episode_0033

If we hadn’t brought Claire to the student council meeting, the atmosphere might have been better.

Two princesses and one queen. It’s not unusual for them to have an unusual relationship. Children of beings standing at the pinnacle of a country. Although one of them doesn’t have royal blood, no one can object to that.

However, with the addition of one Viscountess Yeong-ae, the hierarchy becomes strange.

Actually, there wasn’t much to worry about. If there was someone with a good sense among them, or someone who had experience mingling with high-ranking nobles, they would know how to treat the Viscountess Yeong-ae and her siblings.

For example—

“Oh, princesses and the queen.”

Just like the student council president who just came in.

With his neatly cut golden hair and noble appearance, he is the Marquess of Manchester, considered the second most noble family in the empire after the royal family. In fact, apart from the royal family, he has the most royal blood among the nobles.

The most famous people in the royal family were Emperor and Alice, of course. But that doesn’t mean there are no people in the royal family. There were those who lived quietly in places slightly away from central power, and those who received appropriate honorary positions and lived like high-ranking officials.

They all serve the empire.

Among the marquesses and viscounts, there were often incidents where they got involved in various matters and ended up on the emperor’s death list, or even got assassinated, but they knew how to serve their bodies because they were part of the royal family.

In fact, in the game, there were often extras from the royal family, who usually seemed clueless and empty-headed, but sometimes unknowingly revealed that they serve the empire and asked to keep it a secret.

Of course, they wouldn’t actually reveal it like that. It’s just a way to convey the situation in the game.

“And… everyone from the Grace family.”

Just like when he greeted me, Alice, and Charlotte, the student council president smiled and politely greeted the Grace family children.

The reason for the silence until now was here. They didn’t know the names or personalities of the Grace family children, so they didn’t talk to them at all. Since they were brought by the princess, they might have more power than they appeared.

As mentioned before, in noble society, it was considered rude for a lower-ranking person to speak to a higher-ranking person first… Anyway, there were several reasons why the student council room was quiet.

“I apologize for making you wait. I had some work to attend to.”

That statement is likely true. The student council president is actually busy. Even if he sent an invitation, we couldn’t know when we would arrive.

“No, we didn’t wait that long.”

“Um.”

After hearing Alice’s response, the student council president briefly narrowed his eyes. He quickly returned to his original expression.

Alice, who wanted to treat her peers equally, probably used honorifics because she respected the other person as a senior.

The student council president’s gaze lingered on Alice, then turned to Charlotte, and finally to me. The time his gaze rested on each of us was short. As for Claire and Leo… It would be more accurate to say that his gaze passed by them rather than lingered on them.

“It’s an honor to have you visit so soon after receiving the invitation. Did you enjoy the tea leaves?”

“Are they from the salon? It seems like you pay a lot of attention to details even in the student council, using the same ones as the royal family.”

I have no idea.

No matter how many times I rewind time and eat again, it was impossible for me to distinguish the origin of the food I was eating. I might consider listening to the whole story and then coming back if necessary.

One reason I pretend to have a quiet personality is that I don’t feel the need to spend time revealing information unnecessarily.

“These leaves are from our estate. I’m glad they suit your taste. But…”

The student council president’s gaze finally lingered on Grace’s children.

“May I ask about the relationship between the princess and the others?”

This time, Claire and Leo’s gaze also turned to Alice.

I wonder. What kind of relationship do we have?

It’s only been a week since we met, and although we have had conversations, we haven’t formed a close relationship.

Alice brought Grace’s two people just because she thought it would be interesting to hear what Charlotte had to say.

“We’re friends.”

But Alice answered without hesitation.

And she felt a little flustered under Claire’s sparkling gaze.

It seems like their images are going in opposite directions.

….

No, well, it’s not that I dislike it.

Rather, isn’t the balance just right? Alice has no reason to be jealous of Claire, and Claire has no reason to be jealous of Alice’s parents.

It feels like a resolution before the conflict even begins.

Moreover, it looked good to me. Why, there are fanfics like that. Reversing relationships or genders. In a game with many female characters, seeing a gender reversal might be exciting, but I think this kind of relationship reversal is not bad.

“Oh, I see.”

However, the student council president was not entirely convinced.

Perhaps he had some understanding of Alice and Charlotte’s intentions. Having been raised in a strict noble household, received a noble education, and grown up attending noble social parties.

“In that case…”

The student council president walked slowly and went to his seat.

And he sat down with a relaxed attitude.

“Do you know why we sent you the invitation?”

“Wasn’t it to encourage me to join the student council?”

“That’s right.”

The student council president smiled at Alice’s words.

Among nobles, there is no reason to dislike someone who uses such direct language. Because they are people who can openly reveal their weaknesses without knowing.

Except for the fact that the other person is Alice.

“Do you have any intention of joining?”

This question was probably directed at Claire and Leo sitting here as well. In the original work, Leo followed Alice and was given the option to join the student council, so it could be considered that the option appeared a little earlier.

At that time, Alice and the student council president were probably in a bit of a struggle. At least not at this point.

“May I ask if there are any positions available in the student council?”

“What positions—”

However, the student council president’s persuasion did not continue.

Smart.

There was a knock on the door of the student council room.

“May I come in for a moment?”

The student council president asked politely.

As Alice nodded, the student council president also nodded towards a female student.

The person outside the door was probably someone the student council president had called in advance…

…No, it wasn’t.

“Oh.”

The student council president’s eyes widened slightly. It seemed as if someone unexpected had arrived.

Since the invitation didn’t only come to us, it wouldn’t be strange for other high nobles to come.

The only problem is,

“Miss Crowfield.”

Yes, the person the smiling student council president was talking to was Mia Crowfield.

She didn’t seem to be well-groomed for a daughter of a viscount. However, she was still one of the high nobles, so it seemed like she wasn’t neglecting her appearance.

However, if well maintained, the glossy black hair would have a slightly frizzy texture. Some strands at the ends were slightly tangled.

And the most disheveled part of that hairstyle was the long bangs that roughly cascaded down over the face.

Do you happen to know Sadako, the ghost from a Japanese horror movie?

She seemed to be sporting a hairstyle that could easily crawl out of a black and white TV screen at any moment.

If this wasn’t a game-based world but just an ordinary Earth, there would definitely be a rough, acne-ridden face beneath that hair, no matter how well the hair was maintained. Oil would still seep through, no matter how well the hair was taken care of.

Of course, beneath those Mia Crowfield’s hair was the face of a pure and innocent young girl.

“…I received the invitation….”

Her somewhat weak voice was haunting, with a melancholic tone that I could recall even after more than a decade. It was hauntingly distinctive, to say the least. Not a bad voice, but haunting.

“Yes. I sent the invitation.”

The student council president, who used to speak formally to us, lowered his tone. It wasn’t a lack of manners but rather a tone that seemed appropriate, like a young boss addressing a junior employee.

“Oh, but….”

“It’s okay.”

The student council president looked apologetic and seemed like he wanted to say something to Mia, but Alice interrupted him.

“It shouldn’t be a problem for us to listen to the conversation together here, right?”

“Well, yes, but….”

Since they were discussing matters related to the student council membership, it didn’t seem like an issue for Mia Crowfield, who had come for the same purpose, to listen to the conversation.

It might not be a problem for them, but…

Wait, did Mia Crowfield also come to the student council in the original work?

With decent grades and the Crowfield Viscount family not having fallen from grace. The only thing that changed was the death of the head of the family, with the estate remaining intact and no exposure of any wrongdoing. The reason the emperor ordered the assassination was purely political, not to seek justice.

In fact, Mia Crowfield’s personal value might have increased, with her still having control over the estate. If she graduates from the academy or marries during her studies, she could somehow manage the vacant estate.

There might be ways to tempt the remaining Viscountess Crowfield, but someone who has become a Viscountess wouldn’t easily fall for such obvious temptations.

Though her face was partially hidden, if you looked closely, you could see her eyes through the strands of hair. Since she had to look forward, naturally, when looking this way, part of her eyes would be exposed outward.

And, I was certain, Crowfield and I locked eyes.

She even stared at me for a while.

It doesn’t matter how much information Crowfield has. The emperor must have made some dealings with the remaining Viscountess after the Viscount’s death. Instead of turning a blind eye to what happened on that estate, he chose to keep quiet and let things settle down.

Don’t try to oppose the emperor politically. You’ll be the next to die.

And if you quietly live with that knowledge, the person who heard those words will hold a deep grudge against the emperor.

And that grudge will be passed down and refined. Parents only teach their children to hate their enemies, without mentioning how they were caught in that vulnerable position.

If Crowfield did the same, she would surely harbor extremely negative feelings towards me.

If she had investigated diligently, she would have heard rumors about the emperor’s children.

“…Huh?”

Alice’s gaze shifted between Mia Crowfield and me. She could even read my expression, so it was only natural for her to be able to discern Mia’s “intentions.”

“…Those people over there.”

“Hmm?”

The sudden remark from Mia Crowfield seemed to slightly fluster the student council president.

She didn’t show any courtesy towards the princesses, nor did she greet them.

“Are those people over there also attending the student council?”

“…”

The voice was calm and somewhat indistinct in parts, but I could sense the underlying intention behind it.

Do you want to join the same extracurricular activities as me?

…Or is it to get closer to me?

I once again scrutinized Mia Crowfield’s face.

This time, our eyes met clearly.

And if my guess was correct, Mia Crowfield was staring right at me.