I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 41: You are a really annoying person (1)

The only person I can call my best friend.

Let me tell you about the first time I met Ariana Anastasia.

She’s one of the few people in the world that I can really open up to. The other is, of course, my fiancé, Eamon.

He’s a blessing in many ways, and now Ariana and I are friends who are indispensable to each other.

When I first met her as a child, I never imagined that we would be as close as we are now.

If I had to summarize my first impression of Ariana Anastasia in one word, it would be annoying.

If I were to describe her on the day I first met her, without any snobbery or sophistication, that would be the word.

She was the rudest and most ungainly of the common noblewomen I had ever met.

My first encounter with Ariana occurred on the day of my social debut.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I am Charlotte Francis, the eldest daughter of Margrave Auclide Francis.”

Because I suffered from a serious illness as a child, I had no experience participating in any outside activities until I recovered.

This delayed my social debut, and I made my first public appearance at the age of twelve, later than most of my peers.

It was at the annual Winter Ball, a celebration of magic and blessings, that I made my official social debut.

“Hello, I’m Charlotte Francis, eldest daughter of Margrave Auclide Francis.

Yes, that’s right, I am the eldest daughter of the Francis family, and I look forward to meeting you.

It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Charlotte Francis….from the Francis family.”

Entering the social scene at a slightly later age than most, Charlotte Francis was limited in her ability to be on the same level as others.

Among the aristocratic circles that had already been formed by their own interactions since childhood, there was no place for a late entrant to fit in.

So all the other young people I met were merely exchanging formal greetings, never getting into deep conversations, and parting ways after a few minutes.

It was a bit of a harsh reality for a twelve-year-old.

I couldn’t help it, because the only way I could blame myself would be to blame my body, which had been living with a chronic illness for so long.

When I was completely exhausted both physically and mentally, the person I greeted was none other than Duchess Arianna Anastasia.

“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess Ariana Anastasia. I’m Charlotte Francis, eldest daughter of Margrave Auclide Francis.”

As the highest ranking member of the ball’s guest of honor, I greeted them with the utmost respect, lest I be caught off guard.

“…….”

But as I nervously waited for an answer, Ariana didn’t say anything, just stared at my face without speaking.

“…….”

“Lady Ariana?”

“…….”

“Ho, ho, have I offended you?”

At first, I thought I had done something wrong with my greeting.

Ariana was the only one of the young ladies I’d greeted who had ducal status, so I knew she must have noticed a flaw in me that the others hadn’t.

That is, until the words slipped out of her mouth as she stared at my face.

“Wow…you’re really pretty….”

“Yeah, what?”

“I made it, but seriously, this is what Charlotte looks like in real life.”

“Oh, dear Ariana, what are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry, I was just wondering if I could touch your hair, and I don’t mean that in a weird way, I really just want to touch it once….”

I thought I was hearing things.

I was expecting a noble exchange of words befitting her status as a duchess, but what I got back was a casual remark that even a lesser noble would not have uttered.

From the first meeting, she spoke in a language I didn’t recognize, and asked if she could touch my hair.

She was the epitome of weird, and there was no one more deserving of the label.

“I’m sorry. The hair is a little….”

Since we hadn’t even spoken before, I cautiously expressed my refusal.

“Oh, well, I can’t help it.”

Ariana made no attempt to hide her emotions, and her tone was openly regretful.

“I am Arianna Anastasia, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Anastasia’s family, and I hope we can become friends.”

“…….”

It was the first friendly touch I’d ever received.

Though the tone of her voice was not the least bit cultured, no other noblewoman I’ve ever met has been so positive.

Most of the nobles I’ve greeted so far have been uncomfortable with me and avoided me.

It was hard to imagine that I would be asked to be friends by the duchess, for many reasons.

“…I don’t want to.”

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to comply with her request to shake her hand.

All else aside, that question, asking if she could touch my hair, felt like the ultimate insult to me.

Even if she was a duchess, there was a line she couldn’t cross.

“…Uh, huh?”

“I don’t want to associate with someone as obnoxious as you, and I hope we don’t have to exchange pleasantries in the future.”

“Uh, huh, Charlotte?”

“Can you please stop calling me by my first name like we’re friends?”

I huffed an irritated response, turned my back on her, and walked away, heading straight for the outside of the ballroom.

Annoying person.

It didn’t take long for me to characterize the first Ariana I met as such.

* * *

My first social debut was, by far, the worst day of my life.

I walked around the palace, alone, unattended, to clear my mind.

The December night air was quite cold, and the chill that entered my lungs was enough to chill my excited emotions.

What a stupid thing to do.

Once my head was cold, the thoughts began to swirl around in my brain.

What the hell was I thinking, saying those words?

To say such a thing to someone who had responded favorably to me for the first time, I could only say that I was out of my mind.

Moreover, this was no ordinary nobleman, but a member of Duke Anastasia’s family.

Even if Margrave Francis is a nobleman of high rank, he’s still not in the same league as the ducal family.

She’ll probably retaliate in some way.

“Hah….”

A sigh escapes my lips as I think about what might happen next.

If only I could have held my tongue and endured the insults.

Then I would have gained a connection to the Duke’s family, and my attendance here today wouldn’t have been for nothing.

What would I say to my father when I got home?

With the anger and excitement gone, my mind was filled with a new emotion: worry.

“Maybe I should go back now and make up for my mistake.”

I didn’t know if she would accept my apology, but I had no choice but to do something about it.

As a late entrant to the social scene, I would have to bend over backwards to get in.

Especially with my silver hair and red eyes, I knew I would be at a social disadvantage in many ways.

So it was with a heavy heart that I stepped inside the mansion.

“…Did you see that?”

I was walking back down the hallway to the ballroom when I heard a voice I recognized from across the hall.

I peeked my head out to see who it was, and it was one of the young ladies I’d been talking to today.

“How in the world does she have such creepy hair, I swear I thought I saw a ghost.”

“…….”

The words that came out of her mouth were unspecified, but anyone listening could tell she was talking about me because out of the hundreds of people in the spacious ballroom, I was the only one with creepy silver hair.

“Me too, and those ghostly red eyes scared me to death.”

“Well, I’m surprised she thought to go to the ball with those eyes, does she think any men would ask her to dance?”

“From what I hear, she’s been in bed for a long time, but it would have been much better if she just stayed there.”

“Didn’t she already die of a disease and come back as a ghost?”

As soon as the joke was finished by one of the Young Ladies, a simultaneous chorus of derision erupted from the assembled Young Ladies.

…I should have just gone back home.

If I hadn’t turned around to make up for my mistake, I wouldn’t have had to feel this way.

It was the last thing I needed on a day like this.

“…….”

I quickly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and turned back to the outside of the palace.

If I stayed in this room for another second, I would undoubtedly hurt myself even more.

So, with a steady step, I hurried back to the Francis estate.

“You guys, what did you say?”

That is, until I heard the voice of ‘Annoying’ reach my ears, directed at the Young Ladies who had been laughing at me from across the hall.