When those coming to invite Yui’s friends finally gave up, two female students approached them. As soon as she saw the girls, Yui frowned irritably, though it was such a small change in her expression that it was nearly unnoticeable.
“Good afternoon,” one of the female students said elegantly. She was pretty, without any frills or adornments, and the graceful way she comported herself was evidence of her good upbringing and education.
“Good afternoon, Lady Charlotte. You’re lovely as always today,” Lyle instantly replied. While he usually spoke with a saccharine sweetness with women, there was a vague distance in his voice. The intense-looking girl accompanying Charlotte stood a step behind her. She didn’t seem to be pleased with Lyle’s lighthearted tone, and she glared at him.
The girl who had spoken first was Charlotte, the daughter of Marquess Chamberly. She was with Stella, a daughter of the Emery family, whose members had always worked for the Chamberlys. Stella herself had served Charlotte from a very early age. The two of them were first-years in class A, which made them Ivo, Clois, and Lyle’s classmates.
“You’re as wonderful at flattery as always,” Charlotte said with a smile. Then, when she noticed that Yui was there, she looked slightly surprised. “Oh, could you be Yui? It has been quite some time. Have you been well?”
Yui paused. “Yes, it has been some time.” She replied with her usual, expressionless look. Stella didn’t seem to like that either.
“You’re as cold and boring as always,” Stella said, raising her voice. “The daughter of His Grace the Marquess Chamberly is addressing you, so why don’t you try being a bit more happy about it!”
She and Charlotte hadn’t noticed it, but while Yui was generally expressionless, her friends knew her well enough to pick up on the subtleties of her emotions. They could tell that she was in an abysmal mood.
Sensing danger, Lyle hastily cut in. “Aaanyways, did you have something to speak with us about, Lady Charlotte?”
At that, Charlotte returned her attention to Lyle, as if she had remembered what she was there for. Lyle was relieved, but Yui was still irritated. Ivo and Clois, judging that they shouldn’t let Yui stay around Charlotte, gave each other a look, then quietly moved Yui behind them. Wanting to prevent her from being rude to the daughter of a marquess was one reason for shielding her, but the biggest reason was that it wouldn’t be good if Yui snapped.
“That’s right. I was wondering if you’d perhaps like to join up with us, but...” Charlotte looked at all of them and awkwardly smiled, having noticed that there were already five people present.
“We are all honored to have received your invitation, but as you can see, there are already five of us. My apologies,” Lyle said.
“That’s too bad,” Charlotte said.
She immediately tried to leave, but then Stella yelled angrily at Lyle with a look on her face that said she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Are you being serious?! How dare you decline an invitation from a lady—your rudeness has gone too far! You may be powerful, but there’s no way that do-nothing, incompetent Liefe could ever be useful. She’ll just hold you back!”
For better or for worse, Stella’s devotion to Charlotte sometimes bordered on worship. Because of it, she often flared up at people and overreacted to little things related to her mistress, all without noticing that her behavior made Charlotte look worse. If one were to be brutally honest, it was a failing in her role as a retainer. Lyle was staring at Stella with a cold look that Yui had never seen before.
“Stella, we’re the ones who asked them, so speaking like that is impolite,” Charlotte chided. She turned to Lyle. “Lyle, I’m sorry about Stella.”
Despite this apology, Lyle and the others still had harsh looks on their faces. It was incredibly doubtful whether Charlotte and Stella had noticed this, but since there was no need to point it out, Lyle brushed past it with a superficial reply. “I don’t mind. It was impolite of me to decline an invitation from a marquess’s daughter. If anything, we would be unfit to be part of the same group as you, considering the difference in our positions.”
“Please, don’t be so stiff. Inside the academy, we’re all students.”
“You honor me with your words... More importantly, wouldn’t it be best if you went and formed your own group soon? Though, with your strength, I’m sure many will jump at the opportunity to be with you, so I imagine you’ll be fine.”
“Yes, you’re right. Excuse us.” Charlotte turned to Stella. “Stella, let’s go.”
Stella nodded. “Yes, my lady.”
Charlotte said her goodbyes with a smile, then left, accompanied by a discontented Stella. Just as Lyle said, they were quickly crowded by other students, and they easily formed a group.
Making sure the two were far enough away that they wouldn’t hear him, Lyle sighed deeply. He seemed exhausted. “So annoying!” he shouted.
Ivo and Clois nodded in agreement, and they looked at him sympathetically for having had to deal with those two all by himself.
“Are they always like that?” Finney asked.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Clois replied, displeased. “You might be able to deal with the lady on her own, but when her devoted lapdog starts snapping at you over everything, it’s hard to say anything. And whenever the marquess is mentioned, you can’t very well talk back either.”
“Huh... Still, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you talk to a girl like that, Lyle,” Finney said. Lyle always treated women tenderly, and he always enjoyed himself when he talked to them. However, the insincere conversation earlier had been full of nothing but empty politeness and feigned smiles. It would’ve been impossible to imagine for anyone who only knew Lyle as he usually was.
“Not even I can deal with that. You heard everything earlier, didn’t you? Marquess this, lady that, ‘how rude,’ and on and on. We can’t have a proper conversation, not with someone like that constantly butting in. That was the first time I’ve ever felt irritated after talking to a girl.” Lyle sighed in exasperation again, then looked at Yui. “Putting that aside, Yui, cheer up, okay? Here, I’ll give you some candy.”
Lyle took out a piece of cutely wrapped candy that he had brought just in case Yui needed some humoring. He handed it to her, and she wordlessly took it and popped it into her mouth. Yui’s mood always brightened whenever she ate something sweet, but this time, she was still cranky.
“You looked like you knew them. Did something happen between you and them?” Ivo asked her.
“But where would they get to know each other?” Lyle said skeptically. “Yui’s in a different class, and they went to different middle schools.”
Yui reluctantly replied. “We didn’t go to the same middle school, but we were together in elementary school. Until my parents divorced, I went to a school for the children of nobles and the wealthy.”
When she had been living in the O’Brian house, Yui hadn’t attended an ordinary school—she’d instead gone to one where nobles sent their children. Charlotte, the daughter of a marquess, and Stella, who served her, had also gone there. Because they were all the same age, they had often been assigned to the same class at the beginning of the year. That time was packed with unpleasant memories that Yui would rather not think back on. It had been so bad that even now, she felt irritated and angry whenever she recalled them. And at the root of those memories were two people: Charlotte and Stella. Yui had run into trouble more than a few times because of them.
Seeing Yui’s face turn gloomy as she spoke, Lyle asked nervously, “Did something happen?”
Charlotte was the daughter of a marquess, so Yui had never complained about her; if she had, there was always the possibility that someone might tell Charlotte. But Yui knew there wouldn’t be an issue if she spoke only with her friends. So, thinking that she might finally be able to vent all her pent-up irritation, she began to try to explain.