I No Longer Have Love to Offer You - Chapter 2

Mirabelle Lumière was the young lady of House Lumière, a family granted the title of count in the Kingdom of Esperanza.

The Lumière territory, located inland in the kingdom, consisted mostly of flatlands and was primarily responsible for agriculture. It bordered the Hylas territory to the left, which held mining operations, and the Fleur territory, which specialized in livestock farming, adjacent to both Lumière and Hylas lands.

Coincidentally, each territory had children of similar ages, and since all three families held the same rank of count, they had maintained close ties since childhood, with the families often gathering together.

The Hylas territory had Ludovic, the eldest son three years older than Mirabelle, and Ricardo, the second son just a year older. The Fleur territory had Marietta, who was also a year older.

The three families got along well, and every summer, they would rotate locations, allowing the children to spend a month together.

Particularly for the agricultural Lumière family and the livestock-focused Fleur family, where parents rarely had time for breaks, these gatherings were a welcome respite.

And so, the four of them spent their childhood together, sometimes even meeting outside of summer to maintain their close bond.

When had that innocent relationship begun to change?

Before she knew it, Mirabelle had fallen for Ricardo, while Ricardo and his older brother Ludovic had both developed feelings for Marietta.

The turning point came when talk of an engagement arose between Ludovic and Marietta.

Their ages and family statuses matched perfectly, and with both sets of parents eager to strengthen business ties, the engagement was swiftly arranged.

Leaving only Ricardo’s feelings behind.

(That was when I was ten.)

Back in her room, Mirabelle picked up a portrait the four of them had commissioned from a painter in their childhood and let her thoughts drift. The engagement between Ludovic and Marietta had been finalized when she was ten, so the portrait depicted them a year earlier.

The reason Mirabelle had been drawn to Ricardo was simple.

As an only child, she had always been a quiet girl. In contrast, Marietta was an outgoing, spirited child who wore her heart on her sleeve.

Both Ludovic and Ricardo had been raised as proper gentlemen from a young age, always prioritizing others’ feelings, so their playtime inevitably revolved around whatever Marietta wanted to do.

Not that Mirabelle minded.

She adored Marietta’s carefree nature, and after years of this dynamic, she never felt the need to push her own desires over Marietta’s.

But sometimes just sometimes it bothered her. Like when she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t keep up.

And Ricardo was the only one who noticed.

In those moments, he would prioritize Mirabelle over Marietta, even speaking up on her behalf.

(How childish of me.)

Still, to Mirabelle, Ricardo had always been like a prince by her side. And that admiration had gradually blossomed into affection.

As was common among nobility, engagements between noble children became more frequent, and every time Mirabelle heard of another friend’s betrothal aside from Ricardo, Ludovic, and Marietta. She thought, If I were to be engaged, I’d want it to be to Ricardo.

But Mirabelle had always been too reserved to voice such thoughts. If she couldn’t even bring it up to her parents, how could she ever tell Ricardo? So, she kept those feelings locked away in her heart.

Then came the sudden announcement of Ludovic and Marietta’s engagement.

When Ricardo heard, he was furious. He never showed it openly, but Mirabelle, who had always watched him closely, noticed.

(Foolishly, I even wondered if Ricardo might have feelings for me too.)

Mirabelle gently traced the surface of the portrait as she reminisced.

Noble engagements were contracts between families.

Of course, mutual affection was ideal, but it wasn’t a requirement.

Yet in Ludovic and Marietta’s case, their love for each other made their engagement all the more celebrated.

“If the Hylas and Fleur families are to be joined in marriage, why can’t it be me and Marietta!?”

Ricardo’s desperate plea reached Mirabelle’s ears as she walked through the Hylas estate’s courtyard during their annual visit.

She still remembered the sharp pain in her chest when she heard it.

Though Ricardo had protested to his parents, the engagement remained unchanged.

Ludovic and Marietta were in love, and there was no reason to alter the arrangement.

For the next four years until Ricardo left for the royal academy, fulfilling his duty as a noble heir their yearly gatherings became a source of pain for Mirabelle.

Perhaps it was the same for Ricardo.

He and Marietta were the same age. Ludovic, two years older, had returned home every summer until Marietta enrolled in the academy, forcing Ricardo to witness their affection year after year.

Ricardo suffered from his unrequited love for Marietta, and Mirabelle suffered watching him.

The final years of their childhood passed like that.

This can’t go on.

Determined to move on, Mirabelle resolved to distance herself from her childhood friends once she enrolled in the academy.

The year before her enrollment, none of them Ricardo, Marietta, or Ludovic had returned home, giving her plenty of time to sort through her feelings.

At first, Ricardo had still been concerned for her, but once she subtly began keeping her distance, they settled into the appropriate space between young men and women of their station.

They had been too close before.

Like siblings or something more. Their bond had been almost familial, which had been strange to begin with. No matter how close their families were or how long they had known each other, maintaining proper distance was only natural.

By the time she graduated, Mirabelle believed she had reached a point where she could look back on their past with nothing but nostalgia.

It didn’t take long for her to realize how wrong she was.