Chapter 57: The Day Before the Festival with the Eldritch Godness

Finally, the day before the Golden Festival had arrived.

Tomorrow, I’d be spending late into the night with friends at the academy. Eating delicious food, chatting, even dancing a little—making the final memories of my school life!

Just thinking about it has me giddy with excitement.

"Iris, your face is practically screaming how much you’re looking forward to the Golden Festival!"

"Yes, Frieda. I can’t wait!"

In the academy classroom, Frieda called out to me, and I nodded with my dazzling, ultra-beautiful-girl smile.

"Are you all prepared?"

"I’ve made sure I can deliver the presents properly."

"What about your dress?"

"Ah."

I didn’t have a dress right now!

Since I was staying at Felix’s place, I didn’t have one—my dresses were all back at the Rauchenstein family home. Even though I’d been reborn as a stunning beauty, I wanted to dress up as much as possible…

"You don’t have a dress?"

"Right now, I’m staying at Lord Felix’s residence. My dresses are all at my family home."

"Why not go get one? Your family’s in the imperial capital, right?"

"Hmm…"

Would it be okay to see Father and Mother now? The cult had been completely quiet since then, and it seemed like they understood, but… I was still a little worried.

"I’ll try contacting them later."

For now, I left it at that.

"But, Iris, you’ve been at Lord Felix’s place for a pretty long time, haven’t you?"

"Yes… Now that I think about it, I’ve been freeloading for quite a while…"

"I don’t know the details, but you should at least thank him properly. You’re only at the academy until tomorrow, after all…"

Frieda said this with a slightly sad expression.

It was true—I’d been nothing but trouble for Felix. He gave me past exam papers, helped me study, even saved me from the cult…

At the Golden Festival, when I give him the present, I’ll have to properly thank him.

"So, Iris… You’re dancing with Lord Felix, right?"

"Yes. We made a promise. I asked him to help me make some memories."

"Making memories, huh…? Iris, you’re really a cruel woman, you know?"

"Huh—?! Why?!"

Frieda sighed as if exasperated, but I had no idea why she was reacting like that.

"What Lord Felix wants isn’t just memories. More importantly, you still haven’t given him an answer since he confessed to you over the summer, have you? Before you leave the academy, you’ve got to give him a proper reply!"

"Even if you say that…"

"Is it less that you dislike Lord Felix and more about your… situation?"

"That’s the one."

I was a very troublesome Evil God, and Felix was the heir to a ducal family. No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a match that would ever balance—mostly because of my negative traits.

Even if we did end up together, the aftermath would be a disaster. Cults would swarm, my tentacles would writhe, and the sanity of everyone around us would be in jeopardy.

It made me happy that Felix had feelings for me, but I had to turn him down.

"I’m afraid I can’t return Lord Felix’s feelings. Not that I wouldn’t want to, if I could—but for me, such a thing isn’t allowed."

"Then you’ve got to tell him that, too. You can’t just leave him hanging."

"Yes. After our dance at the Golden Festival, I’ll tell him."

My relationship with Felix—sometimes difficult, sometimes fun—would end here. I wanted to make a clean break. Along with my thanks, I’d say goodbye.

The only question was whether Felix would accept it…

Felix, as the student council vice president and treasurer, had just finished his final duties for the Golden Festival.

"Klaus. All that’s left is to submit these."

"Nice! That wraps up all our year-end work!"

Felix handed the documents to Klaus, who signed them without hesitation. But Felix himself was lost in thought, his gaze distant.

"...Still brooding over it?"

Klaus’s question snapped Felix back to reality.

"To be honest, yes. I’ve already confessed my feelings, but there’s been no reply. Yet I can’t wait forever. After tomorrow, Lady Iris will leave the capital—she’ll be gone from our lives."

"True. You’ll have to press her for an answer. But tell me—if her reply isn’t what you hope for, can you accept it?"

"I don’t know. If she rejects me… I doubt I’ll come to terms with it easily. It’ll take time. If I could just let go, I wouldn’t be agonizing like this in the first place."

"But you know she has her own reasons for not being able to return your feelings."

"Because she’s the Evil God Y’sri-Lis? That’s no obstacle to me."

"Even if you don’t care, she does."

Klaus shrugged at Felix’s stubbornness.

"Still, if you’re this serious… are you really prepared to chase after her?"

There was no jest in Klaus’s voice—only genuine concern.

"If it’s possible. At the very least, if she’ll have me… I might leave the capital with her. But I’m also aware of the complications that would cause."

"The ducal heir suddenly vanishing? Yeah, that’d cause problems. Personally, as your friend, I’d prefer you stay."

"I see…"

Felix lowered his eyes at Klaus’s words.

"But as a man? Letting the woman you love slip away without a fight is unforgivable. If you love Iris, go all out. I’ll handle the fallout. Don’t you dare choose a path you’ll regret, Felix."

"Thank you, Klaus. You’re a true friend."

A faint smile crossed Felix’s lips.

He made up his mind then—he would convey his feelings. He’d tell Iris he loved her, no matter what.

He adored everything about her: her occasional clumsiness, the mysterious air she sometimes carried, the kindness at her core that made her cherish her friends so deeply. He loved her, the woman named Iris.

That was why he couldn’t stay silent.

After tomorrow’s Golden Festival, Iris would disappear from the academy, from the capital. Before that happened, he had to speak his heart—or regret would haunt him forever.

"I’ll tell Lady Iris… that I love her."

Felix murmured the words to himself, a quiet vow.

As the Golden Festival looms, so too does Iris’s final day at the academy—and Felix’s last chance to confess what burns in his heart.

Yet beneath the surface, another fate approaches: the hidden aspect of Yule’s Day, revered by the heretical cult.

What will unfold when the events set in motion since April reach their climax?

For now, no one knows…

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