On that day, at a tea party, Lana Colette was taken aback by her friend's words.
"Oh, um… Lana, have you ever fallen in love with someone?"
Monica said, fidgeting with her small fingers. Her usually pale cheeks were slightly tinged with blush.
Could it be that, perhaps, possibly, maybe?
"Monica… Do you have someone you like!?"
Lana leaned forward in excitement, but Claudia, sitting next to her, looked at her coldly. Lana quickly realized that they were in the tea room of a large hall, not a private room, and hurriedly sat back in her chair.
When it gets a bit warmer, they can use the outdoor tea room, but it's still the middle of winter. For a small tea party , most students use the tea room in this large hall.
Although there is some distance between the tea tables, if they speak too loudly, it will reach the nearby tables.
Lana cleared her throat and looked at Monica, adjusting her posture.
Monica, in her usual manner, speaks softly with a troubled expression.
"Well… Um… it's not about me… but there's someone very dedicated to someone they love…"
Starting with the preface that it's not about herself but about an acquaintance, Lana hinted at her own situation.
…This must be about Monica, surely.
If that's the case, it would lead to a discussion about who Monica's love interest is.
To tell the truth, Lana had an idea of who that person might be. If she received the flower arrangement on the day of the school festival, then the other person is definitely that person.
For Lana, her true desire was for Monica to come to the trading company she planned to establish after graduation. But if Monica has someone she likes enough to want to get engaged, Lana wouldn't hesitate to support her.
Lana took out a fan she rarely used, covering her mouth, and spoke in a hushed tone to Claudia in the neighboring seat.
"Hey, so… that someone is, you know it right…?"
"Is it your older brother? Haven't you heard anything about that?"
Even when Lana spoke to her, Claudia's beautiful face remained impassive.
Say something, Lana glared at her, and Claudia looked straight at Monica with her unreadable eyes and said,
"…Monica, when is your birthday?"
"Huh? Um, last month."
"I see. I was born in autumn. I'm a few months older than you."
Suddenly asked about her birthday, Monica seemed confused. Naturally.
To Monica's perplexed expression, Claudia said in her usual languid tone,
"…You can call me older sister-in-law."
Lana couldn't help but shout,
"I never said to take the conversation that far!"
"…It's an important matter. If I were Monica's younger sister-in-law, it would confuse everyone around."
"Well, it's true that it would be a little confusing if Monica became your younger sister-in-law…"
Lana involuntarily blushed and pursed her lips, and Claudia looked at her with a somewhat exasperated expression.
"For nobles, marriage is a familiar topic."
"W-Well, yes, that's true, but…"
"I didn't say anything out of the ordinary… Un.der.stand?"
In the first place, when it comes to nobles, it's common for parents to decide on a fiancé for their children in their early childhood. Only a few can have a love marriage… well, it seems Lana's father had a love marriage.
While Lana and Claudia were having that conversation, Monica, who had been left out all along, interjected with a troubled expression.
"Um… Lady Claudia, does that mean you're getting a younger brother or sister?"
"In the near future."
"C-Congratulations, then."
Monica seemed to have missed the meaning behind Lana and Claudia's exchange, and the conversation took a subtle detour.
Clearing her throat, Lana tried to steer the conversation back to Monica, maintaining a natural demeanor.
"Monica, you mentioned there's someone among your acquaintances who is really dedicated to the person they love, right?"
It's probably about Monica herself, Lana murmured in her heart, and Monica nodded curtly.
"Yes, that's right. She really wants to meet the person they like…"
Upon hearing Monica's words, Lana nodded thoughtfully.
Ah, different years, huh? So it means they won't be able to see each other after graduation.
"I see, when you're in love, you can do things you wouldn't normally do."
"Yes, that's what love is."
Lana didn't particularly have someone she liked right now, but she nodded as a senior response.
Monica looked at Lana with eyes that saw her as a reliable older sister and spoke.
"I've never seriously faced love before, so I don't really understand those feelings… That's why I thought about it. If I could formulate the relationship between love and action into an equation, it might be useful in the future, don't you think?"
"I've even delved into philosophical books about love, but they often describe it as ‘Love is like…' drawing comparisons to fever or music. Honestly, I find it rather perplexing… I believe vague and abstract expressions like ‘like…' are inadequate. I desire something more concrete, like ‘Love equals …,' or better yet, I yearn for a clear demonstration through an equation… In a philosophical book I recently read, it stated that ‘Love is a type of desire,' but if that's the case, I think I would understand it better if they presented the specific substances produced in the human body due to love and how they influence desires…"
Lana, happy for Monica's newfound optimism towards love, genuinely wanted to support her. However, she couldn't comprehend why Monica had veered so far off course in such an unexpected manner.
Claudia had a look of utter boredom on her face as Lana held her head in her hands.
"…Medically presented? There's no medicine to cure the illness of love."
Claudia further added to Monica, who was at a loss for words.
"…In the first place, love itself is an abstract thing. If there were mathematicians capable of clearly defining something that takes different forms for different people, I would be intrigued to witness such an endeavor."
"…Different forms for different people…"
Monica echoed, appearing surprised by such an obvious realization.
Nervously fidgeting and twisting her fingers, she turned her gaze towards Claudia.
"Um, L-Lady Claudia, what form does your ‘love' take?"
In response to a potentially provocative question, Claudia easily replied.
"I want to be special to Neil."
"Does that mean wanting to be someone's special is love?"
Monica pondered for a while, seemingly lost in thought.
With a particular idea in mind, Monica furrowed her brows and murmured sadly.
"…I dislike being treated as special. I prefer things to be ordinary…"
It seemed that Claudia's notion of "love's form" did not resonate with Monica.
Lana interjected with a slightly sisterly expression.
"Well, I believe it is also valid to have a form of love where you feel at ease with someone you can be yourself around."
Note that this is not Lana speaking from experience but an episode involving Lana's parents.
Although she had been wearing a mature facade all along, the truth was that Lana also lacked experience in love.
After all, her first love was her father, and in her childhood, she used to say, "I'm going to marry Daddy!" (Lana's father was slim and very fashionable and wonderful in his younger days.)
Come to think of it, she vaguely recalled making a promise to marry her childhood friend, but that was merely innocent child's play. Thıs content belongs to Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
"Love isn't solely about excitement. It's also acceptable to fall in love with someone who makes you feel calm when you're together."
"…Someone who makes you feel calm when you're together…"
Monica nodded and murmured one word.
"…The person who makes me the calmest… is Lana, maybe."
Lana said nothing and gently stroked Monica's head.