Another peaceful day at the Academy.

It was home to numerous flowers. Many individuals possessed well-cultivated beauty from a young age, and even among them were more beautiful flowers.

The flower that countless bees were drawn to, Sylvia and Helena–they were those very flowers. And now, the two of them had secretly gathered without Felix’s knowledge to talk.

“…Is that true?”

“I’m telling you, it is?!”

At Sylvia’s words, Helena asked back with wide eyes.

“Did Her Highness the Crown Princess really make a wish bet with Felix?”

“Helena, you were there too…”

Sylvia held her head at Helena’s reaction as if hearing it for the first time. Seeing her like that, Helena stuck out her tongue and smiled awkwardly.

“At… At that time, things were so hectic.”

“…Right, that can happen.”

Sylvia immediately agreed with her words, recalling Helena’s state at that time. She calmly explained the situation to her.

Helena listened attentively to Sylvia’s words, then took a deep breath and widened her eyes.

“So in the end, Felix lost?”

“That’s what I heard.”

Sylvia and Helena let out deep sighs simultaneously without prompting. Helena felt a sense of crisis. Lately, she had felt uneasy about the way Ashillya looked at Felix.

“Wh-What kind of wish will she make?”

“Who knows…”

“She wouldn’t tell him to become her husband, right?!”

Although the chances of that were extremely low given Ashillya’s personality, Sylvia and Helena, who didn’t properly know her character, thoughtlessly considered the possibility.

“…Should we ask?”

“Her Highness the Crown Princess?!”

Helena couldn’t help but be startled by Sylvia’s bold suggestion. Even if this was the Academy, Ashillya was still the Crown Princess.

She wasn’t someone commoners like Sylvia and lower-ranking nobles like Helena could treat casually.

“Yes.”

But Sylvia’s eyes were determined. As Helena looked at her with puzzlement, she hurriedly made an excuse.

“Well, just in case she might unfairly use the wish to pressure Felix…?”

“Th-That shouldn’t happen.”

Helena hesitantly agreed with Sylvia’s somewhat unconvincing answer. Something about her attitude seemed off, but she didn’t think in that direction.

After all, it was Sylvia, wasn’t it?

It was hard to believe that Sylvia, who had turned down even exceptionally handsome men and those from outstanding families, liked Felix. Moreover, she had already rejected his confession once before.

“Let’s go.”

“…Ah, okay.”

At Sylvia’s persistent urging, Helena began following her.

***

The two walked through the Academy in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. And that brief silence was broken by Sylvia’s question.

“Helena.”

“…Yes?”

“What is love?”

“Huh…?”

Helena was startled by her question and stopped.

Could it be? The thought flashed through Helena’s mind. Seeing Helena’s surprised expression, Sylvia shook her head vigorously.

“I’m just curious…! The reason why Her Highness the Crown Princess is going this far…”

“…Is that it?”

Sylvia still couldn’t accurately define her own feelings. That’s why she unconsciously made excuses to Helena.

Helena, looking at Sylvia with a doubtful expression, pondered Sylvia’s question.

“Hmm… This differs from person to person, so I can’t say I’m right.”

“It’s fine, just tell me.”

At Sylvia’s serious gaze, Helena nodded and continued.

“When you’re together, your body and heart feel at ease. But your heart beats so fast that it’s uncomfortable. Everything you do together is fun and happy. Looking at that person makes you smile automatically, and seeing them talking or smiling with others makes you anxious.
Along with the anxiety, you also feel bad. But then, when that person smiles at you, your mood improves as if nothing happened.”

“…That sounds weird.”

“It doesn’t really make sense, but that’s how I feel.”

Helena looked at Sylvia and smiled brightly. At that sight, Sylvia felt her heart grow heavy.

Because she knew that the person she was talking about was Felix.

Sylvia watched Helena smiling as she thought of Felix with a complicated gaze, then smiled back and started walking again.

The two of them hurriedly set out to find Ashillya, and luckily, they found her near her room.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

“…Yes?”

Ashillya turned her head at Helena’s familiar voice calling her and looked at them. Seeing their somewhat determined appearance, she tilted her head slightly, and Sylvia stepped forward.

“We have something to ask, so we came to see you. Please forgive our rudeness.”

Ashillya watched Sylvia’s awkward display of etiquette with indifferent eyes.

“I permit your question. Also, there’s no need for excessive formality. This is the Academy.”

“…Thank you.”

As Sylvia bowed her head in gratitude, Ashillya opened her mouth.

“What do you wish to know?”

Ashillya had realized from the moment Sylvia and Helena came to her that it was related to Felix. Still, she pretended not to know and asked.

Helena hesitated and faltered at her words, but Sylvia didn’t waver.

“How do you plan to use the wish you gained from the bet with Felix?”

Helena held her breath at Sylvia’s straightforward question.

And Ashillya showed a small smile. It wasn’t the natural smile she usually had, but a crooked one.

“Why are you curious about that?”

A cold smile, not the beautiful or playful one she showed when with Felix. And the authoritative tone and voice made Sylvia tremble slightly.

But she didn’t back down either. Now that she had come this far, she felt she shouldn’t retreat.

“Because I’m Felix’s friend.”

“…Do you share the same sentiment?”

“Y-Yes…!”

After hearing Sylvia’s answer, Ashillya asked Helena, who was standing behind Sylvia. Despite her confusion, Helena raised her voice and responded.

“I see.”

Ashillya nodded at the answer and looked around. Naturally, those attending her drove away the people nearby and stepped back.

Helena blankly watched them move in unison, then startled when she heard Ashillya’s voice and shifted her gaze back to her.

“Before I answer your question, there’s one thing I want to make clear.”

“…”

“Helena… was it? You may not know, but Sylvia… you should be careful about your attitude.”

“…Pardon?”

Sylvia was surprised and asked at Ashillya’s leisurely words. She couldn’t understand what Ashillya meant.

After looking at Helena momentarily, Ashillya took a step closer to Sylvia with her long legs and quietly lowered her voice.

“Whether you’ll remain friends or fight to claim him.”

“F-Fight?”

Sylvia was surprised again and glanced at Helena. But she couldn’t hear Ashillya’s words clearly because she had lowered her voice so much.

Seeing that, Sylvia let out a sigh of relief, then blinked slowly.

“You should work hard too. If you stay still, I might take him from you.”

Ashillya said, looking at Helena with a relaxed smile.

Helena’s eyes turned cold as she realized what Ashillya’s words meant. It was an instinctive reaction that came out without her realizing it.

Ashillya nodded as if pleased to see the challenging gaze and answered Sylvia’s question.

“I know well what you two are worried about. You think I might use the wish to make Felix my husband… don’t you?”

“…”

Sylvia and Helena fell silent simultaneously.

Sylvia didn’t know how to view her, but Helena clearly recognized Ashillya as a ‘rival.’

Of course, not a rival but a love rival, to be precise.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of making such a wish.”

“…Phew.”

“Why would I lack anything to make that kind of wish? As I am, I lack nothing in appearance, wealth, or ability.”

Ashillya, who had stepped back a couple more steps, spoke in a consistently relaxed voice. Her gaze was not directed at either Sylvia or Helena.

“Besides, if I were to gain him through such a wish or forceful order, wouldn’t that be a relationship lacking love?”

“…”

“Did you think I had quite a tyrannical mindset?”

When Ashillya spoke while looking at Helena with a faint smile, Helena was startled and shook her head.

But the slight hostility still remained.

Brushing it off as if it were nothing, Ashillya continued.

“When it comes to love, am I not just another woman? I simply want to win him with my own hands. Because that would be the true way to obtain him.”

Saying that, Ashillya glanced to the side and nodded slightly.

The break time given to Ashillya was not much. As Felix had predicted, she was always busy and swamped with work.

Today was especially hectic. Ashillya had anticipated that Prince Jeffrey’s side would make some kind of move.

“If your curiosity has been satisfied, I’ll be on my way. I’m rather busy, you see.”

Ashillya showed a relaxed smile again and passed by Sylvia and Helena, whispering in a low voice.

“Think carefully about what I said. Whether you’ll fight or not.”

“Wait a moment…”

“I don’t think I’ll lose even if you compete, so struggle all you can.”

Ashillya cut off Sylvia’s urgent words decisively. At the same time, she met Sylvia’s gaze and quietly shook her head.

As if saying that you, who haven’t made your stance clear, have no right to say anything.

Ashillya moved forward without hesitation.

Leaving behind a single question for the two girls.