Volume 1 Chapter 43 Mean Villainess, Sympathy
After getting through a busy third year, the day of the start of my 4th year at the academy has arrived.
When I took my seat for breakfast, my mother was not there.
I asked the maid if she had overslept, and she said my mother had just been there a moment ago.
It seems she is awake, at least.
Since my mother's breakfast is still untouched, it seems she left without eating anything.
I wondered what she could be doing, but everyone present was moving about normally without any signs of panic or urgency, so it must not be a problem.
If my mother were unwell, I think there would be more commotion, and someone would have informed me.
So, I prepared to have breakfast and head to the academy.
Upon arriving at the academy and getting off the carriage, I felt a strange sense of discomfort.
It's the first day of a new year, so the students are excited, but it feels like there's more to it than that.
It's not just that it's noisy; it's more like a restless feeling, making it quite uncomfortable.
The fact that I feel like there are people whispering while looking at me only amplifies this discomfort.
Huh, I wonder why they are whispering.
Are they fabricating some imaginary love story between me and some handsome guy around here for betting purposes?
I'm not anyone's toy, you know?
Thinking that, I started walking towards my classroom while shaking off the gazes from those around me.
...or at least, that was the plan.
"Whoa, uh, wait, what?"
"Ah! Young lady..."
Right after I started walking, I was suddenly grabbed by the arm just around the corner of the hallway.
It was so sudden that I tried to shake off the grip, and Rolus also tried to resist by pulling my arm, but since it was someone we knew, we just looked at each other in confusion and were quietly led away.
"Sorry for suddenly pulling you along. It's been a while, Ellie."
"No, it's been a while, Sir Lorentz."
The person who suddenly grabbed my arm was Sir Lorentz.
And the place I was quietly brought to was Mister Eliseo's private room, which we had used when we were punished before.
"I wanted to have a conversation that I didn't want anyone to overhear, so I consulted the teacher, and they said it was okay to use this room."
"Is that so?"
When Sir Lorentz gently knocked, a very pleasant voice from inside replied, "Please come in."
Feeling somewhat nervous, I stepped into the room, and a sweet aroma wafted through the air.
It seemed the teacher had been drinking milk tea.
"Good morning, Mister Eliseo."
"Ah, good morning."
After exchanging greetings with the teacher, I was urged to take a seat on the sofa.
Sir Lorentz and I sat side by side on the sofa.
Seeing this, the teacher took a seat in a stylish leather chair meant for one.
Rolus stood behind me, waiting.
I had actually intended to have him sit next to me, but he refused, so I gave up.
However, having him stand behind me like this might actually give off a nice attendant vibe.
Well, it's not just a vibe; he is an attendant.
"Well then, since we don't have much time, let's get straight to the point. Ellie, did you read this morning's newspaper?"
"The newspaper? Ah... now that you mention it, I haven't read it."
Not that I didn't read it, but rather that I couldn't.
It wasn't there where it should have been.
"I see. You know, I got assigned to the royal palace. I'm going to join the Royal Guard Magic Division."
"The royal palace? The royal guard...? Wait, what!? Oh, congratulations!"
The Royal Guard Magic Division is an organization that works closely with the royal family, and it's the group that the Six Magic Knights transformed into over many years.
"Thank you. Well, it's surprising, isn't it? The guy who was worried about having low magical power is joining the Royal Guard Magic Division."
Now that I think about it, he was worried about that!
But that's not what surprised me.
Well, I mean, I was surprised by that too!
"No, um, yeah..."
"Haha. Anyway, let me explain step by step."
According to Sir Lorentz, who prefaced his story like that, it seems that his entry into the Royal Guard Magic Division wasn't a recent decision.
After meeting me and starting to work on increasing his magical power, he apparently made more progress than expected, and by the time of that bride candidate incident, he had already reached a level of magical power sufficient to join the Royal Guard Magic Division.
And it seems that by this time last year, when I was busy and overwhelmed, his joining the Royal Guard Magic Division had already been confirmed.
"...So, what about that engagement with that person...?"
As I listened to the story, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, calming my increasingly settled thoughts: it was about that wealthy Margrave's daughter who had a triumphant look on her face.
"It was called off."
An unexpected engagement cancellation.
However, I had heard rumors about it.
It seems that those who join the Royal Guard Magic Division are forced to marry someone with a high level of magical power, as decided by the king.
Well, since magical power is not supposed to be hereditary, I don't know if that really makes sense.
"Since members of the Royal Guard Magic Division can't marry those with low magical power, they can't marry someone with average magical power like that girl. Also, once you join the Royal Guard Magic Division, you can't marry for up to ten years. So if you wait for that, you'll be left behind. That girl would surely dislike both effort and being left behind."
I see.
She, who likely aimed for the title of Marchioness Blanche to show off, probably wouldn't be able to put in the effort for Sir Lorentz, and being left behind would be out of the question.
"Actually, this was the reason I chose her as a bride candidate instead of Ellie."
"Huh?"
"To be honest, the problem was that the story of me selecting a bride candidate spread on its own, but at that time, I never thought I would join the Royal Guard Magic Division. But my magical power increased more than I expected..."
Sir Lorentz said that much and then suddenly fell silent.
Seeing this, Mister Eliseo let out a small sigh before speaking up.
"By the time the talk of the bride candidates started circulating, I already felt like he could reach the Royal Guard Magic Division. However, once the rumors started, he couldn't stop the selection of bride candidates. If he were to stop it, I would need a reason. But he couldn't honestly say that he couldn't choose a bride candidate because he might not even get into the Royal Guard Magic Division. So, it was quicker to select a bride candidate and then annul it later. That's how the noble world works."
The teacher said this in a calm manner, but it was a truly terrifying story.
Regardless of the reason, being annulled is an extremely dishonorable thing for a noble lady.
Was there really no other way?
"My father said that if my magical power hadn't grown this much, he would have wanted to make Ellie my bride. He still seems disappointed. But... that's why I didn't choose Ellie as a bride candidate. I couldn't choose you. Ellie is my benefactor."
Even if he said that, my feelings were complicated, and I wasn't particularly happy about it.
Well, the girl was also quite arrogant and had a triumphant look on her face, so I can't help but feel that it was somewhat her own doing, but it still left me feeling uneasy.
Hmm, but if I were chosen as Sir Lorentz's bride candidate, that would mean entering the Lorentz route, and ultimately, I would end up with a death flag or something like that, so maybe it's better than dying.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Ellie."
"Uh, oh, no..."
"And thank you for teaching me how to increase my magical power. I really appreciate you advising with me back then."
"Ah, yes."
"I wanted to express my gratitude now, since I don't know if we'll meet again in the future."
As I thought he looked like he was saying goodbye for this life, Mister Eliseo chuckled.
"Elena probably doesn't know because you haven't read the newspaper, but Lorentz is graduating from the academy today."
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