As I passed through the doors of the girls' dormitory, a soft, warm air surrounded me. Just ahead, I saw Tenuto waving in my direction. His usual indifferent expression remained, but there was something awkward about the way he waved, which made it seem oddly forceful. In that moment, I felt a small warmth bloom inside me, and my steps naturally quickened.

"Good morning, Tenuto," I greeted him with a small smile. But as usual, Tenuto simply gave a slight nod without any reply. His aloofness remained unchanged.

"You're my bodyguard?" I asked.

"Well, I'm from a military family, so I guess it's kind of an obligation," he said, turning his gaze away slightly, as if embarrassed. That little gesture made my heart race unexpectedly. Cute. But I had to suppress these feelings. This body, once the curse was lifted, would have to be returned to Forte. Even if I wanted to hold his hand, I couldn't give in to that temptation.

On a morning when cherry blossom petals danced in the breeze, we walked together toward the gym where the entrance ceremony was being held. An awkward silence settled between us, but then, unexpectedly, Tenuto gently tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey. You used this to stop the bleeding, right? I thought it was important to you, so I worked hard to get the stain out," he said, holding out a yellow ribbon.

As I took it from him, my heart fluttered for just a moment.

"Th-thank you. My dad gave me this for my birthday, but... I don’t really like it that much," I said. But those weren’t my words; they were Forte’s. She had said that once, and I just mimicked her. The truth is, I thought the ribbon was cute and would have loved to wear it. But I felt I had to respect Forte’s feelings instead of my own.

"That's not true. I think it would suit you. You know, yellow is the color of happiness."

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His words caught me off guard, and a tight feeling gripped my chest. Oh no. My heart, stirred by his words, made my body begin to glow with a cobalt light. I’m a guy, and here I am, being flustered by a guy complimenting me. How embarrassing.

"Hey, that girl’s glowing," some nearby girls whispered, pointing at me. Please, I prayed, don’t let them see inside my heart!

"S-sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I have a fiancée, you know. I just thought it looked cute, that's all."

The more he spoke, the brighter my body glowed. Forget it, I thought, and gave in. I tied the ribbon in my hair.

"Does it... does it look good?"

Under Tenuto’s influence, I ended up saying it. I hoped my face wasn’t too stiff.

"Yeah, it looks great."

Tenuto smiled gently as he said it, and that smile threw me into even greater confusion. Please, someone help me. He’s supposed to have a fiancée!

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"Father, have you spoken to them about the matter yet?"

Though my voice was calm, inside, I was growing increasingly anxious. As I addressed him in our lavish living room, my posture remained as perfect as always, but my heart was far from settled.

"What was that again?" my father replied absentmindedly, flipping through a stack of documents in a disorderly manner.

"The engagement with the daughter of the lower noble family, Tenuto. You said you would break it off. Do you not remember?" I couldn’t quite keep the irritation from my voice as it sharpened.

"Oh, that. Yes, I suppose I did mention something like that. With the shift in the power balance in society, we’ve arranged for you to marry into a better family, haven’t we?"

He answered, still distracted, as though it were of no real consequence.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure. My father, for all his prestige as a noble, was infuriatingly indifferent to matters concerning the family.

"Please, at least remember the decisions you've made. While it might not bother me, it’s incredibly rude to the other party."

Despite my calm tone, I could feel a cold anger slowly rising within me.

"I have too much on my plate. There’s always something that needs my attention. Honestly, it's not a high priority. I’ll get around to it in the next six months or so."

He waved his hand dismissively as if it were a trivial matter.

"Can’t even manage a proper schedule anymore, can you?"

I snapped, raising my voice before quickly regaining control over myself.

I was truly exasperated. How could someone of such high status as my father be so apathetic? But in this household, it was forbidden to show emotion. As the daughter of this noble family, it was my duty to remain composed.