The four-person tea party went on for exactly one hour, right up until just before Milly’s student council meeting was set to begin. If she’d had her way, it could have lasted another two or three hours, but skipping the meeting was out of the question for Milly. Thanking the other three for taking care of the cleanup, she stepped out of the tearoom.
Just as she turned a corner, someone called out sharply to stop her. “Lady Milly!”
She turned, and there was Brima, stumbling toward her in a clumsy run.
“Brima? What is it?”
“Oh, i-it’s just, I...I never thanked you properly.”
“Thanked me?” Milly was puzzled. Had she done something that merited gratitude?
Brima’s eyes darted all over the place as she forced the words out. “Y-Yes, for everything. For inviting me today, and for giving me the chance to apologize to Sierra...”
“Oh, that? Think nothing of it. It wasn’t anything worth—”
“It was! It really, truly was!” Brima cut her off in a rush. “I should have been expelled, and yet I was only suspended. You must have done something for me, Lady Milly.” Brima’s whole body trembled with nerves, but her eyes never wavered from Milly’s face.
Before, she couldn’t even look me in the eye. How gratifying. Milly’s lips curved faintly as she gave a small nod. “It’s true I did what I could to push for leniency, but in reality, the one who made it happen was my father. All I did was ask him.”
Brima’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung slack in astonishment. According to Nicholas, her expulsion had been all but certain. Threatened or not, the fact remained that she had acted as the perpetrator. But then Kyle, at Milly’s urging, forced the headmaster’s hand and secured a mere suspension instead.
It had been one of the first favors Milly requested from her father after they struck their uneasy pact, for she felt it would have been wrong to let Brima be punished too harshly. Sierra had survived unscathed, and she herself had pleaded for Brima’s sentence to be reduced.
Thus, Milly had no reason not to act. She had leveraged her father’s influence to its fullest, making sure, of course, that the deal gave him something in return.
“Th-Then, does that mean you even spoke up about my family’s finances, Lady Milly?!” Brima took a step forward, her eyes shimmering as she asked.
Truthfully, the Grey family had already sent the Bickels a furious letter in the wake of the incident. Apparently, Angelina explained that she had been suspended because Brima set her up, and the letter also stated that the Grey family would no longer purchase cotton from the baron’s domain. For the Bickel family, whose livelihood depended on selling that cotton to the Greys, it was a devastating blow.
“J-Just the other day, His Grace the Grand Duke suddenly came to our house and said, ‘If you cut ties with the Greys immediately and switch to selling your cotton to me, I’ll see to everything.’”
“He did?”
“He certainly did! About my expulsion too, and he even said he’d provide funds for our shop if we needed them! S-So our little shop is going to expand! It’s still just a side business, but my parents are ever so happy about it!” Brima’s words tumbled out with such fervor that Milly could only stare, slack-jawed.
It was wholly unexpected. Milly had vaguely heard from her father about buying up the barony’s cotton, but that he had personally gone out of his way to visit the Bickel household was news to her.
For the efficiency-obsessed Kyle Asteara to take such direct action...it meant he must value the family more highly than Milly had realized. Her suggestion had yielded far better results than she could have hoped.
He said that cotton demand would grow over the next few years, but could it be that he foresaw this all along?
She remembered that in the world before time rewound, about two years from now, a sudden cold snap struck the northern kingdom. Demand for winter clothing—and for cotton, its raw material—had skyrocketed. Milly had forgotten all about it until now, so uninterested as she’d been in politics and economics. But her father? It wouldn’t be strange if he had anticipated such a disaster. In matters of trade, his instincts were razor sharp.
With a faint sigh, Milly admitted it to herself: Kyle Asteara had once again seen further than anyone else.
“Well, I may have been the first to bring your business up, but most of it was father acting on his own. He’d already had his eye on the cotton from your lands.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. But with the Grey family in the way—since they’re staunchly anti-grand duke—he was waiting for the right chance to step in. Then this just happened to fall into place. You don’t need to thank me for it. The credit belongs to your family.”
The truth was, Milly hadn’t known a thing about the rising demand for cotton. All she had done was suggest that perhaps one of the Grey vassals—“a house I dislike anyway”—might be coaxed over to the grand duke’s side. That casual suggestion had rolled downhill into this outcome. Noblesse politics was endlessly troublesome.
“I... I see. So that’s how it went.”
“Mm. Father may be who he is, but when it comes to houses aligned with him, he does honor his obligations. You can rest easy. And if he ever does overstep, tell me. I’ll be the one to slap him for you.”
A soft laugh escaped Brima. “Thank you.”
She bent at the waist in a careful bow, her smile delicate, almost radiant. It was the first time Milly had ever seen her smile, and it was every bit as lovely as Sierra’s. The thought that she might see more smiles like this warmed her, and her own lips curved with it.
“U-Um, up until just recently, I thought both you and the grand duke himself were terrifying. From the game—I mean, um, just my own foolish impression.”
“I’m not sure regarding myself, but as for father, I think your impression of him was accurate.”
“That may be true, but even so, to me you’re both good people. Whatever the reason, you helped me and my family, whom I love more than anything. So, to me, that makes you good.” Blushing as she spoke, Brima bent at the waist once more and hurried back toward the tearoom.
Milly stood rooted in place, watching until the girl’s figure vanished beyond the door. This made the third time she’d been called a “good person.” First Gilbert, then Sierra, and now Brima. For someone aiming to be a wicked “final boss,” I suppose that’s hardly the sort of praise I should want.
And yet, hearing gratitude spoken so plainly left her undeniably pleased. Just for today, she allowed herself the excuse, whispered to no one, and set off once more toward the student council chamber.
It was the first time she’d gone there since the incident. She had been too busy in the aftermath. She’d seen Lucius and Gilbert, but not the other three. This would be the first reunion, and she ought to think about what to say. First and foremost, her thanks.
I need to thank Nicholas and Edgar for stalling the teachers until Brima was found. Hm, maybe I should have brought some sweets as a token? And no doubt Lucius will start in again with “Why did you try to catch the culprit alone?” or “You could at least have asked me.” My ears are getting sore from hearing it.
Yes, there was also Ike to think about. Nothing had been settled with him yet. Since that day in the student council room when they’d clashed, she hadn’t exchanged so much as a word with him, hadn’t even seen his face. By chance, she’d grown closer to his sister, Lizbel, but that was all. As for Ike, who bore such a deep grudge against the Asteara house, there was still no way forward. What he wanted, after all, was an apology from Kyle.
Father apologizing sincerely? Impossible.
Lizbel had said Ike might be starting to reconsider his opinion of her, but the roots of his resentment went too deep. This problem wouldn’t be resolved quickly. No way. It would take time, more time. With that heavy thought weighing her down, Milly walked on through the corridor when...
“Oh, Lady Milly. Is that tea party of yours finally over?”
The voice made her lift her head. It was Lucius.
“Yes, and it was delightful. Truly, it’s a lady’s privilege to partake in occasions that are glamorous. Envious, aren’t you?”
“I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but you do enjoy provoking people, don’t you?”
“Hmm? Provoking? You mean being charming?”
“Indeed. Let’s go with that.” For some reason, he sighed.
Entirely unjust, Milly thought.
“Hey, you two, what are you loitering for? It’s nearly time.” Gilbert came hurrying up, glancing down at his pocket watch every other step.
Lucius immediately shot him a complaint. “You’ve got no room to talk, Gilbert. You’re cutting it just as close as we are.”
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous. I had a perfectly good reason! I was with a teacher just now, asking questions about the lesson.”
“Oh? In that case, I had a tea party to attend. Don’t lump us together.”
Lucius blinked at her. “Wait, a tea party counts as a good reason?”
“Of course it does!” Milly shot back. “Think about it. The bonds you strengthen with friends there are invaluable.”
“All right, enough!” Gilbert barked, cutting them both off. “Both of you, move! Run!”
With that, Gilbert broke into a sprint, Lucius shouting, “Hey, no fair!” as he scrambled after him.
Milly couldn’t help but laugh at their retreating backs, then she dashed off herself to follow them. If a teacher caught them running, they’d probably be scolded, but she could always shove the excuse off on her royal childhood friend.
I really am glad I joined the student council.
The thought came to her as she raced down the corridor. If she hadn’t chosen that path back on the day of the entrance ceremony, she wouldn’t be here now, running with them. She wouldn’t have become close with Sierra or Lizbel. She wouldn’t have made her pact with Nicholas. She wouldn’t have saved Brima or forged a partnership with her father. The idea chilled her. She couldn’t imagine life without these bonds anymore.
Right now, Milly’s life was richer than it had ever been. If possible, Milly wanted this life to last forever, laughing alongside the friends she had made. But she knew better. Ahead lay trials still harsher, and sorrows yet heavier. The rewound world would surely bring new burdens, but even so, for reasons she could not explain, a vague certainty stirred inside her. She would be all right.
First things first. I need to talk to Ike.
Step by step, she would move forward, drawing ever closer to the image of the final boss she aspired to be.
Lifting her head, Milly called out to the two boys racing ahead of her. “Hey, wait up, you two! You know I lack stamina!”