26 – Lily’s Shady Plan – 7
It’s already been 3 days since Seola avoided me. In the meantime, I had a fruitful and fulfilling time, receiving romance novels from Cordelia and going to the library with Hestia.
“Mikhail, have you read Knights and Wolves?”
On the way to the basic swordsmanship class, Cordelia asked out of the blue. It hadn’t even been a few days since she lent me her romance novel, and she was asking the same question all the time.
“I have time, how can I read all that much?”
“What, you still haven’t finished reading? Wasn’t it fun?”
‘Here Comes and the Wolves’ is the title of one of her romance novels that she highly recommends and lent me to read. Unable to overcome her torch, I flipped through Volume 1 a bit. The main character, who was ignored for being a female subject, overcomes prejudice with her skills, but honestly, it wasn’t my taste. But to be honest, there was no need to disappoint Cordelia.
“No. It was fun. It’s just that I’m a bit busy. You can’t just hold on to a book all day.”
“Really? Then there’s nothing you can do…. I wanted to talk comfortably.”
I evaded it moderately. She understood that there was nothing she could do about it, but she couldn’t hide her slight disappointment. It seemed that he wanted to talk about the novel with me for quite some time.
“Are you comfortable?”
“It’s a shorthand for female knights and wolves.”
“Who the hell decides on those abbreviations?”
I asked after seeing Cordelia using abbreviations naturally. In a world where there is no internet or community, who the hell decides on an abbreviation like that?
“I don’t know either. Did the maids in the mansion call you that?”
“The maids?”
“Yes. He introduced me to a lot of other novels besides Yeo-Woo.”
I felt like I knew where her love for romance novels came from.
“Then why don’t we talk to them?”
“Of course I talked to the maids at home.”
“Then what about Hestia?”
If you think about it, it’s Hestia who only listened to Cordelia and the female knight and tipped me off about romance novels. There was no way he didn’t know Cordelia’s tastes.
“With Hestia… , by talking too much. I guess I’m a little tired.”
Cordelia slumped. How many times would she have recited it if Hestia had gotten tired of it and showed dislike.
“Then what about the dormitory maids here? Aren’t there some of them who like romance novels?”
Of course there are maids in the dormitory to take care of the lives of the students.
“How are you so shy?!”
At my word, she caused a game. She bowed her head and ran her fingers through her hair as if she was ashamed to even think about it. I was taken aback by her girlish reaction.
Where did Cordelia go, who tore off her school uniform in front of me last time? Besides, it’s embarrassing to talk about romance novels with maids, so why do you want to do it with me?
“Did you know the feeling of shame?”
“What do you mean?”
Cordelia squinted her eyes and glared at me.
“I thought I had no shame because I took my clothes off in front of me last time.”
“Still talking about that? It was because I was in front of you back then.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me?”
“It’s oddly comfortable.”
“Lady Deneb sometimes seems to forget the fact that we haven’t met in less than a month.”
“Because I have something to say? Even if you see me sometimes, you treat me too harshly.”
She vehemently objected to my words. I honestly had a lot to say, but I decided to leave the discussion about who was more mean to each other. If we start a debate here, the day will probably leak.
“Anyway, why is it embarrassing to talk to maids, but is it okay to talk to me?”
“You are someone I don’t know. How can you just talk to me?”
“Yes?”
I couldn’t believe my ears at her words. Who doesn’t know what
“Because I am shy. It’s scary to talk to someone you don’t know first.”
“Then for me… ?”
Obviously, when we first met, I remember fighting over my strength, staring at her very terribly, and saying that she was a dumb person. Are you covering your face?
“You are that… , The first meeting had an impact, and since I often hear stories from Hestia, I didn’t feel like I was a stranger.”
Shocking facts! In fact, Cordelia was shy. She was so outspoken to me, who had just met her, that I hadn’t expected it at all. If her first meeting hadn’t been that way, I might have seen a shy Cordelia.
Coming to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her talk to other students first. It wasn’t simply because of her childish and fiery personality that she had no friends. It was because I was covering my face. Are you really a kindergartener?
“So that’s why you don’t talk to other girls in swordsmanship class?”
It is also understandable that he admired female knights so much but never exchanged a word with real aspiring female knights. She had thought it strange all along, but never thought it was because of her shyness. I was just guessing that they were a little reluctant to Cordelia.
“… Huh.”
I decided to make her a friend. I have a three-dimensional nose, so I wonder if it’s just me, but I don’t make it, and she can’t. There is a big difference between eyes and nails. Anyway, yes.
“Then follow me next time. I’ll tell you something.”
“Why?”
“I will make you a friend.”
“It’s not like I don’t have friends!”
She had a seizure because of her friend’s story.
“Who said you don’t have friends? Wouldn’t you like to talk to the female students in the swordsmanship class?”
I let out a deep sigh. Right now, the three of us, Hestia and Cordelia, go together, but even when Hestia and I get closer in the not-too-distant future, we can’t always go together as three. Cordelia is probably the most uncomfortable. There is nothing more tiring than being caught between lovers. She needs friends too.
“That’s it! But….”
“So, let me tell you something. My speaking skills aren’t that good, so after that, it’s up to Lady Deneb to take care of herself.”
I’m not very talkative either, but it’s not to the point where I can’t even talk to people I don’t know. Isn’t it the world’s rule that people who are even a little better help people who are not so good?
“Why are you helping me?”
Cordelia asked cautiously. She’d probably be very offended if I answered honestly, “I’m afraid it’ll get in the way when I’m messing around with Hestia later.” On the contrary, if I think I hear such a sound, it will hurt me inside.
“Aren’t they friends?”
And it’s also true that she considers her a little bit her friend, albeit for a short time. Wouldn’t it be like this if there was a female friend?
“… Thank you.”
She looked at me with a half-surprise, half-joy look on her face. I was taken aback by her gaze. Come to think of it, it’s a bit embarrassing to spit out such childish and cheesy lines. I just grumbled.
“What is it, that reaction? Did you think I was the only friend?”
“I want to earn some points, so look at them eating right away.”
Cordelia clicked her tongue.
–
“I can’t go on like this.”
On her way out of the library, she declared as if Hestia couldn’t stand it any longer. Her eyes burned with determination.
“What?”
“Lady Adamas. Now I can’t stand it because I’m worried about it.”
Since Seol-ah naturally ignored me that day, she didn’t show any interest in me. Rather, she avoided me more thoroughly.
Hestia seemed relieved but a little uncomfortable when things happened like this. She seemed to be thinking differently for the past few days, so she must have been thinking about it inside. Come to think of it, she looked at me and Seol-ah in turn until the meeting was over every morning. Her gaze took on a complex light.
“Is there a place where you can get a straw?”
“Where to lay straw?”
“Why is Lady Adamas suddenly acting like that?”
I shook my head. And I remembered the tryst on last Friday night. She left her meaningful words and I didn’t understand her words at all. To be honest, it’s not that there isn’t a place to point out, but I don’t know anything either. We can only speculate that this too is likely part of her plan.
“It didn’t seem that I was particularly far from Your Highness.”
As Hestia said, except for the way Seol-ah treated me, she wasn’t much different from usual. In other words, the way her Wilhelm treated her, and the way she treated her Wilhelm, were the same as usual. Wilhelm kept hitting her, and she drew a line between her and treated him just enough to not hurt Wilhelm’s pinto.
However, knowing that Seol-Ah is being assaulted by Wilhelm, she shows that she is subtly afraid of Wilhelm from her attitude. If you look closely at the two, you can see that she doesn’t meet her eyes or that she flinches every time Wilhelm’s hand goes up. He said that he hurt himself in front of me and that he didn’t feel anything, but there’s really no way he wouldn’t mind.
“I can’t. If you don’t ask right away.”
Hestia continued to chew her nails and then her eyes flashed with determination. I’ve seen her before, but when Hestia is anxious about something, she keeps biting her nails. She is not very close to Seol-ah, so her mindset to such an extent is surprising.
“Calm down for a second. How to ask at this time.”
I tried my best to stop Hestia. It is already quite late. Breaking into Seol-ah’s dormitory right now is not only realistically difficult, but it’s not a very good plan. To be honest, I’m worried about her mental state since our last meeting, but it’s unlikely that she’ll be kind enough to explain her plans to us just because we’re looking for her so casually.
“Let’s ask tomorrow morning. If I approach, Wilhelm will surely show a strange reaction, so Hestia, you sneak up on him and call him out. Then I’ll join you later.”
Actually, the best thing about her is that I call her out and ask her, but I can’t tell you that in front of Hestia.
“Okay. She may be suffering at this time. She cannot be at ease until her cause is completely eliminated.”
“Cause? How to do You can’t get rid of him.”
“Are you crazy?!”
Hestia, startled, slapped my forearm. Subtly, her hands are hot.
“Don’t say something that will cause serious trouble. You almost lost your heart.”
“I never said I would do anything to anyone.”
“Cover your eyes and say Aung.”
She responded firmly to my words.
“So how do you plan to eliminate the cause?”
“Well, the best thing is that twisted… ,”
“You mean the wall?”
“… Yes. It would be best to correct that.”
She was ashamed, perhaps feeling it unclean to put the word wall on her lips.
“But can you correct that?”
“I don’t know either.”
“What is that?”
I ended up laughing.
“The three of us should work hard to find a way.”
Hestia said.
The next day, Seol-ah was absent.