Conversations with Bertia had been minimal. She seemed unusually cautious around me, speaking to me less frequently.
I’ve decided to let her do as she pleases. I’m not angry, and there’s no need for her to be so careful, right? I won’t interfere in her activities. I’d made that decision, yet nothing else should have changed… but she continued to be overly wary around me.
That day, perhaps due to the fatigue from my trip abroad, I found it unusually hard to concentrate on my work. To change scenery, I brought my work to the salon located on the second floor of the dining hall, planning to relax with some tea while I worked.
Courtgain had joined me, and we both silently got on with our tasks, occasionally moistening our throats with tea brewed by Zeno. It was a remarkably peaceful time.
Catching a view of the courtyard, I closed in on the window with my teacup in hand.
“Your Highness, what are you observing?” asked Courtgain. He had quietly approached and now stood behind me.
His ability to move so silently, almost like a “shadow,” seemed to be improving.
“Just looking at something interesting,” I said, having overheard a conversation that included my fiancée’s name, which piqued my curiosity.
Courtgain’s gaze followed mine, and he frowned slightly.
“That’s…”
Noting his reaction, I pushed the window open wider. A woman’s voice carried through clearly to us.
“Enough already! Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re causing Lady Bertia? And frankly, it’s disgraceful to pursue someone who is already promised! Have some shame!!”
In the same courtyard where we had held a tea party on Bertia’s enrollment day, three young ladies surrounded a woman seated in the center.
That woman was… Baroness Hironia.
At her table sat two male students, presumably her classmates.
One of the male students was quite handsome and held a high title, making him popular among the female students. The other was likely the fiancé of the woman who had just shouted at Baroness Hironia. From a distance, it appeared to be a classic love triangle causing a splendid commotion.
Surprisingly, the woman’s primary grievance seemed to be about something else entirely.
“Didn’t I tell you to fill it out and submit it by last weekend? It’s crucial for determining roles for the cultural festival, and I asked you not to forget,” the indignant young lady said, as Baroness Hironia feigned confusion.
“What are you talking about? I haven’t received anything like that,” Baroness Hironia replied, deliberately bewildered.
“Don’t lie! I’m talking about the form distributed by the student council! I told you repeatedly that it was due last weekend, and you’re the only one who hasn’t submitted it yet! Do you realize how much trouble this causes for the student council?!”
“But I really didn’t know. Oh, could it be that Lady Bertia is playing tricks on me—”
“My goodness! How can you say such a thing?! Lady Bertia would never do something like that! Blaming others for your own failures, how despicable!”
“But, but… I just…” Baroness Hironia’s eyes welled up with tears as she put on a frightened demeanor.
The two male students moved to embrace her in an attempt to console her.
Something about those two seems off; their eyes are somewhat vacant.
Narrowing my eyes to focus, I noticed a strange aura emanating from a birdlike creature perched on Baroness Hironia’s shoulder. It wasn’t exactly powerful “charm magic,” but it seemed that some sort of mental manipulation was at play.
Despite the tense situation, the male students looked blissfully entranced, gazing at Baroness Hironia with melting eyes. It was as if they were on the brink of addiction.
“It’s terrible. I really didn’t know…”
The scene continued to unfold quietly: the woman tearfully pleading her innocence and the men trying to comfort her, all under the stern gazes of the three other women.
At first glance, one might perceive the crying woman as the victim and those glaring at her as the aggressors. However, several bystanders dining nearby cast dubious glances toward Baroness Hironia, indicating their skepticism.
The other two young ladies who had been confronting her began to voice their complaints one after another. Baroness Hironia, while shedding tears, subtly redirected, attempting to blame Bertia and portray herself as the victim.
The sight was rather unpleasant.
It seemed the other students felt the same, as most of them looked at her with chilly stares or furrowed their brows in disapproval.
Courtgain, emanating a frosty aura, glared at Baroness Hironia through his glasses with piercing eyes. The intensity of his gaze might very well have conjured a blizzard even without the aid of spirit powers. I stopped him just as his hand seemed to involuntarily reach for a concealed weapon. A lethal incident within the academy would be too troublesome to clean up. If he had to do something drastic, I preferred it be done discreetly and far from prying eyes.
As the charade continued, I grew tired of watching and was about to close the window when I noticed Bertia, Silica, and Cynthia swiftly approaching.
“What is all this commotion about?” Bertia’s voice rang clear across the courtyard, instantly silencing the area.
She looked at the arguing young ladies, her brows furrowed in displeasure yet her eyes betraying a hint of satisfaction, as if thinking, “Am I not just like a villainess? Amazing, isn’t it? Just as expected!”
In contrast, Silica and Cynthia’s gazes toward Baroness Hironia were sharp and critical.
There was another woman there whose gaze was even sharper, not directed at Baroness Hironia, but rather at Bertia. It was Viscountess Eirin Silbertz, the one from the reports. She had been enjoying tea a little distance away with two friends. However, her companions seemed oblivious to her venomous expression and the direction of her intense gaze.
Viscountess Eirin was dressed in a thinning blue dress, her lavender curls neatly arranged, painting the image of a perfectly ordinary young lady. Yet, it was her eyes alone that emitted a glare almost lethal in intensity toward Bertia.
“Lady Hironia, it’s you again,” Silica said with a pointed tone.
“Considering we are in the senior grade of the middle division, perhaps it’s time we learned some manners befitting our noble status,” Cynthia suggested, her voice laced with exasperation as she hid her mouth behind a fan.
An aura of enmity emanated from both, significantly intensifying the tension in the atmosphere. The focus and irritation of most people there shifted toward Baroness Hironia.
Then, standing up, Baroness Hironia pleaded her innocence with desperation. “Lady Silica, Lady Cynthia… I haven’t done anything. Yet these people are accusing me…”
Through this exchange, Viscountess Eirin’s gaze never left Bertia. As Baroness Hironia continued, one of the accusers, not wanting to be misunderstood, spoke up. “I’m just upset because, despite repeated requests, Baroness Hironia hasn’t submitted her required materials… It’s causing trouble for the student council, and I feel terrible about that.”
At that point, with tears streaming down her cheeks, Baroness Hironia glared at Bertia.
“Lady Bertia, did you orchestrate all of this? Why would you do such a terrible thing?!” she cried, playing the victim to perfection despite all the context suggesting otherwise.
As this farcical scene unfolded, I found myself observing Viscountess Eirin more closely. While Bertia’s reactions were certainly of interest, Viscountess Eirin’s behavior was equally intriguing. This vantage point was ideal for watching both, bar Courtgain’s chilling aura and Zeno’s unnecessary interjections about whether I should intervene.
Amid the rising disdain for Baroness Hironia, Silica and Cynthia seemed to be gearing up for a rebuttal. Unaware of the sharp glances aimed her way, Baroness Hironia was drunk on her perceived victimhood.
Her rhetoric grew more extreme, and finally, several students stood up and gathered around Bertia, as if to protect her. They likely belonged to the Bertia Fan Club.
“This is getting interesting,” I muttered to myself, a smile naturally playing at the corners of my mouth.
Just then, Bertia’s voice cut through the air. “Please wait!!” She stood straight, exuding the commanding presence of a high noble.
At her words, the members of the Bertia Fan Club stepped back. Bertia moved between Silica and Cynthia and stepped forward to stand before Baroness Hironia. After giving her a sharp glare, she scanned the surrounding crowd as if to keep them in check.
The onlookers watched nervously, but Bertia herself seemed pleased, as if everything was going according to her plan.
“What is it that you want from tormenting me further, Lady Bertia?” Baroness Hironia challenged, stepping back half a step yet fixing Bertia with a defiant look.
Despite playing the tragic heroine, no sympathy arose for her. Instead, her eyes clearly displayed her resentment and condescension toward Bertia, revealing the true emotions beneath her facade of fear.