Sapphias receives a Summon
“Damn, damn damn! Those guys, who do they think they are talking to?!”
Upon returning to the room, Sapphias hit the pillow on the bed. A sloppy sound echoes in the room. Sapphias, who went wild for a while, finally became tired and sighed deeply.
“I… I have to be an officer of the Student Council. I can’t afford to screw up like this…”
He muttered with a very serious. Then Sapphias looked at the desk. On top was a half-written letter which read…
To my beloved Honey
How are you doing?
I’m in good health as usual. However, I often feel depressed because I can’t meet you.
It was a beginning of a very sweet and mushy love letter. The fact is Sapphias had a fiancée who had been betrothed to him since childhood. It wasn’t too unusual for nobilities to have arranged marriage. These were important political moves to strengthen their houses. Status, money, and even military power are the factors to be considered when looking for marriage. This usually causes a lot of undesired marriages.
But this is not the case for Sapphias. He and his fiancée shared a mutual affection for each other. In fact, they flirt not just on the letters, but every chance they can. This is to the point that when they flirt at home, people can’t stand them and just leave.
Sapphias’ fiancée is the daughter of a Marquis. Though not as high in status as that of the Four Dukes, her family’s status is enough for her to be a suitable bride. The opponent is a marquis who is inferior to the four great dukes but has tradition and prestige, is perfect in terms of bloodline, and looks pretty and graceful.
She’s a fair young maiden who thought of Sapphias as a respectable and upstanding young man. She views him in rose-colored lenses so her opinion might be askewed. But the result is that they were viewed as the ideal couple as nobles. By the way, they also happened to have the same trait as that of Mia where they easily get stuck in romance mode. Of course, they refuse to admit it.
That’s not really a problem, the problem is that Sapphias had already written a letter to his sweetheart boasting that he will become a member of the Student Council.
“How can I say that that was a mistake? There’s no way I can do such an embarrassing thing!”
He held his head and screamed. It was the sad cry of a man who was suffering from love.
By the way … the boy who is his servant in the same room as him, is Dario. He happens to be the younger brother of Sapphias’ fiancée. With his sister’s connection, he came to St. Noel as a servant of Sapphias and was educated at the highest level on the continent.
Personally, Dario was very happy with the arrangement. But occasionally he has to witness his future brother-in-law wail out of despair just from writing a love letter. And for him, it was a kind of hell.
“Hey, Dario. What should I do? Do you think she will forgive me?”
“Ah, maybe it’s okay. Big sister tends to have a ‘meh, whatever’ kind of attitude.” Dario gives an unmotivated reply.
Going home won’t even provide respite for Dario. For there, he will be quizzed by his sister to tell the stories of her beloved Sapphias. With how crazy Sapphias and her sister are for each other, Dario doesn’t think that this small degree of failure of joining the student council will affect their relationship.
“No, but I have an image to maintain. Cursed moons! If only Princess Mia agreed to my plans!”
It was an awkward moment for Dario. Fortunately, it didn’t last long as a knock could be heard from the door.
“Oops, I’m sorry but I have to get that, Lord Sapphias.”
“You don’t have to call me Lord. We’ll be brothers soon…”
“Yes, I understand, Lord Sapphias.”
Dario dashed to the door, opening it to see an unfamiliar man standing there.
“Pardon the intrusion. Lord Sapphias Etoile Bluemoon. You have been summoned by Rafina-sama.”
Hearing that, Sapphias…
“… Huh?”
…just tilted my head. It was a messenger from hell… a messenger of Rafina Orca Belluga, the ruler of the academy.
“Rah, Rafina-sama… You wished to see me?”
Sapphias was brought to the Student Council Room. It was the room that he very much wanted to be a part of, but at the moment, he could not even relax.
Because, right in front of him, Rafina sat deep in a chair with a stern smile. Then she took a sip of tea from her teacup. It’s usually unacceptable to summon someone and just enjoy a tea for yourself. The only case it can be acceptable is if the other party was at fault. And Sapphias had an inkling as to what the summons may be for. His head told him that she wouldn’t have known, but another part of him says that he is in trouble.
Whether or not she knew the feelings of Sapphias, Rafina quietly stared at the teacup as if checking the color of the tea.
“Uhm… Rafina-sama?”
“Hmm. Apologies. I was just thinking a little.”
“Huh? What might that be?”
“What would my friend do in such a case?”
“Uhm… I’m not sure I follow…”
Then, Sapphias noticed. A girl was standing behind Rafina. Her face was deathly pale. She was the one that Sapphias bribed to spread malicious rumors about Rafina.
“Somehow, it seems that you were trying to do something behind the scenes. Though I must say, you need to learn how to cover your tracks well… If not, they will only destroy you.”
With a dignified and beautiful voice, Rafina finally turned to Sapphias. Sapphias quivered at her clear gaze that looked like the morning dew of the mountains.
The words that Mia said pass through his mind. “You’re not fooling anyone.”
No way! Can she really know?
Rafina has a gentler tone to the astonishing Sapphias.
“But what should I do… I think, Lord Sapphias, that bad guys should be punished. Of course, people make mistakes, and mercy should be given to them, but you, you are the eldest son of the Duke’s family.”
Rafina said with a stabbing glare that was cold enough to freeze anyone. Her glare was pure, gleaming, and freezing cold.
“We are born from different kingdoms, but we are born to similar stations. I assume you are aware that you must take responsibility of the things you do as befitting your rank, right?”
Sapphias trembled upon a realization. The girl that Sapphias despised as a daughter of a Duke of a small nation was the executor of justice in the name of God. She does not forgive wrongdoings and always gives out punishment. Right now, the sword of judgement is above his neck figuratively held by Rafina with a determined will.
However, her tone suddenly softens.
“But I know Mia-sama will forgive you. She would say that the school is a place for teaching and education. It would be cruel to expel someone just because they made a single mistake. And she would show mercy.”
Punishment has two roles. To comfort the victim’s heart by forcing the perpetrator to suffer in return; and to punish the person who made the mistake… that is, to educate.
“Hmm, but this time, I suppose the victim would be me?” Rafina puts her hand on her cheek and tilts her head. “But I failed to become a real victim… Same as Tiona-san. There is no need to placate any grievance of mine. That leaves us with ensuring that those who did wrong repent for their actions.”
Sapphias watched in bewilderment as she spoke of an incident entirely unfamiliar to him. Then Rafina giggled.
“Hey, Lord Sapphias, did Mia-sama say anything?”
“She said that she will fight you fair and square.” These were actually the words of Tiona, that Sapphias repeated. In the noble’s society, the words of an attendant were considered to be the words of the master. And Sapphias considered the lowly noble Tiona to be no different than an attendant.
Therefore, the words that Tiona said without permission are transmitted to Rafina as Mia’s words.
“Oh… yes. She would say that, wouldn’t she? That’s just the kind of person she is, that dear friend of mine…” Rafina sighed sadly there. “Oh, why wouldn’t she just accept my invitation to the council then…”
