Trying to speak directly to Vigdis to set an appointment, I found the inevitable conversation during the process to be quite burdensome.
‘How easy is it to hold onto someone who’s clearly wary of me and tell them to come somewhere?’
Because of that, I decided to get Yor’s help.
So, after the Friday unarmed combat lecture ended, Yor chased after Vigdis as she tried to leave the classroom and delivered a note I had written to her.
The content of that note is recorded below.
“I have a proposal. So come to Professor Radbisin’s office by 2 p.m. on Saturday.”
It was less of a request and more like a command, but considering the personality of this possessed body, I judged it to be the right way.
Checking the other party’s schedule and negotiating a time wasn’t something Karbaldr would do.
Moreover, if I weren’t careful, Vigdis might get suspicious about why I was trying to arrange something for the weekend and think I was interfering.
No matter how I looked at it, delivering the note through Yor was the best choice.
“Now all that remains is whether Vigdis will actually show up at the specified time and place…
I was confident she would.
At the opening party, Tridrick spoke so confidently about bringing Vigdis along.
Vigdis tries her best to avoid Karbaldr, but still, if her fiancé calls her, she’ll have no choice but to come of her own accord.
So rather than fretting about what if she doesn’t come, I decided to just express my gratitude to the professor and senior research students for lending me the place.
***
Arriving at the office about 15 minutes early, I handed out the donuts I bought yesterday in the commercial district.
I figured it’d be good to prepare coffee as well, so I brewed the third cup when—
Knock knock knock.
The sound of a knock came.
Checking the clock, it was exactly 2:00 p.m.
It wasn’t that Vigdis was punctual, but more likely that she hesitated and only arrived right on the dot because she didn’t want to come.
“Oh! Here she is, here she is!!”
“Come in, come in~!”
For some reason, the senior research students warmly welcomed Vigdis.
Not just with words, they even opened the door for her.
“E-excuse me…”
Vigdis entered the office looking extremely tense and hesitant.
‘Was she taken aback by the unexpected hospitality?’
‘Or did she mistakenly think, like Tridrick suggested, that the senior research students were excited to torment her?’
“You must be our junior’s fiancée, huh?”
“She’s definitely pretty.”
“But to me, Blida is prettier.”
“W-what are you suddenly saying?!”
The two senior research students flirting like that was nothing new, so I ignored it.
But Blida’s comment, “She’s definitely pretty,” bothered me a little.
It sounded as if Karbaldr was obsessively isolating Vigdis, trying to monopolize her beauty.
‘What kind of misunderstanding is this?’
I sighed and handed the three iced Americanos I had just prepared to the professor and seniors, silently hoping they’d calm down after drinking them.
‘Did my hope come through?’
‘Or did they realize they were only making Vigdis more nervous?’
Whatever the reason, fortunately, the senior research students stopped talking to Vigdis any further.
‘I purposely called Vigdis here so she wouldn’t be scared, but it seems to have backfired!
The senior students probably tried their best to ease the mood, so I can’t really blame them.’
I sighed inwardly and decided it was better to hurry and get Vigdis inside the professor’s private office.
“Vigdis. We’ll talk inside, so go on in first.”
“Y-yes?! Ah, yes…”
“Yor, you come along too.”
“Meow!”
Hoping that seeing the cute baby familiar might ease her tension a little, I sent Yor to follow Vigdis.
And so, one person and one dragon entered a separate space, and the door closed behind them.
“Junior, do you always treat your fiancée with that kind of expression and tone?! No wonder she’s scared!”
“Yeah, I get that you want to look cool in front of your fiancée since you’re young, but you’re way too cold! Don’t you know kindness is the trend these days?”
The senior research students opened their mouths again.
Only then did I realize I had never properly shown Karbaldr’s usual attitude in front of them.
I had tried to act within Karbaldr’s character settings in my own way.
‘But I didn’t act out Karbaldr’s arrogance and condescending personality. I was afraid others would treat me differently.’
‘Had choosing this place as the meeting spot been a mistake?’
Feeling gloomy as I brewed coffee for Vigdis and myself, the senior research students cautiously spoke in a soothing tone.
“It’s not that our junior is at fault. We just thought that if he treated his fiancée kindly from now on, they could maintain a good relationship…”
“Right. Our junior’s handsome, so even a little kindness would be enough.”
“Yeah~!”
“Uh, senior? Wasn’t that the moment to say, ‘Elska, you’re the better-looking one in my eyes’?”
“Meow!”
“Karbaldr is way better looking than some Elska. So don’t lose hope!”
“……”
‘What on earth are these people?’
‘Had they forgotten I said the engagement would only last until she could establish independence from her family?’
‘Or were they advising me thinking Vigdis is so scared of me that I’ll give up on her with tears?’
Judging by how enthusiastically they welcomed Vigdis, the latter seemed much more likely.
I wanted to clarify things right away, but since someone was waiting, I decided to postpone it.
“I understand both of you are very interested in the relationship between me and my fiancée. Still, please don’t eavesdrop on our conversations. If you have questions, ask later. I will answer sincerely within my limits.”
“E-eavesdrop?! We never, ever thought of doing that!”
“Yeah~!”
Their response was far from convincing.
I looked toward Professor Radbisin with a meaning of ‘please take care of this,’ and he nodded with an expression that said, ‘Just trust me.’
Feeling reassured by his solid presence, I entered the professor’s private office.
-Creak creak-
No sooner had I entered than Vigdis stood up from her seat, the sound of her chair scraping the floor echoing.
Her face still showed clear signs of extreme tension.
Yor let out a weak “meow…” which suggested that my plan to ease Vigdis’s tension with the familiar’s antics had failed.
Still, it didn’t matter.
Even if Vigdis was wary of me, it didn’t mean we couldn’t have a conversation.
I had done what I could, and that was what mattered.
“Sit.”
***
At my command, Vigdis pulled her chair back with a creak and sat down again.
I barely glanced at her and placed the tray I had brought onto the table.
Among the items on the tray, my share was just one cup of Americano.
One glass of milk and a plate of donuts were for Yor, and one cup of Americano and a plate of donuts were for Vigdis.
After distributing the food and placing them in front of each of us, I said, “Eat.”
It might sound like a tsundere line of “Here, take this, I found it or whatever,” but I had no intention of playing that act.
If she felt uncomfortable eating what I gave her, she didn’t have to.
I simply rephrased that consideration into Karbaldr’s way of speaking.
I sat down opposite Vigdis, trying not to be embarrassed by the words I had just said.
Until now, I had made it clear that I had lost interest in her by barely looking at her, only glancing casually.
Now was the first time I properly faced her.
Her blue-green hair was cut sharply into a bob, and her fox-shaped eyes were horizontally long and tilted upward, with gray irises at the center.
Below that was a sleek nose bridge and downturned lips.
Combining these features, she gave off an aura that could be proud and resolute or even icy cold.
‘But she looks really gloomy.’
Her hunched shoulders, downcast face, and fearful eyes—all of these created a pitiful atmosphere that swallowed her natural impression.
In short, it was a look that naturally stirred sympathy.
“I’m calling you out for the last time today. It’s unlikely that we’ll have to sit down and talk face-to-face again.”
We weren’t the kind of people to exchange greetings and joke around.
This was the first time I was speaking with her, and I planned to keep my distance from now on, while Vigdis greatly disliked the original owner of the body I was inhabiting.
So I went straight to the point.
It was meant to reassure her that I wouldn’t trouble her anymore.
But no sooner had I finished speaking than Vigdis’s eyes trembled wildly, her face showing despair and desperation.
“C-could it be… that the proposal written on the note means… breaking off the engagement…?”
Her trembling voice sounded like a plea for reconsideration.
If the engagement were broken, she wouldn’t be able to attend the academy anymore, nor would she be able to wield a sword.
Though she feared Karbaldr’s obsession, she didn’t want to give up her education.
“I had a feeling… maybe that’s what it is. Because you’ve been avoiding me all this time, I guessed you weren’t pleased with that… On the first day of the swordsmanship class, when you were talking to the professor, you didn’t use the nickname ‘Dysil’ for me. That was probably a kind of warning. But even so, I didn’t come to beg you…”
Vigdis started spilling out what she thought were her faults, her face on the verge of tears.
Though I had deliberately avoided meeting her until the third week of the semester to lower her guard, unfortunately, those three weeks only seemed to have nurtured her anxiety.
Not because of Karbaldr, but likely due to the influence of Count Shalbre Di, who suppressed his child’s spirit and restrained her from doing anything.
Karbaldr had a father who never showed even a shred of interest in him, the exact opposite.
So maybe the two of them could have gotten along by healing each other’s wounds—
if Karbaldr hadn’t treated Vigdis as a tool to fill his loneliness but as a person.
“I-I’m sorry… hngh…”
“It’s forgiven, so first, read this.”
Like someone used to submission, Vigdis tried to hide her resentment and apologize.
I quickly cut her off, took out the paper and pen I had prepared in advance, and handed them to her.
By now, tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes, but I refrained from giving her a handkerchief.
‘No pointless gestures. I don’t want her to treat me like she does Leisyr.’
***
While fiddling with the corner of the handkerchief in my pocket, I set it down and took the warm cup of coffee in my hand.
Meanwhile, Vigdis wiped her eyes with her sleeve and unfolded the paper I handed her.
“Breaking off the engagement… a contract…?”
“I only wrote clauses that don’t cause you any loss, so read it first and say what you want to say.”
Seeing the word “breaking off the engagement” without reading the content made her visibly frightened.
I deliberately clicked my tongue and urged her to read the contract quickly.