episode_0125

The appearance of Princess Seraphine was enough to captivate the attention of many in various ways.

Recently, Princess Seraphine had been interacting with students as a martial arts student for a month, and in many ways, she had become quite a familiar figure within the academy.

She was still the 3rd princess of the Argentia Empire, holding a high status second only to the 4th prince of the martial arts department among the students attending the academy.

Therefore, when faced with her, Lizzie and I both automatically showed respect for her royal status.

“Hello, Princess Seraphine. It is truly an honor that you remember my name.”

“It must be more difficult not to know the name of Lizzie, who is capable enough to hold the second position in the pharmacy department. It’s been a while since the entrance ceremony, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been a while, Princess Seraphine.”

“It’s been a while, Lillith… Blackwood Rosewood. I lost at the masked ball.”

“…I am the one who lost, Princess Seraphine.”

Technically, the last time I met her was when I met Ethan in the Blackwood Territory, but that was merely an unofficial meeting for my identity change.

Since it was not something to discuss in front of Lizzie, I simply nodded in response to her words.

…So, why did she suddenly appear here?

It’s unlikely that she appeared to see me, who didn’t stand out in the magic department entrance exam. Perhaps she came to see Lizzie, who is the second in the pharmacy department, for personal matters.

Honestly, I couldn’t think of any other plausible reason for her sudden appearance.

If a figure like Seraphine were to make a move different from the original, it would likely only happen when a character not in the original story is involved.

“By any chance, did Princess Seraphine also come to enjoy the pastries at our shop?”

“No, I simply saw Lillith sitting outside on my way here.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, Lillith.”

I was suddenly pointed out by the princess and asked, but Seraphine nodded without denying it.

Still puzzled about why Seraphine approached me, I quietly tilted my head and asked.

“Why did you…?”

“Well, if it’s not rude to both of you, may I join you at the table?”

“I don’t mind, but I need to get permission from Miss Auguste…”

“I’m fine with it, Princess Seraphine. Then, please prepare two tea cups for the bodyguard behind.”

“Luke.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“We plan to have a noble ladies’ gathering for a chat, so could you take a walk nearby for about 30 minutes?”

“…Understood.”

Luke hesitated, looking at me with a resentful gaze, but soon nodded and left the cafe.

Feeling like a criminal, I turned my head away from Luke’s resentful gaze.

Luke had known me even before I became a noble lady, so he might feel unjust about Seraphine’s statement of having a chat with noble ladies.

Nevertheless, he was a reliable person, so that was fortunate.

“I think one tea cup is enough.”

“…Yes, that should be enough.”

There was no need to dismiss the bodyguard Luke. As mentioned earlier, Luke was a person of few words, so there was no need to worry about him spreading any information he overheard.

However, the fact that Seraphine chose to dismiss the bodyguard could be interpreted as a sign of her trust in both Lizzie and me.

The target audience for this display was me and Lige, or other students who witnessed this situation. Escorting someone meant trusting the person in front of you to that extent.

“Strictly speaking, even if Lige and I attacked at the same time, it might not be enough to handle the opponent.”

Just because she was called the Moonlight Princess didn’t mean she was only strong on nights when the full moon was out. Of course, there was a tendency to be stronger when the full moon was out, but even with basic skills, she was at a level where she could easily take the top spot in the academy’s combat department.

Still, just by momentarily dropping my shadow, I had clearly conveyed a message to me and Lige.

Serafin, the Moonlight Princess, who was sitting at the table between me and Lige, looked me in the eyes and started the conversation.

“How’s your academy life been lately, Lilith?”

“Thanks to Your Highness’s care, I’ve been doing quite well.”

“…Is that so? Are there any people within the same department bothering you, or any male students pestering you?”

“…No. It seems that male students are reluctant to approach me, probably because of the incident on the first day of school.”

“Indeed, that incident caused quite a stir. I never expected Ethan Gongja to draw his sword without hesitation in that situation.”

“Haha….”

Well, the ability to see the future wasn’t always available to Serafin. If she hadn’t seen the incident at the entrance ceremony between me and Ethan in her monthly future sight, it was natural that she couldn’t predict it.

Perhaps if she had seen it, she would have seen one of the recent main stories of the protagonist. It would have been more important than my and Ethan’s academy life, the main narrative of Luminaire Academy and the protagonist.

“I never imagined Lilith becoming Ethan Gongja’s exclusive maid and entering the academy….”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. That’s why, in fact, I left my exclusive maid position vacant to hire Lilith. Even though we are nobles, there is only one position for an exclusive maid that can be hired at Luminaire Academy, so I had to keep it open just in case.”

“….”

“However, Lilith is already Ethan Gongja’s exclusive maid, so it would be difficult for you to accept my proposal, right?”

“Yes, that’s right….”

“Really, is it an impossible story no matter what?”

“….”

…What is this strange pressure I feel from Serafin?

Although she seemed to have resigned herself to the fact that I would naturally keep Ethan’s exclusive maid position, there was a subtle pressure in the atmosphere that seemed to subtly sway my heart.

I was about to return the answer to Serafin’s proposal first, but it was Lige who opened her mouth first, not me.

“I….”

“…Excuse me, Princess Serafin.”

“What’s the matter, Lige?”

“Sorry, but isn’t this a bit sudden behavior? Shouldn’t Lilith and I be the ones talking first?”

“Yes, I know.”

“…But, shouldn’t that be….”

“So, I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks to show respect. I’ve already given Lige enough opportunities to talk first to uphold the alliance with the Auguste family, but for 3 weeks, you haven’t said anything at all, isn’t that right, Lige?”

“….”

“How long are you going to monopolize the negotiation with Lilith, Lige?”

…Huh?

Wait, what are you guys talking about?

Suddenly, I felt a moment of disbelief as I watched Serafin and Lige start talking to each other and leave me out of the conversation, but regardless of me, the two of them were having a slightly tense conversation.

“…I was going to tell you today anyway.”

“Is that so, Lady Riji? But didn’t I already tell Lady Lilith about it?”

“Yes, I know. But just because Her Highness didn’t stop me from telling Lilith doesn’t mean she has the right to stop the conversation, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Without me realizing it, we seemed to have a silent emotional battle, turning our heads away from each other.

And before I could finish my response to Princess Seraphine, this time Riji made a rather direct proposal towards me.

“I will tell you straight without beating around the bush like Princess Seraphine.”

“Yes? What are you trying to say?”

“Lilith, would you consider working as my secretary at the August Company?”

“…What?”

“Although you claim to be the exclusive maid of Blackwood Duke, the title of exclusive maid is merely formal for someone who is engaged, right? But we need someone like you seriously at the August Company.”

“Oh, no… I’m not even in a relationship like an engagement with Duke Ethan…”

“…If you agree to take on the vacant position of my exclusive maid, I will add one gold coin per month to the amount I offer you. Of course, if that happens, it will be difficult for you to maintain the position of Duke Ethan’s exclusive maid.”

“Wait, Your Highness. Are you saying that you know how much to offer Lilith and confidently adding one more gold coin?”

“I can predict the cost of hiring a personal secretary like Riji. And I can manage the budget to add one more gold coin.”

“…I will add two more gold coins to the amount Princess Seraphine is offering, Lilith.”

“Isn’t that too much? I don’t think you can afford that budget from your position, Riji.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”

…Why are you suddenly doing this?

I was taken aback by the sudden competition between Riji and Seraphine, without even mentioning my decision.

They continued their strange battle of wits, urging me to give them an answer.

“So, Lilith. Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes, yes?!”

“Which offer do you prefer, mine and Princess Seraphine’s? Lilith?”

“Do I have to choose now?!”

“Yes. Choose, Lilith.”

“It’s you, Your Highness, it’s you, Lilith?”

“If you think about the future, it would be better to be with me rather than Riji, Lilith.”

It felt like a situation where a choice would appear if I were playing ‘Luminor Academy,’ but after a moment of conflict, I calmed down and conveyed my decision to the two of them.

When I thought about it calmly, the answer I could give to both of them was actually decided from the beginning in the current situation.