Instigator Mia!
Once the student council appointments were decided, Mia triumphantly visited Sapphias.
“Sapphias, are you there?”
She eagerly knocked on his door, of which Sapphias came out all gloomy. He had the appearance of someone who had hit rock bottom.
“Oh, Your Highness Princess Mia… I’m sorry. My room is in a bit of a mess right now.”
Sapphias timidly responded.
“No. It’s fine here. Sapphias, I have appointed you to the student council as assistant to the secretary.”
“…Huh?”
Mia disregards Sapphias look on confusion and continued.
“I have appointed Rafina-sama and Prince Sion as vice-presidents, Prince Abel as my assistant, my dear friend Chloe as treasurer, and Tiona as secretary.”
The Chaos Serpents surely had already known what happened in the Kingdom of Remno. It was known that Sion and Abel were united against the Chaos Serpents, while Rafina was an enemy of all heretical cults. There was also Chloe, who was Mia’s close friend. As for Tiona… well, she did go to Remno with them.
In other words, what Mia was saying was…
“I’ll surround you with anti-Chaos Serpents and watch over you. So, prepare yourself!”
By the way, adding Sapphias as an assistant to Tiona, an outland noble, was also a smart harassment of Mia. She was provoking him.
“Well, I think that this appointment might be challenging for you, so it is fine to decline. However, I think that this would be your chance…”
She smiled with a triumphant smug.
If Sapphias was a Chaos Serpent, the student Council would be an enemy territory. He would be surrounded on all sides with danger. But it also meant that that he would be at the heart of the enemy force. As the saying goes, you can’t catch a lion’s cub without entering the lion’s den. This should be his chance.
Fufu, it’s hard to refuse, isn’t it? However, once you join the council, it will be your end. Everyone will keep an eye on you that you won’t be able to do anything sneaky!
Proud of her provocation, Mia left Sapphias room with a harrumph.
“No way, I didn’t think that this would be the result for me…”
Sapphias collapsed to the floor upon seeing Mia leave.
Since having been summoned by Rafina, Sapphias had shut himself up in his room. He was so afraid of Rafina that he was unable to go outside. In addition, the letter to his fiancé made his heart heavy. Once she prematurely heard that he would be in the student council, she sent him her heartfelt blessings and encouragement.
Dear Lord Sapphias, my future husband,
I am overjoyed to hear that you are so deeply valued by Princess Mia. I feel nothing but endless gratitude toward Her Highness, who perceived and appreciated your talent and potential. It is my honest wish that you will fulfil this important new duty by supporting Her Highness with grace and competence.
After receiving a letter like that, he cannot take back what he said and tell her that he didn’t get it. It would just be too pathetic. At the same time, he couldn’t keep the truth forever. Trapped within such a situation, he was slowly losing his will to live.
That was until Mia came to visit him earlier.
“Ah… anyway… a letter. I have to write a letter to my dear honey…”
Sapphias took up the brush, but his hand suddenly stopped.
“…perceived and appreciated my talent and potential… huh?”
Sapphias himself was well aware that it was a mistake. Through the past week’s exchanges, he had painfully realized that he himself was not a mastermind but nothing but a foolish petty person.
“Nevertheless, she was willing to give me a chance…”
Mia had clearly said it. Rafina would be there. So was Tiona, whom he looked down on. It’s a difficult environment, but it’s also an opportunity…
“I don’t think she have high expectations of me… but… No, even so, if she had no expectations at all, she might still have hope in me. Or she would not have bothered to speak with me in the first place.”
The position he was given as a member of the student council was not something that Sapphias earned himself. It was given by Mia’s one-sided kindness. Kindness that he was undeserving.
“A new duty of supporting Her Highness with grace and competence…”
He always thought that such flowery words were nothing but lip service, formalities without substance. But now, he felt the weight behind them.
“Her Highness preserved my honor. She gave me another chance. For that, I owe her a debt of gratitude. Should I fail to repay it and unable to live up to her expectations… I feel that I will remain a loser for the rest of my life….”
When he finally looked up, Sapphias’ face seemed to be slightly more dignified.
The Clair de Lune (Moonlight Meeting) was a tea party held periodically by the Etoilers that were the heirs of the Four Dukes.
A rare person showed up at that regular meeting.
“Oh, it’s rare. I can’t remember the last time I saw you here, Ruby-san.”
Esmeralda made a surprised face when she saw the person who entered.
“Hey, it’s been a while, Lady of the Greenmoon.”
The one who smiled so cheerfully was Ruby Etoile Redmoon, the daughter of the Redmoon family, one of the Four Dukes. Her bright red hair was short and trimmed to her shoulders. The word “beautiful woman in men’s clothing” was perfect for her handsome face, and there was a gallantness that even female students could not help admiring.
Ruby looked around the room with cool eyes and tilted her head slightly.
“Are you alone today? Where is the young Bluemoon?”
When she asked that, Esmeralda responded with a sullen face.
“It seems that the student council is keeping him busy with work.”
“Oh, come to think of it, he was appointed to the student council, wasn’t he? What about the heir of Yellowmoon? She started school this year, right?”
“Yellowmoon? Those ones that held their prestige through pure luck. We all know that Yellowmoons are the oldest and weakest of all. I couldn’t care less whether she shows up or not.”
“That’s true, but I still think it’s better than drinking tea alone.”
With a wry smile, Ruby sat down in front of Esmeralda.
“Then, since I’ve come all the way here, maybe I should get a cup of tea too.”
“Oh? Now this is really surprising.”
“If I skip too many of these meetings, Father will get angry.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Ruby smiles wryly.
“However, I was really surprised by Princess Mia. From when she announced her candidacy to making Rafina-sama drop out of the race at the last minute. The whole event was just unbelievable. I wonder what’s gotten into her?”
Sipping a sip of the tea that was placed in front of her, Ruby let out a sigh of pleasure.
“This a domestic tea from Perujin, right?”
“I don’t know where it was produced.”
Speaking carelessly, Esmeralda snorted sullenly.
“As long as it is the best quality, I don’t care where it was produced.”
“Hmm? Aren’t you abit angry Esmeralda. Could it be that you don’t like Princess Mia becoming the student council president?”
“Hmph, I don’t care about that. I just thought that she has a terrible judgement.”
“Terrible judgement?”
“I wonder why she chose that incompetent Sapphias instead me… What’s more, Tiona Rudolvon was chosen, a rural aristocrat… This is just so upsetting.”
The tea in her hand was trembling.
“Ah, just in case you start some trouble, I won’t stop you. But don’t stir up too much trouble, okay?”
“Oh, you won’t stop me?”
“Ahaha, after all, the knight I had my eye on was pulled out? Well, even I have some thoughts about Her Highness.”
Ruby’s smiling eyes weren’t smiling at all.
Thus, the heirs of the Four Dukes began to move with their own motives.
