The One Left Behind

Lily struggled to suppress the twitching corners of her mouth. As the conversation progressed and the deductions piled up, she realized the situation was turning overwhelmingly in her favor.

“Lily, your mouth,” Ensi remarked.

“Ahem. Anyway, how do you all even know what Agniele looks like?” She quickly changed the subject once Ensi saw through her.

“Well, he’s the protagonist of the last remaining story, isn’t he?”

“Getting caught up in stories usually leads to a headache, so I looked him up to make sure I could avoid him,” Luke added.

“I’ve known for a while. We learn about the key figures of each nation separately,” Cyril noted.

“I just admired him because he’s handsome…” Donovan’s honest confession almost made everyone burst out laughing, but they held it in. Given his personality, he would surely have been embarrassed.

“Ahem. Regardless, should we conclude that Lily has successfully avoided the original plot as she wished?” Cyril raised a hand to gather attention and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.

“That… I’m not sure. This is the first time the story has failed to even start,” Luke pondered.

“Shouldn’t we consider it has started? We just didn’t have the formal engagement, but practically speaking, the mention of the engagement—which is the trigger for the story—did happen,” Titania countered.

“It’s ambiguous. Lily, what do you think?” Luke and Titania turned to her, as they only knew the original story through her retelling.

“—Whoa, Lily. I think you need to fix your face.” Titania whispered, seeing Lily struggling to hide a triumphant grin.

Taking the advice, Lily tapped her cheeks hard a few times to discipline her straying expression.

“I think the story has started. The beginning of Chapter 1 was the news that an unwanted engagement might be finalized. So, we should view this as a successful plot evasion.”

Lily’s eyes sparkled with intensity as she made her claim.

“……In any case, the trajectory has certainly shifted,” Ensi admitted in a reluctant tone.

“Yes!” Lily let out the cheer she had been holding back and sprang up from her seat.

“Lily.”

The low call from Ensi made her slowly lower the two hands she had thrust toward the ceiling in joy. She realized belatedly that she had expressed her delight a bit too recklessly, without considering Ensi’s mood.

“I mean, Agniele isn’t my type, but he’s not exactly a bad catch, right? Right?” She began listing Agniele’s virtues in an attempt to make up for her mistake.

“Hmm— is someone who does a public confession out of the blue really ‘not a bad catch’? Even more so when it wasn’t just a confession, but a request to date with marriage in mind,” Cyril shook her head with an ambiguous smile. If it were her, she would hate such an oblivious partner. She would hate it even more if the confession had been calculated.

“But still, he’s the sole successor to a Dukal house! Right?”

“By that logic, Ensi is the head of the Eclipse Merchant Coalition,” Luke pointed out. “Ensi has no political ambition, and he’s not only a noble but possesses wealth that few can match. I don’t think the fact that the other party is a Duke matters much.”

The Eclipse Merchant Coalition run by Ensi was a massive entity, having even opened trade with the Holy Kingdom—a place famous for being difficult to penetrate. While Cyril had assisted in that process, it didn’t diminish the coalition’s reputation. Of course, the fact that Ensi was quietly disliked within his own family was a slight concern, but it wasn’t as if the Count would suddenly strike him from the family register. If things got dire, he could always just buy a noble title in secret.

“You know, he’s the male lead, so once he falls for someone, he’s totally devoted. A serious, handsome guy like that looking only at you, Ensi? Think about it!”

Isn’t that actually great? No, please just say it’s great! Ensi snorted even as he saw the desperate glimmer in Lily’s eyes. He admitted that the man’s status, personality, and ability weren’t bad, but he disliked how Lily was excitedly pushing the idea.

“I think Ensi is more handsome anyway,” Titania whispered, quickly linking arms with him to reassure him he wasn’t lacking in any way. However, even she didn’t deny that Agniele was good-looking.

“The other party is burdensome in many ways… Ultimately, Ensi’s choice is what matters, but if he ends up with a Duke’s successor, a life of freedom is out of the question, isn’t it?”

“……Fine. I was wrong.”

When Donovan—who loved adventure and freedom more than anyone—whispered his concerns, Lily finally sighed and raised her hands in a gesture of defeat. No matter what she said, they picked it apart; there was no winning. She also realized it was a bit hypocritical to push someone onto Ensi when she had struggled so hard to avoid him because he wasn’t her type.

She tidied her clothes and sat back down. As the discussion reached a conclusion, a quiet atmosphere settled over the group. They were all feeling a fair amount of fatigue after the non-stop talking. Ensi, who had mostly just listened, pressed his eyelids to relieve the faint tiredness. The spirit that had claimed the top of his head seemed tired too, lounging lazily.

Ensi enjoyed the warmth spreading from his crown until he noticed Titania fidgeting with the arm she had linked with his.

“Titania.”

“Oh, yes?”

“Is there something you want to say?”

“No, it’s nothing.” Titania looked up startled, then shook her head with an awkward smile.

Ensi stared into her eyes for a moment before letting out a soft smile. “It’s late. Why don’t you all head back?” He spoke as he gently stroked Titania’s hair.

“True. I think we’ve said everything that needs to be said,” Luke agreed.

Donovan looked out the greenhouse windows. Unlike the bright interior, the sky outside had turned dark. He looked troubled. “I ended up not finishing the Sun Grass care today either.”

“Hey, they all look pretty alive to me,” Lily said, pointedly ignoring the spot Donovan had previously crushed. The Sun Grass there was visibly wilting.

“Besides, this colony is too large to care for in a single day. Let’s do the rest next time. Ensi needs to rest, so let’s go together.”

Cyril stood up first. Donovan reluctantly pulled back his spirits. Ensi felt a pang of regret as he watched the fire spirit flutter away toward Donovan’s hand.

“Since the original plot is meaningless now, Ensi, just do whatever your heart tells you regarding Agniele.” Cyril turned back to give one last piece of advice before leaving, pushing the lingering members along. Ultimately, Ensi’s heart was the most important thing.

“I will.” Ensi nodded slowly and waved until the club members were out of sight.

Ensi kept the pipe in his mouth, staring at the now-empty seats. Perhaps because he was left alone where everyone had just been, a sense of emptiness seemed to rush in.

With one hand on the ground and his pipe-holding arm resting on his propped-up knee, he tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. He watched for a long time as the smoke he exhaled with a meaningless sigh drifted upward on the breeze.

“Didn’t I tell you that smoking while surrounded by this many Sun Grass plants will ruin your lungs?”

A voice full of clear reproach drifted over, but Ensi didn’t look surprised. He had noticed the presence since they got close.

“Titania.”

“The others are gone.”

Since he already knew that, Ensi simply gave a calm nod. Titania, having straightened her skirts, sat down leaning against Ensi’s back.

With her so close, Ensi emptied the burning herbs from his pipe onto the dirt floor and pressed them down with his palm to extinguish the embers.

“Ugh, that’s hot.”

“Not really.”

“Still! Having Utia disease doesn’t mean you don’t get burned!”

On the contrary, he had to be more careful of burns because of the disease—so that he wouldn’t throw himself into a fire in a craze brought on by the bone-chilling cold. Ensi let out a small hum at Titania’s sincere scolding and put his pipe away without further excuse.

Dissatisfied with his lack of remorse, Titania leaned her head all the way back and poked the back of Ensi’s head with hers.

“Titania. You’ll get a cramp in your neck.”

Her body wavered slightly in the unstable posture. Ensi finally spoke as he felt the precariousness through their touching backs.

“If you promise to be careful from now on, I’ll stop.”

“Fine, I’ll stop.”

Titania let out a small laugh at the immediate response. True to her word, she stopped bumping her head and pulled her knees to her chest, hugging her legs just like Ensi. She leaned her head on her knees and stared blankly at the swaying clusters of Sun Grass.

“Ensi.”

“Yes.”

“You knew I’d come back, didn’t you?”

Her voice was a tiny whisper, but because they were so close, Ensi heard her easily.

“You still had something to say.”

“Mm, right. I did.”

Just as Ensi said, Titania had something she wanted to convey—something she couldn’t say in front of the others, which was why she had returned alone. She smiled faintly at Ensi’s intuitive response and tightened her arms around her legs.