episode_0128

Luminor Academy’s Head of the Technical Department, Luke Cruella.

Once the escort of Princess Seraphine, one of the only two nobles currently attending the academy, but now serving as her exclusive maid due to various circumstances.

As she wrapped up her first semester like any other student, with only the final exam, the end-of-term evaluation, left, Luke quietly nurtured a grudge against a certain individual in her heart.

“Lilith, that damn woman….”

Why did she give up her role as an escort to become the princess’s exclusive maid?

Knowing the person who caused this change better than anyone else, Luke silently harbored anger towards Lilith.

Of course, nurturing her animosity towards her didn’t provide a direct means of revenge.

As the princess’s exclusive maid, she couldn’t act personally without consequences.

Besides, meddling with Lilith would have been just as daring for anyone, not just her. Touching the fiancée of the Blackwood family required great courage.

“Because of that, she probably had the audacity to reject Princess Seraphine’s offer to become her exclusive maid.”

Although she didn’t witness her rejection firsthand due to briefly leaving for a “walk,” Luke was certain Lilith boldly turned down the offer, trusting and brazenly refusing.

From their first meeting, she hadn’t left a favorable impression on Luke.

Having served Seraphine for five years as her escort, she noticed Seraphine’s special treatment towards Lilith, who hadn’t been around for even a month.

Moreover, Lilith, who was initially just a maid of the Blackwood family, suddenly revealed herself as a junior noble at the academy.

And when Luke learned that this status was orchestrated by Seraphine to get Lilith admitted to the Magic Department, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat.

Surely, having served Seraphine longer than Lilith, her loyalty should have been stronger.

So, even in her humiliating role as an exclusive maid, she followed Seraphine’s orders without resistance.

Why was her mistress more interested in another woman than in her, Luke found it hard to understand.

Moreover, a woman like Lilith, who boldly rejected her mistress’s proposal despite her status as a junior noblewoman, was even more intolerable.

If she were in Lilith’s position, she would have accepted without question, even if it were a position lower than an exclusive maid.

Even the current exclusive maid duties she took over from Lilith’s rejection felt unjust, fueling her resentment.

If, by some chance.

Princess Seraphine had initially brought an exclusive maid to the academy, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the previous maid couldn’t continue her duties.

In such a scenario, if Seraphine had given her the exclusive maid command, she would have gladly accepted.

It would have meant that Seraphine considered her the most reliable person to take care of her in the academy.

Seraphine’s loyalty was unparalleled, and for her, following orders was the ultimate honor.

However, the role of being her exclusive maid didn’t feel quite as prestigious to Luke as it might have seemed.

The position that had been left vacant with the intention of seating Rilis as her exclusive maid from the start.

For Luke, this seat couldn’t help but feel like a placeholder for the woman who was her substitute, and any dissatisfaction in her duties felt even more pronounced compared to her previous role as a guard.

Especially with the amusing resemblance to that woman in the maid uniform she wore.

Of course, it was Seraphine, her mistress, who had appointed her as her exclusive maid, so Luke focused on her maid duties without expressing any discontent.

“Luke.”

“Yes, Princess Seraphine.”

“You’ve worked hard taking on the role of my exclusive maid all of a sudden for a semester. You may not have been accustomed to the duties of an exclusive maid, but you did much better than expected. Your skill in combing hair has also improved.”

“…Thank you, Princess.”

“Are you not planning to continue as my exclusive maid next semester? I think it might be surprisingly okay for you to continue as my exclusive maid, Luke.”

“…Thank you for your kind words, but I believe that being your guard is more suited to me, Princess.”

“I thought you might answer that way, Luke.”

“…”

As if she already knew what she was going to say, she accepted his decision to resign as her exclusive maid and return to being her guard without much reaction.

Would she have shown the same reaction if Rilis, that woman, had taken over her exclusive maid duties and then decided to resign next semester?

Probably not. Princess Seraphine had made a lot of preparations to appoint Rilis as her exclusive maid, even leaving behind the maid who should have come with them, waiting for the time when she would be isolated within the Magic Department and using the excuse of hiring her as an exclusive maid.

She had tried so hard to recruit her. Although she seemed unprepared for her rejection.

If she had accepted the position of exclusive maid once and then tried to resign, she probably would have tried to keep her by any means necessary.

Why did that woman catch the eye of Princess Seraphine?

Why did he suddenly become her substitute?

At least up to that point, Luke could somehow concede. Perhaps it was an ability unique to her that overwhelmed him.

But if that were the case.

If his mistress wanted to keep him by her side to that extent, it was only natural for him to respond to her call.

Despite being in debt to Princess Seraphine, Luke couldn’t forgive Rilis for not showing the same loyalty as him.

As she combed her hair, Princess Seraphine quietly offered Luke a piece of advice that she had in mind.

“Luke.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Do you know about the full moon that rose last night, Luke?”

“Yes, I am aware. …Did you see something in the future vision last night?”

“In last night’s future vision, your face appeared after a long time.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you, Luke. It was the first time since the incident in your hometown five years ago.”

…”Princess’s future vision showed his face.

She didn’t like it when someone’s face appeared in the future vision she saw once a month, and Luke, who had been her bodyguard for five years, intuitively understood that.

With a slightly tense expression, Luke waited for his mistress to speak after hearing Princess Seraphine mention that her own face had appeared in the vision.

“It’s okay, the future I saw last night wasn’t that dangerous.”

“…Is that so.”

“However, I found out something I didn’t know before, so it’s quite interesting.”

“….”

“Please answer honestly, Luke. Are you planning to duel with Lillith in the upcoming end-of-term evaluation?”

“Yes, Princess Seraphine.”

The end-of-term evaluation, the final event of the academy’s first semester.

There, Luke had planned to choose Lillith as his opponent for the duel.

Of course, for someone like Luke, who was from the technical department and not part of the five combat departments, the end-of-term evaluation was not something he was supposed to participate in.

Unlike the five combat departments, where it was common to complete final exams or comprehensive assignments, it was not the case for the technical, pharmaceutical, and theological departments.

However, just because it was not common, it did not mean that students from the technical or pharmaceutical departments did not have the right to participate in the evaluation.

From 1st to 5th place in each department. In other words, students with excellent grades could apply for the evaluation with students from other departments, and they could even choose their opponents.

Of course, choosing opponents was limited to students from other departments who ranked from 1st to 5th, so it was mostly known that the technical and pharmaceutical departments did not have end-of-term evaluations.

Even if a student from a non-combat department was in the top ranks, it was practically impossible to compete with students from the combat departments.

However, Luke, who harbored deep-seated resentment due to various reasons, was planning to challenge Lillith regardless of her department, as he was Princess Seraphine’s bodyguard and had the skills to back it up.

…Although Princess Seraphine, his mistress, had no confidence in her victory.

“Do you oppose it, Princess Seraphine?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well… Princess Seraphine, don’t you care about that woman?”

“Yes, I care about her. She’s someone I want to keep by my side someday.”

“So, are you trying to stop our duel because you don’t want to see that woman get hurt…?”

Was his last plan to retaliate in his position being blocked by his mistress?

As Luke’s mind was consumed by such anxious thoughts, the response Princess Seraphine gave him was of a kind he had never expected.

“Hmm, it seems like you’re misunderstanding something, Luke.”

“What?”

“Of course, I don’t particularly recommend you and Lillith participating in the end-of-term evaluation, but it’s not because I’m worried she’ll get hurt.”

“Really? Then what…?”

“The reason I oppose it, Luke, is because I’m worried about you.”

“…Me?”

Even though he had planned to challenge Lillith in the end-of-term evaluation, Luke had never thought that he would lose.

Princess Seraphine’s words momentarily wounded his pride, and not knowing whether she understood his feelings or not, she continued to compare the two people she had seen so far.

“I have a tendency to keep the people I care about by my side, Luke.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So, I’m advising you. Because you are the person I care about the most, I don’t want to see you get hurt in the end-of-term evaluation.”

“…Are you suggesting that you think that woman will win in the evaluation?”

In the future, it was a scene where Luke and Rilis faced off in the training ground. It ended without seeing the actual battle scene, but… I wonder if it won’t be a tough opponent for Luke.

“…Is that what you think…?”

With another statement that seemed to trust the woman rather than himself, Luke’s mood wasn’t particularly good.

Serafin, sensing her feelings, took a step back in her statement.

“If you still want to settle things with Rilis, despite my advice, I won’t stop you. I also wanted to see Rilis’s true skills, so if Luke is the opponent, it might be a good evaluation standard.”

“……”

“What will you do, Luke? Will you have the evaluation match? Or will you replace it with a comprehensive assignment like the other students in the technical department?”

Luke wanted to prove.

To Princess Serafin, his master, that he was much stronger than that woman.

Luke wanted to condemn.

That woman, Rilis, who shamelessly refused her request even after receiving Princess Serafin’s favor.

“I will have the evaluation match.”

“…Alright, then do it.”

“Princess Serafin’s words are always right, but I will definitely prove that she is wrong this time, at least in this evaluation match.”

“…If you say so, I will be looking forward to it, Luke.”

Luke Cruella, ranked first in the technical department.

Rilis Blackwood Rosewood, ranked fourth in the magic department.

It was the moment when the final evaluation match between the two students was confirmed.

…Even though Rilis herself was completely unaware that such a match had been arranged.