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Chapter Text

"Why did you do all this?"

"Because you were taking everything from me!"

That's it. No more lines in my script. This is my fade to black. Nothing I say or do matters any longer. No one will see it. I am free.

"No... I only did it because I love you."

* * *

"Oops~."

I bump into her in the hallway, causing her to drop her books. They scatter at her feet, and she crouches down to pick them up.

"You should really watch where you're standing, farm girl. This isn't an open field," I say in a mocking tone, making sure to put extra emphasis on the insult.

She gives me a brief look, half confused, and half annoyed. Not quite what I want to see.

When I can tell she's searching for something, it's my cue to say: "Is this what you're looking for?" I picked up something while she wasn't looking. A silver case that had been on top of her book stack.

She gets up, and reaches for it, but I raise it out of her reach. I'm taller than her, so it's not that hard.

"Hey, give it back!" she demands.

I smirk. "This is much too nice for someone like you."

"Give it back!"

There's what I want to see. Her angry frown. The fire in those eyes, that almost look like they could start to cry at any moment.

Ah, how cute~

* * *

My name is Francine Lataille, and I'm the villainess of an otome game. A dating sim, if you will. The other girl is Emma Grenier, the protagonist of the game. I hate her. It's what I know. That is my role. I do all I can to sabotage and ostracise her. I want her gone. Preferably expelled. Or at least... that is how it used to be.

At some point I became aware of what I am. Where I am. I'm not sure how. Maybe the overwhelming amount of times people have played through Personal Spring, as our game is called, sparked something. All those different save files existing in the same cloud space. I have seen every route, every choice, every event, and every ending many, many times. I am aware of everything that can possibly happen in the game. Know it all by heart. Though I do not know if any of the others are aware. See, I am still bound by the script. While I can think freely, I can't act as I want. No matter how hard I try, all I can do is follow the script. So I can't ask the others if they know. My only freedom extends to inconsequential things. Stuff the player would never see, and that would never impact the story.

You might think it boring, and you would not be entirely wrong. Still, it's the only existence I have ever known. My knowledge of the outside is limited. I am not even entirely sure how I know what I know. But sometimes things just come to me, like blocks of text inserted into my mind. For instance: the title of the game, what a game is, that other games exist, and so on. Including what happens in our game even when I'm not present. But I can't really do anything about my situation. So I have learned to find my enjoyment where I can. Like seeing Emma's fierce, or embarrassed expressions.

Emma is short, with medium-length brown hair, and brown eyes. She is nice, and fairly pretty. She has a hint of freckles, that become highlighted when her face reddens, be it from blushing or anger. While she seems very soft, she can be remarkably strong-willed, passionate, and determined. A good person. And she is very cute when bullied.

I love her. She will never know. That is my fate.

* * *

"Knock it off, Lataille."

Someone snatches the silver case from me, and gives it back to Emma. It's a precious gift from her mother, so even by my standards it's a bit too cruel to try to take it away. But of course I technically don't know that.

"That's Lady Lataille to you, Valleroy," I declare with distinct displeasure.

Paul Valleroy is Emma's childhood friend, and one of her potential love interests. Aside from being a fellow blonde, we couldn't be more different. Not that his short, just-out-of-bed head of hair could ever compare to my long, luscious, immaculate curls. Nor do his golden eyes hold a candle to my deep blue.

He's from a respectable family, but they're not of particularly high standing compared to mine. They're still well above Emma's, whose family owns a farm, and some woodlands. But since they met as kids, and grew up close, he still treats her as an equal. Understandably he doesn't like me, and is giving me a dirty look.

"Is there some issue?" a voice from behind me asks.

I turn around. "None at all, Lord Arthur. Grenier merely had a slight accident," I say in a pleasant tone.

Arthur Merillat is the school's top student, and also the eldest son of the most prestigious family in the country, aside from the royal family itself.

He steps forward. "Are you alright, Lady Emma?" he asks.

While he has a slightly haughty air about him, Arthur always treats everyone with the utmost courtesy. Even calling someone as low-ranked as Emma 'Lady'. Of course he is another of her potential love interests. And the man I am interested in, according to the script. I used to believe it too, before I realised how cute Emma is.

Emma nods. "Y-yes, thank you." She looks a little starstruck, and no wonder. Arthur is tall, and handsome, with finely groomed black hair, clear blue eyes, and elegant glasses. Almost any girl would feel a little overwhelmed at seeing him up close.

In Arthur's route it is basically a competition between me and Emma. Her bad ending is me winning Arthur, and her getting expelled due to my schemes. Her good ending is winning Arthur's heart, while my scheming gets exposed, and I become so humiliated that I have to change schools. Arthur is a pretty popular choice, so I have been through that a lot of times.

We head into the classroom, and find our desks. Emma and I sit pretty far apart, which used to be a relief, but now it feels like such a shame. I could have bullied her so much more. At least I can still mostly see her expressions from here.

There weren't a lot of people in the classroom before us, but one of them is the third love interest: Gabriel Calland. We've just started a new game, so we're still at the introduction stage for all the major characters.

Gabriel is a quiet boy who has little interest in talking to others, and instead prefers to read on his own. But since his desk is right by Emma's, and Emma is a pretty open type, they slowly end up talking more and more. He has an interest in animals, and she comes from a farm, so they find some common ground there to break the ice. His unusual green hair is a little longer than the average boy's, and you could perhaps call him more pretty than handsome. And his eyes are such a dark shade of green that they look nearly black. His family is from a remote area, but thanks to his father knowing the king from back when he was just a prince, they have a higher status than you would expect.

That leaves only one boy, who should be arriving any moment now.

"Did I make it?!"

A boy with spiky, red hair bursts into the classroom. Otto Giltstern. Our resident exchange student. He's actually the third prince of another country, who has come here because our education on magic is better than in his home country. Or so he says.

When he sees the professor has yet to arrive, he lets out a sigh of relief, and a wide victory grin spreads across his face. "Safe!" His bright, green eyes (a nice contrast to his fiery hair) sparkle as he spots our protagonist.

"Hey, Emma! You're looking lovely today!"

"O-oh, thanks. Good morning, Otto," Emma replies with a slight blush. Such fine, rosy cheeks. I wonder if I could ever make her look like that?

Otto is a very bold, and frank type. He takes an instant liking to Emma, and tries to talk to her at every opportunity. I'm not exactly sure why, apart from the fact that she is the protagonist. Perhaps he also noticed how cute she is when he first saw her, but there are certain things I wonder if have to be chalked up to this being a game.

The professor enters the room, cutting off Otto's chance at a conversation as he has to quickly find his seat.

So there you have it. Our protagonist, her four potential love interests, and me. I wonder which route we're taking this time.

As usual Emma occupies my thoughts as I wait for our next interaction. I know what expression she's going to make, but actually seeing it is an entirely different experience. It never gets old.

... Hang on. Her hairpin is supposed to be a sunflower. Why was it white? I was so busy paying attention to her face that I wasn't really looking at it, but... argh, I can't see from this angle. No, I must have imagined it.

Chapter Text

Our literature professor stops writing on the blackboard, and turns towards us.

"And that's the basic structure of a sonnet," she says.

I dutifully scribble down some notes, even though I don't need to. Not like I have a choice, after all.

"Now for an example." The professor looks around the classroom, and her eyes settle on our protagonist. "Lady Grenier. Would you read the sonnet on page 25?"

While certain schools do not even pretend to make an effort, the Fleurs Magiques Academy has a nominal policy of equal treatment for all students. So the professors are to address everyone as Lords and Ladies, regardless of their standing.

Emma hesitantly stands up. "I... can't find my textbook, professor."

"Again? You really need to take better care of your belongings, young lady," the professor says with a hint of exasperation.

I let out a snicker. Even from here I can see Emma's cheeks glowing with embarrassment. She's so cute. I really wish I could see it from closer up.

Gabriel raises his hand, and the usually quiet boy speaks up for once. "She can borrow mine, professor."

The professor looks at him, then after a moment she says: "Alright. Proceed."

Gabriel leans over to hand Emma his book, which she opens up to page 25.

Considering her background, she sounds remarkably elegant while reading. My past self was annoyed at that part of her, but now I'm intrigued by it. It's one of the things I'm not privy to the reason behind. My best assumption is that she has practised with Valleroy. She isn't perfect, but she is certainly passable.

Maybe in an alternate world she and I could have read poetry together. Maybe I could have written embarrassing poems about her. How might she react to that, I wonder. Just the idea makes me want to giggle.

Emma turns to look at me after sitting back down. She knows I did it. Her annoyed look isn't as cute as when she's properly angry, but it's still something. I just smirk back at her. Though I can't help glancing at her hairpin again. The flower is definitely white. I haven't been able to get a very good look since it's fairly small, and I haven't had a chance to get really close, but it looks like some sort of orchid, or hibiscus, or... lily?

* * *

The days pass, and the first event approaches: The first round of exams. It might seem very early in the year for something like that, but the thinking is that it's more about establishing what level the students are already at, than seeing how well they've paid attention so far. No one will get penalised or expelled for bad results this time, and it counts less towards the final grade than later rounds. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of studying happening beforehand. Most students take it quite seriously. Depending on what training and activities the player has decided to focus on, it can turn out a few different ways for Emma.

While every subject is represented on the board of results, and Arthur has the top score in most of them, there are only four that count towards game progression. The player's choices only has any real influence over those. My default position for all of them is third, but Emma will surpass me and get third in two of them. Each of the four is connected to one of the love interests. The two she gets third in will gain her extra points with the connected boys.

There's diplomacy and social studies, which will make Arthur become interested, and take her more seriously. He places first, and Otto places second, but if she gets third she will get a score pretty close behind them.

In nature and animal studies Arthur also places first, but Gabriel is second. If Emma gets third, Gabriel will be more willing to open up to her.

If she gets third in the sciences (maths, physics, and such) that means she has spent extra time studying with Valleroy, and eased some of his worries that they might be growing apart. Arthur places first there too, while Valleroy is second.

The final subject is magic theory, where actually Otto is first, and Arthur second. If she gets third there, Otto believes her to be a like-minded soul, and his attempts at approaching her will include trying to have more serious conversations.

She's standing there looking at the results, so I purposefully nudge her aside before looking for myself. Not that I needed to do so to see, it's just one more part of establishing my character. She briefly looks at me, but doesn't say anything.

Let's see... seems like the player is aiming towards Gabriel and Valleroy this time. This by no means sets the route yet, that's still a little ways off. Emma can still go for any one of the four if she works for it, but it's easier for her to pursue either of those two. Not the most popular combination, but a pretty safe one. One soft boy, and one protective boy.

I sort of hope we're not going with Gabriel's route, though. I actually like him, but it's the route where I see the least of Emma. And in the good ending I get turned into a toad, which I can never quite get used to. It's a mishap with a potion I make to use on Emma. I don't even turn back before the end slate, and the credits roll. Hopefully I turn back at some point, but I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter. My existence doesn't extend beyond the end of the game anyway. Toad me could get eaten by an egret for all I know.

I glance towards the rest of the results. I'm first in history. The only subject where I'm able to beat Arthur. Even if it's pre-determined, I can't help feeling a little smug about it.

Hm? Emma is third? Is that... right? Well... I haven't really paid attention to the things that don't affect the route in a while. Between that, and bullying Emma, my thoughts are quite occupied most of the time. So perhaps my memory is a little off. We're supposed to be pretty equal in academic results overall. It's just... I could have sworn...

* * *

The lessons in practical magic are usually held outside. When you're playing with the elements, you should preferably be out in the elements. It also neatly avoids any damage that might have been done in a classroom due to any mishaps. And there's more room to run away if needed.

Today we're by the pond, as we're working to manipulate water. Despite being referred to as a pond, the water is kept remarkably clean. It's impossible to stop insects from taking up abode there, but no fish or amphibians have been introduced, and cleansing magic is used every week. Aside from that they have taken strides to make it look like a natural pond, and not an artificial pool. It's fairly large. Letting vegetation grow around it more or less freely has helped sell the idea. Bathing is strictly forbidden; it is only there for magic lessons, and aesthetic reasons. That doesn't stop some students, of course. It has supposedly also been used to help put out fires in emergencies, though no such event exists in the game.

Boys and girls are separated for these lessons most of the time, to discourage mischief. At least that's how the academy board puts it. It's ancient tradition at this point, and no one has seriously put any effort behind trying to change it. So we're on the opposite side of the pond from the boys. That does mean it's easier for me to commit mischief towards Emma without getting spotted by Arthur or any of the other boys I would prefer didn't see, or intervene.

We're using our wands to draw water from the pond, form it into a sphere, and hold it for as long as possible. While I have an edge over Emma due to more training, her ability is not far behind my own. According to the script our near-equal results in both academic and practical performance is a source of consternation for me. That a mere farm girl can be nearly as good as someone from a highborn family, and eventually even surpass them, is unthinkable. It's not how I actually feel any longer, but I have no choice except to play along.

At this point in the story I have gotten my pair of followers: Bella Poulin, and Eloise Arnette. Girls from families with lesser standing than my own, who wish to curry favour with me to increase their status in school. As they're connected to me, anyone who respects me will also respect them more. In theory. They're not bad girls at heart, but they're willing to let me lead them astray, and join in my schemes. That's just the kind of system we have.

And we have a plan.

As Emma is focused on her water orb, Bella and Eloise are guiding the orb very slowly to be more above her. It has to be slow, both because they have to control their own orbs, and because we don't want Emma to notice until it's too late. Then once it's close enough, I very quickly redirect some of my energy, and pop!

"Eeeeeeeeeeek!"

Such a delightful scream. Emma is drenched, and I'm back to innocently maintaining my own orb. Bella and Eloise snicker as the professor rushes over.

"What happened, Lady Grenier?" she asks.

"I-I don't know, i-it just suddenly collapsed." Emma is trying to push the water out of her face and hair. She looks really good when she's soaked, and the shocked expression on her face is very good too.

"You need to be more careful," the professor admonishes her. "And you shouldn't hold it close enough to get you splashed if it collapses. We already went over this, Lady Grenier."

"B-but, I didn't..." Emma can tell the professor isn't interested in any excuses. She lowers her head. "Yes, professor."

"Well, we're here to learn. Just make sure you do better next time." The professor raises her own wand, and starts drawing the water out of Emma's clothes. Even drying her skin. For someone of the professor's ability such a thing is child's play.

"Yes, professor," Emma says again. She looks towards me, clearly suspecting that I had something to do with it. I shoot her a smug look as if to confirm her suspicions. What's the point of bullying someone if they don't know they're being bullied, after all?

* * *

Soon enough it's time for the second event: A broom race. The first-years race, while the older students watch. It's like a morale thing, to cheer everyone up. While people are of course aiming to win, there are no real stakes beyond gaining some admiration.

Except it's a fixed event. Emma always wins, and everyone else's positions are fixed too. I believe the intent is to show off one of Emma's hidden skills, as she both used a broom to work on the farm, and regularly raced with Valleroy and other kids in their area while growing up. According to her backstory notes, she almost always won.

And as a result of her win, the boys' estimation of her will rise a little more. Gabriel cares the least, which is why it's more important to score points with him on the first exams if you want to go for his route. It's still possible to do it without, but it takes a lot more effort from now on until the route lock.

While in theory a fixed event is boring, I kind of think of it as a break. I can just switch off my mind, and go with with the ride.

The academy has a decently sized track, but we're still going for three laps. That gives everyone more than enough time for some exciting viewing and upsets.

All I really have to do before taking it easy is perform a minor act of sabotage on Emma's broom at the start. Nothing that permanently damages it, but it will put her behind in the first lap until the hex wears off, and she can start catching up.

We all line up, and wait for the start signal. One of the professors blows a large horn, and we're off. I pay just enough attention to make sure Emma has some trouble getting started, and then I relax. Everything is as it should be.

It's a very nice day. Sunny, but not too warm, nor too chilly. No wind to affect our movement either. It's a perfect race day, really. I like the feeling of air rushing through my hair. If the script wasn't controlling my body to be so focused on the race, I would have loved to just lean back a little.

The grouping is pretty tight during the first lap. It's only as we get into the second lap that some of us start to break away. Gabriel isn't much of a racer, so he ends up with the group that falls behind, while Arthur, Otto, Valleroy, and I are part of the group that forges ahead. There are some of the other students with us, but they gradually get left behind so it's only major characters vying for first place by the end of the second lap.

Shortly into the third lap Emma is right there with us, having finally caught up. With about half a lap left, she passes in front of all of us. Arthur and Otto try fiercely to keep up with her, and to pass her again, while Valleroy and I trail just behind.

I watch her there, ahead of me. She really is quite the striking form while she flies. And she's so close. Right there. It's as if I could just... reach out and touch her. Almost. If I just stretched my arm a little further...

There's a loud noise, and I get startled out of my thoughts. It takes me a moment to realise that was the horn signalling that the winner passed the finish line. Ah... so it's over then. Well, it was a nice diversion, as always. I come to a stop along with everyone else.

"That was a very nice race, Lady Emma. Congratulations," Arthur says. He was actually the star of the racing team at his previous school, so it makes sense he would be quick to compliment Emma on her win.

"Thank you, Lord Arthur," she replies, and blushes beautifully.

"And you too, Lady Francine. Well done," he says next.

I give him a confused look. "Eh?" Since when is he supposed to say something to me? "Thank you?" I reply hesitantly.

"Yeah, you two were amazing," Otto says as he comes up to us. He's grinning even wider than usual. "First Emma flies past all of us, and then Francine gets right on her tail. You were closing in too. Another half a lap, and you might have passed her."

Eh? I am really confused now.

"I concur." Arthur nods affirmatively.

I look up towards the results board. What? I came in second? No no, that's not possible. I'm supposed to come in fourth, right after Otto, and before Valleroy. That's how it has always been. What is going on?

"U-um... Lady Francine?" Emma actually speaks up. To me. "That was really close. You were great," she says, and smiles at me. Her expression is slightly hopeful.

"Y-yes, thank you, I..." I don't know what's happening. Emma has never smiled at me before. Not like this. It's so bright. Has the excitement of winning gotten to her? I'll admit to feeling a bit of a rush myself. But could she be trying to...

No, I have to reassert order. We can't go outside the script. It's not possible.

"I have not given you permission to act so familiar with me, Grenier. You shall address me as Lady Lataille."

"Oh, what's the big deal, Francine?" Otto says cheerfully, and slaps me on the back.

I barely manage to not stumble. "E-excuse me?"

"It was an amazing race. You should both be proud."

No... this is not how it's supposed to go.

Chapter Text

I'm still not quite over what happened in the race event. It's been occupying my mind a lot. What actually happened? Is this what they call a glitch? I remember learning once about how a save file got glitched, and unintended things started to happen. Then apparently it became corrupted, and crashed the game. Am I going to be corrupted? Are we going to crash? Crash into what, exactly? Maybe it's like getting a bad ending early. Maybe this will all be over soon, and we can start over with a file where everything is back to normal. As it should be.

Another possibility is that it played out as intended, but... I don't like the thought of that...

Maybe it was just a one-time thing. A... a temporary glitch. And everything will proceed as normal from here on out. Yes, that's probably it.

Oh! Here's an encounter I recognise. I kind of lost track of where we're at in the days since the race, but I know where, or rather when, we are now.

I have spotted Emma and Valleroy sitting together in the cafeteria. They're having a piece of cake each. A cute scenario. I'm on my way to join Bella and Eloise, who have gone ahead to secure a table, but here's my cue to make a quick stop first.

I very casually adjust my route. They're occupied with conversation, Valleroy has his back to me, and Emma is very focused on her cake. So they won't see me coming until it's too late.

While her family is hardly poor (their farm is pretty large, and does decent business. Plus it's self-owned. Hence how they could afford to send Emma here), she isn't used to having cake at home. She'd get one for her birthday, and if there was some really special occasion. Here they serve the students cake every other weekend. Some might call that a bit decadent, but that's what being one of the premier academies in the country is like.

I eye the strawberry on top of Emma's cake. She is very carefully eating around it. So adorable. Once I'm close enough, and before they are able to register my presence, I lean down just enough to pluck the strawberry with my fingers.

"H-hey!" Emma looks up, and shrinks back just a little as she sees who it is.

I smile victoriously, and quickly pop the strawberry into my mouth.

"I was saving that for last..." Emma says. She looks upset, and almost on the verge of tears.

She is very cute, but I'll admit I feel a little guilty about this encounter. I can't oppose the script, but after I learned how much it means to her, and how much she had been looking forward to it, it's hard to not feel at least a little bad about it.

Valleroy is on his feet. "What's your problem, Lataille?" he growls at me. I don't feel particularly threatened.

 I am able to maintain both my composure, and my smile. "That's Lady Lataille. And there's no problem. Merely a lesson that you shouldn't be too slow about taking what you want."

I can see in his eyes that he wants to slap me, but we both know that's strictly forbidden. Striking another student is bad enough to warrant at least a suspension. A guy striking a lady would basically be a guaranteed expulsion. Even without all these witnesses, if it was my word against his, my higher standing would win out.

"Ta ta~," I say, and turn around to walk away.

He sits back down. While I can no longer hear what they're saying, I know he's giving his strawberry to Emma. It's a bonding moment for the two of them, spurred on by how terrible I am. So in that sense I helped them get closer. This is a limited encounter, that is only an option if she has gotten a certain amount of points with Valleroy by a certain date. Perhaps he's her main focus this time, then.

So we're already at that point in the game, huh? At least that played out exactly how it was supposed to. I feel a little better about that.

* * *

The dorms for Fleurs Magiques Academy are larger than the academy itself, if you exclude the academy grounds. This is mainly owing to each student having a room to themselves. There's some history behind that.

When they were first built, these rooms were actually meant to fit two people. They had a bunk-bed, and two students were supposed to share a room of this size. That was both to save space, and construction costs. There were different standards back then. But it didn't take many years for the highborn students to decide they would no longer stand for it. While initially their complaints were ignored, the academy board was eventually forced to recognise them. Though they solicited donations from the families to help fund further construction.

Temporary lodgings were quickly set up, and all the students from less prestigious families were shoved in there to await construction of new proper dorm rooms. They didn't want to shut down the academy for the time it would take to expand the room sizes. Better to build more new ones. Meanwhile the students of higher standing received rooms to themselves. Once construction was complete we arrived at the current system of everyone having a solo room.

We are also nominally expected to clean our own rooms, and keep them in order. However it's typical for the wealthier students to simply hire maids to clean for them. But someone at some point decided that this wasn't good enough. So once per semester they demand that all maids take the day off, and the students themselves are expected to do a thorough cleaning of the building, then await inspection. The highborn students are less than happy about this, but any attempts to repeal the policy have failed. 'It's just one day'.

Only the first cleaning is treated as an event. The second happens too late to matter. It's a cakewalk so long as the player has put any amount of effort into training the right skills. Emma is used to helping out at home, so she can clean her own room pretty quickly. Meaning she also has time to go help out the boys, who are less accustomed to cleaning, if she wants to. A chance to score some extra points with them. There are four options to go for:

Emma can stay here, quickly clean her own room, and help out other girls in neighbouring rooms. This improves her relationships with her classmates, but has no effect on any of the routes, and only minor effects in general. Some dialogue changes, and a few encounters will play out just a little bit differently later on. The safest option, but not a lot of players pick it.

She can go help one boy, and then come back. That still gives her enough time to deal with her own room, but if her skills levels are low, she won't have any time to help any of the other girls. Still a mostly risk-free option.

She can go for two boys, at which point she will need a decent skill level to be able to clean her own room in time when she comes back. It is the most popular option, but it requires some dedication to avoid getting a failed grade on the inspection.

And finally she can push for three boys, but that is an auto-forfeit on clearing the inspection. It means having to be careful to avoid any unnecessary black marks on her record for the rest of the game if they want to avoid a bad ending, but some players really want the points.

So why doesn't Emma just sort out her own room before going over to the boys? Oh, she does. But little old me complicates things. If she goes over to the boys' dorms, Bella, Eloise, and I head into her room, and mess it up a bit. We have two constraints on us. Firstly, if she only helps one boy, it won't be too long until she's back, so we have limited time. Secondly, it has to look believable. If the room looked genuinely trashed, and the professors were convinced it was sabotage, Emma would get away with a mere warning to not leave her room unattended and unlocked for too long.

The best we can do is mess up her bed so it looks like she didn't make it; pull out some clothes to make it look like she didn't fold and put them away; spread out all her school supplies so it looks like she didn't put them away after studying; and dump some dust and lint swept up from our rooms onto the floor, and spread it out.

As I expected, Emma goes over to the boys, and we quickly enact our plan. Then we wait. Once Bella and Eloise are done with their own rooms, they'll work together on mine. It's what followers are for, after all.

I am a little surprised at seeing her come back early. So she only went to help one boy. The player must be pretty confident about their points, then. Or they've already made their choice, and don't intend to worry about the others. I wonder who it was. It clearly wasn't for lack of skill level, because she even has time to help a couple of the other girls who are struggling after sorting out her own room. Curious. Hardly unprecedented, but certainly uncommon.

So the inspection occurs with no issues.

* * *

We're in the girls' locker room after gym class. Just out of the shower, in fact. Thankfully it was today's last class, so I can head back to the dorm to do my hair. My status won't suffer any from that, as it's common for everyone else who puts effort into their hair as well. Doing your hair in the locker room is not impossible, but certainly undesirable. So now I just have to focus on drying it properly.

Despite what you might believe about noble ladies in general, I am actually very physically fit. One of the best in the class, in fact. Dancing lessons, fencing, riding (be it horse or broom), and so on have all given me a very toned body. I'm even a skilled archer. I have no brothers, so I have always had to fend for myself in that regard. Have to set a good example for my little sister as well. Though what would she think if she saw the way I treat Emma? My sister is such a sweet soul, unlike me.

Due to her background, Emma is also quite fit. Even if they're well off farmers, they're still farmers, and she has helped out with just about anything. Probably lifted a cow or something too. So while it might not look as elegant as mine, she certainly has a very nice body. Her slightly rough hands would probably prevent her from being a very good piano player, but I don't think that's something she's especially concerned about.

I do wonder which of us would win in a fight, should it ever come to that. I have the advantage in size, and training, but she probably has more raw strength. I'm certain she could match me in speed, too.

I glance over towards her. She is currently drying her hair. We should see results soon then. I can't wait.

See, I had Eloise pretend to not feel well enough to join us in gym today. Her mission was to instead go into the locker room, find Emma's shampoo bottle, and add a few drops of a potion I brewed up. As soon as Emma's hair is dry enough, we should see it take effect.

Emma puts her towel down, and there are some gasps in the room. Then some of the girls start giggling. It's quite the sight.

Emma looks confused. "What's wrong?" she asks.

"Um... I think you'd better see for yourself," one of the other girls says, and hands Emma a mirror.

She gasps as she looks into it, and quickly gets up to look in the full-body mirror. Every strand of hair on her head stands straight out, making it appear like an orb of hair is encasing her head. Very tentatively she reaches up to touch it. Her hand easily sinks in, as if it's really fluffy, but as soon as she pulls away the hair returns to its previous position. She tries to push it down, but it just springs back up. She whines a little, while some of the other girls are still giggling. At least most of them don't sound mean-spirited. It's just a funny sight.

I wish I could touch it. I'm really curious what it feels like. Sadly I can't.

"What do I do?" she asks, mostly to herself.

One girl shoots me a dirty look. It's obvious that only I could be behind it. My bullying is basically an open secret that all the girls mostly stay out of, but I know there are a few that really don't approve. They are still hesitant to speak up because of who I am. However they sometimes help Emma out if they can. My efforts at ostracising her aren't as successful as old me would have liked. Current me... I suppose I appreciate that.

"I have a cap you can borrow," the girl says, taking it out of her locker.

Emma turns around. At first she looks surprised, but it quickly changes to an expression of gratitude. How can one girl be this adorable? "Oh, thank you," she says from the bottom of her heart, and quickly presses the cap down on her head. While it would have been amusing if it just flew off, it's successful at containing the wild hair. Anything the cap doesn't automatically cover she is able to tuck underneath it. It looks a little silly that she's wearing just a cap and underwear before putting on anything else, but she was probably desperate to deal with it.

The potion's effect should wear off in an hour or two. I suppose Emma is also glad it was the last class of the day so she can go to the dorm, and wait it out.

I really wish I could have touched it.

* * *

Our first examination in practical magic is up next. Not a lot for me to do this time. It's just a series of skill checks to raise academic values, really. One of the bad endings in the game is doing so poorly at academy work that you get expelled before the end of the game. I already mentioned that failing the cleaning inspection is a black mark which contributes to that. The first big significant flag.

This is the exam to see how well we've mastered the basics, before they start more advanced lessons. Stuff any good student should already have a decent grasp of before they start at the academy. So the main four tasks are elemental manipulation for water, air, fire, and earth. In that order. The game doesn't allow me to try to meddle with Emma's results at all in the basic tests, it's purely to see how well the player has allotted their skill training.

There are of course opportunities to score points with the love interests here too. If she passes a certain score threshold it will impress the boys. They each have their preferred element. Water is Arthur's speciality. Gabriel's is air. Otto's is fire. And finally Valleroy's is earth. The better she does in each element, the more points she gets with the associated boy. It's not as much as from certain other events, but it's something dedicated players keep in mind. It's possible to get decent scores in every subject if they have set their training schedule right. They might have even unlocked options to practice with a specific boy in the days leading up to the exam. If she only scores average, or less, then no points are gained from that test. A really low score, or a fail, actually has her lose points.

The water test is drawing water out of a sponge. Which is actually pretty tricky. Getting it completely dry is nigh impossible for a student of our age. However I can do it. Water is also my element, supposedly in an effort to impress Arthur. Though I like to think I would have been good at it regardless.

The air and fire tests are combined, in a sense. The student will be presented with a low-hanging chandelier with twelve candles. The air part of the test is blowing out all candles. The trick is to make the chandelier sway as little as possible, and blow out as many candles at once as possible.

Fire follows with having to relight the candles. The score increases with how many candles you're able to light at once, and your overall speed for getting all of them. This also neatly sets things up for the next student in line to take the test, assuming nothing goes wrong.

And finally earth is using magic to rearrange a set of rocks to match a given pattern. You get one minute, and have to make it as close as possible, while doing as little damage to the ground underneath, and the rocks themselves, as possible.

Then at the very end each student is supposed to show off a project they've been working on. Combining their knowledge and skill into a feat of conjuring. I actually make an attempt at sabotaging Emma's, but more on that when we get there. Time to see the results of the basic tests.

Emma gets pretty darn close to drying the sponge. The professor only finds a minuscule amount of moisture left. I've seen players who manage to have her completely dry the sponge, but that usually means they fail, or nearly fail, something else. The skill cost to do any of the tests perfectly means you have to neglect something else.

For air she gets the candles out in two attempts. Eight candles first, then the remaining four next. The chandelier sways a little bit, but there are certainly worse results. It's just above average.

Fire is not too different. Nine, then three. Fairly speedy.

And in earth she does quite well. The professor judges the accuracy to be 92%, with minimal damage done.

So what does that mean? Well, she seems mostly focused on building affection with Valleroy so far, and might have steered away from Gabriel. Of course, I don't know all the encounters and scenarios she's been doing. I'm aware of which ones are possible, and their requirements, but while I'm within a game, I still only know what I personally witness. So outside of any encounters that involve me, and seeing event outcomes, I don't actually know the full scope of what she's doing. Maybe the player is already so confident in their points with Gabriel that they thought it was better to get extra points with someone else in case they haven't made up their mind yet.

I have not seen any evidence there's been any focus on Otto this playthrough. The water result is probably the oddest. I've not seen much with Arthur either, so suddenly pivoting into that... well, it's not too late. Maybe interacting with Arthur has made them want to focus more on him. While this event doesn't give that many points, it can still help with catching up.

Once everyone has gotten through the basic tests, it's time for us to show off our conjuring projects.

I combine my talents into making an ice sculpture of my little sister. Well, a bust of her. A full figure is a bit beyond me yet. Getting the hair right is more than enough work. I'm fairly certain the ice thing is intentional on the game creator's behalf. I'm cold and cruel, after all.

Arthur forms a glass-less aquarium, just held together with his own power, that has little magical fish swimming around in it.

Gabriel makes a bunch of leaves dance around, and form patterns to tell a short story. They even change colours.

Otto creates a flaming steed that he makes gallop around. It has emerald eyes, no doubt to reflect how he sees himself.

Valleroy constructs a small house that looks like it just rises out of the ground piece by piece. I'm not entirely sure whether he based it off a model, or has a future in architecture.

The player will have picked one for Emma, hopefully based on what they thought their strongest elements were. It's possible the project will fail otherwise. And of course there's me to factor in.

Though I see both Gabriel and Valleroy are keeping an eye on me. Of the four boys, only those two are really aware of the extent of my bullying. I don't bother concealing it from Valleroy at all, so he's seen it up close. Gabriel used to get bullied himself, so he knows the signs. Otto can tell there's something going on between us, but doesn't know the full context. Arthur is largely oblivious to it. Though I wonder whether he truly would be if the script didn't demand it of him. You'd think someone of that level would be a bit more observant, right?

If the player has gotten enough favour for both of them to keep an eye on me, then my attempt at sabotage will get countered. Not that I have any choice except to try anyway.

Ah, I see what she's doing. She's picked the project that relies mainly on fire and water. Creating a series of figures in the air, that flow around like snakes to form the shapes of six different constellations. It's quite impressive to see it play out, actually. The fire marks the stars, and the water makes the lines between them. The way it flows from figure to figure is elegant.

A little weird that she didn't go for water and earth considering those are what she scored best in. Anyway, I have my own role to play out. Being very careful to not draw any attention from the professors, I cast a disruption spell to make Emma lose control of her fire-water snakes.

If it gets through, they will spin around wildly for a short while before exploding. Nothing truly dangerous, though anyone who's too close gets splashed. But of course both Gabriel and Valleroy are ready, and cast their counters. Oh dear, now I have to sit through Emma doing her beautiful display, what a shame. Hehehe.

Wait. Something's wrong. The counters didn't work? No, they did something, but the disruption spell is continuing towards Emma's display. Did the counters counter each other? I'm not sure, but I can feel that that's not the same spell that I cast. Suddenly I feel nervous. This has never happened before. What if it's something dangerous? Should I do something? No, it won't let me... wait... I'm raising my wand? How? It's too late anyway. The spell connects with Emma's snakes, just as she's about to make the first constellation.

The snakes don't start to spin, instead they start to sparkle. It makes me think of a lit fuse. This is bad. Emma has frozen. Gabriel and Valleroy must have realised something is wrong too, as I can see them moving. Everyone else doesn't know this isn't part of the display.

I want to run to her. I take a step forwards. "Em-" There's an explosion. But... it's fireworks? How... Emma.

She's standing firm, and seems to be directing the fizzling snakes as they soar through the air, leaving bursts of fireworks in their wake. She looks a bit like someone wrangling a wild beast, gripping her wand with both hands. I didn't know she was capable of that sort of quick thinking. I'm not sure if I would have been able to do it. It's... stunning.

Between the sight I'm seeing, and the relief that Emma is safe, I can't help but let out a laugh of genuine delight.

Chapter Text

What is happening to me? What is happening to my life? I have never laughed like that before. Okay, I'm sure somewhere in my backstory I have, but never in this game. Should I be happy? I feel kinda happy, but... this is all wrong. Another glitch? Things have been off from the very start. Ever since I saw her wear a different hairpin. She still wears it, every day. I've just gotten so used to it that I only rarely remember it's supposed to be a sunflower.

And the oddities have just kept piling up since. Every event seems to happen differently from how it's supposed to. I'm now convinced I was correct about Emma's test results in the first round not being quite right. The cleaning event is so far the only one that played out as normal. The player picked the second most popular option. You can't call that uncommon. And nothing that happened was unprecedented. Everything that happened has happened several times before. But I keep going over it in my mind, just in case I've missed something.

The race was a pretty big shock. I have absolutely no count of how many times I've been through this game, but the results of that race have always been exactly the same. I was supposed to end up in fourth place. And... I think Emma tried to reach out to me afterwards... I almost wish I had reached back... her smile was as beautiful as it was shy... but instead I panicked. What if I was truly free to do what I wanted in that moment? I may never know...

And the practical exam... I'm just glad Emma wasn't hurt. It shouldn't have happened. It really shouldn't have. And I did things that shouldn't have been possible.

At least all non-event related scenarios have played out as they're supposed to. I just need to be wary of the events, in case any more glitches occur. Let's see... the next one should be...

Oh, there's Emma. With Arthur. They're talking about something. I'm too far away to be able to hear what they're saying, but I think I recognise this encounter. I'm on my own, so if it's what I think it is... yes. They part ways, he walks away from me, and she walks towards me. This is a simple one.

She notices me, and pauses for just a step before altering her course to go around me. I keep walking nonchalantly until she's just about to pass me, and then I slam my hand into the wall in front of her. She lets out an audible squeak.

"L-Lady Francine?" She nervously looks at me.

I lean in, and she backs up against the wall. "You shouldn't be talking to Lord Arthur. He doesn't have time for someone like you. Know your place." It's right next to me.

This close up I can clearly see the discomfort in her eyes. Maybe even fear. It makes me feel uncomfortable, so I back off, and pull my hand away.

"I hope you get it, Grenier," I say, and walk away. She doesn't respond.

Even though that played out as it was supposed to, I don't feel particularly happy about it. I had hoped that doing something normal again would make me feel better, but instead I just feel like a piece of shit. Well, I am a piece of shit. That's how I was written. How I was created. I'm meant to be someone the player can hate. That Emma can hate. I had accepted that as fate. Something I couldn't do anything about. All these glitches are messing up my mind. Messing up everything. Even if the next save file returns to being normal, and everything happens according to the script again, am I going to feel okay about that? Or will I be too changed? Maybe that is what they meant by becoming corrupted.

Wait... was I supposed to lean in over Emma like that? Wasn't I supposed to just block her way? Oh no... is it spreading?

* * *

It is time for another event, and this one I have actually been looking forward to a lot. It's one of my favourites. Possibly the favourite.

It's family day. No classes today, instead everyone's families are coming to visit. Well, not everyone at once. Today is for the first-years. Then the second-years have theirs next week, and the third-years the week after that.

It's an old tradition. Initially started as certain parents wanted to come and check on the conditions of their children, it eventually turned into an official event. We all live in dorms, and there are only so many holidays, so we don't get to see a lot of our families while we're attending the academy. It's even worse for those whose families live far away. Everyone tries to be brave of course, but homesickness is not uncommon.

I do mostly okay, but I know Emma has some issues with it. In part because of the hard time I give her. She has friends, and her love interests, but it's still tough sometimes. Her previous school was a local one, where she still lived at home, and rode a broom to school every day. Sounds very... quaint.

So family day is for the benefit of both the students, and their visiting families. There are tours around the academy and the grounds, they get to see the dorms, talk to the professors, and see how well the students have settled in. It's open to parents, siblings, guardians, and any other close relations.

For instance for Otto it's hard for his father and mother to make it, as it's hardly the sort of excuse a ruler can take just to visit their son for a day. Instead his brother, the second prince Fredrik, has come to visit, along with the nanny who basically raised Otto. Fredrik looks very different from his brother, with a more brownish orange to his hair, and grey eyes that look like they can see your soul. He carries himself differently too. Definitely more regal. But he's clearly fond of Otto.

Arthur has his mother, and younger brother Victor come to visit. It's pretty astounding how closely the two brothers resemble each other. Victor looks exactly like a smaller version of Arthur. If they ever grew up to be the same height, you might believe they were twins.

Gabriel has both his parents, and his older sister Camille come to visit. She's an elegant beauty with long, dark hair. I think it's also supposed to be green, but just like Gabriel's eyes it's so dark that it looks nearly black. I hate to say it, but I think she's prettier than me. Though she's older too. If I got to grow up, maybe I'd also become beautiful like that. But I'm stuck in the loop of this game's story.

Valleroy is an only child, but both of his parents could make it. He's like a copy of his father, except with his mother's hair. They both know Emma well, of course.

Speaking of, Emma has both parents, her little brother Emile, and her little sister Claire visiting. They seem like a very close family, with all of them giving Emma hugs. Especially her mother seems reluctant to let her go. I'm a little jealous. My mother hasn't hugged me since I was little. It's just not a thing in our family for parents to behave that way towards their children once they've reached a certain age. I wonder if I would have turned out differently if we were more like Emma's family.

"Fran-fran!"

Ah, here comes the reason this is possibly my favourite event in the whole game. A girl 10 years of age is running towards me. My darling little sister.

"Louise!"

She leaps at me, I catch her, and twirl her around in the air.

"Ahaha, my little Lou, how I've missed you!"

Her giggling is enchanting. "I'm not little any more!" she declares proudly.

"Oh my, my mistake. You've grown so much, haven't you?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Now come here." I hug her close, and smooch her cheek.

"Eee, stop it, Fran-fran!"

"Never!"

It might not be proper for our parents to be too affectionate with us, but I will spoil my little Lou as much as I'm able. It's the only good I am able to do.

"Francine."

I look at the woman who just spoke my name. "Hello, mother," I say, and smile at her.

"I hope you are well," she says.

I put Louise down. "Naturally. And even better now that you two are here."

Please do not mistake my earlier words. I love my mother, and hold no ill will against her. But it's only natural to wonder sometimes, right? My father wasn't able to make it. Couldn't get away from business. But so long as I get to see Louise, that's the important part. It's a shame this is her only appearance in the game. So it's all the more precious.

Also part of this event is Emma getting to talk to the families of the boys. To learn more about them from a different point of view, I suppose. And she tells her own family about how she's been. Nothing about the bullying though. At least... she's not supposed to, but with all the glitches... what if she suddenly does? It's not like they could really do anything about it... except pull her from the academy, or maybe try to talk to the professors... no, it will do me no good to worry about it.

I look over towards them. Emma is actually looking my way. Is that smile on her lips? It's hard to tell at this distance, but it kinda looks like it. I suppose I don't seem so scary like this, but... why do I feel so self-conscious about it?

"Are you okay, Fran-fran?"

"Huh?" I completely spaced out there. Not good. I look down at Louise. "Of course, little Lou. I'm fine."

She furrows her brow. "Are you sure? You look funny."

"I look 'funny'? Isn't that a rude thing to say to your big sister?"

"Nuh-uh!" She starts running in circles around me. "Funny, funny, funny Fran-fran!"

"Why, you..." I grab her. "I'll teach you." She squeals with delight.

"Now now, calm down, you two," my mother says. "You shouldn't be making a scene."

We both look up at her. She's right, of course. But I really needed this boost to my spirits after all the weirdness lately. Maybe I got too carried away.

"So... who's that?" Louise suddenly asks.

"Hm?" I see she's pointing towards Emma, and her family. "Oh... that's just one of my classmates," I say as casually as I can.

"A lowborn?" my mother asks.

"Yes." Not much else I can say. My family doesn't really fraternise much with families outside of our social rank. Unless someone petitions us for something, but that's not quite the same thing.

"That girl looks about my age," Louise says. She would be right, as I believe Claire is one year older. "Can I go talk to her?"

"I..." I'm not sure that's a good idea, but I understand why she wants to. She doesn't meet a lot of children that are around her own age. I look towards mother, who is also hesitating. Neither of us like denying Louise anything, but neither of us are fond of the idea, even if we have different reasons for feeling that way. "Maybe later," I say sweetly, and pat Louise on the head.

"Mm... okay!"

The first tour is about to start. Hopefully Louise will forget about it before long.

Though there are two things that niggle at me. I'm not sure if this conversation was supposed to play out as it did. And I have this feeling that there's something I'm supposed to do, or to have done, but... I can't remember. I think I'm happy just focusing on my little Lou today.

* * *

I've not been feeling great since Louise went back home. I'm certain that day was supposed to have played out differently, but I enjoyed just focusing on her, and not worrying about anything else. Now I feel sad that I won't get to see her again until the next time I go through a new game, and she won't remember any of it. It's not the first time I've thought about it, but I can't remember it ever hitting me this hard before.

It's all these glitches' fault. They've messed me up. Made me think about a bunch of things I shouldn't have. I bet I'm corrupted.

"Are you alright, Lady Francine?"

It takes me a moment to realise who's talking to me. Bella and Eloise are walking with me, and Bella spoke up.

"I... I'm fine, thank you." An absolute lie.

I can feel the heavy pause before she speaks again. "It's just... you seem a bit down."

"I said, I'm fine."

"O-of course. I'm sorry, Lady Francine."

That was too curt of me. I know. Followers or not, they don't deserve me snapping at them when they only express concern. They are still friends, right? So why can't I bring myself to apologise?

Hm? There's some commotion up ahead. Oh. This one. Three girls have surrounded Emma in the hallway, and are picking on her. Her back is against the wall, and she can't get away. She could probably take them all easy if she wanted to, but she's a good girl. And she'd definitely get expelled. One of them notices me, and they get louder.

This is a result of my ostracising actually working. The girls are from another class, and are harassing Emma to try to gain favour with me. Old me counted this as a moment of triumph. Current me does not. I lost my stomach for this scenario many playthroughs ago.

There's just no class to these girls. No effort put into their bullying. No plan. No elegance. No ingenuity. It's just harassment. Okay, technically what I do is also harassment, but there's a difference. I actually put care into what I do. I don't just... trap someone in such an ugly way. Do I?

I don't even want to look. I've already not had a good day... a good week, even, and this is just galling. I know one of the boys is going to show up to save her shortly. Whomever she has the most favour with. Yes, even if it's Gabriel. He manages to find his voice and courage to stand up for Emma. I should just hurry past.

"Hey! Stop it!" Who... that's... my voice? "Only I am allowed to bully E- Grenier!" The three girls jump, and look at me with wide eyes. "Get! Out! Of! Here!" I growl. The three girls briefly look at each other, and then run away.

What was... that's... what I've wanted to say, for so many runs of this game. Maybe not those exact words, but... I've never been able to. Another glitch? It felt... cathartic. And kinda scary. I nearly said her first name.

"L-Lady Francine?"

I look to the side, and see Eloise with a very shocked expression. On my other side Bella has pretty much the same expression.

"I..." I don't know how I was able to do that. It shouldn't be possible.

"U-um... Lady Francine?"

My eyes snap forward again. Emma is standing right in front of me, looking very timid. I can tell she's tried to wipe her tears, but she's still a mess.

"Th-thank you... for saving me," she says.

I don't know how to respond to her gratitude. She shouldn't be grateful to me. I... I only did it for selfish reasons. I'm not sure how I did it. This is all wrong.

I want so badly to hug her close like I do Louise. I can't stand seeing her like this. There's nothing cute about this. Just a scared little girl, thanking the one who caused all this to begin with. But I can't comfort her. It's not my place. One of the boys will come along, and... take care of it... it can't be me.

"Y-you..." You're welcome. It would be so easy to say it. "I didn't do it for you. Hmph." I step around her, and walk away at a brisk pace. I don't even bother to check whether Bella and Eloise are following, or not. I just need to get away.

I don't understand what's happening any longer. Why is this all wrong? What is wrong with me? I didn't feel like I was really in control, but I did what I actually wanted to do. Am I acting on my own? That might be the most terrifying possibility of all.

* * *

The second round of exams arrives before I know it, and just as sudden it's time to see the results.

It's pretty much the same idea as last time, except it counts more. It doesn't seem likely for this player, considering what I've seen so far, but it's possible to get low enough scores that it negatively affects their playthrough. The boys' rankings have not changed much, and it's still the same subjects that are important for them. Diplomacy and social studies for Arthur. Nature and animal studies for Gabriel. Sciences for Valleroy. And magic theory for Otto.

But this time Emma can actually rank first in one subject. It takes a bit of dedication, but a skilled player will likely have managed to set it up by this point in the game. While we're still not quite at the point of no return, whichever she ranks first in will be a pretty safe indicator of which route she's going down.

If we discount all the glitches, the event results based on skill checks have been pretty good so far, so I feel like Emma will probably get there this time. There's no way to glitch this one. Just simple skill checks, like the basic tests in practical magic. It was only the more complicated part afterwards that went wrong. No complicated parts here.

So why do I feel so anxious as I look up at the board?

Let's see... she got third in sciences. Sixth in magic theory. Eighth in diplomacy and social studies. And... second in nature and animal studies? No first rank? And two of them were kinda low. Has the player been neglecting their studying? Maybe I've been misjudging this run, and they're not as skilled as I thought they were. They probably still have a good chance with Gabriel, and Valleroy.

Well- "WHAT?!" Everyone turns to look at me due to my sudden outburst, but I don't really care right now. Emma is first... in history. She beat me. Wha-

No. No no no. Nooo no no no. This can't be happening. I'm not a route! You can't go down me! ... I wish she would go down me... no, stop it, Francine. This isn't happening. I rub my eyes, and check again.

Exam results: History. 1) Emma Grenier. 2) Francine Lataille. 3) Arthur Merillat.

It's real. But it's not possible. But it's real. But... why? Is that what all the glitches have been about? Why would they do this to me? Now? After all this time?

Ugh... isn't this what I've wanted for so long? A chance to... no. No, this doesn't have to mean anything. I... I shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's another glitch. Corruption. We're going to crash any moment now, and it will all be over.

But... what if...

Chapter Text

"Lataille!"

I look up from my studying. There's only one person who would call out to me like that.

"That's Lady Lataille to you, Valleroy." It feels like a tired line at this point, but it's still my gut instinct to say it.

He stops by my table. "Sure, Lady Lataille."

I narrow my eyes. "I don't appreciate your sarcasm."

"And I don't appreciate your personality."

Paul Valleroy is basically the only highborn boy I don't bother concealing myself from in the least. With anyone else I at least try to hide my worst tendencies, but between him and me there only exists spite, and hostility. I suppose in a twisted sense that makes us closer than I am to most of my friends. And I know that simply telling him to go away won't accomplish anything.

"What do you want, Valleroy? I don't have time for your childish grudges."

I'm trying to remember what scenario this is. It shouldn't be too hard, since there's not a lot in this game the player gets to see where Emma isn't present at all. Actually, is she around? No, I don't think so. But with the messy state my mind is in now, I can't think of anything like this. Wait, maybe there is one where he shows up to tell me to stop bullying Emma? That has to be what this is about, even if I don't remember exactly how it goes. But even without a script, I know how to treat this boy.

"Fine, I'll get right to the point then," he says. "You like Emma, don't you?"

My heart stops. That... I didn't expect him to say that. How...

"What on earth gave you that idea?" is all I can think to say.

"You take me for a fool?" he asks.

Why yes, I absolutely do. But I'm not able to say that out loud for some reason.

"I've seen the way you light up when you see her, even if you're quick to hide it," he continues. "How you go out of your way to get close to her. The dreamy look you have when she falls victim to one of your attacks. At first I thought it was just because you really hated her that much, and took perverse pleasure in tormenting her, but then I realised it's worse than that."

I scowl at him. I didn't think he was that observant, nor that I gave away such tells, and I'm not happy about either.

"Let's say, purely hypothetically, that you are right. So what?" I ask.

"So stop harassing her. Can't you see what it's done to her?"

I grit my teeth. I have, but I'll be damned if I ever admit it to him. "Mind your own damn business," I growl.

"Emma is my business. She's my best friend." He smacks a hand onto the table. "And as her friend, I'm telling you now: If you truly like her, then stay the hell away from her. For her sake."

I lean back in my chair, and fold my arms. "Why bring this up now?" I ask. I don't like a single word he's saying, but curiosity compels me. It's been months in-game. If he really wanted to scare me off, shouldn't he have tried to do so sooner?

"When I thought you hated her, I figured that confronting you would only make it worse," he says. He might be right, too, if he was talking to my old self. "And so long as she hated you, and feared you, I would rather do my best to protect and comfort her. But lately..." His expression turns almost pained, even though he's clearly still angry. "She's started to express interest in you. Even talking about how you supposedly 'saved' her. She asks me for ideas for how the two of you can become friends. When I try to dissuade her, she just says you 'can't be all bad'."

Emma... I find it hard to breathe all of a sudden.

"I don't know what sort of twisted thing you did to make her think you're anyone worth anything, Lataille, but you'd better stay away from her."

"I am under no obligation to do anything you say, Valleroy," I hiss at him.

He straightens back up. The way he glares at me makes his eyes look like two scorching suns.

"Then consider this. After everything you have done to her, do you really think you have the right to be anywhere near her? If there is any shred of decency in that black heart of yours, if you care for her at all, you will leave her alone. She doesn't deserve anything you have done to her, and you don't deserve to be close to her."

I am unable to think of any response or rebuttal before he turns around, and leaves. I am fuming. How dare he? No... the worst part is that he is totally right. He shoved a knife right into the heart of the matter.

I've gotten so desensitised to all of this from just riding along with the script, that I stopped thinking about what it is I actually do. I just thought about how cute she is when she gets angry, or embarrassed, or looks like she's about to cry. And conveniently ignored the parts I didn't like, because I knew that so long as the player didn't screw up, then a happy ending was waiting for her. It was no one's fault, we all just played out our roles.

But now... now we're in uncharted territory. I no longer know what the future holds. The idea that I might have somehow become a route for Emma terrifies me. Valleroy is right. She doesn't deserve that. What sort of happiness could I ever be able to give her? And we are quickly approaching the route lock, assuming the game rules still apply. Am I simply following a new script now? Is all of this unavoidable? Or have I been granted free will?

If there is any shred of decency in my black heart... I need to find a way to get her to abandon any ideas of wanting to be friends with me before it's too late. And once that is done, I will just stop... no more bullying. No more harassment. She will be free of me. But how do I scare her off? I have already done so much to her. What could I possibly do that's even worse?

* * *
"Lady Francine!"

I turn around, and see a familiar figure coming towards me down the hallway at a near-run. Bella and Eloise come to a stop next to me.

Here it is. I channel every part of my old self that I am able. "What is it, milkmaid? Haven't I told you not to address me in such familiar fashion?"

She stops in front of me, and takes a moment to catch her breath. Apparently she pays no heed to my cold words.

"Have... have you seen my case? The silver one?" she asks.

"Why would you come to me about something like that?" I ask back.

"Uh... because..."

She hesitates. But I know exactly why. I tried to take it once before, and she has probably not forgotten any more than I have. Or she remembered while searching. Same difference.

"Oh, come to think of it, I have seen it," I say. "Last I saw it was heading to the bottom of the pond. After I threw it in there." I smile cruelly.

Her eyes go wide. "You what?!"

"Well, upon giving it a closer look, it wasn't as nice as I first thought it was. So I got rid of it."

She stares at me in disbelief for a moment, before she starts tearing up. "H-how... w-why would... that was..."

She's crying. What... what is this feeling in my chest?

"My m-mother... she... g-gave it... h-how could you..."

Oh God, she's sobbing. This...

Didn't I want to make her cry? Didn't I want to break her? Wasn't this my grand plan?

No. Not like this. I've never seen her this broken. I don't like it. This feeling... I don't like it. It hurts.

I glance towards Bella and Eloise. Their expressions make it clear they think I have gone too far. They don't like it either. I can only assume they think less of me now. But they would probably never say so out loud.

"N-no, I lied," I say quickly, and try to open my bag as fast as I can. "It's right here." I pull her precious silver case out from among my belongings, nearly dropping it in the process as my hands feel unsteady. "Take it." And push it into her hands. Some of her tears drip onto my fingers.

She goes quiet as she realises it's actually there, and then hugs it close to her chest. She looks up at me, tears still rolling down her cheeks. There's a hiccup, and a sniffle. "W-why are you so mean to me? Wha... what did I-I do?" The words are more confused than accusatory, but they still stab directly into my heart.

"I..." I like bullying her. That's how it has always been, even if the reasons for it have changed. But I've gone way too far. Wasn't that the point of this, though? No... not like this. I can't take it.

And it's not like I can tell her the truth. That it's the script that makes me this way. That I'm written to be like this. She wouldn't understand what I'm talking about. Not that I have that excuse any longer. This was all me. I know how important that case is to her, and why. And I still did it.

"I..." But what can I tell her? What excuse can I come up with? Probably the best I can do is something non-committal, like 'isn't it obvious, farm girl', and then walk away in a huff. That's the sort of thing I'm supposed to do, right? Then she can finally be free of me. I'll leave her alone for the rest of the game. Maybe next run I can do things differently. Be kinder. She deserves better.

"I... I only do it because I love you."

... What?! What did I... why did I just tell her that?! No no no, this can't be happening. It's not possible. I didn't actually say it. That's it. I was just thinking it. It wasn't out loud.

But the shocked expression on her face immediately tells me otherwise. I said it, out loud, right to her face. This is a catastrophe. This isn't supposed to happen! None of this was supposed to happen! Why is the game doing this to me?!

I turn on my heel, and leave without a word. Just walk away as quickly as I can without outright running. There's no salvaging this.

"L-Lady Francine, wait!" Bella calls out behind me.

"Wait for us!" Eloise joins in. They're probably both hurrying after me, but I refuse to look. I can't.

Valleroy's words really shook me. My own actions have shaken me. We are so far outside of familiar territory that I don't know, or understand anything any more.

Am I truly acting on my own? I always thought I wanted freedom, but I can't handle this.

I thought doing something this drastic might somehow put things back to how they're supposed to be. She's supposed to hate me. I'm supposed to ruin things. I had intended to follow through on it. Actually throw it in the pond. Just... later. I hadn't gotten around to it yet. She figured it out too quickly.

But... could I truly have done it? I know how important it is to her. She carries it with her everywhere. There really would have been no coming back from that. Could I still have done it? Maybe. It would have definitely made her not want to have anything more to do with me. It would have been what was best for her. Then I could have just stayed away. Maybe one of the professors would have been able to retrieve her case. But now I've just made it into an even bigger mess.

I can feel something run down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away. I'm a despicable human being.

Chapter Text

I stare into my cup of tea. What little is left has surely gone cold by this point. Cold, and black.

I hosted a tea party for the highest of the high ladies at the school today. It was a comfort to slip on the mask of Lady Lataille, and just have pleasant conversation for a few hours. I still play the role well. Or maybe it is who I truly am underneath it all, when I'm not such a mess. But everyone has left by now.

They say there are people who can divine the future through the medium of tea. But somehow I doubt this blend, nice though it is, could give me any satisfying answers.

There is a heavy sigh. I realise it comes from me.

"Are you okay, Lady Francine?"

Well, everyone except Bella and Eloise. I appreciate them not leaving me alone.

"Yes, I'm fi-" I nearly give the automatic response, but then hesitate. "No. To be quite honest, I am not."

The two of them exchange looks. I don't think they expected that response. I'm not entirely sure why I gave it. They aren't used to me speaking so candidly. Nor have I ever really had cause to. My followers. Apparently that's what that type of character is called in these games, so that's how I started thinking of them. They follow me anywhere I ask, after all. But... they're not really my friends, are they? Do I have anyone I can call a real friend? Not at this academy. The hated Lady Francine Lataille didn't need one for the purposes of this game.

Maybe... even if they're not my friends, maybe they could be? I could sure use one, or two.

"Bella. Eloise. May I confide in you?" I ask.

They look at each other again. I imagine they're surprised I would speak in such a manner.

"Of course, Lady Francine," Bella says, and smiles at me.

"Anything you require," Eloise concurs.

I set my cup down. They probably don't deserve this, but... here goes.

"I'm a bad person, aren't I?"

Their shock is palpable.

"O-of course not, Lady Francine," Bella is quick to say.

I smile. "I understand that you mean well, but please do not patronise me. I deserve to be told the truth."

"Milady?"

"Even you two, who have stood by me since the start of the semester, I have not treated fairly. I have just wielded my status over you."

"That's not true at all."

"Isn't it?"

There is a heavy pause.

"Is this about Grenier?" Eloise guesses.

I hesitate. But when I've gone this far, what point is there in holding back? "Yes. I've treated her so cruelly, and for what reason?"

"Well... she is lowborn," Bella points out.

"True, but I'm not sure if that's really a defence of my character," I say. "Lord Arthur would never do anything of the sort."

"Well... she..."

They want to ease my conscience, but I don't deserve it. "She did nothing wrong. You both know that as well as I do. I just... thought it was fun when I started. I'm truly a bad person."

"Lady Francine, please..."

"Am I wrong?"

Another pause. I knew it.

"You have really changed, Lady Francine," Eloise says.

"Huh? I... I suppose so..." At least she doesn't make it sound like a bad thing. I keep thinking of old Francine as if she was a completely different person, but I wonder to what extent that is true, and how much of it is simply wishful thinking. "I should stay away from her from now on." It's the least I can do. "But I can't help wonder if there's any way I can make amends..."

"Perhaps you should apologise?" Bella suggests, though she sounds a little hesitant to do so.

I consider it. "I... probably should." I don't deserve forgiveness, but maybe it could ease the hurt somewhat. "Thank you. For listening."

They clearly didn't expect that either, judging by their surprised expressions. "Um... you're welcome, milady."

"So... is it true, then? What you said?" Eloise asks in a cautious tone. "That you lo-"

I cut her off quickly. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

* * *

I'm a coward. While I agreed that I should apologise, the only thing I've been doing is avoiding Emma as fervently as possible. That I've been able to do so is just more proof that this is no longer the game I know. There was supposed to be three encounters I'd be involved in before the next event. Maybe more, depending on what activities the player picks. I wonder if there are any activities for me... maybe they tried picking some, but I've managed to steer clear of those too. I'm still not sure whether it's the thought that I might have free will, or the thought that I'm simply following a new script, that scares me more.

But now the next event is upon us: the grand ball. This is a semi-fixed event. Everyone dances at the same time, and we switch partners at regular intervals. It's set who dances with whom at which points. A chance for Emma to have some one-on-one conversations with the boys before the player makes their final choice. They get to go through some dialogue options. In theory this should be a safe one for me. I know the order of switching by heart. And I really like dancing, so I always used to look forward to this event. Now I go into it with a sense of unease.

Everyone has shown up in their finest gowns, or tuxedos. I have an elegant light blue one that my mother had made for me when I started at the academy. Emma is wearing a yellow one that matches her sunflower hairpin. Even though she is wearing a different pin, the dress colour is the same. She's so cute... no, now is not the time to think about that. I should abandon all such thoughts.

We get onto the dance floor, and things proceed as they're supposed to. I should probably stop thinking of it that way. I no longer know what is and isn't supposed to happen. It's rather about what I'm used to. At the start of this playthrough I was so certain that I knew everything. Now I feel... lost. Helpless. It's not pleasant.

Ah, time to switch partners again. Let's see, by this point I should be switching to Arthur. We typically have a pleasant conversation, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood this time around.

Hang on, this isn't Arthur. This person is much too short. I look down at a familiar brunette. "Em- Grenier?!" Damn, I almost did it again. And the nearby dancers probably heard my outburst.

"Lady Francine." Her tone is demure, but at least she's not trembling or anything. That's... something?

Ugh... no no no, what am I thinking? Why is this happening? It's hardly unheard of for girls to dance with girls, or boys to dance with boys, but why... I should have expected this. These aren't just glitches. Someone is intentionally doing this to me. To punish me. And I can't break away, or leave. That would be a horrible breach of etiquette. Ugh... okay, calm down, Francine. First thing's first. She's shorter than me, so I should put my arm around her like so... oh God, she's so soft. And she smells good. I might faint. That would be one way out of this. Is this confirmation that I'm a love interest now? Why would anyone put that into the game? I'm so...

"You... you can call me Emma if you want, Lady Francine," Emma says, breaking my train of thought.

Of course she caught my little mess-up. Oh... I want to so badly, but... "I really can't," I say instead.

"Oh... but..."

She seems to be searching for the right words, but I would rather she didn't probe too far into this.

"I want to apologise." This is my chance.

"Huh?"

I should have practised this more. "I went too far," I start with. "I'm sorry I took your silver case, and... no, not just that. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. You didn't deserve any of it. I know it's probably not worth much coming from me, but I am truly sorry." My emotions are starting to well up, but I need to remain calm.

Her wide-eyed expression is probably a good indicator that she didn't expect to hear that. "But... why did you do it...?"

I look to the side so I don't have to meet her eyes. "I have no excuse."

She falls silent. It's hard to enjoy the music, but I feel a little impressed that she hasn't missed a step of our dance.

"Lady Francine, I... accept your apology." She falls quiet again, though I can tell she's thinking about something. "Um... do you think we could be friends?"

It sounds so innocent when she says it, but I really wish she hadn't asked. "I'm not sure that's possible."

"Oh... do you really hate me that much?"

Way to stab right into my heart, Emma. "No, that's not... I'm a bad person, Grenier. You should stay away from me."

"I've tried."

I know. I know you have. I'm the one who's been hounding you. I look at her again. "I promise to leave you alone from now on. I'll stay away. You will never need to worry about me again." That... hurt more to say than I thought it would.

"But..." I can't decipher the look she's giving me. Relief? Pity? Surprise? Joy? Sadness? Any, all, or none of the above? "What you said at the end last time..."

"I don't recall saying anything," I boldly lie right to her face.

"Oh."

What? Why is she smiling at me? It's so bright.

Oh thank God, it's time to switch partners again. Yet... I don't actually want to let her go. I want to hold her forever. But I can't. Goodbye, Emma.

I feel... no, I can't cry. I won't allow it. Not here. She's better off now. I should be happy.

A couple of partners pass by before I see the next step of my punishment approach.

"Lataille."

"Valleroy."

We have both done this enough that we know how to endure a partner we're not fond of, but I'll admit it's a bit of a strain right now.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" He says accusingly. I know what he's referring to.

"You think I planned it?"

"Didn't you?"

I glare at him. "Of course not. You really think that's possible?" If he thinks I'm lying, there's not much I can really do to convince him otherwise, but I find myself unable to hold back.

He doesn't look convinced, but he moves on. "Well? What did you say to her?"

I want to tell him it's none of his business, but he won't leave it at that. "Don't worry. I apologised, and told her I'll leave her alone."

"You..." His look of surprise is oddly satisfying. Though it's quickly replaced with suspicion. "Good. But know I'll be watching you."

I roll my eyes. "Of course you will."

* * *

Finally back at the dorm room. I lock the door, and throw myself onto the bed. This is going to ruin the gown, but I'm just so exhausted.

So that's it. I've done my part. I'm out of the game. It's for the best. For her sake. She'll be happy. It's...

"Emma..." If only... if only I wasn't... wasn't so...

"E... Emma..." My chest hurts. My eyes sting. I hate it. I hate all of it.

Why did they have to add this to the game? I'm not... I shouldn't be... who would want... me? Why would they do that to me? I know the answer. It's my punishment. For all the times I've just sat there, and watched myself torment her.

"Em... ma... whyyyyy..."

Is this the first time I've actually said her name out loud? I don't deserve to speak it.

"E-e-emmmmmaaaaaa..."

It's hard to breathe. I'm so pathetic. So gross. Blubbering like a baby.

Can it be game over soon?

Chapter Text

"Lady Francine."

I look up. There's a voice I don't hear too often.

"Lord Gabriel."

Soft-spoken, but with a purpose. He rarely says much unless he feels it is necessary. So why has he come? Has he approached me even once in all these playthroughs? Perhaps. We have spoken at several points, I know that much, but he's not really the type to initiate conversation. Though I actually quite like him.

"You are on your own today?" he asks.

"Yes, I... yes." I asked Bella and Eloise to leave me for the day. They worry too much.

"May I take a seat?"

I put my book down. "By all means." He sits down, and looks at me. It's really hard to read anything in those dark eyes of his. "What has brought you here?" I ask.

He waits for a moment before replying. "I am not one for small talk, so I shall speak plain. I have come on behalf of Emma."

A chill runs down my spine. I'm not sure how to respond to that. "Pardon?"

"Normally I would not approach a bully, but as you appear to have changed your ways, I agreed to make an exception." Every word feels like it hits me like a hammer, despite his soft voice. Was he always this imposing? "You see, Emma has expressed frustration that Lord Paul has been unwilling to help her. So she broached the idea of asking Lord Arthur to talk to you. I believe, and you likely agree, that would not be a great idea. Hence I volunteered to go in his stead."

"Pardon?" I am floored. Not just at how much Gabriel is saying, but also what he's saying. "Why would she..."

"I can only speculate. She has mentioned how lonely you look. Such compassion for someone who tormented her for months."

I flinch. But I can't deny it. "Yes. Grenier is a good person. I am not." He doesn't argue, nor did I expect him to. "Is that what you came to say?" I feel like I would rather be alone again.

He shakes his head. "No. Emma wishes you would stop avoiding her."

My heart skips a beat. I stare at him as if he just told me the sky is red. "But... why?" I probably sound pathetic, but it's all I'm able to say.

"She wishes to speak to you, but you always retreat if she comes near. I have cautioned against this idea, of course, but she has been quite adamant." He sighs lightly.

I don't understand. She is free. "Why would you agree to tell me this? You know what I've done." That confuses me as much as any of the rest of this.

"Yes." His gaze feels rather oppressive. "But if I didn't, then she would find someone else. Someone not aware of the full extent of the situation. Under the circumstances, I thought I was the better option."

I feel battered. The way he speaks, the impact of his words, makes it clear he is not happy about being here. He never raises his voice, and on the surface he has a flat, neutral tone, but somehow I can still sense what lies underneath. Perhaps he enjoys seeing my discomfort as a result. A taste of my own medicine.

Yet he's here nonetheless. "I still don't understand. Do you really think I deserve to speak to her?" I ask.

His brow furrows just a little. "If you are asking me personally, then no. I believe your current course of action to avoid her is the correct one."

"Then-"

"However." He cuts me off. "I'm sure we all have our opinions on what is best for Emma, but should that decision really be up to me, Lord Paul, or even you? She is a good person, yes, perhaps even a little naive, but she is also a remarkably strong person. Shouldn't the choice be hers?"

* * *

It is with some trepidation that I head towards class today. I thought about Gabriel's words long into the night. The choice should be Emma's. Not just because she's the protagonist, but because it's likely none of us would be happy about having others decide what is right for us.

Valleroy won't like it, and I'm not sure it's a good idea myself, but if it's just to talk to her... I don't expect to ever be forgiven for what I've done. I'm not even sure there's any way to fully make amends for it. But maybe I could protect her... no, don't be silly, Francine. All you're going to do is convince her that it's for the best for you to stay away from each other. That's it.

There she is. She's just standing alone in the hallway outside class? Is she... waiting? For me? The urge to flee is rising. I cast nervous glances towards Bella and Eloise. Maybe I should have been brave enough to face Emma alone, but... I'm not sure I trust myself that much. They show me encouraging smiles. While I haven't told them every single detail, they basically know as much as anyone by this point. Whether or not they approve of me talking to her... I haven't dared ask.

Emma spots me. "Lady Francine!" She quickly steps closer.

I shouldn't be doing this. "Good morning," I say.

"Good morning," she says. "I was hoping for a chance to speak with you. I've been worried."

Worried? About me? She is too good. I don't deserve that at all. I want to- no, focus, Francine. You know what you have to do.

"Emma, listen. I merely intend to explain to you why it's best that you stay away from me."

Why did it suddenly go quiet? Why are they looking at me like that?

"L-Lady Francine..." Why does Emma look like she's about to burst? "You called me Emma!"

Oh. Crap.

* * *

"Valleroy."

I march right up to his desk.

"Lataille?" He gives me a confused look.

"I need your help."

"You what? Why would I help you?"

I nervously twirl my hair around my index finger. "It's Emma. She won't listen to me."

He stares at me in utter disbelief. "... what? Wait, when did you start calling her Emma?"

"That's not important."

"Yes it is!"

"No, listen. We both know she's better off away from me, but she won't listen. You're her friend, explain it to her," I insist.

"Wha... why would... no, I mean you're right... but..." He seems to be experiencing some internal conflict. "I've tried!"

"Please!" This might be as close to begging as I've ever gotten. But if Emma keeps insisting on talking to me, I don't know how long I'll be able to resist. I'm not strong enough.

"She won't listen to me either!" He sounds both annoyed, and frustrated. And maybe a tad confused. "What's gotten into you, Lataille?" he asks.

A very good question. "I don't know..." I groan.

This isn't like me at all. Why did I think it was a good idea to ask him? I'm not thinking straight.

* * *

"Hear me, Lords and Ladies of class 1-A!"

The teacher has just left the room, so everyone's attention turns to Otto Giltstern, standing up by the head desk.

"I propose that we go ghost-hunting tonight!" He grins wide.

The classroom fills with murmurs. Only a few students look like they actually have a clue what he's talking about. I'm not one of them.

"What do you mean?" Valleroy asks, saving the rest of us the trouble.

"Well! You see, there have been rumours about strange noises, weird sightings, and eerie lights over in the east building. Apparently it always starts not long before midnight. There are no classes tomorrow, so no need to get up early. Why not go see what we find?" He certainly seems quite keen on the idea.

"Ghosts aren't real, Prince Otto," I say.

He has the nerve to wag his finger at me. "How can you be so sure, Francine? Spectres exist, after all. Isn't that almost the same thing?"

"Definitely not," Arthur speaks up. "While spectres are indeed classed as spirit creatures, there is no evidence to support the idea that they're spirits of the dead. And there has never been any sightings of a spectre this far east."

"Oh really? Maybe the two of you are just afraid to go check it out?"

"Of course not," both Arthur and I say in almost perfect concert.

"You're in, then! Good, good!" Otto looks very pleased. I realise he was baiting us, and we fell for it. "What do you think, Gabriel? There are spectres not far from your home, correct?"

Gabriel nods. "Yes. They are mostly harmless, though attracted to magic. But I concur with Lord Arthur that it's unlikely one has found its way here."

"Good man! Your expertise shall be invaluable!" Otto turns to address the whole class again. "Now I don't blame anyone who would rather pass, but anyone who wants to go should find a partner to go with. Maybe more than one, though I think we should keep our groups at a maximum of 4-5 people. It's a big building to search through, after all. Then we'll meet at the entrance to the building an hour before midnight, and set out!"

I don't recognise this event at all. Another new thing added to the game? I suppose that is the only explanation. Ghosts... what a ridiculous notion. I should ignore Otto's baiting, and just refuse to go anyway.

"Lady Francine?" Emma is suddenly standing by my desk. I didn't even notice her approaching. "Would you like to go with me?"

My mind goes blank. My heart pounds really loudly. What did she just say?

"What? No! You can't go with her!" Valleroy protests.

Emma looks at him. "Why not? It's my decision," she says stubbornly.

"But... she..."

Unfortunately I agree with him. As nice as the thought is, I don't think it's a good idea. "Listen, I think Valleroy is right..." As much as I hate to say it.

Valleroy looks surprised. Emma looks disappointed. "You don't want to go with me?" she asks.

"I..." That's not fair, Emma. If you look at me like that, how am I supposed to resist? "That's not what I meant... exactly... I just..."

"Good. It's decided, then." Her expression brightens up. Too bright.

Am I the one being bullied now?

"Well, then I'm coming with you," Valleroy says.

Before I can think of something to say, Emma puts her foot down. Literally. Stomp. "No. You two will just bicker the whole time. I'm not having it."

"But Emma-"

"I said no." It seems almost funny for a girl of her size to stand up to a boy nearly twice as big as her, but Valleroy is the one who looks about to back down. It's that strong will, and determination of hers. In the boys' routes she eventually finds the courage to start standing up to my bullying, and stop taking my shit. Every good ending has me being humiliated, or rendered irrelevant in some way. I suppose something similar is happening here, except now she's standing up for me. How ironic.

"Not to worry, Paul!" Otto comes swooping in. "I shall escort the ladies, and make sure they have a good time."

What does he mean by that? But Emma is quick to accept his offer before I have a chance to ask.

* * *

The academy is quite different after dark. I've never had cause to go at that time until now. After meeting up, we quickly split up. Emma, Otto, and I went to the third floor with two other groups, and then we went in different directions to search. So far there's been nothing. Of course we've barely started, but... there's going to be nothing, right?

While initially being his usual bold, talky self, Otto has ended up walking a little bit ahead of us. We can still see him clearly, but... it's almost like he's giving us room. Meanwhile Emma is right next to me. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act.

"Are you okay, Lady Francine?" Emma suddenly asks.

I very nearly jump just from that. Never been particularly fond of the dark. "I'm... fine. Though not entirely sure what I'm doing here." I didn't mean to say that out loud, but too late to take it back now. Maybe saying what's on my mind isn't the worst idea. "Why did you ask me to come, Emma?" I ask.

"Mm... I want to talk to you," she says quite simply.

"But why? I promised to leave you alone. You don't have to..." I'm not sure how I want to finish that sentence.

"Hm... I don't mean to sound rude, but... you look very lonely sometimes, Lady Francine."

I blink, and look towards her. I do? I mean, that's not entirely incorrect. "Even if that was the case, so what? Isn't that what I deserve?" I try not to sound bitter, but I'm not sure if I succeed.

"No, I don't think so." She is far too good for me. To me, I mean.

My gaze drifts towards the floor. "I hurt you."

"Yes."

"A lot."

"... yes."

"So... why?"

There's a moment of silence. "I want to understand you, I suppose." It doesn't sound like she's joking.

"Huh?"

"You've changed since the start of the year, Lady Francine," Emma says. "You seem almost like a completely different person. It makes me a little curious. And..."

There's an extended pause. "And?" I ask.

"No, it's nothing." I can see her smile from the light of the lantern. Why does she have to be so cute? It makes me want to...

"Huh? Where's Otto?" she asks, stopping my train of thought.

I look up. He's nowhere in sight. "Wasn't he right there?" I ponder. I glance behind us. Nothing there either. Well... it's not like we can see that far into the darkness, but Otto has a lantern of his own. The other groups also have them. But I can see absolutely nothing. There are some lamps in the courtyard outside, but they don't really illuminate anything in here.

"Otto?" Emma raises her voice, and calls out.

Has he hidden somewhere? "This isn't funny!" I call out. "Come out here!"

Calm down, Francine. He probably just thinks he's being clever. Sure, it's dark, but you haven't heard, or seen anything. You have a lantern. Emma is right there. There's no such thing as ghosts.

"Lady Francine?"

"Huh?" I look down, and realise I've grabbed onto Emma's sleeve. I let go. "Sorry about that..."

"Do you... think the ghosts got him?" Emma asks.

"O-of course not! Ghosts aren't real!" My nervous laugh isn't a good sign. Keep it together, Francine. Think rationally about this. "I-I'm sure Prince Otto is just playing a prank on us... eek!" I heard something. I'm not sure what it was. But I think it came from in front of us. Otto. Has to be. But I can't see anything...

Wait, there's a light. Definitely Otto. I'll give him an earful, prince or no. Uh... why is it so dim? It doesn't look like a lantern... it doesn't illuminate anything, it's more just... floating there. Just a prank. Has to be. There's no such thing as-

The lantern goes out.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" I cling on tightly to the nearest thing I can find. It clings back. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!"

* * *

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

"Stop laughing! It isn't funny!" I'm fuming.

"I strongly disagree," Otto says smugly.

We're back outside, and Otto laughed basically the whole way here. He had used his wand to fake a ghostly light, and then knocked out our light.

"I think I might be bruised..." Emma says.

"I'm so sorry..." I say. Though the same might be true of me. We both held on really right, and we're both quite strong. If I hadn't been so terrified, it might have been quite enjoyable. And I wouldn't say I'm opposed to the idea of my hand-prints on Emma's body... no, stop it. That's just my wild heartbeat talking. It's refused to calm down since the scare.

Otto looks so pleased with himself. I almost want to slap him. "Well, we didn't find any ghosts, or spectres," he says. "But at least you two got a bit closer. Literally, even! Hahaha!"

"Wait, was that your plan all along?" Surely he wouldn't do all of this just for that.

He shrugs. "I had hoped to actually find a ghost, but... I've sensed some tension between you two, so when I had the chance to do something about it, I took it."

I just stare at him. "You..."

"Isn't it the duty of a royal to look after the people?" His grin is so irritating.

"But we're not your people!"

"Don't be like that. Royalty transcends borders, Francine."

"It does not! That is literally what kingdoms are about!"

He starts laughing again.

Why isn't Emma saying anything? I look towards her. She's just... smiling. Why does she look so happy? She's beautiful. My heart...

Ugh, no! "I'm going to bed!" I declare, and walk off. I don't even care whether I look petulant as I stomp my way towards the dorms.

Chapter Text

I have been musing on things. Assuming the game's rules still apply, and I have actually been added as a love interest for some unfathomable reason, then there should be a good ending for me. Or rather, for Emma with me. Also a bad ending, and possibly a neutral ending. Leaving those options aside, I can feel my heart racing at the thought of there actually being a Love ending for us. It's possible it's a really hard one to get. Just because one exists doesn't mean I'll get to see it. This time, at least. The player might have picked the wrong options. Or I have already messed things up too badly.

The character of Francine Lataille is not meant to know what I know. Even if there's a new script, I might have broken it, or reacted in ways that affected the route negatively. Maybe it would be easier for a Francine who wasn't self-aware like I am. If I get into another playthrough with this route, perhaps I could be kinder, and somehow make it easier.

But let's say hypothetically that Emma actually fell in love with me, and we got together. How would I explain that to my family?

The fact that she's a girl isn't the issue. Sure, as the first-born I am expected to produce an heir, but that's what fertility wizards are for. Despite the impression the original premise of the game gives, same-sex relationships have never really been taboo in our world. While a man and a woman is the most common relationship type, most people don't hold any prejudices towards other types of relationships.

There used to be some restrictions, of a sort. As I said, the first-born of a highborn house needs to conceive an heir, and keep the family going. Hence the first-born were rarely free to seek out any sort of uncommon relationship, unless there were special circumstances that still allowed them to conceive a child. So the option was only truly available to any younger siblings. An unfortunate by-product of our society.

That all changed with the founding of the school of fertility magic several hundred years ago. As the name implies, it was originally founded to combat infertility. Even among man/woman couples there were times where one or both were simply infertile, and could not conceive regardless. Some were forced by their families to take a new spouse, or have some sort of surrogate arrangement, but it could be quite the blow to any couple wishing for children. In some cases the only option would be to pass the title of heir down to the second-born. While justifiable, most first-born would feel ashamed that it had to come to that.

Until some magicians figured out a way to counteract infertility, and allow affected couples to conceive children anyway. It involves taking a bit of the life force from each person, along with some stuff, and... listen, I'm not privy to all the inner workings. It works, that's the important part.

The monarch at the time recognised this achievement as revolutionary, and granted the order their own academy for further training, and research. Becoming a fertility wizard is one of the trickiest magic disciplines due to the delicate manipulation of life force, and body matter involved. You need a diploma with sufficiently high grades from a regular academy with magic training like this one to even start at the fertility academy. It's rare for anyone under the age of 25 to be a fully certified wizard.

Then came another revolutionary discovery: This magic can work for any two people, regardless of their gender. So long as two people are willing to undergo the procedure, anyone can conceive a child together. Which opened the path for even the first-born to pursue any relationship they would like. There are some people who are against this, as they claim it is unnatural. Well, so are the buildings we construct, the clothes we wear, and the food we cook. Bread is not a product of nature. Defying nature is part of civilisation, yet it's somehow only a problem when it comes to things people don't like.

Regardless it means Emma and I could have children together. I wonder which of us would be the bearer... maybe we could take turns? I think I'd like more than one...

Wait, wait, I'm getting way, way ahead of myself. Even assuming we get the good ending, our existence will end as soon as the credits roll, and I'll move back to the start of another playthrough. Besides, I have no idea if Emma even wants children. Maybe our relationship wouldn't last because of the pressure of me needing an heir.

Anyway. Back to my original point: The issue is that Emma is lowborn. Marrying for love is hardly discouraged, but highborn families often expect their children to adhere to certain standards. My parents are not bad people, just set in their ways. And I'm sure they expect me to find a highborn partner for marriage. The game originally set me to pursue Arthur, whom I'm certain my parents would have considered a spectacular catch. Convincing them to accept Emma might not be easy. Assuming Emma wants to go that far with me in the first place...

It's only hypothetical anyway. The game doesn't last that long. But can I be blamed for dreaming?

* * *

I feel a bit nervous as I knock on the door. The last time I was in Emma's room was during the cleaning event. I've not gone in there to attempt any more sabotage or anything since. How fitting I now get asked to come help clean it.

Asking Emma for ways I can help make things up to her, even a little, has been surprisingly fruitless. I figured she would have several ideas for things she has dreamed about seeing me do or say, but she's not been very forthcoming. Maybe I've been a pest about it as a result. Eventually she said I could come help clean her room. I suppose that's a start.

I asked Bella for any tips, since... I'll be perfectly honest, I have hardly cleaned anything in my entire life. While initially shocked at the mere thought of me cleaning, she assured me it's not that complicated. Just make sure I wear something I don't mind getting dirty.

The thing is I don't really have a lot of clothes you might consider casual. The things I don't mind getting dirty are basically my gym clothes, and outdoors wear. Still, I found a jumper I was thinking of throwing out soon, and I picked a uniform skirt because I don't really have much else I wouldn't be a little worried about. I am slightly proud of myself for thinking to put on pantyhose, in case I need to get down on my knees.

My maid Lucille would be absolutely horrified if she knew about this. She can never know.

The door opens, and there she stands. Emma Grenier. She's so pretty.

"Lady Francine!" She actually seems happy to see me. I don't deserve that. Nor would have I thought it possible a mere month ago. "Do come in," she says, and heads back into the room.

"Thank you," I say, and follow her. Why do I suddenly feel even more nervous? There's a pleasant, calming scent in here, though. I look around. It doesn't particularly look in need of cleaning, but I'm hardly an expert on that subject. "Where do I start?" I ask. Even if I don't know what I'm doing, I'll do my best.

"I was hoping we could start with a cup of tea," Emma says.

I give her a puzzled look, then notice a teapot on the table. Steam is rising out of spout. So that's where the scent is coming from. There are two cups, and even some biscuits.

"But... what about the cleaning?"

"Not necessary. I just thought that maybe you wouldn't agree to come if I didn't come up with something." What a clever smile she has.

"I..." I still might have, but... she might be right. If she had just invited me over for tea, I might have hesitated to accept. "I didn't think you capable of such trickery, Emma." It worked, as well. I'm still not used to not knowing everything that is going to happen. Well, I'm here now. I can't exactly just turn around, and leave.

She seems pretty proud of her accomplishment. "Please have a seat," she says, and sits down to start pouring tea for us.

I sit down too. "Thank you," I say as she's done filling my cup. Tea made by Emma. For some reason the very idea is making my heart beat a little faster. I have no idea how good she is at it, but it certainly smells very nice. Chamomile, huh? Maybe she also felt a little nervous, and decided to go for a relaxing one. Or maybe I'm reading too much into things. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful. Hopefully it'll help me calm down a little. It's still hot, so I take a very careful sip. Nice. Quite nice.

"So how are you doing, Lady Francine?"

I look over at her. How am I doing? Is she still concerned about me? I really don't deserve that. "I'm quite well," I reply. Certainly now that I'm here with her. "How about yourself?"

She smiles wide. "I'm good!" Her smile is really dazzling.

"Though I must admit I still don't understand why you decided you want to be my friend, rather than just be free of me." It is not the first time I've asked, but I've never gotten a good answer. Maybe I should just give up, and accept it.

She pauses for a moment, then puts her cup down. "I considered it. But I could feel that you had changed... or were changing, perhaps. And you saved me."

I wince a little. "Please don't be grateful for that." That's been on my mind ever since. "You understand that was my fault to begin with, yes? They were just trying to... please me." It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to say it, but it's true nonetheless.

"Yet you stopped them. And no one has bothered me since."

That is perhaps not so surprising. Word of what I did, and what I said, probably spread.

"And even before then..." She drops a sugar cube into her tea, and stirs it around. "Your little sister is very cute."

Oh, right. I remember Emma looking towards us. "Yes, my little Lou is adorable," I agree.

"Little Lou?"

"It's my nickname for her. Louise. She's a very good girl, unlike me." I miss her.

Emma giggles a little. "She looked like she was about the same age as my sister."

"Hm? Yes, she should be pretty close to Claire."

She suddenly looks puzzled. "How do you know my sister's name?"

Uh... crap. I wasn't thinking. Of course I'm not supposed to know that. "I... guess... I heard it somewhere." That probably doesn't sound convincing at all.

"Hmmmm..." She's staring at me. I can only imagine how suspect I seem. Why am I such a screw-up?

"A-anyway, this tea is really nice," I say, hoping to change the topic. The temperature is much more acceptable now, and I can't say anything stupid if I'm drinking.

She stares at me a little longer, then thankfully seems to give up. "Thank you. I was a little worried about how it would turn out."

We engage in what I would call pleasant conversation. Asking questions back and forth, even if we don't share anything particularly deep. Though I have seen all of the game's dialogue, it still feels different to hear about her in her own words. And hopefully she likes what she hears about me, as well. She said she wanted to understand me, after all. I keep worrying she'll bring up the sister thing again, but it seems like I'm safe.

How could I ever hope to explain that this is a game, and I know everything that happens in it? How could I even explain what a game is? It took me a while to come to terms with all of it myself. Not that I actually know everything any longer anyway. At best I could maybe simply make it look like I'm a creep who looked up the school's file on her. That's something I could have probably secured access to. Hopefully I won't have to make her believe something like that. Maybe she's already suspecting it, though.

I focus on sharing stuff from my backstory. My likes. Hobbies. Things I've done. What it's like in my family's lands.

Then all too soon it's time to leave again. I wouldn't have minded staying all night, but I can't. Maybe another time... no, don't start thinking about that. Bad Francine.

"Thank you for coming, Lady Francine."

"Thank you for the invitation, though you don't have to resort to trickery next time."

She giggles. "I'll keep that in mind."

There's something I've been thinking about though. "Also, you don't have to call me Lady Francine. Just Francine is fine." I think it's a good time for that. I don't want to keep being reminded that I'm supposed to be above her.

"Eh? I... but... that's... I'm not sure..." She's blushing a little. I wasn't aware she felt that strongly about it.

"I would rather we treated each other equally. Would you prefer I started calling you Lady Emma instead?" I tease.

Oh wow, she really blushes at that. "Please no," she says.

Oh no, she's so cute. I haven't seen her so embarrassed in a long time. This isn't good. The old urges are coming back. "Whyever not, Lady Emma?" I can't resist. She looks sooo cute.

"Please stop... Francine. There. You happy?" And now she looks a little grumpy too. This is too stimulating for me. I need to get out of here.

"Very. See you tomorrow, Emma."

Her blush is fading, but she's still unbearably adorable as she smiles at me. "See you, Francine."

When I get back to my room, I fall onto my bed, stuff my face right into my pillow, and let out a short scream. Why does she have to be so cute?!

* * *

It's time for a sports tournament, and I am excited. This is an event I actually recognise. I have sort of gotten used to no longer knowing what is happening next, but it is a really strange feeling after being stuck to a script for so long. Now we're back on familiar ground, though the truly exciting part is seeing how it might play out differently in this new route. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

It feels weird to think back on how much the 'glitches' used to freak me out. During a single run of the game, my attitude has changed so much. Perhaps after thinking about it for so long, I was ready for change, even though I didn't know I was.

The tournament is in table tennis. A chance to show off our physical skills. It is fixed up to a point. The final match is always between Emma and me, but the outcome there is based on how well the player has kept up their skill training.

If she wins, it's pretty straightforward no matter what route she is on. It's a moment of triumph, where she challenges me on something where I have the edge, and still beats me. Any of the boys are either impressed by her skill, proud of her accomplishment, or some of both. Arthur and Otto mainly care about her skill, while Gabriel and Valleroy are mainly proud of her for overcoming me. Regardless it's a big moment in her story.

If she loses, the consequences differ based on the route.

For Arthur it means the good ending is off the table. He no longer thinks she's good enough for that. The player can still achieve the neutral 'Just Friends' ending, but any hope of romance is lost, and the chance of the bad ending happening goes up considerably since I impress him instead.

With Otto there is still one path to the good ending, but the player has to pick some very precise options for the rest of the game. He is no longer sure she has the determination he's looking for, so a neutral or bad ending is more likely.

Valleroy is mainly disappointed in himself, as he helped Emma practice in his route, and she still lost. That he did his best, and still wasn't able to help her, causes a decline in confidence. It doesn't really push towards the bad ending as much as the previous two, and it's still possible to achieve the good ending, but it's tough.

Gabriel isn't that interested in sports, so the skill aspect doesn't really affect him much, but Emma is really down afterwards, and the gap between them widens again. He starts to realise how far apart their stations really are as he struggles with how to comfort her. It doesn't make him want to abandon her, so it probably pushes for the bad ending the least out of the four, but it sets the course firmly for the neutral ending unless the player is quite dedicated.

As for me... in the original four routes, I try to sabotage Emma's chances. I'm the villain, after all. Winning is a point of pride for me, and I don't believe she's worthy of a fair fight. But now I'm not sure how it will play out. Sabotage is off the table, and I double-checked that Bella and Eloise are also aware of that, so they don't try anything misguided. This will just come down to Emma and me in a one-on-one match. And does it really matter which one of us wins if I'm the love interest? Will I think any less of her if she loses? So long as she does her best, I don't see why I would. If she tries to hold back, I will be disappointed, but I have no reason to think she would. I'm excited.

Things start out as expected. Emma and I both make our way through the tiers. I'm well-versed in a lot of sports, at least the ones that the highborn treasure, and table tennis is one of my favourites. Maybe this event has something to do with that. I like how it lets you see your opponent up close. Regular tennis is perhaps considered more elegant, but the players are so far apart. Similarly I like fencing for letting me get close to my opponent, but the way you use your body, and your reflexes is very different in table tennis. I like the movement, and the impact of the ball on the racket. It gets my blood pumping. My heart racing.

And the thought of playing against Emma when I'm not supposed to hate her is already making me excited. Perhaps I'm going a little harder against my opponents than I should. Need to conserve my strength, at least a little bit.

The moment is here before I know it. I look at her across the table. Her breathing is a little laboured, as is mine. We've had some breaks between matches, but it's been pretty fast going overall. She's wiped her sweat, but I can still see some fresh beads on her forehead. I really like this look on her face.

"Let's have a good match," I say.

"Yeah," she replies, and smiles. So pretty.

Emma's play-style is very powerful. Her biggest strength is her smashes that can break through almost anything. But she is also a highly adaptive player. She tends to start out slow as she gauges her opponent's play-style, and changes her own to counter them. So even if it looks like you have the upper hand at the start, she is often able to stage a comeback. You really have to give your all if you want to beat her.

My style relies more on skill and finesse. I try to find, and aim for my opponent's weak points. I have a more varied range of shots than Emma, and I'm well practised with my loop drive, using top-spin to help set up shots. I am not as skilled with other drives, but I've been known to use a bit of curve to throw opponents off. So my shots may not have the same power-level as Emma's, but I'm better at landing them.

All in all, I have the edge. Hence why Emma's victory is such a big deal in the other routes. And when I was following the old script, win or lose was entirely binary. If she had sufficient skill it played out one way, and if she didn't it played out the other. Always the same strokes and shots, back and forth. But now... I know Emma's play-style. I have seen it so many times. No matter how well the player has done, I know what she is capable of. I should be able to beat her regardless. I just have to be smart about it.

It starts out as expected. We have some light rallies, and I score the first couple of points. She adapts and gets one back. I'm playing a bit more cautiously than usual. We have technically never played each other before, so she doesn't know what I'm capable of. I don't want to give everything away too soon. But I also can't let it drag out for too long.

I'm probably the best athlete among the first-year girls. I'm sure I could beat most, if not all, of the boys too. But my stamina is not infinite. While the early tiers were best-of-one matches, the semi-final was best-of-three, and so is the final. First to 11 points each game. This is tougher without a script to follow, as I need to actually think of the correct balance between holding back so she doesn't get to see all my moves too soon, but also needing to end it before I'm worn out completely. Do I hold back this game, and unleash everything in the second, or overwhelm her here and now, and trust my skills for the second game? Taking the first game shouldn't be hard. Taking the second will be trickier.

Unfortunately it seems I'm being too cautious. She started tying me up pretty quickly, and now she's passed me at 8-7. I had hoped I could last a bit longer, but I need to get this game over with it seems.

But what should my plan of attack be? Start with my weaker skills, and save my ace, or just rush her down? If she wins the first game, I am really in trouble. I don't think I have much of a choice.

The next time the ball comes flying my way, I break out the loop drive. There are some gasps in the audience from those who have seen me play before, and recognise what I'm doing. They've probably been waiting for it. The ball bounces off her racket on the return, and goes high into the air, which lets me smash it past her for an easy point. She isn't able to follow it. For now. The next four points go to me in quick succession, and the first game is mine. I'm a little relieved, but also worried about whether it was a mistake to use it so soon. I need to keep up this momentum, and win the next game before she is able to adapt. I can't let up for a moment.

The next game starts out well, and I power through the first five points easy. Nearly halfway. But I can feel her shots are gradually hitting harder, and she gets one past me before I get to use the drive, making it 5-1. Still, I get up to 6-1, then 7-1, and then... she catches it. I was afraid of that. Unfortunately I wasn't ready for it, so it's 7-2. I could be in trouble here. I was really hoping she wouldn't be able to adapt in time, but I knew deep down it was a futile hope. She usually would have started catching up a couple of points ago, so I thought maybe I had it. The 5-1 made me a little nervous, so maybe that's what swung the momentum.

I try to keep going, but it gets up to 7-5 before I'm able to aim well enough to sneak one in for 8-5. It was a lucky one, though. She probably won't make that mistake again.

When we're at 8-7 in my favour, I realise I need to do something. I've turned helpless under her smash barrage. I am so close. Three more points. If I can just get this done... but she is not letting up. She looks so fierce. So determined. Practically grinning with excitement. Old me would have been furious, but now it nearly makes my knees go weak. No time for that. My only shot is changing tactics.

Suddenly switching to the curve drive catches her off-guard as I had hoped, and I manage to get to 9-7, and 10-7. But I just can't get that final point. My curve drive is not as strong as my loop drive, and she is properly warmed up now. The sweat practically flies off of her with each smash.

It quickly becomes 10-10. Then 10-11. And though I try with all my might, turning it into quite the rally, I am not able to stop her from bringing it to 10-12, and taking the game. I am in big, big trouble.

When it comes to stamina, she has an edge over me. Not a huge one, but at this point it is probably enough. We are both tired, but I'm a little worse for wear. Yet I refuse to give up. All hope is not lost. Being tired means she is more likely to make mistakes, and precision is on my side. I am also likely to make mistakes, but it's possible she'll make more than me. And I have one more trick in my bag.

Her shots are no longer as sure, so although she takes the lead, she is not wholly dominant. It's at 5-2 in her favour. Time for my last gambit before she pulls ahead too far. We have both been going for forehand smashes so far. Hers to power through, mine to close out my loop drives. But I also have a pretty killer backhand.

I set up my loop drive again, and I can tell she's expecting the follow-up. But at the last possible moment I pivot, and go for a backhand smash instead of a forehand. It flies past her. 5-3. She looks in the direction of the ball, and then at me. She looks surprised, and... impressed? Then she grins wide at me. I grin back.

5-4. 6-4. 7-4. 7-5. 7-6.

I try to alternately between backhand and forehand as best I can, never falling too far behind her, but also never really catching up. Once we're at 10-8, I know it's over. I'm so tired. I have to score four in a row to win. She only needs one before I score two. I don't see how it's possible. But I'll be damned if I just give up. I marshal whatever strength I have left, and hope for a miracle.

The miracle doesn't come, but I get to see something spectacular. As I put my everything into a blow I hope against hope will give me a point, I look over at her, and it looks like she is literally on fire. I can see her blaze. I think my old self would have been scared, but now I'm mesmerised. She is so beautiful. Everything seems to move in slow motion as her racket moves to meet the ball. There's a high-pitched *ping* sound as they connect, and the ball zooms past me faster than I can follow. It just barely bounces off the edge of the table before it keeps moving.

The game is over. The match is over. She won. I thought I could outdo her with everything I knew, but it just wasn't meant to be. I'm so tired I drop to my knees. There's no strength left in my legs.

"Lady Francine!"

I look up to see Emma rushing towards me. How is she still standing?

"That's just Francine, remember, Lady Emma?"

"Uh, right... Francine." Her face is already so red that there's no way to tell if she's blushing.

She offers me a hand up, and I take it, but then pull her down instead. To hug her tight. She reeks, but I don't think I'm any better. "Congratulations," I say.

"L-" She barely catches herself. "F-Francine?!"

"It was a great match," I tell her. She feels so nice, and warm. I could stay like this forever.

"Y-yes, b-but everyone is watching." Her tone is a little desperate.

I blink, and look around. Oh. Right. We're not alone. Everyone is indeed looking at us. Most of them look pretty shocked. "S-sorry!" I quickly let her go.

She gets up, and I actually let her help me up this time. That's embarrassing. What is everyone thinking right now? Do I actually care?

* * *

Water has never felt this good before. I could probably drink a whole bucket. Water is good.

"You really surprised me there," Emma says.

"Sorry about that..." Though am I really? I don't feel any particular regret about it.

The look she's giving me makes it feel like she's also doubting my sincerity. She takes a big gulp of water herself.

I wonder if it's bad etiquette to just eat a whole rock of salt? I have a seriously big craving.

"So... is it true, then? What you said?" she asks.

I'm confused. "About the match?"

"No." She shakes her head. "That you love me?"

Oh. I had almost forgotten that. And was kinda hoping she had too. Or... am I happy that she's kept it in mind? I have a lot of emotions right now.

I could try to deny it. But... would it just hurt her at this point? What would she think if I lied, and said no? This is too hard to think about in my current state.

"Yes," I admit. Easier to keep my story straight if I tell the truth.

"Why?" she asks.

What does she mean 'why'? "Because you're cute, and sweet, and good. Strong. I've dreamed of hugging you for so long." Far longer than she can imagine. And not just hugging either.

"Oh... for how long?"

"Since the start." Of this playthrough, and many before it. But she doesn't know about those.

"Then... why were you so mean to me?!"

I look at her. She seems genuinely upset, and not in a cute way, unfortunately. "I told you. I have no excuse. I'm just messed up."

"Mmph... I don't understand you."

I laugh gently. "Me neither." I feel a little nervous about asking, but it's probably for the best to make sure. "Do you hate me now?"

"No." I thought she would at least think about it, but the answer is immediate.

"You're too good."

"I'm not sure about that." She moves over to the bench I'm sitting on. "But I would like to get to know you better, I think."

My heart starts beating faster again. She's so close. My hand is shaking a little bit as I dare to place it over hers. She doesn't pull away, so I enclose my hand around hers. It's soft, and warm. At one point I thought her hands might feel as rough as they look, but that's not the case at all. I'm happy I was able to find out.

"Okay," is all I say. Smooth, Francine. Very smooth.

Chapter Text

The year is almost over. We've had the third and final round of exams for the first semester, and are awaiting the results. I think it should have gone well. Emma and I studied together, so hopefully her results will have improved a bit from the second round.

Next week we go on new year's break. So while we technically still have classes this week, there isn't a lot they bother to teach. It's mostly used for winding down. Everyone would rather start with fresh minds next semester, the professors included.

So for today's nature and animal studies class we have been taken outside to do some bird-watching. We're supposed to be observing non-migratory birds, but about half the class are taking it as an excuse to goof off, and relax. The professor is pretty much the same, admittedly. He brought a chair to keep watch from, but his binoculars are just resting on his chest while he's staring off into the sky. I think he appreciates the break from grading exams.

There's not been any snow yet, but the air is quite crisp and chilly. Everyone is bundled up nice and warm. Not many people have any part of their uniform visible. It's mostly the boys' trousers. Though there are a couple of girls who have just put on some thick pantyhose under their skirts, and a coat. They have to be more warm-blooded than I am. I've put on my riding leggings, as they are quite warm, and weather-resistant. And in addition to my thick coat, I have a woollen scarf that Lucille knitted for me. So I'm quite toasty.

Emma is also warmly dressed. She even has some cute ear-muffs. Apparently her ears get cold very easy. I've never really had that issue.

We've teamed up with Gabriel to actually do a bit of watching as intended. He knows what to look for, and where. And he is willing to work with me. Or perhaps he just said yes to make sure I don't do anything inappropriate to Emma. It's been over a month since I last did anything to hurt her. Close to two? Even though it feels like much longer. And I think watching the ping pong finale made people see me a little differently afterwards. No one expected the infamous Lady Lataille to hug her opponent after a loss. But I am not so foolish as to think he suddenly trusts me completely. I have not earned that.

Emma, Gabriel, and I have found a small rise in the ground away from the others to get a bit of an elevated position for our watching. Granted Gabriel does most of the work for us. While I know the theory pretty well, I don't really know what to look for in practice. I think Emma might know more than me, but she also defers to Gabriel's superior knowledge.

I've been wondering if it's okay for me to do anything. With Emma, I mean. Is it okay if I hold her hand? Sit a little closer? I know there has been talk about us, especially since the game. But the rumours haven't gotten very far yet, since who would believe that I would get involved with a lowborn student in any capacity? Personally I don't care whether they know, but I'm not sure how Emma feels about confirming that there's anything between us. I haven't dared ask.

There is something between us, right? I mean, she knows I'm in love with her. She didn't turn me down. I even got to squeeze her hand. She didn't pull away. I'm a love interest. Surely I'm not reading too much into things. Right? ... what if I'm reading too much into things? What if Emma just wants to be friends? Ugh...

"I see a pair of tits in that tree there," Gabriel says.

"Pardon?" What did he just say?

"In the old oak by the brook. A pair of blue tits."

Oh. Right. The birds. Get your act together, Francine.

"I want to see," Emma says.

I hand her my binoculars. "Here."

She accepts them, and has a look. "Aw, how cute." I guess she found them.

"Looks like they're checking the bark for hibernating insects," Gabriel tells us.

"Do you want to see, Francine?" Emma asks as she turns towards me, and offers me the binoculars.

I can't keep a straight face any longer. The giggling starts, and I can't stop.

Emma gives me a puzzled look. "What's so funny?"

I manage to take out a mirror I brought along just for this occasion. She takes a look in it, and then gasps.

Her eyes are surrounded by black rings. Caused by the ink I applied to the binoculars I gave her.

She gives me the grumpiest look. "Francine!" She's so cute.

"I'm sorree-heeheehee." My giggling is turning into outright laughter.

"No, you're not!" she says accusingly, and I topple over. My sides hurt.

"What's the matter?" Gabriel asks. Emma turns towards him, and I hear him cough very briefly. "Oh my."

"Don't you start too!" She's very indignant.

"I don't know what you mean," he says with remarkable composure. "Honestly, Lady Francine. Are you five?"

He's doing a good job at maintaining a chiding tone, but even in my current state I can see he's very poorly trying to hide a smile.

He does have a point. It's a childish prank. But ever since I was reminded of how cute Emma looks when she gets embarrassed or angry, I've been trying to come up with harmless ways to bully her. Just a little. And this was too good to pass up, even if it's elementary-school level. Besides, only Gabriel and I are here to see it. I hope this isn't ruining any goodwill I've built up, but it's like I'm incapable of stopping myself. Maybe some things sit too deep in my writing. Maybe I'm just that messed up.

Gabriel takes out his wand, and uses a spell to clean Emma's face.

"I can't believe either of you," she says.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with this," Gabriel protests.

"But you laughed!"

"I most certainly did not."

I did. I still am. I can't breathe.

* * *

"Lataille!"

I look up. There's still only one person who addresses me like that.

"Valleroy."

I have been expecting this at some point. I'm surprised it took this long.

"Didn't you say you were going to stay away from Emma?"

I did. "I tried."

"Doesn't seem like you tried very hard."

I genuinely tried my best, but I can see why he'd have a hard time believing that. I folded very easily, after all.

Something that has been on my mind is that if I'm now the love interest, then who takes the role of the villain? In the original four routes most the drama caused in the final act was spear-headed by me. But I've been clear with anyone in my social circles to not cause any trouble. So who's going to be my 'Francine'?

Valleroy is the obvious candidate. He doesn't want to see me with Emma. The last month has probably not been great for him. I imagine he's tried talking to Emma more than once. But unlike my villainy, he genuinely has good cause to be opposed to all this. For all the bad feelings between us (mostly due to the actions of my old self), I do not want him to suffer a fate similar to what I get at end of any of the boys' routes. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

So now he's come to me to try to warn me off once more. Which puts me in an awkward position. I do not want to give up on Emma, not when there's even the slightest chance of gaining her affection. But I also don't want to ruin the friendship between them. I think that would make Emma very unhappy. Is there any way for him to accept me?

"I did, but she kept coming after me. What was I supposed to do?" Maybe I'm just making excuses.

Though I can see he also seems a little troubled. "You could have turned her down. Pushed her away."

Maybe, but... "How? I don't want to hurt her again..." That I can't think of any way to turn her down without trying to hurt her probably doesn't speak well of me.

There's a pause.

"You sound serious," he says.

"I am. I... listen, I know you don't like me. And you have very good reason not to. I've done horrible things, and I don't expect you to forgive me. I know you have no reason to believe me either, but I really don't want to hurt Emma ever again." I didn't mean to say quite that much, but if it can in any way convince him, then so be it.

He sits down. The way he's looking at me seems a little different. "I didn't expect to hear something like that from you, Lataille."

That's fair. But maybe that means I have a foot in the door. "As you already figured out, I like Emma. And you were right for calling out my behaviour as the twisted thing it was. I have no defence. But now that she actually wants to be near me for some reason..." I sigh. "I'm too weak to say no, I suppose. But I also don't want to ruin your friendship, so... is there any way we can make peace? Call a truce?"

He doesn't look pleased. "I hate that you have a point, Lataille. And that you're being so reasonable about this. Things were much easier when you were reprehensible."

He might be right about that. Back when I didn't have to feel any guilt about my actions, because I didn't have a choice. Or did I? I'm not sure if I truly want to know.

"If she... if she changes her mind, and tells me to go away, I will... I will swallow my pride, and my heart, and do as she says." I don't like thinking about that, but I know it's the right thing to do. If she decides she doesn't want me, I can't imagine any way I'd be able to win her back from that. "But so long as she wants me to... allows me to stay close... I don't think I'll be able to walk away."

"And it's not like my efforts to try to change her mind have gotten me anywhere," he says. "In fact I think it's upsetting her that I don't give up." He sighs. "She probably wouldn't be happy if she knew I was here right now. Alright, Lataille." He looks me right in the eyes. "I can't say I entirely trust you, but for Emma's sake I'm willing to call a truce. I don't want to hurt her any more than you say you do. I'll still be keeping an eye on you, though."

I can't help smiling. "I would expect nothing less. Thank you, Valleroy."

He grimaces. "Please don't thank me. It sounds really wrong coming from you."

I stifle a laugh. Maybe it's going to work out. Somehow.

* * *

Fleurs Magiques Academy is in a fairly isolated location. The reason for this is some matter of debate. The official story is that it's to prevent students from sneaking off, and getting caught up in 'distractions'. Some allege that the location was chosen to avoid property taxes. Others say they were forced to build in the middle of nowhere by a spiteful monarch. More conspiratorial souls claim the site is extra rich in natural mana, making the use of magic easier. Though there has been no conclusive proof that any part of the land is inherently more rich in mana than any other, it is possible they used to believe that when the academy was founded.

Regardless of the reason, the reality is that it's about an hour's travel by horse from the academy to the nearest town. Too far of a journey to reasonably be made on a broom, and going on foot is absolutely out of the question except in the most desperate circumstances. It's a little more reasonable on horseback, but not a lot of teenagers are very interested in riding a horse through a largely untouched landscape for an hour.

The only reasonable option is going by carriage. It's still an hour on the road, but at least you're sitting in comfort for the duration, and can read, converse, nap, or whatever you'd like.

While some students use the new year's break to head back home, those of us who stay will often head into town for new year's eve. There is a celebration at the school as well, but it's honestly nice to get away a little while we can. Though there is the issue of needing to stay overnight if you want to stay past midnight, which travelling students typically want to do. There's a big launch of non-magical fireworks which is always very impressive to see. I should know, considering how many times I've seen it.

But there is something I will be doing for the very first time: Riding in Otto's magic carriage. It's one of the innovations from his country, that hasn't spread very far in ours yet. A horseless carriage powered by magic. It looks largely the same as a regular carriage from the outside, except that there's a compartment in the front for the driver, so they are also spared from the weather. Apparently it's powered by a mana-stone that lets it run for about five hours if not pushed too hard. The stone recharges slowly from ambient mana when not in use, but can also be recharged more quickly by a wizard if necessary. It has a few drawbacks over a traditional horse-drawn carriage, but overall I think it's a marvellous invention. And according to Otto they're working on models that will be able to go even faster than a horse ever could, but so far their attempts at doing so have ended up breaking the carriages.

If the player is still in the game, then Emma gets to ride in the carriage with the four boys, as Otto is gracious enough to invite them all along. In truth he wants to show it off. I usually ride in a horse-drawn one with Bella, Eloise, and a couple of others. A very classy one, but hardly innovative. This time I've been invited along too, and honestly I'm quite excited. The carriage is designed to seat six, so apparently there's no problem on that front. Thankfully Bella and Eloise were very understanding. I'll find some way to pay them back.

From the inside it's not much different from a regular carriage. On smooth stretches of road you can just barely hear the hum of the mana stone, and unless you're really listening for it, it's easy to forget you're not hearing the clippety-clop of horses in front. Of course the interior is as luxurious as you'd expect of a prince's carriage. Fancier than anything Emma has ever ridden in.

Arthur is busy quizzing Otto about the particulars of the carriage, Gabriel has brought a book, Emma is somewhat in awe at the experience, and Valleroy is more relaxed in my presence than I think he has ever been. I'm glad he agreed to a truce. Even though he still doesn't trust me, I'm sure he knows there's not a lot I can do in here. I'm simply trying my very best to not seem as excited as I actually am. Not just because I'm riding in a magic carriage, but also because I'm in here with Emma, and the others. Feeling included is a nice thing. I'll miss it when I go back to playthroughs of the original four routes.

* * *

The hour passes quickly, and we're soon stepping off into the town of Cardonne. It's hardly one of the largest in the country, but its proximity to the academy has seen it grow steadily to a respectable size. The festivities are already in full swing, as they started a couple of days ago. There are decorations to be found everywhere, but the actual festival square is right by the town centre. Due to the increased foot traffic, it's impossible to get all the way there by carriage. So we stop by the boarding house we're staying at, and intend to walk to the square after dropping off our things.

I decide to wait for Bella and Eloise before I go in. Their carriage isn't far behind ours. Emma waits with me. She's getting along surprisingly well with those two. I think they even meet up without me sometimes, though I have no idea what they could be doing.

When we're all assembled, we start walking towards the square. While that is where most of the booths, and stands are set up, there are others who have attempted to be opportunistic by setting up along the main streets leading there. Mostly food, and drinks. There are a few selling charms, and souvenirs, but I would think most of the crafted goods are in the square.

We are still free of snow, but it's definitely gotten a lot colder. And it's already mostly dark. It's the shortest day of the year, after all. So basically every food stall has warm food. Fried meats. Warm porridge. Soups and stews. A lot of pies. Even some fruit pies. They must have set aside and preserved the fruit specifically for this. Outside of the most decadent parts of the biggest cities, where they can afford to pay for greenhouses, there is no way to get fresh fruit this time of year.

Not exactly a lot of cold drinks being served either. There's warm milk, hot chocolate, coffee, warm juice, cider, mulled wine. I like a nice cup of mulled wine, though I'm not allowed to have the alcoholic version yet. There was one time I took some from my father, and he was furious. Even if it's technically just in my backstory, I can still hear the scolding I got quite clearly.

As we reach the festival square, and the throng of people crowding it, we start to spread out. There's different things we all want to look at, and the amount of lamps set up everywhere thankfully makes it all easy to see. Though I confess my main priority is wanting to stay with Emma. Thankfully she doesn't seem to mind. We don't really have any way to find each other in all of this except by accident, so everyone agreed to just head back to the boarding house when we feel like it. And to try to not end up completely alone. While the risk of anything dangerous happening is low, it's still safer to walk with at least one other person.

For now it's just Emma, Bella, Eloise, and I walking around. I was certain that at least one of the boys would stick with us, probably Valleroy, but even he vanished into the crowd somewhere. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. We look at the game booths we pass. There is the always classic ring toss, of course. It has probably existed longer than this town, but it's still quite popular, and crowded with kids and adults alike. I imagine I could nail it easy, but I'm not tempted to stand in line. The others agree.

There is ball throwing, and dart throwing. The latter of which we actually have a go at. I thought that my archery skills might give me the edge, but I only win a small charm. Eloise on the other hand completely nails it, and makes off with their biggest stuffed bear. It looks nearly as big as her, and definitely as big as Emma. I imagine it will be a pain lugging it around for the rest of the night, but she looks very proud of it.

There is no archery booth, as there's not really room to set something like that up. Apparently there used to be one when the town was smaller, and less crowded. But there is a different kind of marksman booth.

About a decade ago firearms started popping up, using basically the same gunpowder principle as non-magical fireworks. They were imported from somewhere out east, and have started being produced in this country too. They're quite expensive, and I've never actually tried firing one. I've heard it's very different from using a bow. Because of their cost they're not really a major part of any army yet, but another non-magical marksman weapon is tempting to a lot of people. There are also experiments being conducted on whether it's possible to replicate their function through magical means.

Of course, the rifles at the booth are basically just toys meant to punch holes in paper, and are not designed to kill anything. They roughly look the part, so you know what it's supposed to be. You might be able to knock a pigeon out of the sky with one. They don't even use actual gunpowder, it's all spring-loaded action. You pull back a hammer, the trigger releases it, and it makes a pellet fly out. I'm curious how it is to aim compared to a bow though. They say it's a very different experience, but maybe I can still do it. So I give it a go.

It doesn't start out great, as I can't quite figure out how to hold it. So in my first round of five shots I hit the target once. Down, to the side. But I refuse to give up. I think I've got it now. Second round goes a lot better, though I still don't quite nail it. I get a medium prize, and pick a stuffed sheep about the size of my head, which I give to Emma. Maybe that's a bit cliche, but she blushes really pretty as she thanks me. Or maybe it's just that her cheeks are red from the cold.

I guess it's time to move on, but... where are Bella and Eloise? I can't see them anywhere around us. I ask Emma, but she didn't see where they went either. She was too busy watching me. You'd think Eloise would be especially easy to spot with that giant bear of hers, but there's just no sign of them. I hope they're not in any trouble. Or... could they have intentionally decided to leave Emma and me alone? I'm not sure which option makes me the most nervous. Regardless I don't think it's possible to find them again unless we're lucky. They're probably fine.

We decide to get some food. A pair of mutton pies. Maybe a little insensitive to the poor stuffed sheep, and my parents would definitely not approve of me having one, but I have a bit of a weakness for stuff like this. I also get some mulled wine, while Emma gets a hot chocolate. When we're nice and warmed up, we hear the bell start to toll. One hour left until midnight. I ask Emma if she's willing to go somewhere with me, just outside of town. She agrees.

It's a little bit of a walk, and we'll no longer have the comfort of the town lamps, but it's a clear sky, and a full moon, so we should be able to see. More importantly we should be able to make it in time before midnight. There's a small hill out there that's perfect for watching the fireworks from. I have never actually been there personally, I only know of it due to the game's script. It's where Gabriel takes Emma in his route. So maybe this counts as cheating, but it's a really lovely place. Hopefully he won't mind.

Though I wonder... is it okay if I hold her hand as we walk? I mean, I'm taller, so I'd kinda have to bend down a little to grab it. Would that seem too awkward? I just don't know. Oh, we're already out of the gate. Let's see, it should be this way. My eyes need to adjust a little, but it shouldn't be far. Wait, maybe now is my chance to... I mean, it would be easier to not lose each other... no, I already had that excuse with the throng of people in the city. Oh well...

"Here we are," I say as we get up there. The air feels even colder out here, but the walk has warmed me up. Hopefully Emma feels the same.

"Whoa~." She sounds suitably impressed. Thank you, Gabriel.

As my eyes have adjusted, I can now basically see the whole landscape around us just from the light of the moon, and the stars. We can see across the town too, though we're not quite high enough up to see anything except all of the rooftops. The place they're launching the fireworks from is just outside of town further down. I can make out some lights that probably mark the area where they're setting up.

"So, why bring me all the way out here?" Emma asks.

"Huh? Um... I just thought..." Pull yourself together, Francine. "There's a good view of the fireworks from here, and I thought it might be nice to watch them together... I-I'm not planning anything bad, honest!"

Emma giggles. "I see. It does seem nice here."

There's a flash. I look towards it. Fireworks are going up, but not from the main stage. They have the telltale look of magical fireworks. Possibly some students. There's always someone who starts early. The big display isn't supposed to start until the bell begins to toll, though I'm not sure whether we will hear it all the way out here. All we can really do is wait.

I take out my wand, and raise a bit of the ground to act as a bench for us, and conjure a cushion to make it less cold to sit on. It will only last for an hour, but that should be enough.

"After you, Lady Emma." I try to sound elegant.

"Francine..." She groans, and sighs. "Alright." And lets it slide this time. Unfortunately I can't tell if she's blushing. She sits down, and I follow suit.

The silence feels awkward. I realise I have zero idea what to say. What do you talk about just before midnight on new year's eve? We have never really been quite this alone before, have we? I feel my heartbeat getting faster just from thinking about it.

"Nice weather for it," I say. It's pretty much as perfect as it can be. I guess I can be thankful to the game's creator for that.

"Mhm."

Emma doesn't say more than that. So much for my attempt at starting a conversation.

I can faintly hear the bell of the clock tower, even among the pops and crackles, saving me from having to come up with something else. Two tolls. Three. Four. Ah, there it starts. A fizzling light launches into the sky, before it explodes into a mass of sparkles that crackle as they fall back down. It's soon followed by many more. I wish I knew more about fireworks, because I suddenly find myself curious how they manage to make the different colours and shapes. It's easy enough with magic, though it would take several strong wizards, or one enormously powerful one to create a display rivalling this. I'm sure the one at the academy is also impressive, but this is something else. It almost feels like I'm seeing it for the very first time.

I suddenly feel something on my hand. "Emma?" I look to the side, and see that she has taken my hand. She's holding my hand. Oh no, my heart is starting to race.

"I'm cold," she says, and shuffles a little closer.

"O-oh..." I press a little closer too. The drumming of my heartbeat feels louder than the fireworks. I didn't expect her to... or maybe I should have. Or maybe I shouldn't read too much into it. Her hand is definitely cold, so maybe it's just for the warmth. Yeah, maybe.

"Hey, Francine?"

"Yes?"

"Happy new year."

I squeeze her hand. "Happy new year, Emma."

New year's eve is over. The solstice has passed, and the sun has turned around. The darkest part is behind us, and the days are going to get longer again. A new year awaits us. Even if it's not going to last for that long before the game ends, I still feel incredibly grateful for getting to experience it this way. If only it didn't have to end. Next playthrough the next player will probably pick one of the other routes, and I'll have to return to being the villainess...

"Hey, Francine?"

"Hm? Yes?" Thank you for snapping me out of it, Emma. I shouldn't be thinking about that stuff, not right now.

"I've been thinking... I'm sorry it's taken me this long to give you an answer, but... I think I love you too."

"Eh?" What did she say? I think my heart froze there for a moment. Did she just... "A... a-are you sure?" Wow, what a great response, Francine.

There's a pause. "Not really. I mean, I've never been in love before... but I think about you a lot. You make my heart beat faster. I want to spend more time with you."

Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God. Is this real? I want this to be real. But I also feel... scared. "E-even though I did so many unforgivable things?"

Emma leans against me. "I don't feel like that's the same you any longer. You've changed. I trust you." I'm not sure I've earned that. "So... even if I'm not certain... would you be willing to give me a chance?"

"Yes!" Oh God, I didn't mean to actually say that so loud, and so... my cheeks are burning. "Y-yes, of course." I try to sound more composed, even though I know that ship has already sailed.

"I guess that means we're dating, then." I can't really make out her expression, but she sounds happy.

"I guess so."

Oh God. Does this mean I'm... I mean, is Emma actually getting the good ending? Is that locked in now? Or can I still screw this up? Can she change her mind? Oh God. I'm freaking out. Don't screw this up, Francine. Please, for the love of God, don't screw this up.

Chapter Text

The second semester starts much like the first.

"Oops~." I bump into her in the hallway, causing her to drop her books.

But now...

"Francine!" Emma gives me a really grumpy look, and I feel like melting. She's sooo cute.

"Sorry~. I guess I have to help you pick them up now." Do I sound too happy? Maybe I do. It's been a week and a half since we watched the fireworks together, and I've felt like I'm floating on a cloud ever since.

We both crouch down, and start collecting her books. I gently touch her hand, and she smiles at me. I don't think I've ever been happier. If only I could hug her close all the time. It's all I want to do. Maybe tease her a bit. What if I tickled her? What sort of expression would she show me?

"You've got a really goofy look on your face, Francine... are you thinking of bad things again?"

I blink. "W-wha... I don't think about bad things! I'm good now!"

"Uh-huh..." It doesn't seem like she believes me. Oh well.

I suddenly think of something, and start looking around. We've gotten all the books, but if it's really like first semester, then where is the case? I don't see it anywhere. I've not made it go missing, have I? Oh no.

She touches my arm, and I look at her. It seems like she read my mind, because she points to a silver object poking out from her coat pocket. I feel a little relieved, though I'm not sure if she expected my villainy, or if that's just where she keeps it now regardless.

We stand back up, and I stack the books I picked up on top of hers. I like this a lot better. Sure she's adorable when embarrassed, or grumpy, but her smile is really beautiful too.

Yes, I am aware that I've got it really bad. But I intend to enjoy this as much as I can for as long as it lasts. I don't know when, or if, I'll get another chance.

* * *

I picked up a book from the library that I have never read before. In the grand scheme of things it's a very minor perk of no longer being bound to the same routine, and the same actions over and over, but I still like it. However the book itself is not as exciting as I had hoped, so I feel close to dozing off. Maybe reading it in bed was part of my mistake.

My door suddenly flies open.

"Francine!"

A certain girlfriend of mine steps into the room, and she does not look happy. But she looks extremely adorable, with every strand of hair on her head standing straight out. I've been waiting for this, and can't stop myself from giggling.

"It's not funny!" she says.

"I'm sorry, Emma, but it is," I reply.

"You're not sorry at all!" She's right about that. "You did this, so you fix it!"

I put the book away, and get up. "I can't."

"What?"

"Don't worry, it'll wear off in about an hour." Maybe two. "But I have no way to fix it right away." It might be possible to come up with a counter-agent to the potion I slipped into her shampoo, but I didn't bother.

"You..." She just stares at me. I didn't think her disbelief would be that pronounced.

"Why not stay here with me until it returns to normal?" I suggest, and step closer.

"You..." She sighs, and finally relaxes. "You're incorrigible."

"I am a little sorry," I say. "But that time in the locker room I wanted to feel what it was like so badly." Very gingerly I reach out, and push my hand against the orb of hair. It sinks in easy. "Ah, it's so fluffy~."

She blushes. "You could have just asked me to use it. I wouldn't have turned you down."

"But then I wouldn't have gotten to see your adorably indignant expression." She's so cute that she might make my heart burst.

She blinks at me. "You're really messed up, Francine," she grumbles.

I know. "It smells so nice, too~." Would sticking my face into it be going too far?

"That tickles..." She shivers. "Also, that was my last bottle of shampoo you ruined."

"Don't worry, I made sure to buy you some more. Consider it a make-up gift." It's honestly the least I can do. Though I suppose the least I could have done was to not do this in the first place, but this is the next best thing. Right?

"You really thought this through." She almost sounds impressed. "Alright, I guess I can stay. It's just an hour, right?"

My stomach flutters, and I nod at her. I'm probably grinning like an idiot. "Do I get to play with your hair until it wears off?" Maybe I'm pushing my luck now.

Her cheeks are such a lovely pink. "Okay." So bashful.

"Yay, you're the best!"

"And you're the worst."

"Yeah." I can't deny that.

We sit down, and I get to work enjoying the result of my ill deed.

"I was going to do my homework, you know. So you're going to have to help me with it afterwards."

"Okay." I don't mind.

"And... um... could you maybe... it feels nice when your nails touch my scalp..."

"Of course!" How could I deny a request from such a pretty, blushing maiden?

It feels like she's starting to melt from the attention. Ah~, this is bliss.

* * *

"Francine!"

I really like hearing her say my name.

"Yes?"

"Where is my notebook?" she asks.

"What notebook?"

"The one you took." I just love that expression on her face. Grumpy, annoyed, but not seriously angry.

I pull out a notebook that says Emma Grenier on it. "Oh, this notebook?"

"Yes. Give it back."

"Why?"

"Class is about to start." She reaches for it, but I get out of my chair, and hold it out of her reach. Being tall has its advantages. "Hey!"

"My my, why so adamant? Have you written something about me in here, maybe?" I ponder out loud.

"What? No. Just give it back." She tries to jump to reach it.

"Maybe a love poem about your sweet Francine Lataille~?" I grin, and move as if I'm going to open it. I'm so happy to see her blush a little.

"Knock it off, Lataille!"

The notebook is snatched out of my hand by none other than Paul Valleroy. Oops. I might have messed up.

He looks angry. "I knew you couldn't be trusted! You'd better-"

"Paul." Emma is suddenly right in front of him, and has her hands on his chest as if she means to hold him back. "Please, it's okay."

"Emma? But she's harassing you." He looks confused.

"Paul, no. She's just teasing me. It's okay, really." Her tone is kind and friendly, but also very insistent.

"Huh? But..."

"It's fine. Please trust me. Okay? I don't mind." She smiles at him. I was worried about how to explain things to him, but I guess Emma's got it handled. "Actually, I... uh... kinda like it..." Her cheeks turn pink at the admission. I'm feeling warm.

"Oh... um... okay." He sheepishly hands her the notebook. "I'm sorry, Lataille, I just..."

"No, it's okay. I understand," I say, since I totally do. I didn't really think about how it might look to others, I just got so wrapped up in having fun.

And Emma... my heart is beating so fast right now. I want to do bad things to her.

* * *

Classes are over for the day, and it's time to head back to the dorms.

"Is something wrong, Emma?" I ask.

"I can't find my shoes..." Emma replies.

"Are you sure you put them away in the right place?"

"Yeah, I..." She shoots me a suspicious look. "Francine. Do you know where my shoes are?"

"Hm? Why would I know?" I do my best to sound as innocent as possible.

"Francine." She's clearly not buying it.

"I swear to God, I have no idea where your shoes are, Emma." I asked Bella to take them, after all. She might have brought them back to the dorm already. I don't know.

"Ugh... I just know you're behind it... give me my shoes, please?"

"I don't know where they are, so I couldn't even if I wanted to." That's the full and honest truth.

She looks a little more bothered than I thought she would be. "You... why take my shoes?"

"I didn't! But I have a solution."

"Huh?"

I grin at her. "Well, you can't walk to the dorms in your slippers in this snow, so the only solution is that I carry you." My master plan unfolds.

She gives me a dumbfounded stare. "W-what? Oh no... no, you can't." It seems like realisation is setting in.

"It's the only way, Emma," I insist.

"Francine, please... don't do this." She is already blushing so lovely.

"Why~? It's nothing to be embarrassed about." I'm practically tingling with excitement.

"But you..."

"Do you have any other options?" I'm probably insufferable right now.

"You're so... just give me my shoes..."

Maybe I'm pushing things too far, but she's just so adorable. "I can't. I already told you I don't know where they are."

"Ugh... fine. Alright. But we're going straight to the dorms. No detours. Or I'm not talking to you for a week."

That is quite the threat. "You have my solemn word. Straight to the dorms."

"Okay. Hurry up, then."

"At once, milady~." I scoop her into my arms with ease, and her blushing intensifies immediately as she holds on to me. I'm going to carry her like a pretty princess. I'm so excited.

We push our way out of the exit doors, and I head straight for the dorms, as promised.

"Make way! I'm carrying my girlfriend here!" I announce to people as I speed-walk past them.

Emma goes from pink, to bright red. "Franciiiiine." She whines.

"What? You didn't say I had to be quiet." I smile at her, then raise my voice. "And I want everyone to know you're my girlfriend!"

People are looking, even staring at us, as we walk along. Some seem shocked. Some are merely surprised. Some appear confused. Some are smiling. Some look... a little jealous? I proudly carry Emma past everyone who is staring, whispering, or both. If only the walk was a little longer.

"Kill me now..." Emma groans. I don't think she feels the same way.

* * *

After my little stunt with the shoes, and the carrying, Emma refused to talk to me for two days afterwards. At least it wasn't a whole week. Maybe I did go a little too far, but I can't help feeling like it was worth it. Besides, she has forgiven me by now.

We are in her room, having grabbed a couple of pieces of cake from the cafeteria to bring with us. And she made us tea again. Some forest berry blend this time. It has a very sweet aroma, and a refreshing taste. I can't imagine how this situation can be any better.

... or can I?

The cake is nice, and creamy. Rich, but not nauseatingly so. And seeing how Emma is carefully eating around the strawberry on top reminds me of a previous time I saw her eat cake. I've already eaten my berry, so maybe it's time for another lesson...

Quick as a bird, I pluck the berry from her cake.

"Hey!"

She tries to stop me, but it's too late. With a self-satisfied expression I quickly pop the berry into my mouth.

Emma suddenly grabs me, and yanks me close. What is... what... her mouth... it's... on mine? Is she... is this a kiss? Is she kissing me? Oh... she's pulled back again... what was... that? Wait, the strawberry is gone.

I blink, and look at her. She's happily chewing on something. "Hehehe, finally got you back." She sounds very proud of herself.

"Wha..." I'm lost for words.

"I remember you saying I shouldn't be too slow about taking what I want." She beams.

"Oh..." Say something, dammit. Don't just gawp. She couldn't have been waiting for me to take the berry? Did she bait me? No, that had to have been just an impulse thing, right? But what an impulse. What a way to have my first kiss. That was a kiss, right? Or doesn't it count when she just did it to take back what I stole? I... she was... soft. Her tongue was... it happened so suddenly, I was too shocked to really process what was going on.

"You've changed a lot since we first met, but I guess deep down you're still a messed up bully," Emma teases me. At least she doesn't sound unhappy about it.

"Heh..." Why do I suddenly feel a little embarrassed?

"Though since I've started liking it, I guess I'm also messed up." She giggles a little.

What's this weird feeling I have all of a sudden?

She's quiet for a moment. "You know, considering how you were at the start, I never would have imagined we'd end up like this," she says.

Oh. Oh no. I recognise what is happening.

"I grew really scared of you."

This... looking back on how we got here... this is an ending sequence. Everyone gets their own unique one. I... I guess this is mine?

"Emma..." I want to tell her to stop, but saying her name is all I can manage.

"But then I got to see glimpses of something different... and I... I hoped things could change between us. Even if I never would have expected by this much." She smiles so fondly at me, but...

No. No no no no. I'm not ready. I don't want this to end. There's still so much I want to do. This can't be it. Please don't... don't do this. But any words I want to say are stuck in my throat. Please.

"After all this time... I feel certain when I say... I love you, Francine."

She... she loves me? Oh. She loves me. That's... suddenly my chest feels very warm. "I love you too, Emma," I say without thinking. Despite the conflict I feel inside, I can tell that I'm smiling. Am I stuck on a script again? Or am I acting true to my heart? It might be the end, but... she deserves to see my true feelings for her. This is the good ending. This isn't a time to be sad. That can wait until it's over.

Her hand moves onto mine. "That's the first time you've actually said that with your own words since that time." She looks extremely happy.

Is it really? I guess she's right. I've just treated it as a known thing, and... maybe I didn't bring it up again on purpose?

"I was... kinda worried you might have changed your mind..." she says.

I blink. "I was worried you would change your mind. But I thought how I've acted made my feelings clear." Did I do a bad job of it?

"W-well, I don't know how this is supposed to work." She pouts a little. "I wondered if maybe you were just toying with me..."

I put my other hand on top of hers. "No, I truly love you," I say with all my heart.

Her smile returns. "And I love you."

"But... um..." I awkwardly scratch at my cheek. "It happened so fast before, so... could... could we kiss again? I promise to pay more attention this time."

Suddenly she blushes deeply. As if she didn't really realise what she did earlier. "I... um... okay."

Part of me wishes she would pull me down again, but instead she just moves closer. I lean down towards her. Our height difference isn't so bad when we're sitting. It feels a little embarrassing to look at her face, so I close my eyes. Her hot breath caresses my face before our lips meet again. While it's not as shocking as last time, it still overwhelming. Her lips are so very soft.

I put my arms around her, and pull her closer. I can feel her embrace me as well. My tongue gently reaches out, and touches hers. There's still a slight taste of strawberry in her mouth. She wraps her tongue around mine, as if she wants to pull it in deeper. It's very nice... very... nice...

I gasp for air. I'm not sure how much time has passed. As I open my eyes, I can see that she looks pretty dazed. I... probably look the same. My mind feels fuzzy. That was... amazing.

Ah. I can feel it coming. Something I've picked up after all these playthroughs is that there is a distinct feeling as we're fading to white, and the credits are about to roll. I guess it's technically my first fade to white in person, but my consciousness has always sat around until the end no matter what. I wonder what our end slate is going to look like. Will it just be a piece of art of us kissing, maybe?

I can feel a bit of sorrow setting in. I got to have an amazing run. I told Emma I loved her. We got to date for a bit. She told me she loves me. I had my first kiss. My first two kisses. I got to see so many new things, after such a long time of just doing the exact same things over and over. Seeing which route we were taking was the only truly interesting thing, but I got to see them all so many times. Seeing Emma's reaction to being bullied was the only excitement, but now I've experienced other ways of doing it. I wonder if I have more freedom now going forwards? Maybe I'll be able to act against the script, even in the other routes. That could be interesting. ...

... I... don't want to go. I can't help it. This is the first time I've felt truly scared of the game ending since... since I first gained self-awareness, I guess. Back when I didn't truly understand what was happening. This is a different kind of scared though. I'm losing something really precious. But it's okay. I will get here again, some day. I'll get to see her again no matter what. Even as the villainess I'll be there with her. That is my fate. It'll be okay. I'll be okay. Because I love her. I... Emma...

...

"Francine? Is something wrong, Francine?"

"Huh?" I open my eyes. Emma is there. Looking concerned.

"You're crying. What's wrong? Did I- hang on, I have a handkerchief."

"Huh?" I don't understand. I'm still here?

Chapter Text

Spring. I have never seen Spring before. Of course I have in my backstory, in the memories that were created for me, but never actually in person. My existence began at the start of Personal Spring. The title seems quite funny now, as I'm standing here. I had always assumed the title referred to Emma's first romance, which is certainly a sprouting of sorts. But now I'm wondering if the reason for the game ending in Winter is to let the player imagine Emma moving into the very first Spring of her new life. Maybe that's reading too much into it. But I'm certainly having that experience myself.

That day became a bit much for me. I don't think I have ever cried that hard, not even anywhere in my backstory. It was like every emotion I had ever held in demanded to come out right away, all at once. I'm fairly certain it scared the crap out of Emma. And I had no way of explaining to her why I was crying. I was just... so relieved. In complete disbelief. Happy. Shocked. It wasn't over. I wasn't going back to the start. I could stay. With her. Even just thinking about it now makes me feel like the tears are threatening to spill forth again.

Today is my birthday. My very first birthday, where I technically turn 17. Apparently it's common to assign birthdays to fictional characters, and the creator probably thought it was funny to put mine at a point outside of the span of the game. Emma's is in the autumn. An event I understandably never got to take part in.

Otto announced at the start of the week that he would be hosting a party for me. I think Arthur is helping him organise it. It starts at five, and will probably last well into the evening. While I am not entirely sure I deserve something like that, I have to admit I'm quite excited about it. Having to wait is somewhat agonising.

Part of me is worried I'm still in the game. That it's just been extended. That it will still end, and possibly soon. Maybe I'm in a sequel. But I think... I hope that I'm free. Hope. That is also a strange emotion. Hope for the future. I wonder if this means that every time Emma reached a good ending, or even a neutral ending, that was an Emma that was set free. Maybe each save file led to its own world where another version of her happily lives on with whomever she picked. It's a thought that is both disturbing, and comforting. They all deserve to be happy. It also means that this Emma is all mine.

Speaking of... I haven't seen her all day. It's the weekend, so there are no classes today, yet I haven't seen her at all. Could she have gone somewhere? Her room was nice and neat when I checked it, so I doubt anything bad has happened. Surely she hasn't forgotten it's my birthday? I had sort of envisioned that she would leap into my arms, and congratulate me this morning. I told her there was a party. I mean, she was in the room when Otto made his declaration, but I made sure to also remind her yesterday. She said she was going. So where is she?

I guess I can check her room again. Wherever she went, she might have come back by now.

Every lounge I pass in the dorm is full of students doing one thing or another, as is typical of every weekend. The hassle of going into town means that typically no one bothers unless there's something they really need. We get basically every necessity shipped to the academy, and there's even a trading station right outside of the grounds that acts as a store carrying all sorts of goods. When you have an isolated academy full of rich students, it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that setting up shop nearby was a good move. Apparently getting permission was the hard part.

Emma's room is still empty, so I'm at a loss. Well, maybe I can get my riding gear, and borrow a horse to pass the time. She'll show up. She wouldn't miss it.

I open the door to my room, and... why is it so dark? I don't remember drawing the curtains before I left. What-

There's a sudden flash. "Happy birthday, Francine!" "Happy birthday, Lady Francine!"

Wh-wha... "Huh?" There's Emma... and Bella... and Eloise... what are they... what?

Emma hugs me. "Happy birthday! We were getting kinda worried you wouldn't show up."

"You sure took your time," Bella says. "Eloise volunteered to go out, find you, and drag you back here."

"I-I would never drag her!" Eloise protests. "But you can't exactly have a surprise birthday party without the birthday girl in question."

"What?" I'm stunned.

"We thought you'd come to your room eventually, so we waited. Though we had expected 'eventually' to be a bit sooner. Still, you're here! Were you surprised?" Emma grins at me.

"I... y-yes." They were waiting? Well, now I feel like a doofus. But who would have thought to look in their own room for their missing girlfriend? And best friends. I'm ashamed to say I hadn't really thought about them today. I was too focused on Emma.

"Come on," Emma drags me over to the table. "We made you a cake, and your favourite tea."

"You made me..." There sure is a cake. It looks like chocolate, with some sort of cream or frosting on top that spells out 'Happy Birthday, Francine'. "You made this?"

"Yes." Bella nods at me.

"All three of us worked on it all morning," Eloise adds. "We... uh... haven't tasted it, so we don't know how it turned out..."

"The chocolate frosting is good," Emma assures me. "It's the inside we're not sure about."

They made a cake. Together. For me. I can't believe it. A homemade cake.

"Oh right, I should light the candle." Bella takes out her wand, and with a quick flick of the wrist, a small candle in the middle of the cake starts burning. I hadn't even noticed it was there, but the light from it is making the white frosting sparkle all pretty.

I don't know what to say.

"L-Lady Francine? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I don't understand Eloise's question.

Suddenly Emma is wiping my face with a handkerchief. "We hoped you'd be happy, but I didn't think you'd get this emotional, silly," she says.

I raise a hand to my eye. Tears. "B-b-but you made me a cake. I-I can't help it. Thank you so much!" Finally I managed to say something. I don't even care how it tastes. They worked together to make it. That means it's really special no matter what.

Bella and Eloise both breathe sighs of relief. Maybe they were worried it wasn't happy tears. "You should blow out the candle, Lady Francine."

"And make a wish."

A wish. I nod, lean forward, take a breath, and blow. The flame is snuffed out immediately. I wish that I am truly free to live out the rest of my life. Hopefully with Emma at my side.

"I wish you two would stop calling me Lady," I say out loud.

"Huh?"

"You can just call me Francine."

"W-what? But Lady Francine, we couldn't possibly-" Bella starts to protest.

"Please. You're my closest friends. I insist. I know it goes against etiquette, but I would be grateful if you indulged my selfish wish."

They're both staring at me. I smile at them.

"I could instead start calling you Lady Bella, and Lady Eloise, if you prefer."

I notice Emma cracking a grin at that. I pulled the same trick on her, after all.

"No, you can't! Uh..." Eloise blushes. "As... as you wish, Fra... Francine."

"F-Francine." Bella sounds like she's tasting something strange for the first time.

It might take them some time to get used to it. "Thank you," I say with the deepest sincerity. I'm happy.

"Here." Emma hands me a plate. Apparently she cut a piece for me while the rest of us were occupied.

I accept it, and grab a fork. Mmm... the sponge inside is a little dry, and the frosting is a tad too sweet. It's the best cake I've ever had.

* * *

Emma's hand is warm. I hope I never get tired of holding it.

"I'm happy you enjoyed the surprise," she says.

We decided to go for a walk afterwards, while Bella and Eloise volunteered to clean up everything. I feel a little bad, since I made a thing out of wanting them to treat me more like an equal, but Emma agreed that since it's my birthday, I shouldn't have to worry about such things.

"It was wonderful. Thank you." I don't know how many times I ended up thanking them. They're probably sick of hearing it already.

"And you truly liked the presents?"

"Of course." Bella got me a skirt, and Eloise a blouse. They both know my sizes, as we've shopped for clothes together several times. And Emma got me a nice brush, and a matching comb. I didn't have the heart to tell her I bought a new set just last month. I certainly don't mind using the ones she got me instead.

"I'm glad." Emma squeezes my hand, and smiles.

The pond is starting to look quite nice again. You can smell the vegetation coming back to life, and the air temperature is pleasant. We're still a little ways away from warm, but at least I no longer need a scarf.

An idea hits me. "There is one more present I'd like," I say.

"Oh?"

With no further warning, I give her a push. Right into the pond.

*Splash!* "Eeeeeek!"

I let out a delighted laugh.

"Francine!!!" Emma is glaring at me. The water shouldn't be too cold, but it's probably not pleasant either.

"Ah~, you look so good when you're wet~." Completely drenched, and dripping. It's been too long since I last saw her like this.

"You're a twisted soul, Francine Lataille." She gets onto her feet.

I giggle. "I suppose I am." I offer her a hand to help her out. I should dry her off, since it's not too long until the non-surprise party starts. "Wah!" What- *Splash!* "Eeeeeeeek!" Cold!

Emma's laughing. She yanked me in, instead of letting me help her out. I didn't think the water was this cold. I mean, it wouldn't have stopped me from pushing her in even if I knew. Ugh, even if I dry myself with magic, I'll still have to redo my hair before the party. ... I guess I deserve that.

I wipe my face. "Well done. I didn't think you had it in you," I say.

"I guess someone has been a bad influence on me." She looks oddly smug about it.

"I guess so." Perhaps I should be more careful from now on. Though it's also a little exciting to think that I've corrupted her... I'm so messed up.

I start to get up, but Emma stops me by straddling my lap. Why- oh. She kisses me. The water is still cold, we're both wet, yet somehow I feel very warm. She tastes so nice, and sweet. I guess getting out, and drying off can wait a little longer.

* * *

There's only about a month left of the second semester, and the second family day has arrived. Since I've stayed here for all our breaks, I haven't seen my family at all since last Autumn. I'm both excited, and nervous. The first family day was to let them see how we had settled in, and show them what the academy is like. The second is to fill them in on how our first year has gone. Both of my parents are coming this time. And I have something very important to tell them.

I keep fidgeting with my uniform, checking my face in the mirror, and going over my hair. I can't imagine they would be that concerned about my appearance, but I can't help it.

"It'll be okay," Emma says. She's right by me, which helps a little, but my heart is still pounding. Her family arrived early, so she's already greeted them, and decided to wait with me for mine. What's taking them-

"Fran-fran!" My heart jumps. Louise is rushing towards me. She leaps, I catch her, and twirl her around. I've done this so many times, yet it's the first time I've done it outside of the game. She giggles happily. Thankfully Emma was quick to step back.

"Hi there, little Lou!"

"Fran-fran! Did you already forget I'm not little?" She tries to pout, but her grin is too big to allow it.

"Oh my, you're right. You're even bigger than last time!"

"Uh-huh!"

"I've missed you," I say, and hug her close.

"Me too. It's boring without you home, Fran-fran."

That makes my heart ache a little. I see my parents are approaching at a measured pace, so I put Louise down.

"Mother. Father. It's good to see you again," I say, and smile warmly at them. This is technically the first time I've seen my father. My memories of him are still strong, and he's exactly like I remember him, but he never showed up during the course of the game.

"Hello, Francine. Are you well?" my mother asks.

"Very much so, thank you for asking. How are things at home?" I ask.

"The same as always," my father says. He even sounds exactly like I remember. I don't know why I thought he might not, but I'm still relieved that he does. "I'm sure you're not interested in the details of management."

"I'll have to be some day," I reply, and we both smile.

"Who is this?" my mother asks. She's noticed Emma standing close by.

I guess I shouldn't put it off any longer. I muster up as much composure as I can. "I would like to introduce you to someone." I step closer to her. "This is Emma Grenier. She is my girlfriend."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord and Lady Lataille," she says politely, and even curtsies.

Their eyes widen.

"Grenier?" My father sounds like he's trying to recall if he's heard the name. He probably hasn't.

"A-a lowborn?" My mother's disbelief and disapproval was expected, but it still stings a little.

This was a calculated move. Out in the open like this, with so many people around, they can't cause a scene. I know that. They know that. It might make things worse later, but I couldn't think of a better way to do it.

"Whoooaaaa, she's so pretty!" Louise is suddenly right in front of Emma. "I'm Louise!" Leave it to my little sister's innocent heart to break the tension.

Emma crouches down to eye level. "I'm Emma. It's very nice to meet you, Louise."

Louise reaches out, and touches Emma's face. "I like your freckles," she says. I like them too. I guess us sisters have similar tastes.

Emma giggles. "Thank you."

"Emma?" She looks up at me. "Could you go introduce little Lou to Claire? I wish to talk to my parents alone." Louise gasps.

"Are-"

"Can I?!" I think Emma was about to ask if I was sure, but Louise's outburst cut her off. "Can I really?!" She's practically vibrating with excitement. "Can I really, father?!" Her eyes are wide, sparkling, and hopeful.

He hesitates for just a second, then gives in. "Y-yes, of course."

"Yay!" Louise bounces around. Spoiling Louise is basically a family tradition. We all have a hard time saying no to her, especially since her requests are always so innocent. Maybe that's the reason she's so childlike even at the age of 11. I can't remember if I was the same, but I have a feeling my heart was never that pure.

The two of them go off, and I face my parents. Now comes the hard part.

* * *

All the families have left again, and I've found a bench under a large aspen tree. I'm exhausted. The leaves are very pretty. Emma comes over, and sits down next to me.

"That could have gone better," I say.

She places her hand on top of mine. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I smile at her. "It could have also gone worse. They're just... stubborn. I guess it went about as expected. " I gained some respect by telling them face to face, and not in a letter, or trying to hide it until the end of the day. And while they weren't happy about it, I believe they recognised the tactical value of where I chose to tell them. It might have impressed my father, at the very least. If we had been in private, it's likely it would have gone differently. Even so... part of me had really hoped they would be accepting. At least after hearing me out. But I wasn't able to win them over before they left.

"I'm sure they're just worried about what's best for you," Emma says, and moves a little closer.

"I know." And old Francine would have definitely agreed with them. I was very much my parents' daughter. Actually, I was worse than them. So haughty. So sure of how important I was. I wonder if they're disappointed at how I've changed... "But I'll make them come around. Even if it takes me years." I'm quite stubborn too.

Emma giggles. "I believe in you. I know what it's like to be your enemy, after all."

"Ouch." I put my arm around her, and snuggle real close. "Louise really loves you, as I knew she would. That's going to help. Having her on my side is probably my best leverage."

"She's a very sweet girl," she says as she leans against my shoulder.

"The sweetest. Hard to believe we're related." Maybe the creator thought the contrast between us would be amusing. I'm happy she's the way she is, though.

"You're sweet too."

Not like that. "Your family is really lovely," I tell her. Meeting them was a treat, and Louise and Claire seemed to really hit it off. Little Lou almost never gets to meet other girls her own age, and thankfully Claire was happy to play with her.

"Thanks. I think they like you."

"Though your father nearly jumped when he heard my name." That had been unexpected, and a little funny.

"Well, he actually pays attention to politics. Says it's helpful to keep track of that stuff when you're running a business." That makes sense. Even if it's just a farm, you probably want to be informed about who you could be trading with. "I don't think he expected I'd be dating someone from one of the highest families in the country."

"We're only fifth..." I mumble. The power dynamics tend to be a little fluid, but the Latailles have never been quite at the top.

"Only?"

"Er... right. Sorry." Being in the top five is still really high.

Emma giggles. So cute. "I'm fairly certain he expected me to end up with Paul."

"Hm... maybe that would have been easier for everyone..."

"Hey!"

"Ow!" She pinched me!

"Don't you say that. Don't you dare. It's you I love."

"Eep!" She's squeezing me really tight. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" The pressure eases up. "This isn't like me at all, huh?"

"Nope. So you better pull it together." She sounds really fierce.

"You're right." I kiss her forehead. "This is far from over."

"Good. And don't forget it." She grins at me.

I love her so much. She helps me be strong when I falter. She gives me something I wasn't aware I needed. Hope. For the future. My parents will see sense, I'm sure of it. They're not bad people, not in the way I was. I will make them proud of me. Proud of her. They'll see. It will work out. We have time. I have her. I am... happy.