Chapter 60
The girl with the roll-bun hairstyle flushed red.
“Call me by my proper name!”
Hm, was it not that? Somehow, the nickname rolled off my tongue so well.
“Why should I care? You were destined to be thrown out of the Count’s family if you caused even one more incident, weren’t you?”
“H-how did you… No, that’s not true!”
Denying it was pointless. I was only stating facts.
“Not true? When your sister was discussing marriage with that businessman, you called him a commoner and got scolded until you cried, didn’t you?”
“……!”
“And then you threw a glass of water at the nanny who tried to discipline you, which caused a complete fallout with your sister.”
“H-how… how do you know that!”
So she’s given up on denying it now.
Soon enough, Roll-Bun changed her tactic.
“Hmph. Families fight, that’s normal. Maybe your expectations of nobility are too high? Of course, unlike you lot, we fight with dignity—”
“Oh please, you’re skipping the most humiliating part. The very reason you were on the verge of being thrown out.”
“What? …No way.”
I paused to give her a chance. This was truly an embarrassing story. But she only maintained an expression of disbelief, as though I couldn’t possibly know.
Fine then. You dug your own grave.
“You went to the businessman who broke off the engagement with your sister and declared, ‘If you want to marry into nobility so badly, I’ll do it for you. But you’d better make enough money to buy yourself a title within two years!’”
“Aaaaah!”
Finally, Roll-Bun exploded and lunged at me. I stepped back and kicked the chair beside me.
Unable to stop her own momentum, she tripped and went sprawling across the floor. The teapot toppled as well.
“Kyaa! H-hot!”
“You brought something out still scalding? You really have no shame.”
“Y-you! How dare you insult me! Insult me, a noble!”
“No. You’re the one insulting yourself. You’ve got neither the dignity of a noble nor the decency of a human being.”
I picked up the overturned teapot and hurled it to the floor.
Crash!
Shards of porcelain scattered everywhere. At that sharp sound, Roll-Bun froze in place.
Ah, I see. She was used to bossing people around and putting on airs, but when faced with actual confrontation, she was useless.
“Pathetic. You can’t do anything without hiding behind the name of the Frulling family.”
“Ugh… uuuuh…”
She clenched her teeth to hold back tears, but it only contorted her face into something even uglier. Crimson as a tomato, her face finally crumpled as tears streamed down.
This was the first time in the story’s <Top 100> rankings that the villainess got defeated by the heroine—Lady Frulling. Of course, Seraphina hadn’t verbally beaten her down like I just did. In the original, Roll-Bun self-destructed over the course of about a week. But I’m no kindhearted saint like Seraphina.
Through her sobs, Roll-Bun asked hoarsely:
“H-how… how do you know all this…?”
Because I read the novel, obviously.
The only reason I remembered this minor character’s story so vividly, even after skimming the rest, was simple: scandalous drama is especially entertaining. It sticks with you.
Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. Instead, I whispered in her ear:
“Businessmen don’t only deal in physical goods. Information can be a commodity too.”
“How could you possibly know what happened inside my house!”
“Who do you think can come and go freely without invitations? Certainly not nobles.”
“……!”
Yes. Nobles need invitations and announcements even when visiting one another. Even among family, you can’t just walk into someone else’s room.
But servants, maids, milk delivery boys, beggars at the back kitchen, roof repairmen… Those kinds of people are treated as if they don’t exist in the eyes of nobles.
“Don’t ever look down on commoners again.”
“Ghh…”
“Oh, and do remember—your story wasn’t exactly valuable information. It was nothing more than a hilarious scandal.”
I stood up quickly before she could try striking me again. But her strength was gone; she couldn’t even get up. By now, the stares of our classmates weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Roll-Bun sat there, staring blankly into space. Just then—
“Students, let’s begin our next—oh? What’s going on here? Is someone ill?”
The priest who had come to conduct the next class looked startled at the scene. I gave him my sweetest smile while helping Roll-Bun to her feet.
“Lady Frulling says she’s feeling faint. She wants to rest in her room. May I escort her?”
“Ah, in that case, please do, Lady Schleyger.”
“She might have trouble walking alone. I’ll bring along one more companion.”
“By all means.”
Of course, the one I called on was my reliable friend, Betty.
Roll-Bun regained some strength on the way down the corridor, enough to mutter curses under her breath. Each time a sharp word slipped out, I simply brought up another embarrassing piece of her past I hadn’t mentioned earlier, until she fell silent.
The finishing blow came when we reached her room. Betty delivered it.
“Seriously… You cussed out your sister’s fiancé, then went to him yourself and said you’d marry him instead? Are you for real?”
“……”
“Oh my gosh, you did! Wow, that’s priceless!”
Roll-Bun’s face drained of all color, while Betty’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
The door to Roll-Bun’s room closed behind her, and Betty, practically bursting with the urge to spread the story everywhere, waved at me.
“Sol, I’m off! See you later!”
Then she dashed down the corridor.
Roll-Bun might just drop out of the academy from sheer shame at this rate. Not that I care.
Anyway, after this spectacle on the very first day, my reputation quickly changed.
“Hey, isn’t that the Schleyger’s adopted daughter? She seems nice enough. How’d she end up in that family?”
“You didn’t hear? Someone picked a fight with her in class, and…”
“…Oh. I see why the Schleygers took her in.”
And just like that, people began thinking I actually fit as part of House Schleyger. Whether that was good or bad, I wasn’t sure.
When Seraphina—who hadn’t witnessed the incident firsthand—heard about it later, her response was:
“Oh dear. If the two of them had simply shared a calm tea-time together, they could’ve become friends!”
That’s Seraphina for you. Ever the saintly saint. It’s hard to criticize her for seeing the world too beautifully.
In the original story, Seraphina had indeed resolved her troubles with Roll-Bun by literally chasing her around for a week offering to share tea. Even when Roll-Bun mocked her for being from a poor count’s family, Seraphina had insisted: “Let’s drink tea together! If we talk more, we’ll understand each other!”
She even showed up at Roll-Bun’s house in the end, waiting in her room until she returned. Eventually, Roll-Bun cracked under the stress and imploded.
It had been hilarious to read.
But if I were Roll-Bun? Having this angelic beauty trail me for a week, then thinking I was finally free only to find her suddenly sitting in my room… I’d have thought my time had come to be dragged to heaven.
The girl was too good for this world.
“Sol, is there something you want to talk about? If so, I’ll fetch some tea.”
“…No, it’s fine. How was your volunteer work today?”
“I helped the temple knights mend their satchels! I love that even my spare time before bed can be used for service!”
I honestly didn’t see what was so great about that, but maybe thanks to people like her, the world kept turning.
Seraphina eagerly pulled out a bag to show me.
“I’m not confident in my sewing, but they said as long as it’s sturdy, it’s fine, so I took some!”
“Wow, each one has a name stitched onto it.”
“Yes! Apparently they hang them on the wall and use them like personal lockers.”
Each bag was made of scraps, different colors and textures. Imagining tall knights in shining white armor carrying these mismatched satchels was… oddly cute.
As I browsed through the names, one in particular caught my eye.
“…Oh.”
Ignatz. No surname. The same name as the Schleyger family’s runaway eldest son.
No way… Coincidence? Of course not. In novels, whenever you think ‘No way,’ it’s always true!
The original story had him living a righteous life as a knight. Was it the Temple Knights he’d joined?
“Sol, what’s wrong? Do you know that name?”
“It just reminds me of someone I know.”
“I see… Well, if you ever need to talk, I’ll listen.”
Ugh… Now I had a new problem.
What should I do about the eldest son?
In the original, he only learned of his younger half-brother’s existence after the boy’s death. But what if he found out now?
If I’d been a helpless ten-year-old, maybe he’d have tried to save me. But now I was sixteen. He might see me as nothing more than part of House Schleyger and despise me for it.
What should I do…
As I fretted, Seraphina poked my side.
“Sol, do you want to hang out this weekend?”
“Huh? Don’t you have volunteer work?”
“I could, but… I’d rather spend time with you right now.”
Her eyes softened as they fell on my furrowed brow. Oh. She’d noticed and wanted to cheer me up.
…Thanks.
“Oh no, did I suggest something troublesome? Do you have to spend weekends with your family?”
“Haha, no! Father will be busy anyway. I’d rather spend time with you than stare at the same faces all weekend!”
Sorry, Your Grace. This is for the greater good! Especially your youngest son! I’ll introduce him to the best possible girl!
“Seraphina, I know just the place I want to go!”
Spring. A wide lake where pink petals danced across the water. A place so beautiful that even colleagues might fall in love if they came together.
I spun around confidently and cried:
“Well? Isn’t it gorgeous!”
“Yes! It’s amazing! I feel like I’ve come to heaven!”
“And now we’re going to ride boats here!”
“Boats? Oh my, that sounds fun!”
Seraphina responded like a perfect audience member at every turn. Ah, bringing her was worth it! But of course, I had another purpose in mind.
“Elber, you don’t like this place?”
But the expression of our other companion, Elber, was less than thrilled. Though he smiled, his handsome brow was furrowed tight.
“Sol. Didn’t you say we’d spend the weekend together?”
“I did! What’s wrong with that?”
“…I suppose it’s my fault for not asking how many people would be there.”
What, does he think I tricked him?
Ugh, at this rate, he won’t leave a good impression on Seraphina!
I quickly whispered in his ear:
“Fine, you don’t have to smile. Just don’t make that swindled face. Seraphina is my first real friend!”
“…Alright.”
Elber exhaled deeply, finally relaxing his brow into a slightly awkward smile.
Still, I wasn’t worried about their first impressions. After all, in the original story, their relationship also started with a fight.
Right here. At this very lake.
The only problem was—
“Come on, let’s get in the boat!”
That someone had to fall into the lake.
