Chapter 195: Ill-fated Relationship(2)
Chapter 195: Ill-fated Relationship(2)
I must have waited outside for about five minutes. Just as the situation was starting to feel truly awkward, the door slowly creaked open.
Adelia peeked her head out cautiously. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, likely out of embarrassment from what had happened moments ago.
"Um... do we have to talk in my room?"
"It’s something fairly important..."
"...I’m all sweaty, so I probably smell."
"It’s fine."
When I told her it didn't matter, Adelia bit her lip and hesitated before finally opening the door all the way. That was when I saw how she had "solved" her wardrobe dilemma.
She was wrapped tightly in a blanket like a cocoon. It seemed she felt too gross to put on clean clothes while still sweaty, but taking a shower would have taken too long, so this was her compromise.
I found the sight a bit absurd, but I stepped inside anyway. Adelia scurried into the room ahead of me.
Seeing her so shy was a fresh change of pace from her usual energetic personality.
"...Does it smell weird? I opened the window, at least..."
Adelia asked tentatively once I was inside. I instinctively took a breath to check.
To be honest, there wasn't a bad smell at all. Instead, a feminine fragrance filled the air. Given her personality, she probably didn't wear perfume, so I had to assume it was her natural scent.
Roses. Yes, it was the scent of roses.
I had noticed a faint rose scent whenever she played pranks on me, but it seemed that was just her natural body chemistry.
"I don't smell anything. You didn't just spray perfume because I was coming over, did you?"
"...You know I don't use perfume."
"Really? That’s impressive. It just smells good in here."
"... ..."
At my compliment, Adelia’s ears turned a deep crimson, and she buried her face in the blanket wrapped around her. It was a reaction born of a mix of bashfulness and shame.
A brief, amusing interlude had occurred, but the reason I was here was deeply connected to her. Adelia seemed to remember that belatedly; she mumbled something and lifted her face from the blanket.
Her face was still as red as if she had a fever.
"S-so, why are you here? I don't get what’s so important that we have to talk in my quarters."
"Well..."
Before answering, I took a look around Adelia’s room. I had seen it briefly when we first arrived at the Academy, but I had never actually stepped inside.
It was smaller than the rooms for regular students and the facilities weren't exactly top-tier, but it served its purpose.
In particular, various pieces of exercise equipment were scattered about. She had clearly been using them until just a moment ago.
According to my father, Adelia had talent, but she also put in an almost obsessive amount of effort. It was likely an influence of her unfortunate upbringing.
For a moment, I hesitated about whether I should bring up Hiriya, but for Adelia's sake, it was something she absolutely had to know.
"...Adel."
"Yeah?"
"This is something closely related to you. Especially your family."
"... ..."
At the mention of her family—the source of her misfortune—Adelia flinched visibly. Fear took root in her large, sky-blue eyes.
"...What? My family?"
"Yeah."
"W-why all of a sudden? Did... did someone come here?"
As if proving that the trauma was buried deep in her soul, Adelia’s voice trembled. Considering she had frozen up and couldn't say a word when she saw them at the exhibition, this was a natural reaction.
The Adelia who was always full of confidence and vitality now looked like a tiny, shivering animal in my eyes. Her voice and pupils shook delicately, and she began to break out in a cold sweat of a different kind.
I looked at her with pity before mentioning Hiriya, whom I had just met.
"Princess Hiriya... you know her, right? I heard she transferred here as a Martial Studies Teaching Assistant. I actually just ran into her by chance."
"Hi-Hiriya? B-but why..."
"The rumor is that it’s to improve relations with the Minerva Empire. Since our territory, where the exhibition was held, is known as Xenon’s birthplace, they must have felt pressured in many ways."
Technically, it was my fault. I was the one who had talked up the Maishal Territory to develop it into a cultural hub.
That was why I had to help Adelia live a normal life, no matter what. The moment Hiriya’s side realized Adelia was here, things would get uncontrollably complicated.
The best course of action would be to send Adelia back to the mansion. As seen at the exhibition, just meeting her family caused her mind to shut down and triggered extreme anxiety.
Furthermore, having her status as family denied to her face must have been a massive psychological blow. My judgment was that she couldn't possibly lead a normal life here.
"Adel."
"... ..."
"I know how much you fear your family. So, if possible, I think you should go back to the mansion..."
"N-no. I... I’m fine."
Sensing that I was trying to send her back, Adelia spoke up urgently. However, her voice was already shaking uncontrollably.
Anyone could see that her anxiety was already flaring up. I made a heavy expression and spoke quietly.
"Your voice is shaking. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-yeah. I’m... fine."
Now she couldn't even meet my eyes, and her sky-blue pupils were vibrating violently. Even her lips were quivering.
I knew why she refused to go back to the mansion despite being in this state. It was undoubtedly because of me.
The reason she came to the Academy as my guard knight was to spend even a little more time with me. A woman in the throes of unrequited love is truly a sorrowful thing.
"...Adel."
"I-I told you I’m fine. You don't have to worry."
"Sigh..."
I let out a sigh at Adelia, who kept repeating the same thing. It seemed she had no intention of returning to the mansion at all.
Persuasion only works on someone willing to listen; it’s pointless when they’re being this stubborn.
That left only one option: to alleviate her trauma even slightly so she could function normally...
But that’s easier said than done...
I wasn't a psychologist, and trauma is notoriously difficult to resolve. Trauma is something the body reacts to before the mind can even think.
Just as someone caught in a large explosion might jump at the sound of a firecracker, Adelia was the same. She reacted sensitively to the very keyword of "family."
If I were a priest of Mora, I might have been able to help a little, but that was out of the question. I only knew how to receive divine power, not how to use it.
There is one way, though...
That method would require my relationship with Adelia to advance significantly further, and it would require the consent of those around us. It was such a primal method that I felt embarrassed even thinking about it.
In the end, what remained was providing a sense of security that could overshadow the trauma. For Adelia, that security came from either her best friend Nicole or me, the object of her affection.
I agonized over what to do before deciding to take it one step at a time, like climbing a staircase. First, about Hiriya.
"...Alright. But in exchange, Adel."
"Y-yes..."
"Can you tell me about Princess Hiriya?"
"Hi-Hiriya?"
When I asked about Hiriya, Adelia’s sky-blue eyes widened. Her expression clearly asked why I was curious about her.
I needed to know the nature of the relationship between Adelia and Hiriya to figure out how to handle this. Judging by Hiriya’s arrogant demeanor, she likely hated Adelia unilaterally.
Moreover, Adelia’s anxiety just now was enough to guess how cruelly Hiriya had treated her.
"Yeah. I’m curious what kind of person she is. If she’s a bad person, I don't want anything to do with her. Since she’s a teaching assistant, I can just avoid the training grounds."
"...She’s not that bad of a kid."
Good grief. The pushover tendencies are already coming out. I almost let out a hollow laugh at Adelia’s timid response.
Given her personality, Adelia was the type to just smile and brush it off even if she was being bullied. Furthermore, since they were family, she probably forced herself to endure it.
She likely tried her best to be kind to her family. Even Hiriya’s younger sister, Lara, had smiled brightly and tried to approach Adelia the moment she saw her.
Of course, Hiriya had stopped her immediately. I looked at Adelia with a complicated heart and spoke quietly.
"I’ll set aside whether she’s 'good' or 'bad' for now. What matters is what that princess did to you."
Perhaps sensing something in my firm tone, Adelia looked up at me. Since she was bundled up in the blanket, she looked somewhat cute.
After staring at my face for a while, she lowered her gaze and cautiously began to recount the past. Her characteristic husky voice rang clearly in my ears.
"...She actually used to follow me around quite well. When I practiced swordsmanship, she’d train right beside me, jumping around saying she wanted to be like me one day."
Oh? The past wasn't as bad as I thought?
But the true nature of the situation revealed itself immediately.
"But I think it started when she was fourteen. She began to envy and resent me. She’d scream at me, asking why a mere illegitimate child had such skill..."
"... ..."
"I’d be startled and try to comfort her, but she’d just push me away and curse at me. Eventually, we naturally grew apart. Later on, her skills improved, and I kept losing to her."
Hearing Adelia’s lament, I was certain. Princess Hiriya was a rotten person from the very start.
Moreover, Adelia was likely sugarcoating it; the reality was probably much more horrific. Trauma this severe doesn't just happen for no reason.
I looked at the now-gloomy Adelia with pity when a thought suddenly struck me. She had just mentioned sparring with Hiriya and losing repeatedly.
As a legitimate royal, Hiriya would have received far more attention and support than Adelia. Especially in martial arts, it’s impossible to learn through self-study without a master’s help. A gap in skill was inevitable.
But what if Hiriya used that skill gap to assault Adelia under the guise of "sparring"? What if she used it as an excuse to say things no human should ever say?
It wasn't just a possibility; it was a common occurrence in a world like this.
"Adel."
"Yeah?"
"Take off the blanket for a second."
"W-what?"
"There’s something I need to check. It’ll only take a moment."
Adelia’s face turned bright red at my sudden request. However, seeing my serious expression, she hesitated before complying.
Rustle—
As she let the blanket slide down like a snake shedding its skin, Adelia’s healthy, athletic physique was fully revealed. Her body was toned with lean muscle, a testament to her years of hard work.
I was momentarily captivated by her figure, but I quickly focused and began to scan her body. I hadn't been able to look closely earlier in the confusion, but now I had a specific goal.
I started with her arms and abdomen. As a knight who trained outdoors often, her skin wasn't pale but had a healthy tan.
However, there were several spots that stood out—bruises that had been severe and were now fading. They weren't just on her arms, but on her stomach and thighs as well.
These were the scars of bruising. Normally, contusions would heal cleanly with proper treatment, but the fact that they left marks meant...
...This was just straight-up assault.
It was one of two things: either Hiriya had beaten Adelia to the point of assault under the guise of sparring, or Adelia hadn't been treated at all. It could very well be both.
Leaving this many marks on a person’s body—it was no wonder the trauma was so deep. One only needs to look at how much pain victims of school violence carry in my previous world to understand.
Furthermore, Adelia must have endured verbal abuse since childhood for being illegitimate. It was only because Adelia was so kind-hearted that she hadn't committed suicide or killed her family long ago.
I looked at the small scars scattered here and there with pained eyes before looking up at her face.
Perhaps Adelia realized what I had seen. She forced a wide, toothy grin to try and show she was fine.
"Th-these are just old wounds. They don't even hurt anymore."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Seeing Adelia smile forcefully just to reassure me made my heart ache even more. I watched her subtly try to cover herself with the blanket to hide the scars, then I slowly reached out.
I gently took the hand she was using to hold the blanket. Adelia’s eyes widened in surprise as I grasped her hand.
"Adel. Do you remember what I said at the exhibition?"
"H-huh? What did you say?"
"That your confident smile is when you're at your most beautiful. You don't have to force a smile."
Adelia looked dazed at my words. I gave her a gentle smile and stroked her hand.
Her hand was covered in hard calluses, symbols of the hardships and struggles she had endured.
"I won't send you back to the mansion since you asked. But if it ever gets to be too much, tell me immediately. Okay?"
"... ..."
"And I want you to know one thing. I’m always on your side. If things are hard, just say the word. I’ll take care of it somehow."
What wouldn't I do for a woman who likes me? Even if I might not be able to return her feelings, I had to do at least this much to put my own mind at ease.
Some might call it self-satisfaction. So what? It’s what I want to do.
Above all, the Ters Royal Family likely had no idea. The Adelia they insulted, looked down upon, and assaulted was actually the guard knight of Xenon.
That alone was enough to give them the middle finger. And eventually, Adelia would have to make a choice.
I would prevent her from choosing to return to her family—no, the Ters Royal Family. More accurately, I would make sure her heart leaned toward this side.
"I’m planning to exercise this weekend. Do you want to join me? I could use some help."
At my request—kinder than anything she had ever heard from her family—Adelia blinked her eyes, which were as clear as a summer sky.
Then, she flashed the confident smile I had mentioned and answered vigorously.
"Sure. But I won't go easy on you, even if you find it tough!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
I hoped this would help Adelia escape her trauma, even if only a little.
Time passed quickly, and the weekend arrived.
"You..."
"... ..."
"What is a wench like you doing here?"
The fateful encounter came sooner than expected.