She’d come to the café right away because Kunon had asked for “advice regarding Serraphila.” If he had given any other reason, she might not have come so quickly. She probably would have said, “I’m busy right now, so we’ll have to meet another day.” If Kunon had simply invited her to tea, she might have rejected him outright.
Well, it was a nice excuse to get breakfast, but she would have taken her time if that was the only reason.
The truth was, she’d only woken up very recently. She’d taken the time to make sure she looked presentable, but that was it. She figured she might meet Serraphila, and she wanted to do her best to serve as a role model for the girl.
“According to Mr. Rudin, Miss Serraphila has not left her room since returning from the expedition,” explained Kunon. “She’s holed up, refusing to come out.”
“Huh? Why?” Elva asked, puzzled.
“Maybe she had a lot of fun on the expedition and she’s depressed it’s over,” suggested Kunon.
Rudin couldn’t be sure, but judging from Elva’s reaction, it seemed she was just as clueless. And so, he decided to explain a bit more about Serraphila’s situation.
“The truth is…,” he began.
When he was finished, Elva furrowed her brow in thought.
“I see… It seemed like she had fun on the expedition. I didn’t notice any problems…”
“Truly? You mean to say you didn’t kidnap…abduct…take her on a multiweek trip with no warning?” Rudin said with obvious anger.
“No,” Elva replied calmly. “Well, I might have been a little pushy when we were leaving, but I said I could take her home any time she wanted. I told her multiday trips are common for the Advanced class, and she said she wanted to go to get accustomed as quickly as possible. Everyone in the faction loves her. She’s brave and cute.”
She is, isn’t she? Rudin thought. The young miss can appear haughty, but she’s actually brave and cute. This girl understands her. I can trust her.
“Oh, don’t tell anyone how the faction feels about her. We’re not allowed to recruit until a month into the semester.”
Because of Serraphila’s presence, the students had to avoid treating the trip as a faction activity; officially, they were just a large group with no particular affiliation. They all had to keep quiet about the factions.
Despite that, Elva was positive Serraphila would join Harmony. The girl had clearly enjoyed herself, and she was truly adorable. She came off as haughty and cold, and it felt like she used her manner of speaking to emphasize her high birth. But in reality, she was just a nice girl. She was friendly toward everyone and even volunteered to do chores. And she frequently sought advice from Elva and the other upperclassmen about magic and things she didn’t know.
Everyone had doted on her during the trip. Some even grew to regret they weren’t an earth user like she was. Elva, in particular, had formed a special bond with her.
“She looks up to me so much that she calls me ‘Sister Elva.’ I grew to cherish her, too.”
Elva ended up looking after Serraphila for the entire expedition. The girl was surprisingly tenacious for one of her lofty birth, so it hadn’t taken much effort.
She was selfless and she didn’t complain. But at the same time, she didn’t push herself too hard and asked for help if she needed it. It was obvious she had a good upbringing.
“‘Sister’ Elva… I see.”
Thank goodness she’s not a boy, Rudin thought. If Elva had been a boy, he would have had to have a long talk with her.
…That wasn’t to say he had no concerns about their relationship, but he could ignore such things for now.
“So do you think Serraphila’s behavior is unrelated to the expedition?”
“Surely it’s related somehow,” Kunon said. “I don’t know her well enough to speak about her, but no one shuts themselves in their room for no reason.”
That was a good point. However, it didn’t sound like anything had happened on the expedition.
“That said,” Kunon began, “if you don’t have any ideas, Miss Elva, that leaves us no choice but to ask her directly. Like gentlemen.”
It seemed like there were no problems on the expedition. And yet Serraphila had shut herself in her room upon her return. Had something happened after she got back to Dirashik but before she returned home? Or was there some other cause they couldn’t even imagine?
They were in the dark, which left them only one choice.
“I admit that would be the fastest solution,” Rudin said before grimacing and looking down. “Unfortunately, she refuses to answer my questions…”
Serraphila had completely rejected Rudin and the other servants. If she had been willing to talk, he would not be at this café asking for advice.
“Should I try asking her?” Elva suggested. “I like Serra, and what I’ve heard has me worried.”
“I doubt she will speak to you.”
Serraphila wouldn’t even speak to Rudin, whom she had known all her life. He couldn’t imagine his beloved mistress would open up to a stranger she’d only met two weeks prior.
“There are some things that are difficult to speak about with family, you know?”
“Hmm. I suppose so. In that case, Miss Elva, please give it a try.”
There are some things that are difficult to speak about with family.
That’s true, Rudin thought. She’s having trouble telling me because I’m family. That must be it. She sees me as family.
“Let’s get going. There’s no time to waste,” Kunon said, standing up for some reason.
The other two asked why he needed to accompany them, and he replied, “Because I’m worried about her, too.”
They found no good reason to refuse him, so the three headed out together.
Rudin stood before Serraphila’s door and called out, “Young Miss, may I please speak to you for a moment?”
“I told you to leave me alone! What part of that don’t you understand?!”
It was just as the elderly butler had said. Serraphila yelled with an anger that shocked Kunon and Elva.
“She’s been like this for three days,” Rudin said, sighing.
“Can I speak to her?” Elva asked, and Rudin nodded.
“Serra? It’s me.”
The door swung open immediately. “Sister Elva?!”
It took less than a second. They didn’t even have time to blink before Serraphila dashed out of her room.