(They stole that boy’s invitation.)
A sense of déjà vu prompted her full attention to their conversation.
“Just because you did well last year doesn’t give a commoner like you the right to get cocky.”
“We can easily crush your family, you know that?”
The senior commoner bit his tongue and endured.
Did the three young noblemen understand why this school was entirely boarding?
Once someone was born into a noble family and learned to measure the world by those narrow standards, it was clear what kind of adult they would grow into. Schools like this existed precisely to prevent that—and yet, the point seemed lost on some students. Or rather, this school existed to teach them that point.
“What do you gentlemen think you’re doing?”
In strode a handsome man with blue hair and silver eyes.
“A-Addis Laguzearus?!”
The uniformed boys instantly changed color.
“Today is His Highness’s birthday. I kindly ask that you refrain from upsetting him.”
Addis’s smile made the three quiver as they scrambled from the scene.
“Are you alright?” he asked the senior.
“Ah, yes, thank you very much.”
Seeing Addis address the meek senior, Raze’s eyes widened.
(Could this be…?)
She was struck by the parallel.
“Sorry for that unpleasant display. And what brings you here?”
“The bell rang so I came to check… Looks like it was her.”
Both their gazes turned to Raze, jolting her back to herself.
“The reception for the party has only just begun.”
Realizing his purpose here was unfulfilled, Addis prompted the senior to present his invitation.
It seemed he hadn’t overheard enough to know it was stolen.
“Oh, well, I…”
“Here, please use this,”
Raze quickly interrupted to prevent the senior from having to revisit his humiliation.
She silently held out her own invitation, folded creases evident, to the stranger upperclassman.
“Huh?”
Understanding dawned on his face as he stared at Raze in surprise.
“His Highness and I are classmates so I’ll have more chances to talk to him than Senior does. Please take mine instead.”
“You are…?”
“Raze Granoli, 1st year Class A.”
She firmly pressed the invitation into his hands.
“A commoner?”
He was shocked by the lack of a noble name.
“That’s right. It sounded awful what they said to you.”
Recalling the uniforms’ comments, Raze involuntarily laughed.
Perhaps sensing something off about the paper’s texture, the senior glanced down at the invitation he’d been handed and started.
“Did something happen to you too, making you late…”
He noticed the creases from it being folded. People normally didn’t fold invitations so small.
“Not at all. I was just out picking flowers. Don’t think much of it, okay?”
Raze injected feeling into the trailing “okay?”, hoping he would take it without prying further.
“Are you really sure I can have this…?”
Picking up on Raze’s intent, he hesitantly confirmed with her.
“Yes. I was wondering if it was weird to attend in the same dress as the welcoming banquet. So with you taking it off my hands…”
“I don’t know how to thank you for this. My name’s Yuge Munich and I won’t forget what you’ve done for me today, Miss Granoli.”
“Sure. Have fun at the party,”
Razé replied, nodding to both of them and walking away.
Even without an invitation, she could sneak in easily. In fact, she had done so before, but this time, she didn’t want to spoil the fun for those who hadn’t been invited.
Besides, staying back and watching Yuge off would only make him feel more uncomfortable.
Wearing the dress she received from her subordinates, Razé strolled down the empty corridor.
“Hmm? Munich?”
Suddenly, the name triggered a memory for Razé.
“Wait, Munich Trading Company?”
Recognizing the name from those narrow eyes, it made sense now.
The Munich Trading Company was currently the most powerful in the business. Yuge’s father, even though a commoner, was a well-known figure.
He was from the eminent Munich Company. No wonder the meek-looking boy seemed familiar. As a merchant, a party like this was a prime opportunity for Yugh’s businessman father to expand his connections. Yugh must not have wanted to miss it.
(I was pretty ticked hearing what those guys in uniform said. Giving it to him was the right call.)
Raze reaffirmed she’d done right to pass the invitation to him.
“Scholarship student.”
Only one student referred to her that way.
“…Lord Zars. Is something wrong?”
Addis called out, causing her to stop in her tracks.
“Lady Carne and Miss Folia were waiting for you,” he continued.
“Oh… I’m sorry. Can you pass on the message that I handed over the invitation?”
Razé believed that even without her presence, Carne and Folia could enjoy the birthday party. She could predict that Carne was getting along with Reuben, and Luca was with Folia.
So, nonchalantly, Razé said so.
Addis looked puzzled.
“That’s fine, but have you thought about asking Lady Carne if you could still get in? You might be able to join them for a dance or something.”
“There are others who can’t participate and are crying because they can’t dance with someone. I chose this myself, and I don’t need the people to do that for me.”
Addis squinted his eyes at the mention of dancing.
“They’ll be fine without me. Thank you for your trouble, but please pass on the message.”
Razé bowed slightly and turned on her heel to head for the dormitory dining hall.
“Wait.”
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However, she felt her arm being grabbed, preventing her from moving forward. The second time today.
“Wait here on that chair.”
“Huh?”
“Got it?”
“…Yes.”
With a nod from the Grim Reaper himself, Razé agreed. Addis returned to the venue.
(What the hell. I just want to go to the dining hall and have dinner!)
Complaining in her mind, Razé sat on the long bench placed in the wide corridor, waiting as instructed.
“Both of them seemed disappointed. Let’s have tea together next time. And, this.”
When Addis returned, he handed her something wrapped in a handkerchief.
“What’s this?”
“Messerone’s sweets. You wanted to eat them, right? I brought them because the two of them mentioned it.”
Surprised, Razé gently opened the handkerchief. Inside were several baked sweets.
“Oh, thank you.”
She received something she wanted from someone she had kept a distance from. Razé felt puzzled.
Then Addis said, “I’ll take a break,” and sat down next to her.
He casually picked up a sweet from the handkerchief on Razé’s lap and put it in his mouth.
(Eh. (For me: ……)
Raze has a sweet tooth. She eats it, too.
“This is really delicious!”
Her face transformed into the most genuine and lovely smile of the day, munching on the sweets.
Addis, who rarely saw Razé smile like that, couldn’t help but be captivated by her earnest, small movements.
“You look like a squirrel.”
In her earnestness of moving her small mouth, her face naturally softened.
“Huh?”
Razé, who was completely absorbed in the sweet, couldn’t catch the faint murmurs.
Seeing her focused expression, Addis suddenly tightened his expression.
“It’s nothing. I’ll go back.”
Standing up from the chair, he looked down at her with silver eyes.
///
scene transition
///
“…If you’re aware that you’re a commoner, maybe you should rely on a noble life a bit.”
“What? “
“Okay, then.”
Without saying anything more, Addis left the scene.
Since he only ate one of the sweets initially, the rest were all on her lap.
“…This handkerchief belongs to Lord Zeth. I should do something in return.”
Noticing the initials embroidered on the handkerchief, Raze felt a complicated mix of emotions.
She never expected to be taken care of by the son of her boss.
(He’s probably just a character from an otome game.)
Unexpectedly, he might not be a bad person. With that thought, Raze slightly changed her aversion towards Addis.
She transferred the remaining sweets to her cheap handkerchief and placed them in a stock box in her dorm room.
Left in her hands was a white handkerchief with embroidery of pleasant-feeling blue and silver threads.
Raze folded it carefully and, after confirming that no one was around, let out a sigh.
“This is bad…”
Realizing something through this incident, Raze vented her frustration.
“I may have broken the flags, but I can’t avoid the events themselves…”
Raze looked up at the ceiling with a sense of foreboding.
Until now, various events had occurred according to the prophecy book. Although she manipulated the content, strangely, she couldn’t avoid the events themselves.
In this case, perhaps due to the backlash, Yuge received a pseudo-event, progressing a scenario where he was “saved by Addis.”
(At this rate…)
For the first time, Raze felt anxious about the otome game scenario.
Because being unable to avoid the events meant that other students, not just Carne might face the consequences of the “destruction” event.
However, Carne still seemed unaware of this, which was a relief for Raze.
If Carne became aware of it, what would happen…
Carne was too kind. Before she knew it, she would probably sacrifice herself.
“I want to avoid that.”
Carne ‘s ruin would be Raze’s ruin.
She was the future queen. At worst, the country might collapse.
Raze glanced at the two moons outside the window and pondered about what to do.
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