I Favor the Villainess Chapter 53Flower of the legend

Claire’s point of view

“Are you worried, Claire-sama?”

The one who called out to me was Rei’s roommate, Misha.

Today is the day of the Amour’s Festival.

Many people gathered in the ceremonial hall, all are dedicating offerings to the scales, feelings swing back and forth between joy and despair.

If I had to say, those who seriously compete for brides are a minority, the most common sights are fathers and sons competing for their mothers and established couples competing with friends for fun.

In such a situation, without being able to retain composure I’m restlessly pacing in front of the scales.

“… No, not particularly”

I bluntly replied to Misha, but looking at my appearance these words aren’t convincing in the slightest.

“Rei has been going out all the time recently. To dedicate the best offering for Claire-sama”

“…”

I heard about the rematch between Onee-sama and Rei from Onee-sama.

With me at stake they’re competing with the love scales.

Please stop doing foolish things, I implored Onee-sama, but she didn’t listen.

‘Don’t you believe in Rei?’

Onee-sama said so.

I don’t understand why she said it about Rei and not herself.

“Who does Claire-sama want to win?”

Misha asked me such a thing.

“I do not care. I do not want to be acquainted with people who treat me as a prize”

I am angry.

Disregarding my feelings and competing for me as they please, there’s a limit to being foolish.

“It’s certainly not something praiseworthy. But, aren’t you lucky as a woman?”

Misha said in an unusual teasing tone.

With her normally unchanging calm manner, I found her using such a tone a little surprising.

“Who do you think I am? I am a daughter of Minister of Finance Dor François, Claire François? I have long become used to other people’s feelings”

I said so to cast away Misha’s words.

But, I thought.

I wonder if those two are different from the rabble that have tried to court me until now.

Onee-sama is my first love.

Even setting aside that I mistaken her for a gentleman, Onee-sama is a wonderful person.

As she grew up, her personality became more and more lovely, even keeping in mind we have the same sex, I believe I am honestly happy about Onee-sama’s feelings.

How does Rei compare to that.

She’s just teasing me with her ridiculous behavior.

Thinking about it, she’s been saying nothing but ridiculous things since we met.

Shamelessly proclaiming her love to me despite our sex being the same, she continuously repeats words and acts of sexual harassment.

If I bully the impertinent her, on the contrary it results in her being delighted.

Before I noticed, she buttered up to father and became my maid.

“Did you recall something pleasant?”

“Eh?”

“You are smiling”

I only noticed when Misha pointed it out, but I seem to be smiling.

I feel embarrassed thinking of it.

To recall that person and smile.

It’s better such a person isn’t here.

I feel truly refreshed not having her as my maid.

“Claire-sama”

“What is it?”

“This time you have a sad look on your face”

That can’t be, I looked in the hand mirror that I took out, and certainly, I look depressed.

I don’t understand myself.

I dislike that person.

Dislike, that’s how it should be.

“I think you want Rei to win”

Misha muttered.

“Why do you think so?”

“Rei is certainly a strange child. She must have caused a lot of trouble for Claire-sama”

“Truly”

“Yes. But, that child’s feelings are straight and pure. Truly… she loves Claire-sama from the bottom of her heart”

Misha said in a voice that sounds as if she was talking about a troublesome younger sister.

“Even Claire-sama, you don’t honestly dislike Rei, right?”

“No, I hate her”

“… You aren’t honest”

Misha giggled.

“Misha, you are being rude?”

“I’m sorry. But, I couldn’t stand watching Claire-sama for the past few days”

“… How have I appeared to you?”

Suddenly I wanted to ask.

“You seemed lonely”

Misha continued.

“Although you were together with an extremely wonderful person like Manaria-sama, somehow you seemed absent-minded. It was just like after Lene left”

“Such a thing…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence with denial.

After Rei lost against Onee-sama in their selfish match, Onee-sama has always been by my side.

Although I’m happy about Onee-sama’s wonderful escorting that’s completely unlike Rei, I feel like somehow I’m missing Rei’s ridiculous behavior.

“I think the one that can make Claire-sama smile the most right now is Rei after all”

“That commoner…?”

“It’s not about her status, but how Rei is as a person. She’s an odd child, but I think she can mysteriously make her surroundings happy”

Even though the person herself would never admit it, Misha laughed.

“That’s why, Claire-sama. If Rei wins, could you make that child your maid once again. If possible, at Claire-sama’s initiative”

“That is… something I cannot do”

I am a noble, moreover a noble close to the top of this country.

I could never bow her head to a commoner and ask her to be my maid.

“Is that so… Which reminds me, it was troublesome being a noble”

“Misha was also like that”

Before the downfall, Misha’s house was an old family that boasted considerable status.

“Then, shall we hope for a miracle”

“A miracle?”

“Yeah. Everything goes well, such a story-like miracle”

“Such a thing――”

There is no way it would occur, when I was about to say it――.

“Hi, Claire”

Onee-sama came.

In her hand is a mysterious flower emitting light.

“Onee-sama…”

“Seems Rei is still not done”

Saying so, Onee-sama presented me the flower she’s holding in her hand.

“That flower is… no way…?”

“Yup. It’s a floss flower”

It was the flower of light from the Amour’s legend.

It’s the best offering to dedicate to the love scales.

“It seems like I’ll win again”

I stared at Onee-sama’s flower of legend, but, somehow I felt lonely.

“I wonder if we can declare my victory a little earlier”

Saying so, Onee-sama fixed her gaze at me,

“The God’s scales showed what’s within my heart. Here and now I swear to protect you”

It’s a passage from Amour’s Poem.

It’s the line of the short man’s confession of love to the shrine maiden after he was chosen by the scales.

Like a line of a hero of a story, it stopped my tears in the past when I was in Count Larnach’s residence

Was it how the shrine maiden from the poem felt.

Onee-sama put her hand on my chin and gently raised my head.

I absentmindedly thought ah, I will be kissed.

I thought it wouldn’t be too bad if it was with Onee-sama.

But――.

“Waait a moment!”

I feel I’ve surely been waiting for that voice all this time.