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Alicia noticed me and she lightly waved her hand while greeting me in an innocent tone. Beside her, Pamela nodded at me as if to say ‘Hello.’ Compared to Alicia, it was a rather reserved gesture… No, for a young Lady, this was the norm.

“I am on my way back. I just stopped by to deal with some business and will be returning home shortly. More importantly, it’s quite unusual to see you two having tea together.”

“I had something to consult with Pamela today. But it’s not really that unusual, is it?”

Puzzled, Alicia sought backing from Pamela, and Pamela, in turn, nodded in agreement along with her friend.

“Have you two met previously?”

“Of course we’ve met, we’re often together at Lady Sophia’s tea parties.”

“Yes, we are often seated next to each other at the tea parties, just like in class. I have always been on good terms with Miss Alicia.”

Apparently, they had become friends since they started middle school. The heroine of the first work, ‘Espressivo of Light and Darkness’, and the heroine of ‘The Eve of the Festival’, were here together. I got wary about this meeting and might have been a bit too high-strung. As these thoughts went through my mind, Alicia lifted her index finger and placed it next to her face.

“By the way, Cyril.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Who did you meet with at the Royal castle?”

“………….”

Unconsciously, I fell silent. Whether I liked it or not, and considering the scornful look that Alicia turned my way, I realized that she had misunderstood me. She probably thought that I had a clandestine meeting with Fol at the Royal castle. It was as if I could hear her voice questioning me, ‘You’re fooling around even though you have Lady Sophia…?’

At the very least, I prayed that the voice wasn’t saying: ‘You cannot fool around with anyone else but me, got it…?’

For the time being, this misunderstanding should be cleared if I answered that I had gone to meet Teacher Tristan. But I didn’t really want people to know that I was in contact with him too much.

How should I answer…?

“I’m sorry, that was a very personal question.”

The aura of darkness around Alicia faded away quickly, and she laughed impishly. She seemed to have noticed that she was putting me in a tough spot. It was precisely because she knew when to quit that I couldn’t dislike her.

“Please don’t worry about it. By the way, Lady Pamela, do you have anything to discuss with me? It seems to me that you’ve been wanting to tell me something since earlier.” 

After closing the conversation with Alicia I turned my gaze to Pamela, who had been watching me this whole time.

“Ah, no, I was just thinking that I owed you a thank you.”

“A ‘thank you’?”

“Yes, you taught my maid how to prepare black tea, didn’t you? Thanks to that, we are now able to drink delicious tea at home as well. My parents are delighted, too.”

‘We are able to drink delicious tea at home as well.’ This sentence wasn’t to be taken literally; she was probably saying that Count Ford was glad that Pamela joined Sophia’s faction.

“I will definitely inform my Lady of this.”

“No need, I have already conveyed my thanks to Lady Sophia. But you were the one who put in a good word for us when it came to the matter with the potatoes, correct? That’s why I wanted to express my thanks to you as well, Cyril.”

“I don’t deserve such high praise.”

Since that was the case, I accepted her words of gratitude 

Similarly, Alicia thanked me right after as well. It seemed that the two of them—or rather, their parents—were quite grateful. It was likely that they were delighted to have been able to establish a connection with Lady Sophia, the sole daughter of a Marquis.

More importantly, I thought as I compared the two young Ladies, Alicia’s feelings were… how to put it? They were easy to read from her expressions. Meanwhile, Pamela only seemed to be thanking me normally. It didn’t seem likely that I would find myself in the First Prince’s position after having already accidentally taken the Second Prince’s, after all.

That being the case, I returned home after some light small talk. When I returned to the mansion, Rouché came out to greet me. This pattern of behaviour made me guess that Lady Sophia was going to be waiting for me in my room while striking a daunting pose, but, apparently, that wasn’t the case today.

“She’s assisting Roy and Emma with their waiting training?”

“Yes. She said that it’s better if they acquire practical experience.”

Roy and Emma were the slum children Lady Sophia had become a guardian of. 

I guess that, since, in name, Lady Sophia was their guardian, she had offered to assist them with their training. Normally, young Ladies wouldn’t do something like this, but Lady Sophia was more caring than one would expect.

Incidentally, I had heard from Teacher Tristan that Roy and Emma appeared in ‘The Eve of the Festival’ as well. More precisely, they were a part of a side story that was included with  the original work’s characters. 

It seemed that Roy and Emma running out in front of the carriage that day was a set event after all. But, because the original work’s Lady Sophia was bullied by a maid, she had come to hate commoners. Therefore, she ended up chasing the two slum children away.

Having been driven away, Roy and Emma were brought back to the Dark Guild. Emma was forced to take customers and Roy was forcefully sent back to their parents, but he later joined as a member of the Dark Guild on his own wishes.

Afterwards, time passed and Emma managed to procure a certain piece of information: the one about Lady Sophia’s plan to hire a thug in an attempt to take Alicia’s life.

Following the course of events in the first game, even though I negotiated with No Name and hired a thug, I was betrayed by him and the evil deed ended up being exposed…

According to ‘The Eve of the Festival’s side story, Roy and Emma would be involved in acquiring this information. In other words, this meant that Lady Sophia had smashed one of the flags of destruction herself.

The young Lady, who was supposed to be the object of Roy and Emma’s revenge in the original work, was now adored by them and the young Lady herself cared for them dearly. This proved my Lady’s growth, as well as providing evidence to the fact that she walked a path different from that of a villainous daughter. 

I felt that it was incredibly moving, and, with emotions constricting my chest, I dropped by the dining room where they were practising.

Although Rouché had said that they were doing waiting practice, it seemed that they were actually serving dinner. There were warm dishes lined up before Lady Sophia. However, one of them didn’t have any side dishes, while all the other main and side dishes were beautifully garnished. The exception was a dish made up of mixed potatoes and meat. When Lady Sophia picked up the porcelain bowl that had this dish inside, Emma was acting visibly anxious. She had probably cooked that dish.

Lady Sophia reached out to the food Emma prepared with her chopsticks. 

Incidentally, chopsticks weren’t originally used in the Ephenear Kingdom. It was a custom that got imported here from a neighboring country—namely, from the Flamefield Empire. When it came to culture, it felt as if the customs of my homeland from the previous world had been split between both of these countries.

Anyway, when Lady Sophia brought the potatoes and meat to her mouth using her chopsticks and started chewing on them elegantly, her eyes narrowed in happiness as she showed a small smile. Her smiling face that made one feel relieved just by catching a glimpse of it properly showcased Emma’s hard work.

“The meat’s flavour has completely permeated through the potatoes, but they haven’t become mushy either. It’s perfectly balanced and very delicious. Emma, you’ve done well.”

“…Thank you very much.”

Just like a waitressing maid, Emma expressed her happiness subtly. But her small hand was grasping the hem of her skirt tightly. It seemed that, after she worked at a diner for her Social Studies class, she was working much harder.

Moreover, Roy gazed at Emma, who had just been praised, with a somewhat frustrated or  envious look on his face. These siblings were on good terms, but it seemed that, despite that, they had become rivals.

“Oh my!” Lady Sophia exclaimed as she tried to place her chopsticks back on her bowl and missed. The chopsticks rolled across the table and tumbled down onto the carpet. Lady Sophia pushed her chair back in a panic, trying to pick the chopsticks up.

“I will pick them up for you, my Lady.”

Roy politely stopped her before immediately picking up the fallen chopsticks and placing them away. After that, he placed replacement chopsticks in front of her. After seeing this, Lady Sophia smiled once more.

“Roy, you were able to respond well too. Not even a year has passed, yet the two of you seem to be working and studying so diligently. I am very proud of you.”

She did something ill-mannered – trying to pick up the fallen chopsticks by herself – on purpose. Everything from the moment her chopsticks fell had been a performance byLady Sophia. Likely, she had been creating an opportunity for not just Emma, but for Roy to receive praise as well. By dropping her chopsticks for Roy’s sake despite it being improper, she was acting just like a caring big sister.

“They’ve all grown up so much…”

“It’s all thanks to you, Cyril.” Rouché, who followed after me silently, replied to my low murmur.

“And not just Roy and Emma. Lady Sophia is working hard every day to return the favour to you as well.”

“She is working hard, just like you said, but she’s not trying to return a favor or anything like that.”

Hard work was necessary if Lady Sophia wished to conduct herself in a manner appropriate to her social standing. It was also necessary for Roy and Emma to work hard in order to protect the place they now belonged to. For, if they failed to demonstrate their abilities, they would immediately lose their place. However, when I explained this, Rouché let out an ostentatiously long sigh.

“You don’t get it, Cyril. Roy and Emma know very well that, without your support, they wouldn’t have been saved. Lady Sophia feels the same way.”

Rouché was probably talking about the incident of the past when Lady Sophia was bullied by some of the maids, since she was also affected by it.

But—

“Wouldn’t it be very arrogant of me to think that, just because I saved someone once, they have to keep working hard to return that favour?”

“No, it wouldn’t. Of course, I’m also one of the people who wish to return a favour to you, you know?”

I glanced at Rouché, startled. She wore her usual impish smile, but her eyes were earnest and unsmiling.

“…Rouché?”

“It was because of your support that day that I’m able to stay here. Thanks to that, my family has been able to restore their business as well. I’m really grateful to you, you know?”

“I was simply fulfilling Lady Sophia’s request.”

Although I repeated once more something I was sure I had already said that day as well, Rouché silently shook her head.

“I know that you are that kind of a person, Cyril. However, you are influencing many people with your actions. If you don’t realize that, it can become a big problem, you know?”

‘I took the Second Prince’s position and also the position of the heroine! It has already become a big problem!’ Though I wouldn’t say that out loud, no matter what. 

“I will keep that in mind,” I answered with a wry smile.

“Ah, Teacher Cyril!”

“Oh, teacher1? You’re really here! Teacher, did you watch me waiting on the table just now?”

“I also worked hard with the cooking!”

When the two noticed me, they forgot about waiting upon Lady Sophia and instead decided to fly over to me. I sighed. Their service up till that moment had been very good, but doing this was a definite no-no. But Lady Sophia, who had followed after the two and was making her way towards me, mouthed: ‘Please praise them.’ behind their backs, without letting out a sound.

…I have no other choice then.

“You both get a point reduction for getting distracted at the end, but…”

I smiled wryly and placed my palm on top of Roy’s head.

“In this short time without me looking after you, your movements have changed so much that I couldn’t even recognize you. Moreover, when Lady Sophia attempted to pick up her own chopsticks, you made a calm decision as well. Are these the fruits of working at the diner? You’ve done very well.”

I patted his hair in a praising motion. 

Then, I turned to Emma, whose expression was now full of expectation as if saying: ‘Now it’s my turn!’

“Emma, your movements are much more refined than they were before. Also, the food–”

It looked very delicious. Watching Lady Sophia’s reaction, it was undoubtedly cooked very well, but I should at least have a taste.

“Say aah.” As if reading my thoughts, a plate and chopsticks, with the potatoes and meat pinched between them, were held out to me. The culprit was… Lady Sophia. 

What are you doing? That’s the food you were just eating, right? Is this why you urged me to praise them, by any chance? 

Several retorts crossed my mind, but I immediately abandoned these thoughts and instead took hold of Lady Sophia’s wrist, taking a bite of the potatoes and meat pinched between the chopsticks held out for me. 

The taste of the juicy gravy permeating the potatoes spread in my mouth. The taste was a little different from the dishes that were served in this world’s high society, but the flavour was a somewhat nostalgic one, making me recall my previous world.

However, I wouldn’t raise any destruction flags and say stuff such as, ‘Emma will make a good bride in the future.’

“You’ve done well. It’s very delicious.”

I praised her the same way as I did for Roy and gently rubbed her hair. Lady Sophia, who had nonchalantly stepped in between them and told me to “Say aah,” probably didn’t plan on interfering any further. She looked at the happy Roy and Emma, and she was smiling pleasantly.

From time to time, Lady Sophia did get jealous, but she could properly distinguish such situations. It didn’t seem likely that Lady Sophia would, once again, undergo villainization after being influenced by ‘The Eve of the Festival’s story. This reassured me. Lady Sophia then turned to me and as if she just remembered something before speaking: 

“That reminds me. I heard that my elder brother, Ernest, has cut his study abroad short and was planning to return home,” she said.

Thank you for reading! That\'s quite a line to end a chapter on, isn\'t it? Also Sophia doing all that just for an indirect kiss… what a mastermind lmao!

1. Emma calls Cyril 先生- ‘sensei’, while Roy calls him  師匠 – ‘shishou’. This term can also mean ‘master’, but because that would get confusing since this novel has nobility, I will keep it as teacher.