“…I’ve eaten it all.”
Clatter.
The bowl of porridge lay empty on the floor.
Whether out of genuine hunger or not, Estroja continued to eat the porridge without pause.
‘You eat well.’
Lying in bed with her mouth wide open, Sion would put the spoon in her mouth, and she would chew and swallow. In between, Sion would scoop the porridge, blow on it to cool it down, and repeat.
It felt like a mother bird feeding her chick, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but smile.
‘…So it seems she really is in pain.’
She had almost thrown a doll and it nearly fell under the bed. Just by looking at her flushed face, stained red with heat and the sweat-soaked clothes, it was clear…
“!”
Sion quickly shook his head, shaking off those strange thoughts. He could still remember the contours of Estroja’s body. It was a scene that wouldn’t easily be forgotten, but still.
“What are you doing…?”
“Uh? Ah, it’s nothing.”
“…….”
While Sion was organizing the empty bowl of porridge,
“I don’t like you,” Estroja suddenly said.
“…Are you serious?”
“Who else am I talking about here?”
“Out of the blue?”
Sion was taken aback. He never expected her to say such a thing directly to his face. Especially when until just a moment ago, she had been happily eating the porridge he offered.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to say it unless it was at a time like this.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Anyway, it’s not like I’m going to pretend otherwise now that I’ve shown you my true self.”
“That’s true, but….”
“So I’ll just say it. I don’t like you.”
Estroja didn’t use metaphors or similes to say what she thought. She simply expressed her feelings as they were. …As she said, there was no reason to wear a mask in front of someone whose face she had already seen.
She looked into the void as she spoke.
“I extremely dislike people like you…who are just filled with talent.”
“……People filled with talent?”
“People who rely solely on their innate talent and do not put in the effort. People who believe they can go through life as the world pleases them…these are the kind of people like you.”
She pronounced each syllable as if spitting it out. Sion shivered at the voice laced with grievance. It was certainly not the kind of voice one would expect from someone in pain and unable to properly maintain their composure.
Without giving Sion a chance to respond, she continued, as if pouring out everything she had been holding in.
“You may not know this, but I come from a branch line.”
“Branch line…?”
“I’m a branch line descendant that broke off from the founding line of the Parawell family…a mere branch without the same standing as the direct bloodline.”
The Parawell family that Estroja belonged to was renowned enough to be called one of the ‘three major magical families of the Empire.’ They were even famous for producing court magicians for generations. Naturally, they had a long history and tradition, and it was only a given that the number of family members would increase accordingly.
This resulted in the creation of ‘branch bloodlines.’ Branch bloodlines that had split from the direct line.
“I can only carry the name Parawell… I’ve never received equal treatment, whether it’s about opportunities to learn or even basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter.”
“…….”
“No matter how outstanding my talent may be, and no matter how much effort I put in, the label that follows me is ‘branch line’… I deeply hated that fact.”
What weight does the label ‘branch line’ hold in a rigid aristocratic society?
As someone who had only recently been a modern-day individual, Sion could hardly imagine what kind of burden that might be. All he could do was quietly listen to her simmering monologue.
“Wearing a mask, gathering followers, growing one’s own power, all while not neglecting the study of magic…”
“…….”
“Your life is something you can hardly even imagine. Just with the talent you possess, you garner the interest of professors and students all around! To you, it must just look like the desperate struggle of a wretched person—”
“No.”
Just as her voice was beginning to rise, Sion interrupted her.
“I’m not such a person.”
“…Liar.”
“It’s true. In fact, I’ve also…had similar thoughts to you once.”
Estroja’s eyes widened for a moment. Was it a lie or the truth? Her white eyes moved rapidly as if trying to discern the validity of his statement.
Sion didn’t avert his gaze from those eyes.
‘It reminds me of my school days.’
To summarize Sion’s school days, it was ‘study, and more study.’ While others were playing, he was buried in textbooks, getting lost in the thrill of solving problems rather than playing games. Although he spent his time well with studying, he still faced slumps.
– Is Do-yoon first in the whole school again?– He plays games really well, too.– Doesn’t he also play soccer?– Wow… What can Do-yoon not do?
The top student, Kim Do-yoon.
His studying was incomparable to Sion’s diligence. He even participated in the soccer club and would enjoy games with friends after school.
Yet, he still maintained his status as the top student.
Sion was always second, trailing behind.
At first, Sion felt resentment.
‘Why should my grades be lower than Do-yoon’s…’ He thought, and to be honest, he felt a lot of inferiority.
He even thought it was unfair that Do-yoon, not him, was the top student.
When did that thought break?
Looking back, it was something trivial.
– Sion!– …?– You dropped this!
One day, Do-yoon called out to him. The reason was to pick up an eraser that had fallen.
Do-yoon smiled at Sion, who was blankly staring at the fallen eraser.
– Are you studying English while walking?– Uh? Ah…
– Be careful, okay? If you don’t pay attention, you might get hurt. I’ll be going!
Tap tap tap!
Do-yoon’s back as he ran down the hallway.
Sion stared at it for a long time. The warmth he felt from the eraser still lingered vividly.
‘I realized then. Resentment might… not really mean much.’
During his school days, he thought of the world as a sort of marathon.
A long marathon in which all peers ran toward the same destination.
A brutal marathon where the distance they ran by the age of 20 determined the rest of their lives.
But life isn’t a marathon.
“There’s no need to compete with the direct line. There’s no reason to compete with talented people.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Those people are walking their paths. You should walk yours…you are already doing well.”
“No, I know myself well.”
She made a twisted smile.
“Though I have a lot of followers, there aren’t many who respect me sincerely. They’re just people circling around me, trying to get whatever scraps they can….”
“…….”
“That’s how the world is. For those of us like me, who have no power, no backing, and no talent, the best we can do is band together and create a force.”
“Look at your followers.”
Sion turned his head to look at the door.
Of course, there weren’t any followers right in front of him, but beyond that door, many followers existed. The servants who worked solely for Estroja.
All those people genuinely wished for Estroja’s happiness.
“If you really were worthless of respect…would your servants care for you this much?”
“…How do you know that?”
“You can tell just by having a conversation on the way here.”
The servants in this place genuinely cared about Estroja.
With a relatively free atmosphere and their behavior resembling that of a real family. In a place without a master, there was no reason to lie, so it was purely their sincerity.
It was also proof that Estroja treated her servants well.
“You’re doing well.”
“…So that kind of consolation…”
“Then don’t get too worked up. Especially while you’re not feeling well.”
“…Ugh.”
Splash.
On the bedside table, a basin filled with cold water and a wet towel was placed.
Sion put the wet towel on Estroja’s forehead.
She glared at Sion with a look of disbelief.
As she could do nothing but glare, it felt cute to Sion.
“If you keep your mouth shut like that, you look pretty.”
“What…what did you say?”
“I just said the truth. I don’t really want to wear a mask, either. I hardly do so.”
“…….”
With a sullen expression, she peered at Sion’s face.
Sion nonchalantly adjusted the position of the wet towel.
Before entering Estroja’s household, there had been some awkwardness, but now he felt at ease. It felt like meeting an old friend.
Why was that? When he thought deeper…
‘Maybe because she opened her heart first?’
Since Estroja had already revealed her mask, she had laid bare her feelings like one who gave up. Didn’t she already tell him she didn’t like him?
Yet, strangely enough, Sion felt at ease with that fact.
Whenever he spoke with Estroja, it felt like he was always conversing with a mere straw man.
“By the way, why didn’t you come out yesterday?”
Perhaps Estroja felt similarly, as her voice seemed to have relaxed a bit.
“You didn’t come out?”
“You said to come to the Adventurer Guild!”
“Oh, right. I forgot. …Could it be that was why you caught a cold?”
“Of course! It’s because of you!!…Ha-choo!!”
While getting angry, Estroja emitted a cute sneeze.
To think that her catching a cold was because of him.
He felt quite worried.
“I’m sorry.”
“Apologizing now…”
“Next time, let’s go together. Whether it’s to the dungeon or anywhere else. Should I at least buy you a meal?”
“……!!”
Estroja looked surprised for a moment, her eyes widening, but then they narrowed.
With her eyes half-closed, she gazed intently at him.
…Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?
“Indeed, the community rumors were true.”
“…Rumors? What rumors?”
“You flirt with other girls like this, right? But I won’t be fooled.”
“Flirting? What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything like that…?”
“Everyone says that.”
“Huh….”
Estroja must have heard some rumors in the vicinity, but they were far from the truth.
As he was about to outright deny her words…
Suddenly! Bang! Crash.
“Eek!”
“Don’t push!”
“Ahhhh!!”
“…??”
Before that, the door opened without warning.
Coming out of the door were… three or four people.
They fell to the ground as if they had been leaning against the door, which opened unexpectedly.
“Don’t grab the doorknob!”
“No, it opened because you kept shoving it!”
“How could I hear with your voice being so loud? Press your ears tightly against it….”
“Ah! Ouch…”
“…….”
Anna, the chef, and even the head servant were all gathered. They were individuals he had talked with before coming in.
…Did they accidentally eavesdrop with their ears close to the door?
In the midst of it all, the head servant stood up deftly and straightened his back.
“We apologize for the commotion. Please, pay us no mind and continue your conversation….”
“…Huh?”
“I’m sorry, my lady.”
Creeeak—bang.
The head servant took the others with him and exited the room.
The room fell quiet.
Sion turned his gaze from the door to Estroja.
“…?”
Wrapped up snugly in the blankets was Estroja.
Her ears, which she hadn’t covered, were bright red for the first time ever.
