Chapter 27: The Lecture
AFTER the aptitude test, they led Iris off to a conference room, where HanaKoro’s three love interests all looked at her dubiously. Because of her, the opening ceremony was completely derailed. Not only that, but they’d discovered that she’d already met their beloved protagonist Camille. All in all, they probably had a lot on their minds.
So…which one of them will start yelling first? That stone wasn’t some irreplaceable artifact or something, was it? Good grief, it’s only my first day here, and I’ve already screwed everything up! Kill me now! Iris stared absently up at the ceiling as her brain attempted to escape reality. Wow, the wallpaper here is really fancy. I like the flowers-and-vines pattern, especially how it’s all interconnected.
Cytisus looked at her and sighed. “First of all, we will have the Aptitude Stone repaired back at the Temple of Magic, so no monetary compensation will be required.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news! Thank you! Thank you so much!” Iris bowed her head so quickly, her forehead slammed into the table, and her curls bounced everywhere.
“We will need to investigate what caused it to break, and I know at least one mage in particular who is very eager to do so.”
The image of Pavot, the mage in charge of the Specialized Arts Division, rose to the forefront of her mind. Iris smiled stiffly. “But…didn’t I cause it to break? By slamming my hand down too hard?” she asked, staring at the table.
“You really think you’re strong enough to shatter stone with your bare hands?” Nigel scoffed.
“I’m stronger than you, at least!” Iris shot back.
“Well, you shouldn’t be! You’re supposed to be a proper lady!”
Sorry, but I have to be! Worst-case scenario, I’ll have to fight you all off myself!
“So, you’re saying brute force isn’t the cause of the fracture?” Reseda asked.
Cytisus nodded. “We plan to look into it.”
“B-But…it couldn’t be my mana that caused it, surely!” Iris exclaimed.
He looked back at her. A magic circle lit up within his monocle; he scrutinized Iris for a moment, then let out another sigh. “Indeed, you don’t appear to have much mana. I imagine it would be on par with Nigel’s, if that.”
“Which means I’ll be categorized as a warrior, right? Not a mage? So, I have no chance of becoming the Holy Maiden?” she pressed.
At this, he donned a soft smile. But right as she breathed a sigh of relief—
“I’d say the possibility has grown stronger.”
That was not the answer I was expecting. Iris recoiled sharply.
“This is the first time in recorded history that anyone has broken the Aptitude Stone.”
“I’m telling you, I simply struck it too hard!”
Are you kidding me?! If I’d known this would have happened, I would have caressed it like a lover instead of slapping it like the Enter key at the end of a twelve-hour shift at the office!
This accident must have happened in the game, too. That would explain how Iris kept her position as a Holy Maiden candidate despite being completely unqualified.
“As soon as the stone has been repaired, we will ask you to retry the aptitude test,” Cytisus explained.
Wait, what? If so, then won’t I just get disqualified on the spot? Or was the Aptitude Stone just never successfully repaired in the game? Cytisus and Pavot seem more than talented enough to fix it, though… Iris couldn’t think of an explanation, so she decided to put this mystery on the back burner for the time being.
“Now then, shall we move on to the main topic of discussion?” Reseda suggested, smiling brightly.
Oh god, there’s more? Iris averted her eyes.
“I was aware that the two of you knew each other, but you appear to be rather close. Just how much time were you spending with her in town?” he asked.
Cytisus looked at Iris expectantly.
“Who is she, Iris?” Nigel grumbled.
“She’s a girl from the store that sells the camellia oil I use on my scars,” Iris explained. “I only ever spoke to her once. Trust me, I was just as surprised as you were.”
They had exactly one conversation two full years ago, during which Iris was wearing what she thought was a fairly foolproof disguise, and at no point did she reveal her name or social standing…but somehow Camille managed to recognize her regardless! From Iris’s perspective, the game had to be cheating!
Alas, the truth was, her scheme just hadn’t worked as well as she’d hoped.
“Then why was she calling you her sister? You’re my sister!”
Was that why Nigel was sulking? Oh, you precious thing. You just love your sister to bits, don’t you? I couldn’t be happier.
“Of course I’m your sister, silly. I didn’t give her my name, so she must have simply defaulted to calling me that. I promise, I’m not going to replace you with her.”
At this, he meekly nodded his assent.
“Do you know that girl’s family lineage, Miss Iris?” Cytisus asked, and Iris faltered. Given that Nigel and Reseda were both present, it didn’t feel like a good time to reveal that she was actually the illegitimate daughter of the House of Sade.
“No, I don’t. I only met her once,” Iris answered quietly, staring at her lap.
Cytisus had taken an interest in Camille ever since Iris mentioned her to him. After a little digging, he had learned that her mother was a former maid in the employ of the Sade family—a maid who used to look after him, in fact, until one day she simply disappeared. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about this matter, but he sensed that his father had to be involved somehow. That being said, because it wasn’t public knowledge, his only option was to stay quiet.
“I see…” He shrugged lightly. An awkward silence followed.
“Oh, Iris, you’re such a troublemaker. I wish I could just lock you up somewhere,” Reseda sighed.
A chill ran down her spine. This was Reseda of the “Caged Love” route talking! His deep-seated thirst for confinement was patently obvious!
“Your Highness, ladies are not objects you can chain down as you please,” Nigel chided him.
Iris couldn’t believe it. Here sat Nigel of the “Chains of Love” route, discouraging said chains! At this rate, perhaps he could safely date Camille after all!
“That’s exactly right! Spoken like a true gentleman, my dear brother!” Iris exclaimed gleefully, gazing at him with her eyes sparkling as she praised his emotional maturity.
He smiled, blushing. “Of course.”
Iris was so touched, she pressed a hand to her mouth. Meanwhile, Reseda scowled.
“Besides, there’s nothing to worry about. I shall keep my sister safe, Your Highness,” Nigel continued.
“I don’t think she really needs to be protected,” Cytisus remarked with a smile. “After all, she’s bold enough to twist a prince’s arm on palace grounds…and now, she’s a potential Holy Maiden.”
At this, Reseda and Nigel both stared into space in defeat. As for Iris, she was so embarrassed, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.