ã€ŠThe Villainous Daughterâ€™s Butler ~I Raised Her to be Very Cute~ã€‹


 Prologue

    Suddenly, I had regained the memories of my previous life.

    I was just your normal student majoring in magecraft, but because science and magic were far more developed in that world than they were here, that knowledge of mine had be extremely valuable.

    When I realized that fact, I could feel emotions of surprise and excitement well up inside of me.

    But what astonished me the most about this world was that it was very simr to a popr game from my previous life.

    The maiden game that my sister loved, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ was about how the heroine¨C the daughter of a Viscount house, wins the hearts of a prince and various other gentlemen.

    My older sister was a closet nerd and had nobody to share her thoughts with, so she pushed me to y the game instead since I was already aware of her hobbies.

    I yed it under such circumstances, but putting myself in the position of the popr, bright, and cheerful heroine was surprisingly fun for me.

    But you see, there was a character who always got in the heroine¡¯s way¨C the viinous daughter, Sophia. She was the daughter of the Rosenberg Marquis house, a genuine noble, and also the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e.

    She had loved the prince ever since their first meeting, but he ended up falling in love with another girl¨C the heroine of the game, which in turn drove her into insanity.¡°¡­why won¡¯t you look at me?¡±

    With that line, she would fall into darkness.

    Yearning for him to notice her again, shemits various acts of harassment against the heroine as her love rival, but her excessive movements catch the prince¡¯s attention in the wrong way, and he has her executed alongside her butler as punishment.

    By the way, even if the heroine chooses a different route, the prince still falls in love with her, so Sophia will always lose her sanity in the end.

    In the game, it was impossible for her to escape her fate of execution.

    However, Sophia had a setting that easily invoked sympathy, such as how she was neglected by her parents who were always busy with work, or how she was constantly harassed by her household¡¯s maids.

    She was actually quite gentle, and it was only in matters regarding the prince that she went mad with jealousy, so despite being the viinous daughter, she was surprisingly popr.

    Even I was one of her fans.

    Backtracking a little bit, it seems I¡¯ve be the butler who was executed with her.

    My name in this life was Cyril, and I was born into a family of attendants who have served the Rosenberg Marquis house for generations.

    I was destined to be killed alongside Sophia in the near future.

    This wasn¡¯t a joke.

    Even though this was my second life, I was already destined to die, so with that in mind, I decided to use my knowledge of the game to avoid that oue at all costs.

    Honestly, it¡¯d be easy for me to evade the execution by myself, but I was actually quite fond of Sophia, so if possible, I wanted to save her as well.

    That¡¯s why I was currently pondering as to how I might do that.

    There were several things I could do to change her fate.

    First of all, I could remove the cause of her personality¡¯s distortion.

    Due to her childhood environment, she became unstable to the point that she easily slipped into insanity from simple jealousy, so if the problems in her upbringing were removed, the worst case scenario could be avoided.

    Next, I could polish Sophia¡¯s charms.

    If the youngdy was cute enough to the point of even overwhelming the heroine, the prince wouldn¡¯t forsake her, and with her not being deprived of him, the cause of her hysteria would be gone.

    Andst but not least was something that didn¡¯t directly rte to her at all.

    So when the time finally came, I would deal with it in secret.

    That¡¯s why my current goal was to achieve the first two objectives.

    To that end, I needed to be by the youngdy¡¯s side, but Cyril only became her exclusive butler around the start of the game¨C when they¡¯re about fifteen or sixteen.

    If I waited until then, it would be toote.

    Therefore, I decided to fully develop my abilities as a butler.

    Usually a child would never be entrusted with such a position, but if I could show them my talents, then they just might make an exception for me.

    With that in mind, I worked myself to the point of death, subsequently starting talks with my father¨C the current lord¡¯s butler, and finally won the honour of apprenticing as Lady Sophia¡¯s servant at the mere age of six.

    And so¨C

    Lady Sophia¡¯s sixth birthday.

    Her parents were too busy to celebrate it with her, so her adorable figure¨C which was adorned with a pale dress and surrounded by servants¡­ looked very lonely.

    Just like how a rose grown in a greenhouse would be distorted when exposed to the wind and rain¨C if left untouched, Lady Sophia¡¯s heart would warp itself little by little.

    That¡¯s why I went ahead and knelt before her.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Sir¡­ Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Cyril is fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy. From today onwards, I¡¯ll be apprenticing as your exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­butler?¡±

    Mydy leaned backwards and tilted her head. An innocent question rising up in her amethyst eyes.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, a butler is someone who will take care of you while staying by your side.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll stay¡­ by Sophia¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy. Whether it¡¯s fun times, lonely times, or painful times, I will always be there for you. As your friend, I promise to protect you forever.¡±

    Mydy blinked. Was that a bit too hard for her to understand? That¡¯s what I thought, but after a while her amethyst eyes began to shine.

    ¡°So then¡­ will you celebrate Sophia¡¯s birthday together with Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will. This year and every year after, I¡¯ll continue to celebrate your birthday with you, mydy.¡±

    The gift I then presented to her was a crimson rose¨C an item that symbolised the Rosenberg house.

    It was noble and pretty, but it would wither without care. Such a rose was raised in a greenhouse, carefully treated to have its thorns removed, and then wrapped in ace cloth.

    This item represented my determination for Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Congrattions on your sixth birthday.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril! Sophia is so happy!¡±

    Mydy probably didn¡¯t realise the deeper meanings I had in the rose, but even so, she gently embraced it and gave me a smile akin to a blossoming flower.

    Seeing that beaming expression of hers, I vowed once again in my heart to protect this adorable little girl forever.

    I had seeded in opening mydy¡¯s heart. However, the cause of its distortion still remained¨C the existence of the maid who bullied her.

    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t any corresponding recollection scene in the game, I only knew such a thing happened. Which maid it was, and what kind of harassment theymitted waspletely unknown to me.

    So I needed to investigate and deal with this myself.

    However, even with the memories of my previous life, to my surroundings I was still just a cheeky six year old kid that had somehow been hired as an apprentice butler. There were limits as to what I could look into on my own.

    That¡¯s why I decided to borrow the power of my father, the exclusive butler of the master.

    I used his name andunched a secret survey of my fellow servants, saying that some of them were behaving in odd and suspicious ways, before finally locating the maid who harassed mydy.

    The days flowed by, and then one afternoon full of gentle sunlight¨C mydy who was supposed to be having tea in the courtyard was running towards me with tears in her eyes.

    Chasing her from behind was a maid with a slight scowl on her face.

    ¡°Fue~n¡­ Cyril~¡±

    ¡°Mydy, what happened?¡±

    Her tinum blonde hair was full of leaves. First, I gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and then carefully picked out the foliage tangled in her hair one by one.

    Lastly, I petted her head and looked into her eyes before repeating my question, ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Did you know? Did you know? That maid was being mean to Sophia.¡±

    ¡°A ridiculous usation. The youngdy tripped over her feet and fell herself.¡±

    After catching up, the maid made a troubled expression and appealed for her innocence.

    Mydy¡¯s bruised face twisted into a scowl as she red at the maid.

    ¡°Why would you say such a thing?! Sophia didn¡¯t trip over Sophia¡¯s feet at all!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, why would you lie like that? Ah¡­ don¡¯t tell me, are you embarrassed by the fact that you stumbled and fell?¡±

    The maid calmly argued that nothing was wrong.

    In truth, the people around us who gathered at themotion seemed to believe her, and I could understand why. Maybe mydy detected that as well, because her amethyst eyes were shaking uneasily.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ S-sophia didn¡¯t fall on Sophia¡¯s own. It really <i>really </i>was because the maid tripped Sophia, and this wasn¡¯t the only time either¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, mydy.¡±

    I gently petted Lady Sophia¡¯s head onest time, before directing a calm look towards the maid.

    ¡°You¡¯re a maid serving the Rosenberg Marquis house, how dare you betray the master, no mercy will be shown for your transgressions.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how mean. I¡¯ve never done anything of the sort. Don¡¯t you know that the youngdy there often throws tantrums? Lady Sophia is lying to you.¡±

    ¡°S-sophia didn¡¯t tell any lies! Sophia hates you!¡±

    ¡°See, there she goes again. Another tantrum.¡±

    The maid calmly dered all that unfazed.

    Her tied up hair was glossy, she seemed to be using expensive styling products.

    Appearance-wise, she was the model maid. That¡¯s why the surroundings were reacting the way they did. They trusted her words and grew disdainful at Lady Sophia for her emotional outbursts.

    Looking at things objectively, it was only natural to assume that Lady Sophia was the one lying.

    ¨Cbut I knew that the harassment was real, and even despite that, with how much time I¡¯ve spent with mydy, I knew she wouldn¡¯t lie about something like this.

    ¡°Your dishonesty has upset mydy. I don¡¯t know why you would do this, but you¡¯re the worst.¡±

    ¡°¡­and? What do you want to do then? Are you going to tell on me? Think carefully about this, between a servant whose served this house for many years, and a <i>child, </i>who do you think they¡¯d believe?¡±

    The maid sure was confident.

    True, I might¡¯ve just been the son of a servant, but mydy here was legitimately the daughter of the master. Don¡¯t tell me she was actually stupid enough to think that such a im would work?

    That was impossible, so she had to be bluffing, thinking it¡¯d be easy to trick <i>children</i> like us. What a stupid idea, let¡¯s show her what retribution looks like.

    ¡°I told you didn¡¯t I? No mercy will be shown to those who betray the master. Asking who they would believe is a stupid question¨C guards!¡±

    Some of the nearby guards approached at my signal and apprehended the maid to her clear confusion.

    ¡°W-what is the meaning of this?! What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°¨Cyou¡¯re being arrested for suspicion of embezzlement.¡±

    I began listing the maid¡¯s crimes.

    ¡°W-what?!¡±

    ¡°Despite being a maid that serves the Marquis, you¡¯ve betrayed him. A life as a criminal ve would be far more fitting for you.¡±

    ¡°W-wait just a second here! Wait! What embezzlement?!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no use trying to deny it. Did you really think no one would notice how the reports on the purchase values of consumable goods were falsified <i>every </i>time?¡±

    ¡°¡­?!¡±

    The maid let out a small gasp.

    That reaction of hers was practically an admission of guilt. Surprised murmurs came out from the surrounding servants who had taken her side.

    ¡°I-if it¡¯s only an amount of money on that degree¡­¡±

    ¡°<i>That </i>degree¡­ you say? It seems your sense of money is quite odd.¡±

    The amount she embezzled might¡¯ve only been a fraction of the initial total, however, the funds used to buy consumables for the Marquis¡¯ mansion were iparable to a servant¡¯s sry. Even if it was only a small percentage of the whole, it wasn¡¯t a quantity that could just beughed off.

    ¡°E-even so, a criminal ve¡­ that¡¯s too much.¡±

    ¡°If you had onlymitted embezzlement once, it may have been too heavy of a punishment, but even then¡­ there¡¯s no way I¡¯d overlook how you <i>just </i>lied and held mydy in contempt.¡±

    ¡°I-in that case, evidence¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve just been convicted of the crime of embezzlement. Do you really think anyone here would trust you more than mydy or I? Why? Because you¡¯re an adult and we¡¯re just kids? That¡¯s true. Because you¡¯re a senior employee and I¡¯m just a neer? That¡¯s also true. However, you betrayed the trust of the master, so this is the end for you.¡±

    ¡°N-no way¡­¡±

    Hanging her head, the guards dragged her away. Losing interest, I turned back to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Mydy, it¡¯s all right now. There are no more bad maids who will bully you anymor¨C woah!¡±

    But before I could even finish, Lady Sophia had jumped into my arms.

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril! Thanks for believing in Sophia!¡±

    ¡°¡­of course I did. I told you, didn¡¯t I? I will always be there for you.¡±

    From then on, I continued to stay by Lady Sophia¡¯s side as I helped her grow just like the noble rose that symbolised the Rozenberg house.

    ¡°Today¡¯s lesson is about how to hold yourself with grace. Straighten your back, and try to keep the nerves at the ends of your fingertips taut as you move your limbs.¡±

    ¡°Umm, uhh¡­ like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly like that, mydy. You should more or less be just at the boundary between stillness and movement¡­ in other words, move your limbs as if you were carrying heavy luggage with them.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Sophia understands~¡±

    Some days, I taught her how to present herself as the daughter of a Marquis¨C

    ¡°Un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois. Walk elegantly and beautifully without changing the height of your waist or shaking your head. Yes, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s very beautiful, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Ehehe~ thanks. Sophia will work even harder!¡±

    Some days, I taught her how to walk with grace.

    I continued to educate mydy day after day just like that.

    As she grew older, the sses changed too. I taught her how to sing, y violin, how to dance, brew tea, make embroidery, and etiquette.

    You may think it was too much for a child, but Lady Sophia neverined.

    On the contrary¨C

    ¡°Hey~ Cyril, I¡¯ll do my best to meet your expectations, so please keep teaching me things from now on.¡±

    She actually wanted me to teach her more things, and by the time we celebrated her tenth birthday, she was refined to the point that she could stand proud, without a single point to be ashamed of at her debutante.

    To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect the specs of a viinous daughter destined for execution to be so high.

    ¡­no, she¡¯s actually not that good at learning things. There are probably many out there who could pick up the same things in a fraction of the time.

    But Lady Sophia single-mindedly practiced whatever I taught her. She neverined, and continued to work at them again and again until she was finally able to do them properly.

    She was a genius in putting in effort.

    To make sure she never fell to ruin, I made sure to teach her all that I knew.

    I taught her about the darkness of the nobility, how to negotiate, self-defense techniques to protect herself, and even some of the magic I had learned in my previous life.

    And so¨C

    Her posture was now suitable for a daughter of a Marquis, and her voice had been trained to easily allure others. Her silver hair that I brushed everyday was smooth as silk, and her skin now had a healthy glow to it from the daily beauty treatments.

    Mydy who was about to turn twelve was growing up into a talented angel.

    ¡°Cyril, can youb my hair?¡±

    ¡°Yes of course, mydy.¡±

    While I was gently straightening out her tinum blonde hair with ab, I felt a gaze on me. Looking up, mydy was observing me through the mirror.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Fufu~ I¡¯m just looking at your face, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything that interesting about it¡­e to think of it, aren¡¯t you about to turn twelve soon, mydy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, will father or mother be able to celebrate it this year?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve sent congrattory messages and presents, but as for the party itself¡­¡±

    The Marquis and Marchioness¨C her parents have been very busytely and haven¡¯t had much time to spend in the mansion. They might be able to have a celebration at another time, but they¡¯ve rarely ever attended any of the actual parties on her birthday.

    This was one of the reasons why Lady Sophia turned into the viinous daughter.

    I was worried about mydy¡¯s psychological state, but her reflection was showing a gentle smile.

    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped since they¡¯re busy. More importantly, will you be celebrating it this year too, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Of course, not just me, but all of the servants will be there to congratte you.¡±

    In the game, the viinous daughter was hated by the servants.

    Her rtionship with them had be strained because her remarks about the maid abusing her were recognised as lies, so I had made preparations in anticipation of that.

    But in this world, mydy was actually loved by them.

    ¡°That makes me really happy, but¡­ don¡¯t forget, what matters to me most is if <i>you¡¯re </i>there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honoured, mydy.¡±

    Just like this, mydy had grown up knowing how to say ttery. In recent years, after guests from other houses had seen her during tea parties, the matchmaking requests sent in would pile up like mountains.

    However, the master ended up refusing them all.

    The Rosenberg Marquis house held considerable power and had no reason to make a poor political marriage. Furthermore, even if Lady Sophia¡¯s parents weren¡¯t home very often, the love they had for their daughter was actually very strong.

    With that in mind, it seems like they intended to have her marry her desired partner instead.

    However, soon she was going to meet the second prince Alforth and fall in love with him. In the game¡¯s setting, it said that her father noticed this and that¡¯s actually how their engagement was made.

    When taking that into consideration, it only seemed natural that the marriage propositions of other houses were refused.

    More importantly, with how beautiful mydy has grown, it should be easy for her to take the second prince¡¯s heart. Or rather, even if she was silent, I had no doubts that he would initiate courtship on his own.

    With mydy as she is now, there should be no predisposition for her to fall into darkness, and she should have more than enough charm to attract the second prince. In order to save Lady Sophia from her destiny, my initial goals had been achieved.

    However, there was still one more factor to worry about.

    It was the event where the heroine and the second prince would meet for the first time and fall in love.

    The first prince¡¯s birthday party.

    During this celebration where Lady Sophia falls for the second prince, there¡¯s a scene where the heroine gets involved with the son of a noble, but is then saved by the prince while he was hiding his identity.

    Since he was currently there undercover, they had split up without even learning each other¡¯s names. However, once the two are reunited at the school, they suddenly recall this moment and their love is reborn.

    So I was going to crush this event.

    If the fated encounter between the prince and the heroine was blocked, there would be absolutely no chance of the talented Lady Sophia having him stolen from her.

    Finally, I was about to change the future where the viinous daughter falls into ruin.

    ¨Cit was the first prince¡¯s birthday party.

    I was currently apanying Lady Sophia.

    But for some reason, I wasn¡¯t here as her butler, but as her escort.

    One would usually be escorted by their lover or their fianc¨¦, but since children didn¡¯t really have such partners, it was tradition for someone in the family to take this role instead.

    If this was a normal situation, one of Lady Sophia¡¯s family members would be doing this right now, but¡­ her parents were busy.

    So mydy ended up asking me to be her escort in their ce, since I was already practically family.

    ¨Ctypically, something like this would never be eptable.

    I was born into a prestigious family that has served the Rosenberg Marquis house for generations, but I wasn¡¯t a nobleman. It would usually be impossible for me to be mydy¡¯s escort.

    However, both mydy and I were still children.

    Knowing how sought after she was, the master had decided it would be better to leave the role to a trusted servant rather than risk having a bad partner escort her.

    As a result of various circumstances, a situation that was normally impossible was realised.

    ¡°Hey, Cyril. Do I look beautiful right now?¡±

    ¡°Of course you do. Lady Sophia, you¡¯re shining far brighter than anyone else at this venue. Everyone here is undoubtedly mesmerised by you.¡±

    ¡°¡­but what about you?¡±

    While walking beside me, mydy turned up towards my face. Looking at her profile, a shadow of the Lady Sophia who cried so much as a child seemed to appear for a moment.

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°<i>You¡¯re </i>my escort, not anyone else. It doesn¡¯t matter what the other gentlemen think. In regards to how I look right now, do I¡­ captivate you?¡±

    ¡°¡­mydy.¡±

    To give priority to her escort partner¡¯s opinion.

    ¡­mydy is growing up.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m captivated by you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Mydy nodded and smiled innocently at my response. At that action, sighs spilled from those who were paying attention to her. Lady Sophia was clearly the heroine of this venue.

    With how beautiful mydy had grown, nobles started swarming to greet her, but nobility was a ss-system, so those of lower rank didn¡¯t dare to interrupt the conversations of those higher than them.

    The meetings between Lady Sophia and the other nobles advanced smoothly.

    Soon after, a strangely sparkling boy came to give his greetings.

    His figure was exactly like that of what was shown in the game.

    ¡°¡­its Alforth, the second prince. Though it looks like he¡¯s keeping his identity a secret.¡±

    I whispered that into Lady Sophia¡¯s ear, and as expected, she was surprised to have the prince greet her, even to the point of letting out a small, ¡°Oh my.¡±

    But just like how I had raised her, she was easily able to adapt to unexpected situations. With sophistication and grace, she weed the second prince with a curtsey.

    ¡°Ah- umm¡­ I-I¡¯m Al. Uhh¡­ m-may I hear your name?¡±

    ¡°¡­of course, Lord Al. My name is Sophia, the daughter of Marquis Rosenberg.¡±

    She didn¡¯t curtsey this time, and gave him a carefree smile instead.

    Alforth¡¯s face immediately flushed bright red. While the prince had probably met many beautiful butterflies within his social circles, this was probably the first time he¡¯s ever received the graces of an angel.

    By the way, curtseys were only supposed to be for people who were ranked higher than yourself. In other words, Lady Sophia¡¯s first greeting told the prince that she knew who he was.

    However, because his identity was supposed to be hidden right now, he needed to ad-lib a bit.

    Despite this, he still seemed to be enraptured by Lady Sophia¡¯s beauty, and had been left dumbfounded.

    However, the prince wasn¡¯t being immature, his reaction was perfectly appropriate for his age. On the contrary, considering that he was only twelve, he was already more than mature enough.

    He only seemed that way because Lady Sophia was mentally far beyond her years inparison.

    Mydy has been working herself to death for the past six years now¡­

    I felt deeply moved when I thought about how the first love of the girl I raised was finally about to begin.

    ¡°Umm, Sophia. Would you care to have this dance with me?¡±

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s a little¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia sent me a troubled look.

    Usually one¡¯s first dance partner would be their escort. However, this person was the second prince, even if he was undercover right now. This was something that should be epted without hesitation.

    Plus, this was an invitation to dance from her first love. Even if this would usually be considered rude, I wouldn¡¯t mind at all, or rather, I¡¯d even push for it.

    She had really been doing her best until now, so it should be fine for her to be selfish for once.

    ¡°Because this is a special invitation, you should dance with him.¡±

    ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right. Okay, since Cyril gave his approval, one song should be fine.¡±

    Mydy made a somewhat lonely smile. However, that was probably just my imagination, because at the very next moment, she was wearing a smile fitting of the daughter of a Marquis.

    ¡°¡­Cyril. I¡¯ll be back soon, so please wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    With my consent, the second prince then pulled her to the dance hall by the hand.

    A silver princess and a golden prince.

    The lovely appearance of the two gathered the gazes of all their surroundings. Embracing each other, they began dancing to the music in triple time.

    The second prince was acting appropriately for his age¨C he was a little awkward, but Lady Sophia made up for it by doing the dance as it was intended, filled with grace. Sighs of exmation leaked out in awe at her beauty.

    Indirect lighting created with magic tools illuminated the hall.

    Under such a light, mydy seemed to shine even more spectacrly. It was as if it was a god¡¯s whim to bathe her in the spotlight.

    In the game she was destined to be executed as the viinous daughter, but now she was undoubtedly the heroine of this venue. Mydy had finally broken her fate.

    And if mydy didn¡¯t fall into darkness, I would inevitably escape from execution as well.

    My initial goals had been fulfilled.

    ¨Cbut I was her butler. It was my job to make sure that she¡¯s happy. For that reason, there was still work to be done, and with that in mind, I turned around.

    Mydy told me that she would be back soon, but there¡¯s no way the conversation she¡¯d be having with her first love would finish that quickly. Or rather, if they returned and I wasn¡¯t there, they¡¯d be able to slowly enjoy their time alone together.

    I walked through the hall while thinking that.

    The heroine of Espressivo of Light and Darkness should be somewhere in this venue. The second prince was currently captivated by Lady Sophia, so there wasn¡¯t anyone here to help her.

    I felt a little bad, the heroine shouldn¡¯t have to suffer just so that Lady Sophia wouldn¡¯t fall into darkness. I wanted to eliminate such possibilities.

    Or rather, I was actually quite fond of the heroine. I couldn¡¯t overlook the fact that she¡¯d be involved with a degenerate noble son and just ignore her.

    She was supposed to be somewhere in this venue¡­ found her. Just in time too¨C isn¡¯t something I should be saying while she¡¯s currently entangled with the noble son.

    Breaking in between them, I hid the heroine behind me.

    ¡°She obviously doesn¡¯t like what you¡¯re doing. Can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    ¡°What?! Who the hell are you?! Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m the son of Count Reed?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s who you are? In that case, I take it you wouldn¡¯t mind if I sent a formalint to your fatherter then?¡±

    ¡°Wha-? T-that¡¯s¡­ urgh. That¡¯s not necessary!¡±

    Count Reed¡¯s son then ran off in a hurry. He might be a degenerate son, but it looks like his parents were surprisingly tough on him to the point that he¡¯d be troubled if they knew.

    By the way, I only knew that because of the game. Even my line from before was just me copying what the prince said.

    ¡°Are you alright, mydy? ¡­mydy?¡±

    I turned around and called out to the heroine, but she didn¡¯t respond despite how she was looking straight at me.

    ¡°Mydy? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­eh? Ah, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m d that you¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°¨Cfue?! Ah, u-u-u-umm, that¡¯s¡­ t-thank you so much.¡±

    A literal prince was supposed to save her, but I had twisted fate and ruined that chance encounter of hers.

    If I meet her again at the school, I¡¯ll try to support whatever romance she pursues. As the heroine, she should have plenty of potential love interests besides the prince.

    ¡°Now then, please excuse me.¡±

    Although I tried to turn around and leave, the heroine had caught my sleeve.

    ¡°U-umm, I¡¯m Alicia. The daughter of Viscount Lindberg. Can I ask you for your name?¡±

    ¨Coh? In the game, they should¡¯ve separated without learning of each other¡¯s identities¡­ did fate change a little because of my interference?

    Well¡­ there¡¯s no point in lying here.

    ¡°My name is Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Lord Cyril?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any titles. Although I may be dressed like this, I¡¯m no aristocrat, just a mere butler.¡±

    ¡°Huh? A butler?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I apologise if that makes you feel ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Fue?! N-no, I¡¯m a low-ss noble myself, so that doesn¡¯t bother me at all!¡±

    Certainly, while its true that a Viscount house might be considered low-ss whenpared to Marquis or Count houses, it¡¯s still a position far above the clouds from the perspective of ordinary people.

    It¡¯d be utterly boorish of me to say that though, so I just parried that statement with a smile.

    ¡°A-anyways¡­ I actually don¡¯t know anybody here¡­ so if you¡¯re okay with it, can we share a dance together?¡±

    ¡°¡­you want to dance with me?¡±

    The heroine has a dance scene with someone mid-way through the game. She¡¯d partner with the person who she had raised the most favourability with, entering their capture route afterwards.

    ¡­but no matter how simr this ce was to the game world, this was reality. It was impossible for a noble daughter attending a party to have only danced once.

    Given that, it was only natural for her to have danced with people that weren¡¯t mentioned in the original work.

    And actually, rather than that difference, the fact that she¡¯s the one that gave the invitation surprised me far more. In this world, it wasn¡¯t rmended for women to be the ones that asked others to dance.

    However, the heroine in the game had a personality that didn¡¯t care about things like that.

    In my previous life, it was normal for women to take the initiative, so the heroine¡¯s personality was probably set to match those values.

    Realising that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I was slowly being dyed this world¡¯s colours.

    ¡°Or is it¡­ no good?¡±

    Her bluish eyes shook uneasily.

    ¡°No, perish the thought. Mydy, may I please have this dance?¡±

    I held my hand out to Alicia.

    Although I <i>was </i>thrown off by her invitation, humiliating her by rejecting it was out of the question.

    ¡­now that I think about it, the rules of this world¡¯s nobility were kind of annoying.

    In any case, I somehow ended up dancing with the heroine.

    After giving a bow, I drew her in close and we started dancing together in triple time.

    Alicia¡¯s face approached mine. Framed by her bluish hair, it was small, containing well bnced features like glossy lips and eyes you could easily lose yourself in.

    As expected of the game¡¯s heroine, she was adorable for her age. As I was just a bonus to the viinous daughter, I never would¡¯ve gotten this chance normally.

    While thinking it was a little troublesome, I gently took the lead. Dancing with Alicia was fun, but her skills were appropriate for her age and she ended up stepping on my feet three times.

    I let it slide and just kept smiling¡­ but now that I think about it, the second prince shouldn¡¯t be that different than the heroine when it came to dancing.

    Mydy¡¯s dance should be over by now¡­ I hope that he didn¡¯t step on her feet.

    Afterwards, I reluctantly told Alicia goodbye and turned away to leave the dance hall.

    And at that moment¨C

    ¡°¡­there you are.¡±

    Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from behind me. Looking back in surprise, for some reason, Lady Sophia was standing there.

    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? ¡®I¡¯ll be back soon, so please wait for me¡¯, didn¡¯t you hear me? Why weren¡¯t you there?¡±

    ¡°My apologies. I thought you would¡¯ve wanted some time alone with the second prince.¡±

    ¡°Now why would you ever have that idea?¡±

    Somehow, mydy¡¯s words seemed to have a sharpness to them. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her so moody. Did the second prince step on her feet after all?

    ¡°Mydy I¨C¡±

    <b>¡°¡­why won¡¯t you look at me?¡±</b>

    ¨Ceh? Wait a second. Isn¡¯t that the line Lady Sophia says when she falls into darkness as the viinous daughter after the second prince is stolen away by the heroine?

    Why would she be saying that now?

    ¡­¡­oh, is it that?

    Did I identally take the prince¡¯s position?

    ¡­seriously?

    ¡°Hey¡­ Cyril, you said that you¡¯d always be there for me, right? So why did you leave me alone? And when I finally found you¡­ you were dancing with another girl.¡±

    AHHHHHHH!!! It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t feel guilty about that!

    Nonono, I still don¡¯t understand this.

    I took the prince¡¯s position?! What¡¯s with that?! Does that mean if I get along with the heroine, Lady Sophia will fall into darkness, be evil, and be destroyed with me?

    There¡¯s too many things here for me to process.

    ¡°Hey¡­ Cyril, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see¡­ I helped her out when I saw that she was in trouble, so she invited me to a dance to show her thanks, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    A little bit of light returned to mydy¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I just couldn¡¯t leave her like that.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was. You¡¯re really kind, Cyril¡­ but I only want you to be kind to me if possible¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­?!¡±

    What¡¯s with this destructive power?! Her embarrassed smile was like an angel¡¯s. I know that I¡¯m the one who raised her, but she truly was cute.

    But¡­ I was just a butler, while she was the daughter of a Marquis. Moreover, if I really had taken over the prince¡¯s position, then the heroine might get involved with me in the future.

    Is there anyway mydy could fall into darkness and be killed this way?

    ¡­no, let¡¯s think about this calmly.

    She should be fine. I brought up mydy so that she¡¯d be able to cope with any manner of trickery. Even if she falls into darkness, any evils shemits would be impossible to reveal.

    If it were mydy, then she¡¯d surely be able to easily eliminate her target without anyone knowing.

    ¨Cwait, then wasn¡¯t I the one that would be killed?!

    Oh, but I don¡¯t think the heroine has fallen for me, so I should be fine¡­ no, even if the she decides to pursue another romance besides the second prince, some reason to be jealous and turn evil was always found no matter what the route.

    This isn¡¯t good, if things continued at this rate¨C then I¡¯ll be the only one killed.

    Of all things, why did this have to happen?!

    ToC| Next Chapter

 A Butlers Choice 1

    The day after attending the party.

    I was summoned by the Marquis, the head of the Rosenberg house. Although I have had the opportunities to speak with him in the past, this was the first time I¡¯ve ever been called to his office.

    Considering the timing, the business he has with me must be rted to the party. Wondering what he was going to say to me, I entered the room tensely.

    A working room suitable for the head of a Marquis house¨C it seemed to be made with those expectations a visitor would have in mind.

    Multiple paintings done by famous artists and antique furnishings were gathered here, while the shelves lined up against the walls were filled with books that were still considered popr to this day.

    In the back of such a room, sitting behind an oppressive-looking desk, the Marquis continued to run his pen over a document despite having sent a nce my way.

    Of course, as his servant I made no moves to interrupt him, and a few minutes after I decided to take that attitude, he suddenly put down his writing utensil.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ you didn¡¯t try to call out to me.¡±

    ¡°It was because I already knew that you were aware of me, Master.¡±If he had noticed me and still chose to continue his work despite that, then the documents he was processing had to be more important than our meeting. If I couldn¡¯t even understand that much and disturbed him, I¡¯d be disqualified as a servant.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a mistake that most neers make at least once. So you already understand that at your age? As expected of someone who received Cedric¡¯s recognition at the mere age of six.¡±

    Cedric was my father and the exclusive butler of the Marquis. When I passed the strict test he imposed, he gave his rmendation to have me apprentice as Lady Sophia¡¯s servant.

    Although I gave eptable results, my father¡¯s request could have only been seen as unreasonable from an outside perspective, and yet the Marquis still epted his proposal even then.

    Or maybe that¡¯s just how much trust they had in each other.

    ¡°You should know why I¡¯ve called you here. Yesterday, you were given the important job of being Sophia¡¯s escort. Knowing that his son was chosen for that, Cedric was really proud of you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but¡­ I can¡¯t ept that praise. I was unable to fulfill the role given to me.¡±

    ¡°Is this why Sophia had to leave half-way through the celebration?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Yesterday, Lady Sophia didn¡¯t fall into darkness. On the contrary¨C at least on the surface, she had returned to her usual self as the daughter of a Marquis.

    However, I got sick and we ended up returning home early.

    I told her that I wasn¡¯t feeling good, but I didn¡¯t know the cause.

    Although we left afterpleting the necessary greetings, leaving the prince¡¯s birthday party part-way was still a stigma. My actions had stained mydy¡¯s reputation.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that. There are plenty children who don¡¯t stay until the end and leave early, so nobody would¡¯ve minded Sophia¡¯s return.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    Hearing that what I did didn¡¯t disgrace her, I felt waves of relief wash over me.

    ¡°On the contrary, it was probably the right answer to return that soon. That dance attracted too much attention from the surroundings.¡±

    ¡°Although he was undercover, her partner was the second prince after all.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you knew who he was? That isn¡¯t the reason though. Only a few people there were able to discern his true identity.¡±

    ¡°So then what attracted the attention?¡±

    ¡°It was how cute my daughter¡¯s dancing figure was, of course.¡±

    ¡®He¡¯s a doting parent¡¯¨C is what I reflexively thought, but I absolutely kept that to myself. It probably wasn¡¯t an exaggeration, and now the marriage proposals flooding in for Lady Sophia had increased.

    If we didn¡¯t leave then, an insolent person with no tact might¡¯ve even started bringing these matters up with her in person.

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to hear that my actions didn¡¯t be a source of shame for the youngdy or you, Master. However, this was only a coincidence that I didn¡¯t realise until after the deed was done. There is no excuse for what I did.¡±

    Being aware that your movements wouldn¡¯t cause any inconveniences, and taking action while ignorant of the consequences were two totally different situations,even if things worked out in the end. What I had done was thetter, and that wasn¡¯t something to be praised.

    ¡°¡­sometimes, I question whether you truly are a child.¡±

    ¡°I threw away the innocence of my youth the moment I became the youngdy¡¯s apprentice butler.¡±

    In most cases, being a child was an indulgence.

    However, an official butler wasn¡¯t a role one could take with that mentality, and now that I <i>had </i>taken it, I had no intentions of reveling in the luxury of my age.

    If I ever did, I was sure the Marquis would relieve me of my position.

    ¡°¡­I see. So this is why my daughter trusts you so much.¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia said that?¡±

    ¡°It was obvious even if she didn¡¯t say so. She trusts you more than anyone.¡±

    ¡°Such words are¨C¡±

    The Marquis raised his hand to stop me, before continuing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Rather, I had called you here because there was something I wanted to ask you. What was the <i>real </i>reason as to why my daughter left early?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s because the youngdy was about to fall into darkness when she saw me dancing with the game¡¯s heroine.¡¯ ¨CThere¡¯s no way I could say something like that.

    ¡°I heard that it was after she danced with the second prince, did he do something to her?¡±

    ¡°No. The youngdy returned early because I had behaved unsuitably as her escort, which in turn brought her misery.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Behaved unsuitably¡¯, you say? Are you talking about how after you left Sophia to the second prince, you had a dance with the daughter of Viscount Lindberg?¡±

    ¡°¡­you knew about that?¡±

    He told me he wanted to ask me something, but he already seemed to know everything.

    I felt like he was trying to get some kind of answer out of me.

    ¡­maybe I was just overthinking it. However, if it was known that mydy became jealous after she saw me dancing with the heroine, I might not be able to stay by her side anymore.

    ¡°Lady Sophia and the second prince looked so good together that I thought they could enjoy some time alone if I left them, but¡­ I guess that wasn¡¯t appropriate of me as her escort.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand, so you¡¯re saying that it was all because you were blind to my daughter¡¯s thoughts?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The youngdy is brilliant after all.¡±

    Rather than her growing jealous, I had turned the conversation towards her bing frustrated with me for neglecting my duties as her escort. Which <i>was </i>true, in a sense.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little dissatisfied as a father¡­ or should I say that¡¯s a perfect answer for a servant?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just talking to myself. More importantly, what¡¯s your opinion on the second prince?¡±

    How taken he was with Lady Sophia¡¯s beauty and the like¨C probably weren¡¯t the answers he was looking for. He wanted to know if he was suitable to be her partner.

    Meaning¨C

    ¡°Master, are you thinking about engaging the youngdy to the second prince?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. That¡¯s why I¡¯m taking your opinion in as a factor before I make my judgement.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much for a servant like myself?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, its only one of the aspects I¡¯m taking into consideration.¡±

    My escape route has been sealed.

    Just as the Marquis said, my impressions wouldn¡¯t affect the results, but the fact that I still had to express my opinion remained.

    With the possibility that my answer might reach mydy in the future, I didn¡¯t want to say anything that would make her cry. At the same time, however, the second prince was someone she loved so much that her counterpart in the game went insane.

    Since I didn¡¯t know what the future would be like, I was going to try to refrain from saying any careless remarks.

    ¡°Right now he still has the maturity of a child his age, but eventually I think he will grow into a splendid person.¡±

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re saying he¡¯s suitable to be Sophia¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    I stopped my words there and swallowed my saliva. My next words were going to determine the future. It definitely felt that way.

    But I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. It was my job to make sure she¡¯s happy. Therefore, my answer to this question was obvious from the beginning.

    Putting power into my stomach, I looked straight into the Marquis¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°¨Cfor that, I think it would be better to confirm the youngdy¡¯s will.¡±

    ¡°Oh? We¡¯re talking about a political marriage, but you¡¯re saying I should still take my daughter¡¯s opinion into consideration?¡±

    ¡°Although I¡¯m only an apprentice, I¡¯m still Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. My first priority at all times is her happiness.¡±

    If it didn¡¯t lead to the joy of mydy, then whether this union was beneficial or detrimental to the Marquis house was irrelevant. I had prepared myself to take his displeasure at my answer, but he suddenly burst intoughter.

    ¡°Haha¡­ I see, so I should ask for my daughter¡¯s opinion first.¡±

    ¡°¡­did I say something strange?¡±

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t an interesting answer at all, but¡­ you pass.¡±

    ¡°¡­I passed?¡±

    I had no idea as to what was going on.

    Even before I could ask, the Marquis had opened his mouth again.

    ¡°Today, at this moment, I¡¯m promoting you from your apprenticeship to that of an official butler.¡±

    ¡°¨CI will receive this honour with gratitude.¡±

    Although I was a bit surprised, I had already made my resolution for this long ago. I chased away my doubts into a corner of my mind, and immediately thanked him as his servant.

    ¡°As a student, I would like for you to apany Sophia as she enters junior high. Though, since you¡¯ve been the one that¡¯s been teaching her until now, I don¡¯t really think you need a formal education¡­¡±

    ¡°No, such concerns are useless. As long as I can serve by the youngdy¡¯s side, I don¡¯t mind being a student. I¡¯m her exclusive butler after all.¡±

    I responded with pride now that my position had been officially recognised.

    At the same time, I made my resolve while thinking about the future. The next three years in junior high will be an important time for mydy.

    At least for now, I have currently taken the prince¡¯s position.

    I wasn¡¯t going to deny the fact, nor would I say that it didn¡¯t make me a little bit happy. However, I was only a butler, and my eyes weren¡¯t going to shy away from the reality that mydy was the daughter of a Marquis.

    What choice mydy would ultimately make in the end was unknown to me, but it was obvious that things would only grow more troublesome once the heroine got involved.

    Though luckily, the heroine was of a lower ss of nobility.

    The school in the capital city actually teaches from elementary school, but only a few ever attended there, since the majority of noble children were usually taught by private tutors.

    This was especially true for low ranking nobles. There were many cases where tutors taught them all of their subjects from elementary school to junior high, with them only attending the highschool section because they had refined out all of their disgraceful sides by that age.

    Just like in the game, Alicia wouldn¡¯t enter the academy until highschool for the same reasons.

    There was a scene where she wishes to enter the junior high section in hopes of reuniting with the person who saved her, but is persuaded by her parents to rethink that desire, and gives up.

    Therefore, I had a three-year grace period until things becameplicated. I would like to calm the current situation down before then¡­ hopefully.

    For the next little while, I thoroughly prepared mydy for the entrance examination.

    The purpose of the test was to ssify us ording to our abilities. Aristocrats who have been educated since their childhood rarely failed.

    But as the daughter of a Marquis, it wouldn¡¯t be enough for Lady Sophia to just <i>pass</i>. It was necessary for her to achieve a grade suitable for her status.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but then I saw the contents of the past exams.

    The content of the written examination ranges from problems that could be solved by any child of the same age, to questions that would even trouble a highschool student.

    If the average of your scores reached eighty points, it seems like you¡¯ll be chosen for the elite sses.

    However, even if they were problems highschool students would be troubled with, mydy could solve them easily in her current state. Not just a score appropriate for her status, she may even take the position of the top student.

    I was rather worried about mydy¡¯s current mental state¨C but she was surprisingly healthy. There wasn¡¯t a single visage of the version of herself that she showed during the party.

    That¡¯s how it was for now at least¡­

    Then the date of the exam came without any problems.

    The school was located in the capital city far away from the Rosenberg territory. Both mydy and I had moved into a second house in the capital city in advance, and now we¡¯re leaving from there to the school by carriage.

    Soon we entered the academy grounds located in the corner of the city, and had exited the carriage near the school building. On its walls, there were posters for taking the ssification exam.

    ¡°Mydy, I¡¯m going to go and check out the test site, so please wait here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, can¡¯t I go with you?¡±

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be a hassleing back for me?¡¯ ¡ª She said that, but I could see the curiosity welling up in her eyes. Her interests had been spiked because she was visiting this ce for the first time.

    ¡°If that¡¯s you wish for, mydy¨C is what I would like to say, but please wait here because its dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Okayyy¡­¡±

    Laughing a little at mydy¡¯s pouting, I entrusted her to the maid that came with us while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll leave mydy to you,¡± and entered the crowd in front of the school building.

    The student body didn¡¯tpletely consist of aristocrats, there were actuallymoners here too, and there wasn¡¯t any guarantee they wouldn¡¯t hold grudges against the nobility, so it wasn¡¯t possible for me to take mydy into the crowd.

    While scouting out the area for dangerous individuals, someone suddenly bumped into me.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, are you okay?¡±

    I had spread out my magic power into an alert state, but it was only a maid that collided with me. Moreover, she even apologised right after in a panic. I didn¡¯t feel any hostility from her.

    She repeatedly apologised afterwards before walking away, saying that the youngdy she served was waiting. While thinking her groundless anxiety was somewhat suspicious, I tried listening in on her conversation without directing my line of sight her way.

    ¡°Thank you for your patience. Mydy, it looks like your written test will be in a ssroom on the first floor.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks for checking.¡±

    ¡°Your words are wasted on me. More importantly, are you sure it was okay to enroll in the junior high without your parent¡¯s consent, mydy?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a bit anxious about it, but there¡¯s something I needed to do here that I just couldn¡¯t give up on.¡±

    What I could hear of their talk didn¡¯t seem that unusual. It sounded like it was the first time the youngdy had been brought to a ce with an unspecified number of people, and now they were a bit on edge.

    The youngdy was probably a lower ss noble if she was enrolling in the junior high without her parent¡¯s consent. Though, I did like that motivated attitude she seemed to have.

    Maybe she¡¯d even be one of Lady Sophia¡¯s friends¨C I felt myself inadvertently smile as I thought about mydy¡¯s dazzling school life.

 A Butlers Choice 2

    After confirming the test site, I returned to mydy.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting. Mydy, you and I seem to have our exam in the ssroom at the back of the first floor.¡±

    ¡°I see, thanks. By the way, Cyril, that girl you were paying attention to earlier¡­¡±

    She was looking into my eyes.

    Looking back, she seems to have been worrying about something for a while now. Although she was still carrying herself with grace, she wasn¡¯t moving like she usually did.

    ¡°Please rest assured, it was just a maid that bumped into me.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­¡±

    She was making an expression that said she still had something to say.

    Apparently, she still seemed to be uneasy about something. Noticing that, I immediately knelt down, looked up towards her and gently grabbed her hand.¡°It¡¯s okay. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be there to protect you, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Is that true? Will you really stay with me forever?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will always be there for you. The promise I made to you back during our childhood is something I will never forget<i>.</i>¡±

    ¡°¡­thanks, Cyril.¡±

    Her cheeks flushed slightly, and all of the anxiety from her facial expression seemed to disappear. Luckily, it looks like I was able to appease her worries this time.

    ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll be your guide, so let¡¯s go to the ssroom.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    I then led mydy to the exam site.

    First, the student applicants will take the written test in the ssrooms, after which, there were practical exams that covered etiquette, dance, singing and ying instruments that we¡¯d be divided into groups for.

    Even though I had enrolled as a student in the servant course, I had taken the written test in the same ssroom as mydy, this was all due to the master¡¯s influence¨C not, it was probably just because I sent my application in at the same time as her.

    One¡¯s status didn¡¯t matter here. Since the school had a policy that all students were to be treated equally regardless of their origins, both the nobility and themoners took their exams together.

    However, the two social castes would be separated into different courses right after enrollment, so it didn¡¯t really make much sense.

    At the beginning of the game, there are introductory descriptions of the heroines capture targets that she just barely missed at the examination venue, and among them were evenmoners. With that in mind, the rule was probably just part of the setting to make scenarios in the original work more convenient.

    But this was reality, so we needed to be cautious.

    There were only a limited number of children with status higher than mydy, but whether it was best to treat them as equals, or to ignore school policies and treat them as superiors was difficult to decide.

    As for those who were below her¡­ she should be fine.

    ¡°Cyril, is this it?¡±

    After mydy entered the ssroom and began looking for her seat ording to her exam number, she called out to me.

    It was impossible for her to fail. I knew that, and yet I still couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.

    But it was a groundless worry.

    ¡°¡­is the school life I dreamed about having together with you about to begin?¡±

    Turning my way, she whispered her hopes to me. In that moment, she wasn¡¯t the daughter of a Marquis house, but a normal girl.

    Fascinated by mydy¡¯s charms, sighs spilled from those whose attentions were stolen by her. I also loved this part of her, but she shouldn¡¯t forget that this is a ssroom.

    ¡°Mydy, telling such jokes at this time isn¡¯t appropriate.¡±

    As I lightly scolded her like that, her expression twisted into a pout as she went, ¡°Okayyy~¡±

    However, she immediately smiled again and said, ¡°But Cyril, I don¡¯t make jokes that can be misunderstood. Please remember that, okay?¡± before breaking out into a smallugh.

    Mydy wasn¡¯t just cute, but also very strong mentally.

    Then suddenly¨C

    ¡°¨CLady Sophia. You¡¯re the Rosenberg Marquis house¡¯s Lady Sophia, right?¡±

    When the boy¡¯s voice called out to her, I moved mydy behind me before examining the neer. He had red hair and blue eyes that you could feel a strong will behind.

    With how he was dressed like a butler, he seemed to be a fellow servant course student.

    In this school, nobility andmoners were supposed to be equal. However, that was a rule in name only. So my correct response here is¨C

    ¡°Identify yourself. You¡¯ve acted rude towards mydy, apologise immediat¨C¡±

    ¡°¨CCyril, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°But, mydy¡­¡±

    ¡°In this school, I heard that people are to be treated equal regardless of their status. There should be nothing wrong with his actions, or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­as you wish.¡±

    Mydy¡¯s answer was correct¨C so I smiled and moved back diagonally behind her.

    Even if the school policy states that nobles andmoners were supposed to be equal, such an ideal was impossible to realise on its own. Since that was the case, it was only true when the person in the superior position epted it.

    Therefore, I manipted the circumstances so that she could easily make that acknowledgement without losing face. How easily mydy was able to read my intentions and react to the situation was already far beyond the skill of a twelve year old.

    ¡°So who are you, and what business do you have with me?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ no, my name is Raymond. Please make me your exclusive butler, mydy.¡±

    He was job hunting.

    But this wasn¡¯t something you did during an exam. Even if she <i>wasn¡¯t</i> a noble this would be considered rude. That¡¯s what I thought, but I couldn¡¯t speak out until mydy gave her response first.

    Throughout our time here at the school, there¡¯s no doubt simr things will happen in the future. Since mydy was in a different course than I, these situations might ur while I¡¯m not around.

    So let¡¯s take this opportunity to see if she can handle this one without me.

    ¡°While it may be my exclusive butler, it isn¡¯t something I can designate on my own.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to serve the Rosenberg house right this instant. For now, I just want you to appoint me to that position while you¡¯re enrolled here.¡±

    ¡°¡­while I¡¯m enrolled?¡±

    Mydy leaned backwards and tilted her head.

    This wasn¡¯t exined to her, but there was a system here where servant course students could act as the attendants for the children of the nobles and other rich individuals.

    It was a system in ce so that the higher-ss could learn how to behave as leaders, while the lower-ss could learn how to act as followers. Since it wasn¡¯t umon for this master-servant rtionship to continue past graduation, it was also a chance to secure a job.

    As I told her that, mydy immediately understood.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard your story, but I¡¯ve already decided that I¡¯m only going to have one person as my butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, so is <i>he</i> the one from the rumours then? The one so skilled that he received that position when he was only six?¡±

    ¡°Yes, as my exclusive butler¨C Cyril is the best there is.¡±

    Mydy probably didn¡¯t have any ill intent when she proudly said that with a smile, but she seems to have stirred up Raymond¡¯s pride. He was ring at me.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m inferior to such a man. I¡¯ll show you that I¡¯m even <i>better </i>than him with the entrance examination, so please consider appointing me to that position instead once you see the results.¡±

    ¡°¡­okay then. If you can prove that you¡¯re better than Cyril, I will hire you as my exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±

    Raymond expressed his gratitude to mydy before sending me a challenging gaze.

    ¡°You heard her, Cyril. Don¡¯t feel bad, but with this exam I¡¯ll prove that I¡¯m more suitable as Lady Sophia¡¯s attendant.¡±

    With that deration, Raymond returned to his seat. Turning my line of sight back to mydy¡­ yikes, she was fuming.

    However, with the attention of her surroundings gathered on her, she stayed silent. Eventually, their interest waned, and it was only when the ssroom returned to its usual bustle that she opened her mouth.

    ¡°¡­Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on what I just said?¡±

    ¡°¡­well, it was somewhat rash of you.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you understand what I want to say? You were ridiculed right to my face, and now I¡¯m terribly displeased.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I also felt angry when your ability to judge one¡¯s character was belittled.¡±

    Mydy had advocated for me as her exclusive butler. Despite this, Raymond went on to denounce my qualifications for that position.

    It was no different from denying mydy¡¯s judgement.

    ¡°Now then, prove that my eyes weren¡¯t wrong about you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish¨C is what I¡¯d like to say, but do you understand that both nobles andmoners take the exam at the same time? The top scorer among them being chosen to be the freshman representative?¡±

    Lady Sophia will probably get an evaluation close to a perfect score. However, I wasn¡¯t sure who would be the top scorer if I were to seriouslypete against her.

    ¡°Oh, I never said I¡¯d lose that easily though? I¡¯m your student after all.¡±

    ¡°Of course I knew that but¡­¡±

    Considering the level of the exam, it was unlikely for the both of us to receive full marks. However, if there was a tie, then Lady Sophia would be chosen as the representative due to her status.

    And if that was the case, her reputation would be damaged.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in any honour handed to me, so don¡¯t hold back. Show him¨C no, show <i>everyone </i>that you¡¯re the best butler in the world.¡±

    ¡°If that is what you want, mydy.¡±

    My wish was for mydy to be the representative, but if she wants me to take this seriously, then there¡¯s no helping it. I will prove my abilities as her exclusive butler.

    So that I could continue to stay by her side, I tried my best with the exams.

    I attended a magic academy in my previous life, and I already had the general subjects memorised. In addition to that, I trained myself to be an official butler and gained knowledge so I could teach mydy everything she needed to know.

    As expected, it was impossible for me to lose points in a written test for a junior highschool student¡¯s education.

    The written test was to be self-scored, and I received perfect marks.

    After that, we were moved to the exam venue and conducted assessments in etiquette and singing. Although there were still imperfections, I was still able to disy a clear differencepared to the other children.

    Considering the difficulty of the written test, my practical evaluations will probably give almost wless grades.

    That¡¯s how I managed toplete the exams until there were only two subjects left. For me, violin ying would be considered a weak subject, while dance would be considered one of my best.

    But first, it was mydy¡¯s turn to y the violin.

    The song chosen was a piece said to have been created by a prominent musician hired by a former king. Normally it was a difficult song, but the test used an easier practice version of it.

    Having been honing her skills since childhood, mydy yed the music without any problems. Drawing the bow, her tinum blonde hair seemed to shimmer. Even a single nce would convey how lovely she was.

    It wasn¡¯t just the sound of mydy¡¯s performance, but everything about her was beautiful.

    The song wasn¡¯t made to be that hard, but that¡¯s exactly why her talent seemed even more prominent. Even those who were busy preparing lessons stopped to listen to her.

    Only the sound created by mydy echoed out in the quiet venue. The test area created for a multitude of people had been transformed into a stage just for her.

    The youngdy that I had raised was shining far brighter than anyone else. This scene made me well up with pride.

    But all good things had toe to an end. The performance finished and silence spread throughout the site. Soon, one person started pping their hands, an action that was quickly copied by everyone else to a thunderous apuse.

    Now finished ying, mydy had returned.

    I walked towards her and gently wiped off the sweat on her forehead with a towel.

    ¡°That was an amazing performance, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Cyril, but you know you don¡¯t need to take care of me even now, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I will always be your exclusive butler, wherever and whenever.¡±

    ¡°¡­thanks. In that case, I¡¯ll leave the violin¡¯s maintenance to you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Receiving mydy¡¯s instrument, I wiped off all of the pine resin and hand sweat until it was clean, then I loosened the string on the bow and wiped that down as well.

    By the time I returned everything to the case, my turn was just about to arrive.

    I didn¡¯t have my own violin like mydy. Therefore, I borrowed the one that was being loaned out for the test, checked its tuning, and then took my stance in front of the examiner.

    After giving out my exam number and name, I began ying.

    I¡­ didn¡¯t actually have much talent when it came to ying violin, or rather, I only learned to y it so I could teach it to mydy, so I had the technique, but Icked the charm necessary in order to attract people.

    While I had no intention to lose to mydy in technical skills, I wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to show those off in this practice song. As things were now, my score may be dropped when subconsciouslypared to her performance.

    Honestly, this was actually good since I wanted her to be the representative.

    But mydy ordered me to prove that I was the best butler. In order to respond to that wish of hers, I performed to the best of my abilities.

    I could say with confidence that this was the greatest I¡¯ve ever yed.

    But¡­ that was it. I knew the truth because my senses were heightened. It still couldn¡¯tpare to the gorgeous tone mydy was able to achieve.

    If I were a judge, I¡¯d lower the points rtively, considering the difference in ability she disyed. The other judges would do the same, and as a result, I¡¯d lose.

    In other words, I¡¯d be disobeying her orders.

    While pretending to be calm on the surface, I was desperately thinking about what I could do.

    And at that moment, one of the instrument¡¯s strings suddenly broke. Even if a string was new, it was still possible for it to break, so this one had probably reached the end of its life after being used multiple times for the test.

    The examiner who noticed it tried to stop the performance.

    ¨Cbut I still kept ying the violin despite that. By pressing down on the next string with my finger to change the scale, it was still possible to y the song normally even with a string broken.

    Not many people noticed it, but the examiner who tried to suspend the test definitely did. To their wide-eyed expression, I smiled.

    It wasn¡¯t easy.

    But even so, I still finished ying the song as if nothing had happened.

    Although the surroundings gave their apuse, the size of it wasn¡¯tparable to when mydy yed. However, the examiner seemed to be pping especially hard.

    ¡°You disyed the technique and mental strength that didn¡¯t falter even when problems arose. It was by far the best performance I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    I showed the examiner my gratitude, then when I returned the violin to the person in charge, they noticed the broken string and their eyes went wide.

    Apparently, I was able to y it naturally enough that even they didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, one of the strings broke. I¡¯ll make sure to reimburse youter.¡±

    ¡°N-no, its fine. There¡¯s no problem because those are consumable items anyways.¡±

    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll be excusing myself.¡±

    I finished greeting the person in charge and returned to mydy, but she was pouting her lips in displeasure.

    ¡°Mydy. You know that behavior is improper, correct?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair. I thought I¡¯d be able to win against you with the practice song¡­¡±

    ¡°I was just lucky. Your performance was undoubtedly better.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! You did amazing, Cyril!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, mydy.¡±

    Until recently, I thought that she was just ttering me¡­ but apparently they were all genuinepliments. I felt kind of ticklish when I realised that.

    All that remained now was the dance examination.

    Mydy and I moved to its testing venue.

    Dancing was her favourite among the practical skills¨C or rather, it was the subject she was the most passionate about, her improvement being inevitable with how I served as her practice partner on a daily basis.

    Putting that aside¨C I was currently observing mydy¡¯s dance partner.

    The examiner was a teacher, but her dance partner seems to be a female student from the junior high. This was because there was too much of a height difference between a twelve year old child and the male upperssmen or adults.

    However, when a woman takes over the man¡¯s role, the steps change.

    I thought Lady Sophia and the female student who wasn¡¯t that much older than us would be anxious, but the results showed my worries were groundless.

    The female student was skilled at leading and was able to draw out mydy¡¯s charms. She was her equal¨C no, if she was this good at dancing the man¡¯s part, she might even be better than her.

    I didn¡¯t think it was possible for there to be a student this proficient in the same age group.

    With her being a prominent girl of a simr age, she might even serve as a good rival for mydy.

    The only thing that worried me though was that the female student was exceptionally skilled, but didn¡¯t make an appearance in the game. With how conspicuous she is, I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve forgotten her.

    As I thought that, their dance continued.

    Trying to gauge mydy¡¯s limits, the other party started performing difficult moves, but mydy epted the change gracefully and matched her with light steps.

    The chilly atmosphere of the venue softened, and burning stares poured onto the two of them. Once they finished their dance, excited sighs leaked from all over the venue.

    ¡°That was beautiful, mydy.¡±

    I walked towards Lady Sophia¨C who was currently receiving the gazes of her surroundings, and handed her a handkerchief wet with cold water.

    ¡°Thanks, but that was only because of my partner. It was easy to dance with her because her habits and the way she moved were really simr to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­she¡¯s like me?¡±

    I didn¡¯t know for myself, but this was being said by mydy who was used to dancing with me. Putting that aside though, it was fortunate that she was able to dance to her fullest.

    Although she was extremely mature for her age, she still had her childish sides. Whenever she danced with a partner she wasn¡¯t fond of, she¡¯d begin oozing with attitude.

    ¡°More importantly¨C Cyril, isn¡¯t it your turn next? If things continue on like this, maybe I¡¯ll actually win this time?¡±

    Mydy¡¯s eyes had theughing glint of a mischievous girl.

    ¡°But I want you to win.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t, there¡¯s no point in victory if you¡¯re holding back!¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. I made a promise to you after all. I will prove to everyone here that I¡¯m the best butler there is to serve you, mydy.¡±

    After giving her a smallugh, I headed towards the examiner. Along the way, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the badplexion of one of the youngdies I passed by.

    But my name was called while I was worrying about whether she was okay.

    I pondered that thought as I got up onto the stage, before pushing it aside. There were several examiners and dance partners, but the one I was paired up with was the one who was with mydy.

    ¡°I¡¯m Fol. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Cyril. Thank you for your support.¡±

    Probably because the examinations were starting to fall behind schedule, the music started almost immediately after only a short pause. Taking hold of her, I began leading the female student named Fol in triple time.

    Her blue eyes started to sparkle, and she began dancing lightly to my lead.

    I already knew that she was skilled, so I started implementing more and more difficult steps into our dance, and as expected, she easily responded to all of them.

    ¡°I was amazed by the rumoured Sophia, but you¡¯re quite something yourself. Maybe you¡¯re her teacher?¡±

    ¡°¡­why would you think so?¡±

    While it might be unusual for a twelve-year-old like myself to be an exclusive butler, that was nothing inparison to how unusual it was for the daughter of a Marquis to be educated by a child of the same age. I¡¯ve even held back in mydy¡¯s education a little bit because of that.

    Questions like this would¡¯ve nevere out normally.

    ¡°Why? Well¡­ I was wondering if she was the same as me.¡±

    ¡°The same as you? Then you¡¯re¡­¡±

    Some possibilities popped into my mind, but I didn¡¯t get an answer.

    Flipping her blonde hair and pulling at my arms, in between the steps¨C not me, but <i>Fol </i>had taken the lead.

    Unlike the lead that I showed, hers was full of rough movements that broke the standard. I didn¡¯t fight against it though, and tried to take steps that would help her shine.

    ¡°Usually a boy would take the lead, so are you really okay with giving me that role? Aren¡¯t you afraid of losing points with the examiner?¡±

    Fol asked such a question even though she was the one who forcibly took the initiative. As I took a step, I pondered her query for a moment before answering.

    ¡°Sure, men usually take the lead in dances, but what <i>is </i>leading anyway?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It means to guide your partner towards what steps to take next.¡±

    ¡°Your answer is correct, but my idea of it is different.¡±

    ¡°¡­what¡¯s your idea then?¡±

    Wanting to know my intentions, curiosity began welling up in Fol¡¯s blue eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s to make your partner <i>shine.</i>¡±

    ¡°Shine?¡±

    ¡°Yes. To make your partner shine. Even if¡­ they begin moving against reason.¡±

    I wanted to change mydy¡¯s fate of execution and lead her towards a joyful future. To that end, it wasn¡¯t necessary to force her to act as the daughter of a Marquis.

    As long as it was of her will, I would aidher every effort for happiness.

    Dancing was the same.

    Suppressing a girl who wanted to take the lead wasn¡¯t the way I did things. If she wanted the initiative, I would pass her the right to decide the next steps, and begin moving to support her.

    <i>That </i>is my lead.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m surprised. To think that there¡¯s a child with that kind of determination and mindset.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say.¡±

    It was only natural that I¨C a person who had the memories of my previous life, to have a mentality older than how I may appear. However, Fol seemed to have the same mature perspective as me.

    She was somehow simr to Lady Sophia¨C I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way.

    ¡°Haha~ I¡¯m sorry for forcibly taking control earlier. I¡¯ll give you the lead back, so could you help me shine even further?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    The second song was already about to start.

    If that was my dance partner¡¯s desire, it was only natural to meet them. In order to prove that Lady Sophia¡¯s butler was the best, I needed the greatest results.

    I had already grasped her habits, and began to lead her so that she could shine more.

    At that time however, the figure of the youngdy I passed by earlier entered my line of sight. Herplexion was getting worse, and she was shaking despite the fact that she was just standing there.

    Looking at the people around her, there were only those who were practicing for their turn, or those who were watching the dances while unaware of her current state.

    The moment I realised that, the youngdy¡¯s upper body began to fall forwards.

 A Butlers Choice 3

    To lead someone was to make your partner shine. Even though I just said such grandiose words, I was going to abandon the girl I was with when we were only half-way finished our dance. I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t hesitating a little bit.

    However, a youngdy¨C the one whose condition seemed to be worsening, was shaking as her upper body started to fall forward. If this went on, she might injure her head on the wooden floor.

    ¡°¨Cplease forgive my rudeness.¡±

    With guilt welling up inside of me, I unterally stopped the dance and started dashing over to the youngdy. While voices of confusion rang out, the shaking girl¡¯s upper body was already falling.

    Leaving behind all of my doubts, I reflexively used magic to raise my physical abilities without chanting, and simultaneously pushed off of the floor.

    ¨Cmake it in time!

    Closing the distance in a single breath, I slid down to the ce where the youngdy was about to fall and caught her to protect her head. This all happened concurrently as my back impacted the ground.

    Suddenly, the music stopped and screams came out from the nearby girls. The exam¡¯s venue was in an uproar, but I ignored that and confirmed the state of the person in my arms.

    ¡°What happened?!¡±A panicked female examiner rushed over.

    ¡°This youngdy was copsing, so I protected her before she injured her head. I apologise for themotion.¡±

    ¡°She was copsing? Well, at least you made it in time. Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°By the colour of herplexion and nails, it seems to be anemia¡­ but we shouldn¡¯t be negligent. Call over the person who came here with her, we should have them confirm whether they know the cause or not.¡±

    ¡°Understood. If I remember correctly, she was with¨C¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s that girl, then I saw her earlier! The maid she was with should just be outside, so I¡¯ll go get her!¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ okay, then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    A girl¡¯s clear voice intervened, followed by footsteps pping against the wooden floor, but when I looked up, all I could see was the back of a youngdy with bluish hair running away.

    She wasn¡¯t a maid? She gave off a really friendly feeling for a noble¡¯s daughter.

    ¡­no, right now I need to focus on the girl that copsed. Still in my embrace, I gentlyid her down to the floor, and used my jacket as a makeshift pillow for her to rest on.

    ¡°Are you alright? Is your consciousness clear?¡±

    ¡°¡­huh? I¡­what happened?¡±

    ¡°You copsed.¡±

    ¡°Copsed¡­¡±

    Perhaps panicking when she realised she was lying down, she tried to get up in a hurry, but I gently pushed down on her shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Please sleep a little more just in case.¡±

    ¡°¡­and you are?¡±

    ¡°Cyril. A butler of the Rosenberg house.¡±

    Although this was an emergency, she was still being held down by a man. To ensure that she didn¡¯t feel anxious, I used the name of the Rosenberg house to guarantee my identity.

    Maybe that had alleviated her worries¨C or maybe she was just tired, but the youngdy lost all of the power in her body and rxed, lying back down on the floor. Soon after, a maid came in flying through the door.

    ¡°I heard that mydy copsed?!¡±

    ¡°Herplexion is a little bad, but she¡¯s still breathing and conscious. I think it¡¯s anemia, but do you have any idea as to what it might be?¡±

    ¡°¡­ah. Mydy¡­ has only been eating small meals recently.¡±

    She was probably on a diet. In this country, it was considered beautiful for women to squeeze their waists with corsets to make themselves look slim, this was probably to supplement that.

    ¡°Is that so? Then it¡¯s probably anemia, but that¡¯s just an amateur¡¯s diagnosis, so you should take her to the infirmary just in case.¡±

    ¡°I will do so. Mydy is in your debt. Excuse me, but may I please have your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Cyril. A butler in service of Lady Sophia and the Rosenberg house.¡±

    ¡°Sir Cyril, understood. We¡¯ll be sure to thank you at ater date, but right now I¡¯m going to take care of mydy, so please excuse me.¡±

    Lifting up the youngdy, the maid then left after apologising for the disturbance. Seeing that she¡¯d be okay, I went to pick up my jacket when I noticed the surroundings.

    Everyone¡¯s attention waspletely on me. The exam having been thoroughly interrupted.

    ¡°My apologies for themotion, but as you can see, the problem has been resolved, so please return to the exam.¡±

    I encouraged the onlookers to disperse, and turned back to the female examiner before bowing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have interrupted the exam. It was something I did of my own volition, so please give the others the opportunity to retake it.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? There¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with you saving that girl. Everyone, <i>including you</i> can retake it. Hey! You all think so too, right?¡±

    The examiner in charge of me asked her co-workers for their approval, and they all nodded in response. Their decision was unanimous but¨C I shook my head.

    ¡°I abandoned my partner and finished the dance on my own initiative. Therefore, please only let the others retake the examination.¡±

    I said this while looking straight into my examiner¡¯s eyes, and she looked right back at mine. Not long after, she sighed.

    ¡°You seem to have made up your mind. Understood. You finished half of the exam, so we¡¯ll only give you half the score.¡±

    ¡°¡­thank you.¡±

    I gave my gratitude to the examiner and returned to Fol.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise for any displeasure my actions might have caused you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I <i>am </i>disappointed that our dance ended only half-way, but don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not upset, not in the slightest.¡±

    I was wondering if she only said that to be polite. However, she smiled as if she could read my thoughts and added, ¡°I hope you sessfully enroll.¡±

    Thanking her for her generous response, I stepped down from the stage and returned to mydy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mydy. I promised that I would prove that your eyes weren¡¯t wrong, but this was the result.¡±

    ¡°¡­you really think this was a bad oue?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you regret your previous actions then?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, I don¡¯t.¡±

    I did things that didn¡¯t follow mydy¡¯s will. If I wanted to prove my abilities and achieve the best results in the exam, I should¡¯ve continued dancing until the end, no matter what happened to that girl.

    However, even as mydy¡¯s exclusive butler, I had no regrets for the actions I took.

    ¡°Raise your head.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    When I raised my head ording to her order, mydy had a slightly peeved expression on.

    ¡°Cyril, did you take advantage of that unexpected situation?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to decline the re-examination.¡±

    Returning her an ambiguous smile, I didn¡¯t answer that question.

    I didn¡¯t hold back at all. I took the appropriate actions as mydy¡¯s butler, and if as a result, she was <em>coincidentally</em>elected to be the freshman representative, all the better<i>.</i>

    ¡°Someday¡­ I¡¯ll definitely catch up with you someday, so don¡¯t give up at that time, okay?¡±

    ¡°If that is your desire, mydy.¡±

    ¡°It is, so promise me.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I promise.¡±

    After making a promise to her just like how I did when we first met, mydy¡¯s expression softened.

    She then turned around. However, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she looked back, and sent a nce up my way.

    ¡°Cyril, you were really cool back there.¡±

    Laughing so innocently, mydy truly was cute.

    In this way, the junior high entrance examination to the capital city¡¯s school had finished.

    Normally, we would return to the mansion and wait for the eptance letters toe at ater date. However, mydy and I remained at the dance examination¡¯s venue.

    The results of the practical test were released the same day they were taken.

    Lady Sophia knew this and wanted to know the results of my dance test.

    Formoners, the system seems to have been made to select those who were talented, so there were many students who were worried about the results of the practicals.

    So a multitude of applicants still remained in the hall, not just us.

    While waiting inside the noisy venue, an examiner with several rolled up papers had appeared.

    Which were then ced on the wall and stretched out.

    First came the results of another group. The top among them receiving eighty-three points. Subsequently, a second paper was posted.

    When it was unfurled, the test venue broke out into amotion.

    Beside the name Sophia Rosenberg, a hundred points were written. Moreover, it was an indisputable first ce, arge gap between it and the runner up.

    I heard that it was rare to get a full score in any of the exam¡¯s subjects, so this was a great achievement.

    Second ce dropped down to eighty-seven points. From there, points ovepped with each other beside names I wasn¡¯t familiar with. This much was as expected.

    And finally, my name had appeared in the bottom half. At that sight, the surroundings broke out into an uproar once again. Beside it, fifty-one points were written.

    ¡°As expected of you, Cyril!¡±

    Mydy eximed that excitedly, but I hung my head.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, this was unexpected.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologise. I¡¯m actually quite proud of this.¡±

    Mydy had received a perfect score, but my evaluation¨C which was dered to be cut in half, still had more than half in the end, albeit by one point.

    If it weren¡¯t halved, there¡¯s a chance I might¡¯ve done better than her, but despite this, she stillughed happily at the results.

    Not just in appearance, she was also growing up beautifully on the inside.

    ¡­no, even her counterpart in the game had a noble side to her. The version of her from the original work was just distorted by her home environment and her love for the prince. Her current state was probably how she was always supposed to be.

    ¡°I¡¯m proud to be your exclusive butler, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril. I¡¯m¨C¡±

    ¡°¨CLady Sophia, please listen.¡±

    It was Raymond who interrupted her.

    I didn¡¯t say anything because Lady Sophia had already dered thatmoners were her equals here, but if he really wanted to be her exclusive butler, then I wanted to tell him that he shouldn¡¯t be interrupting the conversations of his would-be employer.

    ¡°Do you need something of me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I havepiled the results of the practical examinations to show how superior I am!¡±

    Raymond tried to hand the paper over to Lady Sophia, but I stepped in and received it first, confirming that there was no danger before I passed it over to her.

    ¡°I see now, I guess you really weren¡¯t all talk.¡±

    Lady Sophia was making a slightly surprised expression.

    It was only a nce, but when I checked the paper for safety, it was written that he had scored over eighty points with all the practical exams. He was definitely A-ss material, and ifpared to the average grades of previous years, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for him to be elected as the representative.

    I had no intention of giving up my position as mydy¡¯s exclusive butler, but these results were definitely impressive enough to hire him as a servant.

    ¡°Thank you so much, but I¡¯m still nothingpared to you, Lady Sophia. I just saw the dance exam results earlier, but as expected, you received a perfect score.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Although she was smiling, mydy¡¯s reply wasn¡¯t serious at all. It¡¯d be a perfect response with some slight changes¡­ but she seems to get easily emotional with matters rted to me.

    ¡°By the way, what was <em>your</em> score?¡±

    Just when I thought that, Raymond turned the conversation back to me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen the results for the dance examination, but I received fifty-one points.¡±

    ¡°Only fifty-one points? You can¡¯t im to be Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler with pitiful grades like that.¡±

    The moment he said that, the surroundings were enveloped in a dangerous air. Though we seem to have been gathering attention for some time now.

    ¡°You probably didn¡¯t know, but there¡¯s a reason for that.¡±

    One of the maids who were in the same group started raising her voice, the people around us following up in sync.

    Its true that I only received fifty-one points, so I didn¡¯t really care what he said¡­ but the kindness of the people here really touched my heart. Unfortunately, Raymond didn¡¯t seem to feel the same way.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those circumstances are, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he just barely passed his examination.¡±

    ¡°Like I said¨C¡±

    ¡°¨Cno, he¡¯s right. The fact that I only scored fifty-one points is still the truth. Its my defeat when ites to the dance section.¡±

    Faster than the maid¡¯s argument, I admitted my loss to prevent the situation from growing any further.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re surprisingly sportsmanlike.¡±

    ¡°I wonder? Even if I won, would you have really given up on the position of mydy¡¯s exclusive butler?¡±

    ¡°¡­probably not. Well, it doesn¡¯t need to be right away, so¡­ one year. I will gain Lady Sophia¡¯s recognition within the year, and then I¡¯ll take over your position.¡±

    Raymond loudly dered this.

    Was there a reason why he was so adamant on one year?

    ¡°Lady Sophia, I¡¯m sorry for my impolite behaviour today, but I¡¯m serious about this. Please consider hiring me as your exclusive butler in his stead.¡±

    Raymond then bowed before taking his leave. He was both childish and impolite. However¨C for a twelve year old, he had potential.

    When I told mydy that he could be an excellent servant with the proper training, she sent a smile <em>oozing</em> with displeasure my way.

    ¡­apparently, it would be impossible to hire Raymond.

    A few weekster, we received letters of eptance from the school.

    Mydy had passed all the subjects without dropping a single point, easily bing the representative, and except for the forty-nine points I had lost in the dance examination, I was the same¨C taking second ce.

    ¡­well, this was the expected result.

 School Faction Riot Part One 1

    One day after our admission to the capital city¡¯s junior high was decided. I was currently being swayed by a carriage as Lady Sophia¡¯spanion.

    Now that our enrollment has been confirmed, we were heading to a tailor to pick up our uniforms.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of refreshing having to go to the shop ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, while you would usually invite the craftsmen to the mansion, this much is normal formoners.¡±

    Whenever mydy wanted clothes made, she¡¯d summon designers toe to her, so visiting the store herself was a new experience.

    As I¡¯ve said before, the school had a policy to treat everyone equally, regardless of status. Making uniforms was a part of that, so it seems even aristocrats had to pick them up directly.

    It was a so-called social study.

    This was a good opportunity for mydy to learn about the lives ofmoners, but it would also lead to security concerns in the future if continued, so it may be necessary to enlist a bodyguard that can pose as a student.

    ¡°¡­Cyril? What are you thinking about?¡±¡°My apologies, I was just thinking about you, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Fue?! I-is that so¡­ well, in that case¡­ it¡¯s fine if you think about me a little more, you know?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. In any case, the shop is already in sight.¡±

    Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the capital city¡¯s clothing store. I got down first and confirmed there was nothing dangerous in the surroundings, and then raised my hand to mydy.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, your hand please.¡±

    ¡°¡­ei!¡±

    But for some reason, the hand I offered her was hit away.

    ¡°¡­mydy? Do you not need any help?¡±

    While I was still confused, she replied, ¡°¡­I need it.¡± with a somewhat sulky expression.

    With her supple hand grabbing my own, mydy jumped down onto the stone pavement. At that action, the hem of her dress gently spreading out, while her heels made a slight clicking sound.

    ¡°Now, please escort me to the store.¡±

    ¡°Mydy?¡±

    ¡°Is there any problem with that?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, I will guide you.¡±

    Mydy wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand. I was supposed to be her butler, not her escort, and yet¡­ I still took the lead and escorted her.

    As we entered the store, the sound of voices arguing came to our ears. It looks like a noble son and the shopkeeper were getting fed up with each other.

    From what I could pick out from their words, the clerk was saying that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get his uniform ready for the entrance ceremony, while the boy was saying they should just give priority to his clothes because of his status.

    ¡­yes, it truly <i>was </i>a social study.

    ¡°Will we be alright in that regard?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve already made reservations beforehand.¡±

    ¡°As expected of you, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m your exclusive butler, this is only natural, mydy.¡±

    ¡®As her exclusive butler, this was only natural¡¯¨C I may have said that, but in truth it¡¯s because I knew about this in advance. In the game, when the heroine was entering the high school she was troubled for the same reason.

    ¡°But his servant doesn¡¯t seem to have made one?¡±

    ¡°¡­maybe it¡¯s an educational policy to have the children do this themselves.¡±

    Forcing them to go to the store on their own was basically saying they couldn¡¯t use their house¡¯s power. With that in mind, it wasn¡¯t strange to think that there were parents who would try to have their child make the reservations themselves to help them grow more independent.

    Proof of this was how his butler was clearly upset, but was holding himself back from interfering.

    The shopkeeper was starting to lose his temper as well¡­ not, he wasn¡¯t even flinching at the boy¡¯s tantrum. With how impassively he was acting towards a noble, it was possible he had some powerful people backing him.

    ¡°Hey, if this was an educational policy, shouldn¡¯t I have made the reservations on my own then?¡±

    ¡°No, while that might be true, it isn¡¯t an enforced rule. Plus in your case, you¡¯d probably be able to do it after I exined it to you just once, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Oh? In that case, would it be better for me to leave all the bothersome things to you from now on, Cyril?¡±

    Mydy startedughing mischievously. Recently, she seems to be slowly showing more of her yful side, which only made her shine all the more cutely.

    All this and she was still only twelve¨C no, she was <i>already </i>twelve.

    Wasn¡¯t this only natural with how in the game, this was the age where she fell in love with the prince? At this rate, will she eventually grow up and leave me? As that thought came to mind¨C I shook my head to dispel it.

    Either way, that was still a long time from now.

    Putting that aside, I couldn¡¯t allow mydy to listen to this dispute any longer. I signaled another clerk over and showed them the Rosenberg house¡¯s crest I used for the reservation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed your identities. Please, this way.¡±

    When the clerk started to guide us to the back of the store, the boy who was arguing with the shopkeeper noticed this.

    ¡°I heard that. Even though you refused my request to make my uniform in time, are you seriously going to ept that man¡¯s order?!¡±

    ¡°Its because this customer is one who made a reservation beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Reservation?! Nobody ever told me of such a thing! In any case, I¡¯m the son of a Count! Hey, you butler over ther¨C¡±

    The moment the boy¡¯s hostility was directed my way, his butler started pulling his sleeve, and at the same time, Lady Sophia took a step in front of me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop things there, shall we? Power isn¡¯t something you should brandish without good reason.¡±

    ¡°W-what, you¨C¡±

    The boy who started ring at mydy went rigid, his expression flushing deep red. Just one look at her face was apparently enough to quell his anger.

    ¡­I seem to have witnessed the moment he fell in love.

    ¨Cthough, this was a sight I often saw as mydy¡¯s servant. She was unknowingly ying with his heart.

    Just when I thought that¨C his butler whispered something into his ear, and he nched pale.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know that you were the daughter of a Marquis¨C I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, I was the one who made the impertinent remark.¡±

    ¡°I-impertinent remark?¡±

    When the butler whispered to him once again, he started muttering, ¡°I see, so it means unnecessary meddling.¡±

    ¡°¨Cyoung master.¡±

    ¡°Oh! N-no¡­ of course that¡¯s not true. Even though my father told me to prepare everything myself, I still lost my temper when I found out I wouldn¡¯t make it in time. My bad¡­ er, my apologies.¡±

    After the boy bowed down to Lady Sophia, he then said he was sorry to the shopkeeper for pushing his unreasonable demands on them.

    It seems like he wasn¡¯t an arrogant noble child, he just let the blood rush to his head this time. Realising that, mydy¡¯s expression softened¨C but in front of that smile, he seemed to be losing his cool in another sense.

    ¡°S-so then, yeah¡­ a-anyways I¡¯ll go excuse myself now!¡±

    ¡°¨Cplease wait.¡±

    Just when he turned his heels to flee, mydy stopped him. Seeing him freeze, she then looked to me and asked, ¡°How many uniforms are we buying?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting two sets, and you¡¯re getting three, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Hey, you. Aren¡¯t you going to be troubled if you can¡¯t prepare a uniform on time? What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡­ umm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    An unreliable response came back. When in contact with mydy, it was easy to misunderstand that all noble children were this mature, but she was actually quite unique among twelve year olds.

    ¡°In truth, I just found out I¡¯ve made reservations to have three uniforms made for me. If you¡¯d like, would you want to have the rights to one of them?¡±

    ¡°That would help, yes¡­ but is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Because it was only going to be one of my spares, it isn¡¯t necessary to have them by the entrance ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    The boy turned his eyes to his servant for their opinion. He looked like he was about to nod in agreement¨C but stopped himself in a moment of hesitation.

    If I was his butler, even if the whole point of having him do this alone was to encourage his growth, I¡¯d still make sure to take the proper precautions. In other words, I would¡¯ve prepared a uniform for him just in case.

    At least, that¡¯s what I would do.

    However, telling him that it wasn¡¯t necessary to put himself in the debt of a Marquis¡¯ daughter because the uniform had already been prepared beforehand¨C couldn¡¯t be said.

    Therefore, he must have been confused.

    Although this would be scary if mydy was aware of this and was manipting the situation to have him in her debt, she shouldn¡¯t be that kind of schemer as she is now.

    As a twelve year old she was very mature, but there¡¯s always room for growth.

    While I pondered that, mydy received permission from the shopkeeper and gave the boy the right tomission one uniform. You could really feel how caring she was when she checked in with the employee if this would cause any problems.

    By the way, apparently he was a son of Count Reed. The person who got involved with Alicia was the eldest son and his brother.

    Although his sibling was a degenerate son, he luckily didn¡¯t seem to be the same. He thanked mydy many times for the reservation before leaving for his home.

    After that, we moved to the back in order to customise the uniform patterns and design¨C in other words, we were having them specially made to suit mydy¡¯s body.

    As for my uniform, I had already finished the order while mydy was busy. Therefore, I was currently just waiting in front of the partition for her measurements to be finished.

    Apparently there was another customer there, because their voice could be heard from behind the divider.

    Mydy eximed, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re¡­¡±, as if she was familiar with the person, but only a confused, ¡°My apologies, have we met somewhere before?¡± came out in response.

    Just from what I could hear, their voice was so beautiful that it wouldn¡¯t lose to mydy. Probably because this was a world based on the setting of a game, there were many people with the alluring voices of professional actors here.

    ¡°No, I just saw you dancing before.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean at the first prince¡¯s birthday party? ¡­that¡¯s embarrassing. I wasn¡¯t that skilled and ended up stepping on my partner¡¯s feet multiple times, I¡¯m sure it was a miserable sight.¡±

    ¡°¡­not at all, you looked very nice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d if it seemed that way, but that wasn¡¯t because of me. My partner at the time was really good at leading. He was truly a gentle and wonderful person.¡±

    ¡°I-is that so?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but think mydy¡¯s reaction was somewhat awkward. Was this because she didn¡¯t have many chances to talk with those of the same-sex? I may have given too much priority to interacting with older people with her education.

    Let¡¯s try to encourage her to make friends while in school.

    However, this situation troubled me because I couldn¡¯t protect her myself.

    Right now the maid from the mansion was apanying her, but she didn¡¯t have any talent as a bodyguard.

    As I thought, I really need to find a maid of the same age to guard her. Once we returned to the mansion, let¡¯s try talking to her father about this¨C their conversation continued on while I thought that.

    ¡°By the way, are you enrolled at the school as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Though because I¡¯m a lower-ss noble, my parents told me that I should only start attending from highschool, but I was able to convince them after working hard at my etiquette until I could present myself appropriately for my status.¡±

    ¡°Really? The school policy states that we¡¯re all equal regardless of our origins, so I don¡¯t think its that important.¡±

    The other party seems to be a fellow freshman who enrolled with us. She might be mydy¡¯s first friend. This is a good omen.

    Since the game¡¯s story has been changed, I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen in the future.

    Right now mydy had feelings for me, but one day that might change and she¡¯ll fall for the second prince instead, turning the heroine into a rival.

    Therefore, it was necessary to carefully n things out so that she wouldn¡¯t fall into darkness, though there was no need to rush while we still had the three-year grace period until the heroine arrived.

    But even so, I will protect her no matter what.

    That¡¯s why I wanted her to experience a fulfilling school life full of not just love, but friendship as well.

    ¨Cas I thought about that, it looks like the measurements for the other customer were about finished, since I heard a voice asking to excuse themselves.

    At this rate, I¡¯ll be able to meet the girl who might be mydy¡¯s first friend.

    I don¡¯t really want to say that factions matter, but mydy was still the daughter of a Marquis. In order to avoid any situations that may cause her grief, it¡¯d be best if I investigated who the other party was beforehand.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but then the tailor called out to me.

    ¡°Sir Cyril, can you check the sleeves of the uniform we¡¯ve finished sewing?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ of course. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    If I didn¡¯t finish this now, I might keep mydy waiting.

    Deciding that this was of a higher priority than seeing the face of her potential first friend, I moved to the men¡¯s fitting room ording to the craftsman¡¯s request.

    Immediately after, I heard the shopkeeper sending off a customer from behind and a cheerful voice responding to him. Looking back, I just barely caught a glimpse of a bluish-ck haired girl leaving with her maid.

    I guess the timing was just bad.

    ¡°Sir Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Moving to the men¡¯s fitting room with the tailor, I put my arms through the uniform that was still lined with basting.

    ¡°¡­oh, so you were somehow able to make it this perfect while still basting? It seems the rumours on how this is the best store for the school uniforms have some truth behind them. You¡¯re exceptionally skilled.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, but the sleeves aren¡¯t finished yet.¡±

    It was already the perfect size that wouldn¡¯t impede movement, but the tailor still wasn¡¯t satisfied and was making fine adjustments to the length and width of the hem.

    I was told the modifications were finished soon after, and I admit that it was impressive. Despite the fact that such a thick fabric was used, my movements were hardly hindered at all.

    Apparently I¡¯ve met a pretty amazing tailor.

    I left the details to the designers, but even a shadow of my previous life¡¯s fashion was thrown in there. In the future, let¡¯s consider sending them requests for mydy¡¯s civilian clothes as well.

    The clothes trial period finished while I made such ns.

    Mydy had already fixed her appearance by the time I returned. Her measurements seem to have been taken, so she was currently rxing with a cup of tea on the waiting room¡¯s sofa.

    ¡°My apologies, did you wait long?¡±

    ¡°No, they just finished measuring me.¡±

    That¡¯s what mydy said, but her teacup was already half empty. While resting, apparently something seemed to be weighing on her mind.

 School Faction Riot Part One 2

    After leaving the store, we boarded the carriage and started our return trip to the Rosenberg estate in the capital, but the we were suddenly stopped mid-way.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    At this unexpected event I kept vignt, and asked the driver through the window for a report. They responded with an apology and said that some children had suddenly jumped out in front of the vehicle.

    ¡°¡­some children? Mydy, please wait here just in case.¡±

    ¡°Cyril, what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to check out the situation. Don¡¯t get off of the carriage until I say it¡¯s safe.¡±

    Just because they were kids didn¡¯t mean I should grow careless. While staying wary of the surroundings, I jumped off of the carriage.

    As I was told, there were two young children crouching in front of the carriage. They looked likemoners, ones from the slums at that.

    Although they looked malnourished, there didn¡¯t seem to be any visible injuries.Having confirmed that there wasn¡¯t any immediate danger, I turned my eyes to scan the surroundings. This craftsman¡¯s street didn¡¯t have many pedestrians¨C but I detected some presences from a nearby alley.

    I didn¡¯t feel any hostility from them, but they seemed to be watching us.

    The children had stopped the carriage and I had been lured out. If they were going to attack, then they would¡¯ve already done so by now, meaning that their target was¨C

    ¡°Hey, are you two alright?¡±

    When I tried talking to them, the kids shuddered. Shaking as they held each other, they were a boy and girl around ten years of age. If they weren¡¯t acting, then they must be considerably frightened of something.

    ¡°Can you understand my words?¡±

    ¡°A-are you our enemy?¡±

    ¡°At the very least, I don¡¯t remember being one.¡±

    ¡°T-then, you¡¯re different from those people who were following us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    With those words, the presence of those who were watching over the situation started to disappear. There were still some there, but at least it didn¡¯t look like they were going to charge out at us.

    If their aim was the children, they must¡¯ve wanted to avoid the risks of getting involved with the nobility.

    ¡°So there¡¯s some people chasing you, why?¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¨C¡±

    The story they then told me was unfortunate¨C but nothing special.

    They had parents, but they lived in the slums and were poor. Therefore, it seems that their parents sold the younger sister to start doing night jobs.

    The buyer was probably the master of the dark guild, Unnamed. He was a man involved with the ¡®darkness¡¯ mentioned in the game¡¯s title of Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    Having caught wind of this, the older brother decided to run away with his sister before it was toote.

    The game version of Cyril had connections to the dark guild. Even if this didn¡¯t have an official event, this meeting here might¡¯ve been preordained.

    If that is the case, then I should be careful about my response here.

    ¡°I¡¯m begging you! I don¡¯t care what happens to me, but please help my sister!¡±

    ¡°W-what are you saying?! I don¡¯t want to be saved by myself!¡±

    Their sibling love was beautiful, and I felt sympathetic for them, but it wasn¡¯t umon for children to be sold in this world. If taking mydy¡¯s safety into consideration, the ¡®right answer¡¯ here didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, what¡¯s going on? What happened with the kids?¡±

    Maybe she was getting impatient, but mydy stuck her head through the carriage¡¯s window. Seeing that, I told the children, ¡°Please wait one moment.¡±

    ¡°¨Cif we do so, will you help my sister?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mydy who will decide that. If you want even the chance of her assistance, then please wait. I can guarantee your safety in the meantime, but if you can¡¯t even do something as simple as that, then it¡¯d be better if you just left already.¡±

    The boy took a nce at his sibling, and then nodded while saying, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait just like you said, so please get that person to save my sister.¡±

    To understand his priorities even in a situation like this, this child had potential.

    After confirming the boy had calmed down, I turned to mydy at the window and exined to her their circumstances of running away after one of them was sold.

    ¡°Oh my¡­ for the parents to have sold their own child, that¡¯s horrible.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, it is.¡±

    Judging that it was too soon for mydy to know the truth, I smoothed over my facial expression. I was confident that my intentions couldn¡¯t be read, but it looks like she was still able to see through me.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re hiding something. If something¡¯s wrong, then tell me. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a child that¡¯s protected by you forever.¡±

    Being only twelve, it was still too early for me to teach mydy about the darkness of this country. However, she seems to have decided for herself that it was something she should know.

    I thought it was okay for her to act her age a bit more, but if this is what she wanted, then I would grant that wish. In any case, as long as mydy was the daughter of a Marquis, it was something that she would have to face eventually.

    That¡¯s why¨C I opened my mouth to speak.

    ¡°Your opinion isn¡¯t wrong, but the truth changes with different perspectives as well. The parents only sold one of the children, can you imagine why?¡±

    If they were just going to sell their daughter, why did they raise her until now? Why did they sell only one of the two siblings? The answer was simple and could be easily exined.

    Its because they loved them. They didn¡¯t sell them until now because they didn¡¯t want to. Probably backed into a corner, to save at least one of them, they made the excruciating decision to pawn off the other.

    Of course, this was just conjecture.

    But it was the truth that these stories were a dime a dozen.

    ¡°If they didn¡¯t sell their child, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to live. Can such a world really exist?¡±

    ¡°¡­no matter the world, this will always be the truth. Mydy, if you¡¯re going to live your life as the daughter of a Marquis, then this is a reality you must learn to ept.¡±

    Even aristocrats used their children as tools for political marriages to protect their status. In order to save the majority, the lord must be willing to force misfortunes upon the few.

    Because if they don¡¯t, then only an even greater misfortune will be waiting for them.

    ¡°In other words, what¡¯s wrong is the country itself?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, mydy.¡±

    Those words could be taken as criticism against the crown.

    While some people like themoners maymend such thinking, at the very least, the current royal family doesn¡¯t see any need to fix the slums.

    ¡°A kind-hearted saint can¡¯t rule over others.¡±

    ¡°¡­so you¡¯re saying we should just abandon them, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Their story <i>is </i>unfortunate, but this kind of thing is happening throughout the country at all times. Saving these two kids won¡¯t save the rest of them. Its hypocrisy to advocate these ideals while only helping those in front of you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    If you help one person, the rest will gather to you in hopes of salvation, but if you try to save them all, everything you¡¯ve built is bound to copse, saving no one. Even now, dozens of ordinary people were being thrust into hell with us unaware of them.

    So to only save those in front of you was nothing butcent.

    ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you! Can thatdy not help us?! I don¡¯t care what happens to me, but at least save my sister! Please!¡±

    Even if they couldn¡¯t hear our conversation, they could still detect the negative air surrounding us. When the sorrowful cry of the boy called out to her, Lady Sophia pursed her lips in thought for a moment, and then opened them.

    ¡°Cyril, help them.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Just as you said, my actions are both hypocritical and conceited, but I think it¡¯s far worse to look away from saving those within my reach.¡±

    Lady Sophia made her resolution, but her pupils were shaking as if to say, ¡°Is my way of thinking wrong?¡±

    At that moment, emotions that I couldn¡¯t describe welled up inside of me.

    She was far too sweet to be the daughter of a Marquis. However¨C as an individual, her attitude of caring for the children from the slums was admirable. I was thoroughly impressed with the wisdom she disyed while still only twelve years old.

    Above all else, I didn¡¯t hate such a judgement, the will behind her words deeply moved me.

    ¡°If I were to give my personal opinion, I would say the way you are now is truly lovely, mydy.¡±

    ¡°F-fue?!¡±

    ¡°Now then, if you have made your decision, please give me your orders.¡±

    ¡°Oh, o-of course. Then¡­ Cyril. Save them. This is my will.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, mydy.¡±

    After reverently bowing, I turned back towards the children. At the same time, I started formting a n in my head to fulfill mydy¡¯s wish.

    Even slums had rules. If the parents sold their child, then that means a financial transaction was made. It would be necessary to follow up with the dark guild after this.

    However, let¡¯s put that aside for now.

    First I needed to decide how to rescue these two.

    There¡¯s no point if we just helped them escape from this ce. This world wasn¡¯t friendly enough that two children from the slums could survive by themselves.

    Therefore, it was necessary to arrange jobs for them as well¡­ but there ween¡¯t many ces other than the dark guild that would be willing to hire ten year old slum children.

    In other words, the only way for us to truly save them would be to hire them at the Rosenberg house.

    But we couldn¡¯t just employ uneducated children without justification. Doing so would frustrate the other servants, and there¡¯s no doubt the master wouldn¡¯t approve either.

    Luckily, there <i>was </i>a good reason for us to use.

    ¨Cthis idea came to mind when I first heard their story.

    Mydy needed a servant of the same age that could also serve as a bodyguard. She needed a child that she could trust to never betray her.

    And with her now having saved these two kids, the groundwork has been made.

    ¡°Listen up you two. Mydy has decided that she¡¯s going to help you. However, if you¡¯re going to ept her protection, that means you must swear to serve her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll do anything if it¡¯ll save my sister!¡±

    ¡°That<i> includes</i>her, she¡¯ll have to work as well.¡±

    The girl shuddered, and the boy stepped forward to protect her. This was different from what I told them a little while ago, so they were now watching me with wary eyes.

    ¨Cbut that was fine.

    If they didn¡¯t understand how dangerous their current situation was, then they wouldn¡¯t be thankful to mydy for reaching out to them. It was precisely<i> because</i> they understood this, that their gratitude became valuable.

    Those feelings built up here would eventually transform into loyalty for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll just be working as normal servants.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll help us if we be servants?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I swear. However, the way you speak, the way you behave, everything. You¡¯ll need to go through strict training so you can carry yourselves appropriately for your new station, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°If it means that you¡¯ll help us, it doesn¡¯t matter!¡±

    ¡°Okay then. I promise to protect you in the name of mydy, Sophia Rosenberg herself.¡±

    ¡ô ¡ô ¡ô

    There were several buildings built specifically for clubs on the school grounds, where the rooms in each of them were individually rented out. Though rather than a ce for extracurricr activities, they were more like bases for the various factions and people of influence.

    There was a boy with chestnut brown hair in one of such rooms. He had a sleek body and well-featured looks, but the atmosphere around him was one of somebody constantly making calctions.

    His name was Libert. He was the son of the Lacourt Company¡¯s president, and the leader of one of the school¡¯s major groups that united the lower-ss, themoner faction.

    He was also one of the capture targets in Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    While he was still in deep thought, a boy suddenly barged into the room with hurried steps.

    With hair darker than Libert¡¯s, and dark eyes to match, the youth with a somewhat mischievous look was Nic. He was Libert¡¯s right-hand man, and a friend who has followed him every step of the way since the beginning.

    ¡°Nic, you¡¯re making a disturbance. Next time, try knocking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my bad, sorry, but it¡¯s because I have an interesting story for you, Libert!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Let me guess, another tale about some domineering noble soning onto Anessa again? Every year, idiots spouting unreasonable demands appear around this time.¡±

    Anessa was the name of a girl who belonged to his faction. Her family also ran the most famous clothing store in the capital, with her being the manager¡¯s daughter.

    Her family¡¯s store was the most popr one tomission school uniforms from, so it was perpetually buried in reservations. Despite this, there were always aristocrats who made absurd requests of them every year.

    ¡°No, that happens all the time. I¡¯m talking about how there¡¯s an interesting person enrolling this year.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh? Are they likely to be our ally?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s still being confirmed. They¡¯re such a big-shot that it¡¯s hard to tell. Have you heard of Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡­Sophia? Oh, you mean Sophia Rosenberg. True, she¡¯s definitely high-profile, but what about her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it! Listen to this!¡±

    His eyes brightening, Nic began talking about Sophia¡¯s actions that were seen and heard at the clothing store. Having finished listening, Libert sighed.

    ¡°Did you forget to follow-up on the noble that was supposedly brandishing their power? When I first heard rumours about a saint who had fallen into high-society, I thought it was too good to be true¡­¡±

    ¡°Those might not be exaggerated after all. On her return trip, she helped out some slum kids that had jumped in front of her carriage. I wasn¡¯t able to get the details of the conversation, but it seems like she¡¯s brought them back to her estate.¡±

    ¡°Slum children in a mansion¡­¡±

    Libert¡¯s gaze seemed to lose focus when he heard that. His brown eyes were staring into empty space.

    ¡°What is it? Does something about that bother you? Even amongmoners, let alone aristocrats, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s many out there who would lend a helping hand to children from the slums, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s too much. This is <i>precisely </i>why we need to stay wary of her.¡±

    Recently, aristocrats with strong feelings of elitism have expanded their influence in the school. They had formed a faction of nobles who were willing to abuse themon people.

    They were still a group of students, but once they grew up and spread their power into high-society, they¡¯d bring innumerable troubles with them. To keep them under control, it was of the utmost importance to gain allies among the nobility themselves as well.

    Meanwhile, rumours about a saint falling into high-society had suddenly appeared at the same time.

    The daughter of a Marquis who possessed both intelligence and beauty unprecedented of a twelve year old, in addition to a charitable heart that would even reach out to children from the slums.

    If this was true, then she could be a symbol they could use against the noble faction, but it was just too convenient. She was so perfect that it was as if she was artificially made by someone.

    Themoner faction would rally around her in hope¨C and then she would stab them in the back.

    ¡°¡­is this a trap?¡±

    ¡°It might be, but we should still try to befriend her on the off chance it¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that sounds good. For that purpose, it¡¯s crucial that we get in contact with her and confirm how genuine these ims are.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say, but won¡¯t it be hard without raising suspicion? How are we going to meet with her?¡±

    sses were segregated to provide courses depending on one¡¯s status. Commoners in themoner ss, and nobles in the noble ss. In other words, even if one was in the same grade, there were very few opportunities for civilians to get in contact with the aristocrats.

    However¨C

    ¡°¡­in the junior high section, there¡¯s a party held to wee the new admissions that had arrived from the outside. We should have the chance to meet her there.¡±

    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re going to casually greet her at the party to determine if she¡¯s a friend or foe?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, so for now let¡¯s just assign some people to keep an eye on her. It would be nice to find out that she¡¯s an ally of themoners, because if she isn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Libert¡¯s well-featured face twisted into a scowl.

    The noble faction was bing a threat to themon people. If the daughter of a Marquis was added to them, then the factional dispute might spread to their parents as well, and if that happened, who knows how this would affect his friends.

    Even though Libert was darkly ruminating about the bleak future ahead, Nic burst intoughter and gave him a wry grin.

    ¡°Stop making that face already. Don¡¯t worry, just like how I promised you on that day, I¡¯ll follow you no matter what happens.¡±

    ¡°¡­thanks. Now then, in preparation for when that timees, we need to start moving.¡±

 School Faction Riot Part One 3

    After returning to the mansion, I began moving to protect the children from the slums in earnest.

    First, I summoned a maid and instructed her to have them washed, while in the meantime, I wrote a letter to the master for permission to hire them.

    I put the reason for it being that they could be teaching materials to help educate Lady Sophia in the ways of understanding human nature. This might sound terrible, but without permission we wouldn¡¯t be able to keep them here either way.

    By the time I finished writing the letter, the maid returned with the children to my office.

    ¡°Cyril, I washed the children just as you told me. I couldn¡¯t tell at first because they were really dirty, but they¡¯re quite the hidden gems.¡±

    Behind the maid, the two siblings were curiously inspecting the surroundings. The clothes they were wearing were probably borrowed from one of the servant¡¯s children.

    Although it wasn¡¯t possible topletely hide the poor upbringing shown in their appearance, they both had the potential to shine if polished.

    ¡°Thanks for your hard work. I¡¯ve told the chef to prepare some confectioneries, so you should go down and take a break.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? As expected of you, Cyril. Please let me know if you ever have trouble sleeping, I¡¯d be happy to keep youpany at night.¡±¡°¡­because they¡¯re baked sweets, you should probably leave before they cool off.¡±

    I ignored the maid¡¯s teasing and expelled her from the room.

    Since I graduated from my apprenticeship and had officially be mydy¡¯s exclusive butler, I was now the highest rank among the servants here. However, since I was still only twelve years old physically, I had to constantly deal with the hubris of my older subordinates.

    As a result, while my official orders may be epted respectfully and dutifully, they still treated me like a child in other aspects.

    The things they did were on a simr level to what that maid had said to me just now.

    But putting that aside¨C I stood up and moved in front of the siblings.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cyril, twelve years old, and you are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Roy. Eleven years old.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Emma, ten years old.¡±

    Although they were a little awkward, they both answered without looking away. While they seemed somewhat anxious about the situation, it didn¡¯t look like they had shy personalities.

    ¡°Then Roy, Emma, here¡¯s your first lesson, ¡®My name is Cyril. I am twelve years old.¡¯ Now try repeating your self-introductions.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    Roy¡¯s eyes were already spinning confusedly. However, Emma started muttering to herself, before whispering, ¡°M-my name is Emma. Umm¡­ I am ten years old.¡± in a reintroduction.

    ¡°You were able to say it properly, that¡¯s great.¡±

    I gently petted Emma¡¯s head.

    Her eyes opened wide for a moment before narrowing in joy. Roy looked at that sight in envy, before twisting his face in an effort to remember the lines.

    ¡°Roy, the sentence is ¡®My name is Roy. I am eleven years old.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I-I¡¯m¡­ wait, isn¡¯t ¡®I¡¯* the word that girls use?¡±

    ¡°When used with formalnguage, it bes a word that isn¡¯t exclusively used by women.¡±

    ¡°I-I see. Then¡­ M-my name is Roy. I am eleven years old?¡±

    ¡°Why did it turn into a question at the end? Next time, try saying it with confidence, it¡¯s the truth after all.¡±

    I said that, and then ruffled Roy¡¯s hair a little roughly. Just like Emma, his eyes opened in surprise before narrowing in delight.

    They were both starving for affection.

    Considering their circumstances, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable with how they¡¯ve been separated from their parents at this age.

    And yet those very parents were willing to sell one of them off.

    But somewhere deep in their hearts, they might still be trying to deny that reality, or even start wishing to see them again.

    Now that I had sworn to protect them in the name of mydy, I would need to remove these feelings of theirs.

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t mind what kind ofnguage you use, so tell me about the dark guild.¡±

    Anxious expressions appeared on their faces. They must still fear the idea that they may be brought back. With that in mind, I ced my hands on their heads to assure them it was all right.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promised to protect you in mydy¡¯s name, but in order to do that, I need to understand the situation.¡±

    Currently, the Rosenberg house was in possession of a runaway child that was sold as merchandise.

    Even if that description was crass, it was the truth.

    If we just left the situation as it is, we¡¯ll end up damaging the dark guild¡¯s reputation.

    I didn¡¯t think they would go as far as toy their hands on mydy, but even they have their rules. If a noble decided to break them of their own volition, they would undoubtedly retaliate in turn.

    In order to prevent such a scenario from urring, there were a few things I needed to do.

    ter that day, I visited the slums.

    Under the dusk sky, a child dressed like a butler was walking through the ghetto alone. It¡¯s no wonder that I was quickly approached by a thug.

    ¡°Hey kid, you don¡¯t look like you belong around here. Are you lost? If you hand over your valuables, I¡¯ll bring you somewhere safe.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but all of my current belongings are actually the property of the Rosenberg house. I don¡¯t have anything I can arbitrarily give away myself.¡±

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t screw with me brat, you should just go and y with your stuffed toys!¡±

    The thug then reached his arm out to grab me.

    Deflecting it with the back of my hand, I tripped his legs as I passed him by and threw him to the ground. Taking care not to injure him, I made sure to kill the momentum the instant before the impact.

    His eyes were closed in fear of the collision, but at the next moment, he seemed to realise what had happened and stood up with an angry re.

    ¡°Brat, it looks like you want to see a world of pain.¡±

    ¡°¨Cwhen you were thrown, I hoped that you¡¯d understand that this wasn¡¯t a normal situation and back off, but¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Although I¡¯ve studied self-defense techniques in order to protect mydy and had magecraft that¡¯s been refined by my previous life¡¯s knowledge, my physique was still that of a twelve year old child.

    Being careless could be fatal. Therefore, I wasn¡¯t going to go easy on him and put myself at risk. I was going to finish this <i>now.</i>

    I slightly lowered my center of gravity, and used magic to improve my physical abilities.

    ¡°¨CStop!¡±

    But a sharp voice suddenly resounded out. At the same time, a giant of a man had appeared from the darkness of an alley. His presence brought a visible reaction out of the thug, so he was definitely someone involved with this world¡¯s darkness.

    ¡°S-sir, this isn¡¯t my fault. This kid was being really cheeky, you see!¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Did you forget the rules of the slums? Now screw off before I get angry.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!¡±

    The thug ran away with his tail between his legs.

    Seeing his back slowly disappear, I turned to the giant man.

    ¡°¡­would it be appropriate of me to thank you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. People like you hanging around here always brings trouble. I just wanted to prevent that. You¡¯re an eyesore, so go home.¡±

    ¡°I understand your circumstances, but unfortunately, I have business with the dark guild.¡±

    ¡°¡­the dark guild? What does a kid like you need with them? Do you even know who they are?¡±

    He released an intense amount of blood lust to intimidate me.

    An ordinary child¨C no, even fully grown adult would tremble under this pressure, that thought came to mind as I pondered my answer.

    From his reaction and killing intent, he was probably a member of theirs, one of a considerable position at that.

    With that in mind, the easiest thing for me to do would be to bring up the matter with the sold child. However, I¡¯d like to confirm the strength of their organization beforehand if possible.

    So should I bring up Roy and Emma¡¯s names here?

    Or¨C

    ¡°I¡¯m a butler of the Rosenberg house. Does that clear things up a bit?¡±

    The man narrowed his eyes at my question. The light of understanding shed in his gaze. He knew why I was here.

    ¨Cin other words, the dark guild not only knew that the fled children had been put under the protection of an aristocrat, they knew that it was the Rosenberg house that had taken them in, and spread that information in only a day.

    Incidentally, it didn¡¯t look like he had any doubts when I named myself as a butler. It seems like he¡¯s already been told that a child servant may be making contact soon.

    Its difficult even for trained servants to investigate, make contact, and report immediately. This was because of the psychological fear that came with taking ount for the failure of one¡¯s actions.

    However, it looks like the person in charge of this case uratelymunicated that the children they were chasing were taken away by a kid dressed as a butler.

    ¡­this was the power of the dark guild, the infamous organization I knew from the game.

    They wanted tags kept on Roy and Emma to keep them within reach. When considering the safety of mydy and I, it might be better to just cut them off, but I had contingency ns ready.

    That¡¯s what I thought as I began immediately revising my current course of actions.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk things out. Can you introduce me to someone I can discuss this with?¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth negotiating with a kid like you. Wasn¡¯t it that youngdy who took our girl into custody? If she really wants to resolve this through conversation, she should be here herself.¡±

    ¡°Mydy is a busy person, so could youe to the mansion instead? Ah, but too many people might surprise her, so please only send a representative if possible.¡±

    I could never bring mydy to a dangerous ce like this¨C no matter how much they insisted, this was something I wouldn¡¯t concede on, ever.

    As a result, I made sure to establish this position by making the same request to the other party.

    ¡°¡­tch, you¡¯re a clever brat, ain¡¯t cha? However, your negotiating skills are legit¡­ okay, I¡¯ll take you to the guild master. I won¡¯t be able to guarantee your life though, understood?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Do you usually assure others of their lives? If that¡¯s true, then you¡¯re actually a lot kinder than what your outward appearance suggests.¡±

    ¡°Geez, no point in acting cute now, kid. It¡¯s fine already, so just shut up and follow me.¡±

    He¡¯s the one who brought that topic up first¨C but I wasn¡¯t immature to the point that I¡¯d bring that up, so Iplied to his order. Eventually, we arrived at a small bar.

    From there, we passed through a hidden door in the back. What I entered into was a solid room that seemed out of ce for the slums, but had the suspicious atmosphere appropriate for the dark guild¡¯s hideout.

    On a luxurious sofa, a muscr man wearing excessive essories was having a bewitching woman wait on him, and standing behind them was a gentle-looking man with only one-eye.

    Taking just one step in, a scent that was both soft yet sweet tickled my nose.

    This was¡­ incense. The smell told me it was of a variety made to have a mild-stimting effect.

    There shouldn¡¯t be any side effects or any strong consequences from being exposed to this. They probablybined this with the skills of thedy to shake the other party¡¯s spirits to carry out negotiations in an advantageous manner.

    Incidentally, I hade here in the evening for the same reason.

    Twilight, also known as ¡®dusk¡¯ was when people¡¯s mentalities tend to be the most vulnerable. It wouldn¡¯t have any effect to those aware of it, but this would give a slight mental advantage against those who weren¡¯t.

    ¡­unfortunately, it looks like they <i>did </i>know at least this much.

    ¡°Oh? It really is a kid. I¡¯m the guild master, Unnamed.¡±

    The muscr man gave me a fanged grin.

    ¡°How unexpectedly polite. My name is Cyril, and I serve the Rosenberg house¡¯s youngdy.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. Well for now, sit.¡±

    I lightlyplied and ced myself down on the opposing sofa, but instead of looking at the muscr man, I turned my gaze towards the gentle-looking person behind him.

    The unnamed man who rules over the dark guild is the one-eyed man in the back. The muscr man was just his body double and guard. He was Unnamed¡¯s right-hand man.

    In the game¡¯s setting, Unnamed was a former noble who was stripped of his position after being framed.

    He¡¯d receive instructions from the insane viinous daughter to do harm to Alicia, but he ends up betraying her and reports the truth to the prince in the end.

    It was the decisive blow that sent us to be executed.

    However, he only betrayed Sophia because she was abusing her power to trap the heroine¨C a girl of a lower ss of nobility.

    As he was framed by a great noble for a crime he didn¡¯tmit as well, he was a gentleman thief that was hostile to those that brandished their power unreasonably.

    In other words, he wouldn¡¯t be an enemy as long as we didn¡¯t impose things through our position. To circumvent the execution end, it was necessary to resolve the matter of us forcibly taking Emma from them.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say. We¡¯re protecting the girl who ran away from you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is there no chance of you returning her if I ask politely?¡±

    ¡°No. My apologies, but mydy has already promised to take care of her, so that¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re telling us to give up her up?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong. Please don¡¯t misunderstand, we have no intentions of interfering with your business of human trafficking. Now then, is my current understanding that Emma is presently your property, correct?¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t recognised by nationalw, the ve trade wasmon in the underworld. Mydy wouldn¡¯t approve of it, but it was a reality you just couldn¡¯t get rid of that easily.

    This situation was one of such examples.

    Emma¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive without selling her. Assuming that was that truth, then its only because human trafficking existed that the rest of her kin could avoid destruction.

    Well¡­ it was still a dark topic, so it wasn¡¯t something that could be epted that easily.

    But it <em>was</em> okay not to ept it. What was important wasn¡¯t what was right or wrong about this situation, but the fact that we couldn¡¯t forcibly take away something they had already purchased ording to theirws.

    ¡°So what? Are you saying your going to buy that girl?¡±

    ¡°No. Aristocrats don¡¯t partake in the ve trade. I¡¯m only here to ask you to <i>give </i>us Emma¡¯s ownership as a gift, in exchange for a mary sum as thanks.¡±

    ¡°¡­haha, that¡¯s just sophistry. How is that any different from just buying her?¡±

    ¡°Does the dark guild really care about little details like that?¡±

    When I practically admitted it was the same thing, the body double snorted.

    ¡°This world is one that will take advantage of any weakness shown. I understand that well, but I also understand your intentions of not wanting to cause any friction with us. So let¡¯s begin the negotiations then, the price for us to let the girl go is thirty gold coins.¡±

    Slum kids weren¡¯t worth that much.

    Emma¡¯s parents had probably received less than even one of those coins.

    ¡°What, are you going to startining about the price? She¡¯s the girl I bought, so I get to decide how much I sell her for.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no objections whatsoever.¡±

    I pulled out an old leather bag and ced it on the table.

    Unnamed¡¯s body double then grabbed it and dumped the contents out, confirming the thirty coins before cursing, ¡°creepy kid.¡±

    ¡°You said that you were a servant of the Rosenberg house? What are you going to do with those siblings?¡±

    ¡°Will that really matter once you¡¯ve given up ownership?¡±

    ¡°It does. We have rules too. We buy and sell people because its necessary for the slums. If you want those siblings for an outrageous purpose, then we won¡¯t let them go.¡±

    ¡°¡­are those, <i>Unnamed¡¯s </i>thoughts?¡±

    I turned my eyes back to Unnamed himself, not the body double. He was expressionless, but his double nodded.

    Lifting up the edge of my mouth, I muttered, ¡°I see, not bad.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We n to raise them in service of the Rosenberg house. As faithful followers who will never betray mydy.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, there¡¯s no problem with that. Then the deal has been finalized. We¡¯re giving up our im of ownership to that girl. Do with her as you like.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will do so.¡±

    Now that negotiations were finished, I stood up.

    No contract was required, or should I say that we couldn¡¯t make one? This was all just to set aside any resentment that might¡¯ve built up from our actions. No children were officially bought here.

    If they try to manipte us through force, we¡¯ll just retaliate in turn. I thought that as I was about to leave, but the body double stopped me as I turned my back.

    ¡°Wait. The girl¡¯s parents still owe us.¡±

    ¡°Really? Didn¡¯t the thirty coins I paid you earlier cover that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What are you saying? That money was just the base price to let go of her ownership.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m ignorant of your ns?¡±

    ¡°¡­and what would those be?¡±

    Unnamed was unresponsive. The body double¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change either. However, the woman serving the double twitched in reaction. She knew what I was talking about.

    The cheap trick they employed to shake my psyche had backfired.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask the siblings about their situation because I was worried about them, but to make sure they met my expectations to make my ns feasible.¡±

    Emma and Roy currently only had ill-will towards their parents.

    However, if they grew older and learned that there were unavoidable circumstances behind their actions, and that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive otherwise, then they might regain their affections for them.

    Those parents would then be justification to interfere with the Rosenberg Marquis house.

    ¨Cso before that happened, I was going to instill the idea that they were servants before all else.

    It was an ambiguous n that heavily relied on assumptions, a scheme highly unlikely to work, but if it did, it would be a powerful card for them to use. That¡¯s why I was going to crush it here.

    ¡°I told you that I would turn them into faithful followers who would never betray mydy. I thought you could discern what I meant by that¨C or have I overestimated you?¡±

    Did he really not understand, or was he just looking down on me because I was a child? Not interested in the ipetence that he had shown, I turned a cold gaze his way.

    ¡°Y-you bastard¡­¡±

    The body double let out killing intent, but Unnamed grabbed his shoulder before he stood up. That was probably of his own will.

    Seeing that, the body double exhaled before sitting back down on the couch.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll ept the deal as it is.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I hope to continue a long and mutually beneficial rtionship with you.¡±

    I respectfully bowed and left the ce quietly.

    ¡ô ¡ô ¡ô

    ¡°¡­what a cheeky brat.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought he was pretty cute.¡±

    After seeing Cyril leave. Unnamed¡¯s body double¨C Quincy, sighed while Ireneughed at him.

    But Unnamed himself was making a troubled face.

    ¡°Guild master, what¡¯s wrong? I thought we did pretty good? If this goes well, we¡¯ll have a connection to a Marquis!¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah, that¡¯s true. However, now our ns have changed.¡±

    When he heard that a noble¡¯s daughter took some slum children into her protection, Unnamed made a n. He was going to use the children¡¯s parents as gateways to get information about the Marquis.

    The parents might¡¯ve sold them, but they were still their children. He thought that if he was able to sessfully manipte their emotions, they might begin seeking out their affection again.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t know if the noble wouldhire the siblings, nor did he know if the kids would really feelpassion for the parents that were willing to sell them. The sess rate of this n was never high.

    Still, he still thought it was worth trying when considering the benefits received if it worked.

    However¨C

    ¡°That kid, he saw right through us.¡±

    ¡°Really? Wasn¡¯t he just bluffing?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong. Remember how when you asked for thirty gold coins, he pulled out that leather bag as if he were expecting that offer from the very beginning?¡±

    ¡°¡­oh yeah.¡±

    The girl was actually originally sold for less than a single gold coin. Even if they didn¡¯t know her original selling price, no one would ever think she was worth thirty of them.

    Preparing multiple bags of smaller amounts would still be reasonable, but there was still some level of expectation needed for that as well.

    ¡°Come to think of it, he also said that he expected the payment to cover the parent¡¯s debt. Its a line that wouldn¡¯t havee out unless he knew that we were going to take them in under us.¡±

    ¡°¨Cif that¡¯s true¡­ then the n¡¯s a failure?¡±

    Quincy¡¯s face twisted in regret.

    ¡°No¡­ maybe notpletely.¡±

    After Cyril exined that he knew everything, he went on to remind them that he¡¯d turn Emma into a faithful follower that would never consider betrayal.

    The first thing thates to mind is that he¡¯d get rid of her parents in secret, but instead of abandoning them, he implied that their debt should be covered with the money he provided.

    The conclusion drawn from there is simple. Cyril was telling the dark guild to protect Emma¡¯s family so that they wouldn¡¯t be used by anyone.

    There was no real advantage for Cyril to gain from a connection with them. However, as long as they sheltered the parents, the dark guild would have a definite contact within he Rosenberg house.

    ¡°What, does that brat really think he¡¯s clever with just this much? We just need to break our end of the deal and its the end for him.¡±

    ¡°<i>If </i>he was just a normal kid, it¡¯d be that simple.¡±

    Unnamed recalled the interaction with the boy and scoffed.

    Cyril¨C who always spoke in polite tones throughout the transaction¡­ had empty eyes. It was as if he could see through everything, to the point that even Unnamed felt pressured.

    Unnamed had never seen a kid with those kind of eyes before¨C no, he was unique even among the sly adults that he met during his time as an aristocrat. The boy named Cyril was a monster wearing a child¡¯s skin.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as he said. He was going to create allies that would never consider betrayal. Even if we tried to use the parents, he was confident that he could educate the girl to stay faithful.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then, doesn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s no reason for us to take the parents in?¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s right.¡±

    While agreeing, Unnamed started to grin.

    If he was confident that they wouldn¡¯t be used, then there was no need to worry about the parents at all. It would¡¯ve been just fine to just cut them off and leave them in debt.

    Nheless, there was still one reason as to why Cyril directed Unnamed to protect them.

    ¡°Even if he understands the darkness of this country, he still valuespassion. Since he¡¯s not afraid to get his hands dirty, there isn¡¯t any need for him to raise those kids as the liabilities they may pose¡­ I¡¯ve actually taken a liking to him.¡±

    Having been framed for a crime he hadn¡¯tmitted, Unnamed hated high nobles. Even though he would take any chance to destroy arrogant aristocrats, that butler and the master he served seemed to be an exception.

    ¡°This will surely be a long rtionship indeed.¡±

    Thinking about the fun times toe, Unnamed¡¯s grin grew even wider.

    *Roy is referring to how Cyril¡¯s making him refer to himself using ¡®watashi(Ë½)¡¯ which is how women usually refer to themselves in normal speech.

 School Faction Riot Part One 4

    I was able to get permission to take Roy and Emma in as employees from the master.

    When I temporarily returned to the main estate and met with him, he said, ¡°I see, so its for Sophia¡¯s social studies? I definitely can¡¯t refuse in that case,¡± andughed at me.

    Apparently, all of my ns had been seen through.

    Well, that much was still within expectations. Since permission was granted either way, there¡¯s no problem. Rather, I should be happy that authorization was given even when my ulterior motives were read.

    The question now was, how far will the slum children be able to grow, and how well will they be able to pick up etiquette?

    I pondered this for a while before deciding to leave them to the maid. She¨C Rouch¨¦, was a flexible person and should be able to educate the two siblings despite their difference in values.

    Once the policies regarding the two kids had been decided, the next matter to focus on was the entrance ceremony. As the individual who received the top scores on the admission exams, mydy would have to greet the new students as the freshman representative.

    I wanted to look over the speech she wrote, but she was adamant about keeping it a secret.

    I¡¯ll admit that I was caught off guard, but mydy would eventually need to learn how to judge things on her own. I was sure she wouldn¡¯t fail though, so this should be a good experience for her.

    After telling her that I¡¯d support her decision, she confirmed that she would make the greeting herself.

    Since then, time slowly passed until the day of the entrance ceremony arrived.

    As usual, I went to mydy¡¯s room to pick her up. However, the caretaker maid told me that she wanted me to wait for her at the entrance hall.

    In ordance with that order, I went on standby to await her arrival. Soon after, I felt the presence of someone approaching me from behind, and looked back.

    ¡°¨Cmydy?¡±

    I unexpectedly lost my words at the sight before me. She was donning an elegant blouse decorated with frills, and a long skirt that gently spread out from the corset-style belt wrapped around her waist.

    In other words, mydy was wearing the school uniform from the game.

    She was three years younger than her counterpart from the original work, and the uniforms between the junior high and high school sections were slightly different.

    But even so, rather than the still image of her surrounded by effects, the real thing in front of me was far more breathtaking. The viinous daughter was gone, the girl before me was the personification of a crimson rose¡¯s beauty.

    ¡°You look very lovely, mydy.¡±

    ¡°¡­really?¡±

    ¡°Did you know that you¡¯re gossiped to be a saint that had fallen into high-society? If anyone were to see you now, they would undoubtedly believe those rumours to be true.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril, I want to hear your words, not others.¡±

    Despite being so charming to the point of easily captivating the second prince, her amethyst eyes were still shaking anxiously. Although she was mentally more mature than how she was three years from now in the game, at this moment, she was just another girl of her age.

    However, there was also justification as to why that was.

    Mydy was now surrounded by parents and servants who endlessly poured their affection on her. While outsiders have epted that she¡¯s carried on the prestige of the Rosenberg house.

    Even if she were to make an unsightly mistake, they would still call her beautiful.

    With that in mind, even a child would grow tired of the empty ttery. Mydy understood that, and was now questioning if my words were the same as well.

    After giving it a moment of thought, I first confirmed that there weren¡¯t any other servants in the vicinity. With that settled, I said, ¡°Your hair is a bit disorderly,¡± and as I brought myself closer to her face to fix her appearance¨C

    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the youngdy that I raised really cute?¡±

    ¨CI whispered that into her ear.

    ¡°Cy¡­ ril¡­?¡±

    Mydy blinked in surprise.

    Towards her reaction, I pressed my index finger against my lips.

    ¡°What I said just now is a secret, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­y-yes!¡±

    Now beaming, mydy seemed to be shining even more now. Just like a rose that¡¯s been carefully nurtured in a greenhouse, she was finally blooming like the flower she was.

    ¡°Hey, Cyril. Can you escort me to the carriage?¡±

    ¡°As you wish, mydy.¡±

    I took her hand in mine and guided her to the vehicle, but just before we arrived, she suddenly tightened her grip and pulled me over.

    Although this usually wouldn¡¯t do anything to me, mydy had been trained in self-defence techniques. She skillfully destroyed my bnce to the point where I was just barely able to hold my ground with a step.

    And during that one moment when I was leaning forward, she then brought her face up to my ear and whispered.

    ¡°Cyril, help me grow up even more cutely. Just until I can finally turn the person I love my way¡­ promise me, okay?¡±

    Letting go and shing me an impish smile, mydy then turned her back to me and boarded the carriage.

    After that¨C with mydy in a good mood, we traveled to the school before following the building directory to the campus auditorium.

    Seated within the audience, in addition to the new students that had just enrolled, there were graduates from the elementary section, and upperssmen from the junior high as well. The moment we entered, everyone nearby turned their eyes to mydy at once.

    She was the daughter of a Marquis with beauty far surpassing all others after all. That, alongside her indisputable im as the top student, it was only natural for them to focus on her.

    ¡°Their attention is gathering.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because of you, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­how so?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly insensitive to how others perceive you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line, mydy.¡±

    No matter how I thought about it, mydy was the center of their awareness.

    However, not being unnerved at their attention wasn¡¯t a bad thing, so I asked her, ¡°Are you ready to give your greeting as the freshman representative?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. Look forward to listening to its contents.¡±

    Lady Sophia started tough mischievously, but how interesting could a speech really be? While pondering that, I apanied mydy to the stage¡¯s wing as her attendant.

    Then after having a light discussion with the teacher in charge, Lady Sophia finished her preparations and turned to me.

    ¡°Cyril, please go back and take a seat.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡®I¡¯m your exclusive butler¡¯¨C but mydy shook her head before I could finish my sentence.

    ¡°You¡¯re also one of this school¡¯s students, and I want you to see me from the audience, not from here, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­understood.¡±

    After bowing my head, I told the teacher in charge that I¡¯d leave the rest to them and departed.

    When I returned to my seat, the surrounding students¡¯ attention gathered on me because of myte arrival. However, once I sat down, their interest waned and the auditorium was wrapped back into its usual bustle.

    As I waited for mydy to appear, I noticed some foreign voices within the noise. Focusing on my hearing, I could just barely make out their conversation.

    Apparently, they were dissatisfied that the second prince wasn¡¯t selected as the freshman representative to give the greeting.

    However, there was an opposing opinion that said it was only natural because he was a graduate from the elementary section, and since the person chosen instead was a noble as well, it should still be fine.

    It seems they held themoners in low regard.

    They were aristocrats with strong thoughts of elitism.

    Just because such a group existed in the original work didn¡¯t mean they were a powerful presence now. They shouldn¡¯t be that big, but I should still keep tags on them for mydy¡¯s sake.

    Mydy¡¯s game counterpart was brought up in an environment full of harassment from hermoner maids, so she didn¡¯t have a very good opinion of the lower-ss. This became the foundation for the developments involving the elitist faction.

    This was especially prominent in the route where the son of the Lacourtpany¡¯s president¨C Libert, approaches the heroine.

    The elitists couldn¡¯t ept that themon people were growing in power. Therefore, there¡¯s an event in which they start to harass Libert, but mydy is the one found guilty for it instead.

    The dark guild doesn¡¯t be hostile unless their opponent is a domineering noble, but the elitists use Lady Sophia as the scapegoat against themoners regardless.

    In a way, they were worse than the dark guild.

    Even so, since there¡¯s still three years until the heroine arrives, we should still be fine for the time being¡­ though I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯ve jinxed myself with how many times I¡¯ve repeated that.

    But it¡¯s a groundless worry, I¡¯ve already investigated this behind the scenes.

    At a certain party, Viscount Lindberg¨C Alicia¡¯s father, has testified that he was going to send his daughter to get a formal education starting from the highschool section. This has been confirmed.

    I made sure of this after the first prince¡¯s birthday party.

    Consistent with the game¡¯s setting, her parents were against her admission into the academy and will persuade her to relent until highschool.

    Not to say that I didn¡¯t have concerns.

    Including mydy, the behaviour of the surroundings have changed from the game due to my interference. Eventually, a world that¡¯spletely different from what I¡¯m familiar with may arise.

    Keeping that in mind, we still needed to be wary of the elitists.

    In the game they moved more subtly. At least to the point that they wouldn¡¯t be having such a dangerous conversation in public, where the chance of being overheard was possible.

    I¡¯m not sure if this was a revision that would ur within the three years before the game¡¯s start, or if this was already one of the future¡¯s changes, but it was still important to keep an eye on them anyway.

    As long as mydy didn¡¯t say anything to offend them in her greeting as the freshman representative, everything should be fine¡­ damn. I should¡¯ve confirmed the contents of her speech beforehand in anticipation of this.

    ¡­no, she should be okay.

    Mydy was the one who decided to make the script for her address without consulting me, so it wasn¡¯t my job to stop or scrutinise it.

    I should take measures in preparation for any problems that may urter though.

    But with that in mind, I needed to actually hear her speech first.

    I made that decision as I waited for mydy to show herself.

    Soon after, the freshman representative¡¯s greeting was announced by a magical tool made to convey voices over long distances. Along with that promation, Lady Sophia appeared in her school uniform.

    With each step, mydy¡¯s blonde hair shined as it reflected the luminescence of the hall¡¯s lighting, while her graceful figure created an almost fantastical atmosphere throughout the venue.

    As if loved by the spirits of light, she calmly walked up to the stage¡¯s podium under the spotlight.

    Now standing in front of the megaphone magic tool, she slowly looked over the audience.

    It probably wasn¡¯t my imagination when I felt our gazes meet. When a small grin floated onto mydy¡¯s face in response, sighs leaked from my surroundings at her beauty.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Sophia Rosenberg.¡±

    The auditorium was wrapped in a clear and warm tone that rxed its listeners. Having received vocal training from a young age, mydy¡¯s voice was extremely appealing to hear.

    Everyone was hanging off her words with just that one sentence.

    But then¨C

    ¡°I¡¯m not really the person who¡¯s supposed to be standing here.¡±

    She gently said that and smiled.

    Combined with her facial expressions and tone, nobody understood what she meant at first. However, as the meaning of those words dawned on them, unrest quickly spread throughout the audience.

    ¡°When I was younger, I was very lonely and thought I wasn¡¯t loved by my parents. I couldn¡¯t speak for myself and was constantly harassed by my maid as well. A self-conscious and miserable child. That¡¯s the person I used to be.¡±

    Mydy, what are you saying?!

    This shocked me to the point that I could almost feel my soul leaving my mouth. Oblivious to my current state, mydy continued on, ¡°But there was a person who reached out to me regardless.¡±

    Her eyes caught mine again.

    ¡°Thanks to that person, I learned that my parents actually loved me. It¡¯s because he taught me many things that I can stand here before you all now. He¡¯s why I can greet you all as the freshman representative in his ce.¡±

    ¡­everything up until now seems to have just been the prelude.

    ¡°In this new season where the breeze dances gently within the skies, we have been weed into this school.¡±

    Just as her clear voice spoke those words, a soft wind blew through the venue. The central theme of mydy¡¯s speech was herself, but it was still a good greeting.

    I was worried about what would happen at first, but things seem to be safe for now. The buzz surrounding the auditorium settled down as soon as the main part of her address began.

    However, this was the first time a freshman representative had ever said something like that. Her words had left vivid impressions in many ways¡­ but the contents of her speech were a bigger problem.

    Anyone who knew Lady Sophia would realise ¡®that person¡¯ she was talking about was hermoner butler, but on the other hand, if they didn¡¯t know anything, they might misunderstand her intentions when she remarked that she was harassed by her maid.

    It wouldn¡¯t be surprising at all for people to think that mydy was hostile to themoners.

    There was a possibility now that the elitists woulde into contact with her while thinking that she¡¯s arade. If she rejected them, they¡¯d then recognise her as an enemy, but if she weed them, there¡¯s a high probability that they¡¯ll use her as a scapegoat like in the game.

    Normally I¡¯din that this was a hassle, but it was my job to eliminate her problems and guarantee that she was content no matter what happened. I didn¡¯t intend to cast a shadow on mydy¡¯s school life just because of troubles on this level.

    I will make sure that she gets her happy ending.

    ¡­but more problematic than that was the fact that she hinted that I was the person who was supposed to be giving the greeting. Just like when I was challenged at the exam site, it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to keep a low-profile this time either.

    I had no intentions to affirm her ims myself, but I didn¡¯t want to give people reason to doubt her words either. It seems it was necessary to show that she was telling the truth with my actions.

    ¡­seriously, all I wanted to do was support mydy from the background.

 School Faction Riot Part One 5

    This school teaches three courses.

    First, was the ss taught to the nobility centered on governing studies. This naturally included the knowledge necessary for socialisation, such as courtesy, dance and the general arts.

    Next, was the ss dedicated to themoners. This one was centered around economics, where the minimum amount of etiquette required for dealing with aristocrats was taught as well.

    Finally was the ss for those who attended to the nobility. They were taught a wide range of subjects here, since the skills they needed would change depending on who they would end up serving.

    As a side note, the country¡¯s literacy rate and general level of education were by no means high. Themoners who attended capital city¡¯s academy were the elites among their social ss.Each of the three courses listed above were then ssified further ording to their grades. Naturally, Lady Sophia was in the A-ss of the nobility course, and I was put into the A-ss of the servant course.

    Therefore, there weren¡¯t many opportunities for mydy and I toe into contact even while we were in the same school.

    I attended to her during the pick-up and drop-off when entering and leaving the school, as well as during lunch, but she was left in the care of a maid during the other breaks and sses.

    However, since it wasn¡¯t like we were connected at the hips at all times, the time that I spent serving her wasn¡¯t really reduced by that much at all. So things didn¡¯t actually feel that different, surprisingly.

    In any case, it was more important to avert mydy¡¯s execution end while making sure that she finds happiness instead. With that in mind, there were some immediate points that needed to be taken care of.

    First, mydy needed to avoid getting involved with the elitist faction. It would be impossible for her to be framed for a sin she wasn¡¯t guilty of if she wasn¡¯t associated with them from the beginning.

    Next, she needed to foster a good rtionship with the second prince. Mydy was executed in the game because she turned a royal into her enemy. Keeping the prince¡¯s favour will be key to avoiding the execution.

    After that, it was prudent that she didn¡¯t turn themoners hostile. This was rted to the first reason, but if they became her adversaries, then the elitists might use that fact for their schemes.

    However, if she got along with them too much, the elitists might turn into her enemies regardless. Therefore, it was necessary to keep a bnce with both sides here.

    Lastly, I needed to make sure that mydy doesn¡¯t fall into darkness. Even if Alicia wasn¡¯t here, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that there wasn¡¯t anyone here she could get jealous of. So it was crucial that I watched over my actions and made sure that nothing urred that would cause her grief.

    Fortunately, Lady Sophia and the second prince are both in the A-ss, and with how clearly the prince favours her, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for a friendship to form between them.

    Unfortunately, there were even more things I had to do while addressing these issues.

    In the first ce, mydy and I were executed in the game because we were betrayed by those we consideredrades while we were in the middle ofmitting an act of evil. We would never do anything of the sort now, but it was important to find a reliable ally.

    For those goals, it was necessary to establish a position within my ss. If I ended up isted, I might inadvertently create unneeded enemies.

    With those thoughts in mind, the first day of my school life began.

    I dropped mydy off at her ss before visiting the servant A-ss. Many students had already gathered there and separated into groups.

    As I looked around to find a conversation I could join, I met the gaze of one of my ssmates.

    He seemed like a simple brown haired boy, but I felt something insidious behind his blue eyes. In the game, there shouldn¡¯t have been any important figures from the servant course, and the moment I thought that¨C his expression suddenly broke down.

    Before I could even understand what had happened, he was already in tears as he held the back of his head.

    ¡°That hurts! Chloe, what the hell are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Its because you were being stupid, Luke. Why are you ring at someone on your first meeting? Sorry about that. Uhh¡­ Cyril, right? This guy here was jealous of your grades.¡±

    It was a brown haired girl who said that.

    ¨Cin short, the boy named Luke was scowling at me because he was envious of my results, and noticing that, the girl named Chloe hit the back of his head in admonishment.

    A strange exnation for sure, but it was somewhat interesting¡­ let¡¯s hear them out for the time being.

    ¡°You two seem to get along really well, were you acquainted before you came here?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m this stupid Luke¡¯s childhood friend.¡±

    ¡°I see, so you have an inseparable rtionship?¡±

    At the very least, Chloe didn¡¯t seem to be hostile.

    I still wasn¡¯t sure about Luke, but¨C when he directed his line of sight my way, he let out a surprisingly friendly greeting, and went, ¡°I¡¯m Luke. Nice to meetcha.¡±

    Having broken the ice, we started talking with each other.

    They seem to have entered this school in service of a certain aristocratic daughter.

    The details were skipped, but apparently she took them in despite theirmoner backgrounds after they lost their parents. Roughly speaking, they were currently in the position I had nned for Roy and Emma in the future.

    Well, by the time they finished telling me their story, all of Luke¡¯s hostility I felt from before was gone. There were still some parts I was concerned about, but they didn¡¯t seem to be bad people.

    ¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll be studying in the same ss for the next year, so let¡¯s get along.¡±

    ¡°Agreed! It¡¯s very nice to meet you, Cyril!¡±

    ¡°Yes, its a pleasure to meet you two as well.¡±

    I responded to their goodwill with a smile. I was worried something would happen after seeing the elitist faction at the entrance ceremony, but my school life seems to be having quite the smooth start.

    ¡°Everyone, please take your seats.¡±

    Such a voice suddenly resounded from the room¡¯s entrance. When I turned my gaze that way, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a teacher was standing there.

    I was slightly surprised to see a face that I knew, but decided to sit down first. Since we didn¡¯t have designated seats, I just quickly chose one that was vacant.

    My other ssmates followed suit. Their agile movements being evidence that they truly belonged in the servant course¡¯s A-ss.

    ¡°Wee to my ss, everyone. To be here means that you¡¯re the top elites of this school. You are already splendid servants in your own right¨C not, did you really think that?¡±

    The teacher¡¯s attitude suddenly changed.

    He didn¡¯t introduce himself, but his name was Tristan. Incidentally, he was also my uncle.

    Although he was brought up as a servant of the Rosenberg house, during his time here in the school, the royal family took a liking to him and he ended up bing the exclusive butler of the king¡¯s brother.

    He was a very talented person, but as you can see, he had a bit of a two-sided personality. He might look youthful, but he was actually in histe thirties.

    ck eyes and brown hair. Standing on the pulpit, professor Tristan looked almost exactly the same as he did in the game. In Espressivo of Light and Darkness, he was one of Alicia¡¯s potential capture targets.

    By the way, my previous life¡¯s sister was a big fan of Tristan cosy, so when I saw him there, I remembered her a little and felt a bit nostalgic.

    This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen him in person, but he had a really cool atmosphere around him. As expected of the character that had overwhelming poprity among older women.

    Such a guy had suddenly bared his fangs towards the confused freshmen.

    ¡°You might have the top scores in the entrance examination, but that¡¯s only for a junior high standard. If you think you¡¯re something special with just this much, you¡¯ll find yourself quickly dropping out.¡±

    As a reincarnator, I knew that his words were true.

    I was the runner-up in this year¡¯s exams, so in the servant course, I was undoubtedly the top scorer, but that was only because of my memories from my past life as a student.

    If I grewcent with how I currently was, I would no longer be suitable to be mydy¡¯s exclusive butler. It was necessary to improve myself even further from now on.

    However, this eptance was also because of my reincarnation. To the many others here who weren¡¯t, the teacher¡¯s statement was definitely uneptable. The room was suddenly filled with hostility against him.

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re making a face that says you don¡¯t agree with me. If you have something you want to tell me, then just do it already.¡±

    ¡°¡­no, I don¡¯t intend to argue with the professor¡¯s words.¡±

    The nominated student answered so.

    Not aint, it was a patient response that didn¡¯t openly voice any protests¨C but still had its true intent clear to see.

    ¡°In that case, this is an order. If you have something you want to say, then say it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you understand how rare of an opportunity this is? Or are you the kind of person who can¡¯t speak for themselves?¡±

    ¡°¡­urgh. I¡¯ll speak because you¡¯re so insistent, but I¡¯m already working in a mansion. I don¡¯t think that the skills I¡¯ve developed until now are only suitable for a junior highschool level.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see. Then you¡¯re nothing special after all, did you seriously not notice how much your environment tolerates you?¡±

    He undermined and threw away the kid¡¯s self confidence with that one sentence.

    ¡°What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, then I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s because you¡¯re a child that your surroundings are still being sweet to you. With your current line of thinking, you¡¯ll be cruelly hurt by reality one day.¡±

    ¡°O-on what basis are you saying such things?! You don¡¯t know anything about me!¡±

    Was his pride hurt? His face was twitching.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but I do know that you scored an eighty-three in the etiquette exam and a seventy-six in the dance one. That alone is enough.¡±

    ¡°What about it? My scores should be among higher ones in the ss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s a big deal because they¡¯re only high marks for a junior high examination. It¡¯d only be natural for a professional servant to get a perfect results with something of this level.¡±

    ¡°¡­if you¡¯re saying that, then what scores did you get during our age, professor?¡±

    ¡°Oh, me? I passed with wless grades in all subjects.¡±

    All of the students except for me gasped.

    There was only one person who had passed all of the exams with perfect scores in this school, bing something of a myth. Every servant knew of the legendary butler¨C Tristan, who was personally scouted by the royal family.

    My ssmates now knew the true identity of the person standing before them.

    ¡°N-no way, I didn¡¯t know you were Lord Tristan, please forgive me for my rude remarks!¡±

    The boy who was acting so impudent until now suddenly turned pale and bowed. There wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t know of professor Tristan¡¯s excellence. To have criticized the butler who personally served the royal family, it was only natural to panic.

    However, the man himself was making an amazed face.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the ¡®Lord?¡¯ I¡¯m just a butler¨C no, I¡¯m a teacher right now. Either way, I might¡¯ve received wless grades in all subjects, but I was no different from how all of you are currently.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­ mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Back then, I was nothing more than a kid that had grown full of himself thinking he was something special. Even though I was able to do exceptionally well in school, there was nothing but an endless series of struggles and failures waiting for meter on in life.¡±

    He spoke to us with a condescending attitude to build up hostility, only to reveal his true identity and show us our ce.

    On top of that, he admitted that he made the same mistakes as us in his youth. With professor Tristan¡¯s cunning maniption of the situation, the students were now overflowing with admiration for him despite the hostility they were directing his way just a few moments ago.

    It was a great way to seize the hearts of the people.

    The story he then proceeded to tell of himself was when he was still only twelve, and how much of a tough time he had when he was chosen as the prince¡¯s exclusive butler. I don¡¯t think any of us were likely to be put in the same situation that he was in, but only a truly boorish person would voice that opinion now.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ll undoubtedly make many mistakes in the future, but don¡¯t worry. At the very least, if you fail during school, I¡¯ll be there to follow up on you. So challenge your limits with confidence!¡±

    ¡°T-thank you so much! Please take care of us from now on!¡±

    ¡°Good answer. I was a little tough on you all earlier, but you truly are excellent. Make sure to show off the difference between yourselves and the others.¡±

    He then proceeded to write on the ckboard, ¡®New Student Wee Party Set-up¡¯ in beautiful handwriting.

    ¡°The wee party for the new admissions will be held one month from now. All the new students will get to enjoy it except for you of the A-ss servant course. You¡¯ll be given the honour of setting it up and running it.¡±

    So that¡¯s it, they¡¯ll leave the preparations for the wee party to us as a way ease us into the curriculum. It¡¯s a good introduction method for the servant course.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have full control. Remember, your results will not only be seen by the other servant sses, but also by all the nobles andmoners of the same grade.¡±

    The sound of people audibly swallowing their saliva reverberated around the ss. It was quite demonic of them to put this much pressure on us right after saying we were failures that still had much to learn.

    ¡°¨Cby the way, which one of you is Cyril?¡±

    I raised my hand when my name was called. He might be my uncle, but this is the first time we¡¯ve actually met, so it seems he didn¡¯t know my face.

    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re Cyril, then? I heard you stood out quite a bit during the exams.¡±

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t remember doing anything special.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just leave it at that. Anyways, for the time being you¡¯ll be the ss representative. Bring your ssmates together and show us your skills with the new student wee party.¡±

    ¡°¨Cunderstood.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second here! Why is he the ss representative?!¡±

    At the same moment that I responded, a voice of objection resounded out.

    Looking my way, a red-haired boy was the culprit. It was the same person who challenged me at the testing venue, Raymond. It looks like he was put into the A-ss as well.

    ¡°Why is Cyril the representative? Its because he received the best results within the ss, he¡¯s the runner-up for the top score among the freshmen.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be true! He only got a fifty-one on the dance examination!¡±

    My ssmates broke out into amotion at that statement. Needless to say, it was weird to hear that the person with the second highest score just barely passed an exam.

    The results for the practical exams were only revealed to their respective groups. Most of them wouldn¡¯t know what grades I received in the other tests.

    Some of them sent meaningful smiles my way, so it seems like the ones that stayed quiet were those that knew about my situation. I wonder if I¡¯m not going to be able to send salt to my rivals anymore.*

    ¡°Hmm¡­ that is the truth, isn¡¯t it? Cyril, I¡¯m actually curious about this as well. Why did you only score fifty-one points on the hundred-point exam?¡±

    My score was halved because I abandoned the exam half-way. He seemed to be asking this despite already knowing that I surpassed a perfect grade, but those who didn¡¯t know the situation wouldn¡¯t understand that.

    The surroundings would be thinking that the teacher was growing suspicious of me.

    It¡¯d be easy to bring this scene to a close.

    I just needed to exin the circumstances behind my score.

    But that was true for professor Tristan as well. He could¡¯ve easily settled this if he just revealed the reality behind my results.

    Nevertheless, what he said could be misunderstood as him suspecting me of fraud.

    The reason for this was a no-brainer. Just a little while ago, he provoked the students without giving his name so he could push them to reflect against inadvertent actions based off of ack of information.

    And yet again, he was goading them on without revealing why I only scored fifty-one on my exam.

    If the first case was the practice question, then this case was the applied question.

    Learn through your mistakes. He said he would follow up on us if we ever failed while in school. This was just how he taught.

    I didn¡¯t have to be his aplice, but if I told everyone that I had actually surpassed a perfect grade, I¡¯d be belittling mydy¡¯s aplishment.

    Therefore, I decided to go along with his expectations.

    ¡°Well, Cyril? Why do you think that is?¡±

    ¡°Who can say¡­ I¡¯m not an examiner, so I don¡¯t know how they evaluated us.¡±

    ¡°Huh. I see¡­ okay then, lets have you prove your ability with this party¡¯s setup instead.¡±

    When I received that order, I lowered my head.

    But some of the students¨C including Raymond, didn¡¯t seem satisfied with that. They appealed to professor Tristan to rethink this.

    ¡°Alright, I get it. In that case, raise your hand if you can¡¯t ept this.¡±

    About two-thirds of the studentsplied to his announcement.

    Honestly, it was actually less than I expected.

    I didn¡¯t think there were that many people who actually knew that I was the runner up, so¡­ did they just believe in professor Tristan¡¯s judgement, or have they already learned from their earlier mistakes?

    As expected of the A-ss. There were quite a few excellent students here.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, that¡¯s just about the right number of people. Those who raised their hands will be in charge of the courtyard venue, while those who didn¡¯t will set up the main venue under Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    To prove who was superior in ability, the two groups wouldpete against each other with the party¡¯s set up. However, Raymond started snapping at why therger group didn¡¯t get the main area.

    ¡°Right now the ss representative is Cyril, that¡¯s why. Not to mention¡­ if the side venue somehow outsses the main one itself, wouldn¡¯t that be exciting?¡±

    The main site catered to the aristocrats while the courtyard¡¯s was more for themoners.

    It would be a problem for me if the side area received more praise. At that time, the fact that our two groups werepeting would¡¯ve already spread, so my reputation would plummet as a result.

    Professor Tristan dangled that bait in front of Raymond¨C

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll definitely tear off that perfect mask he always has on.¡±

    ¨Cand he brilliantly took it.

    He riled up the ss conflict to encourage their growth throughpetition. As expected of the popr character that was directly scouted by the royal family for his talents.

    Not bad.

    I was just thinking that I needed a way to prove my abilities in ordance to mydy¡¯s wishes.

    The teacher will take care of the clean-up afterwards, so there¡¯s no way I can miss this opportunity. After demonstrating my skills as mydy¡¯s exclusive butler, I will consolidate this ss as one.

    *Raibaru ni shio wo okuru(¥é¥¤¥Ð¥ë¤Ë‰c¤òËÍ¤ë), or ¡®Sending salt to your rivals¡¯ is a japanese idiom that means ¡®even in conflict, one should act with humanity¡¯. The saying originates from feudal Japan. Since there isn¡¯t much rock salt from the earth there, when a feudal lord whose domain didn¡¯t have any ess to the ocean was surrounded by hostile territories, the enemies would ¡®send salt¡¯ to them since it was impossible for them to replenish it on their own.

    When Cyril is talking about not sending salt, he¡¯s referring to how the exposure of his grades would only bring humiliation to Raymond and all others criticising hiscking dance score. Keeping quiet about it was him ¡®sending salt¡¯ to help them keep face, but at that moment, he was wondering if he¡¯d be forced to reveal the secret here and embarrass them.

 School Faction Riot Part One 6

    My long-term goals were to avoid the future where mydy and I were executed, and to bring her happiness. Though before that, I had to prove my abilities as her exclusive butler.

    The only advantage that I had were the memories of my previous life, I¡¯ve never been a genius.

    Despite this, mydy had said that her butler was the best there was, and betraying her expectations of me was uneptable. Even if I wasn¡¯t a genius, I was going to prove that her words weren¡¯t wrong.

    The opportunity to do so came faster than expected. If I was sessful in setting up the wee party for the new students, I¡¯d be able to match the trust mydy ced in me.

    However, although I was chosen as the ss representative, I was starting from the worst possible situation where I didn¡¯t have the confidence of my peers in the slightest. Those who stood in opposition of me had separated into another group, but even those who stayed didn¡¯t think highly me.

    Eventually, the ss will need to be brought together.

    Nheless, my current priority was to make sure the party setup was sessful. To do that, I needed to win the faith of my group members.

    I thought this as I gathered myrades assigned to the main site¡¯s arrangement during the break.

    ¡°I believe that¡¯s everyone. You see, I want to assign the jobs for the venue¡¯s set up, so please tell me what you¡¯re skilled at and what you want to do.¡±At my query, confused reactions came out from my ssmates. Despite already having an inkling of why, I asked them what was wrong.

    They all turned to look at each other, and then Luke eventually raised his hand.

    ¡°Cyril, aren¡¯t you in charge?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was assigned as such.¡±

    ¡°So then what do you want us to do? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to focus on the setup¡¯s sess and just assign us based on our skills alone?¡±

    ¡°That certainly would be the most efficient way. However, aren¡¯t we here because we wanted to learn various things?¡±

    Setting up the party <i>was </i>important, but at the same time this was a chance for us to gain experience.

    Professor Tristan said that it was okay to make mistakes because we could grow from them. Of course, I had no intentions of failing, but I wasn¡¯t going to neglect my ssmate¡¯s chance to learn something new in favour of victory.

    When I told them that, everyone started shouting out the special skills they had and what they wanted to do one after another. Apparently, they didn¡¯t think that they¡¯d be able to express themselves in this project.

    I gathered their opinions together and assigned jobs so that those with expertise in something could watch over and help those that wanted to get better at simr skills.

    Thest one left was Luke.

    ¡°What do you want to do, Luke?¡±

    ¡°I want to gain experience in managing others¡­ but I guess that¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯tit be? How about being my assistant? You might not be able to give orders directly, but I think there¡¯s still a lot you can learn by acting as my aide.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you okay with that?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. There¡¯s no problems at all as long as you¡¯re okay with this arrangement as well.¡±

    Luke then rubbed under his nose with his finger and said, ¡°Then by all means, please let me be your assistant.¡± Apparently, he seems to have epted my proposal.

    I looked around to see if there were any problems, but everyone else seemed pretty motivated as well.

    For the time being, it seems like I was able to provide a working environment they were all satisfied with. Let¡¯s continue to work hard so that they¡¯lle to ept me as their representative.

    With the party being only a month away, I¡¯d like to continue at this pace, but there wasn¡¯t much free time allotted to us for the set up.

    Our morning sses continuedter on like normal.

    In this course, we were taught the necessities, but were required to be prepared for various situations.

    Lessons started with the general housekeeping chores such asundry, cooking, and putting in orders for goods. We also learnt how to do paperwork to help our masters, as well as what music would be appropriate for selection during parties.

    Some employees were specialists for one designated task, but normal servants were supposed to be generalists that can do a little bit of everything.

    Therefore, the subjects covered were both wide and shallow, while the knowledge we werecking was something to be learned on our own time.

    ¨Cthat might sound difficult, but most of what I learned to teach mydy was already self-taught, so it actually wasn¡¯t that hard at all.

    Taking in the different perspectives of others will deepen your insight.

    As I indifferentlypleted my work, the morning sses finished before I even knew it.

    Lunch break.

    I finished my meal early and visited Lady Sophia¡¯s ssroom. As expected of the course centered around the aristocrats, there were many escorts and servants on standby at the entrance.

    After telling the guards I was there to take care of my duties as mydy¡¯s butler, I entered the ssroom. As I approached her, she was just putting away her writing utensils.

    ¡°Oh, Cyril? You know it¡¯s perfectly fine for you to enjoy your lunch break instead ofing here for me, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m your exclusive butler, mydy.¡±

    A bit of a dispute had urred in the servant course, so mydy was worried that I had involved myself with something troublesome¨C to which I obviously didn¡¯tment on.

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril. Can you brew me some tea then?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    After such an exchange, the youngdies around us started whispering.

    Although I wasn¡¯t able to make out much with how quietly they spoke, but it seems they were talking about a ¡®rumoured student butler.¡¯ Hearing that, Ilooked around and noticed that there weren¡¯t any other student servants besides myself.

    I guess a junior high student who was already employed by someone was quite rare.

    ¡°Fufu~ Cyril isn¡¯t just skilled, he¡¯s a master of brewing tea. Do you all want to try some as well?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, would that be okay?¡±

    Eyes full of expectations gathered on mydy.

    That said, my tea brewing skills weren¡¯t anything special. It was probably more for the fact that they were invited to a tea party by <i>the </i>Lady Sophia.

    Pretending as if she didn¡¯t notice it, mydy¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter in the slightest.

    ¡°Of course. Cyril, may I trouble you with this?¡±

    ¡°Just leave it to me. Where should I bring it once it¡¯s ready?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ we¡¯ll be on the other side of the terrace then.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    I respectfully bowed, and then left for the courtyard to draw water from the well.

    For aristocratic residences, there were water supply systems built off of magic tools.

    Naturally, there were simr systems used in the academy where the children of nobles attended, but when tea was made using water from said system, both the colour and the vour of it changed.

    I had already confirmed beforehand that this water wasn¡¯t suitable for brewing tea.

    By the way, it¡¯s been said that the water drawn from shallow wells was exceptionally suitable for tea. With that in mind, the school¡¯s water system probably taps into deep wells because of therge amount needed for an establishment of this size.

    That¡¯s why I pumped water from the well in the courtyard before moving to the school¡¯s kitchte.

    The water was then poured into a kettle.

    ¡°First of all-¡±

    I used wind magic to add air to the water inside the kettle. By doing so, the phenomenon of jumping urs as the leaves are steamed, allowing the taste of the tea leaves to grow more prominent.

    Incidentally, magic can be used to simte the jumping by itself, but since the taste of the tea is enhanced by the added air, just recreating the phenomenon alone wasn¡¯t enough.

    If you want to brew delicious tea, it was necessary to have the hot water properly aired.

    Next, the prepared water was boiled on a stove magic tool.

    The pot and cups were then warmed with arge amount of hot water. Once the warming was finished, I dumped the hot water, put in the appropriate number of tea leaves for the people partaking in the brew, poured in the now-boiled prepared water, and covered it.

    After that, there was nothing left to do but leave it to the convection¨C since I would be serving other girls tea as well, there was no need to pour the tea into the cups yet.

    It was necessary to pour it in front of them to remove any suspicions of poison.

    With that in mind¨C using a tea cart, I brought what I had prepared to my destination without shaking the teapot. On the terrace round table, there were already several youngdies gathered with their servants standing behind them.

    Anyways, the girls were practically bleeding with curiosity towards me, while the servants silently judged my behaviour as they tried to act indifferent. While waiting, Lady Sophia seems to have been singing my praises to them.

    But there was no need to worry.

    As usual, I will just serve the best tea that I can.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting, mydy.¡±

    I lined the teacups in a ce where everyone could see, before checking the time spent steaming with an hourss. Then after picking up the teapot at the optimum time, I began pouring the amber liquid into the cups.

    I poured them into all the cups little by little to avoid unevenness in the vour. While thest drop¨C the golden drop that held the most delicious part of the brew, was dripped into mydy¡¯s cup.

    ¡°This is the local specialty of the Rosenberg territory. We used carefully selected tea leaves for this brew. I rmend drinking it as it is, but please feel free to add milk or lemons ording to your preferences.¡±

    While stretching the nerves throughout my body, I ced the teacups in front of youngdies. In order to prevent the tea inside of the cups from rippling, I served the saucers in a way that wouldn¡¯t make a sound when ced down.

    Then finally, I ced Lady Sophia¡¯s teacup in front of her.

    After a short pause, mydy then picked up her cup and took the first sip. This was one of the manners of aristocrats, it was an act that proved that any goods prepared by the organiser weren¡¯t poisoned.

    In other words, it was a so-called poison test, but after taking a plentiful swallow, mydy smiled happily.

    ¡°Delicious as always. I¡¯m proud to have you as my butler, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­your words are wasted on me.¡±

    I bowed my head while thinking that she was exaggerating.

    However¡­

    ¡°Eh? Is this really¡­ tea?¡±

    A youngdy sporting a ringlet hairstyle let out a confused voice after following Lady Sophia¡¯s example.

    ¨Cat that moment, the servants standing behind the other girls reached out their hands to prevent their charges from drinking.

    But with the ringlet youngdy having already drank a mouthful of the tea, her maid approached me and shouted, ¡°What did you do to mydy¡¯s tea?!¡±

    The terrace was in amotion, but it was the ringlet youngdy that raised her voice to quell it.

    ¡°W-wait a moment! I didn¡¯t say that because I suspected them of spiking my drink, it¡¯s just¡­ this tea is far more fragrant and delicious than any I¡¯ve ever had before.¡±

    ¡°¡­you said that because you couldn¡¯t believe how delicious it was?¡±

    The maid who had drawn close to me was making a troubled expression, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable. The youngdy¡¯s reaction was quite misleading, it couldn¡¯t be helped if one assumed that some kind of foreign matter was mixed into it.

    ¡°T-this might be rude of me, but could I please confirm this im?¡±

    The troubled maid appealed to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°But of course, I don¡¯t mind at¨C¡±

    ¡°¨Cthere¡¯s no point.¡±

    The one who denied the maid¡¯s request was the ringlet youngdy she served.

    ¡°T-there¡¯s no point?¡±

    Ignoring the maid¡¯s confusion, the ringlet youngdy brought the teacup back to her mouth. She seemed to want to finish off what still remained¨C but then she noticed the gazes gathered on her.

    ¡°N-nevermind, I¡¯m the one that was in the wrong. Lady Sophia, it may be rude, but would it be okay for my maid to try some of the tea to prove your butler¡¯s innocence?¡±

    To have proposed that meant that she wasn¡¯t suspicious of poison. She might¡¯ve been the cause of this situation, but it was good to see that she was willing to take responsibility to fix things.

    Lady Sophia cheerfully consented to soften the tense atmosphere.

    And so¨C

    ¡°T-this is¡­ tea?¡±

    A smallmotion broke out again when the maid opened her eyes wide after tasting the tea.

    ¡°P-please excuse my remarks. The tea was amazingly delicious.¡±

    ¡°So you think so as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes. It¡¯s frustrating, but I¡¯d never be able to brew something like this.¡±

    For her, who had the position to grant her master¡¯s requests, no matter what they were, this was a substantial deration of defeat. I was surprised to hear such wordse from the mouth of not a student like myself, but a professional maid.

    ¡°A-aren¡¯t you exaggerating a little? You¡¯re from a Viscount house, so you might not be able to procure the finest tea leaves, but for me, the daughter of a Count¡­ t-this is tea?!¡±

    She stopped her objection mid-way.

    And it wasn¡¯t just her, <i>all </i>of the youngdies were having the same reaction. They seem to have realised that the tea I brewed was different from what anyone else had made for them before.

    ¨Cbut the most surprised person here was me.

    In retrospect, my father made a big fuss about how I brewed my tea when he tested me on whether I was suitable to be mydy¡¯s exclusive butler.

    Could it be that the way I make my tea is a new technique that hasn¡¯t been discovered yet?

    I never realised this because mydy was the only one I ever served tea to, but apparently tea-brewing techniques are less developed in this world than I thought. Lady Sophia should¡¯ve been aware of it though, and when I turned my gaze towards her¨C she sent a mischievous smile back at me.

    Did she realise this and decide to keep it hidden until now?

    ¡°Ldy Sophia, where did he gain such skills?!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s always been good at making tea ever since our childhood. Hey Cyril, did you learn this from someone?¡±

    ¡°No, not really.¡±

    When I said that I was self-taught, the girls and the servants were staring at me. Perhaps they had finally understood the odd situation of how a child the same age as his mistress was already employed as her exclusive butler.

    It would be troublesome to escape now¡­ no, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for a servant of a Marquis¡¯ daughter to run away, and above all else, it seems like Lady Sophia wants my skills to be recognised.

    In order to raise my reputation, she had asked me to brew tea at this time.

    If my techniques were kept a secret, then every time mydy holds a tea party, she could sell my name by having me brew tea. The poprity of her tea parties would rise as well, killing two birds with one stone.

    However, this was the world of high society that mydy was experiencing for the first time after attending school. Let¡¯s see how she¡¯s going to deal with this situation.

    Noticing my line of sight, Lady Sophia smiled and slightly nodded, before turning back to the youngdies surrounding the table.

    ¡°If you want, would you like to have Cyril teach your servants how he brews tea?¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    A number of voices arose.

    However, the ringlet youngdy was making an iprehensible expression.

    ¡°¡­are you sure about this?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say it out loud, but it¡¯s clear that she was referring to how this would cheapen the value of the technique. Not just myself, but all of the servants seemed to be wondering about this as well.

    The attention of everyone who wanted the answer to this was naturally directed to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll also allow you to share the skills learned with others. However, please make sure to make it public that you learned these techniques from Cyril, my exclusive butler.¡±

    Someone gasped.

    No, everyone gasped.

    Mydy¡¯s proposal was too enticing to pass up.

    If you thought about it normally, you might think that this promise wouldn¡¯t be kept. You¡¯d assume that the technique¡¯s association with the Rosenberg house and my name would disappear as it spreads.

    But it won¡¯t.

    Mydy is the daughter of a Marquis holding considerable power. To say that you¡¯ve learned groundbreaking techniques from her came with a special meaning, it could be seen as proof that you were on friendly terms with her.

    No one would let such a privilege escape from their grasp.

    In other words, each time one of thesedies had their servants brew tea in a tea party, they¡¯ll say they were taught their techniques out of Lady Sophia¡¯s courtesy and from myself, her exclusive butler.

    The rate of advertisement for this was definitely more effective than the method I thought of.

    In addition to that, mydy said that she was willing to spread the techniques to others under the same conditions.

    But this also meant that only those prepared to ept such an association would agree to learn it. She was targeting the youngdies who were open to being friendly while epting her as their patron.

    Lady Sophia¡¯s influence would quickly spread to multiple noble households at once.

    Mydy was going to raise my reputation while creating her own faction at the same time. A mere twelve year old girl came up with such a move. I felt myself shiver at that realisation.

    But I¡¯m surprised that she decided to make a faction without consulting me first. If mydy was acting like she normally did, then she¡¯d usually seek my advice for something like this¡­ was there a specific reason as to why she didn¡¯t this time?

    I might not know why, but it was my job to support mydy so that she can fulfill her ambitions no matter what they are. I¡¯ve already made that resolution, so I wasn¡¯t panicking.

    Or rather, it was the servants attending to the other youngdies that were.

    Mydy had set conditions saying that the techniques would have to be publicly known to have been taught by me.

    While guaranteeing hermoner servant¡¯s talents, she would be disying that she didn¡¯t have any elitist ideals, but that still wasn¡¯t enough to say that she was hostile against that group. Her stance and position would still be unclear.

    What side her faction was on could be decided with a single sentence from her.

    However, I don¡¯t think such subtleties were understood by the other twelve year old girls. Rather, it¡¯s doubtful that they evenprehended that they were currently being pulled into a faction at the moment. With how the innocent choice of these children might decide their fate, it¡¯s only natural for their servants to be unsettled.

    That¡¯s why¨C

    ¡°Come to think of it, I forgot to serve the sweets. This confection here is called a cr¨ºpe. Please have it with honey, fresh cream, and the fruits that you enjoy.¡±

    I suddenly cut in, and told the servants that instead of conducting themselves in front of their mistresses, they should take their orders directly so they could make the dessert to their liking.

    The first to understand my intentions was the ringlet youngdy¡¯s maid. She softly said, ¡°Thank you¡± to me, before turning to get her mistress¡¯ order.

    She then proceeded to put the toppings on the cr¨ºpe as she listened to herdy¡¯s desires, but mid-way through, she suddenly whispered something to her.

    The ringlet youngdy then nodded after hearing the message.

    ¡°Lady Sophia. As I said earlier, can you please have Cyril teach my maid his methods of brewing tea?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll make sure that your servants are taught first, Lady Ferris.¡±

    From the conversation so far, the ringlet youngdy named Ferris was the daughter of a Viscount house. Not the strongest ally, considering that there was also the daughter of a Count here as well.

    Nevertheless, she was probably the best among those here. The trust she disyed was far more important than her status. At that moment, the other servants followed suit to ¡®make cr¨ºpes¡¯ for their charges in hopes of being among the first.

    There¡¯s no need to exin the developments that followed afterwards.

    Lady Sophia seems to be growing up far more talented than I had ever imagined.

 School Faction Riot Part One 7

    My job was to grant mydy¡¯s wishes, but if I didn¡¯t understand what they were, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help her. On the way back to the ssroom after the tea party was finished, I decided to confirm her intentions.

    ¡°Mydy, what are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°There are individuals with strong thoughts of elitism gathering around the second prince.¡±

    It was a round-about way of saying things, but she meant that the second prince was an elitist as well.

    I would¡¯ve doubted it if it weren¡¯t mydy saying it. Or rather, in the game, <i>she </i>was the one with the elitist thoughts while the prince was a person who advocated against them.

    People with those ideals were congregating together¨C how Lady Sophia was able to assert this in such a short period of time meant that they weren¡¯t even trying to hide it.

    It was quite unexpected for the prince to be taken in with such people.

    Was it part of the setting that he changes his mind in these three years before the game begins, or just like mydy, has he been affected by some kind of external influence¡­ either way, it was necessary to keep a close eye on him.

    ¡°¡­by the way, did you understand what you were doing when you created your faction, mydy?¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    If the second prince really was an elitist, then their faction¡¯s influence was far stronger than I thought. Even if we tried to avoid them, we¡¯d be swallowed up by their power no matter how much we hated it. Knowing that, it was necessary to take immediate measures to prevent such a scenario from urring.

    However¨C

    ¡°Is there not a way to distance ourselves from both powers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t want to?¡±

    I didn¡¯t think that my suggestion would be immediately rejected, so I was left dumbfounded for a moment.

    ¡°To avoid aligning ourselves from either powers, we¡¯d need to establish ourselves as neutral force, while taking appropriate actions to match that stance, but doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯d have distance myself from you as well, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°You should do that if it¡¯s something necessary.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s <i>not </i>necessary. Why would you suggest something so mean?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to. Mydy, are you really going to put yourself in opposition to one of this country¡¯s royals?¡±

    Even if the prince was part of the elitists, Lady Sophia easily had the power topete with him. Which is exactly why the other parties wouldn¡¯t leave her alone. The intensification of this conflict was inevitable.

    ¡°I guess it <em>would</em> be better for a daughter of the Rosenberg house to stay away from such troubles.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Which is even more of a reason why you should try to establish yourself as a neutral party.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to go around picking fights. If possible, I¡¯ll try best to keep my distance from the conflict. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t make my position clear.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    I was relieved to see that she had thought this through, but then she added, ¡°However¨C¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only ¡®if possible.¡¯ If I were ever told that I had to forsake you as part of my duties as a noble, I would resist that fate even if I had to turn the gods themselves into my enemies.¡±

    ¡°¡­mydy. You shouldn¡¯t make jokes like that.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    The amethyst eyes looking straight at me were clear. Mydy was serious about how she¡¯d even turn celestial beings into her adversaries rather than distance herself from me.

    The feelings I felt at that moment were something that couldn¡¯t be expressed into words. A passion that I couldn¡¯t control began swelling up inside my heart.

    But as a butler, and even more so as someone who wishes for mydy¡¯s happiness, what would be the ¡®right¡¯ choice to make here? Bringing this conflict inside of me to a close, I exhaled a small sigh.

    ¡°Understood. Mydy, if you¡¯re willing to go that far, then I¡¯ll withdraw the words I mentioned earlier. On top of that, I¡¯ll also do my best to keep you from bing hostile towards the gods.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I believe in you, Cyril.¡±

    Mydy said that she wouldn¡¯t make it clear whether she opposed the elitists. This should buy us a little time, but there¡¯s no doubt that both powers will try to make contact with her in the near future.

    It wasn¡¯t desirable to be openly hostile with the second prince¡¯s faction. With that in mind, we should try to get in touch withmoners in secret and tell them that we¡¯re actually on their side, all while maintaining a neutral stance on the surface.

    However, as long as we didn¡¯t know where the elitists were watching, we couldn¡¯t get in contact with them recklessly. We needed a ce where this gathering could happen naturally.

    The best I could think of was the new student wee party.

    Before the heroine even enrolls into the academy, I¡¯ll make contact with the Lacourt Company¡¯s Libert and make him understand that mydy is an ally that doesn¡¯t have elitist thoughts.

    For that goal, it was necessary to continue the new student wee party¡¯s setup. With my ssmates¡¯ aid, I made the resolve to push forward our work with full force.

    The students weren¡¯t professionals, but kids. Just as professor Tristan said, there were still many deficiencies in my ssmate¡¯s work. They couldn¡¯tpare at all to the servants of the Rosenberg Marquis house.

    However, they weren¡¯t just any kids, but the most elite of their age group. They absorbed my knowledge and experience like dry sand to water.

    They covered for each other¡¯s insufficiencies until the work they put out finally met my standards.

    Also, being a minority consisting of only a third of the ss actually worked out pretty smoothly.

    If it were the school festival of my previous life, it¡¯d be better to have more hands because we did everything ourselves. However, the wee party was a so-called social event.

    This allowed me to hire contractors for assistance.

    Therefore, if there were too many people in charge of each task, the individual sense of responsibility will fade. It was only <i>because </i>there were so few of us that we were able to work together all the more strongly.

    In short, the party¡¯s set up went amazingly well.

    Just like that, a month passed until it was the day before the event. The site venue had reached a standard that even the Rosenberg Marquis house would ept.

    However, we weren¡¯t finished yet. The actual party was tomorrow. In order to prevent even the slightest deficiencies in the event, I had gathered everyone in the ssroom to make one final check.

    ¡°¨Cthe orchestra will be staying here tonight as nned, and there¡¯s no problems with the venue¡¯s setup either. The preparations for tomorrow¡¯s party are wless.¡±

    While listening to Luke¡¯s report, I checked over the documents with my own eyes. Thanks to everyone¡¯s cooperation, it could be said that I aplished something that I could proudly dere to be the work of mydy¡¯s exclusive butler.

    The work my friends had done was exceptional as well. As expected of A-ss students.

    ¡°¨COkay, everything seems to be fine. Everyone, thank you so much for your hard work!¡±

    The moment I said that, everyone broke out into cheers.

    ¡°Cyril, you did great out there!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for everything, Cyril. Its been really fun working with you!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for all of your hard work, everyone. However, we can¡¯t rx until the event is over. Please make sure to do your jobs properly tomorrow as the venue¡¯s security.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t let you down!¡±

    Over this past month, I¡¯ve grown closer to them and made some friends. If I ever get tasked with setting up another party, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d lend me their aid. Our bonds have grown strong enough for me to think so.

    If the opportunity ever presented itself, I¡¯d like to work with them again too.

    Come to think of it, my surroundings were just the slightest bit older than me.

    Mydy was also of a simr age, but she was more like someone I served. For me, these people here were probably the first friends I¡¯ve ever made since I was born in this world.

    ¡°Cyril? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    While a warm feeling gradually spread throughout my chest, I started to wrap up business for the day.

    ¡°Everyone, please make sure to get enough rest for tomorrow. Once again, thank you so much for your hard work.¡±

    After dismissing my friends with words of gratitude, I started towards the party venue to check over everything onest time.

    ¡°Cyril, where are you going?¡±

    Luke was the one that chased after me.

    ¡°It¡¯s thest check. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust everyone¡¯s reports, but I just wanted to see the final results with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°In that case, is it okay if Ie too?¡±

    As he asked that, Luke started walking beside me before I could reply.

    It was an expected action. Over the past month, I had grown really close to him. The feeling of incongruity I felt when we first met waspletely gone.

    On top of that, he seems to have grown ustomed to working as my assistant.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made a lot of progress in this past month.¡±

    At first, Luke was unfamiliar with the work and I had to constantly watch over his progress, but by the end of things, I was actually able to leave him inmand for a while.

    Thanks to that, I had the free time to follow up with everyone, which quite noticeably improved the setup¡¯s quality.

    ¡°It¡¯s due to you being really good teacher. I¡¯ve been told before that I¡¯m not suitable for leading others, but I think I¡¯ve gotten the knack of it now because of you. So thanks, I¡¯m grateful for what you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°If anything, <i>you all </i>were the ones helping me.¡±

    It felt a little ticklish, but apparently I seemed to be suited for instructing others. The time I¡¯ve spent with Lady Sophia helped me find this side of myself.

    In the future, it might not be so bad to be a teacher like professor Tristan.

    As we continued our chat, we finally arrived at the party¡¯s venue. After greeting the guards, we stepped into the site for the final check.

    The event wasn¡¯t limited to only those of the same grade, students from other years coulde too.

    Being able to amodate hundreds of people, the site venue was no different from the Rosenberg Marquis house¡¯s party hall that I was used to.

    Looking at everything as a whole, no one would doubt it if they were told that it was set up by professionals.

    However, it couldn¡¯t be said that there were no deficiencies at all. As I looked over the finer details such as the furnishings and tables, Luke¨C who was watching me work from behind, opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­by the way, can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Of course, anything.¡±

    ¡°How are you so talented at your age?¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that, its not like I did anything special. I just worked my hardest everyday to be someone suitable for mydy.¡±

    ¡°¡­I think you¡¯ve gone far beyond the level that others would be willing to go though.¡±

    Luke whispered that in an amazed tone behind me.

    I felt a little bad, but no matter how close we got, the fact that I had the memories of my previous life was a secret. What I said <i>was</i> true though, I was only a student majoring in magecraft back then. I didn¡¯t have any skills a butler would need developed at all.

    The reason why I¡¯m the way I am now was due to nothing but the effort I put in.

    ¡°Is it okay if I ask something this time?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why¡¯re you acting so formal?¡±

    ¡°The fact that you were looking into my background, was that simply because you were curious, Luke? Or is it¡­ because someone ordered you to investigate me?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t confirm his expression with him standing behind me.

    For a while now, I¡¯ve noticed both him and Chloe making moves to pry into my identity. There wasn¡¯t any hostility in their actions though, so I let it slide because it didn¡¯t seem like something they wanted revealed.

    I turned back towards him after giving him enough time to fix his facial expression. However, Luke had a bitter smile on that didn¡¯t try to hide at all.

    ¡°¡­how long have you known for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been suspicious from the beginning. Chloe knew my name even though it was our first meeting, and the exnation she gave after you were caught ring at me felt really forced.¡±

    It would¡¯ve been a different story if they had seen the still images of me in the game, but that probably wasn¡¯t the case.

    This meant that they had the opportunity to confirm my appearance somewhere in advance.

    So Luke at the time was observing me, but he was being explicit to the point where I was starting to grow suspicious. Chloe noticed that, and tried to mislead me into thinking that it was only because he was jealous of my grades.

    This was the truth behind their farce.

    They weren¡¯t the only ones though, there were others making such actions as well.

    Like when Fol started mentioning the ¡®rumoured Sophia.¡¯

    Or when professor Tristan tested my personality when he fanned the mes in the ss conflict.

    With all of this, the truth was obvious. <i>Someone </i>was looking into me.

    Of course, there was always the possibility that I was just overthinking things. In terms of probability, it most likely <em>was</em>just my imagination, but Luke and Chloe were the ones to confirm my suspicions.

    ¡°It¡¯s my loss. You knew from the very beginning? Incidentally, if I confess that I was investigating you under another¡¯s orders, what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, really.¡±

    ¡°¡­what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what your intentions are, but I¡¯ve seen the hard work you¡¯ve done over the past month. You¡¯re a serious andpetent helper. There¡¯s no reason for me to distance myself from you.¡±

    There was nothing strange about investigating the talented daughter of a Marquis Lady Sophia and her surroundings. Anyone serving a noble house would try to more or less get <i>some </i>information about her.

    So I didn¡¯t intend to do anything about it, I only asked because I¡¯ve been wondering about it for a while now.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that we¡¯re the same age. You¡¯re just like my mentor.¡±

    ¡°¡­your mentor?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more I can say, but they¡¯re the one that taught me everything.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was. You were looking into me on that person¡¯s orders?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t apologise for what I¡¯ve done. However, both Chloe and I, in addition to our mentor¨C have no hostility towards you at the moment.¡±

    ¡°¡­how honest.¡±

    ¡®At the moment¡¯¨C as in, depending on the results of their investigation, hostilities <i>were </i>possible. Or at the very least, they may be that way in the future.

    But for Luke himself to confess that, he must¡¯ve decided that there wasn¡¯t any chance of it happening. I didn¡¯t know who he served nor who his mentor was, but it seems like it would be better to not make an enemy of them.

    ¡°At first I was just going to be an observer, but now I¡¯m actually really happy that I got to work with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honoured to hear that¡­ but what¡¯s with this so suddenly?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some stories from the courtyard group. Apparently, they¡¯re really envious of us.¡±

    ¡°¡­they¡¯re envious of us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. They decided to work under Raymond¡¯smand, but it seems like they¡¯re being pushed around by him. Then, after hearing about how our site was going, they really startedmenting their situation.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡±

    How Raymond was doing things wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong, but you needed a lot of charisma in order to have everyone follow you that way.

    Moreover, each student had things they wanted to do. In such a situation, if you just continued to give out orders unterally, it was only natural for a rebound to eventually happen, this definitely wasn¡¯t good.

    Although it¡¯s been confirmed that there weren¡¯t any problems with the setup itself¡­ from what I¡¯ve been told, it doesn¡¯t seem like they were very motivated while doing it. Just because their work waspleted, didn¡¯t mean we could rest assured.

    During tomorrow¡¯s event, it may be necessary to take precautions for the other group¡¯s site.

    ¡°Luke, tomorrow let¡¯s send someone who¡¯s free to investigate the courtyard venue¡¯s current situation.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Who cares about them¡­ wait, are you being serious right now?¡±

    ¡°If a problem they can¡¯t handle urs, we¡¯ll move to support them.¡±

    ¡°Hey, are you really going to send salt to our enemies?¡±

    ¡°¡­our enemies? No, not at all.¡±

    I started tough at Luke¡¯s misconception.

    Professor Tristan was the one goaded on the confrontation, and when he divided the group, he said:

    ¡®The head of the ss is Cyril.¡¯

    The head, or representative of the ss was the person responsible for the setup.

    It was the job of the person in charge to take responsibility when something happens. With that in mind, as the ss representative, the scope of my duties covered <i>the entire </i>ss.

    The group that set up the courtyard were also members of the ss. They were never enemies from the beginning.

    I was currently in a position to follow up for them when they had problems.

    Tomorrow, if I left the courtyard group to the wolves and lost myself in victory, professor Tristan would undoubtedly say:

    ¡®You have neglected your responsibilities as the ss representative.¡¯

    It was a simr problem to how I had to prove myself as Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. As this ss¡¯ representative, I couldn¡¯t make such mistakes. I was the one who was supposed to cover for them, not the teacher.

    That¡¯s why I then talked to Luke about the preventive measures we would put in ce for tomorrow.

    ¨CThe next day, the wee party for the new students was held as scheduled. The recent admissions that had just entered the junior high section were chatting happily as they listened to the orchestra¡¯s performance.

    Both the teachers and the students seemed to be having pleasant reactions to the venue.

    Of course, variousrge and small problems did ur, but thanks to the discussion on countermeasures we had in advance, everyone was able to calmly respond to them.

    Shortly after that, I heard that a dispute had broken out in the courtyard venue. Apparently, some trouble had been stirred up after some nobles had appeared there.

    ¡°Luke, can you take some people over to assist them?¡±

    ¡°Okay, leave it to me!¡±

    Raymond would definitely hate it if I went to help him. As I thought that, I delegated this duty to Luke with the reasoning that the person in charge of this area shouldn¡¯t abandon it. As he was now, I knew I could safely leave this to him with peace of mind.

    After finishing up that business, I then received news that Lady Sophia was asking for me, so I left my position to Chloe and visited the venue.

    ¡°You called for me, mydy?¡±

    ¡°Cyril, I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you when you¡¯re so busy. Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is.¡±

    As long as I was her exclusive butler, her needs would always be my top priority.

    After seeing my reaction, mydy then turned to look back at the venue. More specifically, at the dance hall. To the orchestra¡¯s music, the students were currently dancing with each other in a waltz.

    ¡°¡­is there something you need from the dance hall?¡±

    ¡°Umm, you see. That¡¯s¡­¡±

    I could guess what mydy wanted, but I wasn¡¯t a participant in this party. I was a manager, and that¡¯s in addition to my status as a servant. As expected, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for me to dance with her.

    While knowing that the youngdy of the Rosenberg family couldn¡¯t be the one to initiate an invitation to dance, I pretended that I wasn¡¯t able to understand her intentions.

    However, there was a chance that mydy would fall into darkness if I handled this poorly. As I thought that, a boy suddenly approached her and asked, ¡°My apologies for interrupting your conversation, but are you Lady Sophia?¡±

    I was familiar with that calctive look and chestnut brown hair. He was the leader of themoner faction that opposed the elitists as well as one of the heroine¡¯s capture targets, Libert.

    So he¡¯s the one that was going to make the first move?

    Ideally, I would¡¯ve been the one to initiate contact, but this was still within expectations. I didn¡¯t panic and whispered to mydy that he was the son of the Lacourt Company¡¯s president.

    ¡°Oh my, are you Libert? I believe this is the first time we¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°For you to remember the name of one someone like me is an honour. This might be an impulsive request, but may I have this dance with you?¡±

    To his words, tension suddenly built up within the surroundings.

    Currently, this school was caught up in conflict between the elitists and themon people. Mydy had created a faction as well, but still hasn¡¯t rified where they stood over this past month.

    If she agreed to dance with the son of amoner, the bnce of power will be greatly disrupted.

    From Libert¡¯s perspective, this would be circumstantial evidence that proved they were publicly allies.

    I <i>did </i>want to show that we were friendly, but careless contact like this could agitate the elitists.

    It couldn¡¯t be helped, but I needed to inform him that we were on his side so we could resolve this situation without causing amotion.

    ¨Cthe moment I thought that.

    ¡°I finally found you!¡±

    The cheerful voice of a girl suddenly resounded out.

    Immediately after I turned towards the voice¡¯s direction, I felt my entire body freeze up. Standing there adorned in a pale dress was a bluish-ck haired youngdy. It was the one person who definitely shouldn¡¯t be here right now, the heroine.

    ¡°¨CCyril, please dance with me!¡±

    But before I could even ask myself why she was here, she suddenly invited me out to dance.

    I couldn¡¯t understand this.

    At that moment, the daughter of a Viscount house had requested a dance from a mere butler. Just like when Lady Sophia was asked for one by amoner, the surroundings were suddenly filled with tension.

    I wish she was more aware of the influence her words had considering her status.

    ¡°¡­are you going to dance with her, Cyril?¡±

    Lady Sophia whispered that.

    ¡­or rather, the lights from her eyes had disappeared and they were starting to turn red.

    She¡¯s falling into darkness,<b><i> she¡¯s falling into darkness!</i></b>

    No! Calm down, things are still okay, this is fixable!

    I was a butler, as well as the person who ran this event. Of course it was impossible for me to dance with the participants. Things would naturally resolve themselves from there if I could just say that.

    ¡°My apologies but¨C¡±

    I opened my mouth to speak, but had lost my words at the sight of who was drawing near. On reflex, I inadvertently swallowed my saliva.

    They came from the other side of Alicia.

    With the crowd that had suddenly split in half, I was currently witnessing the sight of the second prince and his two followers heading through that gap to approach us.

    He rushed over with a bouncing gait and the innocent smile that captured many of the game¡¯s yers stered on his face.

    ¡°Sophia, please dance with me!¡±

    After which he then presented his right hand towards mydy.

    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me! I understand that she¡¯s cute enough to lift anyone¡¯s spirits, but if you really are one of this country¡¯s princes, then read the air a little! Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be allowed to innocentlyugh this off just because you¡¯re a twelve year old kid!

    No¡­ don¡¯t get upset. I¡¯m Cyril. As the exclusive butler serving Lady Sophia, I can get through this situation easily¡­ I will survive this, definitely¡­ I swear it!

 School Faction Riot Part Two 1

    It was expected for themoner faction toe into contact with us during the new student wee party, and it was also within expectations for the second prince¨C who waspletely taken by Lady Sophia, to ask her for a dance.

    But what I <i>never</i> could¡¯ve predicted was the event where the heroine that was supposed to enroll three years from now to suddenly appear before me.

    In this situation where Lady Sophia wanted to dance with me; Libert suddenly asked her for a dance, after which Alicia went ahead and asked <i>me </i>for a dance, and following <i>that </i>the second prince asked mydy for a dance as well.

    It was impossible for me anticipate this.

    Even so, I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. Within this scene of carnage, I needed to prioritise minimising the damage to her.

    ¡­if giving her priority in a situation like this was even possible, the very concept wasughable.

    No, now wasn¡¯t the time to fall into escapism. Lady Sophia was currently trapped in a difficult position while I was doing nothing but ponder.

    What was most important here was her protection. For that goal, avoiding the factional conflict should be my top priority.

    The problem here was the second prince.As a mere butler, I couldn¡¯t dispute the invitation to dance he gave her. If I overstepped my position and crossed a line that I shouldn¡¯t, I might end up casting doubt on mydy¡¯s character.

    Mydy turned towards me, but I couldn¡¯t do anything. Instead, I put my hand over my chest and looked straight into her shaking amethyst eyes.

    I haven¡¯t just been protecting her this entire time. I raised mydy up so she could cope with any situation she maye across. If it was her, then she¡¯d definitely be able to get through this dilemma.

    ¡®It¡¯ll be okay, I¡¯m here for you.¡¯ I repeated these thoughts in my mind over and over again.

    ¨Csoon after, Lady Sophia nodded her head. Then after straightening her back, and fixing her expression to one suitable for a daughter of a Marquis, mydy turned to the second prince with a stunning smile.

    ¡°Lord Alforth, I¡¯m honoured by your invitation, but I¡¯m currently in the middle of a conversation. You can ask me againter, so for now can you please relent?¡±

    Those who were waiting in anticipation for mydy¡¯s answer gasped.

    But that was the only suitable response to give in this situation. If I were in her position, I would¡¯ve reacted the same way.

    Although there was a certain degree of respect required for dealing with higher-ranked nobility, the second prince¡¯s actions have beencking in tact for a while now. On top of that, the school <i>did</i> have a policy of equality regardless of status.

    Under such circumstances, the second prince couldn¡¯t be given preferential treatment.

    With that said, it wasn¡¯t possible to overtly support for themoner faction either. If such an attitude was taken, then we¡¯d be cing ourselves in direct opposition to the second prince.

    Therefore, there was only one option for mydy left to choose. To give priority¡­ to her previousmitment.

    Mydy would give preference to the people she was interacting with first. By doing so, her position wouldn¡¯t be rified, even if one of those people were Libert.

    Although her actions could be taken as her neglecting the second prince, by saying ¡®for now¡¯, her words could also be seen as her setting aside time for himter on.

    In addition to that, it generally wasn¡¯t considered normal for women to invite others to dance.

    Therefore, to reply to the gentleman invited her out that she¡¯d go see him on her own¡­ could be seen as an unusually passionate response.

    I thought the second prince would be content with this, but he had a strangely dissatisfied expression on.

    ¡­but why?

    Could it be, that as an elitist he¡¯s thinking he should be given preference regardless of who came first? Is this why he disrupted her conversation with the opposing faction in such a public ce?

    If that was true, then this is quite annoying¨C

    ¡°Sophia, do you not¡­ want to dance with me?¡±

    ¨Cbut it was for apletely different reason than what I thought.

    The second prince was just another boy in love.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­ but¡­¡±

    In retrospect, even when Lady Sophia created her faction, she wasn¡¯t able to convey the roundabout exchanges that weremonce within aristocratic society to the other girls.

    The mature nuances in mydy¡¯s actions couldn¡¯t be passed on to innocent children.

    And so¨C

    ¡°Lady Sophia, are you really going to reject his highness, whose rank is superior to your own?¡±

    It was one of the prince¡¯s followers who spoke such words.

    Certainly, taking only status into consideration, the second prince should be given priority. Although this was a school that valued equality, if the individual in the higher position said such a thing didn¡¯t matter, there was nothing you could do.

    However, mydy had already expressed her will to give consideration to both parties. Regardless of the follower¡¯s identity, his words were ones that looked down on the daughter of a Marquis and her opinion.

    Therefore, the final judgement for this situation could only be made by the highest-ranked person here¨C the second prince, but his face only seemed to say that he wanted to dance with her.

    Mydy then smiled, going ¡°I would never hold his highness in contempt,¡± before turning to Alicia and Libert to bow, saying, ¡°please forgive me for this.¡±

    Her words meant that she going to ept the prince¡¯s invitation to dance.

    Libert responded, ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± with a derisive smirk. To his brazen reply, mydy showed a bit of disappointment.

    As I watched this all happen while calming myself, mydy suddenly called for me, but I had already prepared myself for her order.

    ¡°My apologies, but my butler will have to keep youpany in my ce. Cyril, I¡¯m leaving this to you.¡±

    ¡°Please rest assured, mydy.¡±

    When I said that, Lady Sophia made a small smile. However, she soon changed that expression to one fitting of the daughter of a Marquis before she was escorted to the dance hall by the second prince.

    Naturally, the prince¡¯s entourage followed them.

    I¡¯d like to ask if those actions were appropriate for the main capture target of Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    He seemed more reliable in the game¡­ will he grow up that way in the next three years? To have him be someone worthy of mydy, he was currently at a point that I¡¯d want to retrain him from scratch.

    ¡­hmm, that could¡¯ve been a spin-off work specifically designed to tickle the hearts of young boy enthusiasts, called ¡®Let¡¯s Nurture the Unreliable Little Alforth Into a Fine Prince!¡¯ or something.

    But putting that aside, right now I had to deal with the matter regarding Libert.

    With how the situation developed, he was undoubtedly disappointed with mydy. If things continued to progress this way, he might misunderstand this as her abandoning him in favour of the elitists.

    Keeping that in mind, I needed to keep himpany until she returned. Taking a deep breath, I quickly thought up the appropriate actions to take here and turned around.

    ¡°My apologies for mydy¡¯s rudeness. As the exclusive butler of Lady Sophia, I¨C Cyril, will give you the utmost hospitality in the meantime.¡±

    While keeping the eyes of the elitists on us in mind, I told him that I would stay here on mydy¡¯s behalf.

    Then I turned to Alicia.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, I¡¯m honoured by your invitation, but I¡¯m only a butler, and in ordance with mydy¡¯s orders, I¡¯m currently busy with other matters. I hope you can forgive me but¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll give up on the dance considering the circumstances, but we can still talk, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Not something for me to decide, so I turned towards Libert.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, but I¡¯m amoner. Will a nobledy like her be okay with that?¡±

    At Libert¡¯s question, tension ran through the surroundings watching us, but Alicia tilted her head with an innocent smile.

    ¡°Is there any problem with me doing so?¡±

    ¡°Ku¡­ kuhahaha~ no, you¡¯re right. There¡¯d be no problems at all.¡±

    Libert¡¯s expression broke down and he started to smile.

    ¡­oh, I knew this exchange. This is the scene where Libert¨C who hated the nobility with a passion, first showed interest in the heroine, Alicia.

    Though it was supposed to be an event that urs three years from now after the game starts¡­

    Because I had ruined Alicia¡¯s fateful encounter with the second prince for my own goals, I¡¯d like to support her rtionships with the other capture targets if possible.

    That¡¯s what I wanted but¡­ this is Libert. His route was the one where mydy got into contact with the elitists and then was convicted under false charges.

    Mydy was now currently dancing with the elitist faction¡¯s second prince, while Alicia and Libert were quickly growing closer. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like we were rapidly heading towards our destruction end.

    This is bad, I need to change how things were currently progressing.

    ¡­but how would I do so? I couldn¡¯t interfere in the rtionship between these two. By preventing members of the nobility andmoners from getting along, I¡¯d be practically dering that I advocated for elitist ideals.

    From the perspective of the elitist aristocrats, I was just a filthymoner butler. However, from the viewpoint of the othermoners, I was a sell-out that had pledged myself to the nobility.

    Both sides could easily misunderstand my actions considering their current opinions of me.

    Moreover, for some reason Alicia currently favoured me. If I broke in between these two now, I feel like I¡¯d be entering the swamp of some kind of triangle rtionship.

    As I thought, it would be best if I could convey that mydy wasn¡¯t an elitist.

    However, because of Alicia, we were now attracting unneeded attention thatplicated things.

    If I just dered that, ¡°Mydy is an ally of themoners¡± for them to hear, there¡¯d be no point in the struggles mydy went through in epting the prince¡¯s invitation to dance.

    So that the surroundings wouldn¡¯t notice, I needed to say this in a roundabout way.

    ¡°By the way, the setup for the courtyard venue seems to be quite sloppy. As a butler serving a Marquis house, was that really okay?¡±

    That¡¯s what Libert said.

    But what he meant was, ¡®can I take that as you not caring as to how themoners are treated?¡¯

    ¡°Actually, I wasn¡¯t responsible for the courtyard¡¯s setup.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Every year there¡¯s a party of the new students admitted to the school. Did you really think that I wouldn¡¯t know that the top student of the servant course would be in charge of it?¡±

    I hesitated to answer. Even if Raymond announced that he was the one in charge of the courtyard venue, it wouldn¡¯t relieve the suspicion behind that area¡¯s neglect.

    It <i>was </i>my responsibility if something went wrong in the courtyard, but Raymond was the one responsible for its quality. However, that still wouldn¡¯t change the fact that the courtyard venue wasn¡¯t setup to standard.

    With that said¨C it was somewhat suspicious that Libert didn¡¯t know about the conflict that happened in the servant course.

    It was already rumoured that Raymond and I were setting up the venues separately. This was because it was none other than Raymond himself who was trumpeting this fact everywhere.

    If so, then this was a question Libert made even after knowing the circumstances. From the beginning, he was suspecting if I¨C or rather if mydy <i>through </i>myself, was an elitist.

    ¡°Like I said, another person was put in charge of setting up the courtyard.¡±

    ¡°So you had no intentions of working there in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°No, it was the teacher who made the groupings. If I was involved in the courtyard venue¡¯s setup, I would definitely work my hardest for it, just like I did here.¡±

    I indirectly appealed that I had no intentions of neglecting themoners in the slightest.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, your words are a relief. However¡­ this is what I think. The simpler a person is, the easier it is to get along with them. So the problem here is¨C¡±

    ¡®You¡¯re hiding your true self, or you¡¯re only pretending to be the way you are to deceive me.¡¯ In other words, Libert suspected that mydy and I were just acting the way we were to lure him into a false sense of security so he¡¯d let his guard down.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating me?¡±

    ¡°Definitely not. Where else would I find I guy who could understand my intentions from only a single sentence?¡±

    ¡­that¡¯s true.

    If it were Alicia, she¡¯d probably just innocently reply ¡®What?¡¯ with a confused expression. In that sense, a girl like her that didn¡¯t have any hidden sides was quitepatible with Libert.

    However¡­ this was troublesome. The way I answered his questions was perfect, but it¡¯s <i>because</i> I replied so perfectly that he couldn¡¯t trust me.

    As I thought, it was necessary to have him told the truth directly from mydy¡¯s mouth.

    Fortunately, Libert had invited her to dance. Perhaps this was so he could talk with her confidentially. No one else could eavesdrop on their conversation in the middle of a waltz.

    During their dance, they¡¯d be able to talk about the current situation as much as they wished. It seems it would be better to just keep himpany until mydy returned rather than try to persuade him myself.

    ¡°Sir Libert, I understand your concerns, but I¡¯d like to tell you that they¡¯re groundless.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh? How are you going to prove it then?¡±

    ¡°Mydy is a person who values manners. She would never neglect her previousmitment to you.¡±

    As the second prince¡¯s partner, mydy was currently in the dance hall¡¯s spotlight. While I looked at her slightly dissatisfied expression, I spoke with a small voice.

    My words meant that she¡¯d remember to dance with Libertter as well. Which would be proof that she didn¡¯t have any ill-intent towards themoners, meaning the misunderstanding would be able to be solved immediately.

    ¨Cbut I made two mistakes here.

    The first was that the individuals surrounding the prince were more brazen than I expected, while the second was¡­ that I didn¡¯t understand how deeply mydy actually trusted me.

    Soon the song finished, and mydy gave the second prince a bow in parting, but then the followers stood in her way as she tried to leave.

    I couldn¡¯t hear the contents of their conversation because they were too far away.

    However, the two then offered their hands to her. I understood the meaning of that gesture. They was asking her out to a dance.

    They knew that mydy only interrupted her conversation in consideration of the second prince.

    And yet they were ignoring her circumstances and inviting her out to another dance. If they valued their reputation, this was obviously an err on their behalf.

    Originally the second prince should¡¯ve just given up and waited for mydy toe to him. Even so, things went through because he was unreliable and couldn¡¯t understand the subtleties of the situation. With that in mind, even if we had to cut corners a bit, mydy had all the right to reject them as the second-highest ranked person here.

    As I thought that¨C mydy whispered something as she noticed my gaze, before taking one of their hands and returning to the dance hall.

    ¡°It seems that your mistress doesn¡¯t remember her previousmitments to amoner after all.¡±

    Libert spat that out unpleasantly.

    However, if you looked at the situation subjectively, despite mydy showing preferential behavior to her previousmitments, she eventually relented to the second prince and left dealing with Libert to her butler.

    It¡¯s no wonder that he felt bitter.

    I understood that she wanted to avoid antagonising the elitists, but it wasn¡¯t like her to make a choice like this.

    Be that as it may, after thinking about it for a moment, I was able to figure out mydy¡¯s thought process.

    She really trusted me. Lady Sophia truly believed that her exclusive butler was the best in the entire world, and that I was more reliable than anyone else.

    ¨Cbut she didn¡¯t understand that this fact wasn¡¯t true for others.

    Maybe if I was Lady Sophia¡¯s blood rtive, then things might¡¯ve been different.

    In that case, even if mydy left things to me, Libert would¡¯ve been able to understand that it was still in good faith. However, to him I was just another servant, and twelve year old child at that, not even a professionally employed adult.

    To leave the matters regarding him to me would undoubtedly be seen as ack of sincerity.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Mydy doesn¡¯t usually make mistakes like this.¡±

    ¡°I wonder. Are you sure all of this wasn¡¯t just ording to her ns?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. However, it¡¯s only natural that you would feel ufortable in this situation. Sir Libert, I¡¯d like to apologise on mydy¡¯s behalf. We will make this up to youter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±

    Libert then left the venue because he said he had a previousmitment he had to deal with.

    I¡¯ve been getting some messages that people can¡¯t understand this chapter, so here¡¯s an easy to understand summary of the important parts:<ul><li>The prince asks to dance with Sophia.</li><li>Sophia says ¡®no¡¯ because she¡¯s busy with her<strong><em>previousmitment,</em></strong>but is willing to make time for him <em><strongter</strong></em>. Because she used the words ¡®previousmitment¡¯, she wasn¡¯t explicitly saying she was prioritising talking to the leader of themoner faction Libert, so the elitists wouldn¡¯t be able to take that as her aligning herself with him. She also uses ¡®for now¡¯, which meant that she was reserving a dance for the princeter, but because girls weren¡¯t supposed to initiate dances in this setting, her words could be taken as very forward and passionate, which should¡¯ve been enough to satisfy the prince.</li><li>It doesn¡¯t satisfy the prince. The prince is a normal 12 year old boy experiencing his first love. He doesn¡¯t understand the hidden meanings in Sophia¡¯s words, and thus wasn¡¯t ttered by how ¡®passionate¡¯ her dyed invitation was.</li><li>Prince¡¯s follower interferes, forcing Sophia into a position where she had to ept the prince¡¯s invitation immediately or she¡¯ll antagonise the elitists. She then leaves the matter regarding Libert to Cyril.</li><li>Cyril apologises to both Libert and Alicia for various things. Alicia says its okay and asks if they can just talk. Libert says its okay for Alicia to stay and bes interested in her.</li><li>Cyril wants to tell Libert that they¡¯re on his side, but can¡¯t say it directly or else the elitists (who were watching them) would then know and be hostile,pletely ruining the whole reason Sophia started dancing with the prince in the first ce (to not antagonise the elitists). Libert then tests Cyril for his intentions to see if he¡¯s an elitist. Since the ideologies of the servant reflect their master. Cyril answers his questions<em><strong>perfectly,</strong></em>but because he did it so well, that only made Libert suspicious that this was all an act that he had prepared for beforehand. (Think of it like how you wouldn¡¯t trust a perfect politician with no ws whatsoever, since then you <em>know</em>that they¡¯re hiding something)</li><li>Cyril admits that he can¡¯t win over Libert and Sophia herself would have to do it. But after Sophia finishes her dance with the prince, the followers ask her out to more dances in hopes of disrupting her talks with Libert. She epts so that she wouldn¡¯t offend them and turn the elitists hostile, even if she was in the right to reject them given the circumstances, all the while thinking that since Cyril was the one dealing with Libert, everything would be fine.</li><li>Everything is not fine. Libert understands Sophia¡¯s position and problems, which is why he was okay with the second prince dancing with her first, but for her to ept the<em><strong>optional</strong></em>dances of the followers she could¡¯ve rejected rather than return and fulfill her previousmitment to him, she crosses the line. Her actions of neglecting him and leaving him toher<em><strong>child servant</strong></em><strong></strong>instead were perceived as him ¡®not being worthy of being taken seriously,¡¯ which left Libert insulted and upset.</li><li>Libert then leaves the party saying he has a<em><strong>previousmitment</strong></em>to attend to. (He really doesn¡¯t, that was just him being sarcastic by using the phrase that Sophia was using to build up his hopes but ultimately failed in following through in.)</li></ul>

    So yeah, that¡¯s one chapter of subtleties and innuendospacted into 9 points. Hopefully that helps and you can re-read chapter 11 with a better understanding now.

 School Faction Riot Part Two 2

    Themoner faction was a powerful group that opposed the elitists, and our first contact with their leader¨C Libert, had failed.

    I sighed as I watched him leave.

    I¡¯d like to think that we¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to fix this, but even if there¡¯s a three year discrepancy, I can¡¯t be optimistic when a simr event to what happens in the game had just urred.

    We needed to make contact with Libert again as soon as possible.

    The problem now is how to solve this misunderstanding.

    Libert had a strong distrust of the nobility because of a certain event from his past. For that reason, he was even wary of heroine during their first contact in the game, and that¡¯s why it was such a struggle to capture him.

    By the way, the reason why the real Alicia was able to earn his trust was probably because she was younger than she was in the original work. Her innocence and immaturity really shone through, so he didn¡¯t see her as a threat.

    It was something that mydy and I could never imitate.

    However, if we go about this the wrong way we¡¯ll just inspire more wariness. It¡¯d be difficult to meet with him openly, but we still needed our intentions to be made as obvious as possible.With that in mind, it would be best to have mydy write a letter to exin the situation.

    While thinking that, I continued to watch mydy as she danced with one of the followers.

    Her tinum blonde hair seemed to shine in this lighting, and her face framed by that hair was smiling, but it was the fake expression of the daughter of a Marquis.

    ¡­she seemed to be really irritated.

    Perhaps they made a pass on her during the dance.

    ¡°Lady Sophia is really good at dancing, huh?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, uh¡­ that¡¯s right.¡±

    I was surprised by the unexpected voice that popped up.

    Speaking of which, I totally forgot that Alicia was still here.

    It slipped my mind because of everything that just happened, but the fact that she was here three years earlier than she was supposed to be was quite unusual as well.

    ¡°By the way, why did you enroll in the school, Lady Alicia?¡±

    ¡°Fufu~ are you curious?¡±

    She traced her finger along the edge of her mouth and tilted her head. It was a cute gesture suitable for the heroine, but I involuntarily felt my cheeks twitch at the sight.

    That reaction alone gave me the answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I thought I could meet you again.¡±

    AHHHHHHHHHH!!! So it¡¯s that after all!

    That line was supposed to be said during the moment when the second prince and Alicia were dancing together, <em>after</em> they¡¯re already locked into the happy end.

    But why was she saying that to <i>me?!</i>

    Certainly, I was the one that saved Alicia at that time instead of the second prince. So it wasn¡¯t hard to tell that the one she currently favoured wasn¡¯t him, but myself.

    But even if I<i> had</i> taken the prince¡¯s position, that shouldn¡¯t have been enough of a reason for her to enter three years early.

    And that¡¯s even ignoring the fact that she asked me for a dance within the first few seconds of us meeting again. The heroine was only supposed to dance with someone <i>after</i> she¡¯s been locked into their route.

    What was with this situation?!

    ¡°Cyril, I¡¯ll give up for now, but please dance with me again someday.¡±

    Fitting of the game¡¯s heroine, Alicia was absolutely adorable.

    It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t happy to hear such passionate words from her, but I was amoner while she was a noble. On top of that, I had vowed to make Lady Sophia happy.

    No matter what happened, I would never forsake mydy.

    ¡°My apologies, but I can¡¯t respond to your request, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ but why?¡±

    Despite my clear refusal, Alicia wasn¡¯t giving up. Just like her game counterpart, she was optimistic and strong willed, but my will was stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯m only amoner. Dancing under that brilliant spotlight with a noble isn¡¯t suitable for someone like myself, so I can¡¯t meet your needs.¡±

    ¡°But I heard that ording to the school¡¯s policies, one¡¯s status didn¡¯t matter here.¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s true, but no matter where I am, I will always be mydy¡¯s butler first and foremost. I don¡¯t intend to ever abandon that role.¡±

    ¡°Geez~ Isn¡¯t it fine if its only for a dance?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    It¡¯d be counterproductive to sympathise with her here, so despite the guilt I felt, I took an attitude that I never would¡¯ve taken under normal circumstances.

    Alicia was puffing her cheeks in a pout, but then she suddenly started to smile mischievously.

    ¡°I understand. If you¡¯re going to say that much, then I won¡¯t force you. Instead, please teach me how to dance next time.¡±

    ¡°¡­pardon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not good at dancing, so please instruct me. It¡¯s perfectly normal for servants to give pointers to help the nobility¡¯s growth, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­if there¡¯s an opportunity to do so.¡±

    Essentially, she was asking if I could work as her educator, and while it was my job to fulfill my guests requests, this was something I¡¯d be troubled answering.

    That¡¯s why I said, ¡°if there¡¯s an opportunity to do so¡± as a vague refusal that wouldn¡¯t cause offense¨C

    ¡°Really?! Then it¡¯s a promise, Cyril!¡±

    ¨Cbut my subtleties didn¡¯t get through to the pure and innocent girl. I wanted to correct her misconception, but with her hands over her chest, Alicia then smiled at me like a maiden in love.

    ¡°¡­if it¡¯s only as a butler, then I¡¯ll ept your request.¡±

    As long as she agreed to keep things professional, I would help her¨C I answered that with a sigh.

    Shortly after, Alicia was then called out by a youngdy who seemed to be her ssmate, and left.

    Taking her ce instead was Lady Sophia¨C who had just returned after finishing the dance, but she looked exhausted.

    ¡°Mydy, thank you for all your hard work.¡±

    ¡°¡­thanks, Cyril. That was really tiring.¡±

    Without fixing her expression, mydy said that she wanted to sit down somewhere. Answering her request, I moved her to the break room that was rented out to the students.

    A maid on standby then presented her with a wet towel. After receiving it, mydy then began to clean off her sweat, wiping her hands in particr extra thoroughly. Apparently, she really hated dancing with the followers.

    ¡°By the way, what happened with Libert¡¯s response?¡±

    ¡°Please forgive me.¡±

    I bowed down and confessed that Libert misunderstood her actions as her holdingmoners in disdain. Mydy opened her eyes wide when she heard that.

    ¡°Even though you were the one taking care of it, he still made that judgement?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not meeting your expectations.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to apologise. Libert¡¯s decision is the unexpected factor here. Cyril, to me you¡¯re¨C ah.¡±

    She seems to have realised that other people don¡¯t perceive me the same way she does.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cyril. I made the wrong choice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You dealt with the situation well enough, mydy.¡±

    If I were to judge her on how she acted as the daughter of a Marquis, there were definitely points she needed to reflect on. However, considering that she was still just a twelve year old girl, she was doing exceptionally well.

    How many fully grown nobledies could handle that situation perfectly? When considering that, mydy had done far more than enough.

    But even so¨C

    ¡°Thanks Cyril, but don¡¯t patronise me. Let me apologise properly, it¡¯s because of my actions that you ended up having unpleasant thoughts towards me.¡±

    ¡°I could never think of you in such a way. If you¡¯re going to go that far, then let me apologise as well.¡±

    I would ept whatever scornful words she¡¯d say towards me. Keeping that in mind, I bowed down in regret over the fact that she was forced into a situation where she had to dance with people she didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, you¡¯re not at fault for this situation at all. I¡¯m the same. To protect you from their ire, dancing with a disgusting person is nothing to me.¡±

    ¡°Mydy¡­¡±

    It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t happy, but a butler being protected by the mistress he served was putting the cart before the horse. While I made a troubled face, Lady Sophia continued talking in a quiet tone.

    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? Instead of keeping you at a distance, I would rather turn the gods themselves into my enemies. Whether it¡¯s themoner faction or the elitists, if they <i>ever</i> be the reason for your misery, then it¡¯s only a matter of stamping them out.¡±

    ¡°M-mydy?¡±

    I was making a surprised expression, but Lady Sophia started to ponder about something with her finger on her lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s it. If we do that, then we won¡¯t be bothered by factional conflicts anymore, and there won¡¯t be anyone else to stand in our way either. It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you serious about what you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°If I said I was¡­ would you follow me?¡±

    Her amethyst eyes seemed to be staring into my soul, so I inadvertently swallowed my saliva.

    Crush the second prince and drive Libert into ruin.

    It wasn¡¯t impossible if it were mydy.

    So¨C

    ¡°If that is what you desire, then I will support you to the fullest extent, mydy.¡±

    Lady Sophia covered her mouth with her hand and opened her eyes wide. However, a smile could be seen spilling out from the gaps between the fingers concealing her face.

    ¡°¡­thanks, Cyril. I was just kidding though, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy.¡±

    I suddenly found myselfughing at her expected answer.

    It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to eliminate the second prince and Libert. It was also feasible to suppress all who rebelled against her and create a school without conflict that mydypletely controlled.

    But that¡¯s something only the viinous daughter would do.

    As she was now, mydy didn¡¯t want that either. This was just us letting out the discontent that¡¯s umted about themoner faction and the elitists throughints.

    Our words might be a bit extreme, but it was necessary to release our stress.

    ¡°We¡¯ve lost track of the conversation, so let¡¯s begin discussions about what we have to do from now on.¡±

    ¡°Understood. In the near future¡­ not only will we have to clear up Sir Libert¡¯s misunderstanding, but we¡¯ll also have to quell the discontent that arises from your own faction, mydy.¡±

    ¡°I understand the part about Libert, but my faction¡¯s discontent?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Mydy it¡¯s because you took actions that could be seen as currying favour with the elitists, despite the fact that your faction is built upon people who secretly support themoners.¡±

    It was only implied, but even if they supported themoners, they haven¡¯t dered that they were hostile to the elitists either. They didn¡¯t want to make waves, so that¡¯s why there¡¯s a possibility the girls in mydy¡¯s faction might begin to scheme against her.

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s true. It seems I¡¯ve been taking things too lightly. I understand, if you¡¯re willing to say that much, then I¡¯ll make sure to talk to my friends about it.¡±

    ¡°That would be for the best.¡±

    ¡°The troubles regarding my faction are easy enough to solve, so the real problem here is Libert¡¯s response. Is it really impossible for me to just meet him right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would be far too conspicuous for you to move yourself, mydy.¡±

    Libert had already left, and had probably returned to the courtyard venue.

    Even a servant like myself has been investigated. If mydy ventured to the courtyard area herself, that action alone might antagonise the elitists.

    ¡°So you¡¯ll get into contact with him, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please leave it to me¡­ but as expected, I¡¯ll only stand out if I do it today. I¡¯ll try to look for an opportunity at ater date, so could you prepare a letter for me to deliver, mydy?¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll get it ready immediately after I return to my room.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Things were a bit cumbersome, but they weren¡¯t at a level we couldn¡¯t handle. So let¡¯s ovee this pinch and avoid the end where mydy and I are executed.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s move onto the main topic.¡±

    ¡°¡­the main topic?¡±

    We just finished talking about what measures to take against our problems with themoner faction, and we should be fine with the elitists because mydy just danced with them¡­ was there anything else?

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking with Alicia just a little while ago?¡±

    ¡°Eh? No, that¡¯s¡­ we were just speaking about how amazing your dancing was, mydy.¡±

    Before taking measures to avoid the execution end, it seems it was necessary to escape the end where I was the only one buried first.

    In any case, the party was now finished.

    Although I ran into a bit of trouble of mydy falling into darkness, when I honestly exined to her what I was conversing with Alicia about, I was able to calm her down.

    Truly, sincerity was important in just about everything.

    Anyways, tomorrow¡¯s morning closing party would double as an evaluation meeting before we began cleaning up the venue. That¡¯s why when I entered the ssroom, I was weed with great cheers for the hard work I put in yesterday.

    Over the past month, I got closer to the people who were assigned to my group, and they all seemed to be in a cheerful mood. It was probably because yesterday¡¯s venue was positively received and garnered a great reputation.

    On the other hand, the courtyard group¨C including Raymond, seemed to have dark clouds hanging overhead.

    ¡°What happened yesterday?¡±

    Being the person I sent to assist the other group, when I asked Luke about it he told me that they were constantlypared to the main venue, and received a considerably low evaluation in disappointment.

    So when it came to the courtyard group¨C that is, they seem to have garnered the hostility themoner faction held towards the nobility.

    Their problems were then solved by Luke¨C who had entered the scene to help, but they now seemed to be rumoured as the inferior bunch who undeservedly enrolled into ss A.

    If I listened carefully¡­ I could hear their voices even now.

    ¡°¨Cdamn it, this is all your fault! I was supposed to enter into the service of a famous house as an A-ss elite, but now my ns have been ruined because of you!¡±

    Suddenly, one of my ssmates started to unexpectedly curse at Raymond.

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­ m-my bad.¡±

    Undoubtedly the person feeling the worst after all of this, Raymond expressed his apologies while exacerbating his regret. However, that just resulted in others jumping in as well.

    ¡°Your apology means nothing! Things ended up this way because you¡¯re unreliable! All you did was one-sidedly bark orders at us, so that¡¯s why everything is such a wreck!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, how are you going to take responsibility for this?!¡±

    The students who set up with Raymond started to put the me on him one after another.

    But Raymond didn¡¯t speak back. There¡¯s no doubt he felt more responsible for this than anyone. So while bearing tears in his eyes, he silently endured it all with tight fists.

    However, their criticism seemed endless.

    Unable to endure it, Raymond fled from the ssroom, but instead of quieting down, they continued to criticise the individual who wasn¡¯t even there anymore.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Are you all children?!¡±

    I was the one who yelled out while standing up from my desk. Luke and the others who worked with me over the past month were looking at me with surprised faces.

    It was probably because this was the first time they¡¯ve ever seen me angry.

    ¡°You all chose to set up the courtyard together with Raymond, but when you failed, it was only his fault alone?! Do you seriously think that?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Raymond was also in the wrong here, but this can¡¯t all be med on one person. The evaluation you received is a reflection of all of you.¡±

    If things were really as they said, where one person waspletely responsible for both sess or failure, and everything anyone else did was considered to have made no contribution at all, then any des they received would¡¯ve solely gone to that one person as well.

    But there¡¯s no one who would ept such a stupid thing.

    Our group was only sessful because we all worked together.

    ¨Cas I rattled on, I realised that I had lost my temper.

    The first thing I yelled out was a question if they were children, but they really<em> were</em> only twelve year old kids. It was an inappropriate reason to get mad at them, and the immature way I shouted at them was no different.

    I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

    ¡°If I were to give my opinion, your setup was actually pretty good. It was bad luck that various misfortunes fell your way, but there should be those out there who understand your circumstances.¡±

    For example, the teachers.

    If it were the faculty that had seen the setup every year, they should have an average standard built up forparison. If so, then they would never think that the courtyard was poorly done.

    That¡¯s what I told them, but my ssmates¡¯ reactions weren¡¯t that good.

    ¡°You¡­ still think our setup was good, despite us being enemies?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever considering you enemies in the first ce.¡±

    Professor Tristan fanned the mes ofpetition to help encourage the students¡¯ growth. While I was only using the situation to protect mydy¡¯s honour and have my ability recognised.

    I never considered them foes I wanted to kick down from the beginning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Your setup was created at a level appropriate for the A-ss. Even if people said a lot of things now, those are only temporary evaluations. They can be easily overturned next time.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely possible. Eventually we¡¯ll have topete with the other sses, so isn¡¯t now the time toe together so we can show off difference between us and those that look down on us?¡±

    They should¡¯ve learned a lot from this project, and if we all moved together, I¡¯m sure we could put out the best results possible.

    The moment they heard my words, they could tell that I wasn¡¯t pitying them, and when they understood that they could still fix things, their expressions softened.

    I hammered the final nail in at that moment.

    ¡°¨Chowever, you shouldn¡¯t me others for your own failures. That¡¯s a problem thates <em>before</em> your ability as servants.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah. That¡¯s my bad¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the person you should be apologising to.¡±

    The individual they needed to make amends with was Raymond. I told them to make up with him once he returned, and left the ssroom to look for him¨C by the way, professor Tristan was there waiting outside in the hallway.

    ¡°¡­professor? Were you eavesdropping?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like its a bad thing. I was just waiting for the perfect moment to step in, but you seem to have already said most of the things I was nning to.¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but weren¡¯t you the one who involved me first, professor?¡±

    ¡°I am. That¡¯s why I was going to give you the credit for everything once it was all finished.¡±

    While he might have a bit of a foul mouth, professor Tristan was a good guy. He truly wanted to see his students¡¯ growth. So instead of entering the dispute as an arbitrator, he silently watched over me as I handled the situation so that I could reap the benefits of being the one that did so.

    There were many problems with his way of doing things, but at his core he was really a kind person.

    ¡°Hey, follow up on Raymond too, okay? He went that way.¡±

    Professor Tristan made a gentle expression on his masculine face and pointed towards the direction Raymond left.

    Sent by professor Tristan, I searched around for a while, and in a corner of the courtyard¨C I found Raymond hugging his knees in a part of the venue that wasn¡¯t cleaned up yet.

    ¡°So there you are.¡±

    ¡°¡­why are you here? Did youe tough at me?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just here to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Pick me up? What are you saying? Justugh already, isn¡¯t it hrious? I acted against you and ungracefully lost, didn¡¯t you hear what the others said?¡±

    ¡°But you were the only one that didn¡¯t run away from your responsibilities.¡±

    Even while being verbally abused by his peers, he didn¡¯t say anything back. In the end, he couldn¡¯t take it and ran away, but he never denied that it wasn¡¯t his fault.

    ¡°¡­you really are the person they told me you were.¡±

    ¡°They told you I was?¡±

    ¡°A guy in the same group exined to me that you weren¡¯t a bad guy, so I asked around to find out why you got such a low score on the dance performance.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    He probably learned that fifty-one wasn¡¯t my original score. If so, then he must¡¯ve realised the hidden meanings in professor Tristan referencing my grade to urge on the confrontation.

    As I pondered that, Raymond suddenly bowed to me.

    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°What are you apologising for?¡±

    ¡°Everything. I was in the wrong for picking a fight with you, and I was the one who didn¡¯t ask about the situation and ridiculed you about your dance score. There was also the incident about the ss representative as well so¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    He didn¡¯t raise his head, but actually lowered it further.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve realised all of that, then use that knowledge to improve yourself instead. There¡¯s no need to apologise.¡±

    While it was true that he was the one who brashly moved on iplete information,<i> I</i> was the one who didn¡¯t dismiss the teacher¡¯s ¡®suspicions¡¯ of me, so I was partly responsible for what had happened to him.

    Of course, when he first picked a fight with me at the exam venue, I thought he was really troublesome, but the matter regarding the ss conflict was a result I wanted, so there¡¯s nothing for him to apologise to me about there.

    For him to admit his fault like this, I didn¡¯t think Raymond is really that bad of a guy. So with his previous apology, I was fine with letting everything be water under the bridge.

    ¡°Can you forgive me?¡±

    ¡°Consider yourself forgiven, but in return, can you tell me one thing?¡±

    ¡°¡­what?¡±

    ¡°Even with the courtyard venue as it is, it¡¯s obvious how talented you are. After graduating, you could easily find yourself in the service of a famous house. What are you so impatient about?¡±

    His ability will surely catch the eyes of the nobility. If Raymond didn¡¯t earn the ire of mydy, then I might¡¯ve even given him a rmendation to serve the Rosenberg house.

    That greedy attitude of his is clearly counterproductive.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the leisure of waiting until graduation.¡±

    ¡°¡­what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°My father¡­ died in an ident recently.¡±

    What came out of his mouth was a sad truth. The mask of a butler had been peeled off, and the raw Raymond was exposed. He then went on to exin his circumstances over the past year.

    His father was a butler in service of a nobleman, and it seems that Raymond and his siblings were also aiming to follow in his footsteps.

    However, he had suddenly passed away in an ident.

    They <i>did </i>have some savings, but it wasn¡¯t enough to take care of their family over a long period of time. So as a result of discussing things over, they enrolled Raymond into the school.

    They could afford tuition for about a year, and in the meantime, he needed to find an employer that he could earn money for living expenses and his siblings¡¯ education. So on his small back, he hade here carrying the fate of his family.

    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I get worked up so easily.¡±

    When I was only twelve years old, all I did was y around without a care in the world. If I was in the same situation as him in my previous life, I¡¯m sure that I would just break down crying in confusion.

    ¡°Hey¡­ Cyril. If I voluntarily withdraw from the school, do you think they¡¯ll refund me part of my tuition?¡±

    ¡°I believe that¡­ would be difficult.¡±

    Once you enrolled, the school reserved a spot for the individual in the curriculum. I don¡¯t think the money used would return just because the person in question left.

    ¡°I see¡­ well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Cyril, once again I¡¯m sorry for all the troubles I¡¯ve caused you.¡±

    Raymond stood up and then walked past me.

    ¡°Are you going to give up?¡±

    I called out to his back, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°¨Care you really okay with this?¡±

    At my second query, Raymond finally stopped, and when he looked back, I was exposed to the surprising sight of his crying face.

    ¡°I mean¡­ it can¡¯t be helped, right? I¡¯ve struggled so hard until this point, but I lost to you and was abandoned by all those I¡¯ve worked with until now. What am I supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°In that case, what were you nningto do once you left the school?¡±

    ¡°¡­I know. I¡¯m going to work somewhere using the knowledge I¡¯ve gathered so far. With that, I might be able to earn enough to feed my family.¡±

    For his family¡¯s sake, he¡¯s really been doing his best until now so¨C

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it might be a little quick to give up?¡±

    ¡°¡­what are you saying?¡±

    Raymond was staring at me. His bluish eyes were filled with strong emotions that seemed to be a mix of doubt and expectation.

    ¡°Your setup of the courtyard wasn¡¯t bad. Once we startpeting with the other sses, your talents will be made clear. Why not at least wait for your next chance?¡±

    ¡°Chances won¡¯te after everyone saw my unsightly losing figure.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll definitely get one. I¡¯ll make sure of it. It¡¯s part of my job as the ss representative.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re¡­ going to help me even though I was so hostile towards you?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t professor Tristan himself say we¡¯re supposed to learn from our mistakes to grow? This might sound arrogant of me, but I thought you would¡¯ve been more frustrated right now.¡±

    I don¡¯t think he suspects me of being a reincarnator, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s aware of me being an abnormal presence. In that case, he should understand how unlikely it was for me to lose.

    In the first ce, I needed to show that I had the appropriate skills as mydy¡¯s exclusive butler. What I needed to portray wasn¡¯t the ability to kick people down, nor the strength to overwhelm others.

    As I was in a position that managed other employees, I needed to be able to use those around me to their fullest extent. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate of me as a supervisor to cut off a talented individual over problems of this degree.

    ¡°Raymond, I want to be friends with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­friends? Me and you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. If you¡¯ll be my friend, then I¡¯ll help you out with finding work over this next year. So¨C¡±

    I held out my right hand. When he saw that, Raymond opened his eyes wide¨C

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sosorry.¡±

    ¡ª and then he started crying again as his expression broke down.

    No matter how strong willed he was, he was still only a twelve year old kid. Iughed thinking that it couldn¡¯t be helped, and put my hand on Raymond¡¯s head.

    ¡°Hey, a butler isn¡¯t someone who should reveal their emotions that easily in public, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After I petted Raymond¡¯s head for a little while, he suddenly pulled back from me. Then, after wiping his tears with a handkerchief, he quickly made an expression that said he really wanted to run away.

    It looks like he was growing embarrassed over the fact that he cried in front of his ssmate.

    I pretended not to notice and said that we should return to the ssroom.

    Once we got back, Raymond began talking with his friends that I intimidated. They were a bit awkward at first, but it seems they were eventually able to settle things.

    It took a while, but it looks like I was finally able to unite the ss. After things calm down a bit, all I had to do was deal with the problems concerning Libert and the second prince.

    The moment I thought so¨C the prince suddenly entered into the ssroom.

 School Faction Riot Part Two 3

    It¡¯s impossible to imagine the second prince appearing in a servant course ssroom.

    For example, let¡¯s say Lady Sophia needed something from me. In that case, she would send her maid here, and even if that wasn¡¯t possible, servants specifically assigned to the noble ss would go instead.

    So there was no reason for mydy toe here on her own to feet.

    And that¡¯s just her, the other party this time was <i>the</i> second prince.

    Just why would he¨C no, right now my top priority should be weing him.

    ¡°Your highness, there was no need for youe to a ce like this yourself, if you needed something, I would¡¯ve dlye at your call.¡±

    ¡°No, this is something that would be dangerous to talk about in the noble ss.¡±

    ¡­dangerous? Something that needed to be discussed in secret¡­ does it have something to do with Libert? Could it be that he intentionally interfered with our first contact with him yesterday for this reason?

    If that was the case, then he did what he did because he lost the initiative¡­ well for now, let¡¯s listen to what he has to say.¡°As for your protection¡­ I see, so you did bring some.¡±

    Taking a quick nce around, I noticed some presences ncing our way from around the corner.

    ¡°Oh? You could tell they were there?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes¡­ I¡¯ve trained myself to a certain degree for self-defense.¡±

    Or so I replied, but I was actually caught off-guard by how friendly he was being. As an elitist, I thought the second prince would act more arrogantly towards amoner like myself, and yet¡­

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so stiff. The bodyguards are just some people my father assigned to safeguard me. They¡¯re of no concern, and they¡¯ll keep whatever we talk about confidential.¡±

    ¡°¡­understood.¡±

    I mean, wasn¡¯t it normal for those assigned to monitor others not to speak? Well, I think they¡¯ll still report to the king, but¡­

    Either way, what we discuss shouldn¡¯t be leaked to our ssmates.

    ¡°Your highness, if what you need to tell me is something others shouldn¡¯t hear, should we move?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be for the best. Do you have anywhere in mind?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ how about the courtyard?¡±

    While turning my gaze, I made that proposal.

    I wanted to put Luke in charge while I was gone, but I couldn¡¯t see him or Chloe anywhere. They were just here a little while ago, so I guess they departed while I was out.

    Making do, I left the rest to my ssmates and apanied the prince to the courtyard.

    The courtyard still had the facilities from yesterday¡¯s party set up, and now I was currently facing the second prince in one of the venue¡¯s corners. His guards were lurking in the surroundings, but they weren¡¯t close enough for our conversation to reach them.

    I didn¡¯t know what he wanted to discuss with me, but we could talk in these conditions with peace of mind. Facing the prince like this reminded me of the event that yed before I was convicted and sentenced to my execution, so I couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.

    ¡°Now then, what did you want to talk to me about?¡±

    ¡°What else could it be? Of course¡­ it¡¯s about Sophia. I want to know what she¡¯s thinking, so that¡¯s why I¡¯vee to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Yesterday, mydy danced with the second prince and his followers, but she never confirmed whether she was an elitist or not, so now he¡¯se to question her butler instead to verify it.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this something you should directly ask mydy herself?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I could do that! What am supposed to do if she tells me that she doesn¡¯t like boys who aren¡¯t good at dancing?!¡±

    ¡­huh?

    What is he saying? This is bad, I can¡¯t understand what the prince was talking about. However, even if I couldn¡¯tprehend the other party¡¯s words, there¡¯s no way I could admit that.

    There¡¯s no way I could, but¡­ I was seriously lost here.

    Waitwaitwait, let¡¯s think about this calmly.

    The prince¡¯s response to my statement that he should¡¯ve asked mydy directly was that he was afraid of being told that she didn¡¯t like boys who weren¡¯t good at dancing.

    In other words, what he wanted to ask Lady Sophia was, ¡®could you still fall in love with a boy who isn¡¯t good at dancing?¡¯ or¡­ something like that?

    What¡¯s with that? Was he just trying to rattle me? Was this a mental attack?

    ¡­no, its been made very clear that the second prince holds passionate feelings towards Lady Sophia. When keeping that in mind, does that mean that he¡¯s seriously worried about what she thinks on this subject?

    In the current state of affairs where tensions were running high between the elitists and themoners, I didn¡¯t think such a flowery question would appear¡­ for now, should I try confirming this?

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t think mydy holds the dance she held with you in low-regard, your highness.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way she doesn¡¯t! Yesterday, I stepped on Sophia¡¯s foot once!¡±

    ¡°¡­y-yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the first time we danced together I stepped on her feet three times. Since then, I resolved myself to get better before we danced again.¡±

    ¡°¡­isn¡¯t the reduction from three to one still an improvement?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m still stepping on her feet in the end!¡±

    ¡­he was serious.

    No, in the first ce, I felt like we were slowly losing track of the conversation¡­ however, his highness seemed to truly be worried about being disliked by Lady Sophia.

    But putting that aside, he¡¯s been talking normally to a servant like myself this entire time.

    ¡°May I ask something of you, your highness?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Your highness¡­ don¡¯t you hate usmoners?¡±

    ¡°Why would I?¡±

    With a puzzled look, he returned that question to me with wide eyes. If one were to turn that image into a picture, it would surely be a masterpiece that captivated women who loved young boys everywhere¡­ wasn¡¯t this guy the leader of the elitist faction?

    What was the meaning of this?

    There was no way he hasn¡¯t noticed the behaviour of his surroundings. So assuming he knew¡­ he just left them alone to their own devices? No, he just didn¡¯t care what they did in the first ce?

    ¡°Why would you ask such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Your highness, the people around you advocate for those ideals, and they say that you feel the same way as well.¡±

    I was definitely crossing some lines with these words.

    It¡¯s clear that I had gone too far, but if I missed this opportunity, I might never get a chance like this ever again. With that in mind, I made my query to the prince.

    However¨C

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it. Certainly, they might say that, but that¡¯s just their own opinion. I don¡¯t actually think so at all.¡±

    The prince answered that with a big smile.

    There wasn¡¯t anything hidden behind it. That was simply the innocent response of a child.

    He was a kind-hearted boy who worried about stepping on another¡¯s feet. A little kid who put in arge amount of effort to avoid repeating that mistake, just so he wouldn¡¯t be hated by the girl he liked.

    However¡­ he was naive.

    He couldn¡¯t read the subtleties in other¡¯s words either. While that may be appropriate for a normal child of his age, how he was currently was definitely no good. As a prince, he was far too immature for his position.

    Mydy has undoubtedly mistaken him for a member of the elitists, and when I pointed out the situation to him, he even admitted that he didn¡¯t even do anything to deny the ims made on his behalf.

    Maybe as a fictional capture target, a prince as refreshing as this was fine, but in reality, an honest prince who couldn¡¯t even read the hidden meanings behind words was no good.

    But even before all that, if he really wasn¡¯t an elitist, then he should at least tell others that he¡¯s being misunderstood.

    Just what has the prince¡¯s educator been doing all this time?

    Something needed to be done about this¡­ but there¡¯s no way I could say something like, ¡®is your educatorpletely ipetent?¡¯ or rather, I¡¯ve already said too much.

    In the first ce, this wasn¡¯t a matter someone of my status couldment on.

    But he was a candidate for mydy¡¯s future partner. If Lady Sophia married the second prince as he was now, then I could see nothing but hardships awaiting for her.

    Should I take it upon myself to retrain him to be someone suitable for her?

    ¡­no, I¡¯d probably be executed for l¨¨se-majest¨¦ before the training even began. I should back down here¡­ wait, wasn¡¯t he worried about what mydy thought of him?

    ¡°Your highness, Lady Sophia isn¡¯t someone who would hate someone just because they weren¡¯t good at dancing.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. However¡­ just like you, mydy is constantly attracting attention due to her position as the daughter of a Marquis. Therefore, it¡¯s necessary for her to pay attention to who she talks to and what the contents of her conversations are considering the eyes watching her.¡±

    By telling the second prince that they were simr, I was trying to convey to him that he shouldn¡¯t take brash actions either. I was indirectly giving him advice.

    The bodyguards shouldn¡¯t have heard me, but even if they did, the corresponding punishment they give me should be reduced.

    However¨C

    ¡°I see, Sophia sure has it tough.¡±

    ¨Ceven with all of that, my words didn¡¯t get through to him¡­ I wanted to cry.

    However¡­ that¡¯s right. This was normal for twelve year old children.

    This isn¡¯t good. Even though children could still learn <i>something </i>when taught by an ipetent educator, there weren¡¯t many who could process such deep thoughts on their own.

    Because his body was still immature, his mind was as well.

    ¡°By the way, uh¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My apologies for thete introduction, but I¡¯m Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case¨C Cyril, do you know what Sophia likes?¡±

    Concerning food, she enjoys tea and shortcake. In the arts, she likes dancing and ying solo pieces on the violin. I could just tell him, but I didn¡¯t think the prince was capable of impressing her with any of these things.

    ¡­wait, weren¡¯t there an unusuallyrge variety of roses in the royal castle?

    ¡°Mydy loves roses, which are the symbol of her Rosenberg house.¡±

    ¡°Roses?! If its roses, then there¡¯s a bunch of them at the castle!¡±

    ¡°If you showed them to her, then I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be very pleased.¡±

    If they went to see the roses in the royal castle¡¯s courtyard, then only servants and guards should apany them. The followers wouldn¡¯t be anywhere in sight.

    In that situation, mydy would definitely be able to point out the error of his ways.

    As I pondered that, the prince began making arrangements to invite her to the rose garden.

    Once I finally returned to the ssroom, I was suddenly surrounded by my ssmates.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong, everyone?¡±

    ¡°<i>What¡¯s wrong?! </i>What did the second prince want to talk to you about?!¡±

    ¡°No way, did he hire you?! Is this the second professor Tristan situation?!¡±

    Ah¡­ speaking of which, in professor Tristan¡¯s story of when he was hired by the royals, he told us that the prince at that time visited his servant ss as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not meeting your expectations, but that¡¯s not the case. It¡¯s somewhat of a personal matter, so please forgive me for not being able to disclose the contents of our conversation.¡±

    When I told them that, they sadly relented. Since they were being educated to be professional servants, they seemed to understand the importance of confidential matters.

    For the time being, now I had to think about the future.

    The ss had finally been united together. I was able to disy my ability as mydy¡¯s exclusive butler with this recent event, so there was no need to worry about that anymore.

    Right now I had to focus on the elitist andmoner factions.

    There¡¯s also the revtion that the second prince wasn¡¯t an elitist to consider¡­ honestly, it wasn¡¯t that hard to believe after thinking it over. At the very least, his game counterpart didn¡¯t have a very good opinion them.

    Taking that into consideration, then it might be a game setting that something happens within the next three years that causes the second prince to grow disdainful towards the elitists.

    I couldn¡¯t confirm the truth at the moment, but the current problem was that many people were misunderstanding the situation. There were already a number of cases that had diverged from the setting, so just because something was set to be naturally resolved by the game¡¯s start ording to my past knowledge didn¡¯t mean that I could just leave it alone.

    At the rate things were going, the second prince might inadvertently start a feud against themoners. He needed to learn the reality of the situation directly from mydy.

    The problem was Libert.

    Lady Sophia had <i>just </i>garnered suspicion of being an elitist, so for the second prince to so brazenly visit me at my ssroom was fatal.

    From the elitists perspective, it was just the weird action of the prince visiting a servant. However, to themoner faction, it looked like he was trying to get into contact with Lady Sophia¡¯s proxy.

    Although it was necessary to get into contact with Libert immediately, the method in which to do so required caution.

    Even if the second prince wasn¡¯t an elitist, the followers surrounding him were. I¡¯m sure that both Lady Sophia and I were being monitored by them.

    Of course, I couldn¡¯t do something as conspicuous as what the prince did and visit Libert¡¯s ssroom directly.

    At least something in the grey. I needed a situation that I could insist wasn¡¯t so ck and white. It¡¯d be nice if there was something I could use to get in touch casually like the party¡­

    ¡°Cyril, why are you making such a troubled expression?¡±

    It was Raymond who called out to me.

    ¡°Oh, have you finished reconciling with your friends?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, thanks to you¡­ wait, don¡¯t bring up such embarrassing things.¡±

    ¡°You said thatst part yourself.¡±

    Laughing back with a bitter smile, Raymond¡¯s demons seemed to be gone now.

    A twelve year old boy lost his father and was forced to carry the fate of his family on his small back. When taking that into consideration, his impatient and rash behaviour until now didn¡¯t feel that unreasonable anymore.

    In that sense, his present figure was probably his true self.

    ¡°But putting that aside¨C Cyril, why were you making such a troubled face?¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ you see, I was actually thinking about how I could get into contact with Libert.¡±

    ¡°The son of the Lacourt Company¡¯s president? If I remember correctly, he was the leader of themoner faction¡­ wait, that¡¯s it!¡±

    It was something I was contemting immediately after the second prince brazenly came into contact with me. So when I mentioned wanting to contact Libert, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to assume I received some kind of order from him to carry out.

    ¡°Let me just say¨C¡±

    ¡°I know. You need to talk to Libert in secret, so you can tell him that you aren¡¯t hostile, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­why would you think so?¡±

    Raymond couldn¡¯t have inferred all of that from just my facial expression.

    ¡°The mistress you serve cares far too much about you to be an elitist.¡±

    ¡°She cares too much¡­ about me?¡±

    In front of Raymond, mydy must¡¯ve taken an attitude impressionable enough to make him think so. I wonder when this happened.

    ¡°Before, when I directly met with Lady Sopia to speak with her, she told me, ¡®I wouldnever hire someone who¡¯s hostile towards Cyril, the person I trust most.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t something mydy should be openly dering to other people about a mere servant¡­ but I can¡¯t say that I wasn¡¯t happy about it.

    I was seriously struggling to stop myself from smiling.

    ¡°If you want to casually get into contact with Libert, then how about the tea party he¡¯s hosting? It seems that some of the lower-ss nobility and the influentialmoners were invited to it.¡±

    Apparently, Libert was organising an event to gather allies to stand against the elitists. The only people attending were those that didn¡¯t have good opinions of the opposition¨C there¡¯s no way that was true.

    If I were an elitist, I¡¯d definitely try to sneak in to find out about themoner faction¡¯s inner workings.

    As I thought that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like this was the silver lining within the prince¡¯s visit. Now even if I infiltrated the tea party, the elitists wouldn¡¯t grow suspicious of me at all.

    On top of that, what the prince talked to me about was his love life¨C there¡¯s no way he would tell anyone about it.

    The thing is, Libert would probably be making the same conclusions as the elitists¡­ and I still needed to persuade him despite that.

    ¡°This is a great opportunity¡­ but the question now is how am I going to attend?¡±

    ¡°You can have a noble invited to the party hire you temporarily as their butler. One of the participants I know of is that youngdy who requested a dance from you earlier.¡±

    It seems Alicia was among the lower-ss nobility called to attend the party. Speaking of which, there was a simr situation like this in the game. It was an event that happened just before the ending where both mydy and I were executed.

    ¡­well, there shouldn¡¯t be any danger of that this time.

    The problem with this n was that I¡¯d be Alicia¡¯s servant during that time, even if it was only temporarily.

    All the light disappeared from Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes just from her asking me to dance, so once it was known that I¡¯d be acting as her exclusive butler¡­ just thinking about it frightened me.

 School Faction Riot Part Two 4

    After school finished that day, I visited the noble C-ss to meet with Alicia.

    When I asked for her, a blonde maid in her mid-twenties appeared instead. Her name was Melissa and she was also the same person that collided with me on the day of the entrance examination.

    I didn¡¯t notice it at the time because her clothes and hairstyle were different from the still images shown in the original work, but I know her. Supporting Alicia throughout the game, she had the position of the heroine¡¯s trusted friend.

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re Cyril, aren¡¯t you? What do you want with mydy?¡±

    ¡°Please forgive me for my sudden intrusion. I heard a rumour that Lady Alicia would be attending a certain tea party, so I have a personal request to make of her. Actually¨C¡±

    ¡°Forget it, just leave.¡±

    Without even letting me finish, Melissa tly rejected my request.

    ¡°Please wait for one moment. Are you by any chance, misunderstanding something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not misunderstanding anything. Mydy is very busy and doesn¡¯t have the time for personal conversations. So¨C¡±¡°Melissa? Who are you talking to?¡±

    An unexpectedly clear voice suddenly resounded out. It was Alicia, who had appeared from behind Melissa.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Cyril? Why is he here? Could it be¡­ that he came to see me? Is that why you were talking with him, Melissa?¡±

    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes were swimming. Apparently, she didn¡¯t want Alicia to know that she was trying to drive me off.

    It was because she loved her like family.

    ¡°Just now, I was telling her that I had a request for you, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you need something from me? Well¡­ for now let¡¯s talk over tea on the terrace. Melissa, I¡¯m going to go grab my luggage, so can you take care of Cyril¡¯s wee?¡±

    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s¡­ understood.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s the servant¡¯s job to grab the luggage¡¯¨C Melissa definitely wanted to say that, but stopped herself.

    Both of them already knew that. So Alicia probably only said what she did because she had to take care of something and needed a reason to excuse herself.

    But putting that aside¡­ I turned to look at Melissa.

    I didn¡¯t say anything, but a bit of awkwardness seemed to appear on her profile. Noticing my line of sight, she then asked, ¡°¡­why did you cover for me?¡± with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

    ¡°You were a bit curt, but you were just trying to protect her. Your vignce was only natural.¡±

    Melissa was Alicia¡¯s maid. No matter what route the heroine chose, she alone was by her side from start to finish every time.

    Her previous response was only because Alicia wasthat important to her.

    In the first ce, Alicia was invited to a tea party hosted by themoner faction, then immediately after, the butler of Lady Sophia¨C who was currently under suspicion of being an elitist, appeared to meet with her. If she <i>wasn¡¯t </i>wary of me, then she¡¯d be disqualified as a servant.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll make sure to return this favour, but that¡¯s only personally. I won¡¯t make any concessions regarding matters with mydy, so keep that in mind.¡±

    After speaking some unique lines that appeared in the game, Melissa then guided me to the terrace. A short whileter, Alicia then arrived as well.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting, Cyril.¡±

    Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and there was a small essory adorned on her bluish-ck hair. She wasn¡¯t wearing it before, so it seems that she left before to make herself a bit more fashionable.

    ¡°That¡¯s a beautiful hair ornament. It looks very good on you, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°Fue?! T-thank you so much!¡±

    As Alicia¡¯s cheeks were dyed vermillion, I was angrily nudged by Melissa, who was standing diagonally behind me. ¡®Don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, just get to the main topic¡¯ is probably what she wanted to convey to me.

    ¡°Okay then, now what did you need from me¡­ ah, but before that, I¡¯m sorry for not serving any tea. Melissa, can you please bring out some drinks for Cyril and I?¡±

    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Melissa was reluctant to follow her mistress¡¯ order. Considering the circumstances, I could imagine what she wanted to say. She didn¡¯t want to leave Alicia alone with me.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lady Alicia. I¡¯ll be leaving right after I finish my business here anyways.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    Although she seemed crestfallen at my answer, I pretended not to notice¨C to which Melissa started to whisper in a dissatisfied voice behind me, ¡°where are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°I just thought it would be meaningless if I didn¡¯t convince you as well.¡±

    If it were just Alicia, it would be easy to get her to ept, but then Melissa would likely oppose her decision after I left.

    So it would be better to persuade them both at once.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can, but what¡¯s your motive in making mydy feel downhearted? Don¡¯t tell me, did you seriously not notice when she asked you for a dance before?¡±

    ¡°¡­no matter what my motive was, would you not oppose me anyways?¡±

    ¡°Of course I would. Regardless of the circumstances, the action of making mydy grieve is unforgivable.¡±

    That was a double-standard, but I wasn¡¯t going to point that out because I worried the same way about mydy¡­ even now.

    Therefore, I had no intentions of ridiculing Melissa for her contradictory actions.

    ¡°¨Cwhat are you two whispering about?¡±

    ¡°Its nothing. I was just asking if he was really okay with not having a drink, isn¡¯t that right, Sir Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, its true. I was just telling her that she really didn¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±

    To Alicia¡¯s cold voice, I replied in conjunction with Melissa.

    Espressivo of Light and Darkness¨C just like its name suggests, the game that became the base for this world had a dark side as well.

    Examples of this would be when Lady Sophia fell into darkness, or Alicia¡¯s voice when she was angry.

    ¡°¡­for some reason, you two seem to be in perfect sync.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s definitely not the case. Right, Sir Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Our hurried denial only seemed to deepen Alicia¡¯s suspicions though. Turning my eyes away, I decided to avoid this issue by redirecting us back to the main topic.

    ¡°¡­speaking of which, you said you needed something from me?¡±

    ¡°I do, but let me check one thing first. Lady Alicia, I heard that you were invited to Sir Libert¡¯s tea party, is this true?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Yes¡­ it¡¯s just as you say.¡±

    ¡°I see. Actually, I would like to apany you to the party by temporarily working as your exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°¨Cnot possible.¡±

    Melissa immediately denied my proposal.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough Melissa. Aren¡¯t you being rude to Cyril?¡±

    ¡°He is a servant, not a guest.¡±

    ¡°Geez~ does that really matter? ¡­Cyril, is there any chance you could forgive her?¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s in the right. It¡¯s only natural that¡¯s she¡¯d oppose my suggestion.¡±

    Melissa was the one I needed to persuade here, but it would actually be better if Alicia raised her awareness as well.

    The moment I thought so¨C

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I can¡¯t answer without hearing your intentions first. So Cyril, what¡¯s your¡­ no, what¡¯s Lady Sophia¡¯s goal here?¡±

    Alicia seems to have realised that my objectives were faction rted. Although her version from the game was three years older than her current self, this surprised me because she wasn¡¯t supposed to be familiar with worldly affairs even then.

    ¡°Oh, did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡±

    ¡°¡­please forgive me.¡±

    It would¡¯ve been rude to agree with her words, so I just apologised instead. However, contrary to my expectations, Alicia suddenly burst intoughter.

    ¡°Cyril it¡¯s okay, please don¡¯t worry about it. I was only told the truthst night. Rather, I should be the one apologising instead. A lot of things must¡¯ve happened because I asked you for that dance¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡±

    Alicia¡¯s behaviour was clearly different from yesterday. Her actions back then were the embodiment of themoner faction¡¯s ideals. However, the butler she requested a dance from served a Marquis¡¯ daughter that was suspected of being an elitist.

    Some might see it as Alicia trying to break down the elitist faction, but others would see it as the butler having seduced her to break down themoner faction.

    It¡¯s no wonder Melissa was so wary of me.

    ¡°So Cyril, why do you want to attend the party?¡±

    Alicia dejectedly looked down and asked why I wanted to enter the tea party, not why I wanted to be her exclusive butler. Her words and attitude hurt my heart.

    However¨C no, that¡¯s<i>exactly </i>why¡­ I couldn¡¯t lie to her here.

    ¡°I need to get in contact with Sir Libert as soon as possible. This is so I can inform him that mydy holds no hostility towards him.¡±

    Was it the truth that mydy wasn¡¯t an elitist, or the fact that I¡¯d be willing to openly disclose this that surprised them? Probably both. The two looked at me with wide eyes.

    ¡°¡­in other words, you want to tell him that Lady Sophia isn¡¯t part of the elitist faction, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Mydy has no intentions of discriminating against themoners at all.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the truth, then why would you tell me that?¡±

    ¡°There are several reasons¡­ but if I was to name one, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve decided that you were someone I could trust, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°Y-you trust¡­ me?¡±

    Next to Alicia¨C who¡¯s cheeks had flushed red, Melissa sighed. She was surelyining in her heart that her mistress was too easy.

    But I wasn¡¯t just saying that. The heroine in the game had an unquestionably good character, and I¡¯ve judged that Alicia¡¯s current iteration was the same.

    That¡¯s why I was willing to entrust her with this secret.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Both mydy and I are incapable of sympathising with the elitists. Therefore, now that the mistress I serve is being misunderstood, it¡¯s all the more necessary to contact Libert.¡±

    ¡°¡­in short, you¡¯re saying you want to use me for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake?¡±

    Alicia¡¯s blue eyes seemed to be able to see into the depths of my heart.

    So I immediately admitted, ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± without looking away from her. To that answer, Melissa revealed the anger she¡¯s been holding back and went, ¡°Don¡¯t screw with¨C¡±

    However, it was Alicia herself who stopped her.

    ¡°Stand down, Melissa.¡±

    ¡°But mydy, didn¡¯t this guy just say that he was going to use you?!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that obvious from the beginning? And Cyril didn¡¯t hide it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but I don¡¯t think whether he hid it or not is the problem here.¡±

    Melissa began toin while scolding her, but Alicia put an end to it and turned back towards me.

    ¡°Hey Cyril, since you¡¯re<strong>taking advantage of my feelings,</strong>isn¡¯t it only fair that I use your goals for my own objectives as well?¡±

    I was caught off-guard by Alicia¡¯s response, but I wasn¡¯t going to deny that I was using her, so I agreed and said it was fine.

    ¡°In that case¡­ here are my conditions. Please apany me not as my exclusive butler, but as my escort. Just this one time alone is fine. If you can agree to this, then I¡¯ll take you to the party.¡±

    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve acted as Lady Sophia¡¯s partner before, right? So there should be no problems with doing this for me either. Or are you saying¡­ that you¡¯d rather give up on attending Libert¡¯s party?¡±

    Alicia then tilted her head and started tough like she was having a lot of fun.

    ¡­just how was I supposed to exin this to mydy?

 School Faction Riot Part Two 5

    In order toe into contact with Libert, I nned to sneak into his tea party as Alicia¡¯s exclusive butler, but now I was going to have to attend it as her escort.

    It was a condition set based off of a thorough understanding of my circumstances. There was no way I could dispel Alicia¡¯s demands myself. Therefore, there was only one person here that could change the terms of this deal.

    However, even Melissa said, ¡°If mydy has resolved herself for this, then I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Your mistress is pursuing someonepletely uneptable for her social ss! How could you allow this?!

    ¡­or so Iined in my heart, but I¡¯m sure I would¡¯ve said the same thing if I was Alicia¡¯s butler. Melissa wasn¡¯t a maid of the Lindberg Viscount house, but Alicia¡¯s exclusive maid.

    I was a bit surprised, but she was only asking me to be an informal tea party partner. Compared to escorting someone at the first prince¡¯s birthday party, it was a trivial matter.

    With that in mind, the only problem would be Lady Sophia¡¯s reaction to this.

    She seemed like she was going to fall into darkness just from me dancing with Alicia that one time, so once she knows I¡¯ll be attending a tea party as her partner¡­

    I felt shivers just thinking about it, but I wasn¡¯t going to keep this from her. I will never lie to mydy. That was something I vowed to uphold the moment I became Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.

    But everything has a procedure to follow.When negotiating, you needed to understand the other party¡¯s interests. Simrly, when apologising for something, you needed to bring goods to show off your sincerity, and if the crime youmitted was unforgivable, you needed to prepare a scapegoat.

    ¡­oops, my thoughts were really starting to get dark there. For the time being, let¡¯s start preparing the sweets mydy likes before I meet with her.

    However, when I returned to the mansion while thinking that, Rouch¨¦ was on standby in front of my room. The moment she saw me, she said, ¡°The mistress is waiting for you¡± in a business-like manner.

    ¡°Should I go to the mistress¡¯ room then?¡±

    Rouch¨¦ shook her head at my query¨C

    ¡°The mistress is waiting for you <i>here.</i>¡±

    ¨Cand then quickly opened the door before pushing my back. My footsteps echoed out as I stumbled in, and immediately after, Rouch¨¦ closed the door behind me.

    While still confused by her abrupt actions, I raised my face.

    And standing there¨C was mydy.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, where were you?¡±

    ¡°I was searching for a way to get into contact with Sir Libert, mydy.¡±

    I immediately answered her.

    Having vowed to never tell mydy a lie, it was a small trick that hid the truth without distorting any information. I just wasn¡¯t ready yet.

    ¡°In other words, flirting with Alicia was necessary to meet with Libert?¡±

    Ahh¡­ she knew about the meeting.

    The lights in mydy¡¯s amethyst eyes disappeared as they turned red, while her tinum blonde hair started to flutter despite there being no wind¨C wait, something¡¯s wrong.

    Don¡¯t tell me, is her magic power running out of control?!

    ¡°Mydy, please calm down!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t calm down! I hate this! Why won¡¯t you look at me?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, mydy!¡±

    ¡°¨Ceh?! C-cyril?!¡±

    I grabbed mydy¡¯s delicate shoulders and pulled her in close. My serious figure was reflected in the back of her red-dyed eyes, and her clear white cheeks quickly flushed vermilion.

    ¡°C-cyril? Y-your face is too close.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, please calm down. Steady yourself, and look into my eyes, have you realised that your magic power is running out of control?¡±

    ¡°¡­eh? Magic¡­ power? My magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your magic power. Calm yourself, and take a deep breath. Do you remember what I¡¯ve taught you about controlling your magic? Please let the magic power that¡¯s built up inside of you escape.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I understand¡­¡±

    Mydy then closed her eyes and began to release her magic. From her body, glittering sparkles of light began dissipating into the air.

    At the same time, her red eyes returned to their original purple colour.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, what happened to me?¡±

    ¡°You seemed to be suffering from magical overcharge, mydy.¡±

    ¡°¡­magical overcharge? Is that some kind of illness?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a rare symptom that urs when one has magic power stored beyond their body¡¯s capacity. However, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems as long as the magic is released or used regrly just like you did just now. So please rest assured.¡±

    If the state in which the body is saturated in magic power continues over a long period of time, one¡¯s control over both of their magic and their emotions bes difficult.

    Emotions and magic power are closely tied to one another, so if you allowed one to grow unstable, the other would soon follow. While in a state of magic saturation, the smallest event could cause both to run wild.

    In the game, the change where the lights disappeared from mydy¡¯s eyes was so sudden and abrupt that it was only appropriate to call it a fall into darkness.

    Perhaps magical overcharge had damaged her mind.

    However, I wasn¡¯t worried.

    Control would only be lost if the state of magic saturation was drawn out.

    You could use magic to consume the power, release unnecessary magic power outside your body, or have a third party absorb the magic power to prevent the overload.

    It wasn¡¯t a terrible condition if the individual concerned learned magic or they had someone who could treat it nearby.

    Rather, how her magic power recovered faster than normal was actually a good thing. This was proof that mydy had talent as a magician.

    ¡°¡­Cyril? Will I really be okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it. However¡­ mydy, you seem to be emotional with matters regarding me.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, that¡¯s¡­ umm, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lady Sophia trembled and looked down.

    Ever since I regained the memories of my previous life, I¡¯ve served by her side and have continued to watch her grow.

    She bes emotional when ites to me. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t be happy about this. I didn¡¯t want to let go of the warmth in my arms.

    However¡­

    ¡°Mydy, I¡¯m <i>always </i>looking at you¨C but you need to be more aware of your position. You¡¯re the daughter of a Marquis, and you can¡¯t forget that.¡±

    ¡°Cyril, I¡­¡±

    Looking up towards me, mydy started to say something.

    But I released her from my embrace first, and gently put some distance between us.

    ¡°Mydy, please listen to my report. I have many things to tell you about the current state of the factions.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand. But before that, just one thing. Please tell me just this one thing.¡±

    Simr to when we first met, mydy¡¯s eyes were shaking anxiously. Matching her gaze, I asked, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Cyril¡­ do you remember the promise you made to me during our childhood?¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember.¡±

    I vowed to always be there for her.

    Mydy was still small back then, and as a reincarnator, I could only see her as a child I had to protect. But as she grew older, my perception of her changed from that of a little kid to a youngdy.

    Even so, I¡­ no, that¡¯s <i>exactly</i> why I haven¡¯t forgotten that promise.

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Pressing her hand against her chest, mydy then nodded, and when she looked up again, the noble daughter of a Marquis was standing before me.

    ¡°Now then, please begin the report.¡±

    ¡°¡­as you wish. First is a matter regarding the second prince. Its highly likely that he doesn¡¯t have any elitist thoughts.¡±

    ¡°¡­what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re confusion is only natural, mydy¨C¡±

    I then confessed that the prince hade into contact with me.

    ¡°The second prince showed up at your ssroom?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it really surprised me.¡±

    ¡°That sounds nice, can¡¯t I do that too?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, you can¡¯t.¡±

    The second prince could get away with it because of his superior status, but having my employer of the opposite-sex visit would undoubtedly cause unjust suspicion towards her motives. I¡¯d like to think that she was joking because she should¡¯ve already known the answer.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­ so what business did he have with you?¡±

    ¡°He inquired me on your preferences and likes. He seems to be regretting how he inconvenienced you during your dances together.¡±

    ¡®Because he holds feelings towards you, mydy¡¯¨C I omitted that one part and only told her about the objective facts. After which, she probably remembered how she was stepped on before, and smiled.

    ¡°At the time, I was wondering why he didn¡¯t have any malicious intent despite how he was treating me, so if that¡¯s the case¡­¡±

    This meant that while the second prince didn¡¯t agree with the elitists, he had no intentions of fixing the surrounding¡¯s misconception of him. With that in mind, I went on to exin my thoughts on the matter.

    After she was finished listening to my story, Lady Sophia was making an expression that said she couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°How could such a thing even be possible? Even if he hasn¡¯t noticed anything himself, wouldn¡¯t his educator or one of his acquaintances inform him of the truth?¡±

    ¡°No, not necessarily.¡±

    The second prince¡¯s current situation wasn¡¯t one you could consider normal. If that was the case, then you¡¯d have to assume there was something unusual affecting it.

    For example, professor Tristan¡¯s education policy.

    It¡¯s a virtue to learn from one¡¯s failures. Although he wasn¡¯t the second prince¡¯s butler, the possibility that the royal family follows the same guidelines couldn¡¯t be ruled out.

    Or they might¡¯ve never intended to have him educated in the first ce.

    If the people surrounding the second prince wanted him to fail, then of course they wouldn¡¯t correct his mistakes. On the off-chance this was true, then it¡¯s no wonder he never learned how to conduct himself as a member of the royal family.

    Putting the former case aside, if it was thetter, then we shouldn¡¯t dig too deep into this situation. If we didn¡¯t handle it correctly, then we might involve ourselves with the <i>real </i>faction struggles that couldn¡¯t even bepared to our current <i>child¡¯s y.</i>

    ¡°Of course, this is only conjecture, I don¡¯t actually know the truth. However, because he¡¯s likely to get into contact with you at ater date, its prudent that we investigate this as soon as possible, mydy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Then I¡¯ll leave the matter regarding his highness Alforth to you. Now then, what about Libert¡¯s case?¡±

    ¡°Actually, Lady Alicia has been invited to a tea party hosted by him, so I asked if I could apany her by temporarily working as her exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­<i>her </i>butler.¡±

    Mydy¡¯s face twitched at that statement.

    ¡°But Lady Alicia rejected that proposal.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh?¡±

    ¡°Instead, she set the condition that she would take me as long as I apanied her as her escort.¡±

    Her whole body stiffening up, the lights in mydy¡¯s eyes disappeared again.

    ¡°Did you already ept her request, Cyril? You didn¡¯t even consult with me a single word about this.¡±

    This was extremely frightening, but I was far past the point to be feeling guilty, so I honestly answered, ¡°It was for your sake, mydy. I only epted it because it was necessary.¡±

    Immediately after, the lights that had vanished from her eyes returned.

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s not fair. If you tell me that you only did it for my sake, then I can¡¯t say anything back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Will you forgive me if I brew you a new pot of tea?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°Then, will you forgive me if I bake a shortcake for you?¡±

    ¡°That white and sweet confection?! ¡­urgh. T-that¡¯s not enough either. I mean, I won¡¯t be swayed by food.¡±

    Mydy turned her face away, but her profile definitely said she wanted the shortcake. It looked like she¡¯d fall if I gave her one more push, but I decided to return the initiative back to her.

    ¡°In that case, what will I have to do for you to forgive me?¡±

    ¡°¡­okay. Then just this once, please promise to fulfill a wish of mine. If you can do that, then I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

    ¡°A wish? What is it?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±

    She might have said that, but Lady Sophia¡¯s face was flushed red. That attitude told me what kind of wish she was thinking of¡­

    ¡°Understood, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Is that okay? Even though I haven¡¯t even decided what it is yet?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Mydy, if it¡¯s something that you wish for, then I will do my utmost to make ite true, so please take the time to think about what you want.¡±

    As I mischievouslyughed, mydy faintly blushed and nodded in response.

    A few dayster.

    I arrived at Libert¡¯s tea party as Alicia¡¯s escort.

    She was wearing a pale dress and her hair was done up. As a youngdy attending a general tea party, she seemed pretty excited.

    Well¡­ I don¡¯t think it was my imagination that it was because I was here.

    ¡°Cyril, does my dress not look good on me?¡±

    ¡°No, the light-coloured dress works perfectly with your dark hair. Lady Alicia, you look like a fairy under the night sky.¡±

    ¡°Fuwa¡­ t-thank you so much.¡±

    While having such a silly exchange, we stepped into the party venue. Soon after, Libert must¡¯ve received the news from the servant who was checking the visitors.

    He had appeared right in front of us.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Cyril? Now what is the servant of a Marquis¡¯ daughter doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Libert. I brought Cyril here today as my escort.¡±

    Invited guests were checked for their identities, but escorts and servants could pass the inspection as long as the invited guest guaranteed their identities.

    Alicia moved forward to cover for me, and exined how I got through.

    However, if I just hid behind her here, I¡¯d be disqualified as her partner. With that in mind, I stepped out and gently ushered her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m <i>officially </i>here to conduct an inspection of the enemy.¡±

    I lowered the tone of my voice, and indirectly alluded to my true purpose.

    If someone listened to our conversation as it was, they¡¯d assume that I was picking a fight, but that was a risk I was willing to take. Libert was well versed in subtletiespared to other students of the same grade.

    And if I¡¯m right¨C

    ¡°¡­so you¡¯re here to fulfill your promise? Okay then, I¡¯m not naive enough to think everyone here is an ally anyways. It¡¯s best to take things <i>slow</i>.¡±

    It looks like he understood me.

    What he said could be interpreted as him directly responding to my provocation, but that¡¯s why he said to take things slowly¨C which could be taken as him epting my desire for a discussion at ater time.

    Libert went on to say, ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon¡±, before finishing his greetings to Alicia and walking away. Now noticing all the eyes on us, we made our way to the back of the venue.

    Rather than a party that disapproved of formalities, it¡¯d probably be more apt to describe it as one that encouragedmunication between individuals. It was set up in a buffet format where you could enjoy the sweets and tea while standing.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, please try some.¡±

    I picked up a prepared teacup by the saucer and handed it to Alicia. After receiving it with words of gratitude, she then leaked out a smallugh with a grin.

    ¡°¡­did I do something funny?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing of the sort. It¡¯s just that¡­ you¡¯re acting like a servant, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¨Cah, please forgive me.¡±

    Today I¡¯m supposed to be Alicia¡¯s partner. It was my job to escort her while Melissa passed us tea to partake in.

    Apparently, my servant mentality has be somewhat of a habit.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologise. However¡­ Lady Sophia always receives this kind of care from you? I¡¯m a little jealous.¡±

    ¡°In that case, should I take the position of your servant from here on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good. Cyril, today you¡¯re my partner.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As expected of the heroine, even while pouting she was cute.

    ¡°Geez, why are youughing?¡±

    ¡­oops, it seems I let my inner thoughts leak out. After soothing Alicia from her pout, we decided it¡¯d be best if we just enjoyed the party while talking with the other participants for now.

    Maybe it was because of her natural cheerfulness, but Alicia was quite popr among themoner faction attendees.

    However, it seems that word got around that I was the exclusive butler of the nobledy who danced with the elitists, so there were many who were wary of me.

    For those who were trying to interact with Alicia, I was nothing but a hindrance, and as I pondered that, Libert suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, are you enjoying yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m having a lot of fun. The sweets and tea are quite delicious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    Alicia¡¯s innocent smile even seemed to break down his walls. I couldn¡¯t be sure because both the situation and the year were different from the game, but she seemed to be entering Libert¡¯s route.

    Which was bad, considering how both mydy and I were still suspected of being elitists.

    I don¡¯t think Libert had the ability to read thoughts, but he sent a nce my way at that moment.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯ve heard that you were a master of brewing tea. Cyril, do you have any intentions of sharing those techniques with me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my skills are that good, but I¡¯ve received permission from mydy, so if you want them, then I could even teach you now.¡±

    Only those who belonged to mydy¡¯s faction could learn my tea brewing techniques. He probably investigated this beforehand, so he must have quite the strong informationwork setup.

    In other words, Libert was actually asking me whether we were allies or not, and my reply was to show that mydy willing to join hands as soon as possible, even immediately if he so desired.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ is that so? Well, I¡¯m currently in a conversation with Lady Alicia, so could you instruct my servant instead?¡±

    When Libert snapped his fingers, a boy dressed as a butler suddenly appeared.

    I see¡­ so that¡¯s how it is.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Me? Umm¡­ would that make you happy, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°It would, thank you for understanding. Now then¡­ we should make haste, no? Could you guide me?¡±

    When I asked that of the boy in servant attire, he promptly nodded and began walking away. Following behind him, we exited the venue and made our way down a hallway.

    After a while, the boy dressed as a butler stopped and looked back at me.

    ¡°¡­do you have anyints?¡±

    ¡°You mean about how I was removed from the venue?¡±

    Lady Sophia has me teach my tea brewing techniques to her allies. Libert used that as an excuse to separate me from Alicia.

    ¡°So Nic, why are you in disguise?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°I have my ways.¡±

    He might look like a butler, but I could tell by his posture that he wasn¡¯t. He was just an ordinary boy in the uniform.

    On top of that was his slightly dark brown hair. That was all the information I had on his appearance, but I knew that Libert¡¯s right-hand man was an individual named Nic.

    Therefore, I figured this was him.

    A certain question came to mind as I pondered this.

    In the first ce, why did Libert make Nic pretend to be a butler? If he just wanted to have me removed from the venue, why didn¡¯t he use a real one?

    Libert wasn¡¯t the kind of guy who did things for no reason. So there had to be a meaning in sending his devoted friend.

    ¡­he only looked like a child to me. However, his true identity was that of a trusted aide. Yet Libert still had him dressed as a butler despite the fact that I could¡¯ve misinterpreted this.

    The situation was simr to what had happened at the new student wee party.

    Wait, don¡¯t tell me¨C

    ¡°Did you people know that I was greatly trusted by Lady Sophia from the beginning?¡±

    Nic didn¡¯t respond to my question.

    But that reaction of his was no different from an affirmation of my words.

    He looked stiff.

    The motives behind what had urred at the wee party had copsed.

    Mydy entrusted me to deal with Libert, and yet his dissatisfied response to when he was left to a <i>random servant child </i>that didn¡¯t have her trust¨C was a lie.

    Despite knowing that mydy was being sincere, Libert still disyed such a reaction to me.

    His response to the situation couldn¡¯t be considered rational under normal circumstances. However, if something unusual happened, it was probably because there was an unusual reason behind it as well.

    Libert knew that mydy¡¯s actions weren¡¯t because she held themoners in disdain. On top of that, in response to the attitude she only took to keep up appearances, he pretended to believe that she was an elitist and became hostile.

    I could only think of one reason why he would do this.

    ¡°Mydy doesn¡¯t want to be in conflict with the elitists, but they might know that as well, right?¡±

    The elitists approached Lady Sophia in hopes of recruiting her as an ally.

    Not wanting to anger them, mydy pretended to favour them while leaving me to deal with themoner faction, but if my rtionship with her was known, then anyone could see that it was an expression of her sincerity.

    In other words, there was a possibility that the elitists would know her true intentions as well and be hostile.

    However, I don¡¯t think the person they sent to spy on me and Libert knew that. They surely would¡¯ve judged the rtionship between Lady Sophia and themoners to be less than amicable with the situation as it was.

    But Libert wouldn¡¯t take that chance, and went <i>that far </i>just to deceive his surroundings.

    ¡°¡­as expected of Libert, he was right when he said we had to be wary of you.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying my deductions are correct?¡±

    ¡°About half of them are.¡±

    The edge of Nic¡¯s mouth raised into a grin.

    ¡°¡­half. Then what¡¯s the other half I missed?¡±

    ¡°I told you didn¡¯t I? We¡¯re wary of you as well. You¡¯re too sharp, so you¡¯re a potential threat.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So it¡¯s true that I was being investigated?¡±

    If either mydy or I turned out to be an elitist, Libert would¡¯ve feigned ignorance until he could¡¯ve led us into a trap. Conversely, if we were enemies, mydy and I would¡¯ve hidden the truth until he let his guard down and we could betray him.

    ¨CThe one thing you can¡¯t be negligent about is a person who hides their true intentions.

    That was amon perception both Libert and I understood.

    ¡°You may think he was being over vignt, but I hope you won¡¯t hold it against him. A lot of things happened in his past, and now he¡¯s a bit paranoid when ites to selecting his allies.¡±

    I know.

    Libert used to have a younger sister.

    She was an innocent girl that had no hidden sides to her and was kind to everyone. She adored him, and in return Libert cherished her from the bottom of his heart.

    That is, until her life was taken away by a nobleman who approached him under the guise of friendship.

    ¡°I understand the situation. Of course, my purpose here is to inform you we¡¯re on your side without turning the elitists hostile. There should be no problems as long as my objective is fulfilled.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. Since we don¡¯t have much time, let¡¯s get straight to it then. Cyril, you¡¯re here to tell us that Lady Sophia isn¡¯t part of the elitist faction, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been entrusted with this as evidence.¡±

    I passed Nic the letter written by mydy.

    The letter exined that she wanted to support themoner faction. However, it also conveyed that she didn¡¯t want to be put in direct opposition of the elitists either.

    ¡°A letter¡­ if the elitists knew that you gave us something like this, then won¡¯t both your mistress and yourself be in danger with yourpromised position?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m giving it to you.¡±

    If the letter was made public, mydy would be forced to confront the elitist faction. In other words, if themoner faction betrayed us, we¡¯ll have no choice but to join this conflict.

    However, the letter couldn¡¯t be used to threaten mydy. If they did this, then she¡¯d be <i>their </i>enemy as well.

    It was a move that only allowed them to ept her as an ally.

    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll hand this letter over to Libert. However, we won¡¯t hold whatever¡¯s written here against you. Though, are you always nning to stay as the ones in the shadows?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    I answered in my heart that this was mydy¡¯s desire. There was no need to worry now that the misunderstanding had been resolved. If they were to investigate her as she was currently, they would undoubtedly see her true nature.

    ¡°¡­is that so? Well, it¡¯s fine. Do you have anything else to pass on?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please convey to Libert that the second prince doesn¡¯t seem to be an elitist.¡±

    ¡°¡­huh? What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°The other day I had the opportunity to meet with him. I can¡¯t disclose our talk¡¯s contents because it was a personal matter, but his highness Alforth seems to be longing for his ¡®spring¡¯ to arrive.¡±

    ¡°I see, the rose of the Rosenberg house has been reputed to be extremely beautiful indeed.¡±

    As soon as I implied that the prince was in love, Nic immediately deduced that Lady Sophia was his target of affection. After all, there was no other nobledy that could fit those conditions.

    ¡°This is just my personal opinion¨C the prince is merely an innocent child appropriate for his age, so he doesn¡¯t have a proper grip on his subordinates.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh? If that¡¯s the truth, then¡­ I see.¡±

    Nic took a moment to ponder this revtion, and then made a gesture that suggested he was convinced. It seems that something hade to his mind to support my statement.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to tell you, so now I¡¯m going to return to Lady Alicia.¡±

    It would be suspicious if I was gone too long, so I turned around to leave.

    ¡°Ah, please wait one moment.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes? What is it?¡±

    If he had any more questions, I would answer them. As I looked back with that thought, Nic seemed to be struggling to find his words. Was it something difficult to bring up?

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that¡­ its Libert¡¯s final say on whether you¡¯re considered an enemy, an ally, or a neutral party, but I¡¯m willing to cooperate with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re willing to cooperate with us? Just of your own personal judgement?¡±

    ¡°Well, something like that. If you ever run into trouble, please contact me.¡±

    He then exined to me how to reach him in secret. Apparently he had friends in the B-ss servant course.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make sure to contact you if I need anything. Now then¨C¡±

    ¡°Ah, please wait!¡±

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s still more?¡±

    ¡°No, uhh¡­ just stay here for now.¡±

    ¡°¡­what? Is there a reason why you don¡¯t want me to return?¡±

    I didn¡¯t think Libert would do anything to harm Alicia, but no matter how I thought about it, he was trying to buy time. Just why¡­ ahh, so that¡¯s it.

    Although the situation was quite different, there was an event in the game where Libert asked Nic to stall for time so that he could enjoy a conversation with the heroine. Just like now.

    ¡°Does Sir Libert hold feelings for Lady Alicia?¡±

    ¡°Eh?! N-no, I¡¯m not in a position toment on that¡­ but if it was true, do you think a love crossing rank will really work out?¡±

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    There was still a happy ending for Alicia even on Libert¡¯s route. Of course, reality will continue even beyond what was shown in the game, so I couldn¡¯t really say what would happen, but¡­

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine as long as they¡¯re resolved to go through with it? I think Sir Libert and Lady Alicia look very good together.¡±

    ¡°I-is that so? So you understand what I¡¯m trying to tell you, right? Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be sure to cooperate with you at the next opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­ wait, the <i>next </i>one?¡±

    The possibility of being misidentified as an elitist has be extremely low, and it <em>was</em>true that Alicia getting together with Libert would be convenient for my situation.

    However¨C

    ¡°Today, <i>I¡¯m </i>her partner.¡±

    In exchange for Alicia allowing me to apany her to the tea party, the deal was that I¡¯d attend it as her escort. Even though I had already fulfilled my objectives, she still kept her promise, so I had no intentions of breaking mine.

    That¡¯s why I said farewell to the surprised Nic and turned around.

 School Faction Riot Part Two 6

    For the time being, I¡¯ve been able to give mydy¡¯s letter to Libert, the leader of themoner faction that opposed the elitists. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to win his trust with just this, but at least he shouldn¡¯t consider us enemies now.

    Well, we should have all the time we need to build a mutually beneficial rtionship from here on.

    That¡¯s why things should¡¯ve been looking up now, but¨C

    ¡°Cyril, can we eat lunch together today?¡±

    Ever since the party, Alicia has started visiting my ssroom every now and then.

    I was only her partner for that one time, but that single event seems to have led to a change in her feelings.

    There was still room to make excuses when the second prince came, but Alicia¡¯s intentions were too explicit.

    The current situation was as if I were the heroine¡¯s capture target. I didn¡¯t hate it, but this was troublesome in various ways. In a different sense, I seem to have turned Libert into my enemy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lady Alicia, but I have to start on the preparations for mydy¡¯s tea party soon, so I don¡¯t have much time to eat.¡±¡°Then, can we at least eat together for that small amount of time?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    It looks like rushing my lunch for mydy¡¯s sake wouldn¡¯t work as an excuse.

    But even putting that aside, sharing a meal with a noble daughter in a servant course ssroom was wrong on so many levels that I didn¡¯t even know where to start.

    I made eye contact with Melissa- who was currently standing behind Alicia, and mentally pleaded for her to do something about this.

    However, she didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of stopping her mistress despite the bothered face she was making. What a useless maid.

    Troublesome indeed. Forget the elitists and the factions, at this rate mydy was going to fall into darkness first. This situation couldn¡¯t be allowed to continue, so after pondering it for a bit, I concluded it would be best to recruit Alicia as one of Lady Sophia¡¯s allies.

    ¡°Okay. I understand, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Then let¡¯s have lunch right away!¡±

    ¡°No, please wait. Today really isn¡¯t good for me. I¡¯ll make sure to get in touch with you at ater date, so please relent for now.¡±

    ¡°Is it really¡­ no good?¡±

    ¡°Mydy, anymore than this and you¡¯ll be troubling Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­okay. It¡¯s just that¡­ I went through a lot of trouble to prepare a lunch box for him.¡±

    Alicia finally gave up with Melissa¡¯sment, but she was <i>very </i>reluctant. Despite having the drive to take action herself, she seemed to becking the prudence to make arrangements with the other party before these kinds of visits.

    But once you considered that Alicia was the heroine of the game, it was no wonder she was like that.

    ¡®Who do you want to visit today?¡¯ ¨Cbecause her actions were spontaneously decided depending on which option the yer chose, it was only natural that themon sense to make ns with the other party in advance would be missing.

    And with her real-life iteration, that aspect seems to have manifested as a part of her personality.

    However, there were many problems with Alicia visiting me. Of course, there was her dignity as a noble to consider, but her actions could even ruin the power bnce among the factions.

    Therefore, I needed a way to control this situation.

    After school that day, I approached Lady Sophia and suggested that Alicia should be invited to be a member of her tea parties.

    I proposed that some other members of themoner faction should be added as well. Now that we knew that the second prince wasn¡¯t part of the elitists, there was no need for us to quiver in their shadow any longer.

    This was a good opportunity.

    If mydy moved quickly, she¡¯d be able to gain the support of arge number of people while cutting down on the elitist faction¡¯s power, moving us out of our current state of affairs.

    When I exined that, an unexpectedly chilly gaze was returned to me.

    Lady Sophia went, ¡°so you want to be together with Alicia <i>that </i>badly?¡± but that definitely wasn¡¯t the case. I only made this n while thinking what was best for her sake.

    As I went on to persuade her that way, I was eventually able to convince her to do so.

    In this way, Alicia started participating in Lady Sophia¡¯s tea parties.

    She was still regarded as a member of themoner faction though. Moreover, a variety of spections could be made from herrades attendance, so eventually, it¡¯ll be necessary to prepare countermeasures assuming that the elitists will move.

    That¡¯s why, on one of the holidays¨C

    I got permission to go out from mydy, and once again returned to the dark guild.

    ¡°Now if it isn¡¯t Cyril, what are you here for this time?¡±

    Rather than Unnamed¡¯s body double¨C I was greeted by the gentle looking man with one-eye who pretended to be a servant.

    Unnamed himself.

    ¡°¡­so <i>you¡¯re </i>the one that¡¯s going to attend to me today?¡±

    ¡°Of course, aren¡¯t you already aware of my true identity anyways?¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­ now what would that be?¡±

    Of course, we weren¡¯t talking about how he was Unnamed. On the contrary, he was asking if I knew about his past as an aristocrat that was exiled over false charges.

    <i>But I didn¡¯t know anything. </i>I made my intentions clear.

    ¡°You really are a clever bastard. Well, it¡¯s fine. What are you here for? Don¡¯t tell me, did those brats suddenly start saying they wanted to see their parents again?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a matter for the far-off future. Rather than that, I have a request to make of you.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh?¡±

    Unnamed started ring at me with his eye.

    It was because he thought he was going to make a profit up until now¨C not. The game version of myself misunderstood him to be a man of darkness who would do anything for money, but he actually wasn¡¯t.

    His foundations were built on justice and getting revenge on those who abused the power of their status. If someone asked him to do a dirty job in exchange for arge reward, he¡¯d betray them and drive them into ruin.

    With that said, I was going to ask him for the exact opposite kind of request.

    ¡°Do you know of the second and third sons of the Ahle Count house, Jircliffe and his younger brother, Surge?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the second prince¡¯s entourage, and members of the elitist faction that are currently making a fuss about demolishing the slums altogether. What about them?¡±

    ¡°I want you to investigate them and the rest of their household¡¯s affairs.¡±

    ¡°¡­what are you saying? Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing for now. Well¡­ call it a hunch.¡±

    It was just my intuition¨C not. Excluding the second prince, they were such prominent figures that they could be said to be the current representatives of the elitists, but <i>they never appeared in the game.</i>

    I considered the possibility that they were eliminated aftermitting some sort of blunder¡­ but the other day when I implied that they were moving on their own agendas, Nic made a very understanding expression.

    In addition to that, he said that he would arbitrarily lend his support depending on the situation. However, his cooperation was limited to verbal aide.

    For example¨C providing information.

    Illegal data that could be used to kick those two down.

    What could be deduced from this was the identity of the aristocrat who took the life of Libert¡¯s sister.

    Since this matter was resolved before the original work began, I didn¡¯t know the culprit responsible. By ovepping the image of Alicia onto the deceased girl, there was only a depiction of Libert oveing his past as he moved to protect her from the viinous daughter.

    But if this issue wasn¡¯t solved yet at this point of time¡­

    Libert¡¯s hostility towards the elitist faction. The fact that three years from now the elitists don¡¯t have a leader. Considering these points, it¡¯s highly likely thatthose twowere involved with that incident and were consequently dealt with.

    That¡¯s why I expected that their family might be involved with something illegal.

    ¡°¡­I see. Well¡­ okay. If you want us to investigate them for illegal activities, we¡¯ll do so. As for the reward¨C¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s this for an advance payment? I¡¯ll pay you the same amount upon thepletion of this task.¡±

    I dropped a leather bag filled with gold coins onto the table.

    ¡°Oh? This <i>is</i> the market price¡­ but isn¡¯t this too low for amission from a Marquis house?¡±

    ¡°Mydy doesn¡¯t enjoy buying her allies off with money. Of course, if mary gain is the only thing you¡¯re interested in, I¡¯ll reconsider but¡­¡±

    The new reward that would be given instead¨C I didn¡¯t say.

    What I wanted was proof of <i>true injustice. </i>I¡¯d be troubled if they just fabricated evidence in favour of a greater profit. I needed to make sure I didn¡¯t pay too much nor too little so they did their job properly.

    I would reward them just the right amount ording to the results they provided.

    ¡°You truly are a strange kid. Aren¡¯t you lying about your age?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m exactly as old as I look.¡±

    ¨Cthis is my second life though.

    Without saying the words that resounded in my heart, I made a deal with Unnamed.

    A weekter, a small tea party was once again held by mydy¡¯s faction.

    Incidentally, several noble daughters have joined the faction recently. One of them being the girl that copsed at the exam site. She seems to have remembered me, and ended up thanking me multiple times.

    Alicia was attending this time as well.

    In the game, she and Lady Sophia respectively represented light and darkness. Two people who should¡¯ve beenpletely ipatible were actually sitting next to one another at a tea party.

    It was quite the emotional scene¨C

    ¡°Eh?! This tea was brewed by Cyril?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Cyril¨C <i>my </i>exclusive butler, brewed it.¡±

    ¡°That must be nice. I¡¯m so jealous of you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±

    ¨Cthat is, if that emotion was fear.

    I held that impression as I silently watched over mydy¡¯s tea party from a distance.

    Friends are nice. If I had to describe their rtionship, I¡¯d say they¡¯re on amicable terms.

    In fact, since Alicia didn¡¯t have hidden sides to her, it was easy to see that that she held Lady Sophia in high regard, and mydy wasn¡¯t so stubborn to act cruelly to such a person either.

    Since Alicia was still somewhat immature for an aristocrat, Lady Sophia patiently taught her everything she needed to know.

    But sometimes¨C just like before, you could see the dangerous scene of evil demons lurking beneath the surface of an innocent pic.

    Some of the youngdies didn¡¯t seem to notice it, but the facial expressions of the people who <i>did </i>were twitching.

    One of such individuals was Melissa¨C Alicia¡¯s exclusive maid. Her face said she wanted to say something as she watched her mistress not even try to hide her favour for me.

    I approached her.

    ¡°Looking at things now, was inviting Lady Alicia to the tea parties only a nuisance in the end?¡±

    I was the one who extended the faction invitation to Alicia, but she wasn¡¯t aware of that. In fact, it wasn¡¯t even her, but her house¨C and more specifically Melissa, who pushed for its eptance.

    ¡°No, both mydy¡¯s parents and I are grateful for Lady Sophia¡¯s friendship with her.¡±

    It seems Alicia¡¯s family wanted her to keep her distance from the conflict with the elitists as well.

    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t need to tell you Lady Alicia¡¯s true motivation for participating in the tea parties, do I? Just thinking about it¡­ ugh, hurts my stomach.¡±

    The reason why she decided to get along with Lady Sophia was because she had feelings for her exclusive butler.

    As a daughter of nobility, this was a serious problem. On top of that, it was obvious to see that Lady Sophia had simr feelings for me as well. Just imagining what was in store for the future frightened me.

    ¡°We both have it hard, huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re not the main cause of all of this.¡±

    I thought we were building a sort of friendship, but I waspletely rejected.

    About a month has passed since then.

    In the meantime, Lady Sophia has continued to regrly hold tea parties. Although mydy¡¯s faction was rumoured to be close to the elitists at first, recently it¡¯s been said that she¡¯s grown closer with themoner faction instead.

    However, the elitists still haven¡¯t shown any signs of movement.

    One day, an invitation letter came from the second prince to Sophia.

    He seems to have made his resolve to show her the castle¡¯s rose garden.

    Roses blossom at different times a year depending on the variety, but all of them flower at this time. The rose garden should be at full bloom at the moment.

    Rather than the fact that the second prince had invited her out, mydy was more excited by the fact she could see the unique flowers that were only grown at the royal castle.

    ¨Cthat is, until she actually arrived there.

    Beside the prince who hade to personally wee mydy to the castle¨C were his two followers.

    I¡¯d like to confront them as to why they¡¯re interfering with this tryst.

    Of course, I understood that the prince couldn¡¯t actually be left alone. Lady Sophia had me to apany her, but the prince already had his bodyguards and servants lurking nearby.

    However, servants and guards couldn¡¯t disrupt the conversations of their master.

    In contrast, the two followers weren¡¯t in that position, so it was suspicious whether they knew they were being a nuisance or not.

    If possible, I¡¯d like to ask them if they were willing to leave for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake.

    ¡°¡­thank you for inviting me out today. I was really looking forward to seeing the rare rose varieties that only bloomed in the royal castle.¡±

    ¡°I see! I¡¯m also d that you came, Sophia!¡±

    Casual past tense.

    Mydy¡¯s evaluation of the second prince has definitely dropped at this moment, but the individual himself waspletely unaware of honeyed words said only for politeness¡¯ sake and was in high spirits.

    The prince and his followers moved with mydy as a group towards the rose garden.

    Mydy had dropped her shoulders a little, but that wasn¡¯t unreasonable. With those two fluttering around her, forget advising the prince of the truth of his actions, she won¡¯t even be able to enjoy the roses she was looking forward to.

    This should¡¯ve been a time for her to rx and admire the flowers she loved, but now its a situation where she had to probe out the other party¡¯s intentions.

    However¨C mydy still eximed, ¡°how lovely¡± with an excited voice when she arrived at the garden. There were roses in full bloom as far as the eye could see.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    ¡°This rose garden was originally only essible by the royal family.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you should thank his highness for allowing you such an honour, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, of course. The garden is very beautiful.¡±

    The words that came from the followers after the second prince spoke were annoying.

    Mydy was smiling, but her irritation was starting to leak out of her words. Although this wasn¡¯t appropriate of her as a daughter of a Marquis, I thought she was doing very well considering the situation.

    Once we returned to the mansion, I¡¯ll prepare her favourite tea and cakes as a reward.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to know that you like them, Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Your highness, why don¡¯t you show Lady Sophia <i>those </i>roses?¡±

    ¡°Because there are a multitude of different breeds, let¡¯s go see them as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, by all means.¡±

    Mydy was walking beside the second prince. That itself was reasonable, but the followers were crowding in on her open sides. It was as if she was about to be kidnapped.

    Those two truly were schemers.

    If the prince really didn¡¯t have any elitist thoughts, it could be said that they were manipting him. I wanted to separate them from the group so mydy and the prince could have some time to themselves.

    If Lady Sophia said that she wanted to be alone with the second prince, he would definitely push for her demands, but such an inadvertent remark wasn¡¯t appropriate for a daughter of nobility.

    The rose varieties that only bloom in this rose garden were something that even the second prince couldn¡¯t show off carelessly, but to expect him to realise this and resolve this situation himself¡­ would just be cruel at this point.

    As I pondered how to somehow remove the followers, time had passed until they finally arrived at the heart of the rose garden.

    ¡°¡­they¡¯re gorgeous.¡±

    Mydy murmured as if she were in a dream.

    At the end of her line of sight were the blue roses grown in a greenhouse.

    Blue roses originally didn¡¯t exist anywhere in this world. However, the former king of Ephenia once asked his magicians to produce this variety of flower.

    As a result, a miracle that only exists in the rose garden of the royal castle was created.

    Therefore, the blue rose was the symbol of the royal family that makes the impossible possible.

    Incidentally, the Rosenberg house had the crimson rose as its symbol, which was granted to them alongside their Marquis status due to their great contributions to this country¡¯s founding.

    Probably because she had grown up listening to such a historical background, mydy¡¯s game iteration had a strong longing to receive a blue rose from the prince.

    She proceeded to approach the blue roses, drawn to them.

    ¡°How are they? Aren¡¯t they a beautiful colour?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are. Thank you for showing me something so precious. I¡¯m very happy because I heard that these were something I could only see in the royal castle.¡±

    Mydy then smiled from the bottom of her heart. It wasn¡¯t the smile of a Marquis¡¯ daughter, but the angelic smile of an innocent girl of her age. It was an expression that would attract all who saw it.

    And so¨C

    ¡°Oh, if you like them that much, should I give you one, Sophia?¡±

    The second prince spoke such words. It was just the innocent question of a boy who was captivated by an adorable girl. There was no deep meaning to it.

    However¨C both I and the prince¡¯s servants gasped.

    The blue rose was the symbol of the royal family.

    So only the royal family was allowed to take them out of the castle. The same was true even for cut flowers. Since it was rtively easy to graft and raise them, they were thoroughly managed.

    In other words, <i>only members of the royal family </i>can have blue roses<i>. </i>It didn¡¯t matter if this wasn¡¯t the second prince¡¯s intention. His previous words were a proposal.

    What mydy did next was important. It was uneptable for her to refuse the proposal in front of thisrge number of witnesses and humiliate him.

    Therefore, the only thing she could do was stay silent, but said silence couldn¡¯tst for long. If a third party didn¡¯t intervene in this situation, it might develop into something irreversible.

    The second prince was ignorant of all of this.

    I didn¡¯t know if the followers were aware of it, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯d do anything about it if they did.

    The servants definitely understood the situation, but they couldn¡¯t disrupt their master¡¯s conversation due to their position.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sophia? Didn¡¯t you want a blue rose?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°¨CI¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible, your highness.¡±

    I broke in between them and squeezed out my voice. The pressure of the gazes gathering on my person felt like they would crush me. I could feel the noose of the execution end wrapping around my neck.

    But I was mydy¡¯s exclusive butler. I had vowed to protect her.

    So¨C

    ¡°I heard that the blue roses couldn¡¯t leave the premises. So your highness, wouldn¡¯t this be impossible unless you asked his majesty for permission?¡±

    ¡°Eh? I-is that so¡­?¡±

    ¡°It is, so it would be for the best to talk to his majesty about this matter first.¡±

    ¡°Umm, okay¡­¡±

    I felt my spirits lift as the second prince epted my answer.

    Lady Sophia, myself, and all of the servants let out our breaths at once.

    However¨C

    ¡°¡­how <i>dare</i> a mere butler interrupt a conversation between the nobility.¡±

    ¡°Know your ce, knave.¡±

    That peace was shattered by the entrance of one of the entourage¡¯s dissatisfied voices, which was immediately followed up by the other in sync. The surroundings were once again filled with tension.

    ¡°I apologise for overstepping my position.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Not bad for amoner¡­ <i>kneel </i><em>here</em>, and show us your sincerity.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what it will take for you to forgive me.¡±

    Genuflecting myself was a cheap price to pay to resolve this situation. Bending the knee meant nothing to me.

    But just before I did so¨C

    <b>¡°¨Cstop, Cyril.¡±</b>

    ¨Cthe voice of a <i>ruler</i> reverberated throughout the rose garden.

    Turning towards mydy, entering my sight was the imposing figure of a noble. Inside of a greenhouse with no wind, her tinum blonde hair was fluttering as if to reflect her feelings.

    I could feel in my skin that she was more angry than I had ever seen her before in my life.

    Her eyes¨C now dyed crimson, took in the view of the followers before she began speaking in a quiet tone <em>bridling</em> with rage.

    ¡°There is no need to bow to such<b>fools.</b>¡±

 Responsibilities of a Noble 1

    ¡°What you¡¯re saying isughable.¡±

    Just like the symbol of the Rosenberg house, it was a beautiful but thorny voice akin to a rose. Having been pierced by her crimson re, the followers inadvertently swallowed their saliva.

    ¡°For a while now, <i>you¡¯ve </i>been the ones that have been interrupting the conversations of his highness and myself, <i>your superiors. </i>So for you to ther on to Cyril like it wasmon sense¡­ what a joke.¡±

    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s¨C¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, that butler¨C¡±

    The followers tried to refute her, but mydy¡¯s gaze only grew a degree colder in response.

    <b>¡°Shut up.</b> Did Cyril not only do so because he was prepared to ept the reprimands for his actions?¡±

    ¡®Yourck of tact puts you as his inferior.¡¯ Mydy¡¯s biting sarcasm was definitely transmitted to them. Their faces started twitching at her answer.

    ¡°So it¡¯s considered rude for low-ranking people to interfere with the conversations of those above them? I agree. You aren¡¯t even worthy of <i>speaking </i>to my butler¨C so leave already,you insolent swines.¡±¡°U-urgh¡­ damn it!¡±

    ¡°Y-you-! What¡¯s with that self-important attitude?! All you needed to do was shut up and listen!¡±

    Having lost their temper, the two forgot about me in their anger and drew in closer to mydy.

    I don¡¯t think they were going to harm her. At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t have lost themselves to that degree. However¨C I didn¡¯t care.

    At the same time they closed in, I broke in front of mydy.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡±

    One of the followers¨C Jircliffe tried to punch me, so I grabbed his arm and threw him away like the trash he was. Then, I turned to deal with the approaching Surge¨C but he was already sprawled across the ground.

    I directed my line of sight towards the beautiful culprit.

    ¡°¡­mydy, that¡¯s supposed to be my job.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She definitely wasn¡¯t, and with an innocent smile, mydy then turned to the second prince.

    ¡°Your highness, may I borrow your attendants for a moment?¡±

    ¡°¡­eh? Ah, sure.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Now then¨C you there, these people raised their hands against the daughter of a Marquis, take them.¡±

    ¡°¨Cyes!¡±

    The guards detained Jircliffe and Surge. Of course they resisted, but the subordinates dragged them away like loyal servants ordered by the queen herself.

    Now except for a few other guards and myself, all that remained was mydy and the prince. This was the scenario we were originally hoping for. It was the only chance we¡¯d have to convey the truth to him.

    When I looked at her, she nodded in response and turned towards him.

    ¡°Your highness Alforth, you are still young and pure, but you need to be aware of your position.¡±

    ¡°My position? What are you saying?¡±

    The second prince replied with both confusion and nervousness. He honestly didn¡¯t know anything. He truly was just a child as immature as one his age would normally be.

    ¡°Currently, to the elitist faction that looks down on themoners¨C they consider you to be their leader.¡±

    ¡°Eh, really? I never said anything like that before, so why¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t do anything about their actions, your highness. To take a position of acquiesce is essentially the same as you approving of their ideals.¡±

    ¡°¡­that can¡¯t be. I was told that I shouldn¡¯t deny my servants just because I had a different opinion. I just followed what I was taught¡­¡±

    Everyone who heard those words gasped.

    His confession was practically proof that his sense of values had been distorted by someone.

    ¡°¡­who taught you that?¡±

    ¡°My educator. When I talked to him about Jircliffe and Surge, that¡¯s what he told me. If I just rejected the opinions of others¨C everyone would grow to hate me.¡±

    When the prince said that, he sent a nce over to Lady Sophia.

    I expected something like this. Just like when he asked me for consultation, I wonder if he went around to others inquiring about what he should do to get her to like him. As a result, a malicious person took advantage of his feelings and manipted him.

    Having heard his story, mydy turned towards the prince¡¯s guards.

    ¡°Did you know about this?¡±

    ¡°Not in the slightest! This is the first time we¡¯ve ever heard of such a thing! We¡¯ve received reports before that the educator was trying to correct his highness¡¯ biased thoughts, but¡­¡±

    The subordinates¡¯ faces were full of regret at the realisation that the reports the educator sent in were falsified.

    Their job was to protect the second prince from his enemies.

    But they probably never considered that threats were among them.

    ¡°Then, are you going to do something about this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course we will. We are truly sorry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be apologising to. Turn this stigma into the driving force that will help you protect his highness from now on.¡±

    ¡°Understood! We will report this to his majesty and deal with this immediately!¡±

    At their invigorated response, Lady Sophia happily nodded. At this moment, she had unquestionably dominated the surroundings. Even the prince¡¯s guards were hanging on to her every word.

    Mydy¡­ you have grown splendidly.

    ¡°Now then¡­ your highness. Thank you for showing me this wonderful rose garden today. I think this is enough though¨C so Cyril, let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy.¡±

    I thanked his highness and his servants onest time, before following the girl who had grown far more than I had realised.

    ¨CAfter returning from the castle.

    We were currently in mydy¡¯s private quarters in the mansion.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!! How could I do something like that?!¡±

    Mydy was rolling around on her bed in a dress. The version of her that had bloomed beautifully in the rose garden seems to have disappeared now that she was home.

    ¡°Please calm down, mydy. This is unbing of you.¡±

    ¡°B-but <i>I¡¯m </i>the one who ended up stepping out of line by taking that attitude towards his highness. What am I supposed to do if this ends up causing problems for you or father, Cyril?!¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia, since the ones who were supposed to chide him for his mistakes stayed silent, it wasn¡¯t wrong of you to reprimand him as the second-highest ranked person there.¡±

    ¡°¡­do you really think so? Can you look into my eyes and tell me I didn¡¯t go too far?¡±

    Mydy who was rolling around on the bed turned up towards me. It was too much, and I ended up diverting my gaze from her.

    ¡°Ah, you looked away.¡±

    ¡°M-my apologies. That rare gesture of yours was just so cute that I couldn¡¯t take it, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Wha¨C?! G-geez, aren¡¯t you just saying that because you¡¯re trying to deceive me?¡±

    ¡°Not in the slightest. I definitely think you went too far in some aspects, but I truly believe you did the right thing.¡±

    ¡°Cyril, you were the one that taught me that just because something is right, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the best action to take.¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s true.¡±

    While the second prince¡¯s verbal slip-up was the beginning of the incident, he hadn¡¯t been keeping his followers remarks in check for a while. Therefore, Lady Sophia was forced to bear the brunt of everything before the eventual snap.

    But to admit that mydy was in the right would be to acknowledge the second prince¡¯s failure. It wasn¡¯t umon for those in power to cover-up their blunders while imposing their sins on others.

    This was the same reason as to why Unnamed was exiled.

    However, I would <i>never</i> allow mydy to end up like him.

    I had already made moves to ensure that.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I will definitely protect you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril? Are you thinking of something unreasonable? I won¡¯t forgive you if you¡¯re nning to sacrifice yourself for me.¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t consider such a thing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re <i>lying.</i> If you really didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t have spoken up back then.¡±

    ¡°That was¡­ because I knew I had a chance to seed.¡±

    I had some expectations as to how I¡¯d be punished. Since the guards were troubled by the second prince¡¯s actions as well, I decided that if I intervened, they would determine my interruption to be reasonable considering the circumstances.

    ¡­well, there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve predicted mydy¡¯s outburst though.

    When I exined my reasoning, mydy depressingly said, ¡°so I did something needless after all¡­¡±

    ¡°No, your actions weren¡¯t unnecessary in the least.¡±

    These words were my true feelings.

    However, mydy still seemed to regret taking an attitude unfitting of a Marquis¡¯ daughter in front of the prince and was now sulking.

    I pondered this for a while before suggesting a change of pace.

    ¡°A change of pace?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll brew some tea for you, so why don¡¯t you wait in the courtyard for a bit?¡±

    I then left the room without exining my intentions.

    After finishing my preparations, I moved to the courtyard with a tea cart. While enveloped by the sunlight that shone through the treetops, mydy was sitting at the table there.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting, mydy.¡±

    I ced the tea and sweets in front of mydy before adding a red rose. She made a slightlyplicated expression at the sight.

    ¡°¡­a rose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if this makes you feel ufortable, but the rose is the symbol of your family. I didn¡¯t want you to grow to hate them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril, did you raise this one?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s a flower I nurtured in the greenhouse.¡±

    After picking up the rose, mydy gracefully brought it up to her face.

    ¡°¡­it smells really nice, and there¡¯s no thorns either.¡±

    ¡°I would never hand you one with thorns.¡±

    ¡°Well, I know you wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    For the first time since she came home, Lady Sophia smiled normally.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re far more lovely when you¡¯re smiling like that, mydy.¡±

    ¡°But Cyril¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±

    I sent a signal to the maid who was on standby some distance away. Then Emma and Roy respectively dressed as servants appeared.

    They¡¯ve been practicing manners this entire time, but this was the first time that they¡¯ve appeared before mydy since that day.

    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s you. It¡¯s been a while. How is it? Are you being inconvenienced in any way?¡±

    ¡°N-not at all. Thanks to you, my sister and I are fine.¡±

    ¡°T-thank you so much for your help at that time.¡±

    The two nervously bowed to her in gratitude.

    They were still a bit rough around the edges, but it was amazing progress when considering how they were living just a few months ago. Perhaps they¡¯ve been working their hardest to make it up to mydy.

    The maid who easily praises others said it was thanks to me for some reason. Well, I¡¯ll tell the chefter to prepare some treats for them as a rewardter.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be of service to you, mydy.¡±

    ¡°My brother and I might still be immature, but we¡¯ll try our hardest.¡±

    While I was still lost in thought, their words of gratitude continued.

    They were definitely awkward, but it¡¯s <i>because </i>they were so awkward that their sincerity really shone through. Lady Sophia narrowed her eyes and replied, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    After that, the two of them left because it was time for their etiquette lesson, and as we saw them off, I said, ¡°it¡¯s because of your actions that they can smile now, mydy.¡±

    ¡°As a daughter of a Marquis, what you did certainly can¡¯t be praised, but even so, you still saved them of your own choice.¡±

    ¡°¡­my choice?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s the same with this recent incident as well. Your actions may have been too much for someone of your position, but there are many who will be saved by them as a result. I¡¯m one of those people, and that¡¯s why¨C¡±

    I ced my hand on her cheek and brought my lips to her opposite ear.

    <i>¡°I¡¯m proud of you, mydy.¡±</i>

    Mydy shuddered when I whispered to her my thoughts. After I let go of her and pulled back, she was faintly blushing.

    Inside of her clear purple eyes, my figure was reflected in them.

    ¡°¡­mydy.¡±

    ¡°G-give me a moment! I need to prepare myself first¡­ err, umm¡­ Yes, this should be fine. W-what now? Should I close my eyes?¡±

    ¡°It seems a messenger hase.¡±

    ¡°¨Cfue?!¡±

    Her slightly moist pupils suddenly opened wide.

    Mydy quickly jumped away from me in a hurry, and right after, a servant appeared sprinting towards her while short of breath.

    ¡°A messenger from his majesty arrived and has summoned Lady Sophia to the castle immediately!¡±

 Responsibilities of a Noble 2

    ¡°C-cyril, w-w-what should I do?!¡±

    ¡°Please calm down, mydy. Did the messenger not say this talk would be confidential? Unfortunately, this doesn¡¯t seem like something you can unterally reject.¡±

    Mydy was distraught over how she was called by the king. The fact that not her parents, but <em>she</em> herself was summoned was what rattled her.

    It would still be a problem if her parents were called, but having a child summoned was unprecedented. For something like this to happen, there must be unusual circumstances behind it.

    However, this wasn¡¯t a forced summons, the fact that they sent a messenger could even be considered an act of consideration. His majesty wanted to keep this a secret, so the worst shouldn¡¯t happen.

    Though no matter how much mydy has grown, this was undoubtedly an overwhelming experience. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for her to be rattled by this unexpected development.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, mydy. Should anything happen, I will protect you even at the cost of my life.¡±

    Seeing her so anxious, those words just naturally left my mouth.

    Back when I first realised I was reincarnated, all I wanted was to save the viinous daughter I was fond of while escaping the execution end¨C so this surprised me, I thought my feelings for her would¡¯ve been lighter than this.¡°¡­thanks Cyril, but I don¡¯t want you to be risking your life for me. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll also work my hardest, so before anything else¡­ I need to contact father.¡±

    Straightening her back, she then began pondering what to do and what actions to take.

    At this moment, mydy took yet another step towards adulthood. I felt pride well up inside of me at the sight of her being strong not for herself, but for others.

    Incidentally, the meeting with the king was set for early tomorrow morning.

    The messenger proposed to meet as soon as possible, but we were able to dy it a bit by saying she needed to inform her parents of this first.

    It¡¯s impossible to make a round trip to the Rosenberg territory in only a day, but fortunately, the Marquis was currently working in the capital, so as long as we had half of one, we¡¯d be able to reach him.

    That¡¯s why in ordance to mydy¡¯s orders, I sent a letter exining the situation to the master. To which my father¨C the lord¡¯s exclusive butler, sent back a reply telling me to deal with it.

    I couldn¡¯t understand this.

    Its true, when looking at the big picture, the problem really wasn¡¯t that big. It <i>was</i> just a fight between children after all. Execution was highly unlikely.

    What happened waspletely different from the felony mydy ordered me tomit in the game.

    Therefore, even if she makes a mistake during the audience, she¡¯ll only incur the other party¡¯s disapproval at most.

    But we¡¯re talking about the<i> king</i> of this country here. My father and the master surely know that obtaining his resentment will be detrimental to her future.

    Even if mydy was the one personally called, it wouldn¡¯t be odd at all for a minor to be apanied by their guardian, so for the Marquis to not be there with her waspletely unreasonable.

    As I pondered that, I realised there was more to the letter.

    It seems mydy made some sort of deal with her father, and due to that arrangement, it would be desirable if<i> I </i>were the one to resolve this issue.

    A deal¡­ I wonder what it was.

    Mydy has never mentioned such a thing before.

    It felt a little lonely, but it¡¯s only natural that she¡¯d have a few secrets of her own. If it was something that I should know, she¡¯d tell me, and now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about that anyways.

    More problematic than that was what was written after.

    Because mydy was so mature for her age, there seemed to be suspicions that the master was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

    It appears that it would be better to deal with this ourselves in order to dispel these skepticisms.

    On top of that, provocations were written that said if I couldn¡¯t even cope with something of this level, how could I continue to stay by mydy¡¯s side. They worked, because that¡¯s where I drew the line.

    I told Lady Sophia her father¡¯s reply and we discussed how to respond to it.

    The next morning we traveled to the royal castle by carriage.

    This time we actually entered the keep itself, not the courtyard.

    After being checked at the entrance, we walked down a deep red carpet inside, and once we finally arrived at the waiting room, professor Tristan was there for some reason.

    ¡°¡­professor, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I became a teacher at my master¡¯s orders, but essentially I¡¯m still a butler.¡±

    That answer still didn¡¯t exin why he was here <i>now </i>of all times. There seemed to be something behind this, but he went on to say, ¡°his majesty will see you now¡± before I could ask.

    ¡°Understood. Then let¡¯s go.¡±

    Lady Sophia sent a nce my way, but professor Tristan shook his head. Apparently, what they were about to discuss was so confidential that not even her exclusive butler could know.

    This was something she definitely didn¡¯t expect. Now knowing that she¡¯d have to deal with this situation without me by her side, mydy looked like she was about to cry.

    Her eyes shaking with anxiety were pleading for me toe with her. She then began raising one of her hands as if to grab me¨C but then quickly pressed it down with the other.

    That sight filled me with countless unspoken emotions.

    Compared to when we first met, the youngdy I raised has grown so strong since then.

    By herself, she can go anywhere, <i>do anything, </i>even without me.

    But it was still my job to protect her. Even if mydy can do something alone, I will continue to fulfill my role until the day she says that my services are no longer required.

    And that¡¯s why¨C I gave her a <i>certain </i>report.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good luck charm. To protect you.¡±

    Mydy gasped after looking through its contents. sping it in her hands, she then took a deep breath before smiling like a blossoming rose.

    ¡°¡­thanks, Cyril. I¡¯ll make sure to end everything here.¡±

    ¡°I know you will. The best of luck to you, mydy.¡±

    After mydy left for her audience with the king, only professor Tristan and I remained.

    Therge waiting room built for nobles was enveloped in a heavy silence.

    ¡­he was simply standing in one of the room¡¯s corners, not paying any attention to me in the slightest. I was grateful for that, I didn¡¯t need anything in addition to how worried I was.

    I passed Lady Sophia my trump card as a protective charm, so I knew that the worst-case scenario would be avoided. However, I didn¡¯t like the idea of her facing his majesty alone with that small body of hers.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ so even you get nervous.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that only natural when mydy has been summoned by the king?¡±

    When I said that, professor Tristan seemed surprised for some reason.

    ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t you the one pulling the strings behind this situation?¡±

    I¡¯ve heard that the Marquis was suspected of orchestrating this incident, but this is the first time <i>I¡¯ve </i>been questioned of doing so. In the first ce, I was only a twelve year old child, the same as mydy. Normally, such an idea never should¡¯ve appeared.

    However, professor Tristan was my uncle. Once I considered the connection he had with the Rosenberg house, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for him to know that I was Lady Sophia¡¯s teacher.

    With that, on top of how he also knew of my grades as my homeroom teacher, it¡¯s no wonder he doubted me.

    ¡°It¡¯s my job to fulfill mydy¡¯s desires, not to influence her will. Why would you ask that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I just heard a few things¡­ if you hadn¡¯t picked a fight, you wouldn¡¯t be having such a hard time right now.¡±

    He still seemed to be misunderstanding something.

    While I pondered how to correct his misconception, he asked, ¡°Backtracking a bit, do you think that youngdy will be found at fault for this event?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely a possibility.¡±

    The cause of this whole situation was undoubtedly the prince¡¯s verbal slip-up. The way mydy and I acted back then didn¡¯t help either, butpared to how the followers tarnished the prince¡¯s dignity, what we did was trivial.

    Therefore, the behaviour we took then shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    However, to ept that mydy was in the right also meant to admit the prince¡¯s faux pas. Considering the circumstances, there was a good chance they¡¯d shift the me onto her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Professor Tristan said that in a gentle tone.

    ¡°His majesty isn¡¯t going to me mydy?¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re only speaking about results, his majesty is¨C¡±

    He suddenly grew quiet.

    From outside of the room, I could hear the exchange of, ¡°your highness, the waiting room is currently¨C¡± ¡°I know, Cyril is there, right?¡± taking ce.

    Soon after, the door was knocked, before a voice saying, ¡°Cyril? It¡¯s Alforth¡± resounded out.

    ¡°¨Cyour highness, did you need something?¡±

    Professor Tristan opened the door and answered him.

    ¡°I want to talk with Cyril¡­ can you give us a moment?¡±

    Even putting everything that happened at the rose garden aside, having the prince personally visit a servant like myself was insane. Normally, he¡¯d call <i>me </i>to visit <i>him</i>.

    However, the professor didn¡¯t fight against it. Probably because the prince was making a serious facepletely unlike anything he¡¯s ever seen before.

    ¡°Cyril, can you hear his highness out?¡±

    ¡°¡­if that¡¯s okay.¡±

    Now that it was a formal request made through professor Tristan, I epted.

    This greatly reduced the chance that I¡¯d be convicted of overstepping my position. It was probably his way of showing consideration for me.

    If this really was the case, then I¡¯ll sit down as the prince¡¯s conversation partner, not a butler.

    Professor Tristan¨C a teacher, brewed tea as a butler, while I sat down facing the second prince despite being a normal student. It was a very chaotic situation, but I¡¯ll put whether the prince was aware of this or not aside.

    ¡°Cyril, you were the one who advised me at that time, so I want to consult you again. Why was Sophia angry with me?¡±

    Apparently, he was worried about how the party he weed with good intentions lost their temper. I think it¡¯s great that he had a sense of crisis, but I still didn¡¯t understand why he had to ask <i>me </i>about this.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that mydy was angry, but it was the sons of the Count that drove her to that point. She didn¡¯t feel that way about you, your highness.¡±

    What she felt for him was probably disappointment instead of anger¨C of course, I didn¡¯t say this out loud. That was beyond what I was allowed to say as mydy¡¯s servant.

    ¡°¡­really?¡±

    ¡°On my name, I swear that it isn¡¯t a lie.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Perhaps he was somewhat aware of the fact that he had made mydy ufortable. Even if I denied it, his cloudy expression wouldn¡¯t clear up. Rather, he seems to be growing impatient with how he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°¡­can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Why would you ask me about this? Don¡¯t you have other servants that could consult you?¡±

    ¡°I learned that my educator taught me many lies. Honestly, I just don¡¯t know who to trust right now, but you¡¯re Sophia¡¯s educator, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s it.¡±

    I don¡¯t know how he knew that I was Lady Sophia¡¯s teacher, but my association with her must have given me some credibility in his eyes.

    ¡°I now understand why you asked me, but why would you want to know this?¡±

    I pondered whether he was looking for a way to reconcile with mydy, but the prince shook his head and said, ¡°if I did something wrong, isn¡¯t it only natural to try and rectify it?¡±

    The second prince¨C no, Alforth was immature, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. Just like mydy, he seemed to be a child with great prospects for the future.

    There were many children who could behave as they were taught, but those who could take action on their own were far more rare.

    He only seemed like an idiot because his educator mislead him. His highness was only acting in ordance to his lessons.

    But even if I knew that, it still wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for me toment as an unaffiliated servant. It¡¯d be far more eptable for him to consult with his new educator.

    However¨C if it had already happened once, how many times will this incident repeat itself until the cause was removed? It wasn¡¯t known if the new educator will guide his highness correctly either.

    His highness Alforth was mydy¡¯s destined partner in the original work, and when considering her appearance, talents, and her pedigree, it was highly likely that she¡¯d be married into the royal family this time as well.

    With the second prince having thergest chance of being her partner.

    Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, given their positions as the daughter of a Marquis and a prince, they would undoubtedly be involved with each other in the future. When taking that into consideration, his highness¡¯ immaturity was definitely troubling.

    So¨C

    ¡°Your highness, do you truly want to hear my advice? No matter how severe it is?¡±

    ¡°¨CCyril.¡±

    Professor Tristan tried to stop me, but it was none other than his highness who stopped <i>him</i>.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how harsh it is. Be honest with me, is Sophia angry with me? If so, what should I do? No, what should I do <i>now?</i>¡±

    ¡°¡­then I¡¯ll be straight. Lady Sophia isn¡¯t angry with you, your highness. However, she¡¯s disappointed with how you left your followers unchecked.¡±

    ¡°¨C?!¡±

    Was it his highness Alforth or professor Tristan that gasped? Probably both, but since I had already resolved myself to speak in mydy¡¯s ce, I wasn¡¯t going to hold back.

    The prince needed to know the truth if he ever wanted to be a good match for her.

    ¡°Your highness, do you remember how I asked you if you were a member of the elitist faction before?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do, but didn¡¯t I deny those ims?¡±

    ¡°The important thing here is that you <i>appeared </i>that way, because you look like that to your surroundings, that was a roundabout way of me telling you to be mindful of your behaviour and actions.¡±

    ¡°¡­really? Why didn¡¯t you just tell me that directly?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t.¡±

    I shook my head with a sigh. Listening from the sidelines, professor Tristan was rubbing his temple, but it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to intervene.

    If he didn¡¯t stop me, then he¡¯d also be considered guilty¨C but I selfishly opened my mouth again despite this.

    ¡°You are a prince, while I¡¯m just amoner butler.¡±

    ¡°But I thought status didn¡¯t matter at the school?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a policy in name-only. If the person in the higher position doesn¡¯t proim equality first, then there¡¯s no way those of lower status could act as their equals. However, your highness¡­¡±

    ¡°I let Jircliffe and Surge get away with their domineering behaviour. I see, there are a number of things thate to mind now that you mentioned that. It¡¯s no wonder Sophia is disappointed with me¡­¡±

    His highness Alforth dropped his shoulders.

    Even if everything I said was true, it wouldn¡¯t be odd for him to object to my ims, but he didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions of doing so at all.

    On the contrary, he even apologised for inconveniencing me.

    As expected of the person in charge of the game¡¯s main route. Even if he was currently immature, he will surely grow into a prince suitable to be a capture target within three years.

    ¡°Just what I am supposed to do then?¡±

    ¡°You need to be aware of your position and learn to understand political subtleties.¡±

    ¡°If I do that, will Sophia trust me again?¡±

    ¡°¡­do you want me to be honest?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m ready.¡±

    His expression seemed to be a mix of anxiety and expectation, but it was still somewhat naive. I decided to tell him the truth, not for his sake, but for Lady Sophia¡¯s.

    ¡°Trust is gained through umted actions. While being ignorant of your surroundings, you innocently repeated the same mistakes again and again, you never had her trust from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be odd at all if I were convicted here for l¨¨se-majest¨¦.

    In fact, even professor Tristan¡¯s face was twitching. My words definitely weren¡¯t those one should be taking towards royalty.

    However, his highness Alforth wasn¡¯t angry, he just endured it with tears in his eyes. He had the self-control appropriate for a prince, and a mind mature enough to listen to the opinions of others.

    I had no doubts that he would eventually be the charming prince that appeared in the game.

    So¨C

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s why you should start building that trust from now on.¡±

    ¡°From now on? Then¡­ you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s not toote?!¡±

    Despite how he was just falling into despair, light once again began to dwell in prince Alforth¡¯s eyes. To further encourage him, I strongly nodded.

    ¡°You definitely made a mistake, but it wasn¡¯t an irreparable failure. Your highness, if you put in your best efforts, mydy will surely recognise it and grow to trust you. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Can I¡­ really be like that?¡±

    ¡°As long as you try, fate will always be on your side.¡±

    If the handsome boy with powerful status awakened as a strong and gentle prince,pletely separated from his naivety. Mydy would surely approve of him.

    ¡°¡­okay. I¡¯ll pay attention to my surroundings and do my best from scratch. If there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand, can I talk to you about it?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, your highness¨C however, please follow the proper procedure and send an intermediary next time, okay?¡±

    ¡°U-understood, Cyril.¡±

 Epilogue

    While Sophia Rosenberg was rolling around on her bed, his majesty the king¨C Theodore, was groaning in his office.

    He had just received the report on what happened in the rose garden and was now ruminating on how to respond to it.

    Theodore had known for a while that Alforth has been surrounded by noble sons bearing strong thought of elitism, and that their parents were cooperating with the prince¡¯s educator to take suspicious actions.

    But despite being aware of this, he decided to leave it alone for several reasons.

    In the first ce, the elitists within the school were still only a faction of <i>children.</i> Ifpared to the real thing, what they did was the equivalent of kids ying house.

    One can always try again after failing as a youth, but second chances were far rarer after growing up. The school¡¯s policy was to learn from failures¨C this was followed by the royal family as well.

    There was also a reason why it was difficult to intervene.

    While the first prince was regarded to be the next king, this hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet. The second prince Alforth still has a chance toinherit the throne.

    In other words, this situation was part of the power struggle between those who supported their respective princes. While it was true that directly interfering would cause waves, that was only the tip of the iceberg.If Theodore ¡®protected¡¯ the second prince in an incident that didn¡¯t have any clear evidence of another¡¯s wrongdoings, his actions could spark the fire of a <i>true </i>factional conflict. Therefore, he decided to let the situation slide since any moves he made now would only be seen as premature.

    <i>(Though I never thought this would result in him being scolded by the daughter of the Rosenberg house.)</i>

    Theodore deeply sighed. This stance of wait-and-see didn¡¯te without its own problems. It resulted in the second prince being told off by the daughter of a Marquis.

    This wasn¡¯t something he could justugh off.

    <i>(I¡¯m sure I could keep the witness¡¯ quiet, but I don¡¯t think Count Ahle will let this slide.)</i>

    The Count¡¯s sons were currently being detained for their transgressions. However, this was still an incident between children in the end, they couldn¡¯t hold them forever.

    Once they were released and went home, they would definitely cry to their parents about this. They would embellish the story to their own needs and condemn the daughter of the Marquis for ¡®excessive actions¡¯.

    However, Count Ahle was someone who supported the first prince.

    In order to protect the Marquis¡¯ daughter, it was necessary to ept that she was in the right, but to do so was to also admit the second prince¡¯s fault in this situation.

    And if they did that, the Count would happily push all of the me onto him.

    He¡¯d probably say that the prince manipted his sons into doing so.

    Problems between school kids should¡¯ve never be this big of a problem, or maybe the Count was always prepared to sacrifice his children to raise his status within the factions.

    They were the same age despite not being twins, so it probably wasn¡¯t a coincidence for them to have been enrolled into the same grade as Alforth.

    Anyways, while they didn¡¯t have any evidence of it, there was no doubt that Count Ahle was making moves behind the scenes.

    Therefore, a reasonable sacrifice was necessary to silence him.

    Though even if he stayed silent, various problems will undoubtedly arise from this incident. The social world was rife with spections and suspicions.

    Unlike the school protected by adults, aristocratic society was a gathering of snakes proficient in schemes and trickery.

    Therefore, Theodore decided to meet with the daughter of Marquis Rosenberg.

    If she could be useful for the royal family, he would reach out to her and make her an ally. If not, he would bestow a punishment to her that wouldn¡¯t cause any actual harm, one that Marquis Rosenberg could ept as him just doing his duty.

    After reaching such a conclusion, he ordered his subordinates to summon the Marquis¡¯ daughter.

    The courtyard was chosen as the meeting ce.

    Using such an open space was to help the girl not feel pressured. Though Theodore wasn¡¯t the one to think of this, but his wife¨C Queen Adele, who made this suggestion after she decided to participate as well.

    ¡°Adele, let me just tell you that when Sophia scolded Alforth¨C¡±

    ¡°I know. Wasn¡¯t it because Alforth was being unreasonable? I don¡¯t know what you thought I was thinking, but I wasn¡¯t going to me her for what she did.¡±

    ¡°¡­so then why did you suddenly say you wanted to attend?¡±

    Theodore grew suspicious after hearing that she didn¡¯t find the Marquis¡¯ daughter at fault, but Adele was only interested in Sophia because she knew that her son favoured her.

    Although she was rumoured to be a saint that had fallen into high-society, Adele didn¡¯t think any twelve year old could really match such ims. It was probably a false-image prepared by someone behind the scenes.

    So now she was trying to find out how much of that gossip was true.

    Not that she would say that.

    She parried Theodore¡¯s suspicion with an elegant smile.

    Soon after, the Marquis¡¯ daughter guided by a servant appeared in the courtyard.

    Deep amethyst eyes and lustrous tinum blonde hair. She had an appearance that wouldn¡¯t lose to the rumours, and when she noticed the king and queen, she did a curtsey that would even put adults to shame.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I am Sophia, the daughter of the Rosenberg house.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I am Theodore, the king of Ephenia.¡±

    ¡°And I am his wife, Adele. I¡¯m sorry that my husband called you out all of a sudden, so please don¡¯t worry about formalities and rx.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±

    Adele set up the trap, but Sophia didn¡¯t fall for it.

    Although this wasn¡¯t a formal audience, she was still meeting with the king and queen. Moreover, she was only summoned here to discuss the incident at the rose garden.

    She¡¯d be disqualified if she let her guard down just because the other party superficially said to.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth here, so take a seat. If we were to keep an adorable girl like you standing, we¡¯ll end up feeling guilty.¡±

    The proposal was the same as the previous one, but the queen¡¯s intentions were different this time. When Sophia realised that, she immediately responded, ¡°Then please excuse me.¡±

    With no hesitation, she then sat down on the chair pulled out by the servant in a graceful and refined manner.

    This wasn¡¯t a level a twelve year old girl should be at.

    By this point, Adele had already concluded that the majority of the rumours were true.

    Theodore¡¯s judgement was the same. Although there were children who could behave like adults on the surface, there weren¡¯t many who could read the trap set earlier.

    Yet she dealt with it as if it were only natural.

    Such a girl wouldn¡¯t admonish the higher-ranked prince solely due to her emotions. Shepletely understood the situation and took action knowing the potential ramifications that awaited her.

    Theodore abandoned the idea of punishing her under the circumstances and decided to bring her in as an ally.

    ¡°Sophia, we haven¡¯t called you here to me you for what happened in the rose garden. In fact, we want to thank you for exposing the people who were manipting Alforth.¡±

    Rather than punish her for bringing the prince shame, he expressed his intentions to praise her for rectifying his child¡¯s mistakes as a loyal vassal. He didn¡¯t forget to use the card that he was the one that summoned her in the first ce.

    Theodore went on to confess that he knew about Alforth¡¯s struggles and that he wanted his son to solve them on his own.

    On top of that, he expressed his dejection over how the prince couldn¡¯t do so, but this result was still better than him or his wife forcibly stepping in and having the followers removed.

    This was obviously too much information to reveal, but this was all to sell her a favour.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we don¡¯t intend to punish you, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the movements of Count Ahle.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±

    While saying that he was grateful, he implied that Sophia¡¯s actions were wrong. With that in mind, he nned to put her in their debt by keeping the Count silent about this matter to protect her.

    But Sophia passed them a report through the servant before that.

    ¡°This is¨C I see. I-is what¡¯s written here true?¡±

    ¡°Of course, your majesty. This is credible evidence that my exclusive butler procured.¡±

    Theodore audibly swallowed his saliva. The document was evidence that exposed the injustices and wrongs the Count hadmitted.

    Though there were quite a few reliable sources referenced, this also brought up numerous questions.

    ¡°You, what is this?¡±

    After passing Adele the report, she reacted the same way. Sophiaughed at their reaction and went, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? This is me helping you <i>silence </i>them.¡±

    A chill ran up Theodore¡¯s spine at Sophia¡¯s smile.

    Certainly, with this it would easy to keep Count Ahle in control. If what was written here was true, then they had justification to send his head flying. A person with no head couldn¡¯t talk after all.

    He intended to sell a favour to this girl, but before he knew it, <i>they </i>were the ones a favour was being sold to.

    ¡°As expected of the rumoured daughter of a Marquis. I¡¯m very d a wise girl like you took action for my son¡¯s sake.¡±

    Without any of the testing that had happened just before, Adele started moving to draw Sophia in with all her might. While Theodore was a bit surprised by this, he didn¡¯t think it was unreasonable.

    If a sly aristocrat turned the tables on them, normally this would be a situation to be upset about. However, the other party this time was still only a twelve year old child.

    The king of this country was thrown for a loop by a little girl. This was clearly an aberrant situation.

    Theodore could clearly see that Sophia¡¯s ¡®abnormality¡¯ surpassed even that of Folsynia¡¯s¨C a talented girl who had been educated by the genius Tristan himself.

    ¡°Oh yes, Sophia, haven¡¯t you danced with Alforth while he was hiding his identity? For the two of you to reunite at the school, is it possible that the gods are pushing for my son¡¯s spring to arrive?¡±

    Losing any dignity he had, Theodore reflexively coughed. Adele¡¯s words were roundabout, but she was undoubtedly hinting at engagement.

    But at the same time, he was really d when he heard about the dance.

    Alforth was bing increasingly absent-minded due to the first prince¡¯s supporters. The elitists had taken advantage of him, and things had only changed because of the girl in front of them.

    On top of that¡­

    An ordinary twelve year old wouldn¡¯t understand the hidden meaning in his wife¡¯s words, but this one here definitely would. No, her eyes were already lit up with understanding.

    However, this wasn¡¯t something for them to bring up with her directly. If they wanted to make what they implied into reality, they had to first start with her father¨C the head of the Rosenberg house.

    Which meant this was nothing more than Adele acting rashly, and while Theodore contemted stopping her¡­ he also wanted to know Sophia¡¯s answer.

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s a person I want to walk beside.¡±

    Sophia started speaking words like a maiden in love. Seeing that beautiful and adorable expression of hers¨C Theodore immediately began thinking about how to propose their children¡¯s engagement with the Rosenberg house¡¯s head.

    However¨C

    ¡°He¡¯s always watching over me by taking the lead, but that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m trying so hard to catch up with him.¡±

    The words that followed weren¡¯t referring to Alforth. Despite this, she was <i>far </i>too valuable to give up on. While Theodore juggled such regrets in his head, Sophia continued speaking.

    ¡°I <i>will </i>grant that wish of mine. Even if I have to turn the gods themselves into my enemies.¡±

    A clear statement that dered her thoughts would never change, whether it was the royal family or fate itself she had to go against. To fulfill her desires, she would even fight the crown.

    Tension shot up through the servants who heard her. At this rate, Sophia would be a hostile existence. Realising that, Theodore immediately opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­if you truly feel that way, I¡¯m sure the gods will bless you.¡±

    He was indicating that the royal family wouldn¡¯t hold her ountable for what she just said.

    Originally this was something that should¡¯ve been said by Adele¨C who had brought up the engagement, but she was currently hanging her head in shock. Therefore, Theodore spoke up.

    The stiff atmosphere finally rxed.

    Everything that followed after could be considered light small talk. Theodore asked her to be Alforth¡¯s friend, and saw her off without anything special happening.

    The visit now over, Theodore and Adele moved to the reception room. They chatted for a while to distract themselves, but shortly after, he sighed.

    ¡°¡­Sophia, huh? It¡¯s regrettable, <i>truly </i>regrettable. She¡¯s a talented individual anyone would want a connection with at all costs, but who was she referring to before?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, the day of the birthday party she had an escort with her.¡±

    Adele responded as if she had only just remembered.

    ¡°Ahh¡­ him. Although we allowed his attendance because Marquis Rosenberg guaranteed his identity, we still had no idea who he was.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If I remember correctly¡­ I believe he was a servant.¡±

    An individual who was just as refined as Sophia. With a gentle smile and a handsome face, he definitely didn¡¯t lose to her at all.

    From the girls who were watching him, they heard the unidentified boy refer to himself as a butler.

    Now remembering that gossip, Adele turned to the corner of the room and asked Tristan, ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡±

    He might¡¯ve been a butler in service of Theodore¡¯s younger brother, but he still had ess to various information one of the academy¡¯s teachers. Adele was sure that he had learned something in his time employed there.

    To which heplied and said, ¡°He¡¯s my nephew.¡±

    ¡°Your nephew? Then, the butler from the rumours is¡­¡±

    ¡°No way, that boy really was¡­ a butler?¡±

    Adele and Theodore opened their eyes in surprise.

    To be apanied by a partner that wasn¡¯t a rtive would be to ept that person as a fianc¨¦ candidate.

    On top of that, it was for the first prince¡¯s birthday party of all things. To have a mere servant escort his daughter was something Marquis Rosenberg could never allow.

    And yet it was none other than the Marquis who had guaranteed the butler¡¯s status. A person who never should¡¯ve been recognised was admitted. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what his intentions were.

    Her interest piqued, Adele asked what kind of person this boy was.

    ¡°If I were to describe him in one word, it would be ¡®loyal¡¯.¡±

    Tristan went on to exin what had happened in the waiting room.

    Alforth hade to him for consultation and he had advised him.

    Theodore sighed after hearing that.

    ¡°That is to say, the prince had admitted his blunder of his own will¡­¡±

    ¡°More problematic than that is the fact that Alforth was scolded by him. He¡¯s lucky we aren¡¯t going to punish him for this, if this was any other country he¡¯d be done for.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I said he¡¯s the embodiment of loyalty.¡±

    In response to Tristan¡¯s words, Adele raised her head. The boy had agreed to act as Alforth¡¯s advisor despite already being in service of the Rosenberg Marquis house. The word ¡®loyal¡¯ wouldn¡¯t work to describe him at all.

    ¡°Its because he expects the mistress he serves to enter into the royal family.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    Despite the risk of execution, he bet his life to correct the prince because he might one day marry his charge, <i>that¡¯s</i> how loyal he was.

    ¡°So he¡¯s really just a butler¡­ From the rumours I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s quite handsome, is your nephew in histe teens?¡±

    ¡°No. Just like Lady Sophia, he¡¯s only twelve years old. He¡¯s even enrolled in my ss.¡±

    Theodore and Adele opened their eyes wide at that statement.

    ¨CAfter that, Theodore couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy for his son after hearing about Cyril¡¯s numerous exploits.

    ording to Tristan¡¯s report, even the daughter of a Viscount house was taken with him.

    His niece and Tristan¡¯s beloved disciple¨C Folsynia approved of him as well. On top of that, it seems that all of the servants had high evaluations of the boy.

    Theodore couldn¡¯t help butment how his son never stood a chance, but Adele¡¯s eyes were shining¨C

    ¡°If she won¡¯t be our son¡¯s bride, then let¡¯s just make the boy she <i>would </i>be willing to marry our son instead.¡±

    ¨Cas she went on to say such a thing.

    Having always wanted a daughter, Adele seems to have taken quite a liking to Sophia. However, even after pushing her idea of adopting a mere butler aside, her thought process was a bit concerning.

    ¡°Still, a talented butler and a youngdy disciple¡­ they¡¯re just like you.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, regarding the incident at the rose garden, it seems that her eyes were dyed red back then.¡±

    ¡°¡­really. Then, she¡¯s also¨C?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely.¡±

    In response to Tristan¡¯s affirmation, Theodor silently furrowed his brows.

    ¡°But your majesty, there¡¯s still hope. If my thoughts are correct, then her exclusive butler¨C Cyril, could be a gem even beyond myself.¡±

    ¡°¡­on what basis would you make this im? Even if he¡¯s an excellent butler, that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he¡¯s as talented as you are, right?¡±

    Having your expectations betrayed hurt.

    Therefore, Theodore didn¡¯t try to bring his hopes up.

    ¡°Of course, the possibility of disappointment is undeniable. I¡¯m still looking into things, so take my words with a grain of salt, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a chance?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. The young Lady Sophia and Cyril. Both of them are irregrs. Especially Cyril. I¡¯ve been interested in him ever since he scored fifty one points in the entrance examination.¡±

    ¨CSophia¡¯s educator was Cyril.

    Since she was the disciple of a capable person, it was no wonder why she¡¯s so talented.

    But Cyril himself had no teacher.

    He was originally only supposed to have mediocre grades. In fact, he shouldn¡¯t even have appeared at the school until three years from now. He was acting like a <ipletely different person </i>than he should¡¯ve been<i>.</i>

    As he spected the reason why, the edge of Tristan¡¯s mouth raised into a grin.

    ¡ô ¡ô ¡ô

    While I was still in conversation with his highness Alforth, Lady Sophia had returned. When she noticed the prince sitting opposite to me, she opened her eyes wide.

    ¡°¡­your highness Alforth?¡±

    ¡°Oh, please excuse me. I was just talking to Cyril about something, but I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    Mydy was making a somewhat doubtful expression. When considering what happened at the rose garden, it¡¯s only natural that she¡¯d be rmed, but it was nothing like what she was thinking.

    I shook my head to indicate there was no problem and called out to her, ¡°Mydy, how was your meeting with his majesty?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, but everything¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it truly is. I¡¯m so relieved now that it¡¯s over with.¡±

    I¡¯m sure she was. Even though both the prince and professor Tristan were watching, mydy revealed an innocent smile to me.

    ¡°¡­as I thought, you really are the one Sophia trusts the most.¡±

    His highness murmured that in envy.

    ¡­I¡¯d like him to pardon me if possible. Mydy already gets heated often because of Alicia, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to handle it if the prince¡¯s jealousy was thrown into the mix as well.

    Let¡¯s try to tell him that jealous people aren¡¯t popr with girls.

    Nevertheless, prince Alforth apologised to mydy and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything. I¡¯ll be sure to make this up to youter¡± before taking his leave.

    Professor Tristan then bowed to her and started chasing after him.

    I just realised that we were alone when Lady Sophia turned to me.

    ¡°What happened with his highness?¡±

    ¡°It seems he¡¯s been reflecting over his actions.¡±

    ¡°Reflecting over his actions?¡±

    ¡®He wants to change himself so that you¡¯ll look his way¡¯¨C I kept that part to myself though. Changing the topic, I said, ¡°Putting that aside, what did you talk about with his majesty?¡±

    ¡°Were you worried about the contents of our discussion?¡±

    ¡°Of course I was.¡±

    There are various ways their meeting could¡¯ve went.

    As long as mydy had the trump card I gave her, the worst case scenario should¡¯ve been avoided, but that doesn¡¯t mean what had happened instead was good.

    For example, if his majesty had taken a liking to Lady Sophia and had forced her into an engagement with the second prince¨C the possibility of that happening wasn¡¯t zero.

    Regardless of mydy¡¯s desires, she¡¯d be obligated to deal with it.

    I was concerned something like that would ur¡­

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Everything happened ording to my ns.¡±

    ¡°¡­your ns, mydy?¡±

    As I tilted my head at that statement, Lady Sophia closed in with a light gait, pressing down on my right shoulder from diagonally behind me.

    Before whispering¨C

    <i>¡°¨Cthat¡¯s a secret, Cyril.¡±</i>

    Looking over my shoulder, mydy had a mischievous smile on her face.

    Hi everyone! KuroInfinity here with another post-volume trantor message! I hope you enjoyed the first volume of ¡°The Viinous Daughter¡¯s Butler ~I Raised Her to be Very Cute~¡±. This is honestly the hardest project I¡¯ve ever worked on¡­ chapters are super long and detailed, so I really hope you appreciate the work I did here. (^^|||

    Fun Fact: Did you know that Cyril<em>never</em>gets his appearance described even once in the story? So however you thought he looked this entire time might be wrong. I think the author did that on purpose so that we¡¯d really learn to love him for his personality, rather than how he looks.

    As always, please make sure to leave in the links to both my site and the author¡¯s syosetu page in whatever formats you turn this into. Just plugging my name in doesn¡¯t really matter to me since I don¡¯t see any effect from them on drawing users. Oh, and please send donations or turn off your adblock to support me, it really helps. ?

    And anyways, I hope to see you soon in Volume 2! Ciao~ (^^)/

 The Student Councils Touchstone 1

    One day, several days after being invited to the student council room, I was currently training Roy and Emma in the courtyard of the capital city¡¯s Rosenberg estate.

    Holding a sword at his side, Roy started dashing towards me. At that moment, the outline of his figure blurred¨C no, Emma was hiding behind him and had jumped out to nk me.

    The boy swung his sword at me head on, while his sister lunged at me from the side with her dagger. As expected of siblings, they were perfectly in sync.

    However, they were still inexperienced.

    Stepping <i>into </i>Roy¡¯s range on purpose, I disrupted his swing while deflecting it elsewhere. The redirected sword ended up obstructing Emma¡¯s charge, and I took that moment tond a blow on her brother¡¯s vitals as well.

    At the exact moment Roy fell to his knees, Emma avoided his de and jumped in to make her attack¨C but now that they weren¡¯t coordinating to pincer me, her strike was full of openings.

    Catching her wrist, I then proceeded to twist her arm upwards, pressing her own dagger against her neck.

    ¡°That¡¯s the end.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet, Master!*¡±I couldn¡¯t help but sigh as I saw Roy bounce up from his knees to continue.

    <b><i>¡°Wrong.¡±</i></b>

    Taking Emma¡¯s dagger from her, I swiftly went through the motion of slitting her neck before intercepting Roy¡¯s charge and throwing him a short distance away. Now sprawled across the ground, I pressed the de against the boy¡¯s neck as hey on the grass.

    ¡°Now both you and Emma are dead. I thought I taught you that careless resistance will only increase casualties. Being reckless isn¡¯t the same as not giving up.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Still lying on the ground, Roy turned his gaze away.

    ¡°B-but¡­ if I didn¡¯t do anything, isn¡¯t there a chance the assant will kill the mistress?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So that¡¯s the reasoning behind your actions?¡±

    Our current training session was based on the premise of being mydy¡¯s bodyguards. Therefore, there were rules set in ce to match the situation.

    Though I didn¡¯t exin to them what would happen if they were defeated.

    ¡°As her bodyguard, I appreciate your willingness to protect the mistress to the end. However, there¡¯s no point if you end up sacrificing yourself to do so. Adapt to the circumstances given to you to make the best choice.¡±

    ¡°The best choice?¡±

    Roy blinked his green eyes.

    After pulling the boy up, I then invited Emma to join us before I continued.

    ¡°Right¡­ for example, when I was pressing the dagger against Emma¡¯s neck earlier. Do you know what that action implied?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t that mean Emma was dead?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    Roy only tilted his head in confusion. However, Emma¡¯s golden eyes began to shine in understanding. Seeing that she came up with the answer, I turned towards her.

    ¡°Instructor Cyril could¡¯ve killed me whenever he wanted, but he didn¡¯t do so right away. So he was trying to avoid any unneeded deaths¡­ is that right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it.¡±

    Earlier, I was only moving to subdue the two of them. If Roy didn¡¯t carelessly jump in, we would¡¯ve been stuck in a stalemate.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying stalemates willst indefinitely.¡±

    ¡°¨Cbecause there¡¯s a chance they¡¯ll have reinforcements on the way. Right, Master?¡±

    Roy was the one that followed up that time. When I confirmed his answer, he made a very smug expression. Noticing that, Emma pouted her lips and muttered, ¡°I noticed that too¡­¡± under her breath.

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile seeing their sibling rivalry that was in stark contrast to how close they usually were.

    ¡°Stalemates may be disadvantageous positions you want to avoid, but they also make it impossible for the opposition to make moves as well. That¡¯s why you should bide your time and try to find the best choice fitting of your current circumstances.¡±

    The two nodded while making strange expressions.

    ¡°Not to mention¡­¡± I began, ¡°Even if you seed in protecting the mistress, there¡¯s no doubt she¡¯ll grieve if you end up dying for it.¡± I petted their heads as I said that.

    ¨Cat that moment, a servant arrived.

    It was Rouch¨¦, the maid who gets easily carried away with teasing and works as the educator for the siblings.

    ¡°Cyril, I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You have business with me instead of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have the report for the investigation you asked for the other day.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ please give me a moment.¡±

    After returning Emma¡¯s dagger to her, I instructed her and her brother to practice on their own for a while. With that finished, I moved with Rouch¨¦ to a corner where we wouldn¡¯t get in anyone¡¯s way.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the report. Though are you sure it was fine for me to retrieve such important documents? Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll look into them in secret?¡±

    While handing me the papers, Rouch¨¦ made a mischievous expression.

    ¡°I never told you, did I? False information is mixed into the reports to mislead spies, if you don¡¯t know the cypher and misuse what you learn, you¡¯ll end up with a noose around your neck before you know it.¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re really scary, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°It was only a joke.¡±

    Despite my denial, Rouch¨¦ sent a suspicious look my way and muttered, ¡°its because its <i>you </i>saying it that it sounds so real, Cyril¡­¡±

    ¡­well, I <i>was</i> lying when I said it was a joke, so her intuition was correct.

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t discriminating against her personally, I try to keep vignt against all of the employees. In fact, she was actually one of the ones I trusted more, considering her personality.

    Though for obvious reasons, I would never actually tell her that.

    Putting that aside¨C I went ahead and read the report. I hadunched an investigation on Fol so I could get a better grasp on her personality while inferring what kind of test she¡¯d issue.

    Unlike when I investigated Alicia¡¯s household for personal reasons, this incident was directly rted to mydy¡¯s honour, so I had justification to use the Rosenberg house¡¯s resources in full.

    That¡¯s why despite the short notice, the report already contained a considerable amount of data.

    I make a quick skim over the documents.

    Currently in her third year of junior high school, Fol was currently the top student of her grade. Although she¡¯s always been considered excellent, she¡¯s shown significant improvement in thest few years in particr.

    And then there¡¯s her background.

    Officially, she¡¯s a girl with the backing of a Count house¨C but her true identity was that of the king¡¯s niece. She was of royal blood, a legitimate princess. It was cleverly hidden though, so this wouldn¡¯t have been uncovered without a deep investigation.

    Would I be overthinking it to assume that professor Tristan didn¡¯t talk about her because he <i>wanted</i> me to thoroughly check her identity?

    The idea crossed my mind, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I was missing something. I was going to look into her either way the moment she dered she¡¯d be putting us through a test, so why the extrayer to pique my curiosity?

    There was something strange about all of this¡­ really strange. Professor Tristan or whoever he was proxying for wanted us to join the student council and interact with Fol, despite the person herself not wanting to associate with us.

    This was all just conjecture, but I didn¡¯t think I was wrong in my reasoning.

    What bothered me the most about all of this was the fact that Fol never appeared in Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    Her pedigree, appearance, and talents were enough to have a leading role if she possessed even just one of them, not to mention <i>all</i> of them. If she appeared in the game, there was no doubt the developments of the original work would¡¯ve changed significantly.

    She was currently in her third year of junior high. Therefore, three years from now at the start of the game she¡¯d be in her third year of the highschool section. Taking this into consideration, you¡¯d assume that she¡¯d be running the student council by then as well, but in the original work that group was led by his highness Alforth.

    There aren¡¯t that many reasons I can think of to exin this.

    But putting those few possibilities under analysis, I could understand why she rejected mydy¡¯s application¨C

    ¡°Master! Hey Master~! I won! It¡¯s my win!¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s lying! He didn¡¯t win the previous rounds! Instructor Cyril, when looking at the overall scores I¡¯m the winner!¡±

    The two siblings were raising their voices in hopes of getting my attention.

    Their act brought me back to reality, making me inadvertently smile.

    ¡°I think they prefer you over me, Cyril.¡±

    Rouch¨¦mented that in a teasing tone.

    Of course, I¡¯ve noticed how much they adore me. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t call me ¡®master¡¯, or ¡®instructor¡¯ so endearingly.

    However¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but frown as I thought of this.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not happy about it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­ it¡¯s just that I¡¯m only watching over them because of Lady Sophia¡¯s orders. In truth, I was the person who rmended not getting involved with them in the first ce, so I can¡¯t help but have mixed feelings seeing how much they favour me.¡±

    ¡°¨Cpfft. Cyril, do you really think they actually care about that? The two of them aren¡¯t stupid. They like you so much because you¡¯re <i>nice </i>to them, it¡¯s as simple as that.¡±

    Rouch¨¦ suddenly broke out inughter.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°It is. You know, sometimes I forget because you always act so mature, but you really are just a kid.¡±

    As I thought, the thing that she wasughing at was <i>me</i>.

    Lunch break is the time for mydy to have tea with her friends.

    At her tea party¨C which she hosts about twice a week, I serve the sweets and tea that I¡¯ve prepared for the asion. Not just my tea, but it seems even my confections have gained somewhat of a reputation as well.

    These recipes weren¡¯t shared like how the tea was, but were exclusively for those who attended mydy¡¯s gatherings.

    The reason for this was that there were concerns that their release would create too many waves, ensuing chaos.

    At first nce, this might seem a bit excessive over just some sweets.

    I also thought so at first. However, the noble girls who heard the rumours about the short cake ended up swarming to join mydy¡¯s faction in droves over it. Anyone would be convinced of the truth after seeing such a scene.

    As such, Lady Sophia¡¯s faction has grown ordingly. With its current size, it¡¯d be difficult to gather during lunch breaks, so it was decided that official faction gatherings would be scheduled at regr dates instead.

    Therefore, the only participants attending the lunch break tea parties were those who were on especially good terms with mydy.

    Though personally, I feel a lot morefortable during therge faction gatherings despite the size.

    Because at the lunch break tea parties¨C

    ¡°Wow, the sweets Cyril made today are delicious too!¡±

    ¡°Since <i>my </i>Cyril made them, that¡¯s only natural.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure that anything he makes for you is done so wholeheartedly. It must be nice¡­ I¡¯m jealous.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¨Ctoday as well, Lady Sophia and Alicia continue to interact somewhat antagonistically towards each other. Much to their surroundings difort. Although things seem like they¡¯re only one step away from breaking out into an actual fight, Alicia has shown amazing ability at backing off just before things get that far.

    If she knows the limits, I wish she wouldn¡¯t always be constantly pushing at them.

    ¨Cas I watched over the two of them while holding these feelings, I suddenly felt Lady Sophia¡¯s gaze turn towards me. Her face had twisted into an expression that was easy to understand.

    I pretended not to notice though, and offered to refill her tea.

    That¡¯s how the tea party ended before I returned to the ssroom. The afternoon sses finished as usual, but as I was preparing to leave, professor Tristan called out to me yet again.

    ¡°Cyril, the student council president wants to meet with you.¡±

    I almost wanted tough at this. ¡®The student council president is calling you¡¯¨C Why didn¡¯t he just use her name? The way he referred to Fol wasn¡¯t how a teacher usually would towards a student. Most likely, he was trying to probe me to see how much I¡¯ve found out about her identity.

    Despite my urge tough, I held myself back from doing so.

    Since I was pretending to be unresponsive, he probably hasn¡¯t noticed.

    ¡°¡­and she wants you toe alone.¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t want mydy involved this time, so I¡¯m guessing she has some sort of business with me.

    ¡°I heard that the president refused your application to join the student council, but I¡¯ve also heard that you were still trying to join in spite of that. Cyril¡­ do you have a hobby of collecting thorny flowers?¡±

    A roundabout phrase that could be interpreted in many ways.

    The thorns seem to be referring to Fol¡¯s attitude towards us, but they might also be alluding to the royal family¡¯s symbol of the blue rose. On the off chance I¡¯ve taken a liking to the girl with a barbed tongue, was he asking if I had any intentions of joining the royal family?

    In any case, he seems to be asking if I¡¯m aiming for Fol.

    ¡°I have no intention to grow any flowers besides the rose of the Rosenberg house. I will do whatever it takes to raise it so it blooms beautifully.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what ¡®wish¡¯ mydy was working towards that required her to join the student council, but I would support her regardless. While I <i>did</i> have some ideas, I didn¡¯t have any concrete evidence to confirm any of them.

    Putting that aside, I finished my conversation with professor Tristan and left to meet with Fol.

    The student council room.

    When I knocked on the door, I heard a reply telling me to enter. In the simple office room, Fol was sitting on the other side of a desk, steadily working through some paperwork.

    For some reason, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. This was a situation simr to what had happened with the Master, but with the student council president instead. Even if she was hiding her identity, I guess she <i>was </i>still a princess.

    With nothing else to do, I patiently waited and silently observed Fol.

    She had features that weren¡¯t inferior to Lady Sophia¡¯s in the slightest. From the short conversations we¡¯ve had she seemed like an enigmatic older girl, but in this silence she gave off an ephemeral atmosphere.

    Her small face was framed in silky cherry-blonde hair that appeared to shine. Looking closely, the tips of her hair were actually fluttering despite how we were indoors.

    Focusing my consciousness to detect magic power, I could sense a slight flow of magic in the room. Under further scrutiny, a faint light seemed to be leaking from Fol¡¯s body.

    Apparently, she was cooling herself down with wind magic.

    ¡­although it has been getting hot recently, I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s easy to be perpetually using magic like that. Although the magical consumption would be insignificant, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the mental fatigue that came with it.

    Maybe she just prefers draining herself mentally over bing all sweaty physically? Though if it was something like that, it¡¯d probably be better to just use the air-conditioning magic tool.

    Or rather, couldn¡¯t she even have had the maid standing behind her just fan her? Turning my line of sight her way, my fellow servant was making a troubled expression.

    And then¨C

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    The maid loudly began to clear her throat. Just as confused as I was, Fol began raising her head with a suspicious expression on.

    But then she saw me¨C

    ¡°Wait, why is Cyril here?!¡±

    And she was surprised for some reason.

    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you the one that told me to enter after I knocked?¡±

    ¡°¡­huh?¡±

    When Fol turned to her servant in confirmation, the maid nodded.

    I guess she was just preupied. Apparently Fol wasn¡¯t intentionally ignoring me, she just didn¡¯t notice me after letting me in on reflex.

    ¡°S-sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I still feel bad even if you say that. I wish you had said something.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep that in mind for next time.¡±

    Considering how she answered like that, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she wasn¡¯t used to making her servants wait.

    When taking her status into ount, you¡¯d think she¡¯d be used to it¡­ though now that I think about it, mydy doesn¡¯t enjoy it when others are waiting for her in her personal life either.

    Fol might have a simr nature.

    ¡°In any case, I heard you wanted to speak to me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I summoned you to talk about the test¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want me to somehow convince mydy to give up on joining the student council?¡±

    ¡°If you understand, then we can end this quickly.¡±

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    ¡°¡­care to exin why?¡±

    Having been immediately rejected, Fol furrowed her brows. With her actual status, she probably doesn¡¯t get refused often. It¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s frustrated.

    With that said, I¡¯m sure she has her reasons.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. Fol, I have no doubts that you have solid incentives as to why mydy shouldn¡¯t join the student council.¡±

    ¡°Then why refuse? Can¡¯t you see that this is also for your mistress¡¯ well-being?¡±

    There was a quiet anger in her words. As I thought, she seems to be doing this for our sake. When taking that into consideration, the reasons as to why she denied our applications have narrowed down.

    But even in spite of that, I didn¡¯t have any justification to oppose mydy¡¯s choice.

    ¡°Lady Sophia isn¡¯t a little kid that needs me to hold her hand as she walks. I don¡¯t have the right, <i>nor </i>any reason to oppose her decision. This is something she chose for herself.¡±

    ¡°¡­tch.¡±

    ring at me, Fol¡¯s blue eyes burned red in anger. Though no matter how she scowled at me, I had no intentions of backing down. I met her gaze head-on.

    ¡°Mydy isn¡¯t as weak as you think she is.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s fine for her to be hurt.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s an unnecessary pain, then I¡¯ll definitely prevent it, but I know that this isn¡¯t the case.¡±

    ¡°¡­how can you tell?¡±

    ¡°Call it a feeling.¡±

    With my answer, Fol¡¯s eyes opened wide. Her expression then quickly shifted from happy, to vexed, and then eventually¡­ resigned. She let out a deep sigh.

    ¡°¡­so you have no intentions of giving up?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand. If you¡¯re going that far then I won¡¯t stop you. However, you do realise this means you¡¯ll have to take my test, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware. Both mydy and I are prepared for this.¡±

    ¡°Good. Here, now let me exin what it is.¡±

    Implying that the conversation was over, Fol went on to break down the test for me.

    No matter what it was, we couldn¡¯t fail it and defile mydy¡¯s reputation. I listened to what the test entailed with every intention of perfectly clearing it¡­ but the contents of it were more troublesome than I thought.

    *Roy calls Cyril shish¨­(ŽŸ½³), which is ¡®master¡¯ for more of a master-disciple rtionship rather than a master-servant one.

 The Student Councils Touchstone 2

    Having heard the contents of the test from Fol, and after confirming that mydy had already left the school, I returned to the capital city¡¯s Rosenberg estate.

    Though for some reason, Rouch¨¦ was on standby in front of my room, and the moment she spotted me, she said, ¡°the mistress is waiting for you.¡± In a business-like voice without emotion.

    ¡°Should I go to the mistress¡¯ room then?¡±

    I asked that while feeling a vague sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, and as expected, she shook her head and replied¨C

    ¡°The mistress is waiting for you <i>here.</i>¡±

    After opening the door, Rouch¨¦ then mimicked her past movements and pushed me through it. I was expecting it this time though, and silently went with the flow without stumbling over myself. Having confirmed that the exit behind me was now closed, I turned my consciousness to my front and found mydy standing there.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, where were you?¡±

    ¡°I was getting a briefing from Fol on what her test would be in the student council room.¡±

    ¡°Were you alone together?¡±¡°You mean like how the two of us are right now, mydy? Then no, we weren¡¯t.¡±

    When I made that statement, mydy¡¯s cheeks flushed slightly red. Although her posture was confrontational, she didn¡¯t seem that angry.

    In the first ce, she should¡¯ve known that Fol hadn¡¯t issued her test until now¡­ was she pretending to get mad likest time as an excuse to be alone with me?

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re wrong!¡±

    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t said anything yet.¡±

    So this is what it alles to.

    Basically, the daughter of a Marquis can never be left alone with a member of the opposite sex. Usually, there would be other servants like Rouch¨¦ in the vicinity.

    I can¡¯t say Ipletely understand a maiden¡¯s mind¡­ but being manipted like this was somewhat unpleasant. Let¡¯s tease her a bit.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, if I catch you attempting this kind of scheme again¨C¡±

    I ced my hand on her cheek, and leaned in close.

    <em>¡°¨CI¡¯ll have to <b>punish</b>you.¡±</em>

    Whispering that into her ear.

    Mydy practically jumped away from me in surprise, and after confirming her reaction, I called out in normal tone, ¡°Rouch¨¦, you cane in now. We¡¯re done.¡±

    And as if she was waiting for that moment, the maid immediately entered the room.

    After giving mydy¡¯s aplice a light re, I turned back to the noble girl in question.

    ¡°Mydy, can we now return to the more important topic at hand? ¡­mydy?¡±

    Even after I called out to her, Lady Sophia didn¡¯t respond, she had gone rigid, her face having flushedpletely scarlet.

    Hmm¡­ I¡¯d be able to understand this if I whispered sweet nothings to her, but was the prospect of ¡®punishment¡¯ really <i>that </i>effective? Hopefully I haven¡¯t opened some kind of weird door for her¡­

    Rouch¨¦ then turned to me and asked, ¡°What did you do?¡± with an exasperated tone, but this wasn¡¯t my fault! I didn¡¯t think a reaction like <i>this </i>would ur just by using the word ¡®punish¡¯!

    ¨Cbut I digress.

    After being frozen for a couple dozen seconds, Lady Sophia finally broke out of her trance and cleared her throat to get my attention.

    ¡°Cyril, what did you talk to Fol about?¡±

    She was acting as if her previous behaviour didn¡¯t even happen. However, her cheeks were still slightly flushed¡­ how could someone be this cute?

    With that said, mydy was trying her best to y this situation off, so it was my job as her butler to act deceived.

    ¡°Actually, she wanted me to dissuade you from joining the student council.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ so what kind of test did she issue?¡±

    Mydy went straight on to confirming the contents of the test without ascertaining my answer. In other words, she trusted that I didn¡¯t agree to Fol¡¯s request.

    I unintentionally felt myself smiling at this thought.

    ¡°Hmm? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Please excuse me, I¡¯ll now share with you the details of the test. Currently, His Highness Alforth¡¯s position is quite unstable, and Fol wants us to improve his situation.¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s the test?¡±

    Mydy¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise¨C but it was only natural she¡¯d react that way.

    In terms of contents, it¡¯s the simple request of restoring the honour of a boy who lost his ce due to a blunder, but the person in question was the second prince of this country. This wasn¡¯t something you entrusted to someone whose ability you doubted.

    ¡°It seems she has some connections among the royal officials.¡±

    In truth, Fol was actually a member of the royal family, but she was trying to keep that fact hidden. As it didn¡¯t have much of an impact on the test, I decided it was fine to keep quiet about this.

    Needless to say, this act wasn¡¯t something to be smiled upon. I might be scolded by Lady Sophia in the future for this, but this wasn¡¯t my secret to share.

    And in any case¨C

    ¡°So she knew of our talents, but still denied our applications to the student council in spite of that?¡±

    Lady Sophia made that conclusion.

    Building off of that, this was a test issued with the authority of the royal family. If we failed to restore the honour of His Highness Alforth, the responsibility for the aftermath will fall to Fol as the person who issued the request.

    In short, Fol did this knowing that we were capable ofpleting this challenge, while still holding the power to reject us regardless of the results.

    ¡°Whether we seed in this test of hers doesn¡¯t matter in the end.¡±

    ¡°She issued the test, and yet she could still fail us even if we seed. Whether we can join the student council or not depends solely on how she feels about us.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you want to give up?¡±

    To partake in this test even in spite of this information could be said to be very foolish.

    ¡°Oh? Do you think that it¡¯s impossible for us to win this, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°No, it might be difficult, but there are many ways for us to seed.¡±

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    The edges of her mouth raising into a smirk, mydy¡¯s face twisted into an evil expression.

    ¡°Mydy, that¡¯s unbing of you.¡±

    ¡°Really? Sorry about that, but I was just copying you, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­huh?¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t aware of it? Cyril, that¡¯s the kind of face you make whenever you¡¯re thinking about doing bad things. You were just doing it a little while ago as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t thinking of doing anything <i>bad, </i>per say.¡±

    All I was doing was contemting the loop holes in the rules. They weren¡¯t ¡®bad things¡¯ because they didn¡¯t break the agreement in any form. I was only chuckling to myself because those ideas were amusing.

    I thought that I kept up a pretty good poker face, but it looks like my intentions could still be read by mydy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll thank you for your advice, but I¡¯m not going to give up here. If it¡¯s feasible, I¡¯d like to get the achievement of restoring His Highness Alforth¡¯s status.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    This may be something necessary for mydy¡¯s goals. I can only guess what those goals were, but when looking at the actions she¡¯s taken ever since she started going to the school, a few ideas came to mind.

    And as expected¡ª

    ¡°Can I leave the matters regarding the student council¡¯s test to you, Cyril? Of course, I¡¯ll move as well if it¡¯s necessary, but I want you to be the one leading this operation if possible.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish for, mydy.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    As long as it¡¯s mydy¡¯s desire, I will move as her faithful aide. However, there was a difference between moving under hermand and moving of my own volition.

    She was leaving this to me because this was somehow necessary to achieve her goals. If this is what she wanted of me, then I had no reason to refuse.

    And that¡¯s why I immediately bowed before her.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, I swear under your name that I¡¯ll improve His Highness Alforth¡¯s position and pass the student council¡¯s test.¡±

    After school the next day, I requested His Highness Alforth for a meeting.

    With that said, there was no way a mere servant could actually be given an audience with a prince, so instead I was just going to pass a message to him through the servant he¡¯d send¨C or that¡¯s what I thought would happen before he actually came himself.

    ¡­I couldn¡¯t understand this.

    ¡°Cyril, I heard you needed something from me?¡±

    And even then, he was talking to me really casually. My thoughts were temporarily sent into disarray over this for a moment before I snapped out of it.

    ¡°Your Highness Alforth, I¡¯d like to apologise for calling you out so suddenly.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? Cyril, you don¡¯t need to worry about things like that!¡±

    I thought I was just hearing things wrong, but I guess I was right after all. His Highness Alforth was truly talking to me as if I were his equal.

    But I wasn¡¯t going to forget my position as a servant. His decision on how he spoke to me wasn¡¯t something I would question, so I just parried that statement with a ¡°Thank you for your consideration¡± before moving on to my original objective.

    ¡°The student council has requested our aid in improving your position, Your Highness.¡±

    I went ahead and stated my purpose outright.

    I was prepared to answer any questions he had, but he responded with, ¡°I see¡­ well, that¡¯s convenient.¡±

    ¡°¡­how so?¡±

    ¡°In truth, I still haven¡¯t been able to find a recement educator since myst one was dismissed. When I asked my mother about what to do, she told me that I should turn to you for help.¡±

    ¡°¡­the queen really said that?¡±

    ¡°Yup. She said you were trustworthy, and that I should treat you as if you were my older brother.¡±

    ¡°I-is that so?¡±

    For the first time in a while, I felt shivers run up my spine.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine that Lady Sophia¡¯s ability was highly regarded with the recent incident, so it was only natural that the royal family would start making moves to take her in.

    But I never thought that they would try to take <i>me </i>in as a stepping stone to get to her.

    Certainly, I currently hold a great deal of trust from Lady Sophia, so if they were able to reel me in, it¡¯d be far easier to gain her confidence.

    With that said, one wouldn¡¯t usually consider targeting a noble girl¡¯s exclusive butler as a means to the end of getting the girl herself. Nobody would consider the servant to be an important existence under normal circumstances.

    In other words, the royal family¡¯s informationwork was <i>that </i>thorough. I didn¡¯t know who was pulling the strings here, but they seemed to be quite clever.

    Nevertheless, as Lady Sophia is the daughter of a Marquis, and His Highness Alforth is the second prince. Regardless of how their rtionship develops, they¡¯ll undoubtedly be involved with one another in the future due to their positions.

    The fact remains that training the prince might make things easier for mydy in the long run.

    ¡°I understand your request. My first priority at all times is mydy, but she herself told me to improve your position, so I ept. If you have any questions for me, please don¡¯t hesitate to say them.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Thanks, you have no idea how much this means to me.¡±

    To His Highness Alforth¡¯s shining eyes, I bowed to him as his subject. In this way, I had temporarily gained the status as the prince¡¯s advisor.

    I immediately suggested we relocate to discuss his current situation.

    The ce we arrived at was the terrace that mydy asionally used to host tea parties. His Highness took a seat at a table, while I stayed standing opposite to him.

    ¡°Now then, Your Highness, what can you tell me about your current state of affairs?¡±

    ¡°Well, I used to be seen as the leader of the elitist faction, right?¡±

    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t in past-tense. You¡¯re still publicly known as an elitist at the moment.¡±

    ¡®As a result of Lady Sophia¡¯s hostility towards His Highness and the elitists, she <i>removed </i>his followers from the school.¡¯ Some of the students in the same ss might see they don¡¯t actually hate each other, but anyone else would likely think that was the case.

    ¡°Then, can¡¯t we just publicly announce that I¡¯m not an elitist?¡±

    ¡°No, things aren¡¯t that simple.¡±

    The fact that His Highness Alforth surrounded himself with members of the elitist faction can¡¯t be denied, so there are two possible oues that may ur if he publicly announced that he was never an elitist himself.

    ¡°Your Highness, if you make such an announcement, <i>you¡¯ll</i> be the one rumoured to have cut off your two followers. It¡¯s either that, or you¡¯ll be seen as an unreliable prince that¡¯s been manipted by them this entire time.¡±

    We can try to alter these rumours ourselves, but we can¡¯t erase the truth that the prince surrounded himself with elitists. Maybe he had just realised that none of his problems had actually been solved, but His Highness was growing pale.

    ¡°I know that I messed up, but why is it so hard to fix everything?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because trust is something you need to build up over time.¡±

    ¡°So then¡­ what am I supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°You need to choose. You can either stay silent or publicly disclose the truth.¡±

    ¡°The truth¡­¡±

    His Highness Alforth shook his head. The possibility that he¡¯d be gossiped about as a viin who¡¯d be willing to sacrifice his friends, or an ipetent prince that was manipted by others was undoubtedly a heavy burden on him.

    That¡¯s why he could also choose to not address the issue, and just focus on his future actions instead. Those were my thoughts on the matter, but after closing his eyes for a moment, the prince muttered, ¡°These problems are the result of my own choices, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    ¡°Publicise the truth.¡±

    ¡°¡­are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°The longer the elitists can use me as a figurehead for their ideals, the moremoners will suffer as a result. Cyril, you might think that its a stupid decision, but I¡¯m not going to sacrifice my people just to protect my image.¡±

    His Highness Alforth spoke those words with conviction. While it was true that he was currently unreliable, this decision of his showed that he was undoubtedly the capture target of the game¡¯s main route.

    If His Highness had only proposed the exposure of the truth behind his follower¡¯s disappearance, then it¡¯d be difficult to change his image.

    But the prince had chosen to expose <i>everything, </i>and with this, we can dissolve his current notoriety.

    And that¡¯s why¨C

    ¡°Understood. After publishing the facts of the situation, let¡¯s continue moving to improve your reputation, Your Highness.¡±

    Maybe he thought that his situation couldn¡¯t be fixed after sabotaging it himself, but His Highness opened his eyes wide at my words.

    I then proposed my n to him.

 The Student Councils Touchstone 3

    My current duty was to improve His Highness Alforth¡¯s position, so I went about this by spreading rumours saying that he wasn¡¯t an elitist himself, but someone that was manipted by them.

    This would clear up the general misunderstanding the public had of him, while emphasizing that he was just another victim. While this would enforce the idea that he was an unreliable prince, it was at least better than being seen as a cruel person willing to cut off his friends.

    Once the rumours spread, we could move on to the next stage of the n, but it would take some time. So while we waited for the gossip to take hold, I began implementing another project I¡¯ve been meaning to enact for some time now.

    ¡°Today¡¯s lesson is about how to hold yourself with grace. Straighten your back, and try to keep the nerves at the ends of your fingertips taut as you move your limbs.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly like that. You should more or less be just at the boundary between stillness and movement¨C in other words, move your limbs as if you were carrying heavy luggage with them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    I had reserved one of the school¡¯s private training rooms and was currently giving lessons on proper bearing. However, the person I was instructing wasn¡¯t mydy, but His Highness Alforth.

    Even if it was only on the surface, I wanted him to be able to present himself appropriately for his position as a royal.This would help improve his status among the nobility, and with how mydy held those who put in effort highly, the goal of improving her image of him truly motivated the prince to strive for greater heights.

    In truth, this wasn¡¯t necessary if I just wanted to pass Fol¡¯s test.

    However, it <i>was </i>necessary to fix the prince¡¯s demeanour. No matter how raised the public¡¯s opinion of him, it wouldn¡¯t matter if he just messed up again afterwards.

    Not to mention, if His Highness Alforth remained unreliable, he would undoubtedly bring more struggles to Lady Sophia when they had to work together in the future. To prevent such a thing from urring, I was currently training him.

    So while we waited for the rumours to spread, I continued my lessons with the prince.

    ¡°Un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois. Walk elegantly and beautifully without changing the height of your waist or shaking your head. Yes, that¡¯s it. Exactly like that, Your Highness.

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril.¡±

    His Highness worked hard and followed my instructions obediently.

    He reacted quite simrly to Lady Sophia, and while he wasn¡¯t as young as she was when we had this lesson, children of his age still learned things fairly quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for a break, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Really? I can still keep going, you know?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s important to take breaks so you can really let what you¡¯ve learned sink in. Constant practice without rest will only be detrimental in the long run.¡±

    Humans organise information when their brains are at rest, such as when they¡¯re sleeping. Therefore, it was important to take breaks before you burnt yourself out.

    ¡°¡­I see. You really do know everything.¡±

    ¡°You overestimate me. I¡¯ve only learned what was needed, that¡¯s all.¡±

    I acquired the knowledge necessary to serve mydy as she grew up. Therefore, I didn¡¯t know much about unrted topics.

    With that said, I<i> have</i> dabbled in a variety of subjects as a precaution, since I wasn¡¯t sure what the future had in store, but nothing more.

    ¡°Oh, so then it¡¯s just a matter of effort then? In that case, I¡¯ll do my best to catch up to you, so please continue to help me with training from here on, Cyril!¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Your Highness.¡±

    Shortly afterwards, we resumed his training on how to properly conduct himself.

    A few days had passed since I became His Highness¡¯ temporary educator. Seeing as how the rumours about him being manipted by the elitists had spread, I decided it was time to start the next stage of my n.

    It was lunch break.

    I was about to leave to meet with mydy, but I was once again stopped by Professor Tristan.

    ¡°Hey there Cyril, looks like you¡¯ve started something interesting.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall doing anything special?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then tell me, where else in the world would you find a child working as a prince¡¯s educator even in spite of them being the same age?¡±

    ¡°Professor, are you by chanceining about the royal family¡¯s decision? In the first ce, didn¡¯t the queen only rmend me to the prince because of the reports you¡¯ve sent to her?¡±

    ¡°¡­you have quite the silver tongue there.¡±

    Professor Tristan exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders with that statement, but I didn¡¯t want to be told that by someone who was able to steal the hearts of my ssmates in less than a day.

    ¡°Putting all of that aside, what did you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh¡­ I was just wondering why you¨C the exclusive butler of the young Lady Sophia, had decided to be His Highness¡¯ educator.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking why I epted his request? I thought you would already know, Professor.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m aware of your deal with the student council. However, the way the test is made suggests that the results don¡¯t actually matter. There¡¯s no point to your actions, so why would you do something that couldplicate your position such as this?¡±

    He was right.

    All we needed to do to pass Fol¡¯s test was to get her to dere that we passed. In extreme terms, it could be said that it didn¡¯t matter whether His Highness Alforth¡¯s reputation was fixed or not.

    If that was all I wanted, then it¡¯d be far more efficient to look into ways to get on her good side. Nevertheless, there was still another reason as to why I was seriously trying to improve the prince¡¯s status.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, Professor?¡±

    Apetent prince would bring less grief to mydy in the future. So eventually this would all benefit her in the end. For Professor Tristan of all people to not notice this¡­ it¡¯s not like I was trying to hide it.

    I was training His Highness Alforth for mydy¡¯s sake, and while it might be considered improper for someone of my status, my actions were also a symbol that told others Lady Sophia was on friendly terms with the royal family.

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re doing all of this because of your loyalty to your mistress, but what I¡¯m asking you is <i>why? </i>Why do you work so hard for her? What¡¯s your goal in all of this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, do I need any other reason?¡±

    I just wanted mydy to be happy, wasn¡¯t that enough?

    At my words, Professor Tristanughed and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it at that then,¡± before departing.

    I still couldn¡¯t grasp what he was evaluating me for.

    After that, I left to meet with mydy.

    The usual lunch break tea party was happening today as well¨C but the members attending included a boy that wasn¡¯t there before. The second prince of Ephenia, His Highness Alforth.

    Needless to say, this was all done with Lady Sophia¡¯s permission. As another step towards improving the prince¡¯s position, I asked mydy for her assistance.

    That¡¯s why she was currently greeting him.

    ¡°Your Highness Alforth, wee to our tea party. It¡¯s just a small gathering for us to enjoy some afternoon tea, but I do hope you enjoy it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about your parties from Cyril. I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯d allow me to participate in an event that¡¯s usually reserved for your friends. Thank you.¡±

    His Highness politely responded in turn.

    Until just recently, he would¡¯ve innocently answered in a way unsuitable for the asion, but he was different now. Now he was more aware of the situation around him.

    It¡¯s only been a few days since we¡¯ve started the lessons, but the results could already be seen. As I thought, the prince had considerably higher base specs inparison to other children.

    Well¡­ if youpared his behavior to what a prince <i>should¡¯ve </i>been like at his age, then he was still inadequate. However, to the public he was supposed to be the leader of the elitist faction.

    I decided it¡¯d be fine to drop his evaluation slightly if it meant we could change that image of his.

    Speaking of which, I¡¯ve already received permission for this from one of His Highness¡¯ attendants. Basically, they told me that I could move as I wished.

    It seems the queen was serious about treating me as if I were the prince¡¯s brother.

    ¡­under normal circumstances, this would be impossible to understand.

    But if something unusual happened, there was probably an unusual reason behind it as well, and when considering the good impression mydy undoubtedly left on her, it wouldn¡¯t be odd at all for the queen to start making moves to draw her in.

    In any case¨C everyone had just finished their greetings and sat down.

    Confirming that they were done, I began cing the tea and sweets down on the table. The noble girls seemed to be looking forward to them, as their eyes followed the confections with rapt interest.

    ¡°Today¡¯s sweets are freshly baked waffles. Feel free to add jam, cream, honey, or fruits on top ording to your preferences.¡±

    After mydy tasted it for poison, the other elegant daughters of nobility¡­ quickly began scarfing them down.

    ¡°Today¡¯s confections are wonderful as well!¡±

    ¡°Yes, truly. The outsides have a crispy texture while the insides are soft and fluffy. They¡¯re not overly sweet, but that can change depending on what toppings you add. Delicious.¡±

    ¡°Honey is my favourite!¡±

    The general reaction from the girls was quite positive today.

    Though it seems that sweeter confections like the ones that used honey were preferred. In this country, sweets that had high sugar content weremonce, so I guess their tastes were conditioned to be that way.

    But on the other hand, they were quite terrible considering the current fashion trend among the nobility was to wear dresses that squeezed at the waist.

    ¡°Cyril, did you bake these?¡±

    ¡°Not this time, Your Highness. They were made by a trusted cook that I shared the recipe with.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So if I had that chef, then I¡¯d be able to have these sweets whenever I wanted?¡±

    The air seemed to freeze at the prince¡¯s words.

    With how the mood changed so quickly, even His Highness noticed something happened. His eyes were asking, ¡®Did I do something wrong?¡¯ as he turned towards me.

    ¡°Your Highness, your words from before were the equivalent of you saying, ¡®Give me that cook, I want them for myself.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¨Ceh?!¡±

    His Highness Alforth wasn¡¯t the only one surprised.

    I hadn¡¯t disclosed the fact that I was temporarily working as the prince¡¯s educator, so for those that weren¡¯t in the know, I was definitely stepping out of line.

    Therefore, shocked reactions came not just from the noble girls, but from the servants that stood behind them as well.

    With that said, mydy was one of the ones that <i>did </i>know, so she didn¡¯t react at all.

    And seeing how his attendants weren¡¯tmenting either, His Highness went on to say, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean it. Sorry about that, Sophia¡± in apology.

    The noble girls and their servants seemed to have epted this situation on the surface, but in their minds, they were undoubtedly wondering why a student like myself was able to give such candid advice to the prince.

    ¡­well, this situation puzzled me too, so there wasn¡¯t any point in thinking about it.

    ¡°Your Highness, while it <i>is </i>necessary to reflect on your actions, someone of the royal family shouldn¡¯t apologise so easily.¡±

    ¡°Really? But isn¡¯t it only natural to say you¡¯re sorry after doing something wrong? If what you¡¯re saying is true, then what am I supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°In cases like this, instead of directly apologising you should propose an alternative action that would imply your remorse. However, do <i>not </i>force it on them.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    His Highness fell into thought with those words.

    Although this wasn¡¯t the time for him to let his thoughts drift, how I chastised him was already breaking so many rules it wasn¡¯t even funny.

    However, this move would further push the image that His Highness was reflecting on his past actions and was doing his best to change. So making just a <i>little </i>bit of a scene was fine as long as it set the right mood.

    Though with that said, he shouldn¡¯t neglect why he was here in the first ce. So as I ced down more sweets in front of the prince, I quietly asked him, ¡°Did you forget the reason why we¡¯re doing this?¡± before backing away.

    After wincing at my words, His Highness then raised his face and began speaking.

    ¡°Actually, I asked to join this tea party today because there was something I would like to discuss with you all. Please lend me your ears.¡±

    The second prince abruptly cut into everyone¡¯s conversations, but the noble girls didn¡¯t seem to mind. It might¡¯ve been due to the fact that they got to talk with him a bit beforehand that they were so calm.

    ¡°I found out just recently that people see me as the leader of the elitist faction, but that¡¯s a misconception. I hold no disdain for the lower ss of nobility, nor themoners.¡±

    First, he needed to deny the direct allegations that the public ced on him.

    Staying silent for a moment to let those words sink in, Lady Sopia then asked, ¡°If that¡¯s true, then why did you surround yourself with those very same elitists?¡±

    This was undoubtedly painful for the prince. Everything, including how he was manipted, was a result of his own immaturity. Maybe he was looking for the courage to continue, as he bit his lips in frustration.

    ¨Chowever, this entire exchange was nned in advance.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ because I was na?ve. That¡¯s why I surrounded myself with them. Before anything else, I¡¯d like to apologise for any inconveniences I¡¯ve caused you regarding that matter.¡±

    His Highness acknowledged his mistake and bowed.

    Just before, I openly scolded the prince that members of the royal family shouldn¡¯t apologise so easily, and yet here he was lowering his head once again.

    This would give his apology more ¡®weight¡¯ and assure everyone that his words were genuine.

    In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t easy to admit you were in the wrong.

    Most people would make excuses when in trouble. Revealing this weakness always came with the fear of being taken advantage of afterwards.

    But even so, the prince confessed his mistakes. This was already a sign of his growth. His Highness Alforth had taken the first step on his path to change himself.

    ¡°Of course, no matter how much I¡¯ve reflected over this, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯d be hesitant to believe my words. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to ask you all to help me bridge the gap between the nobles and themoners.¡±

    Everything was all for this moment. I might¡¯ve proposed this n to him¨C but it was His Highness that decided to go along with it. It was a scheme made to clear the air between the prince and themoner faction.

    Of course, the prince wasn¡¯t going to go as far as to join themoner faction, but to counteract his current image, he would need to deepen his friendship with them. With this, he could distance himself from the elitists and send out a message that said, ¡®His Highness Alforth is close to themoners.¡¯

    ¡ªThis was only possible because of the school policy that pushed for equality, regardless of status.

    His Highness was saying that he wanted Lady Sophia¡¯s faction to act as the mediators between him and themoners. The prince would get closer with the lower ss, and mydy would gain the achievement of organising it all.

    This way we could achieve our own goals while selling a favour at the same time.

    This whole charade might look like something made on the spot, but the details were actually discussed far in advance. Lady Sophia participated in those meetings as well.

    That¡¯s why mydy was able to nod towards the other noble girls with confidence before turning back to the prince.

    ¡°We will dly ept this request, Your Highness.¡±

    Lady Sophia had taken the task of mediating between His Highness and themoners.

    However, the rtionship between mydy and Libert¡¯s factions wasn¡¯t actually that great. Although the previous misunderstandings were cleared, the two groups haven¡¯t interacted in any manner since then.

    As a result, Alicia and I were on our way to begin negotiations with them, since the two of us already had a reputation as mediators. That¡¯s why we were currently on our way to themoner course ssrooms, but¨C

    Alicia had stopped walking to look back over her shoulder.

    ¡°Cyril, why are you walking diagonally behind me?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because I¡¯m a servant.¡±

    ¡°Geez¡­ I don¡¯t know where themoner course ssrooms are, so can¡¯t you guide me there?¡±

    ¡°Understood. In that case, it¡¯s this way.¡±

    As I began walking, Alicia flipped her bluish ck hair and lined up next to me. It looks like she wanted us to walk beside each other, but¡­ this wasn¡¯t appropriate for a girl of her status.

    I turned towards her maid, Melissa.

    ¡­but she averted her gaze.

    Apparently, she was going to pretend she didn¡¯t see this. As expected of the woman who¡¯d be a reassuring ally even during Libert¡¯smoner route.

    ¡­this was troublesome.

    Well¡­ if the noble girl in question wanted this, and if her maid wouldn¡¯t stop her, then I wasn¡¯t going to make a big deal out of it. Pretending not to notice, I continued to guide Alicia towards our destination.

    ¡°By the way, is it really okay for us to arrive there unannounced?¡±

    ¡°It definitely isn¡¯t.¡±

    It was bad enough when the prince visited my ssroom. While I might be able to get away with something like this, Alicia would surely cause amotion.

    ¡°¡­then why are we doing this?¡±

    ¡°This time is special because we wantto make asting impression.¡±

    Alicia tilted her head, but didn¡¯t question it further. Perhaps she¡¯d realise what I meant once we actually arrived there. Or rather, hasn¡¯t she already done this multiple times herself?

    But before I could ask her about it, she had already spoken up.

    ¡°To be so trusted by His Highness Alforth, you sure are amazing, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Things just happened to end up that way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy to gain the trust of royalty. Even the prince¡¯s attendants seem to approve of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a reason for that. I can¡¯t exin it in detail, but the fact that I¡¯m mydy¡¯s butler had arge effect as to why that is.¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ His Highness <i>does </i>seem to like her quite a bit.¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond, but it wasn¡¯t that hard to tell. Whenever the prince is speaking to Lady Sophia, he always looks really happy.

    The sight of a beautiful girl smiling together with a handsome boy really painted a nice picture.

    ¡°But she loves you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m quite proud of how much she trustsme as her <i>servant.</i>¡±

    I expected thesements to appear eventually, so that¡¯s why I was able to respond without changing my expression. Nevertheless, Alicia smiled at my answer¨C albeit somewhat sadly.

    ¡°¡­and you love <i>her.</i>¡±

    ¡°I care for her very much as my master.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide it, it¡¯s obvious.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really jealous of her, you know?¡±

    Despite my denials, Alicia didn¡¯t seem convinced at all, and let out a small sigh.

    ¡­I think it¡¯d be better if she wasn¡¯t so open about these things.

    Alicia and I finally arrived at the building where themoner course sses were located.

    Libert¡¯s ss¨C themoner A-ss, seemed to be having an extended homeroom, so by the time we arrived there were still many students in the ssroom.

    I called out to one of them.

    ¡°Excuse me, could you please tell Libert that we¡¯d like to speak with him?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Tell him what? ¨Cwait, you¡¯re a servant? And that girl¡­ a noble?!¡±

    The boy shouted after seeing Alicia¡¯s uniform. The base design might be the same, but the materials used and the finer details in the lining were noticeably different.

    Silence spread throughout the ssroom as everyone¡¯s eyes gathered on Alicia. Quiet whispers slowly began to break out, some of them even identifying her.

    Commoners didn¡¯t have many opportunities to interact with the aristocracy, so it was surprising to see they recognised Alicia¡¯s face. They must have seen her during the new student wee party.

    ¡°Huh? Wha¡­ Lady Alicia? Why would you be here?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here to talk with Libert. Could you please go get him for us?¡±

    Alicia tilted her head and smiled. As expected, only the heroine could reveal a smile this lovely. Having had no resistance to the smile of a noble girl, the boy¡¯s face immediately flushed red.

    ¡°Now if it isn¡¯t Lady Alicia? You didn¡¯t have to trouble yourself withing to a ce like this. If you had called me, I would have dly answered your summons.¡±

    Libert had suddenly appeared with a smile. However, simr to how I was when His Highness visited me, I could detect his inner feelings leaking into his words.

    ¡°¡­Cyril. So you¡¯re here too. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°My apologies for themotion, but this was necessary to show our determination and sincerity.¡±

    ¡°Proof of your determination?¡±

    As his eyes narrowed in suspicion, I handed him the letter of introduction entrusted to me by Lady Sophia, and said, ¡°Were you aware that mydy is hosting a tea party this weekend?¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­ is this an invitation?¡±

    ¡°Precisely. Lady Sophia has stated that she wants you to attend, important guests including His Highness Alforth will be there as well.¡±

    At my words¨C the ssroom broke out in unrest.

    It¡¯s no wonder. Even if the rumours that I spread earlier had taken hold, it was still just gossip. The possibility that the prince was an elitist willing to eliminate his two followers was still a real threat to them.

    It¡¯s only natural for those who didn¡¯t know the whole situation to be wary.

    However, after hearing my message, Libert seemed to be able to realise the truth. Unlike the others, he was able to see the real intent of my words. The light of understanding could be seen in his maroon eyes.

    ¡°¡­what¡¯s your goal here? Are you trying to shake our resolve?¡±

    ¡°No, we have no intentions of doing so.¡±

    ¡°So this is a trap then?¡±

    ¡°We have no such things nned.¡±

    ¡°Then why invite me to the tea party? I heard that the second prince heldmoners in disdain. Wouldn¡¯t my attendance only make things ufortable?¡±

    As I thought, Libert truly was excellent. He realised my intentions, and asked all of the questions that I wanted. So I made sure to give him the answers <i>he</i> wanted in turn.

    ¡°That¡¯s actually an unfortunate misunderstanding. In truth, His Highness wants to build a friendship with you, and has asked Lady Sophia to act as the mediator in pursuit of that.¡±

    ¡°¡­really? The second prince said that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s <i>exactly </i>as I said. Your friendship is desired.¡±

    In this situation where there were many ordinary people listening, I openly stated in Lady Sophia¡¯s name that she was working to mend the rtionship between His Highness Alforth and themoners.

    This is what Libert was originally looking for at the new student wee party¨C confirmation that Lady Sophia would be an ally. Though putting that aside, one of my objectives was to make a very public statement.

    In the game, there were events where the elitists framed mydy for harassment against themoners. Therefore, I thought it would be desirable to stay neutral, and had made moves matching that belief.

    However, recent incidents have undoubtedly turned the elitists into our enemies. A half-hearted stance would only bring danger, so I decided it¡¯d be better to just openly announce an alliance with themoner faction.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll dly ept then. How many people will be participating?¡±

    ¡°As long as they contact us in advance, there¡¯s no limit.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then I can bring as many people as I want?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Just be aware that they¡¯ll be <i>your </i>responsibility, Sir Libert.¡±

    I had a bad premonition, so I made sure to shut down whatever he was nning immediately.

    Libert clicked his tongue in response.

    ¡°My responsibility, huh? Are you going to frame me for something, then?¡±

    Woah there. Did he seriously still not trust me? Being cautious was fine, but picking a fight wouldn¡¯t help anyone.

    But that¡¯s when Alicia cut in.

    ¡°Libert, we truly just want to get along with you. Please believe us.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I¡¯ll believe <i>your </i>words, Alicia.¡±

    An instant change.

    Could it be¡­ that he was burning with rivalry towards me and wanted to earn more of Alicia¡¯s favour?

    Wait, was Libert taking the viinous daughter position and harassing me because I was the one Alicia currently liked¡­ or something?

    I¡¯d like to say it was fine because there was no such development in the game, but I was never supposed to be a capture target in the first ce¨C things have already diverged from the original work in many ways.

    Incidentally, the title of the game was ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness.¡¯

    Espressivo means expression. In other words, the game was saying it didn¡¯t just focus on the shining light of high society, but the darkness of the shadows cast behind the scenes as well.

    ¨Cthe nuance here was that even the bright and perfect characters had dark sides to them.

    Therefore, it couldn¡¯t be said that Libert never had a ¡®viinous daughter¡¯ persona.

    Alicia innocentlyughed while saying, ¡°Thanks for believing in me, Libert¡± oblivious to his intentions.

    ¡­have I ever been like that?

 The Student Councils Touchstone 4

    Lady Sophia had dered that her faction would be responsible for mediating between His Highness Alforth and themoners. The fact that she invited both parties to a tea party she was hosting quickly became known throughout the school.

    Until now, His Highness Alforth was widely considered an elitist.

    The highest members of the school¡¯s social caste held themoners in disdain. Keeping this mentality, the elitists looked down on the lower ss, and in turn were seen as narrow minded bigots.

    So for both the daughter of a Marquis <i>and </i>the second prince to proim support for the lower ss, themoners couldn¡¯t help but rise up in excitement, while the elitists among the aristocrats shuddered in fear.

    Time silently flowed by, and eventually the day for mydy¡¯s tea party had arrived¡­ with everyone from the school watching the event under intense scrutiny.

    We were inside one of the club buildings on school premises¨C more specifically, one of the buildings that was rented out to the various factions. The floor we were on was currently being leased out as the tea party venue under the name of Marquis Rosenberg.

    The site itself was set up by myself and the other servants of the Rosenberg house. Considering how many of the guests this time would bemoners, the decorations put up were ones that gave off a ¡®simple but elegant¡¯ feeling, so as to not overwhelm them.

    Mydy¡¯s faction members filtered into the venue one after another.

    With her hair curled into ringlets, entering before anyone else was Ferris Arken¨C the daughter of a Viscount who solidified her position in the upper echelons of the group by being the first of the noble girls to dere her allegiance.The next one to enter was the daughter of a Count¨C Pam Ford, she was the girl that had copsed in the testing venue during the dance examination.

    She seems to me herself for what had happened to my grades back then, so she treats me quite nicely even in spite of my status as a servant. Bearing a beauty mark just under her left eye, she was a kind and charming youngdy.

    Following after her was Alicia.

    She had her novel bluish ck hair done up. That,bined with her dress¨C which bore a slightly more mature design than expected, she held a certain charm that was reminiscent of her future self from the game.

    As I thought that, I couldn¡¯t help but notice Lady Sophia pursing her lips in displeasure. I just barely spared them a nce, so I¡¯d like to protest that she was overreacting.

    Well, seeing her get jealous <i>was</i> cute though.

    After the key members had gathered, the lower ranking ones began shuffling into the venue in droves. In the beginning, the only ones to join mydy¡¯s faction were girls, but recently some boys have started to enter as well.

    In just under a year, the group had risen to be one of the most influential factions in the school.

    And amongst the members flooding in was the oddmoner or two.

    Within the flow of invitees, a golden haired prince had arrived.

    His Highness Alforth was dressed in ck semi-formal wear, giving off an easygoing atmosphere while still retaining the dignity of a prince.

    In consideration of this being a tea party wheremoners were attending, he seems to have dressed himself appropriately for the asion.

    Regarding this, all I did was hint to him that it was important that he grew closer to themoners, I didn¡¯t give him any direct advice, so I¡¯m d to see he picked up on it.

    But putting that aside, His Highness Alforth¡¯s casual appearance made him quite approachable to the lower ss. In such a short period of time, he had already developed his princely qualities to a great extent.

    Yet for some reason, he had decided to approach me first.

    ¡°Hey Cyril, thanks for everything you¡¯ve done for me until today.¡±

    An innocent smile rose up on his handsome face as he said that. As expected, he truly <em>was</em> the prince of the game¡¯s main route. Sighs began leaking out from the nearby girls at the sight of his expression.

    ¡°All of this was done under mydy¡¯s orders. Such words are wasted on me.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ so you¡¯re saying I shouldn¡¯t thank <i>you, </i>but Sophia herself for all of this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you say.¡±

    ¡°¡­really? Sweet!¡±

    Rather than a prince, from my perspective he was more like a little kid trying his best. Having seen how desperately he¡¯s been trying to change himself during the lessons, I kind of wanted to pat his head in congrattions.

    Various problems would arise from such an action though, so I held myself back.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine to be happy, but you really shouldn¡¯t be voicing your thoughts out loud like that.¡±

    ¡°O-oh¡­ right, I still have a long way to go. I¡¯ll make sure to express my thanks to Sophia, but even so, I want you to know that I¡¯m grateful for what you¡¯ve done, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness¡­¡±

    While I was slightly taken back by his words, the prince shed me a beaming smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go greet Sophia now¡± before taking his leave.

    And so, the tea party was sessfully held without incident.

    Although I called it a ¡®tea party¡¯, the event was set up in a standing buffet style meant for mingling with individuals outside of one¡¯s usual cliques.

    As a result, there were many interactions urring that wouldn¡¯t be possible normally. I felt deeply moved seeing Lady Sophia sharing a conversation with amoner of the opposite sex without reservation.

    With the opening of the event having finished so smoothly, His Highness Alforth and Libert had sat down at the same table to talk under Lady Sophia¡¯s mediation.

    The prince was clearly nervous.

    He had slighted the other party without even being aware of it. It must be difficult for him to talk so openly with a victim of his own ipetence about what he¡¯s done.

    With that said, he wasn¡¯t the only one, Libert seemed to be quite on edge as well. As expected, it looks like even <i>he </i>wasn¡¯t brazen enough to curse a member of royalty directly to their own face.

    But for how tense the situation was, there were still those that kept their calm.

    The mistress that I served¨C Lady Sophia, was one of them. She broke the ice, bringing up small talk about the sweets arranged on the table in a gentle tone.

    ¡°These are confections developed by my exclusive butler, Cyril. They¡¯re called ¡®cr¨ºpes¡¯, and if it¡¯s fine with you, please try them.¡±

    ¡°Woah¡­ these are amazing. Cyril really made these?¡±

    ¡°¡­oh? So he can make desserts of this caliber?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my exclusive butler is quite exceptional after all.¡±

    It was cute seeing mydy puff out her chest so proudly, but¡­ I think it¡¯d be better if she held herself back a little on the praise.

    At this rate, she was going to forget the original purpose of all of this¡­

    I also had a bad premonition of His Highness falling to darkness in mydy¡¯s stead if this continued on. I was worried about that, but he ended up saying, ¡°Cyril can really do anything¡± with shining eyes.

    Although it wasn¡¯t as bad as him falling to darkness, was this really okay?

    As I served everyone their tea, I asked mydy if she had forgotten her purpose, but she assured me it was fine with a smile. That advertisement from earlier was apparently just a whim of hers.

    There was nothing wrong with that, there really wasn¡¯t, but¡­

    ¡°Incidentally, do you think these cr¨ºpes would be popr amongst themoners, Libert?¡±

    Finally, Lady Sophia had brought up the main subject. In response, Libert fell silent to think about the intent behind that question. His anxiety from earlier had disappeared, now reced with the countenance of a merchant.

    ¡°The taste is fine, but what worries me is the cost of the ingredients. No matter how great the taste is, there¡¯s no way it¡¯d be popr if it isn¡¯t affordable for themoners.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you say. I¡¯ve had simr thoughts myself, so¨C Cyril.¡±

    At mydy¡¯s signal, I pulled out a document from my jacket pocket and handed it to Libert. What was written on it was an estimate of the costs required to make the cr¨ºpes.

    There were two prices listed on it, one using high quality ingredients, and another with cheaper ones. The lower ranked one was set at a price that the lesser nobility and ordinary people could afford.

    ¡°¡­if what¡¯s written here is true, then it¡¯s definitely possible to poprise this among themoners. As long as you don¡¯t mess up the marketing, it will definitely sell.¡±

    ¨Cas long as you don¡¯t mess up the marketing.

    In short, he was saying we should leave the sales to someone well-versed in trade. To put it simply, we should outsource the work to someone else if we wanted cr¨ºpes to be popr.

    Having elicited such words, a satisfied smile rose up on Lady Sophia¡¯s face as she turned to His Highness. After which, a document was handed to him¨C one containing the details of the cr¨ºpe¡¯s recipe.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll hand the recipe for this product over to His Highness Alforth.¡±

    ¡°¡­eh? To me?¡±

    Libert¡¯s face twitched while the prince broke out into confusion, but this was something both mydy and I had agreed on in advance.

    At the smallmotion that broke out, mydy repeated herself, saying, ¡°His Highness Alforth is who I¡¯m entrusting this to¡± with a smile.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I show you an unbing side of myself back at the rose garden? Consider this an apology for that.¡±

    ¡°Unbing? In the first ce, I¨C¡±

    His Highness tried to say something, but mydy shook her head first.

    ¡°No matter the reason why, there¡¯s no denying what I did. This recipe is my apology for what I¡¯ve done, so Your Highness, please use it as you see fit.¡±

    Libert was the first to realise what she was doing.

    Since a windfall of unforeseen luck was about to fall into hisp, an expression of hope and anxiety momentarily shed over him, but he immediately fixed his poker face right after.

    It took a little while longer, but His Highness Alforth soon realised what Lady Sophia was doing as well, and he started making a bitter expression.

    ¡°Even after everything I¡¯ve done, I¡¯m still causing Sophia problems¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not causing me any problems, I¡¯m getting something out of this as well.¡±

    His Highness then turned to me, sending me a look that said he needed help.

    However, mydy wasn¡¯t lying when she said she was benefiting from this.

    Even if we lost the recipe, the fact remains that we became the mediators between His Highness and themoners. These cr¨ºpes would be the first step in repairing the strained rtionship between the two parties.

    This would undoubtedly be a great achievement for mydy.

    Therefore, as the prince¡¯s advisor, I nodded towards him with confidence.

    ¡°¡­understood, then I¡¯ll receive this recipe with gratitude.¡±

    His Highness took the recipe with great care before turning to Libert. Matching the prince¡¯s gaze, the merchant¡¯s son stayed silent, having already anticipated what would happen next.

    ¡°Libert, before anything else, I need to apologise to you¨C no, to themoners as a whole.¡±

    ¡°You want to apologise to us?¡±

    ¡°I want to make it clear that I don¡¯t have any thoughts of elitism. I have no quarrel with you, but it¡¯s a fact that the elitists used me and have caused you quite a bit a trouble, so¨C¡±

    In apology, His Highness then bowed down towards Libert.

    Seeing one of this country¡¯s princes lowering their head towards amoner, amotion started breaking out from the surroundings. Even if he didn¡¯t have any elitist thoughts, for a member of royalty to submit before someone ofmon birth was going way too far.

    In a panic, Lady Sophia quickly said, ¡°Your Highness, please raise your head¡± and it was only with those words that the prince corrected his posture.

    ¡°I know a person of my position shouldn¡¯t lower themselves so easily, but let this moment be the exception. I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done, and I want you all to understand that.¡±

    Libert was silent. However, his face that always appeared to be doing calctions was frozen. Rather than him refusing to respond, he seemed to be in shock.

    Towards such a merchant¡¯s son, His Highness revealed his inner thoughts.

    ¡°In addition, I¡¯d like it to be known that I believe that to develop this country for the better, we should work <i>together </i>with themon people, not above them. With that said, I¡¯ll entrust you with this recipe I¡¯ve received from Sophia.¡±

    His Highness Alforth then offered the document to Libert. Seeing that, the merchant¡¯s son seemed to finally break out of his shock, his gaze snapping back and forth between the prince and the recipe.

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re going to leave the consignment sales to us?¡±

    ¡°No, I told you I¡¯d give you the recipe. It¡¯s not amission. All the profits you make from this will be yours alone.¡±

    His Highness Alforth dered that he wouldn¡¯t need anypensation. I¡¯ve said before that he¡¯s grown quite quickly, but it seems he¡¯s still a bit na?ve in some aspects.

    With that said, the prince was still <i>far </i>better than how he was before.

    Bncing gains and losses in his head, the look in Libert¡¯s eyes were more serious than ever. Eventually, he reached a conclusion, turning back towards His Highness.

    ¡°This is a very gracious offer, but I can¡¯t ept it.¡±

    The air in the venue seemed to freeze at Libert¡¯s words.

    Lady Sophia and I were the only ones who remained calm.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t ept my apology?¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t consider such rudeness. As merchants, the transactions we make need to bepensated fairly. The same is true even for apologies.¡±

    His Highness once again turned to me with a troubled face.

    Perhaps he couldn¡¯t understand what Libert wanted. However, the fact that he could recognise his limits and was open to outside help really showed how far he¡¯s grown.

    ¡°Libert is saying that the recipe is too valuable to be used as a simple apology.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I see, so does that mean it¡¯d be fine if I just left the consignment sales to them?¡±

    In response to the exchange between His Highness and I, Libert nodded in agreement. However, the prince tilted his head in confusion.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it a merchant¡¯s first priority to make more money? <i>I¡¯m </i>the one that chose to use it for an apology, so isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°Even if Libert¡¯spany initially starts out with a monopoly, simr goods would quicklye out after the product is analysed. He wants to work using Your Highness¡¯ name to prevent that.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Cyril¡­¡±

    Libert sent me a re that said I shouldn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°I¡¯m currently acting as the prince¡¯s advisor, so I¡¯m not going to miss an opportunity to help him grow. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell him to call the deal off or anything. Please negotiate to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    ¡°So the rumour about you working as his educator was true? ¡­tch, I should¡¯ve known.¡±

    Libert silently cursed to himself, but I understood where he wasing from. If it were me, it¡¯d be quite difficult to structure a negotiation with the prince if a butler was constantly butting in from the sidelines.

    ¡°Umm¡­ in other words, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°Think about what the other party is looking for and negotiate for something that¡¯s mutually beneficial. I¡¯m not going to say anything more because doing this on your own will be good for you, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as easy as you¡¯re making it sound¡­¡±

    His Highness Alforth then gave me a look like an abandoned puppy. Any girl who had a thing for young boys would¡¯ve swooned at that moment, but unfortunately it wouldn¡¯t work on me.

    ¡°Please rest assured, Your Highness. You¡¯ve almost lost the rights to the recipe once, so no matter the oue of the negotiations, you won¡¯t be able do any worse than that.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    This time he groaned, saying, ¡°What would be the appropriate thing to say as a prince?¡± and as His Highness did that, Libert looked at me like he wanted to say something.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just¡­ you¡¯re surprisingly merciless towards His Highness.¡±

    ¡°Even though it might be temporary, I¡¯ve been assigned to work as his educator. Though since I¡¯ve only started quite recently, I¡¯m being far more lenient with him than I was with Lady Sophia.¡±

    Wincing at that statement, Libert then sent a pitying gaze towards mydy.

    ¡°I see¡­ Lady Sophia, it must¡¯ve been quite hard.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Personally, I¡¯ve always wanted Cyril to be stricter.¡±

    Libert fell silent at those words.

    The extent of Lady Sophia¡¯s diligence even left me dumbfounded.

    ¨Cand that¡¯s how His Highness and Libert began negotiations for the consignment sales.

    With that said, Libert wasn¡¯t looking solely for mary profits, but to get the prince¡¯s backing under a fair trade.

    While His Highness Alforth was seeking to express his friendship with themoners.

    As long as their interests aligned, it was impossible for the transaction to fall through. I predicted that the talks would proceed smoothly, but¨C

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me to take a share of the profits, but I just can¡¯t ept it. Since Sophia gave me this recipe, can¡¯t they be given to her instead?¡±

    Negotiations becameplicated the moment the prince muttered that.

    Talks didn¡¯t break down, but if they were going to do things from that angle, Libert asked if sending the money to Sophia¡¯s faction would work instead.

    His Highness Alforth wasn¡¯t a member of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction.

    Although he wasn¡¯t in it, he¡¯s shown himself to have strong connections to them through this event. Even if they were only working together due to aligned interests, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say the prince was a member of the group.

    Even Libert¡¯s group ofmoners have grown closer to mydy¡¯s faction though this.

    I had no problems with this. Considering the status and talents of mydy, it¡¯d be quite worthwhile to add the second prince and arge group ofmoners as allies.

    As her butler, I couldn¡¯t have been more proud.

    However, the version of mydy from the original work was quite isted. This situation where she was surrounded by friends was far too different from the game. I wouldn¡¯t be able to predict what would happen in the future.

    I was a bit anxious, but seeing her participating in the negotiations alleviated those worries. Lady Sophia seemed to be more alive than ever.

    And it was my job to support her.

    As I thought that, I got permission from mydy to take my leave.

    Taking up the violin I had prepared for this asion, I moved to the back of the venue and started ying on the stage that was set up in the corner.

    It was a bit of entertainment for the other participants that had nothing to do while the main members¨C including Lady Sophia, were busy with negotiations.

    I performed theplete version of the song used in the entrance examination¨C the version that wasn¡¯t simplified to reduce difficulty.

    This song was chosen because an easier one would only make myck of charisma stand out all the more. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but I kept ying with a smile.

    Once the first score was finished, the second one I transitioned to was a soft love song. A short while after I started it, the sound of another instrument began to gently resonate alongside me.

    That gorgeous tone was undoubtedly the music created from mydy¡¯s violin. Appearing at my side, Lady Sophia was ying her instrument with nothing but grace.

    I continued the performance as I asked her if the talks had finished.

    ¡°The negotiations only finalised the major aspects of the deal, the finer details are to be decided at ater date¡­ and it¡¯s your fault.¡±

    ¡°Mine?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t just sit back and watch when you¡¯re doing something this fun.¡±

    ¡°¡­fun?¡±

    It seems that ¡®fun¡¯ by mydy¡¯s definition was to y an improvised duet at a venue where a prince, various aristocrats, and many influentialmoners had gathered.

    As expected of Lady Sophia, she had the heart of a lioness.

    But if this was what she wanted, I would do my best to respond to those feelings. I passed the main melody over to mydy, and began ying to support the music she created.

    ¡°Cyril, it¡¯s okay for you to be a little more forward.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just acting appropriately, as your exclusive butler should.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that.¡±

    Drawing her bow across the strings with a smile, Lady Sophia began tough. This song would¡¯ve been difficult for mydy before¡­ but now she was ying it perfectly.

    She was growing more and more with every day that passed. I felt happy about this, but¡­ also a little lonely.

    ¡°Hey, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy?¡±

    ¡°I really wanted to dance with you at the wee party, you know?¡±

    A mischievous smile rose up on her face, and the music that mydy then yed began to skip like an innocent youth. It felt like the sad feelings of a child growing into the expectations of a girl in love.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ did you notice?¡±

    Of course I did.

    But I didn¡¯t answer her. I <i>couldn¡¯t </i>answer her. If I had crossed that line and answered her¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay by her side anymore.

    So¨C

    I drew my bow to express my feelings instead.

    The melody that resounded out was so beautiful and different I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Even though I had no skill in the violin, my instrument began singing a heart-breaking emotional tone.

    In response to this, the tone yed by mydy began to change. As beautiful as the rose symbolising the Rosenberg Marquis house, and yet as innocent as a maiden in love.

    These were the emotions mydy transmitted to me through her music.

    Were my feelings being transmitted as well? I couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed as I thought so.

    But¡­ I didn¡¯t hate it. Like this, I continued to y a duet with mydy, producing a tone I would never have been able to create on my own.

    Eventually, the song came to an end with the venue exploding into a ravenous apuse, and for the first time in my lives, I experienced what it was like to y an instrument just for fun.

 The Student Councils Touchstone 5

    ¡°Thank you for your attention, please continue to enjoy the party.¡±

    I somehow managed to hold myposure while being bathed in their apuse. As I took mydy¡¯s violin for maintenance, Alicia had rushed over, saying, ¡°Cyril, that was amazing!¡±

    Standing at my side, Lady Sophia started to scowl. Feeling a fighting on, I couldn¡¯t help but be wary of mydy falling into darkness, but the heroine then turned a beaming smile towards her.

    ¡°You were great too, Lady Sophia. The scene of you two performing a duet together was so beautiful I wish I could have it painted.¡±

    ¡°I-is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, especially when the song changed around the middle. The melodying from Cyril back then felt like it was gently wrapping around the main melody you yed. Seeing you perform together in such harmony was really, really nice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d that you see it that way.¡±

    ¡­you¡¯re too easy, mydy.

    That thought came to mind, but I quickly waved it away. I felt exactly the same. Performing together with Lady Sophia in a way that we could share our feelings was truly fun.If I weren¡¯t paying attention, I¡¯d likely react in a simr fashion.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, let¡¯s y a song together!¡±

    ¡°Together?¡±

    ¡°¨Cyes! I might not be on Cyril¡¯s level, but I want to try performing with you. I thought as much after seeing your duet from before¡­ is that okay?¡±

    Innocently¨Cas in, without a shred of malice or ill-intent, Alicia asked Lady Sophia if they could y a duet, all while her eyes shined like the night sky.

    Having grown ustomed to being approached as the daughter of a Marquis, mydy wasn¡¯t used to this kind of pure request. She seemed troubled, but also a bit happy.

    Seeing Lady Sophia¡¯s expression, how she intended to respond was obvious.

    Holding out the violin that I had taken from her, mydy received it with a slightly embarrassed¨C but also somewhat ttered face.

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to oblige, but I don¡¯t recall you having a violin. What do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡±

    Alicia turned to Melissa for help, but the maid shook her head with a troubled expression.

    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, would you like to use Cyril¡¯s violin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that okay?¡±

    When the conversation was suddenly turned to me, I replied, ¡°Of course,¡± and offered Alicia my instrument.

    ¡°Thank you so much! Now Lady Sophia, let¡¯s y together!¡±

    Apanied by the smiling heroine, mydy moved back onto the stage.

    The two whispered something between each other, and Lady Sophia made a slightly surprised expression, but just like before, she seemed to relent after being pushed by Alicia¡¯s innocence. After giving a light nod, mydy silently brought up her violin¨C and drew her bow.

    A dignified tone spread throughout the venue, which was then followed by a joyful sound that seemed to flit around the main melody.

    The music Alicia produced seemed to dance on the sound produced by mydy. I couldn¡¯t tell who yed the main melody¨C is what I¡¯d like to say, but the tone yed by Lady Sophia seemed to naturally resonate with me.

    As I listened to their song, the image of an innocent girl being gently watched over by her mature older sister came to mind.

    It was probably only due to Lady Sophia¡¯s talent that her lead could enhance another¡¯s performance rather than suppress them with her own.

    It truly was a heartwarming scene¨C as that thought popped into mind, I couldn¡¯t help but notice His Highness Alforth pulling his servant over. Said servant then excused themselves from the venue, most probably to fetch the prince¡¯s own violin.

    At least for a little while, it looked like this modest yet grand concert was going to continue.

    The reason why I started it in the first ce was to keep the other attendees upied while the negotiations happened, but that seems to have changed. I made a quick observation of the surroundings to see if any problems had arisen from this.

    Most of the crowd was happily listening to the performance, and those that weren¡¯t seemed to be enjoying the new sweets.

    As I confirmed everything was fine, Libert happened to notice my gaze and approached me.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise for leaving you¨C a guest, unattended.¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Libert¡¯s eyes turned towards the two girls performing on the stage. However, I could tell that his line of sight was drawn towards Alicia.

    It¡¯s probably safe to say that he¡¯s taken an interest in her, just like how he did in original work.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe your mistress and His Highness Alforth aren¡¯t actually elitists.¡±

    ¡°So you finally believe us?¡±

    ¡°Just as you did earlier, I¡¯m only returning the good faith I¡¯ve been shown.¡±

    It seems that the prince¡¯s heartfelt apology had properly reached Libert.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, it¡¯s my bad.¡±

    Libert suddenly uttered such words. However, I wasn¡¯t quite sure why. As I tilted my head in confusion, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

    ¡°¡­forget it. Rather, isn¡¯t this the first time the two of us have been able to talk so inly?¡±

    ¡°Well until now, we¡¯ve been forced into situations where the surrounding listeners were a cause for concern.¡±

    <i>¡®We¡¯re not your enemies¡¯</i>¡ª being unable to say such words was honestly quite a pain, but it was already over. Now we could speak freely.

    ¡°Well¡­ if you look at it in another way, it¡¯s amazing that your mistress doesn¡¯t have any elitist thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Being such a brilliant and talented girl, she must¡¯ve been pampered growing up. Considering her status, it makes sense that she¡¯de to think of herself as someone special, no?¡±

    ¡°If anything, mydy was only able to achieve this much because of the hard work she¡¯s put in.¡±

    ¡°So this is a level that was achieved through sheer effort? But even then, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable to be egotistic¨C no.¡±

    Changing his statement mid-sentence, Libert then turned towards me for some reason.

    ¡°Was it because you were there?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    As I tilted my head at his words, Libert burst intoughter and said it was nothing.

    ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s talk about the cr¨ºpe sales.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the major aspects of the deal had been finalised, but were there any problems?¡±

    ¡°None, actually. The finer details will be made at ater date, but things seem to be proceeding smoothly. First, we¡¯ll begin sales in the Royal Capital, spreading the profit amongst our affiliated merchants by having them procure the resources we need.¡±

    I thought this was just going to be small talk, something more serious seems to havee up.

    ¡°Is it okay to tell me that? Shouldn¡¯t your marketing strategies be kept secret?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. To anyone that heard your violin performance, it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯ll never betray your mistress.¡±

    ¡­I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I was being subtly teased.

    However, it¡¯s true that I would never betray mydy. A portion of the proceeds earned from selling the cr¨ºpes would go into her faction. Knowing that, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d consider interfering with the sales, or rather, I¡¯d actually do my best to cooperate with¨C

    ¡°For the record, I don¡¯t know much about business, you know?¡±

    I noticed why he revealed his ns and addressed it directly.

    ¡°Really? Lady Sophia told me that consulting you would increase profits ten-fold.¡±

    You have too much faith in me, mydy.

    As her exclusive butler, I wanted to live up to her expectations, but impossible things were just impossible. It¡¯s disappointing that I couldn¡¯t do this, but it¡¯d be far worse to lie and say that I was capable of something I wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°My apologies, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to meet your expectations. The only idea thates to mind is selling to the aristocracy first to build poprity, then selling to themoners after the word has spread.¡±

    <em>¡®Nothing more than simple top to bottom marketing¡¯¨C</em> I stopped myself from uttering those words. Libert was staring at me with open eyes.

    ¡°I beg your pardon. This ismon sense for a merchant, no?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t patronise me, how the hell is that normal? Yes¡­ how could I have never seen this before?¡±

    I was taken back by this. At first I thought he was angry, but he actually seemed excited. Moreover, there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve predicted that he didn¡¯t know this. Trends are always transmitted from the upper ss to the lower ss.

    Even the fads among the nobility spread from the top to the bottom¡­ oh, I see.

    Unlike my previous life, this was a world that followed the feudal system. Due to the difference in the standard of living between aristocrats andmoners, trends among the upper ss didn¡¯t spread to those beneath them that often. Therefore, even if it was normal for fads to flow from top to bottom, the idea that it¡¯d even happen between the nobility and the peasants wasn¡¯t quite as obvious as it might appear.

    ¡°I think it¡¯d even be possible to divide the cr¨ºpes into ranks to diversify the prices, creating seasonal products and the like. I¡¯d be d if my advice was able to help you.¡±

    Noticing that mydy¡¯s performance was about to end, I passed on a quick opinion of mine before taking my leave, but Libert had caught my sleeve, saying, ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°Tell me everything you know. Of course, I¡¯ll make sure to pay your mistress an appropriate price in exchange.¡±

    ¡°Not that I don¡¯t mind, but I have to attend to mydy now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I already have permission from her to consult with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Incidentally, I heard at ater date that they actually surpassed their initial sales predictions ten-fold.

    But to that end, I was subjected to a thorough barrage of questions and inquiries.

    After Lady Sophia and Alicia¡¯s duet had finished, I was considering ending the conversation then and there, but then mydy began ying a song together with the prince.

    Seeing that, I continued talking with a sigh. Once we finally finished, Libert began nodding with a satisfied expression.

    ¡°¡­this has been quite insightful. With this, we might actually be able to increase our sales ten-fold.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. By the way, aren¡¯t you going to ask Lady Alicia to y a duet with you?¡±

    I wanted to head back to mydy as quickly as possible, so I casually directed him to leave. However, after contemting it for a moment, Libert said, ¡°I think I¡¯ll hold back this time.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that? Are you afraid that she¡¯ll reject you?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ a bit, but that¡¯s not the problem. After hearing you y with Lady Sophia, I¡¯ve lost all confidence in my skills. I can¡¯t approach her as I am now.¡±

    Libertughed to himself self-derisively, but apparently he held our performance in high regard.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m already here, I¡¯m going to get acquainted with some of the other girls.¡±

    After making that statement, the merchant¡¯s son then turned around and left.

    Right after the duet between His Highness Alforth and Lady Sophia finished, I immediately rushed over to hand her a towel in exchange for her violin.

    ¡°Thanks, Cyril. How was my performance?¡±

    ¡°The music you y is always wonderful, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Geez, I was asking you for constructive criticism.¡±

    That¡¯s what she said, but her face said she didn¡¯t hate it.

    However, mydy¡¯s performance truly <i>was </i>wonderful. Her technique had improved, but above all else was the emotions she was able to convey through her melody. Just by listening to her y, you could really tell what she was feeling.

    This was undoubtedly a talent only those who loved music could have.

    ¡°Cyril, I¡¯m going to go take a break. Please take care of our guests in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Probably wanting to change her clothes in consideration of how much she sweated, Lady Sophia left the room apanied by her maid. As I turned away from her, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how depressed the prince looked.

    ¡°¡­is there something wrong, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°If you heard me y earlier, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    I pretended I didn¡¯t know.

    But I could guess. There was an overwhelming difference in skill between Lady Sophia and the prince. His Highness must not be any better at the violin than he was at dancing.

    ¡°I totally get that! I felt the same way when I yed with her too!¡±

    Abruptly showing up in agreement was Alicia.

    I feigned ignorance to not hurt the prince¡¯s self-confidence, but the heroine just jumped right in there without fear.

    However, instead of growing upset, His Highness Alforth began sympathising with her, saying, ¡°When I performed with Sophia, I could really feel myck of talent!¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly! The same thing happened back when I danced with Cyril!¡±

    ¡°Ipletely understand! When I had danced with Sophia, I almost wanted to cry from myck of skill. It made me feel like I didn¡¯t deserve such a great partner¡­¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, please cheer up. So that we don¡¯t end up depressed next time, do you want to practice together?¡±

    ¡°That sounds great, let¡¯s do it!¡±

    I was happy to see the two of them getting along, but¡­ was Alicia seriously going to use the prince as a training partner? This was quite a development.

    Even Melissa seemed to be growing pale as she watched this happen.

    However, as the two of them walked onto the stage, the distance between the royal family and the lesser nobility seemed to just disappear. The duet they yed was wrought with inexperience, but somehow still pleasant to listen to.

    ¡­didn¡¯t they actually quite suit each other?

    Whispers began to break out in the surroundings at the sight of the pair. I couldn¡¯t hear everything, but their impressions seemed to be generally positive. Unbeknownst to the two, their actions might¡¯ve be another catalyst for the venue attendees to believe that the prince wasn¡¯t an elitist.

    ¡°¨CI have to admit, I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    A clear voice echoed out from behind me.

    The owner of this voice shouldn¡¯t have been on the guest list I made, but considering her status, I guess it wasn¡¯t impossible for her to sneak in here through <em>some </em>means.

    I forcibly suppressed my inner turmoil, turned around and said, ¡°Good day to you, Fol.¡± in greetings.

    As expected, standing there in front of me was the student council president. Clothed in an azure dress, she shed me a blooming smile akin to the royal family¡¯s blue rose.

    ¡°Oh? I thought I¡¯d surprise you, but¡­ you seem to have expected me.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m very surprised. Tell me, how did you get in here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, unfortunately. Besides, isn¡¯t a girl with a bit of <i>mystery </i>more charming?¡±

    She truly was good with words.

    Saying it like that, I couldn¡¯t tell if she was joking or not.

    However, I could still imagine how she entered. Perhaps she used her status as a princess to get in. I¡¯ll need to check in with the attendant I put in charge of entry, but there wasn¡¯t any need to make a big deal of it at the moment<i>.</i>

    ¡°So tell me, what did this <em>mysterious girl</em>e here to do?¡±

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re here to confirm the results of the test?¡±

    Without answering my question, Fol smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve sessfully fixed His Highness Alforth¡¯s reputation, enforcing the fact that he isn¡¯t an elitist. I have nothing but praise for your skill.¡±

    Fol wasplimenting our work in a manner that I¡¯d usually be proud of, but this only raised my alertness to the maximum. This was an unexpected situation for me.

    In the first ce, the problem was that her ruling on the test waspletely biased. Whether or not the public actually thought better of the prince was secondary. <em>Fol</em> was the one to decide whether we passed, not our results.

    This was a test we couldn¡¯t win through conventional methods.

    Therefore, I intended to approach it from a different angle.

    Rumours were sure spread about His Highness Alforth after his party, to the point that even his parents¨C as in, the royal family, would take notice of the change in the prince¡¯s reputation.

    By creating the ¡®fact¡¯ where everyone in the school, and even the king himself recognised our efforts, we would then have the right to say, <em>¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare to reject us when even the royal family acknowledges us, would you?¡±¨C</em> to pressure Fol into epting.

    Nevertheless¨C no, maybe that¡¯s <i>exactly </i>why she was here.

    Fol hade at this time to give her ruling on the test. Now that the rumours haven¡¯t spread through the school, but were still practically confirmed to happen, there was nothing wrong with her making her decision at this time at all.

    It wouldn¡¯t matter if the public was on our sideter. Even if Fol acknowledged the change in public opinion, there wouldn¡¯t be any reason for her to alter the results she had already given.

    I¡¯ve beenpletely outsmarted this time.

    ¡°You pass. I have noints.¡±

    But the words that left Fol¡¯s mouth were the exact opposite of what I expected. When I looked towards her in surprise, an amused expression rose up on her face.

    At first I wanted to ask her why, but after seeing Fol¡¯s mischievous, yet highly transparent smile¨C which somehow begat no emotions, I understood.

    ¡°Was the violin duet the deciding factor?¡±

    ¡°¡­so you <i>did </i>notice after all. To have realised the truth, and yet to have still shown-off such a heartwarming scene to me, you¡¯re surprisingly sadistic.¡±

    I had considered a multitude of possibilities as to why she took her current stance, but now some of them were starting to sound feasible.

    If my assumptions were correct, then I could guess the reasons behind why someone would try to get mydy into the student council, as well as Fol¡¯s decision to reject her.

    Hopefully I was wrong, but¡­

    ¡°Oh, Big si¨C I mean, Fol¡­ what are you doing here?¡±

    The voice of His Highness Alforth dragged me back to reality.

    Apparently he was back from his duet with Alicia.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ who is <i>that?</i><em>¡±</em>

    Alicia asked me that with a smile.

    She was definitely smiling, but¡­ it didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    As I processed her anger, she continued, ¡°Should I tell Sophia that you were off flirting with a beautiful older girl while she was away?¡±

    A strange misunderstanding seemed to be developing, but please don¡¯t.

    ¡°This is Fol, she¡¯s the student council president of the junior high section. Acting as intermediaries for His Highness was actually part of the exam she posed for mydy and I to join the student council. She¡¯s here right now because of that rtionship.¡±

    His Highness Alforth already knew her name, so I introduced her to Alicia, and although the prince was previously acquainted with her, I still introduced the two of them to Fol to keep up appearances.

    ¡°The student council? Cyril is¡­¡±

    Alicia murmured something to herself before turning away from me and drawing closer to Fol.

    ¡°I want to join the student council too!¡±

    The princess¡¯ eyes widened at the sudden application.

    ¡°You want to join as well? Why?¡±

    ¡°Cyril and Sophia have done a lot for me, so I¡¯d like to join the same group to help them in thanks.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ but I¡¯m sorry. The student council doesn¡¯t have any more room for new members.¡±

    The heroine¡¯s innocent attitude didn¡¯t seem to mesh well with Fol¨C who was doing her best to avoid human interaction. She rejected Alicia for that reason.

    However¨C

    ¡°That can¡¯t be true, I¡¯ve heard that Fol was the only member of the student council. Originally there was supposed to be five or six members, so there should still be some open positions.¡±

    It was His Highness Alforth that cut in.

    Certainly, it was just as the prince said, but Fol had still declined even in spite of that. He should¡¯ve understood that this was inconvenient for her and kept quiet.

    I guess His Highness was still unable to read the mood. In order to live in an aristocratic society, it was necessary to be able to perceive such things. I knew I¡¯d have to teach him about this eventually, but¨C

    ¡°So with that in mind, please let me join too.¡±

    This time it was His Highness Alforth that drew closer to Fol. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t read the mood, but that he had read it and pushed forward even in spite of knowing her intentions.

    ¡°Huh, no, umm¡­ Al¨C I mean, <i>Your Highness, </i>you want to enter the student council as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Cyril and Sophia have done a lot for me, so I want to join the same group and work with them.¡±

    He gave the same reason as Alicia.

    ¡°¡­I told you that we have enough manpower.¡±

    ¡°Just because you have enough, doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t increase it, right?¡±

    Wow, His Highness Alforth immediately plunged into the subtle nuances Fol gave out. As he wouldn¡¯t have noticed these things before, this was definitely a sign of his growth, but¡­ was this really okay?

    In any case, the prince then pressed her for an answer.

    ¡°In the first ce, if this whole event was part of a test, that means the student council was involved in it, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±

    This event¨C that is, working as intermediaries between His Highness Alforth and themoners, was part of the request to improve the prince¡¯s reputation.

    Probably because she understood what he was trying to say, Fol affirmed the prince¡¯s suspicions while looking away. However, it was still a confirmation of her meddling.

    ¡°With that in mind, please allow me into the student council. Wouldn¡¯t being in such a group be good for me?¡±

    He got her. Considering how she was the very person that issued a request to improve the his reputation, it¡¯d be pretty hypocritical of her to refuse his application to join a group that would help him better himself.

    But that was all it meant.

    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t do that. Any more, and you¡¯ll be taking advantage of your status, ruining the reputation you just fixed.¡±

    Originally, since they were both members of the royal family, such a thing wouldn¡¯t be a concern. However, Fol was currently acting as amoner with the backing of a Count house.

    Even though the misunderstanding that His Highness was an elitist was resolved, she was advising him that causing a scene by unting the power of his status wouldn¡¯t help him.

    Her words seemed to be effective, as the prince began to withdraw.

    However¨C

    ¡°We want to join the student council regardless of our status! We¡¯ll do grunt work or anything!¡±

    This time it was Alicia who began pressuring Fol. It didn¡¯t matter what their status was, they innocently just wanted to help out.

    The princess then turned a troubled gaze my way.

    At first I thought that she was asking for help, but that wasn¡¯t it.

    Considering the intentions behind her allowing us to pass the test, she wanted my opinion, as another person aware of the whole situation.

    <i>¡®Do you really want to get them involved?¡¯¨C </i>she was asking me.

    I can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t worried.

    If Alicia joined the student council, there would be a higher chance of Lady Sophia falling into darkness, and the possibility of the prince falling into darkness wasn¡¯t zero either.

    And above all else, these developments might only bring more pain to mydy in the future.

    But I wanted mydy to be <i>truly </i>happy, and that wouldn¡¯t happen if I locked her up in a gilded cage, ignorant to the dangers of the outside world.

    I¡¯d like to believe that this choice would be better for her in the end.

    So¨C

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? The more the merrier.¡±

    I uttered those magical words to push Fol¡¯s back.

 Book 2: Chapter 6: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part One 1

    Even though we had joined the student council, our normal sses were still held as usual. Throughout the day, I continued to attend the servant course from the morning like always.

    Servants weremonly expected to be generalists rather than specialists. Therefore, the topics our sses covered were both broad and shallow, the one I was currently present at being about magic.

    However, the magic of this world wasn¡¯t that developed.

    Parallel with the history of my previous life, magic was developed to enrich the lives of the people. With that said, the same wasn¡¯t quite true for the aristocratic era.

    This reality was a reflection of that truth.

    But on the other hand, the development of magic tools here was quite advanced despite that truth. This was probably due to the fact that while the game was set in a medieval time, it still wanted to portray a worldview that the yers could sympathise with.

    For example, the scenery of the towns were clean because of the existence of magic tools that regted the sewers, and to create iconic events where a dazzling spotlight could shine upon the form of a dancing couple, simr magic tools were created that regted light.

    Only the magic tools necessary for the creation of a beautiful story were developed in this world.

    The ¡®realistic¡¯ reason given to justify this was that such tools were highly valued among the nobility here. Having lived through an extended era of peace, the aristocracy couldn¡¯t help but pursue the advancement of hygiene and elegance, aspects that elevated their image.Therefore, the main subjects covered in my magic sses focused on the development of magic tools, what they were used for, and how to use them.

    Or at least, that¡¯s what it was supposed to be¨C

    ¡°Write me a report on the use of magic itself as a concept.¡±

    Towards the students that were supposed to have no practical experience with the subject¨C Professor Tristan had suddenly dropped this bomb on us, even in spite of the fact that he was only supposed to be our teacher for general topics.

    As servants, it was our responsibility to be casually proficient in everything in order to be useful to our masters. Using that as the reason, he had inquired us on how magic could be used in our duties.

    With how the professor had already earned my ssmates¡¯ respect, they all started writing their essays withoutint.

    But such a task was quite troubling for me.

    This was because of how proficient I was in advanced magic that could be used in everyday life. An example of this would be a cleaning spell I knew that gathered all the dust in the room it was cast in, collecting it all through wind magic onto a prepared sheet of cloth.

    The magic of this world was underdeveloped, and couldn¡¯t produce air currents with the precise control needed to do such tasks. However, the usefulness of such a spell has already been proven in my previous life.

    Even if I wrote down my knowledge as a hypothetical proposal, it would just be dismissed as the musings of an overactive imagination, but on the other hand, if I wrote it down as a precise report that described its practical applications, a greatmotion would undoubtedly ur. Knowing how stupid it would be to write that, I was absolutely stumped on what to do.

    After a moment of hesitation, I decided to write my report on the spells that already existed in this world.

    For example, bright shes of magic lights could blind our opponents, while converging highly pressurized air currents could be utilized to cut them. In any instance where physical weapons were prohibited, magic could make a reasonable substitute in the protection of our charges.

    I wrote a very safe essay detailing as such.

    As sses had finished for the day, I submitted my report and began my preparations to leave for the student council room, but I was unexpectedly stopped by Professor Tristan again.

    ¡°Yes? Is there something wrong with what I turned in?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no problems, but it¡¯s a little¡­ <i>mediocre </i>inparison to the quality of what you usually submit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll make sure to do better next time.¡±

    My goal was to be an above-average butler within the scopes ofmon sense.

    Judging from the professor¡¯s reaction just now, he seemed to have high expectations of me. Having noticed that, I promised myself that the next time I was given the opportunity to give my opinion, I¡¯d express my beliefs just a <i>little</i> more prominently.

    ¡°Putting that aside, was there anything else you needed?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been epted into the student council, and not just you, but Lady Alicia and His Highness Alforth as well, correct?¡±

    ¡°Wow, you already knew?¡±

    This was something only known to a few individuals that had attended the tea party. It¡¯s not like I enforced a gag order on the matter, but I didn¡¯t really advertise it either.

    I guess that just shows how strong his connections were to the people participating in the event.

    That in and of itself wasn¡¯t surprising, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel like the way he¡¯s been interacting with me has been quite strange recently. It¡¯s like he¡¯s trying to probe me for some kind of answer.

    I had an idea as to why.

    It was because of the daughter of the master he served¨C in other words, it was because I had gotten involved with Fol.

    However, if he really was wary of mydy and I, he shouldn¡¯t have introduced us to her in the first ce. Despite that, he was the very one who rmended us to join the student council.

    There had to be a reason behind this, but at the moment I couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    With that said, it wasn¡¯t unusual for a butler to investigate the people surrounding their charges in order to protect them.

    I haven¡¯t done anything to feel guilty about though, so it¡¯d probably be best to just wait and see how this develops.

    ¡°In any case, did you just want to talk?¡±

    ¡°No, this is something else. As you know, the school¡¯s cultural festival ising up, but now that you¡¯re a member of the student council, will you still be able to handle your duties to them <i>and </i>those as the ss representative?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ maybe? I don¡¯t quite understand what the student council actually <i>does, </i>yet<i>.</i>¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to assume that it¡¯ll be too much, so before youmit yourself, take the time to think about who could substitute for you in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re letting me choose? Will anyone be fine?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d prefer someonepetent that you can keep inmunication with. Though, I want your student council work to be your main focus.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Understood.¡±

    He still seemed a little wary, but his desire to have me be active in the student council was real. There are probably various circumstances regarding this.

    Nevertheless, who should I appoint as the interim ss representative?

    Originally, the obvious choice would be Raymond¨C the individual with the second highest grades in the ss, but he¡¯s already lost the trust of our peers once. Although his rtionship with them has improved since the incident, it was still far too soon to put him in a leadership position.

    As I left the ssroom with those thoughts, Luke and Chloe had approached me.

    ¡°Cyril, what was that all about?¡±

    ¡°Well actually, I¡¯ve been asked to choose someone to substitute for me as ss representative.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, because of your work with the student counc¨C OW!¡±

    Luke yelped as Chloe smacked him at the back of his head.

    ¡°Chloe, what the hell was that for?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°¡­huh?¡±

    Not understanding her words, Luke tilted his head in confusion.

    ¡°Not that many people are supposed to know I¡¯ve joined the student council yet, you know?¡±

    ¡°Oh yea¨C no, I mean¡­ I only knew that because I overheard your talk with the teacher.¡±

    ¡°That might¡¯ve been convincing without the ¡®oh yeah¡¯ at the beginning.¡±

    ¡°Honestly Luke, you¡¯re such a dunce sometimes.¡±

    Chloe then sighed, like it was something that couldn¡¯t be helped.

    It didn¡¯t suit her, but at least she wasn¡¯t trying to fool me like how it was when we first met. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s let her guard down around me at least a <i>little </i>since then.

    Well putting that aside, there¡¯s still the matter of the ss representative.

    ¡°If things really got busy, I was actually considering Luke to be my proxy¨C¡±

    ¡°<i>I¡¯ll </i>be the representative?! Seriously?!¡±

    ¡°I was, but considering the mistake you just made, wouldn¡¯t it be better to reconsider?¡±

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s okay! I won¡¯t act stupid anymore, so please let me take your spot!¡±

    Well, he <i>did </i>assist me with organising the new student wee party, so he should have some talent as a manager, but¡­ his personality is what worried me.

    ¡°Chloe, can you watch over him?¡±

    ¡°No way, I don¡¯t want to clean up after Luke¡¯s stupidity.¡±

    ¡°¡­then I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Shall we put this matter on hold for now?¡±

    I intended to end our conversation there, and proceeded with gathering my belongings so I could leave for the student council.

    ¡°H-hey, wait just a minute! I-its fine! If it¡¯s an assistant, then I know one!¡±

    Stopping at Luke¡¯s words, I turned back towards him.

    ¡°¡­really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We had a little fight thest time we worked together, but it should be fine now. I¡¯ll definitely get him to be my aide.¡±

    At the end of Luke¡¯s line of sight, there was a red-haired boy reviewing the lesson withplete focus. His clear blue eyes staring at the textbook portrayed his intentions and work ethic.

    ¡°You really want him to be your assistant?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s always been talented, and he¡¯s shown that he regrets what happened in the past. Besides, isn¡¯t it our teacher¡¯s educational policy to learn from our mistakes?¡±

    With those words, a few ideas came to mind.

    Maybe this whole situation was to help enforce that ideology¨C but standing by her childhood friend¡¯s side, Chloe was making a face that said, ¡®Luke, you¡¯re so stupid.¡¯

    ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll officially appoint you after my student council work picks up, but for now, make sure to ask your assistant if he actually wants the job beforehand. That¡¯ll be your first task.¡±

    Luke was initially confused at my words, but he soon realised that he was actually going to get the representative position. shing him a smile, I said that I¡¯d leave the rest to him before taking my leave.

    After that, I went to pick up mydy before heading to the student council room, joining His Highness Alforth and Alicia on the way. We were an odd group that included a prince, the heroine <i>and</i> viinous daughter all together.

    This would be quite surprising if there was anyone else out there that was aware of Espressivo of Light and Darkness, but putting that aside, an individual like Alicia¨C someone able to be friends with both a prince and a Marquis¡¯ daughter regardless of her low status was bound to draw attention anyways.

    ¡­she would undoubtedly be the target of many people¡¯s jealousy due to this. She should be fine considering that she had a capable maid protecting her, but I should probably keep an eye out for her, just in case.

    Anyways, the three members of the aristocracy had finally arrived at the student council room with their respective servants. After knocking the door and entering the room, Fol was there working at her desk like usual.

    Her pink-gold hair was slightly fluttering today as well.

    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she was so particr about using magic, but after considering things, I came to the conclusion that it was probably due to magical overcharge.

    Magical overcharge was a secondary effect that appeared in people who recovered their magic power at elerated rates. Using wind magic on a consistent basis was a good way to prevent it, so taking this opportunity to cool herself down at the same time wasn¡¯t a bad choice.

    However, it¡¯s been proven that those with magical overcharge are known to be mentally unstable.

    Therefore, it¡¯s be a stigma that most people tried to hide. The fact that Lady Sophia also suffers from it is only known to a very select number of people.

    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t help but notice how open she was being about her constant use of magic.

    Did she think that no one would notice? Or was this a manifestation of her power that she couldn¡¯t control? Either way, it¡¯d probably be wise to pretend that I was unaware.

    More importantly, Fol seems to have only responded by habit like thest time I visited, unaware that we had actually entered. The maid stationed at her back tried to sneakily nudge her arm.

    ¡°¨Chya!¡±

    Flinching in surprise, Fol looked up unhappily at her servant, but after tracing the maid¡¯s line of sight towards us, she unintentionally eximed, ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all here. Wee.¡±

    There was an odd mood in the air.

    At first, she gave off the impression of a talented older girl that had even surpassed Lady Sophia, but recently I couldn¡¯t help but feel that image of hers was gradually copsing in my mind.

    ¡°For the time being¨C we don¡¯t really need to do introductions again. From today onwards you¡¯re all members of the student council, but you don¡¯t really need to do anything. You can all just rx.¡±

    Fol made that statement like it was nothing special.

    Now that was unexpected. The fact that it was said so casually only made it all the stranger.

    However, Professor Tristan said we¡¯d be busy. Given that Fol is always doing paperwork, it¡¯s unlikely that there was absolutely <i>nothing </i>for us to do.

    With that in mind, I raised my hand.

    ¡°What is it? Oh, and you don¡¯t need to raise your hand if you have a question. Under the school¡¯s policy we¡¯re all supposed to be equals, regardless of our statuses, even the two of us.¡±

    Only His Highness Alforth and I knew the truth about her being a princess.

    Hence, from Lady Sophia¡¯s perspective, this was the rude proposal of amoner with lower status. It should be fine though, mydy has never been a person to unt her position in the first ce.

    As for Alicia, she suddenly dered ¡°in that case, we¡¯re all friends now!¡± in joy. Even though she was unaware of Fol¡¯s true identity, there was still a prince here, so it wasn¡¯t quite appropriate¡­

    ¡°Now then, what was your question, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t have any jobs for us, but aren¡¯t you always doing paperwork?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this? This is just my diary.¡±

    ¡°Your diary?¡±

    That was unexpected.

    Though now that I thought about it, the student council didn¡¯t seem like the kind of group that would constantly be doing paperwork. This was originally the gathering of a faction, not a support group for the school, so it¡¯s only natural there wasn¡¯t much work for them.

    ¡°So there¡¯s really nothing for us to do?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ we might have to deal with the asional odd request, and that¡¯s about it. Besides that, there¡¯s a few things that need to be taken care of for the uing festival, but we aren¡¯t in a rush.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really <i>nothing </i>you can think of?¡±

    ¡°This group was originally supposed to be a faction, so there wasn¡¯t much to do even when I was the only member. You can actually go home if you want.¡±

    Fol¡¯s words made sense, and it didn¡¯t seem like she was lying. However, Professor Tristan had told me that I¡¯d be busy with my work here.

    As I thought, something wasn¡¯t right.

    ¡®What do you want to do?¡¯¨C I turned my eyes to mydy, making that query.

    ¡°Fol, you said that there wasn¡¯t much for you to do while you were the only member, but do you know what the group was doing before you joined?¡±

    ¡°Oh, uhh¡­ I think there was an activity record on that in the student council room.¡±

    The student council room? We all exchanged nces.

    ¡°This is just the office that the student council president can use to meet with visitors. Haven¡¯t you noticed how small this ce is despite it being the headquarters for a faction?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you say.¡±

    Lady Sophia agreed with her while His Highness Alforth nodded.

    However, Alicia was tilting her head, a question mark rising up above it. This was probably due to the gap in values between the upper ss aristocrats and the lower ones.

    In any case, it seems that the <i>real </i>student council room was behind the door at the back. With Fol¡¯s permission, we opened the door and¡­ what we found was a storage room.

    ¡°¡­Fol?¡±

    As I turned back towards her, she suddenly averted her gaze. In her ce, Fol¡¯s maid then bowed down, saying, ¡°my apologies, this is all my fault.¡±

    ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t something you need to apologise for, Leah.¡±

    ¡°But since you won¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry, doesn¡¯t the fault lie with me?¡±

    ¡­no, doesn¡¯t that statement just say that Fol was in the wrong instead of taking the me for her? As I thought that, the princess began to groan.

    ¡°¨Cit¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m the one that told her that the student council room didn¡¯t need to be cleaned.¡±

    Ah¡­ so that¡¯s how it was.

    I could see it now¨C

    <i>¡°Lady Fol, are you sure you don¡¯t want the student council room cleaned?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t necessary, right? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to admit anyone else into the group anyways.¡±</i>

    ¨Ctheir conversation probably went like that.

    Even if I understood this, it took all my maturity to not shout out a retort. With a smile on my face, I suggested that cleaning the student council room could be our first job as a group.

    ¡°So the student council members themselves should clean the room instead of our servants?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let daughters of nobility do the cleaning, so I¡¯ll do it myself in representation of the group.¡±

    As a member of the student council <i>and </i>as a servant, this was the perfect job for me. I used that as my base argument, but Lady Sophia didn¡¯t seem to agree.

    Not just her, both Alicia and even His Highness seemed to have a problem with it.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Fol just tell us earlier that we¡¯re all considered equals in the school? We can¡¯t just leave all the work to you, Cyril. We¡¯ll help as well.¡±

    It seems like mydy wanted to try cleaning.

    However, even if we were technically considered equals, there¡¯s no way I could allow her to do such a task. In the first ce, I don¡¯t recall ever teaching her how to do so properly.

    It wouldn¡¯t be eptable even if we were somewhere private, so I <i>definitely</i> couldn¡¯t let Lady Sophia make a blunder in public.

    Right¡­

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take care of the luggage first, so please look through the past activity records afterwards.¡±

    Our original goal was to find out the past duties of the student council. Paperwork was a fine job befitting of the nobility. Lady Sophia was quite proficient at this too.

    I decided that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems if this were the case.

    Incidentally, it seems that His Highness Alforth and Alicia felt the same as mydy, so their servants looked quite relieved at my intervention.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do some of the basic cleaning first, so please wait here for the time being.¡±

    I stepped into the student council room, saying that being patient was an important job as well. Then, after closing the door leading to the office, I opened up all of the windows.

    ¡°Now then¨C it¡¯s time to show my worth as a butler.¡±

    First, I took out a handkerchief.

    After that, I began chanting while conjuring a magic circle, activating a special kind of wind magic. A small whirlwind sprung to life, whipping up and guiding the dust onto the prepared sheet of cloth. It was a cleaning spell that wasmon in my previous life.

    It was a rather popr magic from my past life, and any student majoring in magic could invoke it easily enough, though it was probably unique to me in this world.

    Lady Sophia could probably cast it if I taught her, but others would likelyck the skill needed for it. Fol might have been using wind magic earlier, but that was probably the most this world could produce.

    Putting that aside, I cleaned the room while keeping the dirt levitated high above me. After a quick dusting, I then sent all the gathered filth out the windows before storing the cluttered documents on the now clean shelves.

    Finally, the cleaning was finished as I wiped down the area where most of the luggage was piled up.

    Now finished with the room, I tidied myself up onest time and returned to the office. Noticing that I was back, Alicia called out to me.

    ¡°Cyril, how¡¯s the cleaning going? As I thought, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we helped too?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m already finished.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯ve barely just started¡­ wait, it¡¯s already over?! Cyril, how did you do all of this in such a short time?!¡±

    As she peered into the room, Alicia¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise. Behind her, Melissa and the other servants were making simr expressions. I guess I had finished at an impossible speed for those who weren¡¯t aware of cleaning magic.

    Putting that incident behind us, I was now checking over the past activity records with the nobles of the student council. Unfortunately, most of the documents only listed what they had done as a faction, not a support organization.

    Our current members didn¡¯te together under a faction, so while I was searching for something else that we could do, Lady Sophia suddenly said, ¡°What about this?¡±

    As I leaned over towards mydy, her supple finger was pointing towards a certain point on the document.

    <i>¡°The student council¡¯s stage performances of past cultural festivals.¡±</i>

    Underneath such words, the various names of ys and what years they were performed in was written.

    ¡°So this means¡­ the student council usually hosted ys during the cultural festival?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As shown in the record, it used to be a tradition until about three years ago.¡±

    Until that time, it seems to have been an annual thing. Various titles were listed, from famous performances to minor ys I had never even heard of before.

    ¡°Lady Sophia¡­ are you interested in theatre arts?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ acting as someone else seems like it¡¯d be fun, and building up more achievements in the student council will help me towards my goals.¡±

    ¡°Understood. If that¡¯s what you really think, then there¡¯s no reason for me to stop you.¡±

    Seeing that this was something she wished to do, I gracefully backed down.

    Mydy then nodded, before turning towards the rest of the student council.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we bring back this tradition ourselves?¡±

    Alicia and His Highness Alforth responded positively to her suggestion. Apparently, His Majesty the King was well versed in theatre arts, so it seems participating in such a thing wouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    ¡°Everyone seems to be in agreement, but what about you, Fol?¡±

    Lady Sophia asked this.

    In response, the president raised her eyebrows in amusement. If she refused, I¡¯d have to convince mydy to back down, not Fol.

    I prepared myself for that development, but it turned out to be for naught.

    ¡°Sure, it might be nice to experience that kind of thing at least once.¡±

    Her dignified attitude seemed to soften as she smiled. The girl who was constantly trying to push others away had epted this proposal herself. This was surely a turning point in her fate.

    Fol¡¯s words were the deciding factor towards the student council¡¯s decision to perform a y at this year¡¯s cultural festival.

    But of course, a y needed a program.

    We needed to decide what story to adapt and prepare the script for it. As a result of the discussion regarding what we¡¯d do about that, it was decided that Fol would ask her acquaintance to procure one for us.

 Book 2: Chapter 7: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part 2

    One day during lunch break.

    I was acting as a server at one of Lady Sophia¡¯s tea parties. Normally, butlers are supposed to stand at the back and keep quiet, but at this tea party the youngdies kept addressing me often. At the beginning, Lady Sophia herself began to talk to me. Therefore, it became an everyday thing for me to answer the youngdies¡¯ questions.

    And just like that, today as well¡ª

    ¡°Then, Cyril, there¡¯s a chance that you will also participate in the y, right?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure whether I will be assigned a role, but I think that I will be allowed to participate in some shape or form.¡±

    ¡°Then if that''s the case, I will be watching you from the front row!¡±

    Pam ced the teacup onto the saucer and suddenly smiled with her whole face. Pam, who had a beauty mark under her eye,1 had a smile that hid some enthusiasm in its childishness.</a>

    She was probably really looking forward to this y. I fully expressed my gratitude.</a>

    Even though she was the daughter of a Count, she struck conversation with me, a mere butler, in a friendly way. While I believe this is due to me saving her during the exam, it is alsorgely due to Lady Sophia¡¯s influence.</a>It was in to see that Lady Sophia held me in high regard.

    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s right, regarding the Student Council. Say, Lady Sophia, do you n on halting these tea parties for a while if you get busy with the Student Council¡¯s activities?¡± Pam asked Lady Sophia.

    ¡°No. I might have to be absent, if I get busy with the rehearsal, and I might have to change the schedule, but I don¡¯t intend to stop hosting our tea parties.¡±

    She might have joined forces with the Second Prince and the Student Council, but it wasn¡¯t like Lady Sophia had joined the Student Council faction. Therefore, this faction won¡¯t disappear.

    She conveyed to Pam and the others the things that we¡¯d discussed beforehand.

    Even though they might not have vocalized it, there were a lot of people who felt uneasy, so there was a sigh of relief permeating the atmosphere.

    From then on, everyone started talking about the y.

    ¡°Nevertheless, to think that the Student Council would hold a y! How unusual.¡±

    ¡°No, I heard that when my older sister was attending, the Student Council used to do ys.¡±

    ¡°Wow, is that so?¡±

    I could hear the youngdies talking. It seemed that Ferris, the youngdy with ringlet curls, had known about the Student Council having performed ys. Apparently, when she was little, she went to her older sister¡¯s school festival and saw the Student Council perform there. ¡°I wonder why they stopped doing them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know myself, but perhaps if you asked the students attending from back in the time when there were performances, they might know something.¡±

    Ferris said that she didn¡¯t know the reason, but I had my suspicions. Three years prior, the ys were taking ce ¨C in other words, it was just thest two years that didn¡¯t have a y.

    Two years ago was precisely the year when Fol became a junior high student. In spite of the Student Council serving as the Royal Faction as well, there was no one around to help her. The situation probably arose from those circumstances.

    But since these were just my spections, I didn¡¯t interrupt the youngdies¡¯s conversation.

    A few days after that day, we were summoned by Fol again.

    The seats around the table of the Student Council room. I myself will sit on one of these seats today, as one of the Student Council members. To be able to sit on the same seat as Lady Sophia was¡­

    how should I phrase it? Apletely new experience.

    ¡°The reason why I have summoned you today is as follows. I¡¯ve prepared the script for the Student Council¡¯s y. To begin with, could you please take a look at it for me?¡±

    Following Fol¡¯s instructions, the maid ced copies of the script in front of everyone. The script was written on a thin, fibrous paper, in neat letters.

    The youngdies begin to look over the script.

    I also looked over the one that was put in front of me at the same time.

    ¡ª The heroine is the daughter of low rank nobles. At a venue of a certain party, she ends up getting involved with a violent noble, but then a prince in disguise appears and saves her<b>.</b>

    At that time, without knowing the saviour¡¯s true identity, it seemed as if her first love was over before it even started. However, three yearster, when she enters the academy, she meets the Prince who had saved her again.

    However, the Prince already has a fiance. Because of this forbidden love, the heroine is very conflicted. Nheless, she¡¯s encouraged by a trustworthy maid, and she keeps meeting up with the Prince. Before long, the two of them fall in love.

    But the fiance, finding out about it, can¡¯t just stand by and watch.

    Noticing that the Prince is pulling away from her, the fiance wants to take him back from the heroine, and so she begins to harass her in all sorts of ways.

    However, the prince finds out about these evil deeds, and the engagement is ruined. Having won his true love over, the Prince and the heroine share a joyful kiss. The end.

    ¡­Wait a moment.

    Somehow, I felt like I knew this outline terrifyingly well.

    No, hold on. Let¡¯s think about this calmly. Outlines being simr to each other is something that happens often. Especially plotlines about being saved by a gentleman in disguise and then meeting again followed by falling in love. Before they can be together, there are various obstacles in their way ¨C there¡¯s a great amount of stories like that.

    Right, I should confirm the title first.

    In doing so, I¡¯d be able to properly confirm that it¡¯s a different y alto¨C

    ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯

    ¡­¡­¡­.Hmm.

    Could it be a really strange coincidence where even the title is the same¡­.As if! Without a doubt, this was a script of the otome game that existed in my previous world!

    To think that in the world of Espressivo of Light and Darkness, having be real, I would be performing the y Espressivo of Light and Darkness!¡­What the heck, this was crazy!

    ¡­No, there were still many other possibilities.

    For example, there was the possibility that as a consequence of this world being based on a game, the game¡¯s scenario, for some reason or another, existed as a script here. What kind of reasons could there be for it was unknown to me. But since, to begin with, it should be impossible for a game itself to be a real world, I could hardly say that itwas definitely impossible.

    However, I suspected another possibility.

    Which was that a transmigrator from the same world as mine had written this script.

    Supposing that there was someone who had transmigrated the same way that I had, they would be capable of writing this script.

    And the reason for writing this script would be ¡ª as I raised up my face, my eyes met with Fol¡¯s. She was fixedly gazing at me with her deep blue eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything.

    Nheless, I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.

    Before I lifted my face, I had prepared myself for all possibilities. Therefore, my expression didn¡¯t change. Pretending that nothing was going on, I tilted my head as if to ask if anything was wrong.

    ¡°What do you think about the script?¡±

    ¡°Since I am not knowledgeable in this topic, it¡¯s a plotline I have never heard of.¡±

    Without letting on that I was lying, under my breath I muttered ¡®In this world, that is.¡¯

    ¡°Incidentally, the person who wrote this script is my tutor and she has no connections to theatre whatsoever. That¡¯s why I wanted to ask you what you think about this script.¡±

    So, it seemed that this script was written by Fol¡¯s tutor as a pastime. Without a doubt, that was lie.

    As far as I remembered, Prince Alforth¡¯s key phrases and the way he conducted himself were perfectly reproduced. If a transmigrator had written this work, they were, without a doubt, a hardcore fan of Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    Was that tutor a transmigrator?

    Or, there was also the possibility that there was no tutor, and Fol herself was a transmigrator. Speaking of, Fol was always jotting down stuff with her pen into her so-called diary¡­

    At this point in time, this wasn¡¯t something I could decipher.

    For the time being¡­

    ¡°Well then. The story is rather straightforward, and there¡¯s no problem in regards to the number of cast members. Therefore, I believe it to be a good choice.¡±

    As a butler, I had to express my impressions harmlessly and inoffensively.

    For a mere moment, Fol¡¯s gaze and mine crossed paths.

    ¡°¡­ Yes, I think so as well.¡±

    Fol averted her gaze, and continued questioning the other council members on their opinion. I lowered my gaze onto the script again, the gears in my mind turning.

    Of course, I still couldn¡¯t deny the possibility of it being mere coincidence. There was also the possibility that the purpose of writing the script was merely the transmigration wanting to keep the memory of their beloved story.

    But my thoughts were more along this line:

    They wrote Espressivo of Light and Darkness to look for other transmigrators.

    Was there not a chance that Fol was gauging our reactions earlier?

    Since it was merely a possibility, I didn¡¯t know where the truthy.

    Perhaps it was just a coincidence and Fol merely wanted to hear our impressions of the script.

    Even if that was not the case, there was also the possibility that Fol didn¡¯t know anything.

    However, there was no such talented youngdy like Fol in the story. I thought that it was for a separate reason altogether. However, if she was an anomaly, it was possible that, in the game itself, she had been ordinary and hadn¡¯t stood out.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t know whether this was a fact or not. But even though I didn¡¯t know, if I were to investigate it right now, it would be like shouting out to the world: I am a transmigrator!

    For the time being, I had obtained the information that the one who wrote the script was Fol¡¯s tutor . Right now, it was necessary for me to investigate whether this girl truthfully existed and, if she did, what her goal was.

    It would be better to not make any unwise moves before knowing what the opponent¡¯s goal was.

    However, I was beat.

    Just when I thought that, for the time being, the fighting between the factions was over and things around mydy had calmed down as well, to have something like this happen at the Student Council! I could never have predicted anything like that.

    If possible, I would have liked to change the script to something else, but since the story of a popr game would likely have high ratings in this world as well, it was unanimously decided that the y we were going to perform would be Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    ¡°Then, in regards to the cast, who should y who?¡±

    Here it was ¡ª I had to be vignt.

    The heroine, the maid, the prince, the viinous daughter and the butler¡¯s narration.

    The whole cast was sitting right here. But there were also people like Lady Sophia, who had apletely different personality from the actual character of the story.

    Saying something imprudent about the casting here would be a fatal mistake.

    Just as I thought this, Lady Sophia raised her hand.

    ¡°Oh, Miss Sophia. Do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°I would like to try and be the viinous daughter.¡±

    ¡ª- Mydy!?

    I was about to yell out without thinking. I would like to praise myself for promptly keeping up my expressionless appearance.

    However, of course, Fol, as well as Alicia and Prince Alforth, were taken aback.

    If you thought really hard about it, Lady Sophia came from the family of a Marquis, and people went as far as to consider her to be a saintess that had descended from the heavens into high society. To have Lady Sophia y the viinous daughter¡­ it was like casting her to y her pr opposite.

    Astonishment was the appropriate reaction.

    However, because everyone was so surprised, it seemed that no one noticed that my expression remained unchanged.

    ¡°Um, so you want to y the role of the viinous daughter, Miss Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is that impossible?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the case, but why do you want to y the viinous daughter?¡±

    ¡°ying a heroine doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±

    That was a lie. ¡ª I thought that that was what everyone present wanted to retort. There was no one that would be more suited for the heroine than the daughter of a marquis who was rumoured to be a saintess.

    Although, there were also the exemry Alicia, and Fol, who was actually a princess present.

    However, if they were to say that they wanted to be the viinous daughter, wouldn¡¯t they be suspect of being transmigrators¡­ no, if Lady Sophia had knowledge of the game, wouldn¡¯t she want to y the viinous daughter?

    ¡°We¡­ well, if you really wish to y the role of the viinous daughter, I don¡¯t mind¡­¡±

    ¡°Truly? You won¡¯t mind if I y the role of the viinous daughter?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­ yeah. Does everyone else agree as well?¡±

    To Fol¡¯s question, the others nodded.

    It was possible that it wasn¡¯t a matter of no one being against it, but, because Lady Sophia wanted to y the role so innocently, that no one could bring themselves to say anything.

    Incidentally, Prince Alforth looked somewhat disappointed.

    Alforth and I were the only boys present.

    Since at the end of the story there was a kiss shared between the prince and the heroine, he was probably hoping to y the role of the prince while Lady Sophia would be the heroine.

    ¡°Then, in regards to the role of the prince¡­¡±

    Fol wasparing between Prince Alforth and me with her eyes.

    ¡°As one would expect, I¡¯m not suited to y the role of a prince. If Prince Alforth has no objections, he should be the one casted for that role.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You might be saying that, Cyril, but what do you think, Prince Alforth?¡±

    ¡°I understand. If my humble self will do, please, let me take up the role of the prince.¡±

    Therefore, it was decided that Prince Alforth would y the role of the prince and I¡¯d be in charge of the narration.

    ¡°Then, there¡¯s the role of the princess and the maid left. Miss Alicia, how do you feel about ying the heroine?¡±

    ¡°No, I believe that Miss Fol is best suited for the role of the heroine.¡±

    ¡°Me? But if we do that, then you¡¯ll be¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would like to try ying a maid.¡±

    Lady Alicia herself as a maid¡­ it¡¯s just too strange in every way!

    However, it would surely be impossible to let Fol, as a member of the royalty, to y the role of a maid.

    When it came to a royal¡¯s maid, it was not rare for women from the lower aristocracy to be employed as such.

    Therefore, in this sense, Alicia might be suitable to y the role of the maid.

    One way or the other, the cast was set. It was decided that we would hire professionals for the staff as needed for the construction.

    And like this, it was settled that, for this Cultural Festival, we would be performing Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    As for me, all I wanted was for Lady Sophia to make friends and for her to enjoy her academy life. However, for some reason, various unexpected things came to be as a result of that.<ol><li><i>nakibokuro</i>; the original term insinuates that one got this mole due to having cried</li></ol>

    </a>

 Book 2: Chapter 8: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part 3

    The Student Council would be performing a y.

    Saying it like that made it sound wonderful, but we were just a group of amateurs with no formal training in acting. If we didn¡¯t rehearse properly, we would make fools out of ourselves in front of the audience.

    Even if we put my own embarrassment aside, I couldn¡¯t allow for the youngdies to fail like that. Extra training might have been required, but there were only two months left before the cultural festival took ce.

    We were discussing what we should do.

    ¡°If we all rehearse together from the start it won¡¯t go well. We need to practice our performance individually first.¡±

    ¡°Individual rehearsal? ¡­We¡¯re not going to be trained by an acting teacher?¡±

    Alicia questioned Fol, who was the one proposing this training n.

    She was a low rank noble, so she didn¡¯t have many connections to the royal capital. Because the school was so far from her own home as well, getting hold of an acting teacher was likely to be difficult.

    ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s no acting teacher in this academy. Since that is the case¡­ that¡¯s right. Can I ask you to help out, Cyril?¡±¡°Why did my name suddenlye up?¡±

    I was also one of the people who would rather receive training. Weren¡¯t we butlers misunderstood as people who could do anything? No matter how I thought about it, it sounded like I was being told: ¡®Because you seem like you¡¯re good at acting.¡¯

    I felt like I was under scrutiny.

    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, but how could I know anything about performing?¡±

    ¡°But if it¡¯s you, you would be able to manage it somehow, right?¡±

    I was unable to reply.

    Because the one who uttered these words wasn¡¯t Fol, but Lady Sophia.

    If my Lady wished so, it was part of my exclusive butler duties to fulfill that wish. However, Lady Sophia should have felt wary about Alicia and me bing close.

    I didn¡¯t understand why she would want me to take charge of the rehearsal training despite that.

    I wasn¡¯t sure whether agreeing would be a good decision or not.

    Perhaps while her mouth requested me to say yes, her heart was wishing for my refusal. I even considered that possibility as well. As I was thinking about where her expectationsy, she spoke again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too hard, just take it more lightly.¡±

    ¡°Take it more lightly?¡±

    ¡°Eventually, we¡¯ll be able to obtain a genuine acting teacher. Cyril, until then, you could start helping everyone with their acting.¡±

    I fully understood then.

    Lady Sophia didn¡¯t say ¡®Alicia¡¯. She said ¡®everyone¡¯.

    Come to think of it, for all of Lady Sophia¡¯s lessons, I would teach her first, and afterwards she would attend sses with a professional teacher. This time as well, she probably wanted to be taught by me first, just like always.

    If it was my Lady¡¯s wish, I had no other choice but to fulfill it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, my Lady.¡±

    Politely, I lowered my head. When I raised my head again, for some reason, Fol seemed to be dumbfounded.

    ¡°¡­Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, I just thought that you were merely joking¡­Seriously? Are you really going to be helping out with our training? Even though you don¡¯t know anything about performing?¡±

    ¡°Of course. However, I will have to promptly make preparations to learn about the fundamentals of acting, so that I will be able to teach everyone about it. Could you grant me about three days?¡±

    ¡°Three days you say¡­¡±

    I could understand Fol¡¯s bewilderment.I knew myself that there was no way I could prepare myself sufficiently in three days. However, if I had three days, I could learn what I should teach them to begin with. And then, while I taught them the basics, I would learn about the subject further. Consequently, if my teaching pace fell behind my Lady¡¯s, it would alle crumbling down. However, I have always conducted my Lady¡¯s education in this manner. I would definitely be sessful this time as well.

    I faced Fol¡¯s gaze with aposed, ¡®there¡¯s no issue whatsoever¡¯ expression. Confronted with it, Fol sighed, sporting a somewhat astonished expression. ¡°Well, if it causes no problems, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°So you will be my acting teacher, Cyril?¡±

    Alicia immediately hounded me for an answer.

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m no match to a professional teacher, but I will do my best to be someone who will be able to guide you all.¡±

    ¡°In other words, you will be teaching me as well?¡±

    Next, Prince Alforth was the one who was pressing me for an answer.

    Even though I was certain that, as it was expected, the royal family would have connections to a number of theatre groups, due to the previous events, Prince Alforth had lost faith in those kinds of superficial people. To be taught by a teacher he wasn¡¯t close to would be difficult for him.

    ¡°Certainly. Then, I would like for you two to learn your lines for now. In the meantime, I will be acquiring the knowledge necessary for me to teach everyone.¡±

    Incidentally, Fol mentioned that she¡¯s going to ask her own tutor. As such, I became the acting teacher for the prince, the heroine¡¯s maid and the viinous daughter.

    Setting the matter of the prince and the maid aside, guiding my Lady on how to y the viinous daughter was¡­ for some unknown reason, I had mixed feelings about it.

    Anyhow, when I returned to the mansion, I began with my studies of the fundamentals of performing without dy

    First off, I ordered books and papers rting to theatre, and then I systematically read through all of them.

    At the same time, I began negotiating with the theatre groups residing in the royal capital, and I also scheduled assisting the youngdy with her rehearsal once or twice a week.

    As I was busy researching all sorts of things, it soon became night and I got summoned by Lady Sophia.

    I walked up to her room and Rouch¨¦ let me in.

    I dropped my gaze from Rouch¨¦, who had retreated into a corner of the room, and turned around to face Lady Sophia. She was standing in the middle of the room, tightly gripping the clothes on her chest, her sorrowful eyes turned towards me.

    ¡°¡­Why do you not look my way?¡±

    Chills went down my spine.

    It wasn¡¯t only because my Lady had just said the words that started her descent into darkness. What I was most astonished by was the deep sadness and inescapable anger brimming in her voice.

    Fuck. Where had I gone wrong?

    Why did Lady Sophia suddenly descend into darkness?

    ¡­I didn¡¯t understand.

    I didn¡¯t understand, but I had decided long ago what my answer to these words was going to be.

    ¡°Nothing of the sort. I am always looking at you, my Lady.¡±

    It might have been toote, but I hadid my feelings bare. However, Lady Sophia blinked with her amethyst eyes and pursed her small, lovely lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what it says. It¡¯s supposed to be ¡®I apologize. I¡¯ve fallen in love with Aurelia.¡¯ If he were looking at me, I wouldn¡¯t have a reason to fall into darkness.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡­Oh, that is correct.¡±

    So it was a line from the y!

    Since it was more lifelike than a scene in the game, I misunderstood it and unconsciously thought that Lady Sophia had truly fallen into darkness.

    ¡°What are you so surprised about?¡±

    ¡°It is nothing, please excuse my behaviour. The words you said felt so real, Lady Sophia, that I have misunderstood and unconsciously thought I was being honestly reproached.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh. Does that mean that your previous words expressed your true feelings, Cyril?¡±

    I misspoke. I must have looked uncharacteristically shaken. Immediately, I lied about the meaning of my words. ¡°As your servant, I am always watching over you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    The gaze Rouch¨¦ set upon me, from the corner of the room she had retreated to, hurt.

    ¡°More importantly, have you already memorized all of your lines?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have generally memorized all of my own lines.¡±

    My eyes had widened slightly. Lady Sophia saying that she had roughly memorized her lines meant that she could recite them perfectly.

    To have memorized them in such a short amount of time was¡­

    ¡°I was surprised myself. For some reason, I can memorize these lines without any problems. It might be because I can sympathize with how Elvira is feeling.¡±

    Elvira was the viinous daughter¡¯s name.

    While the title and story line of Espressivo of Light and Darkness stayed the same, as expected, the names of the characters were reced.

    ¡­Speaking of, the fact that Lady Sophia was able to sympathize with the viinous daughter was quite troubling. She couldn¡¯t have meant that there was a memory of the game remaining somewhere deep inside her, could she?

    ¡°By the way, how were my lines?¡±

    ¡°You have surprised me. You have a talent for acting as well, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. However, I do not need ttery. Please teach me how to be even better.¡±

    ¡°They were not words of ttery, but let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    inly said, her performance far surpassed that of an amateur. It was so excellent that, if a theatre group knew it was her first performance, Lady Sophia would have gotten scouted. It was difficult for me, someone who had just begun to learn about the fundamentals of theatre, to give her any advice at the moment.

    By rights, this was something that I should issue an apology for, but luckily, I had yed Espressivo of Light and Darkness countless times.

    ¡°The lines you said are words uttered when Elvira is right on the edge of falling into darkness. Therefore, repress your anger slightly and just bring forth the sorrowful thought of ¡®I want him to look at me alone.¡¯ please.¡±

    My Lady¡¯s previous performance led me to believe that I was toote. However, in the work itself, in thest moment before the character passed the point of no return, the sorrow of wanting to start over shone through. I attempted to express the impression of the game¡¯s VA¡¯s voice, that I had heard countless times, in words.

    ¡°¡­Why do you not look my way? ¨C Like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ exactly like that.¡±

    Unconsciously, I averted my eyes. Lady Sophia¡¯s voice was the same as the hired voice actress. Moreover, since Lady Sophia had been training her voice since early childhood, she could hold her own even against a professional voice actress. This youngdy was capable of perfectly recreating the viinous daughter¡¯s words that signalled her fall into darkness.

    I thought that my Lady¡¯s performance was charming, yet also terrifying. However, above all else, I felt that this was how Lady Sophia and I would end up getting executed, and it made me anxious.

    No, I would not let something like that happen.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then, let¡¯s continue onto the scene where I give my butler cruel orders in order to eliminate the heroine Aurelia.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Since I hadn¡¯t yet memorized the lines myself, I was flipping through the script, finding the corresponding scene. The viinous daughter, Elvira, had instructed her butler to eliminate the heroine. The butler had objected against it, but ended up being forced toply, unable to oppose Elvira¡¯s orders.

    ¡­However, what kind of unreliable butler was this? As a butler that exclusively serves the youngdy, he should have admonished her, even if it meant risking his own life. How pathetic, to be such a pushover.

    ¡°Dispose of that girl that keeps misleading the prince¡¯s heart, Kalev.¡±

    ¡°Wh-what are you saying, my Lady? I cannot do such a thing!¡±

    ¡°Yes, you will do it. Or are you saying that you cannotply with my orders?¡±

    This was the scene where he relented to the pressure and nodded, ¡®As you wish.¡¯

    However, I stared into mydy¡¯s eyes and replied:

    ¡°¡­Is that what your heart truly yearns for, mydy?¡±

    Lady Sophia blinked upon hearing these words, different from the ones in the script. Nevertheless, she immediately understood that I was improvising. She seemed to be contemting something for a moment.

    ¡°Of course. I will stop at nothing to have the person I love turn my way. Even if I have to turn gods into my enemies, I will definitely obtain my true love.¡±

    ¡°I understand. As long as it is your wish, Lady Sophia, I will be there with you no matter how far we must go. Even if the future we are headed into would be one of destruction.¡±

    The Cyril inside the story had relented to pressure, but he couldn¡¯t have even imagined that what awaited them was the executioner¡¯s block. If he had known that he would get killed, he would have most likely opposed the youngdy¡¯s orders.

    However, I was different. I didn¡¯t intend on behaving in a way that would have allowed mydy to be led to ruin. However¡­ if¡­ if this was the only possible way, if mydy was fully prepared to walk down this path, I would just joke that our future was most likely going to be the gallows, and apany her.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. However, please rest assured. If you are there to help me, we won¡¯t fall to ruin. I will definitely be able to aplish my goal, won¡¯t I?¡±

    The youngdy partly closed her amethyst eyes and after a momentary silence, she suddenly let out a breath. Instantly, the sharpness of the viinous daughter had vanished and her intrinsic kindness gently unfolded.

    Lady Sophia swept the hair that had fallen forward aside with her finger and turned her gaze to Rouch¨¦, standing in the corner of the room.

    ¡°Rouch¨¦, how did you find the performance?¡±

    ¡°¡­If I can be honest?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Yes¡­ of course. However, was my performance so unsuitable?¡±

    ¡°Could it be called unsuitable?¡­I could only perceive it as a love story between the noble viinous daughter and hermoner butler. Also, you have both switched to your real names halfway.¡±

    The youngdy and I looked at each other and then we both averted our eyes.

    And just like that, the first practice was over.

    After preparing the youngdy¡¯s ck tea, I retreated to her side. Sitting in her chair with her legs nted to the side, the youngdy looked up at me with admiring eyes.

    ¡°Nevertheless, you¡¯re a good actor, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°You are a very good actress yourself.¡±

    Since I was merely repeating the words that I remembered since the beginning, I couldn¡¯t really call it acting.

    ¡°The role of Elvira is really easy to y for me.¡±

    ¡°Is it easy to y?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I canpletely empathize with her feelings. If my beloved had been stolen away, I believe I, too, would have gone mad with jealousy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia.¡±

    Elvira <i>was</i> Lady Sophia, she had just been brought up in different circumstances. That was precisely why I had raised Lady Sophia so that she wouldn¡¯t fall into darkness.

    However, this Lady Sophia was saying that she would fall into darkness if her beloved were to get stolen from her. If I said that I thought that her beloved was me, that would certainly be conceited, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I- I apologize. I¡¯ve said something strange, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize, I do not mind. However, you do not need to worry about that. I will certainly never let you go mad with jealousy, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Eh, Cyril, you mean -¡±

    Her amethyst eyes dampened, shining brightly as I had hoped they would.

    ¡°I am your exclusive butler after all, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I feel like you¡¯re a bully, Cyril.¡±

    She puffed out her cheeks adorably. Just as I was about tough and exim that even sulking, mydy was adorable, I hurriedly pretended that I didn¡¯t notice anything.

    ¡°By any chance, may I ask you a question, mydy?¡±

    ¡°Of course you may, but¡­ are you going to ask me the same question again?¡±

    ¡°No, I was merely thinking about the reason why you are so enthusiastic about the y.¡±

    I knew that the youngdy was nning something, and I could roughly imagine what her goal was, as well. Lady Sophia was probably taking various actions in order to fulfil her own love between amoner and a noble.

    However, her goal and the y weren¡¯t really rted.

    I was starting to think that there could, perhaps, be some other reason.

    ¡°Certainly, there is the fact that I am so enthusiastic about the y because of that goal of mine¡­ but it¡¯s also because I wanted to try and perform with you, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­With me?¡±

    That answer was unexpected.

    ¡°The musical performance with you the other day was so much fun, so I thought to myself that I want to try and do more and more things together. Though it is a shame that, although you¡¯re the narrator, you won¡¯t be stepping onto the stage.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so.¡±

    ¡®That performance was like a dream to me as well.¡¯ I muttered under my breath, without raising my voice.

    ¡°But¡­ why the role of the viinous daughter? You¡¯re suited for the role of the heroine as well, mydy.¡±

    ¡°No, the role of the heroine is not suitable for me.¡±

    ¡®Is that so?¡¯ I tilted my head in puzzlement. With my head still tilted, Lady Sophia faced me with the smile of a mischievous child, and she dered resolutely:

    ¡°Since my prince isn¡¯t the one that¡¯s on the stage.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 9: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part 4

    Several days after we had decided on individual practice, a discussion about the school festival took ce in ss A of the butler¡¯s course.

    In theory, the one who should have taken the lead in discussing the matter was me as the ss representative, but it was a given that I would be fully devoting myself to the Student Council¡¯s y.

    Therefore, the one who was going to run the whole operation would be the vice-ss representative, Luke. He stood in front of the teacher¡¯s desk, seriously discussing what the ss could choose to do for the festival.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a shame that you won¡¯t organize it yourself, Cyril.¡±

    I was standing in the corner of the ssroom, watching over the debate when suddenly Raymond appeared next to me and began talking.

    ¡°Are you dissatisfied with Luke as the representative?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of the sort. It¡¯s just that, at the wee party for the new students, the people who worked with you all said that doing things your way is definitely best. I would have liked to try working under you as well.¡±

    I let out augh, sounding somewhat embarrassed. I fondly thought that the Raymond that defied me over and over when we first met was nowpletely different from the Raymond now.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there is no need for you to worry. At the previous event, I had him as my aide, so he is definitely well-acquainted with the way I run things.¡±¡°¡­He was?¡±

    Raymond set his gaze on Luke, who was taking note of everyone¡¯s opinions at the teacher¡¯s desk. Normally, the one who would stand at that ce was Raymond, as the runner-up<b>. </b>I was a little worried that he might try to start some trouble, like he had done in the past. However, I turned out to have been worrying needlessly. Raymond had properly maturedpared to back then.

    ¡°Then, that means that as long as I watch him, I¡¯ll be able to learn how <i>you</i> run things, right, Cyril?¡± It was obvious that he desperately wanted to learn how I operate, it was written all over his face. I was sure that Raymond, as he was now, would get along with Luke and the others just fine.

    I could truly sense how hard he worked for the sake of his family, and how much he had grown up. It was a little heartwarming.

    After the discussion about the ss¡¯ performance, a regr ss took ce. There were still almost two months before the cultural festival, so the schedule was a lot more rxed than it had been for the new students¡¯ wee party.

    However, it couldn¡¯t be said that those of us who were appearing on the stage had any time to waste. I had finally begun the individual acting sses after school. I had alreadymenced Lady Sophia¡¯s individual lessons, but it was only that day that I began the lessons with the others as well.

    It had been decided that, after I reserved a practice room, I would be teaching Lady Alicia first. However¡­

    ¡­before I could meet up with Alicia, I ran into Lady Sophia in the hallway.

    ¡°Why do you not look <i>my</i> way alone?¡± ¡°Incorrect, my Lady. The line has no ¡®alone¡¯ it¡¯s just ¡®my way¡¯, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I corrected Lady Sophia who all of a sudden began to perform. However, Lady Sophia didn¡¯t answer, and, with an imperceptible pout, drew closer.

    ¡°Cy.ril. Why. do. you. not. look. my<i>. </i>way. alo.ne?¡±

    ¡°If I were to look at you alone, Lady Sophia, I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect you from enemies. That is why I have to pay attention to other things and people besides you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°~~~hmph.¡±

    With her face turning red, Lady Sophia red at me with apparent frustration in her eyes. I could never grow bored of looking at my Lady¡¯s adorable form, but Lady Sophia herself had been the one pushing for me to teach Alicia and Alforth.

    She didn¡¯t seem to have started her true descent into darkness, but it was true that something felt off about her. I had to check why she was suddenly giving me this kind of response.

    ¡°¡­.My Lady, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a kiss scene between the heroine and the prince in the script, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s thest scene, yes. Is there a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°¡­During practice, you will be taking on the role of the other person, like when you train with me, right?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, that was my n¡­¡±

    ¡®Why is that such a problem?¡¯ I tilted my head in puzzlement. It wasn¡¯t rted to Lady Sophia¡¯s line at all¡­ is what I thought when, suddenly, realization hit me.

    ¡°¡­Lady Alicia is ying the role of the maid, though?¡±

    Lady Sophia had a look on her face that said: ¡®What excuses are you trying toe up with now!¡¯ But right after, she tilted her head in confusion. She must have mistakenly thought that Alicia was ying the heroine, after all.

    ¡°That¡­ is right. Alicia is ying the maid. Why did I believe that she was ying the role of the heroine?¡±

    I watched the youngdy¡¯s puzzled expression and suddenly felt a slight chill. Could the memory of the viinous daughter''s character exist inside of Lady Sophia¡¯s mind?

    Unexpectedly, even though she couldn¡¯t feel any yearning towards the Second Prince, that didn¡¯t mean that her descent into darkness could be limited to that sole motive. It could happen in some other way. I would have to pay close attention, just like I had been up until now.

    ¡°Incidentally, my Lady, if I do not get going soon, I will bete to Lady Alicia¡¯s practice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, t-that¡¯s right. I apologize for dying you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Will you be alright if I go?¡±

    After all, Lady Sophia was my top priority.

    If she had told me that she didn¡¯t want me to go, I would have needed to find an alternative for Lady Alicia. I was already thinking back over the list of the theatre groups in the royal capital when Lady Sophia smiled and said that it was alright.

    ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, you won¡¯t leave, will you, Cyril?¡±

    After saying that, Lady Sophia turned on her heel. I kept looking at Lady Sophia¡¯s back as she walked away with her hands sped behind her, when, suddenly, she looked over her shoulder.

    ¡°Cyril,e back quickly, alright?¡±

    This time Lady Sophia had left without further dy, leaving me with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

    Afterwards, I finally made my way to the practice room where Alicia and I were supposed to meet. It was a room that was primarily used for practicing dance and musical performances, so it had a brightly polished wooden floor.

    ¡°Since I have preparations to make, please wait for just a moment,¡± Alicia said.

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡®What does she need to prepare for?¡¯ I thought, tilting my head in confusion while politely bowing my head. Alicia, who disappeared into the preparation room together with Melissa, returned to the practice room soon after.

    When I caught sight of her, my eyes went wide.

    Vermillion.

    It was generally said that boys had a lower level of hue recognition when ites to the colour red than girls. Therefore, girls were more likely to like the colour vermillion, while boys tended to give it a wide berth.

    However, this vermillion was a gentle red that made whoever looked at it feel at ease.

    No, I didn¡¯t even care about the vermillion.

    More importantly, the issue was the clothes that Alicia was wearing. The fabric looked soft, and she had put on a vermillion coat over a white shirt. As for her lower body, she was wearing pants, also vermillion.

    No matter how I looked at it, I could only picture someone wearing a tracksuit jacket on top of a gym uniform.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, what are these clothes?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my gym uniform and a tracksuit jacket.¡±

    So it was that indeed¡­I stopped myself from saying.

    Ah, right, this was the world of Espressivo of Light and Darkness. The setting for this world was fundamentally the aristocratic society that existed a long time ago, but this one part of it had been reced with modern elements.

    The academy¡¯s school uniform was exactly like this.

    However, since the people attending the servant course were obviously working in their school uniforms, I hadpletely forgotten that tracksuit jackets were a thing that existed in this world.

    How should I put it¡­ Seeing a nobledy wearing a tracksuit jacket felt out of ce.

    ¡°Um, Cyril. Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of the sort. Thebination of your ck hair tinged with blue and the reddish colour of the jacket makes you reminiscent of the golden hour.1.¡±

    ¡°¡­Magical hour?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the one moment when the sun has just begun to sink and a boundary between day and night surges on the horizon.¡±

    The horizon dyed by the setting sun and the night, spreading across the sky. It was said to be the most beautiful time of the day. I joked that it looked just like Lady Alicia right at that moment, and her cheeks turned bright red.

    With this silly exchange, Alicia¡¯s nervousness melted away and I began her acting lesson.

    It was her first acting lesson, but a great deal of the basics were things that were part of the etiquette training as well. First, a review of the basics of one¡¯s bearing and manners. After that followed the vocal exercises.

    I praised and expanded on her strong points and gently pointed out her weak points, correcting them. After a short while, I noticed that Melissa was looking at me, as if astonished by something.

    ¡°¡­Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Up until now, I¡¯ve been present to Lady Alicia¡¯s lessons countless times, but this is the first time that I can clearly see results. So you being Lady Sophia¡¯s tutor was true!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, Melissa!¡±

    Alicia immediately interrupted Melissa, who was speaking rudely without a care.

    Me being Lady Sophia¡¯s tutor, was something said by Lady Sophia herself at the tea party. Therefore, connecting both their statements together, she was doubting Lady Sophia¡¯s words.

    My position as Lady Sophia¡¯s tutor was taken as a joke most of the time. Neither me nor my Lady would have gotten angry over something like this.

    However, Melissa, who was usually the one to admonish the reckless Alicia,was now being criticised by Alicia due to her improper words towards me.

    The rtionship between these two was a little funny.

    ¡°I deeply apologize, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about something like this. It is natural that calling a child like me a tutor would raise doubts.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well¡­ that might be so. Originally, in your case, I had doubts about whether or not you are truly twelve years old¡­ you aren¡¯t lying about your age, are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just as old as I look.¡±

    In the same fashion as I always did when someone asked me about this in the past, I muttered in my head: ¡®I did transmigrate, though.¡¯

    ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s continue Lady Alicia¡¯s acting lesson without further dy. While the foundation is, of course, important, for the performance at the cultural festival, perfecting it is equally essential2.¡±

    If we were to continue with these lessons, the foundation would always be important.

    However, what was essential to the youngdies was to give a performance that wouldn¡¯t embarrass them at the cultural festival. Since that was the case, I suggested that we should follow a lesson n specifically serving this purpose

    ¡°I understand. Then, I will attempt to perform now.¡±

    Standing in the middle of the practice room, Alicia ced her hand near her chest and began her performance.

    It seemed that she had properly memorized her lines, as I expected. Although she was holding the script in her hand, she only briefly nced at it at the beginning of the performance, and hadn¡¯t looked at it even once after that.

    However¡­ Alicia¡¯s performance was clearly that of an amateur. Lady Sophia, who briefly listened to my opinions and then showed me a perfect rendition of the game¡¯s viinous daughter, seemed to be the exception.

    As I thought about how practice was necessary in that regard and that for now, there was no helping it if she was unskilled, I read the prince¡¯s lines out loud.

    ¡°Elvira ordered her butler to hunt Aurelia down!¡±

    It was the scene in which Elvira and her butler¡¯s evil deeds were exposed during their trial.

    The prince presented arge amount of evidence, and convicted the viinous daughter. In this scene, the maid Karin testified that she had been together with herdy when she was attacked, however ¡ª

    ¡°Why are you so fixated on it happening like that!? Lady Sophia and Cyril wouldn¡¯t do such awful things, you have to thoroughly review the incident one more time!¡±

    For some unknown reason, Karin, or rather, Alicia, was enraged. These lines weren¡¯t performed in the same amateur way as the ones up until now had been. Instead, it was a realistic performance.

    ¡°No, um, Lady Alicia. This is a y. Although the roles of the viinous daughter and her butler are being yed by Lady Sophia and me, it¡¯s not like we are actually being judged.¡±

    ¡°Eh? ¡­Ah, th-that¡¯s right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She looked disheartened.

    It seemed that it wasn¡¯t a performance, and instead she had been truly angered.

    As we kept on going through the y from the beginning to the end, eventually, she wasn¡¯t able to concentrate any longer. I decided to tell Lady Alicia that we should take a break for now, and I went to prepare her some ck tea.

    In the corner of the practice room.

    Alicia, sitting on a chair, drank her ck tea and sighed in contentment.

    ¡°As expected, the ck tea you make is delicious, Cyril. Thanks to you, Melissa¡¯s ck tea has also be very delicious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honoured to have been of any help to you, Lady Alicia.¡±

    Being able to please someone was something that still made me happy. Thinking about this, I smiled, and Alicia let her gaze roam freely before she quickly averted her eyes.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°It-it¡¯s nothing. I wasn¡¯t startled by the strangely dazzling sight or anything like that3.¡±

    It was the same as an actual answer.

    However, it wasn¡¯t like I was using my magical powers. Alicia¡¯s teenage girl imagination4 was describing a non-existent light.

    ¡°By the way, what are your impressions about your first performance?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult. Somehow I can¡¯t rte to her.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t rte¡­ to Karin?¡±

    Alicia was a person that was used to being served. While it was a shame that she couldn¡¯t empathize with the feeling of devoting oneself to serve, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable once I considered the difference in their positions. That was what I thought, but then, Alicia tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°Since Melissa is always by my side, I do understand how Karin, who devoted herself to serving others, feels. It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t empathize with Aurelia.¡±

    ¡­Was shepletely refusing the role she herself was modelled after?

    There were differences between them, like me recing the Second Prince as the person she liked and Alicia pushing against her parents¡¯ opposition to enter the academy, which she wasn¡¯t supposed to attend until three yearster. Yet I still believed that their personalities weren¡¯t that different from each other.

    However, being unable to sympathize with the character she was modeled after was just too unexpected.

    ¡°However, I believe that Aurelia isn¡¯t two-faced, and she has a personality that makes everyone like her. Which part of her can you not sympathize with?¡±

    ¡°To begin with, I think that hercking a dark side is merely a pretense.¡±

    ¡°Is-is that so?¡±

    ¡°That is what I believe.¡±

    That- that was no good. A situation where onepletely disavowed the character they were modeled after¡­ that was just too bizarre. ¡®Are you pretending that you don¡¯t have a dark side?¡¯ I had trouble controlling my urge to ask Alicia this.

    ¡°Moreover, I cannot sympathize with the way she is stealing the prince from Elvira.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why is that?¡±

    Alicia was rather the type of person to determinedly and stubbornly push forward no matter the situation, just like her game character. After all, up until now, she asked me to dance at the party hall, and demanded for an exchange of partners, saying that she wanted to be my dance partner. Therefore, I was sure that she would have been able to empathize with Aurelia.

    ¡°After all, didn¡¯t Aurelia get close to Alfred by meeting up with him without Elvira¡¯s knowledge? I cannot forgive her for stealing someone¡¯s fiance in such a sly way.¡±

    This time, she was rejecting Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ main story line from its very core.

    No, well¡­ now that she mentioned it, it was exactly like that.

    However, it was necessary for Alicia to perform as Karin. For that reason as well, she needed to sympathize, or at least understand, Aurelia¡¯s thoughts. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to perform her role well.

    I thought about it for a while, and then decided to make her think about it as a situation that applied to her specifically.

    ¡°Then, if you were in the same situation, Lady Alicia, would you give up?¡±

    ¡°No, I definitely would not.¡±

    ¡°However, your beloved has a fianc¨¦e. If you won¡¯t give up, isn¡¯t it necessary for you to be prepared to steal one¡¯s beloved as well, just like Aurelia?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, I believe that it¡¯s necessary to be prepared to steal her beloved. However, that is why I believe that drawing the prince¡¯s attention slyly when Elvira is not present is cunning.¡±

    ¡°I see, I understand now.¡±

    Certainly, while Aurelia was proactively trying to draw the prince¡¯s attention, she never tried to interact with Elvira. Even though she knew that he had a fianc¨¦e, she kept on meeting up with the prince.

    In noble society, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it adultery.

    Thinking about it in this context, Aurelia was the one who seemed like the viin. No, more importantly, Alicia was also of the opinion that secretly meeting up with the prince when Elvira wasn¡¯t present was cunning. In other words, she was saying that she would rather challenge Elvira openly, winning her lover over in that way.

    Thinking back on it, Alicia had invited me to dance publicly, in front of everyone, with Lady Sophia by my side as well. Even if it was just a matter of being her temporary partner, she wouldn¡¯t have kept it a secret from my Lady.

    That was what it meant, didn¡¯t it?

    While I was harbouring these thoughts, Alicia, turning her gaze towards me, dered with a determined look on her face.

    ¡°I would challenge my rival fair and square,¡± she said.

    ¡®Please, don¡¯t challenge her, I¡¯m begging you,¡¯ I wasn¡¯t able to say, since it would have just brought me unnecessary trouble.

    Big thank you the person who donated 9 dors through the Foxaholic Ko-Fi to me for picking up the novel, I was all flustered!!! Thank you so much for your generosity!!<ol><li>author here uses the term Ä§·¨¤Î•rég ¨C magical time, witching hour. Because Cyril here actually means twilight, I decided to go with that, since it¡¯s not actually in the middle of the night like the witching hour and magical time sounds a bit strange in this context. </li><li>here Cyril uses Íê³É¶È ¨C level of perfection, level ofpletion. I hope my roundabout way of exining it keeps the core meaning in tact.</li><li>Cyril appeared to have been sparkling to Alicia probably in the same way flowers appear in a shoujo manga around the protagonist lol</li><li>actual term Cyril used was ¡®Alicia¡¯s otome filter¡¯ lol</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 10: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part 5

    ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re the youngdy from the birthday party?¡±

    In the middle of the practice room, His Highness Prince Alforth was saying Prince Alfred¡¯s lines.

    ¡°Yes, you remembered me!¡± I responded with Aurelia¡¯s line.

    ¡°Are you something I could forget? From the moment I firstid my eyes on you, there wasn¡¯t a single thing that I could possibly forget about you!¡±

    His Highness Prince Alforth¡¯s performance was fairly realistic. His feelings of love for Aurelia were getting across even to me, who was simply reading out the lines from the script.

    Excluding Fol, whose performance I hadn¡¯t seen, Lady Sophia was the most skilled one, followed by His Highness Prince Alforth. Then there was Alicia, who had seemed to hit a wall she couldn¡¯t get over.

    ¡°I have a fianc¨¦e that my parents have picked for me. However, Aurelia, you are infinitely more wonderful than my fianc¨¦e ¡ª there is no way that¡¯s the case!¡±

    <i>Huh!?</i>

    I raised my voice in a way unbing of a butler when faced with His Highness Prince Alforth¡¯s insanity.¡°Certainly, Lady Sophia is the one who is infinitely more wonderful! To think that Alfred prefers the heroine, is he an idiot?!¡±

    He was the second person topletely refuse the character modeled after him.

    ¡°Please calm down, Your Highness. Isn¡¯t the viinous daughter Elvira, not Lady Sophia?¡±

    Although the model for Elvira was Lady Sophia¡­ what aplicated situation!

    ¡°Whether she ys the role of the viinous daughter or not is irrelevant. Even if she was ying thug A, as long as Lady Sophia is the one performing, she is bound to be beautiful.¡±

    ¡­Hmmm.

    I felt that if it was Lady Sophia, she would perform a perfect thug, rendering everyone around her speechless.

    Nheless, it was likely that, if she were to speak threateningly using that beautiful voice of hers while pressing for an answer with those cold eyes, the performance would possess a destructive power. People might grow aware of certain things.

    ¡°While I understand how you feel, it will be troubling if you don¡¯t perform. Moreover, isn¡¯t Miss Fol beautiful as well?¡±

    ¡°Well, she certainly might be considered pretty, but I myself prefer¡­¡±

    Aah,e to think of it, wasn¡¯t she a cousin of his? Since only a limited number of people were aware of the fact, it would be better not to insist on the topic too much.

    However, even if it was just a performance, to have to abandon your first love and, on top of that, execute her, to end up marrying your own cousin seemed like it would be emotionally tough.

    I began to worry about whether or not His Highness Prince Alforth might fall into darkness.

    I continued with the individual training sessions in this manner and in the blink of an eye, one month had gone by.

    While, little by little, they were getting better, Alicia and His Highness Prince Alforth were still a problem. No matter what, their true feelings were always transparent. As expected, being unable to empathize with the characters hindered their performances. In order to undertake the necessary steps to solve this, I dropped by the Student Council room.

    Sitting behind her work desk at the office, Fol was using her wind flow magic, as she always did. Since it had gotten a lot warmer recently, it seemed to serve its purpose.

    While she kept herself cool with the magic she had casted, Fol¡¯s pen ran across the page in silence.

    I expected her to have been smiling like an innocent youngdy, but a long, lonely sigh spilled past her lips. She had said that she was writing her journal, but what on earth was she writing about with an expression like that?

    I was a little curious about it, but if you steal nces at a youngdy¡¯s journal, you shouldn¡¯tin even if you end up getting roasted in righteous hellfire. 1

    I called out to Fol, who hadn¡¯t noticed I was there.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. Although, to be exact, you invited me in, Miss Fol.¡±

    Fol herself had been the one who responded to my knock.

    I believed that she was the type of person who, once they were focusing on one thing, became unable to pay attention to their surroundings. However, that might not be the case. While writing her journal, she was also using her magic.

    And as such, while performing two tasks at once, her situational awareness would be a little scattered.

    ¡°By the way, Miss Fol this, Miss Fol2 that. How long do you n on calling me that?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Your Highness Fol.¡±3

    After instinctively obeying, I was met with a rather displeased face.

    ¡°I am a meremoner with connections to a certain Count¡¯s family, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    ¡°You did truly hide it very skillfully, but upon investigating a little further, I found out the truth right away.¡±

    ¡°You should only use the word skillfully if you were unable to find out, you know?¡±

    She seemed exasperated by something, and my use of the words ¡®hiding very skillfully¡¯ was just a mere pretense.

    If you were to investigate Fol at the Academy, no other information could be found besides her being amoner with a connection to a certain Count¡¯s family. However, if you were to investigate the royal family, you would happen upon the existence of an eldest daughter called Fol rather quickly.

    ¡°¡­sigh. Even if Iin about you finding out, there is nothing to be done about it now. And naturally, you have reported this to Miss Sophia as well, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t said anything about it to Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why not? Isn¡¯t it a butler¡¯s duty to report their observations to their master?¡±

    ¡°Because you seemed like you didn¡¯t want me to do that, Your Highness Fol. If it were necessary, I would have reported on it. However, I have concluded that it would be more beneficial to Lady Sophia if I didn¡¯t.¡±

    The reason why Fol lied about her social ss was her distaste of being served. Seeing the way she reacted to me addressing her as Your Highness Fol, that guess of mine had been correct.

    Perhaps if I were serving a thoughtless master, I would have reported on Fol being a member of the royal family, since it would have been necessary to advise them to not make any careless mistakes. However, I did not have to worry about such things with Lady Sophia.

    Since that was the case, I concluded that it would be better to not inform her about Fol¡¯s true identity, so that my Lady would be able to interact with her naturally.

    ¡°I see. So you have thought that far ahead. You¡¯re as brilliant as the rumours say.¡±

    ¡°While I¡¯m very ttered to hear that¡­ how should I address you from now on?¡±

    ¡°From now on, I want you to address me as you do with all your other student council peers. I wish for you to simply call me ¡¯Fol¡¯4.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. I will call you Fol from now on.¡±

    Perhaps my fast response was unexpected, because Fol blinked in surprise.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that. Seeing as you know about my true identity, I was certain that you would never grant my wish and address me like that.¡±

    ¡°You are a fellow Student Council member and friend of Lady Sophia, Fol. Since that is the case, it is natural for me to meet your demands, as long as they¡¯re in the realm of possibility.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡±

    With a vaguely happy expression on her face, Fol began to y with her hair. It was certain that being a part of the royal family meant that she faced heavy responsibilities day after day. In the same manner in which, from time to time, Lady Sophia exposed her true self, Fol also had to have things that she wanted to do to rx. Since I wanted for Fol to be a close friend of Lady Sophia¡¯s, it was only logical for me to meet her demands as well.

    ¡°¡­Ah, the conversation got side tracked, hasn¡¯t it? What business do you have with me?¡±

    ¡°I would like to report on the performance practice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. I haven¡¯t been able to join yet. Has everyone gotten together and began their rehearsing? How is it looking?¡±

    Prompted by Fol, I told her that there were no problems at all with Lady Sophia. However, I mentioned that Alicia and His Highness Prince Alforth weren¡¯t able to empathize with their roles and were having a hard time.

    ¡°Miss Alicia and His Highness Prince Alforth cannot empathize with their roles?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what they have told me.¡±

    The one who wrote the script was Fol¡¯s lecturer.

    Although that wasn¡¯t necessarily true.

    There was also the possibility that Fol was a transmigrator and had written the script herself. Whether or not that was the case, there were plenty of ways to test whether I was a transmigrator or not. Therefore, I tried to give as objective of a report as I could.

    However¡­

    ¡°Hm. Well, those two seem to be bad at expressing themselves without words or actions.¡±

    The answer I received back slightly missed the point. Having mentioned that the two of them cannot empathize with their roles, I specified that this was the reason for their poor performances.

    However, this was an exceedingly interesting response.

    They were the models for the characters of the y Espressivo of Light and Darkness. If Fol knew about it, she would have certainly felt great interest at the fact that they couldn¡¯t empathize with them. And yet, Fol epted the information regarding theirck of skill as if it was unsurprising. It was possible that, perhaps, Fol didn¡¯t know anything about Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    Whoever the transmigrator was, the question was what was their purpose in searching for other transmigrators. I couldn¡¯t feel any evil intent or hostilitying from Fol herself, but her so-called tutor might or might not be a good person.

    Until I knew her intentions, I had to be cautious.

    ¡°It would be better if we dealt with this promptly while there is still time.¡±

    I had been absorbed into my own thoughts, and these words pulled me back into the present. When I realized that she was speaking about Alicia and His Highness Prince Alforth¡¯s performances, I immediately agreed with her.

    Although I believed that, if we were to continue practicing as we had so far, they would improve to some extent, Lady Sophia¡¯s performance was just too good. If they were to stand on the same stage as her, His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia would, without a doubt, lose face.

    ¡°I also believe that it¡¯s necessary to deal with it somehow, which is why I am seeking out your counsel.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. If they cannot empathize with their roles, how about making them study them intensively?¡±

    ¡°Study their roles?¡°

    The words ¡®training camp¡¯ immediately sprung to my mind. In this world, although mild, there were all four seasons, and when temperatures began to go up, there would be a one week school holiday. However, as one would expect, it would be frowned upon if royalty and nobledies were to attend a training camp. As I was considering whether there might be some other way, Fol asked a question.

    ¡°I wonder, are not any appropriate training camp grounds anywhere?¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you intend on camping together to train?¡±

    ¡°If we all focus on it for a short period, they will learn how to get in character. It would be best if they became able to empathize with their roles, right?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, it is as you say, but would His Highness Prince Alforth be allowed to go to a training camp?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll persuade Prince Alforth¡¯s parents myself.¡±

    If Fol said that, it should mean that she was confident on being able to persuade the Empress and the Emperor. And as long as His Highness Prince Alforth agreed to it, there was no way that a mere Viscount would be able to refuse.

    The real problem might be Lady Sophia. However, unless something extraordinary happened, Master Grave wouldn¡¯t question Lady Sophia¡¯s actions. It was likely that he would give his permission if I were to check with him beforehand.

    ¡°As you wish. I will inform my Lady¡¯s father myself.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m d we could settle this quickly.¡±

    A somewhat relieved expression appeared on Fol¡¯s face. When I saw it, an unexpected thought came to me.

    ¡°Could I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Have you been avoiding interacting with others, Fol?¡±

    To some extent, she showed her willingness back when she epted Lady Sophia. In fact, not only did she agree to a y, it seemed as if she was actively trying to get involved with others.

    ¡°¡­How unkind of you. I was trying to avoid them at first, just like you said. However, given that I would have to interact with them either way, I thought that I would rather try to do so sincerely.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡±

    A list of reasons for her to try to avoid others came to mind, and I felt somewhat conflicting emotions.

    Personally, I had no issue with this development. However, I was conflicted, because I also had thought along the lines of ¡®there mighte a day when she might be resented by Lady Sophia.¡¯

    ¡°Then, what do you think would be a good ce to have our camp?¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡­ me see¡­¡±

    Right away, I remembered an event that urred on Libert¡¯s route.

    Alicia fell in love with Libert, but Viscount Lindberg was against it, so he locked her up in the mansion. She was then forced to quit the Academy and she couldn¡¯t see Libert ever again. Or at least, she wasn¡¯t supposed to.

    Here came Melissa, working behind the scenes. She slipped out of the mansion and informed Libert regarding Alicia¡¯s situation. Upon hearing this, Libert marched right up to Viscount Lindberg himself.

    Finally moved by Libert¡¯s passion, Viscount Lindberg presented him with a condition. As long as he acquired the knowledge required for the groom of a Viscount¡¯s daughter, Lord Lindberg would consent to their marriage.

    In order to acquire his education, Libert, together with Alicia, went to a certain summer residence and a training camp took ce there.

    It had outstanding facilities and it wasn¡¯t too far from the Academy either.

    However, this world¡¯s me shouldn¡¯t know about the existence of such a ce. If I were to mention it, I would end up being identified as a transmigrator.

    If I wanted to y it safe, I would have to suggest Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s summer residence.

    However ¡ª

    ¡°How about asking Master Libert?¡±

    I deliberately chose the dangerous option.

    ¡°¡­Libert. You want to ask the leader of themoner¡¯s faction for help?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We reconciled with themoner¡¯s faction at thest tea party. However, I think that it is still not enough. Why don¡¯t we use this opportunity to strengthen that rtionship even further?¡±

    While His Highness Prince Alforth and Lady Sophia were affiliated with the Student Council, the training camp would take ce in one of Libert¡¯s summer residences. That would disy that the rtionship we had with themoner''s faction was good.

    If I hadn¡¯t known of Espressivo of Light and Darkness, I still wouldn¡¯t have let a chance like this pass by. Which was the reason I would have intentionally proposed approaching Libert about this.

    Fol watched my face without moving¡­ and then, she finally nodded minutely.

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s not a bad suggestion. In that case, I¡¯ll entrust the negotiations with Libert to you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Again, a big thank you to the people who donated to my Kofi, I really really appreciate it! And also thank you for all your lovelyments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!<ol><li>Meaning, that you¡¯ll receive a great deal of pain and suffering for your own evil deeds.</li><li>Cyril uses ¥Õ¥©¥ë¤µ¤ó ¨C ¡®Fol-san¡¯ as opposed to ‹Ý˜” ¨C ¡®jousama¡¯ which he uses for Sophia.</li><li> It¡¯s a bit tricky here, because Cyril uses ¥·©`¥Ë¥¢µîÏÂ- ¡®senior highness¡¯. It means that she¡¯s the eldest of her siblings, but it doesn¡¯t have a natural trantion into English. </li><li>More precisely, she says to call her ¥Õ¥©¥ëÏÈÝ… ¨C ¡®Fol-senpai¡¯, however I do not think there is a natural way to trante that into English besides just using her name.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 11: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Part 6

    It was the first day of the week-long holiday. I was being jostled around in a horse carriage along with Lady Sophia. We were headed towards a harbor town that was a short distance away from the capital, where Libert¡¯s parents owned a residence. After consulting with Libert, he lent us the summer residence so that we could use it for our training camp.

    After we arrived there, all at once the servants came out to greet us. Since every household would be bringing several of their own servants as well, I had said that it would be good to keep the number of staff at the mansion at the lowest possible level, but, as expected, it didn¡¯t look like this request had been carried out.

    A prince and the daughter of a Marquis would be staying there. Without a doubt, when they realized who wasing it must have been a great shock to them. Thinking back on it, I felt like, when I asked Libert for this favour, he had a faraway look on his face.

    ¡°It is a somewhat amazing wee, isn¡¯t it? Could we have ended up burdening them greatly?¡±

    For a low ss nobledy, it was probably more than enough hospitality. After saying this, a little bit of guilt surfaced in Alicia¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that we are a burden for them, but it is not something you need to worry about. Sir Libert¡¯s parents must be gaining a great amount of fame because of this event.¡±

    Theoretically, if someone like Alicia, a daughter of a Viscount, were to simply stop by, that would already have been a great honour by itself. After this event, it would be acknowledged that Libert¡¯s parents had connections to the royal family and the aristocracy.

    It would certainly be an impulse for the time when they would start selling the cr¨ºpes.

    ¡°It is exactly as you say. Your Highness Prince Alforth, Lady Sophia, Lady Alicia, everyone. I would like to use this asion to sincerely thank you for choosing Lacourt Company¡¯s summer retreat as the location of your training camp.¡±A level headed middle aged man politely bowed his head. This was possibly the Lacourt Company¡¯s president. In other words, it seemed that he was Libert¡¯s father. After he expressed his thanks in regards to the crepes matter, he concluded his wee by telling us to make ourselves at home.

    In response, His Highness Prince Alforth took a step forward.

    ¡°I am very thankful to you for agreeing to our sudden request. By the way, will you be staying in this mansion as well?¡±

    ¡°No, I would never do such a tactless thing. I will be staying at a secondary residence nearby, so, if anything were to happen, please do not hesitate to inform me about it.¡±

    If we were ordinary businessmen, he might have wanted to pursue a closer rtionship with us1.

    However, since our n was to practise a y, him staying close would be an inconvenience. Having understood that, he merely greeted us and promised to aid us, letting us know that he wouldn¡¯t get in the way.

    His approach of drawing back rather than giving in to greed in order to gain poprity was likeable. If he was in charge of thepany that would be selling the cr¨ºpes, it would definitely achieve good results.

    After that, we made our way into the mansion that was under the Lacourt Company¡¯s management. With the guidance of the residence¡¯s staff, the servants of each household went off to make all sorts of preparations. In theory, I was supposed to do the same, but at the moment I was not only a member of the Student Council, but also the Student Council¡¯s acting teacher.

    I entrusted the task of carrying my Lady¡¯s luggage to the other servants and I turned to look at the mansion¡¯s interior.

    Although it was a house built near the coast, each nook and cranny was thoroughly tended to. Even though I had only seen a part of it, it was enough to determine that the mansion reached the standards of a household meant for lower ss nobility.

    When it came to social status, argepany and lower ss aristocracy were on equal footing.

    Saying so might sound blunt. However, Alicia¡¯s father agreeing to their marriage in Libert¡¯s route had nothing to do with being moved by their true love.

    In other words, with wings of love, one might be able to leap over a stone wall, but it was impossible to leap over the wall of ¡®social status¡¯.

    I watched my Lady being waited on by the staff, and I squeezed my hand into a fist.

    Why did I think of this now?

    As Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, I was merely granting her wishes.

    First off ¨C the y.

    Therefore, it was necessary to give His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia guidance on their performance.

    ¡°Your Highness Prince Alforth, Lady Alicia. Once you¡¯ve put away your luggage, pleasee to the practice room. We¡¯ll begin with the character study immediately.¡±

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re going to start practising right away, even though we¡¯ve just arrived after traveling in a horse carriage?¡±

    The one raising this question wasn¡¯t Alforth nor Alicia, but Lady Sophia.

    ¡°If you are feeling exhausted, we can certainly wait. However-¡±

    I shifted my gaze to His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia. Although it could be said that their performance had improved,pared to Lady Sophia, there was a marked difference.

    Since there was no one else topare them to, theparison to Lady Sophia was inevitable. With that being the case, they would most likely go through the same unpleasant experience as Raymond¡¯s group had at the weing party for the new students.2

    Even if we only managed to practise for a short while, the entire purpose of practicing in the first ce was to make sure the two of them wouldn¡¯tpare unfavourably to Lady Sophia.

    I didn¡¯t have to mention any of these harsh truths, as the two of them understood. Replying that they would get ready immediately, they made their way to their assigned rooms.

    I myself put away my hand luggage in my room and headed to the practice room straight away.

    Just like in the academy, the practice room was a wide room with a wooden floor. I didn¡¯t have to wait for long before His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia arrived, both wearing their gym clothes and tracksuit jackets.

    First off, we did a light enunciation exercise.

    Soon after, Lady Sophia and Fol showed up. Because today we were going to have a joint-practice, Lady Sophia and Fol were wearing their tracksuit jackets as well.

    ¡­Lady Sophia wearing a tracksuit jacket.

    The rumours saying Lady Sophia was as beautiful as a saintess weren¡¯t just rumours. The high ss aristocratic young Lady that resembled a red rose in full bloom was standing there donning a simple tracksuit jacket.

    How should I put it¡­ It was incredibly unnatural.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ could it be that it doesn¡¯t suit me?¡±

    ¡°No matter what clothing you might put on, my Lady, they would never dull your beauty.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite the smooth talker, Cyril.¡±

    She chuckled.

    My attempt to avoid answering directly whether the tracksuit suited my Lady or not had been seen through. However, it was true that I couldn¡¯t stop finding the sight of my Lady wearing a tracksuit ufortable.

    Although there was a warmth of sorts radiating from her, different from her usual poise as a young Lady.

    Either way, we went on to practice.

    To begin with, we started with His Highness Prince Alforth¡¯s and Alicia¡¯s characterization. In order for them to empathize with their roles, we carried out a joint rehearse with the rest of the cast.

    First up was the scene in which the heroine and the disguised prince meet.

    The heroine, who was being harassed by a high ss noble, was saved by the prince in disguise. Despite Prince Alforth remaining a little awkward throughout, he stepped in to save Fol, who was ying the role of Aurelia.

    And then-

    ¡°Um¡­ Thank you, for-for saving me¡­¡±

    Fol faintly blushed, bashful in the way a young girl in love would be. Just with this one line, she turned the cast into the audience. Her previous performance, which I had gotten only a glimpse of, was notparable to the power of her performance just now. She might possibly be better than Lady Sophia.

    However, that was precisely why-

    ¡°No need to thank me. I am d to have been able to protect the smile of ady as beautiful as a rose.¡±

    His response had no inflection. His Highness Prince Alforth¡¯s rendition of the prince couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Fol¡¯s performance. However, I would feel awful if I were to criticise him for it. In the course of one month, Prince Alforth¡¯s performance had improved greatly. Moreover, since Fol was exceptionally skilled, he had ended up looking even worse inparison.

    I didn¡¯t think that Fol¡¯s performance would be at such a high level.

    At this rate, not only would His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia lose face, it was likely that both Fol and Lady Sophia would get criticized as well, for going on with the y.

    It was also impossible to ask Lady Sophia and Fol to perform poorly on purpose, and, since word had already spread about the Student Council¡¯s y, cancelling it wasn¡¯t an option either.

    His Highness Prince Alforth would have to acquire enough skill, so that the power of his performance could match Fol¡¯s. Just as I was thinking of what to do, their performance ended.

    ¡°Prince Alforth, could it be that, for your performance, you had Cyril¡¯s mannerisms in mind?¡±

    The one who unexpectedly spoke up was Lady Sophia. As I titled my head in puzzlement hearing my name suddenlye up, His Highness Prince Alforth confirmed her suspicions.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your perception is truly exceptional, Miss Sophia.¡±

    I was thinking that it was a somewhat pretentious performance but¡­ he was copying me? More importantly, was this how I looked in Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes?

    ¡­From now on, I should pay more attention to my words and behaviour.

    ¡°I do not think you have to force yourself to mimic someone else. Wouldn¡¯t it be best if you yed the lovestruck prince in your own way?¡±

    ¡°In my own way¡­?¡±

    While I was busy self-reflecting, their conversation continued. Although it was only for a y, how must it feel to hear your beloved talk about loving another girl?

    I was thinking along these lines, but it seemed as if Prince Alforth had something in mind. With an earnest expression, he looked to be deep in thought.

    It seemed that I could leave Prince Alforth in Lady Sophia¡¯s hands. Having concluded that, I faced Alicia and Fol.

    ¡°While the two of them are talking, let¡¯s rehearse a scene with the heroine and the maid together.¡±

    The maid, yed by Alicia, was supposed to support the heroine, who felt troubled by the knowledge of the prince being already engaged. However, Alicia said that she didn¡¯t want to support her.

    Despite my best efforts, her performance continued to ooze with this sentiment.

    ¡°¡­Miss Alicia, you¡¯re a very honest person, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Fol, having finished her scene, turned to Alicia and smiled at her like one would when faced with an adorable child.

    ¡°You think that I¡¯m very honest? Why is that?¡±

    ¡°You feel disdain towards your own character, who directs the heroine to go on secret dates with a prince that already has a fiance¨¦, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°¡­How did you-¡±

    ¡°I could tell by watching your performance.¡±

    Fol stated it in such a way that made it seem like a matter of course. However, she had already heard that Alicia wasn¡¯t able to empathize with the heroine from me. Evidently, it was a trick. It wasn¡¯t a reason enough for me to get in the way of Fol instructing Alicia, though. I decided to maintain my distance and watch over their conversation from the side.

    Fol told her to put emphasis on her position as a maid, rather on whether she agreed with the heroine¡¯s actions or not. It was precisely because she loved her Lady dearly that the maid wanted to support her, even if it was wrong. However, it seemed like Alicia didn¡¯t ept this point of view either.

    ¡­By the way, was Espressivo of Light and Darkness that kind of story?

    I did pity the viinous daughter, who was troubled due to her home environment, but I never once considered that the heroine winning over the prince¡¯s love was incorrect.

    Oh, I see.

    From the yer¡¯s point of view, the prince was fed up with the fianc¨¦e his parents had chosen for him. Therefore, after being bound together by a dramatic meeting, his rtionship with the heroine was perceived as true love.

    However, in this world, a marriage of convenience was a matter of fact. Since your parents were the ones who decided who your partner should be, just the thought of going against them in order to marry the person you truly love was strange in itself.

    That being the case¡­

    ¡°Lady Alicia. How about you try thinking about it this way? Aurelia definitely is aware of basic social rules. Therefore, she has a guilty conscience.¡±

    ¡°She has a guilty conscience as well?¡±

    I nodded in agreement to Alicia¡¯s question.

    Perhaps the power of her performancey in this itself. As the daughter of a noble, she had been properly educated, ensuring that she would improve faster than an ordinary person who didn¡¯t have a chance to learn.

    What was making her performance mediocre was the fact that she couldn¡¯t empathize with her role. That being the case, the best approach would be to guide her thought process so that she would be able to empathize with her own role and the heroine.

    ¡°Aurelia regrly meets up with the already engaged Prince and she makes him fall in love with her. That is definitely notmendable behaviour. Wouldn¡¯t she be feeling guilty about it?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that, as long as she feels guilty, whatever she does is eptable?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. Don¡®t you think that the reason why she resolves to meet the prince in secret is precisely because of her feelings of guilt and love shing with each other?¡±

    Even if I might have said this, in the original work, there was no indication of this conflict at all. However, unlike in the original work, this script didn¡¯t go into details. It was possible to interpret it as Aurelia deciding to meet the prince in secret, as a result of the conflict between her guilt and her love.

    ¡°It might be a forbidden love. However, if she¡¯s going as far as to not give up on a love like that, doesn¡¯t that mean that it¡¯s definitely true love? Moreover, if she were to give up at that point, she wouldn¡¯t be able to-¡±

    ¡®-fulfill her own desires.¡¯ Unconsciously I shut my mouth before I could say it out loud. It was because I noticed that Lady Sophia was looking our way, seemingly wanting to say something.

    I wonder what happened¡­ oh.

    That¡¯s right. My words that were directing Alicia to empathize with the heroine were synonymous to me telling Alicia that she didn¡¯t have to hold back for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake, unlocking her shackles.

    At the moment, it was the same as if I was telling her:

    ¡®Don¡¯t hold back because of Lady Sophia, and feel free to use any means to court me.¡¯

    I took an oath to stay by Lady Sophia¡¯s side and protect her. I had no intention of breaking that promise. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t return Alicia¡¯s feelings. It would have been a lie to say that encouraging her, knowing that I didn¡¯t intend to return her feelings, didn¡¯t make me feel guilty.

    On top of that, there was the matter of igniting the mes of jealousy in Lady Sophia as well.3 I might end up causing a crisis that could bring forth her fall into darkness. If that were the case, the one who would feel the most distressed would be without a doubt me.

    However, despite that-

    ¡°If you only ever think of your opponents¡¯ feelings, you will end up regretting it someday.¡±

    I spoke the words that would unlock Alicia¡¯s shackles. I said it because I thought that, for my Lady, it was necessary for me to turn the y into sess.

    After hearing my words, Alicia appeared to be mulling something over for a while. However, without responding to me, she asked:

    ¡°Can we try to do the scene one more time, please?¡± and resumed her joint rehearsal with Fol.

    The maid Alicia was ying supported the heroine¡¯s love. While her performance hadn¡¯t drastically changed,pared to her previous attempt, it seemed to be slightly different. It appeared that my words were able to change her mindset, if only just a little bit.

    In the end, we ended up rehearsing together until evening that day. After that, we all had a meal and returned to each of our assigned rooms. However, I sneaked out of my room and made my way to the sandy beach that was visible from the residence.

    There was no artificial lighting at the seashore, and the sand beach was drenched in starlight. While I had seen the ocean in my previous life, in this world I was seeing it for the first time that day. The sea was illuminated by the starlight, but it looked like it was faintly glowing.

    Carefully listening to the ebb and flow of the waves, I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. The sound of the firm stepsnding evenly on the sand came, and just by hearing the sound alone, I realized who the footsteps belonged to.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia, what made youe here without an escort?¡±

    While the beach in this area was a private beach owned by the Lacourt Company, I could not say that it was definitely safe. As I was turning around, I admonished her: ¡°Please, at least bring an escort with you.¡±

    ¡°My escort left me and went out for a walk.¡±

    I was about to crack a joke and say: ¡®Oh my, how rude of me.¡¯ However, I wasn¡¯t able to say these words out loud. It was because, when I turned around, I caught sight of my Lady, standing ahead of me, covered in moonlight and glowing.

    Lady Sophia was dressed in a pure white dress. The one standing there wasn¡¯t the daughter of a Marquis, it was a regr young girl.

    ¡­No, regr girls didn¡¯t glow under the moonlight. Seeing her like this, anyone would agree with calling her the saintess of the aristocratic world.

    ¡°Is something the matter, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, my Lady. You looked so charming that I had lost my voice.¡±

    ¡°Eh?! E-even if you say things like that, you won¡¯t trick me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Trick you?¡±

    ¡°The things you said to Miss Alicia during our practice. Cyril, surely you must be aware of Miss Alicia¡¯s feelings. And yet, you told her such things¡­¡±

    She pierced me with a look that seemed to ask: ¡®Do you want to be courted by Miss Alicia?¡¯

    ¡­So it turns out, it wasn¡¯t the reflection of the twinkling stars. My Lady didn¡¯t just <i>appear</i> to be glowing with starlight, she was actually faintly glowing due to the magic she was releasing around her.

    She wasn¡¯t letting her magical powers go wild in anger. Instead, she was skillfully releasing her saturated magical powers outside of her body.

    ¡­My Lady had grown up.

    Wait, this wasn¡¯t the time to be impressed.

    ¡°Answer me, Cyril. Why did you-¡±

    ¡°Because I am your exclusive butler, my Lady.¡±

    I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. Therefore, I could never return Alicia¡¯s feelings. Despite this, I have said things that could encourage Alicia to act upon them.

    I must have been a cruel man in Alicia¡¯s eyes.

    However, I had to guide Alicia into empathizing with her role. It was necessary in order to make the y a sess, which in turn was necessary to fulfill Lady Sophia¡¯s goals.

    What I wished for, more than anything, was Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness.

    Of course, I would have never exposed my true feelings.

    However-

    Hearing Lady Sophia¡¯s awkwardugh, it was possible that Lady Sophia had understood what I left unsaid.

    Only, I wasn¡¯t able to confirm this.

    Pushing through the sound of the waves, another set of footsteps approached. When I turned my gaze towards it, it turned out to be Fol walking towards us. She was dressed in casual clothes, just like Lady Sophia, and, with her hair fluttering in the night wind, she waved her hand.

    ¡°Why did youe here as well, Fol?¡±

    ¡°¨C!?¡±

    For some reason, Lady Sophia, who was standing next to me, was shaking.

    ¡­Ah, that¡¯s right. It was the first time I called her ¡®Fol¡¯ in front of Lady Sophia, wasn¡¯t it?

    For some reason, my Lady was muttering things like: ¡±Fol¡­ But she¡¯s in the same year as me¡­ without the honorific¡­?¡± However, it was impossible for me to stop using honorifics when addressing Lady Sophia, so please, my Lady, give up on that thought.

    After she had grumbled out her inner feelings in this manner, she turned her attention back to Fol.

    ¡°I heard that the two of you were missing, so I got worried and came out to find you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, we have caused you to worry.¡±

    I suggested that we should slowly head back, but Fol stopped us in our tracks by saying ¡®Wait a moment¡¯.

    ¡°I have to tell you something, Miss Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    Lady Sophia put herself on guard because of Fol¡¯s formal stance.

    However-

    ¡°I apologize for saying those incendiary things back then.¡±

    She bowed her head deeply. I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight. One might think that bowing your head when you¡¯ve done something wrong is natural. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Fol ¨C she was the eldest daughter of her generation in the royal family. Yet now she was bowing her head because of a trivial conversation.

    A royal family member admitting their wrongdoings meant exposing their weakness. His Highness Prince Alforth was prone to readily bowing his head, but, normally, one would not bow their head unless it was something serious. There was no way a top student like Fol wasn¡¯t aware of this. And despite that, she was bowing her head.

    Lady Sophia didn¡¯t understand the weight behind Fol¡¯s apology. But even if Fol was a meremoner, Lady Sophia¡¯s response wouldn¡¯t change. My Lady¡¯s profile, illuminated by starlight, was full of kindness.

    ¡°You must have had a reason for saying what you said, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t think that I would have to get involved with others, and especially not with you. Even now, I am still a little hesitant. I wonder if, perhaps, it might have been a mistake to do so.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think of it that way?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I cannot tell you yet. Nevertheless, I shouldn¡¯t have said those things to you. I am truly remorseful about that.

    ¡°Therefore, I apologize.¡± She bowed her head one more time.

    ¡°I said it at the time as well, but I do not mind. I believe that your words didn¡¯t represent your true feelings. So, please raise your head¡­ Fol.4

    Lady Sophia called her Fol. It didn¡¯t just show that she didn¡¯t care about what happened before, but that she also recognized Fol as one of her friends. Fol must have understood that. When Fol raised her head, her eyes were open wide.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Sophia.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®Miss¡¯ either. Could you just call me ¡®Sophia¡¯?¡¯¡±

    This time, it was Fol¡¯s breath that got caught in her throat. Lady Sophia didn¡¯t know that Fol was a royal. She believed that Fol was amoner who had the support of a Count family. She allowed thismoner girl to call her without an honorific. This was as umon as was Lady Sophia calling her Fol.

    Fol looked a little misty-eyed, overwhelmed with emotion. However, she wiped her eyes with her fingers and smiled radiantly. Illuminated by the moonlight, she was as beautiful as a fairy.

    ¡°So¡­ Just ¡®Sophia¡¯ is fine?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Fol.¡±

    Lady Sophia smiled like an innocent little girl. At this moment, a friendship between the daughter of a Marquis and amoner ¨C which was actually a friendship between the daughter of a Marquis and a royal ¨C was formed.

    Lady Sophia was the daughter of a Marquis household. While she showed kindness to the people of lower social standing, she didn¡¯t ept coddling from those of higher social standing either. Simrly to Alicia, there were people attracted to Lady Sophia, but they were somewhat reserved towards her<b>. </b>However, Fol was different. She was the same type of person as Lady Sophia, too. Which was precisely why Fol, while hiding her social status, could be Lady Sophia¡¯s friend.

    Just as I was hoping, after this turning point, the two of them quickly became good friends. When these two, who seemed to be on the same wavelength from the start, worked together and helped out His Highness Prince Alforth or Alicia with their performance, anyone would think that they had been friends for years.

    Going to the training camp waspletely worth it just for that alone.

    Convinced of that, we got to thest day of the training camp.

    On the veryst rehearsal ¨C Fol copsed.

    I would like to thank everyone who donated to me through the Foxaholic Ko-fi or directly to my Ko-fi ount, I treasure you all and am very grateful for your generosity!! <3 <3 Since one person asked if I could update faster, I want to exin that my editor and I try our best to deliver a chapter that''s fun to read and tranted well and the process can take more time than it might seem at first. Hopefully the more experienced I get as a trantor, the faster I will be able to post new chapters, so please bear with me! I hope you will enjoy this long chapter the author had prepared for us! I will try to publish the next chapter again on a Tuesday next week, but since both me and my editor will be taking a few days off to be with our families for the holidays, there might be a dy. I''ll see what I can do tho! :> Happy Holidays!<ol><li>This term literally means to be rted (through marriage or adoption) or bing close to Buddha, so I chose a somewhat vaguer way to express that.</li><li>To refresh your memory, Cyril is referring to volume one, when Raymond group¡¯s work waspared to Cyril¡¯s group¡¯s work and their skills seemed to be worse than they were, because they werepared to someone as exceptional as Cyril. </li><li>Literally Ÿ†¤­ïž¤òŸ†¤«¤»¤ë¡®I would make her roast a roasted rice cake.¡¯ The roasted rice cake is used as a synonym for jealousy and the verb itself can also take the meaning of ¡®being jealous¡¯. So really, it¡¯s just a very interesting way to say that she would be really jealous.</li><li>Sophia says ¥Õ¥©¥ëÏÈÝ… ¨C ¡®Fol-senpai¡¯ rather than her usual ¡®Fol-san¡¯. </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 12: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 1

    As a result of the training camp, Lady Sophia was able to enhance her threatening aura as a viinous daughter. While His Highness Prince Alforth and Alicia still retained a little bit of their stiffness they certainly grew as actors nheless.

    The results of the consecutive rehearsals became certainly apparent.

    However, Fol, whose presence wasn¡¯t inferior to that of Lady Sophia in the slightest, had been acting a little strange since that morning. She looked a little absentminded all day and her face was flushed red. It was obvious that she wasn¡¯t feeling alright, but she would tell everyone who showed concern that she was fine, and kept on rehearsing since morning.

    And then-

    ¡°Fol?!¡±

    Lady Sophia was acting as Fol¡¯s rehearsal partner, when her scream echoed in the training room. At the same time, Fol¡¯s upper body nted forward. Her pink gold hair fluttered in the air, and she came close to copsing onto the wooden floor.

    In the nick of time, I caught her in my arms.

    I managed to make it in time because I was on my guard, thinking that something like this might happen at any moment. I prevented her from mming into the wooden floor, but the body of the princess in my arms was limp. It was clear that the reason for her copse wasn¡¯t something as simple as her foot slipping or anything of the sort.

    Iid her down on a nearby sofa and checked her pulse. It was a little fast, but considering that she had just been rehearsing, it wasn¡¯t at a level that might be considered abnormal. The only abnormal thing was that, at the moment, her blue pupils had a tinge of red to them.She was suffering magic saturation caused by the magical power overcharge illness.

    However, it was unlikely that the overcharge illness caused her copse.. The trigger was clearly her bad physical shape. As I was thinking that there had to have been another reason for it, Fol¡¯s maid, Lea, rushed over.

    Since she was clutching a pill in her hand, I promptly made room for her.

    ¡°My Lady, your medicine.¡±

    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡±

    Fol put the offered pill into her mouth. Even though there was no water, she let out a grunt from her white throat and swallowed it down. Without a doubt, she was used to swallowing medicine like this. However, it shouldn¡¯t be necessary to use medicine for magical overcharge illness.

    ¡°Is Fol¡­ sick?¡±

    Lady Sophia asked Lea, as if she represented what we were all thinking.

    ¡°I am very sorry, but I cannot¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t mind¡­ so¡­ tell¡­ them.¡±

    Fol muttered a few words with her eyes closed.

    Lea, having received permission, nodded.

    ¡°First, I¡¯ll put my Lady to bed, so if you could wait in the living room, please.¡±

    She held up Fol in her arms and left the training room. After seeing that, we moved over to the living room like we were told to, but the atmosphere while we were waiting was heavy. From Fol and Lea¡¯s conversation, we sensed that it was something serious, so this unpleasant sense of foreboding was quite fitting.

    When she came back, Lea informed us that Fol was suffering from a deathly illness.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Just who was it that let out this choked out voice? Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes opened wide, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. In these past few days, she had quickly be closer to Fol. Despair revealed itself in her eyes, which were tinted red.

    Since both Alicia and Prince Alforth also had a simr reaction, it seemed that Fol hadn¡¯t even told her own cousin that she was sick.

    I was the only one who retained hisposure, since I had already taken this possibility into ount.

    Therefore-

    ¡°What kind of affliction is this deathly illness?¡±

    I was overstepping my bounds as butler by inquiring into her private matters.

    However, Lea shook her head apologetically.

    ¡°Forgive me, but I cannot give you the name of the illness. I can only tell you that it¡¯s a fatal disease that currently has no treatment. However, it¡¯s not contagious.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is¡­ that so.¡±

    Among illnesses, there were some types that were seen with a lot of prejudice. For example, magical overcharge illness was one of them. Although it was an incurable illness, it wasn¡¯t a fatal one. However, it was also known to be an illness that rendered its sufferers mentally unstable. If it was a fatal illness that was also frowned upon, it was natural that they would want to hide its name. At any rate, if I were to question Lea any further, I would just be putting her on the spot.

    ¡°¡­I understand. Then, can you tell me anything about her condition?¡±

    It was a roundabout way of asking how much time she had left. Lea squeezed her lips tightly upon hearing my tactless question. However, neither Prince Alforth, Alicia, nor, as it could have been expected, Lady Sophia, had interjected. They probably also wanted to know the answer.

    ¡°ording to the doctor, it might be difficult for her to graduate junior high.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s breath caught in their throats. Fol was a third-year student, and it was summer right now. While mild, the four seasons did exist in this world. So what Lea was telling us was the unavoidable truth that Fol only had about half a year of life left.

    I turned my gaze to Lady Sophia, concerned about her. Her eyes were full of sorrow.

    No wonder. They became close not that long ago¡­ no, it was precisely because they had just be close that she had learned about strong friendships with a peer for the first time. Having heard that this friend wouldn¡¯t be alive for much longer, it was natural to get depressed.

    In the end, the training camp ended that day without us possibly being able to rehearse properly. Fol was picked up by a horse carriage that came for her, and was already on her way home. And so, each of us went home in our own carriages.

    On our way home from the training camp, Rouch¨¦ and I were getting shaken around in the same carriage as Lady Sophia. However, today, I wasn¡¯t the only one not talking, which was normal, but neither did Rouch¨¦, the maid. It was because of Lady Sophia, sitting next to me, who was sorrowfully gazing out of the window.

    Because of this matter, a deep sorrow had arisen in Lady Sophia¡¯s heart. The thoughts that were troubling me weren¡¯t ¡®It would have been better if I had persuaded Lady Sophia to give up on joining the student council, just as Fol had said.¡¯

    I had predicted that Fol¡¯s rejection towards others was because she didn¡¯t have a long future ahead of her. Moreover, I had also concluded that Lady Sophia¡¯s meeting with Fol would be an asset to my Lady.

    However, I had miscalcted.

    Observing Fol¡¯s health, I had believed that the possibility of her condition being serious was low. I thought that, most likely, she might end up leaving to a far away ce in a few years due to an arranged marriage, or that she would be sent to the countryside to recuperate.

    Having only half a year of life left was the worst case scenario among my conjectures.

    ¡°Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Lady?¡±

    I responded to her call, but Lady Sophia remained silent. Just with this exchange, I could guess what my Lady wanted to say. Therefore, it would be necessary to deny it ahead of time.

    ¡°Regretfully, it appears that, even with the power of Marquis Rosenberg, it is not possible to cure her illness.¡±

    ¡°How can that be? She is amoner who merely has the backing of a Count, right? Since that is the case, isn¡¯t it possible that she just didn¡¯t have ess to state of the art treatment?¡±

    ¡°That might have been the case, if she truly was just amoner with the backing of a Count.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is she not?¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t. Her true name is Eldest Heiress Fol1. She belongs to the country¡¯s royal family.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You knew¡­ and kept quiet about it?¡± Lady Sophia¡¯s pupils trembled. She must have believed that I wouldn¡¯t hide anything from her.

    ¡°Yes, I knew. I was certain that she was a member of the royal family, and I had also guessed that she might be leaving soon. Moreover,I kept it all a secret from you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Why did you keep it a secret?¡±

    ¡°¡­Well.¡±

    Immediately, I became unable to answer. I was supposed to be prepared for this question, and yet, I grew anxious, afraid that I might get berated by my Lady. Nheless, those were the consequences of my choices.

    ¡°I kept it a secret because I thought it would be better for you, my Lady. If you had known about her social standing and her situation, you might have felt it necessary to prioritize being considerate of her.¡±

    Both Fol and Lady Sophia were girls who were able to treat those of a lower social ss kindly. But, at the same time, they were nobles who weren¡¯t able to forget to respect those of a higher social ss.

    Alicia was a good example of that.

    Due to Alicia¡¯s interest in me, they had some issues when trying to get along, but their personal affinity was pretty good. However, the difference between their social standing created some reservations between them. While they were still friends that got along, I would find it difficult to say that they were close.

    However, Lady Sophia called Fol by her name2 and was fond of her. Had she known about Fol¡¯s social status and her circumstances, she most likely wouldn¡¯t have called her simply Fol.

    That was the reason why I kept quiet about Fol¡¯s lineage.

    However-

    ¡°Originally, I wanted to tell you, my Lady. Keeping quiet about it was my own decision. That is why I am prepared to ept any punishment.¡±

    I bowed my head deeply.

    ¡®There was nothing to be done. If she resented me, or if I were told off, I wouldn''t be in a position to voice anyints.¡¯ Despite thinking along these lines, my Lady¡¯s voice, calm yet brimming with sadness, let out these words: ¡°Raise your head.

    ¡°It was certainly a shock. However, you always have my wellbeing in mind, Cyril. I do not doubt that at this point.¡±

    Without a doubt, this meant that my selfish decision had been forgiven.

    There was not even a speck of gloom in her amethyst eyes. What Lady Sophia was saying was that she didn¡¯t regret meeting Fol and bing close friends with her one bit.

    ¡°¡­You have truly be stronger, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°That is because you are by my side, Cyril.¡±

    I thought that she was being modest, but I realized right away that I had misunderstood when I noticed Lady Sophia¡¯s hand, clutching onto the hem of my clothes.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I- I apologize.¡±

    It was an unconscious act. Lady Sophia withdrew her hand, as if she had intended to let go of the hem of my clothes. However, her hand didn¡¯t let go. Suddenly, my clothes were being pulled.

    ¡°H-huh? Wait a moment. I¡¯ll let go immediately.¡±

    Seeing my Lady like this made me feel like my chest was splitting open. The least I could do was to offer somefort. Showing that I didn¡¯t mind if she stayed like that, I ced my hand on top of my Lady¡¯s.

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I am not going anywhere. From now on and always, I will be by your side, my Lady.¡±

    I voiced the oath I made in my youth. Faced with the situation of losing someone close to her like Fol, Lady Sophia became just a little anxious. Atst, I¡¯ve realized that.

    ¡°¡­.Is that¡­ the truth? You won¡¯t go anywhere, Cyril?¡±

    The wimpy young Lady from her childhood days made an appearance, breaking her dignified air. Although I had been thinking that she had be an adult, it seemed like her tendency to sumb to loneliness hadn¡¯t changed.

    ¡°Tomorrow, and also the day after tomorrow, and a year from now on, and ten years from now on, forever and always. Till death do us part, I will be by your side, Lady Sophia¡­ But of course, if you tell me that I am not needed, I will leave.¡±

    ¡°T-there is no way that I would say such a thing!¡±

    ¡°In that case, I will always be by your side.¡±

    For the first time since we sat into the carriage, I saw a tinge of reassurance surface in Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes. But immediately, they welled up with sorrow and she pushed her face against my chest.

    I could understand her feelings of anxiety, but this wasn¡¯t something that a daughter of a marquis should do. Even the maid should have stopped it. That is what I would have expected, but the maid sitting beside her this time was Rouch¨¦. She hadn¡¯t seen anything, because she was asleep the whole time.

    ¡­However, there was no way that anyone could be soundly sleeping while being thrown around in such a rattling carriage.

    Anyhow, it seemed that there was no one to reproach the young Lady for her behaviour. Therefore, I let the young Lady do as she pleased. Before long, the she grabbed my arm tightly and lifted her face.

    ¡°Say¡­ Cyril. If it¡¯s you, Cyril¡­¡±

    The amethyst eyes that were looking up at me were shaking. Even without hearing what she wanted to say next, I understood. What she wanted to ask was: ¡®If it¡¯s you, Cyril, can¡¯t you save her?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t say that the possibility of me being able to save Fol was zero. The fact that Fol was suffering from an incurable illness was the worst among my hypotheses. In other words, it was still within my expectations.

    From the way Fol behaved and talked, as well as the circumstances around her up until this point, I did have something in mind. However, even though Lady Sophia opened her mouth to speak, in the end, she didn¡¯t voice this request. If she were to ask this of me, I couldn¡¯t have ignored it, even if it might have been an unreasonable demand. The young Lady understood this, and was unable to voice her own selfish desire.

    Since she enrolled in the academy, Lady Sophia was bing stronger and stronger. However, that was the very reason why she might have ended up being unable to show her own weakness. Imagining that Lady Sophia would make that request¡­

    While I was thinking along these lines, I noticed Rouch¨¦ with her eyes half open, peeking our way. She was probably worried that I would say things to ease Lady Sophia¡¯s mind and end up hurting her.

    However, I understood this myself. Shallow words were just a moment¡¯sfort. A fleeting moment of tion could result in Lady Sophia feeling even sadder. Therefore, I didn¡¯t say anything.

    In the end-

    ¡°No, nevermind.¡±

    It seemed that Lady Sophia had chosen to contain her emotions that ran wild inside her chest. If she chose to endure the sorrow, I, as I was now, would have no right words to say. When Lady Sophia wished for something, the only thing I could do was prepare to be able to fulfill that wish.

    The decision settling in my chest, I tightly grasped my Lady¡¯s trembling hand.

    Woo, I was getting worried I might get this chapter out on time due to promptly catching a cold after Christmast, but thanks to the diligent work of my editor who was able to edit this chapter for me today I can proudly present this week''s chapter on time! Thank you so much, Barebones! <3 Hope you all had good holidays and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Hope it will be a good one!<ol><li>¥Õ¥©¥ë¥·©`¥Ë¥¢ ¨C ¡®Fol-senior¡¯</li><li>Literally ¥Õ¥©¥ëÏÈÝ…- ¡®Fol-senpai¡¯, but as stated in the previous chapter, I will keep it as just Fol in the trantion </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 13: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 2

    It was the first day after the holidays.

    Despite our fleeting hopes, Fol didn¡¯t return to school. Alicia, after hearing about it in the Student Council meeting room after school, brought up that she wanted to pay Fol a visit. However, at this point, not only did Prince Alforth already know that Fol belonged to the royal family, but so did Lady Sophia. It wasn¡¯t possible for them to just carelessly say: ¡®Let¡¯s go visit her!¡¯. Therefore, the two of them answered Alicia¡¯s request with silence.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you two? A member of the Student Council is sick!¡±

    ¡°I know that. However, Fol is¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s words were evasive. In truth, she probably really did want to go visit her. Sensing that to be the case, Prince Alforth raised his voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°You know where Fol lives, Prince Alforth?¡±

    Alicia, whocked information, was puzzled.

    Afterwards, Prince Alforth said that he would prepare a horse carriage and lead us there. And since the carriage would be entering the royal castle ¨CUpon having realized the situation, it was understandable that Alicia raised her voice in a very undylike manner.

    We were led to the royal castle¡¯s waiting room.

    Prince Alforth was negotiating a personal meeting with Fol for us, so we were all waiting to be granted permission. However, it seemed like Alicia still wasn¡¯t over her shock.

    ¡°How long are you going to stay astonished for?¡±

    ¡°I-I mean, she¡¯s from the royal family! I¡¯ve never interacted so familiarly with royalty¡­ Won¡¯t I get scolded for l¨¨se-majest¨¦, since I¡¯ve been calling her by her name1?¡±

    Looking back on her past actions and words, it seemed that Alicia was feeling anxious. However, I wondered whether she had forgotten that she had Prince Alforth as her violin practice partner? Though, even if she had been told that she <i>was</i> familiar with royalty, I strongly felt like it would have been of no use.

    ¡°You do not need to worry. She isn¡¯t someone who would get angry about something like that. She hid her social status because she wished to get to know everyone as one of your upperssmen instead of as a member of royalty.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is¡­ that right? Wait, does that mean that you already knew, Cyril?¡±

    Since I wasn¡¯t in a position to properly talk about it, I merely nodded in agreement. In response, Alicia grumbled: ¡°So you knew and still let me call her Fol¡­ you¡¯re so cruel, Cyril¡­¡±

    "As expected, people will notice the speck in someone''s eye, but won''t notice the log that is in their own."2

    Later, we gained permission to visit Fol. However, we were requested to divide into smaller groups, so Lady Sophia and I ended up being the first ones to go visit her. And the ones who came to pick us up in the waiting room ¨C were none other than Luke and Chloe.

    ¡°¡­I see. So the person you work for¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. Chloe and I serve Eldest Daughter Fol.¡±

    With this information, I was able to piece a lot of things together, like the identity and intentions of the woman who was Fol¡¯s tutor. The hypothesis that I had built up had just gained a little bit more credibility. However, I didn¡¯t yet know whether this hypothesis was correct or not. Therefore, in order to confirm it, I let myself be led to Fol¡¯s room, along with Lady Sophia.

    We were led to Fol¡¯s bedroom. There wasn¡¯t really anything in the room that would suggest that a teenage girl of royal blood was living there. Her diary, that she would always vigorously scribble with her pen in, was the only thing lined up on a shelf, as if to prove that she was alive.

    In the middle of this room, Fol wasying down on a princess bed, with her upper body raised up.

    ¡°Sophia. And Cyril as well. You came all the way just to visit me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Good morning, Fol.¡±

    Lady Sophia greeted her in a very undylike fashion. However, it was understandable that Lady Sophia would find it hard to choose the right words. Fol¡¯s blond hair looked a little dull and her face was also pale. Just at a nce, one could notice her pitiful state.

    ¡°I apologize for worrying you the other day.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t apologize. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Fol.¡±

    ¡°¡­You still call me Fol.¡±

    There was a hint of sadness, but beyond that, the expression on Fol¡¯s face was happy. The girl¡®s face showed such a smile that anyone could tell that her chest was bursting from happiness.

    ¡°I apologize for getting involved with you,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°¡­Why, why would you say something like that?¡±

    ¡°You must know by now, right? I don¡¯t have much time left. And yet, I have be close friends with you all even though I knew that, someday, I would cause you great sadness.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?! Even if a sorrowful parting mighte one day, I do not regret bing friends with you, Fol!¡±

    ¡°¡­You do not¡­ regret it?¡±

    Fol¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°I won¡¯t regret it. Even if I were able to go back to that day, I would still choose to be friends with you, Fol.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you. I didn¡¯t expect you to say something like that.¡±

    Fol let out a somewhat embarrassedugh. Afterwards, little by little, she began to open up about her current condition. It wasn¡¯t much different from what we had heard from her maid. She told us that she didn¡¯t know whether she would live for more than half a year.

    I tried to probe for the name of the illness, but as expected, she wouldn¡¯t tell me. She merely said that it didn¡¯t make her stay always bedridden like this. From time to time, her condition would worsen, but once it improved, she would be able to return to her normal life.

    ¡°I have a request for you. Can¡¯t we perform the y like we had nned to?¡±

    ¡°¡­Perform the y? Would that not be harmful to your body?¡±

    ¡°It might be. However, I want to leave something behind to prove that I was alive.¡±

    Faced with Fol¡¯s ardent wish, Lady Sophia clutched at her own heart.

    ¡°At first, I thought I would be satisfied with leaving behind just my diary. But when I heard your joyful musical performance, I thought that I didn¡¯t just want to leave something like that behind. I wanted to try to do something that would leave a trace of me in someone¡¯s heart.¡±

    That was the reason why she had a change of heart and allowed Lady Sophia to be a member of the Student Council.

    ¡®I want to linger in someone¡¯s heart. I don¡¯t want to be forgotten.¡¯ It was thest means of resistance left for a girl who knew that she couldn¡¯t escape death. My chest felt painful when hearing her sorrowful cry of ¡®I don¡¯t want to die!¡¯

    Lady Sophia turned her gaze towards me. I felt that she was seeking out my opinion, so I responded with a nod. Encouraged by my action, Lady Sophia turned her gaze back to Fol.

    ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s perform the y like we have nned.¡±

    ¡°¡­Would that be alright?¡±

    Fol¡¯s blue eyes were wide open.

    ¡°We might have known each other for only a short time, but you¡¯ve treated me very kindly, Fol. I have no reason to refuse your wish.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m so happy. Chloe and Luke wished me to stop it, saying that it¡¯s detrimental to my body.¡±

    There was no servant that didn¡¯t worry for their master¡¯s body. However, when serving someone, there will naturally be times when the master¡¯s wishes go against the servant¡¯s good intentions. Nevertheless, I believed that, if their master wished for it with all their heart, it was the servant¡¯s duty to fulfill said wish.

    That was the reason why neither Chloe nor Luke had tried to stop us from visiting.

    As servants, they must be consumed by doubt regarding whether Fol had understood their intentions or not.

    ¡­No, I was sure that Fol understood what Chloe and Luke were thinking. After all, she was very simr to Lady Sophia.

    If she wished to leave behind memories of her even when she fully understood the situation, there was nothing others could do to interfere.

    Thinking along these lines, I took a step back and watched over Lady Sophia and Fol¡¯s conversation.

    In this manner, it was decided that the Student Council¡¯s y would take ce ording to schedule.

    Since a long visit would be detrimental to Fol¡¯s body, the conversation came to a close after that. However, just when we were on the verge of leaving, Fol addressed me.

    ¡°Cyril, my tutor is curious about you. Do you have¡­ any idea why?¡±

    These words were sudden, but not unexpected. I got a little nervous because my Lady was present, but Fol kept her sentence ambiguous. It seemed she was considerate of my situation.

    Nheless-

    ¡°Before I answer that, please let me ask you two things. What is that tutor to you?¡±

    ¡°To me? I would say¡­ that she is to me what you are to Lady Sophia.¡±

    Thinking about it objectively, she probably meant that they were a servant that she felt she could trust. However, I hate to say so myself, but if that was all she meant, then there was no need for Fol topare her to how Lady Sophia sees me.

    It was possible that she knew about Lady Sophia¡¯s feelings. But, since Fol¡¯s tutor was a woman, her words probably didn¡¯t have that kind of meaning.

    Since that was the case, I needed to consider what other nuances beyond that there could be.

    For example ¨C the connection between a transmigrator and their student. Fol¡¯s tutor was a transmigrator, and she suspected me to be one as well. The chance of Fol knowing this was high.

    However-

    ¡°Then, my second question. Do you know what your tutor¡¯s intentions are?¡±

    ¡°I feel like she¡¯s curious about you because you are simr to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Then that meant that it was because we were both transmigrators. However, Fol had phrased that as a guess. The underlying meaning was that she wouldn¡¯t know why her tutor was looking for other transmigrators.

    I had a few ideas on why this tutor hadn¡¯t exined her reasons to Fol. And, since they trusted each other, I was able to narrow those reasons down even more.

    At first, I didn¡¯t think it was a realistic possibility. However, remembering the words Lady Sophia had said after their dance, during the entrance exam, and what Fol had said just now, I could see ¡®her¡¯ true form.

    Therefore-

    ¡°Would you let me speak to your tutor?¡±

    I was expressing that I was curious about her as well.

    ¡°¡­Are you saying that you¡¯re going to satisfy her curiosity?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I won¡¯t know until I hear what she has to say. It is possible that I won¡¯t be of any use to her. However, I think that I want to try and talk to her. Please, could you tell her that?¡±

    If my hypothesis was correct, this should be more than enough to make my intentions clear.

    And yet-

    ¡°I understand. Then, I¡¯ll arrange for you two to talk after the school festival,¡± Fol said, probably without understanding all the facts.

    I casually told her that it would be best to meet with her tutor as soon as possible, but she seemed to have promised Fol that she could do whatever she wanted until the school festival.

    There were about two weeks to go until the festival. Naturally, ¡®she¡¯ understood that there wasn¡¯t much time left. Moreover, if she had also decided that it was alright to meet after two weeks, then she had probably devised a n on how to make it in time before then.

    While it made me a little anxious to leave the decision to someone else¡­ I also felt that it would all work out. I might have gottenughed at if I were to talk about my reasoning, but I still dared to say that it was valid. Therefore, I epted Fol¡¯s suggestion and promised to meet with ¡®her¡¯ on thest day of the school festival.

    That night, I was summoned by Master Grave. The man waiting in the office looked somewhat exhausted. To someone like me, the amount of responsibility he must have to carry as the head of a Marquis household, was unimaginable.

    ¡°Cyril, I have several things I want to talk to you about. Firstly, I want to talk about the y.¡±

    Naturally, I had told Master Grave that Lady Sophia was performing in a y. I thought that, being the doting father he was, he would leave his schedule open so that he could perhaps attend the y somehow, and that was the reason why he had business with me. But I was wrong.

    ¡°An unofficial request came from the King. He wishes for the y to be a sess no matter what.¡±

    It seemed that Fol¡¯s ardent wish had reached the King¡¯s ears, and he had sent a letter asking us to take good care of his niece. It seemed like simple small talk, but the contents were still a request from the King. We were forced into a position where failure, let alone refusal, wasn''t allowed. Nheless, since Lady Sophia herself was enthusiastic about the y, there was only one way for me to answer.

    ¡°Please, leave it to me. No matter what, I will make the y a sess.¡±

    ¡°Yes, leaving it up to you does put me at ease¡­ is what I would like to say. However, I will give you this piece of advice instead. Don¡¯t involve yourself with the y too much and behave prudently for a while.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to nod in agreement immediately. The main reason was that I wasn¡¯t able to understand why he would tell me such a thing. I quickly mulled over the thought in my head.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me not to participate in the performance?¡±

    I was only going to be the narrator. However, the y¡¯s main stars were royalty and the daughter of a Marquis. It could be said that simply taking part in it would be an extraordinary honour.

    ¡°No, I am not telling you to go that far. This advice is for your sake. Since your work is very spectacr, the royal family have set their eyes on you. You probably know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Because of the matter of being Prince Alforth¡¯s temporary tutor.¡±

    Although I had gotten permission from the Queen, objectively speaking, it was still quite a big deal. A butler from another household, not to mention a child, was arrogantly addressing a member of the royal family. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for people to frown down upon it.

    ¡°¡­No, it probably goes beyond that.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I do have some ideas in mind¡­ are you saying that it has be a problem?¡±

    I thought that we were discussing the matter of a butler from a Marquis household behaving audaciously. However, Master Grave immediately denied the idea.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been honoured with the gratitude of the royal family. That is precisely the problem. The royal family haspletely set their eyes on you now.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    So we were talking about me getting recruited. If I were to be scouted by the royal family, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay by Lady Sophia¡¯s side. If I didn¡¯t want that to happen, I should not stick out any more than I have so far. To add to that, the fact that he was telling me about this certainly meant that he had rejected a request from the royal family for my sake. Therefore, I bowed my head in gratitude for his advice.

    ¡­However, in addition to Prince Alforth¡¯s tutoring being already a done thing, teaching him was for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake too. When I thought about that, I couldn¡¯t refuse. In order for the y to be a sess, just like the royal family requested, it was necessary for him to improve even more.

    It would appear that I have fallen into a quite dangerous situation.

    Thank you for reading and your kind words and support! <3 It is much appreciated!<ol><li>ÏÈÝ… ¨C senpai, like in previous instances</li><li> Literally: As one would expect, people were surprisingly unaware of themselves when it came to themselves. Since the literal trantion feels a little too clunky, it¡¯s substituted by a phrase.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 14: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 3

    There were two weeks left before the school festival.

    Fol still wasn¡¯t attending school, but we heard that sometime soon, she would be able to show up for the rehearsals. And so we kept up our hard work, so that she would have a big smile once she returned.

    We had borrowed a practice room and threw ourselves single-mindedly into the y rehearsal.

    The added payoff of this was that Prince Alforth¡¯s acting became considerably better. Whenparing him with his Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ counterpart, he was a little immature, however¡­ his steadfastness, that seemed to be popr with shotacons, had strengthened.

    He would probably capture the attention of the young highschool agedies once he stood on the school festival¡¯s stage. Lady Sophia¡¯s advice for him regarding ying the prince in his own way seemed to have had an impact on him.

    However, the way things were going at that moment, I suspected that, while he had be well suited to ying a prince¡¯s role, he was quickly bing less and less simr to Lady Sophia¡¯s type.

    I felt that I should mention that to him, but I felt conflicted, since it would be a mess if his acting were to revert back to how it had been in the beginning.

    For the time being, since Lady Sophia continued to instruct Prince Alforth on his performance, I didn¡¯t think that there would be any problems with continuing to rehearse like this.

    What was a problem was- I turned my gaze towards Alicia, who was ying the role of the maid. Compared to the way she was before, she had improved considerably. However she was falling behind the others. Although she didn¡¯t have a lot of lines, she had the important role of supporting the conflicted heroine.¡°¡­You cannot empathize with your role after all?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I understand that, for Fol¡¯s sake, I have to perform well but¡­ I¡¯m simply unable to feel empathy for the heroine, no matter what I do.¡±

    Hearing that she was unable to feel empathy for her, my feelings fell into disarray. I believed that if she was able to rte to the heroine, she could perform her role smoothly. However, on the other hand, it was possible that it would put pressure on Lady Sophia and be the main push for her fall into darkness. It would have been ideal, if she could stay unassuming in real life while simultaneously improving her performance in the y. However, I should have guessed that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.

    ¡°Ah, but, I can empathize with the part where she doesn¡¯t want to give up when she likes someone. While I believe the way she is going about it is wrong, I was able to empathize with Aurelia¡¯s feelings of love towards the prince.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    Unconsciously, I swallowed my saliva with a gulp.

    In other words, didn¡¯t that mean that, even though it had no effects regarding improving her performance, in reality, her feelings were reinforced and she became more aggressive about them?

    ¡­It might be necessary for me to be vignt about any future drama.

    ¡°Also, partly for that reason, I feel like I would be able to y the role of the viinous daughter well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    Alicia nodded in response to my question and stood up straight, her ck hair tinged with blue fluttering around. An expression that was a mix of sadness and hatred showed on her face.

    ¡°¡­Why won¡¯t you look my way?¡±

    I gulped, for a moment not realizing that it was a performance. My feelings of guilt and fear rose up, exactly like they had when Lady Sophia pressed me with this question.

    ¡°I¡­ I always, always look at you alone, and yet, I¡¯m not the one reflected in your eyes. Why¡­ why won¡¯t you look my way!?¡±

    Reflexively, I wanted to apologize.

    There were some subtle adlibs put into the lines¡­ it¡¯s a performance, right? It must be a performance, right? She wasn¡¯t telling this to <i>me</i>, right? While I panicked like this, suddenly, Alicia gave me a smile.

    ¡°How was I?¡±

    Apparently, it was just a diligent performance.

    Realizing the truth, I let out a sigh of relief.

    However¡­ Alicia said that her performance wasn¡¯t good because she couldn¡¯t empathize with her role. Since that was the case, she was able to recite the viinous daughter¡¯s lines perfectly¡­ no, continuing to think about this, would just be making up conjectures.

    ¡°Miss Alicia, you can definitely y the role of the viinous daughter well.¡±

    Lady Sophia approached us with an admiring look on her face. Apparently, she had been watching our rehearsal.

    ¡°Ah, no¡­ I mean, I¡¯m no match for you, Lady Sophia. I just think that I find it easier to empathize with the role of the viinous daughter¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. More importantly, would you like to switch roles with me?¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Lady Sophia came up with this suggestion.

    Certainly, no matter what role Lady Sophia yed, she would do it perfectly. Since she remembered all of the lines of all the characters, there was no problem with her switching roles. Judging from the way she performed earlier, it was possible that Alicia could switch roles as well.

    However-

    ¡°I- I can¡¯t make you y the role of a maid, Lady Sophia!¡±

    In a panic, Alicia waved both of her hands around. Her response was just what I had expected it to be. Ignoring her real background, right now Fol, who was officially viewed as amoner who got adopted by a Count, was the one ying the protagonist.

    While I wanted to tell Alicia that she shouldn¡¯t worry about it too much, it couldn¡¯t be ignored that she was still a Viscount¡¯s daughter.

    She might end up receiving all sorts of criticism, for example, it might be said that because of her unsatisfactory performance, she had caused trouble to the daughter of a Marquis.

    ¡°I have caused everyone trouble, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Alicia hung her head.

    However, Lady Sophia gave her a smile. ¡°You¡¯re not to me. We¡¯re all to me for forcing a role onto you that you cannot empathize with. Therefore, there¡¯s no need for you to be in low spirits all by yourself.¡±

    ¡°B-but, it¡¯s true that my performance is bad¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia answered her with silence and a smile.

    Just at a nce, one could tell that Lady Sophia didn¡¯t agree, but her silence was affirmative.

    Before Alicia could notice this, Lady Sophia quickly opened her mouth.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Alicia, what if we tried to adjust the character of the heroine a little bit, so that you can empathize with her more easily?¡±

    ¡°Adjust her character¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just small alterations to her personality and lines. Fol would be able to perform with those small changes perfectly, so how about we give it a try?¡±

    After she said that, Lady Sophia, standing in front of Alicia, turned her eyes down, as if suffering great loneliness.

    ¡°I¡­ found out.¡±

    ¡°Eh, what did you find out? ¡­Oh, ah, that¡¯s a line from the y, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Alicia btedly realized that it was a performance. That was just how natural Lady Sophia¡¯s performance was. If I were to hear her say that without knowing anything, I would have asked her what she had found out about as well.

    ¡°Prince Alfred has a fianc¨¦e.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ so that¡¯s how it is.¡±

    This part of Alicia¡¯s performance felt natural. The problem came with the uing parts.

    This was the scene where the maid, in order to cheer up Alicia, who was in low spirits after finding out that the prince had a fianc¨¦e, told her to win the Prince¡¯s love over Elvira.

    However-

    ¡°Look¡­ Karine, I don¡¯t want to lose.¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh? You don¡¯t want to lose?¡±

    Alicia lost her bearing since the lines were different from the original ones.

    ¡°My former self would have deemed it to be an impossible love, and would have given up. However¡­ as I am now, I don¡¯t want to give up. No matter what methods I have to use, I want to obtain this love.¡±

    Even though I knew that it was all a performance, the look in Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes was so earnest that it didn''t seem like an act. Under the pressure of Lady Sophia¡¯s performance, Alicia fell into silence.

    Before long-

    ¡°If that is my Lady¡¯s wish, I will stay by your side,e hell or high water.¡±

    Alicia said bluntly, in a voice that hid her determination, and her appalling performances up until now seemed like a lie, as her performance just now was so realistic.

    Alicia didn¡¯t try to hide her feelings for me.

    This girl, although it was for a y, would support Lady Sophia in her love. Ordinarily, in a situation like this it¡¯d be barely possible to avoid mayhem. However, since her performance was so good, I deemed it eptable.

    I would have liked to say that, at least. However ¨C

    ¡°Lady Sophia, that makes her seem just like the viinous daughter.¡±

    I pointed out that, while the butler got changed for a maid, there really weren¡¯t any differences between Aurelia and the viinous daughter.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯spletely different from the viinous daughter though.¡±

    ¡°¡­How are they different?¡±

    ¡°Elvira involves herself with a crime and falls to ruin. However, I wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like that. I am merely pursuing my wish, using any means possible.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    This was the education policy I had followed in order to not let my Lady walk the path of the viinous daughter.

    If she had a wish that she wanted to achieve no matter what, she should use any means necessary. However, if those means were to lead her to ruin, then it would be all meaningless. Therefore, I had taught her to take every circumstance in consideration before she acted.

    As expected, the young Lady I had brought up was somewhat different from the game¡¯s viinous daughter¡­ Anyhow, was it alright to support this? I felt like the heroine would be more heinous than the viinous daughter.

    For the time being, we decided to consult this scene with Fol. Afterwards, Lady Sophia continued to perform the role of the heroine. The heroine¡¯s exchanges with the Prince went on ¨C brought to a close by the kiss scene between them at the end.

    Of course, during the rehearsal, they just brought their bodies a little bit closer. Even though they were just as close when they were dancing together, Prince Alforth¡¯s face went red.

    When she noticed this, Lady Sophia tilted her head to side doubtfully.

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯ll be a problem if you¡¯re this flustered during the real performance.¡±

    ¡°N-no, the real performance won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that is right, Fol is your cousin.¡±

    It was half correct, half incorrect. While I had lectured Lady Sophia in etiquette and all sorts of different subjects, I probably should have also taught her about the feelings of young men in love.

    We were continuing in our rehearsal in this way, when Libert paid us a visit.

    ¡°Cyril, I have finished what you asked for.¡±

    ¡°Oh, already? ¡­I thought they¡¯d be barely able to make it.¡±

    ¡°They might need final adjustments, so it was made with haste.¡±

    ¡°Heavens. Please, show them to me.¡±

    We moved to a corner of the practice room, and Libert lined up the things he¡¯d brought over on top of a table. Noticing this, the rest of the group gathered around us.

    ¡°Cyril, by any chance, are they done?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They still have basting stitches in, but they seem to be finally done.¡±

    The costumes we were going to use in the y had beenpleted. At first, we had intended to use the school uniform dresses that Fol owned just as they were. However, from the beginning, I kept thinking that I would like to redesign the clothes here by mixing my previous world¡¯s clothes¡¯ style with the fashion tastes of this world.

    Since it would simultaneously serve as a test, I brought up that I wanted to create the costumes for the y. After I got everyone¡¯s permission, Imissioned the costumes from a boutique through Libert.

    The boys¡¯ costume resembled a tailcoat adapted into a uniform. As for the girls¡¯ costume, it was a blouse with a red skirt that spread out from under a corset-like vest.

    Fundamentally, the designs weren¡¯t too different from this academy¡¯s school uniforms. However, introducing a modern design from my previous world, the hems and some parts of the girls¡¯ corsets used a checkered fabric.

    Incidentally, I made the designs right before the training camp, at the time when I thought I was being suspected of being a transmigrator. I was hesitant about presenting this design, but I decided to just go ahead with it, for the same reasons that motivated me to choose the location of the training camp.

    The schedule was pretty tight, so I was doubtful whether they would be finished in time, but it seemed like the express boutique that I had pinned my hopes on was able to deliver them in time.

    ¡°Cyril, would it be alright to try them on?¡±

    The first one to raise their voice was Lady Sophia.

    She showed no reaction to thepleted costumes. This was the behaviour proper of a young Marquess. However, I realized that the girl, who was holding the clothes with basting stitches close to her chest, was a little more giddy than usual.

    With that being the case, everyone went to try them on without dy. Lady Sophia and Alicia, tightly holding onto the costumes, moved to the girls¡¯ dressing room, and Prince Alforth went to the boys¡¯ dressing room.

    There was no costume for me, who was just the narrator ¨C at least so I thought. However, there was a tailcoat-style uniform, clearly my size, left on the table.

    ¡°Lord Libert, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a sort of an apology for everything that happened up until now.¡±

    ¡°An apology?¡±

    I had no clue what would make Libert apologize. When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Libert roughly scratched his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been on my guard against you and your Lady, and treated you quite unfairly.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s what you mean. But wasn¡¯t that in order to deceive certain people?¡±

    ¡°Of course that was the reason, but it is a fact that I was openly overly hostile towards you. So, I¡¯m sorry about that. Please, forgive me if you can.¡±

    Liberty bowed deeply.

    I was a little startled. Did he have a change of heart?

    ¡°Now, I do understand the meaning of your apology, but why did you make me a uniform?¡±

    ¡°That was due to my instinct as a future heir of apany.¡±

    ¡°Instinct, you say¡­?¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be correct to consider instinct the same as a shot in the dark. Instinct was a prediction reached through processing information unconsciously. On this premise, Libert¡¯s instinct certainly had a valid basis backing it.

    That was why I decided to ept the uniform with gratitude.

    Afterwards, I put the tailcoat uniform on in the boys¡¯ dressing room, and was about to check the fit, when Lady Sophia called for me, saying that she wanted to hear my opinion.

    So for the time being, I headed towards Lady Sophia, still wearing my tailcoat costume.

    When I knocked on the door of the girls¡¯ dressing room, I received Lady Sophia¡¯s voice telling me to ¡°Pleasee in,¡± as a response.

    ¡°No, I truly do not think that I can enter a girls¡¯ dressing room, after all¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also already dressed, so you cane in. If you¡¯d like, would you look at me as well?¡±

    The voice that came next was Alicia¡¯s.

    Since that was the case, I headed to the dressing room when I heard Libert muttering from behind me: ¡°You are my rival after all.¡± I paid it no mind and entered.

    Inside the room, Lady Sophia and Alicia, dressed in the uniforms that I designed, were lined up next to each other.

    ¡°Cyril, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Does it suit me?¡±

    Slightly joining their backs, the two of them asked embarrassedly, standing in their formal posture.

    The clothes weren¡¯t very different from the academy¡¯s school uniforms. However, since the design was a little more stylish than the design of the school uniforms, it further enhanced their loveliness.

    Saying that the two youngdies looked like two idols wearing ¡®Young Lady¡¯ fashion1, might be the perfect description.

    ¡°It suits you two really well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    The one who replied back to me was Lady Sophia, however, Alicia was making an anxious face as well. The two characters of an otome game that captivated arge number of men were worried about my ¨C a butler¡¯s ¨C opinion, even though they had grown up much more charming than in the game.

    I would have been truly delighted by it if there wasn¡¯t for the risk of drama.

    ¡°It¡¯s not ttery. It truly suits you very much.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, between me and Miss Alicia¡­ whom does it suit better?¡±

    Lady Sophia squeezed out in a sharp but a small voice, that strangely echoed.

    The hustle and bustle of the room instantly disappeared and silence stretched inside the dressing room.

    Usually, this was the point when Alicia would disy her amazing ability of evasion. However, today, she didn¡¯t. She stood next to Lady Sophia, waiting with bated breath, and watched attentively.

    ¡®I want to know the answer, too,¡¯ was written on her face.

    Was this the punishment for removing her shackles?

    I sensed carnage approaching.

    However, I was already prepared for this level of trouble.

    ¡°You both suit it the best.¡±

    They blinked in surprise as I smiled.

    Lady Sophia with her almost silver-like tinum blonde hair, and Alicia, with her ck hair tinged with blue. When they were nicely lined up like this, contrasting, they truly looked like an idol duo.

    ¡°Please, take a careful look. Both of your costumes are matched to each of your hair and eye colour, as well as your aura, so the design was modified ordingly.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s was designed to enhance her graceful aura. Alicia¡¯s was designed to enhance her aura of straightforward personality and liveliness. Each of the designs were altered with details such as the silhouette and colours.

    ¡°Both of you possess a different type of beauty, so there¡¯s no need topare yourselves to anyone else.¡±

    The bbergasted look on both of their faces was impressive.

    After I had safely avoided the carnage, I went on to verify the measurements of the temporarily sown clothes, and then we concluded our rehearsal. I then walked through the school grounds illuminated by the sunset, along with Lady Sophia.

    Right before we got into the horse carriage that arrived from the Rosenberg Marquis mansion to pick us up, Lady Sophia grabbed my sleeve.

    ¡°¡­Is something the matter, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I forgot to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°¡­You forgot to tell me something?¡±

    After I repeated her question, Lady Sophia lightly pulled at my sleeve, and she pressed her forehead against my chest.

    ¡°You looked really cool in your costume, Cyril.¡±

    Leaving just her whisper behind, Lady Sophia retreated a step back. As she faced the opposite direction, her cheeks were fully dyed red under the setting sun.

    Lady Sophia, who ought to be used to giving and receivingpliments, praised me with a shy look on her face. Knowing that, the deepest part of my heart slowly grew warm.

    For that reason-

    ¡°Please give me your hand, Lady Sophia.¡±

    I took Lady Sophia¡¯s hand, and a moment before I pulled her up into the carriage ¨C

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask me such mean spirited questions in front of others, you know?¡± I whispered into her ear.

    With a start, Lady Sophia¡¯s body quivered and she looked at me with a surprised face. Since it appeared like she wanted to say something, I softly pressed my index finger onto her lips.

    The young Lady, who was so flushed that steam could rise from her head, was adorable. I couldn¡¯t forget that she had asked me to bring her up in such a way, so that the person she loved would turn to look her way. I was educating her because I wanted to grant her wish.

    That was why-

    ¡°Of course, I think that you are the cutest, my Lady.¡±

    I whispered into that small ear, as if I was trying to press my lips against it.

    Thank you so much for reading and your continuous support! A huge thank you to those who donated through the Foxaholic Ko-Fi or to my personal Ko-Fi ount!! I really appreciate it a lot! Any and all donations always wee! <3<ol><li>¤ª‹Ý˜”Ïµ ¨C ¡®ojousama-kei¡¯ A type of fashion style in Japan, seems to be a simr to the Lolita fashion as a whole and is cutesy. Google for more info I am sadly no expert on this topic.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 15: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 4

    ¡°The Student Council¡¯s y has be such a hot topic. My entire Ford family have nned to go watch it together.¡±

    Pam smiled widely at the tea party during lunch break the next day. While she had been eating a deficient diet and copsed at the entrance exam, now she had a healthy beauty. It would seem that the healthy diet n I had passed onto her maid had borne fruit.

    Anyhow, this Viscount¡¯s daughter said that she would go watch the y, and even drag her rtives along. It seemed that, besides her, Lady Ferris, with her usual ringlets, and the other youngdies would being to see the y with their families as well.

    ¡°However, it¡¯s a real shame that we will only get to hear your voice, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°At the end of the day, I am merely a servant. If I were to step onto the stage, I would just be getting in everyone else¡¯s way.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that that¡¯s true at all! Surely you don¡¯t think so either, right, Miss Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I am looking forward to Cyril¡¯s narration.¡±

    It seemed like a wless answer. However, her response was slightly off-topic. I was concerned that she might not have been paying attention. Although this was a meeting with her followers, it was an unworthy response from a future Marquess in charge of hosting the tea party.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, your face looks a little pale. Are you tired from the rehearsals?¡±Actually, herplexion looked fine. It wasn¡¯t likely that Lady Sophia¡¯s health would be in jeopardy over rehearsing a y, since she already followed a tough training regime, including self-defense lessons, everyday. In fact, what I was pointing out was that she was being inattentive while in the presence of her followers.

    ¡°Y-yes¡­ that might be the case.¡±

    It seemed that she had been properly listening this time. She had probably been spacing out just a moment ago because she was thinking about Fol not attending school again today. If this were a tea party with opposing factions attending, a snidement or two would be flying at her right now, but, since she was with her own faction, I wasn¡¯t worried about that. As the youngdies fretted over her, that day¡¯s tea party came to a close.

    ¡°Are you alright, Lady Sophia?¡± I asked her as we were walking towards the Student Council¡¯s office. After my question, Lady Sophia seemed uncharacteristically out of it.

    ¡°Lady Sophia¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    She smiled, her expression calm. If this were a first meeting, she might have been able to even fool a sly old noble. However, she couldn¡¯t fool me, who was always by her side. I took hold of my Lady¡¯s hand and sat her down at a bench in the courtyard.

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while. As a young Marquess, your behaviour is splendid, but you don¡¯t have to put on a brave front with me.¡±

    ¡°I am not putting on a-¡±

    ¡°You still need at least three more years before you can sessfully lie to me.¡±

    Normally, interrupting your master¡¯s speech was unforgivable, but I interrupted my Lady¡¯s words on purpose. If I let her speak for any longer, I myself might have been fooled by her.

    ¡°I am no match to you, am I Cyril? ¡­However, only three more years?¡±

    ¡°In another three years, you¡¯ll be able to easily deceive me, my Lady. That¡¯s precisely the reason ¡­why you shouldn¡¯t, alright?¡±

    ¡®Please rely on me, without hiding when you¡¯re in pain.¡¯ I smiled at her with a hint of yfulness.

    ¡°I¡¯m anxious,¡± Lady Sophia muttered, with a troubled look on her face.

    ¡°¡­This is about Fol, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When I think of Fol staying absent from the academy like this, I feel pain in my heart, and I feel like crying, and suddenly I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±

    Tears fell from her amethyst eyes inrge drops. Right now, sitting in front of me was a regr young girl acting her age. I wasn¡¯t able to bear it any longer. Having decided so, I knelt in front of the bench and sped Lady Sophia¡¯s hand.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia. If you were to ask it of me-¡±

    ¡°I canno- I cannot!¡±

    She shook off my hand and got up from the bench, holding her hand close to her chest. Fear surfaced in her amethyst eyes.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s- that¡¯s not what I meant. I just don¡¯t want to trouble you, Cyril, so, I, that is-¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia.¡±

    Her behavior was bing erratic because of magical overcharge illness. When I realized this, I grasped her hand tightly. In theory, letting Lady Sophia regain control herself would be the best course of action. However, we were standing in a courtyard. I didn¡¯t know when someone mighte by, and so, I forcibly absorbed my Lady¡¯s magic.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ Cy-Cyril¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here for you¡­ Have you forgotten? Mydy, whenever you feel lonely or you¡¯re in pain, I promised to be by your side no matter what, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s why there¡¯s nothing you need to worry about.¡¯ I gave her a smile.

    ¡°Bu-but, I¡­ I will trouble you, Cyril¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no way you could cause me trouble, my Lady.¡±

    I knew what Lady Sophia was wishing for.

    That¡¯s why-

    ¡°Lady Sophia. If you were to ask something of me, no matter what the request might be, I will definitely make it happen. Therefore, you don¡¯t have to restrain your feelings like this.¡±

    Lady Sophia told me that, for my sake, she would make even the gods into her enemies. I wanted to protect this Lady Sophia. In order to protect her, I would make the impossible possible.

    As I told her this with a smile, her violet eyes went wide, but after a moment, her expression smoothed over to one that said ¡®It¡¯s alright.¡¯

    ¡°The current me isn¡¯t a mere child that needs your protection, Cyril. Moreover, if you keep spoiling me, I will never be able to catch up to you.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°I have an objective. For the sake of this objective, right now, what I want is to turn the y into a sess for Fol¡¯s sake. And I want you to help me with that, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your wish is mymand.¡±

    Seeing my Lady grow more mature every day, I felt both happiness and just a touch of sadness.

    After that, Lady Sophia was able to regain herposure and we made our way to the Student Council¡¯s office. When we entered the room, Fol was sitting behind the office desk.

    ¡°Fol?!¡±

    Lady Sophia went around the desk and literally flew over to Fol. From time to time, feelings to be expected in a young girl would show on Lady Sophia¡¯s face, but this was the first time that she hadpletely lost control of herself like this. Clearly, Fol had truly be a very precious person to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Why are you here? Weren¡¯t you absent from school¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just in the morning. I attended sses in the afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ are you alright now?¡±

    ¡°Haha, I have made you worry, haven¡¯t I? Today, I¡¯ll return to practice as well.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,¡± Lady Sophia said, but she was grasping her hands tightly.

    No wonder.

    Fol hadn¡¯t answered her question regarding whether she was alright or not. If she were a normal child, it might have been just a coincidence. In Fol¡¯s case, however, there was no way that she had misinterpreted Lady Sophia¡¯s question. She had, without a doubt, purposefully avoided answering it.

    The reason why was obvious. She didn¡¯t say whether she was alright or not, because she wasn¡¯t. Having understood this, Lady Sophia was visibly upset.

    For that reason-

    ¡°Lady Sophia, I should prepare some tea, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°¡­Tea?¡±

    ¡°We need to celebrate Fol¡¯s return, don¡¯t we?¡±

    She already knew that Fol wasn¡¯t alright. That being the case, I proposed that, instead of being sad about her condition, we should rejoice about the fact that Fol came back to the Student Council.

    ¡°¡­That¡­ is right. Then, please prepare some shortcake as well.¡±

    Lady Sophia gave me a small smile, immediately understanding my objective.

    Seeing my Lady smiling bravely, I decided that I would make her slice of shortcake just a little bit bigger.

    Right after, Prince Alforth and Alicia entered the room together. They seemed to havee in a hurry, probably because they werete.

    Prince Alforth and Alicia¡¯s eyes went wide and they drew closer to Fol, asking: ¡°Are you alright now?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I apologize for causing you worry. I will take part in the rehearsals from today on as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m really d to hear that, cousin Fol1.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I am really d to hear that as well!¡±

    The smile on Prince Alforth¡¯s face was clearly forced. He had probably noticed Fol avoiding the question, just like Lady Sophia had. It seemed that in this small amount of time, he had grown up considerably.

    As for Alicia, her smile was genuine. I thought that she hadn¡¯t noticed the fact that Fol had avoided the question, but then I met Alicia¡¯s gaze as she suddenly turned her face. Just like in Lady Sophia¡¯s, sorrow dwelled in the depths of her eyes. It seemed that she had indeed noticed Fol not answering directly and had also decided to celebrate her return instead. When it came to being considerate, Alicia was the most mature.

    In the end, I ended up cutting everyone¡¯s slice of cake just a little bit bigger than usual.

    Together with Fol, newly returned to the Student Council, we began with the full rehearsals of the y for the next few days. There were less ordinary lessons starting around this time, and more time was allocated to the School Festival preparations. With the School Festival nearing close, today we would be getting instructed by a certain theatre troupe¡¯s actress. The troupe was well known in the Royal City, and our tutor was the lead actress, Isabe, who had performed as the heroine in many ys.

    Incidentally, I had gone through a lot of trouble to be able to request her presence. When I first started recruiting, several male actors from various troupes introduced themselves. I had no objections against their talents, and I was absolutely considering requesting one of them. However, I was stopped by my father. The reason was that if I were to invite in male actors and something were to happen to the youngdies, it would be toote to regret it. Therefore, I began recruiting again, this time limited to women only, but now it was the troupes who were acting cautiously about it. They were anxious about their own lead actresses getting kidnapped by nobility.

    It was natural that, beyond some chosen groups of people, regr folk would be cautious regarding nobility.

    If I had an intermediary, it would have been settled quickly, but either way, I didn¡¯t have the time. I went directly to the troupes and negotiated with them, and Isabe epted.

    Therefore, it was Isabe who showed up while we waited for her in the practice room. From her fiery hair tinged with red, her golden eyes sparkled zingly. The woman whose curves bewitched her male audiences gave us ady-like curtsy.

    ¡°My name is Isabe. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    I was deeply impressed with her manners, which would have been appropriate for a young nobledy. When I was interviewing her, she was a more ordinary ¨C no, a quite bewitching woman.

    Her current aura was immacte because she was performing such a role at this moment.

    However, if she were to be this considerate of us in our practice, it wouldn¡¯t be helpful. When I turned my gaze towards Prince Alforth, he nodded.

    ¡°Isabe, please, just be yourself. In the name of Prince Alforth, I promise that there won¡¯t be any retaliation for your manners during the rehearsals. So please, be strict with us.¡±

    Upon hearing these words, Isabe nced at Prince Alforth¡¯s face, with an expression that showed that she was attempting to read the real intention behind these words. Finally, she nodded. ¡°Got it.

    ¡°You seem to be saying that seriously, so I will do so. But, if someone else rebukes me, please do help me out, alright?¡±

    The switch was impossible to ignore.

    She was a woman who was able to conduct herself as a nobledy. There was no way that she didn¡¯t know what could happen to her if she were to disrespect a Prince. Despite this, she changed her attitude after concluding that Prince Alforth¡¯s words were genuine. As an actress, she might be well used to judging the authenticity of her partner¡¯s words.

    ¡°Then, without any further dys ¨C you should show me your y. Although we don¡¯t have a lot of time, I won¡¯t ept any half-hearted performances for as long as I am entrusted with instructing you.¡±

    Isabe¡¯s aurapletely changed again.

    It wasn¡¯t the aura of a nobledy at the beginning, but it also wasn¡¯t the aura of the captivating young woman from before. The sharp gaze that she turned towards Lady Sophia and the others was that of a professional actress.

    Since everyone was present, our full rehearsals began like so. First up was the scene where Prince Alfred and Aurelia met. Prince Alforth, portraying a realistic, unpretentious prince, saved the heroine. Compared to his first performances, he had improved considerably.

    Isabe, seeing this performance let out a ¡°Huh,¡± showing that she was a little impressed. Besides being a noble, he was also just a 12 year old child. She was probably expecting a more clumsy performance.

    For that reason-

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Aurelia. I am Elvira, Prince Alfred¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡±

    ¡°L-Lady Elvira, is there something you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you ying dumb? Let me tell you something very clearly right now. I will never hand him over to anyone, not even to you, Aurelia. He¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°¡­No, Prince Alfred¡¯s heart is his own! It doesn¡¯t belong to you!¡±

    ¡°I see. So you won¡¯t back down until the bitter end. Since that¡¯s the case¡­ prepare yourself. If you try to overthrow the destiny the gods blessed me with, you will receive divine punishment.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s and Fol¡¯s performances took my breath away.

    From then on, Isabe continued to watch the performance eagerly without the slightest movement. The rehearsal continued without her saying a single word, and finally we reached the climax scene.

    It was the trial of the viinous daughter, Elvira. Prince Alfred exposed her evil deeds and announced her public execution. While confessing her love to the Prince and spitting out her resentment towards the heroine, she was taken to the gallows.

    The life of this youngdy, gone mad because of love, came to an end. After witnessing the events himself, the Prince told the heroine ¡®I will protect you from now on¡¯ and kissed her. Of course, the kiss was fake. At the live performance, the lights would go out just a moment before it.

    That part was fine. However¡­ having watched it like this, the way the viinous daughter was treated seemed really cruel. The script was faithful to the game. However, when adapted to a y, the viinous daughter¡¯s execution scene really stood out.

    As I was thinking this, Isabe, having watched the performance, stood up, pping.

    ¡°I¡¯m astonished! When I heard about this middle school children¡¯s y, I wondered just what kind of show it might be. I honestly didn¡¯t think that I would be able to see such a realistic performance!¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. Nheless, I am still not satisfied with my current performance. Please instruct me on how to improve more.¡±

    It was the usual Lady Sophia, showing her desire to improve herself. After disying such a performance, she dered that she wasn¡¯t satisfied yet. Isabelle was at first surprised by this attitude. However, she was probably also someone who loved hard work, just like Lady Sophia and me.

    After patting her own chest and saying: ¡°Leave it up to me!¡± she began to instruct Lady Sophia.

    A huge thank you to my editor Barebones for saving me and making this trantion 300% better than it would otherwise be! <3 Please go check out her profile if you can, she''s tranting some great stuff herself! As always, thank you for reading and hope you enjoy!<ol><li>¥Õ¥©¥ëŠ—¤µ¤ó ¨C ¡®Fol-neesan¡¯, can be tranted as ¡®older sister, elder sister, miss, m¡¯am, youngdy¡¯. Since the line is said in a less polite manner, I believe it was said by Alforth.It wouldn¡¯t make much sense for him to call her miss while also using a more familiar tone in his speech so I opted for this option after consulting my editor as well.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 16: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 5 1/2

    A few more days went by, and, before we knew it, the night before the School Festival arrived.

    The School Festival wouldst for three days. Since the Student Council¡¯s y would be performed for three consecutive days, tomorrow would finally be the first day we¡¯d perform. On this night, I was summoned by Lady Sophia.

    ¡°I heard that you requested my presence. What is the matter, thiste at night?¡±

    When I entered the room, my Lady was wearing her tracksuit jacket. From her appearance, I assumed that she was wishing for me to practise with her.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, the live performance is tomorrow. Staying upte won¡¯t be good for your body.¡±

    At the rehearsal earlier that day, both Prince Alforth and Alicia had disyed a proper performance. Since Isabe began teaching them, their acting skills had improved remarkably. At tomorrow¡¯s live performance, they would probably show their true acting abilities, even better than what they¡¯d shown us today.

    Nevertheless, it wouldn¡¯t be aughing matter if Lady Sophia performed poorly due to ack of sleep.

    ¡°I know it isn¡¯t. However, I would like to grasp a better understanding of the character just a little bit further, one more time.¡±

    It was Fol¡¯s dying wish to perform a sessful y together with everyone. Lady Sophia was probably trying to grant this wish with all her might.I felt something sinister emanating from Lady Sophia right now.

    ¡°¡­I shouldn¡¯t be staying up toote, should I?¡±

    I smiled as cheerfully as I could and moved to the practice room with Lady Sophia.

    She began her performance with a grand gesture that she hadn¡¯t been doing at the beginning. If she made a normal gesture, the audience wouldn¡¯t understand it. Therefore, for the performance, movements that were almost too exaggerated were just right.

    Isabe taught her that.

    Putting her experience to good use, my Lady performed the role of Elvira now even bolder than in the past.

    The prince¡¯s heart was growing distant from her. After she found out about it, Elvira continued to think of him in a pure way, simply genuinely wishing for him to look her way, wishing he would love her.

    However, when she found out that these wishes wouldn¡¯te true, Elvira thought:

    ¡®If only that girl didn¡¯t exist.¡¯

    My Lady¡¯s performance was trulypelling. She was as beautiful as a crimson rose, and yet, she had thorns that would bring harm to anyone who might touch her. After I had finished watching over her whole performance, I let out a sigh of admiration.

    ¡°As expected of you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. But this isn¡¯t the result of my acting skills alone. I canpletely understand how Elvira is feeling, so it¡¯s very easy for me to empathize with her.¡±

    ¡°I-is, that so¡­¡±

    I felt like Lady Sophia had some memory of being the viinous daughter after all. If she didn¡¯t, then it must mean that the current Lady Sophia had qualities that might allow her to fall into darkness.

    Either of those options was frightening.

    ¡°Elvira simply used the wrong method.¡±

    ¡°By saying that she just used the wrong method, you mean to say that everything else was correct?¡±

    Elvira, who had fallen into darkness, had done enough evil deeds to bebelled as a ¡®Viinous Daughter¡¯. In the original work, there were enough reasons to empathize with her, but the y¡¯s script wasn¡¯t written to such detail.

    It seemed strange that Lady Sophia would feel empathy for her, saying that only her methods were wrong.

    ¡°Even if she had killed Aurelia, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to gain the prince¡¯s love. If she wanted for the prince to look her way, she should have improved herself and done some thorough maneuvering behind the scenes, creating an environment in which the people around her would support her.¡±

    ¡®This is something you¡¯ve been carrying out, isn¡¯t it, my Lady?¡¯ ¨C was something that I, of course, couldn¡¯t say. My Lady herself had decided what she wished for and where she was heading.

    Since I remained silent, Lady Sophia repeated her words.

    ¡°I believe that Elvira went down the wrong path because she didn¡¯t think about this method,¡± Lady Sophia concluded.

    I was able to empathize with his line of thinking myself. In the end, the viinous daughter was simply a child.

    ¡°If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have fallen to ruin. I would definitely find a way to achieve my goals. Therefore¡­ when the timees, will you help me?¡±

    Lady Sophia tightly squeezed her small hands into fists and looked up at me. I was the only thing reflected in those anxiously trembling amethyst eyes.

    ¡°I promise. I will definitely help you.¡±

    ¡°Will you really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Since I am your exclusive butler, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sometimes, you can be really mean, Cyril.¡±

    She showed a little pout. This Lady Sophia was so cute, that I broke out into a small smile.

    ¡°What is it? Why are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. More importantly, it¡¯s time for you to rest.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alriiight.¡±

    It was impossible for my Lady, covered in sweat, to simply change her clothes and go to sleep. And so, busy with preparing the bath, I entrusted the slightly sulking Lady Sophia to Rouch¨¦.

    It was the morning of the School Festival.

    Together with my ssmates, I was performing a final check of our ss¡¯ program in the courtyard. By the way, the servant course¡¯s ss A, using the courtyard, would be hosting an open-air caf¨¦.

    There might probably be some people who would think that this was a basic idea, but that wasn¡¯t the case. We were the servant course¡¯s first year students, and the majority of us didn¡¯t have a master yet. Therefore, being able to set up a caf¨¦ to show our waitressing and organization skills was a recipe for sess. Since every ss wanted to host a caf¨¦, thepetition would be harsh, but our ss A was ready to tackle the challenge head on.

    Moreover, we weren¡¯t simply opening a caf¨¦. In order to raise the poprity of the cr¨ºpes Libert was nning on selling, having gotten the recipe through Prince Alforth, we had decided that he would begin selling them on arge scale through our ss. For this event, he would make them using top ss ingredients, aiming to sell them to the nobility and the wealthy. He also wouldn¡¯t forget to advertise them as a new sweets recipe that Lady Sophia gave Prince Alforth as a present. Because of this, people who wanted to feel a connection to the royal family or the marquis household were expected to gather around.

    As a result, the cr¨ºpes¡¯ fame would spread among the wealthy in the blink of an eye. At the same time, he''d let themon folk know about the cr¨ºpes'' poprity among the upper sses ¨C and then he¡¯d begin to sell the much-awaited cr¨ºpes using lower cost ingredients, since they would be intended formoners. Libert had devised this n using my suggestion as a basis.

    Since a lot of nobility might possibly show up, naturally, ss A¡¯s responsibility was even greater. However, the ss readily took it all on led by Luke.

    It seemed that they were thankful that such a great opportunity had been offered to them. And, just as their reliable words promised, Luke and the others had seeded in setting it up perfectly.

    Making use of the experiences he had gathered during the New Students¡¯ Weing Party preparations, Luke skillfully divided the workload and brought out their ssmates¡¯ motivation.

    Also, Raymond had been assigned to be Luke¡¯s assistant. I believed that, while there were no problems with his abilities, as of now, our ssmates didn¡¯t find him trustworthy yet. That was the reason why I didn¡¯t try to convince them to let him lead in any way. Luke was the one who decided on it and then persuaded the others.

    And Raymond lived up to their expectations. He made good use of the experiences he had gained from leading the courtyard group at the New Students¡¯ Weing Party, and showed that he was receptive to Luke¡¯s methods. The one who brought the ssmates together was Luke, but the one connecting the two groups together was Raymond.

    ¡®Learn from your mistakes.¡¯

    This seemed to be the education method of Luke¡¯s teacher. Also, ording to what Luke had said, this teacher was Fol¡¯s tutor as well.

    And so, it was likely that ¨C

    ¡°Chloe, would you mind if I asked you something?¡±

    I addressed her as she checked the lined up tables in the courtyard.

    ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s rare for you to have a question for me, Cyril. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just¡­ I heard that you were stuck with Luke for ages, but to think that he actually secretly likes you¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She looked at me with cold eyes.

    ¡°I apologize. I was just joking.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t funny at all, though.¡±

    ¡°How harsh of you. Well then, let me get straight to the point. I would like to know about your teacher.¡±

    ¡°Just to let you know, I cannot tell you their identity. I¡¯m forbidden from speaking about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Luke told me the same thing.¡±

    As I messed around, the expression on Chloe¡¯s face seemed to say: ¡®So why are you asking me?¡¯

    ¡°Since Fol seems to hold her in high esteem, I became a little curious about her myself. Therefore, I wanted to ask you, Chloe, whether you have a good impression of her as well?¡±

    ¡±¡­It¡¯s not aughing matter.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Please excuse my behaviour. I¡¯ll take my leave before I offend you any further.¡±

    In ordance with my words, I began to walk past her. However, right as I tried to leave, Chloe grabbed my arm.

    ¡°¡­What is it?¡±

    ¡°Answer me. What did you find out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You said that you had something you wanted to ask me. However, you just keep messing around asking me pointless questions and then tried to leave. There¡¯s no way you¡­ simply did this for no reason, is there?¡±

    Just as I thought, Chloe was outstanding. She seemed to have noticed that, through our conversation just a moment ago, I had already achieved my aim.

    ¡°It¡¯s not such a big deal. I simply verified something.¡±

    If someone didn''t have the information I wanted, it''d be near impossible for them not to misinterpret my questions. If someone did, their reaction would show it clearly. And yet, Chloe had misunderstood me nheless.1

    That was the reason why I was able to figure out ¡®her¡¯ identity.

    I didn¡¯t intend on letting her know about even the fact that I was extracting information, but it seemed that quickly running away from the guilt of secretly getting information out of Chloe was a failure.

    As expected of Chloe.

    She seemed to be one or two steps ahead of Luke when it came to conversations such as these.

    ¡°¡­Answer me. What information did you get from me?¡±

    ¡°That''s a secret for now.¡±

    ¡°¡­ugh. And you think I will just ept that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. So allow me to tell you something. Lady Sophia loves Miss Fol dearly. Therefore, I would never do anything to hurt her.¡±

    Chloe red at me. I faced her gaze head on.

    ¡°¡­If what you just said turns out to be a lie, I will never forgive you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind.¡±

    After my conversation with Chloe had ended, I went back to work. I was checking for any inadequacies in our set up. Up until now, I had gone to help out simply as a member of the ss whenever I was free, but since the work schedule had been well thought out, there was enough time to deal with any unforeseen circumstances that might appear.

    The set up was also done properly, so we were likely to receive a high rating from our future customers.

    ¡°Oh my, are you doing a secret check up?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say things that could lead to misunderstandings. Right now, I am merely a member of the ss.¡±

    The one who addressed me was our teacher, Tristan.

    When it came to setting up the School Festival, I was just a helping hand. I merely nned on receiving praise as yet another member of the ss, since the honours meant for the leader belonged to Luke.

    ¡°You say that, but, if you had spotted any issues, you would have interfered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your duty, teacher, not mine.¡±

    As I made it clear that I had no intentions on stealing their achievements, I thought about teacher Tristan. I realized thating into contact with Tristan, who was Fol¡¯s father¡¯s butler, so oftentely, couldn¡¯t be a mere coincidence.

    Luke and Chloe were the ones who were monitoring me. Then, after Luke determined that I wasn¡¯t a threat and I lowered my guard, there was one more person surveilling me.

    It was an old trick to thoroughly investigate someone.

    ¡°Come to think of it, I need to express my gratitude to you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Express your gratitude?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in regards to Lady Fol. Thanks to all of you, she has be quite cheerfultely. She might have found her purpose in life with the y.¡±

    Although he said that he felt grateful regarding Fol, he didn¡¯t actually say that it was because of her finding her purpose. I understood the meaning underlying teacher Tristan¡¯s gratitude.

    After much deliberation I decided to split this chapter into two parts, because it''s the length of two regr chapters, so it was split in order to maintain quality. For some reason the first half of it was quite challenging this time so I think it was a good call! Immense thanks to my editor Barebones (please do check her out and support her if you can, she''s amazing and so hardworking!) who always delivers amazing edits and who helped me out so much this chapter. Also huge thank you to Graze and BAD MACHINE who have been a big help as well.

    Thank you so much for reading and your support! <3<ol><li>crediting my editor Barebones for this paragraph</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 17: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 5 2/2

    ¡°Lady Sophia just took a liking to her, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so?¡±

    Teacher Tristan was the one who went quiet this time. He was probably trying to gauge from my statement whether I was beneficial to Fol or not. Teacher Tristan was cautious, and I could not discern the underlying meaning in any of his words. I felt that, at this rate, our conversation wouldn¡¯t progress any further, so I resolutely got to the heart of the matter.

    ¡°Do you like ck tea, teacher Tristan?¡±

    Hearing that question, teacher Tristan''s eyes widened slightly. Then, the corner of his mouth lifted up, and he gave me a smile that looked just like one of his CGs from the game.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve heard that you prepare a delicious ck tea. Where did you learn how to brew it?¡±

    ¡°I learned it myself. If you would like to learn how to prepare it, teacher, shall I teach you my method?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I guess so. If there¡¯s an opportunity to, please do.¡±

    ¡°Opportunities are something that we create by ourselves, though.¡±Therefore, if someone wasn¡¯t willing to create an opportunity, it was the same as rejecting his offer.

    ¡°Well, that is true. However, wouldn¡¯t it be better if you were the one to prepare it when that timees?¡±

    ¡°I refuse. My master is Lady Sophia, so I don¡¯t have enough free time to be making tea especially for you.¡±

    ¡°Are we not well acquainted?¡±

    ¡°If you insist, how about getting yourself a lover? I will instruct them on how to prepare you a delicious ck tea.¡±

    ¡°¡­You shouldn¡¯t concern yourself with that sort of thing,¡± teacher Tristan said, and smiled.

    When the corner of his mouth went up, it seemed like he was thinking about something mischievous, but I feared that it was an act, because the Tristan in the game often had such a mischievous expression as well.

    ¡°However¡­ you¡¯re right. Since you have requested it, shall I prepare tea for you at least once?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Then, how about allowing me a taste of it on thest day of the School Festival?¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t mind waiting until after the School Festival?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not. After the School Festival ends, let me properly enjoy that milk tea of yours that you take such pride in.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then, I¡¯ll leave the ss¡¯ program to you.¡±

    Since I managed to get him to agree to such an important promise, I returned to the ss¡¯ set up with a lightness in my step.

    And, so the School Festival finally began.

    In the morning, I would be helping out with the open-air caf¨¦, and, in the afternoon, I¡¯d go to the auditorium for the y.

    By the way, it might be called a School Festival, but the programs were very different depending on the course.

    While the servant courses prepared a lot of caf¨¦-like establishments, the nobility courses did a lot of activities rted to the high ss society, and themoner courses did a lot of food stands and promotional sales types of activities. What I meant to say by all this was that besides the Student Council, not many were using the auditorium. As a result, the Student Council had ample time to prepare. In order to check the props that we would be using in the y, I walked up onto the stage in advance.

    The tools that we would be working with during the y included the props for the actors to use and carry, and equipment that was installed into the stage. Moreover, we also had backdrops. It would have been impossible to make all of these in the short amount of time we had, so a lot of them were rentals from the theatre group Isabe performed with. Since this was equipment for the y Espressivo of Light and Darkness, which didn¡¯t exist in this world before our y, I expected it¡¯d be very difficult to prepare it, but Isabe¡¯s theatre group did a great job.

    When I dropped by the offstage props store room, someone was already there.

    I was a little wary about the purpose of her being there.

    ¡°Miss Isabe, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural for professional actors toe check the props they will be using?¡±

    I thought it was a little unexpected.

    Isabe let out a chuckle, perhaps because my feelings showed on my face.

    ¡°Is it that surprising? Although I won¡¯t be getting up onto the stage myself, since I¡¯ve been rehearsing together with all of you, I consider myself a part of the group. Do you and the others still see me as an outsider?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all.¡±

    Isabe had been instructing us keenly this past week, and it was true that she did things outside of her job description.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s you, I¡¯m going to confess something to you. At first, I didn¡¯t intend to be instructing you all this seriously. I thought that I would be babysitting a bunch of noble children and that, if things went well, I could maybe get a patron out of it.¡±

    ¡°Do you want a patron?¡±

    I probed a little. Surprisingly, she replied in a heartfelt manner to my casual question, and told me that she needed money to support her hometown.

    ¡°I¡¯m from a very poor vige that doesn¡¯t really have anything. However, everyone there always treated me really kindly, as if I were one more of the family. They even helped me out a lot when I left the vige to join a theatre group.¡±

    ¡°¡­You would like a patron in order to repay their kindness?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    I had nothing to guarantee me that the words of this woman, who was so talented at acting, were true. However, it had made some things click. To be honest, at the time when I was creating a list of candidates, I had done a background check on her.

    Therefore, I already knew that Isabe was sending part of her pay to her vige. I didn''t know why she had been doing it, but¡­ now I understood that it was out of the gratitude that she felt for her hometown.

    Commoners, and, especially, farmers who lived in viges, weren¡¯t well off in this world. It must have been immeasurably difficult for a daughter from a poor vige to move somece else. It¡¯s likely that all the vigers pitched in to invest in her travel expenses and such.

    At the same time, I could imagine that she had sent enough money already, even when considering the initial sum of money that they gave her. It seemed that she possessed a stronger sense of duty than I had thought.

    As a matter of fact-

    ¡°You were suspicious of me, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    My breath caught in my throat. She said exactly what I was thinking of. She greatly exceeded my abilities in reading people.

    ¡°I apologize if I made you ufortable.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. It¡¯s natural that, if you serve someone, you will be suspicious of the people around them. Besides, it wasn¡¯t really such a misguided worry.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡±

    ¡°I wasmissioned by someone unknown.¡±

    It seemed that, within the few days that she had spent as our instructor, someone had already contacted her. Apparently, that person had told her to tamper with a minor prop, in order to embarrass Lady Sophia.

    ¡°For the time being, I thought that it would be better for you to learn this.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you very much.¡±

    If I counted the people who thought ill of Lady Sophia because of a misunderstanding as well, the total number of people who held resentment towards her wouldn¡¯t be small. However, there weren¡¯t many who would be capable of making a move in just the few days that Isabe spent instructing us, and be able to pay tomission her.

    In all likelihood, it was a student who was a member of the Elitist faction.

    Their influence had been whittled down after thest incident, but on the other hand it made her incur their enmity. It was only harassment this time, but, in the game, Lady Sophia would be falsely used of a crime by the Elitists and executed for it. It seemed that, from now on, I had to be even more vignt.

    ¡°¡­Miss Isabe, would you consider working for me?¡±

    ¡°Working for you? You don¡¯t mean that you¡¯d be my acting patron, right?¡±

    ¡°No, this is a separate matter.¡±

    Isabe excelled at seeing through people¡¯s acts and in reading their mind. As an actress, she came in contact with all sorts of people, so I thought that she would be well suited for gathering information.

    ¡°In other words, you want me to continue being an actress while collecting information, and then reporting anything that seems useful to you?I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°¡­That was easy.¡±

    ¡°I took on this job because I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ that so?¡±

    When I visited the theatre troupe, the troupe leader had been wary of me. However, Isabe, who had asked me a lot of questions, said that she trusted her own perception of me and epted my offer.

    ¡°Understood. Then, let¡¯s sign an official contractter.¡±

    I had a lot of things to do, but, at that moment, preparing for the performance took precedence, so I began the check up. As I was working, I suddenly remembered what Isabe had said a few moments ago.

    ¡°Earlier, you¡¯ve said that you didn¡¯t intend on instructing us this seriously at first. What made you change your mind?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you already know.¡±

    Isabe chuckled. She meant that, seeing how serious my Lady and the others were, she had wanted to help them out. Since I was always by my Lady¡¯s side, I understood that feeling quite well. When I saw her do her best, I couldn¡¯t help thinking that I wanted to help her grow more and more as well.

    ¡°Well, since that¡¯s the case, if there¡¯s anything troubling you, please feel free to consult with me. However ¨C I can¡¯t help you with currying favour with yourdy, got that?¡±

    After she gave me a typical Isabe smile and sent me a kiss, she left. The moment I tilted my head in puzzlement, wondering what she was talking about, I felt an indescribable atmosphere of bloodlust rising at my back. When I turned around, with a chill going down my spine, there stood the figure of Lady Sophia standing still, the smile of a future marquess appearing on her face.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia, is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Are voluptuous young women your type, Cyril?¡±

    A terribly direct question came. Even though her air was still that of a marquess, I wanted to ask her where had the proper, subtle phrasing of the nobility run off to?

    ¡°Please answer me. Are young women like Isabe your type, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I do find her attractive.¡±

    Combining my previous and current lives together, I had lived for over 30 years. However, I didn¡¯t feel like my mental age was that of a 30 year old.

    Normally, as one grew older, the age of the girls they liked would go up as well. But, perhaps because I had transmigrated, my type hadn¡¯t really changed from the time when I was a student1 in my previous life.

    I saw Lady Sophia as a girl younger than me, while I saw Isabe as a girl my own age.

    ¡°¡­ How many years will it take for me to grow up?¡± Lady Sophia muttered. As she looked down on her own body with a pout, she looked really cute, however ¨C it seemed that it was still too early for her to obtain an adult¡¯s charms yet.

    It was quite difficult for me to resist unintentionallyughing out loud.

    Nevertheless, it was just as Lady Sophia had said. Given a few more years, Lady Sophia would grow up from a cute young girl into a beautiful young woman.

    That¡¯s why-

    ¡°I look forward to when you do.¡±

    My Lady blinked in surprise, but her cheeks went just a little red. Apparently, she realized that I had heard what she murmured. She slightly turned her body away in embarrassment.

    It seemed that, with just these few words of mine, her jealous anger had vanished.

    After my Lady was, once again, in a good mood, we checked the small props together.

    Isabe had said that, for a professional actress, it was a matter of course to check one¡¯s own props. However, Lady Sophia was a future marquess. Since it wasmon for nobility to make their servants check the props they would be using, it was rare for them to make the check themselves.

    The fact that my Lady was checking them herself showed just how much she wanted to make the y a sess.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, I feel it was good luck for you to have been able to get to know Fol, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree. So you don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡±

    My breath caught in my throat.

    Without a doubt, she was pointing out me hiding Fol¡¯s true identity and her circumstances. Although I hid it because I believed that it would be beneficial to Lady Sophia, it would have been a lie if I said that I didn¡¯t feel guilty about it.

    However, I didn¡¯t think that Lady Sophia would notice it.

    ¡°I am thankful to you from the bottom of my heart. Also, right now, I wish to make the y a sess, together with Fol and the others. Will you help me?¡±

    ¡°Your wish is mymand, my Lady.¡±

    If that was my Lady¡¯s wish, it was my duty to help her with all my might. However, I had already done everything that I had to.

    ¡®Despite Lady Sophia and Fol being at the top of their sses, there is no way that they would be as excellent while performing. In the case of Prince Alforth and Alicia, that goes without saying.¡¯ That¡¯s what a lot of people were probably thinking.

    Therefore, today we would prove that thought to be false. With a performance that would rival even that of a professional, Lady Sophia and the others would receive the biggest apuse.

    While writing up this happy ending in my head, I continued the y¡¯s preparations. Finally, Alicia showed up, and after her, Prince Alforth.

    Everyone put on their costumes and finished their preparations. Fol was the only one who didn¡¯t show up.

    Thank you so much for reading!! <3<ol><li>Ñ§Éú ¨C this term is used a lot for university students, so I believe Cyril means girls in theirte teens and early twenties</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 18: The Play, Espressivo of Light and Darkness Act II Part 6

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Foling?¡±

    With the live performance about to begin, all the members of the Student Council, except for Fol, were gathered backstage.

    However, no one could answer Lady Sophia¡¯s question. No one had the answer for it, since it was a question all of us wanted to ask as well.

    No, that was incorrect.

    Precisely because we knew that all of us had one possible answere to mind, none of us were willing to voice our guess.

    Lady Sophia, who struggled with magical overcharge disease, as well as the others, were likely to panic. In order to avoid that, I snapped my fingers, getting everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Everyone, how many fingers do you see?¡±

    ¡°Cyril, I am unable to get into the mood to enjoy a practical joke right now.¡±

    ¡°I am not joking around. Please answer, my Lady. Can you tell how many fingers there are?¡±I showed her my hand with just one finger pointed up.

    ¡°¡­One.¡±

    I didn¡¯t agree with Lady Sophia¡¯s answer. After I took a look at everyone¡¯s faces, I turned my gaze back to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Is that really true?¡±

    ¡°No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s one¡­ no, one finger is pointing up, but there are still five fingers on your right hand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±

    In truth, any answer would have been fine. If she had answered that there were five fingers first, I intended to redirect her attention to the number of fingers that were pointing up. My goal was to distract her.

    The most effective way of stopping someone from panicking was to remove them from the source of their panic. Simultaneously, it was also said that, when one panicked, their consciousness was scattered, and making that person focus on a single thing was a good remedy as well.

    As I implemented both of these methods at the same time, I was also pondering what to do afterwards. There was only one reason for Fol to not show up for the rehearsal without contacting us beforehand. I feared that she had copsed again. Therefore, the problem now was how we would deal with it. It would have been best if we could hide the issue, but, seeing that she was the y¡¯s heroine, that was impossible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Rouch¨¦ to go check on the reason Fol isn¡¯ting. However¡­ we can¡¯t wait until shees back. Fol must have copsed again.¡±

    I didn¡¯t present that possibility as a spection, but as a fact, on purpose. Right before they grew anxious, and while they had regained theirposure for now, I continued with my exposition.

    ¡°However, there¡¯s no need to be anxious about it. Even if she did copse, I am sure that we will see her health return again, as soon as she gets a few days of rest. That¡¯s what her tutor said.¡±

    This time, I changed to addressing her copse as a hypothesis, affirming that there was nothing to worry about, even if it turned out to be true.

    Moreover-

    ¡°Our problem is the timing of her copse. It seems likely that Fol won¡¯t be able to perform in the y.¡±

    Whether her capacity toe back in the future was a fact or a hypothesis, the problem was that she wouldn¡¯t be returning today nor the day after. Therefore, I side-stepped the issue, saying that what we had to worry about was what to do about the y. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that everyone would feel reassured by that or that they would whole-heartedly agree with me. To begin with, while I believed that my assumption was correct, I didn¡¯t have any proof that I was right.

    Nevertheless, even if Fol had copsed, there wasn¡¯t anything Lady Sophia and the others could do about it. I was the sole exception. If it was necessary, I would go see her for sure. Therefore, since no such meeting was requested, it was yet another proof that my suspicions were correct.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it once more. Our current problem is Fol being unable to perform in the y. Of course, it is possible that she will burst in here in a moment, but¡­ ¡±

    That chance was infinitely low. We had to decide, here and now, whether we would perform the y or not.

    ¡°Seeing as Cousin Fol is the heroine of the y, there¡¯s nothing we can do but cancel the y, right?¡± Prince Alforth said.

    Followingmon sense, it was a respectable opinion, and one that I had expected. However, Lady Sophia insisted otherwise.

    ¡°We have to perform the y. If Fol was here, she would definitely want us to do so.¡±

    That was also true.

    All of us knew that Fol had said that she wanted to perform a y in order to leave an impression before her death. Even if she wouldn¡¯t be able toe up onto the stage herself, it would mean a lot to her if we turned the y into a sess.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that Cousin Fol would have said so, but¡­ what do we do about the heroine?¡±

    Prince Alforth took a look around the room. If it were Alicia¡¯s role as the maid, we could have, somehow, made do with narrating it. However, turning the heroine¡¯s role into just narration was out of the question.

    When thinking of switching roles around, the safest choice would be for Alicia to y the heroine. Alicia might have sensed what I was thinking about, because she opened her mouth.

    ¡°I- I cannot y the heroine!¡±

    ¡°Do not worry. I will y Aurelia,¡± Lady Sophia dered.

    Certainly, Lady Sophia would be able to y the heroine skillfully. Nevertheless, Lady Sophia taking up the role of the heroine posed a big problem. If Lady Sophia yed the heroine, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone in the viinous daughter role. Although she had fewer lines than the heroine, that didn¡¯t change the fact that it was an important role. Conclusively, turning it into narration would be difficult. As I watched her, wondering what she intended to do, Lady Sophia turned her gaze to Alicia.

    ¡°Miss Alicia, please y the viinous daughter.¡±

    ¡°I- me, y Elvira?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. You have performed as Elvira a few times, right?¡±

    ¡°Th- that was just me going with the flow, how to put it¡­¡±

    ¡°However, your portrayal was natural. You would be able to perform the role skillfully, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡­Certainly, Alicia performed the role of the viinous daughter better than she did the maid¡¯s.

    But that was because she was capable of empathizing with her, and because their personalities matched. Generally speaking, if the live performance was to take ce a week from now, this option would have been fine. However, in this situation, with the live performance about to begin, it was too rash.

    That was what I was thinking, but, unlike earlier, when Alicia was being considered for the role of the heroine, this time, Alicia was thinking about it instead of immediately refusing.

    If possible, it would have been the ideal distribution of roles. However¡­ I turned my eyes to Melissa. Noticing my gaze, she nodded.

    ¡°Lady Alicia was interested in the role of the viinous daughter, so, whenever she had time between rehearsals, she would practise it. I dare say that she¡¯s capable of performing the role without any problems.¡±

    ¡°W-will I¡­ be able to do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have seen you practise every day, my Lady.¡±

    Alicia, unable to take that step forward and hesitating, just like the heroine had about the secret meetings with the prince, raised her head after receiving Melissa¡¯s support. Exactly like the game¡¯s heroine, she ced her hand near her chest with a dignified expression.

    ¡°I will perform as Elvira.¡±

    She seemed to have made up her mind. To be honest, it was a reckless decision. However, since Lady Sophia had suggested it and Alicia had epted it, I didn¡¯t oppose their decision and, instead, started thinking about how to make it happen.

    The costumes weren¡¯t a problem. The uniforms were fundamentally the same, and they were supposed to wear their own dresses for the scene at the ball.

    The problem was the role of the maid that Alicia was supposed to y. It wasn¡¯t impossible to narrate the role, but it would have been better if someone were to perform it. Since that was the case, I turned my gaze to Melissa, but was refused with a vigorous shake of the head.

    ¡°Shall I y the role of the maid?¡±

    Isabe announced herself as a candidate. Isabe would be able to perform the role without any troubles, but she wasn¡¯t a student. As I was pondering what to do, a voice resounded: ¡°I give you my permission.¡±

    When I looked up, I saw that teacher Tristan stood there, having apanied Rouch¨¦.

    Lady Sophia was about to rush over and press her for answers, but she seemed to have remembered her ce as a future marquess. Next to Lady Sophia, who had stopped in her tracks, Prince Alforth took a step forward.

    ¡°Tristan, Cousin Fol hasn¡¯t arrived¡­ do you know the reason?¡±

    ¡°Lady Fol¡¯s physical condition worsened earlier and she is now resting. However, there¡¯s no need for you to worry. If she properly rests today, she should be recovered by tomorrow or the day after.¡±

    Someone sighed out loud in relief. After hearing his words, all of us felt reassured. However, at the same time, we were made aware that Fol definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to perform in today¡¯s y.

    ¡°I have a message from Lady Fol. ¡®I apologize for being unable to be on the stage with you. However, I believe that all of you will be able to liven up the stage, for me as well.¡¯ she said.¡±

    With that statement, everyone¡¯s hearts were filled with resolve. While no one said anything about it, each of us began with the necessary preparations. Melissa ran to prepare a dress that suited the viinous daughter for Alicia to wear during the y, and Rouch¨¦ ran to prepare Lady Sophia¡¯s simple and elegant dress.

    Isabe borrowed a spare maid uniform from the other maids. Previously, when Libert¡¯s right hand man, Nic, pretended to be a butler, I was the only one who could immediately tell that he was just wearing a butler¡¯s outfit. However, Isabe truly looked like a maid. As one could expect from the leading actress from the royal city¡¯s famous troupe.

    With Isabe joining the group, the new cast¡¯s rehearsal began.

    ¡°Haa. I heard from Lady Fol that isabe has amazing acting abilities, but she¡¯s truly something, huh,¡± teacher Tristan began to speak, observing them from the side.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honour to have you praise her. However, is it alright for you to leave Fol unattended?¡±

    ¡°What I said earlier weren¡¯t mere words of constion. Whileing to watch the y might be too hard on her today, tomorrow or the next day she should have recovered enough to walk around normally.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Then, the modest tea party we had nned won¡¯t be a problem either?¡±

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t be any trouble.¡±

    Reassured it would be alright, I turned my gaze back to the stage, where the rehearsal was taking ce. They were currently going through thest scene, in which the viinous daughter was executed under the Prince¡¯s orders. With the ruin of the viinous daughter as a backdrop, the Prince swears true love to the heroine.

    The performance ended with Prince Alforth moving his hand towards Lady Sophia¡¯s chest, lifting her chin with his other hand. We nned that at the live performance the lights would go off, and then the curtains would get lowered.

    The kiss scene between Lady Sophia and Prince Alforth. Although it was an act, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it was Lady Sophia who had won over the Prince¡¯s heart, instead of the Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ heroine.

    That had been my first objective when I began my new life in this world. And even though this objective was now aplished, my heart felt diposed. Why did I feel that way¡­? Well, I knew why.

    I locked that feeling into a corner of my heart.

    As I observed them, the two of them began to talk about something. Prince Alforth asked her something and Lady Sophia answered, smiling.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say that you want something when you want it, even if it¡¯s something obtainable, you will end up not getting it.¡±

    ¡°¡­That is none of your business,¡± I objected reflexively, but teacher Tristan said with augh: ¡°I¡¯m not saying that to you.¡±

    I tried to figure out what he meant by that, but I didn¡¯t understand, and in any case, I didn¡¯t have the time to think about it.

    Lady Sophia and Prince Alforth¡¯s conversation ended and they each went a different way. Prince Alforth approached Tristan and I. He stood in front of me and repeatedly opened and closed his mouth.

    And then-

    ¡°Cyril, I have something I need to talk to you about.¡±

    His face showed a hint of frustration, but, after a pause, he said bluntly with an unhesitant tone of voice: ¡°Miss Sophia doesn¡¯t rely on me, she relies on you.

    ¡°You¡¯ve acted as everyone¡¯s rehearsal partner. I am sure that you can master the role of the prince immediately, Cyril.¡±

    Prince Alforth, who yed the role of the prince, wanted my Lady to y the role of the heroine. His wish hade true, yet he was saying that he was handing over the role of the prince to me.

    ¡°¡­you would be alright with that?¡±

    My question was whether he was alright with letting go of this chance that he had gotten atst. However, Prince Alforth nodded, his face more earnest than I thought it would be.

    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t be Elvira.¡±

    That was the name of the viinous daughter, who went mad with revenge when the prince was stolen from her by the heroine. There was only one possible way to interpret the meaning of his words: in this situation, he won¡¯t be like her.

    Prince Alforth was aware of who Lady Sophia¡¯s heart wished for.

    Prince Alforth, who at the New Students Weing party didn¡¯t take any notice of the situation around him and asked Lady Sophia for a dance, was now suppressing his own feelings and was considering Lady Sophia¡¯s instead.

    Prince Alforth was exceedinglying closer to bing just like the popr character from Espressivo of Light and Darkness. It was possible to say that the current him was worthy of being Lady Sophia¡¯s fianc¨¦.

    Despite this, he was giving up on this chance he got.

    ¡°You might¡­ regret thister. Are you saying that you would give up the role of the prince despite that?¡±

    ¡°If we were talking about the previous me, I would have been jealous of you and I might have ended up falling into darkness like Elvira. However, I am different now. I ¨C I want to surpass you.¡±

    Clearly, this was an announcement of rivalry.

    There was no way that I, a mere butler, could respond to those words. I was also warned by Master Grave to not show off too much.

    However, despite that-

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said all this, Prince Alforth, there¡¯s no way that I could refuse.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°I ept the challenge. I will respectfully take on the role of the prince.¡±

    And with this chapter, we''ve reached the end of this arc! I gasped when I read the final scene! Quite a surprise there! Thank you so much for your continous support and as always, any and all donations are much appreciated. <3 Hope to see you in the next arc!

 Book 2: Chapter 19: His and Her Plan Part 1

    During the afternoon of the first day of the School Festival, I hurriedly decided to take on the role of the prince. Before the live performance of Espressivo of Light and Darkness was to begin, a lot of students, along with their families, had gathered in the auditorium.

    Just like they had said in the past, Pam and Ferris upied their seats in the front row. They had done so not just because they were part of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction, but also because they seemed to be wholeheartedly looking forward to her performance.

    However, arge part of the audience was <i>not</i> looking forward to the performance. Since many of them wanted to secure connections with the royal family or the marquis household, they were there simply to be able to say that they had seen their children¡¯s performance.

    Nevertheless, that didn¡¯t matter. We understood the wishes of Fol and Prince Alforth. To fail during Lady Sophia¡¯s performance as the heroine was impossible.

    The curtain lifted and Lady Sophia, ying an innocent young girl, spoke in a clear voice. At that moment, the atmosphere in the audience changed. Everyone looked a little surprised, and became very interested in the stage.

    Scene one.

    The scene where the heroine, after she got lost at the party¡¯s venue, was harassed by a dead-beat young aristocrat.

    With the orchestra¡¯s performance serving as background music, Aurelia stood in the venue. At this point, the narration came in, and her performance showed my Lady¡¯s confusion. It was likely due to the voice of the narration not belonging to me, as we had previously nned.

    It wasn¡¯t that we didn¡¯t have the time to inform my Lady of the role switch because of Prince Alforth¡¯s proposal beingst minute.It was a proper surprise.

    Incidentally, the one in charge of narration was the prince of this country. The people who realized whom the voice belonged to began murmuring among themselves, but Prince Alforth, holding the script in one hand, went on with his narration. It seemed like a good way to highlight the fact that he wasn¡¯t an Elitist, but instead, that he was a Prince close to themon folk.

    At the previous party, he had confirmed that he wasn¡¯t an Elitist, so if his actions afterwards didn¡¯t show that he was close to themon folk, people might say that it was all an act.

    It seemed that he had thought that far ahead. Truly, in this short amount of time, he was already showing his growth as a prince.

    His narration presented the predicament of the heroine, and, atst, the time for the prince¡¯s appearance arrived. Right before I stepped up onto the stage, after I had adjusted my costume, my gaze met Prince Alforth¡¯s. He nodded and I nodded back in response, and took one step forward onto the stage.

    A magic powered spot light rained down on me. Showered with its light, I headed towards the centre of the stage, standing behind the bewildered Lady Sophia to defend her.

    Using his quick wit, Prince Alfred, in disguise, chased the dead-beat young aristocrat away. Synchronized with the narration, I abruptly turned around.

    The heroine was standing still, bewildered.

    ¡°Are you alright, young Lady?¡±

    When I asked her this, in the role of the dazzling prince, Lady Sophia mumbled with a surprised look on her face: ¡°Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s me, Cyril. However, right now, please, prioritize the y,¡± I whispered. As if she had suddenly remembered about it, Lady Sophia straightened her spine.

    ¡°Thank you very much for saving me. I am alright.¡±

    ¡°I see. I am d to hear that you are unharmed.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s cheeks reddened. This was the moment when the heroine fell in love with the prince at first sight. Nevertheless, I had to mention that Lady Sophia was truly exceptional, to have even her cheeks go red during the performance.

    Indeed, this was a performance. As proof of that, even though her expression was that of a young girl in love, deep in her eyes there was just a critical look that seemed to say: ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard anything about this?¡±

    ¡®I wanted to see my Lady¡¯s surprised face.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t say that, no matter what. We were still on stage right at that moment.

    We reached the scene where, when he spotted the maid that came searching for him, the prince ended up leaving without even introducing himself.

    ¡°Well, this is my cue to leave,¡± I said turning around as if I were running away from questioning.

    In that instant, Lady Sophia said: ¡°Please wait,¡± and pulled at my sleeve.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    Pretending it was part of the performance, I asked this question loud enough for it to reach the audience. However, I also tilted my head in puzzlement, actually asking her what was wrong. With the expression of a mischievous child, Lady Sophia whispered: ¡°Since we¡¯re here, I won¡¯t let you run away.¡±

    Before I could think of what she meant, Lady Sophia held out her right hand.

    ¡°Truth be told, I was bored.¡±

    In this world, only rarely would someone get asked to dance by a girl. Therefore, this was an indirect request, letting me know that my Lady wanted to dance with me.

    I couldn¡¯t remember ever teaching her such a way of inviting someone to dance. However, my Lady had grown up.

    Nevertheless, was this eptable? Although this development waspletely different from the script¡­ just as Lady Sophia had said, it was impossible to reject the heroine¡¯s offer here.

    ¡­No, that was incorrect.

    My Lady had always wanted to dance with me. And so now, in this situation, even if I were the one to ask my Lady for a dance, there was no one who could reproach me for it. Therefore- I faced my Lady and extended my hand. Although I was closer to her than anyone else, there was still a distance between us that seemed impossible to ovee. And yet, this distance was bridged over surprisingly easily.

    ¡°Would you grant me this dance?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s with you, dly.¡±

    Immediately, as if we had arranged it beforehand, a waltz began to y. Thanks to the orchestra, the y¡¯s background music was a live performance. Tucked in a wing of the stage, they began performing the song for us, seemingly in reaction to our adlibs. In sync with the music, I held Lady Sophia, and we began to dance a slow waltz.

    At first, as a means of checking to see how Lady Sophia was doing, I danced slowly, but I quickly switched to a very difficult step sequence. My Lady, who was dainty, yet at times boldly showered in the magical spotlight, was performing these difficult steps exactly like a stage¡¯s heroine, her silver hair sparkling.

    ¡°¡­So, why are you ying the prince, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you dislike it?¡±

    ¡°¡­If I disliked it, we wouldn¡¯t be dancing.¡±

    She slightly averted her eyes. Could it be that she was flustered? I pondered about it, but then I was reflected in those amethyst eyes once again.

    Urged by her gaze that said: ¡°Exin,¡± I quickly told her about my conversation with Prince Alforth.

    ¡°I see, so Prince Alforth said such things¡­ I have to express my gratitude to him.¡±

    She smiled like a rosebud that had bloomed into a flower, dancing with ease. It was possible that my Lady had realized what Prince Alforth was thinking when he handed over the role of the prince to me.

    However, at that moment, the y was more important. Since we began dancing after the opening scene, I was worried about the audience getting bored, but everyone¡¯s attention was turned towards us. Some people were gazing at us enviously, others with admiring eyes. And even from up here, I could tell that the eyes of the young Ladies who belonged to my Lady¡¯s faction were sparkling particrly bright.

    ¡°Cyril.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my Lady.¡±

    She wanted me to lead in a way that would fire up the audience even more. Sensing that this was my Lady¡¯s intention, I took evenrger steps than before. All the noises from the audience disappeared, and I immersed myself into the music.

    Thinking of my Lady, I danced, only paying attention to making my Lady shine. Suddenly, there was a slight resistance to my lead.

    Surprised, I switched to another way of leading so that my Lady could be in the spotlight. However, as I suspected, she kept resisting me. My Lady continued to show dissatisfaction with my lead. When I wondered why, I noticed that my face was reflected in her amethyst eyes.

    She was looking at me.

    Lady Sophia¡¯s earnest wish was getting through to me. When I took the lead, single-mindedly wanting my partner to shine, I didn¡¯t look at Lady Sophia. Lady Sophia didn¡¯t wish for her own self to shine. She wished for the both of us to shine together.

    ¡®Don¡¯t stand out too much.¡¯ Her father¡¯s warning shed through my mind.

    However, it didn¡¯t matter.

    If Lady Sophia wished so, no matter what difficulties would stand in my way, I would simply move forward. I began to lead in such a way that wouldn¡¯t just keep Lady Sophia in the center, but that would make the both of us shine together.

    This time, she didn¡¯t resist. In fact, as if she was able to predict my lead, my Lady began to dance as if she was gliding across the stage. Her feelings were getting through to me perfectly. At the same time, my own feelings were probably getting through to her as well. My Lady, who resembled a rose in full bloom, let an innocent smile show on her face.

    Caught up by her smile, I smiled as well. As we embraced this sense of harmony, as if Lady Sophia and I became one, we danced under the spotlight to our own personal waltz.

    ¡°My name is Aurelia. May I learn yours?¡± Lady Sophia asked right after the dance ended and we had stepped away from each other. However, if I were to reveal that I was a prince now, the story would fall apart.

    ¡°Due to some circumstances, I cannot tell you my name. So just call me Al, please.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lord Al. I will definitelye meet you one day.¡±

    My Lady, filled with silent determination was very beautiful, but there weren¡¯t any lines this proactive1 in the original work. Not meeting again by chance, but going out of one¡¯s way to meet the other, was just like what this world¡¯s Alicia¡­ no, what I was thinking about was just a conjecture.

    While our schedule wasn¡¯t followed from the opening scenes, the y continued without any problems.

    Finally, when the two of them met again at the academy, they were instantly attracted to each other. However, the prince had a fianc¨¦e, Elvira. Because she knew about this, the heroine was conflicted. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t give up on the prince, and her love towards him grew stronger.

    During this time, in the original work, the heroine received her maid¡¯s support, and she finally epted the prince¡¯s love. These were the somewhat passive developments that were supposed to happen. However, Lady Sophia¡¯s portrayal of the heroine was a little aggressive2.

    My Lady added in a lot of adlibs, but Isabe followed her lead without any problems. ying the maid, she kept up with Lady Sophia¡¯s performance. Her character became someone who understood Aurelia well and who supported her.

    When Elvira realized that the prince¡¯s heart had grown distant from her, since the prince and the heroine shared their feelings for each other, she fell into darkness.

    ¡°Why do you not look my way?¡±

    These were the words that would trigger her fall into darkness. I stood there facing Alicia, who was ying Elvira, with my face full of guilt. And yet, I looked into her eyes and began to speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve fallen in love with Aurelia.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care even if you have! So please, look at me as well!¡±

    Eh, no¡­ this wasn¡¯t in the script. If I nodded my head here, I would just be a two-timing, yboy prince.

    ¡°Elvira, I am truly very sorry about hurting you. However, I¡¯ve sworn to be by her side. That promise won¡¯t change, no matter what happens from now on.¡±

    I changed my lines in order to get back to the main plotline of the story. In truth, they were words that pushed the viinous daughter a little bit further away from me. After all, the viinous daughter had already started to fall ill at this point, and the prince was distancing himself from her.

    For this reason, this was a farewell scene. And yet-

    ¡°Saying you will be by her side is no reason not to look my way. Haven¡¯t I told you that I simply want you to look my way?!¡±

    So-somehow, I felt like I myself was the target of this critique.

    No, calm down. This was a performance in a y. Following the script¡¯s plot, I said: ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± and turned on my heel, trying to get away. Upon doing so, she raised her voice sorrowfully from behind my back.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you look at me?¡± The grieving girl asked before finally reaching just one conclusion.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. If that girl didn¡¯t exist, he would definitely look my way.¡±

    It was frightening. For some reason, her voice seemed to be filled with killing intent. Was it just my imagination making it seem like this viinous daughter was falling into darkness more deeply than in the original work?

    Alone on the stage, Elvira devised a n on how to get rid of Aurelia. Full of madness, Alicia¡¯s performance had even the audience trembling with fear. It was a truly believable performance.

    Although Alicia hadn¡¯t been able to perform as the heroine¡¯s maid well because she couldn¡¯t empathize with her, she performed the role of the viinous daughter incredibly skillfully.

    In other words¡­ that was really the issue all along, huh?

    Even though they were exposed to unexpected threats, Alfred nurtured his love for Aurelia. That was the ¡®light¡¯ part of Espressivo of Light and Darkness. When ites to the ¡®darkness¡¯ part, it was Aurelia getting mistreated by Elvira. Once Prince Alfred realized what was happening, he took action.

    Although he prevented her from getting harassed over and over again, it was of no use. Therefore, Alfred purposefully distanced himself from Aurelia, inviting Elvira to do her evil deeds. And the instant Elvira was about to cross the line, he apprehended her as the prince of the kingdom.

    Elvira was being publicly led to the gallows. Acting as the prince, I exposed the viinous daughter¡¯s crimes one by one. Although it was a performance, I, who was attempting to save Lady Sophia, would be the one sending the viinous daughter to be executed.

    Filled withplex emotions, I recited Elvira¡¯s charges.

    ¡°Wait, please,¡± Lady Sophia¡¯s dignified voice resounded.

    This line of hers followed the story. The heroine would give the viinous daughter a chance for atonement. However, having fallen into darkness, the girl spits out curses at the heroine, and gets executed.

    That was what was supposed to happen, but-

    ¡°I love him.¡±

    Suddenly, Aurelia, yed by Lady Sophia, challenged Elvira.

    ¡°I- I love him as well!¡±

    Alicia, performing as Elvira, took up the gauntlet.

    Without warning, a carnage was upon us.

    ¡°I am aware. I knew that you did, and yet I took the prince from you. Therefore-¡±

    Lady Sophia turned her back to Elvira and faced me once more.

    ¡°Prince Alfred, please grant her mercy.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you alright with that?¡± I did my best to reply right away.

    After all, this was the y ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯. It didn¡¯t have any rtion to the original work, much less to the reality of this world. However, despite that, when none other than Lady Sophia decided to save the viinous daughter, an indescribable feeling took hold of me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I took someone more important than her own life away from her. Therefore, I will forgive the girl who tried to take my life, just this once.¡±

    ¡°If that is your wish.¡±

    Thinking about the crimes I had recited earlier, realistically, it wasn¡¯t possible to dere her innocent. ording to this train of thought, still in the role of Alfred, I dered that she was to be confined to a monastery. Upon hearing this, Lady Sophia approached the kneeling viinous daughter.

    ¡°I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    Alicia, sitting on the floor, looked up at Lady Sophia. I didn¡¯t know whether it was just a performance, or if she was expressing her true feelings.

    Nevertheless, Lady Sophia smiled.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to give up. However, I won¡¯t lose. That¡¯s why I will always ept any of your challenges!¡± She dered loudly, and gently stepped aside.

    Finally, thest scene began.

    ¡°Your Highness, I apologize for my overly pushy behaviour.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I exposed her crimes in order to save you. So, if you say that you forgive her, I will forgive her as well,¡± I replied, and embraced Lady Sophia. Although we added many adlibs and didn¡¯t adhere to the script, I would swear my eternal love to her in this scene, and we would reach the happy end.

    But before that, Lady Sophia spoke up first.

    ¡°¡­To begin with, aren¡¯t you the one at fault? Recklessly paying so much attention to other girls. Think of the manipted girls¡¯ feelings, and please, restrain yourself a little.¡±

    Instinctively, I felt very apologetic.

    Just now, her voice had been quiet and the words wouldn¡¯t reach the audience. Since I noticed that they weren¡¯t really connected to her previous lines, these were probably Lady Sophia¡¯s true feelings. Believing so, I looked at her face, and she chuckled.

    ¡°This is the you that I love,¡± she dered loudly. These were Aurelia¡¯s lines. However, I wondered whether Lady Sophia adding: ¡®This is the you¡¯, was about Alfred forgiving Elvira, or instead¡­

    I shook off that thought and said: ¡°I also love you,¡± and I embraced her.

    At this point, the lights were supposed to turn off, and the y was supposed to end. However, the lights weren¡¯t turning off. When I quickly nced at them, I spotted teacher Tristan¡¯s figure standing in front of the magical lights¡¯ operating device.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°The lights didn¡¯t turn off. Teacher Tristan seems to be pulling a prank on us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s troublesome. What are we going to do?¡±

    Whispering quietly, Lady Sophia was smiling like a mischievous child. Come to think of it, when I withdrew backstage earlier, Lady Sophia was whispering something into teacher Tristan¡¯s ear.

    This situation might just be a practical joke of Lady Sophia¡¯s.

    ¡°Bad girls need to be punished.¡±

    I raised my Lady¡¯s chin with my fingers.

    As if I was peering into her wide open amethyst eyes, I slowly brought my face closer to hers.

    Thank you so much for reading! I gasped so many times during this chapter lmao~. Hope you''ll enjoy! A huge thank you to my editor Barebones for the extensive, detailed work she always delivers! <3<ol><li>ÄÐÇ°¤Ê ¨C ¡®otokomaena¡¯ literally ¡®manly¡¯. I think the author here means that she didn¡¯t have such proactive, ¡®aggressive¡¯ lines, in the same way how a man invites a woman to a dance but it rarely happens the opposite way in this world, so the woman is more ¡®passive¡¯ in this sense.</li><li>ÈâÊ³Ïµ ¨C ¡®nikushokukei¡¯, literally means a ¡®man¡¯s man, man aggressively pursuing rtionships and riches, carnivore¡¯. I opted for the term aggressive, as it also contrasts the passive developments. </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 20: His and Her Plan Part 2

    After the y ended, Lady Sophia and I immediately made our way to the Royal Castle. Prince Alforth and Alicia sent us out, saying that they wanted us to go check how Fol was doing.

    I was worried about the possibility of us not being allowed to meet her since it was so soon after her copse, but we were granted permission without any problems. As we walked into her bedroom, Fol was sitting up in bed.

    While there was no one else in the bedroom, I could sense the presence of several people in the adjacent room. I hadn¡¯t noticed them thest time. It was likely that they were staying nearby to serve as her guards as well.

    I had an idea about the identity of one of these people.

    ¡°Sophia, Cyril. You came to see me.¡±

    I wouldn¡¯t say that herplexion looked healthy, but she still broke out into a smile. When Lady Sophia saw her like this, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°I was worried when I heard that you had copsed, but you seem to be doing better than I thought.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you. And I ended up being absent from the actual y¡­ but I heard that you took on the role of the heroine in my ce, Sophia. Were you able to finish the performance without problems?¡±

    ¡°Eh, about that¡­¡±Lady Sophia was unusually flustered.

    In the end, during the y¡¯sst scene, the lights did turn off right before we could kiss. However, it seemed like Lady Sophia still hadn''t recovered from the shock. My small punishment might have been too much.

    It was easy to guess that Fol had heard about it from Tristan afterwards, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to go out of our way and provide her with more topics nor going along with her nosy questioning.

    ¡°My Lady performed as your substitute splendidly, Fol.¡± I jumped in when the conversation paused and offered my objective report of the situation.

    I wanted to divert her attention from my Lady¡¯s strange behavior. However, Fol¡¯s eyes gleamed like a hunter spotting prey.

    ¡°Oh, you talk about it like it doesn¡¯t concern you, but you substituted for Al and yed as Sophia¡¯s prince, didn¡¯t you? I wonder how thest scene turned out¡­¡±

    It seemed that she had received a report about our performance¡¯s details as well. Since I had already considered this possibility, my expression didn¡¯t change, but Lady Sophia was utterly diposed.

    ¡°T-thest scene?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it ended just like we had nned it to. There was a slip up when the lights turned off a littlete due to someone¡¯s ineptitude, but that was all.¡±

    I brushed Fol¡¯s spections aside at once. If the Elitists were to hear about this, they could start rumours about Lady Sophia¡¯sck of virtue. Therefore, I brought up that teacher Tristan was the reason for the dy with the lights. This meant that, if some problems were to arise, I could pin the me on him.

    Of course, most likely, something like that wouldn¡¯t happen. Nevertheless, I wouldn¡¯t allow for Lady Sophia to be ridiculed. It was preemptive discouragement, letting anyone who might intend to do so know that they should be prepared for a suitable counterattack.

    I seemed to have sessfully gotten my message across, because Fol shrugged her shoulders as if to say that she was giving up on it.

    ¡°I see. So you were able to finish the y without any problems then, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    Due to the swift switch of roles, some clumsy parts in Alicia¡¯s performance had stood out. However, she was able to show Elvira¡¯s aura really well. There had been points where Prince Alforth also struggled here and there, but, despite that, he carried out his role as the narrator impressively.

    It goes without saying that Lady Sophia had excelled, and I had also performed my role adequately.

    When I humbly called myself adequate, Lady Sophia said I was too modest. Nevertheless, I reported that, for now, everyone¡¯s performance had more than reached a level suitable for a school festival¡¯s programme. When Fol finished listening to what I had to say, she smiled a somewhat lonely smile.

    As someone who had been working alongside us up until this point, she didn¡¯t seem to be doubting whether she was really a part of our group or not. However, despite that, she must have felt disheartened over not being able to get onto the stage that she had been supposed to stand on.

    For that reason, just as we had nned, I turned to Lady Sophia and nodded at her.

    ¡°Fol, please look at this.¡±

    Lady Sophia held out a single piece of paper.

    ¡°These are¡­ the selection results?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the judges selecting the School Festival¡¯s most outstanding group have chosen the Student Council¡¯s y.¡±

    Fol looked a little doubtful. She was probably asking herself why these results hade out on the first day of the School Festival, not to mention before the afternoon had even finished. However, once she properly read the document, she understood. It was a notice of the Student Council¡¯s nomination.

    Therefore, at the present time, the winner had yet to be selected. I believed that we were likely to receive the prize for the best group, or, at least, an award of excellence, but it was possible that we wouldn¡¯t receive even that much. In that case, we nned on preparing an award for her, focusing on the theatrical aspect, for preparing the only y of the School Festival.

    We couldn¡¯t behave in such a disgraceful way as to change the selection results by using our political influence. However, using political power in order to create a harmless and inoffensive award was more eptable. As a matter of fact, it didn¡¯t matter what its official title would be. It could be a constion prize, or a participation award, or anything else. We simply wanted to honor the memory of her working hard with us on the y.

    And, as proof of that-

    ¡°My¡­ name is¡­?¡±

    The representative that was chosen by the Student Council, written into the document we submitted to the selectionmittee, was listed as Eldest Daughter Fol. When she found out about it, she turned to us, bewildered.

    ¡°But, I¡­ I haven¡¯t performed on stage¡­¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. You are our Student Council¡¯s representative, Fol. We won¡¯t let anyone say otherwise. Our y is, without a doubt, a y that we have created together with you,¡± Lady Sophia dered.

    Upon hearing this, Fol suddenly averted her eyes. However, it wasn¡¯t because she felt displeased. Shining drops fell down along her cheeks, her face turned away.

    ¡°If- if you say things like that, it will make me cry.¡±

    Her cheeks were so wet when she faced us once again that there was no hiding it. Even though, at a nce, there was a sorrowful expression on her face, she was smiling happily.

    ¡°Thank you for granting me these wonderfulst memories,¡± she said.

    ¡°I was able to create a permanent ce for me in your hearts, wasn¡¯t I? If that¡¯s the case, then, I am not scared anymore. With these feelings in my heart, I will be able to depart, smiling until the end.¡±

    ¡°Please, please don¡¯t say such sad things!¡±

    ¡°I apologize. However, the intervals between my copses are slowly getting shorter. I believe that I will be able to live for another few months, but I don¡¯t think that I can exert as much strength as I did during the y rehearsals anymore.¡±

    ¡°N-no! Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    Lady Sophia, her tears pouring down her face, was whining like a child. I was sure that it was the first time she was acting her age in front of someone else besides me. That was how precious Fol was to her.

    For this reason, I had beenying all the groundwork up until now. I was my Lady¡¯s exclusive butler. My duty was to lead her to happiness at any cost. I eagerly waited for Lady Sophia to rely on me.

    ¡°Cyriiiil¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia clung to me like she used to when she was a child, sobbing. So I repeated the same question I had asked her on that day.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my Lady?¡±

    ¡°You see, I¡­no, I am¡­¡±

    Even though she was sobbing like the young girl she was, my Lady didn¡¯t forget her own status. She understood that, if she let out an unreasonable demand, she would put me, her exclusive butler, in a tough spot. The young Lady who was bound to be a viinous daughter had grown up into a young girl that was kinder than anyone else.

    However, at the same time-

    ¡°You¡¯re looking down on me, aren¡¯t you, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Looking¡­ down on you?¡±

    ¡°You clung to me in tears before, just a short while after we had first met, isn¡¯t that right? At that time, I believed in you, Lady Sophia. That¡¯s why, please, this time, believe in me.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes widened.

    She must have realized what I was trying to say. Intently, she peered into my face, her eyes showing a mix of anxiety and hope.

    I took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Would that be alright? Cyril, would it be alright, even if I were to make a selfish wish, believing in you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my Lady. I wouldn¡¯t say that something is alright if it weren¡¯t. I am Sophia Rosenberg¡¯s exclusive butler,¡± I dered, putting my honor on the line.

    Perhaps sensing how earnest I was, Lady Sophia nervously opened her mouth.

    ¡°Then¡­ then¡­ save- save Fol!¡±

    ¡°Is that an order?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Cyril, you told me before that you would fulfill one of my wishes, no matter what it might be, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did certainly say that.¡±

    ¡°Then, I will use that privilege. I, Sophia, as Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s daughter, order Cyril to save my best friend, Her Highness, Fol the Eldest!¡± Stifling her anxiety, she dered in a regal way, like a rose in full bloom. As long as Lady Sophia wished for something wholeheartedly, I didn¡¯t need any more reasons than that.

    ¡°I will save Her Highness Fol the Eldest, just as my Lady orders me to.¡±

    Standing in front of my master, who kept maturing every single day, I bowed respectfully.

    At that moment, Lady Sophia began to cry in relief. My Lady had full faith in me. Surely, she would also believe me, even if I told her that I was a transmigrator from another world. However, Fol, who didn¡¯t share her faith, was ring at me sternly.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ I didn¡¯t think that you were one to say such tant lies.¡±

    ¡°No, Fol. Your understanding of me is correct. Just as you thought, I am not the type of person who says tant lies.¡±

    ¡°What- what are you saying!? Didn¡¯t you lie to her just now!? Don¡¯t you understand that, if youfort her with such lies, you¡¯re just going to cause her more griefter!?¡±

    She bared her anger, just like a raging me. Even though she must have felt sorrowful herself, she was still worried about Lady Sophia. Truly, she was a kind girl. I felt remorse for causing her grief with this misunderstanding.

    ¡°I apologize for misleading you. However, I do truly intend to save you.¡±

    ¡°What are you-? Ugh. Stop messing around! I¡¯m suffering from an illness that can¡¯t be healed by any means! That¡¯s what all the pharmacists of this country, as well as my tutor, have said!¡±

    ¡°This tutor of yours ¨C is teacher Tristan, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Fol jolted, startled. She stayed silent, but her reaction was proof enough. However, Lady Sophia, who didn¡¯t know about this fact, asked: ¡°Wasn¡¯t Fol¡¯s tutor a woman?¡±

    That was right.

    Fol had called her tutor <i>she</i> several times.

    ¡°Without questioning Fol¡¯s words, it¡¯s natural to believe that her tutor is a woman.¡±

    ¡°¡­In other words, you¡¯re saying that Fol has been lying?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t correct.

    However, if I were to say so, the conversation would beplicated, so I smiled vaguely.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s say that Tristan is my tutor, but why are you bringing it up?¡±

    ¡°I was just confirming something. Whether I can truly save you or not, that is.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ are you saying?¡± Fol asked, bewildered. However, I couldn¡¯t talk about everything just yet. Thinking for a moment, I decided to talk about the teacher¡¯s goal.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know why your teacher has been looking for me, did you?¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°The reason why your teacher concealed their goals from you was because it was possible that it would make you rejoice prematurely. However, that worry is gone now. Isn¡¯t that right, teacher Tristan?¡± I asked, turning towards the presence, facing the wall.

    Most likely, he had prepared his response from the moment I had first said his name. Opening a hidden door, teacher Tristan appeared.

    ¡°¡­Teacher, why are you-?¡±

    Before the bewildered Fol, teacher Tristan bowed respectfully.

    ¡°I apologize for making you worry about many things, Lady Fol. However, you do not have to worry anymore. If it¡¯s Cyril, he will definitely be able to save you.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡­ are you saying?¡±

    ¡°Truth be told, I was going to report to you once I had made a few preparations¡­ however, considering your and Lady Sophia¡¯s mental well-being, now seems like the appropriate time to disclose things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking about that! Wasn¡¯t I beyond saving?!¡±

    Fol looked as if she wasughing while crying. After being forced to hear that she couldn¡¯t be saved, the girl had given up on a lot of things. Suddenly being told that she could be healed, the feelings welling up in her chest had to be overwhelming.

    ¡°Your illness being incurable wasn¡¯t a lie. However, with him here, we should be able to perfectly suppress the symptoms of your illness.¡±

    ¡°¡­with Cyril being here?¡±

    Since it wasn¡¯t just Fol, but also Lady Sophia who had turned her gazes towards me, asking: ¡®Is that true?¡¯ I smiled back at them and responded.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, Fol. I would like to discuss the following treatment with teacher Tristan a little, so, would you allow me to be excused?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Uum¡­ I don¡¯t mind, but¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia looked at Fol, who didn¡¯t seem to be willing to give her consent. Despite that, Fol wasn¡¯t able to say no when Lady Sophia asked her that way.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t really understand it well, but, if you¡¯re saying that you can save me, do as you wish,¡± she responded with a somewhat offhanded answer.

    She reminded me a little of Lady Sophia when she was sulking. As I pondered this thought, I excused myself, along with teacher Tristan.

    After we left, teacher Tristan led me to aboratory. Thisboratory belonged to teacher Tristan, who seemed to be using it to develop medicines that could suppress the symptoms of Fol¡¯s sickness.

    I sat down onto a chair in said room casually.

    ¡°So, what on earth do you n on making me do?¡± I asked, no longer behaving like a butler, instead exposing my real self. In response to this, teacher Tristan blinked in surprise. I found that reaction amusing, and, unconsciously, I let out augh.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the face you¡¯re making! That¡¯s so unlike you.¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it a surprising thing, though? Did you boast about saving Lady Fol for sure, without even understanding what you would have to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. But¡­ I¡¯m not wrong, am I?¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand why Fol¡¯s tutor was searching for a transmigrator. However, I decided to work with the premise that Fol¡¯s tutor was a person simr to myself, just as Fol had said. If I were Fol¡¯s tutor, I wouldn¡¯t involve my cute pupil, Fol, who was going to die soon as well, in my search for transmigrators.

    If I were to involve her, I would only do so if I had an appropriate reason for it.

    There weren¡¯t really many reasons to involve Fol, who only had six months of life left, into the search. However, if it was for the sake of saving the dying Fol, that itself would be a sufficient reason to involve her.

    I would also want to verify whether that person had the knowledge to save Fol or not. If it was just for that purpose, there were several other ways of doing it. However, even if I had the knowledge to save Fol, if I decided not to save her, it would be meaningless.

    Then, how would I get them to save her? The answer to that was simple. I should make that transmigrator believe that they wanted to save Fol. Or, I should make it so that they would be asked by Lady Sophia to save her.

    In other words, <i>her</i> goal had been to confirm that I had the necessary knowledge while creating an environment in which I would want to save Fol.

    From the moment we were allowed to be part of the Student Council, everything had been going just ording to <i>her</i> n.

    However, with this alone, it couldn¡¯t be determined whether I could actually save Fol or not. So I had to think about the possibilities of another transmigrator being able to save Fol, who <i>she</i>, as a transmigrator, couldn¡¯t help.

    If the transmigrator was a doctor in their previous life, they might have been able to deal with an illness that was, in this world, incurable. However, I didn¡¯t think that was what <i>she</i> had been looking for. The possibility of a doctor being a transmigrator was too low, so, even if <i>she</i> were searching for a doctor, <i>she</i> would have to educate <i>herself </i>in order to be able to verify <i>her</i> medical knowledge. However, the field of study under investigation during our sses was a different one.

    In other words, <i>that </i>was the type of knowledge <i>she</i> was looking for.

    ¡°While I understand why you wanted to be discreet in order to not get her hopes up prematurely was there no other way to do it¡­ big sis?¡±

    When I uttered these words of confirmation, the corners of <i>her</i> mouth tugged upwards.

 Book 2: Chapter 21: His and Her Plan Part 3

    ¡°Just as I thought, you are the little brother from my previous life.¡±

    These words were a little different from what I was expecting. When I tried to determine why teacher Tristan had phrased it in this way, I immediately understood the answer to my own question.

    ¡°So that means that, at your core, you are teacher Tristan?¡±

    ¡°While there truly are two individuals co-existing within me, for the most part, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Teacher Tristan, who held my previous world¡¯s older sister¡¯s memories, and my previous world¡¯s older sister, who had be teacher Tristan. They might seem to be the same, yet they werepletely different.

    In my case, since I had regained my memories from my previous world at the same time as I had I gained awareness, it felt as if my previous world¡¯s self was living a second life. However, in teacher Tristan¡¯s case, he only had my older sister¡¯s memories. It was likely that he had regained these memories after his personality as ¡®Tristan¡¯ was already fully formed.

    From the things I had noticed, it was certain that teacher Tristan had been heavily influenced by the previous world. Since there were two personalities existing alongside each other within him, their circumstances might seem veryplicated. However, if I were to get straight to the point, both his body and his mind were that of a man.

    ¡°When did you realize that I was your previous world¡¯s older sister?¡±

    ¡°I first suspected it during the entrance exam dance.¡±Fol had implied that Sophia and her were the same, and Lady Sophia herself had said that Fol¡¯s way of leading and mannerisms were very simr to mine.

    From that moment on, I had been pondering the various possibilities, like that Fol¡¯s tutor might be a transmigrator, or that the tutor could even be my older sister. It was purely just one of the numerous possibilities. However, I had somewhat of an inkling.

    This inkling gradually changed into conviction.

    It would be impossible for someone who wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable about the original work to write the script of Espressivo of Light and Darkness in order to find transmigrators. From that, I understood that they must have been a serious fan of the work. Moreover, there was the thorough method of gathering information through Luke and Chloe. Furthermore, it was someone who wasn¡¯t trying to force me into having no choice but to save Fol. They had constructed a rtionship that would make me believe that I wanted to save Fol myself. Even without definitive proof, I couldn¡¯t help but feel traces of my older sister¡¯s behavior in these things.

    This hunch of mine became a certainty after I realized that <i>she </i>was teacher Tristan.

    Using Luke and Chloe, teacher Tristan had been probing whether I could save Fol or not. The one who had yed this important role was him, without a doubt. From there, I was certain that the possibility of the female transmigrator being teacher Tristan was correct.

    I confirmed this during our ck tea conversation that we had the other day. If he were a real servant, he would have shown an interest in my knowledge of ck tea. It could be said that, at that point, his response had been unnatural. Even less natural was his choice of drinking that ck tea with milk.

    Drinking ck tea with milk harmed the ck tea¡¯s intrinsic aroma. There was nothing wrong with drinking it this way as a preference, but it wasn¡¯t a viable method for testing the ck tea¡¯s vour.

    That conversation couldn¡¯t have happened between ¡®Tristan¡¯ and ¡®Cyril¡¯. It was a reenactment of a conversation my previous world¡¯s older sister and I often had. Therefore, I believed that teacher Tristan was a transmigrator, and that it was my older sister who was inside of him.

    That was the reason why I asked <i>her</i> if it was alright for us to make an appointment after the School Festival. Teacher Tristan must have realized that I was the person he was looking for.

    His answer was that it wouldn¡¯t affect the result.

    In other words, he was saying that he had devised a n on how to save Fol, even without rushing. It meant that he believed that, if it was me, with my memories of my previous world, I would be able to cure Fol¡¯s illness. In conclusion, the illness Fol was suffering from was connected to the magic field I had majored in in my previous world.

    ¡°What she¡¯s suffering from is a special case of magical overcharge illness, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Impressive.¡±

    A smirk appeared on teacher Tristan¡¯s face. Most likely, he was assessing me, just like his words suggested. However, an indescribable feeling took hold of me. His gesturepletely ovepped with my older sister¡¯s mannerisms when she was cosying.

    But anyway, we were talking about Fol¡¯s illness.

    ¡°It¡¯s not because she can¡¯t control her magic, right?¡±

    From time to time, people who were unable to sense magic were born. Combined with magical overcharge illness, it would be an exceedingly troubling affliction. However, Fol was using wind magic.

    ¡°Lady Fol¡¯s magical resistance is extremely high.¡±

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s difficult to drain?¡±

    To extract another person¡¯s magical power, essentially, meant stealing those powers; therefore, some resistance would ur. However, this resistance was stronger than under normal circumstances.

    Not being easily influenced by someone else¡¯s magical powers was, in and of itself, proof that a magic user was amazingly skilled.

    At any rate, it seemed that Fol, being unable to get her magical powers drained by others, would have to use her magic, consuming her own saturated powers.

    However, magic hadn¡¯t really progressed in this world, so spells that would consume a huge amount of magical power didn¡¯t exist.

    Actually, the spells that Fol was using consumed an unusually small amount of powers as well. Apart from people whose magic restoration rate was low, a person with magical overcharge illness would have inexhaustible magical powers.

    As such, it became impossible for their powers to run dry, and the mental and physical burden it brought had to be substantial.

    ¡°I understand her situation. However¡­ why isn¡¯t she releasing her magic?¡±

    Although it was exhausting to use one¡¯s magic, when it came to simply releasing one¡¯s powers, it wasn¡¯t really all that tiring. When one released their own powers, the resistance would be irrelevant, and no matter how severe a case of magical overcharge illness it was, they should be able to deal with it.

    ¡°Do you even need to ask why?1 I was looking for a transmigrator with magical knowledge in order to acquire that technique.¡±

    Surprisingly, it seemed that spells to release one¡¯s magical powers didn¡¯t exist in this world. Apparently, they had even asked around the neighboring countries, where magic had advanced more, but they weren¡¯t able to acquire the desired spell.

    If that was the case, then, without using a spell that would consume a lot of magical power and with high magical resistance, I could understand that it was possible that the magical overcharge illness would lead to Fol¡¯s death.

    However, it was strange.

    Although, in general, I kept the fact that Lady Sophia had magical overcharge illness a secret, I had, of course, reported it to the head of the family and to my father. More importantly, I had also informed them about releasing magical powers as a countermeasure.

    Nevertheless, neither the head of the family nor my father hade forward. If that spell was a yet unknown one, they would have said something.

    I found it hard to believe that the head of the family and my father would dismiss something they didn¡¯t know, much less when Lady Sophia¡¯s life depended on the contents of that report. They would definitely investigate the information thoroughly.

    If that was the case¡­ did they know about it and not tell me on purpose? ¡­I didn¡¯t have definite proof, but there was precedent with the ck tea as well. It seemed like a likely possibility.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, I simply realized that there¡¯s a matter that I have to look into a little. However, saving Fol won¡¯t be a problem. She should be fine once I teach her a spell for releasing magical powers, right?¡±

    ¡°So you ept?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    None other than Lady Sophia had asked it of me, saying that she wished for me to save Fol. Even if someone else were against it, I would fulfill that wish with all my might.

    ¡°However, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you were to consult me from the start, without doing it in such a roundabout way?¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you really asking me that?¡±

    ¡°That was a foolish question, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what kind of person I was. If he were to reveal things like: ¡°You might be the only person who can save the princess¡± to a scoundrel, there was no knowing what kind ofpensation that person might ask for.

    Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, to entrust the life of a princess to a subordinate of a marquis household was a dangerous act. It was necessary to keep it a secret, at least until he were certain that I could save her.

    ¡°In the first ce, it¡¯s only natural to be cautious. At first, I truly suspected that you nned on taking over the marquis household and establishing a harem.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°You really have no self-awareness, huh? You¡¯ve been raising the viinous daughter to your liking, and haven¡¯t you even taken the prince¡¯s ce in the scene where he meets the heroine?¡±

    ¡°¡­That was just a coincidence. I was just trying to make Lady Sophia happy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still as unaware as ever, huh? Geez, you even raised a character g from The Eve of the Festival!¡±

    ¡°¡­The Eve of the Festival?¡±

    When I asked what he meant, puzzled, he said that there was a work called ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ that was a spiritual sessor to Espressivo of Light and Darkness.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know because you never yed The Eve of the Festival¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s move on.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just mention that and then move on¡­!¡±

    Just like the name suggested, there was both light and darkness in Espressivo of Light and Darkness. It was a given that even in The Eve of the Festival there would be a viinous daughter about to fall into darkness.

    Still, that I had raised a character g was¡­ too unsettling.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about itter. Firstes Lady Fol.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    If I wanted teacher Tristan to tell me about it in great detail, I would have to hurry up and save Fol. Certainly, I wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic of a fan as my older sister was. But as a bandwagon fan, I absolutely wanted that information.

    While he was persuading me to save Fol for emotional reasons, he had even properly set up the conditions of our exchange as well.

    Certainly, a person who had both my older sister¡¯s and teacher Tristan¡¯s memories wouldn¡¯t overlook anything.

    Such being the case, we returned to Fol¡¯s bedroom in order to save her.

    ¡°Wee back, Cyril. Will it be possible to save Fol?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Please do not worry.¡±

    Following those words, both Lady Sophia and Fol¡¯s face lit up. Judging from the nod Lady Sophia gave Fol, she was probably encouraging her. It was as if she was telling her: ¡°As long as it¡¯s Cyril saying so, then it will be alright.¡±

    ¡°Fol, would it be alright for Lady Sophia to know about your illness?¡±

    ¡°Eh, you want to tell Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I know that you are keeping it a secret, but, if possible, I would like to get your permission for this.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, if it¡¯s Sophia, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Fol informed Lady Sophia that she had magical overcharge illness quite readily. Naturally, Lady Sophia was surprised, saying: ¡°That¡¯s just what I have, too.¡±

    ¡°Eh, you have it, too, Sophia? Then¡­¡±

    Fol¡¯s blue eyes were tinged with red. Concluding that it was dangerous for her to be swayed by emotion, I interjected: ¡°Please, do not worry.¡±

    Then, I exined to her that, unlike herself, Lady Sophia would be fine. To Lady Sophia, I exined that Fol didn¡¯t just have magical overcharge illness, but also a high magical resistance.

    ¡°So it¡¯s difficult to drain her powers? If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t she simply release them herself then?¡±

    ¡°¡­It seems that no one else besides you, my Lady, and I know this spell.¡±

    ¡°No one else besides Cyril knows about it? Ah¡­ so it¡¯s just like with your ck tea.¡±

    ¡®How could that be?¡¯ Normally, in such a situation, I would expect to get asked questions like that. However, Lady Sophia was satisfied with my briefment. I was a little concerned about the way she thought of me.

    ¡°At any rate, the n is to teach Fol the spell to release her own powers. Since that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s something I wanted to consult with you¡­ would you teach Fol that spell, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t think I would be able to teach Fol how to use the spell as well as you could, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I would help out with that.¡±

    Lady Sophia scrutinized me. She probably understood that my intention was for the public to think it was Lady Sophia who saved Fol.

    ¡°Would you mind telling me the reason why?¡±

    ¡°I was warned by Master Grave not to stand out too much. I already went onto the stage for the y. However, for this matter, if possible, if I could ask it from my Lady¡­¡±

    I couldn¡¯t finish what I wanted to say. In an instant, Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes were dyed red.

    Why was she suddenly on the verge of falling into darkness? Did I say something wrong somehow? No, nevermind the reason, more importantly-

    ¡°Lady Sophia, please allow your powers to be released. Lady Sophia!¡±

    ¡°¡­Ugh.¡±

    When I called out to her forcefully, my Lady suddenly came back to her senses and allowed her powers to flow out. Faint particles of light were rising from her body. ordingly, Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes returned to her normal colour as well.

    ¡°¡­Oh, so this is how you release magic?¡±

    ¡°Certainly. Although she allowed for her powers to reach saturation, in the blink of an eye she¡¯s¡­ with this method¡­¡±

    Teacher Tristan and Fol continued to speak out words of admiration. It seemed that, unexpectedly, she had just proved that it was possible to release your own magical powers.

    ¡°I apologize for making you witness something so unsightly. I briefly lost myposure.¡±

    Lady Sophia fixed her appearance. I didn¡¯t sense any of her earlier anger in her current state, but¡­ she was simply very skilled at keeping up appearances, so it wasn¡¯t like her anger had been forgotten. What on earth was the cause of this anger? I believed that, unless I got rid of this source of anger, I might not be able to get her to cooperate. However, Lady Sophia¡¯s attitude had turned around and she had now epted the role of the instructor.

    With this settled, the long-term anxiety was dispersed. Nevertheless, since we were given this opportunity, we should test every method we could.

    ¡°Fol, may I touch your arm?¡±

    ¡°My arm? Why?¡±

    ¡°I am aware that your magical resistance is high, but I wonder whether I would be able to draw out your magical powers if <i>I </i>were to try?¡±

    Fol looked troubled. Naturally, she had been told that she wouldn¡¯t live until her graduation after this very method had been tested. What¡¯s more, given that she was a royal, well-known magical users must have already tried to drain out her powers as well. It was only natural for her to think that it would be impossible, but-

    ¡°Lady Fol, I believe it is worth trying out.¡±

    Teacher Tristan, fully aware of her situation, disyed his support. Fol had to trust her teacher a great deal. ¡°If you say so,¡± she said and held out her arm to me.

    ¡°Well then, please, excuse me.¡±

    I took hold of her arm and tried to draw out her magical powers. Certainly, the resistance was high. Fol¡¯s magical resistance was of the highest level. Considering that she had magical overcharge illness, she seemed to also be exceptionally talented as a magical user.

    However, being resistant to magic wasn¡¯t just a matter of talent. Originally, there was a technique that made one resistant to other people¡¯s magic. If it were just a high natural resistance, there were ways to deal with it.

    I interfered with Fol¡¯s magical powers and tried to draw them out from inside her body.

    ¡°Uwah¡­ ugh.¡±

    I was heavily dragging out the magical powers from inside of Fol. The value of her resistance was certainly high. However, I seemed to have been able to draw out those powers that were about to overflow.

    ¡°¡­How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ I feel as if the heat that was inside my body subsided a little.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    I only pulled out those powers that were about to overflow from their vessel. Therefore, I believed that she would get saturated again right away nevertheless. However, if I were to diligently draw them out, Fol¡¯s condition should not deteriorate any further.

    ¡°Eh, eh? You drained my magical powers¡­?¡±

    Even if she was only half-convinced about the release of her powers, the fact that I had drawn them out was unmistakable. Perhaps because it had finally sunk in, Fol¡¯s eyes slowly widened. The blue of her eyes intensified, resembling a perfectly clear sky, andrge tears had appeared in them.

    I turned to look at my Lady. Realizing what I had in mind, she immediately nodded.

    ¡°Well then, I shall take my leave here. Fol, let¡¯s see each other at the academy again.¡±

    ¡°Then, I shall escort them on their way.¡±

    Teacher Tristan instantly guessed what my intentions were, just like Lady Sophia had. We informed Fol that we were leaving and, the moment we walked out of the room, Fol¡¯s sobbing voice resounded from the direction of the closed door. ¡ª

    Thank you for reading and your support! <3 Any and all donations always wee! Next chapter should be thest part of this arc and also thest chapter before the Epilogue!<ol><li>A big thank you to Graze for helping me with this phrase extensively.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 22: His and Her Plan Part 4

    Roughly a week after the School Festival, Grave, the head of the Rosenberg household, was feeling very troubled. The source of his troubles was the amount of headache-inducing reports that increased every year regarding his beloved daughter.

    It all began about six years ago. The spark that lit the fuse was his exclusive butler, Cedric, rmending his own son as Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler apprentice.

    At that time, Grave hadn¡¯t expected in the slightest that a six year old child would be able to carry out the work of an exclusive butler. He simply thought that even the calm and level-headed Cedric had a soft spot for his son.

    However, Grave also thought that he always made his own daughter feel lonely. Since he was being rmended by Cedric, the child would at the least have manners and could be Sophia¡¯s ying buddy. That was the reason why he had approved of Cyril bing her butler in training.

    However, that was the first thing he was mistaken about. Cyril wasn¡¯t just a child exceptional for his age.

    At age six, soon after he became an exclusive butler apprentice, he had found proof of a maid pilfering and exposed her crime. What¡¯s more, he even said that this maid had been secretly harassing his beloved daughter.

    However, this maid was two-faced, so no one had been aware of her actions. Cedric informed him that, if he were to listen to his daughter¡¯s pleas and dismiss the maid, his daughter, along with Grave himself, would be criticised and called tyrannical by the other servants.

    Therefore, it was easy to imagine that Cyril¡¯s intention had been to eliminate his daughter¡¯s enemy. However, Cyril had acted before the maid had begun to harass Sophia. It was as if he had known that the maid would start harassing his daughter in the future. Without a doubt, Cyril wasn¡¯t amon child.

    Since Cyril had led his investigation under Cedric¡¯s name, there were few people who knew the truth.It was believed that Sophia had gone to Cyril to ask for advice. After hearing her out, Cyril discussed it with Cedric, who then became the spearhead of the following proceedings.

    However, Grave, as the head of the household, knew the truth. When he investigated Cyril, with some doubts, he discovered that Cyril was able to acquire all sorts of knowledge with frightening speed. Moreover, he even seemed to have knowledge of some things no one else knew about.

    Cyril was clearly abnormal. In addition, this abnormality had infected his daughter as well. Before he knew it, Sophia, who was supposed to be the unremarkable daughter of a marquis, had grown up into a talented woman.

    People had something called talent. Grave didn¡¯t know whether talent was something that people had from the moment they were born, or whether it was something that was acquired during the process of growing up. However, without a doubt, there were differences between individuals. Therefore, it was unlikely that in such a small amount of time, his unremarkable daughter would be blossoming with multiple talents. Grave investigated several possibilities, but the only thing that he could think of as the reason for it was Cyril¡¯s education.

    However, that wasn¡¯t a bad thing at all. Whether it was Cyril¡¯s talent as a butler, his talent as a tutor or his talent for inventing new things, no matter which one Grave picked, they were all beneficial abilities. There was no way he would choose to let this blessing go.

    But since then, his daughter began to change. The daughter that used to say cute things such as: ¡®My dream for the future is to be my daddy¡¯s bride!¡¯ became a daughter that began to say: ¡®My dream for the future is to be Cyril¡¯s bride!¡¯ Grave¡¯s shock upon hearing this was so terrible, he even summoned Cedric and made him apany him as he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

    Although marrying one¡¯s butler was just as unrealistic as marrying one¡¯s father. Grave knew that, regarding this matter, Cyril was aware of his own social standing, so Grave wasn¡¯t particrly worried.

    However, when his daughter turned ten years old, something changed. Sophia, who was to attend the First Prince¡¯s party, said that she had chosen Cyril as her escort. If one chose to be escorted by someone, with the exception of one¡¯s own family members, that person would be regarded as an engagement candidate, so Grave tried to convince her that it wasn¡¯t possible. Nevertheless, Sophia stubbornly wouldn¡¯t give up on making Cyril her partner.

    If these had been fleeting emotions of a child, he could have let it slide. The problem was that she was already ten years old and she seriously wished to marry him. Thinking of this, Grave admonished her, telling her to give up, using the difference in their social status as his reasoning.

    If she were a sensible child, she would have given up at that point.

    If she wasn¡¯t, she might have thrown a tantrum, crying out that she couldn¡¯t ept it.

    However, Sophia did neither. Almost as if she had been waiting to hear those words, she smiled and said: ¡°Does that mean that I wouldn¡¯t have to give up if we were of the same social standing?¡±

    His feelings of having fallen into a trap weren¡¯t inurate. Sophia immediately told him about her n to make Cyril into a high ranked noble. After listening to her words, Grave felt dizzy.

    It wasn¡¯t because he thought his daughter was a child unable to see reality. It was because her multiple ns, taking many possibilities into ount, were refined enough to be feasible. However, Cyril being able to be a noble or not, and her choosing Cyril as her fianc¨¦, were two separate matters. As the head of a marquis household, Grave wouldn¡¯t have been deceived by her sidestepping the issue like this.

    However, his daughter wasn¡¯t done talking. Sophia revealed that Cyril had already shared with her his knowledge of various matters. Among what he had taught her, there was a lot of valuable information that no one else had, she said. Cyril¡¯s way of preparing ck tea, which was brought up as one of the things Cyril had shared with her, was ground-breaking.

    Moreover, this technique was a secret, and no one besides Sophia and Cyril knew about it. She brought to his attention that forcing her to marry into another family, and, in other words, leaking this information, wouldn¡¯t be beneficial.

    Grave couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    This was very scarce knowledge. The ones in possession of this knowledge were just these two young kids. Therefore, if Grave were able to keep them within his domain, it would be very advantageous knowledge for the Rosenberg marquis household. His daughter had understood this and proceeded to acquire more knowledge about many things.

    At this point, marrying off his daughter, who was in possession of this scarce knowledge, wasn¡¯t a choice he could make anymore. If they were choosing a man to marry into the family, his abilities, rather than social status, were more important. If Cyril were able to achieve the status of a high ranked noble, too, he would be a more than worthy candidate. The head of the marquis household was persuaded by the reasoning of his barely ten year-old daughter.

    It was undeniable that, when it came to his daughter, Grave indulged her. However, even bearing that in mind, this was umon. And Grave had concluded that uniting these two, who had brought this abnormality forth, would lead to the prosperity of the marquis household. Therefore, Grave decided to go along with his daughter¡¯s n.

    The important thing was to get Cyril to acquire a noble status. There were several ways to do it. However, for his daughter¡¯s sake, he wanted to strengthen Cyril¡¯s social standing as much as possible. It would be ideal to get the help of a most prominent noble, making him announce Cyril as his illegitimate child, and, afterwards, the Rosenberg marquis household would then ept him and marry him into their family.

    At that point in time, Grave had even considered making his daughter the head of the family. In any case, he had zero intention of giving his daughter or Cyril to another household.

    However, from this point onwards, the situation began to unfold rapidly. At the party she was attending with Cyril as her partner, his daughter bewitched a disguised prince. Despite this, his daughter left the prince behind and chased after Cyril.

    A problem appeared here. Initially, Grave had thought that Cyril was a willing participant in her decision of having him as her partner. In other words, he thought that Cyril had directed his daughter¡¯s actions.

    However, no matter how one looked at it, Cyril was clearly trying to get the prince and Sophia together. Coming to this conclusion, the possibility that Cyril knew nothing of Sophia¡¯s n came to the front of his mind.

    On one hand, Grave thought that he was really loyal as a butler, but on the other hand, he was irritated, thinking: ¡®Do you not find my daughter cute?¡¯. And then he shivered with fear when he realized that the one who came up with the n was Sophia, all on her own.

    He couldn¡¯t marry her daughter off to another estate anymore. No matter what hardships he might have to experience, he had to bind Sophia and Cyril to the Rosenberg household. Despite saying so, the more his daughter flourished, the more people there were saying they wanted Sophia as their daughter-inw.

    His daughter had ranked first in the school entrance exams and became the head of her ss. In the blink of an eye, she had created arge faction, and she even began to expand her influence over her followers¡¯ high society parents.

    At the same time, a rumor had spread that Grave was guiding his daughter from the shadows. It was probably for the same reason why Grave had thought that Cyril was the ¨¦minence grise1. It was an understandable mistake to make if one didn¡¯t know about his daughter¡¯s abnormal personality. However, it was necessary to set the rumour straight forter purposes.

    In the midst of these developments, a summoning from His Majesty the King arrived. Grave was shaking with fear, wondering why she was being summoned, but, once he read her letter, he understood that a truly troublesome situation had appeared. Since it seemed as if he were maneuvering her from the background, Grave instructed them to take care of it themselves.

    On top of him being convinced that, if it was his daughter doing it she would, without a doubt, be able to resolve the issue by herself, if she took care of the issue on her own the rumours about Grave being the mastermind behind her actions would disappear.

    As a result, the theory that Grave was manipting her was set aside. Although his daughter told him that the matter was settled peacefully and he had felt relieved¡­ when he met the King at a party, he was told the following:

    ¡°Your daughter picked a fight.¡±

    He felt like crying out at his daughter: ¡®I haven¡¯t even heard anything about this!¡¯ in his mind. He also heard that, in response to the Queen implying she wanted her to marry the Prince, Sophia had dered that, even if the gods were to be her enemies because of it, she would still refuse. Although she was his own daughter, she was too terrifying, enough to make one tremble in fear.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the problem.

    Because of all this, the Queen had taken a liking to Sophia and wanted to adopt Cyril. ¡°Can someone exin how and why did it turn out this way?!!¡±

    Grave, having returned to his residence, faced the sky and cried out. Although the King warned him that, since the Queen might behave recklessly, Grave should be cautious, Grave had no idea of how and what he should be cautious of.

    Rather, he wanted to say: ¡®Since you went as far as to warn me, then pull in her reins yourself!¡¯

    Although he keptining, it wasn¡¯t like this would resolve the problem.

    From the start, he had intended to ask another household to adopt Cyril. It wouldn¡¯t be an issue even if the household were a royal one. The problem was that the reason for the Queen¡¯s actions was that she liked Sophia. In other words, the Queen¡¯s goal was the same as Grave¡¯s: to take in Cyril and Sophia together. It was likely that she was aware of Sophia and Cyril¡¯s ¡®abnormality¡¯.

    Cyril clearly wouldn¡¯te back after being adopted by the royal family. And, if that happened, inevitably, Sophia would be the first one to decide that she should marry into Cyril¡¯s new family.

    At this point, there was no way that he could allow the royal family to take them away from him. However, this would be in conflict with Grave allowing Cyril to achieve a noble rank.

    There were different ways to solve this issue, but while Grave was nning out his next steps, Cyril kept on achieving things, such as sessfully mediating between Prince Alforth and the Commoners faction.

    As ast resort, Grave had warned Cyril not to stand out too much.

    He would let Cyril achieve things and grant him a noble title. Sophia, whom he had given his word about this, was likely to perceive his brief words of warning as a betrayal.

    However, he had to say that it was an excellent decision.

    The Royal Prince¡¯s2 daughter was fated to die due to magical overcharge illness. Cyril¡¯s knowledge had saved her from this fate.

    He had already received a report on that method, so he had known about it. More than knowing about this technique, it was a trump card that Grave had kept a secret so that it could be the achievement that would push Cyril¡¯s prestige into the noble ranks.

    However, that secret technique was what ended up saving the Royal Prince¡¯s daughter.

    If Cyril hadn¡¯t handed this achievement over to Sophia, Grave would have been left with no options. The Queen would have supported Cyril earning a noble status for this deed. If that had happened, naturally, Sophia would have been overjoyed, and would surely marry into Cyril¡¯s family.

    Grave¡¯s decision had been an excellent one, without a doubt. However-

    It should be noted that Grave¡¯s wife had a fundamentally gentle personality. However, if one were to incur her wrath3, she would be ruthless and beat her enemy down mercilessly.

    Sophia was very simr to his wife.

    Against his promise with Sophia, he warned Cyril not to stand out. Even now, Grave wholeheartedly believed that his choice to do so had been necessary.

    However, <i>however</i>, now his daughter demanded to see him. Based on the timing and the other information he had, the reason she wanted to meet him was obvious. She had found out that he had gone against his promise and warned Cyril not to stand out too much.

    When Cyril was simply criticised, she had beaten down the Prince¡¯s follower before him and driven his whole family into ruin. This daughter knew of her own father¡¯s act of betrayal.

    Grave couldn¡¯t even imagine what measures she woulde up with.

    <i>Will I be even able to get out of this predicament?</i>

    Hearing a knock, Grave swallowed his saliva in one gulp.

    ***

    Roughly a week had gone by since the School Festival.

    It would take several months until Fol would be able to freely release her own powers, but, once she was able to release even a small fraction of them, her body wouldn¡¯t get damaged by the saturation anymore. Therefore, Fol¡¯s condition stabilized in the blink of an eye. She recovered the next day, and she felt well enough that from the second day of the School Festival onwards, the Student Council was able to perform Espressivo of Light and Darkness with Fol and Prince Alforth on stage.

    Since that was the case, the performance in which Lady Sophia and I had taken the lead roles ended up getting called a ¡®phantom performance¡¯. It seemed that, for a while, there would be discussions about which group¡¯s performance had been better.

    There seemed to be individuals spreading rumors that said that the royals and a daughter of a marquis had disregarded themoners. However, once Lady Sophia and Prince Alforth realized this, these voices were immediately dispelled. It was proof that the Elitists faction¡¯s influence had weakened.

    Since that was the case, it was decided that the award for the best programme should go to Espressivo of Light and Darkness, performed by the Student Council. The name engraved into the trophy next to the words ¡®representative¡¯ was Fol¡¯s. Her name was followed by the names of Prince Alforth, Lady Sophia and Alicia, and the trophy even had Isabe and my names¡¯ on it.

    I wouldn¡¯t say that this was inappropriate for our status. It didn¡¯t rob my Lady and the others of their pride as nobles, and yet it was proof of their growth, showing their close rtionship with themoners.

    I was honoured to have my own name on the trophy.

    In the early afternoon that day, I was thinking that, perhaps, peaceful days had returned once again.

    I was walking down the hallway when, out of nowhere, I heard humming. I had rarely heard this humming itself, but the crystalline voice sounded familiar.

    When I turned towards the direction of this voice, I came across Lady Sophia walking with a spring in her step. As I thought, it seemed that Lady Sophia had been the one humming.

    After she stopped humming, an innocent smile showed on her face.

    ¡°Good morning, Cyril. Today¡¯s weather is absolutely wonderful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­I thought that it was supposed to rain today. You sure are in a good mood, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°The negotiations went well.¡±

    ¡°¡­The negotiations?¡±

    I was puzzled, wondering what she was negotiating with whom. It was unusual for Lady Sophia to be this merry. I was sure that Lady Sophia hade from Master Grave¡¯s office¡­ Did something happen?

    ¡°Actually, we were invited to attend the party that His Majesty the King is hosting for his rtives.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ Congrattions.¡±

    Presumably, this was a sign of gratitude for saving Fol.

    The fact that Eldest Daughter Fol was suffering from magical overcharge illness was kept a secret. Not only was it kept a secret, but, from the start, they kept telling everyone that Eldest Daughter Fol was in good health. Therefore, the way they were showing their gratitude was in the form of inviting her to a party attended by the members of the royal family.

    ¡°The ones invited are me and you, Cyril. Come with me as my escort, won¡¯t you? I have already gotten Father¡¯s permission.¡±

    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying. Then, I immediately realized that this was the result of the negotiations Lady Sophia had just mentioned.

    Truth be told, since Master Grave had told me to not stand out too much, I didn¡¯t think that he would approve of such a thing. Did something happen to change his mind? I didn¡¯t know anything about that, but, since Master Grave had given his permission, I wouldn¡¯t object.

    ¡°As you wish,¡± I said, promising to attend the party as my Lady¡¯s escort.

    ¡°By the way, Cyril, there is something that I want to ask you. Which option do you prefer: if I were to be a queen, a feudal lord4 or a regr girl?¡±

    Since it was too sudden of a question, I couldn¡¯t gauge its aim.

    Could the noble titles have been used as a metaphor? For example, for the state of one¡¯s heart, or for the way one behaved as a noble. When she had harshly scolded Prince Alforth¡¯s followers, my Lady looked just like a queen, but¡­ I didn¡¯t know what ¡®feudal lord¡¯ meant. I didn¡¯t quite understand what she meant by ¡®regr girl¡¯ either, but perhaps she meant her regr self as a daughter of a marquis?

    She couldn¡¯t be asking with the literal meaning of those words in mind, could she?

    No, I found it hard to believe that my Lady would be thinking of usurping the throne. Could she have meant adoption? Even if she were to get adopted and became a royal, I didn¡¯t believe that she would be the queen¡­

    While I didn¡¯t understand her question, it was unnecessary to hesitate over the answer.

    ¡°No matter what path my Lady chooses, I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Therefore, please choose the path that you wish to walk on, my Lady.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. I thought that you would answer this way. From now on, I will use it as a reference for the choices I make.¡±

    ¡°As a reference for the choices you will make¡­ what are you nning, Lady Sophia?¡±

    Lady Sophia answered my question with a smile of an innocent girl. She smiled and raised a finger to her shiny lips, and then she slid the finger up to her cheek.

    ¡°For a meanie like Cyril, it¡¯s a secret.¡±

    Lady Sophia smiled like a mischievous child.

    And that''s thest chapter of volume 2! There''s still an epilogue left and then there are several side stories, as well! Thank you so much for reading and your support on Ko-Fi!! It means a lot to me!<3 A huge thank you to my editor as well, Barebones really makes these chapters so so much better, I can''t thank her enough! <3<ol><li>An ¨¦minence grise (French for "grey eminence") is a powerful decision-maker or advisor who operates "behind the scenes" or in a non-public or unofficial capacity. </li><li>the crown prince¡¯s(in this case, the king¡¯s) younger brother</li><li>Äæ÷[¤Ë´¥¤ì¤ë- ¡®gekirin ni fureru¡¯ ¨C to infuriate one''s superior; to bring (a superior''s) wrath down upon one?, to incur the Imperial wrath; to offend the Emperor</li><li>îIÖ÷- ¡®ryoushu¡¯ ¨C feudal lord. Going off of the context of the text, I believe she means bing a marquess or assuming a simr title.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 23: Epilogue

    The ce we had been called in to was one of the venues inside the Royal Castle.

    Together with Lady Sophia, I walked on the red carpet inside the dazzling venue. She was dressed in a deep red dress, and wore her tinum hair up. It seemed to heighten her beauty as the rose of the Rosenberg marquis household all the more.

    My Lady was growing more beautiful with each passing day. I attended as her escort, and we advanced towards the inner parts of the venue. It was a buffet-style party, and a group of people who seemed to be members of the royal family were talking at one of the tables in the back in a good mood.

    There was still some time left before the start of the party, but, once the party began, the hosts would be busy immediately. Therefore, Lady Sophia needed to greet them beforehand. Together with my Lady, I made my way to the table where the royal family was.

    The royal family seemed to be talking with other guests that had arrived before us, but, when those guests noticed Lady Sophia, they said: ¡°Let us continue speakingter.¡± and took their leave. We gave them a slight bow and then turned our gazes towards the royal family.

    Photographs or anything of the sort were non-existent in this world. Therefore, this was my first time seeing the royal family. However, from their attire, I concluded that the couple in front of us were King Theodore and Queen Adele.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesties, King Theodore, Queen Adele.1Thank you very much for inviting me here today.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a while, Sophia. I¡¯ve heard of your continuous achievements.¡±

    Having heard this exchange, although I didn¡¯t let it show on my face in the slightest, I felt relieved. This was the second time that Lady Sophia had met King Theodore and Queen Adele. However, their previous meeting had taken ce behind closed doors. Given what it had been about, I wouldn¡¯t have found it strange for them to pretend that it never happened.Lady Sophia had expected it as well, so she didn¡¯t use the phrase: ¡®It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again.¡¯ Nevertheless, the King responded with ¡®It¡¯s been a while¡¯. In other words, he didn¡¯t intend on keeping the previous meeting itself a secret.

    Previously, Lady Sophia had said things such as: ¡®Even if I were to make the gods into my enemies-¡¯, so I was worried that she perhaps might have secretly picked a fight with the royal family, but¡­ that seemed to have been a needless worry.

    As I was analyzing their exchange like this, my Lady had finished her greetings. I sensed both the King¡¯s and the Queen¡¯s gazes turning towards me and I immediately bowed respectfully.

    ¡°It is my utmost pleasure to meet you. My name is Cyril, I am a member of the school academy¡¯s Student Council. I am beyond honoured to have been invited here today.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re the Sir Butler2?¡±

    ¡°¡­Pardon?¡±

    What did he just say? ¡®Sir Butler¡¯? Did I hear wrong?

    ¡°¡­Ah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Although I was terribly curious about it, since His Majesty had said to forget about it, there was no way that I could ask him again. I lumped all of my curiosity together and chased it away into a corner of my mind, and then finished my pleasantries.

    The Queen addressed me right after.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been a great help to Alforth.¡±

    ¡°I apologize. I was told that Your Highness the Queen had given her permission, nevertheless¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I certainly gave that permission. Therefore, please treat Alforth like a younger brother, and continue to guide him from now on.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t reject the Queen¡¯s request, but I couldn¡¯t treat His Highness as a younger brother either. At a loss on how to answer, I replied with an ¡°¡­Yes¡­?¡±

    This was an ambiguous reply that could be understood as both ¡®Yeah.¡¯ or ¡®What?¡¯ and it was my standard answer when I didn¡¯t know what to reply.3

    Using it incorrectly could be disastrous. However, since it allowed the other person to freely interpret the answer, it was effective when used in these kinds of situations.

    ¡°I have also heard that you have been of great help for my niece. We will not be making a public statement, but you have our gratitude.¡±

    ¡°Such gratitude isn¡¯t necessary, I merely helped.¡±

    I implicitly insisted that this achievement belonged to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°You¡¯re certainly correct. If it had been your achievement alone, I was thinking of using it as an excuse to back you up. It¡¯s truly such a shame.¡±

    ¡°¡­Pardon?¡±

    What did she say just now? I thought I heard the Queen say that she would back me up¡­ was I imagining things? Commoners could get backed by nobles. However, I had never heard of the royal family ever backing amoner. I might have misheard her, or perhaps it was a slip of the tongue, or something like that.

    ¡°Ahem, Adele. There are other guests we have kept waiting, let¡¯s leave this at that for now.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how careless of me! I seem to have gotten a little ahead of myself.¡±

    After being admonished by the King, the Queen took a step back. For the time being, my chance meeting with the royal family ended like this.

    After the party started, I wandered from table to table with Lady Sophia, exchanging greetings and walking aimlessly. The guests were mainly people rted to the royal family. Since most of the guests were supporters of King Theodore, the members of the First Prince¡¯s faction and the members of the Second Prince¡¯s faction were mixed together. It was a rather magnificent sight.

    As the daughter of a marquis, Lady Sophia fit right in, however, my existence was too dissimr. Before every greeting, I was worried that, once I introduced myself as a butler, there could be trouble¡­ but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened even once. I guess it was to be expected of the guests invited by His Majesty.

    After we greeted others for a while, Fol approached us, smiling and wearing a dress. Lady Sophia answered her with a smile, and I took a step back and deeply bowed.

    ¡°Eldest Daughter Fol, how do you do?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to address me so formally, Sophia. The same goes for you, Cyril. I don¡¯t mind if you call me Fol, no matter where we are, if it¡¯s the two of you doing it.¡±

    We had been officially proimed as ¡®friends of the royal family¡¯. A smallmotion broke out among the people in our vicinity, who were straining their ears to listen in. It was rare for Fol toe to official events such as these, but, despite that, she suddenly attended a party. Moreover, she dered Lady Sophia, who was invited to this event, to be her friend. Even without knowing about her illness, this was more than enough to make people suspect that something had happened.

    I guessed that while they wouldn¡¯t be able to publicly announce Lady Sophia¡¯s achievement, they could hint at it unofficially, emphasizing their connection with the Rosenberg Marquis household.

    Fol didn¡¯t have any of these ulterior motives. Most likely, she simply liked Lady Sophia. However, in any case, being on good terms with the royal family was a better n, since it was safer for her to have a good rtionship with them : be it simply as the daughter of a marquis or as a viinous daughter.

    ¡°I am truly grateful to both of you. Thanks to you, I am able to once more pursue a lot of the things that I had given up on. As I too will achieve¡­ just like you.¡±

    She looked like a bashful young maiden. The key part of her statement was ambiguous, but, since I knew how to lip-read, I was able to tell that what she said was: ¡°achieve my desires¡±.

    She was probably talking about teacher Tristan.

    Originally, she had been fated to die early. My older sister might have been the one who realized this, but, on the outside, the person who knew of this and took action to save her had been teacher Tristan. It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all for Fol to fall in love with him.

    It was for this reason that Fol was calling my older sister ¡®she¡¯, and differentiated her from teacher Tristan. To tell the truth, they became so synchronized that teacher Tristan¡¯s behaviour reminded me of my older sister, but¡­

    Well, it would be quite boorish of me if I were to say it out loud.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I apologize for the change of topic, but my father and my mother as well are both grateful to you as well. Since they weren¡¯t able to make an appearance today, they would like to express their appreciation to you at ater date.¡±

    ¡°We appreciate these words of gratitude.¡±

    Lady Sophia answered wlessly. To do things such as allowing the Royal Prince to offer a reward could be quite a severe matter. However, it would be rude of her to refuse as well.4 My Lady¡¯s decision to simply ept the words of gratitude, without mentioning the matter of a reward, was the right one.

    ¡°Also, I have a message to Cyril from Tristan: ¡®The Eve of the Festival has already begun.¡¯ Do you know what he means?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I do.¡±

    While I understood the meaning of this message, I didn¡¯t know other important, vital information, such as what I should do, and what characters appeared in the Eve of the Festival. In other words, this was a roundabout way of telling me: ¡®Come talk to meter.¡¯

    ¡°Just what was the other thing I wanted to¡­? Ah, that¡¯s right! I heard that there¡¯s a student called Raymond in your ss, I thought you would naturally know him, right?¡± Fol suddenly asked.

    ¡°Yes, there sure is. What¡¯s the matter with him?¡±

    ¡°I dropped by your ss¡¯ caf¨¦, and since I liked the setup, I asked about it. I was surprised when I heard that Luke was the ss representative.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right,e to think of it, Luke works for you.¡±

    When the two of them learned that Fol¡¯s illness had been cured, they thanked me in tears. However, there was no connection that led from that to the topic of Raymond. ¡°Perhaps you heard something from Luke?¡± I spoke out.

    ¡°Yes. He said that as his assistant, Raymond aided him perfectly. He also said that you were worried about it as well. Therefore, I thought that I would try asking you what you think about him.¡±

    ¡° I¡­ see. He is still young and inexperienced in some ways, but he¡¯s quite an outstanding prospect for the position of butler. Above all else, I believe that he will serve his future master to the utmost of his abilities.¡±

    His goal was to protect his family. However, whatever his reason was didn¡¯t matter. In order to protect his family, Raymond would serve his future master with all his might. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t the type of person to forget the kindness of others. He would surely be a loyal butler, for the same reasons Roy and Emma would too.

    In the process of answering her, I hinted at him not having a master at the moment by saying ¡®future master¡¯.

    ¡°Then it seems that my decision wasn¡¯t incorrect.¡±

    Fol smiled meaningfully. From her expression, I was able to read between the lines of her words. I had nned to try and rmend Raymond to Lady Sophia at a suitable time, but¡­ it seemed that I had missed the chance to hire an exceptional employee.

    While thinking that it was a little unfortunate, I answered Fol¡¯s question.

    Afterwards, we parted from Fol and walked to the terrace to get a bit of fresh air. I stood next to Lady Sophia and leaned onto the handrail, admiring the castle grounds illuminated by the setting sun.

    Suddenly, Lady Sophia muttered, ¡°Thank you.¡± When I turned to look at her, my Lady¡¯s tinum blonde hair was swaying in the wind and she looked calm and bashful.

    ¡°I realized that I hadn¡¯t really properly thanked you yet. Thank you for saving Fol for me.¡±

    ¡°I was simply granting my Lady¡¯s wish.¡±

    ¡° ¡®No matter what wish it might be, I will grant it to you, just once.¡¯ was it? What if¡­ what if asked you to grant me your love¡­? Would you have granted it to me?¡±

    For an instant, I felt as if time had stopped. The noise around us disappeared, and it was as if the only ones left in this world were Lady Sophia and I.

    During this moment, the setting sun sunk towards the horizon, and night began to stretch across the sky. The boundary line between the two was dyed purple. It was the magic hour, the time that was said to be the most beautiful time of the day.

    This wondrous sight alone had taught me about the passage of time.

    ¡°¡­Would you like to know the answer to that question, my Lady?¡± I asked back, right before the setting sun began to sink under the horizon. Once more, silence drifted between us. Just as the sun was about to disappear, Lady Sophia quietly shook her head.

    ¡°No. One day, I will confirm that answer myself. Therefore¡­ please, prepare yourself, will you?¡± She smiled, showered by the rays of the setting sun.

    Her eyes, hiding her strong will, were more beautiful than the magical sky. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Many apologies for the dy with this chapter! Our amazing editor is currently dealing with exam preparations and while I am looking for a back-up editor just in case, she still agreed to help me with this project. She just has less time therefore, for a month or two the chapters might be getting to you on Wednesdays rather than Tuesdays! The epilogue officially concludes the second volume of the novel, but there''s a third one plus some side stories to look forward to! I will be tranting these chronologically like the author had posted them as well. ? Thank you for reading!<ol><li>The suffix used here is ˜”- ¡®sama¡¯ but I believe keeping their titles is appropriate here.</li><li>same suffix is used here as before ¨C ˜”- ¡®sama¡¯, for ack of a better word, and to try and keep its intended meaning, I will trante it as ¡®Sir¡¯ here. </li><li>Original line is ¡¸¨D¨D¤Ï¤Ã¡¹- ¡®ha-¡¯ so it could both be a shortened version of ¡®hai¡¯ ¨C yes, understood, or ¡®ha?¡¯ which means ¡®huh, what¡¯. I tried my best to make it somewhat work in English with the help of my editor.</li><li>Okay, here, there are two different phrases used, one by Fol and one by Cyril. Since both the phrases use the term ¤ªÀñ ¨C ¡®orei¡¯ ¨C meaning gratitude, thanks but also reward, following Cyril¡¯s line of thought bes easier, because the word itself is ambiguous. However, in English it¡¯s not, therefore it suddenly bes ¡®offering a reward¡¯ rather than ¡®expressing appreciation¡¯, to directly imply it means more than just words of thanks. </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 24: Side story: The self-conscious young Lady from Emmas point of view

    My name is Emma. I was going to be 11 years old soon. I worked as a maid apprentice in the Rosenberg marquis household, but I was born and raised in the slums. The life I led up until recently didn¡¯t even allow me to eat proper meals.

    Before I knew it, I, who previously had to share one loaf of bread between the whole family, was working at the secondary residence of the Rosenberg household, located in the best neighborhood of the noble district in the royal city. If you were to tell me before my arrival that such a thing would happen, I think I would have gotten angry and told you to not make up such imaginary wild tales. That was how unbelievable of a good fortune this was considered by a child who had grown up in the slums.

    Thepassionate Lady Sophia, who gave me and my older brother, children who were raised in the slums, her patronage, as well as the kind teacher Cyril, who put in a good word for us before Lady Sophia. Thanks to these two people, the two of us were able to eat delicious meals every day. I was desperately trying to do my best to repay them, however-

    At that time, in the training room of the secondary residence of the Rosenberg household, located in the royal city:

    ¡°Emma, refined behavior is nothing but the repetition of self-assured motions that extend throughout your nervous system all the way to your fingertips. Move with more confidence.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Rouch¨¦.1¡±

    Rouch¨¦¡¯s advice startled me and I shrunk in on myself. While Rouch¨¦, who had taken on the role of our tutor, was kind, the moment our etiquette studies began, she became very strict.

    My older brother and I were low-ss children, born and raised in the slums. Although I had never thought about us like that in the past, I had been made aware of this once we started living here. For that reason, I had to ovee this handicap. As such, I felt nothing but gratitude to Rouch¨¦ for hardening her heart and training us strictly.

    While there weren¡¯t people who would directly judge us to our faces and tell us: ¡®You are only here because Lady Sophia allowed it¡¯, many thought that, no matter how much training we received, it would be useless. I was able to somewhat realize this because I had survived in the slums by reading other people¡¯s expressions.However, precisely for that reason, Rouch¨¦¡¯s stern eyes were now scrutinizing the way I conducted myself. In these conditions, I wasn¡¯t able to move with confidence no matter what I did.

    Since I was raised in the slums, it was never expected of me to move in any way that would draw people¡¯s attention. It was natural for me to live by making my body appear smaller so that people wouldn¡¯t catch sight of me.

    ¡°Emma, nothing will change if you do that.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to have self-confidence? What are you doing apologizing to me?¡±

    ¡°I apolo¡­ gize¡­.¡±

    I felt miserable for being unable to meet her expectations, and I felt like crying. As I hung my head low, trying to control my tears, Rouch¨¦ gently patted my head, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s end our training here for today.

    ¡°Emma. You¡¯re not a quitter. You were able to learn many things from our etiquette lessons in such a small amount of time. Actually, regarding etiquette, you are learning faster than Roy.¡±

    When it came tobat training, which we learned to protect the young Lady, Roy was improving faster. However, it seemed that my etiquette was improving faster than my older brother¡¯s.

    ¡°However, that¡¯s why your movements are oozing with nervousness.¡±

    ¡°¡­How do I be self-confident?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ let me think. As you can imagine, it¡¯s probably a matter of experience.¡±

    ¡°A matter of¡­ experience?¡±

    Most of the servants working at the Marquis household were either low-ranked nobles, people who weren¡¯t nobles but came from prominent households or wealthy merchants, so they all seemed to have experienced going to parties and such things beforeing here. For that reason, they were usually reasonably experienced by the time they started working.

    ¡°But I am¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have any experience in this matter. Having said that, it¡¯s true that you can¡¯t just go to some wealthy merchant¡¯s house to get practice either¡­ Oh, I just got a great idea!¡±

    A satisfied smile showed on Rouch¨¦¡¯s face.

    While Rouch¨¦ was a kind, albeit stern teacher, her real nature could be described as: behaving with abandon. Since I had heard teacher Cyril telling me something like this before, I had an extremely bad premonition when seeing her smile.

    And my feeling was correct.

    Later, at the school academy inside the royal city, where the children of nobles were concentrated:.

    Within the school grounds, there was the school building, auditorium and training rooms. Besides these buildings, there was a banquet hall, as well as many buildings in a row used by children of prominent nobles and factions.

    They were on the same level as the buildings found in the noble district. In one of the residences, one that was considered to be superior even amongst these, a splendid tea party was taking ce today.

    It was the tea party of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction, ssified as one of the Commoners¡¯ factions.

    For some reason, I was forced to attend this party as a maid. While the other maids repeatedly told me not to step forward, I wouldn¡¯t have even dreamt of stepping forward even if they hadn¡¯t done so. Although I could hear Lady Sophia and her friends talking in an easygoing manner, these friends of Lady Sophia¡¯s were all nobledies.

    If I were to make a single mistake, they would probably only be satisfied when I got fired for it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, if you say you made a mistake, Lady Sophia will cover for you,¡± Rouch¨¦ told me, but, if there was an asion during which the master I am supposed to serve had to cover for me, it would be a big problem.

    For a while now, I was standing with my back so straight it began to hurt, my body stiff and with a forced smile on my face. If anyone were to peer into my face, they would notice the cold sweat pouring down my forehead, and, if anyone looked into my eyes, they surely would notice that they were swirling dizzily.

    Rouch¨¦ was so unreasonable!

    ¡®Air, I¡¯m air!¡¯, I told myself, standing straight.

    Before me, the leisurely tea party went on.

    ***

    Fragrant ck tea apanied with a variety of rare sweets. Faced with the delicacies that they could only taste at Sophia¡¯s tea parties, the youngdies¡¯ faces had easy smiles.

    These girls were the so-called Cinderes.

    Ranks existed among the nobility as well, and it wasn¡¯t unusual for children to simple-mindedly unt the differences in their social status to others. Therefore, the fate of children of low-rank nobles depended on whether they could get high-rank nobles to support them or not.

    For example, Ferris, who came from Viscount Arken¡¯s household, and Lakhsmi, who came from Count Titania¡¯s household, were both members of Sophia¡¯s faction since the first school term. The two of them were extraordinary and therefore had attended the school academy since elementary school.

    However, the majority of the nobles attending the academy since that age were high ranking nobles. While count households were ssified as high ranking nobles, they belonged to the lowest ranks inside of this group. Both of these girls belonged to ss A, and, since a Viscount was even lower ranked than a Count, it went without saying that Ferris¡¯ day-to-day life was very tough, although so was Lakhsmi¡¯s.

    However ¨C no, precisely <i>for that reason</i>, these girls, who were separated from the groups that had been already established during their elementary years, were free to attend Sophia¡¯s tea party since the first day of middle school.

    The faction established by the daughter of a marquis, who held immense power. Although it could be said that simply being able to be part of the faction was very significant already, in the blink of an eye, Sophia¡¯s faction had also be very influential, and it was even acquainted with the royal family. They became so powerful that they were currently one of the best factions at the middle school level.

    The people who had joined this up-anding faction up to that point were all considered its core members. Although the people surrounding them were even more jealous than before, the number of people who would do something to them directly had decreased dramatically. Above all else, people who just wanted to be friends with them were gathering around, more than ever before.

    During this tea party, the girls were getting worked up over this topic.

    However, there was one person who had a gloomy face. It was Ferris, the Viscount¡¯s daughter. Due to her restless behaviour, the maid who worked for her was growing anxious, but the girl herself didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°By the way, is something the matter, Miss Ferris? You¡¯ve been sighing for a while. Is there something troubling you?¡± Sophia asked her, noticing Ferris¡¯ strange behaviour. Within this unassuming concern, there was another one hiding inside.

    If Sophia, who was the leader of this faction, were to simply ask why she was sighing, she would run the risk of making it sound like she was demanding to know if she was dissatisfied with the tea party. In order to avoid that, Sophia additionally asked if something was troubling her.

    Although they were children of noble ancestry and received top-ss education, normally, children attending middle school wouldn¡¯t express such an indirect concern nor utter such an exchange.

    However, when it came to Sophia, it wasn¡¯t unusual at all. Every time this happened, the meaning of Sophia¡¯s roundabout phrases would get exined to the members of the faction by their servants, so the youngdies had be a little more perceptive.

    Therefore, everyone understood that it wasn¡¯t Sophia¡¯s intention to use Ferris. And Ferris herself realized that not only had she behaved rudely but also that she was forgiven for it.

    ¡°I- I apologize. There¡¯s something that has been weighing heavily on my mind.¡±

    ¡°Something weighing heavily on your mind? Would you like to talk about it? I might not be the best person you would like to confide in, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It- It isn¡¯t like that¡­ Um, would you hear me out?¡±

    Sophia answered her by gently smiling.

    Although the girl who passed the entrance exams with a top score and who became the head student of the noble course¡¯s ss A still looked very young, she exuded a sense of trustworthiness that made it seem like, no matter what one might consult with her, she would have an answer.

    Faced with the girl¡¯s confident demeanor, Ferries exhaled, as if struck by envy.

    ¡°Truth be told, I was invited to a party hosted by a Count¡¯s household that I haven¡¯t interacted with much.¡±

    Lady Sophia tilted her head just a little to side in confusion, but a light of understanding shed in the eyes of the other youngdies.

    To be invited by a noble that was higher ranked than oneself was generally considered an honour. Inviting someone to your party, even if they were of a lower rank than oneself, was still considered to have its merit. Doubly so, if you weren¡¯t close to the person you were inviting.

    However, the youngdies affiliated with Sophia¡¯s faction were now receiving invitations left and right. Among these, many of the invites wereing from higher-ranked nobles, so, although it was a great honor, at the same time, these were invitations that were difficult to refuse. If these invitations were arriving due to the youngdies¡¯ own charm, surely, thedies would have been delighted by them. However, a lot of the time, the reason why they were getting invited was solely because they were core members of Sophia¡¯s faction.

    In short, it could be said that Ferris being invited to the party was the result of the Count¡¯s daughter wanting to be a member of Sophia¡¯s faction, and zeroing in on Ferris to use her as her stepping stone.

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t intend to behave in any way that would cause you any trouble, Miss Sophia. But, since her noble status is above mine, I am utterly at a loss on how I should refuse her¡­¡±

    When Ferris sighed, all the other youngdies nodded simultaneously. It seemed that the otherdies could tell how she was feeling. Noticing this as well, Sophia tilted her head in puzzlement one more time, the same way she had before.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just stop worrying about it and ept?¡±

    ¡°To¡­ ept? However, the reason why she invited me is likely my connection to you, Lady Sophia. After getting invited by a higher-ranked noble, if she were to pressure me, saying that she wanted me to introduce her to you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse.¡±

    To invite a lower-ranked noble and, after weing themvishly, ask them for a favour. In other words, doing this could be a threat as well, as if saying: ¡°Since I have done all this, surely you won¡¯t refuse me, right?¡±

    Nevertheless, one could also refuse after getting invited to a party. Setting aside whether one could actually refuse or not, one was more or less given the option to do so.

    In addition, if one were to attend the event, there wouldn¡¯t be any way for them to escape. This wasmon knowledge among the youngdies.

    However-

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to refuse. If she pressures you by taking advantage of her own position, I won¡¯t mind if you respond by telling her that you will run it by me. I will take care of these bothersome issues,¡± Lady Sophia dered.

    ¡°Moreover, if it¡¯s someone I don¡¯t like, I will keep you safe by receiving them and talking to them, and if it is someone I do like, forming a connection with them after receiving them and conversing with them will be good,¡± she added.

    ¡°As we are going to enter high society one day, it¡¯s important to form connections with influential nobles. What will you do if you don¡¯t properly make use of this rare chance?¡±

    ¡°B-but, won¡¯t I cause you trouble by doing that, Miss Sophia?¡±

    The girls who received Sophia Rosenberg¡¯s patronage naturally thought that, of course, they shouldn¡¯t do things that would cause Sophia trouble.

    However-

    ¡°From the day I started these tea parties, I was prepared to protect you. Therefore, those kinds of worries are unnecessary. If there is something you are troubled by, please rely on me. Alright?¡±

    Sophia smiled calmly.

    She was twelve years old, yet she already possessed the poise of the daughter of a marquis. The youngdies who became members of Sophia¡¯s faction confirmed the reliability of their faction¡¯s representative once more.

    Therefore, all of the girls thought the following:

    ¡®To a debutante in waiting like me, it truly is important to form connections with prominent nobles. For that reason, I want to treasure my bond with Miss Sophia above the bond with anyone else.¡¯

    Like this, the unity of Sophia¡¯s faction strengthened.

    ***

    The tea party ended without any problems, although my stomach started hurting from the pressure and stress of suddenly being sent in here.

    Either way, the tea party was now over, and we were on our way back to the second residence of the Rosenberg household. Rouch¨¦ was the one who was supposed to ride in the same carriage as the young Lady, but, for some reason, I was the one who ended up riding with her.

    Mydy sat beside me, and I was intently staring at her profile. The difference between our ages was just two years, but Lady Sophia was full of self-confidence, and she was very beautiful.

    I heard that this wasn¡¯t a recent change either, and that she had been this self-assured for many years.

    ¡°¡­Emma, is everything alright? You¡¯ve been looking at my face so intently.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m terribly sorry!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. More importantly, don¡¯t you have something you want to ask me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me that way for a while.¡±

    Just how insightful was the young Lady? I was astonished, but, at the same time, I thought: ¡®This is my chance!¡¯. A mere servant wasn¡¯t usually allowed to address the master they were meant to serve. However, that was different from my current situation, since I had been addressed by my Lady.

    ¡°Truth be told¡­ I was scolded by Rouch¨¦. She told me to have more self-confidence. And so I was wondering how and when I would be able to be so full of self-confidence like you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­Self-confidence?¡±

    Lady Sophia frowned a little, as if she felt troubled.

    ¡°I-I apologize! I spoke out of turn!2 Please, forgive me.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s just¡­ since I don¡¯t have self-confidence, I was thinking about how I should answer your question.¡±

    ¡°¡­You have no¡­ self-confidence?¡±

    I blinked in surprise. She was the daughter of a marquis and acted in a manner appropriate to her social status. I also heard that she achieved top marks in the entrance exam for the school academy, in which nobles from all over the country gathered, and that she confidently filled out the role of the new students¡¯ representative.

    Even though she told me that she didn¡¯t have any self-confidence, I couldn¡¯t hear it as anything but a joke.

    ¡°Excuse my rudeness, but I cannot believe that you have no self-confidence, my Lady. Weren¡¯t you perfectly confident during the tea party earlier?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not due to me having self-confidence. I was just pretending to be self-confident, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°You were just pretending?¡±

    So although in reality, she wasn¡¯t self-confident, she pretended that she was. While I could understand the meaning of her words, I couldn¡¯t just suddenly ept that the confident way in which she behaved in front of the youngdies next to her was all an act.

    However, Lady Sophia said, ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± and smiled.

    ¡°Even right now, I am actually nervous about being able to advise you well.¡±

    The Lady Sophia who kept smiling gently seemed like a perfectly calm youngdy. Despite being told that she was actually nervous, who would believe her, since she behaved so confidently? It was unbelievable to such a degree, that I considered whether she, perhaps, might be making fun of me.

    However-

    ¡°This is something Cyril told me before. ¡®People such as the daughters of a marquis cannot reveal their feelings recklessly. They have to be able to act gracefully, no matter how anxious they feel on the inside,¡¯ he said.¡±

    ¡°¡­And so you became able to pretend that you are confident, my Lady?¡±

    If one would be able to act confidently simply by being told to do so, I wouldn¡¯t have had such a hard time. In response to this question of mine, Lady Sophia slowly shook her head.

    ¡°At first, I thought that it was difficult. In order to act with confidence, you need the confidence of knowing that, even if you were to fail, you would be backed up by someone. I can act confidently precisely because I am confident that no matter the situation, I will somehow be able to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±

    If one didn¡¯t have that confidence, they couldn¡¯t act confidently. And yet, Lady Sophia said that, although she didn¡¯t have self-confidence, she was able to act with confidence. Her words were contradictory. Could it be a concept that was beyond my level of understanding?

    ¡°You are being taught by Rouch¨¦, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. Rouch¨¦ has been teaching me a lot of things.¡±

    ¡°Although she usually acts quite carelessly, she can be actually extremely attentive, am I right? Doesn¡¯t she always smoothly cover for you, even when you make mistakes?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. She always helps me out.¡±

    It was just like that during today¡¯s tea party as well. Rouch¨¦ had skillfully maneuvered around me for my sake, as if it was alright for me, who was scared stiff, not to move at all. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that I was able to make it through without making any mistakes thanks to Rouch¨¦.

    ¡°Hehe. You¡¯re the same as me. Since that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be difficult for you to act confidently, as long as you have faith in Rouch¨¦. I mean, you¡¯re confident that she would definitely cover for you, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­About that¡­¡±

    Being able to act confidently stemmed from being confident that, even if one made a mistake, the damage would be minimized. In other words, no matter how badly one might mess up, if they had the confidence that they would be able to get a passing mark, acting with confidence was possible.

    Lady Sophia told me to: ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on that part and think about what I said.¡±

    In other words, she was saying that, since Rouch¨¦ would back me up no matter what mistake I might make, I should act confidently without any worries.

    ¡°Doing something like that¡­¡±

    ¡°I know how you feel. You¡¯re probably thinking that, by making a mistake, you might cause her trouble. But those who act with confidence make fewer mistakes in general.¡±

    This meant that, since not being able to act confidently was a problem, I would be more likely to meet Rouch¨¦¡¯s expectations if I acted confidently by thinking that Rouch¨¦ would do something to help me if I were to make a mistake.

    Although one could say that I understood the concept, whether I would be able to put it into practice was apletely different issue. I was able to rx slightly when I thought of Rouch¨¦ watching over me, but the anxiety of potentially causing her trouble didn¡¯t disappear.

    Despite this, I felt more capable of acting with confidence than up until now.

    ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Sophia. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to be confident right away, but I believe I can act with a little more confidence now.¡±

    ¡°As long as I was able to be of help. But, please be careful. There is one single w to this way of thinking.¡±

    ¡°A w?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As long as that person is able to help you out, it seems like, no matter what happens, everything will turn out alright. However, if you¡¯re ever unable to tell whether that person can help you or not, you will be very anxious.¡±

    Lady Sophia told me that ¡°In order to avoid that situation, it¡¯s important toy the groundwork so that that person is able to help you.¡± Once I heard that, I unexpectedly became doubtful.

    I was relying on Rouch¨¦. But there were many things that even Rouch¨¦ couldn¡¯t do. For example, Rouch¨¦ couldn¡¯t do anything against a person who could exert their political power over her. And she didn¡¯t even have anybat training.

    If that was the case, then-

    ¡°Who are you relying on to act with confidence, Lady Sophia?¡±

    The Lady Sophia who was always able to act confidently. Who was the one that this Lady Sophia relied on? Faced with this question, Lady Sophia looked a little bashful. This mushy atmosphere reminded me of my kind teacher¡¯s face.

    ¡°Could it be¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it a secret from Cyril, alright?¡±

    My master ced her index finger to her lips and smiled like a mischievous child. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Thank you so much reading! <3 The next side story will be about Raymond!<ol><li>ÏÈÝ…- ¡®senpai¡¯, again, for ack of a good equivalent, it will be kept at just Rouch¨¦.</li><li>·Ö²»Ïàê- ¡®bunfusouou¡¯- beyond one¡¯s means or position, basically she asked something she shouldn¡¯t have because it¡¯s not her ce to ask such questions (ording to her).</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 25: Side story: Raymonds Determination First Part

    Ten years ago, a butler and a maid working for a certain low-ranked noble got married, and they received many blessings from the people of the noble household, including their master. The butler continued to work for the master, but once the maid got pregnant, she quit her job and became a housewife. And so, Raymond was born.

    Although his father, Lionel, was very busy, when he came home, he would tell him stories about the residence or about the master. As such, Raymond aspired to work as a servant, and his mother Mercia taught him the appropriate etiquette for one.

    Although he was very young, he dreamt of bing a servant like his father and mother. In fact, he didn¡¯t just dream about it. He also diligently continued to work hard in order to make that dream into reality.

    One day, when he was already 12 years old, there was a turning point for his fate. His father¡¯s master, who was to attend the First Prince¡¯s birthday party, chose Lionel as the servant that he would bring with him.

    To apany him on this trip was proof that his master deeply trusted him, and it was a huge honor. It was an even greater honor because he was to be his master¡¯spanion at the First Prince¡¯s birthday party. At Raymond¡¯s home, they had a modest celebration for such a prestigious opportunity.

    ¡°Congrattions, dear. I always believed that you would receive recognition one day.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mercia. My master still remembers you, too.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Mercia¡¯s eyes crinkled up fondly.

    ¡°Father, congrattions on bing the master¡¯spanion! I¡¯m proud to be your son.¡±¡°Father, congrats!¡±

    ¡°Father, congrats?¡±

    It seemed that, while Raymond¡¯s younger brother understood the situation, his youngest sister didn¡¯t really understand it well. However, the fact that everyone was rejoicing had probably gotten through to her. With an innocent smile on her face, she said these congrattory words. Although it was a modest household, it was a warm one. Lionel was filled with happiness.

    And so, the time of departure had finally arrived.

    ¡°Raymond, take care of the family while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    ¡°Of course, leave it to me! I will also be a trustworthy butler in the future, just like you!¡±

    He was grinning broadly.

    Of course, Raymond loved his parents, but he also loved his younger siblings from the bottom of his heart. Moreover, he didn¡¯t just love his family. Raymond was also aware that it was precisely his daily life that would allow him to make great strides as a servant. A person who could only take care of themselves wouldn¡¯t be able to wait on his master. He could read his siblings¡¯ subtle wants and took care of them while also refining the skills necessary for a servant. Raymond regarded taking care of his family as taking care of his future master.

    He was a hard-working, serious person, so he would be an excellent butler in the future. However, his sense of responsibility tended to be too strong. Lionel was a little worried about whether in the future, Raymond might choose to sacrifice himself for the sake of his family or his master. However, there was still time before he would get a master. Lionel thought that it would be fine as long as he himself were the one to guide Raymond until that time, and he patted Raymond¡¯s head, telling him that he was a good boy.

    ¡°If you manage to take care of them properly, I will ask my master to let you visit the residence.¡±

    ¡°Wow, really?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, really. You¡¯re going to be attending the royal city¡¯s academy next year, too. It¡¯s important for you to get acquainted with the people at the residence before that.¡±

    The servants of a noble family were elected from families that the nobles could trust. This was the reason why there were prominent families that produced servants for generations.

    Future servants woulde to the mansion when they were children and would earn recognition among other servants. By building trust and showing their abilities like that, in the future, they would get hired as servants for that household.

    Raymond was now allowed to take that first step. It was only natural for Raymond to be innocently ecstatic about it.

    ¡°Thank you, father! I¡¯ll do my best and hold down the fort while you¡¯re gone!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving it up to you.¡±

    Thus, he briefly said his goodbyes to his family. Lionel, who was going to be apanying his master on his trip, left with a proud expression on his face. No one had ever imagined that this would be theirst goodbye.

    The news arrived a few days after his father had been supposed to return home. A man in his forties, who imed to be Lionel¡¯s coworker, had turned up, carrying Lionel¡¯s battered belongings.

    The man, speaking as if it were incredibly difficult for him to do so, informed them that Lionel died in a carriage ident. The carriage that the head of the family had been riding in fell off a cliff, and Lionel, who was apanying his master, died as well.

    ¡°Inside the fallen, broken carriage, we found Lionel covering his master, as if he had died trying to shield him. I respect him.¡±

    As if these words were their cue, Raymond and his mother broke down crying like a dam breaking. Afterwards, when they managed to calm down, Lionel¡¯s coworker talked to them for a bit and then left. Just like that, the only things left were his father¡¯s belongings and the condolence money. Bravely standing up, Mercia told the children about what happened.

    However-

    ¡°Father is dead?¡±

    ¡°Father won¡¯t being back for a while? When will hee back?¡±

    In contrast with his younger brother, who understood the situation, it seemed that his younger sister couldn¡¯t grasp that her father had died. In response to this innocently asked, cruel question, Mercia hugged her children and began to sob.

    However, Raymond didn¡¯t join them. He went into his room immediately, and, using a wax tablet and steel pen, he began to calcte for how long they could maintain their lifestyle with the amount of condolence money they received.

    However, the symbols kept getting blurred and he wasn¡¯t able to read them properly. It was at that moment when Raymond realized, for the first time, that he was crying.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry! Father asked me to take care of the family while he¡¯s gone. If someone who aims to be a butler can¡¯t even protect his family, then what can he do?!¡±

    He wiped his tears with his sleeve, and, with a scrunched up face, he began to calcte again. It was by no means due to him being strong. It was simply because, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear this sorrow.

    If Lionel was here, his heart would probably hurt terribly if he saw how pitiful his son looked. Right now, Raymond felt crushed by sorrow and his sense of responsibility. However, his father that had been concerned about that excessively strong sense of responsibility of Raymond¡¯s was no longer alive. Raymond desperately continued to specte about the life they would be living from now on.

    How long had he been at it? When Raymond¡¯s calctions reached as far as considering a scenario where Raymond and his mother would both work, Mercia, who had beenforting his younger siblings, walked in.

    ¡°Mother, are they doing alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they got tired and fell asleep. Are <i>you</i> alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m alright. Take a look at this. If we spend the condolence money wisely, we¡¯ll be able to somehow get by until the two of us find some work in town.¡±

    With a proud face, Raymond presented her with the wax tablet. Mercia, who had previously worked as a maid, was able to understand the numbers written there. However, precisely because she understood, Mercia frowned.

    ¡°Raymond, are you¡­ giving up on your dream?¡±

    Raymond¡¯s ns were as follows:

    First off, Mercia would find a job where she could put the skills that she cultivated as a maid to good use, such as working as a waitress or a seamstress. Raymond would immediately start teaching his younger brother so that he would be able to take care of his younger sister.

    Then, once he was able to leave the household in his younger brother¡¯s hands, Raymond, too, would start working right away.

    If things went well, they could save some of the condolence money. Then, a few yearster, if their earnings became stable, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to attend the royal city¡¯s academy ¨C for two people, that is. Raymond nned to throw away his own dream in order to allow his siblings to attend the royal city¡¯s academy.

    ¡°If I were to work as a maid, things would work out even without you doing this. I would get a much higher wage if I were to work a job like that as well.¡±

    ¡°Mother, you yourself must know that that¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Apparently, the one who had inherited the position as the head of the family was the master¡¯s son. For that reason, all the servants that had worked for the head of the family up until now would continue to work there. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Mercia to return to work either. Normally, that is.

    It wasn¡¯t known whether the driver was to me for the ident, or whether it was simply bad luck, but, as a result, the current head of the family had died. Lionel, who had apanied him, hadn¡¯t been able to protect him.

    Technically speaking, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he was condemned. It was a miracle already that they even received any condolence money. One could even say that the new head of the family was merciful. However, that was as far as it went. It would be impossible for someone that had not just quit work once before, but who was also the wife of a butler who couldn¡¯t protect his master, toe back. That he couldn¡¯t work there again went without saying for Raymond, who hadn¡¯t even been able to get acquainted with anyone.

    ¡°¡­I¡­ know. Certainly, it might be difficult for me to return to work. But, even so, there is no need for you to give up on your dream.¡±

    Mercia took the steel pen from Raymond and put down a new number. It wasn¡¯t a big sum of money in the slightest, but it wasn¡¯t a small amount of money, either.

    ¡°I have saved up a bit of money for each of you so that you could attend the school academy. If we use that money, you should be able to attend the academy, right? It won¡¯t be toote to take care of your siblings after that.¡±

    Mercia crossed out the sum that Raymond would receive from working, and instead, increased the amount of time she would work, raising the amount of her ie. If they were to proceed ording to this n, Raymond would attend the school for three years, and they would somehow get by until it was time for his younger brother to enter the academy.

    If Raymond started working after those three years, they would somehow manage. In other words, ording to this calction, if Raymond managed to find an employer in three years, he wouldn¡¯t have to give up his dreams.

    However, that was if things went ording to that n. Although Mercia had smoothly increased her ie, it was clear that she would be overworking herself. If she continued to work excessively like that, it wouldn¡¯t even take one year for her body to break.

    ¡°Mom, no matter how you look at it, working this much is absurd.¡±

    ¡°Be quiet. You have no right to object when you were about to sacrifice your own dreams for the sake of your siblings. I¡¯m alright, so be obedient and listen to what I¡¯m saying,¡± Mercia warned him sharply. Then she peered into Raymond¡¯s face and her expression softened. ¡°Raymond, listen. Trying to protect your siblings is very praiseworthy. But that¡¯s precisely why I wish to make your dreame true properly. I mean, wasn¡¯t that what he wished for as well?¡±

    Mercia embraced Raymond tenderly. However, her body was shaking slightly. He wasn¡¯t the only one who was going through a hard time. His mother also felt crushed by her sorrow and sense of responsibility, exactly like Raymond, but, despite this, she was trying to move forward.

    When Raymond realized this, he wasn¡¯t able to say: ¡°It¡¯s still impossible, despite what you said.¡± He broke away from his mother¡¯s warmth, took back his steel pen and wrote down new numbers into the wax tablet.

    The main change was the reduction of the hours Mercia would be working.

    ¡°¡­Raymond?¡±

    ¡°One year. I¡¯ll find a new master in one year.¡±

    ¡°¡­Do you understand how absurd that is? Normally, one would get a master after graduating high school. Even after just graduating middle school, finding employment would be hard, but to find one in just one year¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s absurd, Mother. But I don¡¯t want to sacrifice neither my younger siblings nor you. Without sacrificing anyone, that is the only way for me to not give up on my dream.¡±

    His blue eyes looked straight at his mother. Having those clear eyes directed at her, Mercia finally showed a small smile.

    ¡°One time, Lionel told me: ¡®Raymond is outstanding, but he tends to neglect himself. If I am able to correct that trait of his, he will surely be a splendid butler.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡­Father said that?¡±

    ¡°Yes. For that reason, I believe in both Lionel and you. If you say that you will somehow manage to do it in one year, then do it. I will help you out as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mother. I will definitely be a butler in one year.¡±

    Thus, Raymond began to make preparations in order to find a master in one year.

    The first thing he did was make a list of primary candidates.

    If he were to protect his whole family, bing a servant of a somewhat affluent businessman wouldn¡¯t do. If possible, it¡¯d be preferable to serve a person that could assist him with sending his younger siblings to the academy.

    For that to be possible, they would have to be at least a noble.

    However, a lot of the high-ranked nobles would often employ lower-ranked noble children that didn¡¯t have the right to inherit. Even if they were lower-ranked nobles, it wasmon for them to employ people from families who worked for them for generations, or find servants by using the connections of the people they trusted. For Raymond, who had lost the patron who could guarantee his background, finding employment would be difficult.

    He wasn¡¯t really able to find an employer wealthy enough to support his family and who, on top of that, might hire Raymond.

    However, he heard a rumour that, among these nobles, there was one single young Lady who might possibly hire him.

    It was a young Lady that had be the subject of a lot of gossip at thest birthday party Lionel and his master attended. Although she was the daughter of a marquis, it seemed that she employed a lot of servants who were born asmoners. Coincidentally, this marquis¡¯ daughter was the same age as Raymond. Moreover, since she was the daughter of a marquis, she was sure to attend middle school at the academy.

    Since their courses would be different, the opportunities for them to get into direct contact would be limited, but they wouldn¡¯t bepletely non-existent.

    There wasn¡¯t anyone else who fit so many of his criteria. As he believed that this was a chance given to him by the gods, Raymond began to n on how he would get into direct contact with her.

    Strangely enough, this happened right after Cyril became her exclusive butler.

    Thank you for reading! Also, next week''s chapter might get dyed due to my search for an editor. My current editor is swamped with studying for a big exam (best of luck, Barebones!!), but I''ve found someone who might be interested in the project, so hopefully it''ll be out soon! I am still tranting, so depending on how it goes, more chapters might get released a few days apart from each other or together. Thank you for your patience and support!

 Book 2: Chapter 26: Side story: Raymonds Determination Second Part

    <i>Enter the academy¡¯s middle school and find a master during the first year</i>.

    After Raymond had decided to do this, he immediately began to look for more information about the young Lady, who might be his future master.

    Her name was Sophia Rosenberg. Even though she was the daughter of a Marquis, she wasn¡¯t old enough to attend many parties yet. Nevertheless, she had gathered enough attention for the rumors about her to have reached even the ears of themoners.

    ording to these rumors, she was a saintess that descended upon high society.

    Although she was just 12 years old, it was said that her conduct could put adults to shame. She was also extremely quick on her feet and was able to urately respond to unexpected situations. Of course, just because the Rosenberg household employed a lot ofmoners didn¡¯t necessarily mean that she would go as far as to treat them kindly herself, but in his current situation, she was the best employer candidate he could think of. Determined that he had to do what he could to get hired by her no matter what, Raymond slow began to plot his future.

    His first chance to realize his beautiful vision of the future came sooner than he had expected. During the written examination of the academy¡¯s middle school entrance exams, a young Lady made an appearance in the assembly hall, her glistening tinum blonde hair fluttering behind her. Raymond found that the girl who had quickly be the centre of the crowd¡¯s focus sported the shiny, Rosenberg household crest on her cor. While her beautiful features appeared to be a little headstrong, her expression remained gentle throughout. The young Lady, having a prior understanding that she was rumored to be a saintess, gave a charming smile.

    <i>¡®I mustn¡¯t let this opportunity pass me by!¡¯</i>

    Of course, he understood that addressing her before the exam was bothersome but even if they both ended up attending the same academy, their courses would be different, leading to it being extremely difficult to be able to talk to her. If he let this chance slip by, he had no idea if he could get another opportunity to talk to her. On the contrary, if they acquainted themselves here, this biggest hurdle would be easily ovee.

    Therefore, Raymond, who felt like he was about to be crushed by this pressure, encouraged himself before springing forward.¡°Miss Sophia, you¡¯re Miss Sophia from the Rosenberg household, am I right?¡±

    Although Lady Sophia looked surprised, she didn¡¯t reveal any disgust.

    ¡®So she¡¯s kind tomoners after all,¡¯ he thought to himself.

    However, at that moment, something that Raymond hadn¡¯t expected took ce.

    ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re being rude towards the young Lady. Please step back.¡±

    A young boy, standing next to the young Lady, had butted into their conversation. From his demeanour, Raymond could tell that he was a butler. Raymond remembered the academy¡¯s exclusive system, but since the entrance exam wasn¡¯t over yet, he realised that it couldn¡¯t apply to this situation. It was likely that he was a butler from her household that she had brought with her. This butler had tried to prevent Raymond from approaching her, however-

    ¡°Cyril, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°But, my Lady-¡±

    ¡°I heard that at the academy we are all equal regardless of our social standing. Since that¡¯s the case, there are no issues with his behavior, right? Or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my Lady,¡± the butler called Cyril said in response to Sophia¡¯s words and retreated.

    Upon witnessing their exchange, Raymond realized that the situation wasn¡¯t favorable.

    He had heard of the name ¡®Cyril¡¯ before. It was the name of Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. The boy was said to have been born into the prestigious family that had served the Rosenberg household for generations. Raymond realised that he probably didn¡¯t like his master showingpassion towards a meremoner.

    <i>It would be troublesome if the butler was trying to eliminatemoners from the young Lady¡¯s surroundings. Earlier, I should have only said what my business with her was.</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m- no, I am Raymond1. Please, make me your exclusive butler, my Lady.¡±

    As he had expected, the young Lady was startled and so, he exined to her all about the exclusive system the academy had. It was the same as picking a fight with Cyril, her exclusive butler. However, if Cyril was trying to keepmoners away from her, Raymond couldn¡¯t avoid shing with him either way.

    He didn¡¯t care if Cyril was born into a noted family or something. As if Raymond could bear to lose to someone with a sheltered upbringing and a promised future as a butler the moment they were born. Raymond smiled at him in challenge.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I would fall behind such an unreliable guy like him! Using the entrance exam, I will prove that I am better than him! Therefore, when that timees, please allow me the honor of being named as your exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright. If I feel that you are better than Cyril, I will name you my exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    With this oue, Raymond felt that he had created a good impression upon Lady Sophia. Of course, at that time, Raymond had no way of knowing that he was greatly mistaken and that he had unknowingly made an enemy out of the very Lady Sophia, who was extremely essential to his ns.

    However, to appraise him as a fool would be too premature. The information Raymond obtained was too fragmented. That the reason why Cyril brought up social standing was in order to guide Sophia into disagreeing with him, was not something Raymond was capable of imagining.

    Still misunderstanding his intentions, Raymondughed at Cyril¡¯s dance score of 51 points without verifying the reason behind it. He also voiced his objections against such a guy bing the ss president. He repeatedly shot himself in the foot, and finally, even his teammates2 abandoned him.

    Although it was disappointing when his teammates cursed at him and told him that it was his own fault, he knew that they were absolutely right. That was the reason why he ended up fleeing the ssroom, unable to bear that reality.

    He fell into a deep pit of self-hatred and was feeling extremely pathetic and ashamed. Yet the one who came to pick Raymond up during this state was Cyril, his supposed enemy. Raymond red at him, not wanting to reveal to Cyril any more of his pathetic self.

    ¡°¡­The hell, what did youe here for? Did youe tough at me?¡±

    ¡°No, I came to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Pick me up? What are you saying?! It¡¯s funny, isn¡¯t it? So,ugh! I shed with you and lost so pathetically that even my friends turned away from me!¡±

    ¡°But, you didn¡¯t run away from your responsibility.¡±

    Those few words pierced Raymond¡¯s chest. He was ashamed of his mistakes. Unable to bear the responsibility for them, he had run away from them. But Cyril evaluated him not pushing the me onto others as evidence of Raymond¡¯s ountability.

    He was reminded of the numerous rumors he had heard about Cyril since they began setting up the venue for the party. If he were to put all the rumors together, Cyril wasn¡¯t the type of person to look down onmoners. Even when it came to the entrance exam, he actually got perfect scores for all the subjects and his dance score was the result of him saving a young Lady. That 1 point out of the 51 implied that his score was even higher than 100 points.

    Then, he remembered what Sophia Rosenberg had said during the first year students¡¯ greeting : 3.

    ¡°In truth, the person worthy of standing here isn¡¯t me.¡±

    A lot of people were convinced that her words were meant to show her respect to the Second Prince, who had enrolled with her in the same year as her ssmate. It¡¯s possible that none other than Sophia, the current head student, felt that perhaps the person worthy of being their year¡¯s head student might have been Cyril.

    Up until now, Raymond wasn¡¯t able to just obediently ept it. But now that Cyril hade up to him and showedpassion to the defeated Raymond, he was finally able to ept that Cyril was someone worthy of being Sophia Rosenberg¡¯s exclusive butler.

    At the same time, he regretted that it was toote now for everything. If Raymond had wanted to save his family, he should have sought out Cyril¡¯s cooperation instead of picking a fight with him. It was toote now. If he resolutely left the academy now, he would still have some dignity left.

    With these thoughts swirling in his head, he decided to leave. However, Cyril told him:

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to give up.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ are you saying that you¡¯re giving me, your enemy, a chance?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t teacher Tristan tell us that we should make mistakes and learn from them while we can? Saying it like this might sound haughty, but I believe it was to be expected that you would make mistakes.¡±

    After being told this, Raymond remembered his conversation with teacher Tristan. Unlike Raymond who had neglected to gather information about the reason behind Cyril¡¯s score of 51 points, it was unthinkable that the teacher wouldn¡¯t know the details.

    ¡®Make mistakes and learn from them.¡¯

    Having realised that he properly never thought about the meaning behind these words, he epted that he had failedpletely. He felt pathetic and was close to tears. And yet, Cyril extended a helping hand to him.

    ¡°Raymond, let¡¯s be friends.¡±

    ¡°¡­Friends? Me and you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. If you be my friend, I won¡¯t spare any efforts in helping you to get hired by a household this year. So, let¡¯s be friends4,¡± he said as he peered into Raymond¡¯s eyes.

    Cyril had extended a helping hand to Raymond, a person who was hostile towards him all this while, so naturally he was amazed by how broad-minded Cyril was, and at the same time, he felt miserable about his own self, for deeming this kind boy as his enemy. His chest then grew warm in response to Cyril¡¯s words, who was telling him that he wanted to be friends with his pathetic self. Raymond sobbed as he apologized over and over again.

    From this day on, the number of Raymond¡¯s goals had increased by one. He had decided to try catching up to Cyril, who was walking far ahead of him; and to be a reliable butler like him. Fortunately, this wasn¡¯t in conflict with his other goals. Raymond had turned over a new leaf and began to ardently study in order to be a butler like Cyril one day.

    However, Cyril¡¯s conduct was far beyond Raymond¡¯s expectations. For example, the incident with Count Ares. If you were someone who gathered even just a little bit of information, it was a well-known fact that Count Ares¡¯ second and third sons misused the Second Prince¡¯s political power and acted arrogantly towards Sophia. One reason behind their actions was because of the spections that Sophia was part of the Elitist faction and would therefore forgive them for their arrogance. However, Raymond, who had talked to her directly, knew that it was a misconception. He imagined that if he were Cyril, whom he admired so much, there was no way that he would leave the situation be.

    Thus, when the two nobles involved were absent from school at the same time, he understood that Cyril had finally begun to realize his ns. Normally, there was no way a butler could make any moves against a noble. However, since this was Cyril, it was possible that he would be able to at least push them into being confined to their own homes for a while. Before long, Raymond whose spections were full of these sorts of expectations, had learned that Count Ares had fallen to ruin.

    Naturally, Count Ares¡¯ second and third sons had also disappeared from the academy. Raymond was unable toprehend Cyril¡¯s actions and how they led to this result, but he knew that this was undoubtedly Cyril¡¯s doing. At least now the Second Prince, the poster child of the Elitists, had lost both of his nks.

    Soon, it would be difficult for the Second Prince to operate as well. Just as he was thinking this, a rumor spread that actually, the Second Prince didn¡¯t belong to the Elitists faction but was affiliated with the Commoners faction instead. Moreover, there was another rumor connected to it, proiming that Cyril was the Second Prince¡¯s tutor.

    ¡®Why and how on Earth could a mere butler, who was a butler of another household nheless, be a prince¡¯s tutor?!¡¯

    Likely, this wasn¡¯t something that only Raymond¡¯s mind cried out, but a thought that had crossed countless minds as well. Moreover, the rumors didn¡¯t stop there. The main topic of every conversation was that the Second Prince, who had asked Cyril to teach him, was affiliated with Sophia¡¯s faction. Sophia¡¯s name wasn¡¯t listed under the Second Prince¡¯s faction but the Second Prince¡¯s name was listed under Sophia¡¯s faction. No matter how one thought about it, the order was reversed.

    At this point, Raymond began to worship Cyril. He had heard that Sophia and Cyril¡¯s violin duet was wonderful, so it was only natural that Raymond wanted Cyril to y a duet with him as well.

    On a different note, the preparations for the school festival had begun. Raymond had willingly let go of the honor of working under Cyril during the New Students¡¯ Wee Party, but now he was looking forward to learning under Cyril during the school festival.

    However, because Cyril was busy devoting himself to the Student Council¡¯s y, he said that they should elect a ss Vice President. And thus, Luke was chosen. Although inparison to Raymond, Luke¡¯s grades were a little lower, he was nheless a student who had joined Cyril during the New Students¡¯ Wee Party from the beginning. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t dissatisfied with him bing the ss Vice President.

    However, he was dissatisfied that he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn under Cyril. Cyril had joined the Student Council and even took on the role of being the Second Prince¡¯s tutor, so Raymond wasn¡¯t sure if a chance to work under him woulde around again. He regretted letting go of such a precious opportunity before.

    This was why he was seized by an indescribable feeling of jealousy and envy when he heard that Luke had learned under Cyril as his assistant before. However, it was also true that if he were to work under Luke, he would be able to learn Cyril¡¯s methods indirectly.

    No matter what, he wanted to stay near Luke and watch the way he worked. Since his thoughts were steered in that direction, he was truly astonished when Luke asked him if he would be his assistant. Although he had reconciled with his teammates that he had set up the courtyard venue with, there was still some ill-will between him and the people who had prepared the assembly hall. Although they acted friendly towards him on the surface, he didn¡¯t think that they would put him in charge of anything important.

    ¡°Are you saying that you too are giving me, someone who was your enemy, a helping hand?¡±

    In response to his question, Luke gave a strainedugh. If he were his previous uptight self, he would have probably snapped, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?!¡±. However, the current Raymond wasn¡¯t like that anymore.

    ¡°Why are youughing?¡± he asked honestly.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. It¡¯s because I said something like that to Cyril, too. And when I did, Cyril told me this: They¡¯re not enemies that you should hate.¡±

    ording to Luke, Cyril believed thatpeting in ss was part of their studies as well. Also, he thought of the mistakes of the courtyard group as his responsibility too, since he was the ss president. And so he began toy some groundwork behind the scenes.

    ¡°¡­He¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡± Raymond¡¯s adoration of him increased yet again.

    ¡°He really is. Although I was chosen to be the ss Vice President, I believe that if there are going to be any issues with the school festival preparations, Cyril still ns on dealing with them. But, I don¡¯t n on resigning myself to bepletely reliant on others. For the school festival to finish without me having to trouble him, I need a reliable assistant. So, please help me out.¡± Luke said as he held out his hand. Raymond hesitated for merely a second. If he were to miss this opportunity, his dream of catching up to Cyril would stay just that, a dream.

    ¡°As if I would pass up this opportunity,¡± he said and shook Luke¡¯s hand.

    From that day onwards, Raymond began to work as Luke¡¯s assistant. The first thing that was supposed to happen was the reconciliation between the main venue group and the courtyard group. Thanks to Cyril¡¯s mediation, they weren¡¯t quarrelling openly, but there were still a lot of people who were left with bad tastes in their mouth.

    Raymond did his best to resolve this. He made adjustments, so their teamwork wouldn¡¯t just be a mere pretence, but so that everyone would be one unit and collectively try their best. He led discussions with Luke, and they asked themselves: ¡®If I were Cyril, what would I do?¡¯. It was during that time that their ss became unified.

    However, unexpectedly, the reason why their ss became one solid unit was due to an external factor. They were challenged by ss B, who said there was no way they would lose to ss A when they had no Cyril, especially when ss A was working together with the losers from the courtyard group. Spurred on by this, the main venue group was fired up to show what they could do well even without Cyril while the courtyard group was fired up, saying that they wouldn¡¯t lose to the likes of ss B.

    Besides, at that time, rumors surfaced that through Sophia, Cyril had connections with many nobles, the Second Prince, as well as influentialmoners. Although Cyril spent all his time and energy on the Student Council¡¯s y, he would probably drop by their ss¡¯ caf¨¦ during the actual days of the school festival. Since that was the case, it was a given that future employer candidates would being to visit their caf¨¦ as well. To not let this opportunity pass them by, the ss proceeded with the caf¨¦ preparations, working together, as one team. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Thanks to the quick work of the new editor and our proofreader, I am able to get the chapter out this week! ? Big thank yous to them! Also barebones (the usual editor) told me to say that she''s sorry and that she will be back soon! (After her exam.) Best of luck barebones! <3 Also thank you for reading!! If everything goes well, next chapter should get posted on Tuesday/Wednesday!<ol><li>Raymond first uses °³ ¨C ¡®ore¡¯, which is a word usually men refer to themselves as, but then he changes it to Ë½ ¨C ¡®watashi¡¯ which is a slightly formal way of referring to oneself</li><li> teammates, as in the people who he prepared the courtyard venue at the New Students¡¯ Weing Party with</li><li>ÐÂÈëÉú°¤ÞÙ ¨C ¡®shinnyuusei aisatsu¡¯ ¨C literally greeting of the newly admitted students, I believe this is a speech done by a representative of the first years (probably someone with the highest score, like Sophia here) during the admission ceremony at the beginning of the Japanese school semester.</li><li>In the first two instances, Cyril uses the term ÖÙég ¨C ¡®nakama¡¯ ¨C teammate,panion, but in thest one, he uses ÓÑß_- ¡®tomodachi¡¯ ¨C friend. Since the meanings are very close and it would be kinda weird to switch from something like acquaintance to friends, I will trante it as the same term in English.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 27: Side story: Raymonds Determination Final Part

    The days passed in the blink of an eye and the first day of the school festival quickly arrived. Cyril had shown up early in the morning, but he stayed absent because of the Student Council¡¯s y. Raymond and the rest of his ssmates gathered inside the courtyard on the terrace of the caf¨¦.

    ¡°Atst, the school festival is finally about to begin and yet, Cyril isn¡¯t here. It seems that the other sses are looking down on us, saying that without Cyril, our ss A cannot even be considered an opponent!¡± Luke said, giving a speech while scrutinizing the faces of his ssmates. Seemingly in response, the rest raised their voices and echoed the sentiment, calling out: ¡°So what if we don¡¯t have Cyril! As if we¡¯d lose to the other sses!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ve been chosen to be members of ss A due to our performance in the entrance exam. Even if Cyril isn¡¯t with us, there¡¯s no way that we would lose to the members of the other sses! However, that is the very reason why it¡¯s not necessary for us to feel like we have to beat them. Up until today, we did everything possible for us to do. We¡¯re just going to demonstrate that here today!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±, their voices echoed, perfectly synchronized. That they answered in unison without requiring any cues served enough proof to the fact that they indeed had be one unit. Basking in thisfortable sense of unity, Raymond began his shift as a waiter.

    On the first day, it wasn¡¯t really that busy, especially before noon. The reason for this was that, naturally, the noble children¡¯s parents were stopping by their own children¡¯s programs. On the other hand, the servants¡¯ parents would first visit the program of their master¡¯s child before visiting their own. Although the situation was quite different for themoners, it was still a given that on the morning of the first day, the most crowded ces would be the programs organized by the noble courses and the market stalls. Therefore, the first day was quiet for the servant courses. Even considering Cyril¡¯s connections, that wouldn¡¯t have changed. At least, it shouldn¡¯t have.

    As a matter of fact, the shops of the other butler courses were empty, save for a guest or two loitering here and there. Despite this, right after ss A had opened their caf¨¦, an enormous queue lined up. The number of customers had already far surpassed their highest estimates and Raymond¡¯s ssmates grumbled: ¡°Why are there so many customers?!¡±

    ¡°It seems that the culprit is the cr¨ºpes; the sweet dish that Cyril had prepared. At any rate, the orders for these cr¨ºpes just keeping in. Quickly, prepare to increase our cr¨ºpes¡¯ production!¡±

    ¡°Did you say cr¨ºpes? Isn¡¯t that the product that Cyril said we¡¯d start selling at our caf¨¦, and use it as an opportunity to make them popr with the nobles? So then, why are there suddenly people queuing up for them on the first day?!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±, Luke¡¯s voice abruptly rang out amidst the cacophony of their ssmates¡¯ chatters. Suddenly attracting everyone¡¯s attention seemed to have made Luke feel somewhat awkward. Sensing that he knew something, Raymond pressed him for answers immediately.¡°Hey, Luke, do you know something about this?¡±

    ¡°No, that is, it¡¯s¡­ Since my master had told her rtives that she liked them, I wonder if they haven¡¯t already spread the word of this matter at several parties.¡±

    ¡°Even if that were the case, isn¡¯t the crowd a bit too big?!¡±

    ¡®Just what kind of influence do the rtives of Luke¡¯s master possess?¡¯, Raymond thought, shocked. The answer to Raymond¡¯s question was that Luke¡¯s master¡¯s rtives had the power to influence the whole country, for they were royalty. No matter the reason, the number of customers still had far surpassed their caf¨¦¡¯s maximum seating capacity. If Raymond were still his past self, he¡¯d probably panic and end up making mistakes. However, the current Raymond waspletely different from his past self. He thought about what course of action he should be taking, and ordered them by priority. Thus, he came up with an idea.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make some numbered tickets and distribute them to the waiting customers.¡±

    ¡°Numbered tickets? Without distinguishing between the nobles and themoners?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, that would be problematic. Let¡¯s make it so that we can differentiate the nobles¡¯ orders, and prioritize them, in ordance with Cyril¡¯s ns. What do you say?¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright, let¡¯s do that then. Chloe, please issue the numbered tickets immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave it to me.¡±

    Luke agreed with Raymond¡¯s proposal and quickly began assigning tasks to the other students. Upon hearing them, the students immediately judged what they needed to do and scattered.

    Thus, ss A splendidly dealt with the exceptionallyrge number of customers. These numbers would, without a doubt, break the records. Everyone thought that undoubtedly, they were going to be the best program of this year¡¯s school festival, the caf¨¦ even better than the party they had set up with Cyril as their ss President.

    However-

    ¡°Have you seen how wonderful Mister Cyril looked?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course! He carried himself exactly like a prince, right? He was just so very lovely!¡±

    ¡°Ahh¡­ Cyril¡¯s just too cool!¡±

    Since the time the shop had calmed down a bit in the afternoon, the shrill voices of these young Ladies reached Raymond¡¯s ears continuously. Raymond could not only hear these voicesing from themoner girls but also distinguished young Ladies. As for the boys¡­

    ¡°Hey, did you see how lovely Miss Sophia looked?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course! Her performance of a young maiden in love was the best!¡±

    ¡°Miss Sophia is just so beautiful¡­¡±

    Sure enough, a mixture of these admiring sighs could be heard from all over, regardless of the person¡¯s social standing. Since it was right after the end of the Student Council¡¯s y, Raymond could understand why there were people still enamored with Lady Sophia¡¯s role of the viinous daughter. However, Cyril had said that he was going to be the narrator. It was decided that the role of the prince was going to be performed by the actual Second Prince from the start. Despite this, voices saying that Cyril was just like a prince, were rising all around him.

    <i>Just, what on earth did Cyril do?!</i>

    Incidentally, Raymond would only find out that Cyril truly had snatched up the role of the prince the following day, so at that time, there was no way he could have known that. And so-

    ¡°Wha-?! Is that true?!¡±, Luke eximed, as a maid who came to see him whispered something into his ear. This was the most distraught Raymond had ever seen him. It was clear that something had happened.

    ¡°Luke, I¡¯ll take care of everything here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Raymond?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened but it¡¯s urgent, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­ I am the ss Vice President.¡±

    Raymond admired Luke¡¯s determination in not abandoning his duties even in this kind of situation but he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little irritated as thought to himself, ¡®Trust your assistant a little more!''

    ¡°Why do you think you have an assistant, huh?! Certainly, I cannot substitute Cyril, but I can definitely take care of your responsibilities, at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­You sure talk big, huh? But¡­thank you. Chloe.¡±

    Taking Chloe with him, Luke rushed off somewhere. Raymond didn¡¯t know what had happened but after seeing him panicked, he could somewhat imagine. Wishing for their troubles to get resolved without any problems, Raymond brought his ssmates who were agitated by the two of them leaving back together.

    Thus, the first day of the servant course¡¯s ss A¡¯s open caf¨¦ ended without any issues.

    On the second day of the school festival, the number of customers of their caf¨¦ was just as high as ¨C actually, it wasn¡¯t. It was evident that the number of female customers was even higher than the day before. They seemed to have been after Cyril, but they didn¡¯t know that Cyril, their main objective, had only stopped by the caf¨¦ in the morning before leaving. Raymond sighed, having his hands full dealing with the female students getting disappointed once they found out that Cyril wasn¡¯t there; thinking to himself: ¡®Just what did Cyril do?¡¯

    However, now that their ss A was finally united, they were able to deal with this unexpected situation as well. Despite there being even more customers, their caf¨¦ was running even smoother than the previous day. Above all, Luke and Chloe, who were very distraught by some matter yesterday were now working energetically, their faces bright. Raymond didn¡¯t ask what happened, but it seemed that the problem had been resolved.

    As Raymond was thinking this, Luke, who had noticed his gaze, walked up to him.

    ¡°You were a great help yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you¡¯d do the same for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear you say that. But actually, I have one more favor to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    In response to Luke¡¯s formal attitude, Raymond too straightened his back.

    ¡°Truth be told, I would like to temporarily take my leave for this afternoon as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant? Sure, don¡¯t worry about it and go.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s alright?¡±

    ¡°The caf¨¦ is running just fine. It¡¯s a bit troublesome dealing with all the girls who are after Cyril but you leaving for a bit is no big deal.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah Cyril, huh?¡±

    Luke had a slightly faraway look in his eyes and all kinds of emotions seemed to be swirling together in them.

    ¡°Do you know something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Actually-¡±

    Luke began to tell Raymond about all that had happened yesterday. And so Raymond was told about how Luke¡¯s master, the y¡¯s main lead, copsed yesterday. How, due to the y¡¯s main lead being absent, Cyril and Sophia had performed splendidly as the prince and the heroine.

    Raymond too had heard the rumor that the y¡¯s heroine wasn¡¯t Sophia or Alicia, but the president of the Student Council; amoner girl backed by a noble. In other words, Luke¡¯s master was the president of the Student Council. Judging by Chloe¡¯s state yesterday, she was her master as well. A young Lady, who was supposed to be a meremoner with the backing of a noble, had more than two servants. Raymond guessed that most likely, she wasn¡¯t who she was rumored to be. However, more than anything, Raymond was left startled by the words following that.

    ¡°¡­Cyril yed the prince? Wasn¡¯t the prince going to be yed by His Highness Prince Alforth? Just what on earth happened for the real Prince to be disregarded and for a servant to take on the role of the prince?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason either. I would say that it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s <i>Cyril</i>.¡±

    ¡°I see, because it¡¯s <i>Cyril</i>¡­¡±

    On second thought, it seemed that the Second Prince also relied on Cyril as his tutor. The fact that Cyril would rece the Second Prince as the main role wasn¡¯t really that strange.

    ¡°Anyway, our master is doing fine now. And so, the y will be performed with the original cast for both today and tomorrow. Therefore, if possible, please let Chloe and I leave for a bit.¡±

    ¡°In other words, you want me to remove the shifts you two have, for both today and tomorrow?¡±  ¡°Ah, it¡¯s no problem if you just remove my shift today and Chloe¡¯s tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then, that¡¯s even less of an issue. You should just go and properly enjoy your master¡¯s big moment.¡±

    Quickly rescheduling the shifts in his head, Raymond shuffled them around so that it wouldn¡¯t be an issue even with the two people absent. Like this, Raymond skillfully ran the caf¨¦ as the substitute for the ss Vice President.

    On the afternoon of that same day, Raymond was once again approached by Luke who had juste back from watching the y and was working as a waiter.

    ¡°Raymond, my master said that she wanted to express her gratitude to you since you¡¯ve acted as my substitute. I apologize, but could you free some time for her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to say that it¡¯s not necessary to thank me, but since it¡¯s a request from your master, there¡¯s no way I can refuse, is there?¡±

    Luke informed him of where his master was seated and Raymond made his way there. The first thing he noticed was her pink-gold hair. A figure of a young Lady seated at a table with a ck tea and cr¨ºpesbo appeared, the young Lady enjoying a leisurely tea break.

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait, Lady Fol. I am Raymond.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for calling you out here so suddenly, Raymond. I heard about you from Luke and thought that I must meet you. So, I made some unreasonable demands and had you summoned here.¡±

    ¡°No, please do not worry about it.¡±

    At that time, the only thing Raymond was thinking about was how upright of a Lady she was to have just called him to express her gratitude for such a small thing. Therefore-

    ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. Would you like toe and work for me after you graduate? ¡°Huh?¡± Without meaning to, a dumbfounded expression made its way onto Raymond¡¯s face.

    ¡°Oh my, it seems that I¡¯ve managed to surprise you. Catching you off guard was well worth it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Were you trying to surprise me?¡±

    ¡°I admit that I wanted to surprise you. However, my offer is genuine.¡±

    A distinct strong will was hiding in her clear blue eyes that were staring straight at Raymond as if telling him just how serious she was about her offer. However, precisely because of that, there was something that he needed to confirm.

    ¡°¡­Do you not know of the rumors about me?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about what happened at the New Students¡¯ Wee Party, I have heard about it. Moreover, I¡¯ve also heard from Luke that without you, this caf¨¦ wouldn¡¯t be running so smoothly right now.¡±

    ¡°Luke said that¡­?¡±

    Raymond had only experienced being spoken ill of by his own friends when they had set up the New Students¡¯ Wee Party, so this was the first time that Raymond had felt like he was actually being valued. Happiness welled up inside him, so much so that he felt like he might spontaneously burst into tears. However, in the next moment, Raymond recalled his current circumstances and tightly pressed his lips together.

    ¡°Although you have made me a very generous offer, I cannot ept it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Would you tell me the reason why?¡±

    ¡°It concerns my personal circumstances¡­ Do you not mind hearing about them, despite them being such?¡±

    ¡°I want to know of your circumstances regardless,¡± Fol encouraged him to continue. Therefore, Raymond confided in her that although he had entered the academy after cutting down on his limited living expenses, he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the school fee to attend the academy next year.

    ¡°So you are in this kind of a situation. Then, you didn¡¯t refuse me because you would be dissatisfied with working for me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. If I weren¡¯t tied down by my familial obligations, I would have dly epted your offer.¡±

    ¡°Even though you don¡¯t know who I am?¡±

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t. However, in any case, my feelings are sincere.¡±

    Fol was the first potential master who had acknowledged him. This was the reason why she had moved him to a great degree and made him want to work for her, even if she turned out to be a meremoner.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to hear you say so. Alright then, I shall pay for all your necessary expenses until you graduate. Also, you have to decide whether you will work for me after graduation or not.¡±

    ¡°Wha-¡±

    Those were some very, very unprecedented conditions. Rather than feeling happiness, Raymond, who didn¡¯t think himself to be of such high value, felt quite wary.

    ¡°Why would you make such a proposal to me?¡±

    ¡°At the beginning, it was due to Luke and my patron being concerned about you. But in the end, the biggest reason is that you are the type of person who stands up after falling down.¡±

    To make mistakes and learn from them was the principle of the royal family¡¯s tutor. Moreover, Fol had the experience of getting out of the depths of despair caused by her looming death. The girl who knew the pain of hitting rock bottom thought highly of Raymond, who was able to crawl out of these depths by himself.

    ¡°Thank you very much for having such a high opinion of me. If you were to graciously deal with my family¡¯s troubles somehow, I won¡¯t refuse your offer. I look forward to working with you.¡±1

    Thus, Raymond acquired Fol¡¯s support and was able to continue his life as a student. It would still take a while longer before Raymond would find out that Fol was a royal.

    Thank you so much for reading! Next chapter is going to be character introductions, there is some new fun info! Then we should be back to some more side story chapters, the uing side stories seem to be more centered around Sophia and Cyril so I hope you''ll enjoy them!<ol><li> Raymond says ¤É¤¦¤¾¡¢¤è¤í¤·¤¯¤ªîŠ¤¤Éê¤·ÉÏ¤²¤Þ¤¹ ¨C ¡®douzo, yoroshikuonegaimoushiagemasu¡¯, a very polite way of saying ¡®yoroshikuonegaishimasu¡¯. Many of you probably know this phrase. It¡¯s quite difficult to interpret, it can mean ¡®I will be in your care¡¯ but also often used when one starts working at apany. I thought perhaps that might be fitting here.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 28: Character Introduction: Differences between reality and the original story

    Author¡¯s note: As there has been a lot of requests for this, I present you with the characters¡¯ introduction. I¡¯ve written down the differences between their actions in the original work versus in reality, and also a few previously unknown tidbits. If a name or the appearance of a character isn¡¯t written down, then it¡¯s not established yet. Thetter half has a lot of characters who don¡¯t appear much, so please just look at the entries of the characters you are interested in.

    ¡ª-

    <b>The Rosenberg Marquis household  Associates</b>

    <b>Sophia Rosenberg</b>

    She has long tinum-blonde hair and amethyst eyes. On one hand, due to her Magical Overcharge illness, her magical powers are outstanding. On the other, it is also the reason she finds it difficult to control her emotions. In the original work, her Magical Overcharge illness wasn¡¯t mentioned and it became a hidden detail in the story.

    Although she has siblings, they don¡¯t appear in the original work. She was born in the same year as Cyril, but her birthday is a littleter than his. She is the viinous daughter in Espressivo of Light and Darkness. Even though her wicked1 facial features are suitable for her role as the viiness, the young girl raised by Cyril always has a gentle smile on her face.

    In the original work, her beloved prince gets stolen by the heroine and Sophia falls into darkness. In reality, Cyril has taught her how to control her emotions, but the chance of her falling into darkness is not impossible. The reason why she fell into ruin in the original story was also that she didn¡¯t possess this knowledge.

    In reality, the girl that was raised by Cyril has enough knowledge to get what she wants. If this girl were to fall into darkness, she would most likely achieve whatever she¡¯d set her sight on, using all means possible.

    <b>Cyril</b>He has brown hair, so dark it almost seems ck, and emerald eyes. He was born the same year as Lady Sophia, but his birthdayes a little earlier than hers. Although he¡¯s a child of the prominent family that has served the Rosenberg marquis household for generations, in the original work, Cyril was a mere mediocre butler. He did as he was told by his Lady, assisting her in her evil deeds and falling into ruin.

    In reality, Cyril is a transmigrator who possesses a lot of useful skills, including knowledge about the original work and magic.

    In his previous world, he had many talents; in other words, he was a jack of all trades. However, as all this knowledge and skills got transferred to his reborn self, and since early childhood, he has worked on refining all of them, he has already surpassed the title of ¡®Jack of All Trades¡¯.

    <b>Grave Rosenberg</b>

    He has brown hair and blue eyes. He¡¯s the current head of the Rosenberg marquis household and is fairly young. He understood that Sophia was mediocre and simply loved her as his daughter.

    In the original work, he was toote to notice the evil deeds of a maid and wasn¡¯t able to prevent his daughter from getting emotionally scarred. Feeling indebted to her because of this, he wasn¡¯t able to strongly admonish her for her selfish actions and in the end, he drove her into ruin.

    In reality, from early on, he has noticed the abnormal way his daughter was growing up as a person, the very daughter who was supposed to be a mediocre daughter of a marquis. He had noticed Cyril''s, the one who was capable of teaching her to be like this, abnormality as well. He was quite troubled over these things.

    Lately, although he is a world-wise man, he is being manipted by his beloved daughter, who has grown up beyond his expectations.

    <b>Cedric</b>

    He is Grave¡¯s exclusive butler and Cyril¡¯s father.

    At the time when he gave his six year-old son ¨C who wished to be an exclusive butler ¨C a test, Cedric realized that his son possessed knowledge no one else had.

    He¡¯s a very capable butler, and his master Grave is his highest priority. In the original work, he turned his back on the selfish young Lady and his son, who wasn¡¯t able to stop her from bing that way, and made sure that the Rosenberg marquis household wouldn¡¯t be held responsible.

    In reality, he knows about the deal between Sophia and Grave, and is filled with indescribable,plicated feelings both as a butler and as a father.

    <b>*** Rosenberg</b>

    She is the fairly young marchioness of the Rosenberg family. She is Sophia¡¯s mother, but she doesn¡¯t have a name yet. She wasn¡¯t separated from Sophia by death or anything of the sort, she simply keeps moving from ce to ce together with her busy husband. Now and then, the twoe back home.

    Being Sophia¡¯s mother, it is likely that she is a captivating beauty.

    Although she didn¡¯t particrly appear in the original work, she led a busy life just like Grave. In reality, she loves her daughter very much, and will send a present to Sophia on her birthdays without fail.

    By the way, she also has sons2, but they don¡¯t appear in the story either.

    <b>Roy</b>

    He has red hair and green eyes. He¡¯s one year younger than Sophia. Taking his younger sister, who was sold to the Dark guild, with him, he ran away from the slums. Then, chancing upon a destined yet unexpected meeting, he became a servant of the Rosenberg marquis household.

    At first, he worked for Sophia in order to protect his younger sister, buttely he¡¯s beenpeting with thetter, trying to see who proved to be more helpful to Sophia and Cyril.

    Although in reality, he spends his days happily, in the original work, Sophia held animosity towardsmoners and never offered Roy nor Emma a helping hand.

    <b>Emma</b>

    She has red hair and yellow eyes. She is two years younger than Sophia. When she got sold to the Dark guild and was about to be forced to work for them, she was dragged away by her older brother. She is grateful to him for taking her away, and to Sophia and Cyril as well from the bottom of her heart.

    In reality, she lives her days in happiness, but in the original work, although she sought out Sophia¡¯s help, she was forsaken, and began to work night time jobs arranged by the Dark guild.

    As someone who gathers various information in her line of work, she seizes proof of the evil deeds of the young Lady who had abandoned her before¡­

    <b>Rouch¨¦</b>

    She has brown hair and brown eyes.

    She¡¯s not even ten years older than Sophia. Currently, she¡¯s about twenty years old.

    In the web novel, she doesn¡¯t really appear much, but she ys an active role in the to-be-published book. She is the daughter of a certain merchant household and her mother is the daughter of a low-ranked noble. She has a much younger brother. She¡¯s actually quite a wise-wordly girl and after being discovered by Sophia and Cyril, became a maid.

    She became Roy and Emma¡¯s tutor, so she is influential in that aspect as well.

    In reality, she is Lady Sophia¡¯s outstanding maid, however, in the original work, she took Sophia¡¯s side when Sophia was getting bullied by a maid and was fired.

    Usually, she behaves more like an older sister¡­

    <b>Kathy</b>

    She doesn¡¯t have a name in the web novel, but she¡¯s the maid who was exposed by Cyril for embezzlement and fell into very. Originally, she was Rouch¨¦¡¯s superior; she did as she pleased and was executed after emotionally scarring Lady Sophia. Since in reality she ended up falling into very, it could be said that in a sense, she has been saved by Cyril.

    Of course, no one, including Cyril, knows about that.

    Although she was originally born into a noble household, because she wasn¡¯t a sessor, she became a maid. She was jealous of Sophia because although both had noble blood in their veins, unlike Kathy, Sophia was promised a future.

    <b>The Lindberg Viscount household Associates</b>

    <b>Alicia Lindberg</b>

    She has ck hair and ck eyes with a bluish tint.

    She is the same age as Sophia.

    In the original work, she is the heroine and as she is a character meant to be controlled by the yer, the emphasis was put onto impressions such as her in appearance. However, she possesses a charm suitable for a traditional heroine.

    In the original work, she is attracted to the prince who had saved her, but in reality she ispletely taken with Cyril who had saved her splendidly. Herter actions are influenced by the difference in the strength of these feelings.

    This is the reason why in reality, she entered the academy at the middle school level and her actions are much bolder than in the original work.

    <b>Melissa</b>

    She has dark blonde hair and golden eyes.

    She¡¯s a little bit older than Rouch¨¦, and she¡¯s at the age where she dislikes being asked how old she is.

    She¡¯s Alicia¡¯s maid and wishes for her master¡¯s happiness more than anyone else. In the original work, she is a good advisor to Alicia who keeps hitting a lot of walls, and she guides Alicia the same way in reality as well.

    Lately, while Melissa supports Alicia who has be engrossed with Cyril, the difference of the two''s social status, as well as the existence of such a strong rival that the issues of their social statuses being so different bes the least of her problems, worries her enough to make her stomach hurt.

    One cause of her stomachaches is also her vague reports to Viscount Lindberg, in which she ims that ¡°Young Lady Alicia¡¯s ¡®interests¡¯ are the same as those of a marquis¡¯ daughter.¡±

    <b>Ephenear Royal Family Associates</b>

    <b>Alforth Ephenear</b>

    He has blond hair and blue eyes. He¡¯s the second Prince of the Ephenear Kingdom, and the second temporary sessor to the throne. This session order was decided based on his birth as the second son, therefore, it has only been decided as a temporary order of session. It is thus possible that it will change in the future.

    Because of this, the people he is surrounded by are separated by who they support as the future king. Alforth had lost some points when the Elitist faction incident took ce, however, he recovered them back thanks to his involvement with handing over the rights to the cr¨ºpes.

    However, some are of the opinion that rather than saying he has got the support of the Rosenberg marquis household, he had been incorporated into Sophia¡¯s faction, so it can be hardly said that he got hold of a strongly influential power.

    In the original work, he harbors fledgling love for the heroine and he perseveres in his efforts, wishing to someday meet the girl whose name he doesn¡¯t know again, growing up into a prince suitable to be the main route¡¯s capture target.

    However, in reality, he fell in love with Sophia at first sight and became unable to concentrate on anything else, asking the people around him what he should do to get closer to the marquis¡¯ daughter, which the Elitist faction took advantage of.

    <b>Theodor Ephenear</b>

    He has blond hair and he¡¯s fairly young.

    He¡¯s the king of Ephenear Kingdom. He watches over his sons growing up, their education based on the principle of ¡®Make mistakes and learn from them¡¯.

    Furthermore, in reality, this principle of ¡®Make mistakes and learn from them¡¯ has been heavily influenced by Tristan. The fact that the second prince¡¯s engagement hasn¡¯t been decided yet, unlike in the original story, is also due to this principle influencing the decision of choosing a partner for the prince.

    At present time, he hasn¡¯t decided if the one who will take the throne will be the first or the second prince.

    <b>Adele Ephenear</b>

    She has pink gold hair and is fairly young.

    She¡¯s the Queen of Ephenear Kingdom.

    She is shown to be strong-willed and has a free and wild side to her. Lately, she seems to be maneuvering behind the scenes, concluding, ¡®If I can¡¯t get my son a wife, I should just make a son-inw my son.¡¯

    Since her children are all boys, she has always wanted a cute daughter. Because of this, in reality, she loves Sophia the moment she sees her and supports Alicia¡¯s and Alforth¡¯s marriage in the original work.

    <b>Folcenia Ephenear</b>3

    She has pink gold hair and blue eyes.

    She is two years older than Sophia. She¡¯s the daughter of the crown prince¡¯s younger brother.

    She didn¡¯t take center stage because she suffered from Magical Overcharge illness. Although her fate in the original work was to die unnoticed from this sickness, she was brought to the forefront by Tristan.

    Therefore, as she died without her talents getting to develop, she didn¡¯t make an appearance in the original work. Both of these factors were the reason for it, although Cyril thought that it was either one or the other.

    She knows of Tristan¡¯s situation, and she¡¯s studying under the two personalities that are inside Tristan.

    The reason why she was all alone in the Student Council meeting room was because she didn¡¯t want to make anyone sad by getting close to her.

    She changes her principles and allows Miss Sophia to join the Student Council because she sees Sophia and Cyril enjoying ying a duet together, and she wishes to be a part of something like that as well.

    <b>Luke</b>

    He has brown hair and blue eyes.

    He¡¯s a young boy of simple looks, and is the same age as Sophia.

    He doesn¡¯t appear in the original work. In reality, he was trained by Tristan and is working for Folcenia.

    He was investigating Cyril¡¯s character on Tristan¡¯s orders. However, he didn¡¯t know about their connection from the previous world and thought that he was doing an ordinary background check on him.

    <b>Chloe</b>

    She has chestnut brown hair and violet eyes.

    She is a young girl of in looks and is the same age as Sophia.

    She¡¯s Tristan¡¯s pupil and works for Folcenia.

    She doesn¡¯t appear in the original work. There are times when she takes care of Luke and is quite a responsible person. Using Luke¡¯s carelessness as a cover, she assumed the role of investigating Cyril.

    However, the fact that she often chides Luke for his carelessness andpletely blows her cover, makes Cyril lower his guard, which then creates a chance for them.

    <b>Tristan</b>

    He has brown hair and ck eyes.

    Although he¡¯s in his mid-thirties, he looks young. He¡¯s a legendary butler working for the king¡¯s younger brother, and in the original work, he was unconsciously pushy.

    In reality, he has the memories of Cyril¡¯s older sister of the previous world. However, the two personalities didn¡¯t merge together, so he has a body with two separate personas inside.

    Thanks to Cyril¡¯s older sister¡¯s knowledge, he achieves a lot more results than in the original work. Cyril doesn¡¯t know about this, but this is the reason why Tristan¡¯s status is higher than in the original work.

    Also, thanks to this knowledge, he knew about Fol and protected her. Moreover, since the engagement between Sophia and the Second Prince didn¡¯t happen, he became curious about Sophia and that¡¯s when he found out about Cyril.

    He then discerned that Sophia suffers from Magical Overcharge illness during the incident in the courtyard. From there, he realized that there was a possibility Cyril was dealing with Sophia¡¯s illness.

    This is the reason why he was probing Cyril¡¯s magical knowledge by using sswork as a front.

    <b>Others</b>

    <b>Gillcliff and Sarjes</b>

    They are the same age as Sophia.

    They took advantage of the second prince behaving recklessly because of love and became his followers. Since in the original work there wasn¡¯t much opportunity to manipte the second prince, they didn¡¯t really do anything that would stand out.

    Gillcliff¡¯s name begins with a ¡®gi¡¯ because he¡¯s the second son4 and Sarjes¡¯ name begins with a ¡®sa¡¯ because he¡¯s the third son5.

    They are the adopted sons of the Ares count household, and they are nothing but tools meant to drag the second prince down. Unaware of this, they unted their status and it could be said that falling into ruin was their just desserts.

    <b>Ferris Arken</b>

    She has hair the color of cherry blossoms and blue eyes.

    She is the daughter of Viscount Arken and is the same age as Sophia.

    She¡¯s a young Lady who affiliated herself with Sophia¡¯s faction from the very beginning and was also invited to Count Reed¡¯s party.

    <b>Lakhsmi Titania</b>

    She has red hair and green eyes.

    She is the daughter of Count Titania and is the same age as Sophia.

    She¡¯s a young Lady who has been affiliated with Sophia¡¯s faction since the start.

    <b>Pam Ford</b>

    She has blonde hair, green eyes, and a mole under her left eye.

    She is the daughter of Count Ford and is the same age as Sophia. She worries over the tiny amount of plumpness she has. Because of this, she became anemic and copsed during the entrance exams, where she was saved by Cyril.

    She entered Sophia¡¯s faction in their second semester.

    <b>Libert</b>

    He has brown hair and chestnut brown eyes.

    His facial features have a calcting look to them and he is of slender build.

    He¡¯s the heir to the LaCourpany and is the same age as Sophia.

    He¡¯s yet to ovee the trauma of his beloved little sister getting killed by violent nobles and thus hates nobles who im to be part of the Elitist faction. In the original work, he was able to ovee it by the resolution of the incident as well as the passage of time, but in reality, he¡¯s still very wary of them.

    <b>Nic</b>

    He has dark brown hair and ck eyes.

    He¡¯s Libert¡¯s right-hand man and is in charge of gathering information.

    Although he found out that Sophia wasn¡¯t an Elitist pretty quickly, he carried out a lot of roundabout actions, considering Libert¡¯s feelings.

    He gathered proof of Count Ares¡¯ evil deeds towards Libert¡¯s younger sister.

    In the original work, he exposed Count Ares¡¯ crimes himself, but in reality, it was Sophia. One could say that she stole his achievement, but since she involved the king, Count Ares received punishment that was much more severe than in the original story.

    It is precisely because Nik understood that Libert and he wouldn¡¯t be able to chase Count Ares into destruction, that he and Libert¡¯s family are very grateful to Sophia and Cyril.

    <b>Anessa</b>

    The daughter of the owner of a western clothes¡¯ tailor shop, situated in the royal city of Ephenear.

    She is fairly close with Libert. She might perhaps be a rival character of the heroine in Libert¡¯s route, but right now, she isn¡¯t established as such.

    <b>Raymond</b>

    He has red hair and eyes tinged with blue.

    He¡¯s a young boy striving to be a butler, and he¡¯s the same age as Sophia.

    His father passed away and he has a younger brother and sister who is very young. His father died together with the master he was working for. Raymond behaved carelessly in many ways because he¡¯s responsible for the future of his family, left without any means of sustenance, but he¡¯s a good person at heart.

    In the original work, Raymond led apletely different life, due to Sophia hatingmoners.

    <b>Lionel and Mercia</b>

    Raymond¡¯s parents.

    The father, Lionel, died in an ident together with his master.

    <b>Count Reed¡¯s no good son</b>

    He¡¯s Count Reed¡¯s eldest son and he¡¯s a profligate person.

    <b>Count Reed¡¯s second son</b>

    Apparently he fell in love with Sophia at first sight and is doing his best to pursue her.

    <b>Terrence</b>

    He¡¯s a self-defence teacher in his forties who used to be a knight. He worked for a certain young Lady and was responsible for her safety. He saved her when she carelessly got involved into a fight and found herself in trouble. The injuries he sustained at that time were the reason for his retirement.

    He¡¯s teaching self-defense in order to prevent the same tragedy from happening again.

    <b>Nameless</b>

    He¡¯s the leader of the Dark guild.

    He used to be a noble, but he was falsely used of a crime by a higher-ranked noble and his name was erased from the nobility.

    Therefore, he¡¯s a chivalrous thief that hates people who unt their authority and power.

    In the original work, he took action in order to force Sophia, who was an oppressive noble, to fall into ruin. In reality, he took an interest in Cyril and his master, and cooperates with them.

    <b>Quincy</b>

    He¡¯s Nameless¡¯ right-hand man as well as his double.

    <b>Irene</b>

    Quincy¡¯s woman.

    Even the author doesn¡¯t know what happened in her past or what her connections are.

    <b>Isabe</b>

    She¡¯s about twenty years old. She¡¯s the star actress of a well-known theatre group and a very captivating young woman. Apparently, she¡¯s mature enough to make Sophia wonder: ¡°How many years will it take before <i>I </i>am grown up?¡±

    She¡¯s in charge of the sex appeal in the Viinous Daughter¡¯s Butler, something that¡¯s very rare in the novel.

    She was scouted by Cyril, and was hired to work as something like a spy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Thank you so much for reading! This chapter is a bit different, but the next chapter is all about Sophia being awesome and kicking butt! Lol<ol><li>original uses a term closer to ¡®strict, mean¡¯, so it¡¯s a bit of a softer wicked face.</li><li>original doesn¡¯t specify if she has a single son or more sons, though Sophia¡¯s entry implies she has more than one sibling.</li><li> I admit to being a dumbass and previously thinking the ¥·©`¥Ë¥¢ in ¥Õ¥©¥ë¥·©`¥Ë¥¢ was part of her title, since it reads as ¡®senior¡¯. But it was just her full name¡­! I will try to find all the instances where I mistranted it and correct it. I¡¯m so sorry ;;;;</li><li> ¥¸- ji/gi; same sound as the first syble of the japanese word for second son ´ÎÄÐ ¨C ¡®jinan¡¯</li><li>¥µ ¨C sa; same sound as the first syble of the japanese word for third son ÈýÄÐ ¨C ¡®sannan¡¯</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 29: Side story: The young Lady gets a little serious

    On the first day at the royal city Academy¡¯s new term, the young Ladies of the noble course gathered inside one of the training rooms, located in one of the buildings built on the vast school grounds.

    These young Ladies were basically brought up like princesses and trained to bedylike from a very young age. But, it had been decided that just for the first Physical Education lessons of their middle school years, it would bepulsory for them to learn self-defense.

    There were several reasons for this, but mainly it was to make them realize that they were being protected.

    Just like how the difference in physique between girls and boys didn¡¯t show yet in middle school, one¡¯s self-defense skillsrgely depended on one¡¯s talent and environment. Therefore, there were times when tomboyish young Ladies would win even against boys who aspired to be knights.

    However, in the years following middle school, differences in physique due to one¡¯s gender would start appearing and their progress, brought on by their training, would begin to show. Therefore, the chance of a tomboyish young Lady winning against a knight-in-training with her strength alone would be one in a million.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like the female students would definitely lose against their male counterparts. There were also instances of female students bing knights, doing great deeds and being called heroines. However, that was nothing but the fruits of their gruelling, bloody training.

    There were a lot of subjects that the young Ladies had to be educated in, including etiquette. It was reckless to teach them self-defense in order to protect themselves in spare moments between other lectures. It could be called a case of ¡®Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse.¡¯1 Therefore, the young Ladies would be taught to recognize their limits so that in an emergency, they would run away.

    Such was the reason behind the young Ladies of the noble course learning self-defense once they reached middle school. Also, the teacher in charge of this ss was a former knight, a man in his forties called Terrence. He used to be an outstanding knight but he was attacked by a night burr when he was on duty guarding a certain young Lady. Although he had driven the attacker away, he was seriously injured and was forced to retire.

    Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to drive the attacker away without any problems. However, the young Lady he was guarding proimed that she could fight as well and was acting thoughtlessly, getting herself into a tight spot. To save this young Lady, Terrence had to be her shield leading to his future as a knight being severed.However, Terrence didn¡¯t me that young Lady. He believed that it was the negligence of the person who didn¡¯t teach her that in time of emergencies, she had to run rather than fight with her meagre knowledge and skills, which was dangerous. Therefore, he continued to take on the unpopr role of a person who made the young Ladies aware of their limitations, so that such a tragedy like that would never happen again.

    And so, this year too, young Ladies enrolled in the academy. The majority of them found the self-defense sses daunting but there were a considerable number of young Ladies who had overly confident expressions on their faces. These were the young Ladies who had learned shallow self-defense skills at their homes and mistakenly thought that they were perfectly able to protect themselves on their own. A guard like Terrence wouldn¡¯t always be by these Ladies¡¯ side.

    Therefore, the first step was the most important. He would make them realize that what they had learned by themselves were just hasty lessons of self-defense and that their ¡°skills¡± couldn¡¯t even hold up to an old knight who still carried old wounds.

    ¡°I will teach you how to protect yourself. Is there a young Lady who would like to demonstrate to this old man on how to defend oneself?¡±

    Terrence looked around at the young Ladies, all dressed in their sports uniforms. He had no issues with the young Ladies who took a step back or averted their eyes in response. Cowardice was an advantage when it came to being protected.

    The problem was the young Ladies who were confident in showcasing their ¡°impressive¡± skills, even against an opponent like Terrence.

    Due to his old wounds, Terrence¡¯s grip strength had weakened in one of his hands and above all else, he was getting old. Despite this, children who had only learned some superficial self-defense could not match up to him. The conceited belief of something like that being unimaginable was dangerous.

    <i>Just who should he humble so that it would be effective?</i>

    <i>Just a</i>s he was carefully selecting his opponent this way, one young Lady caught his eye.

    Her tinum blonde hair glistened in the sunlight. She might have been dressed in the same sports uniform as the rest of the young Ladies, but there were some minor alterations made to the design. This young Lady, who he could tell at first nce had been born into a high-ranked noble family, fixed her gaze on him, meeting his own gaze head on.

    ¡°Hmm¡­this young Lady right here. What is your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Sophia, teacher Terrence.¡±

    Once he heard that name being said in a clear tone, he was convinced. He was able to recall that name, it was the name of Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s daughter. She inherited her father¡¯s prestigious lineage, and came out as the top student of her grade. It was likely that she had exerted suitable efforts when it came to her self-defense skills as well.

    He was able to glean that from her introduction too.

    Although it was customary to introduce oneself by including their family name, she introduced herself without mentioning it. This indicated that she didn¡¯t rely on her family name and had confidence in her own self. Precisely for that reason, she was the perfect match for his demonstration that would serve to teach the young Ladies their limitations.

    ¡°Then, Lady Sophia. Would you like to show this old man your true strength?¡±

    ¡°If I shall do, I will dly be your opponent. Also, teacher Terrence, I am a student and you are a teacher. It is not necessary for you to add honorifics when addressing me.¡±

    Involuntarily, a smile broke out on his face. Although it was a given that a teacher¡¯s social standing was above a student¡¯s, there were a lot of children in the noble courses who chose to forget about it. Although Terrence had to deal with this issue every year, this young Lady seemed to have quite a pleasant personality.

    ¡°Then, Miss Sophia. Please have a mock fight with this old man and show me this true strength of yours.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Can I choose any weapon I like?¡±

    ¡°My my, would a person of nobility be carrying a weapon ordinarily?¡±, Terrence questioned her, a little provocatively. This question included some sarcasm, as if saying: ¡®Since we¡¯re talking about defending yourself on your own in an unexpected situation, what are you trying to do by using a weapon you wouldn¡¯t normally carry with you?¡¯

    She¡¯d be disqualified if she got enraged by this but Sophia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.

    ¡°That¡­is true. Ordinarily, I do not carry a weapon with me. Ah, of course, I wouldn¡¯t normally have concealed weapons on me either.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hm? Then, you deem it eptable for us to fight barehanded?¡±

    Although he could pick up on some feelings of difort in Sophia¡¯s words, he still proposed having a mock fight using just their bare hands.

    ¡°Then, as soon as we begin, I will do my best to escape,¡± the young Lady said in response.

    Stupefied, Terrence understood the meaning of her words a momentter and a smile showed on his face.

    ¡°¡­.Teacher Terrence?¡±

    ¡°Ah, apologies. It¡¯s just as you had said. Running away is the correct decision to make. Half-heartedly taught self-defense is meaningless. Thinking that you can protect yourself on your own is nothing but vanity.¡±

    The goal of the ss was to make the young Ladies understand that ¡®Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse.¡¯ If this young Lady seemed to be aware of this, Terrence thought it might be necessary to call on another student but Sophia¡¯s attitude did a full one-eighty.

    ¡°See for yourself whether the self-defense I was taught is meaningless or not.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you want to fight even though you¡¯ve already understood that running away is the best way for you to defend yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There are times when even nobledies have to fight.¡±

    The reason why Sophia flipped her attitude was because the techniques that Cyril had taught her were deemed meaningless. There was no way Terrence could have even imagined it was due to something like that. He concluded that it was Sophia being confident in her own self-defense skills and he decided that he had to crush that confidence.

    ¡°¡­Then, let¡¯s have a match. Are you ready?¡±

    Sophia didn¡¯t answer, simply ckening her knees slightly in response. Then, she straightened her spine and lowered her hips before positioning herself in the standard fighting stance. Her appearance was calm and dignified. Probably, through the eyes of an amateur, she didn¡¯t appear as if she was standing at the ready. However, Terrence sensed Sophia¡¯s clear mind that seemed to be saying that she would take him on no matter which direction he woulde from.

    Apart from the times when he was still on active duty, this was the first time that he felt such pressure. The fact that it wasing from a sweet, barely twelve-year-old girl made him shudder.

    Nevertheless, if this happened during his active duty, he wouldn¡¯t have paid it any mind. In other words, if he didn¡¯t teach her the hard facts here, showing her that she had nothing but superficial skills, the girl might end up going through a painful experienceter on.

    For this reason, Terrence psyched his aged body up in order to avoid repeating a tragedy like that ever again. Fueled by these intentions, Terrence closed the distance between himself and Sophia. He attempted to grab her arms right away but Sophia knocked him off using a knife hand strike. The only reason she did so was because she loathed the idea of grappling with him. When it came toparing their physical strength, Terrence was the clear winner. He stretched his arm in an attempt to turn this into a match of strength but Sophia skillfully stepped out of his reach. She went round his body like she was gliding across the ground but Terrence was able to twist his body again by pivoting on his leg. But pivoting his body around one fixed point meant that Terrence wasn¡¯t able to advance towards her.

    This carelessness was taken advantage of.

    Suddenly, Sophia disappeared. By the time he noticed that she had squatted, her sweeping kick was already flying towards Terrence¡¯s pivot leg. Normally, he would have been able to block the blow without any problems, but because his leg was caught in a swift turn, he had less solid contact with the ground. This was what Sophia was aiming for.

    ¡°Not yet!¡±

    Right before his pivot leg could get swept from under him, he kicked against the ground and suspended himself in mid-air. This was how he was able to avoid the sweep. Although the sweep grazing his leg threw him a little off bnce, Terrence was able to immediately correct his stance mid-air.

    At that moment, a small smile appeared on Sophia¡¯s face. Seeing this, Terrence realized that she predicted everything he did up to that point, including him escaping the sweep by jumping up.

    Between kicking the ground and jumping up and a freefall, the former was clearly faster. The moment Terrence, currently hovering in the air, started getting pulled down by gravity, Sophia kicked against the ground and jumped up.

    There was no way for Terrence to defend himself against the palm heel strike of that slender arm. He instantly took on the blow with his crossed arms. Unable to counter the impact, his upper body bent backwards. Flipped over by the sheer force of the impact, he ced both his hands on the ground and was able to escape further away from her via a backflip. He let out a small breath after confirming that she wasn¡¯t pursuing him with another attack.

    ¡°¡­Hmm. This is a surprise.¡±

    Although he feigned calmness, the words that spilled out were undeniably what he was truly thinking. He would have never imagined that a young Lady with a sheltered upbringing would be able to move like that. However, unresponsive to Terrence¡¯s words, Sophia¡¯s expression remained firm. Although Terrence was blown back ostentatiously, that was only due to him being suspended in mid-air. Since he had skillfully averted the impact of the attack, he didn¡¯t take any substantial damage. Sophia was aware of that.

    Since that was the case¡­ Terrence decided to shake her up. Once more, he easily closed the distance between them and grabbed for her. Loathing the battle of strength, Sophia knocked back his arms in the same way she had before.

    However, Terrence used this momentum and turned his body, striking out a backfist. Just when her temple was about to get struck by the perfectly aimed blow, Sophia suddenly bent her body backwards. Her bangs softly fluttered in the breeze following the fist that flew by right in front of her face.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite the Spartan teacher.¡±

    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry, if it seemed like the blow wouldnd, I would have definitely stopped it before it could hit you.¡±

    With Terrence¡¯s skill, stopping a blow right before itnded was easy. That being said, a regr young Lady would have already sunk to the floor long ago. Nevertheless, Sophia just frowned slightly. Her clear eyes were only taking in Terrence¡¯s body; there was no trace of fear visible in them.

    Having made it this far, he had no choice but to re-evaluate his appraisal of Sophia. Naturally, if one looked at her technique from the point of view of Terrence who used to be a first-ss knight, she still had a long way to go. However, she definitely didn¡¯t possess skills that could be called superficial. She certainly possessed the skills to protect herself only using her own strength.

    At the beginning, she took the option of running away into consideration first. She surely wouldn¡¯t make mistakes such as retreating at the wrong time.

    However, Terrence¡¯s duty was to make the young Ladies understand their limitations so that they wouldn¡¯t do reckless things. Although Sophia was aware of her own limitations, at this rate, she would cause the other young Ladies to be arrogant.

    That was the reason for Terrence to attack Sophia for the third time.

    Sometimes he would try to grab her and sometimes take her by surprise by swinging his fist. Turning towards the girl who was attempting to get out of his reach, he sent a kick flying towards her. Sophiapletely evaded all of these attacks.

    Unless a person was a knight-in-training attending high school, there wasn¡¯t anyone who could move like this. Landing upon this realization, Terrence intentionally lifted the corners of his mouth up.

    ¡°If you¡¯re just going to keep running around, trying to escape, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to avoid the fight from the start?¡±

    He was provoking her because he recognized that Sophia had extraordinary confidence in her self-defense skills. For an instant, the eyes of the girl who was fully absorbed in avoiding his attacks were dyed with red and she charged forward.

    <i>Gotcha!</i>

    Although, to a certain degree, she was skilled, mentally she was nothing but an inexperienced child. Terrence read Sophia¡¯s movement and corresponding to her attack, he sent a high kick her way.

    A secondter, Sophia also responded with a high kick. Under normal circumstances, since Terrence kicked first, his attack would have been sure tond on Sophia¡¯s shoulder first. However, Sophia¡¯s kick was notably faster.

    At this rate, Sophia¡¯s kick would hit Terrence before his own kick couldnd on her. Making a split second decision, Terrence bent his upper body. With this motion, he forced his body out of the range of Sophia¡¯s kick. However, at the same time, Sophia also bent her upper body backwards.

    The trajectories of both of their kicks changed, and their legs crossed. However, if Terrence¡¯s leg was to collide with Sophia¡¯s slender one, her leg might break. At the very least, it would end up bruised. Even for a retired old knight, it was out of the question to bruise a young Lady, even if it happened during training. Making a split-second decision, Terrence put strength into his pivot leg and instantly stopped his other leg.

    However, Sophia didn¡¯t stop and kicked Terrence¡¯s restrained leg flying. Despite the differences in their physiques, there was no way he could withstand getting his leg that was swung up high, kicked.

    Terrence lost his bnce and fell on his backside. He attempted to let the impact of it pass and get up but Sophia sprang at him faster than he could do so.

    Sophia was faster than Terrence. Although she had confirmed that she had the upper hand, she reached her hand into the sleeve of her jacket and suddenly stiffened. Before he could guess the reason behind her actions, he reflexively sent Sophia flying overhead.

    ¡°Oh no-¡± The one who let his voice escape was Terrence. He was terrified that he had inflicted serious injuries upon the young Lady. However, when Terrence turned around, he saw Sophia¡¯s figure standing up from her safending, her body facing forward. Terrence involuntarily let out a sigh of relief and immediately decided to end the mock fight.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end it here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t think that there would be someone among the middle schoolers who could move like this. It would be impossible for Terrence, who was already old and bore old wounds to defeat this girl without causing her injury. Earlier, when he had retaliated reflexively, it was also due to her overpowering him. Although Terrence appraised Sophia highly, the girl in question was making a displeased face.

    It was clear that she was dissatisfied with them suspending the mock fight. However, Terrence couldn¡¯t understand why someone as talented as her, would be so obsessive over something like a mock fight.

    ¡°Miss Sophia, about that blow earlier. If I hadn¡¯t stopped my kick, there was an extremely high possibility of you hurting your leg. You understand that, right?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve said that there were times when even noble young Ladies had to fight, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning of her words. However, he couldn¡¯t understand her preparedness to get injured during a mock fight at all. But then Terrence remembered how her kick had elerated with astonishing speed.

    <i>She couldn¡¯t have used magic to enhance her physical abilities, could she¡­?</i>

    He¡¯d heard rumors about it but Terrence himself couldn¡¯t use magic, so he wasn¡¯t able to tell. But, if she had enhanced her physical abilities, she might have been able to devise a n on how not to get injured. As if she knew what Terrence was conjecturing in his mind, Sophia shook her head.

    ¡°I know that I am inexperienced. If you hadn¡¯t gone easy on me teacher, I would have been at a loss on what to do and would have been defeated.¡±

    ¡°And yet, you decided against running away?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because the self-defense that I have learned is not meaningless in the slightest.¡±

    The words that she uttered in such a dignified manner pierced his chest. He could sense her utmost respect for the person who taught her these techniques in her eyes, eyes that her strong will was hidden within.

    ¡°I understand. I didn¡¯t mean to speak ill of your teacher, Miss Sophia. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°I forgive you.¡± Sophia smiled.

    Her response was admitting the reason behind her anger as well as her dering her intention to reconcile. It seemed that Sophia had a refreshing personality.

    ¡°I apologize for speaking impudently as well,¡± she added.

    ¡°That is , of course, forgiven. I¡¯m always being told cheeky things by my students.¡±

    Upon hearing his joking words, her attitude softened. She was a young Lady with a sublime beauty that he didn¡¯t think someone who had just started middle school could possess.

    She wouldn¡¯t do things like causing trouble for her guard by not bearing her limitations in mind. However, there might be some young Ladies who, after watching her, might misunderstand that they could also fight.

    Worried about this, Terrence scanned the other girls. He realized that it was a needless worry.

    It went without saying for the timid ones, but even the young Ladies who were confident in protecting themselves on their own were giving them somewhat astonished looks. One of them, a young Lady who had previously shown especially prideful behaviour, timidly raised her hand.

    ¡°U- um, teacher Terrence. I¡¯ve heard that we will be learning self-defense in this ss, but will we have to be able to fight like Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°If you intend on protecting yourself on your own, that would be the case, yes.¡±

    Upon hearing his confirmation, the young Ladies shivered in fear. However, after this confirmation, Terrence softened his expression before continuing.

    ¡°However, I¡¯m sure that young Ladies such as yourselves have outstanding guards with you. Therefore, there is no need for you to protect yourself on your own. Behaving in a way that will make it easy for your guards to protect you in an emergency, that is what you are going to learn here.¡±

    Upon hearing Terrence¡¯s words, the young Ladies were visibly relieved. And so, an atmosphere of ¡®There is no way that I would be able to fight like Sophia so I have to properly take this ss in order to fully allow my guard to protect me¡¯ spread throughout the ss. Although he had imagined apletely different development, it seemed that for the time being, his goal was fulfilled.

    Terrence let out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze back to Sophia.

    ¡°Miss Sophia, thank you for being my mock fight opponent.¡±

    ¡°Thank you too. I¡¯ve learned a lot.¡±

    She quickly bowed her head and made her way back to the other students. When she passed him by, he quietly muttered something he¡¯d been curious about. Caught off guard, Sophia responded with a blink, but she returned to her ssmates as if she hadn¡¯t heard anything.

    Seeing this, Terrence knew that his guess was correct.

    When Terrence fell down, Sophia had leapt towards him with her hand reaching into her sleeves before suddenly stiffening. If she hadn¡¯t done that, Sophia¡¯s hand would have reached him first. His murmur earlier was also his guess about the reason why she had reached into her sleeve.

    <i>Geez. After telling me so convincingly that normally, she wouldn¡¯t carry a weapon with her.</i>

    If she had been fighting him seriously from the beginning to the end, it might have been Terrence who would have lost. He grew curious about the teacher who had raised her. However, Terrence finding out about Cyril and reeling in shock is yet another story.

    Author¡¯s Note: Moreover, there is a rumor that Terrence¡¯s wife is the same young Lady he once used to protect.

    Trantor''s note: This chapter was really interesting and fun, although challenging to trante because of that fight scene, not going to lie!

    Next side story has seven parts and seems to be more focused on Lady Sophia and Cyril''s teachings~. Thank you so much for reading!!<ol><li>literally: Little knowledge is the source of severe injuries. I also saw it tranted as: A little learning is a dangerous thing. Basically having only crude knowledge and barging into a situation unprepared is very dangerous.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 30: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 1

    Lady Sophia, the young Lady I work for, was seated at a table in one corner of the meticulously tended courtyard located in the secondary residence of the Rosenberg Marquis household, located in the royal city. The table was drizzled in the sunlight filtered by the trees above.

    Set out in front of the lovely young girl was a <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i>1 and ck tea, both of which I made myself.

    ¡°For today¡¯s teatime, I¡¯ve prepared <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> for you. As for the ck tea, it is brewed using the tea leaves that we began cultivating inside the Rosenberg Marquis household¡¯s fief.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i>? It smells super sweet and delicious.¡±

    She cut off a small piece of the <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> and brought it to her mouth. The change in her expression right after she took a bite was downright dramatic. Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes sparkled, their colour changing due to her happiness.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s delicious! The texture is wonderful as well. Since it has the word ¡®cr¨ºpe¡¯ in its name, is it made out of <i>those </i>kinds of cr¨ºpes stacked up on top of each other?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The recipe is slightly different but fundamentally, it¡¯s just like you said. It takes a lot of time and effort to make so it¡¯s not really suitable formoners¡­¡±

    When I hinted at the fact that it would be popr with the nobility due to its beautiful appearance, a smile made its way to Sophia¡¯s face. Judging by the reactions of the persons involved as well, there was no doubt that the cr¨ºpes attracted attention. If they released a new cake made out of these cr¨ºpes, it would probably draw even more attention from the noble young Ladies. My Lady probably noticed that I made the <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> after I had predicted that oue.

    ¡°I simply wished for you to enjoy cr¨ºpes in a different form, my Lady. Of course, I¡¯ll leave the decision on what to do with this recipe to you, my Lady.¡±My wish was for Lady Sophia to spend her days happily. Therefore, it didn¡¯t matter to me whether she used the recipe to increase her own influence or whether she would just enjoy it by herself.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s enjoy it, just the two of us, for a short while, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Me as well?¡±

    I tilted my head in puzzlement, wondering what she meant. As if responding to my confusion, she held out a fork with a mouth-sized piece of the <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> stuck on it. Realizing her intentions, I chided her.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very proper, my Lady.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t have done something so improper. I am simply asking you to test it for poison, Cyril.¡±

    She wore an elegant smile but the face of a mischievous child was peeking through the depths of her eyes. She had already eaten a piece earlier in the first ce so there couldn¡¯t possibly be poison or anything of the sort in it.

    However, it was an interesting excuse.

    With a wry smile that said: ¡®Guess I have no other choice then, do I?¡¯, I made sure that there wasn¡¯t anyone in the vicinity. Then, grasping my Lady¡¯s hand that was holding the fork, I sunk my teeth into the <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> in front of me.

    ¡°Ah¡­Cyril?¡±

    She certainly didn¡¯t think that I would heartily eat the cake she had offered me herself. Her graceful smile crumbled and her translucent white cheeks were tinged with red.

    ¡°Do not worry, my Lady. It might be a little too sweet but there¡¯s no poison in it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I asked you to taste it for poison, didn¡¯t I¡­ It¡¯s a little too sweet, you said? I thought that the sweetness was just the right amount¡­¡±

    As if she was feeling uncertain about her own pte, her lovely face clouded over. Although she excelled in keeping up appearances, the young Lady who frequently changed her expressions in front of me over trivial things was really endearing.

    ¡°Cyril? Why are youughing?¡±

    ¡°Ah no, it is nothing. More importantly, it¡¯s only natural that you would feel that the sweetness is just the right amount, my Lady, seeing that I made this <i>mille cr¨ºpe</i> for you.¡±

    Lady Sophia liked her food a little bit sweeter than I did. So inevitably, the cake that I had made for her would taste a little too sweet to me.

    ¡°I see¡­That¡¯s the reason why it is sweet just the right amount for me, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Looking impressed, my Lady cut off another piece of the cr¨ºpe, piercing it with the fork. However, just as she was about to put it into her mouth, she stiffened.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia, would you like to use another fork?¡±

    ¡°Huh?! T-that¡¯s not necessary.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t tasting for poison something that is done quite often to begin with?¡±

    Certainly, it wasn¡¯t unusual to taste food for poison but it wasn¡¯t done by using the same fork. I thought that perhaps my Lady found it unpleasant after all but she opened her mouth wide and bit into the cake.

    Then her face turned bright red, but she kept her facial expressionposed as if nothing had happened at all.

    My Lady began to speak, her voice was just a little bit squeaky.

    ¡°Come to think of it, Cyril, won¡¯t you open a pastry shop?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. With your level of skills, opening a shop that would be popr in the royal city would be easy, right?¡±

    ¡°Since I only make desserts for you, my Lady, I don¡¯t really want to open a pastry shop. Moreover, Libert is in the middle of preparations to open his own shop-¡±

    Right when I said that, I got an idea and turned towards my Lady with a smile on my face.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, let¡¯s do some social studies.2¡±

    ¡°Oh, what kind of social studies are we going to do this time?¡±

    The cornerstone of my teaching methods was to ¡®See it in practice and learn from it.¡¯ Since we had held several sessions for social studies up to this point, Lady Sophia showed interest in what this one will entail from the start.

    ¡°Let¡¯s prepare a wig,¡± I stated, as my Lady¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ***

    Located on the main street of the royal city, there was a diner.3 Leena, the pretty girl attracting customers to the shop, was waiting on tables, flitting around the shop in a hurry.

    The shop had been open for only a few years but it gradually gathered poprity due to its delicious food. Although the number of customers had been rising slowly but steadily for a while, recently, the number of customers had seen a drastic rise.

    The reason for this was the construction work located diagonally opposite the shop. The workers employed at the construction site came into their shop as customers.

    <i>If only that were true, it would be something to be happy about¡­</i>

    There was a visible shadow lurking on the girl¡¯s smiling face, as she ran around the shop in a hurry, her red hair fluttering behind her. A few days ago, her father, the owner of the diner, copsed due to overworking himself. Although he wasn¡¯t able to get up from his bed at the moment, fortunately, his life wasn¡¯t in grave danger. If he rested properly, he should fully recover before long.

    However, this small restaurant was only run by three people ¨C the father, his wife and his daughter, Leena. Since Leena¡¯s mother was in charge of the cooking, they were able to manage somehow in that department but they just didn¡¯t have the time to go stock up. At this rate, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the diner running.

    Besides, Leena thought, turning her gaze out the window and looking at the construction site diagonally opposite their shop. Apparently, the LaCour Company, which was so famous that there wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t know its name in this city, was opening a shop there. Moreover, ording to the gossip of their customers, it was going to be some kind of a food shop.

    Despite her father telling her that if it was a The LaCourpany shop, its target customers would surely be wealthy people, so they wouldn¡¯t be theirpetition, Leena was still unendingly worried about them stealing their customers away. Since her father had copsed, she couldn¡¯t say with certainty that he didn¡¯t feel anxious about it either.

    Leena¡¯s family was by no means wealthy. Her parents owned the business and it was Leena¡¯s dream to inherit it but if they experienced even just a slight setback, all of it might disappear, just like a bubble popping. Precisely because of this, her whole family had to ovee this crisis together.

    She probably shouldn¡¯t have been waiting on tables with this kind of fighting spirit, because as she was carrying a drink refill to a certain table, her hand slipped and she ended up dropping the cup.

    In an instant that seemed to havested forever, the cup fell onto the table and as the ss knocked against the table, the drink spilled over.

    ¡°I-I am so sorry!¡±

    The apologizing Leena froze in ce as she looked at the person the drink ended up sshing upon. She must have just turned ten, perhaps? Although it was a young girl with the same red hair as hers, from the appearance of the girl who wore a dress adorned with high-quality embroidery, Leena was able to surmise that she was obviously born into high-ranked nobility.

    <i>W-wh-wh-wh-what do I do now?! Reimbursement?! I have to reimburse her, right!?</i>

    Among expensive clothes, there were ones that Leena wouldn¡¯t be able to buy even if she worked her whole life for them. It was natural that Leena would freeze and conjure up future scenarios of getting into debt and falling into very.

    In ce of the frozen up Leena, a young boy that was sitting across from the young girl stood up and began to nimbly wipe off the liquid that had sttered onto her face. The same boy red at Leena sharply.

    ¡°What are you doing standing there in a daze? Bring a cloth to wipe the table with, please.¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    Leena barged into the kitchen in a panic and grabbed a dishcloth lying there and returned to the table. By that time, the young Lady had already stepped away from the table and was letting the young boy wipe the stain on her dress.

    ¡°U-um, I will help you.¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve got it covered. More importantly, would it be possible for you to lend us a room?¡±

    Now that the boy had mentioned it, she noticed it as well. They were obviously attracting the attention of the people in the vicinity. They couldn¡¯t allow for the young Lady, covered in the spilled drink, to stay exposed to the public eye any longer.

    ¡°I deeply apologize. There is a room at the back, I will lead the way.¡±

    ¡°No need. I shall ask that person worriedly ncing our way therefore you needn¡¯t trouble yourself with that. More importantly, you should clean up the table.¡±

    At that time, Leena wasn¡¯tposed enough to notice that he said it out of concern, telling her to put the other customers first. Leena directed a sideways nce at her mother, who came to check out what was happening after overhearing themotion. Looking pale, she guided the two customers to the back. On the verge of tears, Leena began to wipe the table clean.

    Thank you for reading! I''ve been seeing somements about people missing the main story and wanting to read it, so I decided to make a poll! https://linkto.run/p/B1UK31VY I hope it will work fine for everyone! The poll will be open until next week, so a lot of the readers have a chance to vote. I will either continue working on the Side Stories or the third volume depending on the poll results! ? Since the poll is running until next week, next week''s chapter is going to be the second part of this side story. Then, depending on the result, I will either trante the prologue of Volume Three or the next parts of this side story.<ol><li>It¡¯s a cake made fromyering cr¨ºpes on top of each other.</li><li>this term can also be tranted as: learning about the world; preparation for life in themunity; work experience, therefore it¡¯s not just learning in theory, it¡¯s a more hands-on approach, I believe. Kind of a ¡®learn through doing¡¯ kind of thing.</li><li>literally a restaurant that only sells set meals. I thought ¡®diner¡¯ could be a better sounding alternative.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 31: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 2

    Leena had begun to wipe the table clean in a hurry. Thanks to the help of some customers who weren¡¯t able to just stand by and not help her, she finished cleaning unexpectedly fast. Another fortunate thing was that lunchtime had already passed, so they reached the time of day when no new orders wereing in. And so, Leena, having cleaned up the table, hastily rushed into the room at the back of the shop.

    Her mother, Regina, had excused herself earlier, so there was just the young girl and the young boy inside the room. The young girl had taken off her dress and was dressed in their waitress uniform instead. Since this uniform was a spare of Leena¡¯s, it didn¡¯t fit her correctly but strangely, from the way she held herself, it seemed as if she was long ustomed to wearing one.

    Unconsciously, Leena stared at her, fascinated before suddenly returning to her senses and bowing her head.

    ¡°I sincerely apologize. I swear I will return your dirtied dress after it is thoroughly cleaned of any stains, so please, forgive me!¡±

    ¡°I forgive you.¡±

    The young girl gently smiled at Leena who was desperately begging for forgiveness. There was a phrase that was often used among nobility: ¡®I ept your apology.¡¯ The expression the young Lady used this time was ¡®I forgive you¡¯, which was a distinct phrase that made it impossible for any future problems to ur. It was a phrase that Leena wasn¡¯t aware of because she was amoner, but she was able to guess its meaning from the young girl¡¯s expression and felt relieved.

    ¡°Thank you very much! Then, I should remove the stains¡­¡±

    ¡°Your mother was kind enough to go and clean the stains from the dress, so that¡¯s not an issue. More importantly, isn¡¯t it troublesome for you to leave your customers unattended?¡±

    ¡°That- it is, but¡­¡±Leena was of course worried about the front of house, but more importantly, she believed that there was no way that she could just leave the young girl be. As if she had read Leena¡¯s thoughts, the young girl nodded slightly.

    ¡°You must certainly feel anxious about just leaving us behind here. Ciel, please take care of the front of house.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Effy.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡­.Huh?¡±

    During Leena¡¯s state of confusion, the young boy called Ciel headed towards the diner¡¯s customers. When Leena came back to her senses, she turned her questioning gaze to Effy, as if to ask: ¡®What is going on?¡¯

    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about your customers if you leave them in Ciel¡¯s care.¡±

    ¡°Even if you tell me to leave them to him¡­¡±

    To have someone who wasn¡¯t part of the staff helping out¡­ Leena wasn¡¯t aversed to that, but entrusting the diner to a child at least three years younger than her made her anxious.

    ¡°If you¡¯re worried, I won¡¯t mind if you go take a look at the situation either.¡±

    ¡°I- I will go do that.¡±

    When she followed after Ciel and took a peek into the diner, Ciel was smoothly picking up the tes from the customers who had finished eating. Even from Leena¡¯s perspective, who had been helping out at the shop for a long time now, he was frighteningly well-skilled.

    Thankfully, the rush hour was over and there weren¡¯t any new customersing in. Therefore, Leena concluded that it would be alright even if she decided to entrust the front of the diner in the young boy¡¯s care. Although she was confused about a lot of things, Leena returned to the room.

    ¡°Do you feel reassured now?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­But can I really entrust it to him?¡±

    ¡°Then do you have any other options?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    She wasn¡¯t able to answer. Since she caused Effy trouble by making a careless mistake, she couldn¡¯t just leave her be, but it wasn¡¯t like she could neglect the customers that came into the diner either. Since that was the case, she truly didn¡¯t have any other option but to leave the front of house to Ciel.

    ¡®How did this happen?¡¯ Leena thought, baffled before bowing her head and saying: ¡°I am indebted to you.¡±

    Leena brought out some tea as refreshment while waiting for the stain removal to be finished. Meanwhile, Effy piped up: ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°It seems that your diner is thriving but aren¡¯t you short on hands?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Thinking that she was being reproached about spilling the drink, she apologized hurriedly.

    ¡°Ah, I am not admonishing you. I was simply wondering if there was a situation on hand since it looked like you were short on hands.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that is¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason for it?¡±

    Leena didn¡¯t think that the shops¡¯ circumstances were something she should talk about with someone she had just met. However, it would be even more ungrateful to not reply to the young girl that she had just caused trouble for. Arriving at this conclusion, Leena revealed to her that her father had copsed due to overworking and although he should be recovering soon, he was currently in a state where he couldn¡¯t even get up.

    ¡°Your father had¡­ that¡¯s terrible.¡±

    Aplex expression showed on Effy¡¯s face. However, right after that, she looked at Leena as if she had realized something.

    ¡°Then, are you and your mother the only ones running the diner at the moment?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Frankly speaking, we are short on hands just like you said¡­¡±

    At this rate, without even being able to stock up, Leena¡¯s mother or even Leena herself might copse from overwork as well. However, they drew a loan for building the diner and they also had to pay her father¡¯s medical bills.

    In order to pay these bills as well, there was no way that they could close the shop.

    They were looking for a part-time worker but since they couldn¡¯t pay that big of a wage despite needing someone experienced, they weren¡¯t able to find anyone. When Leenaid these circumstances of theirs bare, like she was prompted to do, Effy hit her fist against her palm with a soft p.

    ¡°Then, Ciel and I shall help you out with the restaurant.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? Wh-what are you saying?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, Ciel and I are in the middle of a social studies lesson. Therefore, if you were to let us assist you, you¡¯d be of great help to me too.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    Ciel would, without a doubt, be a valuable asset but Leena didn¡¯t think thedy-like Effy could be one as well. Moreover, they didn¡¯t have the funds to hire two people to begin with. After she exined this to Effy in a roundabout way, Effy said that they would be fine with being paid only one person¡¯s wage. Since Effy went as far as stating this, Leena couldn¡¯t refuse her albeit being anxious about hiring a little girl that was a young Lady. Besides, that they were short on hands and struggling was true as well. As a result of Leena consulting with her mother, she decided to hire Ciel and Effy as the diner¡¯s part-time employees.

    In short, this decision was the right one to make. Just by looking at how Ciel worked at the front of the house, Leena understood that he would immediately be a valuable worker that wouldn¡¯t need any training but even Effy, a young Lady, was able to wait on tables with refined movements.

    Moreover, Effy was so skilled in cooking that she was also able to help out in the kitchen.

    ¡®Even though they don¡¯t let me do more than te the food yet!¡¯ Leenamented.

    In any case, Ciel was in charge of tending to the customer¡¯s needs, and Leena¡¯s mother and Effy were in charge of the kitchen. And so Leena, who was free, decided to quickly check up on the stock of their ingredients.

    ¡°We were almost in trouble here¡­¡±

    They had barely anything of just about every ingredient left and at this rate, they¡¯d run out of stock as soon as tomorrow. Panicking, Leena consulted her bed-ridden father and then made her way to the wholesale supplier¡¯s store. Relying on the map that her father had drawn her, she pulled a small cart and made her way to the shop that was located a short distance away from the main street. She entered the store which was neat and tidy despite being old and called out to the back from the unattended counter.

    ¡°On my wayyy, wait a moment!¡±

    Not long after, a figure of a cheerful-looking, ck-haired girl appeared.

    ¡°Um, you¡¯re a customer right?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, sorry. Actually, up until now, it was always my father who went to buy the stock. But he¡¯s on bed rest for a bit at the moment so I came in his stead.¡±

    Having said so, Leena handed over the order form written by her father. However, it was written in characters that she had just managed to finally learn. She was doubtful if a child younger than her would be able to read them, but the ck-haired girl quickly scanned the letters before smiling:

    ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare the order so wait a moment, alright?¡±

    After the young girl had headed to the back and called out to someone, a young boy, seemingly a helper, appeared while carrying the ingredients over. He put them on the cart for Leena and after making sure that nothing was missing, Leena paid him. This was when the young girl went up to her, carrying an armful of bundles.

    ¡°¡­What are those?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s potatoes! We¡¯ve ordered some from the neighboring country and we also began growing them ourselves recently.¡±

    ¡°Potatoes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah! On top of them being cheap to buy, if you prepare them properly, they are delicious. I¡¯ll teach you how to prepare them and write down a simple recipe. So, won¡¯t you give them a try once?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t rare for them to hand out unusual ingredients as free samples. When her father went to stock up, he would sometimes return with ingredients like that as well. Usually, a new delicious ingredient would normally sell even without advertisement. Since it got to the point where they were being handed out like this, it probably meant that the majority of it wasn¡¯t really that edible¡­

    Since she didn¡¯t really have a reason to decline, Leena epted the potatoes while muttering out a ¡®thanks¡¯.

    Incidentally, since it wasn¡¯t generally known that the potato sprouts were poisonous, it was easy to get food poisoning from eating them. Therefore, in this country, they were detested as fail-tatos 1that one wouldn¡¯t eat unless they were a really poor person.

    Leena didn¡¯t yet know that her own fate was going to change greatly by her reaching out her hand to take these potatoes.

    Thank you for reading! I apologize for the short chapter, I was quite busy this week with work and family stuff. But there should be two chaptersing next week!

    Also, here are the poll results!

    Since more people prefer me to finish the Side Stories first, I will trante them first. I will try to upload two chapters if they are short, so we can move onto the third volume faster!

    Anyway, thank you for all of your support!<ol><li>Íâ¤ìÓó ¨C ¡®hazure imo¡¯ ¨C hazure can be used to refer to faulty goods, faulty products as well as outskirts, end, or miss, failure. Imo means tuber, taro, potato, yam but also dud, worthless thing or bumpkin. So they are most likely referred to as a no-good potato, I tried to make it sound somewhat fun in English lol. </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 32: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 3

    Leena, havingpleted stocking up, returned to the diner and promptly brought the ingredients into the kitchen. Neither Ciel nor Effy was in the kitchen when her mother, Regina greeted her. She nced up at Leena and then her gaze returned to the dish she was currently making, letting her hands resume as she addressed Leena.

    ¡°Wee back, Leena. Were you able to stock us up on everything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it went fine. More importantly, where are those two?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both at the front of house at the moment. They¡¯re working terrifyingly well! I¡¯m not surprised about the butler-like young boy but I wonder where the girl ¨C to all appearances, a noble young Lady ¨C had learned it from?¡±

    ¡°Right? I was worried about what would happen at first too but I¡¯m really d now!¡±

    ¡°I was really frightened when you spilled that drink on her earlier.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Leena felt remorseful about almost causing her mother to copse with worry when her father was still bedridden from overworking, too. Although, if Effy was an oppressive noble or anyone of that sort, Leena would have been dead by now.

    ¡°By the way, Leena, have you enquired into their background?¡±¡°No, there wasn¡¯t really an opportunity to ask so I didn¡¯t. But since Miss Effy had been called ¡®young Lady¡¯ by Ciel, I believe that she must be a daughter of a prominent household¡­ Did you ask them, Mom?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked them either. It¡¯s just that the dress I cleaned seemed to be moderately expensive. Although it didn¡¯t seem like something a noble would wear, it certainly seems like she is some kind of young Lady.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Working under the guise of a Social Studies ss, she was someone who had the skills to actually wait on tables. Leena thought that she could be a young Ladying from a merchant family, which would match up with her friendly personality as well.

    ¡°In any case, the two of them are working this hard for us for just one person¡¯s wage. So it¡¯s irrelevant, even if she¡¯s some kind of young Lady.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Of course, it would be a lie to say that Leena wasn¡¯t curious about it. However, the one that would end up in trouble if she were to question Effy recklessly and cause her to quit working would be Leena. She concluded that it would be better to not force it out of them. More importantly, they didn¡¯t talk about how long Effy and Ciel would work for them whatsoever. She ought to negotiate with them so that they would help them out until Leena¡¯s father would return. Pondering these thoughts, Leena went back to her work at the diner.

    First off, she had to put away the ingredients she had bought into the storehouse before dropping by the front of house. Since it was always just Leena alone who would tend to the customers, the front of house was always short on hands. But today, the tables were being fully cleaned up without the customers having to wait.

    ¡®So, there¡¯s such a big difference when you have help!¡¯ Leena thought, somewhat moved, as she helped the two out.

    Like this, they made it through the day without any further incidents. Leena closed the diner and then went to talk to Ciel and Effy, who had already changed their clothes.

    ¡°Good job today! You¡¯ve truly been a huge help.¡±

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re the ones who should be saying that! It was an amazing experience for us.¡±

    When Effy smiled, Ciel, standing behind her, nodded as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy you think that way. First, here¡¯s your wage for today. Also, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, would you perhaps like to work for us until my father gets better? Although the wage is small, I will meet any of your demands to the best of my abilities, so¡­ Would you please do me this favor?¡±

    When she asked, looking up at them pleadingly, Effy seemed to ponder upon it for a bit and exchanged a nce with Ciel. When he gave her a small nod, she looked back at Leena again.

    ¡°Alright. Then, we¡¯ll be in your care tomorrow as well.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. We can¡¯t stay forever but working for a few days would be fine.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much! A few days is enough!¡±

    Thus, it was decided that Effy and Ciel would continue to help them out. Afterwards, Leena said that she would walk them home, worried about them for they were so young but she was turned down gently. As she thought, they must be hiding their background. Having concluded that, she gave up on escorting them home.

    Instead, she decided to send the two of them home a bit early, telling them that she would handle the diner clean-up.

    Some time after she had finished cleaning up the diner, Leena suddenly remembered the potatoes. She had the time to try them out right then. She wanted to be a chef like her mother, so she studied how to cook every day. She wasn¡¯t allowed to help in the kitchen yet but perhaps, if she were able to create a new dish that could be put onto the menu, her mother might just acknowledge her.

    Leena herself didn¡¯t realize that she was feeling a little impatient because her mother entrusted Effy, who was younger than Leena and who also had only just started working that day with helping out in the kitchen. Leena fetched the potatoes from the storehouse, and she shifted her attention to the note that apanied them. The letters were beautiful and neat, as if they had been printed. She scanned the text which was written in such clear letters that even Leena could read them easily, and frowned at the notes written there.

    ¡°¡­The sprouts are poisonous?¡±

    From what she could see, the potatoes given to her had no sproutsing out. But there were a lot of hollows that looked like sprouts might arise from them. She was doubtful whether it was even safe for touch.

    ¡°Did they push some leftover stock onto me after all?¡±

    The suppliers tried getting some stock from a faraway ce, but because it didn¡¯t sell well, they passed them onto people under the pretense of freebies. This scenario was likely¡ªor rather¡ªthey certainly had routine clearance sales even in Leena¡¯s family¡¯s diner.

    ¡°Oh, what an unusual ingredient.¡±

    ¡°Waaah?!¡±

    Leena jumped in surprise at suddenly being spoken to. Regina came to stand beside Leena at some point and was looking over the note in Leena¡¯s hand with interest.

    ¡°Hmm. They¡¯re easy to grow and cheap, huh? May I have it for a bit?¡±

    Regina leaned over and unhesitatingly grabbed a potato.

    ¡°M-Mom? Those are poisonous?!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s enough poison to upset your stomach in all ingredients.¡±

    Regina washed her hands and calmly began to peel the skin of the potato. As she peeled it thoroughly, proceeding in a circr motion, she told Leena all about the ingredients that were said to be poisonous. Leena¡¯s eyes widened as they were all ingredients that they used in the diner.

    ¡°I would have never thought that there was poison in tomatoes too¡­¡±

    ¡°Eating the unripe fruits, tomato leaves or the stalk is said to be dangerous. Eating them would upset your stomach at most, though. I haven¡¯t heard about it ever killing anyone.¡±

    As she was exining this to Leena, Regina finished peeling the potato. Then, she cut it into many pieces and out of all the things she could have done, she decided to toss one of the pieces into her mouth.

    ¡°Eh, wait- what are you doing?!¡±

    It was not mentioned that one could eat them raw in the recipe. Leena was panicking over what her mother was doing but Regina just silently chewed.

    ¡°Leena, remember this well. The trick to bing better at cooking is to taste as many raw ingredients as you possibly can, even if there might be some dangerous ones among them.¡±

    ¡°Potatoes might be one of those dangerous ones!¡±

    It was understandable that Leena was worried. But of all things to do, Regina put another piece of potato, which was even bigger than the one before, into her mouth.

    ¡°M-mooom!¡±

    ¡°Leena, these potatoes are a lucky find. They¡¯re perfectly edible even when they¡¯re raw.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Are they reall- nguh.¡±

    The moment Leena expressed her doubt, a piece of potato was stuffed into her mouth. Despite being flustered, Leena rolled the potato around her tongue. Contrary to her expectations, she couldn¡¯t taste any sourness or bitterness. Reassured by that fact, Leena boldly sunk her teeth into it. First, she felt a crunchy texture and then, a peculiar vor.

    ¡°It seems that the texture is better if you cut them finely. If we do that, we might be able to put them into sds and such.¡±

    Struck with ideas, Regina started slicing the potatoes and shredding them. When Leena put the potatoes that were minced in this method into her mouth, sure enough, the texture was better than before.

    ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± Leena eximed, admiringly, but at that moment, Regina handed them over to Leena.

    ¡°¡­Mom?¡±

    ¡°You will be the one researching these potatoes, right?¡±

    ¡°I nned on doing that but¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better if you were to do it, Mom?¡±

    ¡®I didn¡¯t even think of eating them raw.¡¯ Gripped by a sense of defeat, Leena took a step back. In response to Leena¡¯s actions, Regina smiled mischievously.

    ¡°If you won¡¯t do it, should I try entrusting it to Miss Effy?¡±

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±

    ¡°That child is very talented. If she were trained, she might be a very skilled chef.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    A feeling of frustration that she had never felt up until now, welled up inside her chest. It was at that moment that her feeling of jealousy towards Effy had transformed into a thought of ¡®I don¡¯t want to lose to her.¡¯

    Just kidding! You research the potatoes.¡±

    ¡°¡­Mom?¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re an only child, there wasn¡¯t anyone that you couldpare yourself to up until now, was there? Therefore, you have to cherish what you¡¯re feeling right now. If you do that, I¡¯m sure you will be able to be a chef recognized by everyone.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Thank you, Mom. I¡¯ll do my best!¡±

    Thank you for reading!

 Book 2: Chapter 33: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 4

    Three days had passed since Ciel and Effy began helping out at the diner. Although both of them looked like they were familiar with the work from the start, they got even better at it during these three days. They were also very dependable. And since they started working for them, Leena and Regina finally had some free time. Also, maybe due to them being able to attend to Leena¡¯s father¡¯s nursing, his condition was slowly getting better as well.

    It happened on the day when Leena felt like everything was headed in the right direction. When she casually nced over the seats at one of the tables, just around the time when the lunch rush hour passed, a familiar young girl was seated in one of the chairs as a customer. It was the in-looking young girl who tended to the store of the supplier. Seated across her was a boy who looked to be of a simr age to her and they seemed to be pretty close.

    ¡°Wee! Are you on a date today?¡±

    ¡°Ehehe, does it look that way?¡± The young girl asked, smiling innocently. Her smile turned the air around them honey-sweet. As it seemed better not to intrude on them, Leena simply asked what they would like to order right after and then tried to excuse herself. But, she was stopped by the young girl. ¡°Ah, wait a sec!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering what happened to that stuff I gave youst time.¡±

    ¡°Aah, the potatoes? I¡¯ve been testing them out in a lot of ways.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, really?! What did you make?¡±

    The fact that she was very interested in those dishes was clearly written on the young girl¡¯s face.¡°¡­Um, if you¡¯d like, would you like to try out a dish? Since they¡¯re not dishes we can sell yet, they¡¯re more like something for friends to have a test try. If my mom allows it, that is.¡±

    ¡°Friends¡­?¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes widened. Witnessing it, Leena grew anxious, wondering if she perhaps wasn¡¯t being overly familiar.

    ¡°Um, of course, it is up to you, though.¡±

    ¡°No, no. I¡¯d be happy if you let me try it out as your friend!¡±

    It seemed that she didn¡¯t take any offense, she was just surprised. Relieved, Leena told her that she¡¯d bring it right away and then retreated into the kitchen.

    ¡°Mom, one menu A and one menu B! Also, would it be alright for me to let the girl that gave me the potatoes to try out to have a taste of that dish?¡±

    ¡°The girl who gave you the potatoes for you to try out?¡±

    ¡°Did I not tell you that I got them at the supplier¡¯s? The one who gave them to me was the shop assistant girl.¡±

    ¡°You told me, but ¡­ a shop assistant girl¡­?¡±

    Regina started thinking about something. Leena was a little anxious that perhaps the dish wasn¡¯t good enough, even for a taste test. But, she was able to wrestle the permission for it from Regina, who hade back to her senses.

    Leena fetched the potatoes and began cooking one of the dishes she had tried cooking with them during these past few days. The recipe that was jotted down on the note that came with the potatoes was a simple one, consisting of an already existing dish that went well with the potatoes but with the addition of frying the cut potatoes in oil. However, Leena chose a dish of steamed potatoes with butter. She ced the vegetables in the steam cooker and let them steam properly. As she was arranging them on a te together with the butter, she felt someone staring at her. When she raised her head, she saw Effy standing there, watching while holding a tray in hand.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I¡¯ve just learned something new from watching you!¡±

    ¡°Aww! If you had told me, I¡¯d have let you watch from the side so you¡¯d see more.¡±

    ¡°¡­Would that be alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Ah, I know! Let¡¯s test out a dish together next time.¡±

    Although Leena had been jealous of Effy in the beginning, fundamentally, she was a caring person. These days, she had been acting just like a big sister to Effy who behaved so modestly. She let Effy have a taste as per her request and then exined to her how to make the dish. While exining all of this to Effy, Leena finished ting the food. She put the te that she had finished arranging the food onto the tray and headed towards where the young girl was seated.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait! This is a trial dish: steamed potatoes with butter!¡±

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    As the young girl looked at the steamed potatoes ced onto the table, her eyes went wide. Then, with a startled expression on her face, she locked eyes with the boy seated opposite her .

    ¡°¡­Um, is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s nothing. Then, I¡¯ll dig right in.¡±

    The young girl generously smeared a piece of potato with butter and then took a bite. Roughly at the same time, the young boy sitting across her also began to munch on the potatoes.

    ¡°Wow, they¡¯re super delicious!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then, I¡¯ll go all out with the testing and do my best so we can start selling the dish at the diner! Right, I also have to decide on a name! I wonder what would be a good name¡­?¡±

    ¡°Buttertatoes,¡± the young boy, who had kept silent up until that point, muttered casually.1

    ¡°Buttertatoes, was it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, that just kinda slipped out of my mouth. Please forget it.¡±

    ¡°No, I like it. Buttertatoes.¡±

    It was a fitting name, sure to be popr with the customers, too. Just when Leena was thinking of consulting with her mom ¨C

    ¡°Where¡¯s the person in charge of this ce?¡±

    Suddenly, a high-handed voice boomed from the entrance. Three really tough-looking men were about to enter the diner.

    ¡°U-um, I am the daughter of the owner, do you have any business with us?¡±

    ¡°Daughter? If so, you should do. Then, hand this over to your parents.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    Leena scanned the document handed over to her. She couldn¡¯t readplicated characters but she was able to glean that the document had something to do with debt

    ¡°It¡¯s this store¡¯s debt validation. If you don¡¯t pay the entire debt back within ten days, we¡¯ll have you forcibly sell the shop to us.¡±

    ¡°Eh? W-wait here a moment!¡±

    Leena flew into the kitchen in a panic, exined the situation to Regina and showed her the debt validation document. When Regina finished reading it over, her eyebrows knitted together.

    ¡°¡­Leena, are those people still inside the diner?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Bringing the document with her, Regina headed towards the front of the diner. Leena was told to wait in the kitchen but filled with worry, she ran after her mother. And so, while protecting Leena, the exchange between Regina and the debt collectors began.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. Since my husband is bedridden due to an illness, I, his wife, will speak to you. We might disturb the customers if we talk here so could we please have this conversation outside?¡±

    ¡°What? Are you telling us that we should scram outside?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what¡­¡±

    Intimidated by the debt collection, Regina looked a little scared. However, when Leena fleetingly entered her field of vision, Regina tightly clenched her hands into fists and opposed the debt collector.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk here. Then, what do you mean by saying that if we won¡¯t be able to pay the debt within ten days, you¡¯ll sell off the shop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as it¡¯s written down here. I¡¯m saying that if you won¡¯t be able to fully pay back the debt within the time limit, you¡¯ll sell the shop to us.¡±

    ¡°But we are properly repaying with all the interest. Are you truly the money lenders who had lent us the loan, to begin with? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±

    ¡°Like. I. Said, it¡¯s all written in that document we gave you earlier.¡±

    With this one preamble, the debt collector began his exnation. ording to him, Regina¡¯s husband¡¯s loan was bought by their employer. On top of that, he demanded repayment of the debt within ten days.

    ¡°No way¡­then, you¡¯re really-?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as it is written on this document. If you cannot repay the debt before the settled day, we¡¯ll have you sell the shop. Ah, we will buy the shop at a fair price so you needn¡¯t worry about that,¡± the man said and handed Regina another document. When she looked at it, Regina¡¯splexion turned as white as a sheet.

    ¡°H-hold on a second, we cannot sell it at such a price!¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? This is higher than the assessed amount.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true¡­but-¡±

    She tried to negotiate with him but the debt collector remained firm. Left utterly helpless, Regina wasn¡¯t able to argue any more than that. As Leena watched this exchange, a feeling of hopeless anxiety began to squeeze her chest.

    Just when the two of them were filled with despair-

    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned various reasons for it but in truth, you simply want this diner, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The girl emerged like a saintess who had descended to save those in need.

    Thank you for reading! As promised, a double update this week! I will try my best to do a double update next week as well, since thest part of this side story seems quite short.

    Any and all support on my Ko-fi is much wee, too!<ol><li>¤¸¤ã¤¬¥Ð¥¿©` ¨C ¡®jagabataa¡¯, ¡®jaga¡¯es from ¡®jagaimo¡¯ and means potatoes, and ¡®bataa¡¯ means butter. I switched the position around since that sounds a bit better in English. I tried lol.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 34: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 5

    Debt collectors had marched into the diner run by Leena¡¯s parents while forcing unreasonable demands upon them. They condemned them to either repay all of the debt before the fixed date or be forced to sell the diner to them.

    Although these were unreasonable demands, Leena and her parents were at a disadvantage so they were in no position to refuse. Leena was on the verge of sumbing to despair, thinking that, at this rate, their diner would end up being snatched away. Just then, Effy, who was supposed to be working in the kitchen, emerged in front of her.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright,¡± she said with a smile, patting Leena¡¯s shoulder before wedging herself between the debt collectors and Regina as if to protect her.

    ¡°Huuuh?! Who the hell are <i>you</i>?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a part-timer working at this diner.¡±

    ¡°Huuh?! A temp worker like you should stay the hell out of this.¡±

    ¡°I cannot do that. Because, if this diner closes down, I won¡¯t be able to continue my Social Studies.¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you going on about?!¡±

    When the man attempted toe closer, Effy thrust a finger in his face.¡°Your goal isn¡¯t to recollect their debt, but this diner, isn¡¯t it? You want to use this space as a building plot, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Both Regina and Leena were baffled by Effy¡¯s words. However, as if to confirm her promation, the debt collector¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°¡­I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. This diner is¡­that¡¯s right. We were simply told toe and collect the debt before it bes impossible to do so because this diner¡¯s owner is sick and cannot even get up from bed!¡±

    ¡°If you want to tell lies, you should at least stop turning your eyes to the upper right.¡±

    When a person makes up a story ¨C in other words, when someone is lying, they tend to shift their eyes to the upper-right corner. But it seemed that the debt collectors didn¡¯t know this so they just stared at her in bewilderment.

    ¡°I see. Is this what they mean when they say that ¡®If you don¡¯t lower yourself to your partner¡¯s level,munication is meaningless¡¯?¡± Effy said in response to their reaction and let out a small sigh.

    ¡°Hey, are you making fun of me or something?!¡±

    ¡°Naturally, you must be aware that diagonally across this diner, there is a caf¨¦ that will sell desserts -including cr¨ºpes ¨C under construction?¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°That caf¨¦ is connected to the royal family. It is to be expected that the value of the surrounding plots ofnd will increase greatly. That¡¯s why you have your eye on this indebted diner, right?¡±

    Since this was the first time Leena and her mother had heard about this, they didn¡¯t know if that statement was true. But the expressions on the debt collectors¡¯ faces told them that it was. The thoughtless smiles that had been stered on their faces had disappeared and they showed signs of caution.

    ¡°¡­I see. Seeing that you know so much about it, you¡¯re after this diner too, aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°Wha-?!¡± Leena cried out and Regina jumped in surprise as well. However, Effy herself was unperturbed, even if her expression twisted unpleasantly.

    ¡°Could you be so gracious and not lump me in with the likes of you?¡±

    ¡°Actions speak louder than words. But, you have no other choice but to give up either way. We¡¯re backed by a noble.¡±

    Effy frowned, her eyebrows twitching. Perhaps perceiving it as Effy feeling shaken, the debt collector pressed further.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you should back down if you don¡¯t want to get crushed, yeah?¡±

    ¡°A noble, was it¡­? Certainly, I cannot make enemies without consulting anyone.¡±

    Effy bit her lip. Leena was standing behind her so it was naturally impossible for her to see this gesture, but she could tell from Effy¡¯s aura that she was overpowered. For a moment, Leena hoped that the situation would change for the better, but as expected, it didn¡¯t. At this rate, the diner would end up being taken away from them ten dayster after all.

    The moment that thought crossed her mind-

    ¡°Then, I guess I shall take over now.¡±

    A lively young girl¡¯s voice rang out in the front of house. When Leena turned around in search of the owner of this voice, she blinked in surprise. Standing behind her was a in-looking young girl. She was the shop assistant that had given Leena the potatoes.

    ¡°Why ¡­are you?¡±

    Without answering the bewildered Leena¡¯s question, the girl stood in front of the debt collectors, just like Effy had earlier. The only difference was that Effy retreated to her side and bowed.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡±

    ¡°I am a passer-by shop assistant working at a wholesaler¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°The hell?! Why do random people keep showing up?!¡±

    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t get so angry. Just for my reference, would you be so gracious and tell me the name of the noble supporting you?¡±

    The debt collector was taken aback by this young girl with an inappropriately cheery tone. But then, he immediately sneered and said: ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Lo and behold! The one supporting us is Lady Sophia, the daughter of Marquis Rosenberg.¡±

    At that moment, Leena¡¯s body leaped in surprise. Since she didn¡¯t know stuff like the names of nobles, it wasn¡¯t hearing the name of the Rosenberg household that startled her. For a moment, for truly just a mere moment, she felt an indescribable chill. She quickly scanned her surroundings but she failed to discover anything particrly strange.

    A portion of the customers had fled the diner in fear of getting involved. However, the ones remaining continued to eat their meals even while stealthily ncing their way, perhaps because it was of no concern to them or maybe because they were curious.

    ¡°Oh? Did Lady Sophia of the Marquis Rosenberg family say such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she did. She said, ¡®Go and fetch me that diner and itsnd.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re saying some interesting things. I wonder, are you saying them knowing that the fraudulent use of a noble¡¯s name, even if used arbitrarily, can get one severely punished?¡±

    ¡°¡­Naturally. What are you trying to say?¡±

    The debt collectors had been shaken up repeatedly but they showed proper confusion in response to her words. Considering the shabby acting abilities they had disyed until that point, it was likely that they were truly baffled.

    In other words, they were telling the truth. Which meant that the young Lady of the Rosenberg marquis family wanted to take away Leena¡¯s family¡¯s diner¡­

    ¡°Hmmm. So it¡¯s a case of sullying your adversary¡¯s name while achieving your own goals. And if by some chance the plot would get discovered, the incident would end by making the subordinates their scapegoats, huh?1 ¡­How despicable.¡±

    Her supposedly cheery voice echoed coldly. Before Leena and Regina could even understand her words, she began talking anew.

    ¡°<i>Roy</i>, <i>Emma</i>, capture them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Dashing forward simultaneously with a perfectly synchronized reply was Effy and Ciel, who had from some point been standing by on alert. They advanced towards the debt collectors as if they were gliding across the floor. At that moment, Leena didn¡¯t understand what was happening. But then, two of the debt collectors copsed at the same time and the one guy left standing fell to the ground a secondter.

    ¡°You¡­what the hell¡­are you trying to do?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to bring you to the guard station. After all, there are many rules when ites to collecting debt and acting in ways that vite these rules is uneptable. As debt collectors, you surely know that?¡±

    Th-that¡¯s¡­¡°

    The man¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t contorted just due to the pain. At the very least, to suddenly pressure debtors who were properly paying their interest, to repay all of their loan, was an unforgivable deed.

    Perhaps if one was a regr person, they wouldn¡¯t know, but there was no way debt collectors didn¡¯t.

    Thus, the situation changedpletely.

    ¡°I overheard somemotion so I came to take a look! What¡¯s going on here?!¡±

    Immediately following that yell, a single patrolling soldier rushed into the diner. He ran up to the copsed debt collectors and asked them what happened.

    ¡°They suddenly attacked us!¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So this is a violent crime in progress?¡±

    The soldier turned his gaze to Effy and Ciel. Leena panicked. At this rate, the two of them would end up getting arrested as the people involved in a violent incident. However, before the soldier could get close to them, the shop assistant girl stepped in between them.

    ¡°Who are <i>you</i>?¡±

    ¡°I am something of a¡­ guardian of theirs.¡±

    She might have been older than Effy and Ciel, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was a child just like them. So even if he was told that she was their guardian¡­he seemed to have understood it as her being their employer at most.

    ¡°Then, that means that you¡¯re the one who told them to do this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. However, I did it because these debt collectors were making fraudulent use of the name of the Rosenberg Marquis family.¡±

    ¡°They made fraudulent use of a noble¡¯s name?¡±

    As if to ask them: ¡°Is that true?¡± the soldier gave the anguished debt collectors a look.

    ¡°¡­No! We are truly here on the orders of Lady Sophia of the Rosenberg Marquis family! This is¡­the proof of that.¡±

    The man took out a ring with a rose insignia engraved onto it from his pocket.

    ¡°Hm¡­ I see, it certainly seems like you received orders from the Rosenberg Marquis family. If that¡¯s the case, then doesn¡¯t that make you three the criminals after all?¡±

    ¡°¡­What are you saying? It¡¯spletely different from the Rosenberg Marquis insignia.¡±

    ¡°Since this is something only some people know of, it¡¯s only natural that a meremoner like you wouldn¡¯t know. However, this is the symbol that Lady Sophia of the Rosenberg Marquis family uses when she issues orders.¡±

    Even the soldier verified that they were backed by the Rosenberg Marquis family. Now, even the people who walked over here and were watching the course of events unfold from the side, began whispering.

    The shop assistant girl¡¯s sigh strangely rang out amidst the murmurs.

    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re also one of their people. Cyril, would it be alright? At this rate, I will be made into a viin.¡±

    Not only the quality of her voice but also the tone of her voice changed during the second and third sentence. It waspletely different from the cheerful ¡ªsome might say thoughtless¡ªvoice that she had used up till that point. It was cold and dignified.

    And then-

    ¡°Do as you wish, my Lady.¡±

    Herpanion, the young boy whom she called Cyril, bowed his head politely. Upon receiving his response, the girl grabbed hold of her long, ck hair ¨C and slowly pulled it off. It seemed that her ck locks were a wig, tinum blonde hair cascading from underneath.

    ¡°tinum blonde hair¡­? You¡¯re, no, you are2¡­it can¡¯t be!¡±

    ¡°Pleased to meet you. My name is Sophia. I¡¯m the daughter of Marquis Rosenberg.¡±

    In response to her words, the dinerpletely fell silent. Before long, the soldier went as pale as a sheet of paper and fell to his knees, other people following suit and kneeling on the floor as well. Leena wasn¡¯t really keeping up with what was happening but she mimicked the others despite that and kneeled, too.

    ¡°Wh-why is the daughter of a Marquis at such a ce?¡±

    ¡°Just for a little social study. More importantly, you were saying some truly interesting things earlier. Telling me things such as that the ring the man has with him belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, that is¡­¡±

    They wilfully used a noble¡¯s name and attempted to sully it. Now, they were being questioned by none other than the young Lady of that very name. They could wish for nothing better but to be granted a painless death.

    Perhaps sensing this more keenly than anyone else, the soldier began shaking in fear. The saintess that had been interested in theatre recently, smiled widely and told him:

    ¡°If you tell me who¡¯s behind all of this, I shall spare your lives.¡±<ol><li>¥È¥«¥²¤ÎåêÎ²ÇÐ¤ê ¨C ¡®tokage no shippo kiri¡¯, literally ¡®cutting of the lizard¡¯s tail.¡¯ It basically means avoiding getting me put on you by putting it all on your subordinates.</li><li>I think there was an instance of this before, the first you is ¤ª¤Þ¤¨ ¨C familial or can be derogatory ¡®you¡¯ and the second you is ÙF·½ ¨C you but more polite. I tried expressing it via the short and proper forms of you¡¯re/you are.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 35: Side story: The young Ladys quite frequent Social Studies Part 6

    Upon hearing the young marquess¡¯ sweetly whispered words, the corrupt soldier spilled everything. It seemed that the noble behind all of this was after this diner and was also attempting to dirty the name of the young marquess at the same time.

    After they heard him out, the corrupted soldier, along with the debt collectors, were handed over to the soldiers that they had actually called in. Since there would be an investigation, they demanded that everyone rted to the case apany them.

    Simrly, Regina and Leena were requested toe with them as well, but thanks to the interference of the young marquess, they were excused from going and only heard what happened at the guard stationter. Since they couldn¡¯t leave the diner unattended, they were honestly grateful for that. However, Effy and Ciel ended up being taken in for questioning as individuals involved in the incident.

    <i>The debt, and the part-timers.</i>

    Even if Leena and her mother were anguished over how this whole incident would end, they still continued running the diner. As they did so, the time to close the diner for the day quickly arrived. Leena was cleaning up when Effy and Ciel finally returned.

    ¡°Are you two alright?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re fine. I¡¯m sorry for making you worry,¡± Effy answered but the wording she used was no longer that of a young Lady, which was thenguage she had used up until that point. While Leena was still confused in many ways, they all sat down around a table at the front of house in order to listen to what had happened. Leena and Regina, the mother and daughter pair, were the ones listening, while Effy and Ciel were the ones exining the situation.

    ¡°Firstly, I want to apologize for having lied to you all this time. Our real names are Emma and Roy. We¡¯re siblings that work for Lady Sophia as her servants.¡±

    ¡°Siblings and servants? Then, you were pretending to be a young Lady and her servant because¡­?¡±¡°We were ¡®learning by doing¡¯, so to speak. As servants, we stillck experience so, to make up for that, teacher Cyril had given us an assignment.¡±

    Apparently, the two of them were taking turns in personally experiencing being a master and a servant and were learning how to conduct themselves as servants. And this time, it was Emma who was ying a young Lady.

    ¡°Then¡­um, you twoing here was purely coincidental? Um¡­but those debt collectors said stuff like that you also wanted this diner¡­¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. We were ordered by the young Lady toe here. It just wasn¡¯t for the reason that you think, Miss Leena. Please, look at this.¡±

    Emma held out a document. Even as Regina epted it and was scanning it over, Emma continued talking, facing Leena.

    ¡°What I gave you just now is a document stating that Lady Sophia took over your debt.¡±

    ¡°So basically, you¡¯re telling us to sell this diner to your master?¡±

    Leena¡¯s words became just a little bit sharper. It was true that the two of them being here was a huge help to her. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine that they were more virtuous than those debt collectors from earlier either. However, despite this, the shock of the thought of having been deceived revealed itself in her attitude. But¡ª

    ¡°No. My Lady wishes for this diner to stay open.¡±

    ¡°Wishes for it to stay open? Then¡­ you¡¯re telling us that she took over the debt to¡­¡±

    Regina pulled at her sleeve and Leena swallowed her questioning words back. Ignoring Leena asking her what was wrong, Regina turned to Emma and spoke.

    ¡°Is everything written on this document true? It says that we can repay the debt within a reasonable time frame and also that you won¡¯t charge us any interest¡­¡±

    Leena gasped upon hearing the overly favourable contents written on the document. Ignoring Leena peering into the document, Emma reaffirmed: ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Why are you doing things like this?¡±

    In reaction to Regina¡¯s question, Emma and Roy exchanged nces. Then they shook their heads.

    ¡°Our Lady¡¯s thoughts are unfathomable to us,¡± they said in unison andughed.

    Of course, this didn¡¯t make much sense to Leena and Regina. Nevertheless, the fact that Leena¡¯s family¡¯s debt was transferred to Roy and Emma¡¯s master and that its burden on them had lessened substantially were both true.

    Moreover, Roy and Emma would apparently continue helping them out until Leena¡¯s father came back.

    At first, they were suspicious of them but no matter how much they prodded them about things, they could find no problems. Thus, while Leena and her family still weren¡¯t fully able toprehend what had happened, the danger had passed and peaceful days returned.

    ***

    During the afternoon of the following day, Sophia was rxing while being seated at one of the tables tucked into one of the corners of the courtyard while Cyril ced the tea-time dessert and a cup of tea onto the table.

    ¡°It¡¯s another dessert that I have never seen before.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve prepared it because I wished for you to enjoy yourself, my Lady. It¡¯s called <i>sweet potato</i>. 1 Although its appearance is in, thus making it moremoner-oriented, it has just the right amount of sweetness and tastes very delicious.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m really looking forward to finding out what it tastes like.¡±

    Cyril having made it was the same as having a great taste guarantee. Sophia¡¯s eyes sparkled as she cut off a small piece of the <i>sweet potato</i> and brought it to her mouth. The dessert had a very peculiar texture, crumbling in her mouth. Somehow feeling relieved, Sophia¡¯s eyes crinkled happily at the perfect amount of sweetness present in the dish.

    ¡°It has a¡­how should I describe it¡­ a very gentle taste.¡±

    ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it? It¡¯s an easy-to-make dessert oriented towardsmoners.¡±

    ¡°¡­Could it be that the ¡®<i>potato</i>¡¯ part is referring to potatoes?2¡±

    ¡°No, my Lady. While it can be made with potatoes, this one is made from yams. However, the conclusion you have arrived at, my Lady, is most likely correct too.¡±

    In other words, Sophia¡¯s thoughts were one step behind Cyril¡¯s and Cyril was helping her out. Even though Sophia realized this, she didn¡¯t feel resentful and smiled.

    ¡°I am no match for you, Cyril, am I?¡±

    For her most recent Social Study, Sophia was tasked to research ¡®The Relevance of The Cr¨ºpes¡¯. Her assignment was to recognize the problems that would arise from letting Libert¡¯spany open a caf¨¦ that would sell cr¨ºpes in the name of the royal family and to minimize the impact it would have on its surroundings.

    Therefore, Sophia first gathered information about the caf¨¦¡¯s surroundings. As a result of having done so, she was able to determine that other nobles and merchants had their eye on thends that surrounded this soon-to-be constructed first caf¨¦ of the franchise. That¡¯s why she expected Leena¡¯s diner to get targeted and had Roy and Emma stand guard there.

    Unrted to that issue, she also gave away some potatoes to a few shops. While this also served as insurance that Leena¡¯s diner wouldn¡¯t go out of business, if anything, the more important goal was to spread the potatoes throughout the country as the Rosenberg marquis family had just started to grow them.

    It was a n that killed two birds with one stone. Or, it was supposed to be.

    However, as Sophia looked at the <i>sweet potato</i>, she realized that there was something that she had forgotten to consider. Just as how the surrounding shops would be affected by the opening of the cr¨ºpes store, other ingredients, especially other tubers, would be affected by the spread of potatoes on the market as well.

    This meant that Cyril predicted the decline of the other tubers and created the <i>sweet potato</i>, in order topensate for the smaller demand for yams. This was an area that Sophia didn¡¯t even think of.

    ¡°I am still inadequate.¡±

    ¡°No, you have done really well, my Lady. You didn¡¯t just simply reach out to people but you also evaluated the individual chefs¡¯ abilities, intending on making use of themter, which was especially wonderful.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. But I am still not at your level. I must work even harder next time in order to catch up to you. Therefore, please watch over me from now on as well, alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my Lady.¡±

    Cyril shed the courageous young Lady a gentle smile.

    This was a fairly typical scene when it came to Cyril assigning Sophia with studies.

    And that''s the end of this side story! Also wow, we''ve been bamboozled! I totally thought Effy was Sophia lol.

    Next side story features a lot of Cyril and tying up some loose ends from this side story. ?

    Thank you for reading! The Viinous Daughter''s rank on the site is 39, thank you so much for your continous support! The Foxaholic site is experiencing some server issues but hopefully everything will be back to normal soon!<ol><li>¥¹¥¤©`¥È¥Ý¥Æ¥È ¨C ¡®suiito poteto¡¯, literally ¡®sweet potato¡¯. It is a dessert made by mixing butter, milk and sugar with cooked yams until it forms a paste-like batter, then the batter is divided and shaped back into a yam-like form, then you spread egg yolk on top and bake it. I watched an actual recipe for this lmao. Basically it¡¯s not just a baked sweet potato. </li><li>In Japanese there are two terms used: ¡®poteto¡¯ and ¡®jagaimo¡¯, one is a loan word from English, the other the japanese term for potatoes. I hope my trantion doesn¡¯t make it sound too confusing.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 36: Side story: Cyrils quite frequent every day

    The roles of women and men were extremely distinct in noble society. Men endeavored in politics while women strove to create their ownwork within high society. The prevalent idea among nobles was to put these two together and protect their own territory. There were many factors to this because of the hereditary system but¡­ let¡¯s not delve into specifics. However, the important thing to note was that there were exceptions to everything.

    Also, there was a high possibility that Lady Sophia would be one of these exceptions.

    ¡®The studies we¡¯ve made her focus on up till now was the knowledge necessary for high society. However, from now on, we must make her study political perspectives as well.¡¯

    This was the order given to me by Master Grave. This was only my spection, but Master Grave probably put Lady Sophia down as one of the potential sessors to the marquis household.

    Therefore, I decided to show Lady Sophia the city, under the guise of Social Studies. If she were to be in the position of sending out her subordinates one day, she needed to know how the actual ce she¡¯d sent them to would operate.

    For thetest Social Study, I asked my Lady to predict how opening a caf¨¦ selling cr¨ºpes would affect its surroundings and to minimize the negative effects.

    Therefore, as the price of the surroundingnd would go up, my Lady pinpointed the restaurant that seemed to be the easiest target to go after and sent in Roy and Emma.

    ¡®She passed,¡¯ I thought.

    However, Lady Sophia¡¯s actions didn¡¯t just end there. She also got involved with a wholesale shop and distributed an ingredient as a new product to the restaurants in the area.The caf¨¦ was oriented towards the wealthy and the diners catered to the general masses, thus, their customer bases didn¡¯t ovep. Therefore, I could have concluded that it was an excessive consideration of hers¡­but the ingredient the young Lady distributed was potatoes, which they had just started to grow on the Rosenberg marquis territory. She contributed to the restaurants¡¯ sales while simultaneously putting the new crops of the Rosenberg marquis household on the market. On top of that, she had personally investigated how this new crop called potatoes should be cooked and seeded in securing talented cooks she could rely on in order to sell the new ingredient in the town wholesale.

    Although Lady Sophia said that she was still inadequate, she was doing exceedingly well. Well enough to make one forget that the young Lady was still in her first year of middle school.

    Satisfied with those results, I set about to settle thetest incident. Thus, I went to the Dark guild located in the slum city.

    No Name was the only one who came to meet me. It seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be using a body double around me anymore.

    ¡°Cyril, what business do you have with us this time? This isn¡¯t a ce a rich young master like you should frequent constantly, is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you not confident in your control over your subordinates?¡±

    ¡°Never at a loss for words, are you, brat?¡±

    Naturally, I had taken some measures in case the information of me frequenting this ce would spread. However, the only ones who knew I visited this ce, to begin with, were the members of the Dark guild. Not to mention, only a small fraction of them knew my true identity. Therefore, if No Name were to properly keep his subordinates in check, I wasn¡¯t worried about the rumors of me frequenting this ce spreading.

    I intended on expressing that I trusted No Name¡¯s abilities but somehow, it seemed to have been understood as sarcasm¡­well, I won¡¯t deny that it was a reply tinged with sarcasm.

    ¡°About why I havee here¡­please look at the copy of this document.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­an investigation record of a corrupt soldier and¡­the name of the one behind it?!¡±

    No Name frowned as his eyes ran across the copied document. Normally, these kinds of incidents would end with the subordinates being used as scapegoats and the name of the mastermind would nevere up. No Name frowned because despite that, the name of the noble the corrupt soldier had closed a backroom deal with, was written down on the document.

    Incidentally the noble in question was a viscount that rose in ranks after getting rich as a merchant. However, the one who was actually involved in the incident was his son, who was affiliated with the Elitist faction and a student at the same academy as Lady Sophia. This was also the true identity of the student that hadmissioned Isabe to harass Lady Sophia. Isabe became a spy for the Rosenberg marquis household and investigated the matter thoroughly right away. For this reason, I foresaw that this student would mess with Lady Sophia again and was monitoring him. Consequently, this meant that I gained evidence through this incident.

    ¡°Well then¡­what do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Please use the guild¡¯s subordinates and order them to secretly stand guard to see if the noble¡¯s men wouldn¡¯t try to interfere with the diner again.¡±

    ¡°I, of course, have no problems with doing that, but do you n on just leaving the mastermind be?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ha, good one.¡±

    To make fraudulent use of a noble¡¯s name was a severe crime. Not to mention, there were no extenuating circumstances for someone who attempted to sully Lady Sophia¡¯s name. I wasn¡¯t going to let him do as he pleased just because there wasn¡¯t enough evidence.

    However, this incident was different from the one involving Count Ares. After all, the one messing with Lady Sophia was a child, so I nned on leaving his punishment to his parents.

    Putting the evidence together, their child hadmitted a crime so serious that it wouldn¡¯t be strange even if their family would end up getting dragged into it as well. If a person told them to deal with their child themselves while not going public with it, the parents would be indebted to this person.

    If they were to understand this and deal with their son suitably, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. If they decided to dodge the issue and express hostility towards me, they would follow the same fate as Count Ares. However, as far as the rumors I had collected go, they seemed to be people of decent character, so likely, it would be the former.

    ¡°I will make the parents greatly indebted to me while making the actual perpetrator never mess with Lady Sophia again. Doing this much should be appropriate, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°¡­Geez, you¡¯re a frightening brat.¡±

    ¡°I simply don¡¯t want the number of Lady Sophia¡¯s enemies to increase needlessly.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like things would be peaceful if I were to eliminate all of her enemies. If I were to get rid of an enemy, it would lead to new enemies emerging. Because, even if someone was an enemy of the young Lady, they weren¡¯t necessarily an enemy of her allies.

    Moreover, just because they wouldn¡¯t be eliminated didn¡¯t mean that it was necessary to get along with them. The Rosenberg marquis household was a powerful, prominent aristocratic household to begin with, and currently, the young Lady was friends with royalty as well. So there were many nobles who wanted to be on good terms with such a household.

    Putting that aside-

    ¡°That¡¯s it for the viscount incident. Your reward will be paid to you in the usual way, so I¡¯ll leave the rest up to you.¡±

    If I were to be frank, the viscount incident was just an extra side mission. Once you had something on someone, no matter how the situation yed out, the possibility of them doing anything more than they already had was low. That didn¡¯t matter because I had another, separate objective ining to the Dark guild.

    ¡°Now, the main reason I am here ¨C may I meet Roy and Emma¡¯s parents?¡±

    ¡°¡­Did those two say that they wanted to meet their parents?¡±

    ¡°As if. They still bear a grudge against their parents.¡±

    Emma held a grudge against her parents for being the only one who got sold to the Dark guild by them. Although she was able to learn many things at the Rosenberg marquis household and perhaps was even able to understand that her parents had reasons for doing so, not enough time had passed for her to be able to digest the fact that she had been sold.

    Although it wasn¡¯t like Roy had gotten sold himself, he still held a grudge over his dear little sister getting sold. He was the same as Emma. Despite knowing his parents¡¯ suffering, it would probably still take some time before he could digest everything as well.

    ¡°But, the ones hurt by this incident weren¡¯t just Emma and Roy. So¡ª¡± I was seeking to formally meet the parents of those two, face to face, for that reason.

    After I had waited in a separate room for a short while, Roy and Emma¡¯s parents arrived. They were both under the patronage of the Dark guild and were provided with work. Although they were surely leading a much better life than before, they still looked quite exhausted. It was for this reason that I felt a little bit of sympathy for them. Their current state was proof that it wasn¡¯t like they had sold Emma just to save themselves.

    ¡°We¡¯ve heard from the Guild master that an important customer has arrived but¡­ are you him?¡±

    The married couple threw confused looks at me. ¡®To talk this way to an important customer is-¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t say anything of the sort as this was normal for the Dark guild. Moreover, although I was wearing high-quality clothes, I was merely a young child.

    If they were to look down on me, I would need to correct them for both of our sakes, but if they wouldn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t necessary for me to scold them over minor things.

    ¡°I am,¡± I answered and gestured for the two to take a seat.

    ¡°Well then, let me introduce myself first. I am a butler working for a certain noble.¡±

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a noble master¡¯s butler¡­? Then, what business do you have with us?¡±

    Apparently, they didn¡¯t even know that their own children were under the patronage of a noble. While I believed that reckless leakage of information wasn¡¯t something that happened in the guild, No Name was even more outstanding than I thought.

    ¡°Let me get straight to the point. Right now, Roy and Emma are under my master¡¯s patronage.¡±

    ¡°!!!! Roy and Emma are alright?!¡±

    The father mmed his hands against the table and stood up. Subsequently, the mother also turned her imploring eyes at me. So, I motioned for them to please calm down and control themselves.

    ¡°They are both alright. As they are under my master¡¯s patronage, we are looking after them properly. But, they cannot meet you at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Why? Do you mean to say that you¡¯ve forgotten what you have done to them?¡±

    When I revealed how I truly felt and red at them silently, they both gulped. Was the emotion surfacing on their faces regret? Or was it guilt¡­? Either way, there was no mistaking the fact that they didn¡¯t sell her off happily. However, it was necessary for them to realize the facts exactly for that reason.

    ¡°I want to understand your suffering.¡±

    ¡°If- if that¡¯s the case¡­¡±

    ¡°Nevertheless, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you sold Emma off.¡±

    ¡°That- that¡¯s¡­¡±

    They probably had a lot of things that they wanted to say. If they hadn¡¯t sold Emma, their family, along with Roy, would have died on the streets. It was very likely that Roy, who was both a child and a boy, wouldn¡¯t be able to get any work. But there was a chance for Emma to be given work despite being a child as she was a girl. However, the parents didn¡¯t speak of these possible oues.

    ¡°So,¡± I continued. ¡°Let me say it one more time. I want to understand your suffering. However, it is impossible for Roy and Emma to ept your reasons right now.¡±

    I paused there for a moment and cast a nce at them, gauging their reactions. In the next moment, the father who was still standing, went around the table. But just as I was about to deal with him, I got uncharacteristically shaken. The man began to weep openly.

    ¡°¡­I know that! We have hurt them. I¡¯ve been painfully aware of that from the moment Roy took Emma and escaped. But, despite that, they are still our dear children!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I am aware of that. That¡¯s why-¡±

    I didn¡¯t manage to finish what I was saying. The mother, weeping as well, approached me from the opposite side.

    ¡°It¡¯s as my husband has said! We¡¯ve done a cruel thing! It cannot be helped even if we are hated and cursed at. But, even so, please let us meet those children! Even if we can only take a glimpse, only a single glimpse of them!¡±

    Without listening to what I was saying, they both went down on their hands and knees. Two fully grown adults were openly weeping and prostrating on the floor. I didn¡¯t think it was shameful. Rather, I simply thought that these two people who loved their children this much were worthy of respect.

    Therefore-

    ¡°I understand what you are trying to say. So, please, raise your heads,¡± I said, but they kept their heads lowered. They probably wouldn¡¯t give up until they could wretch the words: ¡®You can meet them¡¯ from me. So I reproached my thoughtless self and sighed a little. It was a mistake on my part, not realizing that roundabout phrases wouldn¡¯t work on them.

    ¡°I cannot let them meet you at the moment yet. But, if you give it time, the two of them will be able to digest a lot of it, won¡¯t they?¡±

    Their heads snapped up in response to my words.

    ¡°You¡¯ll allow us to meet them after some time passes?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my intention.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know when Roy and Emma would be able to ept it. However, I thought that it was necessary to give the two emotional education, in order to make it clear that it wasn¡¯t like their parents hated them.

    And there was one more thing.

    ¡°Also, although it is impossible for me to let you meet those two right now¡ª¡±

    After hearing my proposition, their eyes went wide and they wept as tear after tear trickled down their eyes.

    About a weekter, I was reading over some written reports in the office. As I did so, Rouch¨¦, who had brought me tea, looked at me suspiciously.

    ¡°Cyril, what have you been grinning about since earlier?¡±

    ¡°Grinning, you say¡­ I don¡¯t really want to hear that from the ever-grinning you, you know?¡± I sarcastically replied to Rouch¨¦¡¯s frivolous teasing.

    But, without any indication that she was upset about it, she asked: ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    She was acting in her usual free-spirited manner. However, since this document wasn¡¯tpletely unrted to her, I held it out for her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright for me to take a look at it too? Let¡¯s see¡­ooh, it¡¯s the investigation report about the surroundings of the diner Roy and Emma are doing a Social Study at! It says that there weren¡¯t really any problems¡­ What¡¯s so special about it?¡±

    ¡°A certain married couple working for the Dark guild wrote it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Married couple? ¡­Wait, could they, by any chance-¡±

    As realization dawned upon Rouch¨¦, I turned towards her and ced my index finger on my lips. By chance, the noble that had messed with Lady Sophia was at the diner where the young Lady had coincidentally sent Roy and Emma to. By chance, the members of the Dark guild who were hired to monitor the diner were also rted to Roy and Emma.

    That was all there was to it.

    Thank you for reading! Next up is a three part side story and the first chapter has a lot of Sophia and Cyril interaction!

 Book 2: Chapter 37: Side story: ... of Light and Darkness spreading throughout the royal city Part 1

    The secondary residence of the Rosenberg marquis household was located in the royal city, Londobell. This mansion Lady Sophia lived in was very grand and the young Lady was provided with many rooms that she could take her lessons in.

    In the early morning of a certain day off from school, a new instrument¡ªa grand piano¡ªwas brought into one of these aforementioned rooms.

    Since pianos weremon in my previous world, they were even depicted in the ending stills of ¡°Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡±. However, at the time when I regained my memories of my previous world, pianos didn¡¯t exist in this kingdom.

    Thus, since I anticipated that the piano would either soone into existence or perhaps be brought in from another country, I conducted a search for this new instrument as much as I was allowed to as an exclusive butler. And so, it became apparent that an instrument that looked like an organ but was apletely different musical instrument was in the process of being spread around a neighboring country. I immediately consulted this with Master Grave. I told him that a new instrument that was very suitable for Lady Sophia, had appeared in a neighboring country.

    Surely, in order to obtain the technology of the neighboring country, considerablepensation was required, but Master Grave acted fast. He immediately dispatched a number of craftsmen and had them learn the technology of manufacturing a piano. These craftsmen returned roughly a yearter and atst, the grand piano was made.

    After its instation was finished, the craftsmen went on to tune it. Since besides them, there was no one else in this kingdom who had an understanding of a piano¡¯s structure, they were the only ones who could tune it as well. It was obvious that if Lady Sophia were to learn to y the piano, its poprity would rise explosively. We should proceed with nurturing these craftsmen further while we still could.

    ¡°We¡¯re finished with the tuning.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I¡¯m sure Master Grave will be very pleased as well.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not worthy of such praise! And, we are yet to exin how to y the ¡®piano¡¯. Although it looks just like a pipe organ, it is, in fact, apletely different instrument.¡±¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re right.¡±

    Of course, since I came into contact with pianos in my previous world, I knew this well. However, the craftsmen didn¡¯t know that. They probably couldn¡¯t leave until they showed me how to y it. So, I sat in front of the grand piano they had just finished tuning.

    My previous world¡¯s self had just a little bit of experience with ying the piano. Although my elder sister had only taught me how to y a bit, it could still be said that I understood the basics. In other words, when I lowered my fingertip onto the keys, the nostalgic sound of a note echoed. Using that note as a starting point, I began to y a song I was extremely familiar with.

    I was able to y various instruments in order to teach Lady Sophia. As these instruments also included the pipe organ, my fingers ran across the keys smoothly.

    That being said, the piano was a string instrument, making it different from the pipe organ, which was ssified as a wind instrument. Generally speaking, the pipe organ was an instrument whose sound continued to echo in between the hitting of the keys while the piano was an instrument whose sound resounded the moment the keys were hit.

    Therefore, it could by no means be said that my musical performance was able to bring out the piano¡¯s special characteristics. And yet, out of nowhere, I could hear a deep sigh. I felt the stares of the craftsmen who carried in the piano and also the stares of the servants assisting them. They were probably enchanted by the timbre of this new instrument called a piano.

    Somehow, the atmosphere in the room made it hard for me to stop ying. However, to leave my Lady behind and host the first piano performance by myself wasn¡¯t praiseworthy behavior. Just when I was about to suitably end my performance, out of nowhere, a clear singing voice rang out.

    Needless to point out, it belonged to Lady Sophia.

    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better for my Lady to have the first performance?¡¯ When I asked her that with my gaze, she let her clear voice reverberate sweetly. It seemed that she wished for a first apaniment rather than having the first musical performance. My skills were nowhere near good enough for me to serve as my Lady¡¯s apaniment but¡­ if that was what my Lady wished for: then, I had no other choice but to oblige.

    I immersed myself into the performance while carefully listening to my Lady¡¯s voice. However, right around the time when the song went into chorus, I noticed that my Lady¡¯s demand was merciless.

    My skills as a pianist were barely above the level of a novice. In contrast, with this kind of apaniment of mine, Lady Sophia was singingfortably. Although it was still at a level where the difference in our skills didn¡¯t stand out, if the gap between us widened even a bit more, everyone would most likely end up hearing the inconsistencies in my ying.

    When I desperately attempted to bridge the gap between us because of that, my Lady mercilessly raised the level once more.

    It was as if her singing voice was telling me: ¡®Quickly respond to my utmost efforts!¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s really impossible!¡¯ I stared at her, to which she replied with a smile, as if to say: ¡®As long as it¡¯s you Cyril, it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯

    Was Lady Sophia mistaking me for some kind of a prodigy or something? I merely had the advantage of having memories of my previous world so, I definitely wasn¡¯t a prodigy¡­ and yet, once again, my Lady raised the mellowness of her voice up another notch. These were impossible demands for a novice pianist who was ying the piano for the first time¨C even though it wasn¡¯t actually my first time. However, it was also the first time my Lady had experienced being apanied by a piano while she sang.

    I continued ying while thinking that it was a pity that my memories of ying were so poor.

    In the end, we ended up performing for the duration of roughly three consecutive songs. I was able to utilize the piano¡¯s characteristics quite well at the end but at the same time, it felt like my fingers were about to cramp up from it as I was unused to ying it. The apuse poured down on us like we were caught in a rainstorm. It clearly indicated that we had a much bigger audience now than in the beginning. I¡¯d like to think that seeing the figure of Master Grave and my father among them¡­ was just my imagination. And since those two disappeared before I knew it, it was likely that I really had just imagined it. Be it as it may, I turned to look at the craftsmen.

    ¡°As you can see, I roughly know how to y it so that¡¯s not a problem.¡±

    ¡°I-it seems that way¡­. Have you ever yed the piano before?¡±

    ¡°No, but I was allowed to see its production process once or twice.¡±

    ¡®So that¡¯s why I understand the piano¡¯s characteristics,¡¯ I indicated, intentionally misleading them. If I were to say that I had yed it poorly before, the contradiction within that statement would get exposed to the people in the residence. The craftsmen believed this lie of mine and had faraway looks on their faces.

    ¡°More importantly, just as we had notified you earlier, the grand piano¡¯s reveal will take ce during Lady Sophia¡¯s birthday party.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, we are, of course, aware of that. We won¡¯t speak of it before then,¡± the craftsmen answered, having returned to reality. It was decided that Lady Sophia would practice a lot in order to give a musical performance and that the piano would be revealed on her next birthday. Since her 13th birthday was going to be shortly after she entered the Academy, it was decided that the piano would be introduced when she turned 14.

    Until then, information about the existence of the piano mustn¡¯t be spread around. At the same time, keeping in mind that its poprity would probably shoot up immediately after its reveal, it became necessary to mass-produce it. Therefore, I gave them instructions to set up a system for its mass production while we still could.

    Then, I watched the craftsmen leave before turning around to face Lady Sophia.

    ¡°You sang wonderfully, Lady Sophia. But for such a rare showcase of your voice, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if we waited until my apaniment improved a little more?¡±

    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°¡­ It¡­wouldn¡¯t?¡±

    I was baffled as I didn¡¯t think that she would disapprove so decisively. I was still perplexed when my Lady Sophia gave me a mischievous smile.

    ¡°I mean, aren¡¯t I always the one being taught by you, Cyril? So there¡¯s nothing wrong with me helping you practice from time to time, is there?¡±

    ¡°¡­My Lady.¡±

    So her singing earlier was also meant to help me with practicing the piano, besides being.¡­no. If anything, to my Lady, helping me practice was the main goal. Then, it was no wonder that she gradually increased the difficulty level.

    ¡°Was it¡­no good?¡±

    My Lady¡¯s unguarded expression showed on her face. Currently, this young Lady who had splendidly yed both the heroine and viinous daughter in ¡°Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡±, was in both, name and reality, a celebrity at the Academy as well as an object of adoration. Nheless, I found this young Lady whose mood swung from joy to sorrow depending on my words and deeds, adorable.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t ¡®no good¡¯. Thanks to you, my Lady, I was able to get the hang of it quite quickly.¡±

    Although pianists would most likely tell me off for such an apaniment, I certainly felt a sense of aplishment after improving my skills in such a short amount of time. Without a doubt, Lady Sophia was the one who brought out my abilities. When I told her this, Lady Sophia, smiling, replied with bashful innocence.

    ¡°I am happy to hear that.¡±

    Her expression seemed to have enough destructive power to make Prince Alforth sink to his knees and clutch at his chest, that is, if she were to look in his vicinity. She was bing more and more refined in her skill of enticing otherstely.

    If we weren¡¯t careful, she might even end up capturing the capture targets of ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯ unintentionally. There was no point in the viinous daughter Lady Sophia getting targeted by another viinous daughter that existed in the same series. It would be better if I were to find out the details of ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯ from my elder sister ahead of time.

    ¡°Cyril¡­is something the matter?¡±

    Noticing my Lady looking at me, I shook my head as if to say: ¡®It¡¯s nothing.¡¯ Then, I asked her if she wanted to try ying the piano. My Lady was very interested in it so I began to teach her. And so, the morning of that particr holiday had passed.

    ¡°How about taking a break, you two?¡±

    When Rouch¨¦ arrived to check up on us, the sun had already gone past its zenith and began its descent down the sky. Before we knew it, a fair amount of time had passed. Concluding that it was right around the time when my Lady wouldn¡¯t be able to focus any longer, I decided to end that day¡¯s lesson.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave today¡¯s lesson at that.¡±

    ¡°But I can still work hard?¡±

    ¡°I certainly know that but unexpected tiredness stacks up when you practice something you¡¯re not used to. So, let¡¯s leave today¡¯s piano lesson at that.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t rely on my Lady¡¯s statement of ¡®I can still work hard.¡¯ because I have never seen Lady Sophiain.

    Perhaps if I were to push her a little more, she might have made adorable, feebleints. However, I somehow sensed that my Lady would continue to say: ¡°I can still work hard!¡± until she would copse from exhaustion. Since that was the case, I insisted that our piano lesson for the day would end here.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a short break. Do your hands feel like they might cramp up?¡±

    I gently picked up Lady Sophia¡¯s hand and massaged her fingers and palms.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. It¡¯s my first time ying the piano but I¡¯ve yed the organ many times before.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Then, shall I prepare you some ck tea?¡±

    Just when I was about to let go of her hand, Lady Sophia grasped mine tightly.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ that is¡­ I¡¯m a bit tired after all so¡­would you massage my hands for a little longer?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my Lady.¡±

    Entrusting Rouch¨¦ with preparing the ck tea in my stead, I massaged my Lady¡¯s smooth hands. Since she had small hands that weren¡¯t suited for ying the piano at all, she must have yed it with the utmost effort. When I massaged her palm, her eyes closed partly as if it felt really good.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good at massages, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I have learned it for you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    Since there was the issue of our sexes, the massages I could perform on her were at most, foot and hand massages. I decided to leave the standard, full treatments to a professional but I learned enough about it to be able to give a full body massage if I wanted to.

    ¡°Say, Cyril, shall <i>I</i> give <i>you</i> a massage next time?¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia, what are you suggesting all of a sudden? I¡¯ve never heard of a marquess giving a massage to a servant?¡±

    ¡°Well then, I want to practice giving massages so please be my test subject,¡±

    my Lady retorted smoothly, smiling impishly. I almost hung my head between my hands unconsciously but, unfortunately, both my hands were holding my Lady¡¯s. Having no other choice, I looked at her reproachfully and asked: ¡°Where did you learn such things?¡±

    ¡°From Miss Alicia, of course.¡±

    So she did learn this from Alicia after all, huh¡­

    The fact that she wasn¡¯t jealous of her rival like in the original work and was mimicking her coquettish mannerism was really something I could praise her for, wasn¡¯t it? For some reason, it felt like I was wringing my own neck.

    For the time being, I admonished her that it was bad for her reputation and that if she wanted to try these things out on someone, she should try them out on Rouch¨¦ or Emma while simultaneously continuing to massage my Lady¡¯s hand and arm.

    ¡°By the way, Lady Sophia, there¡¯s something I want to consult with you in regards to potatoes.¡±

    ¡°I like buttertatoes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not about cuisine. There are some indications that the potatoes will spread throughout the royal city so I wanted to consult with you whether we shouldn¡¯t set up a system for their mass production while we still can.¡±

    While potatoes were susceptible to repeated cultivation damage, they were easy to grow, even on barrennd. It was quite wrong to say that they were suitable for being stored because their sprouts were poisonous and they were also heavy, so transporting them was quiteborious.

    Therefore, there wasn¡¯t much value in concentrating the potatoes inside the Rosenberg marquis territory where they had been cultivated. But, depending on the nature of thend, the potatoes could be a tremendous help.

    ¡°How about we rmend cultivating them to the people belonging to your faction, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, that¡¯s a really good idea. Shall we get permission from my father?¡±

    ¡°I have already gotten permission from him. He said that he wouldn¡¯t mind circting them if you decide to do so, Lady Sophia.¡±

    As a matter of fact, I got his permission in exchange for my contribution with the piano but I left that part out. However, Lady Sophia probably guessed what happened somehow. She gently squeezed my hand that I was massaging her with.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. Well then, please prepare a list of ces where it would be good to distribute them.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    And so, our conversation about potatoes ended there. However, Lady Sophia still looked like she wanted to say something. After thinking for a while, I let out an ¡®Ah.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s instruct the cooks to add buttertatoes as a side dish to today¡¯s dinner.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She shed the biggest smile I¡¯d seen on her face since morning. It seemed that Lady Sophia really liked buttertatoes. When I imagined my Lady munching on them, the image that popped into my head was extremely adorable. Putting that thought aside, I drew back from my Lady after I was finished with her massage. Roughly at the same time, Rouch¨¦ brought over the ck tea.

    ¡°Cyril, what¡¯s the schedule for the afternoon like?¡±

    ¡°You have etiquette practice, Lady Sophia.¡±

    Although I wanted to allow her some rest at least during her days off, practicing for the y had taken up a lot of timetely so her other lessons were put on hold. Even though I felt apologetic about it, I told her about the lesson for that reason. However, unexpectedly, Lady Sophia suddenly snapped at me.

    ¡°Since you only spoke of me, does that mean that you¡¯re doing something else, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m taking the afternoon off.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you¡­been taking a lot of days offtely?¡±

    I was at a bit of a loss on how to answer my Lady¡¯s questions. I couldn¡¯t possibly be foolishly honest and tell her something like ¨C ¡®Because, I heard some rumors about an enemy that wants to do you wrong, Lady Sophia, so I am going to get rid of him.¡¯

    As I was at a loss on how to reply, Rouch¨¦ chuckled.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, you cannot hound him for answers like that. Even Cyril goes out on dates during the asional day off.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Really?¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s emotionless ¡°¡­Really?¡± scared me terribly. I wished for my Lady to stop looking at me with those eyes that have lost their light, looking just like how they did when my Lady was on the verge of falling into darkness.

    Or even better, for Rouch¨¦ to stop with these unfunny jokes!

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a date?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I heard some rumors that piqued my interest a little so I simply wanted to confirm whether they are true or not.¡±

    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s not¡­a <i>date</i>.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is not¡­ a <i>date</i>,¡± I repeated in confirmation, clearly and properly denying that I was going on a date.

    Silence stretched between the two of us, and before long, the usual sparkle returned to Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Of course I believe you, Cyril¡­I believe you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t betray your trust, Lady Sophia.¡±

    I smiled back at Lady Sophia who had¡ªwithout realizing it¡ªpressured me when she repeated her words while smiling. Lately, Lady Sophia has calmed down considerably. It could still be considered cute if she were jealous to this extent.

    ¡°I will return in the evening,¡± I said and stood up, saying my goodbyes and turning on my heels. I departed from the room, making sure that I would not quicken my pace in the slightest upon hearing my Lady whisper something into Rouch¨¦¡¯s ear.

    Thank you for reading! Next part is shaping up to be pretty interesting too!

 Book 2: Chapter 38: Side story: ... of Light and Darkness spreading throughout the royal city Part 2

    After changing from my butler¡¯s uniform into civilian clothes, despite not being a noble, I still looked like the son of a wealthy family as I waited to meet a certain person in the city square.

    Since it was right after noon, the square was pretty lively. I spotted many parents shopping together with their children among the hubbub of people walking to and fro, with smiles on their faces. It was proof that there was some room for fun even in amoner¡¯s life.

    However, where there is light, there must be shadow. This was the main motif in ¡°Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡± and also the sad reality of this world. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend on refusing all of it. Just like the Dark guild, there were some shadows that this country needed, too. If one were to word it in a somewhat pompous way, there were some people who could not live in the light.

    My pet theory was that ¡®There are exceptions to everything¡¯. However, there were exceptions to these exceptions as well. If I were to exin it further¡ª Oh, it seemed that the person I was waiting for had arrived. Appearing abruptly, a girl linked her arm with mine.

    ¡°Hehe, <i>sorry</i><i>for the wait</i>,¡± a charming voice whispered into my ear.

    When I shifted my gaze to the direction of the voice, a beautiful woman with reddish hair was smiling at me. It was Isabe, the lead actress of a leading theatre troupe located in the city, as well as the person who had be my informant. She was donning a disguise.

    ¡°I should be the one apologizing for calling you out so suddenly.¡±

    She told me that she had heard something worrisome from a fan of hers. He said that an organization hidden within the shadows of Londobell had set their sights on Lady Sophia. It was unclear whether that statement was true. The Dark guild didn¡¯t have any information about it either. Therefore, it was very likely that it was a false rumor. However, if it were true, it would be detrimental to Lady Sophia. So, in order to confirm whether it was true or not, I summoned Isabe.

    ¡®You needn¡¯t worry about being a little bitte,¡¯ is what I wanted to reply to her but her expression suddenly transformed into disinterest.¡°You have a sought-after actress clinging to you so show some excitement, will you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I am used to seeing beautiful women.¡±

    There were many beautiful girls around me like Lady Sophia, Alicia and Fol as well. Inparison, calling Rouch¨¦ a ¡®beauty¡¯ was a much rarer urrence, but when she was quiet, someone like Rouch¨¦ wasn''t bad-looking either.

    By the way, it wasn¡¯t only the women who were beautiful. Or rather, I should say that there were more beautiful men in this world than women. I guess that was to be expected from an otome-game world.

    Wondering just what I was thinking about, I noticed that Isabe was thinking about something as well.

    ¡°¡­Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s an honor to be ssified as a ¡®beautiful woman¡¯, I also feel like I was being treated like an ordinary beauty. So I was wondering if I should express my thanks or get angry?¡±

    I wanted to sigh and reply ¡®Whichever is fine.¡¯ but I restrained myself and decided to bear with it. This was an issue that women, especially flourishing actresses, couldn¡¯t ignore.

    ¡°Each woman possesses a different type of beauty so is there really any point in thinking about it?¡±

    ¡°Then, between me and Lady Sophia, who do you find more beautiful?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Hurting women¡¯s feelings isn¡¯t a habit of mine.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t saying that the same as answering? Well, I suppose I understand so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Since I transmigrated when I was a student, my preferences were heavily influenced by it. For example, I had no problem eating foods children usually didn¡¯t like and drinking my ck tea straight was also due to my previous world¡¯s influence. So in that sense¡­ ah, it¡¯s not really that important.

    ¡°More importantly, would you tell me in detail about the information you heard?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, that¡¯s right. Since we¡¯re already here, would it be alright for me to tell you while taking a stroll?¡±

    Of course, I didn¡¯t have any objections. Although she was in disguise, she was still a famous actress and neither of us could afford to stand out too much. Thus, we began walking but Isabe kept her arm linked with mine.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to walk like this, you know?¡±

    ¡°Hey, stop looking so unhappy! That¡¯ll ruin our pretense of being a kind big sister and a cute little brother doing some shopping, won¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­Do we look the part?¡±

    As she was in her twenties and I was thirteen, the only certain thing was that we didn¡¯t look like a couple. However, if you were to ask me whether we look like siblings¡­I was extremely doubtful about that.

    ¡­No, if it was a younger brother being at the beck and call of his free-spirited older sister, it might be possible.

    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking something rude, are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. More importantly, could you tell me, in detail, about the information you heard?¡± I asked her as we walked along the main street. Even while talking about important things, we didn¡¯t forget to pretend like we were simply having a casual conversation as we shopped. Isabe was better at this kind of acting than me.

    ¡°First off, I received this information from my patron. So fundamentally, I cannot tell you who I heard it from. You understand me, right?¡±

    I nodded. The patron she spoke of was someone who supported Isabe, the actress. In other words, patrons were people of high status and they were the ones who made Isabe, the actress, into a star. Therefore, to sell out a patron would be the same as shooting yourself in the foot. She was perfectly justified in taking precautions and telling me that she wouldn¡¯t disclose the source of the information.

    But then, she had also added the word ¡®fundamentally¡¯. Deliberately putting in such a word could be interpreted as her deration of being our ally if we were to find out that this person held open hostility towards Lady Sophia.

    In other words, if she were to bepensated by securing her another patron or something of the sort, she would most likely disclose the source of her information. However, it was possible that a rumor that Isabe had sold out her patron would spread. Considering that she would be extracting information in the future as well, I wanted to treat it as ast resort.

    ¡°Naturally you have an alternate n, don¡¯t you?¡±

    When I asked her this, Isabe shed me a charming smile.

    ¡°As expected of the ¡®Sir Butler who cuddled up to the Saintess¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s with that?¡±

    I knew that people called Lady Sophia a Saintess, but ¡®Sir Butler¡¯? Come to think of it, I did hear something like that before¡­

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re the talk of the high society. But, well, it was also the start to the conversation with my patron.¡±

    Isabe said that she talked to her patron about the school festival. When one bes responsible for tutoring a noble, not to mention a daughter of a marquis, in acting, they gain prestige. If someone were to hide this fact, they would be suspected of feeling guilty about something. Coming to this conclusion, Isabe didn¡¯t hide anything besides bing my informant.

    Well¡­she was right. It was very likely that if a person was able to be Isabe¡¯s patron, they would naturally know that a y would take ce during the school festival and they would even know that Isabe was the one who tutored them in acting.

    ¡°Then, what did they tell you?¡±

    ¡°All I heard from him was that ¡®those guys apparently even have their eyes on Lady Sophia¡¯.¡±

    ¡°<i>He</i> told you that?¡± I asked.

    Isabe smiled as if to say: ¡®You get it, don¡¯t you?¡¯

    ¡°Yes, it looked as if he felt like he let something he wasn¡¯t supposed to slip out and he didn¡¯t tell me anything more than that. So I didn¡¯t press him for answers. I tried asking my other patrons as well. And in doing so-¡±

    Apparently, her other patrons knew about it as well. And so, relying on the information that she got from the other patron, Isabe broached the topic with them as if she already knew about it herself and was able to slyly extract information out of them.

    As a result, she was able to obtain the information that a Doll maker of Frau had set their sights on Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Doll maker of Frau¡­it¡¯s some kind of a codename, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Undeniably. Apparently, on the ck market, there even exist goods such as ck magic that can break a person¡¯s spirit and things like that. Since they have acquired the skills to use this ck magic, one can¡¯t deny that they are¡­ doll makers.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    I didn¡¯t say this because I thought that it was impossible. It was certainly hinted that a part of the ¡®darkness¡¯ in ¡°Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡± was the existence of such dark magic. It was a taboo that Lady Sophia attempted to get her hands on during a certain route, after falling to darkness.

    ¡°Do you know something about it, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors about it. I never made it as far as to determine whether they actually exist or not but¡­ if this kind of dark magic truly exists, we definitely cannot let it go unchecked.¡±

    Not to mention that if they truly were after Lady Sophia, we absolutely couldn¡¯t just let it be.

    ¡°I thought that you¡¯d say that so I also obtained the code with which you can get in contact with the Doll maker of Frau.¡±

    ¡°¡­As I thought, you¡¯re brilliant.¡±

    Herpanions were people powerful enough to be able to be her patrons. No matter how close they were, they wouldn¡¯t just blurt out such things so easily. She was able to go as far as gathering information from these people and even obtaining the code.

    I guess that in front of the patrons, she acted as if shared their sentiments?

    ¡°Ah, have you perhaps gotten scared of me? That I might just be pretending to be your ally¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, I do not get scared of such things at this point.¡±

    ¡®Because I didn¡¯t eliminate that possibility from the very start.¡¯

    I, naturally, didn¡¯t say it out loud. At that time, I was able to understand Isabe¡¯s feelings of wariness towards Lady Sophia very well. However, even if I were to put deciding whether I could trust her or not on hold, at the same time, I didn¡¯t intend on being needlessly suspicious of her.

    ¡°Because I have decided that I would trust and utilize you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re making such a manly face. You¡¯re so cheeky for a kid!¡±

    She squeezed me tightly. Since she did it in the middle of the main road, it really stood out. Even if there were people watching us, they probably just saw it as us messing around. Although I could understand it in that sense, it was very effective¡­

    ¡°¡­May I ask you to stop with the teasing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, <i>she </i>doesn¡¯t seem like the type to get jokes either.¡±

    Isabe chuckled and finally let go of my arm. I felt like it came a little toote but since I wouldn¡¯t be able to move when necessary with our hands linked, in that sense, one could say that I was saved.

    ¡°Then, do you know who uses this code?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, no. But there are several candidates.¡±

    It seemed that we were currently headed to one of the proposed sites.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you could have just given me the information.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is the actress, whose specialty is to act, unneeded?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­. But I understand. If you won¡¯t mind then¡­¡±

    If she made a wrong choice, there was a risk that the fact Isabe leaked information she got from her patrons woulde to light. I was worried about it but it seems like she already took that into consideration. It would be more advantageous to not hold back here andpensate her in the form of a rewardter.

    Thus, the first ce we came to was a shop located on the main street, showcasing women¡¯s essories.They used arge ss pane with a high degree of transparency as their showcase, so I was able to infer that it was a high-end shop. It was oriented towards wealthymoners but the quality was more than enough to pass for a shop aimed at low-ranked nobles. As I was thinking along these lines, a man¡ªmost likely the shop manager¡ª came out from the inside, emitting a calm aura.

    ¡°Wee! Are you looking for something?¡±

    ¡°The doll of Light and Darkness.¡±

    ¡°¡­Dear me, a doll of Light and Darkness?¡±

    The correct code was to respond with: ¡®To make them into a doll would be a shame.¡¯ followed by ¡®But I heard that there¡¯s a doll maker for whom it¡¯s possible.¡¯

    It seemed that the shop manager didn¡¯t know this code¡­

    ¡°No, nevermind. We¡¯re not really looking for anything in particr so could we take a look around?¡±

    ¡°Of course. If you need anything, please let me know.¡±

    Having said so, for a short while, Isabe and I looked around at the articles this boutique was selling. This shop was one of the ces that might use the code that Isabe had her eyes on. There was no need to doubt Isabe¡¯spetency at this point. Thinking about it that way, this shop might not necessarily bepletely uninvolved.

    For example, as a matter of fact, this ce might actually have been the correct one but one of us might have used the wrong code, or this code could have been just a decoy in order to reveal traitors from the start. Possibilities such as these couldn¡¯t be denied. Taking this into consideration, I decided to look at the goods for a while and wait and see what the shop manager would do.

    Incidentally, the essories inside the shop were quite fashionable. Although the materials were nowhere near first-ss goods, I had no objections saying that the designs were indeed, first ss. As I admired them, thinking that it was to be expected of a shop located on the main road of the royal city, I discovered a blue corsage in the shape of a rose.

    ¡°¡­A blue rose corsage?¡±

    ¡°This blue rose essory that symbolizes the royal family is very popr among celebrities. Of course, they¡¯re restricted to designs that make it obvious that it¡¯s a fake flower.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Red roses symbolizing the Rosenberg marquis household were also amon appearance on the market. While the circumstances were different because the blue rose only grew within the royal castle grounds, I guess as long as one didn¡¯t pretend that they were the real thing, there were no problems with selling them. I silently raised my hand and called over the shop manager who was observing us.

    Afterwards, we went to other candidate shops but we weren¡¯t able to sessfully use the code in any of them. Although Isabe was overflowing with confidence at first, when she realized that thest shop was another miss, her shoulders drooped.

    ¡°Looks like it was a false rumor after all. I¡¯m sorry, I made you go on a fool¡¯s errand.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Doing something like this is essential when confirming the truth for a lot of information. We cannot deem something a false rumor and discard it while failing to notice the truth sprinkled within.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s any such information in the future, please do report it to me without hesitation,¡± I continued. Isabe appeared to be thinking about something.

    ¡°Deeming it a false rumor and discarding it while failing to notice the truth sprinkled within¡­could it be¡­¡±

    ¡°It appears like you¡¯re onto something.¡±

    When Isabe lifted her head, her eyes indicated that I had caught on.

    ¡°To tell the truth, there is a ce that I had automatically removed from the list, believing that there was no way that could be it.¡±

    ¡°I see. Was it a theatre?¡± I responded immediately and Isabe¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°H-how did you know?¡±

    ¡°Because you take a lot of pride in theatre. Since that¡¯s the case, when your reason for removing it from the list was because you believed that there was no way that could be it, I was naturally able to pinpoint the ce.¡±

    At first, I thought of the theatre troupe that she was affiliated with. However, if her own theatre troupe was involved, there was indeed no way that she wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Thinking about it this way meant that the theatres various theatre troupes used, were way more suspicious.

    ¡°¡­As expected, you¡¯re really something. I thought that the theatre in the town square was suspicious. Normally I would think that it was impossible but since my patrons talked to me like I obviously knew the ce¡­¡±

    ¡°A stage actress like you would naturally know a theatre.¡±

    Thinking of it that way, it even added up to the first person carelessly letting the information slip. He probably thought that Isabe, someone who belonged to a theatre troupe, would know about it and blurted it out without thinking. Of course, at present time, this was a mere hypothesis, but¡ª

    ¡°It appears that we have to go there and confirm it. But¡­what should we do? It would be better if ¡®Isabe¡¯ didn¡¯t apany me, wouldn¡¯t it?

    For example, even if the theatre turned out to be a bad ce and exposing that would bring harm to her theatre troupe, it would most likely result in Isabe being talked about behind her back. Although I was taking these things into consideration, Isabe said that she would apany me without any hesitation. As I thought, theatre was very sacred to her. Apanied by this woman who was hiding this kind of resolve within her, I decided to head towards the theatre located in the town square.

    Quite the interesting chapter! Though all the date-likes parts just made me go Oh no, oh no, oh no no no¡­ lmao Thank you for reading!

 Book 2: Chapter 39: Side story: ... of Light and Darkness spreading throughout the royal city Part 3

    I took a look at Isabe¡¯s profile, as she walked beside me on our way towards the theatre, and frowned. A situation such as this, in which a theatre where her own troupe performed in, might beplicit in a crime, was outside her expectations. There was a bit of impatience in her expression. Since this impatience would be passed onto the ones she confronted, it would be difficult to infiltrate the theatre in this state.

    ¡°Miss Isabe, you said that you were born in a poor vige, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did. The vige has nothing, but the people who live there are very kind.¡±

    The best way to relieve tension was to get distracted. Simultaneously, it would also serve as a reminder of her motivation to do her best.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been sending money to that vige, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If it wasn¡¯t for everyone¡¯s encouragement, I wouldn¡¯t have achieved my dream of even just joining a theatre troupe. So I am now repaying everyone¡¯s kindness.¡±

    ¡°Well then, if we resolve this incident sessfully, I¡¯ll have to give you specialpensation, won¡¯t I?¡±

    My words weren¡¯t entirely urate. If she achieved some results as a spy, she should be given a reward. However, I specifically emphasized that I would reward her if the incident got resolved. I thought that, this way, she would be able to focus on the job more.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. I have to do my best for the sake of everyone in the vige. I cannot afford to be anxious here, in order to also send money to the vige.¡±She pped both of her cheeks and, the next moment, she had assumed a rxed stance. I guess she was able to get into character very easily, just as one would expect of an actress.

    And so, we arrived in front of the theatre, located in the town square right at the heart of the royal city. Isabe, who hadpletely regained herposure, asked me what we should do now.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Could you follow my lead?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, show me what you¡¯ve got!¡±

    ¡°Well then ¨C please give me your hand, young Lady.¡±

    I slightly lifted my elbow and let Isabe link her arm around it. Of course, because of the height difference between us, it was simply to keep up appearances. For this reason, I utilized her sense of bnce. Looking like I was escorting Isabe, we entered the theatre. Although it seemed like there were no performances that day, a theatre attendant sat at the reception.

    ¡°Oh, dear me! It¡¯s Miss Isabe with¡­¡±

    ¡°I am Isabe¡¯s patron.¡±

    When he heard my words, the man at the reception looked like he really wanted to give his opinion on that. However, when I retaliated with a look that seemed to ask: ¡®Is there a problem?¡¯, he put on a poker face.

    ¡°I apologize for asking this so suddenly, but could you get me the manager?¡±

    ¡°The manager? Certainly, please wait a moment.¡±

    The man politely bowed his head and went through a passage with an entry that was restricted to authorized personnel only.

    ¡°¡­You surprised me. Why did you say you¡¯re my patron? Given your age, wouldn¡¯t it be more convincing if you said that you were the son of my patron or something like that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I said it.¡±

    ¡®A son of a patron made a selfish request to go on a date with Isabe.¡¯ Even thinking about it realistically, something like that was still within the realm of possibility. However, that was precisely why it would likely raise the question of whose son I was. Although somewhat spoiled and willful, I wouldn¡¯t be the patron myself, so I wouldn¡¯t be someone they couldn¡¯t afford to offend without it bing troublesome

    However, if I were a patron myself, then that was apletely different story. ¡®A mysterious child that had sufficient financial means to be someone¡¯s patron.¡¯ Considering my somewhat high-handed self-introduction as well, they didn¡¯t know what sort of thing might offend me. I anticipated them toe to the conclusion that the best n of action was to avoid asking unnecessary questions. Upon exining so, an indescribable expression appeared on Isabe¡¯s face.

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve been thinking this from the first time I¡¯ve met you. You really aren¡¯t an ordinary person, are you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m an exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°No, even if you tell me something like ¡®it¡¯s reasonable for exclusive butlers¡¯¡­¡±

    Isabe appeared to want to say more, but she didn¡¯t add anything after that, because the receptionist from earlier just returned. He emerged from the depth of the hallway, bringing a manÒ»seemingly the managerÒ»along.

    ¡°My apologies for the wait. I am the manager of this theatre. Lady Isabe. And-¡±

    ¡°My name is Fame.¡±

    ¡°Master Fame¡­ was it? Excuse my rudeness, but haven¡¯t we met somewhere before?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re now meeting for the first time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    The man seemed puzzled. He might have seen me somewhere before. However, as I was more or less in disguise today, my real identity was unlikely to get exposed in this situation.

    ¡°What, you want to say something?¡±

    ¡°No, my apologies. Well then, Master Fame, what is your business with us today?¡± he asked politely, despite addressing a child that looked to be no older than thirteen. I guess that was to be expected of a manager.

    ¡°To tell the truth, I am interested in the doll of Light and Darkness.¡±

    ¡°¡­The doll of Light and Darkness?¡±

    With an expression that seemed to say: ¡®I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡¯ he answered in a way that didn¡¯t match the code.

    However-

    ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You know about the doll of Light and Darkness, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I have heard rumors about it. However, to make them into a doll would be a shame.¡±

    The words that shed through my mindÒ»¡®I knew it¡¯Ò»didn¡¯t show up on my face at all. It was probably a way for this man to mislead me, as he was suspicious of me. However, when I uttered the first phrase of the code, I didn¡¯t fail to notice the man¡¯s eyes widening momentarily. Therefore, I continued to question him.

    Moreover, I finished off by saying: ¡°But I heard that there¡¯s a doll maker for whom it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Sure enough-

    ¡°¡­Understood. It¡¯s this way, please.¡±

    The manager bowed politely and led us towards the corridor with the restricted entry. At that moment, Isabe¡¯s arm, still linked with mine, stiffened minutely. Despiteing all the way here, she was probably wishing and hoping that the theatre was not to be involved. I had no idea what the doll maker of Frau was doing, but that was precisely why I couldn¡¯t just let them be. With that purpose in mind, I pulled her arm a little bit closer. Isabe looked at me, looking startled and then she nodded, as if she had gathered her resolve.

    And so, we were led in front of one of the rooms, deep within the theatre. There, the man stopped, told us to ¡®wait here shortly, please¡¯, and, facing the centre of the room, he called out: ¡°Customers are here!¡±

    Before long, a fair-skinned woman in her mid twenties appeared, but ¨C

    ¡°Wee- huh, Sir Butler?¡±

    The moment she saw me, her eyes grew wide. However, she was only frozen for a second before immediately closing the door and standing in front of it, blocking the way.1

    ¡°What is Sir Butler ¨C no, the reputed Master Cyril ¨C doing here?¡±

    ¡°I came to meet the Dollmaker of Frau.¡±

    Now that we hade this far, it wasn¡¯t necessary for me to keep acting, and I addressed her in my usual manner.

    ¡°Sir Butler came out to meet m- ¡­No, um, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, haven¡¯t you clearly acknowledged that you¡¯re the Dollmaker of Frau just now?¡±

    ¡°I d-didn¡¯t! I definitely didn¡¯t!¡±

    She seemed to be awfully panicked. She didn¡¯t even seem to realize that stubbornly insisting that she hadn¡¯t just acknowledged it, in itself, was the same as acknowledging it. Incidentally, it seemed that, at this point, the manager had also noticed her strange behavior, but Isabe was dealing with him and kept him quiet. Therefore, I was able to concentrate on the woman in front of me.

    ¡°Then, what is on the other side of that door?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Since it¡¯s a room, I thought that there would be at least a table or a desk?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hueh? Ah, aah, that¡¯s right. Of course, there¡¯s a table and a desk!¡±

    ¡°Then, would you allow me to take a look at what kind of desk you are using?¡±

    ¡°I-I-I can¡¯t!¡±

    Although she looked panicked, she was simultaneously being very stubborn, which was troublesome. At this point, the sort of crimes that the Dollmaker of Frau wasmitting were all unclear. Now that she insisted that she didn¡¯t know anything, it would also be difficult for her toe up with a bold attack tactic.

    That¡¯s what I thought, but ¨C

    ¡°I- I won¡¯t ever let you through here!¡±

    The instant she said this, she leapt forward. I didn¡¯t expect her to be able to daringly attack me, but that didn¡¯t mean that I was caught off guard. I instinctively cast a silent offensive magic spell while simultaneously trying to narrow down what her aim was.

    Considering her title, the Dollmaker of Frau, there was a chance that she was using some questionable magic or medicine. However, she was empty-handed. She hadn¡¯t been carrying anything earlier, and she hadn¡¯t done anything to suggest that she was going to pull out any hidden weapons either. On the contrary, when she sprang at me, her moves were that of aplete amateur.

    I dodged to the side and as we passed each other, I took hold of her arm. Not liking the way her arm was getting twisted, she pushed her body forward. Using that momentum, I twisted her arm even more and her body turned 180 degrees, arching up.

    ¡°Aaah whoa!?¡±

    It seemed like she was a real beginner, and her body arched more than I expected. Just before the defenseless girl¡¯s back was mmed against the floor, I ced my hands on her back. I stopped my movement and pulled her with my body instead, catching her in my arms.

    ¡°Geez¡­ what were you thinking? A little learning is a dangerous thing, you know?¡±2

    ¡°Haha, whoa, Sir Butler is holding me in his arms¡­ eek!¡±

    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond. When I peered into her face, wondering about it, steam was rising from her head, and she had lost consciousness. I hadn¡¯t the slightest idea of what was going on, but this was our chance.

    ¡°Oh, it appears that she is feeling unwell. I think she should lie down for a bit inside the room,¡± I shamelessly dered, and boldly entered the room to allow her to rest. I thenid her down on a sofa and looked around the room brazenly. And when I caught sight of an area in the inside of the room, sectioned off by a curtain, I gasped.

    When she noticed me doing so, Isabe stepped inside the room. Then, she followed my line of sight and gasped the same way as I did.

    ¡°¡­I see, ¡®the dollmaker of Frau¡¯, huh?¡±

    A young boy and a young girl were sitting on a sofa, right next to each other as if they were cuddling, and there was a young woman lying on a bed. And there were many more scenes such as these filling the room. They looked as if they were alive, but no soul resided inside of them.

    The young boy and young girl sitting on the sofa were scaled-down dolls of Fol, in the role of Aurelia, and me, in the role of Alfred from the y ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯. As I had memories of my previous world, I recalled the term ¡®figurine¡¯.

    ¡°Those, I¡­ that¡¯s!¡±

    The dollmaker of Frau woke up, realized that we were looking at the dolls, and jumped to her feet. Then she ran in front of the dolls with astonishing speed, obstructing the view of them.3

    ¡°Th-thi-this isn¡¯t what you think!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if it is or not, one of those dolls is definitely me.¡±

    ¡°N-no, that is¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s an idental resemnce?¡±

    ¡°As if it could be.¡±

    Letting out an ¡®uh-oh¡¯, she involuntarily fell to the ground. However, since it seemed that she still nned on ying innocent, we weren¡¯t going to make any progress like this. I turned my gaze towards the manager, who had now walked into the room, the color draining from his face. The fact that he didn¡¯t obstruct me despite things getting to this point must be because he had realized my real identity. Although I gave off a different impression because of the disguise, my face was still the same.

    ¡°¡­Mister manager, you knew about this, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°N-no, that is¡­ that¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still trying to say that you¡¯re not involved, despite knowing the code?¡±

    ¡°I-I deeply apologize!¡±

    The manager got down on his hands and knees and began to exin. Apparently, he approached the doll maker of Frau and had her secretly make dolls of the theatre¡¯s leading actors and actresses.

    And since the dollmaker of Frau would asionally go see the school festival¡¯s ys as well, they set their sights on ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, which had be the talk of the royal city.

    However, to wilfully recreate the image of the daughter of a marquis or the daughter of an earl ¨C not to mention the image of a prince- was very problematic. Because of that, they just produced dolls of Fol and me.

    ¡°Then, what does it mean that you had set your sights on Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Th-that is, um¡­ Your doll was getting sold for an unusually high price, and that became a secret hot topic. And, since there were people who said that they would pay <i>any</i> price for a doll of Lady Sophia¡­¡±

    ¡°So you were blinded by your greed?¡±

    Certainly, this wasn¡¯t something I could praise them for. To be fair, if one were to check thews of this kingdom, even selling dolls or pictures of actors and actresses without their permission, it wouldn¡¯t be regarded as a crime. However, that was only the case when those actors weremoners. It was a different story if they were nobility. And on top of that, Fol was actually royalty.

    I couldn¡¯t simply disregard all this and give them a stern warning, but, officially, they still hadn¡¯t created anything besides dolls based onmoners. If I were to push too much, that would most likely invite spections regarding Fol¡¯s true identity.

    As I puzzled over what I should do, I discovered a register.

    ¡°Is this¡­ the customer register?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was lucky or not, but, among the doll buyers¡¯ names, there weren¡¯t any that I recognized. However, among the names of the people who wanted a doll of Lady Sophia, one rang a bell.

    It was a fake name, but I feared that, probably, it was¡­

    ¡°Mister manager, Dollmaker of Frau. If you ept my conditions, I shall turn a blind eye to this incident.¡±

    ¡°Y-you really will?¡±

    Light appeared in the eyes of the two, who had believed up until that point that they were about to die.

    ¡°I truly will. First off, please get permission from the models the dolls are based on. Since you also sell their name, it can benefit the actors as well. If you offer them somepensation, most will probably agree to it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood, I promise to get their permission without exception.¡±

    The manager¡¯splexion still wasn¡¯t looking good, probably due to him thinking of the cost of getting permission. However, I was sure that, before long, he¡¯d notice that, by getting permission, they would be able to get more detailed references and such.

    The more important issue was that they had already sold a doll of a royal member, Her Highness Folcenia, without permission. Although I had a hunch that she would happily cooperate with them, I needed to consider the worst case scenario. Therefore-

    ¡°Then, next, you will recover the dolls based on anyone whose permission you didn¡¯t get.¡°

    ¡°Th-that is¡­ I will do my best, but some of the customers are nobles, so¡­¡±

    ¡°If necessary, consider bringing up Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s name as well.¡±

    Brandishing political power couldn¡¯t be considered a good move. However, Fol had faked her identity because she was fated to die of an illness soon. She escaped that fate, so it was very likely that she would be active as a member of the royalty. It would be disrespectful to own a doll of a royal member, not to mention creating one without permission. In the unlikely event that she wouldn¡¯t give them her permission, even if the dolls had to be recovered by using the name of a marquis household, everyone involved would probably feel grateful eventually.

    ¡°These are the two conditions. In addition, I will also help you to acquire permission from the academy¡¯s students.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Then, please, certainly, help us with getting Lady Sophia¡¯s permission as well!¡±

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s try and ask her.¡±

    Somehow, the result of that seemed obvious to me but¡­ I didn¡¯t share my spection.

    After that, Fol, unsurprisingly gave her permission with great relish, and the other members of the Student Council gave their permission in exchange for getting the dolls from the ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ series. The Dollmaker of Frau began to sell the dolls officially but¡­ well, this was all ater development.

    After dealing with issues such as forbidding them from mentioning Isabe¡¯s cooperation, we withdrew. I turned to Isabe as we returned to the main city square.

    ¡°Miss Isabe, your information was extraordinarily useful this time. I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on, as well.¡±

    ¡°Then, may I be so bold as to hope for a reward?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ How about this?¡±

    I threw a potato that I had taken out from my pocket to her.

    ¡°¡­Um, are you messing around with me?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m totally serious. You don¡¯t know potatoes?¡±

    ¡°I do. They¡¯re really popr in the royal city right now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although the demand for them is rising, they are not grown anywhere in this kingdom besides Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s territory. Moreover, making up for their several faults, they have an unusually huge advantage to them: they are easy to grow on any kind ofnd.¡±

    ¡°In other words¡­ what you¡¯re trying to say is that I should send them to my hometown?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely correct.¡±

    I told her about my n for growing this tuber in the territories of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction members. Moreover, when I mentioned the name of Count Ford¡¯s territory, Pam¡¯s home, Isabe¡¯s expression changed. Her hometown was also in this territory.

    ¡°I will rmend the potatoes to be distributed to your home vige as well, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Would something like that¡­ be possible?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Lady Pam¡¯s home was put down as a candidate to begin with. Therefore, doing something such as including your home vige in the potato-cultivating areas will not be a problem.¡±

    As I exined, Isabe put her hand to her mouth and her eyes widened. Likely, she realized how much this reward would affect her poor vige.

    ¡°Is it really alright¡­ for you to do so much for me?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is a special asion. I cannot do this every time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Thank you, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d go this far for me.¡±

    ¡°The most important thing is that it¡¯s to your liking. When you obtain some information again, please, do let me know.¡±

    I bid Isabe farewell and turned on my heel, but, just as I was about to leave, Isabe called out to me and I turned back around. Isabe¡¯s face was right in front of me.

    ¡°This is my thank you for the surprise,¡± she whispered to me as she hugged me, bringing her mouth close to my ear. Then she drew back, and said: ¡°Send my regards to Lady Sophia, alright?¡± and ran off.

    ¡°¡­Now you¡¯ve gone and done it,¡± I muttered as I watched her retreating back.

    Like this, the busy day came to an end. When I returned to the manor, as I expected, Rouch¨¦ was waiting for me in front of my room, out of breath.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the Lady¡¯s¡­ ah, she¡¯s in my room, isn¡¯t she? I¡¯m just letting you know that-¡±

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t report Isabe¡¯s prank to her. So, please, hurry and exin it to Lady Sophia.¡±

    When I was shoved into the room, Lady Sophia was waiting for me, standing tall, her arms crossed.4 It seemed that the one tailing me had been Rouch¨¦, after all. Lady Sophia had probably heard all sorts of information from her as she hurriedly returned before me.

    ¡°Cyril, you said so yourself, right? That it wasn¡¯t a date. You said so, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I don¡¯t go on dates.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me such lies?!¡±

    Her pupils were dyed red, and her hair fluttered with magic. Because of her magical overcharge illness, both her magic and emotions ran wild. However, I was used to this. I walked towards my Lady and presented her with a little bundle I had taken out of my pocket.

    ¡°¡­Huh? What is this?¡±

    ¡°A present. I thought that it might suit you so I bought it for you, my Lady.¡±

    I retrieved a corsage from the bundle. It was a red rose corsage that I had discovered at the shop that sold the blue rose corsage. The red corsage was a variation of it. It wasn¡¯t a product with a quality that was adequate for a young Lady of a marquis household, but¡­

    ¡°If you like, please put it on the next time you sneak out.¡±

    ¡°D-did you perhaps go into the city to buy this, Cyril? And going with Miss Isabe, too, was it because you wanted her to help you pick out a present for me?¡±

    I gave her a smile without saying anything. It wasn¡¯t affirmation, but it wasn¡¯t unusual for silence to be understood as affirmation either. It seemed that Lady Sophia was also misled in the end,

    ¡±So it was like that¡­,¡± she said and smiled happily.

    Well that didn''t go as I expected :D. At least no one''s doing voodoo dolls to harm Sophia I guess! Thank you for reading! A chapter from Cyril''s father''s POV is up next!<ol><li>Verb here implies that she has her legs and arms spread wide so I think it¡¯s safe to imagine she is doing a starfish-like pose.</li><li>Éú±ø·¨¤Ï´ó¹ÖÎÒ¤Î¤â¤È ¨C ¡®namabyouhou wa ookega no moto¡¯ ¨C basically if you have rudimentary knowledge of something and then act on it, it can lead to injuries/harm.</li><li>Same verb used here as before, she is starfishing in front of them.</li><li>ÈÊÍõÁ¢¤Á¤ò¤·¤¿ ¨C ¡®nioudachi wo shita¡¯, it means to draw yourself to your full height, strike a daunting pose; google searches suggest that it specifically means poses like this, with legs apart.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 40: Side story: Sir Butlers father

    ¡°Sir Cedric, I brought you tea.¡±

    As I filed documents in the office, a maid brought over tea and some sweets. Apparently, that day I would be served ck tea brewed from tea leaves grown on the Marquis Rosenberg territory, and some biscuits that would go well with it.

    I thanked the maid and put the biscuit into my mouth. However, it didn¡¯t seem like the maid was going to take her leave, even once I continued to eat. I guessed that she had some business to discuss with me, so I swallowed the biscuit and looked at her.

    ¡°What can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°I was tasked by the missus to ask for advice regarding Sir Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Tell me, what is it about?¡±

    Cyril is my son. As the exclusive butler of the current head of the Marquis Rosenberg household, Master Grave, I stayed over at the estate often, entrusting our child¡¯s upbringing to my wife. Cyril had just begun to understand what was going on around him, so he probably was getting up to all kinds of mischief. Therefore, I assumed that the things she wanted advice on would be of that nature, but-

    ¡°She wants permission to enter the library1.¡±

    My eyebrows knitted as I heard the matter. It would be different if it were a servant, but I had no reason to restrict my wife from entering the library. Of course, this applied to taking books out as well. She didn¡¯t need to seek my permission if she wanted to read to our son aloud or something of the sort.Nevertheless, she<i> was</i> asking for my permission. In other words, she was certainly asking whether she could allow Cyril to enter the library and freely read the books there. Although Cyril had just be aware of the world around him, it was decided that he would be Lady Sophia¡¯s butler in the future, as they were close in age. So I myself had already decided to provide him a special education for gifted children.

    However-

    ¡°I <i>did</i> say that he should be brought up strictly. However, my wife and I had bothe to the decision that it was essential to start with his value education first¡­¡±

    It could be said that servants who simply did as their master told them to were just third-rate. Those who acted with an understanding of the intentions behind their orders were second-rate, and only those who understood the intention of their master and acted upon it even without being told anything were first-rate. Value education was essential for raising a servant to be capable of reading minds.

    ¡°Of course, the missus and I are both aware. However, it seems to be at Master Cyril¡¯s request. He said that he wished to go to the library and read all the books there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril¡¯s request?¡±

    My son had only just be capable of carrying a conversation, and he was putting his utmost efforts into holding a pen. I didn¡¯t understand why he wished to enter the library.

    ¡°The madam says that he had already finished learning how to read and write in the blink of an eye. However, Cyril said that he wanted to read more kinds of books because he was unsure of his literary skills.¡±

    I found this sudden news unbelievable, but at the same time, my wife and the maid had no reason to lie. In order to confirm whether something was happening to my son by myself, I decided to return home after a long time.

    When I returned to the mansion after a week of absence, my wife came out to greet me.

    ¡°Wee back, dear.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m home¡­2 I apologize for leaving everything regarding Cyril¡¯s education to you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There was no way for the both of us to take a leave from work.¡±

    Although she was on temporary leave at the moment, my wife also worked as the exclusive maid of the wife of the current head of the Rosenberg Marquis household. That meant that she had an understanding for my work, which I relied on. Therefore, I hugged my beloved wife and put my lips to her ear.

    ¡°I am very grateful. Thank you for everything.¡± Then I took in my wife¡¯s warmth after a long time of not being able to do so, but then I immediately drew back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have much time. I heard that Cyril has learned to write and wants to go to the library¡­ Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. He¡¯s learning words with a truly astonishing speed, and he said that he would like to go to the library because he wants to learn more different kinds of expressions.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    A child that had just be aware of his surroundings had learned characters3 in the blink of an eye and he was even able to read and write. I couldn¡¯t say that this waspletely unheard of. From time to time, children who showed traits of genius were born into my family. To give a recent example, Tristan had an impossibly great memory, and he was called a child prodigy par excellence4.

    It would be a joyous thing if Cyril were a child prodigy, but at the same time, it would also be something to worry about.

    ¡°How is his value education going?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I thought that I should try and have him keep a pet, but he said that he wouldn¡¯t be able to look after it by himself. It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯spletely uninterested in animals, but¡­¡±

    Child prodigies often had a tendency to look down on others. At first, Tristan was also very stubborn regarding this matter, and his family were anxious about whether they would be able to let him serve someone. If Cyril was another Tristan, we would have to put extra effort into his value education. In order to confirm this issue as well, I decided to go meet my son.

    ¡°Cyril, it¡¯s been a while.¡±

    I knocked on the door of Cyril¡¯s room and entered. My son, who had a maid keeping himpany, looked up at me and answered with a slight lisp: ¡°Ah, Father. It has indeed been a long time.5¡±

    I felt uneasy but at first, I didn¡¯t realize why. However, then I immediately noticed that his manner of speech itself was unbelievable. He just became able to pronounce ¡®Papa¡¯ and ¡®Mama¡¯ 6 just a little while ago, and he had only just be able to speak in broken sentences. After just a couple weeks of not seeing him, this very same Cyril was suddenly speaking like an adult.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that manner of speech?¡±

    ¡°I heard the servants speaking like this and I learned it right away.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see?¡±

    It was a well-known fact that children learn words by listening to the conversations of others around them. Although we weremoners, we were a prestigious family that had served in the Rosenberg Marquis household for generations, so we had many servants in the house. Therefore, learning a pattern of speech to match wasn¡¯t too strange in itself. However, just a few minutes ago, when I said ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ Cyril answered with ¡®It has indeed been a long time.¡¯7

    He couldn¡¯t possibly have already grasped the way to use different phrases in different situations, could he? If that were the case, that would mean that he had not only learned the words, but that he even understood when to use the phrases depending on the situation. The words ¡®a seconding of Tristan¡¯ shed through my head. I had an unending list of questions, but this wasn¡¯t something to be discussed in front of a maid. I was at a loss regarding how to ask this when Cyril broached the topic first.

    ¡°I would like to have a talk with you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t see why not. Then, if everyone else could please leave the room?¡±

    As I took advantage of this opening and made use of my son¡¯s words Ò» I suddenly came to a realization. I had to wonder if the words he had just said could have been carefully chosen to serve as an excuse to get the maid to leave. If he were a skilled, experienced servant, being this attentive to others to this degree wouldn¡¯t be astonishing. However, this was something that was impossible for a child who had just begun to understand the world around them.

    ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯ I shook off my foolish thoughts. Surely, Cyril being a seconding of Tristan was out of the question. This sort of thing was practically impossible for a child that had only learned to speak a few days ago. In either case, after the maid left, I confronted him.

    ¡°Why do you want to have permission to use the library? I¡¯ve been told that it¡¯s because you want to learn all sorts of expressions, but it¡¯s not just that, is it?¡±

    If Cyril were an ordinary child, I could believe that purpose as the reason for his request.

    However, by now, I had absolutely no doubts that Cyril wasn¡¯t a normal child. If he were, there would be more efficient ways to learn different phrases, such as getting hold of a servant or asking for a book with different kinds of expressions in it. Since he had requested to be able toe and go from the library freely, he must have had more objectives other than that.

    ¡°¡­As I expected of you, Father. Certainly, I do have an objective. However, as it¡¯s a very preposterous wish, I cannot say it right now.¡±

    ¡°Is there something more preposterous than you speaking so formally?¡±

    ¡°If you feel like the way I speak is preposterous, then I really cannot talk about it.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re¡­¡±

    Aftering here, I could no longer deny my son¡¯s abnormality. However, if this was true, then Cyril¡¯s mysterious objective had to be something even more absurd. I unconsciously looked up at the heavens in despair¡­ and then I massaged the space between my brows and exhaled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way, so why don¡¯t you just tell me what that objective is?¡±

    After I encouraged him, Cyril looked at me, as if was searching for the true meaning behind my words. A child that had barely achieved self-awareness looked as if he was going to oppose me, the exclusive butler who worked for the current head of the Rosenberg Marquis household. This fact made my heart pound.

    ¡°I am more than aware that you aren¡¯t a normal child. Since that¡¯s the case, I promise to make my decision based on what you say and not on what you look like. So you can tell me what you truly wish.¡±

    Our eyes met. More than ten, twenty seconds went by. Then Cyril, finally, slowly opened his mouth.

    ¡°¡­My wish is to be an exclusive butler, and take care of Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°So you want to be an exclusive butler? If that¡¯s the case, you will eventually-¡±

    Before I could continue, Cyril shook his head.

    ¡°¡®Eventually¡¯ would be toote.¡±

    It was normal for children to remark that they wanted to be adults soon. However, I didn¡¯t sense any childish sentiments like ¡®I want to quickly be an exclusive butler so that I can be acknowledged as a grown-up¡¯ from Cyril.

    ¡­No, that wasn¡¯t what I had promised. I had promised not to do any judgements based on him being just a child. Given that, I had to decide what to do based on whether Cyril did or did not have sufficient abilities to be an exclusive butler.

    In other words-

    ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot appoint you as Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler as you are now.¡±

    ¡°¡­May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°You certainly sound like a grown-up, but your demeanor is still unrefined. Moreover, you let your feelings show on your face. However, above anything else, you¡¯re very bad at negotiation. You¡¯re not yet good enough to be an exclusive butler.¡±

    I told him all of the reasons I could think of why he couldn¡¯t be an exclusive butler yet. Although he was certainly holding his own even whenpared to other servants in training, he was nowhere near good enough to be an exclusive butler. That was the conclusion I reached once I decided not to judge Cyril as a child.

    These were extremely harsh words to say to a child that had just became aware of his surroundings. However, Cyril just smiled.

    ¡°In that case, I just need to be good enough to be an exclusive butler, right?¡± he asked, even after these unkind words that would make a regr child burst into tears had been thrown at him.

    ¡°¡­What are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I will devote myself to obtain the appropriate skills required of an exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡®Interesting,¡¯ I thought. At that point, I had begun to consider allowing Cyril to study as he wished. However, before I could make that call, there were several things that I needed to confirm.

    ¡°Cyril, I heard that you refused to raise a pet?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even if they are animals with short lives¡­ no, precisely because they have short lifespans, I cannot care for them irresponsibly. And since I want to be Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, so it¡¯s like that.¡±

    When taking care of a pet in order to acquire emotional skills, the pets that were taken care of were usually ones with a short lifespan. I began working as a servant about ten years after I became aware of the world around me. That was because it was at that age that I was able to learn how precious life was after losing someone dear to me.

    However, if one wanted to be an exclusive butler earlier on, they would be unable to continue to take care of them for their full lifespan. It was precisely because Cyril already understood the value of life that he said that he couldn¡¯t take care of a pet.

    ¡°As long as you understand how precious life is, then I have no problem with it. Also, you have my permission to go to the library as often as you like. If there¡¯s anything else you want to learn, you can do so to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Thus, I permitted Cyril to study as he wished. I was excited to see how Cyril would grow, so I decided to watch over my son¡¯s development closely.

    However, there was one thing that bothered me. Cyril had never left the mansion. In other words, he had yet to meet the young Lady. I was asking myself why he was so desperately determined to be her exclusive butler despite that.

    Thinking of the possibility that he was simply showing interest in someone of the opposite gender who was of simr age, I tried pairing him up with a female rtive, making them partner up to practice serving each other. But he didn¡¯t show any untoward behaviour even once. If anything, the girl that he had been taking care of so devotedly ended up liking Cyril. However, it ended pitifully, with Cyril dismissing her feelings.

    I had expected Cyril not to make a move on her, but I hadn¡¯t expected her to end up pining after Cyril. When I confessed to my wife that I inadvertently caused the girl¡¯s pitiful situation, she answered that it was unsurprising it ended this way, because Cyril took after me.

    ¡­But I had always been devoted to my wife, so I didn¡¯t quite understand what she meant.

    Thank you so much for reading! Some of the words used this chapter were quite hard to pinpoint, so big thank you to my editor barebones and proofreader ahnahsy, they really went above and beyond! <3

    Thank you everyone for your support! Next side story is from Alicia''s point of view~. After that, there''s just two side chapters left (I believe they are quite short, so I might be able to post them together in one week, but no promises yet). And then it''s the long awaited Volume three!<ol><li>‡í•øÊÒ ¨C ¡®toshoshitsu¡¯ refers to a library room inside a house/building/school, so she¡¯s not asking about a public library or something of the sort, but about their library room at home.</li><li>literally he says: ¡®Yes, I¡¯ve juste back¡¯, but I felt that doesn¡¯t sound too natural in English.</li><li> Raws imply that the characters in the book use the japanese system of writing, so what Cyril has learned so quickly were kanji, not only letters of the alphabet, which makes it so much more impressive.</li><li>literally: a child prodigy that is born once every hundred years, one in a hundred years child prodigy, it sounds a bit clumsy in English.</li><li>Cyril says:¤¢¡¢¸¸ÉÏ¡£¤ª¾Ã¤·¤Ö¤ê¤Ç¤¹ ¨C ¡®A, chichiue. Ohishashiburi desu.¡¯ ¡®Chichiue¡¯ is a polite way of saying ¡®father¡¯, and he also used ¡®o¡¯ in ¡®ohishaburi¡¯ and ended the sentence with ¡®desu¡¯. These are all expressions used in politenguage. His father used casual expressions, so Cyril wasn¡¯t just copying what his father said either.</li><li>¸¸¤µ¤ó- ¡®tousan¡¯, Ä¸¤µ¤ó ¨C ¡®kaasan¡¯, tried my best to express that these are far off from ¡®chichiue¡¯.</li><li>apologies for the number of notes, but here, Cedric is trying to say that while he addressed Cyril casually, Cyril answered him using politenguage.</li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 41: Side Story: A maiden in love is unstoppable

    My name is Alicia. I am the daughter of Viscount Lindberg. I was raised to be quite carefree, but that day, I was very nervous. It was because I was attending the First Prince¡¯s birthday party.

    ¡°Alicia. We¡¯re going to go greet everyone, so go wait for us somewhere. You mustn¡¯t act carelessly towards other nobles, do you understand?¡±

    As a reminder, my mother repeated these words to me once more at the entrance of the dazzling birthday party venue. Normally, a child such as myself wouldn¡¯t attend any big parties like this. However, the First Prince¡¯s birthday party was an exception, and many other children like me were in attendance as well.

    But it was essential for a child of a Viscount, such as myself, to behave prudently, precisely for that reason. This was because a Viscount was considered a low-ranked noble. How big the gap between a high-ranked noble and low-ranked noble was could be exined by pointing out that many of the servants that apanied high-ranked nobles were from low-ranked noble families.

    In other words, they couldn¡¯t oppose the others, no matter the reason. If I were to get in an argument or something of the sort, it would cause my father and mother a great deal of trouble. Since I had already been warned of this many times, I understood it well at this point.

    ¡°I will quietly wait in a corner somewhere, it will be alright.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not ideal either but¡­ in your current situation, that might be a good solution.¡±

    From what my mother told me, it was very important to acquire a high-ranked noble¡¯s patronage. She said that, if this patronage were attained, your world would change all at once, because other nobles wouldn¡¯t be able to justy their hands on you anymore. However, my etiquette skills were still poor and I was more likely to anger a high-ranked noble instead, so it seemed like the safer choice was for me to stay quiet. Since my private tutor had told me the same thing over and over as well, there really was no room for me to object.

    Given that, I went to stand in a corner of the venue quietly so that I wouldn¡¯t make any careless mistakes. When I looked around me, I saw that there were a few children who seemed to feel as out of ce as I was. Likely, they were all children of low-ranked nobles like myself. When I made eye contact with them, they gave me awkward smiles.I introduced myself and started talking to them. There was a daughter of a baron among the children as well, but I didn¡¯t mind it. When I said that we should be friends since we¡¯re all low-ranked nobles, she stared at me in wonder.

    It seemed that, for a while, I was sessful at creating an amicable atmosphere among the fellow low-ranked nobles.

    But-

    ¡°Oh ho, I thought that this was some kind of a low-ranked noble assembly, but there¡¯s a pretty good-looking maiden here, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    This tactless voice suddenly reached us. When I lifted my head, startled, a very egoistic-looking boy was looking down at me as if he was confirming his prey. That alone made me realize that this boy was one of those people that we couldn¡¯t oppose.

    ¡°You, girl. I, the son of Count Reed, am talking to you! Are you not going to introduce yourself to me?¡±

    ¡°I-I apologize. My name is Alicia, of the Lindberg Viscount family.¡±

    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re from a viscount family? I was just starting to feel terribly bored. Keep mepany for a while.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Um¡­ that is¡­¡±

    At that moment, my mind was dominated by fear. Under no conditions was I to go against someone of a higher rank. Despite being aware of this, I couldn¡¯t help but feel scared of going with him. I looked around myself, terrified, but I was only faced with looks of pity. As if to say that they didn¡¯t want to get involved, the other children left.

    ¡°What are you doing? Come here, quickly.¡±

    He reached out with his rough hand. I shut my eyes in fear, but, but, no matter how many seconds passed, his hand didn¡¯t touch me.

    ¡°She clearly doesn¡¯t like it. So how about you stop?¡±

    When I opened my eyes in surprise at the dignified voice, a broad back stretched before me. I knew that this back was shielding me, and I felt my heart thundering in my chest.

    ¡°Hah? What are you spouting? Are you saying this despite knowing I¡¯m the son of Count Reed?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you are the son of Count Reed? Then, would it be better for me to extend myints to Count Reed afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Wh- tha-that¡¯s. Ugh! That won¡¯t be necessary!¡±

    After just a short exchange, he managed to chase the noble away by using the one thing the other was afraid of. I didn¡¯t know how to express what feelings enveloped me in regards to this person.

    And then-

    ¡°Are you alright, youngdy?¡±

    As I nced at the boy, who was looking at me with worry, I became aware of my own pulse, pounding my chest like the constant ringing of an rm bell. <i>W-what is wrong with me? Why, why is my heart pounding like this?</i>

    ¡°Youngdy? Er, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? Ah. I-I¡¯m alright.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m d that you were unharmed.¡±

    ¡°¡­eh?! A¡­u-u-u-um, about that¡­ th-thank you very much!¡±

    <i>I- I don¡¯t know why, but my heart is pounding. Calm down, I have to calm down! This boy has easily brushed aside the son of a Count. If I don¡¯t pull myself together, I will end up doing something rude!</i>

    ¡°Well then, I shall take my leave here.¡±

    The boy who saved me turned on his heel.<i> I will quietly watch him leave now, like the low-ranked noble that I¡­ huh? But, I haven¡¯t expressed my gratitude to him yet. I mean, I didn¡¯t even ask for his name.</i> If I were to just watch him leave now, it all would end-

    ¡°U-um, I am Alicia. The daughter of Viscount Lindberg. May I ask your name?¡±

    Before I knew it, I had taken hold of the boy¡¯s clothing. My heart beat anxiously wondering if he would say that I was being rude, and if he would get mad at me. But he didn¡¯t look offended in the slightest and told me that his name was Cyril. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t a noble, but a butler.

    ¡°I apologize if I made you feel ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, I am a mere low-ranked noble myself, so I don¡¯t mind!¡±

    I might be a maid in the future as well. So when it came to social status, a butler was of a higher rank than a low-ranked¡­ noticing what I was thinking, I hurriedly tried to shake these thoughts off. But the thundering in my chest had yet to settle down.

    ¡°Um¡­ If you don¡¯t mind it, may I have this dance with you?¡±

    When I came to my senses, I realized I had just pleaded for a dance with him. A plea for a danceing from a girl was considered a highly unusual act. It wasn¡¯t like I had forgotten that, but¡­ uh¡­ my emotions were running wild, and I wasn¡¯t able to stop myself.

    When I remembered thister on, I would feel so embarrassed that it felt like my face would burst into mes, but¡­ but, even if I had the chance to do it over again, I am certain that I would make the same choice.

    That was how wonderful the memory of dancing with Cyril was.1

    ¡°Lady Alicia, did something happen at the party?¡±

    ¡°Huh, wh-why would you think so?¡±

    Melissa, the maid who hade to pick me up, asked me that while we were sitting inside a carriage on our way home. I realized that my voice had cracked.

    ¡°Why would I think so¡­ well, there¡¯s a huge smile on your face.¡±

    ¡°T-there¡¯s not. ¡­There¡¯s not, right?¡±

    ¡°Here you go, please take a look.¡±

    When Melissa thrusted a hand mirror at me, I was speechless. No matter how I looked, reflected in the mirror was a happy-go-lucky looking young girl with a besotted expression on her face2.

    ¡°I-I am not¡­ making¡­ such a face¡­¡±

    ¡°Mirrors don¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Ah, uh¡­¡±

    How should I put it¡­? It was extremely embarrassing. Or rather, on second thought, since I went as far as to beg for a dance, wouldn¡¯t the boy think of me as a shameful girl? Ah, but Cyril had been so cool, leading my unskilled self so smoothly during the dance¡­

    ¡°You are grinning again. Truly, what happened? If you tell me, depending on the situation, I might be able to help you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, you really would?¡±

    Unconsciously, I stared at Melissa¡¯s face without blinking.

    ¡°Yes. I am your maid, young Lady. Your happiness is my happiness.¡±

    ¡°In-in that case, I want to ask you something¡­

    With little to no preamble, I told her about Cyril saving me.

    ¡°A young man who looked like a noble but that imed to be a butler, you say? So what did you want to ask me about, youngdy?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ after I got saved by Cyril, for some reason my heart kept pounding and I couldn¡¯t calm down. Have I fallen ill with some kind of sickness?¡±

    ¡°¡­After he saved you, you say? The youngdy being this innocent is so cute¡­ but I am in a pickle whether to tell you or not.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would help me?¡±

    When I looked up at her sulkingly, Melissa let out a small sigh.

    ¡°Alright. I did say that I would help you. Therefore, I will tell you about the feeling that took hold of you. It¡¯s¡­ love.¡±

    ¡°¡­Glove? Where is it?¡±3

    ¡°Love, romantic feelings. It means to like someone.¡±

    ¡°Huh, I- I like¡­ Cyril¡­?¡±

    The moment I said this, my chest began to pound again. But now, I understood what the emotions swelling up inside my chest were, and my face went bright red.

    ¡°Please calm down, youngdy. Getting flustered like this won''t do you any good.¡±

    I gasped at this strict sentence. I suddenly felt an awful sense of foreboding.

    ¡°Melissa, what do you mean by saying that¡­ it won¡¯t do me any good?¡±

    ¡°The most desirable future for you, Lady Alicia, is to marry a prominent noble. In case that it won¡¯te to fruition, there is still the option for you to get employed by a high-ranked noble as a maid or something of the sort, but¡­¡±

    ¡°If she were to find out that I like Cyril, would my mother be against it?¡±

    ¡°It also depends on which noble he¡¯s working for, but she definitely won¡¯t be pleased.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Suddenly it felt as if everything around me lost its color. I had been raised in a rather free-spirited way, and this was precisely the reason why I felt that I should live for the sake of the Lindberg Viscount household so strongly. My feelings of affection towards Cyril and the fact that I wouldn¡¯t be useful to my family fought each other inside of me.

    ¡°Please stop making that face. I said that I would help you out, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    I quickly lifted my head and asked her, ¡°What do you mean?¡± and waited for the rest of Melissa¡¯s words.

    ¡°The master and madam wishing for you to marry a prominent noble is just because they have the interests of the family, as well as your happiness in mind, mydy. With that being the case, if you were able to fulfill these two criteria¡­¡±

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t mind even if my partner was Cyril?¡±

    Melissa answered my question with a nod. However, I wasn¡¯t sure if marriage with Cyril, who was a butler, would be of any benefit to our family.

    ¡°Tell me, Melissa. How do I get my father to be on my side?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡°

    ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    At this point, her saying was just too harsh.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know who Cyril works for, and we don¡¯t know why he was dressed like a noble, either. It¡¯s impossible to make any ns without knowing that much.¡±

    ¡°In other words¡­ you¡¯re telling me to gather information?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If we have information, I might figure out a way to persuade the master and madam. However, even if you had the information, it would be meaningless if you couldn¡¯t make use of it.¡±

    ¡°¡­You mean to say that I¡¯m inexperienced.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re working very hard, youngdy. I know that well. However, I think that, to make your wishe true, doing things the way you have so far won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­ you¡¯re right¡­.¡±

    I thought of Cyril. Given his height, we must have been roughly of the same age. And yet, he was so mature that I couldn¡¯t evenpare to him. As I was now, there was no way for me to stand by his side.

    ¡°Melissa, please, teach me more and more from now on.¡±

    ¡°May I be stricter than before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Please, be so strict that my parents will agree to me joining the Academy starting middle school.¡±

    Taking our age into consideration, it was very likely that we would be able to meet again at the Academy. In order to meet him again, and to get to know him better, I was certain that it was essential for me to attend the Academy from middle school level.

    Therefore, I changed my attitude from that day onwards, and, starting with etiquette, I began to concentrate on my studies. Melissa and my tutors were very strict, but thanks to my efforts I was sessful in gaining my father¡¯s permission to start at the Academy.

    Although I felt as if I had simply worn him out with my persistence in the end.

    At any rate, having snatched permission to attend the Academy, I continued to search for Cyril at school, and atst, I was able to meet him again at the New Students Wee Party.

    ¡­¡­I was able to meet Cyril, and an unbelievably beautiful young Lady who he stood next to, so close as if they were huddling together.

    Thank you for reading! Sorry for the reupload, something went wrong with the footnotes when I first posted.

    Next up is a very very short chapter, however, I won''t be posting a second chapter along with it this time. Since the prologue for the third volume ising up and prologues in this book seem always quite long, I want to use the extra time to make sure I can post it in one go. Thank you for understanding!<ol><li> Alicia always uses ¡®san¡¯ when talking about Cyril in this chapter (as well as the novel if I remember correctly), but since ¡®Mister Cyril¡¯ might sound too formal and there really aren¡¯t many better alternatives, I will keep it as ¡®Cyril¡¯. </li><li> î^¤ÎÖÐ¤¬¤ª»¨®x¤Ë¤Ê¤Ã¤¿ ¨C ¡®atama no naka ga ohanabatake ni natta¡¯ ¨C as if the inside of her head became a field of flowers. Used to describe someone overly optimistic, happy-go-lucky. Basically she is supposed to be looking a little dazed and but very happy, her expression is literally expressed as being ¡®sloppy, slovenly¡¯. I thought ¡®besotted¡¯ might be a good equivalent. </li><li>There is a pun here that my editor and I replicated, I changed the meaning ordingly in English, the original is this: in Japanese, the term for love Melissa used Áµ ¨C ¡®koi¡¯ sounds the same as the imperative of ¡®kuru¡¯ ¨C À´¤¤ ¡®koi¡¯ ¨C e (here)¡¯, which is what Alicia thinks she¡¯s saying., so she asks ¡°Come? Where are you telling me to go?¡± </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 42: Apology Side Story: A maiden in love wants to be thrown

    Author¡¯s note:1

    I¡¯m very sorry.

    I had nned on releasing a new limited story today together with the release of the cover, but I misremembered the official public release date, and so the release of everything ended up being dyed.

    Therefore, today I am releasing this apology side story as well as telling you this. When I was informed of this yesterday, I immediately began writing, so please, forgive me for it being short. It seems like the cover and side stories will be officially released on the 25th.

    As for the main story, the third volume is about 80% written at this moment. After I finish writing, it will get revised, but I n on starting to post it during this month.

    ¡ª

    ¡°Rouch¨¦! Hey, Rouch¨¦! What are those people doing?¡±

    Lady Sophia, who had just be my master a few days ago, dramatically tilted her head to the side in puzzlement. When I followed her line of sight, feeling endeared by her gesture, I saw the knights of the Rosenberg Marquis household, training in bare-handedbat.

    ¡°They are practising jujutsu. I¡¯ve heard that they make use of the opponent¡¯s strength to send him flying and things like that.¡±¡°The opponent¡¯s strength¡­ whoa¡­¡±

    A knight of a small build flung a huge man through the air before us. Then he leaned onto his opponent, whose back was pressed to the ground, and pinned him down. As she watched this happen, the young Lady asked something absurd.

    ¡°Can I do this too?¡±

    ¡®The young Lady had gotten interested in something troublesome,¡¯ I thought, and frowned. It wasn¡¯t unusual for young Ladies to learn self-defense. However, they started learning it when they got a little bit older. There was no way I could let a young Lady whose age didn¡¯t even reach two digits yet learn something like self-defense. It was too dangerous.

    That was what I thought, and yet-

    ¡°Cyril, Cyril! Jujutsu? Teach me!¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°As she wishes?!¡±

    Cyril, who just happened toe out from a hallway, had immediately agreed to Lady Sophia¡¯s request. I couldn¡¯t acknowledge these words as those of my superior, whoÒ»although he was the same as Lady SophiaÒ»was for some reason absurdly mature.

    ¡°W-wait a second, Cyril, pleasee here.¡±

    I grabbed Cyril¡¯s arm and I pulled him a little ways away from the young Lady.

    ¡°Cyril, you want to teach the young Lady self-defense?¡±

    ¡°Rouch¨¦, I don¡¯t mind if you address me so casually in private, but you cannot do that in front of the young Lady.2¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorryÒ»wait, I¡¯m not sorryÒ»no, I will rectify that, but that¡¯s not what I meant. What are you thinking, saying that you will teach Lady Sophia jujutsu? That¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any issues with it.¡±

    ¡°You might think that I am worrying about this without reason, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Moreover, since I had thought something like this might happen, I already got permission from my father.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®something like this¡¯?¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand what he meant at all. Even though I didn¡¯t understand, Cyril¡¯s father was the current family head¡¯s exclusive butler. Therefore, if he had given his permission, then there really wasn¡¯t a problem with it-

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    Just when I thought I heard the sound of a grab, suddenly, the world went upside down. Although I was sure that I had been standing normally, for some reason, I began to fall, my back heading towards the ground in the next moment. Then, out of nowhere, my descent was gently stopped.

    ¡°How was it? It¡¯s not particrly dangerous, is it?¡±

    Cyril was looking at my face. Just as I was on the verge of asking what he was talking about, I noticed that I was lying down, my face facing upwards. No, to be more precise, I was being held in a bridal carry.

    ¡­Ah, I see. I had been thrown, hadn¡¯t I? But it did feel like I was falling from pretty high up¡­ could it be that I had been thrown quite high?

    More importantly, Cyril¡¯s eyshes sure were long for a guy. He had handsome features too, and his limbs were long. His body was so firm that you wouldn¡¯t even think that he was still a child.

    Although he was close to ten years younger than me¡­ he was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler at this age already, and actually, on second thought, wasn¡¯t he extremely promising? Even in the sense of bing someone who could be able to make a noble household flourish again¡­ eep!

    I shuddered. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lady Sophia smiling. No, I don¡¯t think that saying ¡®she was smiling¡¯ would be a faithful description of her expression.. How should I put it¡­? Although she was smiling, she seemed terrifying.

    I realized that this was the face of a jealous young girl.

    ¡°C- Cyril, please put me down!¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need for you to fret like this. You¡¯re very light, you know? Or are you feeling embarrassed about being held in a bridal carry?¡±

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not what I said!¡±

    <i>More importantly, there¡¯s- there¡¯s a dangerous auraing from the young Lady! Look! Behind us, it¡¯s dangerous! I¡¯m being pierced by her eyes, why haven¡¯t you noticed, idiot?!</i>

    ¡­Afterwards, I encouraged Cyril to let Lady Sophia experience the same thing as I had, which did improve the young Lady¡¯s mood, and so, somehow, I was able to survive without incident. The young Lady was the one person that I couldn¡¯t afford to anger.

    More importantly, how could Cyril not be aware of such tant affection¡­?

    Thank you for reading! I know that this chapter is extremely short, as I exined in the note of the previous chapter, I am using the extra time to trante and prepare the prologue that should being in two weeks!

    I have more work and some personal stuff to deal with tootely, so please bear with me for this one week. Thank you for understanding!<ol><li>Posting this as an exnation for the title!</li><li>Throughout this text, Rouch¨¦ keeps calling Cyril ¡°¥·¥ê¥ë¤¯¤ó¡±- ¡®Cyril-kun¡¯. It¡¯s another term that is near-impossible to trante into English. After Cyril said that she shouldn¡¯t do this in front of Sophia, she then addresses him as ¡®¥·¥ê¥ë¤µ¤ó¡¯ ¨C ¡®Cyril-san¡¯ which is more polite. </li></ol>

 Book 2: Chapter 43: Side story limited to narou: Lady Sophia wont give up

    I, Rouch¨¦, became Lady Sophia¡¯s personal maid just a few days ago. Until that point, I had been working at the Rosenberg Marquis household as an apprentice, but due to an incident in which several servants had to be dismissed for embezzlement, I was promoted.

    Normally, the people bing servants of a marquis household would either belong to a family that had served that household for generations, or have connections to nobility. My mother was only a daughter of a low-ranked noble, so under normal circumstances, it was very unlikely that someone like me, who had been born into a merchant family, would be their regr maid, much less the young Lady¡¯s exclusive maid. However, <i>it might not be that unreasonable</i>, I thought, as I turned my gaze to the ¡®Sir Butler¡¯ who had been the young Lady¡¯s training partner for some time now.

    Despite belonging to a prominent family that served the Rosenberg Marquis household for generations, he wasn¡¯t a noble. Therefore, it was solely due to his abilities that the barely six-year-old became Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.

    He was known as ¡®Sir Butler¡¯, although the origins of this nickname were unknown. It was Lady Sophia who told me this title. It was said that this Sir Butler had acquired all sorts of skills and he was knowledgeable enough to be a senior in high school. He was such a genius that anyone who felt a need to challenge him would just make a fool of themselves. But, although he was a genius, he was still a young child. There certainly couldn¡¯t have been many people capable of working as amoner child. He had saved me, so in that sense, I was suitable for this position as well.

    Indeed, I never felt displeased about following his orders. At most, I wished that he would acknowledge my limits and go a little easy on me withst minute demands.

    However-

    ¡°Young Lady. Femininity doesn¡¯t only stem from speech and appearance, but also from a person¡¯s movements. Maintain control of your body all the way to the tips of your fingers, you mustn¡¯t ever lose focus.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Um, like this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Also, please strive to refrain from looking sloppy in any way, and minimize the amount of open movements.¡±He was talking about how, technically speaking, whenever you were to pick up a thing that¡¯s to your left, you should pick it up with your right hand. The reason for this was that, if you were to pick it up with your left hand, the arm would open to the outside, and the movement would look unrefined. This wasn¡¯t inurate when it came to ady¡¯s etiquette.

    For example, if you were to rest your chin in your hands on top of a table, you mustn¡¯t ce any of your body weight onto your hands. You may only ce the tips of your fingers onto your cheeks in the shape of a spread wing, and let the body support its own weight. It makes one want to cry out: ¡®That¡¯s no fun at all! It¡¯s even more tiring than just sitting normally!¡¯ In this sense, absurd grace was required of young Ladies.

    But I was wondering what was his aim, exining these things to such a small young Lady? I breathed a long sigh, wondering if, since he was a genius, he might believe that, if they were his same age, other people could do everything he could too.

    ¡°Cyril, isn¡¯t this a little too hard for Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I think so, as well.¡±

    He gave me an unexpected answer. I was certain that he would give me a hardheaded response such as: ¡®It¡¯s for the sake of the young Lady¡¯. I frowned, wondering why he was teaching her so strictly then. But I immediately understood why. At that point, Lady Sophia turned to look at me, pouting.

    ¡°Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I can do this much.¡±

    ¡°N-no, I wasn¡¯t saying that you can¡¯t, I was just wondering if it perhaps wasn¡¯t too much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not. I can still work much much harder!¡±

    S-she was too dazzling. The adorable young Lady was ring at me with a slightly pouty expression, telling me that she could work much much harder. Unconsciously, the impulse to give her a hug took hold of me, but since that would be disrespectful, I was determined to restrain myself.

    ¡°Wah, w-why are you suddenly hugging me? I am in the middle of training right now, so please, don¡¯t interrupt.¡±

    I was brought back to my senses by the young Lady¡¯s voice as she squirmed in my arms, and I hurriedly let go.

    This was no good. She was a wicked little girl that turned others useless.

    ¡°I apologize, I seem to have been unnecessarily cautious.¡±

    When I bowed my head deeply, Cyril continued my statement.

    ¡°Rouch¨¦ was merely worried for you, Lady Sophia, so please, do forgive her.¡±

    Then Cyril looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask: ¡°Do you understand now?¡±

    ¡­Yes, I understood it clearly.

    I became unable to say things such as: ¡®This is enough for now¡¯, when she insisted that she could work this hard. Or perhaps I should more urately say that the strict one wasn¡¯t actually Cyril. It seemed to be Lady Sophia herself.

    But I realized that this sort of scene was only the beginning.

    ¡°<i>Un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois</i>¡­ that¡¯s right. Your steps are still small, young Lady, so you must make as big movements as you can.¡±

    ¡°K-kind of like this?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not good to simply move fast. Every single movement has to always have a beginning and end.1 Imagine as if there were weights hanging from your limbs.¡±

    ¡°Like this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s try to take steps as big as possible that way.¡±

    I was in the practice room of the Rosenberg Marquis household, captivated by the sight of the two of them dancing under the magic-powered lights. Although Cyril and Sophia weren¡¯t tall enough to even reach my chest, they were making full use of therge practice room as they danced.

    They drew a circle with their evenly paced movements, making even this casual performance look beautiful. The young Lady¡¯s tinum blonde hair danced, sparkling brightly whenever it caught the light. This beautiful, priceless view had already been going on for several songs.

    Continuously dancing for several songs would exhaust the stamina of even an adult. Yet these young children continued to dance single-mindedly, despite the fact that the young Lady had just received etiquette lessons right before the dance.

    Besides-

    ¡°You¡¯re very good. But you are a bit tired, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s end the dance and change clothes and continue studying some theory.¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t just change clothes, let her rest for a bit! I will prepare you tea!¡¯ I was yelling out in my mind. However-

    ¡°No, I want to learn by repetition, so please, do the theoretical lesson like this.¡±

    My inner voice was extinguished by Lady Sophia¡¯s words.

    <i>Huh, what? By ¡®like this¡¯, does she mean that she wants to have a theoretical lesson while dancing? Did she just say that she wants to receive theory lessons while dancing? She wants to have a theory lesson while continuing this dance that makes me feel out of breath by just watching? That¡¯s out of the question, isn¡¯t it?! </i>

    ¡°As you wish. Then, let¡¯s ease into it by reviewing history first.¡±

    <i>Don¡¯t ¡®as you wish¡¯ her! More importantly, what do you mean by ¡®let¡¯s ease into it by reviewing history¡¯?! Are you trying to say that, since you¡¯re reviewing the previous ss, it¡¯s something that can be done rather mindlessly and therefore fine? Your standards are way too unreasonable?!</i>

    Indifferent to my situation of not even knowing to what part I should even retort, Cyril began to ask questions about history, and Lady Sophia gave him exemry answers in turn.

    All while taking graceful yet bold steps.

    Just what sort of sense of rhythm did those two have? More importantly, they were able to dance even during a history lesson? I did hear about people talking while dancing but¡­

    What astonished me the most was the fact that it was the young Lady herself who came up with it. I couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled. Just what was spurring the young Lady on to this extent?

    This was¡­ not the daily routine of the daughter of a marquis, I was sure of it. Despite hearing that the higher the social position, the more one had to learn; no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t think of this as being normal.

    As I watched them attentively, astounded by these two, Cyril sent me a look. ¡­W-what was it? I could guess that he was asking something of me, but I wasn¡¯t able to understand as far as to know what it was. I was troubled, pondering about it when Cyril smiled wryly, as if to ask: ¡°I guess you don¡¯t understand?¡±

    Roughly at the same time, this time, it was Lady Sophia who sent me a nce.

    ¡®I don¡¯t like it, so I don¡¯t have the skills to guess what a person is thinking just from getting a look from them!¡¯ I was grumbling in my head, when Lady Sophia smiled in satisfaction.

    <i>¡­No, sorry. I don¡¯t get it at all. What is it? That it¡¯s fine like this?</i>

    I didn¡¯t understand it well, but there was something I did get. Lady Sophia was a genius, just like Cyril. Without a doubt, they didn¡¯t understand things such as how bad theprehension skills of an average person were. Having arrived to this conclusion, I continued to watch over their training, and, after a short while, it came to an end.

    ¡°Rouch¨¦, prepare a change of clothes for Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°I have them already prepared in the other room. I have also boiled some water, thinking that it might be needed¡­¡±

    While I was trying to figure out if there would be time to wipe the young Lady¡¯s sweat off with a wet towel, Cyril¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Then, please wipe Lady Sophia¡¯s sweat off. I will prepare some tea in the meantime, so let¡¯s continue with the theoretical lessons after that,¡± he said, and smiled, adding that he would leave the rest to me and then left the room.

    Then, I led Lady Sophia to the other room, helped her take off her dress, and then, using the prepared pail filled with hot water and a towel, I began to wipe off her sweat.

    ¡°My Lady, please tell me if it hurts anywhere, okay?¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s skin was translucently white and without a single blemish. Although I was using a high quality towel, it would be very troublesome if I were to hurt her skin, which was as beautiful as a pearl, so I was wiping her very carefully.

    ¡°Thank you, Rouch¨¦. But you can use a little bit more strength.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    I was not only wiping off her arms, legs and her back, but also her chest. For the daughter of a marquis, it was normal that even their chests would be cleaned by a maid and not by themselves. As I was raised as amoner, I felt a little ufortable.

    Although there wasn¡¯t a big difference between the young Lady¡¯s chest and her back¡­

    ¡°¡­Rouch¨¦, I will still grow from now on, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡­More importantly, the young Lady was way too perceptive. It was scary. Right, speaking of ¡®perceptive¡¯¡­

    ¡°Um, Lady Sophia, may I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind. You¡¯re my maid, but you don¡¯t have to be so respectful to me when it¡¯s just the two of us. So¡­ let¡¯s be friends, okay?¡±

    The young Lady looked up at me, smiling innocently. When it came to the public and private parts of her life, it was precisely because the young Lady maintained her dignity that she was able to show a more unguarded side in private. And these sides of her were so charming¡­ Almost undoubtedly, this was Cyril¡¯s influence.

    ¡°Then, please tell me. What were those eye signals you sent during the dance?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that. That was Cyril telling you to prepare a change of clothes. He must have noticed that I was tired after all, and tried toe up with an excuse to end our practice.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Then, what were <i>you</i> trying to signal to me with your eyes, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡®I also want Cyril to rest, so it¡¯s fine if you prepare them slowly.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡­By ¡®I see¡¯ I mean that I cannot understand something like that from just a look.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lady Sophia giggled, and then continued: ¡°That¡¯s why I and Cyril were both surprised!¡± I washed out the towel in the hot water and wrung it out, puzzling over what she meant.

    ¡°Not only did you prepare my change of clothes, you even made preparations to wipe my body with a hot towel, didn''t you? Rouch¨¦, you had already fulfilled Cyril¡¯s and my requests even before you were given the eye signals.¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand at first. But then I immediately realized. I prepared a change of clothes ording to Cyril¡¯s wishes, and by making preparations to wipe off her body, I also fulfilled Lady Sophia¡¯s wish to let Cyril rest. I see. Saying it that way, it sounded like I was extremely capable.

    ¡°Wait, no, no, no, that was just a coincidence, though!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? It might be,¡± the young Lady said and smiled. However, she clearly didn¡¯t think that it was a coincidence. I sighed internally. It would be nice to not get any more unreasonable demands from now on¡­

    But, at the same time, a desire to live up to my cute master¡¯s expectations welled up inside me. Both me and Cyril, who had saved that family, want to meet Lady Sophia¡¯s expectations.

    ¡®So I guess I could try to give it my best, a little¡­¡¯ I thought, and suddenly realized.

    That was it! The reason why Lady Sophia was doing her best like this, must surely be¡­

    Thank you for reading! Apologies for the slight dy, my team had some personal stuff to deal with.

    This is thest side chapter andst chapter of the second volume, next week, we''re scheduled to start volume three! Thank you for your support and hope to see you in a week''s time!<ol><li>ÐòÆÆ¼± ¨C ¡®johakyuu¡¯, artistic modtions in traditional Japanese performances; opening, middle and climax (end). </li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 0: Prologue

    Summary:

    In the original game, the fate of the future viinous daughter Sophia was to go mad with jealousy and fall into ruin.

    Cyril transmigrated into her butler and as a result of raising her carefully so that she wouldn¡¯t fall into ruin¡­ he ended up bing a capture target, and the object of Lady Sophia¡¯s jealousy.

    While evading numerous destruction gs, Cyril is now guiding the young Lady towards her happiness. One day, Cyril and Sophia joined the Student Council, which was run by an undercover princess. They decided to perform a y based on the game that was the very foundation of this world, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, at the school festival.

    This was a trap that had been set up to locate Cyril, the transmigrator. After diving into this trap of his own volition, Cyril was able to meet with a transmigrator just like himÒ»and he was reunited with his older sister from his previous world.

    As his sister had expected, Cyril saved the princess that had been destined to meet her end soon, and as a reward, he was informed of the existence of a side story to the original work, ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, which he hadn¡¯t known about¡­

    ¡ª

    A few weeks had gone by since I performed in the y ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, saved the life of Her Highness the Princess, who had been living undercover during her school life, and after that, the school festival that had kept us busy ended.

    I had just escorted Lady Sophia to her carriage after school one day when she noticed that I wasn¡¯t getting in the carriage and asked me, ¡°Are we not going back together?¡±¡°My apologies. Teacher Tristan has called me over today.¡±

    ¡°¡­You seem to be very busytely.¡±

    I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, and at the same time, a student of the servant course as well. If asked which of these two took precedence, of course it would be my work as an exclusive butler, but it wasn¡¯t like I could disregard a summon from a teacher either. Naturally, my Lady would understand that, but her words just now were sharp.

    That being said, I couldn¡¯t do anything on the matter. Since the day I was invited to the party that was attended by the family and friends who supported the royal family, which became a stepping stone for FolÒ»no, Princess FolceniaÒ»to return to high society, I was often away from Lady Sophia¡¯s side.

    I had gone to the Dark guild many times because of the incident that happened during her Social Studies, and I had a pretend date with Isabe, as part of our n to investigate the matter with the Dollmaker of Frau.

    Regardless of what I was doing, that I was doing something had most likely reached her ears. Despite swearing to always protect her, I was away from her side more often than not. So it was only natural for her to re at me with scornful eyes. <i>For this reason-</i>, I thought, and peered into my Lady¡¯s face.

    ¡°Do you remember what I swore to you the first time that I stood before you, my Lady?¡±

    ¡°That it goes without saying when I am happy, but that even when I get lonely or when I am in pain, you will always be by my side. You will always, <i>always</i> protect me as my ally. That¡¯s what you said.¡±

    My eyes widened slightly when she repeated my words without any hesitation. Even if she had remembered my promise to be by her side, I didn¡¯t expect that she would remember it in such detail to be able to immediately recite my words from memory. Unconsciously, I grinned.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have not forgotten this promise.¡±

    ¡°I am not doubting your words. But¡­ Please, don¡¯t strain yourself too much, alright?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°Only replying ¡®as you wish¡¯ is no good. Promise me properly. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Lady Sophia gave me a questioning look. I understood what she wanted to say. ¡®People, such as daughters of noblemen, mustn¡¯t simply make statements that could be taken as a pledge. Do not lie, but keep the truth ambiguous.¡¯ I was the one who had taught her this. She must even have realized that I was being purposefully evasive.

    ¡°I promise. I will be operating behind the scenes in many ways from now on too, but I won¡¯t strain myself too much, in any way.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then you¡¯re stating that doing things, to this extent, isn¡¯t too much for you at all?¡±

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    When I responded to her with an impish smile, the young Lady put on a sullen expression. It seemed that I had gone a little too far with my joke.

    ¡°I sincerely apologize. Then, I shall swear that I won¡¯t cause you to feel saddened in the slightest.¡±

    Using my fingers, I picked up a single strand of my Lady¡¯s hair and then ced a pledge kiss on her beautiful tinum blonde hair. The instant I did so, Lady Sophia¡¯s cheeks became bright red.

    ¡°Cy-Cyril. What if someone saw us? I-I will have you take responsibility, you¡­ know?¡±

    ¡°Do not worry.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I would never make the mistake of allowing someone to see us.¡±

    ¡°¡­Y-yeah?¡±

    ¡°Anyway, I will be headed to teacher Tristan¡¯s now, so please return to the mansion, young Lady. The violin teacher is scheduled toe today.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril, you meanie!¡±

    My Lady pouted and got into the carriage. Then, I watched the carriage drive off and made my way to teacher Tristan¡¯sboratory, located in the royal castle, where he waited for me.

    I went through all the formalities at the castle¡¯s gate. When I walked into theboratory inside the castle, teacher Tristan was writing something at a fast pace. When he noticed me, he put the pen aside and raised his head.

    ¡°Thank you foring, Cyril. I apologize for not calling you over sooner.¡±

    ¡°No need, we¡¯re both very busy.¡±

    Tristan was a transmigrator and my older sister from my previous world. But only a very small number of people knew about this, so I had continued to interact with him as a student in charge of his ss.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been worried about this for some time?¡±

    ¡°A little. However, if this were a matter that you had to inform me about early, lest it be toote, you would have contacted me even if you had to force things to make it so, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    Of course, I knew my sister¡¯s personality, but I also knew the personality of the original work¡¯s teacher Tristan. Most importantly, anyone would understand once they looked at how Tristan acted in regards to the matter with Fol. The man, a mix of my sister and teacher Tristan, was someone who would use any means necessary if needed. The fact that he hadn¡¯t done so in this case was, without a doubt, because it hadn¡¯t been necessary to hurry to give me the information.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s exactly as you say. Although it¡¯s gotten to the point where you can no longer disinvolve yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­Speaking of which, has ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ already started?¡±

    This was the message that Fol had delivered to me. She didn¡¯t seem to know any details, and the contents of the message itself were ambiguous as well, but it let me know that the time of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯Ò»in other words, the side story to the original work, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ was set right about this time. After all, judging by its name, it was the eve of the festival. It took ce a little bit earlier than the original game; in other words, it was easy to imagine that it was set to happen right about now.

    ¡°Exactly. Its prologue is already over, but it should be possible to minimize the damages under these circumstances. Although it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it all depends on you.¡±

    ¡°Can you please tell me about it?¡±

    After asking, teacher Tristan led me to sit down on a sofa. A young girl who appeared out of nowhere ced tea in front of us.

    ¡°Lte, I¡¯m sorry about this, but could you leave the room for a bit?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I won¡¯t disturb your precious time together.¡±

    ¡­Precious? I tilted my head in puzzlement and watched the girl¡¯s back as she took her leave.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s an airhead.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? Airhead?¡±

    After making sure that the girl called Lte had left the room, I turned back around. For some reason, teacher Tristan put his hand to his forehead and sighed.

    ¡°What she says and how she behaves. She seems to have knowledge not only of otome games, but even BL. But, as far as I have researched, she doesn¡¯t have even a speck of memories of our previous world.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I see.¡±

    Now that he mentioned it, the way she looked at us as she murmured ¡®precious¡¯ was a little¡­ Well, I felt like I was watching my older sister from my previous world. But, Tristan said that she wasn¡¯t a transmigrator, just an airhead that existed in this world.

    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no one else here besides us now, so it¡¯s alright if you want to be more casual, you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­No need, but I appreciate the thought.¡±

    Although I would use words from my previous world inside my head, I was more ustomed to speaking politely when I spoke out loud. I would have felt ufortable if I were to talk like I used to in my previous world at that point.

    ¡°Hehe, I see. I¡¯ve also grown used to speaking like this.¡±

    ¡°It would certainly feel very out of ce if you were to speak like my sister while looking like this.¡±

    A somewhat somber-looking, handsome man. It would be a terrible sin, in many ways, if he were to start speaking or acting like my older sister.

    ¡°And we¡¯ve gone off topic. Let¡¯s get back on track.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please.¡±

    The important thing was ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯s summary and cast. I braced myself so that I wouldn¡¯t seem startled, no matter the story¡¯s content.

    ¡°First off, the heroine is the daughter of Count Ford, Miss Pam, whom you are well acquainted with.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see. So she¡¯s the heroine¡­¡±

    Pam was a beautiful young Lady with a mole under her left eye. This young Lady, who had copsed during the middle school entrance exams due to her diet, currently belonged to Lady Sophia¡¯s faction.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly impossible for me to cut ties with her because she¡¯s already in the same faction. Although, since we also have a good rtionship, it doesn¡¯t seem like I have too much to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re the issue, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Just as there was an encounter event between Miss Alicia and His Highness Prince Alforth, there was an encounter event between Miss Pam and His Highness Prince Lancelot. And this event was¡­¡±

    Teacher Tristan was looking at me with an indescribable expression on his face. I felt as if, deep inside his eyes, I could see my older sister shining through, looking exasperated. I hadn¡¯t the slightest idea as to why my older sister was making such a face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s exactly it. You¡¯ve triggered the event instead of His Highness Prince Lancelot, the capture target of the main route.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Prince Lancelot, in other words, the First Prince. ording to teacher Tristan, the one who cared for Pam after she copsed during the middle school entrance exams was Prince Lancelot on the grounds of being the main route¡¯s capture target.

    ¡°¡­Was it when I caught her in my arms before she fell down?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Also, in the original work, she was brought to the infirmary and they first met there. But you abandoned your own exam and caught her before she could copse onto the floor.¡±

    ¡°¡­You make it sound like it¡¯s be a big event. However, currently, there is no indication that I took the First Prince¡¯s position.¡±

    Not even in my dreams did I believe that it was possible for me to take the Second Prince¡¯s position when I interfered with Alicia. But this was different. Although I was aware that my clumsy actions were connected to Lady Sophia falling into darkness, I couldn¡¯t just stay indifferent. I would pay extra attention to any affection from Pam.

    Certainly, Pam might be fond of me because I had saved her, but that was nothing more than a feeling of gratitude. I probably wouldn¡¯t be one of her capture targets.

    ¡°Since Miss Pam doesn¡¯t have an aggressive1 personality by nature, I cannot bepletely at ease, but¡­ these could surely be unfounded fears. However, the problem is the viinous daughters. There¡¯s three of them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    ¡°A viinous daughter was attached to each of the three main capture targets in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯.¡±

    ¡°T-there are three viinous daughters on the s-same level as Lady Sophia¡­?¡±

    Even though Lady Sophia alone was someone capable of ruling this country, with three people like that¡­ won¡¯t the world be destroyed?

    ¡°Calm down. Lady Sophia being so outstanding and exceptional is the result of you raising her.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, now that you mention it, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Although Lady Sophia had fallen into darkness in the original work, her scheming abilities hadn¡¯t been at a high level at all. If the viinous daughters were on the same level as the original work¡¯s Lady Sophia, they might not really be that dangerous.

    ¡°Although Lady Sophia was one of them.¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡± I unconsciously spat out.

    <i>No, but¡­isn¡¯t that really bad? It¡¯s</i> ¡®<i>the¡¯ Lady Sophia! The young Lady who dered that, for the sake of her own goal, she would even turn the heavensÒ»in other words, even the royal familyÒ»into her enemies, and who was capable enough to actually achieve those goals. Was there a route where she would fall into darkness as a viinous daughter once more¡­?</i>

    <i>No, calm down.</i> The circumstances of the original work and reality were different, so it shouldn¡¯t be possible for Lady Sophia to fall into darkness¡­ As long as I didn¡¯t do anything unnecessary.

    ¡°By the way, the route Lady Sophia is the main viin in is¡­?¡±

    ¡°The route of young Master Ernest, the youngest one of Lady Sophia¡¯s older brothers.¡±

    ¡­Young master Ernest? Pam getting married to Young Master Ernest was a possibility I could understand, but why would Lady Sophia stand in their way as a viinous daughter then?

    No, before that-

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t Young Master Ernest already have an escort partner?¡±

    Ernest was currently studying abroad and was scheduled to return to the Londobell Academy next year. But Master Ernest was always apanied by the same young Lady. An escort partner didn¡¯t have to necessarily be one¡¯s fianc¨¦e, but when thispanion was of the opposite sex and there was no blood rtion, most of the time they were the other¡¯s fianc¨¦e or fianc¨¦e candidates.

    I wondered if there was some sort of plotline such as Ernest being unfaithful because of Pam. If that were the case, then it would seem likely that the young Lady would fall into darkness as the viinous daughter, but¡­

    ¡°Considering it¡¯s you, you¡¯re quitecking in research. Thatdy really is Young Master Ernest¡¯s childhood friend, but they¡¯re definitely not in love. They¡¯re just acting as each other¡¯s shield.¡±

    This information came from teacher Tristan. And ording to my older sister¡¯s information, who had yed the original game, although this young Lady seemed to have feelings for him, she wasn¡¯t someone who would be a viinous daughter and hinder him in the slightest.

    ¡°Then, the reason for Lady Sophia standing in their way as a viinous daughter is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Her being in a bad mood was because her beloved older brother was being taken away from her.¡±

    This information made me recall Lady Sophia¡¯s and Master Ernest¡¯s rtionship. However, while they were on genuinely good terms, I didn¡¯t believe that they were close enough for Lady Sophia to fall into darkness because of her older brother being taken away.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t picture it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re picturing the actual Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re saying that she was like that in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯.¡±

    There weren¡¯t really any particr depictions of her rtionship to her brother in ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯. In other words, it was something added into ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯. But since the original work¡¯s Lady Sophia was starved for affection from her family, it wasn¡¯t strange for her to hold her brother, who was just one year older, dear. No, more importantly, the problem was-

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible, but, is there any chance that Lady Sophia could fall into ruin?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t. But¡­ no, perhaps I must tell you precisely for that reason. In the end, she would end up bing Miss Pam¡¯s friend, but, given that we know she ended up falling into ruin in the first game, it¡¯s quite heartrending¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia was popr despite acting like a viinous daughter because of the kindness that she would disy from time to time. If something like that happened in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, then she was bound to be even more popr. For her to be beyond redemption despite this¡­ It was too cruel.

    ¡°Ah, it all depends on how you look at it. If she doesn¡¯t fall into ruin, there¡¯s no need to worry. Even if we were to enter Young Master Ernest¡¯s route, Lady Sophia, most likely, won¡¯t fall into ruin.

    ¡°If anything, you bing Lady Pam¡¯s capture target would be the dangerous thing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Guh.¡±

    I was certainly scared of that, but there were no such signsing from Pam. More importantly, since there was already a precedent from the situation with Alicia, in the unlikely event that it mighte to happen, it would probably work out somehow as long as I handled myself well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s set that topic aside for the time being. Would you tell me about the viinous daughter and the rough scenario in Prince Lancelot¡¯s route?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness, Princess Folcenia, bes the viinous daughter in the First Prince¡¯s route.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fol?¡±

    Even though I had just been told that she would turn into a viinous daughter, it didn¡¯t ring true, I thought. But after I heard the plotline, I understood.

    At the time of the sequel, Prince Lancelot was being pressured by the people around him to choose a fianc¨¦e quickly because Lady Sophia had just managed to get engaged to Prince Alforth using her parents¡¯ political influence.

    It was very likely that the First Prince, Prince Lancelot, would be appointed as Crown Prince and be future king. But this status quo had crumbled due to the Second Prince, Prince Alforth, joining together with the Roseberg Marquis household.

    But Prince Lancelot¡¯s older cousin, Her Highness Princess Folcenia, whom he secretly yearned for, was suffering from an incurable illness. Since she was fated to die soon, he wasn¡¯t able to choose her as his fianc¨¦e.

    Despite this, Prince Lancelot was being urged to pick a fianc¨¦e. Prince Lancelot, fed up with the situation, then met Pam, the daughter of a Count.

    At first, they became friends, able to confide in each other about their hardships. From then on, they learned about the other¡¯s situation and they were attracted to each other, but Count Ford¡¯s household was no match for Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s. Fol was concerned about her cousin, so she opposed the couple, acting as a viinous daughter, in order to test Pam.

    But, in the end, Fol approved of Pam after she passed her test, and Fol drew herst breath as she told Pam that she entrusted her with Prince Lancelot. Apparently, the route ended with the two of them paying a visit to Fol¡¯s grave.

    ¡°¡­Do the scriptwriters have some grudges against viinous daughters or something¡­?¡±

    ¡°Apparently the theme was supposed to be: ¡®Sometimes, one¡¯s efforts get rewarded, while other times, they don¡¯t.¡¯¡±

    Were the people getting rewarded shining just because there were others who got no reward? While it might be the right kind of scenario to attract audiences, it really was unbearable for those who became the actual characters.

    ¡°But, thanks to you, Lady Fol¡¯s sickness is no longer incurable. Considering the fact that Lady Sophia isn¡¯t engaged, the chances of entering the usual route are slim.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. The risk of that is probably quite small.¡±

    Even if Pam and Prince Lancelot were to fall in love with each other, it wouldn¡¯t be that big of a problem. Seeing that Fol was able to escape her fate of dying soon, she probably wouldn¡¯t be taking any extreme actions either.

    However, she was taught by teacher Tristan. So if she, by some chance, became an enemy, it would be very troublesome¡­ but I was convinced that such a development wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°So, who are the characters of thest route?¡±

    ¡°The third son of the emperor mefield and his seventh younger half-sister2.¡±

    ¡°Another younger sister in this route as well¡­¡±

    The viinous daughters were two younger sisters and one older cousin. Was this game¡¯s hidden theme ¡®brotherplex¡¯3 or something?

    ¡°Unless you personally interfere with his route, the chances of you getting involved in it are low. However, in case you do get involved, you need to be careful because his younger sister¡¯s abilities are outstanding.¡±

    ¡°¡­I hear nothing but ¡®gs¡¯.¡±

    I mean, there was a viin who had been raised by teacher Tristan and also Lady Sophia, who was raised by me. There was also a princess from a neighboring country who was very capable to begin with. It could be said that the abilities of all the three viinous daughters were outstanding. It was unclear which route would Pam enter, but it might be best not to concern myself with it too much.

    ¡°It does certainly sound like a g, but you can put it to rest for the time being. Those two wille to study here from abroad once you be third-year students. There¡¯s still over a year left.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that the original game¡¯s story began when we became third year students?¡±

    ¡°No, the duration of the story is two years, from the second to the third year.¡±

    I nodded in understanding but then I suddenly tilted my head in puzzlement.

    ¡°I remember hearing that Fol wouldn¡¯t be able to live until graduation. Were you the one who told her that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s necessary to have a source offort even while in despair.¡±

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s like that.¡±

    If someone were told that they had one year to live but passed away in half a year, there would be nothing but despair. But if someone were able to live for half a year after being told that they only had three months left, they would die feeling aplishment that they had done their best. This was the reason why she was told that she wouldn¡¯t live until graduation. Of course, another intention behind it was to spur me, the transmigrator Tristan had set his sights on, into action.

    ¡°Ah, moreover, if you tried to capture all the three targets in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ at once, all three viinous daughters would be your enemies, and you would fall into ruin. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to worry about that happening in reality, but just be careful.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you for the warning.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t imagine Pam three-timing4, but a timeline where she ended up turning three viinous daughters of Lady Sophia¡¯s caliber into her enemies by some chance was too horrifying.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all the routes of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s not a lot of capture targets,</i> I thought, but ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ apparently was ssified as DLC.5. Specifically, there were added substories with the main game¡¯s capture targets.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been of great help.¡±

    ¡°No, I made you save Lady Fol. Something like this doesn¡¯t even count as repaying the favor. Moreover, you¡¯re¡­¡±

    Teacher Tristan gazed at my face intently. I spotted hues of concern and fondness in his eyes. I perfectly understood what the continuation of hisÒ»no, <i>hers</i>Ò»sentence was going to be.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern for me, big sister.¡±

    ¡°Although I am your uncle now.¡±

    I smiled, and thanked him once more and left theboratory.

    For the time being, I would have to pay close attention to Pam¡¯s actions. I had to avoid bing her capture target. In addition, I had to avert the future in which Pam would three-time the targets and fall into ruin as well.

    At that time, I thought that, if I were to simply avert those two situations from happening, not only would Lady Sophia not fall into darkness, but the especially dangerous developments wouldn¡¯t happen either. However, I thought this way because I had misunderstood a fundamental part of it.

    I learned of this fact through a chance meeting that happened right after. When I left theboratory and walked down the hallway in order to leave the castle, His Highness, Prince Lancelot, appeared before me.

    And so the third volume has started! Very curious to see what it has in store for us!

    The first chapter already has a surprising twist in it!

    Thank you for reading and for your support!<ol><li> meaning aggressive or proactive in love, she has more of a passive approach</li><li>Specifically born from a different mother.</li><li>Simr to sisterplex, it means being overly attached to your brother/sister.</li><li>like two-timing, only with three people, basically, pursuing all three of them at once.</li><li>literally ¡®fan disk¡¯, it¡¯s additional content released by thepany after a sessfulunch of a title, it can be images, music, minigames, information etc.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 1: The Two Sides of Light and Darkness Part 1

    Immediately upon noticing His Highness Prince Lancelot¡¯s presence, I bowed my head towards the end of the hallway. Keeping my head lowered, I held my breath, intending to wait until he passed me by. But he didn¡¯t, instead stopping right in front of me.

    ¡°Are you Cyril?¡±

    Although the question was directed at me, I kept my head bowed and remained silent. I couldn¡¯t forget that this was the royal castle. In other words, this wasn¡¯t the Academy, which was renowned for its equality. I tended to forget about this because His Highness, Prince Alforth was very friendly, but there was no way a mere butler like me would be allowed to answer a prince directly. I was waiting for his servants to instruct me to answer His Highness¡¯ question, but I suspected that Prince Lancelot had stopped his servant from speaking. Once more, it was Prince Lancelot the one who spoke right after.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I allow you to answer me directly. Raise your head.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I certainly am called Cyril.¡±

    I raised my head and answered his previous question. Before me stood a young man who looked very simr to Prince Alforth. Although his aura was simr to Prince Alforth¡¯s, his facial features, framed by golden hair, were sharper and more masculine. His green eyes observed me appraisingly.

    Various questions were surging inside me, such as why Prince Lancelot knew me and why he had stopped me, a mere butler, to converse. However, keeping the difference in our positions in mind, I swallowed them all down.

    ¡°¡­I see, it seems like you know your ce. But it¡¯s hard to have a conversation this way. Just act as if you were talking to an upperssman from the Academy.¡±

    Here it was, the ¡®You don¡¯t have to be so polite to me.¡¯ phrase. If the day came when I actually said something like: ¡®Thank you, upperssman.¡¯ in response, most people would chide me for being an insolent fellow. That being said, if I didn¡¯t change the way I spoke at all, I would be called dense.¡°Then, I shall take you up on the offer. May I ask you a question?¡±

    I didn¡¯t change my manner of talking that much, but I took a step forward by expressing that I wished to ask him something. In reaction to my words, I heard a murmur of: ¡°I see, so you¡¯re not slow-witted either.¡±

    He probably muttered it in such a way on purpose so that I would be able to hear it. It seemed that he was testing me to see my reaction. Therefore, I didn¡¯t mention Prince Lancelot¡¯sment and awaited his answer to my question.

    But¨C

    ¡°In that case, I will answer your question. I know what you look like because I saw the y.¡±

    What I got in response wasn¡¯t permission to ask a question, but the answer to my unasked question itself. Did he answer it urately, even though I didn¡¯t voice the question out loud? He got me. He had probably been guiding my thoughts, but he was so shrewd that I almost couldn¡¯t believe that there was only a year¡¯s difference between him and Prince Alforth.

    ¡°I sincerely thank you for answering my question.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you to talk to me as if you were talking to an upperssman?¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    I was a little puzzled about the reason why he was so insistent about this. However, I didn¡¯t even need to know his answer.

    ¡°Cyril, I am grateful to you. You did well in saving Fol1.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me, that was Lady Sophia¡¯s aplishment.¡±

    ¡°Do you believe that I don¡¯t know the circumstances of the situation?¡±

    ¡°My deepest apologies. This honor is more than I deserve.¡±

    Apparently, he cared about me because I was the person who had saved Fol. That was probably the reason he said that I could speak more casually with him¡­ At least outwardly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cautious with me. I truly am grateful to you. I¡­ heard that Fol didn¡¯t have a lot of time left. So I hoped for her to be able to do whatever she pleased until the end.¡±

    ¡®I had given up.¡¯ Was there some regret like that hiding within his words?

    ¡°It¡¯s for this reason that I am very grateful to you, as the one who saved Fol. If you find yourself in trouble, I promise to lend you my help,¡± he continued.

    Thinking back on it, he was still just a middle schooler as well. But, unlike Prince Alforth, Prince Lancelot wasn¡¯t a member of the Student Council. ording to his words earlier, it would seem that he hadn¡¯t joined the Student Council just so as not to rob Fol of a ce she could be herself in.

    ¡°With that being said, I would like for you to answer something too.¡±

    ¡°If it is something I am able to answer, you can ask anything.¡±

    Prince Lancelot watched as his servants withdrew, and the way I had spoken was a little bit closer to how upperssmen and underssmen spoke to each other, as well. Prince Lancelot nodded, pleased, and began to talk by saying that he wanted to enquire about Lady Sophia.

    ¡°¡­About Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she has established her own faction. Moreover, she¡¯s a member of the Student Council, just like Fol. Also, isn¡¯t she a supporter of Alforth as well? What are her intentions?¡±

    Chills ran down my spine. If I had only known what he had just said about her, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if I had thought that Lady Sophia was intending to get Fol¡¯s support in order to help Prince Alforth ascend to the position of Crown Prince. To say nothing of the fact that Lady Sophia had also crushed Count Ares, a former member of the First Prince¡¯s faction. Depending on my answer, Prince Lancelot might be Lady Sophia¡¯s enemy.

    ¡°¡­Firstly, I must let you know that Lady Sophia wishes for peace.¡±

    ¡°All her actions seem to be pretty far from peaceful. But I won¡¯t refute your statement without hearing you out. Let me hear it from your own mouth. Why would a girl seeking peace take such actions?¡±

    ¡°Of course. She created a faction because¨C¡±

    The important thing was that the reason behind Lady Sophia establishing a faction was Prince Alforth¡¯s decision to surround himself with Elitists. She hadn¡¯t done it in order to support the Second Prince. Rather, she had established it so as to avoid getting tangled up with them. Afterwards, she proceeded to join the Student Council on Teacher Tristan¡¯s request, and ended up improving Prince Alforth¡¯s position on Fol¡¯s request. I exined this, emphasizing that her actions were just a natural progression of events, and that she didn¡¯t have any intentions to oppose Prince Lancelot in the slightest.

    ¡°¡­I see, that¡¯s roughly the same story I had heard.¡±

    Surprisingly, Prince Lancelot didn¡¯t doubt my exnation. Or rather, it seemed that he already had someone he trusted investigate the matter. When I considered who this could be, I could guess the answer somewhat.

    ¡°Have you heard this from Her Highness Princess Folcenia?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she told me a lot of things.¡±

    That was the answer I expected. If Fol had advocated for her, Lady Sophia must have already been cleared of suspicion. I was about to ask if he also wanted to have this confirmed by the actual person in question, but in the end, I thought that this might be overstepping my bounds¡­ As if he had read my inner thoughts, Prince Lancelot opened his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you this before, but I truly am grateful to you two. Although there would be no way for me not to ponder over this matter, I don¡¯t wish to be hostile towards you. Therefore, I apologize for Count Ares causing you trouble.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Members of the royal family should not apologize recklessly. Since Prince Alforth was very open, he would apologize from time to time. However, given the impression I got of Prince Lancelot from our conversation up until that moment, it seemed as though he understood that rule very well. Therefore, I was able to feel the great weight behind his apology.

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would meet with her and apologize in person, but we both have our own circumstances. Please tell Miss Sophia what I said.¡±

    ¡°I will definitely do so.¡±

    The Prince and I meeting back then had been a coincidence. And if such a coincidence hadn¡¯t happened, it would have been very difficult to talk to him without servants present. Even more so, in a meeting between Lady Sophia and Prince Lancelot, there would definitely be eyes and ears pointed their way. There probably wouldn¡¯t be an opportunity for the Prince to personally apologize to Lady Sophia.

    That was the reason why he had asked me to pass on the apology. Since he didn¡¯t appear in the first game, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, I hadn¡¯t gathered much information about him, but he seemed to be a more reasonable person than I had thought.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I wanted to discuss about Miss Sophia. Now, there¡¯s something I want to talk to <i>you</i> about, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Talk to me about¡­? What is it?¡±

    ¡°In order to maintain my own faction, I have had to curry favor with people with many different opinions, but I don¡¯t believe in the Elitist ideology personally. Therefore, I don¡¯t mind giving someone a position that is proportionate with their abilities.¡±

    <i>¡­What? Why is he suddenly talking about something like this? This is way too sudden, I don¡¯t understand his intention at all.</i>

    Precisely because I didn¡¯t understand his goals, I voiced out a generic opinion.

    ¡°There are many advantages to meritocracy. However, at the same time, excessive meritocracy brings forth problems as well.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you say. Everything has its limits. It is a fact that a difference in social standing is an obstacle and that it has the power topletely change someone¡¯s life as well. I am greatly concerned about this. What do you think?¡±

    ¡­Hm. I was d to be agreed with, but the person agreeing with me was quite unexpected. I didn¡¯t understand what Prince Lancelot wanted to imply. Was I perhaps missing something fundamental? I almost wanted to say that I would like a more detailed exnation, but, in my position, I wasn¡¯t able to utter this out loud.

    ¡°¡­Certainly, I believe that your concerns are justified, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I see. As long as you understand, I can rest assured. Fol is my dear cousin. No matter how many times a person saves another¡¯s life and gains their trust, I cannot just simply hand her over to a butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just as you say.¡±

    <i>No, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.</i>

    I could still understand if he was trying to say that he couldn¡¯t appoint me as her butler since Ie from amoner family. But what did he mean by saying that he ¡®cannot hand her over to me¡¯?

    Wasn¡¯t he phrasing it like Fol woulde work under me? Did Fol say that she wanted to try being a maid or something?

    Or¡­ no, that was impossible. She wasn¡¯t Alicia, there was no way Fol would fall in love with me. To be more precise, she probably had already given her heart to Teacher Tristan.

    If that was the case, could it be¨C

    ¡°I will say it once more. You saved Fol¡¯s life, so I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. And, if it¡¯s something Fol wishes for, I don¡¯t n on standing in your way. But¡­¡±

    ¡­Of course, why didn¡¯t I realize this? The original work¡¯s storyline was that Prince Lancelot gave up on getting engaged to the cousin he yearned for because she was destined to die and fell in love with Pam, whom he met afterwards. In other words, now that Fol wasn¡¯t destined to die anymore, he was still pining for her. Moreover, that meant that, in other words, I had taken on Pam¡¯s-

    ¡°I won¡¯t hand Fol over to you.¡±

    The viinous daughter and the capture target were reced!

    In all honesty, I did consider the possibility that I might be the capture target and get courted by Pam, which would lead to Lady Sophia being in danger of falling into darkness. But it was totally unexpected for me to take Pam¡¯s position, and that Prince Lancelot, who was supposed to be the capture target, woulde to stand in my way¡­ No, I had no time to feel astonished. I had to clear up this misunderstanding quickly!

    ¡°Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I don¡¯t desire Fol ¨C no, Princess Folcenia ¨C or have any other discourteous feelings like that.¡±

    ¡°What did you say? Are you trying to say that Fol isn¡¯t attractive?!¡±

    <i>Aaaah, he¡¯s such a pain in the neck!! </i>But considering that he was the viinous prince, a recement for the viinous daughter, perhaps it wasn¡¯t really that strange?

    ¡°Her Highness Princess Folcenia is a charmingdy, but there is no way someone like me, a butler, would be a good match for her. I find that even simply imagining such things disrespectful.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh? But didn¡¯t you say to Fol that one¡¯s social standing wasn¡¯t important?¡±

    I could never ever say out loud something like ¡®That was probably about Teacher Tristan.¡¯ But, if Fol told him this, then it was most likely that¡­

    No, there was no way that he could have heard it from Fol, so this had to be just a mere hunch of his.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible for me to treat her as a friend in the Academy, but, considering the gap between our social status, way too many issues would arise. More importantly, I do not intend to leave Lady Sophia¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. Good, I shall hope that you¡¯ve told me the truth,¡± Prince Lancelot remarked and left.

    ¡­For the time being, I was safe.

    But it was still too early to rx. There was no way that the misunderstanding with Prince Lancelot had beenpletely cleared up, and there were still two other routes left.

    I had to think a little more about the ramifications of me assuming Pam¡¯s role.

    Thank you for reading and all your support! Any and all donations are most wee!!

    Also I for sure didn''t see this plot twisting¡­!<ol><li>Just like Alforth, Prince Lancelot refers to Fol as ¥Õ¥©¥ëŠ—¤µ¤ó ¨C Foru-neesan.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 2: The Two Sides of Light and Darkness Part 2

    I stopped by the Academy on my way back from the Royal castle. I was headed towards a section in the lined up clubrooms, located in the best area. The lights were on in the room that Lady Sophia''s faction used when I appeared in the building that she owned. When I dropped by to see who was inside, Alicia and Pam were happily drinking tea together.

    ¡°Oh, Cyril, didn¡¯t you go to the Royal castle?¡±

    Alicia noticed me and she lightly waved her hand while greeting me in an innocent tone. Beside her, Pam nodded at me as if to say ¡®Hello.¡¯ Compared to Alicia, it was a rather reserved gesture¡­ No, for a young Lady, this was the norm.

    ¡°I am on my way back. I just stopped by to deal with some business and will be returning home shortly. More importantly, it¡¯s quite unusual to see you two having tea together.¡±

    ¡°I had something to consult with Pam today. But it¡¯s not really that unusual, is it?¡±

    Puzzled, Alicia sought backing from Pam, and Pam, in turn, nodded in agreement along with her friend.

    ¡°Have you two met previously?¡±

    ¡°Of course we¡¯ve met, we¡¯re often together at Lady Sophia¡¯s tea parties.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are often seated next to each other at the tea parties, just like in ss. I have always been on good terms with Miss Alicia.¡±Apparently, they had be friends since they started middle school. The heroine of the first work, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, and the heroine of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, were here together. I got wary about this meeting and might have been a bit too high-strung. As these thoughts went through my mind, Alicia lifted her index finger and ced it next to her face.

    ¡°By the way, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Who did you meet with at the Royal castle?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Unconsciously, I fell silent. Whether I liked it or not, and considering the scornful look that Alicia turned my way, I realized that she had misunderstood me. She probably thought that I had a ndestine meeting with Fol at the Royal castle. It was as if I could hear her voice questioning me, ¡®You¡¯re fooling around even though you have Lady Sophia¡­?¡¯

    At the very least, I prayed that the voice wasn¡¯t saying: ¡®You cannot fool around with anyone else but me, got it¡­?¡¯

    For the time being, this misunderstanding should be cleared if I answered that I had gone to meet Teacher Tristan. But I didn¡¯t really want people to know that I was in contact with him too much.

    How should I answer¡­?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was a very personal question.¡±

    The aura of darkness around Alicia faded away quickly, and sheughed impishly. She seemed to have noticed that she was putting me in a tough spot. It was precisely because she knew when to quit that I couldn¡¯t dislike her.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. By the way, Lady Pam, do you have anything to discuss with me? It seems to me that you¡¯ve been wanting to tell me something since earlier.¡±

    After closing the conversation with Alicia I turned my gaze to Pam, who had been watching me this whole time.

    ¡°Ah, no, I was just thinking that I owed you a thank you.¡±

    ¡°A ¡®thank you¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you taught my maid how to prepare ck tea, didn¡¯t you? Thanks to that, we are now able to drink delicious tea at home as well. My parents are delighted, too.¡±

    ¡®We are able to drink delicious tea at home as well.¡¯ This sentence wasn¡¯t to be taken literally; she was probably saying that Count Ford was d that Pam joined Sophia¡¯s faction.

    ¡°I will definitely inform my Lady of this.¡±

    ¡°No need, I have already conveyed my thanks to Lady Sophia. But you were the one who put in a good word for us when it came to the matter with the potatoes, correct? That¡¯s why I wanted to express my thanks to you as well, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve such high praise.¡±

    Since that was the case, I epted her words of gratitude

    Simrly, Alicia thanked me right after as well. It seemed that the two of them¡ªor rather, their parents¡ªwere quite grateful. It was likely that they were delighted to have been able to establish a connection with Lady Sophia, the sole daughter of a Marquis.

    <i>More importantly,</i> I thought as Ipared the two young Ladies, Alicia¡¯s feelings were¡­ how to put it? They were easy to read from her expressions. Meanwhile, Pam only seemed to be thanking me normally. It didn¡¯t seem likely that I would find myself in the First Prince¡¯s position after having already identally taken the Second Prince¡¯s, after all.

    That being the case, I returned home after some light small talk. When I returned to the mansion, Rouch¨¦ came out to greet me. This pattern of behaviour made me guess that Lady Sophia was going to be waiting for me in my room while striking a daunting pose, but, apparently, that wasn¡¯t the case today.

    ¡°She¡¯s assisting Roy and Emma with their waiting training?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She said that it¡¯s better if they acquire practical experience.¡±

    Roy and Emma were the slum children Lady Sophia had be a guardian of.

    I guess that, since, in name, Lady Sophia was their guardian, she had offered to assist them with their training. Normally, young Ladies wouldn¡¯t do something like this, but Lady Sophia was more caring than one would expect.

    Incidentally, I had heard from Teacher Tristan that Roy and Emma appeared in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ as well. More precisely, they were a part of a side story that was included with the original work¡¯s characters.

    It seemed that Roy and Emma running out in front of the carriage that day was a set event after all. But, because the original work¡¯s Lady Sophia was bullied by a maid, she hade to hatemoners. Therefore, she ended up chasing the two slum children away.

    Having been driven away, Roy and Emma were brought back to the Dark Guild. Emma was forced to take customers and Roy was forcefully sent back to their parents, but heter joined as a member of the Dark Guild on his own wishes.

    Afterwards, time passed and Emma managed to procure a certain piece of information: the one about Lady Sophia¡¯s n to hire a thug in an attempt to take Alicia¡¯s life.

    Following the course of events in the first game, even though I negotiated with No Name and hired a thug, I was betrayed by him and the evil deed ended up being exposed¡­

    ording to ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯s side story, Roy and Emma would be involved in acquiring this information. In other words, this meant that Lady Sophia had smashed one of the gs of destruction herself.

    The young Lady, who was supposed to be the object of Roy and Emma¡¯s revenge in the original work, was now adored by them and the young Lady herself cared for them dearly. This proved my Lady¡¯s growth, as well as providing evidence to the fact that she walked a path different from that of a viinous daughter.

    I felt that it was incredibly moving, and, with emotions constricting my chest, I dropped by the dining room where they were practising.

    Although Rouch¨¦ had said that they were doing waiting practice, it seemed that they were actually serving dinner. There were warm dishes lined up before Lady Sophia. However, one of them didn¡¯t have any side dishes, while all the other main and side dishes were beautifully garnished. The exception was a dish made up of mixed potatoes and meat. When Lady Sophia picked up the porcin bowl that had this dish inside, Emma was acting visibly anxious. She had probably cooked that dish.

    Lady Sophia reached out to the food Emma prepared with her chopsticks.

    Incidentally, chopsticks weren¡¯t originally used in the Ephenear Kingdom. It was a custom that got imported here from a neighboring country¡ªnamely, from the mefield Empire. When it came to culture, it felt as if the customs of my homnd from the previous world had been split between both of these countries.

    Anyway, when Lady Sophia brought the potatoes and meat to her mouth using her chopsticks and started chewing on them elegantly, her eyes narrowed in happiness as she showed a small smile. Her smiling face that made one feel relieved just by catching a glimpse of it properly showcased Emma¡¯s hard work.

    ¡°The meat¡¯s vour haspletely permeated through the potatoes, but they haven¡¯t be mushy either. It¡¯s perfectly bnced and very delicious. Emma, you¡¯ve done well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you very much.¡±

    Just like a waitressing maid, Emma expressed her happiness subtly. But her small hand was grasping the hem of her skirt tightly. It seemed that, after she worked at a diner for her Social Studies ss, she was working much harder.

    Moreover, Roy gazed at Emma, who had just been praised, with a somewhat frustrated or envious look on his face. These siblings were on good terms, but it seemed that, despite that, they had be rivals.

    ¡°Oh my!¡± Lady Sophia eximed as she tried to ce her chopsticks back on her bowl and missed. The chopsticks rolled across the table and tumbled down onto the carpet. Lady Sophia pushed her chair back in a panic, trying to pick the chopsticks up.

    ¡°I will pick them up for you, my Lady.¡±

    Roy politely stopped her before immediately picking up the fallen chopsticks and cing them away. After that, he ced recement chopsticks in front of her. After seeing this, Lady Sophia smiled once more.

    ¡°Roy, you were able to respond well too. Not even a year has passed, yet the two of you seem to be working and studying so diligently. I am very proud of you.¡±

    She did something ill-mannered ¨C trying to pick up the fallen chopsticks by herself ¨C on purpose. Everything from the moment her chopsticks fell had been a performance byLady Sophia. Likely, she had been creating an opportunity for not just Emma, but for Roy to receive praise as well. By dropping her chopsticks for Roy¡¯s sake despite it being improper, she was acting just like a caring big sister.

    ¡°They¡¯ve all grown up so much¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Cyril.¡± Rouch¨¦, who followed after me silently, replied to my low murmur.

    ¡°And not just Roy and Emma. Lady Sophia is working hard every day to return the favour to you as well.¡±

    ¡°She is working hard, just like you said, but she¡¯s not trying to return a favor or anything like that.¡±

    Hard work was necessary if Lady Sophia wished to conduct herself in a manner appropriate to her social standing. It was also necessary for Roy and Emma to work hard in order to protect the ce they now belonged to. For, if they failed to demonstrate their abilities, they would immediately lose their ce. However, when I exined this, Rouch¨¦ let out an ostentatiously long sigh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, Cyril. Roy and Emma know very well that, without your support, they wouldn¡¯t have been saved. Lady Sophia feels the same way.¡±

    Rouch¨¦ was probably talking about the incident of the past when Lady Sophia was bullied by some of the maids, since she was also affected by it.

    But¡ª

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be very arrogant of me to think that, just because I saved someone once, they have to keep working hard to return that favour?¡±

    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t. Of course, I¡¯m also one of the people who wish to return a favour to you, you know?¡±

    I nced at Rouch¨¦, startled. She wore her usual impish smile, but her eyes were earnest and unsmiling.

    ¡°¡­Rouch¨¦?¡±

    ¡°It was because of your support that day that I¡¯m able to stay here. Thanks to that, my family has been able to restore their business as well. I¡¯m really grateful to you, you know?¡±

    ¡°I was simply fulfilling Lady Sophia¡¯s request.¡±

    Although I repeated once more something I was sure I had already said that day as well, Rouch¨¦ silently shook her head.

    ¡°I know that you are that kind of a person, Cyril. However, you are influencing many people with your actions. If you don¡¯t realize that, it can be a big problem, you know?¡±

    <i>¡®I took the Second Prince¡¯s position and also the position of the heroine! It has already be a big problem!</i>¡¯ Though I wouldn¡¯t say that out loud, no matter what.

    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± I answered with a wry smile.

    ¡°Ah, Teacher Cyril!¡±

    ¡°Oh, teacher1? You¡¯re really here! Teacher, did you watch me waiting on the table just now?¡±

    ¡°I also worked hard with the cooking!¡±

    When the two noticed me, they forgot about waiting upon Lady Sophia and instead decided to fly over to me. I sighed. Their service up till that moment had been very good, but doing this was a definite no-no. But Lady Sophia, who had followed after the two and was making her way towards me, mouthed: ¡®Please praise them.¡¯ behind their backs, without letting out a sound.

    <i>¡­I have no other choice then.</i>

    ¡°You both get a point reduction for getting distracted at the end, but¡­¡±

    I smiled wryly and ced my palm on top of Roy¡¯s head.

    ¡°In this short time without me looking after you, your movements have changed so much that I couldn¡¯t even recognize you. Moreover, when Lady Sophia attempted to pick up her own chopsticks, you made a calm decision as well. Are these the fruits of working at the diner? You¡¯ve done very well.¡±

    I patted his hair in a praising motion.

    Then, I turned to Emma, whose expression was now full of expectation as if saying: ¡®Now it¡¯s my turn!¡¯

    ¡°Emma, your movements are much more refined than they were before. Also, the food¨C¡±

    It looked very delicious. Watching Lady Sophia¡¯s reaction, it was undoubtedly cooked very well, but I should at least have a taste.

    ¡°Say aah.¡± As if reading my thoughts, a te and chopsticks, with the potatoes and meat pinched between them, were held out to me. The culprit was¡­ Lady Sophia.

    <i>What are you doing? That¡¯s the food you were just eating, right? Is this why you urged me to praise them, by any chance?</i>

    Several retorts crossed my mind, but I immediately abandoned these thoughts and instead took hold of Lady Sophia¡¯s wrist, taking a bite of the potatoes and meat pinched between the chopsticks held out for me.

    The taste of the juicy gravy permeating the potatoes spread in my mouth. The taste was a little different from the dishes that were served in this world¡¯s high society, but the vour was a somewhat nostalgic one, making me recall my previous world.

    However, I wouldn¡¯t raise any destruction gs and say stuff such as, ¡®Emma will make a good bride in the future.¡¯

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well. It¡¯s very delicious.¡±

    I praised her the same way as I did for Roy and gently rubbed her hair. Lady Sophia, who had nonchntly stepped in between them and told me to ¡°Say aah,¡± probably didn¡¯t n on interfering any further. She looked at the happy Roy and Emma, and she was smiling pleasantly.

    From time to time, Lady Sophia did get jealous, but she could properly distinguish such situations. It didn¡¯t seem likely that Lady Sophia would, once again, undergo viinization after being influenced by ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯s story. This reassured me. Lady Sophia then turned to me and as if she just remembered something before speaking:

    ¡°That reminds me. I heard that my elder brother, Ernest, has cut his study abroad short and was nning to return home,¡± she said.

    Thank you for reading! That''s quite a line to end a chapter on, isn''t it? Also Sophia doing all that just for an indirect kiss¡­ what a mastermind lmao!<ol><li>Emma calls Cyril ÏÈÉú- ¡®sensei¡¯, while Roy calls him ŽŸ½³ ¨C ¡®shishou¡¯. This term can also mean ¡®master¡¯, but because that would get confusing since this novel has nobility, I will keep it as teacher.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 3: The Two Sides of Light and Darkness Part 3

    Ernest Rosenberg.

    This was the name of Lady Sophia¡¯s youngest elder brother, the one who had tinum blond hair and amethyst-like eyes. This boy, whose appearance was quite simr to Lady Sophia¡¯s, had beautiful, sharp features, and had apparently always attracted attention from the opposite sex. However, to be frank, I didn¡¯t really know much about him.

    To begin with, he wasn¡¯t brought up much in the first game, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness.¡¯ Since he hadn¡¯t been involved in Lady Sophia¡¯s fall to ruin, I never really paid him any attention. Moreover, because he attended the Academy since elementary school, we had only interacted a few times.

    With that being the case, I had believed the rumor that he was in love with his childhood friend, which was the official story. But, apparently, they were both using this rtionship as an excuse to keep away people of the opposite sex that wanted to court them. It seemed that Lady Sophia was also aware of this fact.

    Incidentally, ording to the information I received about ¡®The Eve of the Festival,¡¯ the young Lady that kept himpany wasn¡¯t all that bad. But, for the time being, that information was irrelevant to me, so I set it aside. The real issue was that, in Ernest¡¯s route, Lady Sophia held the role of the viinous daughter.

    In ¡®The Eve of the Festival,¡¯ Lady Sophia had a brotherplex and was jealous that her big brother was being taken away. The storyline was that she had then started to pick on Pam. But I didn¡¯t think that she would fall into darkness even if Young Master Ernest were to be taken from Lady Sophia. She might sulk about it a little, but that was about it.

    However, Young Master Ernest was returning from his studies abroad at the end of the school year. In other words, although he was supposed to stay abroad for one more term, he cut his ns short and came back.The plot of his story deviating right from the start gave me an extremely bad feeling.

    That bad feeling of mine was pretty spot on. About a week had passed before I was summoned by Young Master Ernest, who had just returned home. I prepared myself for the worst and walked into the parlor room where he was, waiting for me.

    ¡°Young Master Ernest, wee back.¡±¡°I see that you¡¯ve arrived. It¡¯s been a while, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has been a long time.¡±

    After lowering my head politely, I looked straight at Young Master Ernest. Just as you¡¯d have expected from Lady Sophia¡¯s elder brother, his appearance resembled hers a lot. If Lady Sophia were to ever dress herself as a man, would she look something like this? He was a handsome boy, and I could understand why he had be a capture target in ¡®The Eve of the Festival.¡¯

    He had been attending an academy in the mefield Empire sincest year. Therefore, it had been about two years since Ist saw him in person like this. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t like we interacted much before. At the very least, I was certain he definitely hadn¡¯t summoned me to rekindle an old friendship or the sort due to his return from studying abroad.

    ¡°Simply put, Cyril, the reason I called for you today is because I thought that you could brief me about all the things that have happened while I was abroad. Seems like you¡¯ve been quite shy, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Are you speaking about Lady Sophia establishing her own faction?¡±

    Several incidents came to my mind at once, but, for now, I voiced out aparatively safe guess. After all, at that point I couldn¡¯t just ask him: ¡®Is this about her being summoned by the Royal family?¡¯

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard about that matter as well. I heard that she had established a big faction in a small amount of time. There was an inquiry from His Highness, Prince Lancelot, asking just what on earth did she intend by doing so.¡±

    ¡°¡­I deeply apologize for that.¡±

    ¡®It could easily have been interpreted as the Rosenberg Marquis household rising in revolt.¡¯

    I had prepared myself to be reprimanded like that, but Young Master Ernest just shook his head in disagreement.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your reasons from my father as well. What¡¯s most important is the fact that our unreliable Sophia concluded that she should establish a faction by herself. There¡¯s no way that I would criticise her, since, as her elder brother, I give her my full support as her elder brother.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for misunderstanding.¡±

    He was saying that it was impossible for an elder brother to do things like reprimand his younger sister. When I realized this, I immediately apologized, as my thoughts raced frantically.

    Apparently, Young Master Ernest was staying in touch with His Highness, Prince Lancelot. On top of that, Young Master Ernest said that he heard about Lady Sophia¡¯s deeds from the current head of the family, Master Grave, as well.

    There was a regr transport line going all the way to the neighboring country¡¯s capital via a magic-powered airship. Naturally, the airship wasn¡¯t something a regr person could use freely, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult for the son of a Marquis to use it to deliver and receive letters. Considering this, they must have been exchanging letters quite frequently. It was very likely that he was also informed of Lady Sophia crushing Count Ares¡¯ household and receiving a summons from the Royal family. It was highly probable that Young Master Ernest had summoned me, someone he didn¡¯t usuallymunicate with, because of these incidents, right?

    ording to ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯s set up, Lady Sophia loved her elder brother. In other words, it could be said that Young Master Ernest also showered Lady Sophia with a considerable amount of affection¡­ Well, it was possible that his kindness was just pretend, but, ording to my sister¡¯s information, that wasn¡¯t the case. At least, I was sure that he didn¡¯t <i>dislike</i> Lady Sophia¡­

    ¡°In that case, what would you like me to tell you about?¡±

    ¡°Tell me about everything that had happened while I was abroad.¡±

    ¡°Everything?¡±

    ¡°Yes. First off, tell me about Sophia scoring high marks at the entrance exams.¡±

    <i>I don¡¯t understand what his intentions are, but if he wants to hear about that¡­</i>

    As instructed, I told Young Master Ernest about how Lady Sophia had worked very hard during her lessons, focused on the entrance exams topics, and how she only lost one point in the actual exam due to a careless mistake.

    ¡°So, essentially, she got a perfect score.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, it was as you say.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a question that she couldn¡¯t answer, but she just got a point reduction due to a mistake. While it was possible for her to get a perfect score, it was a little indulgent to say that it was ¡®an essentially perfect score¡¯. However, Lady Sophia didn¡¯t lose that one point by ident, she actually did it on purpose. In that sense, I had no objections to him saying it was ¡®an essentially perfect score.¡¯

    ¡°Splendid! Knowledge, etiquette, fine arts, beauty! She has already managed to nearly reach a debutante level in all subjects! As expected of my little sister!¡±

    ¡°Yes. Lady Sophia is working extremely hard.¡±

    If anything, she was working too hard.

    ¡°Well then, I also want to hear about why she created a faction again. What my father told me was too sinct.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    As asked of me, I told him all about the reasons behind Lady Sophia establishing her own faction. In the process of doing so, I also openly told him that Lady Sophia got involved with His Highness, Prince Alforth, and that the members of the Elitist faction, who had been Prince Alforth¡¯s followers, had messed with her. Objectively stating the truth was the fundamental duty of a butler.

    ¡°I see, it seems like His Highness, Prince Alforth is also someone I have to keep an eye on.¡±

    Hearing Young Master Ernest¡¯s murmur made me feel a bit bitter. Prince Alforth did screw up here and there, that was true, and I didn¡¯t intend on pretending that it should be kept a secret, but these were all his past mistakes. In no way was he currently foolish.

    ¡°With your permission, allow me to state my opinion.¡±

    ¡°I shall allow it. If you have something on your mind, you should say it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. His Highness Prince Alforth had certainly made some mistakes, but he isn¡¯t foolish like that anymore. As the Second Prince, he continues to grow everyday.¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡±

    His answer bewildered me. He was aware of his growth, yet he still concluded that Prince Alforth was someone to be wary of. Wasn¡¯t that like saying that he would never forgive his mistakes?

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand. The reason why I called him someone to keep an eye on is because he asked Sophia for a dance at the New Students¡¯ Weing Party.¡±

    ¡°I see, so that was the reason.¡±

    Although I answered like that, I didn¡¯t understand at all. Did he think that Prince Alforth was thinking of making Lady Sophia his fianc¨¦e in order to gain the support of the Rosenberg Marquis household?

    ¡°But His Highness, Prince Alforth isn¡¯t an ambitious person.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, there are no doubts that he is ambitious. He tried to dance with this country¡¯s precious treasure, even more precious than the throne ¨C he tried to dance with my beloved sister!¡±

    I watched him curl his hands into tight fists and it finally dawned on me.

    <i>Ooh, I see.</i>

    Thinking about it rationally, it wasn¡¯t really that strange. Why? Because in ¡®The Eve of the Festival,¡¯ Young Master Ernest also adored the Lady Sophia who grew up to be the viinous daughter.

    There, Lady Sophia¡¯s character got warped because she was bullied by a maid and you certainly couldn¡¯t call her amiable in the slightest, but Young Master Ernest had still adored this Lady Sophia.

    If that was the case, then, if we were to talk about the current Lady Sophia, the one whose character didn¡¯t get warped and who grew up to be as charming as an angel with refined etiquette and who would straightforwardly express her love with a smile on her face¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s my younger sister. I¡¯m not giving her to some prince!¡±

    ¡­the fact that he would develop a sisterplex was inevitable. In retrospect, there were many clues pointing in that direction. <i>For example</i>, I thought, thinking back on the conversation Lady Sophia and Young Master Ernest had had when he was leaving to study abroad.

    <i>¡°You are going to study abroad, aren¡¯t you, big brother?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Yeah. I heard that the magic spells in the mefield Empire are outstanding. Therefore, I decided to study there for the sake of this kingdom¡¯s future.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°I will not stop you if you really are going to study there for the sake of this kingdom, big brother. But I feel really sad¡­ Big brother, please take care of yourself.¡±</i>

    At that time, Lady Sophia was smiling somewhat sadly. I didn¡¯t even need to think about how Young Master Ernest must have been feeling then.

    As such instances repeated themselves, it was unavoidable that Young Master Ernest¡¯s affection for his sister would grow much deeper than in the original work.

    Or rather, did Young Master Ernest undergo a sis-conification? This didn¡¯t really appear to be a problem when it came to the fandisk¡¯s actual story. Needless to say, it would probably be difficult for Pam to now enter Young Master Ernest¡¯s route.

    However, I wasn¡¯t reassured by that either. Earlier, Young Master Ernest said that Prince Alforth was a person to keep an eye on <i>too</i>. I should have noticed by that point. Looking at the fact that I was someone who normally didn¡¯t interact with him much, why was summoning me the first thing Young Master Ernest did once he was back? Meaning¡ª

    ¡°So let us get to the real issue at hand. I hear that you¡¯ve yed quite an active role during the school festival, haven''t you, Cyril?¡±

    Thest scene of the ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ y crossed my mind.

    The moment when the lights were supposed to go out right before the kiss but they didn¡¯t due to Lady Sophia¡¯s mischief, so I drew my face close to hers which had also served as her punishment.

    <i>N-no, calm down. </i>He had only asked me about the school festival. It wasn¡¯t determined that he was talking about the y.

    ¡°Tell me. Just what did you do¡­ to my adorable little sister on top of that stage, showered in light?¡±

    <i>¡­Right. Well, if he knew about the school festival, he naturally must know about the y as well.</i>

    In other words¡ª

    I switched positions with Pam in his route, and the capture target and viinous daughter got switched up too!

    This was bad, this was very very bad!

    He even treated Prince Alforth as ¡®some prince¡¯. Then, just what ce would take a mere butler like me? I felt like I¡¯d get disposed of like some kind of flying insect.

    I couldn¡¯t say anything careless here, but I definitely couldn¡¯t lie either.

    Therefore¡ª

    ¡°I did what was necessary to lead the stage that my Lady stood on to be a sess.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯ve stolen those adorable lips because it was necessary¡­?¡±

    If he knew about the y then he¡¯d also know about what happened during thest scene, wouldn¡¯t he!?!?

    ¡°N-no, I didn¡¯t kiss her. I only made it seem that way because the lights wouldn¡¯t go out. It is regrettable that it resulted in a situation that could easily invite misunderstandings, but I never attempted to steal her lips, ever.¡±

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t have feelings for my little sister?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I adore her from the bottom of my heart, for Lady Sophia is the person I work for.¡±

    I didn¡¯t lie. I wasn¡¯t¡­ lying. I caught Young Master Ernest¡¯s gaze head on, focusing those sentiments into my eyes.

    ¡°¡­Then, what would you do if Sophia were in danger?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I would eliminate any and all threats, even at the cost of my life.¡±

    ¡°In that case, what would you do if Sophia asked you to do something?¡±

    ¡°I would do everything in my power to fulfill her wishes.¡±

    ¡°Even if these wishes would lead to some detrimental consequences for you?¡±

    He turned his somewhat testing gaze towards me. But, it was toote for that now. I had a really hard time hiding that. Unconsciously, I felt like I might startughing because thest question he asked me was really easy to answer.

    ¡°I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. I¡¯ve longe to the resolve that I am living for her sake. My wish is to be able to grant her wishes. Therefore, it is impossible for her wishes to be detrimental to me,¡± I dered.

    ¡°¡­Is that so¡­ Good. I¡¯ll believe those words. But remember this well. If you ever do anything that will make Sophia sad, I will eliminate you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind.¡±

    I bowed my head deeply and let out a sigh of relief. I seemed to have managed to narrowly escape death.

    But¡­ I had an extremely terrible sense of foreboding. When I heard about a certain thing from Teacher Tristan, I had set it aside because it was sort of irrelevant then. It was the situation where Pam had half-heartedly attempted to go after all three of the capture targets. I was talking about the <i>mitsudomoe </i>1 bad ending, where she would make each of the viinous daughters be her enemy and fall into ruin.</a>

    As long as Pam wasn¡¯t manipted by someone2, there was no way for her to halfheartedly court all three men and fall into ruin. Therefore, I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to worry about this end in this reality.</a>

    But¡ª</a>

    In Prince Lancelot¡¯s route, I took Pam¡¯s position and I got myself into a situation where His Highness, Prince Lancelot, who became the viinous daughter, was keeping an eye on me.

    And now, I took Pam¡¯s position in Young Master Ernest¡¯s route as well and was now being watched by Young Master Ernest, who had be the viinous daughter in this situation.

    I was being watched by the two routes¡¯ viinous daughters ¨C who were actually a viinous prince and a viinous son. If the Prince of the mefield Empire were to start keeping an eye on me, too, I would end up having all the three people who became viinous daughters staring right at me. The possibility of me falling into ruin by getting the <i>mitsudomoe</i> bad ending came into view.

    <i>¡­No, calm down, it¡¯s alright.</i>

    Certainly, for some reason, I had taken on Pam¡¯s role. But that wasn¡¯t particrly due to the forces of the game, but as a result of my own actions. At least, I had an inkling where I could have invited misunderstandings when it came to Fol and Lady Sophia.

    But, precisely for that reason, I felt safe when it came to the route of the mefield Empire. Why? Because I had never gone to the neighboring country. Although the Prince and Princess wereing to study abroad here, that was still in the future and if I didn¡¯t try to involve myself with them, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems.

    In other words, it was possible for me to still avoid the <i>mitsudomoe</i> bad ending. Just as I was thinking in this way, as if mocking me, Young Master Ernest opened his mouth:

    ¡°Come to think of it, the Princess of the mefield Empire seems to have taken an interest in you,¡± he said.

    Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to support this trantion, I have a Ko-Fi ount!

    Also, as I am taking care of my baby cousins this week, there most likely won''t be a chapter next week, my apologies! But I should get right back to posting the week after!

    Also also¡­what a chapter, huh?<ol><li>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoe#/media/File:Hidari_mitsudomoe.svg; tomoe is monly tranted as ma", it¡¯s ama-like swirl symbol used in Japanese <i>mon</i> (roughly equivalent to a heraldic badge or charge in Germanic heraldry). When circumscribed in a circle, it often appears in a set of three, with this design known as the <i>mitsudomoe</i> (Èý¥Ä°Í).¡± https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoe )</li><li>literally someone on the inside, aka a yer</li></ol>

    </a>

 Book 3: Chapter 4: The Two Sides of Light and Darkness Part 4

    While this world had be the stage for an otome game, we weren¡¯t actually inside the game. Since the future would change ording to our actions there were no gamepliant forces at work. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.

    And yet, the very moment that I knew I had to beware of the <i>mitsudomoe</i> bad ending, I was informed that thest person involved in it, the mefield Empire¡¯s princess, was interested in me.

    I didn¡¯t get it, at all.

    I was born in this country, so I had never been in contact with the princess from the neighboring empire. And yet, she had taken an interest in me. What on earth was going on?

    ¡°Young Master Ernest, do you know why the princess of the mefield Empire would be interested in me? I have absolutely no idea.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea? Do you not have even an ounce of self awareness? There¡¯s no way that you don¡¯t know what kind of ce that empire is.¡±

    When he told me this, I was reminded of the mefield Empire¡¯s distinctive features. I heard that the Empire¡¯s climate was much warmer than Ephenear Kingdom¡¯s, just like its name suggested. It was also said that they prefered well-ventted buildings, and often wore airy, cool clothing because of that. And, most importantly, it was a region with very advanced magic.

    ¡­Wait a minute, magic?

    Come to think of it, I had heard that the Royal family even consulted the neighboring country about Magical Overcharge Illness. But even that empire couldn¡¯t find a method to save Fol.And yet, someone from a country where magic wasn¡¯t as advanced had found a way to cure her. Knowing that, it wasn¡¯t odd that the princess would be interested in the person responsible.

    ¡°Then, the princess is curious about the matter concerning Magical Overcharge Illness?¡±

    ¡°Yes, how to release one¡¯s own magical powers outside of the body. It sounds easy when said like that, but to actually execute it is extremely difficult. It appears that she had never heard of a skill like that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    This world was based on the medieval era of my previous world. In order for multiple things to seem dazzling and resplendent for the sake of the story, some magical equipment did exist, but, when it came to general magical techniques, it was on the same level as my previous world¡®s techniques of centuries prior.

    For example, even my older sister, who had been an ordinary person in my previous world, would be considered a specialist here when it came to magic. Since I had majored in magic in my previous world, it was no wonder that I would be seen as something extraordinary, even from the point of view of an empire that excelled in magic.

    But, if I were to be honest, this was nothing but a trivial matter. While I didn¡¯t intend on disclosing my memories of my previous world, I didn¡¯t intend on hiding my abilities by all means possible either. I might be too conspicuous, but, if I conducted myself skillfully, I would be beneficial to my Lady.

    Therefore, the issue was that I was sure that the princess who had taken an interest in me was the viinous daughter of the mefield Empire route in ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, Her Highness the seventh Princess, Charlotte. Of course, since there were bound to be several princesses, there was also the possibility that it was someone else, but¡­

    ¡°Young Master Ernest, who is this princess you speak of?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness, Princess Charlotte.¡±

    Figures.

    As things had progressed this far, the real surprise would be if she were actually a different princess. Or rather, in this situation, I might even feel relieved that the number of people involved hadn¡¯t increased any further.

    ¡°I have a message for you from Her Highness, Princess Charlotte. She said that she¡¯s eager to talk to you while she¡¯s studying abroad here. I¡¯ve already spoken to Sophia about it, but make sure to keep it in mind.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    It seemed that I had no choice but to get involved with Princess Charlotte. My <i>mitsudomoe</i> bad ending glimmered on the horizon, but I had to prevent it by any means possible. To top it all, it also seemed that I had to pay scrupulous attention so that Lady Sophia wouldn¡¯t fall into darkness.

    ***

    On the grounds of the Londobell Royal Academy, there was an area where clubroom buildings were lined up next to each other. Although nominally they were designated for school club activities, many of them were locations owned by factions. They were being lent out; the sizes ranging from a single ssroom to even people who borrowed a whole plot ofnd and built a residence there.

    Young Master Ernest, the second son of the Rosenberg Marquis household, belonged to a faction that owned one of these residences.

    No, saying it like that would be inurate. Young Master Ernest¡¯s faction building was precisely the one that prided itself on being thergest on the Londobell Royal Academy¡¯s grounds. It was a building that belonged to the First Prince of the Ephenear Kingdom, Prince Lancelot.

    If one thought of it as a mansion, it wasn¡¯t that big. However, it was big enough to have permanently stationed servants there, and it had everything from a party venue to guest rooms. It was a construction of the highest quality, with top-notch furnishing.

    In the main hall of this building, a bittersweet melody floated across the venue intended to hold parties. The melody was produced by a grand piano that had been brought in through air transport a few days earlier from the mefield Empire.

    Sitting behind the piano stool was a young nobleman with tinum blond hair. Ernest let his fingers dance atop the keys, a yearning expression on his face while sweat dripped down his forehead. This sight made his personal maids let out sweet, impressed sighs.

    Ernest waspletely immersed in the music, building a sanctuary no one could easily trespass into. However, there was one young man who invaded this sanctuary of his. He stepped onto the thick carpet, approaching. When the maids spotted him, they stepped to the side nonchntly, creating a passage for him.

    ¡°I thought I heard some unfamiliar noise. So it was you, as I thought.¡±

    ¡°Lancelot? You¡¯rete.¡± The son of a Marquis replied bluntly to the First Prince¡¯s friendly address, without halting his movements.

    Under normal circumstances, this exchange would be absolutely unforgivable, but no one was reproaching him. Everyone here knew that Lancelot allowed this.

    ¡°As if the reason I hurried to get here wasn¡¯t you. So, what¡¯s this instrument that you¡¯re ying, Ernest?¡±

    ¡°It was created in the mefield Empire and it¡¯s called a grand piano, or simply a piano.¡±

    Ernest continued to y without stopping, even as he continued to exin. However, this behaviour wasn¡¯t meant to disrespect Lancelot. It was a result of Ernest concluding, because he understood the First Prince¡¯s nature, that the Prince was showing interest in the performance. Of course, it was needless to mention that this conclusion was backed by an appropriate degree of familiarity.

    ¡°But why did you suddenly start ying?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Ernest; any child born into a noble family should be able to y an instrument to a socially eptable standard. However, Ernest¡¯s skills far surpassed ¡®socially eptable¡¯.

    ¡°You know that my little sister excels in violin, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve only heard about it like a million times now.¡±

    Ernest and Lancelot had known each other since elementary school, and they were, so to speak, childhood friends. Therefore, Lancelot had witnessed Ernest¡¯s doting daily on his little sister firsthand.

    When they first met and were just enrolled in elementary school, he didn¡¯t particrly talk about her, but he began mentioning his little sister about a yearter, and he had continued ever since.

    ording to him, she was an angel that descended from heaven to grace them with her presence in their family. Her etiquette was wless and, when she yed, he said that even the servants would cease to work and instead listen to her performance, enchanted. She looked like a saintness when she danced, the only one showered in light as if favoured by the gods, etc. etc.

    Honestly speaking, Lancelot had been quite annoyed by Ernest¡¯s sisterplex¡­ but then, a few years ago, an incident happened that ended up changing his perception of it.

    Disguised, his little brother had danced with Ernest¡¯s little sister at Lancelot¡¯s own birthday party. Since he observed their dance, he was forced to understand that Ernest¡¯s boasting of his little sister wasn¡¯t exaggerated.

    Her physical appearance wasn¡¯t the only extraordinary thing about her. Her movements were so refined that he wouldn¡¯t think her his junior, and just a single smile of hers held beauty capable of wrecking a country. But what he was most astonished by were the details of her dance with Alforth.

    Alforth was quite pampered growing up, so whenpared to Lancelot himself, who had been strictly trained, his inexperience stood out. Therefore, he definitely couldn¡¯t be called skilled at dancing, either. To be honest, Alforth had stepped on Sophia¡¯s foot many times.

    That was not unexpected, but what followed next was. As time went on, their dance became smoother, despite the fact that Alforth¡¯s lead was in no way improving rapidly.

    The country¡¯s dances had boys taking the lead while the girls followed. Therefore, it could be said that, if the boy¡¯s lead was unskilled, it was pretty much impossible for the two people to dance in sync. There were exceptions where the girls would end up stealing the lead, but, if that were to happen, it would be obvious to spot. But Sophia didn¡¯t look as if she was leading. Assuming that was the case, there was only one other option Lancelot could think of.

    Sophia was predicting Alforth¡¯s lead. This was quite an unorthodox practice in which a person could read the other¡¯s movements. Lancelot didn¡¯t doubt the ability itself, because his older cousin, Folcenia, had also mastered this technique. So at that time, Lancelot thoughts were as follows:

    <i>Is that Miss Sophia? Ernest¡¯s boasting sure wasn¡¯t for nothing. I couldn¡¯t me Alforth if he¡¯s charmed by her. But even so, Fol is still way more gorgeous and wonderful.</i> While the object of his doting was his cousin, Lancelot could still be ssified as a person with a sisterplex as well.

    Enough of that. For now, let¡¯s get back to the story. As it would appear, the reason why Ernest had a piano flown in was in order to perform a violin and piano duet with his little sister. Actually, Cyril had already brought a piano in, and he had also stolen Sophia¡¯s first duet, but perhaps because it would sadden him, Ernest hadn¡¯t been informed of that fact at that point.

    ¡°Have you had a piano flown in just for that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m the only one in this country who knows how to y the piano.¡±

    As his delicate fingers yed out a melody of love for his little sister, Ernest whispered, ¡°By the way¡­¡± Although his voice was drowned out by the music, it barely managed to reach Lancelot¡¯s ears. In that instant, Lancelot perfectly understood Ernest¡¯s meaning.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting. It resembles a pipe organ, but it¡¯spletely different, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lancelot ced his hand on top of Ernest¡¯s shoulder and drew his face near, as if taking great interest in the piano. Two handsome young boys were huddled close together inside the party venue, illuminated by spotlights. This scene made the maids unspeakably excited. Using this situation as a cover, the two of them began their private talk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve heard about this already as well, but His Highness, Prince Harold, and Her Highness, Princess Charlotte of the mefield Empire, are hoping to continue their studies abroad here.¡±

    ¡°The Royal familying abroad, huh? In other words, they¡¯re here for <i>that</i>, right?¡±

    Although they were both members of the Royal family, the two were equals in the sense that neither of them had a direct im to the imperial throne. There weren¡¯t many objectives for such members of royalty to go study abroad. When considering that they were a prince and a princess, one of those objectives was very likely.

    That is, they were testing the grounds for a political marriage.

    ¡°I fear that, most likely, Prince Harold¡¯s objective is¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, without a doubt, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    The two nodded in agreement-

    ¡°¡ªdefinitely my little sister, Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡ªmy cousin, Fol.¡±

    These two uttered two different names simultaneously. In one aspect, they were absolutely the same: they were both siscons. Either way, the two red at each other in disbelief at their differing opinions.

    ¡°What are you saying, Lancelot? Yes, Sophia does fall behind when ites to social status, but she is equally capable. And in terms of beauty, my little sister serves a crushing victory there, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Please, stop joking, Ernest. Social status or capability are just trivial matters. In kindness and beauty, Fol is naturally the ultimate winner.¡±

    ¡°Stop messing around, Sophia is much cuter!¡±

    ¡°No way, Fol is more beautiful!¡±

    ¡®How about saying that Sophia is cute and Fol is beautiful?¡¯ There was no one to pose such a perfectly sensible question. Incidentally, no one retorted that, when it came to a marriage of convenience, wasn¡¯t it social standing and ability, if anything, that were the most important?

    ¡°Well¡­ given the circumstances, even if we decide who is cuter afterwards, there is no doubt that at least one of them¡ªor perhaps both¡ªare marriage candidates.¡±

    Ernest¡¯s number one was Sophia but, excluding her, he recognized that Folcenia would probably be brought up as a subject of this political marriage as well. Lancelot too¨C

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Setting aside the matter of who¡¯s the best one, they are both very likely to be candidates.¡±

    He had no doubts that Folcenia was the best, but if he excluded her, he recognized that Sophia would probably be brought up as a candidate for this political marriage.

    Therefore¨C

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, how about we cooperate on this matter together by helping each other out, within the scope of possibility?¡±

    ¡°I have no objections. As if I would let Fol be a tool for political marriage!¡±

    Like this, the two powerful siscons formed a pact with each other. However, there was a fact that couldn¡¯t be misunderstood. The two were in no way ipetent. Rather, it would be more urate to say that the only w these two extremely capable people had was being siscons.

    The pact that they formed with each other was also not meant to block a political marriage. It was difficult to shut down a political marriage itself if it wasn¡¯t detrimental to national interests. Their main goal was to exclude their precious family members from bing a part of this marriage of convenience.

    In other words¡ª

    Ultimately, neither would be loath to present their close friend¡¯s dear family member as the scapegoat. However, if they did that, they would end up dragging each other down. Therefore, they were to cooperate within the scope of possibility¡ªrather, the point of their arrangement was to avoid the mutual destruction that would eventually result from getting into each other¡¯s path.

    If that was the case, then what was the correct thing to do? The two contemted this and, before long, the corners of Ernest¡¯s lips curved up.

    ¡°Come to think of it, Her Highness, Princess Charlotte, is interested in Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­In Cyril? Right, because of his magical skills?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the mefield Empire was a country that specialized in magic. A mere butler had been able to produce a technique that was impossible even for a country like that. Her getting interested was only natural.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re intending on presenting Cyril as the scapegoat?¡±

    When Prince Lancelot considered this possibility, he frowned. A political marriage wasn¡¯t the only way to strengthen the bonds between the two countries. One could also strengthen the bonds by fulfilling the other country¡¯s wishes. Although magic wasn¡¯t considered that important in this country, it was the most valuable skill in the mefield Empire. Therefore, it was possible that Cyril could be an even better match for this political marriage.

    ¡°Are you displeased with that? Even though you believed that Cyril¡¯s mere existence was a hindrance?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, he¡¯s someone who seduced Fol, and someone I have to keep an eye on, but¡­¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t for Cyril, Fol wouldn¡¯t have much time left. It was possible that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything and Fol would have died in despair. Lancelot understood very well that it was thanks to Cyril that Fol had hope again.

    ¡°He has been of great service to us. If what you¡¯re saying is that you want to sacrifice him, I won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    Lancelot¡¯s normally serene green eyes zed like a me as he red at Ernest, his so-called friend. When Ernest noticed his gaze, he stopped ying. A moment of silence stretched between them¡ªand then, Ernest suddenlyughed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I consider Cyril someone who has been of great service to me as well.¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t for Cyril, Sophia would have continued to be bullied by that maid. There was also a possibility that her personality could have gotten warped because of it, too. Ernest clearly understood that it was thanks to Cyril that Sophia had be so cheerful.

    ¡°I don¡¯t n on causing him harm. Above all else, Sophia would resent me if I were to do that.¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t want to be resented by Fol, no thanks. But then, what do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy. We should prepare some benefits for Cyril.¡±

    The mefield Empire was quite meritocratic. Even though they had a royal family, it wasn¡¯t unusual for them to ept members of lower-ranked noble families either. As it could be expected, he hadn¡¯t heard of a low rank noble marrying into the Royal family, but there were many other ways of doing things.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re intending on making him a noble? ¡­Is Cyril that exceptional?¡±

    ¡°He is. My little sister¡¯s butler is brilliant. If he were to have been born to a different family, he might even surpass me. But, precisely because of that, our n has to go well.¡±

    Granting Cyril a huge benefit would please Sophia and Fol, who felt indebted to him, as well. With serious expressions on their faces, the two of them began their discussion to put this n into motion.

    Hi, I am back with a new chapter! How are you liking the siscon duo? Very curious to see how all this nning will pan out!

    Thank you so much for your support as always!

 Book 3: Chapter 5: For the Young Lady Part 1

    After school that day, I made my way to the Student Council meeting room with Lady Sophia. When my Lady entered the room the same way she always did, she let out a breathless ¡®Whoa!¡¯ But, I had confirmed that there was no hint of anything odd inside the room, and most importantly, Lady Sophia¡¯s reaction¡ªif anything¡ªwas that of delight, so I didn¡¯t feel any sense of urgency. Therefore, I checked the room in a calm manner before unconsciously turning my head away.

    On top of the main desk in the Student Council¡¯s office, dolls made by the Dollmaker of Frau were¨C

    No, I shall state it clearly. The figurines of Fol and I from when we performed in the y, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ were on disy there.

    Apparently, Fol had acquired them after finding enjoyment in them.

    A figurine of me, substituting the role of the prince, and another figurine of Fol, who had been ying the part of the princess from the Festival¡¯s second day onwards. These two figurines were arranged as if they were in the middle of performing together on stage.

    ¡°It¡¯s you, Cyril, it¡¯s you! ¡­ Why are your eyes locked with Fol¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, that¡¯s a doll, not me.¡±

    I wished she would stop questioning me like this while looking like she was about to fall into darkness. While I was being careful so that my Lady wouldn¡¯t do exactly that, I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to take responsibility for the actions of a figurine.

    ¡°Hehe, I knew you¡¯d be interested, Sophia.¡±¡°They seem to be quite borate dolls, Fol. What are they?¡± My Lady asked Fol, who was leisurely sitting on the opposite side of the office desk. Or to be more precise, she was smirking.

    ¡°The Dollmaker of Frau made them. Truth be told, she wanted to make figurines of the entire cast of ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ but since she can¡¯t get the permission to create the dolls of nobles, she¡¯s unable to.¡±

    ¡°I see. So, in other words, she would like my permission.¡±

    Perhaps because she hit the nail on the head, Lady Sophia was smiling rather meaningfully.

    ¡°As she is only amoner dollmaker, she cannot reallypensate you much¡­But she said that she would be able to at least gift you all the figurines from the ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ series as a thank you.¡±

    That was also quite bold. Something like a mass-produced article didn¡¯t really exist in this world. Since each of the figurines would be handmade, making even just one would take up a considerable amount of time. And yet, she said that she would gift her the whole series. How great a price did she anticipate Lady Sophia¡¯s figurine to have¡­?

    ¡­Well, I had an inkling on which people were likely to buy it, even for its weight in gold. The issue was how Lady Sophia thought of herself as a figurine being sold, but¨C

    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s right. Under normal circumstances, I don¡¯t think that I should be giving my permission for something like this but as it will also serve as a way to remember the y so I shall give her my permission, just this once.¡±

    It was a rtively predictable answer. Fol was lying about her social status, but she was actually a member of the Royal family. While she did hear out Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes, since the Royal family had already given permission to produce the figurines, it wouldn¡¯t be advisable for Lady Sophia to refuse at this point. Her response was likely the result of my Lady taking this into consideration. Even if I was wrong about this, I was sure that she wouldn¡¯t have just been lured in by the figurines¡­ probably.

    That being said, as I was pondering these things, Fol fetched a contract. Since she was thoroughly prepared, everything was in order and the only thing missing was Lady Sophia¡¯s signature. After I scanned the contract and confirmed that there weren¡¯t any issues with it, Lady Sophia signed it with ease.

    Incidentally, in addition to Lady Sophia¡¯s contract, Fol also had Alicia¡¯s and Prince Alforth¡¯s contracts with her. It seemed that Lady Sophia¡¯s was thest one.

    ¡°Seeing that there are already figurines of Cyril and Fol, does that mean that they had given their permission beforehand?¡±

    After signing, Lady Sophia slightly tilted her head to the side. ¡°No, it seems that she created the figurines ofmoners without permission,¡± I suggested in reply to her murmur.

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s like that.¡± Lady Sophia immediately expressed her understanding.

    While Fol was believed to be amoner that had the backing of a noble family, her true identity was unmistakably that of a Royal. If it was discovered that the Dollmaker had created her figurine without permission, she wouldn¡¯t escape getting reproached. It seemed that Fol was aware of this and it was the exact reason why they proceeded to get permissions.

    ¡°Yes, I decided to give them my permission retroactively. By the way, Cyril, you should also decide which figurine you want inpensation.¡±

    When she told me, I suddenly remembered¡­.

    Come to think of it, I was also told that I could choose as many figurines as I wanted as a token of gratitude. I had thought that it wasn¡¯t necessary but¡­ I just thought of a perfect way to put them to use. Later, I would order a figurine of my Lady¡­as well as Fol and Alicia.

    A short while after, the Student Council members met up. From day one, the Student Council served as a faction for the Royal family. Therefore, now that the School Festival was over, even if the current Student Council met up, there really wasn¡¯t anything for them to do.

    However, it was still necessary for Fol to learn the technique of releasing her own magical power, as a measure against her Magical Overcharge Illness. Thus, we decided that the Student Council members would gather once every three days and use the meetings as a front.

    So, it could be said that mingling with everyone as a member of the Student Council was inevitable. While that could be said, I would always end up recalling Prince Lancelot¡¯s warning.

    The Princess and a butler of another household. Normally, it was impossible for two such people to interact with each other as an upperssman and an underssman. If this sort of rtionship were to continue, it was likely that I would truly make Prince Lancelot my enemy.

    Being cautious in this way probably showed in my behavior. Right before the end of the day¡¯s meeting, Fol ended up ordering me to stay behind iming that she had something to talk to me about.

    ¡°¡­Well then, what did you want to discuss with me?¡±

    Besides Fol and I, the other Student Council members had already left. Of course, since Fol¡¯s servant stayed behind as well, it wasn¡¯t like it was just the two of us, but, in a sense, it could also be said that it <i>was</i> just the two of us. Lady Sophia didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it but Prince Lancelot would probably see it as such.

    As I was thinking along those lines, this was a situation that I really wanted to avoid for a while.

    ¡°Why are you acting so guarded?¡± Fol asked me, puzzled.

    Apparently, she discovered that I was avoiding her.

    ¡°Ah no, I¡¯m not particrly cautious of anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think that I would be fooled by that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be fooled but I thought that you might let it go.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡®I don¡¯t want you to ask.¡¯

    She must have understood my intentions, right?

    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve forgotten but you saved me once, you know? How could I be fine with the person who had saved my life avoiding me? Have I caused you trouble somehow?¡±

    Meaning: ¡®If I did, I will rectify it so tell me.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t like Fol caused me any inconveniences, but if I exined the situation to her, it would be the same as tattling on Prince Lancelot.

    ¡°Truth be told, I met His Highness, Prince Lancelot a few days ago,¡± I revealed.

    It wasn¡¯t such a secret talk that I would mislead Fol because of it.

    ¡°You met Lancelot? Don¡¯t tell me that he caused you some troubles¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, he expressed his gratitude to me for saving you. However, he seems to be on his guard with me, for he thinks that I might have set my sights on you, Fol.¡±

    ¡°You, on me? Hehe, Lancelot is saying some funny things, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Fol letting a little bit of herugh seep into her voice which waspletely understandable. Amoner butler yearning for a Royal Princess was way too unrealistic, even for fairy tales.

    ¡°Of course, I denied any such discourteous thing and he has epted it for the time being. But it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ve been cleared of his suspicions entirely, despite it, so¡­¡±

    ¡°So, you were avoiding me just to be on the safe side.¡±

    An expression of relief appeared on Fol¡¯s face, who now knew of the entire situation. She probably felt relieved because she understood that she wasn¡¯t the reason why I was avoiding her. Apparently, I had caused Fol unnecessary worries.

    ¡°I apologize, I should have consulted you first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would make me happier if you were to do so in the future. But, you have nothing to apologize for. One would immediately understand who you think of, even if they spent just a little bit of time watching you to begin with.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.¡±

    I expressed that it was only natural for one to think of one¡¯s master.

    ¡°Oh, but I haven¡¯t really said that I was talking about Sophia?¡±

    ¡°No matter who you would speak of, Fol, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the one I must devote myself to is Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°What a perfect answer. How boring,¡± she replied, teasing.

    In a sense, that was just like her but I had to warn her this time.

    ¡°I apologize but please refrain from teasing me like this as well. As a matter of fact, I am being suspected by Young Master Ernest of setting my sights on Lady Sophia too.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Looking as if she would burst outughing any second, Fol hid her mouth behind her hand, while her shoulders shook uncontrobly. I would have liked to say that this was a blunder that a Princess mustn¡¯t do, but even the maid standing behind her turned her face away, her shoulders shaking as well. Apparently, they found pleasure in my misery.

    ¡°So Lancelot suspects that you¡¯re pursuing me and Ernest suspects that you¡¯re pursuing Sophia, huh¡­ geez, you¡¯re really one interesting butler.¡±

    ¡°¡­I am extremely delighted to have amused you,¡± I remarked, cynically.

    <i>¡®I¡¯m not doing it for your amusement, dammit!¡¯</i>

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I wasn¡¯t really making fun of you? To have two people who understand the weight of social status very well be wary of you is proof that you¡¯re being appraised quite highly, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­certainly true.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t on par with the Elitist faction or the Commoners¡¯ faction. In this country, for a mere butler to be wedded to a princess or a daughter of a Marquis was something incredulous. And the two people who knew of this were both wary of me, a mere butler. Looking at it from a different standpoint, that was how high of an opinion they had of my abilities.

    ¡­Or, that was how little trust they had in me.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that my savior is being recognized¡­but, you¡¯re quite troubled by it, aren¡¯t you? Alright, I¡¯ll talk to Lancelot.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please.¡±

    ¡®Please don¡¯t say anything unnecessary or it¡¯ll just get worse.¡¯

    At thest moment, I swallowed these words that rose up all the way to my throat down. It seemed like it would just be more troublesome if I were to say them.

    ¡°Nevertheless, things have be quite interesting, haven¡¯t they? It¡¯s very different from the events Teacher Tristan told me about.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Unconsciously, my eyes widened in surprise.

    <i>¡®It¡¯s different from the events that Teacher Tristan told me about.¡¯</i>

    My eyes widened because, in other words, it was the same as Fol implying that she knew about ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯.

    She knew that in his previous world, Teacher Tristan was a girl. And perhaps, she might have even known that I was a transmigrator, and that in my previous world, Teacher Tristan was my older sister.

    ¡°Fol, how much do you know?¡± I asked, and Fol smiled as she gestured for her maid to step back a little. Naturally, going back so little didn¡¯t put her out of hearing range but it sent the message that this was a conversation that Fol didn¡¯t want overheard.

    ¡°I know a lot about Teacher Tristan. But, I don¡¯t know my own fate. If we think about it that way¡­I wonder if there might even be a future where you and I are married?¡±

    That confirmed it. If someone who didn¡¯t know anything about this heard what she just said, they would probably think that by saying: ¡®I know Teacher Tristan well but I don¡¯t know my own fate,¡¯ she was just stating facts.

    But the meaning waspletely different to someone like me, a transmigrator. It meant that she even knew that Teacher Tristan was a transmigrator, and that this world was based on an otome game. Moreover, it meant that she hadn¡¯t been told of her future.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even imagine such a discourteous future.¡±

    I indicated that such a scenario wasn¡¯t in the original game while also suggesting that the current developments already greatly differed from the original game¡¯s scenarios at the same time.

    ¡°I see¡­ then, it really is thanks to you all that I am here now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    She got a little sidetracked. ¡®I didn¡¯t even imagine.¡¯

    The nuance in the words I just uttered suggested that me saving Fol was abnormal. Therefore, she probably concluded that she was destined to die. As expected from Teacher Tristan¡¯s disciple to be able to understand so much from such a short conversation.

    ¡°I was simply fulfilling Lady Sophia¡¯s wish. So, I believe that you were saved because you didn¡¯t give up and continued in your efforts.¡±

    ¡°Nevertheless, I am thankful to you all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already received more than enough gratitude¡­ More importantly, are your attempts at releasing powers going well?¡±

    It was difficult for others to absorb Fol¡¯s magical powers as her magical resistance was exceptionally high. Therefore, she was learning a technique to release them on her own from Lady Sophia.

    I asked her if she had any issues in that regard. Although my Lady did tell me that it was going well, I asked intentionally, as I wished to change the subject. I didn¡¯t know if Fol noticed or not but she went along with the topic change.

    ¡°¡­Yes. I¡¯m able to consume my powers more easily than before but there¡¯s still a bit of burdensome excess remaining. It goes without saying that I can¡¯t match up to you but I cannot release my powers as skillfully as Sophia either.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because Lady Sophia has been practising since early childhood. It will take a while for you to get as good as her, Fol.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s true,¡± Fol said, and forced particles of faint light to rise up from her palm. Considering that Lady Sophia could release her powers from her whole body, it certainly looked very inefficient. It seemed that her magical resistance might have been affecting even Fol releasing her own powers. That in itself seemed to put quite a burden on her, even if she wasn¡¯t using her powers nonstop.

    ¡°Shall I draw out some of your magical powers?¡±

    ¡°Ah, really? It would be of great help if you would.¡±

    For some reason, Fol looked really happy. She must have been still considerably burdened by it. It was difficult to stop because she was just as good at hiding it as Lady Sophia.

    ¡°Since I am already here, let us make it a training exercise for you as well.¡±

    We both left our seats and faced each other. Then, standing right in front of her, I grasped both of her hands.

    ¡°Focus on releasing your powers not only from one hand, but from both of them. In order to help you with that, I will draw out your powers from both hands.¡±

    It was unexpectedly difficult to release powers from both hands. Up until now, she only had to focus on one hand. But now, she would have to split her awareness and focus on both hands.

    For example, it isn¡¯t that hard to write with one hand, be it one¡¯s right one or left. But, the difficulty skyrockets when writing with both hands at the same time. This was the same thing.

    Also, it wasn¡¯t asplicated as writing separate letters with the right and left hand. Fol had always been using magic continuously in order to consume it so she became able to use her powers unconsciously. Therefore, she would be able to do this if pushed in the right direction.

    And just like I had expected, when I lightly drew out her powers, Fol began releasing them on her own. She would still release them faster if she were to do so from one hand, but she was without a doubt releasing them from both of her hands.

    ¡°¡­Ugh. This is¡­fairly difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It seems that way in the beginning. However, once you get used to it, it bes easy. Moreover, if you¡¯re able to release your powers from both hands, the principles of releasing them from your whole body are the same. Give it your best,¡± I encouraged her as I absorbed the magic she was releasing. I was drawing it out at first but now I was just absorbing the amount that Fol was letting out.

    ¡°I certainly am able to release them but¡­the released amount is negligible. How do I be able to release a huge amount at once like Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say anything else but that you have to practice. It¡¯s exactly like building muscles through training. Of course, there are exercises to train efficiency but¡­¡±

    To suddenly let outrge amounts of magical powers was difficult. To begin with, the veins through which magical powers flowed were narrow. Normally, they would only let a small amount of magic through so the paths wouldn¡¯t expand on their own. There was no choice but to slowly widen them bit by bit.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you release magic all at once for a bit.¡±

    As it would also serve as practice for letting out arge amount of powers at once, I went on to absorb her powers in one go.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Perhaps startled by the feel of her powers being drawn out, Fol jumped. And as I was draining her powers this way, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Alicia¡¯s voice resounded at the same time. She had probably forgotten something. If so, the maid would handle it. Thus, I continued to absorb Fol¡¯s powers unconcernedly.

    And then¨C

    ¡°What are you two doing¡­?¡±

    From behind me, Prince Lancelot¡¯s pratingly cold voice echoed.

    Thank you so much for reading andmenting! I don''t have as much time to reply as I had before, but I really appreciate all your input andments! <3 <3

    Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I gotta say, I had a lot of fun tranting this volume so far¡­ poor Cyril though, lmao!

 Book 3: Chapter 6: For the Young Lady Part 2

    I dropped Fol¡¯s hands in surprise and turned around. Standing behind me was Alicia, who looked bewildered, and Prince Lancelot with a grim expression on his face.

    ¡°Ah, um¡­ His Highness Prince Lancelot was looking for you, Cyril, so I showed him the way, but¡­ perhaps I picked a bad time¡­?¡±

    That was Alicia¡¯s baffled voice.

    However, as Prince Lancelot was ring at me, I wasn¡¯t able to answer. While my silence was out of courtesy towards the Royal family, arge part of it was me unconsciously knowing that my answer would just irritate him.

    ¡°Miss Alicia, thank you for showing me the way,¡± Prince Lancelot said tly.

    It clearly carried the meaning of ¡®I have something to discuss with Cyril, so leave.¡¯

    Although Alicia looked as if she wanted to say something, the moment our eyes met, I shook my head. She might have wanted to stick up for me, but there was no way that I would get her involved. Whether my intentions got across to her or not, Alicia did a curtsy and said, ¡°It was my pleasure.¡±

    Then, she turned to face me and mouthed, ¡°I¡¯ll see you afterwards¡± before leaving the room.

    And so, Fol, Prince Lancelot and I were the only ones remaining in the room. The servants left as well, as they were ordered to by Fol and Prince Lancelot. To tell the truth, I wanted to leave with them as well.¡°Cyril, you refuted my concerns the other day, didn''t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Then why were you two gazing into each other¡¯s eyes just now?¡±

    ¡°Hang on a second, Lancelot.¡±

    Fol wedged her way between us protectively. That alone made Lancelot¡¯s face contort in displeasure.

    ¡°Fol, why are you shielding Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Stop it. I don¡¯t know what you thought you saw earlier, but Cyril was just absorbing my powers for my sake. So you¡¯d best stop with your unjust suspicions.¡±

    ¡°¡­.your powers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You know about my illness, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do, but¡­¡±

    ¡®But didn¡¯t you get cured?¡¯ His mouth curled into a sad frown.

    As I saw his expression turn into one of worry, it was apparent that he hadn¡¯t been told any details. It would be disrespectful of me to interject, but I could painfully rte to his anxiety. Thus, I made up my mind for that exact reason. I didn¡¯t want him to have these doubts for even a second, so I opened my mouth.

    ¡°Please rest assured, Your Highness.¡±

    Not just Prince Lancelot, but even Fol turned around to look at me in surprise. They definitely reacted this way because they had never experienced someone else cutting into a conversation between members of the Royal family. I pretended like I wasn¡¯t aware of that and reassured him, ¡±It will be alright. This doesn¡¯t mean that her Magical Overcharge Illness is cured, but we¡¯ve established a method to deal with it. However, Her Highness has to refine her skills for releasing her own powers.¡±

    ¡°So, doesn¡¯t that mean that nothing has changed from before?¡±

    ¡°No. The efficiency with which she releases her powers now is on apletely different level than before. Therefore, in her current condition, she¡¯s not experiencing any trouble. But we still have to improve her skills a little bit more as preparation for any unexpected events.¡±

    With her current efficiency, she had to devote a lot of time and energy to release her powers, and as she grew older, her magical powers would replenish faster. Consequently, the burden on her would berger as well. In order to prepare for this scenario, she had to improve her technique. Of course, she also had the option of letting me absorb her powers, but I felt like it would rub Prince Lancelot the wrong way if I were to mention it so I chose to remain quiet.

    ¡°It is as Cyril says. What you saw was him teaching me. I am usually taught by Sophia, so I¡¯ve gotten considerably better, but I still can¡¯t release them as well as Cyril does.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­?¡±

    I watched reason return to Prince Lancelot¡¯s eyes and let out a sigh of relief. But my breath caught the very next moment, because Prince Lancelot said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± and bowed his head.

    ¡°Your Highness, you mustn¡¯t lower your head carelessly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the three of us present, so there¡¯s no problem. Moreover, in no way did I lower my head carelessly. You¡¯ve been of great help to Fol. It¡¯s only natural that I would apologize since I¡¯ve suspected the very person who helped her twice already.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand. I shall ept your apology, then.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I truly appreciate your generosity, Cyril.¡±

    I came to the conclusion that, rather than rejecting his apology, it would be better to ept it and conclude this conversation. It seemed that, whenever we talked about things concerning Fol, he would lose hisposure. But when we didn¡¯t talk about her, he seemed perfectly rational. Somehow, he was very simr to Lady Sophia in that sense. Prince Lancelot¡¯s personality might be more agreeable than I had previously thought.

    Even though the conversation was supposed to conclude beautifully with that, Prince Lancelot¡¯s eyes turned to the figurines of Fol and I, disyed on the top of the office desk.

    ¡°What are those? Could it be that you were just like this when you performed during the Festi¡ªowowow!¡±

    Prince Lancelot yelped as Fol began to pull at his ear all of sudden.

    ¡°Cyril and I performed on different days. Geez, you¡¯re always jumping to hasty conclusions!¡±

    ¡°B-but, isn¡¯t this the first time that you¡¯ve praised someone like this, Fol? That¡¯s why I thought that, as long as it is what you wish for, I would sound Cyril out¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one in the wrong for trying to get rid of people, geez. You¡¯ve always been like that, driving anyone who woulde near me to ruin, haven''t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because none of them are suitable for you, Fol.¡±

    Somehow, this felt extremely dangerous. I just wished they would at least have this kind of conversation in private, without me present.

    However¡­ While I believed that Prince Lancelot held romantic feelings for Fol, from this conversation alone, it sounded like he wanted Fol to get married to someone suitable for her.

    Did this wish stem from familial love¡­? No, even if someone had romantic feelings for another person, it wouldn¡¯t be strange at all to wish for that person¡¯s happiness the most.

    ¡°At any rate, there¡¯s nothing going on between you and Cyril, right, Fol?¡±

    ¡°Cyril was of great help to me and is my cherished underssman. Nothing more, nothing less. Although, as someone who has helped me greatly, if he were to tell me, ¡®If you feel indebted to me then go out with me¡¯ or something of the sort, I might do it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. I wouldn¡¯t dare voice such a despicable request,¡± I replied with a sigh as Prince Lancelot red at me.

    While this was a quite rude response to a Prince, I wished for them to allow me this much, as I was absolutely fed up with giving him responsible answers.

    In any case, the misunderstanding had now been resolved. However, during the whole process of teaching Fol how to release her powers, Prince Lancelot kept watching me from the side, his gaze filled with unsaid words.

    ¡­Really, just give me a break.

    And so, I managed to survive this scene of possible carnage unharmed and walk out of the Student Council meeting room. Then, as I was walking down the halway, I stumbled upon Alicia who had been lying in wait for me. As soon as she spotted me, she quickly rushed over to me in a jog.

    ¡°Cyril!¡±

    She clung to my sleeve without warning. Apparently, I had caused her quite the concern.

    ¡°I have worried you.¡±

    ¡°Rather than giving me an apology, please exin to me why you and Fol were gazing into each other¡¯s eyes!¡±

    <i>Et tu, Alicia¡­?</i>

    When she mouthed ¡®I¡¯ll see you afterwards,¡¯ she wasn¡¯t <i>actually</i> worried about me.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, what you saw there was a healthcare procedure.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear such excuses. I¡¯ll tell Miss Sophia. I¡¯ll tell Miss Sophia that you¡¯re using healthcare procedures as an excuse to gaze into Fol¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°I beg you, please stop.¡±

    Alicia was simply too formidable.

    ¡°To be precise, we weren¡¯t actually looking into each other¡¯s eyes¡­ did it look that way?¡±

    ¡°Cyril, I think that you should at least be a little self-aware of the destructive power your sweet smile holds. How many young Ladies do you think you caused to die of cuteness during our School Festival performance?¡±

    ¡°Um, I have no clue¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re unaware of these things that the number of your victims rises! Victims like me¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to say anything to these words that were uttered with a smile. What she said was basically saying that her heart was misled by my perfunctory kindness. Even though it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if she criticized me and told me to take responsibility, Alicia smiled before thrusting her index finger1 in my direction before saying:

    ¡°<i>There</i>¨C<i>fore,</i> restrain yourself a little, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, certainly.¡±

    As someone who had ended up taking Prince Alforth¡¯s role after crushing Alicia¡¯s first encounter event with him, refusing her was not an option. This wasn¡¯t something that I could tell Alicia, but¡­ I was truly sorry.

    Nheless¡­ she didn¡¯t reprimand me but instead warned me so that I wouldn¡¯t get into trouble? She might have also wanted to keep the number of her rivals from growing, but still¡­ She was truly, really strong-willed.

    It was so strange. How did she be like this when the original¡¯s work Alicia was just an ordinary girl?

    ¡°By the way, Cyril, what were you two actually doing?¡±

    ¡°I was checking up on Fol¡¯s health.¡±

    ¡°So you really have done something, Cyril¡­?¡±

    Normally, I wouldn¡¯t openly dere even the fact that Her Highness Folcenia was sick. While Alicia was present when Fol copsed, she was only told that Fol had an incurable illness. Therefore, even though she knew that Fol had been saved, she couldn¡¯t have known how. Nevertheless, she probably suspected something due to the fact that Lady Sophia and I were often together with Fol. Alicia asked me, her eyes searching, but I shook my head silently.

    ¡°I can only say that Fol is on her way to recovery.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Alicia gazed into my eyes. Knowing her, she probably had a lot of thoughts regarding today¡¯s incident.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know any details but I am very happy that Fol got better. So, please deliver my gratitude to the person who saved her. Thank you very much!¡±

    <i>Yep, the cat¡¯s out of the bag,</i> I thought as I looked at Alicia, who grasped both of my hands and smiled broadly.

    But¨C

    ¡°¡­Cyril, what are you doing?¡±

    Suddenly, a pratingly cold voice echoed.

    An impulse to cry out ¡®Why me again?!¡¯ hit me like a truck at the sound of my Lady¡¯s cold voice, which I somehow seemed to have gotten used to hearingtely.

    Many apologies for the dy on this chapter, my editor had some health issues.

    But here it is! Cyril sure doesn''t have it easy these days huh¡­<ol><li>It¡¯s the very typical thing people do in anime, something akin to this: /344hqk.jpg?a453072 </li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 7: For the Young Lady Part 3

    That day, taking sses had felt depressing since morning. The sky visible through the ssroom window suggested that it might start raining at any moment as if it was fully mirroring my mental state.

    The reason for my mood was yesterday¡¯s incident, when Lady Sophia saw Alicia and I holding hands.

    I was unaware of it, but I had probably been staring into Alicia¡¯s eyes with that look she described as ¡®The gaze that causes young Ladies to die of cuteness.¡¯ Having witnessed that, my Lady was in an extremely bad mood.

    Normally, her eyes would tinge red and brim with displeasure but then they¡¯d clear up again immediately, just like a brief storm. And yet, Lady Sophia was still in a bad mood, even in the morning of the next day.

    ¡®When you are happy it goes without saying, but, even when you get lonely or when you are in pain, I will always be by your side. I will always, <i>always</i> protect you as your ally.¡¯

    Even though I was the one who promised her that, I was also the one who upset her.

    ¡°Are you listening, Cyril? Try and exin what I just talked about.¡±

    The history teacher called out my name and I stood up.

    ¡°The mefield Empire is by no means a wealthy country, but it is remarkable when ites to magic¡ªespecially, the invention of magical devices¡ªand they are an important neighbor of our kingdom.¡±¡°A-alright. As long as you were listening.¡±

    ¡°No, I apologize. I was thinking of my master.¡±

    ¡°I-I see. It¡¯s not a bad thing for a servant to always have their master on their mind. And honestly, you were able to answer while thinking about something else, you¡¯re really¡­¡±

    For some reason, the teacher¡¯s expression looked strained, but, since I seemed to have been somewhat forgiven, I sat back down. By the way, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that multitasking was an essential skill for servants, as they had to keep an eye on their master while doing their own work.

    The bigger issue was how I could improve my Lady¡¯s mood. Up till that point, I would always coax her with desserts or ttery. But that was because my Lady had been adorably jealous all those times.

    I felt as if this time was different from the usual. I believed that, if I were to say something like: ¡®I made you a dessert, so please forgive me,¡¯ I would be going about it the wrong way somehow. As I kept thinking about this, in the blink of an eye, lunch time had arrived.

    ¡°Listen, Cyril¡­¡±

    As I pondered about what I should have for lunch, Raymond was watching me for some reason, slightly exasperated.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that something is the matter¡­ it¡¯s¡­ you know?¡±

    Raymond awkwardly looked over his shoulder. Luke and Chloe were also watching me, looking like they had something to say as well.

    ¡°Is something the matter with you two as well?¡±

    ¡°Oh, for crying out loud! If you¡¯re worried about something, we¡¯ll hear you out, okay?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We owe you a lot.¡±

    Luke lunged at me right after Chloe, saying that they¡¯d give me some advice. When I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding what they meant, Raymond ran his fingers through his red hair before asking me, ¡°Do you have no self-awareness?¡±

    ¡°Listen, you¡¯ve been staring at the sky all morning and you¡¯ve been called on by the teachers almost ten times.¡±

    ¡°Huh, it was eight times though.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s it, that¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Say what you may, there was no way to discern anything from such an incoherent conversation. When I said as much to Raymond, he told me, discontented for some reason, ¡°I¡¯m kinda relieved that you¡¯re a normal person, because, even though you¡¯ve beenpletely spaced out, you haven¡¯t made a single mistake. How many teachers¡¯ prides do you think you broke today because of that? Cut it out.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I considered multitasking a normal thing but¡­ it might certainly seem a little too difficult for students who were aiming to be servants in the future. Moreover¨C

    ¡°Not paying much attention in ss certainly isn¡¯t something to be praised for. Did youe talk to me to teach me that?¡±

    ¡°No, I just brought that up on a whim. What I wanted to tell you is what Luke and Chloe were talking about at the beginning. What did you do to Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I- I haven¡¯t done anything?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s weird for you to get to the point of stuttering though, isn¡¯t it? If there¡¯s something troubling you, talk to me. You might think of me as someone unreliable, but I¡¯ll at least hear you out.¡±

    Not only Raymond but Luke and Chloe also were nodding along. I see¡­They were worried about me because I was acting strange?

    ¡°Thank you, you three. But really, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t rely on us that much?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that, not in the slightest.¡±

    It was just that Lady Sophia was in a bad mood because she saw Alicia and I acting affectionate. I definitely couldn¡¯t tell them anything that might turn into a scandal for my Lady. Moreover, most importantly¨C

    ¡°This is something that I have to resolve by myself.¡±

    Why did Lady Sophia react differently than any other time before? I had to find that out by myself, so it wasn¡¯t something that I should get told by someone else.

    ¡°But I appreciate the thought,¡± I added.

    ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve made you worry. I promise that I won¡¯t space out anymore.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s nothing else I need to say. We should start our discussion soon.¡±

    I immediately recalled the matter of the party that Pam was organizing. From time to time, parties organized by the students would be hosted at the Academy during off-days. These parties served as both a ce where noble children could get used to high society, as well as a ce where they could find their future servants.

    For Pam¡¯s party, both ss A and B of the servant course were suitable. Thanks to Lady Sophia¡¯s influence, our ss A was the one in charge this time. It was an opportunity for us of the servant course to showcase our abilities.

    However, this party was a bit peculiar. Pam¡¯s¡ªthe host¡¯s¡ªfamily was a Count household, so they weren¡¯t that well-off. Not to mention that the funds she could use, as someone who wasn¡¯t even a direct sessor, were limited, so there wasn¡¯t even that much money we could spend on the party. Therefore, we had to hold an impressive party with very little funds. Since we were wondering among ourselves how to do that, we decided that we would each share our ideas. And so Raymond was the first to speak.

    ¡°I was thinking that we could narrow down the number of dishes and try our luck with novel desserts, like the cr¨ºpes. If we do that, we should be able to reduce the costs considerably.¡±

    By the way, this didn¡¯t mean that cr¨ºpes were cheap. But, since the price of sugar was noticeably higher, making it stand out from the other ingredients, the truth was that cr¨ºpes wereparatively economical since they used less sugar than the other mainstream sugary desserts.

    ¡°Okay, so my idea next, right? How about we don¡¯t call the orchestra but invite students from the regr courses that major in music under the pretext of offering them a chance to perform?¡±

    Next up was Chloe¡¯s idea. There was a convenient phrase called ¡®noblesse oblige¡¯ that the nobility used. Although it meant ¡®duty imposed onto people of status,¡¯ generally, it was often used when nurturing a talentedmoner.

    In short, inviting a professional musical group was costly. So, we would invite students justifying it by saying that we were givingmoner students who aimed to be professionals an opportunity to perform, and would get them to perform for free.

    ¡°While I believe that this reasoning is effective¡­ are we only going to allow students to perform the whole time? Won¡¯t the partyck some kind of climax?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t we have some people who aren¡¯t on a student¡¯s level for that?¡±

    Chloe gave me a meaningful look.

    ¡°By some chance, are you telling me to perform too?¡±

    ¡°Your skills couldn¡¯t be better, Cyril, so if you were to perform¡­ you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    If I were to perform, it was very likely that not just Lady Sophia, but even Prince Alforth might participate as well. No one could say that the performances were shabby if Royalty joined in as well as Lady Sophia, who was exceptionally skilled.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my turn then. I was thinking, what if we got Lady Sophia¡¯s backing? Considering her connection to Lady Pam, I believe that the chances of sess are pretty good. What do you think?¡±

    Luke was asking me for my opinion but I didn¡¯t think that it was a bad idea at all. Pam belonged to Lady Sophia¡¯s faction. Because of that, the other faction members, starting from Lady Sophia, would be attending as well. So if the party was shabby, it could end up bringing shame upon Lady Sophia.

    ¡°There¡¯s one problem. Given her position, Lady Sophia can¡¯t show Lady Pam too much favoritism. What are your thoughts on that?¡±

    Pam herself didn¡¯t be a member of the faction right during the first term and, while poor, her family was that of a Count. If Lady Sophia supported her extensively, it could easily be seen as favoritism by the other members.

    ¡°To tell the truth, I hadn¡¯t thought as far as how to prevent that. But I was thinking that, as long as we put all our heads together, we mighte up with a good idea.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    His idea would have been perfect if he had thought as far as how to prevent these consequences, but considering that he was a student, I could say that it was satisfactory. Most importantly, that idea was very close to a thought that I had considered myself.

    ¡°Well then, allow me to tell you my idea. If we don¡¯t have the funds then we should just make them.¡±

    ¡°Make them¡­? Don¡¯t tell me you want to make Lady Pam¡¯s household pay up?¡±

    Luke had a puzzled expression.

    ¡°Of course not, I wouldn¡¯t say something as unreasonable as that. I was thinking that we could offer Libert parents¡¯ business, the LaCour Company, a deal.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to make the LaCour Company provide us with capital?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want to do exactly that. Luckily, there¡¯s profit in it for Libert as well.¡±

    The LaCour Company had ns to start selling the very same cr¨ºpes that Raymond wanted to focus on,rge-scale. We should propose that, if we didn¡¯t have to make the cr¨ºpes ourselves but were provided with them instead, we would advertise the shop¡¯s name. Of course, they couldn¡¯t do this every time, but it was a considerably feasible method due to the timing.

    ¡°But if they just provide us with the cr¨ºpes, that wouldn¡¯t be really providing us with much funding, would it?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be just cr¨ºpes. Since his family owns a hugepany, we¡¯d also showcase their expensive furnishings and if we received an advertisement fee for that, wouldn¡¯t we have more than enough funds?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Bewildered, Luke exchanged a look with Chloe and Raymond.

    ¡°Why do you think that it¡¯s impossible?¡±

    ¡°No, I mean¡­ It¡¯s just a small-scale party among students. Setting selling cr¨ºpes aside, there¡¯s no way that expensive furnishings would sell. And if the advertisement is meaningless, then they won¡¯t give us any advertisement fee.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you believe that if the expensive furnishings did sell, they would give us the funds?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, yeah.¡±

    Us students of the servant¡¯s courses knew the price of expensive furnishings and how much it cost to make. Considering the difference between this cost and price, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine that the capital would be enough to make a small party magnificent.

    ¡°If that were the case, the rest would be easy. So we should promise them that at least one piece will definitely sell.¡±

    ¡°No but, if we can¡¯t sell it, then what do we do?¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±

    Chloe held up her arm as if she was trying to block Luke¡¯s words. It seemed that she was the first one to realize my n.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯re nning?¡± Chloe asked me, her eyes narrowing. ¡°¡­Geez, sometimes youe up with really outrageous ideas.¡±

    She sighed as she shrugged and, from her expression, it was impossible to tell whether she was praising me or whether she was just exasperated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just keep it to yourself, exin!¡± Luke hounded her for an answer.

    ¡°Cyril is saying that if we are provided with the capital for the party, we will advertise the goods by showcasing them, and purchase a piece of the expensive furnishings.¡±

    ¡°No, but, who would¨C¡±

    ¡®¨Cbuy such expensive furnishing?¡¯ The rest of Luke¡¯s unasked question hung in the air as Chloe pointed at me.

    ¡°We just have to keep up appearances. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s an exam or anything.¡±

    He also wanted to make the party a sess for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake, but offering direct support was difficult. Therefore, Lady Sophia would shop at the LaCour Company. Using these profits, the LaCour Company would provide funds for Pam¡¯s party as an advertisement fee. And everything would be resolved.

    ¡°In addition, let¡¯s consider everyone¡¯s proposals as well. If we manage to apply all of them well, we¡¯ll be able to hold a party that no one will have anyints about.¡±

    Thus, we thrashed out the details of Pam¡¯s party. We all shared our ideas and were able to somehow ovee the first hurdle, but¨C

    ¡°Cyril, I would like to talk to you about something.¡±

    When I returned to the mansion, I bumped into another hurdle in the form of a confrontation with Lady Sophia.

    Thank you for reading!!

    Cyril admitting he was thinking about Lady Sophia got me gasping he said that in front of the whole ss'' sds lol!

 Book 3: Chapter 8: For the Young Lady Part 4

    When I returned home, Lady Sophia was waiting for me in the entrance hall of the Rosenberg Household¡¯s secondary residence. The first thing she did when she saw me was informing me that she had something to discuss with me. I was sure that she wanted to talk about yesterday¡¯s incident, so I gestured for the other servants to withdraw.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, the scene you saw yesterday¨C¡±

    ¡°That is not what I want to talk about.¡±

    She replied something very unexpected. I pondered about what incident she might have wanted to talk about then, but I really had no clue. It seemed that I ought to hear Lady Sophia out first.

    ¡°Yesterday, my older brother, Ernest, told me something.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yesterday? Could that also be the reason you came to the Student Council¡¯s office yesterday¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I wanted to consult you about what I had been told.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s¡­ I apologize.¡±

    I would have inevitably returned to the mansion anyway. The fact that she went all the way to the Student Council meeting room where she thought I was, despite it, just for the sole purpose of consulting me, meant that it must have been a considerably urgent or serious matter. And yet, when she found me, I was holding hands with Alicia, looking like we were flirting. No wonder Lady Sophia was in a bad mood.¡°Then, what did Young Master Ernest tell you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    For some reason, Lady Sophia hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You were looking for me because you wanted me to advise you about it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. But¡­ yesterday, I wanted to tell you everything, but when I thought about it after I calmed down, I thought that telling you everything probably wouldn''t be beneficial to you.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t be beneficial to me? What do you mean?¡± I urged her to continue, but Lady Sophia was reticent. Apparently, after a whole day had passed, she seemed to have worked out a solution herself.

    ¡°There is just one thing that I want to ask you, Cyril. You promised to always be by my side, correct? Do you regret making that promise?¡± Lady Sophia asked with a serious expression on her face, but the question she asked wasn¡¯t anything extraordinary.

    That¡¯s right. At this point, it was an inconsequential question to me.

    ¡°How could I have any regrets?¡±

    ¡°But that promise might take away your happiness, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°My happiness is to walk together with you, Lady Sophia¡±

    ¡°¡­Together.¡±

    My Lady¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Then, in the next moment, those amethyst eyes shone brighter and her tense cheeks gently softened.

    ¡°Is¡­ that so? As long as you think that way, then I have no doubts.¡±

    ¡°¡­Have you resolved the issue then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m alright now.¡±

    I could hardly expect the issue to be resolved just by this conversation alone. So, I was sure that just with this conversation of ours, Lady Sophia must have resolved to deal with it by herself. On one hand, I wished for her to rely on me a little bit more, but on the other hand, I was delighted by my Lady¡¯s growth.

    While my feelings were mixed, there was one thing that became clear to me as well. If I was overprotective and pressed her with questions and helped her with everything, I would have failed as a butler. I should operate as myself and enquire whether Lady Sophia was facing something, andy down the groundwork to save her if she truly was in trouble. Of course, if I were to be honest, I was still a little worried about it.

    ¡°Understood. If that¡¯s something you have decided on, then I won¡¯t meddle, Lady Sophia. However, if you find yourself in difficulties, please feel free to rely on me anytime, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have faith that, if it¡¯s you, you would definitely save me, Cyril.¡±

    She smiled adorably and then slightly tilted her head to the side, her tinum blonde hair swaying with the action.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get back to the subject¡­ What were you doing yesterday?¡±

    ¡°¨CGuh.¡±

    I choked at this surprise attack, for she had made me believe that it was over.

    ¡°T-that was simply a health care procedure.¡±

    ¡°¡­Health care procedure? Is Miss Alicia hurt somewhere?¡±

    I paled before her as she tilted her head to the side, confused. I had inadvertently confused the thing with Alicia with Fol¡¯s incident due to all of these simr actionsing one after the other.

    ¡°N-no, just now, I¡­ mistook¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­ who did you mistake me for? I would like you to tell me in great detail, please.¡±

    She¡­ she caught me.

    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it. Actually, I did the same thing with Fol and that really was because of a health care procedure so it¡¯s nothing to hide in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°¡­In other words, with Alicia, it wasn¡¯t a health care procedure and was something you had to hide¡­?¡±

    Guh. This was bad, I was quickly digging my own grave here. How should I put it, Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes were tinged red and her magical powers were spilling out of her entire body. Certainly, this was because she had been letting her anger fester inside her all the time since yesterday.

    ¡°Please calm down, Lady Sophia. It seems that Lady Alicia guessed that I was the one who saved Fol, and she was just expressing her gratitude for that. There is nothing I have to hide about it.¡±

    I grasped both of Lady Sophia¡¯s arms and forcibly started absorbing her magical powers. Normally, she would calm the reckless behaviour caused by her powers and return to her senses but¡­ that day, Lady Sophia¡¯s state was different from the usual. Even though the amount of power within her reduced, she still kept ring at me. As I was thinking that she was probably still angry after all, her eyes wobbled as they turned ssy.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re mean, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m mean?¡±

    I had no clue what she was talking about, but Lady Sophia continued to talk to me, her tone sulky.

    ¡°You¡¯ve danced with Miss Alicia, you¡¯ve danced with Fol, you¡¯ve carried Miss Pam bridal style and you¡¯ve even been on a date with Miss Isabe. Even though you¡¯re <i>my</i> exclusive butler¡­¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Setting aside the details, on a whole, what she said was true. I couldn¡¯t say that she was misunderstanding anything¡ªwhich was painful¡ªbut it also wasn¡¯t the job of an exclusive butler to dance with her, to carry her bridal style or go on dates with her. Of course, I wasn¡¯t reckless enough to point that out.

    ¡°I always consider you my number one priority, Lady Sophia. I mean, I kept regretting that I¡¯ve caused you to misunderstand all throughout today¡¯s sses.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wouldn¡¯t lie to you about this. So, please don¡¯t cry.¡±

    I gently wiped away the tears that had welled up in my Lady¡¯s eyes. She squinted her eyes, as if the touch tickled her but soon after, her eyes widened before she took a quick step back as if she had been burned.

    Huh, what happened? Lady Sophia was looking¡­ behind me? When I turned around, thinking <i>no way</i>, I caught sight of Young Master Ernest.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ what are you doing?¡±

    I looked up to the heavens, thinking: <i>Not again, not me again!</i>

    These days, I hadn''t simply been unlucky; I had been super unlucky. When I was with Fol, it caused a misunderstanding with Prince Lancelot and Alicia, and when I was with Alicia, it caused a misunderstanding with Lady Sophia, and when I was with Lady Sophia, it caused a misunderstanding with Young Master Ernest. So I was sure that it was perfectly reasonable for me to want toment: <i>Just how many times do I need to get misunderstood?!</i>

    Also, every time this happened, I insisted that it was all a misunderstanding, but¡­ just this time only, I was unlucky. I allowed someone to witness me¨Ca servant¨Cmaking my Lady¨Cmy master¨Ccry. And, as a result¡ª

    ¡°The first person to strike the other with their de during the match wins.¡±

    I ended up facing Young Master Ernest in the middle of the courtyard. I naturally appealed to him that it was all a misunderstanding, but it was as if he had gone deaf.

    ¡°Come, grab your sword.¡±

    I grabbed the sword he tossed mid-air in my direction before twirling it around and looking at the hilt. I happened to recognize the devil stone that was inserted into the hilt along with the magical array carved into it.

    ¡°¡­Is this a no-kill sword?¡±

    Its appearance and weight were the same as that of a real sword but it was bestowed with the power of being unable to injure your opponent. In short, it was a very convenient item with which people could duel without hurting each other. It was an expedient magical tool in the original game¡ªbut it apparently actually existed?

    ¡°If you already know about it then that makes things much easier. Nheless, if you mean that you don¡¯t have the courage to fight then you¡¯re not worthy of being a knight that protects Sophia. Step down from your position as her exclusive butler immediately!¡±

    ¡°I cannot back down now that you¡¯ve said that.¡±

    The reason didn¡¯t matter. If he was telling me to prove that I was worthy of being Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler by fighting him, I would simply have to show him the proof.

    We both activated and readied our magical swords and faced each other in silence. Incidentally, Lady Sophia, who had in a sense be the trigger for this fight, encouraged me, her eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Do your best, Cyril.¡±

    Apparently, me being in a situation where I had to fight for my own sake struck a chord with her. I was happy that she was cheering me on but there were veins showing up on Young Master Ernest¡¯s temples, so I wished for her not to agitate him any further.

    ¡°So-Sophia. Is this not a situation where you should cheer on me, your brother?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am cheering you on as well, big brother. If you were to lose right away, I would only be able to see Cyril in action for a little bit.¡±

    ¡­She was awful. In response to Lady Sophia¡¯s unfeeling support, Young Master Ernest ced his tightly clenched fist to his chest.

    ¡°Sophia¡­ are you angry for some reason?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think you¡¯re just imagining it, big brother.¡±

    Lady Sophia sharply tilted her head to the side with a smile on her face¨Cbut her eyes weren¡¯tughing in the slightest. This was definitely her response when she was angry. I had a pretty good idea as to why she was angry, but¡­ as it would only pour oil to the fire, I decided to abstain from pointing it out. ¡°¡­tsk. Cyril, do you think that you can win¡­ just by- just by gaining Sophia¡­ as your ally?!¡±

    ¡°No, I would never do such a thing.¡±

    ¡®If anything, aren¡¯t your intentions to lose, Young Master Ernest?¡¯ Naturally, I didn¡¯t point this out.

    I mean, Young Master Ernest was one of the capture targets of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, right? He was certainly very capable, had a high status and he was unfairly handsome. But he was this much of a siscon. I had a feeling that he would be a rather interesting character. But, were the yers really satisfied with the capture target being a guy like this?

    ¡­Ah, wait, that wasn¡¯t right, was it? In the original game, Lady Sophia had a brotherplex while Young Master Ernest must have been rather normal. If that was the case, then most of the affection he was currently showing Lady Sophia must have been originally aimed at the heroine.

    A capture target that was capable, handsome, as well as one who loved the heroine blindly and was very possessive of her. When I thought of him like that, he certainly seemed like someone who¡¯d be in high demand.

    ¡°Ghn! I wonder how long you¡¯ll be able to keep thisposure of yours for! I¡¯ll show you the difference between our true strengths! Here Ie!¡±

    He was purposefully telling me when he¡¯d attack. Although he might have been brimming with a chivalrous spirit, when you were protecting someone, there was no need for this kind of uprightness. That was what my arrogance led me to think.

    Unconsciously, I moved my sword to the side. For a moment the de of my sword collided with Young Master Ernest¡¯s. However, his attack didn¡¯t stop, his sword fast approaching my neck.

    The force of the blow was too strong to block!

    While reducing the strength of the blow with my sword, I immediately bent back my upper body. This blow that sent the de gliding my way swung through, grazing past my bangs.

    Young Master Ernest¡¯s body had both unimaginable speed and strength. But there was a moment ofg caused by Young Master Ernest shifting positions from having just swung his sword to a stance for his next attack. Although my posture had been broken, I still had my sword in hand. Setting power aside, I was faster in sending out the next attack.

    As I concluded that, if I switched from defense to offense at that moment, the match would be decided, I kept the momentum from when I bent backwards, and thus I used it to jump back. Young Master Ernest¡¯s sword shed at the spot where I had been standing just a moment ago. Astonished, I ced my hand on the ground and put some distance between us with the help of a backflip.

    I readied my sword in position again while staying cautious of pursuit while being deeply impressed by Young Master Ernest¡¯s attack.

    He was fast. He was moving at a speed that far surpassed my expectations.

    As there is a quality to muscles, there definitely are people who can demonstrate speed and power that feels unimaginablepared to their outer appearance. However, even when taking that into ount, Young Master Ernest¡¯s physical abilities were even more extraordinary.

    Of course, it would be different if his sword was simply a light training sword, but it was unthinkable that he could have such sophisticated swordsmanship.

    Assuming that¨C

    ¡°Are you by any chance enhancing your physical abilities with magic?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh? You know of the lost magic that was just rediscovered in the mefield Empire? As expected, no wonder the Imperial Princess is interested in you.¡±

    Apparently, I said too much. But lost magic that was just rediscovered in another country? Was it just a coincidence that magic that didn¡¯t exist in the original game was being rediscovered in the mefield Empire at the moment or was this a result of my actions¡­? Either way, it didn¡¯t seem like I had the time to think about it.

    Young Master Ernest was closing the gap between us once more. Right after I realized this, the tip of his sword was quickly approaching me. I swept it aside at thest moment.

    He was really fast. Ah, perhaps I should say ¡®very skilled?¡¯

    I had sparring matches with people my age numerous times but their movements were much easier to read. Because Young Master Ernest didn¡¯t telegraph his moves, he felt much fasterpared to them. That simply meant that Young Master Ernest was a cut above people his own age.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re this good at swordsmanship, Young Master.¡± I spoke words of admiration as our swords met and locked. Young Master Ernest responded by making a sour face.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line. I heard that you were working as Sophia¡¯s guard as well, but I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be able to stop an attack elerated by magic even though this is the first time you¡¯ve seen it.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s because there¡¯s no next time for a guard.¡±

    If I couldn¡¯t avert an attack because I was seeing it for the first time, I couldn¡¯t be Lady Sophia¡¯s guard. When I said this, Young Master Ernest muttered, ¡°You really might be Sophia¡¯s knight as well.¡±

    ¡°Young Master?¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you one thing. You are ultimately a butler, so you cannot always be by Sophia¡¯s side. How do you n on protecting Sophia in a position like that?¡±

    He got pretty off track there. But I was sure that this was what Young Master Ernest really wanted to ask. Wasn¡¯t his acting enraged and challenging me to a fight for the sake of asking this question? I didn¡¯t understand why he was asking me such a question, but I had decided on an answer for it a long time ago.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly true that I am a mere butler, so I cannot always be by my Lady¡¯s side.¡±

    In fact, I couldn¡¯t object when I was told by the son of Count Ares to remember my ce, and when my Lady was summoned by His Highness, the King, I was ordered to wait in another room. Situations just like these woulde again in the future.

    ¡°However, butlers have their own way of doing things. I will definitely protect Lady Sophia by making full use of these methods.¡±

    ¡°No matter who your opponent might be?¡±

    ¡°Even if the gods themselves were my opponents, I wouldn¡¯t let them hurt Lady Sophia.¡±

    I looked straight at Young Master Ernest with our swords still locked. In the next moment, Young Master Ernest slowly took a step back and withdrew his sword.

    And as if to say that the match was over, he sheathed his sword.

    ¡°Prove your words to me. If you manage to do that, I shall consider ack¡­ ackno¡­ acknowledging your rtionship with Sophia.¡±

    <i>Make up your mind, do you acknowledge it or not?</i> And actually, he was just acknowledging our rtionship as a master and butler. Why was he going about it in such a roundabout way? Could it be that he wasn¡¯t talking about a rtionship between¡­ a master and a butler?

    Speaking of, the key to getting the capture target of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ was to basically get acknowledged by the viinous daughter. For example, in Young Master Ernest¡¯s route, by gaining the approval of Lady Sophia, they could receive her support.

    Thinking of it in this way, it was only appropriate that, as someone who took on the position of the heroine¨C huh? At this rate, wouldn¡¯t I end up capturing Lady Sophia?

    There have been issues with viewing this chapter so I hope it works now!

    Cyril: why do I hear boss music?

    I for sure wasn''t expecting a sudden duel this chapter! Thank you for reading and for all your support!

 Book 3: Chapter 9: For the Young Lady Part 5

    The impactful phrase ¡®Capturing Lady Sophia.¡¯

    If this was a game, I would have happily captured her but since this was reality, it became an entirely different story. It definitely wasn¡¯t something which should be done just for fun, like when capturing someone in a game, to say the least. But, more importantly, I couldn¡¯t ignore what Young Master Ernest said next.

    ¡°Cyril, have you thought about studying abroad in the mefield Empire?¡±

    ¡°¡­Studying abroad in the mefield Empire?¡±

    I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. But, Young Master Ernest had just told me to protect Lady Sophia. Thinking of the suggestion he followed up with just after, it was probably somehow rted to Lady Sophia.

    ¡°I told you the other day that Her Highness, the Imperial Princess, Charlotte took an interest in you, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    <i>Crack!</i>

    I wanted to believe that the sound of something being crusheding from Lady Sophia¡¯s direction was just a figment of my imagination. Indifferent to my attempts at escaping reality, Young Master Ernest continued to talk.

    ¡°I already told you before but the Imperial Prince, Harold and the Imperial Princess, Charlotte are nning to study abroad at the Londobell Academy. If possible, I want to prevent that from happening.¡±¡°I see. That¡¯s why you tested my resolve.¡±

    Given that he was the capture target of ¡®The Eve of the Festival,¡¯ the Imperial Prince, Harold didn¡¯t have an established partner. On the contrary, it could be assumed that his objective in studying abroad was to search for someone to marry. It was not umon for the lowest-ranked Royalty to study abroad for the sake of a political marriage.

    At this point, it was crystal clear what Young Master Ernest was concerned about. Lady Sophia¡¯s name was probably going to be brought up as one of the possible marriage candidates. In order to prevent that from happening, he was telling me to cooperate with him.

    But¡­

    ¡°Even if I were to study abroad at the mefield Empire, that wouldn¡¯t stop the Imperial Prince from going abroad as well, would it?¡±

    It was possible that the Imperial Princess, Charlotte wouldn¡¯t leave to study abroad because she was interested in me but¡­ or, he couldn¡¯t mean that it was the Imperial Princess, Charlotte who was after Lady Sophia, right?

    ¡°No, if we prevented the Imperial Princess from studying abroad, it is very likely that the Imperial Prince would decide to cancel his own studies as well. Even if that weren¡¯t the case, it would make it easier for us to take action.¡±

    At thest moment, I swallowed down the words ¡®siscon¡¯ that rose up my throat. Since Prince Lancelot and Young Master Ernest were siscons, I thought that maybe the Imperial Prince, Harold was one too but it seemed that the situation was a bit different between these two.

    The mefield Empire was very meritocratic so if a person produced good results, they would be exposed to all sorts of favourable treatment. Therefore, even the members of the Royal family worked very hard. While doing so, these two had apparently formed a strong bond.

    ¡°I have met them many times at the Academy and whenever one of them did something, it was almost certain that the other was already prepared to provide backup. They are quite bothersome when they¡¯re together.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, you want to stop the Imperial Princess, Charlotte from studying abroad¡­?¡±

    From what I heard, it seemed that the Imperial Prince and Princess also had the right to decide whether they wanted to study abroad or not. In this aspect as well, demonstrating one¡¯spetency and acquiring favorable treatment was effective. The fact that an Imperial Prince of a neighboring country was allowed to get married to Pam, a mere daughter of a Count, was likely influenced by this as well. Those who achieved good results would even be allowed to have partners of unsuited social standing.

    ¡°Since that is the case, would you study abroad?¡±

    ¡°No can do, big brother. Cyril is my butler. I won¡¯t just allow you to wilfully force Cyril to go study abroad, even if you¡¯re my elder brother.¡±

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t force him. But¨C¡±

    Young Master Ernest pierced me with a gaze. I guess he was telling me, ¡®This is something that needs to be done in order to protect Sophia, so persuade her¡¯. Lady Sophia noticed this and clenched both of her hands tightly into fists and ced them in front of her chest. In response, I smiled at her reassuringly.

    ¡°I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler and my duty is to grant Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes. Therefore, I don¡¯t n on doing anything that Lady Sophia doesn¡¯t wish for me to do.¡±

    ¡°Even if you endanger Sophia as a result?¡±

    ¡°If it brings my Lady danger, then I will protect her after granting her wish.¡±

    I was sure that Young Master Ernest intended on protecting Lady Sophia even if it meant turning her into a caged bird. I didn¡¯t think that it was wrong of him to do so. For example, the duty of a guard starts with keeping the person they¡¯re protecting away from danger to begin with. When one thought of it that way, it could be said that trying to turn her into a caged bird was a natural conclusion.

    However, I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. I wasn¡¯t only protecting Lady Sophia¡¯s life but how she lived her life as well. Thus, I had to wholly protect the environment my Lady wished to live in.

    ¡°It would be another story if Lady Sophia wanted me to study abroad, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want anything of that sort. Of course, if you want to go study abroad, Cyril, I want to grant you that wish, but¡­¡±

    ¡°My wish is to attend to you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no need for you to study abroad, is there?¡±

    Lady Sophia smiled broadly and then faced Young Master Ernest again.

    ¡°I understand that you¡¯re simply worried about me, big brother. But if you really want to do something for my sake, don¡¯t steal Cyril from me, please.¡±

    ¡°Even if you might get pushed into a marriage you do not want as a result?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡±

    For a mere moment, Lady Sophia looked at me, smiling proudly.

    ¡°¡­I see. If you¡¯ve made your decision after understanding all of the circumstances, then I won¡¯t say any more. Let me see you struggle to escape your own fate with all your might then,¡± Young Master Ernest dered and took his leave.

    Although his words were curt, his n of action had Lady Sophia¡¯s best interests in mind.

    <i>As you¡¯d expect of a capture target, he isn¡¯t just a mere siscon, </i>I thought as I watched him leave. Lady Sophia then looked at me, smiling broadly.

    ¡°By the way, Cyril, can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about the Imperial Princess Charlotte being interested in you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I wonder what that¡¯s about?¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    She questioned me relentlessly after this exchange.

    About ten days had passed. Pam¡¯s humble party was taking ce at the Academy grounds belonging to Lady Sophia¡¯s faction.

    Attending the party were just a few of Pam¡¯s friends. Even though influentialmoners in the Commoners¡¯ faction like Libert were also attending, it wasrgely the members of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction that drew the most attention. Apart from Fol, who attended as amoner, even Prince Alforth was at the party.

    In general, it was the high-ranked nobles who invited the low-ranked nobles to parties so it was a fairly odd sight that a future Marquess and even a member of the Royalty were attending the party of a Count¡¯s daughter. Since high-ranked nobility usually only interacted with each other, it was difficult to get in any contact with them. I was ncing around this party with such people present hoping that I wouldn¡¯t spot anyone acting inappropriately when Libert approached me.

    ¡°Cyril, long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has been a while.¡±

    I entrusted the negotiations with Libert to Raymond in order to bring him in as the indirect sponsor of the party. Therefore, I hadn¡¯t talked to Libert like this since the previous party. Although we hadn¡¯t spoken in a while, Libert was giving me his usual, piercing, searching look.

    ¡°Cyril, what are you scheming this time?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying it like I¡¯m always scheming something.¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap, was there ever a time when you weren¡¯t scheming something?¡±

    ¡°¡­Let me see¡­ Wasn¡¯t there at least one time I didn¡¯t?¡±

    Libert red at me with narrowed eyes as I tried to y dumb. As a matter of fact, thinking of the worst case scenarios and preparing countermeasures against them was my daily routine. Therefore, it was unlikely for me to not have a n but¡­ the fact that this was considered disreputable by others was also true.

    ¡°While I certainly haveid down some groundwork, I don¡¯t have any intentions on bing your enemy, you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not like I am worried about something like that. But, whenever you¡¯re involved, things tend to be a big deal. So, how could I not worry?¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I tried to recall all the times we had worked together up till then. As a result of interacting with Libert, a member of the Commoners¡¯ faction, the Elitist family of Count Ares along with his sons and their whole household were driven to ruin. We also brought Royalty over to the training camp that he had organized for us.

    ¡°I apologize. It appears that I may have to trouble you from now on as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah, I¡¯d really like you to not to involve me if possible.¡±

    Libert said this with sincerity but since this was the guy who had made the decision to sell cr¨ºpes with the support of the Royal family, getting involved in the future was just him getting his just desserts.

    ¡°Ah, well, let¡¯s not talk about that anymore. I was justining a little. More importantly, there was talk of Lady Sophia ordering something, how¡¯s that panning out?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Actually, there are several pieces my Lady would like to order based on the disyed furnishings.¡±

    ¡°¡­Meaning that the disyed pieces aren¡¯t to her liking?¡±

    Libert looked puzzled.

    <i>No wonder.</i>

    ording to Libert, all the exhibited pieces were the pride of the LaCour Company and

    they were catered to Lady Sophia¡¯s taste.

    ¡°Your research was perfect. Except for one thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and what¡¯s this one thing?¡±

    ¡°The size.¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±

    Libert¡¯s puzzled expression was perfectly justifiable. When I said ¡®size,¡¯ I used both of my hands to indicate the desired size which was the span of my palm.

    ¡°By the way, have you heard of the Dollmaker of Frau?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    It seemed that he had guessed what Lady Sophia was looking for just from this one sentence I uttered. He certainly was the LaCour Company¡¯s president¡¯s son as he already knew about the information I had worked so hard to obtain.

    ¡°Here is the list of the furniture that Lady Sophia wants¡ªor, to be more precise, the list of the miniatures.¡±

    There was a miniature set of ¡®The Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯ and even a set of the mansion written down on the list. Considering this was a special order to a business that only dealt with highest quality goods, it would be quite pricey.

    Although Lady Sophia was in a position that allowed her to indulge in luxury, she normally didn¡¯t do anything that squandered money so there was no issue with her asionally being a little self-indulgent. Or perhaps, I should say the head of the Marquis household simply surrendered to Lady Sophia saying ¡®Please?¡¯

    ¡°The order was received. I¡¯ll have someone send samples to Lady Sophia in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡±

    With this, the debt with Libert was settled. Later, he would probably advertise these as the furniture that was favoured by the young Lady of the Rosenberg Marquis household. They would be actually miniatures of the disyed pieces but¡­ he needn¡¯t mention that.

    I expressed my gratitude to Libert once more and returned to Lady Sophia. Since my Lady was talking to Pam at the time, I silently stood behind her. However, Pam noticed me and turned her gaze towards me.

    ¡°Cyril, is there something you need to discuss with Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±

    Servants weren¡¯t allowed to interrupt their masters¡¯ conversations. So if you were to ask me what I thought of my master¡¯s conversation partner being tactful, it certainly wasn¡¯t a bad thing but at the same time, it could also be considered as her showcasing excessive concern. I thought that the youngdies of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction treated me too much as a friend. Nheless, since Pam had already made this considerate gesture, I whispered to Lady Sophia that I gave her order to the LaCour Company.

    ¡°I see, thank you. Then, our debt to the LaCour Company has been settled, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Libert seemed satisfied.¡±

    It was a very short conversation but Pam probably heard the name of the LaCour Company being mentioned.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, thank you for your help with this,¡± she broached the subject with Lady Sophia.

    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about it at all,as it also came as a godsend to me. Please, do not hesitate to talk to me if you¡¯re ever in trouble as you are a dear friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia¡­¡±

    I didn¡¯t fail to notice Pam¡¯s eyes wobbling. There was probably something else that was worrying her. However, Pam seemed hesitant, concerned that it would be discourteous to ask for Lady Sophia¡¯s help with this matter as well. I was sure that this was the reason she couldn¡¯t bring herself to talk about her troubles.

    Of course, Lady Sophia noticed this without me having to point it out. So I would let Lady Sophia show me what she got.

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, Miss Ferris has spoken to me about being pressured by a high-ranking noble, hasn''t she? Miss Pam, you¡¯re from a Count household. Have you faced any problems like that recently?¡±

    ¡°That¡­is¡­¡±

    Pam¡¯s eyes shook. The problem Ferris had was her making a new ¡¯friend¡¯ after she joined Sophia¡¯s faction. This self-proimed friend wanted to get close to Lady Sophia and relied on Ferris to make it happen. Guessing from Pam¡¯s reaction, she also had someone like thate to mind.

    ¡°Miss Pam, please don¡¯t hesitate to tell me if there¡¯s any problem at all. You are an important friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia¡­thank you.¡±

    Pam looked a little hesitant but she slowly began to talk. The matter she brought up to get Lady Sophia¡¯s advice was more serious than I had thought.

    Since Pam came from a powerless Count family, and considering that she wasn¡¯t a direct sessor either, there wasn¡¯t any particr talk of marriage until that point. But, since she had joined Lady Sophia¡¯s faction, the marriage interview proposals came pouring in. Among the proposals, one came from a contender who was hard to decline due to his social status and so, Pam found herself in trouble.

    It might seem that all of this happening just because of a school faction was too exaggerated. However, more often than not, arge number of noble children got married before they were adults¡ªin other words, when they were students. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t strange for a student faction to be considered one of the deciding factors in a political marriage.

    Not to mention that Lady Sophia¡¯s faction already came with all sorts of benefits. It could be said that in a sense it was necessary to target the members of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction to enjoy those same benefits.

    ¡°I would have no objections if he were a suitable candidate. But, it¡¯s obvious that his intentions are to form a connection with you, Lady Sophia. So wouldn¡¯t I be causing trouble, not only for my parents, but for you as well, Lady Sophia¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. Is it perhaps difficult to refuse him because you owe him a debt of some kind?¡± Lady Sophia asked this in an indirect way, but to sum it up, she was asking whether they owed him money or anything of the sort for it was not umon for nobles to lend and borrow money from each other. However, Lady Sophia¡¯s assumption was incorrect. From what I had gathered, Count Ford didn¡¯t have any sort of debt that another family could pressure him with. My intel seemed to have been correct too since Pam shook her head.

    ¡°There is no debt. But he is a Margrave so¡­¡±

    Margraves were nobles that protected the country¡¯s borders and they were as powerful as your average Marquis. In other words, the powerless household of Count Ford wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them.

    ¡°Cyril¨C¡±

    Guessing everything she wanted to ask from that word alone, I recalled Count Ford¡¯s financial situation and the like to mind. They had very little power as a Count household and their territory¡¯s financial situation couldn¡¯t be considered good either. But, since Count Ford wasn¡¯t the type to waste money, they didn¡¯t have any significant debt.

    Moreover, taking into ount the ns to cultivate potatoes on their territory, it certainly wasn¡¯t a territory that we should let be seized by another faction.

    ¡°I think that if we were to consult Master Grave, there is a very good chance that he would intervene.¡±

    ¡°If you think so, then that puts my mind at ease. Let¡¯s steer the conversation in that direction when we ask him for help.¡±

    Pam was bewildered by our conversation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t understand what Lady Sophia was saying. But since Lady Sophia hadn¡¯t proposed anything yet, she seemed to have been stumped on how to react.

    ¡°Um¡­are you perhaps nning to deal with this political marriage proposal somehow?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I promise to definitely deal with it one way or another.¡±

    ¡°I- that is¡­ I am incredibly grateful to you, Lady Sophia, but I cannot rely on you to such an extent.¡±

    Even though she was being forced into a marriage with someone she didn¡¯t want to marry, she was still hesitant, telling Lady Sophia that couldn¡¯t rely on her too much. She seemed to possess a noble spirit suitable for the heroine of ¡®The Eve of the Festival.¡¯ This admirable side of her was probably what aroused the capture targets¡¯ urge to protect her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be so hesitant. This happened because of me. I simply cannot ignore that you were dragged into trouble by someone because they wanted to cozy up to me.¡±

    It was just as Lady Sophia had said. If she were to ignore this, the other faction members would most likely get targeted as well, beginning with Lady Ferris, the Viscount¡¯s daughter. This wasn¡¯t something that she could just let go as the head of the faction.

    ¡°So, you needn¡¯t worry anymore.¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia. Thank you¡­so much¡­hgk.¡±

    Pam hung her head down,rge teardrops falling from her eyes. Seeing her cry, Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes tinged red as well and she nced at me.

    ¡°Cyril¡­Verify immediately if there is anyone else dealing with the same worries.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Sophia.¡±

    Thank you for reading! Hopefully there won''t be any issues with viewing the chapter this time!

    Poor Libert thinking he''s gonna sell furniture and the Cyril hits him with yes, but we want miniatures :''). Oh well, business is business!

 Book 3: Chapter 10: For the Young Lady Part 6

    After the party ended with no incidents, I began interviewing the servants of the young Ladies that belonged to Lady Sophia¡¯s faction. As a result, it came to light that Lady Alicia and Lady Ferris had also been bombarded with marriage proposals.

    It seemed that what Alicia and Pam had been discussing earlier was this matter as well. Apparently, they disliked causing trouble for Lady Sophia and were trying to somehow deal with it on their own. Having collected information about their situation, I promptly arrived at Master Grave¡¯s office.

    ¡°Hmm. I understand that there are unwanted marriage proposals flooding the three young Ladies. However, what do you want me to do about it?¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia wishes to be their backer.¡±

    This incident was a case of young Ladies being pressured by higher-ranked nobles, who were thinking, ¡®Certainly, they wouldn¡¯t refuse <i>my</i> proposal.¡¯ At the same time, it was an issue that could get resolved just by Master Grave reigning them in by saying, ¡®Are you trying to mess with my daughter¡¯s friends?¡¯ Roughly speaking, that is.

    ¡°Back them up? Don¡¯t their families have anyone supporting them already?¡±

    ¡°Here is the information I have gathered about this issue.¡±

    While there were noble families that they were close to, those families weren¡¯t able to help them out with this matter. In addition to their rtionship not being close enough for them to be their patrons, they were currently being pressured by these ¡®friends¡¯ of theirs. This was how strong Lady Sophia¡¯s influence was.

    ¡°I see. However, the Rosenberg Marquis household cannot be someone¡¯s patron so easily. Are those three Ladies befitting of the patronage of the Rosenberg Marquis household?¡±Since this was Master Grave, he probably already knew not only their personalities, but also their social status and the financial situation of their territories. So this question was most likely a test for me. ¡°Of course,¡± I said to meet his expectations and handed over the materials I had prepared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the financial situation of each of their territories. They definitely cannot be considered wealthy, but they aren¡¯t involved in any shady business.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, you did well in your research. I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d provide me with such detailed numbers.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The documents that I had just presented him with were all the information that I had researched beforehand. The things I researched in order to select the territories for potato cultivation became useful in unexpected ways.

    ¡°As for their character, the young Ladies didn¡¯t want to involve Lady Sophia in this matter and were keeping quiet about their dilemma, so there is no questioning their nature.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see. Sophia certainly seems to consider them irreceable friends, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    Master Grave nodded, with a look on his face as if this had verified his thoughts.

    ¡°However, this matter won¡¯t be settled simply by supporting them. I believe that, eventually, it will be necessary to take care of their marriage proposals. Are they worth going to such lengths for them?¡±

    ¡°They have benefitted from Lady Sophia already.¡±

    For example, the potato cultivation was one such a benefit. Eventually, the potatoes would probably spread to territories that didn''t belong to members of Lady Sophia¡¯s faction, but they would still be retaining the advantage of being the first ones to cultivate them. The same went for the preparation of the ck tea, as well as other techniques that Lady Sophia might pass on to them in the future.

    In the case that these Ladies were taken in by another faction, their position might get taken advantage of. It would be a different story if Lady Sophia were to cast them away, but¡­ that was unlikely.

    I convinced him that, even when taking the responsibilities of a patron into consideration, they were worth it. Sure enough, Master Grave nodded, looking satisfied.

    ¡°All right. If you want me to do this, then I shall do so, Cyril.¡±

    And so, the matter with the young Ladies¡¯ marriage proposals was quickly settled. In fact, it was settled too quickly, feeling very anticlimactic. It felt as if Master Grave had been waiting for my suggestion¡­ wait, wasn''t I actually overthinking this? With our conversation finished, I left the office and was caught by Young Master Ernest, who was waiting for me at the door. He brought me along to the dining hall, where we faced each other.

    ¡°Is there something you need to discuss with me? If it¡¯s about studying abroad, I already refused, didn¡¯t¨C¡­¡±

    ¡°It is about studying abroad, but not about making you go. The Imperial Princess Charlotte said that she couldn¡¯t wait any longer and that she¡¯sing to study here right now.¡±

    <i>Huh?!</i> I was on the verge of crying out hysterically, but I thankfully swallowed it down. Although she had ns to study here starting next year originally, there was no way that she could have moved the date forward so easily.

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°I wish it was a joke, too, but¡­ they are apparently arriving in a few days. Not just Imperial Princess Charlotte, but also Imperial Prince Harold.¡±

    ¡°They are really¡­ how should I put it¨Cproactive people, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Normally, royal families decide their schedules even several months in advance. To think that they had suddenly changed this schedule of theirs and would be arriving in a few days, they really worked way too fast.

    ¡°While they <i>are</i> quite proactive, it also shows just how astonishing the Imperial Princess finds the magical technique you invented.¡±

    I agreed, but also frowned at the same time, as it became a troublesome thing. I didn¡¯t regret granting Lady Sophia¡¯s wish and saving Her Highness Folcenia. However, publicizing a technique that made the Imperial Princess move her schedule forward toe study here immediately was a mistake.

    If the royal family could have at least put some information control into action¡­ no, that wouldn''t have been possible, would it? Since they asked the mefield Empire about any methods to save the princess, the technique would havee to light eventually after she was cured.

    Moreover, there was no point in crying over spilt milk. The important thing was what I would do from now on.

    ¡°¡­I understand the situation.You have told me about this because you want me to devise some countermeasures while I still can, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re free to interpret it any way you like. However, before that, there is one more thing I want to tell you. Although Sophia already knows about this too¨C¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± I said, and bowed in response to the words he followed up with, his tone solemn.

    ***

    Let¡¯s go slightly back in time, a little bit before Cyril had been told my Ernest.

    ¡°Sophia, I need to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°You need to speak with me, big brother?¡±

    Ernest called out to his younger sister, who was walking down the hallway, and she stopped her in her tracks. She seemed a little guarded. ¡®Big brother, please y with me!¡¯ When she was small, Sophia used to act sweetly like that towards him. When exactly had things be like this? Ernestmented.

    <i>¡­No, I wasn¡¯t able to protect Sophia when she needed it the most. The one who protected my little sister wasn¡¯t me nor my father, but Cyril, a mere butler apprentice. Since I tried to take Cyril away, it¡¯s just natural that she would be guarded with me. Moreover, what I am about to say now is also¡­</i>

    Muttering to himself, Ernest let out a small sigh. However, he noticed that Sophia was looking at him with suspicion, so he hastily shook his head, as if to say ¡®Nevermind.¡¯

    ¡°I want to talk to you about the Imperial Princess and the Imperial Prince of the mefield Empire.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t send Cyril away, you know?¡±

    Like a child whose treasure someone was trying to snatch away, she turned to the side protectively, revealing her wariness. However, her expression could in no way be considered as that of a child.

    <i>Does his little sister understand what these feelings of hers are?</i> Ernest wondered. Concerned about her, he hoped that she didn¡¯t understand, so she wouldn¡¯t have to be saddened over this impossible desire.

    ¡°¡­Big brother?¡±

    ¡°Ah, this conversation isn¡¯t about making Cyril go study abroad. I was contacted by the Imperial Princess Charlotte and¨C¡±

    ¡°Was there a message saying that she wasing to study here immediately?¡±

    ¡°¡­Who told you about this?¡±

    At that point in time, only a few people knew of this information, so Ernest could have sworn that it wouldn¡¯t have reached Sophia¡¯s ears yet. He was puzzled as to how she knew about it nheless.

    ¡°¡­There is no way I could have known about it. However, I know Cyril. Whatever Cyril does always draws the attention of others.¡±

    ¡°So you recognized that Cyril¡¯s technique was amazing enough to make the Imperial Princess practically fly over here?¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t, he couldn¡¯t have saved Her Highness Folcenia.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    In some respects, Ernest made light of his technique, thinking that it was just some spell a mere butler from the Ephenear Kingdom, a country that was underdeveloped when it came to magic, came up with. He chased away the fact that it was a technique that even the mefield Empire, the country with advanced magic, couldn¡¯te up with, to a corner of his mind.

    Sophia probably wasn¡¯t aware of this. However, she hade to this conclusion due to her confidence in Cyril. While on one hand, he believed that they were linked by a strong bond, on the other hand, he felt uneasy, as there was clear dependence. Thinking of the uing events, he felt a deep sorrow for his little sister, but there was no reversing the situation at that point.

    ¡°If you understand, then that makes things easier. It seems that Imperial Princess Charlotte and Imperial Prince Harold are going to arrive in a few days. In addition, the Imperial Princess requested Cyril as her guide.The Imperial Prince requested you.¡±

    ¡°They requested Cyril and I to be their guides?¡±

    Sophia only tilted her head to the side, not showing any big reaction. But that was only at the surface. The depths of her amethyst-like eyes brimmed with displeasure.

    That was understandable. It was clear that the intentions behind the two of theming to study abroad were political. To put it bluntly, Imperial Prince Harold was after Sophia and Imperial Princess Charlotte was after Cyril; nothing more, nothing less. The first was aiming for a political marriage, theter wanted to meet an outstanding person. If Sophia was aware of her own feelings, then this must have been an uneptable situation to her. However¨C

    ¡°Those were the orders given by His Majesty the King after he received these requests from the Imperial Prince. Father knows about it, as well. You understand¡­ what it means, right?¡±

    In no way was this a mere request. No, actually, it <i>was</i> nothing more but a request for them to be guides. However, it was extremely likely that Sophia would receive a marriage proposal from the Prince, and it was very likely that the Princess would attempt to recruit Cyril.

    That was the basis of their requests. Even if the two were to say that they weren¡¯t aware of this once things progressed, it would be entirely toote. If they were to decline at that point, they would probably turn <i>the gods themselves into their enemies</i>.

    There was no way that Sophia would do something that foolish, and neither His Highness the King nor their Father <i>thought</i> that Sophia was a fool who was unable to discern this, either.

    Therefore, she could only escape that future at that very moment. Even if she were to throw everything away and elope, at least she wouldn¡¯t lose the most important person to her.

    Unable to imagine any other future for her than this, Ernest felt irritated with himself. He treasured his little sister from the bottom of his heart. Therefore, as her elder brother, he always wanted to protect her. However, the only person Sophia relied on wholeheartedly was Cyril. Ernest became painfully aware of that in a short amount of time.

    To be honest, he was resentful. He shouldn¡¯t get his adorable little sister stolen away by a butler. But there was nothing he could do about it if that was what Sophia wanted and what made her happy. It was his duty as her elder brother to grant her this wish, even if it brought bitter tears to his eyes.

    Therefore¨Cif Sophia were to reject these orders, she should just elope with Cyril. If she were together with that witty young boy, she would be able to keep on living anywhere. The Rosenberg Marquis household wouldn¡¯t decline even without Sophia. Ernest had nned on instigating her by dering, ¡®The Rosenberg Marquis household has no need for a fool such as you! Therefore¨C''

    ¡°I¡¯ve received the Imperial Prince¡¯s request to be his guide.¡±

    Ernest was unable to understand what the words that spilled from his younger sister¡¯s mouth meant. He turned the words over in his mind several times before he finally understood that Sophia epted bing the Imperial Prince¡¯s guide.

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s His Majesty¡¯s order and my father knows about it as well, doesn¡¯t he? If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s no way for me to refuse this request.¡±

    <i>However, epting the request is the same as cementing your own future,</i> Ernest thought, and then came upon the possibility that Sophia didn¡¯t understand her own feelings.

    <i>No matter how outstandingly talented she is, in the end she¡¯s still just an innocent child, isn¡¯t she¡­?</i>

    Whenever she would be aware of her own feelings, she woulde to realize that at that point, it was an impossible love.

    ¡®I pity her,¡¯ Ernest thought as it urred to him that this moment woulde.

    We reached thest part of ¡®For the young Lady'' chapters, ¡®Lady Sophia''s wish'' chapters areing next!

    Very curious to see how all of this pans out! Also excited to finally meet the Princess Charlotte and Prince Harold!

    If you''d like to support this trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi! Any help appreciated!

 Book 3: Chapter 11: Lady Sophias Wish Part 1

    That day, the Academy was in an uproar since morning. An Imperial Prince and Imperial Princess from the mefield Empire¡ªwhich was an important neighbor of ours, from a political standpoint as well¡ªarrived to study here.

    ¡°Hey, did you hear?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Imperial Prince and Princess, right? That has nothing to do with us, though, right?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? If we win their favour, they might even hire us! I heard that, whenever the members of the Imperial familye to study abroad, they recruit several people from the Servant course.¡±

    ¡°What, really?! Then this could be an opportunity, even for us!¡±

    Even in ss A of the Servant course conversations such as these could be heard incessantly. Now, I had to clear up that small misunderstanding. Just because particrly outstanding students were in this ss, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they would be employed by Royalty or high-ranking nobles for sure.

    Many of the exclusive butlers and head maids that were working for Royalty or high-ranking nobles already, aka the people who took on managerial positions among the servants, were of noble descent ¨C in other words, students of the Noble course. Or they came from a family lineage such as mine, a family that had been working for the Marquis household for many generations.

    However, the Imperial family members who hade to study here before had apparently employed students of the Servant course, and treated them well, too. Therefore, people seemed excited, thinking that this time they might have a chance as well.

    Of course, students who had already received tentative employment offers weren¡¯t that excited. But there were many surprised shouts at the fact that the Imperial family wasing to study here, out of nowhere, too. There was also a certain student with a tentative offer that was very interested in this topic as well.¡°Cyril, did you hear the rumours?¡± Raymond piped up, addressing me.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a hot topic since morning. But it isn¡¯t something that should concern you much, right? I¡¯m reallyte in saying this, but congrattions on your tentative offer.¡±

    Raymond¡¯s good work during the School Festival was recognized and it was settled that he would work for Fol. I was surprised when I heard about this from Luke, but at the same time, I thought that it was just natural given Raymond¡¯spetency.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything.¡±

    ¡°¡­I knew you¡¯d say that! But if you hadn¡¯t given me a chance to prove myself when I was on a path of self destruction, I would have never caught her attention. So, it <i>is</i> thanks to you after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Even if that was true, I believe that you would have caught someone¡¯s attention soon either way.¡±

    Even if no one else would have spoken to him, I had nned on rmending him to Lady Sophia at the right moment, anyway. Sadly, since it was settled that he would be a Royal servant, I had no choice but to give up on that.

    ¡°No way, no way! I mean, the person who spoke to me is also amoner, just like me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Amoner?¡±

    When I tilted my head in puzzlement wondering what he meant, Raymond quickly waved his hand around as if to say, ¡®Don¡¯t misunderstand!¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m dissatisfied because she¡¯s amoner. I know that she¡¯s an outstanding person, outstanding enough to have the patronage of a Count. And even if she wasn¡¯t, she was the first person who acknowledged me, so¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­ see.¡±

    Even as I replied to show that I was actually listening, I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what Raymond was talking about. Although Fol was attending the Academy under the guise of being amoner¡¯s daughter who had been taken in by a Count because of her capabilities, her real identity was a Royal¡­ Could it be that Raymond didn¡¯t know?

    <i>That¡¯s impossible!</i> I thought, shifting my gaze. My eyes met Luke¡¯s, who had apparently overheard our conversation, but then he tantly averted his eyes. Apparently, Fol¡¯s real identity was a secret.

    Fol was probably hiding it out of amusement.

    ¡®Did you think that you¡¯d be working for a young Lady ofmoner descent? Too bad, your master is a princess!¡¯ When I thought of Fol revealing something like that to Raymond ¨C it was indeed amusing. There weren¡¯t any real drawbacks even if she kept it hidden from him, so I decided to just watch the situation unfold.

    ¡°By the way, how are things going for you, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Earlier, you said that it wasn¡¯t not something that should concern ¡®me¡¯, right? Technically, you should have said ¡®us¡¯. Are you perhaps involved in something?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just that Lady Sophia and I were ordered to act as guides.¡±

    ¡°As guides? By that, you mean¡­¡±

    Raymond had probably guessed what I meant. The gaze he was giving me changed to one of worry.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, I am fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really? If you are, then it¡¯s all good, but, if there was anything you¡¯d be troubled by, tell me, okay? If there¡¯s anything I can do, I¡¯ll do my utmost to help you out.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll ask for your advice if that happens.¡±

    I stered a fake smile on my face and gave him my thanks.

    Afterwards, sses continued with everyone in a state of excitement until school finally finished. I visited ss A of the Noble course, since I was supposed to meet Her Highness, the Imperial Princess, Charlotte, there. Lady Sophia called out to me as if she had been waiting for me.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯vee at the perfect time. This way.¡±

    When I followed Lady Sophia a step or two behind, following hermand, I was able to see that her ssmates were gathered. Apparently, they were standing up and talking.

    ¡°Your Highness, Prince Harold. Your Highness, Princess Charlotte. This is my butler, the one I told you about earlier. Cyril, this is His Highness, Prince Harold, and Her Highness, Princess Charlotte.¡±

    ¡°My name is Cyril. It is an honor to meet you.¡±

    I fixed my gaze on a spot in front of the feet of the two people Lady Sophia had addressed and I bowed politely. After I greeted them, a young boy¡¯s reassuring voice sounded.

    ¡°Raise your head.¡±

    When I raised my head just like the voice instructed, I felt a little surprised at the sight of these two Imperial Royal members.

    The red-haired young boy was probably the Imperial Prince, Harold. Although he was wearing something akin to a coat made out of fine quality cloth, the top of the shirt he was wearing underneath was wide open, giving a glimpse of his tan skin.

    Although this kind of dress code would be unthinkable in Ephenear, this was most likely the clothing typically worn in the mefield Empire, with its evesting summer and intense sunlight. Coupled with a firm body and amethyst eyes that hid a powerful will, there was an undeniable charm to him, even though he was a man.

    Next, the young girl with silver hair with a faint pink tint was probably Her Highness, Imperial Princess, Charlotte. Just like the Prince, she was also wearing a coat and was wearing a garment underneath it, a garment considered very thin for a young nobledy. From the point of view of nobility, it seemed very exposed, but to someone like me, who had memories from his previous world, it wasn¡¯t that strange. Her amethyst eyes sparkled as she gazed at me with interest.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Cyril? I¡¯m so d to finally be able to meet you!¡±

    Soundless shrieks came from the people around us, because, of all things she could have done, Imperial Princess Charlotte hugged me.

    I was being embraced.

    That being said, we were only as close to each other as if we were dancing. No matter how lightly dressed she was, her development was proportional to her age, so there was no need for me to get upset. However, Lady Sophia was looking at me as if she wanted to ask, ¡®Why didn¡¯t you move out of the way?¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s not like that, my Lady.¡¯

    ¡®What isn¡¯t like that? I didn¡¯t say anything, did I?¡¯

    When I appealed to her silently, that was the look that she gave me in return. However, her eyes were dyed red and she was clearly oozing with displeasure. However, if I hadn¡¯t caught the Imperial Princess, Charlotte, she might have fallen over. If that were to happen, it would likely be a nation-wide issue, so I appealed to my Lady from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps it got through to her, since Lady Sophia puffed out her cheeks petntly. It seemed that, if I didn¡¯t do something fast, Lady Sophia would fall into darkness again.

    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Charlotte, please release me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I simply expressed my joy at getting to meet you, yes?¡±

    ¡°While I am truly honoured, our country¡¯s etiquette is very different. It is likely that this might cause unnecessary misunderstandings with everyone.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I don¡¯t mind even if that is the case, anyway?¡±

    She was smiling innocently, but her eyes sparkled bewitchingly. Apparently, she was not the innocent princess she appeared to be. However, it was nothing unusual to realize that dealing with a young Lady who lived within noble society would be difficult.

    ¡°If misunderstandings were to arise, I will take responsibility and resign as a guide¨C¡±

    ¡®are you alright with it despite that?¡¯ Before I could finish, she quickly stepped away. She put a distance of about two steps between us and lifted up the hem of her skirt, doing a curtsy.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been very rude. Since it seems that I am still quite unfamiliar with this country¡¯s etiquette, as my guide, please help me so that I can remember everything quickly.¡±

    ¡°As you wish. I shall fully devote myself to this task,¡± I answered, bowing my head politely as well. Although she said that she was unfamiliar with this country¡¯s etiquette, she seemed to know very well how to make the people around us understand that I was her guide.

    From our conversation, the participants of this get-together must have guessed that I agreed to be her guide. While skillfully schooling their expressions, they were looking at me and Lady Sophia as if they wanted to ask, ¡®Why?¡¯

    ¡°Truth be told, I came to study here because I wanted to meet you, you know?¡±

    Once more, she said things that invited misunderstandings¡­ she was definitely doing it on purpose. But, why was she making such careless remarks? While her reasons were unknown to me, I had to amend this situation before Lady Sophia fell into darkness.

    ¡°I am very appreciative of your acknowledgment regarding my research behind the magical technique I used. You are quite enthusiastic about magical research, right, Your Highness?¡±

    The first sentence was an exnation aimed for the people around us while thetter was a question for the Imperial Princess. By this, I led others to believe that her interestsy with magic, so that no unnecessary spections would arise. As I expected, the faces of everyone around us lit up with understanding. Since Fol¡¯s Magical Overcharge Illness was a secret, I had to be careful so that they wouldn¡¯t investigate any further, but¡­ since a lot of magical research was confidential to begin with, it was convenient to turn it into a secret.

    ¡°Although Char came for magical research, the reason why I am studying here is different. Thus, Lady Sophia will be my guide,¡± Harold said, after he waited for Princess Charlotte to calm down. Although he hadn¡¯t said what his reason foring to study abroad was, just connecting the dots of what he just said, many people must have realized that his goal was Lady Sophia. Apparently, he didn¡¯t n on hiding it.

    I would have been saved if he came here for another reason but¡­ damn. Pam was supposed to be the heroine though! Just where did the original ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ script go?

    For the time being, there was no way that Prince Harold was saying this to me, so, as a mere butler, I couldn¡¯t interrupt him. Thus, I had no choice but to leave Lady Sophia to deal with him.

    However, the fact that I, a butler, couldn¡¯t intervene, was a situation I had already expected to arise. I had educated my Lady previously so that she would be able to deal with situations such as these herself. There was no need for me to worry about the Lady Sophia that I had raised. If anything, I should rather be worried about everything else. At the moment, I should deal with Princess Charlotte. When I turned my gaze to the Princess, with these thoughts in my mind, she was smiling broadly.

    ¡°Cyril, I know it may be a little abrupt, but could you show me around the Academy?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    As per Princess Charlotte¡¯s request, we left the ssroom of the Noble course. We were apanied by her servants, but it seemed that Prince Harold would be doing something else in the meantime.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I was just thinking that you aren¡¯t wearing the uniform¡­¡±

    I ended up raising a question that differed from what I was actually thinking about. Somehow, I had a feeling that it would be better if I didn¡¯t show my concern for Lady Sophia too much.

    ¡°Since we decided toe here so suddenly, the uniforms aren¡¯t ready yet. Or are you bothered by my clothing?¡±

    ¡°It might be a little shocking for someone who¡¯s unfamiliar with your country. However, I am aware that your garments aremon in the mefield Empire, Your Highness. Therefore, I have no problem with it.¡±

    When I answered, it drew a look of surprise from her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that this country¡¯s clothing isn¡¯t very revealing, so I believed you would have more to say about it, but unexpectedly that¡¯s not the case. Or is it because it¡¯s you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simply because your clothing isn¡¯t too revealing.¡±

    Truth be told, swimsuits existed in this country as well. More precisely, there was a scene in which Alicia, d in a swimsuit, went out to y around ake with the capture targets. Compared to that, how much Princess Charlotte was showing was by no means a big deal.

    ¡°More importantly, where would you like me to start with the tour?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ oh, that¡¯s right! Could you take me somewhere where we can enjoy a leisurely talk first? Rather than seeing the Academy¡¯s facilities, I would like to hear a more detailed ount from you.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    As this was something I expected, I wasn¡¯t really at a loss on where to go, and thus, I led Princess Charlotte to the courtyard. When I guided her to a table, she requested that I make her tea.

    She would be left alone while I, her guide, would be making her tea but¡­ apparently Princess Charlotte even knew that the way I brewed ck tea was different from the way others did it.

    I suppose that she had heard a lot of things from Young Master Ernest. Since that was the case, I left her with her maids and prepared some ck tea. She asked me to sit at the same table with her, so I obediently went to the other side of the table and sat down.

    ¡°Ooh¡­ you obeyed immediately. Even though ordinary servants would say that this is discourteous¡­¡±

    ¡°It certainly is something unthinkable. However, as this seems to be your wish¡­¡±

    As someone who was used to unreasonable requests, I simply decided that following her orders obediently was the best course of action. When I asked her if there were any problems with a gaze, she gave me a somewhat satisfied smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really like formal stuff or having to repeat myself, so I really appreciate it,¡± she said as drank the ck tea I prepared. Technically speaking, Lady Sophia should be tasting it for poison. However, since Lady Sophia wasn¡¯t here, either me or her servants should be the ones supposed to drink the tea to test it instead but¡­ there was probably no use in saying this. She swallowed before letting out a romantic sigh.

    ¡°The taste truly is different. And it¡¯s so fragrant too. Your skills are truly something.¡±

    ¡°I am honored by your kind words.¡±

    While I was d that she liked it, most likely, what she really wanted to talk about woulde next. As I braced myself, she faced me and gently smiled.

    ¡°I heard that you invented a technique to release one¡¯s magical powers as treatment for the Magical Overcharge Illness.¡±

    ¡°No, I only rediscovered a technique that was listed in a magic book,¡± I said, with a serious look on my face.

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    ¡°Why do you believe so?¡±

    ¡°Our Empire had searched for a treatment against Magical Overcharge Illness from all angles. However, no matter what we did, we weren¡¯t able to find a method that could save those with high magical resistance. Yet you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s a magic book that has a technique listed in it, one that has never even been seen or heard of?¡±

    It was reasonable that she wouldn¡¯t believe me. However, no matter how fast one¡¯s magical powers recovered, normally, the amount of powers spent was sure to be higher. The fact that this wasn¡¯t the case was simply due to the fact that this world¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t very developed yet.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fact that there are magical books even you don¡¯t know of. Besides, isn¡¯t it more realistic than the idea of a mere butler developing a technique from scratch?¡±

    When I tilted my head to the side, Princess Charlotte smiled gently.

    ¡°Say¡­ Cyril. Let¡¯s make a deal.¡±

    ¡°A deal?¡±

    ¡°If you ept my conditions, I will save your Lady.¡± She smiled mysteriously.

    As I had thought, this princess wasn¡¯t one who could be dealt with easily.

    Apologies for the slight dy, but here''s the new chapter! Lots of exciting things ahead it seems! How are you liking the Imperials so far?

    Thank you for reading and for your support! If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi as well!

 Book 3: Chapter 12: Lady Sophias Wish Part 2

    About a week had passed since I became Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide. Today, Imperial Prince Harold and Imperial Princess Charlotte were hosting an evening party together on a day when we didn¡¯t have school. While the guests were primarily students of the Academy, a written invitation had been delivered to their guardians as well.

    There was little time to prepare for the party so the invitations wouldn¡¯t reach those who lived in areas away from the capital in time. However, it was the social season at the moment, so it was apparent that the number of those present definitely wouldn¡¯t be small. At this party, I was given the duty of introducing the party-goers to Imperial Princess Charlotte, and Lady Sophia was granted the role of introducing party-goers to Imperial Prince Harold.

    While, nominally, we were guides, in actuality, we were very close to being their partners, because neither the Prince nor the Princess were escorted by anyone. To be exact, they were each other¡¯s partners. However, they were both doing different things and were thus standing separate from each other.

    As a result, Lady Sophia and I looked like we were their partners. Lady Sophia especially was seen as the Imperial Prince¡¯s partner by the majority of those present. If one were to strain their ears to hear the idle talk of the people around them,ments such as, ¡®It¡¯s also good for the friendship between both countries¡­¡¯ could be heard.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as I said it would be, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I never doubted your words, Your Highness.¡±

    As we shared this back and forth, I thought back on Princess Charlotte¡¯s proposition.

    ¡°¡®Save Lady Sophia?¡¯ You are saying some strange things again. It¡¯s as if you¡¯re implying that Lady Sophia is in a dangerous situation.¡±

    ¡°I am sure you are aware what our purpose ining to study here is. Or are you saying that if I don¡¯t exin it from the beginning, you wouldn¡¯t understand?¡±¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not what¨C¡±

    There weren¡¯t that many reasons for Royalty to study abroad. And in view of the current situation, their reasons were crystal clear.

    ¡°Then, there¡¯s no way that you haven¡¯t understood what I meant by ¡®saving your Lady¡¯, is there?¡±

    ¡°Are you implying that Lady Sophia is trying to escape a political marriage? That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Yes, it was impossible. For Lady Sophia to choose to <i>flee </i>from a political marriage was impossible. However, it seemed that Imperial Princess Charlotte didn¡¯t catch the meaning of my words.

    ¡°Trying to hide it is fruitless. Miss Sophia is really adorable, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an undoubted truth, but¡­ what do you mean by it?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so cute, considerate, and both her lineage and academic results are excellent. I wonder why a girl like her still doesn¡¯t have a fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    ¡®¡­because I have ruined her event with Prince Alforth.¡¯ Naturally, I couldn¡¯t say that. When I hesitated to answer, Imperial Princess Charlotte muttered, ¡°So it¡¯s really like that. Could it be that Miss Sophia doesn¡¯t have a fianc¨¦ because there is someone she loves, and also because that the person she loves is someone she can¡¯t get engaged to, as the daughter of a Marquis?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps? That¡¯s not something I would be privy to so I do not know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? But I¡¯ve heard that she has immense trust in you? Or could it be that you haven¡¯t been told because you <i>are </i>that person?¡±

    She was acting as if she saw right through me, to which I responded by letting out an ostentatious sigh. A stir went around the maids apanying her, but I continued to outwardly express my exasperation.

    ¡°You must enjoy gossiping, Your Highness. Or is this a trait shared by all the people of the mefield Empire?¡±

    I subtly pointed out that this was viewed as shameful behaviour in the Ephenear Kingdom. Of course, I was her guide¡ªin other words, I was taking advantage of being in this position to advise her, as she was someone who was not familiar with this country¡¯s etiquette. I wasn¡¯t afraid that she wouldn¡¯t notice this indirect, candid advice¡ªor that if she did, she would lose herself in anger. In fact, she justughed.

    ¡°Oh, I apologize. Since she¡¯s extremely cute, I let my imagination run wild in all sorts of ways. These were certainly impolite remarks. Of course, this is reproachable behaviour in the mefield Empire as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. I myself might have been a bit too obtrusive when I pointed it out.¡±

    I was only allowed to point out the differences in each of our countries¡¯ etiquette. So I certainly wasn¡¯t permitted any behavior such as pointing out her immaturity. Was her retort due to her realizing this, or was she simply trying to protect the image of her own country? In either case, she was a quite troublesome opponent.

    ¡°Hehe, you far surpass my expectations. So I¡¯ll tell you one more time. If you cooperate with me, I will help you in protecting your Lady.¡±

    ¡°Even if I were to repeat what I already said, it would be pointless, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡®Lady Sophia is trying to flee a political marriage.¡¯

    If she wanted to talk with this premise in mind, then she should just go ahead. When I implied this meaning with my behavior, she smiled, satisfied.

    ¡°To a certain degree, my goal and my elder brother¡¯s goal ovep. So if you cooperate with me, it will no longer be necessary for my elder brother to choose your Lady.¡±

    It would no longer be necessary, huh? That was an awfully convenient phrase.

    However, the current issue was the part where she said that their goals ovepped. Their goal should have been to strengthen the rtionship between the two countries and acquire information about the new magical technique. So I perfectly understood Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s intention in choosing me as her guide. She would be able to achieve her goals if she were to acquire the information from me, as well as if she were to obtain me, the person who had this knowledge.

    But was there any connection between Imperial Prince Harold¡¯s necessity to make Lady Sophia his guide and obtaining me? ¡­There was one, wasn¡¯t there?

    If Lady Sophia were to marry into the neighboring country, I would apany her as well. In other words, it could be said that by obtaining Lady Sophia, it was possible for the neighboring country to achieve two goals at once. However, in other words, that meant that¨C

    ¡°You have quite a high opinion of me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how much potential the technique you came up with has.¡±

    Although it was hard to believe, I seemed to be correct. Since her statement made it seem like even getting closer to Lady Sophia was simply with me as the main goal, whatever the circumstances may be, they were overestimating me too much.

    Well, this was also caused by me being seen as a genius who had invented an unknown magical technique, even though I already said that I simply rediscovered a technique that already existed.

    It was certainly true that this technique didn¡¯t exist in this world. Therefore, if she was stating such things after researching it, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for them to think of me that way, was it?

    They would naturally not be struck with the realization that I simply used my memories of the previous world. If they had realized that much, they¡¯d be something else.1 Or they would simply also be people with memories of the previous world, like Teacher Tristan.

    Therefore, since she didn¡¯t reach that conclusion, the possibility that she was a transmigrator was low. Assuming that, was her goal simply my magical knowledge, then?

    ¡°Allow me to ask you. What do you want from me, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you perhaps considering making a deal?¡±

    ¡°No. But how could I even begin to consider it if I don¡¯t know what you are looking for?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. My wish is for you to cooperate with me. Specifically, I want you to move to my country with me after my studies here are over and work at my research institute.¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s out of the question.¡¯

    I wouldn¡¯t refuse her mercilessly like this, though.

    There was always a possibility of Lady Sophia, as well as Fol, falling ill, at which point it would be difficult for them to release their own powers. It wouldn¡¯t be such a problem for Lady Sophia, who had low magical resistance, but, in case of emergency, Fol needed me. Therefore, I didn¡¯t have the option of moving to another country.

    But at the same time, there was a great deal of potential when it came to cooperating in developing magical equipment. If I were to cooperate with the neighboring country, we might possibly reproduce the magical technique that I used to draw out powers as a magical device.

    ¡°I am interested in magical research myself. However, since I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, I will never leave her side.¡±

    ¡°But it would be another story entirely if it was for the sake of protecting her, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡®This could be the foundation for protecting Lady Sophia.¡¯

    Certainly, if that were the case, I would possibly leave Lady Sophia¡¯s side. However, only if I had no other choice, that is.

    ¡°Certainly, if we were to find ourselves in the worst possible situation, such a choice would also be possible. However, I do not believe that such an end awaits us.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, I do understand that you want to ignore reality. Therefore, I will wait for your answer until my studies here are over.¡±

    In reaction to her quite crude words, unconsciously, a wry smile appeared on my face.

    That was the conversation that we had. Meanwhile, Lady Sophia was currently by Imperial Prince Harold¡¯s side as his guide. It was no different from being his partner, and, from the perspective of the people around them, it must have looked as if both countries wished for their marriage. In other words, what the Imperial Princess told me that day signified that, while she would wait for my reply until her studies were over, she wasn¡¯t responsible if Prince Harold was to take action in the meantime.

    But even if she didn¡¯t tell me, that much was obvious. I epted some non-alcoholic, sparkling wine from a waiter and held it out for Imperial Princess Charlotte to try.

    ¡°Here, Your Highness, a present from the Rosenberg Marquis household.¡±

    ¡°¡­This is a present?¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte watched the wine inside the ss bubbling and frowned. While she didn¡¯t say it out loud, she probably wanted to call it a dud of a wine.

    It was said that originally, sparkling wine was the product of an ident. It was considered a failure at first since the focus of the research was to figure out how <i>not </i>to make wine that contained carbonic acid.

    Such was the information from my previous world. In other words, it was still treated as a dud in this world and it wasn¡¯t generally distributed.

    ¡°Please give it a try, if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°¡­If memory serves me right, I believe that I am forbidden from drinking alcohol due to my age in this country just like in the mefield Empire, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Please rest assured. Strictly speaking, this isn¡¯t alcohol.¡±

    She was reluctant to drink it nheless, which was probably due to her being on guard against poison. This was a natural reaction from an Imperial Princess.

    ¡°Of course, I will not force you. However, the manufacturing method of this wine is somewhatplicated. I used a magic spell to control its state. Perhaps if there was a magical device that could create a vacuum inside the barrel, it would be easier to ma¨C¡±

    Before I could finish talking, Imperial Princess Charlotte took a sip from the ss. Did she wish to verify the taste of the sparkling wine first after hearing ¡®magical device¡¯? Was she truly interested in the taste or was she pretending to be interested in the taste in an attempt to hide her interest in the magical spell¡­?

    ¡°¡­Wow, it¡¯s filling my mouth with bubbles and it has quite an interesting, satisfying quality to it, right? I can imagine that there are people who enjoy drinking this¡­ Did you say ¡®create a vacuum in the barrel?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll answer any of your questions.¡±

    I wanted to feel out her response to see what she disyed interest in.

    ¡°Why would it get easier to make if there was a magical device? Is it because you could makemoners supervise the process? Or is there another special reason for it?¡±

    ¡°Your guess is correct. It¡¯s a spell that consumes a vast amount of power.¡±

    The moment I said this, her amethyst eyes definitely sparkled with curiosity. It was proof that she was quite interested in what I had just said. I was able to catch a glimpse of her goals, even if it was just a fleeting look.

    ¡°Now that you seem to have taken a liking to the sparkling wine as well, let¡¯s cut right to the chase. It seems that you wish for me, Your Highness, but¡­ why don¡¯t we hold a more constructive conversation?¡±

    ¡°Oh, what kind of conversation, for example?¡±

    ¡°What if you were to conduct magical research during your studies here while working together with me?¡±

    Her amethyst eyes slowly narrowed.

    That was what she desired of me. If I provided her with what she wanted while she was studying here, I would lose my leverage to protect Lady Sophia.

    She must have been thinking, ¡®Then why?¡¯

    But, once again, this suggestion would fulfill her desire. So while she believed that it was clearly some kind of a trap, she still wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore my proposition.

    ¡°¡­Are you saying that you¡¯d give me your knowledge?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t do it without somepensation. It¡¯s just that, don¡¯t you think that if we were to put our fields of expertise together and cooperate, there is a possibility that we¡¯de up with new magical devices?¡±

    While I majored in magic in my previous world, I was virtually an amateur when it came to the development of tools necessary for magical equipment, which were called hardware devices. In other words, working on development together with the mefield Empire was an attractive prospect to me as well.

    ¡°If you worked together with me, then there¡¯d naturally be the possibility of joint development. However, in that case, I believe that these newly created magical devices would be put on the market by our Empire, though¡­?¡±

    She meant that, even if I were to provide them with my knowledge, we¡¯d be depending on the mefield Empire to manufacture these devices. So, for example, even if I were given profits in return, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that the Empire would be in an advantageous position.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard rumors of you having leading knowledge even within the great power of magic. So I am interested in doing research together with you, Your Highness. Wouldn¡¯t you agree that this is a sufficient reason to cooperate?¡±

    Even when I told her that I had only rediscovered a technique from a magic book, she didn¡¯t believe me, despite it being the truth. And this time, she was also¨C

    ¡°¡­Alright. Let¡¯s leave it at that. No matter what your true intentions are, magical research is what I desire the most.¡±

    She didn¡¯t believe me.

    That was my conclusion, after trying to read between the lines of what I said. She was certainly a very insightful young Lady. Knowing that she was a high-spec viinous daughter in the original work, her actions and demeanor were truly befitting of her role. Although it was necessary for one to preface this statement with¨C ¡®for her age¡¯. She was no match for the Lady Sophia whom I raised. She excluded the right answer right from the get go, and she probably won¡¯t be aware of our motives until my Lady or I have achieved our goals.

    As I continued to move our deal forward, I continued to fulfill my role as her guide. A short while after, guests arrived and walked towards Imperial Princess Charlotte¡ªor, to be more precise, towards me. It was Alicia and Prince Alforth.

    The fact that they were attending the party wasn¡¯t strange in itself. However, it was unusual to see these two together. Could they perhaps be here together as partners? Could the plot have returned to its original route¡­? Probably not.

    As I pondered upon such thoughts, Alicia and Prince Alforth exchanged greetings with Imperial Princess Charlotte. She saw Prince Alforth every day and she had also met Alicia a few times. Therefore, introducing them wasn¡¯t necessary. When I stepped back, Prince Alforth looked at me.

    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Charlotte. Excuse me, but would you mind if I borrowed Cyril for a little while?¡±

    ¡°Borrowed Cyril¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with him.¡±

    ¡°Alright. If that¡¯s the case, then I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    I had a hunch that something troublesome was about to arise, but the unimportant guide had no right to veto this request, and so, I was dragged away by Prince Alforth and Alicia.

    ¡°<i>What¡¯s the meaning of this?</i>¡±

    We were in a lounge outside of the party venue that we were lending out to the guests. For some reason, Alicia hounded me for an answer. And, standing behind her, Prince Alforth definitely had a reproachful expression on his face, too.

    ¡°I would actually like to ask what¡¯s going on instead.¡±

    ¡°For crying out loud! Why is Miss Sophia Prince Harold¡¯s guide?! What are you doing, Cyril?!¡±

    ¡°Being Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide?¡±

    ¡°<i>re</i>.¡±

    Whoa¡­ For a Viscount¡¯s daughter, the heroine, to actually say ¡®re¡¯ while ring at me was¡­ quite the rare sight indeed.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re not trying to say that you don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m implying here, are you?¡±

    As she red at me, Alicia somehow looked like she was about to cry. Then, as if taking her side, Prince Alforth spoke up as well.

    ¡°Cyril. His Highness, Prince Harold, intends to choose Miss Sophia as his partner for a political marriage. And yet you¡¯re not trying to stop this?¡±

    ¡°What are you expecting me, a butler, to do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ but¡­ <i>you¡¯d</i> be able to do something, wouldn¡¯t you, Cyril?¡±

    I caught Prince Alforth¡¯s imploring gaze and shook my head.

    ¡°Your Highness. It¡¯s not whether I can or cannot do something. If you want to prevent Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage, shouldn¡¯t you be doing something about it yourself?¡±

    ¡®Of course, one way of doing this would be using your position as a prince to order me to do something about it. But, it¡¯s different if you don¡¯t think of anything yourself and just rely on me,¡¯ is what I was trying to tell him as my disciple.

    ¡°Your Highness, you told me earlier that you want to gain Lady Sophia¡¯s trust, right? But do you believe that something like this would gain you her trust?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­ Got it. I¡¯ll go ask Miss Sophia for a dance.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Off you go.¡±

    Prince Alforth turned on his heel. His face brimmed with some kind of determination as he left apanied by his servants. If Prince Alforth were to ask Lady Sophia for a dance in front of everybody, he would let the people around him know that he was watching Lady Sophia and Imperial Prince Harold, which would probably keep the gossip in check. However¨C

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re not fooling me, you know.¡±

    When Alicia began hounding me again, she put her hand on the wall as if to say that she wasn¡¯t letting me get away. I never thought that a day woulde when I would get kabedoned2 by a young Lady in this world.

    Well I didn''t expect that either! Gotta love Alicia. If Sophia saw though¡­ she''d probably want to kabedon him too lol. Also Sophia and Cyril''s ns are so mysterious¡­what could they be nning?

    Thank you for reading! If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi! <ol><li>literally uses the word ¡®bakemono¡¯ ¨C monster, ghost; I felt this was too harsh to use in English, so I tried to soften the statement a little. I feel like it carries the connotation of being extra, like when you see someone too powerful in anime and call them a ¡®bakemono¡¯. Hope this makes sense!</li><li>Everyone probably already knows what a kabedon is but just to be sure: Kabedon </li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 13: Lady Sophias Wish Part 3

    ¡°You know, Cyril, I am incredibly angry right now. Do you understand? You do, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re not trying to say that you don¡¯t, are you?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ I do understand.¡±

    It was obvious from the kabedon as well, but her eyes looked clearly ssy. This was ¡®dark Alicia,¡¯ or perhaps ¡®Alicia after falling into darkness¡¯.

    This is what she was called in Espressivo of Light and Darkness, and she was a character that one must not anger. This was the reason why shepeted for the first ce with Lady Sophia.

    However, Alicia only became like this when she was sincerely worried about someone. She didn¡¯t be this angry even when she was being harassed by Lady Sophia after she had already fallen into darkness. Therefore, no matter how angry she got, there was no need for me to be afraid¨C

    ¡°Cyril, are you listening?¡±

    ¡°My apologies.¡±

    She was looking up at my face from her lower eye level, still in the kabedon position. Speaking of which, this behaviour was unbing of a young Lady. Was Melissa not going to stop her¡­?

    ¡­Nope, Melissa was staring into empty space while smiling as if she didn¡¯t see anything.¡°Why aren¡¯t you rescuing Lady Sophia, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I said this to His Highness, Prince Alforth as well, but if you want to stop it from happening, then shouldn¡¯t you do something about it yourself, Lady Alicia?¡±

    I gave her an unkind reply that basically meant ¡®Don¡¯t just leave it to other people.¡¯ However, Alicia didn¡¯t lose herposure and she put a little bit of distance between us, releasing me from the kabedon. Then she smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re like a prince to me, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­But I am a mere butler.¡±

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I see you as a prince. But that¡¯s because you¡¯re kind to everyone, Cyril. I know that I am not your princess.¡±

    Alicia was smiling a colourless smile. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t feeling anything, but that she was suppressing her emotions. She was worried about Lady Sophia, even if that meant that she had to bury her own feelings. I was seized by guilt over making her say such things, and it made my chest tighten painfully.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you rescuing Lady Sophia, Cyril? By any chance you don¡¯t mean to imply that you don¡¯t wish to stop Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage, right?¡±

    Alicia¡¯s eyes were saying, ¡®Isn¡¯t she your princess?¡¯

    Moreover, it wasn¡¯t like Alicia hadn¡¯t done anything herself. She thought that, in order to save her friend, the best option was to make me do something. I couldn¡¯t say that this conclusion was overestimating me. Certainly, if I went to any length necessary, it would definitely be possible for me to prevent Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage.

    ¡­Alicia had truly gotten stronger. She was in her first year of middle school, so, technically, the original story of the game hadn¡¯t even started. And yet, the current Alicia was as mature as the version of herself that existed towards the end of the original story.

    However¨C

    ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding one thing, Lady Alicia.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m misunderstanding something?¡±

    ¡°In the end, I am but a mere butler. Therefore, what I want is irrelevant. The most important thing is what Lady Sophia wants.¡±

    ¡°¡­What she¡­ wants? I don¡¯t even need to think about that. There¡¯s no way that Miss Sophia1wants a political marriage.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But, is that all?¡±

    Lady Sophia didn¡¯t want a political marriage. This much was obvious even without anyone telling me so. But at the same time, Lady Sophia was also keeping the country¡¯s interests in mind. Simply tearing apart a political marriage using any means possible wouldn¡¯t fulfil her wishes.

    ¡°Cyril, are you perhaps implying that¡­¡±

    ¡°I mean, I am her exclusive butler.¡±

    I smiled, thinking that I most likely needn¡¯t say more to Alicia. Right after, there was a knock on the lounge room¡¯s door. The one knocking was Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s servant, and, apparently, the Imperial Princess was calling for me.

    ¡°I¡¯ming right away,¡± I replied. ¡°I shall excuse myself then, since Her Highness is calling for me.¡±

    I turned on my heel and attempted to leave, but Alicia grasped my sleeve and stopped me.

    ¡°¡­Lady Alicia? I have to leave.¡±

    ¡°Just one more thing¡­ Well, I said some unnecessary things.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry about it.¡±

    ¡°But¨C ugh.¡±

    She tried to put her words together, her expression looking even more tormented now. I pressed my index finger against her lips, closing them.

    ¡°I know that you were simply worried, Lady Alicia.¡±

    <i>So, there¡¯s no need to apologize.</i>

    Iughed. If anything, I was grateful that she was worried for me.

    ***

    After Cyril left the lounge room, Alicia, Melissa¡¯s master, stared at the door he had left through in a daze. Furthermore, her elegant finger was ced on her own lips, right at the spot where Cyril had just touched them. This was clearly the face of a young girl in love and Melissa was angry at Cyril, who had caused Alicia to have such an expression.

    ¡°Lady Alicia, what do you even see in him? Isn¡¯t he just a people pleaser? He¡¯s toying with your maiden heart even though he doesn¡¯t think of you like that¡­ It¡¯s unforgivable,¡± Melissa spat out words filled with something akin to resentment. However, a coworker of hers, another maid, pulled at her sleeve right after she finished speaking. Melissa bit her lips.

    ¡°¡­I apologize, Lady Alicia.¡±

    No matter how frivolous Cyril was, there was no doubt that Lady Alicia was charmed by him.

    ¡®Even though he doesn¡¯t think of you like that.¡¯

    She went too far by saying that and she regretted it but, at the same time, she believed that this was a truth that Lady Alicia needed to ept.

    However¨C

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Melissa. You heard what I told Cyril earlier, right? I¡¯ve realized that he doesn¡¯t think of me like that a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    There were times when kindness became a punishment. Treating someone tenderly without feeling about them in the same way will end up hurting them. If he didn¡¯t understand that much then he was a fool, but, if he acted as he did even though he was aware of Lady Alicia¡¯s feelings, then he was the worst.

    ¡°Melissa, it is what I wanted.¡±

    Alicia reminded her with these words. Her Lady wasn¡¯t under any delusions. Despite that, she had no intentions of giving up on her feelings. The butler had stopped pushing her away precisely because he understood her determination.

    ¡®If you don¡¯t mind the fact that you might get hurt, then do as you wish.¡¯

    ¡°I understand that he sympathizes with your feelings. I do understand that, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you think that I n on fighting a losing battle, Melissa?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s not what I was trying to imply, in the slightest¡­¡±

    That was a lie. In fact, she did think that.

    Although, regarding her lineage Lady Alicia was only the daughter of a Viscount, she was the type of person who could easily tell another¡¯s weaknesses and sympathize with others. So Melissa believed that she was capable of even bing this country¡¯s queen.

    Nevertheless, the one she liked was terrible. That was how Melissa saw it.

    However, if Lady Alicia was going to try and fulfil her desires nevertheless, there was one weak spot that she could take advantage of¡ªthat the two of them wouldn¡¯tpromise.

    Therefore, Melissa believed that, if Lady Alicia only focused on her sole objective of making Cyril hers by using any means necessary, then she might even have a chance at sess.

    Therefore¨C

    ¡°Melissa, I¡¯ll go back to the party as well. It seems that Cyril will be devoting his time to Imperial Princess Charlotte for a while, so I have to go support Lady Sophia.¡±

    Melissa couldn¡¯t understand the intent behind these words her master had just said.

    ¡°¡­Lady Alicia, could it be that your n is to rescueLady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡®In order to steal Cyril, it would be better if you didn¡¯t hinder Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage.¡¯ There was no way that Melissa could say those words out loud.

    Moreover, above all else, there was no way that Lady Alicia wasn¡¯t already aware of this.

    ¡°¡­I see. You will have to walk the same path as him then, won¡¯t you, my Lady?¡±

    Why was Cyril submitting to the fact that his master was sought after as a subject of political marriage? Melissa knew the answer from the conversation he had just had with Lady Alicia. Therefore, she thought that her own master sympathized with him.

    However, if you run after two hares, you will catch neither. Very few people were able to chase after both hares and obtain both.

    It was clear that Cyril was someone Lady Sophia needed. It was also obvious that Cyril treasured Lady Sophia above anyone else. If she couldn¡¯te between their bond, then Lady Alicia¡¯s desire wouldn¡¯t be fulfilled. However, if she did, then the rtionship between the two of them would definitely fall apart.

    Earlier, Lady Alicia had asked her if she believed that she intended on fighting a losing battle and Melissa denied it, saying that she wasn¡¯t thinking anything of the sort. But she was wrong.

    Her Lady wasn¡¯t denying these words. After preparing herself for the possibility of not getting even one hare, Lady Alicia was chasing after the two irreceable hares.

    ¡°¡­What a troublesome2 personality,¡± Melissa sighed, her tone full of sorrow at her noble master¡¯s future.

    Thank you for reading! Well this is all unfolding rather interestingly! Wonder what everyone has up their sleeves.

    Thank you for all thements as well!! I''ve gotten a lot busier with my other job so I don''t answer as many of them but I really appreciate all of them!! Plus they''re really fun to read!<ol><li>different, less polite honorific was used in the raws here</li><li>troublesome here carries the connotation that she creates trouble for herself</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 14: Lady Sophias Wish Part 4

    Imperial Princess Charlotte agreed to do joint magical research with me while she was studying here. However, the procedures for inviting an Imperial Princess from another country into the national research institutes would involve much time and effort. This was due to the fact that research institutes generally gathered confidential information that should not be leaked to other countries.

    Since that was the case, I set my sights on Teacher Tristan¡¯sboratory. I discussed the matter with Teacher Tristan first, telling him that, since theboratory researched treatments for Magical Overcharge Illness as a whole, it was perfect for our research. A few dayster, after school hours, I visited theboratory together with Imperial Princess Charlotte.

    ¡°Teacher Tristan, we are very grateful to you for agreeing to our request.¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte did a curtsy. Technically, a curtsy was a greeting reserved for people of the same social standing or higher. The fact that she did a curtsy at that moment was most likely due to her respect for Teacher Tristan as a researcher.

    Although she was one of the people who had forced Lady Sophia into a very troublesome position, seeing her act like this made me believe that she certainly wasn¡¯t a bad person.

    ¡°I heard that this is where Magical Overcharge Illness was being researched, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ May I take a look around?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Feel free to explore, as long as it¡¯s inside thisboratory.¡±¡°Then, I shall take you up on that offer.¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte ordered her maids to withdraw to a corner of the room and she walked around theboratory alone. Giving her a sidelong nce, Teacher Tristan looked at me as if he wanted to say something.

    ¡°Cyril, did you not heed my warning?¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to say for myself.¡±

    Even though I had been briefed about the story of ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯ ahead of time, I was nowpletely entangled in the plot. Moreover, the roles of the girls and boys had changed and I ended up in a position simr to the yer.

    ¡°No matter what, just don¡¯t end up with the mitsudomoe bad ending, got it?¡±

    ¡°¡­I know that.¡±

    Teacher Tristan was referring to the ending where the three viinous daughters drove the yer to ruin. If the three viinous daughters were to fall into darkness, it would be a huge problem. And, if the three capture targets, who had now be the viinous daughters, were to fall into darkness as well, that would be a huge problem as well. Especially since this problem might be so huge that I might have to fight to avoid destruction.

    ¡°At least you are aware. If there¡¯s anything I can help you with, you can count on me. I am indebted to you for saving Lady Fol.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something I did for Lady Sophia. Allowing me to use theboratory is more than enoughpensation.¡±

    ¡°I see. If you¡¯re satisfied with apensation like that, feel free to use it as you like. It¡¯s pretty inactive at the moment anyway, as I have no project to work on currently. If there¡¯s anything you need, let Miss Lte know. I¡¯ve instructed her to cooperate with you.¡±

    After Teacher Tristan finished, Lte gave me a nod when she noticed me turning my gaze towards her. Her rank in court was higher than his, but she seemed to idolize Teacher Tristan quite a lot.

    Apparently, this was absolutely obvious to my elder sister. ¡°I feel like I can¡¯t really say anything, though,¡± she had told me.

    Seducing people without realizing it was something that happened to my elder sister as well. In our previous world, my elder sister was a verydy-like student and she had toyed with the feelings of all sorts of people while unaware that she was doing so. Unexpectedly, she was a person who didn¡¯t notice people¡¯s feelings when regarding her own self.

    ¡°Cyril, can youe over here, please?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    I rushed towards Imperial Princess Charlotte upon being called. In her small hand, she was holding a device that Teacher Tristan must have been in the middle of researching.

    ¡°You¡¯re using such old types of devices in this country?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the newest model here.¡±

    Devices wereponents that would be the core of a magical tool. It did make me wonder whether the term was fitting considering the concept of this world, but the name used for it was the same that we had used in my previous world.

    Incidentally, although it was called a device, there was a magical array carved inside it. Magic would get poured into this magical array¡¯s circuit which caused the spell to activate. This was a magical tool. It is also important to note that the efficiency of magical equipment was determined by the magical stone, the array and the device used. Therefore, if the performance of the device was low, no matter how outstanding the magic user was, they were limited in the equipment they could create.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s alright. I thought that this would be the case, so I¡¯ve brought a few devices we use in the Empire. Are you able to examine the quality of this device?¡±

    Upon hearing Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s words, the maid waiting in the corner walked over and held out a device to me. When I epted it and took a look, an astonished sound unconsciously escaped my lips.

    ¡°¡­Is this a device that can activate several spells?¡±

    Normally, there would be only one magical array carved into a device. Therefore, the troublesome thing about manufacturing a device was incorporating the necessary forms into a single array. It wasn¡¯t an issue when one didn¡¯t care about the device¡¯s size, but it would be impossible to carve an overlyplicated array into a small device and it would also consume a lot of power.

    However, the device Imperial Princess Charlotte had prepared was made using thetest technique¡ªby engraving two magical arrays. This kind of device belonged to a category of pretty highly efficient devices, even in my previous world. This was precisely the device I was looking for.

    ¡°¡­Thises as a surprise. Who are you, really?¡±

    ¡°I am but a mere butler.¡±

    ¡°This is thetest type of device and only a few people in the Empire know about it, you know? You were able to figure out the device¡¯s function in but a single nce, and yet you want to keep insisting that you¡¯re a mere butler?¡±

    ¡°I saw it in that book, just like the technique to release powers, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°So, basically, you still won¡¯t tell me anything.¡±

    I expected her not to believe this truth. From my remarks, she had realized that this device was something I was familiar with. Therefore, she probably wasn¡¯t also aware that my goal was precisely this device.

    ¡°What kind of magical tool should we create using this device?¡± I asked her, putting on an innocent face.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided what the tool will be used for yet, but I have decided what kind of tool it will be. I want to create a never-seen-before magical equipment that doesn¡¯t require magic stones.¡±

    ¡°Equipment that¡­ doesn¡¯t require magic stones?¡±

    Magical equipment were tools primarily made for people who cannot use magic so that they would be able to use spells. Therefore, to make magical stones unnecessary went against the original concept of magical equipmentpletely. But I had an idea about a kind of magical tool that wouldn¡¯t require magic stones. Therefore, I understood why Imperial Princess Charlotte had shown interest in my spell as well.

    ¡°You mean a tool that would use the released powers of a magic user as its source of power?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°If I had to say whether it can or cannot be done ¨C it¡¯s possible.¡±

    I picked up a magic stone that was of no use anymore and released some magic, pouring it into the stone. Imperial Princess Charlotte leapt towards me when she saw the magical stone getting dyed by the powers I put into it.

    ¡°Did you just put your magical powers into the stone?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a little bit of know-how involved, but it¡¯s possible to charge it.¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­ so it¡¯s really possible to pour powers into it. Then, that means¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to activate magical tools by using people¡¯s magic. Thus, it also means that it¡¯s possible to activate magical equipment without using magic stones. However, when doing so, it¡¯s a little troublesome to keep the output of powers constant. And more importantly¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    The beautiful, tan-skinned, lightly dressed young girl tilted her head to the side, appearing quite puzzled. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she was clinging to me¡­ but she didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it herself, being preupied with the spell.

    ¡°You are quite bold, aren¡¯t you, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? Ah, my apologies. I seemed to have gotten a little bit too excited.¡±

    She hurriedly separated our bodies, her cheeks faintly dyed red. Although she had the image of an exotic young girl, she apparently also had some unexpected emotional sides to her.1

    ¡°B-by the way, would you teach me the spell you just used?¡±

    ¡°Then, what would you do if I said that I want Your Highness to stop interfering with matters regarding Lady Sophia and I, in exchange for this spell?¡± I asked, expecting to be rejected, but Imperial Princess Charlotte fell silent. What¡¯s more, I myself was surprised by this.

    Lady Sophia¡¯s wish wasn¡¯t only to escape a political marriage. She wanted to settle the situation amicably. Additionally, the whole thing couldn¡¯t be settled in a way that would harm national interests. Leaking this spell as one of the bargaining chips in order to prevent her engagement was an act that would harm national interests.

    Moreover, in the ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯ of ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, there wasn¡¯t a route that would lead to Lady Sophia¡¯s ruin. The reason for it was that it was determined that she would fall into ruin in the main story, ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯, and thus, she couldn¡¯t fall in ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯.

    However, the routes had already greatly derailed from the game¡¯s original plot. In this reality, there surely had to be a route in which Lady Sophia fell into ruin after she made even the gods into her enemies. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, I didn¡¯t want to increase the number of her enemies for the sake of her peaceful future.

    Therefore, I couldn¡¯tply with such a deal.

    ¡°¡­Just for the record, that was a joke.¡±

    When I spoke up, Imperial Princess Charlotte came back to her senses.

    ¡°Of course I knew that. I myself wouldn¡¯t step back just for something like that.¡±

    She tried to y it off but she seemed immensely interested in this spell. While the entirety of their goals was unclear, Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s goals were, without a doubt, spells. Since that was the case, then it appeared that I could use this spell as a bait to divert her attention.

    ¡°Regarding the spell used to release powers, if you don¡¯t mind waiting, there are ongoing preparations to make it avable to the public. Although, Your Highness would have to negotiate with Master Grave at that time¡­¡±

    ¡°How soon¡­ would that be?¡±

    <i>¡®Does she realize that I¡¯m stalling for time?¡¯ </i>I thought, filled with tension, but then Imperial Princess Charlotte asked me, ¡°Around one month from now?¡±

    <i>¡­She couldn¡¯t be warning me about my stalling, could she? Rather, was time what was important to her? Why was she attaching importance to something like that in this situation? </i>Many questions came to my mind, until I eventuallynded upon one possibility.

    ¡°How about scheduling the negotiations to about a month from now, after His Highness Prince Lancelot¡¯s birthday party?¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright. Once His Highness¡¯ party ends, let¡¯s negotiate.¡±

    She appeared relieved, knowing that she¡¯d be able to actually achieve her goals. But she didn¡¯t notice that, with this proposition, I was just buying time. Actually, she might not have cared, even if she had noticed.

    Therefore, most likely, her goal had to be¡ª

    I wonder what it''s gonna be¡­ Thank you so much for reading and all the support! We got to know a little more about magic in this one, it''s pretty interesting! Now, just what is Cyril after¡­?      <ol><li>trantor acknowledges that this line is quite problematic</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 15: Lady Sophias Wish Part 5

    Ever since I became Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide, I have been truly busy every day. In the morning, I would go to school together with Lady Sophia, and then we went our separate ways, taking sses for each of our courses. That routine didn¡¯t change, but our schedule after school did change greatly.

    I was currently devoting the time that I would spend apanying Lady Sophia during her various lessons until now, to doing research with Imperial Princess Charlotte. Since I had always been by Lady Sophia¡¯s side, I felt somewhat strange.

    When I returned to the mansion at dusk, I was greeted by Rouch¨¦ in the entrance hall.

    ¡°Rouch¨¦, has Lady Sophia returned?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. It seems that the party Lady Sophia attended today, as His Highness¡¯ guide, is going to go on longer than expected, so I believe that she will return a little bitter.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Unlike Imperial Princess Charlotte, who had immersed herself into research, Imperial Prince Harold was eagerly attending all sorts of parties, big or small. One of his goals, certainly, was to get acquainted with the most influential people in our country, but it was also likely that his other goal was to disy the fact that Lady Sophia was one of the potential candidates for his engagement.

    ¡°Are you feeling lonely because you¡¯re spending less time with Lady Sophia?¡± Rouch¨¦ asked me abruptly. Her expression seemed to be saying: ¡®I¡¯ve totally seen through you!¡¯ It was truly aggravating. I turned on my heel without answering her question.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out for a little while again. Please tell Lady Sophia that I will be arriving a littlete too.¡±¡°Huh, so you came back home even though you have to leave right away? Oh, could it be that you came back in order to see Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I see that you¡¯re not interested in trying out any new desserts.¡±

    ¡°Huh, w-wait a moment, please!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    I left Rouch¨¦ worrying over the desserts and I departed from the residence once more. First off, I changed into inconspicuous clothes at my operations base downtown, and then I made my way to the slums, turning up at the Dark Guild. I had a meeting with No Name in a VIP room he had called me to.

    Incidentally, since the time I first met him, No Name hadn¡¯t used any body doubles. There were a number of people stationed outside the room, but he was meeting me in the locked room alone, without even any bodyguards standing behind him.

    ¡®I can take care of a single brat.¡¯ ¨Cthere was no way he could be looking down on me in such a manner. It seemed that he had acknowledged me as a business partner. What awaited me in the original game had been a future of being hunted down as an arrogant noble''s dog, but, in this world, it seemed that I was able to gain his trust.

    ¡°Cyril, what brings you here today? I¡¯ve already sent you the report fromst time, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did a great job, as always.¡±

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s about something else. Lately, you¡¯ve beenmissioning us for every little thing, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯re not mistaking us for a handyman service or something along those lines, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, I would never take you for something like that.¡±

    I¡¯d suffer a dreadful experience if I were to look down on them as simply some people from the slums, thinking that, as long as I gave them money, they would do anything. He needn¡¯t tell me this, as it was something that my original game self experienced firsthand.

    ¡°None of themisions went against your usual methods though, did they?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s certainly true. So, what do you want us to do this time?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some information that I would like to get confirmed.¡±

    I smiled and flicked a sheet of nt paper towards him. The sheet of paper slid across the table and hit its mark, stopping right in front of No Name.

    ¡°You¡­ this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I ask you to investigate this information thoroughly. As for remuneration¨Cthis is the highest I can offer you.¡±

    I pointed at the remuneration sum with my finger, and No Name¡¯s eyes slightly widened. The fact that he was able to suppress his reaction upon seeing the sum to such a degree showed that No Name truly lived up to his name.

    ¡°Will you take on themission?¡±

    ¡°Before that, answer me one question.¡±

    When I responded that I intended on answering his questions from the very beginning, he narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on me. He was probably thinking that, by watching my every move, he would notice if I lied, no matter what lie I might tell. Therefore, I readjusted my posture and responded.

    ¡°What is it that you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to start a war between the Empire and the Ephenear Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°¡­I was wondering what you were going to say. Do you really believe I am trying to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°I do wonder. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t possibly think that a mere butler would have intentions of doing such an outrageous thing, and yet¡­ answer my question.¡±

    It seemed that I had caused an odd misunderstanding. I answered his question with another question, not because I was trying to avoid it, but because his question had been wholly unexpected.

    ¡°This is a n to smooth out the rtionship between the Empire and our kingdom, so I¨Cand, of course, my Lady as well¨Cdon¡¯t have any intentions to bring about war with the neighboring country.¡±

    ¡°Are you expecting me to believe that? Seeing thismission, it¡¯s unavoidable that you would be told that this looks like an attempt to start a war with the mefield Empire.¡±

    ¡°What do you think would be the point of doing such a thing?¡±

    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t this a n to protect your master from a political marriage?¡±

    Normally, it should take a while before the gossip of high society reachedmoners, but No Name already seemed to know of Lady Sophia¡¯s situation.

    ¡®As expected of the master of the Dark Guild.¡¯ is what I would have liked to say, but¨C

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Interpreting it that way is incorrect.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what part of that interpretation is wrong? I know that your master is stuck in a whirlpool of an attempted political marriage. There¡¯s no way that you¡¯d turn a blind eye to it. What¡¯s incorrect about these assumptions?¡±

    ¡°I cannot deny those facts.¡± I confirmed his words and smiled at him meaningfully. He kept silent, looking puzzled.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that you¡¯remissioning me to¡­?¡± he finally said then, his expression astonished.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said this already, haven¡¯t I? This is a n to smooth out the rtionship between our kingdom and the Empire. Well then¡­ No Name, will you ept mymision?¡±

    In response to my question, he gulped¨Cand soon after heughed.

    ¡°I took you for nothing but a cheeky brat at first, but¡­ alright. The Dark Guild will take on thismission. Let me ascertain with my own eyes what you¡¯re trying to do.¡±

    Afterwards, I left the Dark Guild and went to pay a visit to Libert. Although the official reason for my visit was doing business with the LaCour Company, I also wanted to discuss the matter with Libert as a preliminary step. Thankfully, we had agreed to meet beforehand, so I was led into the reception room with no dy. Libert was waiting for me there, dressed in casual clothes.

    ¡°I never thought there woulde a day when you¡¯d turn up at my house.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but you have helped me out before, right? Like with your vi?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Wasn''t it difficult to even get in touch at first due to our connections to different factions?¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s certainly true.¡±

    We first met during a party, and we hadn''t even been able to lead an ordinary conversation because everyone around us was eavesdropping on us. At that time, we had to talk in a quite roundabout manner.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to the point today, then. There¡¯s an article that I would like to order through the LaCour Company.¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh? In other words, it¡¯s an article that only we deal in, right?¡±

    It could be said that the LaCour Company was the biggestpany in this country. Rarely was there anything that the LaCour Company didn¡¯t deal in, and, even if they didn¡¯t, there was next to nothing that couldn¡¯t be ordered through them.

    Nheless, he seemed to have realized the reason I was taking these deliberate steps. That really made things easier.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for thetest model of a device that is manufactured in the mefield Empire.¡±

    ¡°Thetest model of a device? Just what sort of magical tool is it for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for a magical tool, it¡¯s for apletely new device.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Since devices were usually put on the market after being ced inside magical equipment, they weren¡¯t normally sold. Especially when it was thetest model from the mefield Empire, since those were regted by the government. It wasn¡¯t impossible to do business with the Empire, but, if one didn¡¯t have a certain level of connections, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get hold of one.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s impossible, but the price will be suitably high. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask Imperial Princess Charlotte instead? Since you¡¯re her guide, I think it would be possible for you.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, at this stage, I cannot let her know my intentions, so¡­¡±

    If I said that I wanted the device, she would most likely investigate what I wanted it for. She might get as far as to figure out Lady Sophia¡¯s intentions, and she would, without a doubt, figure out mine. If she did, she would turn the device into a bargaining chip against me. I couldn¡¯t let that happen.

    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to, somehow, make it happen without mentioning not only the marquis¡¯ name, but even yours? That¡¯s impossible, no matter how I look at it. At least some befitting connections are necessary.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I shall make some arrangements within the next few days.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re going to use your connections with another family, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. On top of that, I¡¯ll pay appropriatepensation. Moreover¡­ ah, that¡¯s right, you¡¯ve heard of the Dollmaker of Frau, correct?¡±

    There were three dolls that I had requested of the Dollmaker of Frau as a reward. When I offered one of them aspensation, Libert raised his eyebrows.

    It appeared that it wouldn¡¯t even be necessary to wait for his reply.

    I had met with Dark Guild¡¯s No Name and LaCour Company¡¯s Libert. Afterwards, I spoke to the Dollmaker of Frau andmissioned a small matter to Isabe. When I returned to the mansion, it was already midnight.

    The lights were still on in the Rosenberg Marquis household¡¯s mansion, even though it waste at night. The night shift servants and the guards were awake, while everyone who had the daily shift was already asleep. Soon after I returned, there was a knock on my door despite thete hour.

    There was no need for caution. I already knew who was on the other side of the door from the way she knocked. When I opened the door, as expected, I saw my Lady slightly peeking in, dressed in her night clothes.

    ¡°Cyril, wee back.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Lady Sophia, since you came here at this hour, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t Ie unless something happened?¡±

    Lady Sophia with her nightgown, slightly tilting her head to the side, looked very cute. However, I did think it was inappropriate for a daughter of a marquis to visit a butler¡¯s roomte at night.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get scolded if Young Master Ernest or someone else sees you somewhere like this.¡±

    ¡°My brother isn¡¯ting home tonight, so I¡¯ll be alright. Moreover, you and I have been very busytely, so, unless I do something like this, we won¡¯t get to talk, right?¡±

    My somewhat pouty young Lady had apparentlye here to talk to me. I remembered what Rouch¨¦ had teased me about and I was filled with the sudden urge to do some mischief.

    ¡°Could it be that you are feeling lonely because you¡¯re spending less time with me?¡±

    ¡°¡­Would it be wrong of me¡­ to say¡­ yes?¡±

    Guh. It was foul y for her to shyly ask me this as she pulled at the bottom of her nightgown. It was also foul y for her to suddenly act all adorable like this even though she had been behaving so maturetely.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, then. Just for a little while, alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­Is it really alright?¡± She asked me honestly. There was no way that I could push her away when she was asking me in such a cute manner, acting so much her own age. Moreover, it seemed that Rouch¨¦ was standing watch nearby.

    ¡°Lately, I haven''t been able to talk with you, have I, Lady Sophia? While we¡¯re at it, should we drink some hot milk in the dining room while we talk?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It seemed that Lady Sophia was in the mood to bepletely spoiled today. No wonder; she was exposed to the heavy burden of having influence over this country¡¯s future at merely thirteen years old, and she was undeniably doing her best.

    As I led her to the dining room, I gently held Lady Sophia¡¯s hand all the way.

    ***

    Right after Cyril had left the Dark Guild, Quincy¨CNo Name¡¯s body double who was waiting in an adjacent room¨Cand Quincy¡¯s woman, Irene, appeared. Technically, as body doubles, they were the ones who were normally in contact with visitors, but Cyril had found out about No Name¡¯s real identity. Therefore, now they acted as guards, which had been their original job.

    ¡°Guild master. What troublesome thing did that kid drag us into again?¡±

    ¡°I see that you heard some unsettling lines such as ¡®war with the neighboring country¡¯.¡±

    While the adjacent room had been built so that they would be able to hear what was being said, Cyril¡¯smission had been written down on paper. Therefore, since they didn''t know the contents of themision, Quincy and Irene hade to ask No Name about it.

    Every time Cyril came over, a noble household that wasmitting crimes would fall into ruin, its weaknesses taken advantage of and the nobles getting captured. Events that were normally unthinkable would ur. The causal rtionship between him and these events was hard to believe, but, knowing the details of hismissions, it was possible to discern that the one who brought these events on was, without a doubt, Cyril himself.

    No Name had said words such as ¡®war with the neighboring country¡¯ in rtion to amissioning from Cyril. It was only natural for Quincy and Irene to feel wary.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s an exceptionally troublesomemission this time. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll put you two in charge of it. Go to the mefield Empire and get in touch with the Dark Guild over there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Get in touch with the Dark Guild of a neighboring country? Moreover, the goal is the Imperial Princess¡¯¡­ I see. This is definitely information that could easily be the trigger to start a war. We can¡¯t entrust this one to those guys.¡±

    When Quincy saw the document No Name had been handed, he grinned. He currently had the position of No Name¡¯s body double, but Quincy was someone who had joined the group at the very beginning, climbing his way to the top as a spy. Apparently, his heart was riled up at the prospect of doing his first big job in a while.

    ¡°However, isn¡¯t the deadline way too short?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s extrapensation to make up for that. Moreover, we¡¯ll also apparently get permission to board the magic-powered airship.¡±

    ¡°Phew, really? I heard that it¡¯s pretty hard to get permission to board it even if you''re a noble. Since we got permission to ride it, does that mean that the spearhead of this n isn¡¯t that brat, but the marquis?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I wonder¡­¡±

    If this were the n of the head of the family, he would surely take different measures. Taking that into ount, No Name recalled his conversation with Cyril. Cyril had said that this wasn¡¯t a n to protect his Lady from a political marriage, but a n to smooth out the rtionship between the kingdom and the neighboring country. In other words, it was a sure sign of his self-assurance that, if this were just about protecting his young Lady, he¡¯d be capable of doing anything.

    ¡°Geez, just who the hell is that kid?¡±

    Thismission would bring about a great change from there on. Perhaps it might even

    influence the future of the country.

    ¡®What a truly fascinating kid, indeed¡¯, No Name thought, and the corners of his mouth lifted up.

    Thank you for reading! Apologies for the dy this week, both my editors had unexpectedly a very busy week and couldn''t edit the chapter sooner.

    Thank you for all your support andments!

 Book 3: Chapter 16: Lady Sophias Wish Part 6

    Early in the morning of the following day, Master Grave called me into his office. A shudder went through me as I considered that he might have found out about myte night get-together with Lady Sophia, but fortunately¨Cor unfortunately?¨Cthat wasn¡¯t what we discussed. I could hardly say that it <i>was</i> fortunate, because he pointed out that I was carrying out several actions secretly.

    ¡°Cyril, it seems that you¡¯ve been up to all sorts of things behind the scenes.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to respond to this statement said by Master Grave, the current head of the Rosenberg household. No, it wasn¡¯t <i>possible</i> for me to respond. The fact that Lady Sophia and I had been chosen as guides was entirely due to Master Graveplying with the King¡¯s request. In other words, my actions were going against Master Grave¡¯s wishes.

    Although I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, my employer was Master Grave. Since I had gone against his will, under normal circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising even if he fired me.

    But then, since I was still Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide, I didn¡¯t believe that he¡¯d do something like fire me on the spot, unless something extraordinarily grave had happened¨C

    ¡°Cyril, your thoughts are written all over your face.¡±

    ¡°¡­I apologize.¡±

    As always, he saw right through me. For a butler, the most basic of basics was not to let what you¡¯re thinking show on your face. For this reason, I was paying great attention not to let anything show on my face, but¡­ it seemed that my efforts weren¡¯t Master Grave-proof.

    However¡­ it was weird. He had found out about my actions, and even saw through my thoughts. Assuming so, why wasn¡¯t he warning me against continuing with my n?<i>¡­Ah, I see. So it¡¯s like that?</i>

    After giving it some thought, I realized it was obvious. Even Young Master Ernest, Lady Sophia¡¯s ¡®ordinary¡¯ big brother in the original work, had switched archetypes into a ¡®siscon¡¯ when faced with a Lady Sophia who had be adorable. There was no way that Master Grave, who pushed for an engagement ording to Lady Sophia wanted even in the original game, would approve of an engagement that went against her wishes.

    However, if that was the case, then why had he epted for her to be a guide? It would be an obvious decision to make if he wanted to get her engaged. But, if he didn¡¯t n on doing that, then the best course of action would have been to indirectly reject the guide request back when it arrived.

    Could it be that Master Grave knew some information, such as that, in truth, the Imperial Prince didn¡¯t n on actually getting engaged? No, if there was a development like that, there was no way that my elder sister, who knew the plot of ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯, wouldn¡¯t be aware of it.

    ¡°Cyril, do you have no intention to answer my question?¡±

    ¡°Ah no, I do, I would never <i>not</i>¡­¡±

    I hadn¡¯t sorted out my thoughts yet, but I knew that Master Grave¡¯s love for his daughter was real. If that were the case, it would be a bad move to act as if I was trying to evade his inquiry.

    ¡°It is as you said. I¡¯ve been doing all sorts of things behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°For what purpose?¡±

    ¡°To fulfill Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes, of course.¡±

    ¡°So you mean to say that my daughter¡¯s wishes take priority over the prosperity of the Rosenberg household? Do you understand that your employer isn¡¯t Sophia, but me?¡±

    ¡°Even though you are my employer, Master Grave, the person I serve is Lady Sophia. Therefore, my top priority is solely Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness.¡±

    The Marquis¡¯ blue eyes, which must have appraised many other nobles before, were fixed right on me. His unyielding eyes seemed to dere that no deceit would be allowed. He told me to continue, and I spoke with my mouth dry.

    ¡°This is something I have already proimed in this very room. And when you heard me say it, you promoted me, an apprentice, to an official exclusive butler. You were the one who approved of this intention first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that certainly is what I had said at that time. However, the circumstances are quite different now.¡±

    ¡°Even if they are, Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes take the utmost priority to me, and nothing else.¡±

    ¡®If you are saying that you don¡¯t like that, then you should just discharge me.¡¯ Imbued by such a fighting spirit, I fixed my gaze straight at my employer. As expected, Master Grave startedughing.

    ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be able to spew out the same words that you¡¯d said back then even in this kind of situation,¡± he said.

    ¡°¡­Master Grave?¡±

    ¡°Ah, my apologies. I was testing you a little.¡±

    ¡®What do you mean you were testing me?¡¯ The answer to this question dawned on me immediately. I had only been an apprentice at that time, so I was in a position where I was aiming for the top. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t unusual for people in such a position to take risks and recklessly plunge forward.

    However, I had be Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler and was currently in a position where I might prefer to protect my rank. Master Grave had wanted to know if I would still prioritize Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes, even in my current situation¡ªin other words, irregardless of my fear of losing my position.

    ¡°I apologize for testing you.¡±

    ¡°You needn¡¯t apologize, Master Grave.¡±

    There weren¡¯t many opportunities where Master Grave and I were able to meet like this. It was natural for him to question whether my determination to protect Lady Sophia persisted like I had previously proimed. As these thoughts crossed my mind, Master Grave smiled. ¡°In that case¡­,¡± he said, ¡°I won¡¯t apologize. Instead, I will not question the things you¡¯re doing as proof of my trust.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    Him stating so in no way meant that he would turn a blind eye and bear the responsibility for my own decisions. However, Master Grave was the head of the Rosenberg Marquis household. He couldn¡¯t simply defend himself afterwards by saying that he hadn''t known about these things. Therefore, this was as good as getting his official approval.

    ¡°Then, I shall prove myself worthy of your trust and tell you of my ns, Master Grave.¡±

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    I unconsciously let a foolish sound slip out. I had no idea how much of my n Master Grave already knew of. However, in fact, this was no different than entrusting the future of the Rosenberg Marquis Household to a mere butler.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking that, whatever the circumstances may be, this is very reckless of me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    For a moment, I was under the illusion that I had voiced my thoughts out loud; to such a degree was Master Grave¡¯s timing when uttering those words in sync with my inner voice.

    ¡°You let things show on your face too much.¡±

    ¡°My apologies. I¡¯ll do my best to work on it.¡±

    I became aware of my own imperfections. At the moment, I was still surrounded by only children, but, once I advanced to high society, I would be facing adult nobles. Once that happened, there would be more people who would be able to read my expressions, just like Master Grave. I had to be better at schooling my expressions before that day arrived.

    ¡°I had already asked you earlier about your reason for doing things behind the scenes, so I don¡¯t need an exnation. You can leave now and resume your duties.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    Without permission, a butler wasn¡¯t allowed to ask their master questions. It could be said that, since he wasn¡¯t looking for an exnation, it meant that I wasn¡¯t given the chance to ask questions.

    <i>Could it be that, perhaps, Master Grave can''t tell me the reason behind his agreement to us bing guides¡­? Huh, am I overthinking it a little?</i>

    Either way, there would be no changes to what I was doing. I would have to simply move forward in order for Lady Sophia to reach her desired oue. Filled with these thoughts, I turned on my heel. Then, right as I was about to leave the room, Master Grave stopped me with his next words.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, please take care of my daughter.¡±1

    ¡°Rest assured. If there¡¯s anyone who would threaten Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness, I will definitely eliminate them, even if they were the gods themselves.¡±

    After my conversation with Master Grave concluded, I headed to school together with Lady Sophia. Jostled around by the horse carriage, it would only take us a short amount of time before we reached school, but it was an opportunity for me to talk with Lady Sophia without anyone interfering.

    ¡°Cyril, what¡¯s my schedule after school today?¡±

    ¡°You are to go view a rose garden together with His Highness, Harold.¡±

    ¡°Are youing too, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°No, I will be working on my research together with Her Highness Charlotte, so the ones apanying you will be Rouch¨¦ along with Roy and Emma, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Lady Sophia lowered hershes, looking quite saddened.

    ¡±Lady Sophia, I haven''t been able to watch over your studies or trainingtely. Is there anything you find troubling at the Academy?¡±

    ¡°The Academy is fine, but¡­¡± Lady Sophia answered vaguely and turned her face away.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just thinking that I wanted to spend more time with you¡­ or something like that.¡±

    My Lady was way too adorable when ncing at me through hershes. It seemed that the Lady Sophia from the night before, who cravedpany, hadn''t disappeared yet. Perhaps taking notice of it as well, Lady Sophia waved her hands around as if to cover it up.

    ¡°O-of course, I understand that you¡¯re busy, Cyril. So¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to be unreasonable, alright? It¡¯s just that¡­ if it¡¯s possible, that¡¯s what I want to do¡­¡±

    ¡°You are right. We are both very busy at the moment, but once we take care of this matter, we should go out somewhere.¡±

    ¡°¡­Huh? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Where would you like to go, my Lady?¡±

    ¡°I want to go to the harbor city where we had our training camp. Did you know thatmoners go to that sea to swim and have fun? I also want to try swimming in the sea.¡±

    The sea, huh?

    If we really went to swim in the sea, I would have to prepare Lady Sophia a swimming suit. However, that wish of hers definitely couldn¡¯te true.

    ¡­Ah, but it was my job to make Lady Sophia¡¯s wishese true.

    ¡°Then, let us go there and have fun once it gets warm.¡±

    ¡°Really? Do you promise?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I promise.¡±

    ¡®I will definitely make ite true¡¯, I swore to myself as her exclusive butler. At the same time, we entered the inner grounds of the Academy and the horse carriage stopped in front of the school building. I got off the carriage first before holding out my hand for Lady Sophia.

    Thank you for reading! A bit of a filler chapter again, but I liked that we got to see a bit of Sophia and Cyril together!

    A part of the plot will be clearer next chapter, I''m interested to see your reaction!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can send me a Ko-fi! Any help appreciated. ?<ol><li>from I what saw, this line is also used when parents talk to their daughter¡¯s lover/partner.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 17: Lady Sophias Wish Part 7

    I escorted Lady Sophia to her ssroom before heading towards the Servant course''s ssroom. There, I attended ss like usual and, after that, I made my way to the Student Council¡¯s office during lunch break.

    In contrast to Imperial Princess Charlotte, who was taking sses with the Nobility course, I was taking the Servant course''s sses, so I could do pretty much whatever I wanted during lunch break. However, on the other hand, I couldn''t drop by Lady Sophia¡¯s tea parties as often.

    ¡°Ah, Cyril. You came to see me today as well?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fol, please stop it with the scandalous jokes.¡±

    Even though Fol had escaped her fate of an untimely death, she was still in the Student Council¡¯s office all by herself, as usual¡ªor, to be more specific, she was apanied only by her maid, Lia. Could it be that she didn¡¯t have any friends in her ss?

    ¡°Hey, you are thinking of something rude just now, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I was wondering if perhaps you don¡¯t have any friends¡­¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a situation where you can ¡®be honest and you shall be forgiven¡¯, you know? Although my illness was kept a secret, wouldn¡¯t it be suspicious if I were to suddenly change my behaviour? So I am doing what I always have.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So you¡¯re not denying that you don¡¯t have any friends.¡±¡°Are you trying to make me cry?¡±

    ¡°Comforting you would be too troublesome, so please forgive me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Geez, what do I do with you?¡±

    She chuckled,ughing at me. I might have treated her like a loner earlier, but she was much more cheerful than the first time I had met her. It was proof that she now felt at ease.

    ¡°By the way, what did you actuallye here for?¡±

    ¡°Truth be told, I have a favor to ask of you, Fol.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even¨C¡±

    ¡°¨Csaid anything yet? But you saved my life, and, in the current circumstances, I can guess what favor you came to ask of me. Therefore¨C¡±

    Right after Fol raised her index finger, there was a knock on the door behind me.

    The visitor turned out to be Prince Lancelot, whom Fol had apparently sent for in advance. The favor I wanted to ask of Fol was to deliver a message to Prince Lancelot. The fact that Fol had foreseen this and sent for Prince Lancelot toe here for my aid¡ªit could be summed up in four words: as expected of her.1

    However¨C

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Prince Lancelot and I silently faced each other inside an adjacent room of the Student Council¡¯s office. Apparently, this Prince hade running once he was summoned by his beloved Fol. But since Fol told him something along the lines of ¡®I¡¯m not the one who needs you to take care of something, it¡¯s him,¡¯ he looked somewhat sullen.

    ¡­Although his behaviour was appropriate for his age, and he did usually behave much more grown-up than Prince Alforth, I still thought it improper for a Prince to be sulking so openly. Ah, although, as a guy, I totally understood how he felt.

    ¡°So, what business does the butler have with me, then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. Would you make a deal with me?¡±

    ¡°A deal with you, you say?¡±

    He raised his eyebrow and then immediately signalled for his servants to leave. Although we were of the same sex, a situation in which a Prince and someone else¡¯s servant were by themselves inside a private room was unprecedented. Apparently, he truly did seem to trust me, as someone who had saved his cousin¡¯s life.

    ¡°Then, this deal you speak of, is it about Miss Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And for Your Highness¡¯ information, it concerns Her Highness, Folcenia, as well.¡±

    Prince Lancelot narrowed his eyes. At the same time, his aura took on a dangerous hue. He probably thought that I intended to use Fol¡¯s treatment as a bargaining chip, in exchange for him blocking Lady Sophia¡¯s marriage.

    I purposefully let him misunderstand. If things stayed as they were, Fol would survive, but there was still a possibility that I''d take Fol hostage, solely dependent on my mood. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, I wanted him to understand that, if I was gone, the same thing could happen. Also¨C

    ¡°Please take a look at this.¡±

    I held out a sheet of paper to him. Written down on it were the schematics of the magical tool that I wanted to develop.

    ¡°What¡­ is this?¡±

    Oops, I guess he wouldn¡¯t understand just by seeing the schematics. I inadvertently ended up handling things like I usually did with Imperial Princess Charlotte.

    ¡°Broadly speaking, this is a magical tool that can pull out a person¡¯s powers and store them in a magic stone.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then, you mean to say that, if you had this tool, you could control the amount consumed by magic stones?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You could say that would be its primary function.¡±

    When it came to the efficiency of converting powers, the overwhelmingly more efficient method was to directly use a spell. However, when¡ªfor example¡ªsomeone had to use a light for a long period of time, it was much easier to install and activate a magical tool. In that sense, this magical tool would be able to reduce the amount consumed by magic stones.

    ¡°However, is that truly possible? I¡¯ve never heard of storing powers into a magic stone before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Nevertheless, even if it was impossible, that¡¯s irrelevant. The important thing is the fact that the spell used within this tool is different from the ones developed so far.¡±

    Spells to extract other people¡¯s magic had existed since the old times. However, the amount of powers they could absorb was quite small, and so it was pointless to use it on people with high magical resistance. Therefore, Fol couldn¡¯t use them. However, I was able to absorb her powers.

    This didn¡¯t mean that my talents were extraordinary. It was simply because the spell I used was from my previous world, so it was more efficient at absorbing magic than this world¡¯s spells.

    ¡°¡­Hold on for a moment. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you have certainly absorbed¡­¡±

    ¡°Her Highness Folcenia¡¯s powers, yes.¡±

    With his conjecture confirmed as fact, Prince Lancelot¡¯s face lit up with astonishment and hope.

    The moment these feelings reached their peak, I said, ¡°With this magical tool, it should be possible to draw out Her Highness, Folcenia¡¯s powers.¡±

    ¡°I-is that true?! Is such a thing truly possible?!¡±

    ¡°There are some requirements that have to be met, but, as long as we can take care of those, the manufacturing of this power-absorbing magical tool is possible.¡±

    Considering Fol¡¯s magical resistance, it was more likely that the magic within the stone would be used to withdraw her powers rather than charge the stone. But it was certain that it could extract Fol¡¯s powers. This meant that this tool could be an emergency measure in case that Fol became unable to release her own powers, for example, if she fell unconscious.

    ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea. However, it¡¯s meaningless if it¡¯s impossible to actually manufacture it. What are the requirements that need to be met?¡±

    ¡°There are a few problems, but the biggest one is the device required. It needs thetest model of a design manufactured by the mefield Empire.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. A device from the mefield Empire, huh? Since His Highness Harold and Her Highness Charlotte are here at the moment, I should be able to get my hands on it if I ask them for it.¡±

    ¡°I have a few conditions regarding that.¡±

    I put the brakes on Prince Lancelot, who seemed about to run off right at that very moment. I requested for him not to disclose the true intended purpose of the device. Moreover, I requested that he obtained it through the LaCour Company, as I had prepared a fabricated intended use for it.

    ¡°Through the LaCour Company?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re a trustworthypany, so they¡¯re the best choice for keeping the original purpose a secret.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright. Is that the only condition?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one more. I need at least two devices. Considering I might need spares, I would like to be provided with at least four.¡±

    ¡°Understood. If this will lead to Fol¡¯s safety, I shall do as you say. So stopping Miss Sophia¡¯s engagement is the requirement for acquiring this device, right?¡±

    His statement seemed to heavily imply that this wasn¡¯t a question, but confirmation.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll have to think of a reason that won¡¯t lead to worsening our rtionship with the mefield Empire, and convince my father, as well,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°No, you needn¡¯t do that. I will prepare the data to persuade His Majesty the King.¡±

    ¡°¡­You will¡­? What are you saying?¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I want several devices, and requested for you to keep the reason for obtaining them a secret?¡±

    ¡°About that¡­¡±

    He gave me a probing look, apparently wanting to say something. It seemed that he also knew about Lady Sophia¡¯s Magical Overcharge Illness. Therefore, in response to this questioning gaze of his, I shook my head in denial.

    ¡°I intend on using a spare for her.¡±

    I was always by Lady Sophia¡¯s side, and besides, when dealing with someone like Lady Sophia, whose magical resistance was low, even other magic users could handle her disease. So it was a magical tool that, if possible, I would like to possess for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake, but it wasn¡¯t indispensable.

    ¡°Then, the other one is for¡­ It can¡¯t be. Ah, however¡­¡±

    ¡°I am not certain of it yet either. Therefore, I am still in the middle of gathering information.¡±

    But, most likely, I wasn¡¯t mistaken. Originally, ording to ¡®The Eve of the Festival¡¯ of ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness,¡¯ these two mefield Empire Royals were supposed toe study here starting from next year.

    However, they suddenly pushed their arrival forward. No matter how interested in a magical technique they might be and no matter how low their chances to inherit the throne were, it was very strange for them to rush here so quickly that they didn''t even have the time to prepare their uniforms. Why were they in such a rush? The answer was in each and every one of Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s deeds and words.

    ¡°¡­What a surprise. If it¡¯s true, then that makes getting a bargaining chip for blocking Sophia¡¯s engagement easier. Moreover, the mefield Empire would be indebted to us as well.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you ept the deal?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Follow your heart and create all havoc you desire.¡±

    Thus, I made a deal with Prince Lancelot. I didn¡¯t even get the chance to make use of the words ¡®Dollmaker of Frau¡¯ that I had prepared as my trump card. Hence, I decided to give it to him as a present the next time I got the chance.

    Thank you for reading! A bit of a shorter chapter, but we got some pretty significant clues this time£¡

    Next chapter is the final part of ¡®Lady Sophia''s Wish'' and it''s a longer chapter, too! Interesting things are going to happen¡­ :>

    Loving all yourments, too! Always fun to go through them! I really appreciate every single one of them.

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a coffee!<ol><li>raws say one word: ¡®sasuga¡¯ but I had to use more words, hence the change in number</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 18: Lady Sophias Wish Part 8

    A few more weeks went by, and Prince Lancelot¡¯s birthday party drew near once more just as it did the year before. Although it was a party held by a member of the Royal family, Prince Alforth, and His Majesty, the King threw parties as well. Therefore, it didn¡¯t mean that each and every noble would be attending every single time. However, the majority of the Royal family would be attending Prince Lancelot¡¯s party, and there was also a rumor that this year Her Highness Folcenia, who had never made an appearance at formal events before, would being as well. Therefore, this party in particr was gathering a lot of attention.

    For that reason alone, Imperial Prince Harold and Imperial Princess Charlotte were bound to attend this party. Moreover, Imperial Prince Harold¡¯s partner was to be his younger sister, Imperial Princess Charlotte. Thus, Lady Sophia and I were designated to be their respective guides, as usual.

    However, this wasn''t any sort of official decision. In other words, the prominent nobles of the country actually believed that Imperial Prince Harold would be apanied by Lady Sophia. Once the party was over, the acknowledgement of Lady Sophia as one of his primary choices for an engagement would spread to an irrevocable degree.

    With such a situation fast approaching, the morning of the uing party day arrived.

    ¡°Cyril, I¡¯m disappointed in you,¡± Young Master Ernest said when he entered my room, where I was doing some final adjustments to the prototype device. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d protect Sophia?¡±

    ¡°I did say that, yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you doing anything in this kind of situation? At this rate, everyone will think that Sophia has been chosen to be His Highness¡¯ fiance¨¦. Once that happens, it¡¯ll be toote, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you say.¡±

    Even if everyone acknowledged her as one of the candidates for the engagement, it was still possible to deny itter. It wasn¡¯t like this world had developed an informationwork as vast as my previous world¡¯s. I expected this information to be simply spread as hearsay, like in a game of telephone.If the rumor was misinterpreted, it might transform into misinformation stating that the engagement with Lady Sophia had been broken by Imperial Prince Harold. Therefore, one could say that it was understandable for Young Master Ernest to be filled with a sense of impending doom.

    ¡°I keep thinking about why Sophia didn¡¯t reject bing a guide.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because Lady Sophia considers our rtionship with the mefield Empire very important?¡±

    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s that too. But¡­¡±

    Young Master Ernest caught my gaze. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t understand what he wanted to say by giving me this look. However, despite that, I responded to it with silence.

    ¡°I even thought that, perhaps, you simply weren¡¯t aware of it yourself. But that¡¯s not the case. Sophia believes in you. And yet¡ª¡±

    Young Master Ernest closed the distance between us and grabbed me by the cor. I didn¡¯t resist, despite getting choked by his hold, and resigned myself to his actions.

    ¡°And yet¡­ why aren¡¯t you doing anything?! Even if you couldn¡¯t aplish anything, you should still do whatever you can for Sophia¡¯s sake! You¡¯re Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler!¡±

    ¡­This was unexpected. I thought that Young Master Ernest would be trying to keep me away from Lady Sophia¡­

    If he stopped at nothing, then Young Master Ernest himself should also have a few methods to block Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement. So if he simply put these methods into action, he wouldn¡¯t need to pressure me like this. What he was angry about, at that very moment, was simply the fact that he had ced all his hopes on me.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s alright.¡±

    I took Young Master Ernest¡¯s gaze head on. His amethyst eyes that hid a strong will within were very simr to Lady Sophia¡¯s.

    ¡°I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. I won¡¯t do anything that will cause her sadness.¡±

    ¡°¡­So you insist that you can protect Sophia, even in this kind of situation?¡±

    I shook my head at Young Master Ernest¡¯s question. Just how many times had it been by now? I couldn¡¯t figure out why everyone misunderstood this aspect of me.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just Lady Sophia. I will protect everything Lady Sophia wants protected. I will show you that I can protect it all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Protect it all, you say? There¡¯s no way you can do that.¡±

    ¡°No, it is possible.¡±

    Of course, there also might be times when it might be impossible. There mighte a day when I will fail and will be told, ¡®I¡¯m disappointed in you.¡¯ However, it wouldn¡¯t be this time.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ What? What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. I am always thinking of Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness.¡±

    ***

    The party celebrating Lancelot¡¯s fourteenth birthdaymenced. The party venue inside the Royal castle was flooded with light, lit up by a single magical chandelier and filled with music yed by the country¡¯s best orchestra.

    The light of this chandelier was unusually stunning, and the music performed by the orchestra reverberated around the venue beautifully as well. It wasn¡¯t the ambience of the surroundings that caused this; both were actually much better than the usual. This was the result of the magical tools that Cyril had created together with Charlotte.

    First off, there was a tool that was designed to mimic and echo the sounds of the musical performance. Since there were venues especially built for musical performances in their country, even Lancelot understood his exnation about how this tool simted the shape of these venues.

    Moreover, the light of this chandelier consisted of three colors ¨C red, blue and green. When Lancelot heard that, he frowned, wondering what sort of gaudy lights they intended to disy. However, the light shining from the chandelier was snow-white.

    He couldn¡¯t make sense of the concept, about how, when one mixes three colors together, they will produce white. Usually, the more one mixed colors together, the darker they were bound to get. However, this light was truly white. In addition, by adjusting the intensity of the individual colored lights, it was possible to change the overall feel as one pleased as well.

    <i>I guess these are the tools created in order to conceal the actual purpose of the device,</i>

    Lancelot muttered to himself as he shed the guests polite smiles. The status of the party was linked with the rank of its organizer. Even though Lancelot wasn¡¯t yet a debutant¡ªin other words, a person who hadn¡¯t officially debuted in high society yet¡ªthis party¡¯s impact would probably be massive.

    <i>Although I could somewhat understand that, if the goal here is to make me the heir to the throne¡­</i>

    At any rate, it was a surprise to see both the Imperial siblings of the mefield Empire¡ªa powerhouse in the field of magic¡ªattending together. How Lancelot had gotten his hands on these magical tools was the talk of the party. It was inevitable that Lancelot¡¯s reputation would go up.

    However, Cyril¡¯s goal was to peacefully prevent Sophia¡¯s marriage. Lancelot had no intention toin about that goal of his, but the effects it had on his surroundings were truly immense. It was as if he had created a forest to hide a tree. In what world did there exist a guy who would make moves powerful enough to even influence the appointment of the crown prince just so that things would proceed peacefully?

    Cyril should look up the definition of ¡®peaceful¡¯1 in the dictionary. Didn¡¯t this make it seem like it would be no trouble for Cyril to even influence the future of this country?

    <i>It¡¯s scary that I can¡¯t say with certainty that that¡¯s not the case¡­</i>

    Cyril had scolded Alforth in the past and had earned his trust by guiding him onto the right path. He also had earned his trust by saving Folcenia¡¯s life, whom not even the Royal magicians nor doctors could cure.

    And with this matter, Lancelot would probably return to the forefront as a contender for the throne. The bnce that had been disrupted by Alforth poprizing cr¨ºpes would return to normal. Moreover, he had developed a magical tool that would save Fol for good. Even knowing that the intentions behind this device were just to prevent Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement, Lancelot couldn¡¯t help but feel thankful.

    <i>Besides,</i> Lancelot thought, remembering the conversation he had with his father the King. Lancelot, who had received <i>certain</i> information along with thepleted magical tool from Cyril, approached the King to negotiate so that Sophia wouldn¡¯t have to get engaged to Harold.

    Consequently, the King had responded in a way that indicated that he¡¯d already known that it woulde to this, despite the fact that a mere butler was taking actions that went against the King¡¯s will and making proposals that could even influence the future of the country.

    The King couldn¡¯t have expected a mere butler rising in revolt against him. And yet, the King had epted this information as if it was a given. As for the Queen¡ªshe rejoiced about getting closer to achieving her goals. Lancelot couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening. He, the First Prince, found himself in the exceptional situation of being kept out of the loop.

    <i>However, even if I don¡¯t understand, I still have to carry out the role I was entrusted with.</i>

    To be fair, Cyril had presented him with additionalpensation. Thispensation was a figurine made by the Dollmaker of Frau. A figurine of Fol when she performed as the y¡¯s heroine. These figurines were extremely popr, and even members of the Royal family couldn¡¯t get their hands on them easily. Cyril had offered him this figurine of Fol as a reward for seeding in this matter. Therefore, failure wasn¡¯t an option.

    In order to achieve his objective, Lancelot looked around for Sophia. As he looked for her, he arrived at the ballroom. Sophia and Harold, as well as Cyril and Charlotte, were dancing together, and everyone around them whispered about the bright future of the two neighboring countries.

    While Lancelot was busy greeting the other guests, the situation had already progressed substantially. If he didn¡¯t disrupt the course of events right now, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to do soter. In order to fulfill his role entrusted to him by Cyril, Lancelot began to make his way towards Sophia and Harold.

    Apart from Sophia and Harold, another pair of dancers were also gathering a lot of attention in the ballroom Prince Lancelot was in. Not too far from Sophia and Harold, Cyril and Charlotte were dancing together.

    Incidentally, even though Cyril was the one who invited Charlotte for a dance, it had been Charlotte who had made him do so. In this country, a woman asking for a dance was considered improper behavior, but it was seen as unforgivable for a gentleman to embarrass a woman as well. Therefore, Cyril couldn¡¯t ignore Charlotte¡¯s invitation when she urged him to ask her for a dance.

    ¡°You¡¯re good at dancing too, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°That is because I also double as Lady Sophia¡¯s dancing tutor.¡±

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it bad manners to be talking about anotherdy in this kind of situation?¡±

    ¡°Please, forgive me. I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.¡±

    Bad manners or not, he kept her in check by expressing that he was Sophia¡¯s butler first and foremost. Charlotte seemed a little dissatisfied with Cyril because of it.

    ¡°You can only say these things for the time being. Look, your Lady is dancing with my elder brother. Everyone around us believes that they will get engaged.¡±

    ¡°However, that¡¯s not what my Lady desires.¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that she doesn¡¯t want to, will her pride as a noble allow her to decline?¡±

    Charlotte was speaking of noblesse oblige¡ª 2the duties of a high-ranked noble. Basically, it meant that if one was a person of status, they had corresponding responsibilities.

    Sophia, who was born as the daughter of a Marquis and as someone who was to lead afortable life as a noble, had some responsibilities that were the cornerstones in protecting her social position. It was unforgivable for her to decline a political marriage that her family or the King chose for her.

    ¡°The people around us have already begun to view their engagement as an established fact. My elder brother didn¡¯t fail to notice this course of events. In this situation, he might end up proposing to her on the spot.¡±

    If Cyril didn¡¯t stop this as soon as possible, it would already be toote. Charlotte pressured him by expressing that there wasn¡¯t much time to think.

    ¡°I don¡¯t particrly appreciate that the technique for extracting powers was put on the back burner, but you did manage to create two new magical tools in this short amount of time. You¡¯re a magic user that only appears once in a hundred years¡­ No, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re the best magic user for generations toe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me. I have only reintroduced techniques that I learned in a book.¡±

    Charlotte hadn¡¯t believed these words until now. No, there was no way that she believed them, even now. But, without refuting his statement, Charlotte continued.

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re an exceptional magician. So,e to me. If you want, I¡¯ll even be your wife.¡±

    These words were drowned out by the music and only Cyril was able to hear them. However, if the people around them had heard them, the party venue would have gone into an uproar. No matter how meritocratic a country like the mefield Empire was, it was unheard of for a Royal to propose to a butler.

    ¡°Your Highness, no matter how you put it, that joke was excessive.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a joke. That¡¯s how valuable you are. If youe to the mefield Empire as my husband, it won¡¯t be necessary for my brother to marry her.¡±

    ¡°By saying that, you mean to say that you would persuade His Highness, Imperial Prince Harold?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My elder brother and I have a partnership. For that reason, it¡¯s more advantageous for each of us to establish different connections rather than have both of us strengthen the rtionship with the Ephenear Kingdom.¡±

    As a matter of fact, that was a lie. Both Cyril and Sophia were valued about the same amount by the mefield Empire. Even Charlotte would like to obtain both of them, if possible. However, Charlotte and Harold had reached amon understanding that they had to get at least one of them, no matter what.

    ¡°Therefore, I¡¯ll say it one more time: Cyril,e to the Empire as my husband.¡±

    Looking straight at Cyril were amethyst eyes, identical to Sophia¡¯s.

    At the same time, Harold had asked Sophia for a dance as well, and they were currently dancing. Moreover, this was both their first dance at this ball. In other words, Harold had essentially asked Sophia for the first dance that would normally be reserved for his partner. This was simply due to the fact that, formally, Harold and Charlotte were attending together as partners, but Harold viewed Sophia as his <i>actual</i> partner.

    Actually, there were even voices saying that the future of the Ephenear Kingdom and the mefield Empire was to be peaceful. Sophia and Harold¡¯s engagement was on its way to be an established fact.

    ¡°You are a very good dancer, Miss Sophia.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you think so. It¡¯s all thanks to Cyril teaching me every day.¡±

    Showered in the light of the chandelier, Sophia smiled as she danced gracefully. Seeing her smile, everyone around them probably thought that she was smiling at Harold. But Harold knew that this smile wasn¡¯t aimed at him. No, in fact it ought to be said that, during these few weeks, he had forcefully confirmed some facts that he had been already aware of.

    Harold had two objectives ining to this country. To fortify the bonds between the two countries, and to procure an unique magic user called Cyril.

    Therefore, he had requested for Sophia to be his guide. Sophia was a young Lady rumored to be a saintness, and she was Cyril¡¯s master. He concluded that, if he obtained Sophia, he¡¯d achieve both of his goals.

    And after spending some time with this guide of his, he was convinced: she wasn¡¯t rumored to be a saintness for nothing. Harold was certain that she could even influence the future of the Empire. Therefore, no matter where her heartid, he couldn¡¯t let her escape.

    ¡°Miss Sophia, I¡¯ll be honest. Neither you nor I are allowed to live freely. So your wishes probably won¡¯t be granted.¡±

    ¡°¡­Even if that was the case, then, so what?¡±

    Even though he pointed out things she didn¡¯t want him to, her expression didn¡¯t change at all. He wasn¡¯t able to tell what she was thinking at all, but he couldn¡¯t just stop here.

    ¡°Agree to marry me. Aspensation, I will allow your favorite butler toe with you. That¡¯s your one and only source of happiness, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Marriage between Sophia and Harold would be advantageous to both of their countries. However, there was nothing for Sophia to gain from that. For that reason, Harold proposed that, aspensation for her agreeing to this political marriage, he would acquiesce for Cyril to stay by her side.

    At least, it was a proposal that respected Sophia¡¯s wishes. Therefore, Sophia¡¯s eyes widened just the slightest bit as she danced.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t respond3, I will propose to you right after this dance ends. If I ask you in front of so many spectators, it won¡¯t be possible for you to stop the following course of events after.¡±

    If she didn¡¯t respond, he¡¯d make an announcement, choosing the hardline approach. An Imperial Prince from a neighboring country proposing to a future Marquess at Prince Lancelot¡¯s party. If sheplied, it would be regarded as something to rejoice over greatly, and the rtionship between the two countries would be much stronger.

    But, if she refused, this rtionship would grow tense.

    Of course, in that case, Harold would also get scolded for getting ahead of himself. However, it was the Ephenear Kingdom who had agreed to Harold¡¯s request to have Sophia as his guide. The King received Harold¡¯s request and Sophia agreed to it through Grave. The general consensus would be that the responsible party was the Ephenear Kingdom. Thus, Sophia, who understood her duties as a future Marquess, couldn''t choose that option.

    Sophia¡¯s grace period had ended in one fell swoop. She only had time until the dance ended. And the dance was approaching its end, too.

    ¡°Well then, the song is ending soon. You should decide before it does. You must understand what the best option here is, right, Miss Sophia? ept reality and ept my proposal.¡±

    Even though she was being pressed for an answer by Harold, Sophia focused her attention on their surroundings. The ballroom, evenly illuminated by the light of the magical chandelier, appeared to be devoid of color to her. However, in this ballroom, there was a young boy who shone brightly as if illuminated by a spotlight. It was Cyril, who was dancing with Charlotte.

    Sophia¡¯s dancing partner was Harold, and Cyril¡¯s dancing partner was Charlotte. But Sophia felt as if she was the one dancing with Cyril.

    This didn¡¯t mean that she was imagining Harold as Cyril. It just meant that Cyril¡¯s feelings were getting through to her perfectly, just like when she yed a duet with him on the violin. ¡®I will always be by your side,¡¯ she could hear him say. Even when he wasn¡¯t right by her side, she could tell what he was thinking. Cyril was the one who showed her how to align with Harold¡¯s lead and dance beautifully. At that very moment though, Sophia was dancing to Cyril¡¯s lead.

    She began to take graceful yetrge steps in order to match his lead. She danced lightly, as if she had grown wings, and the audience watching her let out admiring sighs.

    Harold was dumbfounded by this. Sophia was certainly dancing ording to his lead. And yet, he was seized by a feeling of irritability. It felt as if his lead wasn¡¯t reaching her.

    Harold changed his lead in order to put a stop to how things had been unfolding until then. At that moment, Sophia smoothly slipped out from his arms. Her hair gently fanned out, sparkling as it was caught in the light of the chandelier. She interrupted their dance and looked at him, calmly, yet with clear intention.

    <i>¡°I refuse.¡±</i>

    Two voices perfectly ovepped and strangely echoed throughout the ballroom.

    Thank you so much for reading! Can you believe that the next chapter (consisting of three parts) is thest chapter before the epilogue? It has gone by so fast!

    But no worries, there are still some extras to look forward to as well!

    If you''d like to support the trantion you can buy me a coffee! <3 <ol><li>This word also carries the meaning ¡®gentle, quiet, without a fuss¡¯. So Lancelot has a point here lol</li><li>As will be exined a bit in the text as well, noblesse oblige ¡°¡­is a French expression from the times when the English nobility spoke French and maintains in English the meaning that nobility extends beyond mere entitlement and requires people who hold such status to fulfill social responsibilities.¡± https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noblesse_oblige</li><li>the usage of the verb in the following lines is ambiguous, it can either mean ¡®respond, reply¡¯ or ¡®ept¡¯. I chose to keep ¡®respond¡¯ here as it fits with the ultimatum he proposes a little more in my head.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 19: The Villainous Daughters Sir Butler Part 1

    The moment I rejected Imperial Princess Charlotte, I heard Lady Sophia utter the same words. My Lady rejecting Imperial Prince Harold was a result of her believing in me. So I had to prove myself worthy of her trust.

    ¡°Cyril¡­ you mean to say that you¡¯re rejecting my proposal?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is a very generous proposal, but I cannot ept it.¡±

    We stopped dancing, and I caught Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s gaze. Her eyes were tinged red as if they had been set aze, and she was ring at me angrily.

    ¡°Why? There won¡¯t be a better proposal than this. You could be the husband of an Imperial Princess, on top of protecting your Lady who¡¯s so precious to you!¡±

    ¡°¡­I apologize.¡±

    Certainly, what Imperial Princess Charlotte said was true. Even though this world was based on a game, we were by no means actually inside one. In this actual world, I could manage to protect someone who was important to me while also bing the husband of an Imperial Princess. There couldn¡¯t be a happier ending than that.

    ¡®However, this isn¡¯t the happy ending that I want. Therefore, such a conclusion is worthless to me.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to say something like this outloud, but it seemed that Imperial Princess Charlotte understood what I wanted to say.

    ¡°Is that¡­ Is that how good it is to be by her side? But, at this rate, your Lady will be my big brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I wonder if you¡¯re saying this while fully understanding that fact?¡±¡°¡­It seems that there has been a misunderstanding.¡±

    Since the day I had be Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler in training and pledged my oath to her, my wish became to grant Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes and make her happy.

    ¡°As it¡¯s not Lady Sophia¡¯s wish, an engagement between her and His Highness, Imperial Prince Harold, is impossible, because the Lady I had raised will make even the gods into her enemies in order to stay true to herself.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that she will refuse that political marriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    ¡°Does she understand what kind of impact it¡¯ll have on both of our countries if she does this?¡±

    ¡°As I said earlier, Lady Sophia is prepared for that. However¡ª¡±

    After we stopped dancing, I stepped away from her. In the meantime, Lady Sophia and Imperial Prince Harold had also stopped dancing midway and now stood still, facing each other.

    In reaction, a stir went through the people around them. And then, Prince Lancelot walked up to them.

    ¡°Hello, you two! Are you enjoying yourselves?¡±

    ¡°Hello¡­ Your Highness. As I expected, I am very impressed by the party hosted by the First Prince of the Ephenear Kingdom. Of course I am enjoying myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. I deeply apologize for this, Your Highness, but both my younger brother and I would like to have a dance with Miss Sophia. Would you mind lending Miss Sophia to my brother for the next dance?¡±

    The ballroom was abuzz as some of the guests started whispering to each other.

    ¡°As you know, Miss Sophia is a national treasure, even spoken of as a saintess. Many people are looking forward to dancing with her. Therefore, I cannot afford to let your Highness keep her all to yourself.¡±

    Having been told all this, anyone would be able to understand. Sophia was a national treasure, and even members of the royal family wished for her to be their partner. As such, Prince Lancelot dered that he couldn¡¯t simply hand her over to an Imperial Prince from another country.

    ¡°I apologize about that. Also, even though you are my guide, I have relied on you with many other things, Miss Sophia. I apologize. I won¡¯t be needing your services any longer today, so please, feel free to dance with the other guests.¡±

    Lady Sophia answered him by doing an elegant curtsy and then she quietly left. Prince Lancelot and Imperial Prince Harold remained standing there and began to talk. I shifted my gaze away from the two of them and turned to look at Imperial Princess Charlotte again. Her eyes were wide in disbelief.

    ¡°What¡­ did you do?¡±

    ¡°I simply fulfilled my duties as a butler.¡±

    ¡°Stop messing around! Aggravating the situation like this, how do you n on bringing it back under control?!¡±

    Her amethyst eyes¡ªsame color as Lady Sophia¡¯s¡ªwere dyed red with anger. It might have been due to Magical Overcharge Illness¡­ but if it was, her disease was very mild. At least, she didn¡¯t appear to be suffering because of it. However¡ª

    ¡°Your Highness. A person very important to you is suffering from Magical Overcharge Illness, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°¡­How do you know about my little sist¡ª?¡±

    Her eyes went wide. Since I didn¡¯t receive this information from Teacher Tristan, who knew the events of the ¡®Eve of the Festival¡¯, I didn¡¯t think of this possibility at first.

    However, when the topic of Magical Overcharge Illness was brought up, Imperial Princess Charlotte mentioned it herself. ¡®The Empire is looking for a way to cure Magical Overcharge Illness from all angles,¡¯ she said.

    Her statement would be a little too exaggerated if the Empire was only doing in response to a request from a neighboring country. Moreover, Imperial Princess Charlotte was unusually interested in the technique for releasing magical powers. And above all else, her and Imperial Prince Harold hurried over here, pushing their schedule of studying abroad forward. That¡¯s why I thought, ¡®I wonder whether Imperial Princess Charlotte herself or someone close to her might suffer from Magical Overcharge Illness?¡¯

    But Imperial Princess Charlotte didn¡¯t show any indication that she was consuming her powers daily, like Fol. So I was convinced it had to be thetter.

    Of course, at that point, I still hadn¡¯t known who the person suffering from the illness was. However, what was important was the fact that Imperial Princess Charlotte was searching for ways to deal with the Magical Overcharge Illness for someone else¡¯s sake. Knowing that was enough.

    But it was necessary to collect evidence, just to make sure. For that reason, Imissioned the Dark Guild and had them investigate it. Who was Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s weakness? What kind of person were they?

    And so, her younger sister came up. They were only half-siblings, but Imperial Princess Charlotte doted on her very much¡ªand she was a very sickly little girl. Apparently, the royal family was hiding the fact that she had Magical Overcharge Illness, but after looking at her situation with a suspicion that she was suffering from this illness, many things checked out.

    I had no definitive proof that her little sister really had this illness, so, ultimately, I would have to try and bluff¡­ but since she told me herself that it was her little sister, it wasn¡¯t necessary for me to do so. There truly were many chinks in Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s armor.

    However, ording to my elder sister who had yed the game, both Imperial Prince Harold and Imperial Princess Charlotte were extremely outstanding people. So it was likely that the current Imperial Princess Charlotte was in a panic because there wasn¡¯t much time left.

    Also, she was considered a sharp and capable person in the game after those time constraints had been lifted. It would have been good if her sister¡¯s Magical Overcharge Illness had been cured some other way but¡­ considering Fol¡¯s situation as well, this didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    In other words, their younger sister had little time left to live.

    Taking into consideration the fact that Imperial Princess Charlotte said that our deal could wait until after the party, her little sister shouldn¡¯t be dying in a day or two, but, if left untreated, she probably only had a few months left to live.

    ¡°¡­I see. So your offer to research the spell, as well as saying that you will be publicizing the technique to release powerster, was all a trap to lure us into a false sense of security?¡±

    Her eyes looked resigned. I felt somewhat upset when I saw this kind of emotion in eyes that were the same color as Lady Sophia¡¯s.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken, Your Highness.¡±

    If a family member of hers was affected by the Magical Overcharge Illness, that would put me in a most advantageous position. At that point, I would be able to stop Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage without any troubles.

    However, if I¡ªa mere butler¡ªwere to bargain with them like this, it would cause offense. For that very reason, I took action to settle this matter peacefully. As a result¡ªwhen I shifted my gaze, Imperial Prince Harold and Prince Lancelot were hugging. The young Ladies shrieked, their voices high-pitched¡ªnot that they were particrly degenerated.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on? What happened to my elder brother?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter a mere butler like me can tell you. Please ask His Highness Prince Lancelot and His Highness Imperial Prince Harold about it.¡±

    I bowed politely. While I kept my head lowered, Imperial Princess Charlotte, seemingly a little puzzled, walked off, heading towards Prince Lancelot. Having just witnessed this, now it was Young Master Ernest who approached me.

    ¡°Cyril, just what did you do?¡±

    ¡°I have put a stop to Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage peacefully, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Stop dodging the question.You had almost publicly humiliated His Highness, the Imperial Prince. Even if it hadn¡¯te to such a worst case scenario, you were headed into a simrly bad situation. So how¨C¡±

    Right in front of Young Master Ernest¡¯s gaze, Prince Lancelot was showing a bracelet to Imperial Princess Charlotte. Even without knowing its properties, he immediately understood that it was some sort of magical equipment.

    ¡°Cyril, what¡¯s that magical tool?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s proof that the Ephenear Kingdom regards the mefield Empire a friend.¡±

    It was the magical tool that I made. It was a custom-made item that forcibly drew out the wearer¡¯s magical powers.

    If you had it on, there was nothing to worry about, even if you had high magical resistance. Even if a person was unable to release their own powers, for example due to illness, this tool made it possible to forcefully draw their powers out. It was an emergency safety device for people with Magical Overcharge Illness.

    This magical tool was given to the neighboring country as a present in the name of the royal family. Of course, in reality, this was a precious item that would require something suitable to be gifted in return, but it was more than enough as proof of the goodwill between the two countries.

    Also, I had made two of these magical tools. The other one had been given to Prince Lancelot as a present for Fol to use in an emergency. This tool was the trick for getting the royal family involved in the negotiations.

    However, I didn¡¯t know whether Imperial Princess Charlotte would publicly announce that her younger sister had Magical Overcharge Illness. Therefore, by no means could I tell him about the properties of this magical tool myself.

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested in the properties of that magical tool, please ask His Highness Prince Lancelot about it. Personally, I cannot tell you about it, Young Master Ernest.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hm. In other words, the very reason lies within that magical tool.¡±

    The important thing was the fact that I had managed to block Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage peacefully. Apparently, Young Master Ernest was aware of this too.

    ¡°Very well then,¡± he said, backing down. ¡°I will report this to my father,¡± he then finished his sentence and left.

    I watched him leave and then checked how Imperial Princess Charlotte was doing, as I wasn¡¯t yet relieved of my post as her guide. Not long after the start of my observations, Imperial Princess Charlotte, who had been in the middle of a conversation, came back.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯ve gone and done it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it not to your liking?¡± I answered her question with a question of my own.

    She seemed a little puzzled before shaking her head.

    ¡°No, I am very grateful to you. But¡­ I wanted you as well, so it¡¯s really a shame. Do you really have no intentions toe with me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more praise than I deserve¡­ However, as I said before, I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. Therefore, I don¡¯t intend on leaving my Lady¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not handing Cyril over.¡±

    I was startled by the voice that followed up my answer, and when I turned to look I discovered that, at some point, Lady Sophia came to stand by my side.

    ¡°Miss Sophia¡­ I envy you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something I get told often. It¡¯s also for that reason that I definitely won¡¯t let go of this fortune of mine.¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte red at Lady Sophia as if she wanted to say ¡®Hmph.¡¯ Was it perhaps just a figment of my imagination, that I somehow felt like the aura these two emitted was the same as when they were on the verge of falling into darkness?

    ¡­Speaking of which, there was a bad ending called ¡®Mitsudomoe¡¯ that would be triggered if the yer half-heartedly went after all three capture targets. Well, Fol wasn¡¯t here, so I think I should be fine.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not letting him go, aren¡¯t you just forcing him to rot away? I am willing to ept Cyril as my husband. I¡¯ve already told Cyril as well.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Cyril, you¡¯re going to marry Her Highness Imperial Princess Charlotte?¡±

    Lady Sophia looked at me sternly. Although she was ring at me with what you¡¯d call ¡®scornful eyes¡¯, her irises weren¡¯t dyed red at all. It seemed that I had her trust in this matter. Well, since I have been working hard for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake all this time, I¡¯d be very sad if I wasn¡¯t trusted.

    ¡°I will always be your exclusive butler, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but even butlers get at least married, right? If you¡¯d like, I¡¯d be fine with being your wife, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    Once again, Lady Sophia turned her doubtful gaze at me. I would like to think that the hint of redness in her eyes¡ªwhich seemed a little different from before¡ªI thought I saw was just my imagination. Or rather, could it be <i>that</i>? Could it be that, while I had promised to always be by her side, she wasn¡¯t confident when it came to things that I hadn¡¯t promised her?

    ¡°As long as Lady Sophia doesn¡¯t wish for it, I won¡¯t get married to anyone.¡±

    When I dered this loud and clear, Lady Sophia let out a relieved breath for some reason. In contrast, Imperial Princess Charlotte looked somewhat disappointed.

    ¡°It is what it is. In that case, may I at least ask Cyril to help me with my research while I¡¯m staying in Ephenear?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s that sort of thing, I don¡¯t mind at all, Your Highness.¡±

    Lady Sophia agreed to the request. But then, she raised her index finger and smiled, continuing. ¡°However, as I just finished my duties as a guide for today, I don¡¯t have anyone apanying me. Therefore, may I have Cyril back?¡± she asserted, as if to say that, while she didn¡¯t mind me helping with the Imperial Princess¡¯ research, she wouldn¡¯t let her borrow me for any other purpose. Considering the social status of Lady Sophia and Imperial Princess Charlotte, it was a considerably aggressive remark. A wry smile surfaced on Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s face, perhaps because she realized this as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard her, Cyril. You¡¯re released from your duties as a guide. You¡¯ve done well.¡±

    ¡°You praise me too highly, Your Highness.¡±

    As of this moment, I had finished my duties as Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide. And from then on, I would return to being Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.

    ¡°Well then, Cyril. As I just said, I don¡¯t have a partner apanying me today. Please, stand in as my partner from now on.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    As a butler, I should have been standing behind her, but, as her partner, I had to escort her. There were mainly two ways of escorting someone.

    The first way to escort someone was to hold out your hand with the palm facing up. This method was often used when escorting someone on uneven ground, for example, when walking up and down the stairs.

    The other way was to escort someone by presenting one¡¯s arm. This was the general method for escorting ady and was usually used when walking side by side.

    However, Lady Sophia held out her hand. If I were to grasp her fingertips, I would be escorting her by using the first method. However, this method was unsuitable for the current situation.

    I only had to wonder why she had done that for just a moment. I knelt down on one knee and gently held up Lady Sophia¡¯s hand from below.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, may I have this dance?¡±

    ¡°Yes, with pleasure.¡±

    Thank you for reading! There''s two more parts to go before the epilogue, can you believe it? I will try my best to prepare both chapters so that we finish the main story with no holiday break in between, but it also depends on my editor and how much time I''ll have as well, so I can''t make any definitive promises.

    Anyway, enjoy the chapter, thank you for all yourments and support, it means a ton!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi!

 Book 3: Chapter 20: The Villainous Daughters Sir Butler Part 2

    Involuntarily, Charlotte felt moved by the sight of Sophia and Cyril dancing in the ballroom bathed by a soft light. Even though they were simply dancing, Charlotte felt like she might tear up just from watching them.

    As the lead, the man willmunicate his next step to his partner. His partner will dance following these instructions. Inexperienced dancers would lead by pushing or pulling at their partner¡¯s arm, but seasoned dancers instead will shift their center of gravity, leading their partners with their whole body.

    Even so, the partner¡¯s steps would not change immediately after a lead suggestion. It was inevitable that there would be dy¡ªalthough a very small one¡ªbetween the lead and his partner¡¯s response. At least, there should be one. However, Charlotte couldn¡¯t see any dy when Cyril and Sophia danced.

    When Cyril smiled gently, Sophia made an elegant turn, a smile appearing on her face. There was no hesitation whatsoever, and the pair had been dancing as if they had been one person from the very start.

    Charlotte suspected that they were perhaps doing a pre-rehearsed dance. But that wasn¡¯t right either. The situation around them kept changing, be it because of a change to the rhythm of the music or the people dancing around them changing positions. They responded to these constantly changing circumstances and would adjust their steps on the spot, choosing the most suitable movement. This couldn¡¯t have been a pre-rehearsed dance.

    ¡°He seems to be having fun¡­¡±1

    Those words slipped out of Charlotte¡¯s mouth without thinking. Cyril¡¯s lead waspletely different from what he had done when he was embellishing Charlotte¡¯s movements. This was a free kind of lead that he seemed to be enjoying, as well as making the dance fun for his partner too. If Charlotte were to follow him leading like that, she would probably step on his feet right away. However, Sophia danced happily ording to Cyril¡¯s guidance.

    ¡°The saintess of Ephenear and Sir Butler¡­¡± she heard someone¡¯s voice utter.

    She suddenly noticed that many people had stopped dancing, captivated by Cyril and Sophia¡¯s dance. At some point, the pair became the focus of the ballroom. The best orchestra in the country, hired by the royal family, was only ying for the two of them.¡°¡­So it is possible for someone to smile this genuinely?¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but mutter. She was at a prince¡¯s birthday party, and the leading figures of this country had gathered there. If she were to make a careless statement somewhere like that, it could prove fatal. A single mistake could turn deadly. Truth be told, even though she stered a smile on her face, Charlotte¡¯s stomach was always hurting.

    However, Cyril and Sophia were dancing with genuine smiles on their faces. Surely, the only one reflected in Cyril¡¯s eyes was Sophia, and Cyril was the only one reflected in Sophia¡¯s. The two of them were the only ones who seemed to be sparkling, as if they had been blessed by the spirits.

    ¡®I¡¯m so frustrated.¡¯ With difficulty, Charlotte managed to swallow down these words that threatened to spill out. As an Imperial Princess of the mefield Empire, she couldn¡¯t utter those words acknowledging her defeat here. ¡®<i>But, I do still feel really frustrated,¡¯ </i>Charlotte repeated in her head.

    ¡°¡­We¡¯ve lostpletely, haven¡¯t we?¡± A voice said from right beside her.

    She recognized the owner of the voice immediately without even having to turn her head to look¡ªit was her brother. Charlotte opposed his statement for that same reason.

    ¡°Nope. He¡¯s going to be helping me with research during our stay here, so I did achieve my goals.¡±

    ¡°However, helping you is the bare minimum. You¡¯ve actually truly fallen in love with that butler, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to speak! You have fallen for her, too.¡±

    An unkind answer to an unkind question. A substantial amount of time had passed since the two of them arrived to this country. During this time, Harold had always been apanied by Sophia as his guide. Charlotte thought it was inevitable that day by day, Harold¡¯s feelings for her would be more and more earnest.

    After all, she was Cyril¡¯s perfect match.

    As she pondered these thoughts, Charlotte chewed at her lip. Then, Charlotte and Harold looked at each other and they both let out a sigh.

    ¡°What do you want to do now?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not even a question. Our studies have only just begun.¡±

    ¡°Watching those two, do you think you stand a chance?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­ you say awful things sometimes, you know?¡±

    The light from the magical tool Cyril had developed was unusually soft. It was evenly bright all over and it filled the whole party venue with natural-looking light. That being said, Cyril and Sophia¡ªand only Cyril and Sophia¡ªseemed to be sparkling. It was as if the gods of this world had blessed them.

    ¡°But, don¡¯t you think that giving up like this is simply vexing?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re right about that¡ªum, what¡¯s with that hand?¡±

    Charlotte had held out her hand. It was a gesture identical to Sophia¡¯s, expressing that one wanted to be asked for a dance.

    ¡°Will you apany me to take my mind off of things?¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯m just in the mood for some exercise as well. May I have this dance, my dear sister?¡±

    ¡°Of course, big brother.¡±

    ***

    I was dancing with Lady Sophia. Although I had been my Lady¡¯s dance partner during practice countless times, this was the first time¡ªwith the exception of the y¡ªthat we danced together at such a big party.

    I was truly having fun, and, unintentionally, I started leading her in a way that disyed these feelings. As the lead, the man was there to make the woman following his lead shine. That was the foundation of dancing. As I pondered these thoughts, Lady Sophia smiled at me sweetly.

    I understood that she was thinking: ¡®Since we finally get to dance together, let¡¯s both enjoy it.¡¯ And so my lead became even more daring.

    I did abination of very difficult steps that we rarely ever did even during practice.

    ¡®How about this?¡¯ I asked her with my gaze, and her smile widened.

    ¡®You can up the difficulty even more.¡¯ She gave me a challenging smile. I continued leading her in a way that was alreadypletely ignoring the rules. If I bent the rules any more than this, it couldn¡¯t even be considered a dance anymore. On the other hand, I wanted to find out how far my Lady would go to meet my demands.

    <i>I¡¯ll try making slightly bigger movements.</i> The moment I thought so, Lady Sophia¡¯s steps became slightlyrger.

    Her first step changed only the smallest bit, but her second step was much bolder. Right when I made my steps wider, my Lady began to dance as if she was gliding on top of the carpet. Despite us not exchanging a word for a while now, her thoughts were getting through to me. And I was certain that my thoughts were reaching her, too.

    Sure enough, I ended up thinking: ¡®I¡¯m having fun.¡¯ Although the song had already ended at some point, we continued and began our second dance. To dance for two songs with the same person at the same party was an exceptional act. Having realized this, a buzz began toe from the people around us, but I didn¡¯t care about it one bit. <i>Let¡¯s think about things that can be dealt withterter. More importantly, I don¡¯t want to put an end to this fun moment.</i>

    ¡°Say, Cyril. Just what kind of magic did you use?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t used any. I simply got them to withdraw in exchange for granting Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s wish.¡±

    However, there were two important points to note. First, what I offered hadn¡¯t been information about the spell itself, but thepleted magical device. Second, I had thoroughly investigated Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s actual wish.

    If I had given them the information about the spell, it would have ended with that. However, this wasn¡¯t the case when handing over the magical tool. At the very least, it was going to require arge amount of time before they couldpletely analyze it. In other words, I still had an ace up my sleeve. Also, knowing Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s wish was also important. There was a difference between offering a deal in order to save her beloved younger sister¡¯s life and proposing a deal without knowing the reason behind her wish, but doing it anyway simply because that was what she wanted.

    On top of that, I made the offer through Prince Lancelot, so the other country would be indebted to him and it wouldn¡¯t appear as if a butler was butting in. Of course, it was possible that Prince Lancelot wouldn¡¯t cancel Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement for such a reason alone, but I had offered him a magical tool that could save Fol, making him indebted to me. And so, Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement came to nothing, while the two countries stayed on good terms.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what you were doing, Cyril.¡± Lady Sophia finished listening to my exnation and looked a little surprised. It seemed that she hadn¡¯t figured out enough to know what exactly I had been doing.

    ¡°I thought that you were aware of what I was doing, since you had never questioned my actions.¡±

    In order not to get her dragged into it in case of failure, I hadn¡¯t told Lady Sophia even the fact that I intended to block her political marriage. I thought that her not saying anything despite that was due to her guessing what I was doing.

    ¡°I only knew that you were carrying out various ns.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°I simply trusted you.¡±

    She was saying that she didn¡¯t ask me anything because she trusted me. She didn¡¯t even know if I was taking any actions at all to stop her political marriage. And even if I were, she had no idea whether I had figured out a way to make them possible. I was a little astonished that my Lady had been able to believe in me in such circumstances.

    ¡°Because you never lie, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for trusting me.¡±

    I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. However, Lady Sophiaughed.

    ¡°But you did exactly the same thing, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­I did the same?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never once asked me why I epted being a guide, have you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Even though Young Master Ernest apparently had various theories about the reason Lady Sophia had epted the request, I knew why she had done so right from the start.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I immediately realized that you were expressing your wish to settle this matter peacefully. Although there are some things that can¡¯t be exined just by that alone¡­¡±

    I had been cooking up various schemes in order to get rid of the matter of Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement. Perhaps, if Lady Sophia had rejected the offer right at the beginning, there would have been a way to settle it even more amicably.

    ¡°As expected, you have even realized that much.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I¡¯m ashamed to say that I haven¡¯t figured out the reason for it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. You did exactly what I expected you to. Moreover, you did it much, <i>much</i> better than I anticipated.¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­ so¡­¡±

    Nevertheless, it was a fact that I hadn¡¯t figured out Lady Sophia¡¯s intentions. I was feeling a little down, because, while I felt somewhat aplished, it appeared that my diligence was stillcking. Seeing me like this, Lady Sophia slightly leaned in with her body against mine.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°It was my intention for you not to realize what my objective was. To be more precise, you could even say that I didn¡¯t <i>want</i> you to find out. So¡­ that means that I win, right?¡±

    All of a sudden, she was looking at me with the face of a mischievous child. Even though I had been able to see through her not that long ago, as ofte, Lady Sophia had gotten really good at keeping secrets. Although I felt a little sad about it, this unpredictable Lady Sophia was also very cute.

    ¡®Are you happy, my Lady?¡¯ I asked her through our dance. Her answer was the most wonderful smile I had ever seen on her.

    After Lady Sophia and I finished our second dance, we left the ballroom and greeted the other guests while eating a light meal at the buffet table. That being said, since I was actually a butler, Lady Sophia was the one mainly in charge of the talking.

    However, perhaps because I came into the limelight by dancing with Lady Sophia for several songs, there were a few people who asked Lady Sophia questions about me as well after finding out that I was a butler.

    After all, this wasn¡¯t the first time I had filled in the position of Lady Sophia¡¯s partner at a party organized by Prince Lancelot¡¯s party. Moreover, I had been Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s guide until a short while ago, and both Young Master Ernest and even Prince Lancelot came up to talk to me.

    It was understandable for them to doubt whether or not I was really just a butler.

    ¡°Actually, he is just a butler.¡± As I repeatedly listened to this exchange between Lady Sophia and the nobles that came towards us one after the other, Young Master Ernest returned.

    ¡°Sophia, you do some pretty excessive things, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I don¡¯t think that I did anything excessive, did I?¡±

    Ernest was making a remark about her turning down an Imperial Prince from another country at a party with members of the royal family. Although I wondered whether Young Master Ernest wouldn¡¯t feel exasperated by her, he only muttered, ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Sophia, you have a really good butler.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know that more than anyone.¡±

    Lady Sophia chuckled. I had never thought that I¡¯d get praised by Young Master Ernest, and my eyes widened slightly. Young Master Ernest turned to look at me.

    ¡°I shall acknowledge you. You were able to aplish something impossible even for me. You¡¯re certainly worthy of being Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m undeserving of such kind words.¡±

    I politely bowed, and then slowly lifted my face. When my gaze returned to his face, his lips moved silently.

    ¡®However, she¡¯s my younger sister. It won¡¯t be that easy.¡¯

    Apparently, he had assumed that I had the ability to read lips¡­ Although it was meaningless for him to do this, because Lady Sophia was able to read lips as well. Whether he knew that or not, he looked at Lady Sophia again.

    ¡°Sophia, there¡¯s actually an instrument called a ¡®grand piano¡¯ in this venue. I¡¯m going to y it, so won¡¯t you apany me on the violin?¡±

    ¡°¡­A piano?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an instrument invented in the mefield Empire. You probably don¡¯t know it, but I¡¯ve been practicing. The piano¡¯s timbre is beautiful, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a great performance.¡±

    Young Master Ernest gently smiled at Lady Sophia and then looked at me.

    ¡®You must be jealous that I get to duel with Sophia for the first time on a new instrument, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ His lips moved soundlessly.

    ¡®Are you a child?¡¯¡ªI had no ce to make such remarks. If anything, I went pale, wishing I was in a position to be jealous of him. Then, I urged my Lady to please read the room¡ª

    ¡°Oh, but I know what a grand piano is.¡± Lady Sophia answered easily. My hopes were dashed.

    ¡°¡­What¡­?¡±

    ¡°Cyril sent craftsmen to the mefield Empire and had them learn the manufacturing process of these grand pianos. So we¡¯ve also begun to make them in our country.¡±

    ¡°T¨Cthen¡­ don¡¯t tell me that¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Cyril yed the grand piano for me and I yed on the violin. It was really fun, it felt like I was in a dream.¡±

    Lady Sophia wounded Young Master Ernest¡¯s soul with no reservations while wearing an innocent smile. <i>If you say anything more than that, I might get killed by Young Master Ernest, so please stop right there.</i>

    Then, Young Master Ernest turned to look at me, his movements so stiff that felt like I could hear his neck creaking.

    ¡°I¡­ I really can¡¯t hand my lovely younger sister to someone like you!¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, um¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, now, big brother. Since this is a rare chance, why don¡¯t we have a duet together?¡±

    Lady Sophia smiled at me as if she was telling me that ¡®It¡¯ll be alright, leave my big brother to me.¡¯, and then she headed to another part of the venue with Young Master Ernest.

    ¡­My young Lady left as if to express that she would protect me from Young Master Ernest, who was overtaken by jealousy, after she agitated him herself¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel like she had grown up into a little devil.

    <i>Please, at leastpliment Young Master Ernest¡¯s performing skills, alright?</i>

    Thank you for reading! Can you believe it''s been over a year since I started tranting this novel? I posted my first chapter on the 24th of November! Thank you for all the support and lovelyments throughout the year! <3

    Happy holidays, hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope to see you next week for another update!

    If you''d like to support this trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:  <ol><li>This line is very ambiguous, it could also mean ¡®They seem to be having fun¡¯ or just a ¡®This looks like fun¡¯. Given what the text says next, I chose the option of ¡®he¡¯, but just wanted to point out the other ways to interpret this line.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 21: The Villainous Daughters Sir Butler Part 3

    Since Lady Sophia took her leave with Young Master Ernest, I was left alone. Although I had been my Lady¡¯s partner when I was by her side, once we were separated, I returned to being an exclusive butler. As I pondered what I should do now, Fol approached me.

    ¡°Fol¡­ Ah, no, I should be calling you Your Highness, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t I tell you earlier that you can call me ¡®Fol¡¯ no matter the time and ce?¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    The situation was different from the previous party I had been invited to, which¡ªwhile also organized by royalty¡ªhad only been attended by the royal family and their friends. If we were seen by people who didn¡¯t know that I had saved Fol¡¯s life, it could very likely lead to some unexpected misunderstandings. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, it was bound to produce all sorts of rumors.

    ¡°As the butler who danced with a daughter of a marquis, as well as a foreign Imperial Princess, what are you even trying to argue at this point?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right.¡±

    Thinking about it rationally, this situation was rather strange. It was less bizarre to the members of the royal family, who knew that the neighboring country was interested in me because of the technique I had used to save Fol, but to others, it must have looked quite odd.

    ¡°On that subject, how are you faring, Fol?¡±¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve surprised everyone.¡±

    Although her smile was full of yfulness, there was no way for everyone <i>not</i> to be surprised.

    ¡®Just amoner with a Count¡¯s support.¡¯ That was Fol¡¯s status in the Academy, so there were even some who had made it known that they weren¡¯t in favor of her attending the Noble course.

    This moner¡¯ now attended the party as the country¡¯s princess. Having witnessed it, it wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine what state of mind everyone was in. More children than usual had left the party halfway, which surely wasn¡¯t unrted.

    ¡°More importantly, let me thank you again. I¡¯ve received a magical tool from Lancelot as a wee back present, but¡­ you were the one who made it, right?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I asked His Highness Prince Lancelot a tremendous favor, and I gave him something as a token of my gratitude¡­ That¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about, right?¡±

    I implied that she should thank Prince Lancelot instead. Although my true thoughts were: ¡®His Highness Prince Lancelot will bear a grudge against me, so please spare me.¡¯ She probably understood what I was truly thinking, too. She chuckled.

    ¡°No worries, I won¡¯t do anything to cause any trouble to the people I am indebted to,¡± Fol said and held out her hand. No matter how one looked at it, it was the same gesture Lady Sophia had used¡ªin short, it was an invitation to dance.

    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you say that you won¡¯t cause the people you¡¯re indebted to any trouble?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, is this trouble?¡±

    ¡®It is.¡¯¡ªwasn¡¯t something I could have said. I mean, at this point in time when everyone¡¯s attention was gathered on Her Highness Folcenia, as she had now appeared on the center stage, it would be unwise not to immediately take her hand upon receiving her invitation.

    ¡°Lately, my Lady has been learning some worrisome things. I wonder whose influence that is?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s definitely your influence.¡±

    I shrugged, took Fol¡¯s hand and asked for a dance.

    And so, we began to dance. I hadn¡¯t danced with Fol since the entrance exam, and she had be even more skilled than she had been then. Moreover, I wasn¡¯t too conscious of it back then, but her sense of rhythm was certainly simr to mine. This was probably due to her teacher being Teacher Tristan¡ªmy older sister from our previous world.

    ¡°Thank you for epting my request, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you. I am grateful for you being this considerate of me.¡±

    Fol¡¯s real identity was Her Highness Princess Folcenia. This fact didn¡¯t just serve as a shock to the people around her. As members of the Student Council and Fol¡¯s friends, Lady Sophia and I were gathering a lot of attention too.

    Namely, the question was whether we knew about Fol¡¯s true identity or not. If we had gotten close to her without knowing about it, the people who had looked down on Fol would likely make us into their scapegoats, using us of L¨¨se-majest¨¦.1 However, if we had be close after knowing all the details, that would be proof of how much she trusted us.

    Fol appeared in front of everyone as Her Highness Princess Folcenia for the first time at this party, and it was of grand significance if we continued interacting in the same way as we did at the Academy.

    ¡­Truth to be told, I had a feeling that it might have a little too much of an impact.

    Even in the game¡¯s events, it was the daughter of a Viscount who had gotten close to the royal family, not letting the difference in their social standing defeat her. However, even in the original plot, it was unheard of for a butler who hadn¡¯t been born into nobility to be close to the royal family. I believed that, even without the two of us dancing, just talking to her would have been sufficient, but¡­ this was Fol after all.

    As I pondered these thoughts, our dance came to a close. We have naturally gathered some attention, but neither Fol nor I took notice of the stares.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s talk at the Academyter.¡±

    Fol left, a gentle smile on her face. I watched her go and then walked through the ballroom, intending to leave as well, when I happened toe across some familiar faces once more. It was Alicia and Pam, each being escorted by a middle-aged man¡ªmost likely their fathers.

    Although I had said that I had ¡®happened toe across them¡¯, it seemed that they had been waiting for me. They were unmistakably looking at me. Therefore, I stopped before them. However, they hadn¡¯t addressed me yet. I was a mere butler, while this was most likely Viscount Lindberg and Count Ford. It was proper etiquette for a person of a lower social standing to wait to be addressed by the higher-ranking person.

    However, ten seconds passed, and they still hadn¡¯t spoken to me. Was this¡­ was I mistaken about them having some business with me? Or were they testing my etiquette? I didn¡¯t mind if it was thetter, but if it was the former, it would be extremely embarrassing.

    <i>Should I leave, should I stay?</i> As I was seriously pondering this, Alicia spoke to me.

    ¡°Cyril,¡± she said. However, the man next to her¡ªmost likely her father¡ªpulled at her hand.

    ¡°Alicia! No matter how close you are with each other at the Academy, you mustn¡¯t act the same way when we¡¯re in high society. It¡¯s proper etiquette for the person of a lower social standing to wait for the other person to speak to them.¡±

    Without thinking, I almost retorted: <i>Yes, that¡¯s correct, but also, it isn¡¯t?!</i> and I wanted to be praised for resisting doing so with difficulty. However, in order to resolve this misunderstanding, I had no choice but to talk to them.

    ¡°Excuse me. You must be Count Ford and Viscount Lindberg.¡±

    Given their reaction, I hadn¡¯t been mistaken when guessing who they were. Before the two men who were mistaken about my social status could humbly reply to me, I continued, ¡°Please forgive me for my rudeness in addressing you, even though I am a butler. I am Cyril, I am the butler of Marquis Rosenberg¡¯s daughter, Lady Sophia. Your gracious daughters help me out often at the Academy.¡±

    I bowed my head politely.

    Lately, I had be a little numb to this, but, technically speaking, even just saying ¡®Your gracious daughters are good friends of mine.¡¯ was likely to be considered impudent whening from a butler. However, thankfully, the two men weren¡¯t offended. In fact, when the two daughters each retorted to their respective parents, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± they replied with, ¡°Seems like it.¡±

    Now that the misunderstanding had been resolved, the person with the highest court rank was Count Ford. Despite this, when the man spoke to me, he still seemed a little concerned.

    ¡°Excuse me, but are you truly a butler?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was born into a family who has been serving the Rosenberg Marquis household for generations, but we are without any court rank.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s what I had heard from my daughter¡­ So it really is true.¡±

    ¡®Why are you doubting it so much¡­?¡¯ Since I had a very clear idea of why, I felt quite apologetic. As if he had sensed my apologetic thoughts, Count Ford shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to cause you any trouble. I heard that you saved Pam during the entrance exams and I wanted to find an opportunity to thank you. Also, I am truly sorry it messed up your exam.¡±

    ¡°I am undeserving of such words. Moreover, there is no need for an apology. I was simply doing what I should as Lady Sophia¡¯s butler.¡±

    Under no circumstances would I say that I had intentionally made use of the situation in order to make Lady Sophia top of the ss. Additionally, if I hadn¡¯t saved Pam, there was even a possibility for the First Prince to fall for her at first sight. I was full of guilt as well.

    I insisted that I didn¡¯t want him to worry about it, and it seemed that he did understand that, but¡­ now it was Viscount Lindberg the one who thanked me, having heard that I had saved his daughter, too. He seemed to be talking about the incident that happened during Prince Lancelot¡¯s birthday party the year prior.

    That incident had also been convenient for me. And, although by the time I intervened, the event in which Prince Alforth fell in love with Alicia at first sight had already fallen apart, the fact that I had changed the course of the story still rang true.

    ¡­How should I put it¡­ I felt really sorry.

    I was praying that Alicia and Pam would find a good match from the bottom of my heart¡­ No, I wouldn¡¯t just pray, I would help them out so that their connection to Lady Sophia would be even stronger. If they had connections to a grown-up Lady Sophia, their status would beparable to that of a Prince¡¯s consort.

    I pondered these things and we continued with some idle chatter, when Lady Sophia returned.

    The daughter of a marquis, a Count and a Viscount.

    Considering their social status at the present time, their court rank was higher than hers. Of course, were her future influence taken into consideration, it¡¯d prove difficult to determine it, but there was no need to worry when it came to my Lady. First, I introduced Lady Sophia to the two men, and then I introduced them to her.

    ¡°This is Count Ford and Viscount Lindberg. They told me they feel grateful that I helped out their daughters and I¡¯ve received excessive words of gratitude.¡±

    Technically speaking, my remark could lead to someone retorting: ¡°How dare you, a mere butler, say this?¡±, but from the moment Lady Sophia returned, I was her escort once more. Making use of this, I indirectly let her know that they had treated me well and that I wished for her to treat them well, too. These words had an immediate effect on Lady Sophia, who was quite amicable to people who acknowledged me.

    ¡°Ah, I see. Miss Pam and Miss Alicia also treat me very kindly. I hope we can get along from now on as well.¡±

    ¡®I want our families to get along,¡¯ Miss Sophia had answered with a smile. Afterwards, they began talking about the potatoes lent to their territory and other such things. Although Lady Sophia was born into a marquis household and was still very young, she led a splendid conversation with these owners of other fiefs, despite the fact that, when I first met her, she would be bullied by a maid and on the verge of tears.

    I couldn¡¯t be careless either. In order not to bring shame upon my position as Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, I had to strive to work even harder.

    While acting as Lady Sophia¡¯s partner, I took this new oath.

    We''re almost at the end of the third volume, the epilogue is up next! That being said, I will be taking a break from posting next week. I''ve been swamped with work and tranting and I need to give my brain some rest. Thank you for your patience and understanding and Happy New Year! Hope to see you soon!

    (Off topic but why does this sentence sound like the beginning of a joke: The daughter of a marquis, a Count and a Viscount walk into a bar¡­)

    Thank you for yourments and your support! If you''d like to support the trantion, you can send me a Ko-fi:<ol><li>¡±¡­a French term meaning "to do wrong to majesty", is an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.¡± https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 22: Epilogue

    In addition to being a celebration, the birthday party was also the asion where Her Highness, Princess Folcenia made her official debut. And in addition to that, albeit unofficially, a meeting took ce that led to the strengthening of our friendship with the mefield Empire. And thus, Prince Lancelot¡¯s birthday party ended as a sess.

    Despite the meeting¡¯s contents being private, it was announced that the friendship between the two countries was expected to grow even stronger than before. While there were people who spected that His Highness, Imperial Prince Harold and Lady Sophia got engaged, these spections were immediately shut down by Prince Lancelot. Moreover, because the guests who had witnessed the party¡¯s events unfold followed the Prince¡¯s footsteps in denying these theories, it seemed that the rumors of Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement were extinguished right on the spot.

    Such being the case, the contents of the meeting still remained a mystery.

    ¡®But since there were a few unusual magical tools used at the party venue, it¡¯s probably rted to that.¡¯

    It seemed that the general opinion was settling in that direction. Since Fol was involved as well, it seemed that the existence of the magical tool that served as a countermeasure against the Magical Overcharge Illness wouldn¡¯t be announced anytime soon.

    The important thing was that Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage did note to fruition. This matter should have now been settled. However, a few days after the party, I was summoned by Master Grave and went to his office.

    ¡°¡­Is that you, Cyril?¡±

    The moment he saw me, Master Grave let out a deep sigh¡ªa sigh that seemed deeper than the ocean itself.

    ¡­There were too many reasons for why he could be sighing, so I had no idea which one was the actual cause. For the time being, I had no choice but to decide on the reason after hearing what he would tell me.¡°I have to say, the oue of this situation far exceeded my expectations.¡±

    ¡°¡­Much obliged.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know whether he was praising me, or if I was being criticized as a fool who overdid things. For the time being, I chose words that worked with either option and bowed.

    ¡°Both Sophia and you, why did you make it into such a big affair?¡±

    ¡­Apparently, it was thetter.

    ¡°My apologies. I intended to take the utmost care not to harm the country¡¯s interests while preventing Lady Sophia¡¯s political marriage¡­but it seems that I hadn¡¯t paid enough attention.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±

    Master Grave sighed again.

    ¡°The situation happened just as Sophia willedl.¡±

    My eyes slightly widened. The situation did go by Lady Sophia¡¯s will. In other words, upon receiving the neighboring country¡¯s request, His Majesty approached Master Grave about making Lady Sophia, Imperial Prince Harold¡¯s guide, and Master Grave had consented. Meaning that the whole sequence of events I presumed was correct was out of order.

    ¡°Then, Master Grave, you tolerated my actions¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­because my daughter wished me to do so, of course.¡±

    Master Grave had the option of refusing the guide request. Nevertheless, he consented for Lady Sophia to be a guide. Yet, he didn¡¯t stop me, someone who was taking actions to prevent her engagement. This was something that kept nagging me¡­I see. Master Grave was simply fulfilling Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes.

    ¡°Therefore, I expected you to perform a great feat. However, the benefits of the magical tool you invented are too great. The existence of such a tool waspletely outside the realm of my expectations.¡±

    ¡°The benefits¡­are too great?¡±

    ¡°You must be aware of this too. The mefield Empire¡¯s Imperial family are very well-suited to be magic users.¡±

    The Imperial family of the magic field¡¯s great power were outstanding magic users. On the other hand, the number of their nobles adversely affected by Magical Overcharge Illness was apparently not small.

    Furthermore, the knowledge on how to deal with this illness was overwhelmingly insufficient in this world. Normally, people who became outstanding magic users woulde to terms with living their life with a handicap. The magical tool which I had created would change their fates.

    ¡°Then, are there others who want this magical tool as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve received requests for you to make them one.¡±

    ¡°..So that¡¯s¡­ how things stand.¡±

    I understood why he said that the benefits were too great now. For the Empire, the best option would have been to obtain me, someone who had the technique on how to release magical powers. Even if they didn¡¯t and they were to buy the magic-releasing spell, they¡¯d only owe me one favor.

    However, what I offered was a magical tool. A single magical tool that could change the fate of one person.

    Of course, if they were to analyze it, it should be possible to duplicate the tool too, however¡­a lot of time is needed for the analysis of an unknown magical equipment. Also, there would still be people suffering from Magical Overcharge Illness during that time as well, creating a great debt in my favor. Something that would continuously generate debt from the Imperial family and the leaders of the neighboring country¡­was certainly something troublesome.

    ¡°Then, how about we suggest a joint development of this tool?¡±

    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We cannot create a highly efficient magical tool without the mefield Empire. If we exchanged these tools they¡¯d have to use for the rest of their life for their joint development, wouldn¡¯t that bnce things out?¡±

    Since the other party wanted this magical tool this time as well, they would probably provide the device for it without any objections. However, just like Fol, there were people suffering from Magical Overcharge Illness in our country as well. Moreover, the mefield Empire¡¯s device was indispensable in the other outstanding magical tools. Therefore, this meant that we should approach the Empire with the proposal and close the deal to jointly develop the magical tools while the situation was still favorable.

    Incidentally, in this world, Magical Overcharge Illness was considered to be a shameful sickness. Therefore, we could use the joint development of various magical tools as a front and produce the magical tool that served as a countermeasure to the Magical Overcharge Illness in secret. It definitely wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a reasonablepromise?¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, I shall suggest it to His Majesty.¡±

    Apparently, I seemed to have been a little useful. I was actually wondering what he would say about Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement being blocked, but I guess he wouldn¡¯t say anything about that, huh¡­? Was this a result that Master Grave had considered from the beginning?

    ¡°Furthermore, there¡¯s talk of bestowing you with an honorary noble title.¡±

    This was way too abrupt and so, it took extreme effort for me to keep up my appearances. An honorary noble title was a so-called noble title limited to a single generation. I wouldn¡¯t be grantednd and it wouldn¡¯t be possible for me to pass the title onto my children but, my social standing would be equivalent to the bestowed title.

    Incidentally, Teacher Tristan had the honorary rank of a Baron but his case was rather exceptional. Considering my age as well, it could be said that bestowing a title upon me was unprecedented. However, there was no way that I could decline as it would be very discourteous to refuse and thus, I held back on even mentioning anything of that sort. I immediately bowed.

    ¡°It¡¯s more honor than I deserve.¡±

    ¡°Hm. However¡­the actual bestowing of the title is still a long way off. You aren¡¯t an adult yet and it still hasn¡¯t been decided what title you¡¯d be bestowed and by whom.¡±

    ¡°Would it not be the title of a Baron, limited to one generation?¡±

    ¡°Restoring His Highness, Prince Alforth¡¯s honor, saving Her Highness, Princess Folcenia, developing a new magical tool and greatly indebting a neighboring country to you¡­although many of these deeds of yours cannot be made public¡­still.¡±

    It seemed that I had overdone it a little. Although, I had no intentions of regretting my actions even a bit, since they were all necessary for Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough for there to be proposals of not giving you an honorary title but a legitimate court rank. From¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hisst words were muttered so quietly that I couldn¡¯t hear them. However, because his lips moved, I was still able to read what he had just said. But, what did ¡®From Queen Adele¡¯ mean?

    I had no idea.

    Certainly, it wasn¡¯t unusual for high-ranking nobles to have multiple titles. Surely, Queen Adele also had several. However, it wasmon practice for the nobles to pass down these titles to their children and they definitely weren¡¯t something that could be given as a reward. If they were to pass down a title, it would be kind of like bing the receiver¡¯s legal guardian¡­

    <i>Alright, let¡¯s just pretend that I didn¡¯t understand what Master Grave muttered</i>, since it waspletely unrted to my position as Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler.

    ¡°Like I¡¯ve already said, this matter is being postponed until you be an adult. So, the current issue is the marriage proposals that you¡¯ve received.¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s from Her Highness, Imperial Princess Charlotte?¡±

    ¡°No, of course a foreign Imperial Princess wouldn¡¯t send a marriage proposal to an ordinary¡ªwell, you aren¡¯t ordinary, but still¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t send a proposal to a <i>butler</i>. Unless¡ªdon¡¯t tell me that such a topic came up?¡±

    ¡­I really was stirring the ho''s nest.

    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡­You¡¯re terrible at schooling your expressions. But¡­I see. So the Empire has already taken action as well? Meaning that everything is proceeding ording to what my daughter expected?¡±

    ¡°¡­ording to what Lady Sophia expected?¡±

    I asked him what he was talking about indirectly but Master Grave didn¡¯t answer me. However, he returned to the main topic, once again talking about my marriage proposals.

    ¡°Please, wait a moment. Since I have no intentions to step down as Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler, may I refuse?¡±

    ¡°I thought that you would say as such. However, it¡¯s essential that you first hear the whole story.¡±

    ¡°Why? If it¡¯s a proposal from a fellow servant, then it¡¯s your decision anyway¡­ Master Grave¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly. The marriage proposals came from nobledies.¡±

    Unconsciously, I fell silent.

    I did think that it was kinda unbelievable, but, even if I responded like that, I waspletely aware that he could just retort: ¡®What the hell do you mean, you just got proposed to by an Imperial Princess!¡¯

    However¡ª

    ¡°By the way, the proposals came from Count Ford and Viscount Lindberg.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.Huh?¡±

    ¡°It seems that the ones proposing to you are Sophia¡¯s friends.¡±

    Naturally, my face paled in reaction to what he said.

    ¡­Of all people, it was Lady Alicia and Lady Pam?

    ¡°Excuse me for being so bold, but why are the families of these two Ladies offering a marriage proposal to me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that you overdid it.¡±

    ording to Master Grave, the transaction with the neighboring country was yet to be publicized. And yet, I was already close with Princess Folcenia and Prince Alforth, as well as Imperial Princess Charlotte. Even with the transaction still a secret, this was highly extraordinary for a butler. Also, above all else, Lady Sophia relied on me.

    Therefore, establishing a connection with me was no different than having multiple connections to people of high status. It seemed that I had caught the eye of low-ranking nobles, especially those for whom it was difficult to form connections with noble heirs. Two such nobles who knew me through their daughters acted ahead of the rest.

    ¡°So, in other words¡­¡±

    ¡°There are more toe.¡±

    This is what made me speechless. This was extremely bad. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Master Grave to turn down proposals from other noble households. But, that was just answering the question whether he could do so or not.

    A marriage proposal between an ordinary butler and a noble daughter. There was no reason for Master Grave to go through the many hardships of rejecting such an exceptional proposal.

    ¡°Master Grave, I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler. I¡¯m here to serve my Lady. Please, allow me to continue being Lady Sophia¡¯s butler.¡±

    ¡°The Royal family took a liking to you too and you even have connections to the neighboring country. Moreover, you are being proposed to by daughters of nobles. It¡¯s no longer possible for me to hold you back as Sophia¡¯s butler.¡±

    I was speechless.

    <i>Where did I go wrong?</i> I wondered. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t find an answer. I just kept doing things that I believed were necessary for Lady Sophia¡¯s sake. I couldn¡¯t think of any of those things as mistakes.

    ¡°Cyril, I have a proposal for you.¡±

    ¡°A proposal?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ept one of my titles¡ªthe title of a Count.¡±

    ¡°¡­What may you be talking about?¡± I asked him cautiously. The only answer that I could glean from what he had just said was to either be an adoptive child to the Rosenberg Marquis household or somehow marry into the family or marry someone else¡¯s noble daughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to say that I¡¯ve steeled myself for this option too, as I cannot let you two go. Therefore, I offer a marriage proposal to you¡ªYou maye in.¡±

    As if someone had been waiting right there, the moment Master Grave said this, the door behind me opened. Then, I felt someone stand beside me. From the corner of my eye, I could glimpse tinum blonde hair. When I nervously turned my gaze to the side, Lady Sophia was standing there.

    ¡°Why is Lady Sophia here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been nominated to be your marriage candidate.¡±

    ¡°Wh¨Cwhat are you talking about? You¡¯re the daughter of a noble. I won¡¯t force you to do anything such as marry me, a mere butler, against your wi¨C¡±

    I cut myself off for Lady Sophia had grabbed my hand.

    ¡°Cyril. You keep your word. You don¡¯t make promises you don¡¯t intend to keep. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, it¡¯s as you say.¡±

    ¡°That day, you made a promise. You said that from that day onwards, you¡¯d be my butler in training. Moreover, you also said that you¡¯d always be by my side.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡±

    ¡°But you hadn¡¯t promised to always be by my side as a butler, have you?¡±

    <i>Ah¡­I get it. </i>I hadn¡¯t said those specific words that day.<i> I don¡¯t understand why I hadn¡¯t said it either.</i> But, it might be that somewhere deep in my heart, I was thinking that a day such as this might arrive.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I want you to answer me immediately. But, at this rate, you won¡¯t be able to remain as my butler. So¡­¡±

    She wanted to stay by my side, using the status of being my marriage candidate. My Lady was watching me, her expression a mixture of both hope and anxiety. When I first met her, she was quite childish but before I knew it, she was able to stand by my side with such a grown-up expression on her face.

    ¡°Is that what you wish for, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is what I wish for.¡±

    She was looking straight at me and she was blushing faintly. <i>My Lady is so naturally beautiful,</i> I thought.

    ¡°However, just because it¡¯s what I want, there¡¯s no need for you to force yourself to fulfill my wishes. Even though I wish for you to want the same thing too¡­¡±

    ¡°My Lady¡­¡±

    At that moment, I was seized by an indescribable feeling. The most important thing to me was Lady Sophia¡¯s happiness, so I wanted to fulfill her wishes. Until that moment, I, who had transmigrated into Cyril, lived with that as my objective. But, of course, I also had my desires. At some point, I began to pray that my wishes wouldn¡¯t be contrary to Lady Sophia¡¯s. I wished for my Lady¡¯s wishes to walk hand in hand with mine.

    Therefore¡ª

    ¡°I wish to be by your side. I want to be with you when you¡¯re happy of course, but I also want to be by your side when you¡¯re feeling sad, or when you¡¯re in pain, always. Lady Sophia, let¡¯s walk on this path together.¡±

    Author¡¯s note:

    "Thank you for reading. For the time being, the main story of The Viinous Daughter¡¯s Butler hase to a close.

    ¡­

    It might be necessary to change the story¡¯sposition depending on how far I¡¯ll be able to continue with ¡®Avoiding the Ending: Our Fight has Just Begun¡¯, so the main story reached its end and I¡¯ll decide on the continuation depending on the situation from now on.

    If I were to resume the main story, I n on writing a story about an even cooler Cyril, who protects Lady Sophia as a butler and as a marriage candidate. So,I¡¯ll be happy if you were to support the continuation as well."

    In ater extra, author specifies that if volume number two sells as well as the first volume, it''s both possible that the publications will end with the second volume, or that there will be a fifth or tenth volume as well, and that there are many factors that influence the decision so author can''t tell for sure.

    However this info is from the year 2020, and I looked at the author''s twitter to look up more recent news. It seems that the third volume was published in September 2021, here''s the cover: /tsukigase_rain/status/1438801506229047300/photo/1

    Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Also, there are still 9 chapters of extras to be tranted. so stay tuned! :>

    Thank you so much for yourments and support throughout the year, I''ve had an amazing time working on the novel. Thank you!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:

 Book 3: Chapter 23: Extra: Sophia and Cyrils tea party

    A few days after Cyril had been chosen as Lady Sophia¡¯s marriage candidate.

    Lady Sophia was leisurely drinking tea in the courtyard of the Rosenberg Marquis household¡¯s secondary residence. I was by her side as her exclusive butler. Yes, as her exclusive butler.

    Our circumstances hadn¡¯t changed much even after I became her marriage candidate. Naturally, the fact that I had been chosen as such was real and was something I didn¡¯t even dare to dream of but, Lady Sophia was still a debutante. She would still be a minor until she stopped being a debutante. Moreover, physically, she was still just a child as well. In that sense, our rtionship as a young Lady and her exclusive butler continued.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, what are you thinking about?¡±

    She ced her teacup on top of the saucer and tilted her head to the side. Lady Sophia became more coquettish than she had been before¡­Or, perhaps the way I looked at her had changed, despite the fact that until very recently, I thought that while she was charming, she was still just a young child.

    ¡°Cyril?¡±

    ¡°My apologies. I was wondering about when you started nning this, my Lady.¡±

    ¡°You mean my engagement to you? Since the first time you have escorted me. I asked my father for a favor, begging him to let you be my escort.¡±

    ¡°Since that time¡­?¡±That time, I was told something along the lines of ¡®I¡¯m entrusting you to be her escort as there is no other appropriate partner for her.¡¯ ¡­I see, so everything from that point on had been training?

    In retrospect, it was also around this time that Lady Sophia had started hiding things from me. She would tell me that it was a secret and while I was happy about my Lady growing up, I was also feeling a little mncholic at the same time¡­

    ¡°¡­Cyril? Your face is a little red.¡±

    ¡°Of course something like that is going to make my face go a little red. I mean, you¡¯re also blushing, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­I mean¡­ugh, Cyril, you meanie!¡±

    I quickly averted my gaze. By the way, since I was only retaliating, the real meanie here was Lady Sophia.

    ¡°However¡­then, the current situation also went ording to your ns, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°In general, yes. My father told me that your social standing isn¡¯t good enough to make you my fianc¨¦ so he said we should let you y a more active role in the situation.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    She was saying that she epted the role of a guide for the foreign Imperial Prince of her own free will. In other words, she expected that on top of me peacefully stopping her political marriage, I would achieve some great deeds as well.

    ¡°However, it seems that the Queen has also been nning some things. Wasn¡¯t there the possibility of your ns being ruined by her, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°No, it was actually my father¡¯s ns that could have been ruined. The winner didn¡¯t matter to me, whether it was my father or the Queen.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Because you told me that you¡¯d be by my side, no matter which path I chose, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°I certainly did say that but¡­ah, nevermind.¡±

    What I wanted to ask her was if she would have be a Royal, a Marquess, or even amoner for the sake of getting engaged to me. Knowing that this was what she meant made my face grow hot.

    ¡°More importantly, how long do you n on standing there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your exclusive butler, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re also my fianc¨¦, are you not?¡±

    ¡°Your marriage candidate.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, why are you saying such mean things?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a mean thing, it¡¯s just the truth. It¡¯s a spoken promise that serves as an excuse to reject other marriage proposals and something that might be revoked immediately if I were tomit any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Then, do you n onmitting any mistakes, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t it the same as being my fianc¨¦?¡±

    Well¡­it certainly was as she said, but there were some things that would be better if they were left ambiguous to the outside world. For example, the fact that I was Lady Sophia¡¯s marriage candidate served as a deterrent from Lady Sophia and I receiving marriage proposals. However, if we were to confirm that I was her fianc¨¦, situations such as ¡®the difference between your social standings are too big so marry me instead¡¯ were bound to pop up. When I asked her: ¡®You do understand that, right?¡¯, Lady Sophia grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eliminate anyone who would want toe between our rtionship, so that¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯m actually more concerned about others taking advantage of this ambiguity.¡±

    There was Alicia and Pam¡ªor more precisely, their parents¡ªbut my Lady didn¡¯t particrly mention the fact that they offered marriage to me. This topic was only bound to stir the ho¡¯s nest, so I pretended that I hadn¡¯t heard her.

    Of course, Lady Sophia wouldn¡¯t back down from me doing so and opened her mouth as if to say something. So, I stuffed a cookie into that adorable mouth of hers. Lady Sophia let out a small groan and chewed on the cookie.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, if you think that you¡¯re going to dodge the issue by doing thi¡ª¡±

    When it seemed like she wanted to say more, I whispered into her ear: ¡°I¡¯ll only do this sort of thing with you, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¨CI guess I have no choice then. I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±

    My Lady then irritably pretended and put on a brave front which was extremely adorable. Even though she was still a child, she was desperately doing her best for my sake. <i>Lady Sophia is very charming like this</i>, I thought, taking a seat next to her. And then, I popped another piece of cookie into her mouth.

    Thank you for reading! A very short extra this time, the oneing next week is more standard length. Hope you enjoy nheless!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:

 Book 3: Chapter 24: DLC: The Sea Part 1

    Roughly a week had passed since the First Prince¡¯s birthday party. Today, the usual council members were scheduled to meet up in the Student Council¡¯s office.

    Lady Sophia, Alicia and Prince Alforth were already gathered inside. Apart from me who was also a Student Council member, there were a few other servants. In other words, all the old and trusted members.

    However, when looking at the situation from another angle, the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense. There was Lady Sophia and I, who had be her marriage candidate, which was officially acknowledged by her parents. In addition to us, there was Alicia, the Viscount¡¯s daughter who had shown her affection for me without any concealment and who, atst, had approached me via her parents with a marriage proposal. And finally, there was also our country¡¯s Second Prince, who was in love with Lady Sophia.

    In other words, we were in a love square.

    A weird kind of rtionship where political marriage and love intertwined. But, Alicia was much more mature than in the original story and also very stubborn. Prince Alforth too, was growing up to be a splendid prince, just like in the original story. They wouldn¡¯t do anything to expose their inner thoughts and sour the atmosphere.

    So, on the surface, everything was as usual. However¡ªno, perhaps I should say that <i>because of it</i>¡ªno one was choosing to speak, causing the atmosphere to grow tense. Hence, to those who were able to read the other¡¯s concealed inner thoughts, the mood in the room was unbearable. It was extremely unfortunate that all the servants present were able to guess what their inner feelings were.

    And so¡ª

    ¡°Miss Sophia.¡±

    Alicia called out to Lady Sophia. She sounded like nothing was out of the ordinary, a gentle smile being the only thing gracing her face. However, all the servants¡ªincluding me¡ªimmediately stiffened. Alicia continued to speak calmly.¡°Um, t¨Ctoday, the weather is nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked.

    <i>Today</i>, the weather is nice.

    It wasn¡¯t unusual for nobles to cram several meanings into these words. It also wasn¡¯t unusual for a person to publiclymit an unthinkable blunder if they misinterpreted them. Therefore, caution was demanded of the answering person as well.

    For example, if she were to agree with Alicia¡¯s statement, in the next moment, Alicia could also say: ¡®Oh, you think so too? While I also think that today, the weather is nice, I believe that tomorrow, a downpour of blood will arrive¡¯ forcing her to agree with something she didn¡¯t mean.

    It was usible.

    However, she couldn¡¯t just carelessly disagree either. Let¡¯s imagine that she disagreed bysaying: ¡®I don¡¯t think so.¡¯

    In the next moment, Alicia could retort: ¡®Ah, so the weather being nice is simply a sham after all. So, you must believe that your marriage with Cyril is a sham as well, right?¡¯ forcing her to agree with things that she didn¡¯t mean again.

    This was usible too.

    Of course, Alicia probably had no intention of saying something like this. However, she wasn¡¯t the only one who could find fault at what Lady Sophia would say. Also, even if they wouldn¡¯t voice it, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for one of the servants present to misinterpret her words like in the previous examples.

    The world of nobles was truly very bothersome and very, very scary.

    Naturally, I was probably overthinking this. But, I had no idea where the pitfallsy. I couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that some unexpected conflicts may arise just by agreeing with the weather being nice¡ªthe room was wrapped in such strange tension.

    As a result¡ª

    ¡°Do you like nice weather, Miss Alicia?¡±

    Lady Sophia used the technique of dodging the answer by asking a question, avoiding any difficulties by doing so. Now, Alicia was faced with the same perilous situation instead. Her exclusive maid, Melissa, paled, wondering if her master would slip up.

    However, Alicia had also grown up a lot during this year. She would allocate the problems that she couldn¡¯t deal with on her own to people who were capable of handling them. Naturally, this could easily lead to others having doubts about her abilities of dealing with things, but this method was a gracious one, a method used by someone who understood their own abilities.

    In other words¡ª

    ¡°Cy-Cyril, what do you think?¡± she asked.

    What, me?!

    On the surface, she was asking about the weather but¡ªactually, it was also possible that there probably wasn¡¯t any hidden meaning and she <i>was</i> simply asking about the weather. However, since I was Lady Sophia¡¯s marriage candidate, I could view it as Alicia hinting at her marriage proposal to me. Throwing the question to me in this kind of situation; this was the worst!

    Damn it¡­Alicia was definitely only trying to do something about this atmosphere and was simply talking about the weather. Even though I understood that, if I answered poorly, it could easily give rise to needless misunderstandings.

    But, I was Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler and her marriage candidate. Moreover, ours wasn¡¯t just a marriage of convenience either. Lady Sophia wanted it, and I also wished to be her fianc¨¦. Under no circumstances could I make any remarks that might result in me losing this status. On top of that, I needed to make a decision that wouldn¡¯t allow for this ce to turn into a scene of carnage.

    ¡°¡­Speaking of the weather, did you know that right around this time, the climate in the mefield Empire is warm enough to be able to swim in the sea?¡±

    This was one of my secret skills¡ªboldly changing the topic. I paid meticulous attention to both the topic and my phrasing so that no unnecessary misunderstandings could appear.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    Lady Sophia was the first to show interest. Then, Alicia and Prince Alforth expressed their own curiosity by leaning forward too, tantly taken with the topic. All of them probably thought that they wanted to do away with this atmosphere somehow.

    Although Lady Sophia¡¯s interest was probably genuine since she had said that she wanted to try swimming in the sea near where we had our training camp with the Student Councilst time. As I thought about it, Lady Sophia¡¯s gaze briefly met mine and she smiled. I felt as if her eyes were saying ¡®So you remembered.¡¯ Without saying anything, I smiled as well and then, I turned to the others and returned to the topic of the mefield Empire.

    The mefield Empire. The homnd of Imperial Prince Harold and Imperial Princess Charlotte who came to study here not too long ago. The Empire was a region that excelled in the field of magic but, on the other hand, they were a little behind when it came to general technology. The Ephenear Kingdom, however, was quite behind whenpared to their magical techniques but, it pulled ahead in general technology and also shared a friendly rtionship with the mefield Empire with the trade being mutually beneficial.

    By the way, the capitals were connected by a regrly dispatched magical airship line, and if a person was able to get onboard, they¡¯d be able to travel from one city to another in but a few days. There were issues with it as well, such as the airship line running only once per month and not being able to use it unless a person¡¯s social status was high enough.

    mefield¡¯s climate waspletely different from Ephenear¡¯s. As one could tell from its name, it was a very hotnd.

    ¡°For this reason, there are even people who go to the beaches to swim right about this time in the mefield Empire.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re wearing those ¡®swimsuits¡¯ that you mentioned earlier, right, Cyril? But that only applies to themoners, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Prince Alforth tilted his head in puzzlement.

    ¡°Nobles of this country don¡¯t approve of baring one¡¯s skin,¡± I agreed but then continued. ¡°However¡ªAs I mentioned earlier, the mefield Empire¡¯s climate stays warm all year round. Therefore, inparison, the Empire¡¯s formal attire is quite revealing, so they aren¡¯t opposed to swimsuits either.¡±

    ¡°Ooh¡­now that you mention it, Prince Harold and Princess Charlotte were also quite¡­ lightly dressed.¡±

    Prince Alforth¡¯s eyes wandered a little.

    Using the words ¡®lightly dressed¡¯ was most likely the oue of Prince Alforth choosing his words quite wisely. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for the nobles of Ephenear to even say the word ¡®shameless¡¯. Since our country was quite cold, the two Imperial nobles must have felt like they were more warmly dressed than usual.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Right at that moment, Fol appeared.

    As she listened to our small talk, she stood in front of her own seat and¡ª ¡°So, let¡¯s have an outing together!¡± she said suddenly.

    ¡°On an outing¡­?¡± Lady Sophia asked, voicing the thoughts of all of us.

    ¡°Yep. Cyril became Sophia¡¯s marriage candidate and Alicia, your parents approached the Rosenberg Marquis household about marriage between you and Cyril. And Alf, you seem to be stuck in an unrequited love too, so you¡¯re all probably feeling very awkward, right?¡±

    This girl, she spilled everything! Even as she was enveloped in an extremely tense atmosphere which caused everyone to choose their words carefully, she spilled everything that none of us were able to say. This was so utterly like her.

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one astonished. Everyone was speechless.

    ¡°What? You all look so surprised. Don¡¯t you all know these same facts? And yet, none of you would touch the topic out of consideration for the other, which had the opposite effect of making the atmosphere really tense.¡±

    This time, everyone kept silent because of a different reason¡ªWe realized that ultimately, what Fol said was true.

    At the least, I was aware of everyone¡¯s feelings. While there might be some slight discrepancies, Lady Sophia and Alicia, and most likely, Prince Alforth as well, must have realized who was in love with whom. The marriage proposals were only manifestations of these feelings.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s certainly as you say, Fol. As you know, Cyril did be my marriage candidate but I don¡¯t want to drift apart from any of you.¡±

    Lady Sophia was the first to speak. I was deeply moved by her words.

    Lady Sophia said this: ¡®Prince Alforth, Alicia, I know about your feelings. Although Cyril became my marriage candidate, you don¡¯t have to keep your distance because of it.¡¯

    In a certain sense, it could be taken as her being soft-hearted. Depending on the person, it could also be taken as her not attaching much importance to me being her marriage candidate.

    But, that wasn¡¯t the case. Lady Sophia worked extremely hard to make me her marriage candidate.

    Therefore, I knew just how much she treasured my rtionship with her. On top of that, my Lady also wanted to treasure her rtionship with her friends. This was my Lady, the same one who had almost fallen into darkness when I had just shared a dance with Alicia.

    ¡®My Lady has really grown up¡­¡¯ I thought the same thing as I had earlier. While I was still deeply moved by her, Alicia and Prince Alforth followed after Lady Sophia.Then, they all looked at me.

    ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion. I wish to treasure my friendship with you all from the bottom of my heart as well.¡±

    Not just my friendship with them¡ªmy friendship with them <i>as well</i>. I didn¡¯t want anyone to mistake what was most important to me but what I had just said were my true, honest feelings. And as everyone nodded at each other¡ª

    ¡°Such being the case, let¡¯s have an outing together,¡± Fol repeated.

    In unison, everyone tilted their head in puzzlement, as if to ask: ¡®Such being the case? What case is that?¡¯

    ¡°I mean, at this rate, you¡¯ll just keep being considerate over this and that, right? So let¡¯s all go on a trip together to get past this situation. Let¡¯s go to the mefield Empire, which you were talking about earlier and go swimming!¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t you just want to go for a swim, Fol?¡¯ No one retorted.

    Beach episode, here we goooo! lol Thank you for reading! Work has gotten so much busier for me again, so if an upload is a few dayste, please bear with me. I''ll do my best to keep up the weekly schedule though and update the story on Tuesday/Wednesday!

    Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:

 Book 3: Chapter 25: DLC: The Sea Part 2

    Lady Sophia and I returned to the mansion. While I was teaching etiquette to Roy and Emma, I was summoned by the current head of the Rosenberg Marquis household, Master Grave.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, there¡¯s something I wish to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Please, ask me anything.¡± I barely managed to answer, swallowing hard.

    Even though he had simply said that he only wanted to ask me a question, there was an indescribable intensity to his words. It could also be interpreted as anger.

    I recalledmitting errors of all kinds, but I couldn¡¯t remember doing anything that would inflict harm to the Rosenberg Marquis household. Given the timing, perhaps he had some issues with our outing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Sophia that you¡¯re having an outing in the mefield Empire¡­is that true?¡±

    ¡°It was suggested by Her Highness Folcenia, and His Highness Alforth agreed as well. I¡¯m afraid that this matter could be considered a done deal.¡±

    So, his question <i>was</i> about the outing. I briefly informed him of the situation and probed around to see what issue his mind was currently upied with. However, Master Grave didn¡¯t show any reaction to my words. So that meant that most likely¡ª

    ¡°The mefield Empire is a warm country, and apparently even nobles go to the beaches to swim, is that right?¡±¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Cyril, what do you think of the phrase: ¡®When in Rome, do as the Romans do?¡¯¡±

    I came very close to having an involuntary coughing fit, but I managed to suppress it by sheer willpower. Master Grave was implying this: ¡®Surely you don¡¯t mean to expose Sophia dressed in just a swimsuit to the masses at the mefield Empire¡¯s beaches, like those mefield nobles right?¡¯

    First of all, I had memories from my previous world.

    In the other world¡¯s civilized society, it wasn¡¯t strange for women to wear only a swimsuit in public. Looking at it from that perspective, I didn¡¯t think that Lady Sophia publicly wearing a swimsuit was something shameful. It could also be said that my perception was simr to the perception of themoners of this world.

    However, at the same time, it has been roughly ten years since I woke up in this world. Since then, I had gotten ustomed to this world¡¯s noble society as a butler. So, my current self¡¯s perception closely matched the perception of the nobles of this world, too.

    Therefore, I understood what worried Master Grave extremely well. However, I had already finished preparations to deal with this issue precisely because of it.

    ¡°Even though the two Imperial Highnesses of the mefield Empire are studying abroad here, their uniform conforms to the fashion of their own country. So I was thinking that we don¡¯t necessarily have to conform to theirs either.¡±

    I agreed with Master Grave¡¯s views, making him more open to discussion. In addition to that, I quickly continued before he could voice his opinion again.

    ¡°However, Her Highness Folcenia ns on wearing a swimsuit, in which case low-ranking nobles¡ªsuch as Lady Alicia¡ªwill have to do the same as her. Additionally, Lady Sophia wishes to wear it as well.¡±

    If a Royal like Fol were to wear a swimsuit, herpanions must do the same. Nevertheless, someone with the renown of the Rosenberg Marquis household attached to them also had the choice of not wearing it. But the fact of the matter was that Lady Sophia wanted to have a good time and wear a swimsuit. Since that was the case, it wasn¡¯t my duty to advise her against it, but to remove any obstacles standing in her way.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me to approve of Sophia enjoying herself while just wearing a swimsuit? However, Cyril, currently, you¡¯re not only her exclusive butler but also her marriage candidate. Are you going to let her wear a swimsuit?¡±

    ¡°While my status has changed, nothing has changed in my intentions to respect Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes,¡± I answered, prepared to be met with the current head¡¯s anger. I had prepared myself for this kind of problem ever since Lady Sophia had shown interest in the sea. I met Master Grave¡¯s gaze. Master Grave ced a hand to his temple and then let out a small sigh.

    ¡°Let me state it another way: You don¡¯t mind the masses seeing Sophia wearing a swimsuit?¡±

    I only stayed quiet for a moment after hearing his question. Then, I turned towards him and smiled.

    ¡°Please, rest assured. There are plenty of private beaches in the mefield Empire. I n to reserve one of the private beaches belonging to Royalty.¡±

    The Royalty of the mefield Empire were indebted to me a great deal, not to mention Fol. Therefore, I was going to suggest to Fol that we should borrow Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s private beach and have our outing there.

    ¡®I am able to do at least this much¡¯, I thought silently and smiled.

    ¡°¡­Cyril, you. Aren¡¯t you in hold of more power than His Majesty?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare such disrespect.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    ¡®Why the questioning tone?¡¯ There was no way that I could retort. I was no match for a Marquis, so I had no right to do so. Only a person such as Lady Sophia had such authority.

    ¡°Nevermind, let¡¯s get back to the main topic. Even if you use a private beach, His Highness Alforth is alsoing with you, isn¡¯t he? You mean to say that you don¡¯t mind even if that¡¯s the case?¡±

    ¡°Please, look at this.¡±

    Slowly¡ªwell, to Master Grave it was most likely to be ¡®suddenly¡¯¡ªI took out a document from my pocket and spread it on Master Grave¡¯s office table.

    ¡°¡­Is this a swimsuit design?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was a swimsuit that I designed together with a fashion designer, making use of my memories of the previous world. It was an off-shoulder bikini, and the top had frills, so it looked very adorable. Furthermore, the swimsuit had an outer, see-throughyer adorned by embroidery and a tiered skirt.

    Although it was made out of good-quality, water-repellent fabric, from a distance, the garment looked like something amoner youngdy would wear on a stroll through the town.

    ¡°I see¡­A garment like this isn¡¯t too revealing. There shouldn¡¯t be any issues if Sophia wore it. However, will you be able to make it in time for the trip?¡±

    ¡°Please, rest assured. It¡¯s almost ready,¡± I replied immediately, which caused an indescribable expression to show on Master Grave¡¯s face.

    ¡°¡­I believe that the topic of an outing only came up today, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°My Lady had expressed her interest in the sea a while ago, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Geez, you are truly infallible¡­That being said, it¡¯s not like you¡¯d just wanted to see Sophia in a swimsuit, is it?¡±

    ¡°I am Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive butler¡ªbut at the same time, I am also her marriage candidate.¡±

    If I were to say that I wanted to see Lady Sophia in a swimsuit, I¡¯d get onto Master Grave¡¯s bad side. But, if I were to say that I didn¡¯t want to, I would get onto <i>Lady Sophia¡¯s</i> bad side. There was no way I could have made such a terrifying choice. So, I dodged the question.

    Naturally, Master Grave must have noticed too. He let out a small chuckle.

    ¡°¡­Geez. Fine, enjoy your trip.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The next day, I went to get permission from Imperial Princess Charlotte to borrow her private beach and Fol agreed to have our outing there as well, so our ns for the trip progressed without a hitch.

    Then, that same day after ss, I was summoned by Teacher Tristan.

    ¡°It¡¯s the DLC event ¡®Falling into Darkness.¡¯¡±

    This was the first thing he said when I stepped into hisboratory.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s sudden. The DLC event ¡®Falling into Darkness,¡¯ you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes. An event where she falls into darkness.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Lady Sophia.¡±

    I avoided replying immediately, carefully inspecting those words. I kept pondering them over and over again in my head for well over ten seconds and then, I looked up at Teacher Tristan again.

    ¡°¡­Who?¡±

    ¡°Stop trying to escape reality,¡± he retorted, using the same tone of voice my elder sister used.

    ¡°I apologize. Please stop talking like my elder sister.¡±

    In our previous world, my elder sister had a very ¡®young Lady-like¡¯ appearance. When that image of her ovepped with the image of the slightly rugged Teacher Tristan, I was seized by an indescribable feeling.

    ¡°Okay, okay. But, I only did it because you were trying to escape reality, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. However, Lady Sophia is going to fall into darkness? I expected that by now, Lady Sophia wouldn¡¯t fall into darkness anymore.¡±

    There was a lot I wanted to say. But, the most important fact was that the current Lady Sophia was brought uppletely differently from the young Lady in the original story. I couldn¡¯t imagine the current Lady Sophia falling into darkness.

    ¡°You may think you understand, but you don¡¯t. She isn¡¯t the type of person to have violent ups and downs. She¡¯s a very persevering young Lady who will do her best even if she¡¯s hurt.¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that¡­¡±

    ¡°Then use your imagination a little. When do people fall into darkness?¡±

    ¡°¡­Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant. It seems that I¡¯ve been mistaken.¡±

    No matter the circumstances, there was never a person who didn¡¯t get hurt. And the issue was <i>how</i> they got hurt.

    Very persevering people would hold back even when they got hurt and they might end up getting wounded to such a degree, that as a result, the harm can¡¯t be undone anymore. Falling into darkness was a phenomenon that ured when someone got deeply hurt in this way.

    In other words, while the possibility of Lady Sophia falling into darkness was low, once she fell, the way she¡¯d fall would be much more intense than in the original story.

    <i>What the hell, that¡¯s so scary!</i>

    ¡°¡­By the way, you said that it¡¯s an event, right? Does that mean that the ce I chose for our outing is the stage of the event, and that there are going to be incidents urring that could hurt Lady Sophia to this extent?¡±

    If so¡ª

    ¡°¡®If so, I¡¯ll put a stop to the trip.¡¯ Is that what you wanted to say? You borrowed a private beach from a Royal, so you can¡¯t really change the ce, can you?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to answer. I had been thinking just about that.

    It would be fine if I canceled the outing, but if I said that we were changing the location, it would seem as if we weren¡¯t satisfied with the private beach that Imperial Princess Charlotte prepared for us. It would be alright if we decided to go to the mountains instead of the sea, but it was impossible to go to another beach.

    Therefore, it would be necessary to give up on the sea in order to avoid the event. However, I also thought: Was canceling the outing that Lady Sophia was looking forward to, really for her sake?

    The answer was no. If my Lady wished for it, even if it was a dangerous path, I would walk together with her and eliminate all the enemies. This was my duty as a butler, and my decision as her marriage candidate.

    ¡°I will go to this trip and I will protect Lady Sophia, too.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I thought you¡¯d say that. It is possible to avoid the ¡®Falling into Darkness¡¯ event but it all depends on your actions. Or rather, depending on what you will do, those actions could be what prevents her from falling into darkness. For that reason, rest assured and enjoy the trip.¡±

    It seemed that he didn¡¯t have any intentions to tell me any further details about the event. However, even that served as a hint. For example, if it was the type of event where we''d get involved in a fight or a natural disaster, he would definitely warn me.

    ¡®Depending on my actions.¡¯ In other words, it meant just that. It was the type of event that would be made more difficult by telling me any details. Moreover, I had a hunch about what type of event it might be.

    ¡°Thankfully, I can somewhat imagine what it¡¯s going to entail. However, I need to correct you on one thing.¡±

    ¡°¡­Correct me? About what?¡±

    ¡°You told me to enjoy the trip, but as our homeroom teacher, you¡¯re alsoing along. So, you should also do your best not to let Fol fall into darkness, okay?¡±

    When Iughed, Teacher Tristan looked uncharacteristically astonished.

    Thank you so much for reading. Due to a sudden loss I am currently dealing with, I won''t be posting a chapter next week. I hope to be back after the week hiatus, but as you can probably imagine, things are very difficult at the moment. Thank you for understanding.

 Book 3: Chapter 26: DLC: The Sea Part 3

    Time flew by after that and the winter holidays arrived. Our group consisted of all the Student Council members and the servants apanying each of them. We boarded the magical airship and arrived at the mefield Empire.

    If I were to briefly sum up the meflied Empire: it was hot; much hotter than I had imagined.

    No one would argue if I said that it was summer.

    Considering the speed at which the magical airship had moved, I didn¡¯t believe that we had traveled such a long distance either but¡­there had to have been some kind of reason for this heat that went along the original game¡¯s plot.

    ¡®I¡¯m not really interested in this sort of consistency to the story,¡¯ I thought and looked around.

    We were at Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s private beach. It was a shallow but wide sandy beach shaped like a crescent moon. Moreover, it was also possible to walk quite far into the sea inside the bay. Even people unfamiliar with the sea shouldn¡¯t particrly struggle in the water here.

    Additionally, there was a small hill on the shore with trees nted on top of it, serving both as a shelterbelt, as well as hiding the beach from sight. Even if there were no hill or trees, it was highly unlikely that any scoundrel would dare set foot into a private beach owned by Royalty. It was the ideal beach; so quiet that the only thing one could hear were the sound of the waves.

    As I enjoyed the view, a shadow fell beside me. It wasn¡¯t Lady Sophia, but Teacher Tristan, who was apanying us on this outing as well.

    ¡°Hehe, you have bulked up quite a bit in the short time I haven¡¯t seen you.¡±¡°Please stop talking like that.¡±

    I made sure that no one was in the vicinity before letting out a sigh. Teacher Tristan was one of the capture targets in the original story of ¡®Espressivo of Light and Darkness¡¯. He had also inherited the memories of my elder sister from our previous world. Therefore, when he spoke to me like my elder sister would, I unconsciously ended up answering him using the same manner I used with her in my previous world.

    ¡°¡­Also, don¡¯t go around poking people¡¯s stomachs.¡±

    ¡°But such toned abs isn¡¯t something you see often, is it?¡±

    ¡°You say that, but don¡¯t you also have a firm body, sister?¡±

    Since my sister also had a splendid physique, she was generously showing off her upper body. How should I put it¡­ It made me feel really weird, but in this world, her body was that of a handsome, slightly rugged, older man.

    ¡°Heh, alright, that¡¯s enough joking around.¡±

    He gave a fleeting look at the small path extending from the mansion atop the hill. The girls, led by Lady Sophia, were walking down that path towards us. When Lady Sophia noticed me, she shed a lovely smile before jogging over to me.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, it¡¯s dangerous to run on an unfamiliar sandy beach.¡±

    ¡°I have walked this path before so it¡¯s fine¡ªah!¡±

    Right after saying so, my Lady tripped. Since I had been training my physical abilities, I reached out for my Lady instantanly while kicking up sand into the air behind me. I then turned my Lady¡¯s falling body around, catching her in a bridal hold.

    ¡°¡­I told you that it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, Cyril catching me in a bridal carry is the side benefit of falling.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not a side benefit. Aren¡¯t you forgetting that you¡¯re wearing a swimsuit?¡±

    From a distance, it did look like she was wearing some cute attire of amoner young Lady. However, the embroidered parts of the outeryer and the tiered skirt were transparent, therefore,pletely see-through. She was, of course, wearing a sleeveless bikini underneath, but her white arms, legs and parts of her abdomen were showing. Since I was holding her in a bridal carry, I could see the transparency of the fabric with extreme rity.

    However¡ª

    ¡°If it¡¯s you, Cyril, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Even as Lady Sophia went a little red, she had an impish smile on her face. The destructive power this expression held was too great and despite myself, I took a heavy blow.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be saying that you don¡¯t mind, my Lady. It¡¯s improper to do this in front of everyone. I¡¯ll put you down now.¡±

    In order to punish as well, I casually tossed her into the air. If she were an ordinary young Lady, I¡¯d expect that she would fall on her back and even hurt herself¡ªhowever, Lady Sophia twisted her body mid-air and corrected her posture,nding perfectly with her swimsuit fluttering around her.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re so cruel! Tossing me like that!¡±

    ¡°I wonder why a young Lady with such athletic abilities like yourself, was about to fall like that earlier?¡±

    Of course, no matter how athletic a person is, everyone stumbles sometimes. However, my Lady should have been able to easily correct her posture immediately after having tripped, recovering her bnce. Was she about to fall earlier on purpose? Or¡ª

    ¡°I just trusted you to save me, that¡¯s all.¡±

    So, she was relying on me.

    ¡°More importantly, Cyril¡ª¡±

    Lady Sophia did a little twirl before looking up at me, leaning her upper body a bit forward. Before she could say anything, I ced a finger on those beautiful lips of hers.

    ¡°Of course, it suits you very well. Although we designed the swimsuit so it wouldn¡¯t be too revealing, you look so lovely I feel like I don¡¯t want anyone else to see you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. You look really good too.¡±

    She smiled adorably and blushed faintly, as if embarrassed. Fol and Alicia, who had arrived after her, were looking at me like they really wanted to say something.

    I pretended I didn¡¯t notice and turned around, bowing.

    ¡°Apologies for making you wait.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, your response is really quite different from when you were talking to Sophia, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    She also twirled, as if waiting for me topliment her. Although she was a Royal with a higher social standing than Lady Sophia, she was also very free-spirited and unrestrained. Perhaps due to her having more influence that wouldn¡¯t allow for others to raise objections easily, her swimsuit was much more revealing than Lady Sophia¡¯s.

    To be specific, she was wearing a one piece bikini that clearly defined the lines of her body.

    ¡°It suits you well. However¡­please leave thepliments to him, not me.¡±

    ¡®Good luck.¡¯ I muttered to no one in particr and handed this situation over to Teacher Tristan. When I saw Fol shift slightly from the corner of my eye, I grinned.

    Alicia was thest one to urge me topliment her with her gaze, ncing at me meaningfully. She was wearing a bikini swimsuit. The top was slightly frilly and her hips was covered by a pareo.The swimsuit made her look more mature and she gave off a radiance one would expect from the heroine.

    ¡°You look very good as well, Lady Alicia.¡±

    I smiled at her too, but I kept my words of praise to a minimum. While it was necessary to not get her hopes up in a romantic sense, as her friend, I didn¡¯t want to treat her coldly. My response was obviously taking ourplicated rtionship into consideration, but despite it, Alicia seemed happy.

    ¡®My goodness,¡¯ I thought as I looked around the beach.

    A few maids were waiting for orders nearby, dressed in thin working clothes. However, Fol¡¯s exclusive maid, Leah; Alicia¡¯s exclusive maid, Melissa; and Lady Sophia¡¯s exclusive maid, Rouch¨¦ were wearing swimsuits. This wasn¡¯t just so that they could enjoy themselves, but also because they had to be present by the young Ladies¡¯ sides when they would go into the sea.

    By the way, all three of them were in their early to mid-twenties. The swimsuits suited them really well. Of course, I couldn¡¯t say that out loud, but I thought that they would gather more attention from the male poption than the young Ladies who were just in their early teens or younger. Luckily, we were on a private beach so no one else was here to stare at them.

    Actually, even the men who were supposed to be here weren¡¯t looking at them. Neither Prince Alforth, who hade as a member of the Student Council, nor Raymond, who was apanying Fol as her exclusive butler, were anywhere to be seen.

    ¡°Where is His Highness Prince Alforth? I can¡¯t seem to find Raymond anywhere either.¡±

    ¡°It looks like His Highness Prince Alforth and Raymond will arrive a bitter. I really don¡¯t know why, but they seemed a little strange to me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hm?¡±

    When Alicia informed me of this, I titled my head, puzzled, wondering if some trouble was brewing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. They are simply befuddled by the unfamiliar environment.¡± Fol informed us with a wry smile, apparently having overheard our conversation. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully though I was able to glean what she meant. There was a country where it was a rule that women mustn¡¯t show their skin even in my previous world. I heard that if a man from that country saw even a hint of a woman¡¯s arms or legs, he would get so flustered that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep the whole night, and other such simr anecdotes.

    Of course, the nobles of this world weren¡¯t as strict. The skirt of the school uniform was knee-length, and the dresses had open necklines as well, but¡­despite that, the young Ladies dressed in swimsuits were probably too provocative.

    But, wasn¡¯t Raymond amoner? Since that was the case, I would expect him to have built up some tolerance but¡­ah, it was probably due to his age. Was a line-up of beautiful girls his age wearing a swimsuit outside of his tolerance limit?

    ¡°At any rate, they should be arriving soon. They won¡¯t mind if we go ahead and have some fun without them.¡±

    From a noble¡¯s perspective, the natural thing would be to wait for Prince Alforth¡¯s arrival, but we got the go-ahead from Fol, who was a Royal just like him.

    At that moment, Lady Sophia ran over to me.

    ¡°Cyril, Cyril, I want to try and y this game called ¡®Beach Volleyball¡¯!¡± Lady Sophia pleaded, her face bright with excitement.

    Standing diagonally behind her was Rouch¨¦, holding a light-looking beach ball. Apparently, they were already perfectly prepared.

    ¡°I have no objections, but who is going to y with whom?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. If I yed with you, Cyril¡­we¡¯d definitely be too strong. How about I y with Fol and you team up with Alicia?¡± She pondered, cing a finger on her cheek.

    Lady Sophia was thinking about having a bnced game, and she didn¡¯t seem to be contemting keeping Alicia and I separated in the slightest.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. If everyone agrees, shall we y a round with those teams?¡± After saying so, I drew my face closer to Lady Sophia¡¯s ear before whispering:¡°I quite like this side of you, my Lady.¡±

    I then pulled back and looked at my Lady, who had flushed bright red before shing her a mischievous smile.

    Thank you for reading! Let the beach episodemence! lol

    If you''d like to support this trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:

 Book 3: Chapter 27: DLC: The Sea Part 4

    We started a game of beach volleyball. Alicia certainly wasn¡¯t unathletic. On the contrary, she boasted of stats befitting the game¡¯s heroine. However, as the team containing viinous daughters, thebined stats of Lady Sophia and Fol were just too high.

    Due to the light weight of the ball, the spikes1 weren¡¯t that fast. Of course, there was also the fact that I refrained from going all out. But at any rate, no matter where they would throw the ball within the ying field, I¡¯d be able to block their attack. As for Alicia, she was limited in her ability to react.

    Under normal circumstances, this pair of viinous daughters would take a crushing victory. However, since they wanted to enjoy the game, they appeared to be skillfully cking off a little, so they only won after a close call.

    Afterwards, Alicia seemed to be struggling with her stamina and withdrew from the game. Lady Sophia and I then had a showdown with the teacher-disciple team consisting of Fol and Teacher Tristan.

    Fol was suffering from Magical Overcharge Illness so she was learning how to use spells from Lady Sophia and I. As a result, she apparently reached the stage where she could regrly enhance her physical abilities with a spell. Therefore, Fol was easily holding her own against Lady Sophia, who had enhanced her physical abilities with magic as well.

    However, the difference in physical abilities between the young, pre-teen me and Teacher Tristan, who was in his mid-thirties, was just too great. I gave it my all by using a spell and all my physical abilities, but I was no match for him.

    Teacher Tristan was considerate in allowing not only his ally, Fol, but also Lady Sophia to actively participate, but he was sending spikes my way that were always just barely out of reach. That being the case, our team¡ªor rather, just me¡ª had lost.

    ¡­Damn it, he was being so childish!

    And so, the second match ended. This was when Prince Alforth and Raymond finally decided to make an entrance. As Fol¡¯s butler-in-training, Raymond retreated to a corner, and the pair of viinous daughters zeroed in on Prince Alforth. And so, the battle between the teams of Fol and Alicia, and Lady Sophia and Prince Alforth began.They were evenly matched in regards to their stats¡­although Lady Sophia¡¯s team might have been a tiny bit stronger. However, given the circumstances, Fol¡¯s team was in a much more favorable position. Captivated by Lady Sophia, Prince Alforth was hit by Fol¡¯s serve and fell over.

    ¡°W-w-wait wait wait, Lady Fol, is it alright for you to do something like this to His Highness?!¡±

    Faced with Prince Alforth clutching at his face, Raymond, who was watching over the game from beside me, went pale.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this ball is very light, so I think it should only hurt a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Even so, isn¡¯t this l¨¨se-majest¨¦, or like, l¨¨se-majest¨¦ or I don¡¯t know ¨C l¨¨se-majest¨¦2?!¡±

    ¡°¡­Is there nothing else you can say besides l¨¨se-majest¨¦? And no, it¡¯s not.¡±

    The current Prince Alforth would never say that it was a case of l¨¨se-majest¨¦. To begin with, the one who hit him was Fol, another Royal. Even taken to the extreme, it was like a quarrel between siblings at most. So why was Raymond so panicked¡­don¡¯t tell me that he still didn¡¯t know Fol¡¯s true identity?

    I turned to look at Teacher Tristan to confirm this but he immediately turned his face away. It seemed that they were intentionally withholding the information. I¡¯m sorry, Raymond.

    I understood that they let him work for Fol without letting him know that she was a Royal to check his work performance. However, since Fol had made an appearance in high society, it shouldn¡¯t take too long before her true identity came to light. Although, I believe that it would be better if she revealed it herself before Raymond could learn about it from someone else.

    Nevertheless, there was no need for me to meddle.

    Having decided that, I reassured Raymond that Prince Alforth wasn¡¯t the type of person to utilize l¨¨se-majest¨¦ against a friend, and continued watching the game to see the result of the match.

    Well¡­it was a huge defeat on Prince Alforth¡¯s part. However, the person in question seemed to be happy, so perhaps in that sense, it was actually his victory. It was actually Lady Sophia, who was in the same team as him, that seemed frustrated over losing.

    So, starting with beach volleyball, each of us began to enjoy ourselves, either swimming in the ocean or walking along the sandy beach. Soon after, Teacher Tristan¡ªor rather, my elder sister¡ªgave me some additional information about the aforementioned event.

    Upon hearing the details, I approached Lady Sophia, who was building a sand castle. Building a castle with a shovel in one hand, Lady Sophia somehow looked very adorable. Also, the level of perfection of the castle she was building was rather extreme¡­.As expected of my Lady.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, would you care to take a walk with me?¡±

    My Lady blinked in surprise, and then shed a charming smile.

    Normally, Lady Sophia would walk in front and I would walk behind her. But today, the two of us were taking a walk together and thus, I walked by Lady Sophia¡¯s side. It certainly wasn¡¯t the first time that I was walking beside her, but we were both wearing a swimsuit that day, so it somehow felt very new. Perhaps Lady Sophia was feeling the same way, as she had a spring in her step, much more than usual.

    ¡°Cyril, are we perchance going to the top of the hill?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    The top of the hill had an amazing view. The scenery was apparently highly acimed as extremely beautiful, even in the game¡¯s still picture.

    ording to Teacher Tristan, if we went there, the event would start. If I failed in handling the event, the possibility of Lady Sophia falling into darkness would increase, but if I seeded, the possibility of her falling into darkness would decrease substantially.

    That was all I had been told, but it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what kind of event it was going to be.

    ¡°I wanted to see the world unfolding around us from the top of the hill with you.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Truth be told, I heard about the beautiful scenery from the maids working in the mansion and I thought to myself that I would like to go there together with you, Cyril. So¡ªI¡¯m really happy.¡±

    An enchanting smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m happy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really¡ªah!¡±

    Due to a small bump on the ground, my Lady tripped. I immediately caught her in my arms.

    ¡°Are you alright, my Lady?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but¡­¡±

    My Lady¡¯s gaze dropped to her feet. Below her see-through tiered skirt, the strap on one of her beach sandals hade off. It was impossible for her to walk all the way to the top of the hill like this.

    ¡°Please ept my sincerest apologies.¡±

    If her beach sandals were of bad quality, then I was the one responsible, since I was the one who had prepared them.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Cyril. I might have overdone it a little when I was ying beach volleyball.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, that¡¯s certainly something I hadn¡¯t foreseen.¡±

    Enhancing one¡¯s physical abilities through magic¡ªit was impossible to expect an ordinary beach sandal to withstand someone ying with their full strength. When I took a closer look, the sandals were already battered, even though today was the first time she had worn them.

    I knew the reason behind the beach sandal breaking. However, it was impossible to climb to the top of the mountain in these circumstances. ¡®So, whatever shall I do?¡¯ I thought, pondering over it.

    This was the first day of our trip. Even if I didn¡¯t take Lady Sophia up the hill at this point in time, it wasn¡¯t like she would suddenly fall into darkness out of nowhere. Returning this once should be safe. Having decided that, I told my Lady: ¡°Excuse me.¡± and lifted Lady Sophia into a bridal carry.

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°I have spare sandals in the mansion. Let¡¯s head back for today.¡±

    ¡°¡­.But I¡­don¡¯t want that¡­¡±

    Held within my arms, my Lady looked a little forlorn.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡®If there¡¯s something you wish for, I will grant it for you.¡¯

    I asked her with this intention of mine clearly shining through the question. My Lady¡¯s eyes darted around for a bit, before she asked me shyly.

    ¡°Am I not heavy?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, that question is meaningless.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why?¡±

    ¡°Even if you were to weigh three times more than you do now, my Lady, it would be impossible for you to feel like a heavy burden to me.¡±

    When I answered her seriously, Lady Sophia¡¯s eyes went round with puzzlement.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should be happy or whether I should sulk. It¡¯s troubling,¡± Lady Sophia said and pouted.

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? So, I shall say a few more words. You¡¯re very light, my Lady. I wouldn¡¯t mind in the slightest even if we were to stay like this forever.¡±

    When Iughed mischievously, Lady Sophia¡¯s cheeks went red right before my eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re very lovely like this, Lady Sophia,¡± I said with a smile and Lady Sophia firmly pinched my cheeks.

    ¡°Cyril, you¡¯re being a little unkind today.¡±

    ¡°My apologies. You just looked so very lovely, my Lady¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡ªI won¡¯t be manipted by words like that, you know?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, My Lady. I shall put you down then.¡±

    As I was about to ce my Lady down just like I said, my Lady began to cling to me tightly.

    ¡°¡­My Lady?¡±

    ¡°If¡­if I¡¯m not heavy, would you carry me all the way to the hilltop?¡±

    ¡°¡­.If you wish me to do so.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Your wish is mymand.¡±

    I firmly readjusted my Lady in my hold and began walking to the top of the hill.

    Thank you for reading! We''re getting some cute moments between Cyril and Sophia :). I think we have three chapters left of this side story. It''s going by so fast!

    If you''d like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi:  <ol><li> ¡°the act of scoring a point by mming the ball over the into the opposing court effectively and aggressively.¡± Adding this because I didn¡¯t know the meaning of this term myself;;;; although my editor said everyone would know because of Haikyuu lol. </li><li>just to refresh our memories,l¨¨se-majest¨¦ is ¡°¡­a French term meaning "to do wrong to majesty", is an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.¡± source: Wikipedia </li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 28: DLC: The Sea Part 5

    Fol surfaced from the water after a swim in the sea along the shallow beachside. Raymond immediately ran over to her and handed her a towel since he was watching over her as her exclusive butler-in-training.

    ¡°Lady Fol, here, your towel.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Raymond. You keep such a good eye on me¡­Could it be that you were captivated by me wearing a swimming suit? That¡¯s a no, no! You cannot be looking at the young Lady you¡¯re serving like that.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª?! It¡¯s nothing like that!¡± Raymond burst out, turning bright red. However when he saw that Fol was about to break out inughter, he realized that he was being teased. He pouted a bit.

    ¡°Lady Fol, I still don¡¯t know your social status, but since you¡¯re my savior who acknowledged my abilities and saved my family, I will serve you devotedly, no matter who you are.¡±

    ¡°¡­Continue.¡±

    Fol wasn¡¯t bewildered by his sudden deration at all and she encouraged him to continue speaking.

    Raymond nodded in acknowledgement and began to speak, his hands curling into tight fists.

    ¡°However, no matter who you might be, as someone who has the support of a Count, isn¡¯t it essential for you to behave with elegance befitting that role? For example, the swimsuit you wear¡­.and things such as that¡­right?¡±Halfway through his speech, Raymond blushed and averted his eyes.

    ¡°In other words, you¡¯re worried about me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes. Was my remark uncalled for?¡±

    Raymond looked anxious. If this were Cyril, even if the remark had been uncalled for, he would¡¯ve breached the topic for the sake of his master. Raymond had decided to speak based on that thought alone, but it was also true that this wasn¡¯t something a mere butler could say. However, Folughed, looking pleased.

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. From now on, do give me your advice whenever you think I am making a mistake. That¡¯s something I want you to do as my butler.¡±

    ¡°Y¨Cyes, c¨Ccertainly!¡±

    He bowed his head along with his statement¡ª

    and realized that Fol didn¡¯t say that she¡¯d do something about her swimsuit. Raymond pondered over it, wondering if he should advise her again. As if she knew what he was thinking, Fol added: ¡°However¡ª I have my own opinions. So I won¡¯t necessarily always yield to yours. That goes for this swimsuit, too.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I understand. I won¡¯t meddle as you have your own opinions on it.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Fol smiled and then added, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time.¡±

    ¡°About time¡­? For what?¡±

    ¡°For me to reveal my identity to you.¡±

    Raymond trembled upon hearing these words. He had naturally noticed that Fol was intentionally hiding her social status from him. It was most likely a test. She probably wanted to make sure that his attitude wouldn¡¯t change if he knew who she was¡ªthis was what Raymond believed.

    It was for this reason that Raymond expressed that he wouldn¡¯t change his attitude no matter who she was. It wasn¡¯t like Raymond wanted to work for someone of a high status no matter what. His father died due to an unfortunate ident and Raymond was simply searching for someone who would save his family who were on the verge of bing homeless.

    This was why he swore loyalty to Fol, who had picked him out and protected his family. His loyalty wouldn¡¯t waver, even if she wasn¡¯t a noble or even just a daughter of a wealthy merchant. Perhaps because she knew of his intentions, Fol spoke quietly.

    ¡°I am not a noble¡ª¡±

    ¡®So she really isn¡¯t a noble,¡¯ Raymond thought for a mere moment.

    ¡°¡ªI am a Royal.¡±

    Raymond was unable to understand what she had said.

    ¡°¡­Ah, excuse me. What household is the Ro Yal family? I know very little so I have never heard of it¡­Ah, but I will follow you anywhere, of course!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the Ro Yal family, it¡¯s <i>the Royal</i> family. I am Folcenia Ephenear. I am the daughter of the Royal Prince.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. The Royal family¡­.the Royal family? The Royal family?!¡±

    Raymond barely managed not to yell, but he wasn¡¯t able to hide that his thoughts were in disarray. He did think of the possibility that Fol wasn¡¯t a noble, and had thought of <i>that </i>possibility but he hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility that her status would be higher than that of a noble.

    ¡°You seem surprised.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am¡­.I mean, I never thought¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you scared of working for me now?¡±

    Even though a lot of people wish for a sessful career, they still have their limits. It wasn¡¯t unusual for someone to get ruined by an unsuitable promotion either. There exist people who hated climbing the corporatedder too high as well. Despite Fol¡¯s anxiety that Raymond would be seized by fear when she revealed her status, a broad smile appeared on Raymond¡¯s face instead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, please. I had full intentions of serving you for the rest of my life even if you were the daughter of a merchant. So, even if you¡¯re a member of the Royal family, that intention of mine will not change.¡±

    ¡°¡­What great determination. I look forward to you bing my official butler once you graduate.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Just ¡®Fol¡¯ is fine for now, alright?¡±

    And so, Raymond got to know Fol¡¯s true identity. Well¡­even if his words sounded quite cool, deep down, he was actually quite scared. But, he bit the bullet despite this fear because he didn¡¯t want to lose to Cyril. Raymond was once again chasing after Cyril and had grown up considerably.

    ¡°Excuse me. Do you know where Cyril and Lady Sophia have gone?¡±

    Alicia approached them, perhaps judging that their conversation was now over.

    ¡°Those two? Hm¡­if it¡¯s those two, then they¡¯ve probably gone to the top of the hill.¡±

    ¡°The top of the hill¡­is there anything there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a famous sight-seeing area. The sight from the hill is absolutely stunning and there¡¯s even a story about the Royal daughter that managed this ce inviting her close friend up there.¡±

    ¡°Co¨Ccould it be the kind of story in which the two gazed at the scenery and tied their futures together¡­?¡±

    Alicia was visibly shaken, which made Fol smile a little.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that open of a story. It¡¯s a modest tale of two people who had watched the scenery together and found happiness. I think that you could catch up to them if you go now¡­What do you n to do?¡± Fol asked jokingly.

    However, it was clear that her words were full of meaning. Fol was saying: ¡®Alicia, are you prepared to wedge yourself in between their rtionship?¡¯

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been thinking about this a lot. My father acknowledges Cyril, and proposed a marriage between Cyril and I. However, Cyril became Lady Sophia¡¯s engagement candidate¡­¡±

    ¡°Friendship or love, which to choose? That¡¯s a tough decision, isn¡¯t it? However, to a noble¡¯s daughter, the answer is obvious, right?¡±

    In a noble¡¯s situation, the family¡¯s convenience should take precedence over friendship or love. Since it was none other than Alicia¡¯s father who wished for the marriage between the butler of the Rosenberg Marquis household and his daughter, there shouldn¡¯t be anything for Alicia to be hesitant about.

    But, Alicia still shook her head.

    ¡°No matter what anyone says, Lady Sophia is a dear friend of mine. So, I won¡¯t do anything that would get in the way of the two of them spending happy times together, like chasing after them immediately.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s a little surprising that you gave up, but your decision has my respect.¡±

    This too was a correct decision to make for a noble daughter.

    ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t give up till the end, even if you were to lose eventually,¡± Fol said, as her eyes slightly crinkled.

    But¡ª

    ¡°Huh? I¡­didn¡¯t say that I was giving up though?¡±

    Alicia tilted her head to the side, puzzled. After correctly interpreting the meaning behind Alicia saying ¡®I won¡¯t chase after them immediately¡¯, Fol began tough.

    ***

    ¡°Lady Sophia, look.¡±

    When we walked up the path leading towards the hilltop and advanced above the windbreaks, the view suddenly unfolded before us, stretching from the sandy beach to the blue sea and sky. Spreading before us was scenery that definitely couldn¡¯t be seen from the capital city.

    ¡°Whoa¡­it¡¯s beautiful. It looks like the sea and the sky are connected.¡±

    Nestled in my arms, my Lady¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°¡­.Come to think of it, is it true that the Earth is a sphere?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡±

    I did think it was possible that within the game¡¯s world, some unexpected theories would be at work¡ªbut one could conclude that the Earth was a sphere just from seeing thend or water horizon.

    ¡°So¡­can you let me down?¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡±

    I put Lady Sophia down and temporarily fixed the broken strap of her beach sandal. It would be impossible to climb up and down the hill with it, but a bit of walking around should be fine.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril. Now, will you sit next to me?¡±

    My Lady turned to face the sea and was about to sit down on the grass. I immediately whipped out a hand towel and ced it on the patch of grass where Lady Sophia was about to sit.

    After I had checked that my Lady was seated, I sat down next to her.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril.¡±

    She bumped her shoulder against mine. She proceeded to watch the horizon with a small smile on her face.

    ¡°Hehe, this way, we¡¯re watching the same horizon, aren¡¯t we, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are.¡±

    The distance to the water horizon appeared different depending on height. Although the difference between Lady Sophia¡¯s and my height was small, if we watched the horizon while standing, the position of it would be different for each of us. Apparently, my Lady wanted to fix that.

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril¡­.Next time, I will watch the same scenery with you using my own strength.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re already watching the same view with me, all with your own strength.¡±

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t talking about the view visible from this ce. Lady Sophia had thrown herself into high society suffused in trickery and had evenpeted with Royals from another country on equal footing. She had already climbed to the summit, far above me. These were my thoughts. But, Lady Sophia strongly shook her head.

    ¡°Not yet. Although I was able to make you my marriage candidate, I can only pretend not to see what¡¯s happening with Miss Alicia and Miss Pam. The same goes for the matter of the Marquis household¡¯s heir¡­¡±

    I possessed all kinds of knowledge. It would be a huge loss to let Lady Sophia, whom I had taught all this knowledge, leave the Rosenberg Marquis household. Therefore, some were of the opinion that she should be the next head of the family.

    She must have predicted that if she were to be the next head of the family, our marriage would be a simple matter. However, in order to be the next head, she would have to confront her older brother. And, it wasn¡¯t like it would lead to a happy end if she were to decide that she would be the next heir no matter what. These were issues I would have to face eventually in order to fulfill Lady Sophia¡¯s wishes.

    Then again, Alicia and Pam¡¯s marriage proposals had already been declined. However, Alicia¡¯s proposal didn¡¯t happen because of political reasons alone. Since Lady Sophia was aware of that, she was unable toe to terms with this matter. She probably didn¡¯t want to destroy her and Alicia¡¯s friendship.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t tell her what. If I had to say it, I would have to say all of it¡ªthat I intended to follow Lady Sophia no matter what path she would choose, and that even if Alicia was heartbroken, she wasn¡¯t the type of girl to break a friendship over it. I put all of these thoughts into a smile and in response, Lady Sophia gave me an adorable smile of her own.

    ¡°Cyril¡­are you going to keep walking by my side?¡±

    ¡°My promise from that day stands true today and always.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you, Cyril. To be honest, I''ve been feeling a little anxioustely.¡±

    ¡°Anxious?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been chasing after you with all my strength all this time. I have achieved my goal of making you my marriage candidate but then, I noticed that things have be awkward with the people around me¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do from now on.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Although my Lady was holding her own, she was still a young girl. She had recklessly chased after her goal and had be unable to see her next objective.

    To tell the truth, I was incredibly happy. If this were the girl from the original work, she would probably think things such as: ¡®I don¡¯t care about anyone besides the person I love.¡¯ Or, she might have even burned with determination to defeat her rivals.

    However, the current Lady Sophia was different. She treasured her friendships with Alicia and the others, which is why she was lost, stuck between a rock and a hard ce¡ªchoosing between love and friendship. This was definitive proof that Lady Sophia had be someonepletely different from the original work¡¯s viinous daughter.

    Of course, the possibility of her falling into darkness in the near future because of this wasn¡¯t zero, but¡­I see. So, the true reason why Teacher Tristan made mee here was this, wasn¡¯t it?

    The DLC event was most likely a lie. Ah no, perhaps the DLC event itself did exist, but it waspletely unrted to Lady Sophia. Wasn¡¯t it most likely an event between Alicia and another capture target?

    From what the maids had told me, this was a famous ce. Considering Lady Sophia¡¯s reaction, it might even be a famous ce visited by lovers. Me bringing Lady Sophia to this famous ce was Teacher Tristan¡¯s true goal.

    ¡®Do something about the young Lady gripped by anxiety¡¯¡ªthis was his true intention.

    Under normal circumstances, I would have noticed how my Lady felt. Yet, my sister had to point it out to me¡­how terribly frustrating. But at the moment it was more important to cheer Lady Sophia up, rather thanment.

    ¡°It will be alright, I¡¯m certain of it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Cyril?¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s you and I, Lady Sophia, we¡¯ll ovee any hardships.¡±

    I heard footsteps approaching from a distance. Lady Sophia knocked her shoulder against mine and then gave me a radiant smile.

    ¡°Well then, let us ovee these difficulties together1, you and I.¡±

    Thank you for reading!! Raymond finally got to find out who Fol is and the scene we got with Cyril and Sophia was very cute too :3.

    If you would like to support the trantion, you can buy me a Ko-fi: <ol><li>the literal term is ¡®scene of carnage¡¯ or ¡®difficulties in a love rtionship¡¯. I feel that they both anticipate that it¡¯s Aliciaing towards them, but I felt perhaps that ¡®scene of carnage¡¯ was too extreme in spoken word and that Lady Sophia might not explicitly say ¡®lovers¡¯ difficulties¡¯ or ¡®romantic difficulties¡¯. Hence the trantor¡¯s note, my apologies for not being able to word it more precisely.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 29: DLC: The Sea Part 6 1/2

    I was currently at Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s holiday house which was located in the mefield Empire. While gazing at the water horizon visible from the terrace, I sensed someone approaching from behind. I could tell that it was Lady Sophia just from the sound of her footsteps and her presence even without having to look. So, when I turned around and saw the young girl standing before me, my breath caught in my lungs. My Lady was wearing western-style town-girl clothing[1].

    ¡°Cyril, I am initiating a date. Prepare yourself,¡± the cute young girl boldly dered these adorable words.

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia. Are you using some kind of battle jargon while speaking about a date¡­?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, Cyril?¡±

    Apparently not self-aware at all, Lady Sophia tilted her head in puzzlement.

    ¡°Ah, you just seem quite enthusiastic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I want to go on a date. We wouldn¡¯t be able to have a date if I looked like I always do when we go out, right? Moreover, Her Highness Charlotte¡¯s party is taking ce tomorrow as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    We were in another country. Both the mansion and private beach belong to Imperial Princess Charlotte so, we were pretty much allowed to do whatever we wanted, but in the unlikely event that something happens to us, it would grow into an international problem. Even if there was actually just a one-in-ten-thousand chance of danger, we couldn¡¯t just ignore the guards.Therefore, even if we got permission to go out, we had to be heavily guarded, escorted by guards or attendants. It seemed that Lady Sophia wanted to avoid this and had thought of a way to do it.

    ¡°But, Lady Sophia, didn¡¯t they find out that you¡¯re going out when you changed into these clothes?¡±

    ¡°I had Rouch¨¦ distract everyone and I¡ª I made this dress myself.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    Involuntarily, I turned my gaze to the western style dress Lady Sophia was donning, and stared. It was a thin, off-shoulder dress that suited the mefield Empire¡¯s hot climate. The design was in themoner style of clothing, and the material certainly wasn¡¯t of high quality either, but the stitching was top grade. I thought that Lady Sophia had ordered the tailors working for the Rosenberg Marquis household to make a dress amoner would wear¡­.but to think that she made it herself!

    ¡°I knew that you do embroidery, my Lady, but I didn¡¯t know that you excelled in sewing as well. Could it be a secret hobby of yours?¡±

    ¡°I did my best to learn for this asion.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. So, you were able to learn because you gave it your all.¡±

    Since early childhood, Lady Sophia had always been hardworking, but recently, she was refining this ability of hers more and more. It was most likely that by learning various skills, she became able to quickly master techniques that share somemon traits. It seemed that in this case, she was heavily influenced by her embroidery skills.

    It was still objectionable to go out with Lady Sophia without any guards. It was objectionable but¡­I looked at Lady Sophia once more. Although the design adhered tomoner fashion, the western style dress was made with lots of love. No matter how blessed Lady Sophia was with her talents, there were some limits to her abilities. I was sure that in order to make the dress for today, she must have worked really hard on it.

    And so¡ª

    ¡°I will go get ready, so would you wait for me for a short while?¡± I asked, and like a flower in bloom, a smile unfurled on Lady Sophia¡¯s lips.

    Afterwards, Lady Sophia and I sessfully sneaked out of the holiday house. That being said, it wasn¡¯t like we were able to slip past the vi guards in the true sense of the word. Royalty and young Ladies from high-ranking noble backgrounds were staying in the vi, and so the guards who were guarding the vi were very strict. We were being rigorously examined during the check one had to go through when leaving the vi to go outside.

    We were able to sneak out¡ªor more precisely, we were given permission to sneak out. This was because I made a deal with Imperial Princess Charlotte, who was set to arrive tomorrow, as I thought that something like this might happen.

    I made use of this deal, and Lady Sophia and I sneaked out of the mansion.

    And so, we walked next to each other down a street in thend of evesting summer. Lady Sophia was the daughter of a Marquis and I was her exclusive butler. Although I bore the title of her marriage candidate, there were extremely few opportunities for the two of us to walk side by side. Having gotten the chance to do so, Lady Sophia was in a very good mood. She bumped our shoulders together and smiled innocently.

    ¡°Say, Cyril, can I walk beside you?¡±

    I thought about it a little and decided that there was no way that her words were literal. If that was the case, then she must have meant ¡®mentally¡¯. Nevertheless, my answer wouldn¡¯t change either way.

    ¡°Of course. You have already caught up to me a long time ago, Lady Sophia. If anything, I am desperate not to be left behind.¡±

    Lady Sophia smiled broadly. My Lady¡ªwho gave off a cold, perhaps even harsh impression¡ªwas smiling; with a soft expression on her face.

    ¡°Thank you. But, the one who is desperate not to be left behind is me.¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s not true,¡¯ I didn¡¯t say.

    Even if I said that it can¡¯t be helped since I¡¯m experienced due to my memories of the previous world, it wouldn¡¯t do any good to my Lady¡¯s growth. Thus, I shed her a small smile.

    ¡°Even if I were to walk a bit ahead, I wouldn¡¯t leave you behind, Lady Sophia.¡±

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ¡°The same goes for me. Even if I am to walk ahead of you, I won¡¯t leave you behind, Cyril.¡±

    Lady Sophia and I both continued, speaking at the same time:

    ¡°However¨C¡±

    ¡°¨CI will work diligently so that I can be worthy of you.¡±

    As our words ovepped perfectly, we looked at each other,ughing.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. It would be pointless topare myself to the current you, Cyril. Just as I will grow up, you too will grow more and more from now on.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I wouldn¡¯t be deemed eptable if I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Although I didn¡¯t say who I wouldn¡¯t be deemed eptable as, it was obvious that I meant ¡®as Lady Sophia¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯. Certainly, at the moment, Lady Sophia¡¯s father, Marquis Rosenberg did approve of me. But that was because he approved of me as a thirteen-year-old child, nothing more.

    If I became an adult without growing up any further, he¡¯d be disappointed.

    ¡­In that sense, there were more obstacles in my way than in Lady Sophia¡¯s. Lady Sophia was a hardworking girl blessed with talent, but I was nothing more than a child raised to the standards of my previous world.

    ¡®A so-called prodigy at ten, a genius at fifteen and a regr person by twenty.¡¯

    It was possible for this to be my reality.

    I mean, I was still being told that my expressions were easy to read.

    ¡°Cyril, are you anxious about something?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. More importantly, where do you want to go, my Lady?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t knowmoner towns that well. If you don¡¯t mind, can you show me around, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s right. Well then, I shall show you around.¡±

    I grabbed Lady Sophia¡¯s hand. The basics of escorting a noble were established as the woman taking hold of the hand or arm the man offered. Lady Sophia was a little surprised that I had skipped past that step and directly took her hand¡ªbut then, her face lit up with a smile.

    ¡°Well, then, lead the way, please.¡±

    Inpliance with Lady Sophia¡¯s request, I began to show her around the city. That being said, I wasn¡¯t too familiar with this town either. I started with making my way to a hat shop I spotted.

    ¡°Wee! Are you looking for something in particr?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a hat that would suit her.¡±

    ¡°Certainly! Let¡¯s see¡­how about this one?¡±

    The shop clerk took out a carefully woven straw hat. Although it was just made from wheat, it was truly carefully woven and it didn¡¯t feel ufortable to the touch.

    ¡°What do you think, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hm, does it suit me?¡±

    She epted the hat from me and put it on a little shyly.

    Dressed in a thin dress, my tinum-blonde Lady was wearing a straw hat. She looked just like amon young Lady. It made me think of my previous world.

    ¡°It suits you very well. You have an innate elegance in you, my Lady. So, even as amoner, I can¡¯t see you as anything else but a Lady with good upbringing. You look very lovely.¡±

    ¡°Th¨Cthank you, Cyril. Then, I want this hat, please. You don¡¯t need to wrap it.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°By the way,¡± I said as I paid the bill, asking the shop clerk if he could rmend any sight-seeing spots to me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­A sight-seeing spot, that would be the hill from which you can get an uninterrupted view of the sea.¡±

    ¡°Is it the spot on the top of the hill at the shore?¡±

    ¡°No, that one is located in a private beach of the Royalty, so it¡¯s forbidden to go there. But that hill over there became a tourist attraction and I can rmend it.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, thank you very much. One more thing, there¡¯s a big mansion on the way here, whose mansion is it?¡±

    The moment I asked about it, the shop clerk frowned. He then lowered his voice and told me that the feudal lord that was managing thisnd lived in the mansion.

    But that was information I already had. Although there was a private beach belonging to the Royalty in this region, the one who managed thisnd was a certain Count household. The previous generations of this household were splendid people, but there were some problems with the current head who had taken over. That was what I had heard from Imperial Princess Charlotte.

    She asked me to check if there was any truth behind the unsettling rumors circting about the current head of the household. Normally, this wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d ask of someone from another country¡ªnot to mention a butler¡ªbut it seemed that she had some motives of her own to do so. This was the reason why we were able to leave the vi.

    That being the case, I asked the shop clerk if I could get some more details. However, perhaps because he was on his guard too, he didn¡¯t tell me much besides warning me not to get too close. I couldn¡¯t say any careless things in front of Lady Sophia either. Hence, I yed it off like it wasn¡¯t anything important and Lady Sophia and I left the shop together.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s go to that hill now?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    She offered her hand without prompting, so I took her hand and made our way to the tourist attraction we were informed of, the one where we could get an uninterrupted view of the sea. We gazed at the sea together and then ate a frozen dessert made with the help of magic at a caf¨¦ near the viewing spot.

    Of course, whichever shop we went to, I would ask about the feudal lord without Lady Sophia¡¯s knowledge. At the first shop, I asked whose mansion it was, and at the next shop, I said: ¡®So I was told not to get close to that mansion, but¡­¡¯ and each time we went to a different shop, I would advance the conversation further and gather more information.

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); It seemed that the feudal lord wasn¡¯t the type to be involved in corruption¡ªor at the very least, not tantly¡ªbut he seemed to be a very elitist person.

    ¡­Well, among the nobles, a lot of people followed this ideology.

    However, this feudal lord, despite being an elitist, went to the town for business. And so, he would sometimes cause problems with themoners.

    For Imperial Princess Charlotte, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that this information brought shame to the Imperial family. I believe that since she had me specially research him, she knew at least this much already¡­

    So why did she want me to investigate him?I can''t believe this side story is almost done! There''s only two more chapters in total to post, wowie.

    Thank you so much for reading and for all the support!<ol><li>When I googled the term, the results were along the lines of this.</li></ol>

 Book 3: Chapter 40: DLC: The Sea Part 6 2/2

    Lady Sophia, disguised as amoner, and I were walking beside each other in a coastal town located in the mefield Empire. Our true identities were those of a Marquis¡¯ daughter and her butler, but to outsiders, we were just two thirteen-year-old kids taking a stroll alone. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for us to get wrapped up in some kind of trouble, but the townspeople here were very kind and the city was safe.

    If the information I acquired was true, the previous feudal lords were outstanding people. However, because of the new feudal lord taking over, the region might eventually lose its vitality. But this would happen only if Imperial Princess Charlotte were to ignore the situation.

    ¡°Cyril, what are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that if you were to be their feudal lord, this town would be very prosperous.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah, you¡¯re talking about the feudal lord the shop clerks were gossiping about¡­Could it be that the reason we were able to sneak out without any mishaps was because you struck some kind of deal with Her Highness Charlotte?¡±

    I tried to evade her question, but she saw through mepletely.

    ¡°I am no match for you, Lady Sophia, am I? I was asked to investigate this town¡¯s feudal lord a little. I just don¡¯t understand why she did something that would expose disgraceful matters of her family to me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it because she still hasn¡¯t given up on you, Cyril?¡±

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t given up on me?¡±¡°Yes. She¡¯s letting you expose the wrongdoings of a corrupt feudal lord. If your reputation spreads, others might say that they wish to have you here too. By doing so, it would be very easy for her to bring you into the research institute.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte wanted the knowledge I had, but a lot of information was being withheld when it came to the Magical Overcharge Illness. Therefore, there weren¡¯t a lot of people who knew the importance of my knowledge. The people around Imperial Princess Charlotte were probably against poaching a mere butler¡ªnot to mention a butler from another country. However, if I were to do some kind of meritorious deed, it would provide leeway for her to persuade her family and friends.

    It might seem like an exaggeration to conduct a personal background check, but ceremony was very important in these kinds of matters. If she were to give reasons such as ¡®Based on the information he gathered, evil deeds were exposed,¡¯ it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to say that I achieved great deeds. Of course, it couldn¡¯t just be this one thing. These deeds would have to stack up.

    But it was truly amazing how Lady Sophia was able to see through this within a moment¡¯s time.

    ¡­Ah, I see. She used the same method when she was trying to make others acknowledge me as her marriage candidate. Since she used the same method, she recognized it immediately.

    ¡°¡­ If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better not to get involved any further? I can pay my debt to Her Highness Charlotte with information about magical devices and such¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not like it will be a routine after doing this once, and I am with you as well. Moreover¡­ secretly exposing evil deeds, it¡¯s like we¡¯re on an undercover mission. It¡¯s fun.¡±

    The mischievous child in her peeked out its head.

    ¡°Then, let us enjoy ourselves to our heart¡¯s content, Lady Sophia.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course, Cyril.¡±

    Lady Sophia intertwined our arms together a little shyly. Adorable.

    I continued to walk beside the adorable Lady Sophia through the streets. This town had a variety of different shops. There was a store with fashion that was suitable for the Empire¡¯s climate and there was even a store with musical instruments, a piano taking the spotlight at the front. Probably due to the magical airshipmuting between here and our country, there was even food we were ustomed to seeing at home. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

    Wherever we went, we enjoyed shopping around, while gathering information about the feudal lord at the same time. After we were done gathering some information, we would proceed to have plenty of fun again, and at the very end of our outing, we stopped by a jewelry store.

    ¡°Wee, what might you be looking for?¡±

    The shop assistant immediately came to wee us. It didn¡¯t show on her face at all, but she must have been feeling a little cautious about two childrening to a jewelry store alone. That being said, it was a natural reaction considering the security in this town.

    ¡°We are tourists from Londonbell. Do you have any essories that would remind us of the time we stayed here?¡±

    I showed her that we were proper customers and asked her about what I was looking for.

    ¡°Certainly,¡± the shop assistant replied and smiled. Then, she took out several essories from a shelf in the back.

    ¡°These are essories made from the pearls found at our town¡¯s coast.¡±

    ¡°¡­Wow, the beads match perfectly.¡±

    Lady Sophia let out an admiring sigh. Natural pearls were scarce, and collecting pearls of the same size was aborious task. Hence, it was quite rare to have pearls of the same size. Most likely, this coastal town was growing them.

    While the base for this world was the era during which noble society was mainstream, there were things here and there that added some ir to the otome game. So, these were the kind of products that could be found in the world that had be the stage of the original game.

    There were nes, earrings, and brooches decorated by small gems and bordered by pearls. Lady Sophia gazed at the essories, captivated by the pearls'' shimmering brilliance. I picked up one of the essories, a brooch that Lady Sophia had been mesmerized by the most.

    ¡°Do you like this one, Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was thinking that I could put it on my dress too.¡±

    ¡°Then please, allow me to give you this brooch as a memento of our trip.¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cyril!¡±

    Lady Sophia rejoiced, her voice filled with unconcealed joy. She looked adorable. I told the shop assistant that I would like to purchase the brooch.

    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied with a smile and was about to clean up the rest of the essories. Then, a new customer walked into the shop.

    It was a young man¡ªthat being said, he was a young man much older than Lady Sophia and I¡ªand he was apanied by his entourage. When the exceedingly high-ss man came to stand next to us, another shop assistant rushed to serve him.

    ¡°W¨Cwee. It¡¯s an honor for you to havee to our shop. Although we would have rushed over immediately if you had summoned us¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough of your rambling. I made my way here myself because I have to make a quick choice. Show me something that will serve as a memento of this town to someone from another country.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

    He said this in a very haughty manner, as if he wanted to say: ¡®As if I would havee if it wasn¡¯t an urgent matter!¡¯

    He gave off this aura even to us, who were just watching from the side. The shop assistant had to be quite frightened.

    The shop assistant hurriedly nodded.

    ¡°Th¨Cthen, how about a pearl essory?¡±

    ¡°Hm, sounds good. Show me.¡±

    When the shop assistant serving the man went to get the pearl essories, our shop assistant handed them over without the brooch I had decided to buy.

    ¡°These are all we have.¡­How do you like them?¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait. There¡¯s one more there, right?¡±

    He was looking at the brooch I had decided to purchase. The clerk assisting us gulped when she noticed. Then, shepared the oppressive customer and us with a look and tightly squeezed her eyes shut.

    And then¡ª

    ¡°My deepest apologies. This essory has already been sold.¡±

    Those words were a little unexpected to us. However¡ª

    ¡°I see. You¡¯re telling me to make a deal with these children.¡±

    This oppressive customer¡ª actually, there were no doubts about it. This <i>town¡¯s feudal lord</i>¡ª grinned. He apparently interpreted the shop assistant¡¯s words so that they worked in his favor.

    ¡°Hey, you. Hand over that brooch.¡±

    ¡°We have already bought it,¡± I answered, stepping in front of my Lady.

    ¡°Heh, but you still haven¡¯t paid money for it, have you? Or what? Are you trying to go against me, the feudal lord of this town?¡±

    ¡°¡­So it¡¯s not a rule but you¡¯re just brandishing your power?¡±

    He looked down at me with a sneer in reaction to my question.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Our social statuses are different, so it¡¯s a no brainer.¡±

    On one hand, he was right. But, at the same time, being a person with a higher social status came with responsibilities. At the very least, his social status shouldn¡¯t allow him to make light of howmoners lived their lives or selfishly tyrannize them.

    However, precisely because of that, it was difficult for me to choose an approach. If I were to mention Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s name here, he¡¯d probably prostrate himself before us, and hisplexion was sure to be drained of color if I just mentioned the name of the Rosenberg Marquis household.

    ¡®But then, it could be said that I would sink to the same level as him, wielding social status as a weapon. Was it necessary to oppose him to such a degree?¡¯ I wasn¡¯t thinking about any of that.

    I thought about Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s wish and Lady Sophia¡¯s wish. After doing so, I pondered over what kind of response I should give.¡­Well, if he intended to hurt my Lady, I nned on doing whatever it took.

    As I thought about it, Lady Sophia pulled at my sleeve. Instead of standing in front of me, she secretly pulled at my sleeve and I understood that she was telling me to withdraw here.

    ¡°¡­I understand. We shall do as you say then.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you should have said that right away.¡±

    The violent feudal lord gave us a scornful smile, and then purchased all the pearl essories the shop assistant had prepared for us.

    As I watched him do it, I turned around to face Lady Sophia. Although this was the result she wanted, there was no way she was used to such a scornful gaze being aimed her way. That was what I thought, but Lady Sophia was smiling coldly.

    ¡°Lady Sophia?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I simply pity his fate.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lady Sophia, your expression is very dark.¡±

    I should have been worried about that feudal lord, not her. That being said, he probably always behaved like this. And since he was opposingmoners of low social status, he wouldn¡¯t get scolded even if he did as he pleased. Considering that, I felt no sympathy for him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s deal with himter. What do you want to do now? It seems that he only bought essories with pearls, so perhaps you could choose another one¡­?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Is there anything besides pearls?¡±

    My Lady tilted her head, and the shop assistant turned to me. ¡°If it is not too much trouble, while we don''t have the brooch in stock here at the shop, we can ce an order for it immediately. If you¡¯d like, we can deliver it by today. What do you say?¡±

    Lady Sophia and I exchanged nces. My Lady nodded, so I paid for the cost and wrote down the delivery address onto the order form. The price was lower than I expected¡ªmost likely, they gave us a discount.

    Moreover, the shop assistant was surprised when they saw the delivery address, so we were probably found out in more ways than one.

    Afterwards, we safely returned to Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s vi. The majority of people didn¡¯t know that Lady Sophia had sneaked out, but the news of it seemed to have reached Rouch¨¦, of course, and the head of the guards as well. So naturally, the owner of the mansion¡ªImperial Princess Charlotte, who had arrived a short while ago by the magical airship¡ªmust have learned of it as well. But for the time being, the day passed without us being asked any questions.

    The next day, I attended the party hosted by Imperial Princess Charlotte. The local nobles and Imperial Princess Charlotte¡¯s family and friends were also attending aside with all of us, the students from the country Her Highness was studying abroad at.

    And also¡ª

    ¡°Lady Sophia, this is the Count that governs over this coastal town.¡±

    Imperial Princess Charlotte brought the town¡¯s feudal lord over.

    ¡°This is Sophia Rosenberg. She¡¯s my friend and a guest of honor. If you¡¯re rude to her, even your post wouldn¡¯t be spared, so be careful.¡±

    She said it jokingly, but she was most likely informed about yesterday¡¯s incident by the guards observing us. When I considered that she made her remark while knowing that it was already toote, I didn¡¯t feel likeughing at all. However, the feudal lord didn¡¯t know that yet.

    ¡°Haha, that goes without saying. It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Lady Sophia¡ª¡±

    Given permission by Her Highness, he raised his head and looked at Lady Sophia¡¯s face. Then he spotted the shining pearl brooch on her dress, and atst, he looked at me, standing to the side, behind her. His face paled.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. We saw each other yesterday, didn¡¯t we? Thank you for sharing your valuable opinion with me. You said that social status was something to brandish, right?¡±

    The feudal lord of this town foamed at the mouth and fell to his knees in front of Lady Sophia, who was smiling serenely.

    ¡°Lady Sophia, could it be that something happened yesterday?¡± Imperial Princess Charlotte asked, even though she must have already known about it. In other words, she was implying that she wanted Lady Sophia to speak about the incident right here. Understanding this, Lady Sophia told her in great detail about what happened yesterday.

    ¡°Oh my! Oh my goodness. To think that such a thing happened to you, our esteemed foreign guest and my friend! Lady Sophia, I sincerely apologize on his behalf.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Then, would you allow me to take care of his punishment?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    The conversation proceeded smoothly as expected. And thus, the fate of the current head of this region was decided.

    By the way, Imperial Princess Charlotte must have been considerably hurt by this incident too. I wondered why she went this far, but apparently the feudal lord was messing with her little sister as well.

    At the end of the day, it was a cautionary tale, that in this world, one shouldn¡¯t incur the wrath of either a siscon or brocon.

    And the Count was never seen again¡­

    Thank you for reading! Last chapter next week D:, can you believe it??

    Thank you for all yourments and support!!

    If'' you''d like to support this trantion, you can buy me a Ko-Fi:

 Book 3: Chapter 41: Sir Butlers troublesome day

    I, Cyril, was standing in front of the office desk in the Student Council leader¡¯s designated workspace, located in the Student Council meeting rooms. And on the other side of the office desk sat a frail-looking young girl¡ªFol¡ªilluminated by the rays of the setting sun shining through the window. She was looking at the written report I had submitted.

    Written on it was a summary of the finances generated by the clubroom buildings. By the way, ¡®clubroom buildings¡¯ refers to the areas in which the buildings where students hold tea parties with their own faction members and other such things are concentrated. Therefore, if the area isrge, the amount of money circted would berge as well.

    Incidentally, students of the Servant Course also get hired to do temporary jobs there so it wasn¡¯t umon for them to generate an ie too. Since the written report was a summary of all of these, the number was pretty hefty. However, Fol didn¡¯t bat an eye when she looked at the sum.

    ¡­Well, even though she was pretending to be an ordinary person, she was still a Royal on the inside. Moreover, she was a disciple of Teacher Tristan, a capture target in the original game, a super butler and incidentally, my elder sister from our previous world. So even if the number was high enough to astonish her, it probably wouldn¡¯t show on her face.

    ¡°This is very well-organized. As expected of you, Cyril. Frankly speaking, I thought that this would take you about three days. I had no idea you¡¯d finish it in half a day.¡±

    ¡°¡­You say that, but if I¡¯m not mistaken, you asked me to finish it by today, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I raised my eyebrow and Fol smiled. Her blonde hair sparkled in the rays of the setting sun. While she looked like someone from a fairy tale, I noticed that she was scheming something, since I had known her for quite a while by then.

    ¡°What are you nning?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, how uncouth of you to ask me in such a straightforward manner. Why, it¡¯s a surprise of course! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t repay your kindness by causing you harm.¡±¡°Rather, you¡¯re being mischievous and scheming behind the scenes instead.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re saying some awful things,¡± Fol said, but she was smiling. Moreover, she didn¡¯t disagree with what I said at all. She was definitely nning something. Ah, well, I didn¡¯t actually believe that she would turn against me. It was probably just a small prank that would end up bing a funny story. So I brushed it off too by shrugging my shoulders. ¡°Oh well. I shall take my leave here then.¡±

    ¡°Ah, apologies. I want to check the clubroom buildings mentioned in this report, would you be so kind as to apany me?¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡±

    Iplied with Fol¡¯s request, and walked down the hallway behind her.

    Inside the school grounds, there was an area where clubroom buildings were lined up next to each other. The especiallyrge one among these was the building managed by the Rosenberg Marquis household, which Lady Sophia used. Fol went straight into this building.

    There were servants that took care of the building inside, but Fol didn¡¯t call for them. I followed her, while thinking about the reason why she didn¡¯t call upon them.

    Fol stopped in front of the room which Lady Sophia regrly used for her faction tea parties. She stopped walking and opened the door. A familiar venue appeared before us. Although there was no tea party scheduled for that time, the party venue was already set up for one. Moreover, Lady Sophia was waiting at the entrance.

    ¡°Cyril, happy birthday.¡±

    Lady Sophia¡¯s dignified voice resounded.

    Oh, right¡­ was today my birthday? Since I was so busytely, I hadpletely forgotten about it.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°Happy B-day, Cyril.¡±

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Birthday wishes came pouring in from Alicia and Prince Alforth, followed by the Student Council members and each of their servants as well as other people I interacted with.

    ¡°Thank you so much. But what a surprise! I had never thought that I would be receiving your well wishes this way.¡±

    Involuntarily, my true thoughts spilled out. But surely, anyone would be surprised if they heard that I, nothing but an ordinary servant, was being wished a happy birthday by Royalty and noble daughters.

    ¡°Cyril, do you not remember all the things you¡¯ve done? Everyone here is indebted to you in one way or the other. Isn¡¯t it a no brainer that we¡¯d at least wish you a happy birthday? Happy birthday, Cyril.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thank you very much, Fol.¡±

    Although originally, everything I had done was done to avoid Lady Sophia¡¯s destruction, thinking back on it, I did ovee many difficult situations. <i>If this is the result of those hardships, then I don¡¯t feel bad at all</i>. Actually, truth be told, I was very happy.

    As those thoughts went through my mind, Lady Sophia pulled at my hand.

    ¡°Come then, Cyril. All of us made some celebratory food. You should be the one to try it first. And then. you should guess which one I made, alright?¡±

    ¡°Whoa,¡±

    She dropped a huge bomb out of nowhere.

    ¡°I worked really hard, too, so I¡¯d like you to guess which one I made as well,¡± Alicia continued.

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); And then¡ª

    ¡°I thought I might as well cook a dish too, so I did.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. If I may jump in, I participated as well.¡±

    ¡°Roy and I baked some bread together.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I boiled some pasta. Also¡­good luck?¡±

    ¡°I prepared some roast beef.¡±

    When Prince Alforth innocently entered the contest too, Rouch¨¦ thought it would be fun to raise the difficulty level. Emma, Roy, Luke and Chloe told me what they cooked but Rouch¨¦ would pay for thister.

    But, but! I knew what dishes Lady Sophia could cook and naturally, I also knew that Rouch¨¦¡¯s cooking skills were on par with a professional. Considering this,through the process of elimination, the only ones left were Prince Alforth, Fol and Alicia. While this was just my impression, Alicia seemed family-oriented and I had my doubts whether Prince Alforth and Fol could cook. In other words, I would be able to guess.

    <i>It¡¯s not a trial that I can¡¯t ovee,</i> I thought as everyone sat down.

    ¡°By the way, I cooked something too. Let us know which dish you liked best afterwards.¡±

    The moment everyone sat down, Fol added even more fuel to the fire. Lady Sophia¡¯s and Alicia¡¯s eyes sparkled as if to say ¡®I want to know too! You¡¯ve really done it, Fol. You sure got me with your prank.

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Actually, who was the careless one here, thinking that it would be something that could be a funny story?

    <i>No, it¡¯ll be fine.</i><i>I am a butler of the Rosenberg Marquis household. Lady Sophia is the one I should make look good here.</i> Everyone present knew that. Therefore, I should unhesitantly pick Lady Sophia¡¯s dish.

    So the only issue was to correctly guess who had cooked what dish. If I did, I¡¯d be able to ovee this hurdle.

    For that reason, I couldn¡¯t be passive here. For example, if I were to hesitate, it was possible that a bomb such as ¡®Which dish will you eat first?¡¯ could be dropped.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start from here,¡± I said right away in order to avoid that from happening and took the appetizer.

    ¡°This dish is very sophisticated with gentle seasoning¡­ were you the one who made it, Lady Alicia? And this one¡­it was made by Your Highness, Prince Alforth, right? It¡¯s a great honor to have Your Highness cook something for me.¡±

    First, I guessed the dish Alicia had made, and then I guessed which dish Prince Alforth cooked. However, I didn¡¯t decide based on the vor. To be more precise, I made my decision based on the reaction of the person whose dish I was tasting and then I made ament that fit that person.

    Also, the dishes cooked by the servants were really delicious. Even Roy and Emma had improved greatly in this short span of time. They might have made use of the experience they got from working at the restaurant.

    I ate their food with relish and had several dishes in a row. Then, there were just two left, a potato sd and bacon & eggs. There were only two people left as well¡ªLady Sophia and Fol. However, both of these dishes could have been cooked by Lady Sophia.

    I had no clue which one was hers. Both Fol and Lady Sophia were perfectionists. Nevertheless, unlike Lady Sophia, Fol couldn¡¯t have known what would suit my tastes. So I thought I¡¯d be able to distinguish between their dishes but¡­I had no idea.

    If I was told that both were made by Lady Sophia, I would believe it.

    (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ¡°¡­All of your dishes were delicious, but among them, these two are seasoned in a way that I particrly enjoy. It¡¯s difficult to say which one is better. I am truly troubled¡­¡±

    I really was troubled, but what I said was insurance in case I was wrong. I really didn¡¯t know which one was whose. However, the likelihood was 50/50¡­I couldn¡¯t just leave it to those odds.

    ¡°Potato sd is the dish I like¡ª¡±

    I paused slightly here. I looked at Lady Sophia¡¯s reaction. If her expression sank, I had nned to continue with: ¡±¡ªless. The dish Lady Sophia made, bacon & eggs, is the dish I like the most.¡±

    No matter how good of a poker face Lady Sophia had, her feelings would definitely show on her face in this kind of situation. Even if they didn¡¯t, I was confident that I could read her anyway.

    Therefore¡ªsince Lady Sophia didn¡¯t look gloomy and was watching me quietly, I determined that the dish Lady Sophia had made was the potato sd.

    ¡°I like the potato sd which Lady Sophia made, the best.¡±

    And as expected¡ª

    ¡°Cy¡­ril¡­um, I am very happy. I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be so indecisive over the two dishes that I made¡­¡±

    My very, very lovely Lady Sophia just said that she made both the dishes.

    Coe to think of it, they didn¡¯t say that one person made only one dish, did they?

    However¡ª

    ¡°Then, what about Fol?¡±

    ¡°I made cream puffs, they will be served after the main course,¡± she said, feigning ignorance. She really got me. This was definitely a premeditated crime.

    While I did intend on hesitating a little between the dishes the others made and between Lady Sophia¡¯s dishes, I ttered my master too much when I said ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say which one is better¡± about both of Lady Sophia¡¯s dishes.

    How utterly embarrassing.

    Or rather, the teasing, smug looks of the servants were hard to be subjected to.

    When I averted my eyes, Fol looked at me and smiled.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I wouldn¡¯t repay your kindness with harm?¡±

    ¡°Ah, eh, yes, yes, you did. No harm done, no harm done.¡±

    <i>Looks like she¡¯ll have something to tease me with for a while</i>, I thought and let out a sigh. But when I cast a nce at Lady Sophia, who seemed very happy, I let out another small sigh.

    <i>¡°Ah, who cares,¡± </i>I thought.Aaaand¡­that''s the end(for now)! If/When the fourth volumees out, I will try to get my hands on it if the series doesn''t get licensed, so perhaps we shall meet here again for more cute shenanigans and schemes. ?

    Apologies for the longer wait this week, work is swamping me. Thank you for sticking with my trantion and all the support andments! This series helped me grow a lot as a trantor and even though I wish I could do it more justice, I did my best. Big thank you goes to the people in the discord help chat, their advice was invaluable. A HUGE thank you goes to all my editors and proofreaders who made the trantion so so much better, thank you all for your big brain energy. <3

    I might be looking to pick up another project, so if anyone has any recs, do let me know! I hope to see you all soon again!!

    If you''d like to support this trantion/trantor, you can buy me a Ko-Fi:<ol><li>lmao Cyril got so startled he spoke in historical kana. ¤ñ ¨C ¡°we¡± in hiragana, or ¥ñ in katakana, is a nearly obsolete Japanese kana. It is presumed that ¤ñ represented we. It is thought that, after ¤ñ and ¤¨ came to denote the same pronunciation as ¥¤¥§ in the Kamakura period, they came to be pronounced as the modern ¥¨ [e e]; there is also the view that the pronunciation difference between the two kana remained until the Taish¨­ period. source</li></ol>

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!