episode_0026

Not all romance novels are like that, but

In most romance novels, there exists a sub male lead.

Men who love the female lead.

However, even though I was aware of their existence from the beginning, I never thought I would directly interact with them.

After all, they were the ones who approached the female lead out of curiosity.

I knew exactly what that was about.

“…Approaching because the prince loves the girl….”

Even thinking about it again, it felt like a really trashy reason, but anyway.

That’s why I believed they would never approach me.

The prince and I had become friends, not lovers.

In a friendship, not love, there was no reason for them to show interest, I believed.

Or rather, I believed.

Yes, past tense.

I had a drink with the girls yesterday and went to school as usual today.

Everything seemed normal until halfway through the day.

Even during class, they would blatantly send glances my way, and when break time came, they started approaching me.

“Are you Lia?”

“Um…. Yes.”

I hid a sigh and maintained a nonchalant expression as I looked up.

The youngest son of the Northern Duke.

Described with noble silver hair, ice-blue eyes, and white skin resembling snow.

It was easy to recognize him at a glance because of that description.

It was more like white hair than silver hair, but you could think of it as an exaggeration in the novel’s description.

I took a deep breath and cheerfully replied.

“You called me!”

“…Yes, I called you because I have something to ask.”

The way he spoke wasn’t like that of a 10-year-old, and it didn’t seem familiar to me either.

It felt like he was imitating someone poorly, but I forced myself to ignore it.

Derren, Seina, and Astel all seemed to like me, so I just let it go.

In reality, I was the weakest link in the academy food chain.

So, the best I could do was to adjust well to not upset the higher-ups.

Changing your behavior based on who you’re with wasn’t always a bad thing.

Bad usually went hand in hand with wise.

“…You’re close to the prince, what’s your ulterior motive?”

“…Ulterior motive?”

What is this supposed to mean?

I maintained a smiling expression and tilted my head slightly.

Even though people were staring at us in the hallway, it didn’t matter.

The stares had been following me since I was with the prince.

I was starting to get used to it.

However, the problem wasn’t the stares, it was the guy in front of me.

Ulterior motive.

It felt like the word didn’t properly reach my brain, as if there was an error in the information processing.

He continued speaking, a bit more sternly.

“Is it money you’re after?”

Um….

I said something and all he got from it was that?

The thin mask I had been wearing finally cracked, revealing a pathetic expression behind it.

It seemed like I had no talent for wearing a mask.

“…Our family is quite wealthy, you know?”

Money wasn’t the motive, as we had accumulated a substantial amount as fallen nobles.

As long as there wasn’t a sudden inflation, I had enough money to last me a lifetime, or at least while I was alive.

“…I heard the prince bought you a bed yesterday.”

“…Um, that’s right?”

He did buy it.

“I’ve never seen the prince give someone a gift before.”

“…Is that so?”

I don’t really know.

Perhaps this is talking about events that happened long before the novel began.

It’s only natural that I wouldn’t know.

“Well, I judged that you must have used some means to capture the prince’s heart.”

“…Um, isn’t that a bit of an exaggerated imagination…?”

This is a bit much.

Just by listening to what he’s saying, it seems like I used some evil means to capture the prince’s heart.

It gives me chills, and it makes me feel uncomfortable.

No, even if that were possible, I wouldn’t do such a thing to a man.

“…Can you summarize what you’re trying to say in one sentence?”

I tried to brush it off with a smile, but the words that came out were much more foolish than I expected, making it hard to listen.

“…Arrogant, but I also don’t like to talk for too long, so go ahead.”

The youngest son of the Northern Duke took a deep breath and looked at me.

“I don’t understand why the prince is taking care of you.”

“Is that so surprising? Can’t friends take care of each other?”

“No, it’s about the position.”

“The position?”

“As a member of the royal family.”

He explained the prince’s position to me.

Now, more than ever, with the royal authority firmly established.

The actions of the royal family, no matter how trivial, have far-reaching consequences.

This fact is also felt by the royal family.

That’s why the royal family moved with extreme caution and restraint in all activities.

A determination to maintain strict neutrality.

“Prince Deron is no different… Even before entering the academy, he only exchanged formal words and never did things like ‘gifts’ like this.”

…So, is Deron coming to me because he broke his neutrality as a royal?

It’s true that the word ‘gift’ sounds too pretentious, but I can understand it to some extent.

However, this was not a gift, but a reward.

A reward for saving the princess.

However, to clarify this, I would have to mention that I suggested using soldiers to the prince, and that the prince agreed to my request.

If I had urged the use of soldiers to the guy who came to me just because the prince gave me a gift, it would have been much more troublesome.

I had that much sense.

However, if I just stayed silent, he might continue to bother me with delusions like he came to me because of something like that.

I had to come up with some appropriate words to respond.

Lost in thought for about ten seconds.

I came up with a suitable excuse and put on a thin mask again, smiling brightly.

“Maybe the prince finds me cute and adorable?”

“…What?”

“No, I’m a commoner. I have no reason to maintain neutrality as a commoner.”

Neutrality between nobles must be maintained.

That’s a valid point.

However, that’s literally something that should be maintained among nobles, not something that commoners need to adhere to.

“For example, that’s right, isn’t it? You have to maintain a balance between people and power, so you can’t do this or that, but you can treat a pet like a puppy well?”

Dogs have no power.

So, even if you treat them nicely, there’s little chance of causing any problems.

However, why hasn’t there been a case like mine until now?

“Has the prince ever met a commoner like me before?”

He may have done some inspections a few times, but has he ever had a conversation like this and gotten close to someone like this?

The guy looked down at me with a greatly confused expression at my statement, but my words were not over yet.

“Well, look… Why do you think the nobles want to maintain neutrality?”

I asked him a question, reviewing what I had said, and he hesitantly answered.

“To maintain the balance of power.”

“Is that so? The balance of power… But do commoners even have power to begin with? Do they not?”

“…They don’t.”

“That’s right.”

“Is that so…”

No matter how much weight he carried, no matter how deeply he thought.

In the end, he was just a 10-year-old child.

Unlike the adults whose minds had already hardened, there was nothing he couldn’t understand if explained well and guided.

“Especially, there’s no way a commoner can do something just because they receive a little favor from a prince, right? If that were the case, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.”

If he really acted like that, he would end up being dragged into a dark alley and experiencing a miserable sight that he didn’t even want to imagine.

Since I didn’t want that kind of future either, I reassured him that there was no need to worry, even if I became friends with the prince.

As I conveyed the meaning that there would be no reason for Confucius to worry, he stared at me as if trying to see through me.

“So, since nothing worrisome will happen, don’t worry!”

“…Worry?”

“Did you come to find me because you thought I was being ensnared by some strange woman and having my spine sucked out?”

“…I-I didn’t go that far. And we’re not even friends to begin with!”

“…You’re not friends with the prince…?”

Does this guy really not have any friends?

He always talked about having friends, but I suspected that he only came to us with made-up stories.

If he really had friends, he would have played with them, not us.

“Your gaze is rude…”

“I naturally have an unpleasant expression.”

“You’re shameless.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

It was good to correct the strange misunderstanding before it spread, but why did it feel a little pitiful that Deron had no friends?

“What are you doing there?”

A familiar voice rang out.

Deron’s voice.

When I turned my head to look at Deron, he alternated between looking at me and the other guy, then sighed.

“…What did you do this time?”

“…I didn’t do anything wrong, you know?”

It’s unfair.

…He seems like a bad guy, so that’s why he doesn’t have any friends.

Deron came closer to me and raised his hand above my head.

Does this guy really think my head is his handrest?

It’s subtly annoying.

And what’s even more annoying is that I’m starting to get used to this treatment, even getting irritated at myself.

Ugh….

“If he did something wrong, I’ll apologize on his behalf. He may have a bad head, but he’s not a bad guy at heart.”

No, I didn’t do anything wrong.

I was really upset, but I swallowed my anger deep down because I knew my place well.

“…No, I just misunderstood. I’ll step back.”

“Okay.”

Deron replied lightly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he stared at me intently, then turned his body and disappeared in the opposite direction.

“Is it that difficult not to cause trouble?”

“…I-I didn’t cause any trouble…”

I mumbled my words, but I didn’t argue.

Whatever happened, Deron stepping in to resolve the situation was the right thing to do.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need for thanks.”

“But do you really have friends?”

“…I do.”

Between his answers, a subtle silence revealed the truth.

Looking at Deron with a curious expression, he pressed down on my head firmly.