Chapter 69

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Elia Bronwey officially stepped down from her position as Student Council President. The vacant position was set to be filled by a student vote when the second semester began. Of course, the Student Council President had his or her hands full even during the break, but it was decided that Princess Chloe would take on the responsibilities in the meantime.

A week passed like that, dedicated to resolving the incident. Lilian, who remained at the academy as a witness, seemed to be enjoying her time at the academy with no apparent complaints.

Elia Bronwey appeared to be quite composed. She had gained a lot from this deal. She earned the support of the princess and Lilian, who heard the story, also showed a willingness to support her in the future. And finally…

“Should I say that your offer to help me is my biggest gain?”

“I don’t see how someone like me, just a maid, could be considered a gain.”

“It seems you don’t know as much about yourself as you think.”

With an aristocratic smile, Elia Bronwey quietly set her tea cup down. The tea she brewed was still delicious. After all, how often do I get the chance to drink tea brewed by a noble? It’s rather rare for a noble young lady to have a hobby of brewing tea. They usually prefer to focus on learning embroidery and studying proper noble behavior.

In that regard, Elia was certainly different from the typical noble young ladies. She was more interested in governance than in embellishing her noble family, and she prioritized the stability of the populace over the security of her household. When I thought about it, it made sense why she would be ambitious about inheriting the title.

In fact, it might have been an inevitable choice. With incompetent and reckless older siblings, she likely had to receive training to become the successor. It wouldn’t have been easy to live like an ordinary noble young lady. But she didn’t seem dissatisfied with her current life, as if the right person had landed in the right situation.

“All noble families connected to the House of Portus are paying attention to you. The reason… well, it seems you don’t know it.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s because you’re both a maid and a guard. Besides, you’re not at all inferior to the Imperial Palace’s royal guards. In fact, you might even be stronger, right?”

“So, are you saying I’m getting attention because I can do the job of a guard?”

“Well, as a maid, you can manage the troublesome Lilian, who’s notorious in the social circles. The fact that you’re still in charge of such a wild child who’s become quite the talk of the town shows your capability.”

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely pleased with that reasoning. Lilian may look like a handful, but from the side, she was just a child starved for parental love. If I put it in earthly terms, she could be considered a “precious child”… but that was simply cute.

“Well, for whatever reason, the noble families are keeping an eye on you, and it’s not just that—they’ve mentioned they’d be willing to help you once or twice.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve heard news. That Karim Elpeltain is afraid of you.”

“Honestly, I don’t get why he’s so wary of me.”

“Well, you don’t need to know that much. The fact that Karim is afraid of you is what matters.”

With an aristocratic smile, Elia gracefully poured more tea. She looked quite amused by our conversation, giggling as she gazed at me. I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh at her gaze. Were those sparkling eyes showing genuine human affection or something else entirely?

Even though my memories from my past life weren’t very clear, I remembered that I wasn’t the most popular guy around. Yet in this life, I was overwhelmed with popularity, to the point where it felt burdensome—especially coming from women. I couldn’t understand how this happened.

For now, it must be genuine human affection. Lady Elia hadn’t known me for that long. But who knows how it might change in the future? With those thoughts in mind, I took a sip of tea and absentmindedly stared at the garden. The garden of Apatem Academy was beautiful no matter when I looked at it.

“It’s a garden designed by the horticulture club.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Depending on social trends, the layout of the flower beds and types of flowers change every year. Although Apatem Academy doesn’t have a professional gardener, the students in the horticulture club are far superior, which is how they consistently create such beautiful gardens. However, for that reason, they always request poisonous plants.”

“Is that so?”

“The issue was that they wanted deadly nightshade or other poisonous flowers. I refused, yet they stubbornly planted them at their own expense. Over there, do you see the flower bed with the sign hanging?”

Elia pointed to a flower bed bursting with colorful blooms, much more vibrant than the others.

“Yes.”

“That’s the flower bed where they planted the poisonous flowers. It actually looks pretty.”

With a bright smile reminiscent of her Student Council President days, Elia Bronwey slowly brought the tea cup to her lips. After putting her glasses down, Elia slowly looked up at the sky.

“It’s a lovely day.”

“Indeed it is.”

I replied to her remark laced with laughter while blankly looking at the garden. Only then did I realize how different our perspectives were. For Elia, who wanted the head of the family title right now, any unnecessary emotions were as good as poison—much like the flowers blooming in that flowerbed.

Feeling somewhat relieved, I closed my eyes slightly and savored the aroma of the tea. It was a good day.

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Three days passed since my conversation with Elia. By that point, the academy’s inspection department decided to release Lilian, believing the incident had somewhat concluded. Naturally, as soon as the incident was wrapped up, Lilian, who had to return home, was in a morose mood.

“Ugh, I don’t want to go back…”

Seeing Lilian whining like an eight-year-old, Yulia smiled brightly. Gently embracing Lilian, Yulia slowly stroked her hair.

“But you still have to go back.”

“Yulia, what about you? What are you going to do?”

Lilian, slightly pulling away from Yulia, asked while locking eyes with her. Yulia kept the smile on her face as she answered.

“I’m going to stay at the academy. I won’t be able to stay home for long anyway.”

“Oh, you said it’s really far away, right?”

“Yep.”

Yulia’s hometown was quite a distance from here, which made it understandable for her not to return. However, Lilian seemed puzzled and tilted her head.

“Why’s that? Young lady.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Um…”

“I swear it’s really nothing. Come on, let’s go back, Catherine.”

“Yes.”

I was the first to board the carriage, placing all the luggage inside to escort the young lady. Holding my hand, Lilian struggled as she climbed into the high carriage. Clearly, she was lacking in exercise.

“You might want to work out a bit.”

“…I don’t want to.”

“You’ve put on a little weight recently, you know?”

“Ugh.”

Of course, even though she had gained a bit of weight, it was just some added curves to someone still incredibly skinny. Honestly, I thought she looked better like this. As long as she ditched the godforsaken corset, she could stay as she was. But I bet the Marchioness of Portus would throw a fit.

“It’s not that it matters to me, but it’s a problem if the Marchioness finds out. You might end up with a whipping.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Since you can’t exercise right now, I think you’ll have to skip a meal for a while. I don’t like doing it, but it’s better than getting smacked around.”

“Fine, I get it.”

Seeing the disappointed look on Lilian’s face, I couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Since Lilian became the lady, the most notable change was her appetite. The lady used to eat just lightly, but Lilian gobbled down everything in sight, snacks included.

Honestly, I was partly at fault for giving her more because I thought it was cute. Glancing at Lilian, who looked so crestfallen, I quietly spoke up.

“I’ll starve with you.”

“What? There’s no need for that!”

“No, it’s probably distracting for you if I’m eating beside you.”

“It’s okay…”

“I can’t allow myself to eat while feeling guilty.”

Honestly, I felt a bit guilty too. Seeing my firm stance, Lilian hesitated a little before nodding. I couldn’t help but smile at her. Suddenly, Lilian’s eyes lit up.

“…Catherine, did you just smile?”

“Oh, it seems my facial muscles have been moving since some time ago. But you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Is this something to gloss over?”

“It’s not a big deal, is it?”

“I think it’s quite a big deal.”

“Not at all.”

“If you say so, then fine.”

Lilane pouted and nodded as if she had no more arguments left to make against my firm statement. Amid this trivial conversation, we continued towards the House of Marquis of Portus.


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