"Sigh..."
Rebecca had returned home. She threw her bag onto the bed with a rough thud and collapsed onto the mattress herself.
Lying on her canopy bed, she stared blankly at the ceiling.
The Cultural Festival was almost here. Yet, her heart didn't stir with excitement in the slightest. She was simply drifting through the same monotonous days. In her class, some people had already begun to distance themselves from her after the news of her engagement.
She didn't particularly mind that. It was something she had expected to happen.
"I wonder why..." she muttered softly to herself.
Lately, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering toward a specific person.
It was a certain young man.
"Why is Ray-san...?"
Ray White.
Their first meeting at the start of the semester felt like a lifetime ago now.
At first, she had assumed that life at the academy would be a struggle for an Ordinary like him. She felt that, as his senior, she needed to guide him. That was what she had truly believed back then.
Having grown distant from Maria, Rebecca had long been starved for someone to care for. Regardless of the reason, she had sincerely wished to be kind to Ray.
But he had turned out to be a truly exceptional individual.
Though he was once mocked as a Withered Wizard, those rumors were no longer heard. If anything, the prevailing opinion now was that he was far from common.
Rebecca felt the same way. Moreover, she had a suspicion that he was hiding something.
"..."
Sitting up, she began to leaf through the diary sitting on her desk.
Her mind drifted back to the party at the Magic Association during summer vacation. She wondered why he had been present there. He had been speaking with military personnel and conversing intimately with Princess Olivia.
Most unsettling of all was the memory of her father, Bruno, approaching Ray. Her father had never been one to strike up a conversation with a student at a party before.
The doubt grew within her day by day.
—Just who is he, really?
He was a boy who was foolishly honest and straightforward. He was blindingly radiant. Everyone around him seemed to smile, with him as the center of their world. It was truly something to be envied.
It wasn't that Rebecca lacked friends. The members of the Gardening Club were all her friends. Yet, there was no denying that they maintained a certain distance from her.
Looking back, perhaps she had only started her creative hobbies to fill that void of loneliness.
Then, she remembered that day during the summer when Ray had praised her work.
"This is amazing, Senpai! I'm moved! It's a new form of entertainment, completely different from novels that only use words! Since the characters' expressions are visualized in manga, it's so easy to understand! Senpai, this is incredible!"
Being told those words had made Rebecca truly happy.
Watching Ray praise something she had been too embarrassed to show anyone else made a warmth bloom in her heart.
In some ways, Ray felt mature—to the point where it was hard to believe he was her junior. Yet, she found the occasional glimpses of his boyish innocence to be truly endearing.
Selling her doujinshi with him would surely remain a lifelong memory. On that day, she had already decided... that it would be the end.
"I see... It feels like it was such a long time ago..."
As she whispered those words, tears spilled from her eyes.
Those happy days.
Ever since Ray arrived, the Gardening Club's activities had become more vibrant. The other members had accepted him, and their club life had become even more fulfilling. He was dignified, yet approachable. With Ray at its center, the Gardening Club had blossomed.
At the time, she had wished those days would last forever.
"Rebecca."
She heard her mother's voice from behind the door.
"Yes, Mother."
"He is here."
"Understood."
Rebecca immediately changed out of her school uniform. Even though she was inside her own home, she chose an appropriate outfit for a guest: a simple blouse and a long skirt. There was no need to be overly flashy.
She closed her diary.
It was packed with memories from long ago.
The days spent with Maria. The days spent with her friends. And the days spent with Ray.
Closing the book as if to sever those ties, Rebecca opened the door and stepped out.
◇
"Hello, Rebecca."
"Evan-sama. Welcome. We are glad to have you."
Evan Bernstein.
Recently, he had begun visiting the Bradley estate frequently. Rebecca suspected he wanted to flaunt their engagement to those around them.
"Pardon me."
As she sat on the sofa opposite him, a maid brought tea and sweets. Once they were alone, Evan spoke to her with a seemingly gentle smile.
"By the way, the Cultural Festival is coming up soon, isn't it? Is everything proceeding smoothly?"
"Yes... that's right. For now, preparations are moving forward without delay."
"I see. I plan to visit on the day itself, so I'm quite looking forward to it."
"I, too, look forward to your arrival, Evan-sama."
It was a lie.
Rebecca did not welcome Evan Bernstein.
In fact, she loathed this engagement with every fiber of her being. That wasn't all. Evan and Rebecca's father, Bruno, were in league with one another.
On the day she had learned the truth, Rebecca’s world had turned white with shock.
They had been acquaintances for a long time, and if the engagement had been with the man he used to be, she likely would have accepted it as a matter of course.
But he had a hidden objective.
His goal was to dominate House Bradley and, through that, seize control of the Three Great Noble Families. Furthermore... he was a Magic Eye Collector. He spoke of the ecstasy he felt in gathering illegally obtained Magic Eyes into his own possession.
He had said that standing at the pinnacle of the nobility would be convenient for his purposes.
Rebecca, who had accidentally witnessed the secret meeting between Bruno and Evan, had known instantly: I must not become engaged to this man. I have to protect House Bradley.
However, her father said nothing. Her mother said nothing.
And she could never tell Maria.
On top of everything, she was being threatened. He had told her that if she leaked this information to anyone, he would harm Maria... At first, she thought it couldn't be true, but after witnessing his madness firsthand, she knew he was dead serious.
He had also stated that he was interested in Rebecca's Magic Eye itself.
By the time the engagement was finalized, it wasn't just her—House Bradley itself had already fallen. There was nothing left she could do as an individual.
So, she accepted things as they were. Wavering despite her lingering sense of justice, Rebecca was unable to seek help from anyone.
Maria was likely the only one who remained ignorant. Everyone else had accepted the situation. Her father, her mother, and even her brilliant older brother... she couldn't rely on a single person.
She felt only despair toward House Bradley.
"Now then. Shall you show it to me today as well?"
"Yes."
Evan always came for this specific purpose.
Rebecca activated her Magic Eye. He leaned forward, staring intently into her pupils with a bold, wicked smirk.
"Hahaha... As I thought, your Magic Eye is top-tier. But it's still not enough. It will take a little longer to reach its true brilliance. So, Rebecca, you should continue to devote yourself to your training. Become a person worthy of that Magic Eye. Don't worry. I'll prepare replacement eyes for you. Besides..."
Evan gripped her hand, peering deeply into Rebecca's eyes.
Her body trembled with a jolt of fear, but she could only endure it.
"This is the consensus of House Bradley. I have a contract with Lord Bruno. He, too, has no hesitation about standing at the top of the Three Great Noble Families. In a manner of speaking, we are business partners. In exchange for my help with that, I simply promised to take your eyes. He has agreed to that as well. So, there is no need to be afraid. You just have to spend your days as you always have."
"...Yes."
Then, as usual, once he had finished observing her Magic Eye, Evan muttered softly, his expression turning hollow as if all emotion had drained away.
"Ten years... it’s been ten years."
Rebecca didn't know what that meant. But she didn't care right now. She felt there would be no end to it if she worried about this man's eccentricities.
She just couldn't forgive any of it.
She couldn't understand her father's reckless actions, or this man's twisted thoughts.
What was the point of doing such things? Rebecca understood none of it.
Should she remain silent and let this barbarity go overlooked, or not?
Rebecca continued to waver. If she reported this to the other Great Noble Families, she might find relief.
But if she did that, what would happen to her house? And what would happen to Maria... her sister, whom she loved more than anyone?
Bound by that love, Rebecca was unable to move.
In the middle of her despair, she thought of him.
—Ray-san. I...
She knew it was foolish to think of Ray now. She was well aware that he didn't have the power to overturn a situation like this.
But... even so, when she looked back on the days they had shared, for some reason, she found herself wanting to rely on Ray.
Even as she felt a wave of self-loathing at the thought, Rebecca spent another day shedding tears in solitude.