CH 15

Chapter15 - Determination

“Fran … do you know what your feelings are now?”

Adelaide was staring straight at Fran.

Her question prompted Fran to ask herself.

W-What are my feelings now?

Let me see…

Mother is referring to Lou, isn’t she?

I’m worried about Lou…

No! I can’t do without Lou.

If Lou leaves the capital, no, if he leaves me…

No way!

Absolutely not!

Losing Lou…

For Fran right now, the mere thought of it was a shock.

There was no doubt that the actual loss of Lou would bring her a tremendous sense of loss.

Yeah!

…Lou is the most important person to me right now.

“You are very interested in Lou. But do you really like him or love him?”

Adelaide’s question made Fran muse once more.

“…………”

Fran couldn’t string a reply right away.

She herself was not sure of her own feelings at the moment.

Fran’s mother was on her heels.

“Aren’t you just trying to fill the loss of Reinhardt with Lou?”

That nostalgic name spilled from her mother’s mouth.

But along with the nostalgia came terrible, painful, and sad memories…

Fran couldn’t help but clasp her head.

I don’t know…

How could I?

Aaah!　

That’s it!

Maybe I am.

After thinking it through, a thought dawned on Fran.

It was…

“Mother, I think…it was his habit of talking that triggered it.”

“Habit?”

Adelaide was taken aback and asked.

Lou’s habit of saying, “Leave it to me,” was something Reinhardt used to say.

“I see what you mean…that favorite phrase?”

Adelaide pondered for a while and then told Fran once and for all.

“Fran, it’s not just you.”

“Not just me?”

“Yeah! Lou probably doesn’t love you either. He’s just being compassionate.”

Her mother told her the cruel reality.

But she didn’t mean to hurt her beloved daughter in any way.

“Sympathy is not the same thing as love…but this is the same for you, who wants Reinhardt instead of Lou.”

“…………”

Adelaide’s notion rendered Fran speechless from the shock.

Then she slowly shook her head.

Lou would never take Reinhardt’s place.

But she was uncertain of what her feelings “really” were.

What exactly was the nature of her feelings that made her love Lou so much?

Adelaide lightly patted Fran on the shoulder as she pondered inwardly.

“This is not logical. If you can’t change your mind about Lou after thinking it through, be honest with yourself.”

“Be honest with myself…”

Hearing Adelaide’s words, Fran’s eyes widened.

Be honest with herself…

When you can’t reason with yourself… be honest with yourself.

That’s right!

I just need to be honest with myself!

Fran smiled slightly and nodded broadly.

Strangely enough, the window in the pitch-dark room suddenly opened, and she felt as if a dazzling light had shone through all at once.　

Adelaide felt relieved as well to see Fran’s smile.

“The decisive difference is that I chose Reinhardt to be your fiancé. But Lou is someone you met on your own.”

“Besides…” Adelaide chuckled.

“You were just a kid back then…You’re a grown woman who’s gotten over one love now, aren’t you?”

“…………”

“Lou is unlike Reinhardt, despite their similarities in speech. If you really like him, tell him that you like him without reason. Stay with him, all right?”

“But earlier…”

Her mother’s advice was totally different from what she said earlier.

So Fran was confused and clammed up.

If she really cared about Lou, was it love to send him on a journey without tying him down?

Fran considered that too.

“Fufufu, you’re wavering because of all the contradictory things I’ve said earlier, aren’t you? I said earlier that I was only thinking about Lou’s circumstances.”　

“Lou’s circumstances…”

“Mind you, what I’m telling you now, as a veteran woman, I’m saying only for the convenience of women. Be a woman in love and have no regrets.”

Be a woman in love and have no regrets…

After giving Fran a general idea, Adelaide also gave her some hints as a “veteran” woman in love.

“Your choice, Fran. It’s all up to you.”

“What? It’s up to me?”

“What do you want to do with Lou? I mean, you should think carefully before you act. If you want to be in a relationship with Lou, to love and be loved, to be with him always; if you think about it as a woman, there is just one solution.”

“There’s only one…solution.”

“Yes, love is sometimes given unilaterally in order to make the other person fall in love with you, and it’s not always pretty. Mutual affection is mostly nonexistent from the start. Do you know what to do when that’s the case?”

What about then?

That was the part Fran wanted to know the most.

Adelaide spoke passionately and brought the emotions of a woman to the fore.

“Do whatever it takes to turn him around. So that you don’t lose Lou, give it everything you’ve got.”

Give it…my all…

For me not to lose Lou…

Precisely!

I don’t want to lose Lou!

This is not about logic!

Nonetheless, Fran’s mind was overcome with anxiety.

Adelaide spoke, as if she saw through her feelings.

“If that doesn’t work…”

If not…what then?

Fran’s eyes clung to her.

But…

“Wipe away your tears and give up on him once and for all. Then move on to the next one!”

Adelaide said flatly.

***

“Lou, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Sorry, Lou.”

What did they talk about in private?

It was only natural for Lou to wonder.

Fran’s demeanor had changed drastically from before she entered the room for the private talk.

“Lou, may I have a quick word with you?”

Lou nodded in response to Adelaide’s brief request.

“Yeah, no problem. Is it about printing an account of the incident and my identity?”

“Hats off to you Lou, you’re very perceptive. It’s not good if there are discrepancies in the testimonies, and your identity as well…This royal city of St. Helena has strict checks on outsiders, except for the nobility.”

“Copy that. What do you want me to do?”

Lou looked calm as usual.

“Your identity…I’d like to take you as Fran’s servant, is that fine by you?”

“Yeah, as you wish. That way, everything will be fine, won’t it?”

Even though he was asked to be a servant, a lowly servant…

Lou’s expression remained unchanged.

Had he been an uppity man, he would have immediately rejected the request and taken it as a sign of humiliating request from the man who saved someone’s life!　

“If anything should happen to Fran, I can protect her on the spot. I think that’s very good.”

When Fran heard Lou’s words, she turned her face away.

She didn’t want him to see that she was moved to tears.

Adelaide seemed to like Lou more and more.

“Well then, I think that would allow me to be a temporary teacher under Fran at school. The other teachers might find it awkward, though.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind at all.”

From here, time backtracked a bit.

――In fact, this was the conversation that took place between the mother and daughter.

“Fran, I’m your mother. So I’ll back you up to make your love work.”

Adelaide’s declaration of her parental love made Fran happy.

However…

Her next words came as a surprise.

“I’ll make Lou your servant.”

“What? A s-servant?”

“Yes, a servant. If he’s your servant, he can naturally stay with you. I’ll give you lots of opportunities in the limited time you have until next March.”

“B-But, servants are no better than slaves! I-Isn’t it rude to him?”

Adelaide answered Fran’s perplexity.

“Think about it. Lou would never refuse.”

“I-I doubt that…”

“Rest assured, I guarantee it! And he’s quite perceptive for someone like him, so he’ll know what I’m thinking. Besides, he’s pretty sharp, so he should be able to see through my intentions.”

“…………”

“Lou said he wanted to protect you from your fears.”

“Me, protect me? You mean, Lou wants to protect me too?!”

Lou did say that he wanted to protect Fran…

Adelaide nailed Fran, who was soaked in delight.

“Fran! As I said before, Lou’s feelings are compassion, not love. He doesn’t even know you well,… and neither do you. Right now, you’re just intuitively liking him.”

Adelaide shut her eyes and continued, “That’s why…”

“Talk more with Lou, and act on it. Let him get to know you better. Be a wonderful woman that Lou would love. Of course, you need to know Lou as well. Understanding each other is very important.”

Adelaide was a teacher now.

She was nothing more than a teacher of life, doing her best to teach Fran, her beloved student, the important subtleties of men and women.

“Did Lou praise you or something? Like you’re pretty?”

Adelaide asked her daughter mischievously.

Fran couldn’t help but think of what Lou had said.

That was quite a pleasant compliment.

“…He told me that I smell nice…and that I was cute and beautiful.”

Fran turned bright red and bowed right after saying that.

“My oh my.”

Adelaide gently hugged Fran.

“It’s okay, then. At least he considers you an attractive woman.”

Fran, who had been looking down, raised her head and smiled shyly at Adelaide.

Adelaide also smiled and gave more advice.

“Lou’s talent as a wizard is unparalleled. As a fellow wizard and teacher, you’ve got to work hard and engage in friendly competition with each other.”

“As a fellow wizard and a teacher…”

“You got it! Learning new magic will not only benefit you but Lou as well, and also improve both of your teaching skills. That’s primarily the aim when you’re at the academy.”

“Yeah, right. Mother is right.”

“You’re not alone. I want to learn a lot from Lou, too.”

Adelaide said with a smile, seemingly truly enjoying herself.

Fran was impressed.

Her mother, Adelaide Dumer…

Regardless of her age or position, as a wizard and researcher, her passion for magic has not diminished at all.

“The growth of the two of you will in turn benefit the students and the school as a whole. As acting principal, you’re in a position to think about such things.”

Adelaide’s advice ended with the additional advice of considering her position as an administrator as well.

Fran thought from the bottom of her heart, “I’m glad Adelaide is my mother.”

“Understood, Mother. No, Chairman. I’ll do my best, in more ways than one.”

――Back to the present, Fran was in front of Lou.

The transformation that Lou saw in Fran was a sign of her determination.

She radiated positive vibes and a refreshing smile…

Lou stared at her.