I Hope We Get Closer (2)

The moment I faced Princess Seraphine, my mind instantly recalled something I had forgotten.

The dagger that had been confiscated by Luke in the last evaluation match… no, the one I had temporarily kept to provoke her attack.

I barely realized that I hadn’t returned it yet, the moment I saw both of their faces.

‘Actually, I completely forgot.’

It wasn’t intentional; I had genuinely forgotten.

That was because the item I had been using recently was so good that it made me forget even Seraphine’s dagger.

The Blackwood Dagger, crafted by a Half-Dwarf Blacksmith and imbued with the Blessing of the Flame Spirit.

When wielding a dagger that made Lizzie’s silver dagger gasp in awe and Seraphine’s dagger fret, it was easy to forget someone else’s item that one was merely holding for a moment.

While Seraphine’s dagger was slightly sharper, the dagger gifted by Prince Ethan, engraved with the Blackwood Crest, also boasted considerable cutting power.

More importantly, the dagger Prince Ethan gave me was imbued with the Blessing of the Flame Spirit.

For me, who desperately needed more luck, this dagger was far more essential….

‘No, this isn’t the time for this.’

For a moment, it felt like I was making excuses in my head, but for now, there was only one thing I had to do.

Apologize for daring to steal the beloved dagger that the Princess had gifted to her escort.

If I didn’t want my head to fly off, I had to shut up and bow my head first.

“Since we met by chance like this, how about a light tea nearby….”

“…I have committed a grave sin.”

“…Pardon?”

“…I have nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths. I will gladly accept the punishment for daring to possess the item Princess Seraphine-nim gifted to her escort, and even using it carelessly. So please, spare my life….”

“W-wait a moment, Lilith-yang?! Could you please raise your head first…?”

“No, I am a sinner, and I do not even deserve to speak at the same height as the Princess-nim.”

With those words, I quietly lowered my body and prostrated myself at Seraphine’s feet.

Just then, I heard students passing by murmuring as they saw me and Seraphine.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Someone must have offended the Princess-nim.”

“That girl prostrating herself, isn’t she the crazy one from the Magic Department?”

“Did she perhaps incur a personal grudge by defeating Luke in the evaluation match last semester….”

I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but it was probably about my current state, like a noble prostrating herself on the dirty ground without any dignity.

Even so, I couldn’t raise my body once I had bowed. In my current situation, if I didn’t do this, my life would be in danger.

It would be a relief if it only ended with a slight loss of face. If I were to incur the grudge of an Imperial family member, my Academy life would be over.

“I-I will return the dagger immediately, Princess Seraphine-nim. I did use it once for an unsavory purpose, but I have cleaned it thoroughly using my magic. If you are not satisfied, I can offer monetary compensation….”

“P-please get up first, Lilith-yang? Too many eyes are on us because of you right now.”

“I cannot rise from this spot until I am forgiven by the Princess-nim.”

“Ah, alright. I forgive you, so please get up. Honestly, I don’t even know what you want forgiveness for….”

“…Yes, Princess Seraphine-nim.”

After clearly hearing her declaration of forgiveness, I rose from my prostrated position.

Seraphine was looking at me with a bewildered expression, unlike herself.

“Shall we move to another location to talk first? There are quite a few eyes on us here, after all.”

“…Are we just talking?”

“Of course, Lilith-yang.”

…If it’s just talking. It’ll probably be fine.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The place Seraphine brought me to, claiming it was for a conversation, was the VIP Room inside the Academy.

Of course, while it was only called a VIP ‘Room,’ the term ‘Imperial family residence’ would have been far more fitting.

Both in its outward appearance and its intended use, it was no different from an Imperial family residence.

The interior decorations were excessively lavish for student accommodation, and it was hard to find any lighting in the entire building that wasn’t a chandelier.

If one were to count the number of those splendid lights, it might even be similar to the number found in Blackwood Mansion. Of course, considering the status of the people who used this place, such interior decoration was perfectly understandable.

This was the lodging where the ‘Imperial family students’ stayed at Luminor Academy.

As an Academy that espoused equality for all students, most nobles used the dormitories provided by the school. However, the Imperial family was, of course, an exception.

If Imperial family members were to live among regular students, it wouldn’t be strange for an assassination to occur the moment someone harbored ill intentions, so this was a minimal safety measure.

Although it was a place I frequently visited when playing 『Luminor Academy』, the scenery I saw in the game and the sight before my eyes now felt distinctly different in their fundamental essence.

Indeed, facing it in reality makes my heart swell.

“My fourth older brother will be returning late today, so we can talk comfortably, Lilith-yang.”

“Ah, yes….”

The fourth older brother Princess Seraphine was referring to was, of course, the 4th Prince, Machart. He was the only student currently attending the Academy with a higher status than Seraphine.

Of course, whether the 4th Prince was present or not, having a comfortable conversation in such a place was impossible from the start.

What could I do? If the Princess told me to speak comfortably, I had to at least pretend to be comfortable.

As a baronet’s noble daughter, refusing an audience with the Princess was impossible from the outset.

-Thump.

“Please make yourself comfortable, Lilith-yang.”

“Ah, yes….”

For some reason, Luke, who was still an Exclusive Maid even after a semester, placed a teacup in front of me.

After confirming her subtly calmer demeanor compared to when I met her at the training ground, I took a sip of the tea placed before me.

As the calming herbal scent passed my throat and my heart rate settled somewhat, Seraphine met my eyes and spoke.

“First of all, I didn’t call you here to interrogate you about any wrongdoing, Lilith-yang.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a misunderstanding to begin with that you think you’ve done something wrong to me. Is it because of Luke’s dagger?”

“Ah, yes….”

I nodded, thinking of one of the three daggers still in my uniform’s inner pocket.

“First, you don’t need to worry about not returning that sword. It became yours after the last evaluation match.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’d like you to accept it as an apology for the disrespect my escort… no, my maid, showed you. And since Lilith-yang seems to use daggers for self-defense, and it’s quite a good item, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with it.”

“Then, you’re not angry that I took the dagger Princess Seraphine-nim gifted to Luke?”

“Of course not. I’ve considered that dagger yours ever since the last evaluation match ended.”

…Should I consider this a relief, in a way?

The past, where I had worried and struggled alone, felt a little unfair, but it was more important to know that Seraphine had never held any ill will towards me from the beginning.

In any case, this was much better than incurring unnecessary resentment.

The problem was, if I took this dagger, what would happen to Luke…?

“Thank you for your words, but then, Luke-ssi’s dagger….”

“I’ve already had a skilled blacksmith forge a new dagger for her. I’m not the kind of person who makes my close associates work unarmed.”

“…….”

“Now, are you willing to accept my gift, Lilith-yang?”

“Ah, yes…. Since you insist, I will gratefully accept it.”

Well, if she was offering it like this, there was no reason for me to refuse.

In fact, I was subtly reluctant to return this useful dagger to Luke due to my personal greed.

Of course, I could roughly guess that Seraphine was expressing such blatant goodwill because she wanted something from me, but that was a conversation I would have to hear regardless of whether I accepted the dagger or not.

I put the dagger I was about to take out of my inner pocket back in and quietly waited for Seraphine to continue speaking.

“Lilith-yang.”

“Ah, yes.”

“There’s no need to be nervous. The request I’m about to make to you today, Lilith-yang, is not as difficult as the one I tried to make last time.”

“Ah, no. Even what you said last time was an excessive honor for me. However, I couldn’t abandon my loyalty to Prince Ethan and the Blackwood Family….”

“Yes, I know. That’s why this time, I’ve prepared a request that doesn’t require you to be separated from Prince Ethan…. *Ahem*, I intend to make a request that won’t interfere with the relationship between Prince Ethan and Lilith-yang.”

“Pardon?”

A request that wouldn’t interfere with my relationship with Prince Ethan?

The meaning felt subtly strange, but it probably didn’t mean anything significant, right?

I simply took it to mean that she would ask for something I could do while maintaining my duties as Prince Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, and nodded.

Seraphine seemed to be requesting something that was a bit more reasonable than what she had asked for before.

“Do you know that the Academy’s Student Council President Election period begins exactly ten days from today?”

“Ah, yes. I am aware of it.”

The main events of the Academy’s second semester always overwhelmingly revolved around the Student Council President Election and the Hunting Festival event.

This was even a main story-level episode in 『Luminor Academy』, hardly changing even when the academic year changed.

Well, the Student Council President episode felt like a main episode because it was deeply connected to Seraphine, the Main Heroine.

“I plan to participate in this Student Council President Election, Lilith-yang.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ve already finalized the Cabinet to some extent. Though I can’t tell you yet until Lilith-yang answers my request.”

“…My answer?”

“Yes, Lilith-yang.”

Wait. For some reason, this situation feels like something I’ve experienced before?

This situation, where we meet by feigning coincidence within the Academy, then I’m invited to the VIP Room, and she mentions the Student Council President Election, seemingly about to ask me for something.

If my memories from my past life were correct, this was probably Seraphine’s Student Council President Election-related event in 『Luminor Academy』….

“I’ll be direct, Lilith-yang.”

“……Yes.”

“I will recruit you and Prince Ethan into my Student Council’s next Cabinet.”

“…….”

“With a request like this, Lilith-yang, you should be able to uphold your ‘loyalty’ to Prince Ethan, right?”

…Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this.