Chapter 7:
Malice on Board
IT WAS THE STUDENTS’ first night aboard the luxury cruise ship. A buffet had been prepared in the main dining hall, and performances were being presented onstage. There was music, dancing, and even a magic show. The staff were incredibly busy trying to keep all the students entertained during their stay.
Deirdre Fou Roseblade was among those in the dining hall. A crowd of schoolmates surrounded her. Most of those crowded around her were girls, but a few male students were among them.
“Lady Deirdre, regale us again with the tale of how the Roseblades beat the Offreys.”
“Yes! I’d love to hear about how bravely you and yours fought to take down those villains!”
“Are the rumors about those events being made into a stage play true? If so, I’d love to watch it!”
The story of how the Roseblades defeated the Offreys was popular among the aristocracy as well as the general populace. The tale contained clear villains, thanks to the Offreys’ involvement with air pirates, which helped it capture the hearts of the people.
Deirdre pressed her favorite folding fan over her mouth. She was a gorgeous woman with golden locks of hair that fell around her shoulders in long ringlets. In addition to being a third-year student at the academy, she was also the daughter of the famous Earl Roseblade. Of all the people in her clique, it was Deirdre whose father wielded the most power and authority, so she was naturally the center of attention.
“Goodness. News travels fast,” said Deirdre. “However, I’m afraid my family isn’t involved with the stage production. I’ve heard that they approached us for the rights to perform as our likenesses, though.” The Roseblades didn’t have a direct hand in the upcoming play, but staging it was only possible because the producers had begged her family’s permission.
At Deirdre’s answer, everyone nodded approvingly.
“What you and the rest of the Roseblades accomplished was incredible.”
Deirdre puffed out her chest proudly. “It’s only natural that we came out on top. If our men couldn’t fight properly, I’d be ashamed.”
Those around her continued to shower her with praise. Deirdre laughed gleefully and accepted it all, even as she told herself, The Offreys’ dealings with air pirates were a stain on the aristocracy. There’s no mistake about that. Still, I can’t forget the bravery and resolve Stephanie showed at the end.
Deirdre remembered the way Stephanie had stubbornly rebuffed her offer of assistance. She’d always hated the Offrey girl, but she could respect that moment of true dignity.
Despite the crowd of fellow students surrounding her, Deirdre found herself scanning the rest of the venue for other familiar faces. I didn’t think Prince Julius and Jilk would skip the school trip. Nor Angelica. If I don’t bring some sort of souvenir back, I expect I’ll get an earful from them. But maybe it’d be more courteous to let them vent their frustrations.
The Roseblades and Bartforts had been responsible for starting the fuss which had now prevented those three from participating in the trip. Deirdre felt badly about that. Still, like them, she was part of the upper crust.
If all I have to do is listen to them complain, it’s a small price to pay for the rewards we reaped. Especially since Angelica was aiming for a connection to the Bartforts, and we stole it from under her.
As much as Deirdre recognized that she’d done those three a disservice, she couldn’t help smiling when she considered how much her house had benefited from ruining the Offreys. And the Roseblades couldn’t be happier that we found my big sister a husband in the process.
Her gaze landed on two familiar faces: Leon and Marie. They were enjoying their meals while glancing around nervously. Hm? They seem awfully restless for some reason. I wonder if there’s some trouble afoot? Leon and Deirdre were soon-to-be relatives, so if something was bothering him, she thought she ought to help.
At the same time, Deirdre sensed something fishy going on between two girls. They seemed to be conspiring together; there were wicked looks on their faces.
My, my. I wonder what sinister plans they’re making.
✦ ✦ ✦
Dinner was served buffet style. That didn’t bother me, except that Marie lined up mountains of food on our table.
“Are you going to eat all this?” I asked, eyes wide.
She was already slurping down a triple serving of pasta. “Worrying makes me hungry.”
It decreased most people’s appetites, but apparently that wasn’t the case for Marie.
I picked at the salad and roast beef in front of me. “Shouldn’t you be a little more on edge? Miss Olivia’s love interests aren’t even aboard.”
She reached for her next plate. “More on edge? Why should I be preoccupied with someone else’s love life?”
“You’re really taking that position now? You know the nation’s future is—scratch that, I guess it’s not exactly ‘hanging in the balance’ anymore. Still, aren’t you curious where the story will go from here?”
Her fork speared what looked like a meatball. “I don’t see any point in getting wrapped up with her and her life when we don’t have to worry about war anymore.”
“Look, you might not be interested, but I want to know what’ll happen to the story. I genuinely hope the protagonist finds happiness,” I said.
“Come again?” Marie glared daggers at me.
I’d played the game so many times that I was invested in what happened with Olivia. When you spent so long playing a heroine, you started to kind of look at her almost like a little sister or something. I would’ve been the first to admit the game had issues; still, I wanted the heroine to have a happy ending. That was just how I felt.
Marie couldn’t understand my sentiments. “You’re just biased toward her because you’re obsessed with how big her boobs are.”
She was already pissed at me and had made her mind up, so I doubted she’d listen even if I tried to explain my motivations. Instead, I considered her accusation for a moment, then blurted back, “Yep.” If she wasn’t going to accept the truth, I might as well roll with her assumptions.
Marie’s face scrunched with fury. “You can’t even give me a proper proposal, yet you’ve got the nerve to ignore me and lose your head over some other—”
“Th-the proposal thing has nothing to do with this conversation, does it?” I sputtered back.
“Of course it does! When will you finally propose decently? Do you realize how many times you’ve failed so far? I even lower my expectations of you each time it happens, but you’re still failing to meet them somehow. Is that on purpose? It has to be, right? Last time, you literally threw the ring at me, remember? And when I asked why you thought that was a good idea, you had the audacity to tell me ‘I thought words would cheapen it.’ What the hell was that, huh? What’s wrong with you?!”
I inwardly rolled my eyes through it all, thinking Here we go again. I’d somehow poked the bear, and she wouldn’t be happy until she tore me to shreds.
“I do not believe you have any right to be exasperated with her, Master,” Luxion muttered beside me. He had activated his cloaking device the moment Marie went off. “In fact, you should take her words to heart and endeavor to improve yourself.”
Wait. Seriously? I’m the one in the wrong here?
✦ ✦ ✦
Two female students had retreated to the edge of the dining hall and were chatting between themselves.
One was Dolly, who had long, wavy hair and soft, downturned eyes. “It was a huge pain, but I went around and asked all the professors, so I’m sure about it now,” she said. “His Highness isn’t coming on the trip.”
The student body was already aware that the prince hadn’t boarded the ship. Still, it was possible he was traveling separately and would meet them at their destination. That was why Dolly had poked around for more information. According to the professors, the prince had a meeting to attend at the palace and thus wouldn’t attend at all.
The girl with her was Donna. She snickered under her breath, her canine teeth protruding noticeably when she opened her mouth. “That means no one’ll get in our way, right? Are we going to do it? I mean, it’s our duty to put that commoner in her place and make sure she doesn’t get a big head, right?”
Since the prince was absent, it was the perfect time to teach Olivia a lesson—or, in reality, bully her.
“Donna, you’d better not go too far and stir trouble. Angelica is a duke’s daughter, but the prince didn’t hesitate to scold her publicly. It’d be a real pain if His Highness came to chastise us later,” Dolly warned, her grin indicating that Julius calling them out wouldn’t bother her the least bit. The way she spoke about Angelica was also anything but respectful. Perhaps that was an inevitable consequence of Dolly and Donna’s fathers being part of the faction the Redgraves headed—specifically, high-ranking officials in key government positions.
“But guess what?” Donna said triumphantly. “Daddy and his peers already know all about how Prince Julius and his friends have the hots for that commoner. They’re really unhappy about it.”
Dolly’s grin widened. “All the more reason we’ve got to stick it to her while His Highness isn’t around to protect her.”
“Tee hee hee!” Donna cackled again. “It’s our duty as nobles, right?”