9 - 7
"Come on, Lady Mary! Just forget about Lord Patrick and we can go grab a bite to eat, all three of us!"
Alicia's cheeks puffed out, and Mary almost instinctively pressed her hand against her forehead.
It should be mentioned, at this point, that she had done her utmost to keep Alicia at bay with yells of, 'Don't you come over here!'
Needless to say, the effort had been fruitless.
It was obvious to anyone that Alicia thought little of being left behind. She regarded the ring of onlookers who were only growing in numbers and balefully stuck out the tip of her tongue, as if she were a petulant child.
Faced with the juvenile behaviour that so deviated from the image a student of Caleria Academy was meant to uphold, Mary could only reprimand her by saying something to the effect of, 'Enough of that! That's just unsightly!"
"Why would you even leave Patrick as the odd man out? Because you assumed all four of us would go out to eat? I'm eating at home, I'll have you know."
"Come on, what's the problem? I know a store that sells the most amazing croquettes. Let's just go."
"…Oh! That was close. Almost lost it there!"
"You, M'lady, are too easily swayed."
The mere mention of croquettes was enough for Mary to forget herself, if only for a moment, and all Addy could muster at the spectacle was a long sigh. Collected once more, he turned his attention back to Alicia and gently laid her hand on her shoulder.
"That just wouldn't do, Alicia. You and Lord Patrick need to talk this out, face-to-face."
"Addy…"
"I completely understand why you don't want to get involved. But that's something you have to make clear, and make clear on your own terms."
"You… You're right. But I don't know how I'd even get close to him…"
Addy's gentle counterpoint found its desired effect, and Alicia, having changed her mind on the matter, regarded the group with drooping brows. Despite all her peevishness and her quick assertions to forget about the issue and move on, there was no denying that, in her heart of hearts, she wanted to be together with Patrick.
While the noble lady and the common girl who had come here to shop, purely by chance, continued to converse about one of the members of Carelia Academy's student council, the masses of people had only grown. It would take considerable courage to break through their lines.
Someone like Alicia, considering the hows and whys of her personality, would… likely lack the capacity to push her way through them, even if she did want to be with Patrick.
Well-acquainted with her ways, Mary told her that she might as well just resign to her fate and just eat dinner on her own or something. Addy, in stark contrast to her, told her that he would lend her a hand, looked into her face, and nodded.
"Alicia, I just want you to be happy."
"You want me to be happy, Addy?"
"That's right. I want you to break through what your social status is doing to hold you back. I want to see you doing just that. That's why I'm more than happy to accompany you to where you'll find Lord Patrick. And M'lady here, she's the key…!"
The very same minute a sliver of seriousness overtook the mood, Addy had to go and ruin it by triumphantly roaring his Lady's praises. This was something that Mary, naturally, put an immediate stop to.
But still, as far as Mary was concerned, his sudden outburst made for quite the slip-up. Her call of, 'Don't fool around!' came a tad too late, and before she knew it, Addy was standing behind her, boxes in hand.
It didn't stop there, either. Addy, still standing behind her, made to step forward. Mary was caught off guard by this, and found that she had little choice but to move to the front. The moment was made all the more impactful with the knowledge that even the slightest impact with Addy and the boxes he was holding would scatter them.
It was also the knowledge that should the boxes fall and reveal their contents, or lack thereof; that the whole world would know she had bought nothing more than a simple, empty box.
"Hey! You can't just say whatever you want!"
"Sure, certainly, of course. Why don't we get walking then?"
"Stop fooling around! Hey- Wait- Don't push… Those thing might fall if I bump into them!"
"True… You may indeed bump into them and they'd fall… So come on now, don't dally."
"You have a lot of nerve if you think this is guiding me! Whose side are you on?!"
"Just think of me as a military officer, cheering Alicia on by using my allegiance to you as a base!"
"You know what that is?! That's called being a traitor!"
Pushed along by Addy - or, to be honest, the boxes - Mary gradually drew closer to the group, all the while making a huge fuss. It wasn't long after that the people standing on the outermost rings of their congregation took notice of her and let out a small 'ah' of recognition, an action that soon spread to the others in the group like a contagion.
Every last one of them looked on with wide eyes, her appearance having been far too unexpected for anyone. The appearance of… yes, that's right, none other than Mary Albert, Patrick's former betrothed.
The confusion aimed at her presence was entirely feasible. It was, for one thing, almost unthinkable that the young lady of the house Albert would be seen in a city with such common a populace, and shopping no less. It was even more inconceivable that she would willingly show her face to the circle surrounding her once-fiancée.
It was only natural that she'd turn heads.
The situation made it all the more apparent that none could simply push Mary aside to speak with Patrick. There was also the recent event with the members of the student council to consider, and it was a safe bet to say that most women there had some sense of inferiority when compared to Mary, or more accurately to the young Albert woman.
But none dispersed. Instead, they scooted away and made a little room, throwing furtive glances as they did. Mary, feeling somewhat scandalised by this, heaved out a sigh. She made sure to glare towards Addy and mouth the words, 'I won't forget this!' before turning back to Patrick, who still stood in the middle of the ring.
"A pleasant day to all of you. You see, Lord Patrick, I was out shopping on my own - pardon, if you would be so willing as to invite me to join you, I would be glad to do just that."
With all the emphasis Mary had given the part the betrayed her solitude, what she had left unspoken should have made its way across without need for a direct explanation.
Mary didn't even have to finish her sentence before Patrick adopted a somewhat troubled expression, and though he faced her for fear of appearing boorish, his eyes danced about his surroundings as if he was looking for something.
It was almost certain that he was searching for any sign of Alicia, who was hidden from view. When he finally did find her standing behind Mary and Addy, a light touch of relief rushed into his face.
"Alicia, I'm so sorry…"
Having found his dear lover, Patrick offered his apologies as he drew ever nearer.
Mary sidled as if to give Alicia the stage, worming in some light-hearted jest about how rude he was to ignore her when she was the one to speak to him in the first place. Addy immediately followed suit, leaving the onlooking gazes adrift towards the couple as they locked eyes with one another.