(I want to go. Of course, I want to. Folia and the festival!)
Raze struggled to hold back from nodding instinctively.
There might be work once she return to the military, and she’ll have to investigate around Carne , so she’s not sure if she can go to the Star Festival.
“That sounds fun! Let’s all gather!”
Ian was the first to nod enthusiastically in place of Raze. Folia’s expression brightened up, impressed by his enthusiasm. Whether it was during study sessions or now, Ian’s quick decisions and assertiveness were always appreciated.
“That sounds great! I’m free anytime,”
Carne chimed in. With Carne ‘s confirmation, it was likely that Ruben, her fiancé, would want to join, and Claude would come along with him. With Luca and Addis joining as well, it seemed like everyone except Raze would have a blast at the festival.
“Sorry, I have a prior commitment, so maybe next time,”
Addis unexpectedly shattered that expectation.
(How could he so easily refuse an angel’s invitation like that?! Even though I want to go, I can’t!?)
Raze became inwardly irritated at Addis for saying he couldn’t go,
even though Addis was one of the romance targets to be pursued. Raze inwardly growled that as such, he should at least nod agreeably, but of course Addis couldn’t hear his thoughts.
“I see…If you have a prior commitment, it can’t be helped…”
Folia looked dejected. Raze’s heart was in turmoil.
“I’m free, so I’ll go.”
Seeing this, Luca stepped in to encourage Folia, as a romance target should.
This was precisely the reaction someone being pursued in an otome game should have. Inwardly, Raze nodded in approval with his arms crossed.
“What about you, Raze-chan?”
Finally asked, Raze felt he might cave under Folia’s hopeful “Please come!” gaze.
“…Sorry, festivals are a busy time for earning money, so it’ll be tough. If I can slip away, I’ll try to stop by.”
Since she worked during the long breaks, she couldn’t afford to play around.
Naturally, Folia, who had expected Raze to join, was taken aback.
“Raze!”
“Huh?”
At that, Carne , who had heard it, put down her plate on the table.
Wondering what was going on, Raze found Carne looking at him with moist eyes.
“Why don’t you come to my house during the break?”
“Uh…”
Her reaction was unexpected.
“No. Please, I want you to come! Of course, you’ll be my guest, so I’ll entertain you!
“Th-That’s…”
As expected, the composed noble lady’s words differed.
Despite her insistence being based solely on her own whims, Carne ‘s invitation carried only kindness. She was considerately taking into account the unbridgeable class divide of Raze being a commoner in this world.
“It’ll be fine, won’t it? I wanted to have a sleepover with friends. The bed is big enough, so there’s plenty of room for us to sleep together! What do you say?”
Carne ‘s kindness is too warm.
However, Raze wished she wouldn’t say more because the gaze of Ruben, who was sitting next to her, was intimidating.
Raze couldn’t help but feel uneasy that she might be bullied by him.
“Eh, um… Your invitation is very kind, but I’ll be working live-in, so I’m sorry,”
It hurt terribly, but there was nothing Raze could do about it. Work was the top priority.
“She seems to have plans too. Shouldn’t we do it another time?”
Ruben said, emitting an unpleasant aura.
“No, I’m sorry for inviting you forcefully, Raze.”
“No, I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable,”
Raze couldn’t overlook Ruben’s attempt to stop the sleepover.
It seems that Ruben is a possessive person. He seemed like a character that would appear in a otome game. Raze didn’t want to attract his attention. It seemed a little too late, though.
“It seems you’ve already decided to work on your days off. You’ve been sending a lot of letters lately; were you busy with that?”
Folia, Raze’s roommate, was the only one who knew that Raze had been writing letters in his room. When she asked, Raze answered yes.
“I didn’t exactly decide to work; I’ve been working for the place I’ve been indebted to before I entered the academy, so I’m just going back to work,”
“! Is that so? What do you do?”
“Um… Odd jobs? I do things like an adventurer,”
Raze lied to distract from the truth. Even though the location was slightly different, the tasks of slaying beasts and gathering materials were essentially the same. Raze mixed facts with lies.
“An adventurer…?”
Addis muttered suspiciously, reacting to that word.
Not only him but also all the boys’ gazes focused on Raze, making Raze feel a little chilly. She had learned from Claude’s incident that attracting attention from this group carried the risk of exposure. Raze tightened her guard not to dig her own grave.
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
Carne worried, but she was asking the wrong person.
Few people had the skills necessary to be an adventurer like Raze did. If she had become an adventurer instead of a soldier, she would have surely become a well-known figure there too.
“I don’t take dangerous jobs. I’ve been doing this job for years, so I’m used to it, and it’s fine. It pays well, and everyone is fun to be around, so it’s a good workplace,”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Except for labor time and environment, what She’ve concealed in her heart is not something easily recommended to others.
After finishing their meals, when they started talking about the festival, Carne and Folia both excused themselves to go to the restroom.
Left alone, Raze felt awkward.
She couldn’t say she was close to Carne and Folia, as she was just an addition to them.
“Your Highness…”
Nevertheless, it would be troublesome if something happened during this break.
“What is it?”
“Please, never leave Lady Carne alone. Even if you’re her friend, Your Highness, I won’t show any mercy if she ends up in tears.”
It might be meddling, but it’s better to be cautious like this.
Even though she felt embarrassed for saying such lines herself, Raze was willing to bear that shame for Carne ‘s sake.
Ruben sharply looked at Raze with his blue eyes, as if trying to probe her.
“I would never leave her. You, on the other hand, should be prepared for the consequences if you make Carne cry.”
He had a good gaze, like those you see in shojo manga. Hearing him refer to himself as “I” made Raze realize he was serious.
(He’s really scary…)
Raze feared what Ruben might do if it was for Carne ‘s sake. Indeed, it was fear.
If she made an enemy out of him, it would be difficult to deal with.
Understanding his personality alongside his status as a prince, Raze felt a knot in her stomach. If only she had the broad-mindedness to say, “Wow, he’s cool!” she might enjoy the world of otome games, but she lacked the motivation to tolerate that much.
For now, Raze was relieved to hear those words directly from him. This would probably prolong the life of this country.
“I’ll handle it to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Raze asserted to Ruben, trying not to show her anxiety.
Although she had boldly approached the prince, it was mentally exhausting. As long as she was with Carne , it would be difficult to avoid contact with Ruben, but she would endure until the mission was over.
“Do you need water?”
At this moment, Claude pointed to the empty glass. Raze was somewhat surprised by his casual inquiry, which intruded into her personal space.
“Thank you.”
She thanked him, although she wondered about his intentions.
When the glass of water returned to her, her gaze met Claude’s.
“You need not worry, the security around Lady Morthens is also tight, so there is no problem.”
Claude, aware that Carne ‘s cookies had been tampered with, understood Raze’s concerns.
However, his words could also be taken as a warning not to make accusations against his lord from the perspective of a mere commoner. This compelled Raze with the urge to flee the situation.
(How embarrassing!? Please don’t give such a proper retort! I feel so called out!)
Despite sensing a bond with Claude as fellow operatives in the shadows, Raze now felt betrayed.
“What’s this all of a sudden? I didn’t really get it, but Granoli was worried about Carne -sama?”
“!?”
Delivered the final blow by Ian, who in a sense was more clueless than Folia, Raze was left speechless. Despite some discrepancies, Ian had hit the mark.
Addis chuckled beside her.
“You’re surprisingly bold in strange situations.”
Blushing at being laughed at, Raze felt embarrassed.
“Well, I can understand why you’d worry about Lady Carne .”
Losing against her fiancé, who had offered sympathy, Raze felt defeated.
“…Let’s forget about what I said earlier…”
Aside from being friends with Carne and Folia, Raze shouldn’t have engaged in communication with the guard.
Feeling the drained vigor, the atmosphere between her and the boys softened.
“Lady Carne would be happy if you were there at the festival, so consider it at your own pace. Also, I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but rest assured, we’ll protect her.”
“Yes… My apologies…”
Raze nodded solemnly, her ears still red with embarrassment.
Not being able to believe his words at this point was bitter. While Ruben’s words were sincere, it was up to them to protect their loved ones. Despite what Claude said, Raze couldn’t accept Ruben’s words. That was her train of thought.
(Should I make a point to the director?)
Through Harrens, they could strengthen the security around Ruben and Carne .
That’s about all she could do during this break.
“I’m back. What’s wrong?”
Folia returned, tilting her head at Raze’s strange aura.
“Hmm, is it about the scholarship student being unexpectedly clumsy?”
Addis responded with a smile.
“Did something happen to you, Raze-chan?”
“Out of concern for Miss Morthens, She got a bit carried away with the Prince–“
“Lord Strainge!”
Don’t bring that up, Raze cut off Luca’s words.
Uncharacteristically thrown off pace and flustered, the other members who knew what she was trying to hide found it quite amusing to watch.
“Fufufu.”
Carne ‘s laughter could be heard, causing Ruben’s eyes to widen.
“I’m glad. I was hoping you and everyone would get along well with Raze! She’s one of my dear friends, so I want you all to become better friends.”
“Ah, me too!”
The radiant goddess and innocent angel smiled brightly.
If their smiles could put this failure behind them, it was a bit rewarding.
Raze raised her brows wryly and gave a thin smile.
“–So. What about me?”
“Eh?”
Carne grinned back,
not missing that her name had been mentioned despite Raze thinking the topic was over.
“Truly, it was nothing serious, so please spare me!”
Finally Raze waved the white flag.
If her past self had been told she’d end up the target of this merry band’s teasing, she would have scoffed.
That it could actually be enjoyable was surely, maybe, just her imagination.
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