.

Don’t be shaken, don’t deceive Alice, keep your own oath.

But his determination was not as firm as before.

“She may become Nocton’s bride.”

The words Roa had planted firmly weighed Aaron’s determination.

He repeated and repeated his oath to keep his mind together.

Nevertheless, it smelled of iron as if the blood that he threw up earlier was collected inside his throat.

***

“This necklace will shield me from Nocton’s brainwashing?”

I rotated the necklace Alice gave me back and forth. It’s pretty when it’s lit, but it doesn’t look that special.

In an apparent show of doubt, Alice nodded her head gently, as if not offended.

“Yes, it’s a relic that protects the body from black magic.”

“I don’t think the price will be light just by listening.”

“I don’t intend to get paid by Roa, so don’t worry.”

“That’s what makes my hands tremble, Alice.”

Alice glared at me with sulky eyes.

Still, her drooping eyes didn’t look fierce, they just looked cute. Well, even if a person’s impression is fierce, what’s so scary about it? A small word, even a word wrapped in favor, can cut a person’s heart.

For a moment, I laughed bitterly, recalling Aaron, who seemed to have drained his blood.

How is he going to pretend he doesn’t know Alice.

He’s acting like a dead man just by hearing that one word.

I didn’t know exactly what was going on with Aaron, but I felt more sorry because his love was clear.

“I was surprised before. For saying it was an engagement gift. We’ve been engaged for half a year.”

“But you can’t just give a gift to someone you’ve never spoken to. It’s the first time I’ve spoken to him, so it’s a reasonable excuse.”

“Does Aaron need protection from Nocton?”

“I haven’t told you yet, indeed.”

The question was unintentionally, but after speaking out of my mouth, I felt anxious all over again.

Come to think of it, why does Aaron need the necklace?

I think I’ve become a fool because so many situations suddenly come in.

Alice’s darkened face heightened my anxiety.

Aaron Claymore was definitely the main character of < He and Alice >.

So it’s the only role I can play against the villain, Nocton Edgar, and I should.

Were they originally going to deal with the sacred object with it?

Alice paused and breathed a long sigh.

“And I heard Lord Edgar was here, but he’s gone?”

“The first person to come was Nocton. I had a lot of guests today, oh, that’s why you had a stiff face when you came in.”

“Somehow, except for me, the situation is similar. We’ll talk about this a little later, and first… …is he really gone?”

“Yes, he did. He went back by magic, so no one knows.”

Alice muttered a little, frowning around her eyes, like someone who wasn’t sure.

Roa Valrose, Aaron Claymore, and Nocton Edgar….

Our names were listed in solitude.

What does that mean?

Only

It was an act of inflating anxiety and curiosity, but I waited silently for Alice to speak.

“Then is it because of him that Sir Claymore vomited blood?”

“You certainly didn’t believe that strange excuse. Yes, it’s because of Nocton. Conversely, Nocton also vomited blood. But, this is not because of Aaron.”

“What?”

Alice’s eyes widened.

Her face was full of confusion, like someone who had heard something unheard of.

An unknown expression deepened my anxiety, even though I tried to hold on my patience, I couldn’t keep listening.

“So what’s going on, Alice?”