Chapter Text
By My Side
For the record, unless something slipped my memory I'm just going with the romanizations used by the manga fantranslation.
Also continuity it pretty much assumed to follow the Web Novel (aka the first 2 volumes of the Light Novel) although I don't think there'll be too much in the way of continuity issues. Yet, anyway. The LNs are ongoing after all.
There was a clinking sound as a teacup was set back in its place on saucer.
“The both of you have been together for some time now,” when I looked up from the cake I had been devouring – uh, partaking of, I was met by a gentle smile on Sophia's face as she shot me a friendly wink. “Have you ever discussed taking it further?”
I blinked, shot a glance down at the table, and blinked again.
“Er. What do you mean?'
Don't look at me like that, it was an honest question! The terms were familiar, but also way too general! They could be referring to anything! In the first place, what was 'together'? Was she referring to the house? And if I didn't know what point she was starting from, wouldn't it be even more impossible for me to figure out what she meant by 'taking it further'?
At the other side of the round table, Mary chuckled and set her own teacup down, and-
“What Sophia means is that you and Maria have been going out for quite some time now. Do you plan on marrying any time soon?'
asked an utterly outrageous question in as casual a manner as if she were discussing the weather.
“Wha- I – huh?” I was left sputtering for words as my gaze shifted back and forth between my two best friends. “Marrying? What?”
What on earth was Mary saying? Marriage? Going out? In the first place, I'm not even seeing anyone, and I'm pretty sure Maria doesn't have a boyfriend either! So how on earth could either of us possible be considering marriage at all?!
Before I could gather my thoughts enough to make any sort of coherent reply, both Sophia and Mary closed their eyes and sighed.
“Well, that's about what I suspected,” Mary mumbled as one hand reached up to massage her forehead. “Really, Katarina, I know you always live life at your own pace, but think about how poor Maria must be feeling...”
“No, no,” at her side, Sophia also looked disappointed and suddenly I was struck with the sense that I had let the both of them down somehow. “For anyone else it may be enough, but Maria must already know how difficult it is to get through to Katarina on something like this.”
“True. Maybe she's afraid of pushing too hard?”
As the both of them nodded meaningfully at each other, I continued to sit there, feeling judged but not knowing why. What on earth were they talking about?
Maria and I? I wracked my brains, trying to figure out if anything had changed in our lives recently.
Let's see...
This morning, Maria had woken up slightly earlier than me, as she usually did. By the time I'd yawned and started to sit up, she had already crawled out of our bed and gone to wash herself up. Which was a pity, really. I always like running my fingers through her golden hair when we're both still half-asleep – for some reason, doing that always to fill me with energy to face the day.
After Anne had helped me get dressed (she's tried to do the same for Maria, but Maria always insisted that she could handle her own affairs), we'd sat down for our breakfast together and discussed our plans for the day. Maria would be staying late at her Ministry job today, but she'd still be back in time for us to take one of our moonlight walks together through the nearby park. I'd told her about Sophia and Mary's upcoming visit (that was also going on now) and how I'd probably go fishing later in the evening after tending to the field.
“Oh, Miss Sophia and Miss Mary? I haven't seen them in a while! Please say hello to them for me!”
She had smiled as she'd said that, the faintest traces of pink on her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with the warmth of nostalgia. Ahhhh... Maria is just so adorable when she smiles.
Wait, hold on. Don't go getting distracted, me! Where was I?
After that... yeah, after that, Maria had prepared to leave for work.
Standing in the doorway of the house, Maria had reached down to hold my hands in her own. She'd closed her eyes, and a soft light had shone from her body, reaching out to cover me in its glow.
“It's a traditional spell of protection.” Maria had explained me before. “It may not really do anything, but it makes me feel better. So that you may be safe while I'm away, and that I may return home safe as well.”
I felt a smile on my face as I rubbed my hands where Maria had held on to them earlier. So thoughtful and caring. She really is such a sweetheart.
But yeah. Back to the topic at hand! So yes, today had been pretty much as normal. And the past few weeks, too. And even further back, ever since I'd set myself up in this house and Maria had come to live with me. So really, what on earth were they talking about...
“Katarina?” Mary's voice suddenly broke through my thoughts and I realized that I had spaced out again for the past few minutes.
“Sorry, what was that again?” I flashed a quick smile as I grabbed my teacup and took a long drink of tea.
“Well,” another sigh as Sophia raised her own teacup to her lips once more, “in the end it's really Maria's place how she wants to define the relationship, not ours. The best we can do is offer advice.”
“I suppose,” a chuckle from Mary turned to face me, with an enigmatic smile on her face. “But really, Maria should be careful. If she leaves loose ends dangling for too long, who knows if someone might come along to snatch them away.”
“Mary. That's hardly becoming of you.”
“I'm just teasing!”
Somehow, I got the feeling that I'm on the outside of a very important conversation, but... oh well. At least my friends are enjoying each other's company. And since it's been a while since their last visit, I'm definitely going to enjoy being with them for as long as possible.
Yeah, I remember now. The day that had started me down this path of living together with Maria...
(X)
Approximately One Year Ago...
“Gerald?” I called as I pushed open the door to the Student Council room and saw my fiancé, Gerald. He was standing with his back to me, looking out the windows at the brilliant sunset. “Alan told me that you were looking for me?”
“Ah, Katarina. Come on in,” he turned to face me and flashed a quick smile, but this one seemed a little different, somehow, “would you mind closing the door behind you? I'd prefer this talk be private.”
With a nod, I obliged and then walked closer to him. Upon closer inspection, he had clearly been in deep thought for quite a while. Even now, his head was bowed, and one hand was curved around his jaw as he looked at the ground.
“What's the matter? Did something happen?”
There was no response for a long moment, and then, taking a deep breath, Gerald spoke.
“Katarina, I am prepared... prepared to annul my engagement with you, if you so desire.” The last part of that statement had come out all at once, as if being pushed out in a single breath.
“Eh?”
I stood still for a very long moment, unable to respond. The words didn't seem real, for some reason. Gerald had been my fiancé for so long, it had always lingered in the background of my life, something that couldn't ever be forgotten.
And now he was ending it?
Wait, wait, wait! Hadn't we already cleared the game scenario? Hadn't I avoided all the destruction flags?
Had I done something wrong?!
Almost instinctively I reached for my paper snake, but then I stopped, for two reasons.
First and perhaps more importantly, I didn't actually have my snake with me. After Gerald had discovered it in the aftermath of that graduation party, I'd gotten sloppy about bringing it around and had mostly left it in my room. After all, if he was going to declare the engagement void and try to attack me, it'd be in public right? That should have left me with plenty of time to retrieve it...
And that was the second thing. An empty Student Council room was the exact wrong place for me to meet a Bad End! Shouldn't it be in a public place with a crowd, where everyone would stare scornfully at me and condemn me for... for... well, whatever it is that I had messed up on?
But wait... what if... what if Gerald didn't want any witnesses?!
“Katarina?” Gerald's voice was soft, but nevertheless it pierced the fog in my mind enough for me to bring my focus on the situation at hand.
“OH! Er, ahaha... well, if Your Highness wills it, then I suppose...” While smiling as brightly and disarmingly as I could, I tried to back up several steps without him noticing, “May I... uh, may I inquire as to the reason for your sudden decision?”
“Katarina, you know you don't have to take that posh tone with me,” Gerald started to say something with a sigh, but then suddenly a new thought struck my mind and I clasped my hands together.
“It can't be... Gerald! Gerald! Did you finally find your true love?!” Yes, it might be a little late (as in, already past the entire main scenario late) but of course Gerald would finally succumb to Maria's charms and decide to properly court her! I mean, of course he would! Maria's so pretty and charming and kindhearted, anyone would fall for her given time!
Except...
Except... well, that didn't seem right. I like to think of myself as pretty perceptive (you have to be when your entire life is a minefield of potential Bad Ends!), and I'd definitely noticed something wrong whenever all of us had met up together the past few times. Gerald seemed to be more curt and frosty with Maria when they had spoken with each other of late, and when I caught him looking at her, it wasn't with a lovestruck expression (I think it wasn't a lovestruck expression) but a more... resentful(?) or weary(?) one.
“My true love?” Gerald closed his eyes and let out a slight chuckle. “Why, yes and no, I suppose.”
Well that told me approximately nothing useful, and I'm sure my puzzlement must have shown on my face. Not that he was looking.
“As for your other question about annulling the engagement...” his eyes remained closed, he let out a long sigh and somehow his smile seemed to become very sad. “Let us just say that I know when I am beaten, rarely as that happens.”
“Um...?” No, I still had no clue what was going on.
“I talked with Alan about this, just a little while ago.” Gerald was rubbing his jaw now. “After all, he knows quite a bit about looking from the outside at a love he cannot possess for himself. And that's when I came to my decision.
“I am Gerald Stuart, the third prince of this fair kingdom. If I cannot win, then at the very least, I can be graceful in defeat. And so.”
“G- Gerald?”
Before I even knew what was happening, he'd come up to me. Taking up my right hand, he leaned down and kissed it, ever so lightly.
“Katarina. My dear Katarina...” A pause, the merest moment of hesitation. “Our engagement is hereby annulled. You are free from all bonds of obligation, and...”
Another pause. He seemed to be struggling with something. And it seemed really important too, which was why I forced myself to hold my tongue.
“... You are free, to pursue happiness in whatever manner you deem best.”
I can still remember his smile, even now. When he had said those words his smile... had been so sad, and so beautiful.
There was a long silence in the empty room.
And then Gerald straightened up.
“Well then,” He coughed into his hands, “that's that. Now, hopefully you realize that a prince breaking an engagement with a duke's daughter is always going to be a messy situation. So you should probably keep it a secret and not talk about it for a while. Your graduation is going to be in two months' time, so I'll wait until after the ceremony to make a formal announcement. That'll allow you to graduate in peace. And also give you time to prepare.”
Prepare? Prepare for what?
I had questions.
So many questions.
My head was still swimming with them even as Gerald turned on his heel and started to leave the room. But wait... hadn't he given me his blessing?
“Gerald!”
At my voice, he halted, though he did not turn back. Ahhh... did he resent me now, for some reason?
“Thank you! For everything! And I hope you'll find your own happiness too!”
A pause and a moment of silence.
And then, without so much as a look back-
Prince Gerald left the room.
(X)
“Well then,” Mother said as she looked at me with her sharp, piercing eyes, “do you have anything to say for yourself?”
The four of us – Father, Mother, Keith, and of course, myself – were now gathered in the sitting room, looking uncomfortably at each other across a table. On the table was a neatly penned letter, bearing Prince Gerald's personal seal.
And of course, the contents of said letter was the reason for our meeting.
Arguing with my mother was useless. I'd learned this from an early age. Any explanations I gave her would go in one ear and then out the other. She had always been a very strong-willed (I am not going to say 'stubborn') person.
Still though, I tried.
“It, ah... Well, it's not my fault?”
“It isn't an issue of fault, Katarina.” The paper fan in her hands was closed with a sharp, snapping noise and I winced. “This was an engagement to the prince. And now it is broken. These things do not just happen.”
Wait, wait, waaaaiit! Hang on!
In the first place, Mother had always disapproved of my engagement with Gerald, hadn't she? So why was she getting on my case now, all of a sudden? Shouldn't she be happy about it?
Perhaps my mother saw the confused indignation in my eyes, because instead of continuing her lecutre, she sighed and leaned back in her chair.
“Katarina. If the engagement was annulled because we were able to properly convince the prince to seek prospects elsewhere, it would be a mutual arrangement, initiated by the Claes dukedom. There would still be gossip. There would still be rumours. But at the very least we could firmly state that it was properly negotiated out beforehand. Instead by your account, he merely approached you out of the blue.”
A cough from Father. “My dear, Prince Gerald's letter to us was very clear that it was not through any fault of Katarina's, and that he felt that it would be to the benefit of both parties-”
“And that's what doesn't make sense! Keith, did the Prince approach you about this before he talked to Katarina?”
“No, not exactly.” Keith shook his head. “But most of us in our circle suspected something like this would be coming.”
“Huh?”
That was news to me too. Keith suspected something like this? When? Why?!
Either because he didn't notice my surprised utterance or because he ignored it, Keith pressed on. “And so that's why. I had the time to make proper preparations beforehand.”
“Preparations?” Mother looked confused now. “Keith, isn't this your chance to-”
“No, Mother.” Keith shook his head and held out a hand. “Let's not talk about that right now. Right now, we need to decide what's best for my sister.”
What's best for me? Well, Prince Gerald had broken the engagement with me peacefully, so it didn't look like I was still en route for an Exile ending, but one never knew.
But even in that case, how would Keith know about the possibility of a Bad End?
“Prince Gerald has already told us that he won't make any formal announcement until after the graduation. At that point, it's like you said – there'll be lots of gossip and rumours flying about. There's no real way to prevent that.”
I could see my Mother's expression darkening as Keith spoke.
“And so, what we should do is avoid it.” Signalling behind him, he'd summoned one of our maids to bring over a large rolled up sheet – and as he laid it out on the table, it was quickly revealed to be a map.
Oh boy. I was never that good at reading maps. But at least this one was well-detailed and marked – including a spot that had been circled repeatedly in dark blue pen.
“If Katarina remains in the household and attends social gatherings, she'll bring attention to herself. Well, no one is going to confront her directly – she's still part of the Claes house, and she's also really popular with... er, everyone. But her very presence is going to be a reminder of the broken engagement and so it'll spur discussion.
“But! People like to chase the latest news. If Katarina stays out of the public eye for a while, she'll keep attention off herself until the next incident that people will talk about. And so, here!” And now, Keith was pointing at the circled spot on the map.
“Oh, that old household?” Father was leaning over to look more closely at the marked area. “Yes, I remember that place. Never really found a use for it, though.”
“Yes, that place! We can send Sister there so she can learn proper management of her own household – by which I mean you can do as you please, Katarina – and she'll be away from the public eye for a while! At least, long enough for all the rumours to die down! This place is far enough out of the way that you won't be called for as many social gatherings, and it also has a large garden!”
Meaning I had plenty of space for vegetable farming! My face must have betrayed my interest, because Keith smiled and adjusted the map's position for me to get a better look.
“You seem to have thought this out very thoroughly, Keith.” Mother sounded puzzled, although I was still busy poring over the rest of the map. Something about the location...
“Well, I had some help from our friends. Like I said, we all want what's best for Katarina.”
“Hey,” I finally looked up. “This nearby building... isn't that the headquarters of the Ministry of Magic?”
Keith nodded, and suddenly I was struck by his smile.
His smile... seemed really sad, for some reason.
“So you noticed.”
His voice had gotten softer, too.
(X)
“Lady Katarina!”
I looked up from where I had flopped onto the ground and saw Maria approaching me. Although most of my muscles were still sore and aching, I found a large smile coming onto my face as I struggled up into a sitting position.
“Hello! You look happy today!” Well, between you and me, Maria's always a ball of sunshine, especially nowadays. But she did seem especially excited today. “Did something happen?”
“Yes! I just got the letter today! My application into the Ministry of Magic has been accepted!”
“Wow! Congratulations!”
Well, to be honest, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Not only is Maria a powerful magic user, she's also a Light magician, which is incredibly rare. Not to mention she's consistently had excellent grades ever since entering the Royal Academy. So the Ministry of Magic was practically chomping at the bit to offer her a position. In fact, the only real surprise is that they didn't scout her and give her an offer first.
Okay, fine. I really only know all this because I overheard Alan and Nicole discussing it a while back. Not that I couldn't figure it out myself! I just... never really thought about it beforehand, okay?
Okay.
Back to what I was saying, it still always feels nice to have proof that your efforts are validated. On that note, I glanced down at my feet and found my smile widening.
“Oh wow, that's a really big harvest!” Maria had long grown used to my farming, so now she only beamed at me when she caught sight of the piles of potatoes, corn, and cucumbers I had stacked up on the ground. “You've really gotten good at this, Lady Katarina!”
Yup. I was right.
Having your hard work validated really feels good.
When Maria praised my crop, I felt a nice warm inner glow of satisfaction. Still though...
“Thanks! But I know I can do better!” I've been reading up on farming techniques, and the really good farmers can coax out yields even twice as big as what I've managed. I still have a long way to go if I want to become a world class farmer.
Not that I really think I'll need to rely on myself and till the earth as a commoner.
But still. You know.
Always nice to have options available.
“Anyway, here!” Grabbing the ones I had specially set aside, I plopped it into Maria's waiting arms. “The best of my harvest, just for you, Maria!”
“What? Oh no, I couldn't possibly-”
“Oh come on! I know what you're gonna say, and it's because it's the result of my hard work that it makes a good gift.” I beamed at her. “And besides, if I know you, all those vegetables are just going to be returned to me in the form of food anyway, right?”
Maria gave an embarrassed little chuckle – but it's true.
She's become a truly amazing cook – not just of candy, which she's always been superb at – but now she can whip up all sorts of the most amazing dishes just like that.
I should know – those amazing dishes are always shared with me. And Maria even goes out of the way to make sure I get the best portions!
Ahhhh... I'm blessed. I'm really blessed to have such a wonderful friend in Maria!
Suddenly, there was a presence at my side.
“My Lady's enthusiasm aside, allow me to properly package those vegetables for you so you can carry them back,” Anne gave Maria a warm smile as she lifted those vegetables from her hands, and retreated again. “I'll be just a moment.”
After that, there was nothing to do but wait for Anne to return, and so we both settled ourselves on a nearby stone bench.
There was a silence for a moment. And then,
“Prince Gerald came to see me,” her voice was soft. “Just the other day. He told me... that he had broken off his engagement with you.”
“Eh, really?” That was surprising. Gerald hadn't seemed interested in Maria, after all.
But wait!
What if he had been trying to be sneaky to throw me off the trail? So I wouldn't be jealous?
Well, that's very nice of you Gerald, but you needn't have worried. I'm not the jealous type!
“And then? Did he confess his eternal devotion to you once he was no longer bound to me?” I sat up straight, looking her in the eye.
But-
What was this?
For some reason, Maria's expression clouded over.
And then she looked away.
“Just the opposite, actually,” she said. “He told me that I was now free to pursue my happiness... that he would no longer stand in my way.”
Wait?
So that's all?
Had Maria truly managed to make it through her entire school life without capturing a single target?
After all... Alan seemed to have fully accepted his engagment with Mary. And while Mary still seemed to shoot longing looks once in a while, she no longer talked about how being engaged to Alan was such a bother.
Nicole had thrown himself entirely into his preparations for becoming the next Prime Minister, to the extent that Sophia had confessed her worries that he was going to overwork himself. So whatever the reason, Nicole no longer seemed to be a valid target. (Then again, he'd graduated first so there were probably no more event flags available after that. Sorry Nicole!)
When I'd brought up the matter of Maria with Keith just the other day, the only response had been another really sad smile and a soft chuckle.
Come to think of it, he had also patted me on the back and mentioned something about 'not messing up this chance we made for you, sister'.
I'm still not entirely sure what to make of that, but the point seems to be that he was still keeping his distance.
And now Gerald had confirmed he was bowing out for good as well. And that statement sounded funnily similar to what he told me!
Strange.
It's really strange.
How could so many people spend so much time with Maria and not fall in love with her?
After all she has such a wonderful smile that seems to light up the whole room. And her laughter seems to be magic in and of itself, with how it can dispel worries and fears! She's always encouraging and always believes in you, which makes you want to push yourself even harder so you can live up to what she knows you can be!
She's always kind and gentle, but she's also steadfast in her beliefs and she has a core of inner steel that helps her face down all sorts of challenges in life!
Anyone, and I mean anyone, should fall in love with Maria simply by being around her!
Ahhhh, it's just so strange!
But I suppose love will do as love does.
“Lady Katarina?”
Oops.
“Sorry, sorry!” I flashed her sheepish smile. “I got lost in my thoughts again. What was it?”
Her brow was furrowed as she looked at me.
“So... what will you be doing after the graduation, now that your engagement is broken?”
“Ah, me?” Oh right, I was going to move into the old homestead, wasn't I? “Well my family seems to think it'll be better for me to stay out of the way after graduation, so I'll be moving elsewhere for a while.”
“Stay out of the way?” Maria was frowning now, and I quickly shook my head.
“No, no, it's not like that! They don't want the annullment to be the centre of discussion in the social circles, so I'm just keeping my head low until it blows over.”
“... I see.” The frown remained. If anything it grew even deeper.
You can probably tell that I hate seeing Maria like that.
And so I reached down to take Maria's hand in my own (she'd seemed shocked the first few times I did that but nowadays it always improves her mood) and squeezed it tightly.
“Don't worry about me,” I told her, trying to emphasize that I was serious about this. “I can take care of myself, okay?”
She offered me a smile, although I could tell the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
“And anyway!” I pressed on, trying to get her mind off me for the moment. “What about you? You've been accepted into the Ministry of Magic, right? So I guess you'll be going straight to work after graduation?”
“Well, yes,” Maria pursed her lips. “And, hm. I'm going to need to find a place to stay, aren't I? After all I can't live in the dorms any more and my workplace will be at the Ministry HQ...”
Oh yeah.
That'd slipped my mind.
Maria has a home, of course, but it's in a totally different town. No way can she live there and work in the Ministry as well.
So she'll need to find a place to stay... one preferably close to the Ministry...
Wait.
Waitwaitwait.
Hang on.
“Maria!”
“Huh? What?”
“Come live with me!”
“Hu – what?! Lady Katarina?!” And for some reason Maria's face was turning extremely red now.
“My new house! It's really really close to the Ministry! Like, a five minute walk, tops! It's perfect!”
“Wait, your new hou – wait, huh?” Her wonderfully expressive eyes were now stretched wide as she stared at me.
“It's fine, don't worry! I can handle all the paperwork and stuff!” Okay, Keith can handle the paperwork and stuff. Distinction without a difference! “I've seen the floorplans! There's plenty of room!”
Yes... yes!
There's definitely no problem here! I can help Maria like this!
I know Sophia and Mary have promised to visit as often as they can, but no way it's going to compare to having Maria living in the house with me!
Just the thought of it is getting me all excited! My heart's beating so fast it sounds like a drum in my ribcage, and my breath is coming up short.
I glance back at Maria – and she still appears frozen. Suddenly I remember I haven't actually received her response yet.
“Uh, well, so it... definitely won't be a bother or anything! In fact I'd love the company! But of course, it's only if you want to!”
Please say yes.
“If I may, Miss Maria,” Anne had returned just as suddenly, and was now holding out the bag of vegetables to Maria, “it will be a new chapter in the lives for both you and My Lady. It would do the both of you good to have someone close by to rely on in this time of change.”
“Just 'Maria' is fine,” Maria said, almost as if it were an afterthought. She appeared distracted by something else. “Lady Katarina... may I ask you something?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“This homestead you're moving to... was Lord Keith the one who suggested it?”
“Yeah, sure it was! But... how did you know?”
“I... never mind. Lucky guess.” Maria closed her eyes and shook her head once. When she opened them again, her eyes were shining with that bright sparkle in them that always made it difficult for me to look away. “If you're offering me a place with you, Lady Katarina, then I'm delighted to accept!”
“AWRIGHT!” I pumped my fist in the air. Truth be told, I'd been just a little nervous about moving to a completely new place on my own. You don't know how comforting it was to know that Maria will be there by my side! “We're roomies now, Maria!”
“Well then, I've quite a bit to do. Lady Katarina, I'll be taking my leave for now.” And with a bright smile and a wave, Maria headed off,
“Thank goodness,” I heard Anne mutter from behind. “I didn't have to be the one to make the suggestion that she move in.”
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Oh, nothing. My Lady, we should be on our way too.”
(X)
Yeah... that was how it had started.
That was how, ten months ago, Maria had come to live with me and became even more a part of my life than she already was.
Chapter End
Author's Note: Writing Katarina in 1st person is way more challenging than I'd thought it'd be. Hope it turned out well and that you all liked it!