I Will Break Off the Engagement Because I'm Jealous - The Untalented Villainess Who Rejected the Prince Searches for a Safe Haven with the Cheat Heroine - Chapter 5.2

“No, it’s not that…”

Iris shook her head, but something was clearly off. No matter how you looked at it, she lacked energy. It wasn’t exactly depression, but she seemed disengaged. Emilia couldn’t help but be concerned. Of course, she knew. She herself was acting strangely too. Her heart raced when she looked at Iris, and when their eyes met, heat inevitably rose to her cheeks. She didn’t really understand why this happened.

That’s precisely why she wanted to know why Iris was acting strange. If she understood Iris better, maybe she’d understand her own feelings—that’s how it felt.

Being with Iris made this “restlessness” well up from deep in her chest, and she felt like she might finally understand what it really was.

(Even when I’m alone with Iris, I feel it. Well, maybe part of it is me being frustrated with myself for being such a useless, spoiled girl. But something’s been different lately.)

Ever since that day she returned to the Persicam ducal house… and ended up sleeping for over twenty-four hours for some reason. The “restlessness” she had thought was “jealousy”—could it actually be something else? Emilia found herself agonizing over this. Her worries had grown much stronger especially after breaking things off with Sieg.

“Are you bored being with me?”

Frustrated by Iris’s indecisiveness and her own unresolved restlessness, Emilia blurted out bluntly.

Then.

“Absolutely not!”

Came the reply, rapid-fire and in one breath. Catching Iris’s raised gaze, Emilia stared intently.

“Then what is it?”

But immediately.

Her eyes averted.

Iris hugging her clothes and fidgeting was adorable, but that aside, Emilia was dissatisfied.

“It’s more like… I’m feeling restless—being with you all the time, Emilia-sama. And now, even staying overnight like this…”

Iris’s stumbling response sounded like an excuse. Her voice was small, fading away, her face red. Emilia sighed and walked over to the bed.

“We’ve been sleeping in the carriage all this time. True, this is our first time staying at an inn, though.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it now?”

Iris seemed to have some particular hang-up about this. Something she couldn’t compromise on, her tone slightly stronger.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Emilia gently stroked the blanket. The bed was quite large, easily spacious enough for both of them to sleep. But there was only one. One bed in a room for two.

“The bed is huge. More importantly, why were we shown to a room with just one bed? What kind of relationship do they think we have?”

“——”

When Emilia turned with a wry smile.

Iris was holding her breath.

Her face was bright red, all the way to her ears.

“Iris?”

“I-I’m going to take a bath! It looks like there’s a bathtub! Might as well make use of it!”

She turned her back, grabbed her clothes, and headed for the door at the far end.

“Hmm. It’d be a waste of hot water—want to join me?”

Calling out to her back in a joking tone.

“No, absolutely not! Excuse me!”

She disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with a bang.

“What’s with that? Stingy.”

Left alone, Emilia pouted and voiced her dissatisfaction.

“…………Does Iris not really want to be close with me?”

It felt like she was being avoided for no reason. The “restlessness” in her chest expanded, throbbing. Unconsciously clutching the brooch at her chest, Emilia let out a deep sigh.

“Even though we finally have no pursuers. It’s supposed to be a trip for just the two of us.”

Her own sigh seemed to sour the air.

☆ ☆ ☆

The next morning.

Emilia woke in the dim light of dawn, briefly confused, thinking, “Where am I…?” Scanning the dark room, she spotted the bulge on the other side of the bed.

(She’s sleeping properly… though she’s far away.)

Finally coming to her senses. Iris’s profile, curled up, had her eyes closed, of course. Emilia let out a small sigh.

(Maybe the carriage sleeping was better.)

About to open the window, she remembered the innkeeper’s warning—and opened it anyway. The glass window fully, the shutters just a crack. A slight sound echoed in the quiet morning. The gas lamps were out, the dawn still distant, the town viewed from the second floor faintly dark. Inhaling the air that carried a hint of soot, she closed the window again.

“Now then, for today…”

Returning to the unlit room, Emilia picked up the paper on the table. It was the reply from Zuraite that had arrived last night. Regarding the “Imperial Capital lockdown,” it seemed they were spreading the word on their end and gathering information. It was also recommended they make contact with someone from the Blaze Corps—the great adventurer group led by Iris’s mother—in the city of Abilis. Apparently, Iris knew their face.

“Contact the Blaze Corps. We have to enter the university by next spring, so we need to figure out the situation in the Imperial Capital somehow. The reason for the lockdown, the conditions inside. Depending on the situation, we might have to climb the city walls and sneak in.”

Changing her clothes, Emilia murmured.

(“The Maiden of Ten Thousand Cheers”… I want to bring the radiant Iris to a stage worthy of her talents. Not just pushing her up, but standing there together, side by side. The Imperial University might not necessarily be that place but we have to get in first. Even with an invitation letter, it’s meaningless if we can’t enter the Imperial Capital.)

This journey began with Emilia’s distrust. Unable to believe in the love of her fiancé, Prince Sieg. Though it started for such a negative reason… Emilia now felt positive. She was proud of her choice to take Iris’s hand.

“In order to be with you, I need to try harder too. Iris——”

Changing into her travel clothes haphazardly, Emilia approached Iris, who was still curled up asleep. Reaching from the bedside, she gently stroked Iris’s cheek. Round, soft, firm… Relaxing her own cheek, she pinched Iris’s earlobe with her fingers. Iris was a light sleeper. As expected, when touched like this, her eyes began to open. Emilia brought her face closer, waiting intently for Iris’s eyes to open fully.

“——————Aah?”

“Cute. I finally get to see your eyes.”

Emilia cupped Iris’s face with both hands, gazing into her blinking blue eyes. The “restlessness” in her chest grew, her heart pounding like a rapid drumbeat. Still, Emilia looked satisfied as she peered at Iris——.

“Nyaaaaaaaaaaah!?”

Again, she was pushed away. Iris leaped to the far side of the bed with a movement that could rival a cat’s, peeking out with half her bright red face from the edge, looking at Emilia.

“What a shame. Good morning, Iris.”

“…Good morning, Emilia-sama.”

Came the reply, a greeting that could be either tension or a threat.

☆ ☆ ☆

“This bread is hard!”

Biting directly into the dark bread that her teeth couldn’t penetrate, Emilia reluctantly dipped it into the soup. Then she tried chewing again, but it was still hard. Emilia chuckled deep in her throat.

“I told you I’d make something…”

From beside her came a voice that sounded dissatisfied, or perhaps still a bit sleepy. Iris was steadily consuming the hard bread, the broth with few ingredients, and the overly salty dried meat. Though there was a dining area on the first floor of the inn, it seemed more suited for a tavern, and the quality of the morning meal was, to put it politely, not good.

“It wouldn’t be fair to leave it to you, sleepyhead. If we can get enough food at the market, we’ll do that next time, okay? We don’t even know if we can buy anything yet.”

“I think even foreigners can buy and sell things…?”

They had brought food with them, but it was, of course, for travel. Not wanting to deplete it too much, Emilia thought cooking for themselves might be fine if they could resupply.

“That would be good. Let’s go shopping today and then decide. The morning market should be open.”

“Ah——!”

Having finished her meal, Iris murmured softly, pulled back her chair, and then stopped. She seemed to be agonizing over whether to stand up or not. She appeared to be looking somewhere, but in the direction of her gaze there was nothing. There were other customers who looked more like adventurers than laborers, but that was all.

“What’s wrong? Iris”

Tilting her head slightly, Emilia asked. She was concerned about how well the bread was soaking, but she was also worried about Iris, who was biting her lip.

“Today, I’ll go around by myself.”

“…Excuse me?”

Emilia furrowed her brow and tilted her head significantly. But Iris was trembling slightly, making an expression that was hard to read—somewhere between angry and tearful.

“After you said it’s bad for two women to walk around at night. What about going off alone in an unfamiliar place?”

Worried about Iris, Emilia tried to stop her indirectly. However.

“I’m really, really sorry! Please just rest here at the inn, Emilia-sama!”

Iris stood up abruptly, bowed her head, then turned and walked out of the inn.

“Eh, wait, Iris!?”

Emilia stood up reflexively, but Iris had already left. Recalling the sound of her retreating footsteps and the intensely dissatisfied look on her back, Emilia was bewildered.

“…What in the world is this about?”

Sitting back down in her chair, she bit into the hard bread. But this time, there was no excitement. No “restlessness.”

Just a strong, mounting irritation.