Chapter 1.3

His presence completely dominates the atmosphere, and he possesses such intelligent eyes. Although he is disguised, one cannot deny the princely demeanor he exudes.

Sylvia stared at him with a grim expression that states “He's so perfect, I hate this”.

(But, this is the real Arthur!)

Hurray for otome games! It is really a different witnessing these characters first-hand, Sylvia thought. As for her brother-in-law, his existence is the one relatively closest to her. But, she hasn't met him at all, which puzzled her.

Sylvia is now one step forward in The Fingertips Series. With Arthur's dashing looks in front of her, she cannot help but swoon and act like a fool.

“Are you listening?”

“Ah!”

“...”

Sylvia was startled by the sudden question that she accidentally bit her tongue. Her cheeks immediately flared up. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to bury herself in a hole.

All in all, the most surprising thing for her is how in the world did she meet Arthur?

The programming of the Fingertips Series is simple. You will immediately proceed to the route of the first character you encountered. (Except for the multi-capture one)

That is why Sylvia was desperately searching for Dietrich. She can never imagine that she would meet Arthur before anyone else.

(But the place is so different...)

The heroine should have met Arthur on the balcony of the soiree. 

In the beginning, they would have spoken without knowing each other's identities. But somehow, Arthur is here, and Sylvia had already introduced herself. 

(This is quite different from what I expected, but the real thing is so cool!)

A character, whom she had only seen in a game screen, is now in front of her breathing and talking. The experience itself tremendously overwhelmed Sylvia's heart. However, this is not the time for her to be amazed.

The current situation may be strange, but if she let it remain as it is, she will be completely steered into Arthur's route.

His beautiful face is truly deceiving. The mere act of endlessly enduring until morning with him makes her want to give up already. (T/N Girl, are you sure though?)

(Anyways, I need to leave this place, return to where Dietrich is, and do the first event.)

Sylvia decided so. Just as she was about to speak, Arthur interjected before her.

“Looking at your circumstances, you do not seem to be a suspicious intruder. Given that, if you are returning to the ball, I am willing to escort you halfway through.”

“No, it is okay. Thank you though.”

(I don't want to have an event with Arthur.)

It was a sincere refusal on Sylvia's part. Arthur did not expect her response at all, which left him quite stunned.

“Are you saying you don't need it? Even when I am the one escorting you?”

(You mean, I can't turn you down because you're handsome?)

Surely, if Sylvia didn't know anything about the game, she would have happily let him accompany her. But at the moment, she couldn't let him. It was difficult for her to explain her refusal.

“Um...No matter how gallant you are, I couldn't let a stranger escort me back to the ball. Besides, I am able to return by myself. I am grateful for your offer.”

Sylvia knew his true identity.

Arthur is known as a prince who rarely appears in public. Even if he is wearing a knight's suit, or have changed his face, that wouldn't be enough to fool her. After all, It is impossible for her not to recognize the voice of her favorite seiyuu^[1].

Arthur nodded his head in agreement.

“I see, if you are that insistent, then I will gladly concede—this had saved me time either way. The venue is on the right side of the palace. There are some turns along the way, please ignore all of them and proceed.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Sir Knight.”

Her words may have ended the situation awkwardly, but she bowed gracefully without any form of hesitation.

Sylvia was relieved to have survived this ordeal with Arthur. However, just as she made her steps, he had suddenly stopped her.

“...please wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

Sylvia, who was wondering about his intentions, looked back at him. For some reason, Arthur was surprised.

“...Sir Knight?”

“You..on your hair?”

“Eh?”

Arthur gazed upon the hair ornament Sylvia was wearing. 

Without any clue on what is happening, Sylvia turned her head. At that moment, her hair ornament dangled through the air.

“This hair ornament? What about it?”

“...The petals appear to be damaged. Did you drop it somewhere?”

“Oh.”

Arthur's question intrigued her greatly.

Sylvia pondered if he was worried that she would look poorly with a broken hair ornament. She believed no one would notice unless they examine it in great detail. It was amazing that he was able to take note of it at such a distance.

“Well, this isn't something I dropped today. The central piece has been missing for a long time already.”

“And yet, you still wore it despite its current condition? You must have been fond of it.”

Sylvia did not reply to his question. Instead, she smiled and said,

“It is a treasured memento of mine. If you say that it is not appropriate, I promise I would never wear it again for this kind of event. But for tonight's gathering, would you at least be able to overlook it?”

No one has minded it until now, which made Sylvia didn't care. Though the hair ornament's damage is unnoticeable, wearing it for tonight's soiree may have been unsuitable. In particular, if the prince is the judge—even in disguise—this might have been disrespectful to witness.

Sylvia, who concluded such, apologized unreservedly for her misdemeanor, but Arthur shook his head, saying no.

“No...the flower looks good on you. I don't think it's rude for you to wear it at all. Even if the damage is small, what is broken is broken. If you want, I can give you a new one?”

“Eh?”

Sylvia gazed at him as she staggered on his response. His behavior right now is completely different from before.

Despite meeting for the first time, Arthur has already offered to give her—a stranger—a gift. Though unusual, Sylvia calmly replied.

“No, I wouldn't wish for something new. It is a cherished item of mine, that's why it is meaningless if it is replaced.”

Even before Sylvia regained her memories, she had considerably cared for that hair ornament. If she had wanted something new, she would have bought one a long time ago. For some reason, she could not throw it away.

“I'm sorry, you even went as far as to replace it. I am grateful, but I truly do not mind the one I have. Apart from that, I cannot let someone I just met do such things for me already.”

Naturally, Sylvia's words made sense to him. Still, Arthur's eyes flickered greatly at her response. He nodded his head in return.

“I see. I do not deserve your appreciation nor apology. When I have seen the damage, I thought that it didn't suit your beautiful appearance. Forgive me if I may have done something unnecessary.”

“No..not at all, I was touched. Thank you very much, your concern is more than enough for me.”

On the surface, Sylvia appeared calm, but beneath that exterior, she was getting extremely impatient and unsettled.

(Why? Why are you suddenly talking like this? What beauty are you referring to? In the early stages of the game, he would never utter such words before finishing a few events. Wait, I don't even want to go to Arthur's route! What is this scene anyways? I don't know anything about this event!)

---

^[1]voice actor.

Shishido's Notes:
I need your opinion if I should put character tags on their conversations. If you think they are necessary, please comment below.