70
Estelle, who had dressed up, exuded a charm that captivated the attention of others.
The overwhelming elegance that made Veril look like a maid.
She had a presence that even caught Erina’s attention.
“Who is that? Was there such a lady?”
“There wasn’t. Absolutely not. If there was, I wouldn’t forget!”
Nevertheless, with Rainfall’s cadets present, her identity was quickly revealed.
“D-Diante! Long time no see!”
Bainings awkwardly waved his hand. Estelle, seizing the opportunity, asked him,
“Nice to see you. I’m sorry, but do you know where Alss is?”
“If it’s Alss, he’s over there.”
“Thank you.”
Estelle, who caught sight of me, hurriedly approached.
“Alss! I’m relieved to see you safe. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“Oh my. Why did you come all the way here?”
“Don’t say such disappointing things…! Of course, I had to come!”
Sitting down with Beril, Estelle, noticing my combat attire, looked at me with renewed interest.
“It’s different from your usual officer’s uniform. It feels… rough.”
“I enhanced its practicality. Even you, dressed like that, are quite noisy. Didn’t you say you didn’t like such dresses normally?”
“Well… I still don’t really like it. But I made an effort to wear it for the sake of the company I’m with.”
“Rootger… No, did your father actually allow it? Did he come with you?”
“Yes, my father is waiting outside.”
“Then we should end the visit soon. Can’t keep him waiting too long.”
However, Estelle firmly shook her head.
“I informed him in advance that it might take until late at night.”
“Late at night… The only time for visits is until sunset.”
“That’s what I said. So, don’t worry about my father. More importantly, please talk about Alss.”
Estelle led the conversation, asking about the stories from the battlefield.
“You went to the rear due to a leg injury! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I healed after receiving treatment.”
“Still… Can I take a look?”
Estelle stood up from her seat, wanting to see my wound, but I somehow managed to resist. It wasn’t really a serious injury.
“I see…”
Estelle looked disappointed, then abruptly returned to her seat next to me, instead of going back to her own seat.
Then, to hide her embarrassment, she fidgeted with the tea.
At that moment, Beril suddenly spoke to her mother,
“By the way, Aunt. Have you met Uncle yet?”
“Uh, not yet.”
“Shall we go together? Father will be here soon.”
“Brother? Oh, okay. Let’s do that. Alss, Estelle. Can you excuse us for a moment?”
I signaled with my eyes that it was not a good idea, but it seemed to go unnoticed.
As Estelle and Beril left, an awkward silence settled between us briefly before she brought up the conversation.
“Um… What do you think of Wade, Alss?”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“Just curious. Since you also received Wade’s command in this war.”
“I didn’t directly receive his command.”
It wasn’t a lie. It’s just not my place to receive his command.
“But you are under his command now, aren’t you?”
“Well, technically, yes, but…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Don’t you have any thoughts?”
Estelle pursed her lips as if she had no income, then went straight to the point.
“Have you ever thought about working under Wade?”
“Under Wade? hahahaha, I’ve never thought about it.”
Me working under Wade. Well, it’s not entirely impossible if I set my mind to it, but at the moment, it wasn’t something I considered.
“What if Wade suggests you work under Alss?”
“That would never happen. Even if it did, I would refuse.”
“Why! He’s such a remarkable person that rumors of him joining the Ten Gallants have surfaced. Is it that you don’t like his air of superiority? Or perhaps you dislike the childish act of wearing a helmet? Oh, it could be both. Walking around pretending to be important while wearing a helmet is a spectacle to behold. Of course, it’s a foolish thing to do, suitable only for children, but there must be a valid reason for hiding his face.”
“Cough!?”
Saree was taken aback by the unexpected attack.
“Yes, that’s it. I just… don’t like that pretentious… attitude.”
Forced to agree, Estelle spoke with irritation.
“That’s really it. Sometimes I feel like giving him a good punch, but he does have the ability to warrant it. Oh my, why are you like this? You don’t look pleased.”
“It’s nothing…”
Mentally shaken, I felt dizzy for a moment.
“Did I really act so pretentious?”
Come to think of it, I always displayed an authoritarian attitude in front of Estelle. Not only in front of Estelle but also when I was with Wade, I acted as if I were much older, so my approach to people was completely different from when I was with Alss.
“So please reconsider your thoughts on Wade. You never know when an offer might come from Alss regarding his abilities.”
While Estelle was trying to instill favor for Wade in me.
Unexpected visitors approached.
* * *
Two men with neat slicked-back hair.
“Would it be alright if we joined you? Illein.”
“It seems like a good atmosphere, let’s have a chat together.”
They seemed like officers from the Saleon faction. The two men demanded to join with warm gazes towards Estelle. Estelle frowned but expressed silent approval.
Rejecting an invitation without a valid reason in such a setting would be impolite.
Being a weak-willed viscount’s son, it was even harder for me to refuse. Estelle took that into consideration.
“I decline.”
Yet, I had no desire to engage in conversation with these guys.
“What did you say?”
Their faces creased.
“Did you mishear? I said I decline. I just want to talk one-on-one.”
“You… Do you not know who we are?”
“I don’t. And do you, by any chance, know who I am?”
“What?”
“I’m a junior officer. Your superior, in fact.”
“Promoting someone due to their good fortune and making a big deal out of their status? Moreover, you guys didn’t even participate in the last battle, did you? Bringing in meaningless ranks to someone who got scared and went to the rear lines!”
“I don’t care what you think. But no matter how you look at it, that’s not the attitude to take towards a superior. Should I call in another superior to get your act together?”
“Hmph!”
I thought he would back off by now, but he was full of hostility. It seemed like he wanted to show a strong front as much as possible to win Estelle’s favor.
I was about to handle this forcefully to avoid further trouble, but before that, someone intervened.
“You insignificant brat! If you speak to our father like that…”
“Shut your mouth! This place might get dirty!”
“Eek, E-Erina-sama!?”
Approaching with Dorothy, Erina glared at them with a stern gaze.
“Trying to leverage the family’s authority over such a trivial matter! Have some shame!”
“But, but this guy was the one who…”
“I don’t want to see this. Disappear from my sight immediately.”
“Y-Yes!”
The two quickly vanished.
“As expected of a high noble.”
The aura surrounding them was different.
After settling the situation, Erina raised the corner of her mouth and politely greeted.
“We sincerely apologize for the rudeness from our side. In that regard, would it be acceptable to have a brief meeting?”
“In that regard? What do you mean?”
Estelle spoke in my place. Erina’s expression twitched.
“Simply to convey the apology.”
“In that case, leave it at that. That’s the most impactful apology.”
Estelle’s words were rational, but refusing to apologize altogether would tarnish my image.
While the rudeness towards those guys was understandable due to their obvious intentions, it was not acceptable to others.
“Lord Alse?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Erina looked at me instead of Estelle. I nodded.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Very well then.”
Erina naturally took a seat following my suggestion and briefly glanced at Estelle.
Without yielding, Estelle met her gaze with deep eyes.
Chilled by the intensity in those eyes, Erina hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
“Have we met before?”
“We have.”
“When was it? If I met someone like you, I wouldn’t forget…”
“We met at Gransell. It seems your memory isn’t as good as you think if you forgot about that.”
“Gransell… Wait a moment. Could it be that you were the lady suffering from that dreadful illness back then?”
“That’s right.”
“But how is it that you look…”
“If you’re cured.”
“Just that…!?”
Erina shivered.
Dorothy, who was sitting next to her, nodded in understanding.
“I see. So you’re Estelle. Oh, is it okay if I use informal speech?”
“Are you a colleague of Al’s? Of course, it’s fine. As for me…?”
“I heard from Bannings. He said there’s an extraordinary girl in Rainfall.”
Dorothy spoke with flattery. It seemed like she was trying hard to act brightly, perhaps to shake off her father’s death.
“Bannings mentioned you’re Al’s lover. Is it true?”
“It’s something like that.”
“Wow. It was true.”
Upon this, Erina hastily intervened.
“Lover. You’re good at joking, Al. A joke, right? It’s a joke, isn’t it?”
“For some reason, that’s how the classmates perceive it. Of course, we’re not actually in a relationship.”
“Phew! As expected. We should clarify that thoroughly later.”
Estelle narrowed her eyes in discomfort.
“What’s that about? Why are you so insistent?”
“Well, if baseless rumors spread, it’s not good.”
“Why do you care? Why are you getting involved when it’s none of your business?”
“T-That’s because…”
Erina bit her lip tightly.
“Because Al is my benefactor.”
“Benefactor…?”
“You might not know, but my relationship with Al is very deep. He came to our mansion for butler training before.”
“Butler training!?”
“He once saved my life. It’s only natural to want to stop any unfavorable rumors about my benefactor. So, it’s not irrelevant. Do you understand?”
“Gah!”
Wondering if anyone might be eavesdropping, but since it was an outdoor gathering, it seemed no one overheard amidst other noises.
“Estelle, shouldn’t you be so close? It’s not appropriate to act like that when you’re not even lovers. Your attitude is causing ridiculous rumors to spread.”
“You don’t know. Al has an injury on his leg. We’re sticking close to support him.”
“An injury? Is that true?”
“You seem uninterested. Al had to leave the battlefield due to an injury and is now in the rear.”
“Al left the battlefield to the rear? That’s… I see.”
Erina raised the corner of her mouth as if she understood the situation.
“It seems Estelle knows little about Al. Well, that secret isn’t something to share easily with anyone.”
“What secret are you talking about?”
“Oh my, I made a slip of the tongue. It’s nothing. Please forget about it.”
“Tell me right now.”
“Sorry. It’s hard for me to say it out loud.”
“Gah!”
Estelle turned her gaze towards me, but even I couldn’t reveal Wade’s true identity here.
With this one move, the momentum completely shifted to Erina. Estelle wanted to know about that secret and was fidgeting restlessly.
A showdown was unfolding.
Dorothy swallowed her saliva and whispered to me.
“Al, it seems like you have to do something about this.”
“Yeah.”
My inconsistent attitude towards relationships had led to this situation. If only I had gone to my biological mother’s memorial earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.
As much as I wanted to resolve the situation I had caused, I felt lost seeing the two growling at each other.
“I need to come to a conclusion somehow.”
Dragging on like this might lead to facing Yuriya-nuna’s wrath.
Lost in thought, my mother and Beril returned from their visit.
Upon seeing Erina seated, my mother squinted her eyes, then smiled as if she understood the situation and said, “Erina, if that’s the case, I want to apologize.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
“I’m talking about Al.”
“Ugh.”
Erina covered her flushed face with a fan.
“And Estelle, I’m sorry for not mentioning it earlier.”
“Sorry?”
Then, my mother brought up something I had never heard before.
“It’s not ideal, but there’s already someone chosen as this child’s first partner.”
A sense of a new storm brewing. It dawned on me that this situation was more complicated than I had thought.