The Villainess turns the Hourglass

“The first gift… Is that really what you mean?”

“Yes, I guess that’s why I prepared a gift a little too extravagant.”

He had come to say that they should stop exchanging gifts, but he was speechless and unable to reply as she answered, blushing.

“Please don’t be burdened. Think of it as a gift from the heart and know that I prepared it because I was very happy to receive yours.”

“…”

In the conversation with her, which was mixed with temptation and pity, Oscar could not say anything, nothing but a positive answer to her simple question.

“I wanted to see Mr. Oscar wearing a brooch, but… You didn’t bring it, did you?”

“… No, I brought it.”

He hadn’t known she was going to tell a story like that, so he thought he might have had a chance to give it back to Aria. But, instead of giving it back to her and contrary to his intentions, he ended up putting it on in front of her.

“Can I pin it to your clothes?”

“Yes, please.”

The brooch the servant who was accompanying him was holding fell in Aria’s hands. She slowly narrowed the distance between them. Even though she could put it on without getting too close, she narrowed the space so tightly that he could smell her. As a pretext, she said, “Mr. Oscar is tall, so I can’t help it.”

Despite their significant difference in height, Oscar held his breath and looked away since her scent seemed to be able to reach him when she approached. It took her a long time to attach the brooch to him due to her clumsiness, but Oscar waited for her to put the brooch on him without any complaints or exasperated sighs.

“You look great.”

Aria, who checked on the brooch to see if it was hung right, stepped away from him as if she were satisfied. The blue diamond blended well with his dark suit and shone beautifully.

He hadn’t come to the mansion for that, but because of Aria, who smiled brightly in front of his eyes, Oscar was unaware of her words and expressed his thanks.

“… Thank you.”

“No, I’m glad it looks good on you.”

The two, who sat down and faced each other again, had nothing more to say, so they drank tea quietly. Unlike Aria, who had a pleasant expression on her face and drank her tea leisurely, Oscar somehow couldn’t hide his anxiety.

After agonizing for a while because he felt like he had to say something to Aria, he recalled the conversation he had had with Mielle a little while ago. Today was Aria’s birthday. So, he had been contemplating the reason she had called him that day, but as soon as he caught sight of her charming figure, the idea vanished from his mind like the wind.

“I heard today is your birthday.”

“Yes, it is. I had a small party with other young ladies, with whom I made friends with for the first time. It would have been good if Mr. Oscar had come as well. That was a shame.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I’m late.”

He had not been invited to the party, but he felt like he had to apologize when facing her honest regrets. If he had known it was her birthday, he would have prepared a present.

He went there to talk about not exchanging gifts anymore, so he had a formal bouquet of flowers prepared. It took him a while to bring up her birthday, and he had simply handed over a bouquet of flowers after receiving that luxurious brooch, so the whole exchange made him feel a bit shameless.

Nevertheless, he gave the bouquet of lilies to Aria because he had not prepared anything else for her. Quite rightly, Aria received it happily.

“Thank you very much! What a beautiful bouquet! It’s too bad it’ll wither eventually.”

“I’m sorry for preparing just a bouquet of lilies. If I’d known…”

“Just? No, it’s a very precious bouquet for me.”

Aria held the bouquet of flowers in her arms and took in its scent as if it were really precious. Oscar, who still couldn’t hide his apologetic demeanor, added he would prepare something if there were any other gifts she wanted.

Then, Aria, who was enjoying the fragrance of the flower, an innocent, girlish expression on her face, raised her head and faced Oscar, who was staring at her.

“Then, I’m sorry, but can I ask you for a favor?”

“Yes, as much as you like.”

“I don’t need a gift, so could you be my penpal?”

“Penpal… You mean?”

“Yes, I’m always alone because I don’t have any friends. I guess it’s because I’m not originally from nobility. On top of that, I have a lot to learn. But right now, I’m a little lonely…”

The request was made as if it were simple. It was only an exchange of letters. However, the words about the engagement with her younger sister had come and gone, so that forced him to be cautious. If he did something wrong, he could be misunderstood. As if she sensed Oscar’s troubles, she immediately changed her words, saying, “If you feel pressured by that, you don’t have to do it.”

‘Yeah, let’s turn it down. It’s a tiny, little thing, but I don’t know what the repercussions will be after that.’ But as soon as he thought about his answer and tried to say it, he saw Aria touching her eyes from the other side of the table.

“Oh, I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just that I feel everything has been strange and a little bit lonely since my mother remarried. It’s been a long time since I had such a good conversation. In fact, it hasn’t been long since I started talking to the young ladies, so I felt a little uncomfortable at today’s party.”

Hearing her words, Oscar could not utter a firm refusal. ‘Who can give a cold refusal to a small, tender young lady with teary eyes?’

“I’m sure Mielle would be upset because she has a good relationship with you, right?”

Oscar could not answer that simple question. ‘Why? Is it because I really get along with Mielle?’

No, Aria was not asking if “a good relationship” was a close relationship. Oscar looked at Aria’s face in silence again this time, having difficulty answering her, and she opened her mouth again, a vigorless expression on her face.

“I must have brought up something I shouldn’t have… Please, forget what I just said.”

“No.”

No man would be able to refuse her when she looked like that. He was about to say no, but that answer melted away in the spring breeze. Instead, what struck him in his mind was that it would be OK if he occasionally sent her letters.

“It’s fine because they’ll be letters between friends. Lady Mielle has a big heart, so I think she’ll understand.”

If it became known, it could become an issue even between the two families and not just for Mielle, but in this moment, it didn’t feel like it would be that much trouble. That was because they would be just letters between friends.

“… Thank you, Mr. Oscar.”

Aria’s reddened eyes blinked finely, creating a smooth silhouette that made his mind even more firm.

* * *

The hourglass was not almighty.

There was a limit to its power. It was very useful when it came to getting information or doing bad things, but it simply didn’t do much to convince others. It was just one more option.

Recalling that the idea of exchanging letters with Oscar had almost gone wrong, Aria wrote her first letter to Oscar as a “friend.”

When he had first refused, she had turned the hourglass over and rewound that moment, acting like a pitiful lady in her next try. However, if she had done it wrong the second time, it would have been all for nothing.

“Jessie, seal the letter and deliver it to Oscar.”

Aria, who gave Jessie a trifling letter about the lilies he had given and the weather, was again lost in thought.

There was another problem with the hourglass. It was difficult to guess the time precisely. It certainly rewound time by five minutes, and it was very convenient if she measured the time correctly, but if she forgot the time when things went awry or had to use the hourglass in the absence of a clock, she could make a mistake because she couldn’t measure the time exactly.