"Let's burn together, Lady Charlotte," Noel said.
Burn? A room covered in paint?
I quickly went to check on the exits and saw that none of the doors were budging.
"It is no use. I fiddled with all of the doors just before you came here," Noel chimed in. "There is no escape."
I gave up on trying to escape and went back to Arielle's body.
"...I had hoped that I could at least bring your body back in one piece to the Duke, but it seems that I cannot even do that anymore...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I am truly so sorry," I said tearfully as I covered my hands over my eyes and bent over on my knees.
When this world ends, let's be together one last time...After all, there is no meaning to continue living in a world without you.
"Although there is one too many bodies here, let's meet again in the afterlife, Lady Charlotte," Noel said as she released the match from her hands.
From the gaps between my fingers, I saw a scene of Arielle leaping towards Noel and taking the burning match from her hands.
It was some odd miracle of seeing a dead body suddenly spring into action before my very eyes. I could not believe that I was daydreaming even at this point of time.
"Arielle?"
Arielle grabbed the remaining matches from Noel's hands and threw the rest out of the window. Noel had tried fell out of the window herself trying to catch the matches. I quickly got to my feet and grabbed Noel's arm as she was falling down. She dangled helplessly from my grasp.
"Lady Charlotte...I knew that you would save me! You really do love me," Noel said.
"No...I just did not want your death to affect Arielle's conscience. You can fall for whatever I care," I said.
"No, you cannot just abandon me! Charlotte!" Noel screamed.
I released her and watched her fall helplessly to the ground. Watching her fall was slightly satisfying for all of the trouble I went through, but because it was still Noel falling to her death, it still bothered me how she wanted to believe in me in the end.
"...Arielle!"
I went to check on Arielle who was now clutching her side. The spot at where Arielle was lying earlier had a knife stuck through a bloody book in her place.
"I had wanted to read that book later...what a shame," Arielle said with an awkward chuckle.
I quickly applied pressure to her wound with my handkerchief.
"What happened to her?" Arielle asked.
"I could not hold her up...She decided to fall herself," I lied.
"I see..."
"...I had thought you died. I never thought that you could still move recklessly after getting such a serious wound," I said.
"I just woke up...when she said that she was going to burn everything. What a crazy thing to wake up to," Arielle said.
"How is your hand?" I asked as I quickly grabbed her hand.
There was light burn marks from where she grabbed the match.
"It will heal," Arielle said.
"...Why...just why did you have to come back? You put yourself in danger for someone you barely know. There should be limits on how ridiculous you can be," I said.
"...You came for me in the library. Did you not go there because you wanted to help me? What about telling me to leave because you thought I would be in danger? You even said it yourself...I am the most important person in your life. What do those words mean? Am I simply just another classmate to you?" Arielle asked as she grabbed my arm.
Arielle sure knows to ask difficult questions...
"...I want...to be your friend!" I confessed.
Arielle gave a light sigh.
"Thank goodness...an easy request. I want to be your friend as well," Arielle said as she shook my hand.
A few moments later, her fiancé Prince Erik and his attendant came bursting in after breaking the door down.
"Arielle! Are you alright?" Prince Erik asked as he held her in his arms.
"...I have been stabbed," Arielle said as she showed her wound. "Please take care of the rest, my dear fiancé."
Arielle fell unconscious not long afterwards and was quickly carried out.
"Do you need help as well?" Garett asked as he held out his hand for me.
"I am fine," I said as I suddenly keeled over from a piercing sensation in my abdomen. "It hurts..."
When I lifted my shirt, I saw a massive bruise over my abdomen and shortly fell unconscious. The next time I woke up, I found myself in a hospital room with my neighbor in the next room being Arielle. Within no time at all, our injuries as well as our time staying in the hospital together were soon coming to their end. However, our friendship has continued to grow since then.
On my way to Arielle's room to partake in tea and various snacks, I saw that she had a guest with her.
"Your mind is heavy, is it not? Do you want to share your troubles with me?" he asked.
"...Sometimes, I wish that you were a little less perceptive, Garett," Arielle said.
I had a hard time entering her room after sensing the tension in Arielle's tone and decided to stop right outside the door.
"I shall show a pitiful side only to you then, Garett," Arielle said with a solemn tone. "The Doctors have told me that my injury...will leave a scar."
A scar was one of the worst taboos that could happen to a young unmarried woman. Many men are put off by a woman's scars. Just a simple rumor could ruin a young woman's chances of getting married to a decent candidate. If not, there only choice is to become a second less powerful wife to man with a terrible reputation.
What Arielle is most worried about is probably her fiancé...A scar could be used as a legitimate excuse to break off an engagement. With Arielle's wealth and status, the only men after her would most likely be men only looking to use her in a loveless relationship.
The only question that remains is how her fiancé will take these news. Will he abandon her or will he faithfully stay with her despite the blemish on her body?
"...Surely, His Highness will understand, My Lady," Garett said.
"...I am sure that he will continue with this engagement because he requires my connections as well as my wealth, but what I cannot stand is the chance that he will think of me as less of a woman after knowing that I have been scarred," Arielle said in a saddened tone.
"Your beauty has not diminished one bit. You are still...have been the most beautiful woman in my eyes. A single scar will not change my perception of you," Garett said.
"...You are kind only in odd situations. It would be better if you were this kind all of the time," Arielle said in a lighter tone.
"I am kind enough as it is," Garett said grumpily.
"...Surely, you won't say something like taking responsibility if no one is willing to accept me, right? That is just not your character," Arielle said.
"...What is wrong about saying that?" Garett asked in a quiet voice.
"Pardon?"
"...If in the slight chance that His Highness does reject you, I will take responsibility," Garett said.
I could hear Arielle's sniffling sounds from the hallway. Something felt wrong about waiting for Arielle to stop crying before going in, so I decided to head towards the lower floors and get fresh air.
When Garett said such comforting words to Arielle, I could not help but feel a little jealous. If only I could utter those same words...
.