Chapter 16
Somehow, Suspicious People (1)
Somehow, I managed to finish the first lesson.
Leaving behind Lynette’s curious, sparkling eyes, I headed toward Eclipse’s office.
‘Ugh, why am I so nervous?’
Rattle, rattle.
The little cart carrying my lesson materials rolled noisily down the quiet hallway. Its cheeriness didn’t match my mood at all, and I sighed deeply.
‘Cheerful? Yeah right. My head is a mess right now.’
Two things weighed on me: Eclipse’s sudden summons, and Lynette’s measured amount of magic.
‘What am I supposed to do—ask him why his sister only has half of my magic? That’s insane.’
Lynette d’Ledaire. The heroine of the original novel. The one blessed with every protagonist buff under the sun.
And yet, in the test, she barely reached half of me, a supposed extra? That didn’t make any sense.
‘But the crystal ball didn’t show any errors…’
Come to think of it, my magic seemed to have grown recently.
I’d always been talented, but not that talented—certainly not enough to overshadow Lynette.
‘So what’s happening to me?’
Too many changes had happened to me in just the past few days. It was impossible to pin down.
While thinking, I stared at Silbern’s back as he walked ahead. Then something clicked.
‘Oh, right. What about those soldiers?’
The gatekeepers of House Ledaire—those scoundrels who dared threaten Lynette!
Just remembering them made me frown.
‘Awful men. How shameless can you be?’
Since I hadn’t seen them around lately, they must have been punished already.
Feeling oddly satisfied, I snorted proudly.
‘As I thought. My instincts were right. Those guys really were guilty.’
I even flashed a victorious grin at Silbern’s back.
“Mr. Silbern, don’t you have something you’d like to say to me?”
He didn’t answer. I chuckled to myself until he finally muttered:
“…Not really.”
“Aw, I bet you do.”
Maybe my voice gave away my playful mood, because his tone carried a hint of feeling this time.
“No. Nothing.”
“That’s too firm. Think about it a little more.”
“I already have.”
“I don’t believe youuu.”
I dragged out my words on purpose. Silbern seemed to give up on answering altogether, falling silent again.
“You’re quieter than I expected.”
I hummed a little tune, feeling cheerful again.
Soon, we arrived at Eclipse’s office. Silbern spoke stiffly:
“Please go inside.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
I turned back suddenly to look at him.
Now that I thought about it, something was supposed to happen with him too, right?
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Ah, I remembered.
“You’re the eldest son of Baron Sylvester, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”
“Well, since you’re a noble, you don’t really need to use honorifics with me, do you?”
“Oh.”
He made a face like, Why bother worrying about that?
“It’s just habit. Working as a butler makes you speak politely without even thinking. It’s easier this way, so don’t mind it.”
Honestly, every rude brat in this world should learn from him.
See, kids? He’s proof that even nobles can make politeness into a habit. Isn’t that inspiring?
“Anyway, let’s not fuss over that. Whether it’s formal or casual, what’s the difference? We’re both just employees. As long as we respect each other, it’s fine.”
…Wow. Silbern, you’re actually kind of cool.
‘I like him more than I thought.’
Forget what I said about his bad first impression. I reached out my hand.
“I think we can be good friends. Let’s get along from now on.”
He looked at me for a moment, then chuckled softly and shook my hand.
“Yes, let’s. Just don’t cause trouble.”
“Never! I plan to work here for a very long time.”
“I hope so.”
I smiled at him before stepping into the office he opened for me.
Eclipse was, as always, buried in paperwork at his desk.
As I pushed my cart in, my eyes fell on something on his desk.
‘Oh, that candelabra.’
It was the same type as the one he’d given me before.
“If you need one, take it. There are plenty of spares.”
His old words came back to me. Too bad the dream-like butterfly powder I wanted was nowhere to be found.
‘If I want a perfect crime, I need to get that powder back somehow… What should I do?’
My mind wandered with dangerous thoughts, but Eclipse simply glanced at me and returned to his papers.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes, of course!”
His order was absolute. Naturally, I obeyed.
I stood there, watching him work.
‘How does he never lift his eyes from the page? He really is a workaholic.’
This was the third time I’d seen him up close.
And even now, as he read documents with that same calm face—
‘Still handsome, though.’
I couldn’t help admiring him. Maybe it was because he looked a little tired, but his expression carried a strangely alluring, decadent quality.
As I indulged in these thoughts, Lynette’s voice flashed through my head:
“Most teachers leave his office looking crushed. I guess he’s just really intimidating.”
Right. I wasn’t here for fun.
Snapping back to reality, I rubbed the stiff back of my neck nervously.
‘If just standing in front of him makes people feel crushed… how terrifying must he be?’
My worries only grew when our eyes suddenly met.
I straightened up immediately, folding my hands politely.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
“You seem nervous.”
“W-what? No, not at all.”
“My eyes tell me otherwise.”
Of course I was lying! Who wouldn’t be nervous standing before the Archduke?!
Forcing a smile, I pulled on my most professional expression.
“Everyone says the same. The moment they stand here, even the most relaxed people go stiff.”
Wow, so I’m not the only one. That’s comforting… I guess.
“Don’t feel pressured. That’s not why I called you here.”
Easy for you to say! You hold my entire career in your hands.
“Yes, understood…”
I bowed slightly, though my smile trembled with nerves.
“Do you know why I summoned you?”
He picked up my lesson notes as he asked.
My mind froze.
‘Oh no. I’m terrible at open-ended questions. If this were multiple choice, I could at least guess!’
After a long pause, I blurted out the safest answer I could think of.
“I assumed it was regarding Lady Lynette’s education.”
It was the perfect reply, since he cared so much about his sister’s learning.
But Eclipse set the notes down and stared at me directly.
“That’s true. But that’s not the only reason.”
…Wait, what? Multiple answers?!
My eyes widened as I waited anxiously.
Then he spoke:
“Bloomhire.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You already knew Lynette had not fully awakened her divine power, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“How, exactly, did you know that?”
His gaze was sharp as he asked.
For a moment, I was confused. Then I realized.
‘Ohhh, it must’ve been that! When I said she’d “spread her wings soon.”’
Yes. That must be it. I remembered how strangely he’d reacted at the time.
‘Wait. Wasn’t that common knowledge in the original story?’
Lynette had refused to train seriously because she didn’t want to become Saintess. Lots of people knew that… right?
But then I remembered.
‘No, that was actually something only a few people knew!’
Outwardly, Lynette was seen as the perfect holy maiden, the image of her mother, Aileen.
But in reality, very few knew the truth.
‘At most, Eclipse, a few high priests… maybe five people in total, including Lynette herself.’
