Part 4

“Felt-sama. Just who I was looking for.”

“Geh.”

Felt welcomed Reinhard who was approaching her with a grimace. In response to her unpleasant expression, Reinhard maintained his ever present smile,

“I have just returned from clearing the snow out front with grandpa. I do not believe that the ground will freeze over, but do take care not to slip when you leap out of the window.”

“Hey, don’t talk as if it’s a given that I’ll be leaping out the window.”

That was an escape method that had already failed several tens of times. Perhaps she would wait and see and try it again when they least expect it, but now was not the time.

“Well then, it’s actually pretty good timing for me as well now that I’ve run into you. The granny’s laid out some warm drinks in the dining room, so bring grandpa with you.”

“Aah, that is a great help. As expected, even my fingers go numb when I clear out the snow.”

“Eh? Is that so? That’s kinda human, huh.”

As she said this, Felt grabbed Reinhard’s hand and confirmed this shocking fact by holding his cold, red fingers. Perhaps one could say it was obvious, but he was a human with blood flowing through him.

“So, how was the snow? It’d probably be a pain later if there’s a whole lot piling up.”

“― You need not worry. Even if it were to pile up to some extent, I believe it will all melt tomorrow.”

“I see, I see. Doesn’t look like there’s anything to worry about then.”

Dropping Reinhard’s hand, Felt ran past him.

If Reinhard and the old man were heading to the dining room, Felt would return to her room for now. There, she would have to refine her escape plans for tomorrow and onwards―

“―Felt-sama.”

“Aah? What.”

Felt turned around in response to this call. Gazing into her red eyes, Reinhard hesitated ever so slightly,

“― No, it is nothing. Please stay warm in your room.”

“Right. You can go ahead and catch a cold, though. That’d help me out quite a bit.”

Waving her hand apathetically, Felt turned away from Reinhard and returned to her room.

She felt Reinhard’s gaze behind to the very end, just what was it that he wanted to tell her. Felt wasn’t going to and ask about it, she had no obligation to show that much consideration for his feelings.

But since he worked hard clearing out the snow, she would at least forget about escaping for today.

“― What’s this.”

As she thought this, Felt tilted her head when she spotted a certain something in front of the room allotted to her.

Left out in the hallway, in front of her room, was a single white flower in a small vase. She had never seen it before, but she could tell at a glance who had given it to her.

“That guy, I was wondering what he wanted to say, so this was it.”

Her lips curved as she wondered if this was some form of harassment, but she immediately discarded that thought. Reinhard probably had no intention of harassing her. He probably just found a pretty flower and wanted to share that feeling with her.

Felt sighed at his behavior following his return from clearing out the snow as she picked up the vase.

“But even so, that’s a crazy coincidence, huh. I was just talking to granny about this and here it is, a white flower.”

This flower he went and found somewhere bloomed fleetingly yet beautifully, its petals possessed the power to make even Felt who had no interest in flowers think that it was beautiful.

As expected, she couldn’t bear to throw away such a lovely flower just because Reinhard was the one who gave it to her. She decided that she would place it on her windowsill and leave it at that.

“Maybe it really is that snow flower granny was talking about. If that really is the case…”

Entering her room and placing the vase on the windowsill, Felt made a wish to the white petals.

If this really was the snow flower that could grant wishes―

“― Make it so that granny can see nice dreams with her friends.”

Felt said this with a smile as she touched the flower’s white petals.

―To continue a bit further, the snow that covered the capital on this day melted away and disappeared completely the afternoon of the next day.

Even the white flower in Felt’s room soon withered away, perhaps she had handled it poorly.

However, the morning after the snowfall, granny was unusually cheerful as she welcomed Felt, and her breakfast that day was even grander than usual.

She did not ask why she was in such a good mood. Because Felt had already completely forgotten about the wish she had made to the flower yesterday. ― She merely gazed upon granny’s joy, and gramps who was delighted when he saw this.

Carried by this good mood she once again challenged Reinhard, and once again experienced crushing defeat.

Even the snowfall had not produced any particular change in Felt’s life of confinement ― This was merely one page, a moment of the constrained, flurried life she lived until the royal selection finally began.

-End-

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