"That, the girl who came to school with Frondier today, that's you, right?"
At that, Selena was the one surprised and asked.
"How do you know Lord Frondier?"
"…Lord Frondier?"
"I am Lord Frondier's escort. That's why I'm here."
Selena spoke as if it was no big deal.
"Escort…?"
Elodie looked at Selena’s face. She quickly glanced at her swaying hair, her clothes, and her figure.
“As an escort… uh, well.”
Elodie couldn’t finish her sentence.
It wasn’t something she should say to a peer she had just met.
“So, how do you know Frondier-nim?”
At Selena’s question, Elodie smiled shyly.
“There’s no one in Constel who doesn’t know Frondier’s name. They call him ‘Human Sloth Frondier’ because he’s so famous.”
“…Oh.”
Come to think of it, she had forgotten. Frondier had that kind of nickname.
Manggot had told her, but she had erased that nickname from her mind. The reason was obvious.
Elodie propped up her chin and mumbled.
“Well, to be honest, Frondier’s not really as much of a ‘Human Sloth’ as people say…”
“That’s not true at all.”
Selena stated firmly. Elodie looked at Selena with wide eyes.
Selena stated firmly with an innocent face.
“Frondier-nim is strong. The ‘Human Sloth’ thing is just a rumor.”
That’s right. She underestimated him because of that rumor and got her butt handed to her. Selena still remembers when she was brought to her knees in front of Frondier, shaking in fear.
Elodie looked into Selena’s eyes. There was no lie or deceit in those eyes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})She knew. She knew Frondier’s strength. Elodie felt a sense of tension at the fact that Selena was someone who knew that.
“…You,”
Just as Elodie was about to say something.
“Huh?”
Selena exclaimed at the person who had entered the dining hall.
The most surprising sight Selena had seen in Constel today filled her vision.
"Me, me-me-me-me that person is......"
"Huh? Oh."
Following Selena's gaze, Elodie spoke as if it were nothing significant.
"Yeah, Aten Terst. The princess of the empire."
Aten, from head to toe, was entirely in white.
Selena hadn't imagined she'd see Aten here, just as she had in Tyburn. Being always behind Frondier as his escort made it even more unexpected for her.
But there was something even more surprising.
"That, that princess, now, over there."
"Yeah, right. It's surprising when you see it for the first time."
She was following a man closely. Both the man and Aten seemed very accustomed to the distance and pace between them, moving naturally.
"Aten always follows Frondier around. No one knows why."
"That, that, why, no, how......?"
"I said no one knows why."
For Elodie and the other students, it was a familiar scene they had seen several times before.
It was the first day of the semester, so while the scene was missed, it wasn't surprising.
"Why, why would Her Highness Aten Terst, the third princess of the Terst Empire, behave like......"
"Isn't that too long?"
"Even if we don't know the reason, can't we guess something?"
Hmm.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Selena seemed utterly incredulous at the scene. She couldn't focus on her meal.
Elodie rummaged through her memories to come up with a few plausible reasons.
"Well, this is just a rumor around the school, but Aten is famous for her compassion and mercy."
"Ah, right. She's known for that personality even within the palace..."
"So, there's a story that she felt pity for Frondier, who was being ostracized, and decided to stay with him."
In other words, she was sympathizing with Frondier.
What Elodie had just mentioned was considered almost a fact within the Constel, given how strong the public opinion was.
Regardless of the truth, it was the most comforting hypothesis. The dominant thought was that Aten's character would certainly allow for it.
"Did Lord Frondier eat alone before this?"
"…Um, yes."
Not just meals, but everything was done alone. Elodie diverted her gaze, feeling as if she too had played a part in that solitude.
"Lord Frondier doesn't mind such things, though."
"…You, you seem to know Frondier quite well."
That includes denying the 'human sloth' comment earlier.
Elodie became curious about what side of Frondier Selena had seen.
"Oh, there's another hypothesis, by the way."
"What is it?"
"That Frondier is blackmailing Aten, holding a weakness of her."
This was a hypothesis once believed by Robald Lieff, known as the biggest troublemaker within Constel.
He believed in it enough to confront Frondier, so there's a considerable amount of public support for this view.
"Blackmail…"
"Ahaha, that's ridiculous."
"It could be possible…"
"Ah, huh?"
Selena pondered seriously, nodding her head.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Elodie broke into a cold sweat.
'Does she really know about Frondier or not?'
While Elodie was suddenly engulfed in confusion, Selena spoke up.
"Anyway, if Lord Frondier isn't deliberately keeping people away, then our course of action is clear."
"Huh? What is it?"
At Elodie's question, Selena stood up with her tray in hand.
"I am Lord Frondier's escort. It's only natural for me to dine with him."
"…Huh?"
Selena marched towards Frondier and Aten, without a single hint of hesitation in her steps.
Elodie watched this spectacle, dumbfounded.
* * *
Please don't come here.
I must have silently chanted this about 137 times before Selena got up.
Dammit, was that not enough times? Why couldn't she hear my telepathy?
Selena walked up to us normally and sat down next to me.
Aten was sitting across from me, so our eyes met.
"Oh, Miss Selena. Did you also come to Constel? It's strange to see you here. We went through a lot together in Tyburn."
Selena turned her expressionless face towards Aten like a robot. I felt like I was going to hear a creaking sound.
"H-hello. Third Imperial Princess of the Terst Empire, Aten Terst."
"That's long."
If she's nervous, I wish she wouldn't pretend to be calm. It's scary to look at.
"I-I-I'm Se-Selena, F-Frondier-nim's b-bodyguard."
"Yes, I know."
Since when did she become Seselena?
I sighed inwardly.
Well, it can't be helped. I knew something like this would happen once I brought Selena to Constel. It just happened a little sooner than I expected.
……Or so I thought.
“Aten, hello. Oh, I saw you at Tyburn.”
"Yes, my name is Selena."
"Wow, nice to meet you! I'm Sybil Forte! How come you're here? Did you come to Constel too?"
Sybil happened to walk by and approached us. Then, she sat next to Aten with an ease and friendliness that couldn’t even be compared to Selena’s.
That made four of us.
“Elodie! Why are you eating alone? Come and join us!”
Sybil waved Elodie over upon spotting her. It made sense she was alone since she had been with Selena just before.
With a heavy sigh, Elodie sat down next to Sybil.
Now we were five.
“Huh? Elodie, that’s an interesting mix. I had something to ask about mana combinations.”
Lunia Fricell, the heroine from Etius, said to Elodie.
“If I may, then, by all means.”
With Elodie’s permission, Lunia took the seat opposite her, next to Selena.
That made six.
“Aster! Come over here! Let’s eat here today.”
“Huh? Oh... Sure.”
Aster sat down next to Lunia without much thought.
...Seven.
“Hey! Aster! I heard you acquired Aura! Planning to surpass me?”
“Eat your meal instead of spouting nonsense.”
Robald Lieff, labeled as a troublemaker, sat down opposite Aster.
“...Eight.”
I muttered with my hand on my head. I closed my eyes without realizing it. Oh, it's dark because my eyes are closed. I closed my eyes, so of course it's dark, you idiot.
The mealtime, now crowded with people, was brimming with energy.
It felt like all my energy had been drained away.
