5.5 Interlude: Gold and Silver(8)
It was the day before I entered the academy.
The joy of passing that difficult entrance exam was only fleeting.
Thinking that I had to leave my hometown and live in a foreign country, I couldn’t sleep all night because of my busy mind.
It was a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.
The academy is, in name and reality, the best educational institution on the continent.
It was clear that not only commoners, but also the lower nobles of the empire like me would be trampled on.
There will be people of noble status who are hard to even look at.
It is to endure 4 years in the gap.
It would be a lie if I said there was no pressure.
But my sister’s concerns seemed to be different.
“Brother, listen carefully… All women in the world are foxes.”
I came to visit him late at night and tried to say something, but it was a useless story.
I yawned and let out a hint of disinterest.
Nevertheless, Leah asked me again.
“Gee, is it real?! Never sell your eyes, and if there is a woman approaching, you have to take care of it. I’m sure there are people who are aiming for my brother’s status and wealth!”
“What about the second son of a country viscount… … .”
“no no. It’s because my brother doesn’t know the world of women… And there must be a woman who approaches for the purpose of temporary entertainment? Hoping that my brother will support me!”
It wasn’t particularly encouraging advice.
As my eyes widened, Lia punched me in the chest as if frustrated.
Could it be that he is becoming like Celine?
I thought it was worth it because we had already exchanged for several years.
“Anyway, keep that in mind. All women are foxes, beware!”
“Then how about dating?”
“Do not!”
Leah purred like a cat whose weakness was discovered.
“You decided to live with me later anyway! Why do you need a girlfriend!”
“Yes, yes. I get it.”
At that time, I overheard Lia’s warning.
It was on the verge of leaving my beloved brother.
It wasn’t strange even if my younger sister acted cute. And as if to prove this, I’ve never had a headache over the years since I’ve been in a relationship with the opposite sex.
But today, for some reason, I felt the memories of that day come to life.
In front of a junior who was sleeping softly in front of him.
Seria, who had lost consciousness, let out only a faint moan. Small drops of dew formed on the corners of my eyes.
A doll imitating me was held in the girl’s arms.
Of course, it wasn’t what I handed over.
As soon as I lay down on the bed, Seria pulled me into my arms like a habit.
Looking at it, I let out a long sigh.
No matter how ignorant the country was, I could tell.
The fact that Seria has a special heart for me.
No matter how much it is a world where men and women are treated equally, it was still women who were forced to be more chastity.
The weight of a man’s virginity and a woman’s chastity did not need to be weighed on the scales.
Unconditionally, the woman’s side is at a loss.
Even more so, if the woman was a high-ranking aristocrat, the possibility of an equal exchange being established was even more rare.
And the above facts pointed to one thing.
Even if she loses her reason, no woman asks for sex with someone she has no intention of.
Seria must have been the same.
I kept silent about that embarrassing conclusion.
“Senior Ian… … .”
Not knowing my troubled heart, Seria was just sobbing.
To the point where he muttered my name even unconsciously.
Seria’s love seemed deeper than expected.
So it was even more complicated.
I already had potential romantic partners.
It wasn’t just one, it was several.
For example, senior Elsie, who confessed to me first.
Like a saint who messed around with her body, which should have been pure by nature.
I couldn’t leave out Delphine, who had the first night at all.
However, it was at this time that he came to know Seria’s heart.
It was sudden for me, and it couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
My hand ran through Seria’s hair, who was soundly asleep.
Seria was now grunting and breaking out in a cold sweat.
It was like having a nightmare.
“Seria… … .”
I knew I had to refuse with reason.
However, I kept thinking about Seria’s obsession until she passed out.
It was an unusual sight for anyone to see.
In shock that she lost me, she tried to chew my thumb, or called the older sister she respected a ‘bitch’, but in the past, she lost her temper and even tried to attack me.
Of course, it wasn’t only when I was sober that I made friends with women.
With the saintess and Delphine, she borrowed the power of alcohol and somewhat boldly slowed down.
But Seria was losing her reason more than that.
It was a level that could not be explained by drunkenness.
So I was knocked out once.
It was partly because she was very surprised by the sudden situation, but it was basically to calm Seria down.
Isn’t it a good thing to have an affair with an insane woman?
It was in the midst of such a deep sigh.
I felt someone slightly open the door and poked their head out, and soon a girl stood next to me while walking.
The wide-open eyes represented her feelings.
The 5th Princess of the Empire, Shien.
He was the person who testified to me that Seria had become strange. It seemed that he came to the bedroom because he was curious about what happened next.
“Oh my God, Sir Ian… Hey, how did this happen? Why is Yurdina-senpai… … .”
“There are circumstances.”
Even so, it was a disturbing car.
My voice as I answered the princess even seemed distressed.
It was an implicit signal to ask no more questions.
However, she was not the princess who would immediately understand the meaning of the hidden words.
“Yurdina-senpai must have had a hard time too. You were so skinny… You can’t even come to your senses because you don’t have energy, and you’re pitiful.”
Despite the princess’ continued compassion, I remained silent.
what can i say
It’s a yard where I don’t know what to do right now.
I just looked down at Seria’s face in silence.
At that time, the girl’s lips were squeezed again, and a heartfelt voice flowed out.
“Senior Ian… hehehe, Burr, please don’t throw it away… … .”
The princess’ eyes sank even more.
A gloomy image flashed in those light gray eyes.
With a much darker tone, the princess muttered.
“As expected, it was.”
“… … Did you know?”
I asked, looking at the princess in surprise.
In fact, I felt a little bit weird.
If the princess noticed, most of the people except me knew Seria’s feelings.
And it also meant that I was less sensitive than the princess when it comes to relationships between men and women.
Either way, it wasn’t good news.
But, as always, the truth had a harsh side.
“I just have to know. No matter how senior he is, following him all day like that is impossible without selfishness. Especially between men and women.”
Then, the princess began to glance at me.
When I looked at her questioningly, the princess cleared her throat and cleared her voice.
Hmmm, cute sound.
And the words that were emphasized again continued.
“You know? No matter how senior you are, following around like that is impossible without selfishness!”
“Ah yes. What… All right.”
I nodded my head and expressed my bewildered sympathy.
I don’t know for sure, but it seemed true that the princess was better at relationships with the opposite sex than I was.
So maybe that’s right.
However, the princess still only looked at me disapprovingly.
It was a reaction that I did not understand, but the princess soon turned her gaze to Seria and refreshed the atmosphere.
Sympathy for the girl’s face began to grow young again.
“When I met Yurdina senior, I felt the color of emotions I had never seen in my life. Dark and sticky, it was a wave of emotions that seemed like it could be swallowed up at any moment. I was scared and ran to Sir Ian, but now I see other emotions.”
The princess did not bother to tell me the identity of that emotion.
Because I already guessed.
It was around that time that the annoying noise started.
“Have you given an answer to Yurdina-senpai?”
“No, there is no time for that… … .”
“Ah, you couldn’t overcome your emotions and passed out.”
The princess was now even printing tears from the corners of her eyes.
It seemed that he was deeply immersed in Seria’s situation.
“Even if it was Sir Ian, he wouldn’t have been able to stop his mouth at that earnest confession. Did Yurdina-senpai pass out while hesitating like that?”
My mouth was shut tight.
No, I didn’t dare to leave my mouth.
The cause of Seria’s fainting was something else, so I couldn’t say anything.
“hahahaha, how can you be so hard on a woman so thin… Rather than shake hands. You couldn’t have said anything harsh.”
“Kuhmm,” I cleared my throat, revealing my uncomfortable feeling.
I meant to stop talking about it now.
Of course, the princess, as always, was ignorant.
There was no jaw to understand my tacit expressions of opinion.
That’s how the denunciation towards me continued.
“Could there be a man who touches a woman who confesses his love? If there were such people, they would be trash. Bad Guy!”
“Still, I’m glad that Yurdina-senpai likes Sir Ian. At least Sir Ian doesn’t do anything against chivalry, right?”
“How did Sir Ian soothe Senior Yurdina? Perhaps, holding him in his arms and giving him warm words… … .”
Each word was a fatal blow.
My body trembled, but then I couldn’t stand it and cried out.
“stop!”
The princess was taken aback by the sudden cry and looked at me distantly.
He couldn’t even guess why I was doing this.
Even if I didn’t do that, I felt guilty, and it was like a dagger stuck in my chest.
It would be strange if it wasn’t annoying.
However, it was also funny to give the princess a bruise.
Because she didn’t say anything wrong.
Rather, it was me who was at fault.
Above all, the opponent was the emperor’s real daughter. It was not a position to be scolded for not being aware.
So in the end I hesitated for a while.
He let out a sigh of resignation and said.
Instead, I decided to have a more constructive discussion with the princess.
“Let’s talk about work for a moment.”
A disposal that will decide the fate of the Yurdina family.
There was only one suitable person to represent me before the Emperor.
And only when this issue is resolved, will we be able to discuss Seria’s feelings.
That day, I had to butt heads with the princess until Seria woke up.