The Beginning of Deviation (8)

How did it come to this? I was momentarily at a loss for words watching Reinhardt choose a necklace. I thought such events were supposed to happen to Mari, not me. Was there an event like this in the original story? Ah, I think there was something similar.

I remember a scene where he bought a ring for Mari. I’m not sure if there was an engagement ring with Ariel, but I recall him buying an incredibly expensive ring for Mari, saying he wanted to properly match rings with her. Mari was naturally extremely uncomfortable, but eventually wore it due to Reinhardt’s insistence, which caused Ariel’s jealousy and hatred to explode… Well, that’s beside the point.

The important thing is that I’ve snatched away such an important event. I don’t remember any descriptions of Reinhardt wearing accessories or buying them for anyone else in the original story, so this must be an event I’ve taken.

Haven’t I ruined everything…?

‘No. There’s still a chance for a reversal.’

My true plan hasn’t even begun yet. If this operation succeeds, even a world that tries to bring me down won’t be able to stop it. The plan I have in mind has a very high success rate. Yes, this is like a finishing move. A finishing move that pours everything out while leaving just a bit of pride. There’s no way this won’t work.

“Ariel. Could you come here for a moment?”

“Yes?”

I suddenly turned my head when called, and there stood Reinhardt with a strange expression and a clerk with a smile brighter than the sun. And in the clerk’s hands was a necklace that looked incredibly expensive even to my untrained eye…

Ah, wait a minute. What’s that? It looks extremely expensive at a glance. Looking at it, the magical power is no joke. If I charged magic into that, even by my current standards, I could probably store 10 years’ worth of magical power. My current magical power is said to be more than my father’s in his younger days. In other words, more than my father’s magical power when he was my age. Since my father said it himself, it’s probably not wrong.

And yet, even by my magical power standards, it’s roughly 10 years’ worth. It goes without saying how incredibly powerful this item is.

“May I put it on you?”

“Yes, of course! Please, put it on her yourself!”

“Hmm…”

At the clerk’s words, seizing the opportunity, Reinhardt hesitated uncharacteristically. Eh, no way. Even so, would he actually put it on me himself here? With the clerk right there, it would be more natural in many ways to have them do it. Ah, that’s right!

“Would that be alright?”

“Y-yes?”

But that actually happened. My mind froze at Reinhardt’s question as he turned towards me. I’m not so oblivious as to not understand the meaning here. My goodness, is he really going to put it on me himself? That Reinhardt? No, is this really okay?

To others, there would be nothing strange about this. We’re engaged, after all. They might even find it heartwarming and pleasant to see. But not for me! I can’t believe how many times I’ve had to think this!

I should refuse. To lower Reinhardt’s favorability, I shouldn’t allow any contact. No, wait a minute. If I do that, wouldn’t it be difficult to plant the image of being obsessed with Reinhardt? No, wait. This is a dilemma, isn’t it?

Whichever I choose, there’s no benefit for me. No, it’s not just a lack of benefit, it’s an enormous loss.

‘Okay, calm down for a moment.’

They say that when people are pushed to extreme situations, their brains work faster. Or was it just that thoughts become faster? Actually, it doesn’t matter which. What’s important now is that I’m thinking faster than usual.

Which would be better? Either way, it will result in a loss. Then let’s change perspective. I should think about which choice would result in less loss. Should I lower Reinhardt’s favorability immediately at the cost of changing my image, or maintain my image while gradually stepping into life’s grave?

No, wait a minute. Saying “life’s grave” feels strange somehow? Usually, that’s something said when a man is under a woman’s thumb. But although I still have traces of a man’s mentality, I’m currently a woman. I’ve been gradually organizing my thoughts about this over the past few months, so I don’t particularly intend to deny it. But why is it turning out like this? Huh? Huh?

“Yes, gladly.”

Fortunately, even in my confused state, my vocal cords moved as I intended. Yes. Here, it’s better to dig the grave a bit deeper. In any case, I need to maintain my position as the fiancée until Reinhardt starts to have feelings for Mari, and there’s no reason to create unnecessary trouble right now. The favorability decrease event I’ve prepared should be enough anyway.

“Excuse me.”

As I slightly lifted my collar and stood still, Reinhardt carefully came around behind me. I-I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this. It’s just a man coming close, that’s all. Part of my consciousness is still the same as when I was a man, right?

Yes. Let’s change our thinking. When I was a man, my friends never… did this! If a man did this, I’d be lucky if I didn’t curse at them to get lost, let alone have them come behind me to put on a necklace. It couldn’t have happened.

Reinhardt’s arm, moving carefully as if handling a fragile craft, is inexplicably frustrating. I think it would be better to do it quickly if he’s going to do it at all! They say it’s better to get the beating over with quickly, and doing this quickly would be better for mental health.

And when the necklace Reinhardt started to put on touched my skin, I let out a strange sound, surprised by the sudden cold sensation.

“Eep!?”

W-wait a minute. I can’t believe that sound came from my mouth. Did I really make that weird noise?

“Did I startle you? I’m sorry. Can you bear with it for a moment?”

“Y-yes…”

In this situation, his unnecessarily detailed consideration is touchingly grateful. Yes. Very grateful. So much that I want to punch him right away.

The clerk seems to be explaining various functions in the meantime, but to be honest, I couldn’t focus properly because I was distracted by the sensation on my skin. Ah, really! If you’re going to do it, do it quickly!

“It’s done.”

Fortunately, as if my prayer(?) was answered, Reinhardt was able to successfully put the necklace around my neck. The unfamiliar sensation on my neck is refreshing in many ways. Hmm, earlier I was so surprised I got goosebumps, but now that it’s actually on my neck, it seems I’ve gotten used to it and it’s a bit better.

“Huh?”

When I looked down wanting to see how it looked on my neck, I noticed the jewel hanging between my chest. But this color is a bit different from before? I clearly remember it was red earlier, but now it’s more of a silver-blue color? Anyway, the color has changed.

“Ah, regarding this necklace, it has the property of changing color according to the owner’s magical power. Once it recognizes an owner, it also has the characteristic of not passing to another person’s hands until you change it yourself.”

Thank you for the kind explanation, clerk sister. But doesn’t this mean it’s decided that I’m definitely buying it?! It looks incredibly expensive just by looking at it!

Well, if there’s anything fortunate, it’s that now that it’s on my neck, I quite like it? The fit isn’t bad and the performance is good.

Okay, I should ask about the price first. If I can afford it with my money, I should buy it…

“Then we’ll take this one.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Is there anything else we need to take care of?”

“No, you can go as is.”

“Thank you.”

Huh? Wait a minute. I was going to buy it myself, but Reinhardt has already finished talking with the clerk. At this rate, I’ll end up receiving it as a gift!

“Um, Your Highness? Isn’t it expensive?”

“There’s no need to worry. I intend to pay a fair price for it.”

No, that’s not what I’m trying to say right now!

“I-I’ll pay for it.”

“Are you trying to make me look like someone who won’t even buy a gift for his fiancée?”

I’m at a loss for words when he frowns and speaks seriously, which is rare for him. I can’t just answer “Yes!” here. That would instantly make someone trash. It’s better for me to become trash than to pick a fight with Reinhardt unnecessarily, or I might not see tomorrow’s sunrise.

“B-but…”

“You don’t need to worry. This much is easily within my means. It’s not something you should be concerned about.”

When he says it like that, I have nothing more to say. Men do tend to show off unnecessarily in front of women, but would someone who’s the crown prince put on such a false front? Being the crown prince, he probably really can afford it.

If I had my way, I’d want to pay at least half, but if I did that, it might hurt Reinhardt’s pride. Even for me, if my girlfriend(?) said she wanted to pay half because it’s too expensive when I’m trying to give her a gift, I’d feel a bit of a blow to my pride. It’s not like I can’t afford it.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to mention this.”

“Yes?”

“It should be fine now. From now on, you can wear the engagement ring. I’ll wear mine as well.”

“What…?”

Huh? Wait a minute. Was there such a thing?