episode_0016

The fiery meal is over.

The noble ladies, who had munched on the stir-fried rice mixed with tteokbokki sauce and pressed down on the grill, were only able to calm their heated tongues after drinking the peach juice I had given them.

“Was it delicious?”

To finalize my plan, I asked the girls what they thought of the food.

“That, that’s… ”

Celdianne hesitated to answer, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

It must be my pride as a noble that is holding me back from highly evaluating the food I made, which I usually treated so poorly.

“Elconja… ”

“Annoying question…!”

Miyu and Juri on either side looked around, as if they understood the feeling.

But Celdianne closed her eyes once, opened them again, and answered with a snort.

“Well, nutritionally it may be a mess, but I have to admit that it has a strange charm that makes you keep reaching for it!”

“So it’s delicious?”

“Profit…! Yes! It’s delicious! It’s delicious! ”

At my confirmation kill, Seldianne finally frowned and expressed her honest feelings.

“If Elconja says so…!”

“What… It tasted different from what I usually eat.”

They were clearly gangsters who used power as a weapon, and they were problem children who were discriminatory, but in this regard, they chose to risk a little shame rather than lie, which could be said to show a certain noble dignity.

My ultimate goal was this small recognition, and in the process, I got to see the noble ladies shedding tears and snot, so it was a satisfactory result.

Okay, that concludes my plan to give him a one-shot.

“Now that I’m done cleaning up, can I get up first? I don’t think sitting down any longer will be a bother.”

As I was about to leave, carrying the thermal bag containing all the items that had been spread on the table, Seldianne hit her palm with a black fan.

“Please wait.”

“Uh, why?”

“Your lady’s business hasn’t even begun yet.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

By the way, I remember you saying there was something you were curious about.

I was so busy watching the fountain show for the nobles that I completely forgot about it.

I pulled back the chair I had pulled back and sat down, facing Seldiane.

“What are you curious about?”

“That’s… ”

Seldianne slowly opened her mouth, feeling embarrassed even though she was curious about the question.

“You told me you had some business with Miss Brewery recently. Do you know what it was?”

“Brewed? Why is Elconja curious about that woman?”

“Shh, stay still Miyu! You’re interrupting Elconza’s conversation!”

“Oops… ”

The two people sitting on the left and right began to whisper among themselves and then prick up their ears.

I pulled out the excuse I had prepared beforehand.

“Um… I heard you were called here for family business.”

The eyebrows above the crimson eyes twitched and moved.

“You’re going to do something outside of the academy during your lunch break, which is only an hour long? What about meals?”

“Well… I haven’t heard the details… But wouldn’t their family take good care of them? They’re the Broward family.”

“I don’t know the details… It’s a statement that’s hard to just ignore.”

“What?”

Seldianne said, tapping her chin with her fan.

“You guys… Especially, Erto, you don’t know much about Miss Bruard’s situation, and that in itself is uncomfortable. I don’t mean to praise you, but haven’t you been following her around like a butler all this time?”

“… That’s true, but.”

“The lady is concerned about the part that says ‘I don’t know’.”

No, why are the guys around me, like Lucica and Heidi, so perceptive?

Is it really that important to say you don’t know something you don’t know?

Why on earth…

… …

In that moment of agony, a thought crossed my mind.

Wait a minute, is my perception wrong?

This is a part that I thought I could roughly gloss over up until now.

Is it perhaps so strikingly odd that there are things I don’t know about Tyrissia?

The way other people look at me, Erto, may be a little different from what I imagine.

Just as I was thinking that far, Celdianne asked again.

“Yes, do you think it’s rash for you to discuss something so strange?”

“No, what… ”

“Of course, Miss Brood may be in a special situation that is different from usual. There may be something that she really cannot tell you in detail. However,”

Seldianne spread out her black fur fan and blew the wind gently on her face.

“Looking at the circumstances from the perspective of this Elcon, I see that your recent actions have a causal relationship. Are you aware of it?”

“My actions? No, I have no idea.”

It’s not that I can’t guess, but honestly, I don’t know for sure, so I can’t say anything else.

“Your recent attitude toward Ms. Brood… and the way Ms. Brood treats you… I see something different from before.”

“What else… is there?”

“This is almost like an intuition, so I can’t say for sure. But I can definitely feel a significant difference for you, lady.”

“So what is that?”

I gradually lost the intention to refute her, and was just curious about what Celdianne was talking about.

She folded the fan again and pointed it at my face.

“Temperature… No, should I say air? The air between you and Breward feels different. It’s clear that you’re still messing around like before… But there’s a subtle difference that only those who have seen you often can sense.”

“You… have been watching us so intently?”

At those words, Seldianne was startled and covered her mouth.

“Huh…? That, that kind of story… !”

Then, the silent subordinates on both sides rushed in.

“Elconja is just keeping an eye on those who disrupt the order of the academy!”

“Please don’t be mistaken that I have received the attention of Elconja! Commoner!”

“Ugh, hmm… !”

Celdianne raised her hand to calm the two people down and coughed in vain as if to hide her embarrassment.

“Hwa, your excessive self-consciousness is definitely enough to make your face turn red. So I’ll tell you this now. There’s only one reason why you’ve been watching your relationship with Breward. ”

“Okay, tell me.”

―

The smile disappeared from Celdianne’s face, and an unpleasant stiffness took its place.

“The reason is,”

Crimson eyes gleamed sharply and pierced my face.

“Because in this academy where Elconza opens her eyes and breathes, unhealthy romantic relationships between nobles and commoners cannot be tolerated.”

“That’s what I thought.”

It wasn’t particularly surprising, since it was the kind of nonsense that Celdiane usually spouted off all the time.

However, it was a little surprising that the unpleasant gaze I had been looking at had piled up and built up to the point where I had gained enough insight to notice the subtle changes between us.

“And above all, when I looked into when that difference started… ”

“Do you go further from there?”

“It’s been since you missed the academy for a few days. It’s too neatly connected to be a coincidence.”

“Hmm… ”

But in the end, what is it that Celdianne is curious about?

The story was going round and round, making it difficult to find the main point.

As lunchtime was coming to an end, I decided to get straight to the point and ask her for her conclusion.

“Okay, let’s assume that everything you said is true. I don’t know what Tirisia has been up to lately, and let’s assume that it’s true that the way we treat each other has changed strangely.”

“Okay, the story is fast-paced.”

A smile of anticipation appeared on Celdianne’s lips.

I placed both hands on the table, clasped my hands together, and asked her.

“So, what are you trying to say? What are you trying to say about the relationship between Tirisia and me?”

“Haha, now I can finally tell you the conclusion of the story.”

“Tell me. Can I laugh if you find it funny?”

“If possible, try it. This is so true that you will never be able to laugh!”

“Okay, come here.”

As I listened intently to the story, covering my mouth with my clasped hands, Seldianne got up from her seat, turned her back to us, and stood in front of the waterfall.

“The changes that the lady has noticed in your recent behavior… From there, the conclusion is drawn through logical thinking!”

Cho-choo!

She opened her fan with a fancy movement and looked back at us.

“It’s obvious!”

The tip of the black fur fan was pointed at my face.

“You finally realized that nobles and commoners can’t get along! Oh-hohohoho!”

“… ”

Miyu and Juri couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as they clasped their hands together in front of their chests at the resounding high-pitched laughter.

“Wow, you are indeed Elconja! What a fearsome insight!”

“The lowly commoners finally understand the topic! How refreshing!”

“… ”

Celdianne shouted at me with a nuance that suggested checkmate.

“If you can refute the lady’s words, go ahead and try! Commoner!”

I am…

I just decided to laugh.