Those among Deirdre’s followers who weren’t completely aware of her personal affairs were quick to question her interaction with Bartfort.
“Was that man just now who we think he is, Lady Deirdre?” one asked.
Deirdre pressed her fan over her mouth as she answered the vague question. “Yes. He’s the knight who dealt the deadly blow to those infamous air pirates and led the charge against House Offrey. Though, personally, I’m more a fan of his accomplishments as an adventurer.”
“I-I didn’t realize. I guess he’s the one you’ll soon be a distant relative of.”
They were all taken aback by how eagerly Deirdre lavished Leon with praise. After all, her connection to the young man was rather flimsy; it only existed thanks to their siblings’ engagement. Moreover, Leon would eventually become an independent lord—creating even more distance between him and his family—while Nicks would take the helm of a brand-new viscounty established by the Roseblades and Bartforts. “Distant relative” was almost an understatement; Leon and Deirdre would basically still be strangers. Despite that, though, Deirdre saw Leon as a cute younger brother.
“Personally, I think he’s incredible,” she continued. “It’s such a shame that he’s already engaged.” She let out a small sigh, sounding dramatic enough that her followers couldn’t tell whether her disappointment was genuine or meant in jest.
She was about to tell them herself that it was a joke, but before she got the words out, a pair of familiar faces caught her eye.
Hm? Those are the two girls I spotted before. I believe they’re named Dolly and Donna. They’re nothing but trouble. I wonder what they’re plotting this time, mused Deirdre.
Dolly and Donna were ranting to one another, their moods visibly sour. Deirdre already sensed that they were on track to act out.
They’re the daughters of two of the Redgrave faction’s linchpins. What got them so riled up? I’ll need to look into this later.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m seething! Like, absolutely furious!” Donna hissed between gritted teeth, raking her fingers through her hair. “What’s wrong with that servant jerk?!”
“He’s a real pain, that’s what he is. He’s got some nerve, dropping Prince Julius’s name like that.” Dolly downplayed her true emotions, phrasing her complaint as if she were only annoyed, but Kyle’s attitude truthfully made her stomach churn.
The two girls had been livid since their encounter with Kyle that morning. Their anger seeped into the very atmosphere around them, and other female students were actively avoiding them. That was due in part to Dolly and Donna’s high statuses—their fathers weren’t just court nobles with viscount titles, they were also key players in the Redgrave faction. No one wanted to risk sticking their nose into the girls’ problems and getting caught in whatever trouble the pair were up to.
Despite the influence and power their fathers’ status afforded them, Donna and Dolly had still had no choice but to back down at the mention of the crown prince. They both understood that, logically, there was no advantage to messing with Olivia. Kyle’s words and attitude had wounded both girls’ pride deeply, however. They’d been raised in privilege and given whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it, so they weren’t accustomed to—or very pleased by—their current situation.
They’d taken a walk around the ship, hoping to cool their heads, but it hadn’t made a lick of difference.
“We’re not feeling any better about this, so why don’t we go mess with someone else? I want to bully some boys,” said Donna.
Dolly hesitated, unsure whether to play into her friend’s crude inclinations. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice—the same one that had humiliated her that morning.
“It’s true,” the elf boy said. “They scampered off with their tails between their legs.”
Dolly and Donna had just happened to pass the personal servants’ lounge during their walk. Kyle wasn’t the only one inside; demi-humans had gathered there for their break, and the others showered the young elf with praise.
“Amazing what having the crown prince behind you can do.”
“I guess we should start brownnosing with you now, huh, Kyle?”
“You sure won the lottery getting that mistress, Kyle.”
They spoke comfortably among themselves, assuming that no one—least of all two girls of Dolly and Donna’s status—was eavesdropping. The girls’ eyes widened enough to reveal burst blood vessels as they stood there, waiting for Kyle to say more.
For his part, he hadn’t sensed their presence at all. “They really need to be more self-aware,” he went on. “They should know better than to mess with my mistress, since she has the crown prince’s favor. It’s time they learned their place.”
Donna’s face was a blank, unreadable mask as she turned to look at Dolly. “There’s no two ways about it. Like, I mean, he’s talking about us, right? What’s he mean, saying that we need to learn our place? I guess I’m just stupid, because I don’t understand,” she said, feigning ignorance in her anger.
Dolly’s expression betrayed no emotion as she answered, “We’ll crush him. I was going to let him off the hook, because I thought it’d be too big a pain to bother with him, but I’ve changed my mind. We’re taking that cocky elf brat and his mistress down a peg.”
The two girls had only backed down with great reluctance when Kyle wielded Julius’s name against them, but his triumphant bragging pushed them past the limits of their patience. They turned and stomped off.
Although the girls weren’t listening anymore, the servants’ voices continued to ring through the hall behind them.
“So who were these girls you chased off again?”
“A group of female students who didn’t have a single servant between them. I think one was called Marie.”