Chapter 5: How to Avoid an Engagement(7)

I shouted out without realizing it. Aunt Orton, who valued decorum and manners, would likely see this outburst as a sign of poor upbringing and dislike it. I quickly covered my mouth with both hands.

“Why not?”

“I, well…”

I was so nervous that my throat was dry. Since there was no water, I took a sip of the hot tea to wet my throat.

“I made a promise to my father. I promised not to cause trouble and to graduate from the academy. I cannot break that promise.”

It wasn’t exactly a promise, but it was a similar sentiment, so it was close enough. Since Aunt Orton places great importance on promises, my words must have swayed her. As proof, she was now deep in thought.

“Hm, promises should be kept.”

“Exactly. So I cannot follow you, Aunt.”

It seems to be working out. With this, I won’t have to meet Aunt Orton until I graduate from the academy. I smiled to myself, feeling a sense of triumph. Yes! Hooray! I’m excited!

“Still, I’m worried…”

“Excuse me?”

Aunt Orton dropped a lump of sugar into her tea and trailed off. What could she be worried about? Her words were making me more anxious.

“You’re seventeen now, right?”

“Yes, Aunt.”

I was anxious. Very anxious. I didn’t know why she was asking about my age, but it made me extremely uneasy. I swallowed nervously, trying to maintain a smile.

“You’re of age now, so it’s about time to start looking for a fiancé, don’t you think?”

Oh my. Given the current atmosphere, it seems Aunt Orton wants to find me a fiancé. I stared at her, who was pulling something out, in stunned disbelief. Could it be…?

“Here, I’ve personally chosen your suitor candidates. What do you think, aren’t they handsome?”

What Aunt Orton pulled out was a piece of paper that looked like a resume and a portrait of a man.

Wow, is he handsome…….

It seems that Aunt Orton’s sense of aesthetics is quite different from mine. Looking at the portrait of a man with a very long face, I suddenly thought of cucumbers. Cucumber…….

“I, I need to think about it.”

Not just a little, but a lot. Suddenly being asked for an engagement, and with a man chosen by someone other than my father. Well, I would have had many complaints even if my father chose him.

Aunt Orton seemed dissatisfied with my answer, letting out a “hmm” and clearing her throat. The heavy atmosphere had been making it hard to breathe.

“It’s almost time for the exams, so you need time to think.”

“……You’re really picky.”

Aunt Orton made a face of discontent. But she seemed willing to listen to my words and took back the papers and portrait. At least she was someone who could communicate, so that was a relief.

“Two months. I’ll come again in two months. Fortunately, I’m busy with a current business, so I can give you ‘ample’ time to think.”

Although it was not ‘ample’ at all, I could only nod. The strict and stern aunt had given me two months. I would prefer not to meet her until I graduate from the academy, but I had no choice but to have another meeting in two months.

“Hmm. I’ll be going now.”

Having nothing more to say, Aunt Orton suddenly stood up from her seat. Annoyed by the bustling movements of the maids beside her, she clicked her tongue and swiftly left.

Leaving behind the parting words, “It would be best for you to think carefully,” Aunt Orton departed from the Karel Count’s residence. Waving goodbye with the handkerchief, I dashed back to my room.

Ah, I’m really exhausted. It feels like I talked for about 30 minutes, and now I’m at my maximum level of fatigue.

Ugh, please don’t come back!

After lying flat on the bed, I waved my arms around. It’s so frustrating; she’s arbitrarily deciding on a fiancé without asking for my opinion at all. I want to get engaged to someone I choose……

Imagining my worst future for a while, I tightly closed my eyes. Thinking about how depressing it is to dwell on such thoughts, I decided to just sleep and, surprisingly, fell asleep quickly.

***

With no time to worry about Aunt Orton’s issues, I headed straight to the library again today.

This exam was extremely important to me. Even if Aunt Orton gave up on taking me away, if my grades dropped, my father might become furious and expel me.

“Oh my, are you studying right now?”

As if studying with all my might like an exam candidate, I heard a sarcastic voice from the front. Looking up to see who it was at this busy time, I saw a woman with a very elaborate hairstyle. It looked like the princess from a fairy tale was right in front of me. Is… is that a roll bun hairstyle?

I was staring in fascination at the roll bun hairstyle, and then I noticed Seria standing next to it. What’s going on, why is she here again?

“No matter how hard you try, you’re no match for our Seria, heh heh.”

The woman with the roll bun hairstyle, who seemed to be boasting about herself, shot a sneer at me.

No matter how you look at it, it seemed like she was mocking me. Hmm, is that so.

“That’s rude.”

I replied with a cold tone. Then I lifted my head, crossed my arms, and raised one corner of my mouth, mimicking the haughty pose of the Crown Prince I had seen before. I hoped it looked somewhat fierce.

“I know who you are. You must be Miss Kerti, right?”

“How did you…”

Surprised that I knew who she was, Miss Kerti, or rather the woman with the roll bun hairstyle, widened her eyes. At first, I didn’t recognize her due to the shock of the hairstyle, but seeing her face now, I immediately recalled who Miss Kerti was.

She was a student from the Magic Department who took the same classes as me and was known for always changing her hairstyle.

“‘Miss Kerti,’ I’m busy studying, so I’ll say just one thing. Please mind your own business and focus on what you need to do.”

I deliberately emphasized “Miss” to assert my higher status compared to her. With that, I refocused on my book and picked up my pen. It seemed too much of a waste of time to bother with them.

“W-what did you just say!”

“What’s going on?”

It was Seria who stopped the angry Miss Kerti.

“But…”

“Don’t disturb Lady Radel and just leave. She said she’s studying.”

Hearing Seria’s words, Miss Kerti seemed to leave reluctantly. But…

“Just you wait, Seria will definitely beat you! We’ll see at the exam.”

Oh, sure.

It was too bothersome to respond. I didn’t understand why Miss Kerti was speaking like that. Was she Seria’s advocate or something?

After dealing with all sorts of disputes and studying for a few days, I took the exam in top condition.

“But……”

On the day the exam results came out, I couldn’t believe my own eyes.

“Why is my name at the top?”

I nearly fainted when I found my name at the very top of the ranking list posted for the academy students’ exam scores.

At the very top, at the very peak, was my name.

Oh my……

“Alec? Why is my name at the top?”

I asked Alec, who was mumbling while eating a tomato sandwich, and received a rather straightforward answer.

“It looks like you came first.”

His casual tone made it even harder to believe. Yes. I knew I was first, but why on earth did I come first? I stared blankly at my name written in the top spot.

Of course, the exam was easy. Since all the magic exams were written, I was able to score high without issue. My first exam turned out to be much easier than I expected, but I never thought I’d come first.

“Look at that, Lady Radel Karel is first!”

“Huh? It’s not Seria?”

“Could it be that she cheated?”

“Come on, no way. How could she cheat with such strict anti-cheating measures….”

The students who had gathered to see the ranking list seemed just as shocked as I was that I had come first.

“Surprised, aren’t you? So am I.

Meanwhile, it bothered me that some students were suspecting cheating. How could anyone suggest cheating at an academy where anti-cheating measures are so strict?

Cheating was impossible in an exam hall under the watchful eyes of all the professors at Sirius Academy. The male student who had suspected cheating soon realized how absurd his accusation was and kept quiet.

‘But really, I came first…….’

To think I came first, surpassing the brilliant minds of Aren and Seria! I even had Alec pinch me to see if I was dreaming.

“Ouch!”

It really hurt. Damn, it hurt a lot. I asked him to pinch me, but I didn’t expect him to do it so hard. Does he have some grudge against me?

“Oh, there’s Seria.”

Alec, who seemed to know exactly where Seria was and what she was doing, pointed her out.

Following Alec’s gaze, I saw Seria with the same entourage as before, including Lady Kerti. Among them, I spotted Seria making an indescribable expression.

Honestly, I wanted to go over and give her a taste of the mockery I had endured, but Seria’s expression seemed unusual and made it hard for me to approach.

I wondered if she was frustrated from losing to me, but it seemed odd that she would be so upset just because I came first.”

“Seria, what’s wrong?”

I approached her with a friendly tone, as if talking to a close friend. I wanted to come across as warm and approachable.

“I came in first. Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

I smiled back at her with what I hoped was a pure and sincere grin, mimicking the cheerful smile she had given me before. I waited for her response.

“Oh, Radel……”

She noticed me and immediately put on an angelic smile. Impressive, as always, Seria. Her expression changed so quickly, like she was wearing a mask.

“Of course I should congratulate you. Congratulations, Radel.”

Seria’s smile curved gracefully, but her eyes betrayed a subtle unease. She had her hands politely clasped together, and upon closer inspection, I noticed her hands were trembling as much as her eyes.

Oh dear, she must be quite upset about losing to me.

Thinking back, Seria had certainly caused me a lot of trouble. She had used me for her image and subtly tried to put me in difficult situations. Aren had mentioned that Seria was behind the library incident. Could it be that she was also responsible for the bread incident?

Well, on second thought, maybe it was just my own clumsiness.

Though I had improved my image somewhat through reconciliation with Seria, I was still seen as a villain and a harsh woman by them. So, it might be best to firmly establish my position now.

“Seria.”

I extended my hand to Seria. Seria looked at my hand with an expression that seemed to say, “What are you trying to do?” I smiled brightly at her and said,

“Let’s shake hands.”

It was the first time I was offering a handshake first. Although Seria had extended her hand to me many times for her own performance, I had never offered it first. Naturally, I disliked Seria.

But now, I had to shake hands. By shaking hands with Seria, I would show that we were friendly and use her to improve my image. Just as she had used me, I would return the favor.

“Handshake…”

“Do you not want to?”

When Seria hesitated, I pretended to be on the verge of tears. Just because you’re acting, doesn’t mean I can’t! Seria glanced at my expression and quickly shook her head.

“No, of course not.”

Seria’s fair, delicate hand clasped mine. Her grip seemed to be quite strong. Is Seria angry? It seems like shaking hands with me displeases her. Wow, I finally managed to connect with her.

“They say you’ve made up, and now you’re completely close.”

“Yes, I thought it was just a rumor.”

Seria’s followers and other students were smiling as they watched us. As I listened, I heard some ridiculous remarks. Me, getting close to Seria? Ha, that’s unlikely.

“…I, I should go now.”

After shaking hands with me, Seria had a very complex expression on her face. Then, in an instant, she ran off somewhere. Her complexion wasn’t good; could it be that she’s displeased because of our handshake? If so, that’s a bit hurtful…

As I watched Seria run away, I grabbed the shoulder of the retreating Lady Kerti.

“Lady Kerti.”

“Eep!”

She seemed very startled by the sudden grab, hiccupping as she turned to face me. Sweat was pouring down her face like rain.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”