2. The Lord is with you (24)
Elsie was in a good mood. It was like that right after he left Ian’s hospital room.
It was the first time in my life. Having goodwill toward someone other than my younger brother, and being proven that someone is worth giving their lives to save.
If enmity and resentment are flames that gnaw away at oneself, goodwill is like spring sunlight, making life even more exciting.
The tense heart muscle relaxed, and Elsie’s expression softened and relaxed.
Heh, he made a stupid noise. Besides, humming a song he hadn’t sung in his entire life was commonplace.
Elsie was trustworthy to Ian. She was a stronger person than Elsie, both physically and mentally.
From some point on, when she stood in front of him, Elsie would go back to being the weak and wicked girl of her childhood.
It was an ugly nature that he had denied himself. It looked like he was trying to hide it somehow.
However, Ian embraced even Elsie. He affirmed and protected her.
It was the moment when the joy of being recognized was finally engraved in Elsie’s heart.
Everyone wants to be recognized by their superiors. Elsie was not properly loved even by her parents because she was small. To high-ranking nobles, children were usually regarded as such beings.
A tool for inheriting generations, or trading conditions for a marriage of convenience.
The affection Elsie had for her parents who neglected the bullying of her siblings was not that great. At least, they maintain a relationship close to love-hate, saying that the relationship between parents and children is heavenly law.
Rather, Ian’s approval was more important to the recent Elsie. I don’t know at what point I was fascinated, but Elsie had been snooping around Ian steadily since the day of the hunting festival.
That’s what I heard in the meantime.
To say he wanted to save ‘just’ didn’t mean he wanted to save Elsie without having to worry about profit or loss. Rather, it made it more reliable.
Elsie had become something of a presence to Ian before she knew it.
Of course, it wouldn’t be as important as the human named Ian to her, but Elsie began to take her place in a corner of Ian’s heart. If so, it was enough to gradually expand the place.
Then, someday, the unidentified feelings held in this heart will also reveal their color.
Elsie’s change from being cold and threatening was dramatic. Of course, it wasn’t just one or two people who noticed this.
First of all, it was the children who were always paying attention to adults.
It had been growling until recently, grunting two days ago, and now it was humming and humming.
It was unknown, but at least it seemed clear that Elsie looked happy.
It was to the extent that the mischievous pranks of the children, which would normally never be accepted, were passed over without incident. The children soon burst into laughter and crowded around Elsie.
It was because he was the closest being to children in appearance.
As a high-ranking aristocrat of the empire, he was an opponent who could not even meet eyes when he went outside, but children did not understand the complex world of adults. The children’s eyes were pure.
They only believed what they saw and heard. And among those reflected in their eyes now, the most familiar being was Elsie.
He was short and had a baby face. The cute and lovely appearance was popular regardless of gender and age. The only flaw was her picky personality, but Elsie, who was in a good mood after meeting Ian, even had a good personality.
That day, Elsie had to do all sorts of chores while driving the children around.
I cleaned and did the dishes. Even Guilford and Yuren were surprised by his cooperative attitude.
When someone asked why, Elsie only threw out one word with a smug expression.
“just!”
And among those who noticed Elsie’s blatant transformation, a woman was included.
It was Delphine Yurdina.
She was the successor of the Yurdina family, and was well known as Elsie’s nemesis.
It was not known why the two women disliked each other so much. There was no resentment between the families, and there was no reason whatsoever.
It’s just that Delphine and Elsie were keeping each other away from each other as if it was natural from some point on. In fact, the parties themselves did not know why.
I don’t like it. As a result, they fell apart, and now they are no match for each other at the academy.
The fact that both women had inflexible tempers might also have played a part. However, hatred is a name given to another direction of interest, so Delphine was always keeping an eye on Elsie.
So I was able to figure it out right away.
The fact that Elsie seems to be in a very good mood.
Even now, look.
Elsie said hee, her mouth wide open, her eyes closed. A light blush lingered on the girl’s cheeks as if she was remembering someone. It was a very happy look.
And it was inevitable that Delphine’s mood would deteriorate as the enemy’s mood improved.
Delphine, who had been staring at Elsie with displeasure for a while, soon came up with a wonderful solution.
If Elsie was in a good mood, it was enough for her to come forward and trample on her.
Then I felt pretty good. As soon as Delphine made that judgment, she moved on without hesitation.
It had been repeated for a long time.
If Delphine was in a good mood, Elsie would pick a fight, and if Elsie was in a good mood, Delphine would pick a fight. It was a causal relationship that was taken for granted at the academy.
So Delphine and Elsie were reluctant to each other even when they were in a good mood. Whenever we met face to face, we would frown.
First of all, Delphine proudly stood in front of Elsie as usual.
If this happened, Elsie, who was carrying a glass of water, would send a puzzled look, and as soon as she saw Delphine’s face, she would frown as if she was in a good mood.
Yes, it had to be.
But Elsie glanced at Delphine, and just went on her way to avoid her. The humming song was fun. Delphine felt puzzled.
Elsie, who had just glanced at Delphine, seemed to have a sneer on her lips.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why. Delphine’s bloody eyes grew even more tremulous.
“… … Elsie Rainella.”
“Yes why?”
At Delphine’s low call, Elsie, who had a glass of water on the table, responded in a relaxed voice. It was a tone that did not detect even a handful of hostility.
On the contrary, Delphine felt even worse. It felt like she was being ignored, as if it meant Elsie didn’t care about her.
“Are you in a good mood today?”
“See? Well, that would be it.”
It was around the time when I would normally have to scratch my nerves with a high-pitched voice. However, Elsie’s attitude was still very calm. Delphine said “Hmm” and narrowed her eyes in interest.
It was a drastic change. It was clear that something had to happen. Delphine decided to test Elsie’s reaction with half interest and half evil.
“Are you quite used to chores? You look like a maid.”
“Even a maid depends on who she serves.”
“A maid serving commoners? It’s so classy.”
And Delphine snorted. As much as this was sincere.
Elsie, a son of a high-ranking aristocrat and a prodigy of the Rainella family, was now claiming to be a maid. It would be a lie if it wasn’t funny.
Even the last bit of pride was shattered, Delphine thought.
Elsie was proud of being a high-ranking aristocrat. There was no way he could stand these provocations.
Even so, Elsie didn’t show much reaction. It was a little displeased, but that was the end.
For a moment, those blue sapphire eyes stared at Delphine in silence. Elsie immediately turned her gaze back to the table. She started placing the glasses again.
“… … If it’s something you sincerely want to follow, what would be different? Broadly speaking, we nobles are just mere servants serving the Emperor.”
It was an important clue. If the Rinella family’s bad boy suddenly awakened the spirit of love for the people, it would have been a recovery for the Rinella family, but judging from her words, the possibility was not high.
It was because the expression ‘His Majesty the Emperor’ appeared.
This was the only expression referring to an unmistakably superior. Subconsciously, the fact that she used those words meant that the reason Elsie called herself ‘maid’ had something to do with it.
There was no way Delphine would miss this. Her bloody eyes lit up in an instant.
“therefore. Who is Elsie Rainella’s ‘His Majesty’?”
Startled, Elsie stopped moving. It was only for a moment, but I couldn’t avoid Delphine’s eyes. A small smile grew on her lips.
Yes, I guess. There’s no way you can change on your own.
“… … Heh, what are you talking about? The Rainella family will always be the loyal vassals of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“It’s just a metaphor, you know very well, right? It’s such a dramatic change, so I’m a little curious.”
Elsie glared at Delphine disapprovingly for a moment, then quickly turned her head away.
I felt offended. At this point, it could be said that the intended purpose was achieved, but Delphine had already been interested in new possibilities for a long time.
I pondered for a while. Elsie Rainella is such a person to follow, so who the hell is she?
If you’re not an idiot, you can guess right away.
A person who recently owed a huge debt to his heart, and who had a toxic obedient attitude before that.
The name of the monster that etched defeat into Delphine and shattered her pride came to mind at once.
“… … Ian Percus.”
Elsie’s arm stopped wiping the table with a rag. And after a while, the eyes filled with sharp hostility turned to Delphine.
Only then did Delphine feel joy. yes, that’s how it should be Elsie Rainella should have been like this.
“Couldn’t it be, Lynella? Better to calm down… Not only is that man ruthless, he is the perpetrator who assaulted and threatened you.”
“… … Back then, I was wrong first.”
Hearing that, Delphine had no choice but to hold back her complaint.
Foolish Elsie, you don’t even know that what you said is tantamount to a confession.
And it was even more ridiculous. What does it matter whether you do something wrong or not? High-ranking nobles were originally such beings.
A being who does whatever he wants.
Instead, it had to bear more weight. Because the moment of defeat is the end, I had to face life desperately.
Wasn’t it Elsie Rainella who practiced this better than anyone else?
The current situation was nothing short of ruin. Delphine shook her head pathetically.
“That’s just the winner’s logic, if you look at the source of responsibility like that, who is innocent? Wasn’t he the one who assaulted your beloved younger brother first?”
Elsie said nothing. Before she knew it, she was just glaring at Delphine with cold eyes.
Fufufu, Delphine couldn’t hold back her laughter. Laughter was spontaneously spit out through language.
“Puh, ahaha… Let alone avenge your beloved younger brother, now it’s like claiming to be the ax murderer’s maid? I can’t wait to see what your little brother Lupine will say when he sees it… … .”
It was then.
Water splashed out with a chug. Delphine’s eyes, suddenly struck by water, became dumb for an instant.
Elsie picked up a glass of water from the table and immediately sprayed it on Delphine’s face. It was the first disgrace in Delphine’s life history.
Delphine couldn’t understand the situation at all. So I couldn’t even get angry.
It was just a dripping look, and he had only licked his lips a few times.
However, Delphine’s words did not come out. It was because Elsie, with her bloody eyes, growled ferociously.
“… … Who are you, how dare you curse Ian-nim?”
Leaving Delphine with a bewildered face on her face, Elsie took off her cone hat while gritting her teeth. Her small hands tucked my bangs back.
And whoops, a heated breath exhaled.
“This bitch is for real.”
Anyone could see that he was genuinely angry.