Chapter 16

The fiery feast has come to an end.

Only after devouring the stir-fried rice pressed onto the hot plate mixed with tteokbokki sauce did the noble ladies calm their scorched tongues with the peach juice I passed out.

“Was it good?”

I casually asked the girls for their thoughts on the meal, marking the conclusion of my plan.

“Uh, um…”

Seldienne was hesitant with her answer, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

Her pride as a noble surely hindered her from giving my cooking a high rating, especially since I was the one who usually cooked for them.

“Elconja…”

“What a bothersome question!”

Miu and Jury seemed to get the vibe and glanced nervously.

But Seldienne closed her eyes for a moment, shrugged, and then replied with a half-smirk.

“Well, I must admit it’s a chaotic nutritional disaster, but it has this strange charm that keeps you digging in!”

“So that means it was good, right?”

“Yes…! It was good! I enjoyed it!”

With my probing, Seldienne finally sighed, furrowing her brows, and spoke her honest feelings.

“If you say so, Elconja!”

“Well… it was definitely a different taste compared to what we usually eat.”

They might be delinquents who misuse their power and are racists, but in this case, it showed some dignity as nobles that they chose to be slightly embarrassed rather than lie about it.

My ultimate goal was that tiny acknowledgment, and having witnessed the noble ladies squirming as they shed tears and snot was more than enough satisfaction for me.

Okay, that wraps up my little plan of revenge.

“Since we’re done cleaning up, can I be the first to leave? Staying here any longer seems like it would just be a hassle.”

As I lifted my warmer bag filled with the items from the table, Seldienne clapped her fan against her palm.

“Wait!”

“Uh, why?”

“We haven’t even started discussing your matter yet!”

“Ah, right.”

Now that I think about it, she did say she had something she was curious about.

Completely spaced out while watching the noble ladies’ fountain show.

I pulled the chair back in and faced Seldienne.

“What are you curious about?”

“Well…”

Seldienne slowly opened her mouth, clearly uncomfortable despite it being her own question.

“You mentioned that Bruerd has been busy lately, right? Do you know what it’s about?”

“Bruerd? Why is Elconja curious about her?”

“Shush, be quiet, Miu! You’re interrupting Elconja’s conversation!”

“Oops…”

The two sitting next to us started to whisper to each other, ears perked up.

I pulled out an excuse I had previously set up.

“Um… I heard something about her being called away for family business.”

The eyebrows above her crimson irises twitched.

“You think she’s going to deal with external matters during a lunch break that barely lasts an hour? What about the meal?”

“Well… I didn’t get the details… but surely her family will take care of that? After all, it’s the Bruerd family.”

“You don’t know the details… That sounds like a questionable comment to me.”

“What do you mean?”

Seldienne tapped her chin with her fan.

“You don’t know much about Bruerd’s circumstances? That in itself raises a red flag. It’s not like you haven’t been following her around like a loyal servant till now, have you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Your ignorance is a bit concerning.”

Seriously, why are the folks around me—Lucika and Haidiera too—so perceptive?

Is saying I don’t know something that sensitive?

Why…

…

Suddenly, a thought struck me while I was engulfed in turmoil.

Wait, am I misunderstanding something?

This part that I thought I could gloss over all along—

Is it actually an odd situation that I don’t know much about Tirisia?

My perception of how others view Erto might be slightly different than I imagined.

As I was processing that thought, Seldienne asked again.

“So, do you really think it’s improper to discuss this?”

“No, well…”

“Of course, Bruerd could be in a special situation different from usual. Maybe there’s something she really can’t share with you. But,”

Seldienne opened her black fan and gently fanned her face.

“Looking at this from my wide perspective, I see that your recent behavior and circumstances have a cause-and-effect relationship. Are you aware of that?”

“My behavior? No, not at all.”

While I wasn’t completely clueless, I found it tough to claim I really knew, so I could only say that.

“The way you’ve been treating Bruerd lately… and the way she treats you… there’s something different about it from before.”*

“Different… how?”

“It’s more of an instinct than anything, so I can’t pinpoint it exactly. But you no doubt feel a noticeable difference.”

“So what exactly is it?”

I was losing the will to argue, but out of sheer curiosity, I wanted to hear what she had to say.

She folded the fan again and pointed it at my face.

“The temperature… no, maybe I should call it the atmosphere? The air between you and Bruerd has changed. Though both of you still create chaos wherever you go, there’s a subtle shift that only those who’ve been around longer can sense.”

“Wait… you’ve really been observing us closely?”

Seldienne flinched and covered her mouth in surprise.

“Wha…? Where did that come from?”

Immediately, her silent assistants jumped in.

“Elconja-nim is just paying attention to those who disrupt the academy’s order!”

“Don’t get carried away thinking you caught Elconja-nim’s eye, peasant!”

“Ugh, hmm…!”

As Seldienne raised her hand to calm them, she cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment.

“W-Well, your excessive self-consciousness is making your face red. So let me tell you this. The reason I’ve been observing your relationship with Bruerd is simple.”*

“Well, spill it then.”

―

Her earlier smile vanished, replaced with an unsettling stiffness.

“The reason is…”

Her crimson irises shone sharply as they pierced into my face.

“That Elconja can’t condone any unhealthy romantic relationships between nobles and commoners within this academy.”

“I figured as much.”

It wasn’t shocking, since Seldienne often raved about this nonsense anyway.

What surprised me, though, was her ability to notice subtle changes between us through her irritating glare.

“And more importantly, tracing back the timeline of when that difference appeared…”

“Are you going further?”

“It was starting from the few days you missed at the academy. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence; it’s a neat chain of events.”

“Hmm…”

But what is it that Seldienne wants to know so badly?

The conversation looped around so much that I was having trouble finding the main point.

With lunchtime ending soon, I decided to cut to the chase and demand a conclusion from her.

“Okay, let’s go with your points. I admit I don’t know what Tirisia has been up to lately, and it is true that our interactions have become strangely different.”

“Good, that makes sense.”

Seldienne smiled knowingly, as if she’d expected this response.

I clasped my hands on the table and asked her.

“Then, ultimately, what are you trying to tell me? What do you want to say about the relationship between Tirisia and me?”

“Hehe, now I can finally speak your conclusion!”

“Spit it out. Can I laugh if it’s funny?”

“If possible, do so. But this is so on point that it’s impossible to laugh!”

“Okay, hit me with it.”

As I covered my mouth with my clasped hands, listening seriously, Seldienne stood up, turned her back to us, and faced the waterfall.

“The change you noticed in your interactions after observing your recent behaviors… pulling a logical conclusion from that means!”

Whish—!

She opened her fan in a showy manner and turned around to face us.

“It’s obvious!”

The end of the black fan pointed squarely at my face.

“You’ve finally realized that nobles and commoners cannot be together! Oh—hohohoho!”

“…”

Amidst her high-pitched laughter, Miu and Jury clasped their hands over their chests, in awe.

“Y-You truly are Elconja-nim! What a frightening insight!”

“A lowly commoner just realized their place! What a relief!”

“…”

Seldienne shouted at me with a triumphant tone, as if she had declared checkmate.

“If you can refute her claim, go ahead! Peasant!”

I…

I decided to just laugh it off.