Chapter 67
Estelle slightly turned her head to look down at the owner of the voice.
‘Hmm.’
After thinking for a moment, she began gathering the scattered paint tubes that were lying all around her.
“Ah, y-you don’t have to pick those up! They’re all ruined—your hands will get filthy!”
Just as he said, not a single tube of paint was intact.
They had all been crushed and burst under someone’s shoe heels.
But Estelle didn’t seem to care that her hands would get dirty.
“Here.”
“Th-thank you.”
Gathering all the paint in her arms, Estelle handed them to Sial.
Sial accepted them with both hands and bowed repeatedly, thanking her over and over again.
‘Strange. We’re in the same class, so we should be the same age.’
But his attitude, the way he spoke—everything about Sial’s behavior toward Estelle was like someone addressing a superior.
Estelle tilted her head.
“You’re a first-year too, right? Same as me.”
“Huh? Y-yes… I know. B-because we’re in the same class…”
“Is that so?”
Of course she already knew that. She was only asking for confirmation.
‘It’s not like I don’t know.’
She could feel his gaze on her all the time, no matter where she went.
She didn’t know when it started, but—
“During the entrance ceremony too… I-I saw you then.”
So that’s when it began. When he first started watching her.
Estelle responded lightly, “Did you now?”
Then she smiled at him.
“But why are you using honorifics? You saw me at the entrance ceremony, and we take the same class—you must know we’re the same age.”
And after staring at me so intently all the time…
Estelle trailed off, studying Sial’s face.
His complexion had gone pale, as if he might bolt the moment she pressed him further.
“Um… but…”
Sial trailed off, eyes darting around nervously.
Estelle watched him quietly and let out a thoughtful hum.
Then she spoke again.
“I’d prefer it if you talked to me casually. I’ll do the same.”
“But! Won’t that be rude? I’m just a commoner… and I already know all about you. A-and how could I speak informally to someone of such high status…”
Ah. So that’s why he’d been so awkward.
It seemed that ridiculous rumor hadn’t just fooled that group of idiots—it had even tricked the boy in front of her.
“I’m not.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m not a noble.”
Sial blinked.
“T-then earlier…”
“I never once said I was a noble. They just misunderstood.”
Estelle shrugged.
“They believed whatever they wanted and started saying nonsense. So I just went along with it. Let them believe what they wanted about me.”
“I-I see… I see…”
The fear that had clouded Sial’s eyes a moment ago softened into confusion.
His expression clearly said, That makes no sense, and he looked utterly dumbfounded by her answer.
“And I’m not offended.”
“What?”
“By you watching me.”
Sial’s eyes widened.
“You didn’t look at me with any bad intent or hostility. You just wanted to talk to me, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. But I thought you were a noble…”
“Then it’s fine.”
And maybe… she found herself feeling oddly fond of him.
Estelle gave him a gentle smile, hoping to ease his tension.
At that, Sial’s eyes grew moist, as though he might cry if she so much as touched him.
Estelle waited quietly until he calmed down.
When she thought he’d settled enough, she asked,
“But… shouldn’t you be going?”
“Huh?”
“You like painting, don’t you? The art class is about to start.”
Estelle pointed toward something with her finger—
the clock tower standing tall at the center of the academy.
“Ah, right!”
Sial, checking the time, jumped up in alarm.
He hurriedly stuffed his belongings into his bag.
Estelle waited for him, then extended her hand.
“Let’s go. And talk comfortably.”
Her hand was messy with paint, but full of warmth and goodwill.
“Y-yeah… I mean, yeah!”
Sial grasped her hand.
✦ ✦ ✦
A little distance away from the cafeteria, on a bench,
sat a girl and two boys.
The girl watched the pink-haired girl walking off and said,
“She’s so nice! And cute too! I want to be friends with her!”
“Told you. She’s not bad.”
The black-haired boy with gray eyes smiled faintly as he replied.
“What are you talking about, Aris? You said last time she had a bad temper—ow!”
“Quiet. You’re distracting me.”
The girl jabbed the teasing boy, Aris, in the ribs.
“Ugh, come on. You always pick on me.”
The boy rubbed his side, grumbling.
“I never said she had a bad temper. I just said she wasn’t very friendly.”
“No, you said—when our friend was getting punched—”
“Anyway, Havony, aren’t you a first-year too? You shouldn’t be hanging around here. Don’t you have class?”
“Who are you talking to?”
“Oh! My bad. I was just thinking that now that Ryan’s finally quiet, maybe I could observe her for a bit—wait, hold on! I take the same class, right? If I go to class, I can see her up close!”
The girl, Havony, sprang to her feet.
Raising her hand high and waving it, she ran off down the path the pink-haired girl had just taken.
“I’ll see you later, Aris!”
“Look at her—she doesn’t even say goodbye to me… Hey! Wait up!”
“Be quiet. Just go already.”
“Seriously… Anyway, you did say she had a bad temper.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did!”
And so the two boys—Aris and the one called Ryan—also left the area,
their thoughts still lingering on the pink-haired girl.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So that’s what happened…”
“Yeah.”
Across the table, Claude lifted his teacup and brought it to his lips.
His throat moved as he swallowed.
“You should have some too.”
He set his cup down again and gestured toward mine.
His lips were faintly damp from the tea, and for a moment, that drew my eyes.
“Ah, y-yes…”
I quickly regained my composure and picked up my own cup.
That’s right—I was currently having tea with Claude.
Just the two of us, seated across from each other at a small round table.
“…Sip.”
The reason we were sharing tea like this was simple.
“What is the meaning of this?! You need to explain properly!”
The moment I received Claude’s letter, I rushed straight to the Duke of Xenopesia’s estate.
Then I stormed up to Claude and demanded an explanation for what he’d written.
Normally, I would never act so rashly—but this time, I couldn’t help it.
Because his letter mentioned bullying of commoners within the academy.
“Bullying? Our Estelle?”
Our Estelle—the future emperor—but for now, just a commoner.
She could have been one of the victims! Bullied, inside the academy!
So I came running in a panic to confront Claude.
And he…
“Hmm. Before that, why don’t you sit down first? The weather’s nice; the terrace will do. What kind of tea do you prefer?”
“I’ll have chamomile… No, wait—tea isn’t the point right now—”
He had calmly led me to the terrace,
asked my tea preference, and even brewed it himself.
“Here. I made it myself, but it shouldn’t be too bad.”
“Th-thank you. Sip. Oh, it’s delicious!”
“Right?”
“Yes, the aroma’s wonderful—wait, no! This isn’t the time for tea!”
“Calm down. I’ll explain.”
After several failed attempts to get him to focus,
I finally managed to hear the full story—
while drinking the tea he’d made,
in the middle of an impromptu tea party.
“I’m sorry… for barging in so suddenly. I just—your letter didn’t have any explanation, and I panicked…”
“It should’ve been written on the back. You didn’t see it?”
“Oh… right. Ha-ha.”
Damn it. He was right.
I flipped through the letter in despair.
Everything he’d just told me was neatly written on the back page.
‘If only I’d read it properly before running here.’
If I had read the whole letter to the end,
I wouldn’t be sitting here now—
having this mortifying tea party with Claude.
