Emma immediately lowered her head at Senior Elsi’s provocation.
It was a courteous attitude, as was proper for a commoner toward a noble.
Nonetheless, my stomach twisted at the sight.
Emma was my precious friend.
While there was a barrier between nobles and commoners, we had spent quite some time together as classmates at the Academy. I had never once thought of Emma as beneath me.
Moreover, it was a principle that students at the Academy, regardless of status, received equal treatment.
Even outside the Academy, there was no reason to establish such a hierarchy.
Just as I was about to throw in a word out of frustration, Emma gave me a subtle gesture.
It meant to hold on for a moment.
Not wanting to ignore Emma’s words, I had to turn my gaze away while swallowing the uncomfortable silence.
To be fair, I understood Emma’s position.
If I recklessly took her side, all it would do was incur Senior Elsi’s displeasure.
Especially since Senior Elsi had recently been showing me unreserved kindness.
It wouldn’t be strange if jealousy clouded her judgment and she did something outrageous. If it were someone else, that might not be the case, but there was no ‘impossible’ in front of ‘Elsi Rainelle.’
That was the reason I had decided to quietly ignore it.
Of course, this was merely a facade.
My eyes still covertly darted between Senior Elsi and Emma.
Just enough so that they wouldn’t feel burdened, secretly.
With her arms crossed, appearing dissatisfied, Senior Elsi continued to provoke Emma.
“Why do you keep hovering around the Master? Ah, that’s right… you’re the commoner girl that the Master revived for 10,000 gold.”
With a scoff, Senior Elsi pressed her body closer to Emma.
Her fierce blue eyes held an ominous light. A cold voice slipped through the gaps of Senior Elsi’s clenched teeth.
“Don’t get it twisted. The only reason the Master treats you, a commoner girl, specially is because he is kind. It’s nothing more or less than pity and compassion. Do you understand?”
A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. The Saint and the Princess had already been watching me with keen interest.
Only Senior Elsi was harboring malice toward Emma, seemingly unaware.
I could no longer bear to listen.
Both Emma and Senior Elsi were dear to me. I wanted them to build a healthy relationship with one another.
Just as I was about to speak to Senior Elsi.
“Lady Rainelle…”
With somewhat sad eyes, Emma tiptoed and whispered into Senior Elsi’s ear.
And her whisper resonated softly.
“After all, I’m satisfied being a concubine.”
Did I hear that incorrectly?
Even though I believed my sensitive hearing couldn’t be wrong, I tapped my ears. The suddenness of the statement left my mind in a haze.
It seemed that Senior Elsi felt the same way.
Stunned, Senior Elsi could only return a foolish question.
“…W-what? What did you say?”
“You don’t really have to keep me in check, Lady Rainelle. I know my place best.”
As she spoke, Emma wore a bitter smile.
“As a commoner, the only ability I have is to make potions… How could I dare to be greedy? So please just let me stay by Ian’s side… I will serve you well, too, Lady Rainelle.”
Such a humble stance took Senior Elsi by surprise.
The Saint and the Princess looked at Senior Elsi as if she were trash. Immediately, Senior Elsi jumped up, her face flushed.
She was reacting as if she had been wronged.
“W-what! Why! You all felt the same way as I did, didn’t you?!”
However, the Saint clicked her tongue and shook her head, while the Princess merely cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact.
No one defended Senior Elsi.
Even I was lost in a daze from Emma’s continual declarations.
In the end, Senior Elsi could only concede with a pouting face.
When public opinion turned against her like this, it was customary to step back.
Still, to maintain her pride until the end, Senior Elsi pretended to be magnanimous and said.
“Y-yeah! Well… you know? Don’t forget that feeling… and don’t take my words too seriously. I never meant to say you shouldn’t be by my side…”
As she said this, Senior Elsi awkwardly patted Emma’s shoulder a couple of times.
It might have been her way of acknowledging Emma’s existence.
Considering the culture of the nobles, it was understandable. In noble society, it was considered shameful for a legal wife to keep an eye on a concubine from a commoner background.
Since there was no initial rank, the logic dictated that one should show their magnanimity as a noble.
It was one of the conditions of a great lady handed down through the ages.
While it was an extremely unfair ethic for women, the traditions of nobles held significant power.
Even just looking at Senior Elsi accepting Emma as she was, it was evident.
Senior Elsi had confessed to me. Naturally, she wanted to show off as a fitting bride for me.
So, for Senior Elsi, it was awkward to mishandle someone like Emma, who called herself a ‘concubine.’
In the first place, it was ludicrous for a noble to fight a commoner over a man, and if the commoner had bent their knee first, there would be nothing to say.
There were only two choices left: to be a small-minded woman or to accept it.
Emma seemed to be fully aware of all of that. And so she had brought up the notion of being a ‘concubine,’ which she didn’t even mean.
It was astonishing for her to express the determination to assume the role of a concubine for a man she didn’t even like.
Emma turned out to be a master of social maneuvering, beyond my imagination.
I couldn’t help but admire her and secretly confided my deductions to Yulen. However, Yulen looked at me as if I were a fool rather than impressed.
Rarely, a scornful rebuke escaped his lips.
“…Are you an idiot?”
It was an unexpected condemnation.
I fell silent with a gloomy expression. Even so, calling me ‘an idiot’—that was harsh for someone from the Holy Kingdom.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have brought Reto along.
He surely would have offered me more practical advice.
But regrets, no matter how soon, are always too late. Reto had already flatly rejected my offer to accompany me.
He didn’t want to go to dangerous places, after all.
It was an exceedingly reasonable excuse, leaving no room for rebuttal.
Still, I resolved to send a letter to Reto soon. During the exploration in the North, I would definitely need his intellect.
Having devoured countless books in the library, Reto was knowledgeable.
He must have known something about the relationship between the North and the Elves.
As I headed toward the warp gate, some kind of deal was unfolding among the women.
After the previous conversation, Senior Elsi was curiously favorable toward Emma. Whispers flowed endlessly between the two women walking side by side.
Most of it was Senior Elsi trying to persuade Emma.
“Hey, commoner. Do you know how important it is to know your place?”
“…Well, I guess?”
Every time that happened, Emma only broke into a cold sweat with a perplexed expression. However, it seemed that Emma’s feelings weren’t Senior Elsi’s concern.
Senior Elsi pressed on without giving up, urging Emma again.
“You’ll realize when you enter noble society how important it is to grab the right position… So do well.”
Emma, appearing burdened by Senior Elsi’s subtle proposal, subtly averted her gaze. Regardless, Senior Elsi, with a smug expression, kept poking Emma in the side.
“I’m currently the one at the front. The rest haven’t even gotten a proper start.”
“…Hearing that makes it sound like a pet is being undisciplined and keeps yapping.”
That was when the Saint jumped in.
She seemed unable to contain a surge of emotions, momentarily forgetting to act coy and spoke her true feelings.
Of course, no one was surprised.
Neither I nor Yulen, nor Senior Elsi or the Princess, had seen the Saint’s true nature at least once. There was no reason to be shocked at this point.
Only Emma gaped, unable to grasp the situation.
Seemingly emboldened by the moment, the Saint fiercely shot back at Senior Elsi.
“Could you stop spouting nonsense? When I asked Ian about what you said last time, he said it was nothing of importance! Do you enjoy being so despicable?!”
It appeared she was quite resentful about having fallen for Senior Elsi’s trick last time.
After all, according to Yulen’s testimony, the Saint had even cried. It would have been strange not to be angry.
Unfortunately, there was an unhappy fact: Senior Elsi wasn’t someone who would flinch at such remarks.
On the contrary, Senior Elsi seemed to beam with even greater pride.
“Yes, it was quite enjoyable! Who said anything about being a step behind? Oh, that’s right… as the maiden most favored by the Heavenly Deity, it must be that you cannot not be a ‘maiden’.”
Those words appeared to hit the mark, making the Saint tremble.
The lack of a swift rebuttal indicated that she couldn’t think of an adequate counter. The status of being the Saint of the Heavenly Deity Sect was so weighty.
She had forsaken her life as an orphan to live as a Saint.
One could not carelessly abandon the responsibilities of a Saint.
Senior Elsi was intoxicated with the thrill of a one-sided victory.
“But why do you act like nothing but a ‘bride’ when you’re supposed to be a maiden? Huh?”
“Q-Quit it….”
As always, I shook my head while watching the two arguing.
I had forgotten until then, but it was Senior Delphine who originally had a bad relationship with Senior Elsi. I was already feeling a headache thinking about what kind of front would form once we arrived in the North.
On top of everything, while the Saint and Senior Elsi were bickering, the Princess slyly approached Emma.
“Um, Senior Emma?”
“Y-yes?!”
With the Young Lady of the Rainelle Clan, the Saint of the Holy Kingdom, and now the Princess of the Empire interjecting, Emma, a mere commoner, appeared to wear a thoroughly dazed expression.
After fidgeting with her fingers for a while, the Princess finally spoke up.
“I-I have a lot of money!”
“……?”
At the sudden declaration, Emma’s gaze blanked.
Regardless, the oblivious Princess, her eyes tightly closed, clenched her fist.
“And I-I have power too… Keep that in mind, um, about knowing your place….”
As soon as she finished, the Princess seemed embarrassed and quickly turned away, distancing herself.
What in the world is it that they are fighting over for declaring they’d become my concubine?
I was baffled, but having long given up on understanding the ecology of women, I decided to stop thinking about it.
At least, hearing the bickering made the time pass quickly.
Thus time passed, and just after we passed through the warp gate.
I was greeted by the cold climate of the North, which I had only heard about.
A biting cold wind blew, making my skin feel like it would shred. The dry air delivered a sharp pain to my lungs with every breath.
And beyond that, a woman with shining hair like the sun stood waiting.
“It’s been a while, Master… No, Ian.”
With her ever-confident smile.
It was a reunion with Senior Delphine.
Though she appeared slightly more gaunt than before.
