Ch.217217. Stupid Senior? (7)

“Uuugh-!”

Renias stretches with a satisfied sound.

Her voice sounded so refreshed that it was obvious she had slept incredibly well.

A smiling morning had arrived for her, someone who frequently suffered from nightmares.

“Oh my.”

“Ah! Maria, good morning!”

“I was just coming to wake you up, but you’re up unusually early today?”

Every morning, Maria comes to wake Renias, who always begs to sleep just a little longer.

She had expected to find her mistress in a half-asleep state, clinging desperately to her bedcovers. Instead, today Renias was already wide awake, cheerfully waving at her. Since the day was starting so differently, Maria naturally asked:

“Did something good happen to you?”

“Hmm… it is something good, isn’t it? Hehe.”

Renias answers briefly, placing a finger on her lips. She must still be in a good mood, as her beaming face radiates energy.

Actually, Maria had half-suspected something was up since yesterday, when she noticed Renias’s smile stretching from ear to ear. It must have been something truly wonderful.

Most of their household members had departed for the Empire. Following the Grand Duke’s orders, most of the Lantana family stationed at the duchy branch had left.

Maria had thought Renias might show signs of disappointment upon hearing that her uncle and aunt, whom she regarded as parents, had left for the Empire.

The only remaining members of the Lantana ducal family were Maria herself, whom Renias had long regarded as her caretaker, and her twin brother Ronelion.

Maria had prepared herself to comfort her potentially upset mistress, thinking carefully about how to console her.

But to her surprise, after a brief moment of hesitation, her mistress had simply smiled brightly and said she was fine.

Now she had reason to ask.

“What exactly happened yesterday? There’s no way you’d suddenly become such a punctual person overnight.”

“Hey, that’s mean! I try my best to be punctual!”

Renias protests with her antenna-like hair strands perking up, but Maria knows better.

She knows that her mistress’s late risings usually begin with bad dreams.

She would groan in pain even at dawn or cry out incomprehensible, sorrowful words. Yet when Maria would check on her, concerned something might be wrong, it wasn’t quite like that. It was just sleeptalking, something common to many people.

However, Renias’s sleeptalking wasn’t a temporary issue.

It was a psychological ailment that visited her every time she slept, far different from ordinary sleeptalking.

Despite wanting to help Renias, who would shed tears in her sleep and remain trapped in her dreams, no measure taken to fight off the nightmares worked. She couldn’t shake them off on her own. Even doctors would shake their heads helplessly.

That’s why mornings always meant oversleeping and clinging to her bed.

‘Did she overcome that on her own?’

The cause of her sleeptalking was pressure and obsession.

The obsession that she mustn’t tarnish her parents’ reputation as their child, and the pressure of fearing failure despite her determination to accomplish everything.

To put it coldly, it was a vicious stigma that would never disappear from Renias—the worst kind of mark that wouldn’t fall away as long as she held onto it.

But Maria had a hunch.

This sign might be a way for her mistress to escape from her nightmares.

“Then please tell me. What happened yesterday? I’m curious.”

“Uh, umm?!”

A simple question about what had happened yesterday.

But suddenly, Renias started fidgeting and making a fuss.

“I-it’s nothing! Just something good happened… hehe.”

“…”

This unexpected scene left Maria feeling oddly bewildered.

‘Oh my…!’

Eyes wandering as if avoiding her gaze, eyelids blinking twice as fast as usual.

Sitting on the bed with her head slightly lowered, fidgeting with her fingers and mumbling—her actions completely contradicted her words.

And with that faint blush blooming on her cheeks, it seemed that contrary to Renias’s claim, it was definitely “something” after all.

She didn’t need to ask anymore. Now she understood.

This was unmistakably…!

The face of a young girl soaked in awkward, budding emotions!

Maria’s eyes crinkled gently behind her hand.

‘It must be that person.’

The person who had become the catalyst for Renias to finally wear the dress she had been so reluctant to put on.

Maria had been curious about what happened after that person had supported her drunk mistress and created time for just the two of them, but she hadn’t expected to find out like this.

“Th-there is something. Mmm. Anyway, just know that much.”

“I understand, my lady. Then, would you like to wash up first?”

“Yes! I’ll wash up right away and then eat breakfast.”

Today, Maria had once again gained permission to select Renias’s outfit.

This was a useful element in preventing her mistress, whose body and heart had become much lighter, from avoiding madam-like attire. As Maria led Renias to the bathtub to wash, she was contemplating what clothes to dress her in this time.

***

“Hmm, hmm~♬”

Even while having her hair done, she’s happy. She can’t help but hum a tune.

Renias is completely unaware that she’s already showing distinct changes in her everyday behavior.

“What has you so pleased? You should tell me too.”

At the maid’s persistent questioning, the girl snaps back to reality with a “Hah!”

“A-ahem! You don’t need to know, Maria. More importantly… what’s all this?”

She had been lost in happy daydreams while getting her hair done, to the point where she hadn’t even noticed the mirror on the dressing table.

After coming to her senses at Maria’s words and looking in the mirror, she realized that several outfits had been arranged without her noticing.

“I’ve selected clothes suitable for you to wear today.”

“Hmm… I’m just going to the academy today, not on an outing or anything.”

“You don’t have to be going out to wear nice clothes.”

The outfits seemed too elaborate for that. They looked like they had been made with considerable effort by a designer.

Renias was thinking of simply asking for her uniform, wondering if Maria was trying to dress her in something strange again.

“I hear this style is popular among young women these days. They say it makes you look delicate and stimulates men’s protective instincts.”

“Stimulates protective instincts?”

This outfit? Apart from looking a bit thin, it seemed like a normal outfit to her.

“Would you like to try it on?”

“Umm…? Well…”

“You need to try it on to understand. If you’re curious, you should see how it looks.”

When Maria’s explanation reached her ears, Renias found it puzzling, but there was a strange persuasiveness to the idea that she needed to try it on to see how it looked. So she ended up trying it on.

“It suits you perfectly, my lady. You have such a voluptuous che— I mean, such a beautiful figure.”

“Do I really? Ehehe.”

For a moment, Renias thought she heard a snort from Maria’s nose… but whatever it was, if it suited her well, that was all that mattered, right?

The outfit actually felt quite nice. It was cozy while clinging to her skin without being loose, making it suitable to wear even in this chilly weather.

The mirror confirmed it. The look itself was different, with the sweater stretched out like a one-piece dress, but she didn’t dislike it.

It felt a bit like wearing a dress… but if it had that effect Maria mentioned…

“If you go out like this, you’ll turn every head. Especially the men’s gazes will all be drawn to you!”

“Oh come on, that can’t be true. You’re exaggerating too much.”

“It’s true! Because you exercise, your waist is so nicely defined. And here, and here. Any man would feel the urge to embrace and protect you.”

Looking delicate. Stimulating men’s protective instincts.

When Maria had said that, Renias hadn’t really understood, but now that she was wearing the outfit, it did seem to have that effect.

“And you know what? Bright colors make you look more delicate than dark ones. Plus, it looks thin on the outside, so men might develop feelings—”

Maria’s storm of explanations continued after that.

Anyway, to summarize: it suits her well, so she should wear it! That must be the point.

And… it would be a lie if she said such thoughts hadn’t crossed her mind.

She indulges in a slightly embarrassing fantasy—that it might feel quite nice if someone were to pull her by the waist and embrace her, just as Maria described.

-Renias.

As always, she would meet her senior somewhere in the academy.

Then, as usual, she would approach him with a bright smile and wave. And as always, he would greet her with a smirk and welcome her.

Then his eyes would be drawn to her outfit.

-Sigh, really. How can you dress like this?

The kind senior would probably sigh first.

Along with these words, wouldn’t a hint of surprise and confusion appear in his startled eyes?

And then, as Maria had said, his protective instinct would be awakened, and he’d say:

-Come here. You must be cold.

Just like on the first day of the faction battle. Though she was drunk and asleep then, according to Maria’s testimony, instead of just covering her with his coat, wouldn’t he pull her by the waist and embrace her?

“…dy? My lady?”

“Huh?”

The image of her senior embracing her waist vanishes, and somehow Maria’s face appears, trying to hold back laughter.

The girl’s fantasy disappeared like a mirage at the maid’s touch, but there was something even more important.

“Your… face is extremely red, you know?”

For a moment, she didn’t understand what Maria meant, but having just changed clothes, this wasn’t the time to be lost in such fantasies.

With a hiccup, Renias, overwhelmed by immense embarrassment, collapsed on the spot and had to cover her burning face with both hands.

‘What was I doing with everyone watching…!’

Perhaps… this was punishment for her impudent imagination?

Even in the midst of this, when she closes her eyes, she hears that voice again.

-Come here. You must be cold.

Her ear tingles. Why can she hear a voice that isn’t even there?

“Kyaaaah-!”

“My lady? My lady! Why are you suddenly running back to your room!”

She slammed the door shut and even locked it for good measure.

Inside the room where no one could enter, Renias screamed “eek” several times in an untimely outburst.

Hiccup, hiccup.

The hiccups won’t stop.

“I-I must be crazy…! Why am I imagining such things…!”

For a while, the heat wouldn’t leave her face, as if she had contracted some delusional disease.

***

“…”

The newspaper is exposing every detail of former Holy King Defornice III’s activities.

The eyes of the duchy must be focused on that.

But not mine. In this subjugation campaign, my gaze is fixed on something completely different—a certain message.

How many people could know that I’ve returned? It’s fair to say there are virtually none.

Even if I opened my mouth and presented evidence, the only ones who might understand would be Senia, Aris, and Charlotte, perhaps?

Even they don’t remember everything, so the keyword “regression” would require extensive explanation. The Holy King knew this.

I remember the Holy King’s voice as he tried to squeeze out his final words.

He was clearly trying to say something. I couldn’t hear it all because his breath was cut short, but I focused on the word I heard distinctly.

‘Alkaid. He definitely said Alkaid.’

I don’t know how long I’ve been searching for that word.

But even after visiting the library early this morning and examining books, no information has emerged, unlike with the Rakan tribe.

I still haven’t found any clues about the message that old man left behind.

“Sigh…”

I rub my chin with my palm while organizing the information I’ve found. I try to recall the Holy King’s last words, but they have no connection to any information I’ve found so far.

“Should I just… not worry about it?”

While I was sighing like that. Dong—the bell rang.

It was time to go back. As an academy student.