Volume 4 Chapter 20 Remembering A Year Ago Is A Sign Of Youth
Cecilia and Luke dropped off at Hartfield──But Liz has been to Hartfield before──So, Randy and the others returned to Victor's mansion just as the sun was setting.
They hurried in and jumped straight into the Year-End Festival dinner, but this time, Liz and Randy were apart.
Randy, part of the Victor family, and Liz, who is technically their servant.
Everyone in the mansion suggested Liz join the Victor family for dinner, but Liz firmly believed, "Knowing your place is important," and she never budged while she was in the mansion.
After finishing a meal that was the same as usual, or even more luxurious, the two looked down at the town from a small hall on the second floor. This hall is usually used for parties by Victor, but it hardly gets used.
From the hall's window, the view of the town below was quiet, far from the liveliness of the royal capital or Hartfield. Still, the flickering lights and the 'Wishing Holy Tree' in the center of the town gave off a simple yet warm vibe.
"It's quiet, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Victor's Year-End Festival is usually spent quietly with family."
Everyone gathered around the fireplace, enjoyed a slightly fancy meal, and the children went to sleep, excited for the presents waiting for them in the morning. It was a simple and peaceful celebration.
Randy liked flashy festivals, but he didn't mind this quiet time either. The calm moments flowed slowly. He thought that was the charm of Victor's Year-End Festival.
"What about the Braubelg Year-End Festival?"
"Well..."
Liz reminisced about the Year-End Festival celebrations in the coastal town of Eisenfels.
The atmosphere in the town was just as lively as the royal capital or Hartfield, but the unique event in Eisenfels was the 'Lights of Prayer.'
"We send lanterns out to sea, filled with prayers for tomorrow. So that those who have passed away at sea can reach the goddess."
As Liz gazed blankly outside, her eyes reflected not the quiet of Victor, but countless lights floating on the dark sea.
The fire was so magical, and she loved lying on her bed, looking at it from her room's window.
Liz looked nostalgic, and Randy whispered while gazing outside, "It must be beautiful."
"How about we go to Eisenfels for next year's Year-End Festival festival?"
As Randy met her gaze, Liz happily nodded, "Yes!"
"I couldn't go back last year, so I'm really looking forward to it now."
Randy tilted his head, asking, "Last year?"
"Yes. I stayed in the capital last year. You know, we had school until the last minute."
As the Crown Prince's fiancée, Liz was super busy with self-study... Plus, she was still attending school until 2 days before the Year-End Festival festival, just like Randy, so she was part of the stay-behind group.
"Oh, right. I remember you were there."
Randy clapped his hands, and Liz tilted her head, asking, "I was?"
"I remembered seeing you around the dorm and school around the Year-End Festival."
Liz blushed a little as Randy crossed his arms. A year ago, she didn't even know Randy yet. Still, he knew she was staying at the dorm. Even though he didn't know what she was doing, saying he saw her nearby meant he had known her back then.
Feeling a bit shy, Liz blushed and said, "W-well, I was a dorm student..."
"So, were you wandering around the capital during last year's Year-End Festival, Liz?"
Liz tilted her head the same way Randy did.
"I was studying, you know?"
With a puzzled look, Randy said, "S-studying...?"
Randy slightly leaned back, as if to say, "You could have done that any other day."
But Liz continued, still tilting her head, "What about you, Randy? What were you doing?"
"I'm just, you know, wandering around the town and enjoying the festival vibe."
Randy rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window again, and Liz hesitantly asked, "By yourself?"
"Do you think I went with someone?"
Randy laughed self-deprecatingly, and Liz shook her head with a wry smile.
"Yeah, you were alone at school the whole time."
Liz smiled wryly, but for Randy, those words meant something else.
"What? Did you know about me?"
There was a subtle joy in being recognized.
"I knew. You stood out."
Liz smiled mischievously, adding, "In a bad way." Randy clicked his tongue, thinking, "What's that about?" But the fact that Liz had noticed him a long time ago made him relax a bit.
It's no surprise. A year ago, he hadn't even spoken to Liz. Even if it was for a bad reason, if she remembered him, it would make him happy.
Actually, Liz clapped her hands and said she remembered seeing Randy just after the Year-End Festival in the school courtyard, where he was daydreaming.
"I don't remember. Was that really me?"
"Definitely. There's no way I'd mistake you for someone else."
"You didn't even know me back then?"
Randy tilted his head, and Liz nodded big, saying, "You stood out." Once she said that, Randy had to dig through his memories to find Liz.
After thinking for a moment, Randy suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"
"Liz, you were drinking tea on the terrace in the cafeteria, right?"
"Well... I did see you then."
"Oh, okay. That makes sense."
Caught off guard, Randy could only give a vague response.
"Still, it seems you knew about me too, Randy."
Liz blushed a little, and Randy replied with a wry smile, "Of course."
"You stood out. They called you the [Ice Princess], you know?"
With a slightly puffed cheek, Liz said, "Mmm." Since she was aware she stood out too, she had to accept that response.
"Though, that's just something added later."
"Added later?"
Randy scratched his head, trying to hide his embarrassment, and said, "It's added later."
"Actually, I didn't know your name or anything at first."
Randy starts talking about the moment he first noticed Liz. It wasn't during the entrance ceremony, the exam results announcement, or even the engagement announcement with the Crown Prince.
"I first learned Liz's name at the end-of-term dance party. You were dancing, and you looked so cool with that gap in your style."
Randy, smiling shyly, continues about Liz's amazing dance at the end of the first semester. Liz had already been announced as engaged to the Crown Prince, and she danced first with Edgar, but it seems that's not what he's talking about, making Liz tilt her head in confusion.
"A gap, you say?"
"Yeah, a gap."
Randy nods, saying he knew Liz before that dance. Well, he only knew her face.
"I never thought the serious lady talking to a cat in the school's backyard was the Crown Prince's fiancée and a Marquis's daughter."
Before knowing Liz as a cool dancer, he had seen her playing with a cat in the backyard.
"You... you were watching?"
"Next time, you need to pay attention not just to the surroundings but also up above."
"Wait, are you saying──."
"That corridor over there. It has a view of the backyard, perfect for skipping class."
Liz blushes at Randy's mischievous grin. She thought she was secretly petting a stray cat without anyone seeing, but he had seen everything from above.
"So for me, Liz is more of a cat-loving girl than anything else."
Randy laughs again, saying, "Just don't come at me with that serious face."
"I-I was nervous!"
Liz puffs her cheeks, explaining that she wasn't allowed to touch cats at home, so she didn't know how to act with the stray cat she saw for the first time. She's still desperately trying to explain, "Are you listening?"
"Still, it's funny. Back then, I never thought I'd become friends with the 'Cat-Chasing Princess'."
Randy laughs, and Liz puffs her cheeks again, asking, "What's a 'Cat-Chasing Princess'?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. You came at the cats with a serious face, and they always ran away."
Randy laughed out loud, and Liz pouted, saying, "That's why I was nervous!" She looked around, glancing here and there. A girl was talking seriously to a cat. Even if it wasn't Randy, she would definitely leave an impression.
"I never thought I would get close to the [Unburnable Flame]."
Liz's face, peeking at Randy, looked more mischievous than usual.
"[Unburnable Flame] is talking about me, right?"
"Yep. There was also [Lazy Rouge]."
With such clever nicknames, Randy couldn't help but laugh heartily, saying, "That's a good one!" He never expected to be given such a nickname. It was clear that he was trying to blend in, but he stood out more than he thought.
After having fun with Randy's nicknames and Liz's cat antics, they both turned their eyes back to the lights of the town.
"Still, it's funny. If you told me a year ago what I'd be doing now, I wouldn't have believed it."
"That's what I'd say too. You'd get shot down with 'Stop joking around'."
The two looked at each other and started laughing. The [Unburnable Flame] had melted the [Ice Princess]. Even if they told their past selves, or anyone else, no one would believe it.
But that's okay. A year ago, before they even knew each other, they had definitely spent the same time in a corner of the school. They recognized each other and had brief interactions while living their own lives. Just that fact made them incredibly happy.
"It looks like we'll make more memories before graduation."
"Even after graduation."
Randy's words came quickly, and Liz widened her eyes for a moment before softly nodding, "Yes."
"First, let's enjoy school to the fullest."
"And studying too."
Liz clenched her fist, and Randy replied with a hesitant, "Well, um, Randy..."
"By the way, I've never seen you dance at the end-of-term dance party..."
"I don't have a partner. Plus..."
"Plus?"
"I don't like dancing."
Randy frowned and revealed that he had never taken a dance lesson. It made sense. Victor basically stayed locked up in his territory. They had no need for dancing at all.
"Then... since we have the chance, should I teach you?"
"Eh? Sure..."
Randy shook his head, and Liz smiled brightly, saying, "You want to enjoy the academy, right?" as she reached out her hand.
He couldn't just ignore the hand offered by a girl. It couldn't be helped, so Randy took Liz's hand and stepped into the center of the hall.
"Okay, let's start with the easiest step──."
With Liz's guidance, Randy began to do the waltz box step.
"That's right. Left, right, left──1, 2, 3──."
Looking at his feet, Randy repeated the awkward steps. Seeing him so desperate, which was rare, made Liz smile softly.
On the night of the Year-End Festival festival, Randy and Liz's dance lesson continued late into the night──.
"Fool! Your steps are too big!"
...with Ellie occasionally joining in.
*This concludes the Volume 'Winter of Victor.'*
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