Read Novel Full Chapter 172, New Year’s Uproar Brought by White_1 (: Fake)
Chapter 172, New Year’s Uproar Brought by White_1 (: Fake)
Translator: Xini
Proofreader: Silavin
POV: Mary
It’s widely believed that every romantic relationship has a three-year period of complete bliss.
A period of unbridled love that burns with fiery passion and crazed fervor. If the relationship is to continue after said period, then the people involved would have to calmly assess where their relationship stands and nurture their love.
While this theory may or may not be correct, it is the conclusion I have reached.
“Exactly. If he continues to love me even after three years, then I shall take that as proof of his everlasting love.”
“…”
In my previous life, I was bedridden since I was a child and never got to go to school, so my only experience of love is through fiction.
There are still a lot of things I’ve yet to learn about this world, but my perception of it changes the more I do.
Which brings me to the question. Would anyone continue to love me as I keep changing and evolving through life? I’m not sure if their interest in me is fleeting or something deeper. And I worry about whether they would approve of my shitty way of living.
That’s why I cling to the three-year rule I learned from my previous life. When I do find a guy who will still love me after the flames of passion have died, that’s when I’ll begin a relationship with him.
“And that’s my thought process. What do you think?”
“So basically, despite knowing how a guy feels about you, you’re going to be a big tease and string him along for the entirety of the three school years, hoping for someone better to come along. Hm, then again, maybe I should applaud you for not forgetting your main duty as a student.”
“Right…”
Yes. I’m well aware.
Mr. Clo’s right. I’m just using this rule to run away from reality.
Apologies to the person who came up with this relationship theory. I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess.
Nodding, I drank the coffee Mr. Clo poured for me. I didn’t add any sugar hoping the bitterness would jolt me back to the sweet reality for better or worse.
“Oh? This is quite delicious. It’s bitter but the flavor also has so many other notes to it.”
“Gray makes the best coffee and tea. I’m glad if it suits your tastes.”
“I thought you’d serve just anything to the Villainess who drove his precious Mother out of her house, but wow! Surely, this means Gray has accepted me as a friend of Violet’s!”
“Not really.”
No?
Earlier, Gray had excused himself after serving us claiming to be feeling under the weather but the expression on his face, that I caught as he was leaving, looked more complex rather than someone in poor health. So the thought of him accepting me into his fold made me happy, but…
“I see I’ve still got a long way to go…”
“I hope you’d stop trying to rope Gray in your efforts to befriend Lady Violet. Just focus on getting to know her better first.”
Hmm. He does have a point.
I did come here for a reason which includes chatting with Mr. Clo apart from getting closer to Violet.
“Come to think of it, I’m surprised to see you here in Shiki so early in the year.”
That’s right. I’m visiting Shiki.
It would be the day of Christmas, as they called it in my previous life. That was the day my view of this world changed and also when all hell broke loose.
There was no change in status quo even as we entered winter break at the academy. No matter who I came across, or even if I kept to myself, dropped by the academy or took a walk around the city, I just couldn’t get my thoughts in order. Everything around me… looked unreal, like it was made out of papier-mache.
I couldn’t go on like that so I decided to visit Shiki where Mr. Clo who came from Japan like me and where Violet lived. I thought maybe coming here would help.
So I came to the Lord of Shiki first to pay my respects, but only found Mr. Clo and Gray in the manor. Violet seemed to be away taking care of matters concerning her Family. So while I awaited her return, I thought it could be a good opportunity to converse with Mr. Clo.
At first, Mr. Clo looked like he had mixed feelings about talking with me. Is he worried his wife may mistake our meeting for a tryst?
“Are you sure you don’t need to be with His Highness Vermillion or the others?”
“Yes. No major event happens around the end of the year anyway.”
Asked Mr. Clo as he sipped his coffee, but he needn’t worry at all. When you’re playing the character routes at the end of the year, it usually involves short interactions with them, but is a solo event for the most part. Even the protagonist returns to their Family home and worries about events that are about to occur later and nothing major happens with the characters…
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to call it an event, just that everyone returns home or is generally busy around this time, with their aristocratic duties. Silva is also travelling to find himself, so…”
…Ugh. I should stop calling them events.
But I do need to keep the turn of events in mind at least for the sake of reference which is what brought me here to take a good look at myself and to make friends with Violet–
“I don’t really mind. It’s true that the happenings here resemble the events from the game and even I rely on them to navigate life in this place.
I felt flustered at my mishap while Mr. Clo, gracious as ever, continued our conversation.
I suppose he’s looking out for me. What a kind person he is to be nice to someone he surely hates.
“I guess this is what they call a difference in lived experience…”
“What brought that on?”
“I mean, seeing you treating someone you hate with care and even converse with them just made me realize that the difference in our lived experience is what allows you to be so kind…”
I’m sure that is how he learned to be so tolerant.
There’s me, who didn’t have a chance to form any meaningful connections in my past life and refused to see this world for what it is in this life.
Then there’s him, a working adult in his past life and now a Lord of a region. Maybe connecting with many different kinds of people in life helps you be more gracious and tolerant.
“Well, you’re wrong about that. The whole reason I’m here is because I was unable to keep a lid on my emotions and if I were calm and composed like you think, I wouldn’t have gotten into an argument with His Highness Vermillion.”
That makes sense.
It might be hard to notice because he’s always so polite, but he might be the type to let his emotions guide his actions more often than not.
But his love for Violet was what led to him to argue with Vermillion and why he was openly hostile toward me…
“So everything comes down to love? Is love that important? Love is what made you stand up against us?”
“Love? Well, I’ll admit I bared my fangs because you guys looked down on someone I cherish…”
“So love has the power to make a flower bloom in a parched land. No wonder you were a humanities major. That’s so philosophical…”
“P-Philoshophical…?”
Love.
The topic of discussion in several stories and ideologies.
There are people who have a negative outlook on love considering it a fixation borne out of illness or impulsive behavior that is guided by emotions and some even believe that it doesn’t exist.
On the other hand, there’s the positive school of thought that believes mankind’s prosperity, joy of life and strength to face life as a whole is rooted in love.
There are several different kinds of view on what love actually is and I have yet to form an opinion of my own–
“OH!”
“I can’t help but feel like your reaction just now is a bad omen.”
Yeah. A decision just took root in my mind.
If I don’t know enough to form my opinion, then I just need to learn more.
“Mr. Clo, I’ve decided on my goal for the year.”
“Oh, and what would that be? Frankly, I have a bad feeling about it, but tell me anyway.”
“Haha, please rest assured. My first goal is the same as it has always been, ‘Make the people around me happier,’and now I have a second goal to add to it.”
“And?”
Yes, and that is…
“To suffer in life.”
“Suffer? Not have fun or celebrate life?”
“You heard me. Oh, but let me clarify something. I’m not a masochist.”
Dang it. I guess I’ve completely confused him.
I definitely shouldn’t have put it that way. What I wanted to say was…
“Love, be it platonic or romantic, the heart, good and evil. All of these concepts have both a good and bad side. If things were just black or white, life wouldn’t be so difficult.
“That’s true.”
And that’s why, I want to experience all kinds of things in this life. Though I’ve yet to sort out my thoughts about this world and still too shy to properly respond to the feelings of others, I don’t want to take the easy way out by refusing to think about these issues and actually confront them head on, which I’m hoping will in turn let me understand my own thoughts and feelings.
It’s probably not going to be easy and rather painful to tackle these feelings that I’ve ignored for so long but this pain is a burden every living being in the world bears unwittingly.
And after much deliberation and pain, when I realize how fortunate I am, is how I think I want to live this life.
“I see. So that’s what you meant. Well, why not? But do make sure to not overdo it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”
Mr. Clo seemed to understand me after I explained my thought process.
I’m glad he was able to see things from my side. Then, it should probably be okay to propose this idea to him.
“So, Mr. Clo. In order to accomplish this goal there’s something I need you to teach me.”
“Sure, if it’s something I’m capable of.”
“Please–”
Yes, I need this to reach my goal as well.
“Please teach me about love.”