Chapter 83
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: She Likes You
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As expected.
My one and only childhood friend...
Has way too many things that need my attention.
What am I supposed to do with her now that she can't even use a fork properly?
Even as I picked out bits and fed them to her, I worried about her in all sorts of ways.
'Her eating so heartily is nice to watch, but...'
I've watched her every little move,
and I know just how scatterbrained Luena Eliad is, despite her public image.
But the problem was that no one else knew.
This time, her engagement to the Crown Prince hadn't gone through,
but that didn't mean marriage proposals would just vanish entirely.
A noble lady,
especially the heir to a great house,
could never completely escape the web of betrothals.
'Real proposals will start coming and going soon enough. Honestly... given our age and Luena's position, it's running a bit late already.'
Yeah.
Come to think of it, it was weird that Luena hadn't had any proposals yet.
Our Noir family was abnormal from the start, so we'd leave that aside,
but my brothers were all oddballs, every last one.
Only one had a fiancée, and even that was just the eldest brother, formally, since he'd lead the family someday.
The rest—
had never even brushed against the idea of marriage proposals.
Our free-spirited sister with her kleptomania.
The second brother, who boasted tangled webs of women and wore a human skin but was never destined to be human in this life.
Trisha at least had youth as an excuse,
but that muscle-bound gorilla idiot was fated to die alone judging by his behavior.
And...,
much as I hated to admit it, I wasn't all that different from them.
They say kids grow up how they're raised.
I was the same.
A family of founding heroes,
shiny on the outside but rotten thieves within.
No one from that house would follow the normal path.
Starting with the people right above me.
They all strayed from the straight and narrow.
Especially the youngest brother.
Because of him, words like dating or marriage proposals were treated like sick jokes in our house.
The talk of high society.
The textbook of romantic disasters.
Titles that sounded impressive at first glance.
The problem was they were all cautionary tales.
One time, Father looked at the youngest and said,
"......Don't ever pull something like that."
That was probably around the time
he'd juggled six or seven women, turning high society upside down.
Handle your own business.
As long as you're not dragging the family name through the mud,
that warning from our laissez-faire household said it all.
Of course, I fully agreed with Father.
...Because of the youngest brother.
I've been hounded a few times by women I'd just met.
'He's probably off causing trouble today too.'
Anyway—
I've grown up watching that nonsense since I was little.
So naturally, I'd barely ever imagined that kind of future for myself.
Marriage proposals.
Engagements.
Dating.
Marriage.
All someone else's story.
I didn't even spare them a thought.
Sure, it was the standardized life of noble society, but...
our family had always been far from that noble mold.
But—
Luena was different.
Luena stood right in the heart of noble society.
The Eliad Grand Duke Family.
Heir to a house at the core of politics and finance.
She couldn't escape the framework of marriage proposals.
Our Noir family was the exception to the exception,
but other nobles already had fiancés or the like lined up.
'Even in the Academy now, plenty of classmates are engaged.'
So—
Soon enough, Luena would have a solid marriage proposal settled.
Anyone could see that was the natural flow.
The Eliad heir
wouldn't attend the Academy forever without a single proposal.
Things seemed quiet now, but talks were probably already bubbling under the surface.
Political calculations.
Each side's strengths and weaknesses.
Inter-family interests.
Based on all that,
the most fitting match would be decided.
This girl sitting here as my childhood friend now
would someday meet a proper noble heir, get engaged,
and stand as his fiancée, then eventually his wife.
'That's what worries me. For real...'
The lunch was wrapping up nicely.
Even the lavish bento box was starting to empty.
A quick glance—
I snuck a sidelong look at Luena, sitting right beside me.
She was peeking at me like a cat stealing fish.
I'd noticed ages ago—
but wondering what she was up to, I kept staring ahead and pretended to be lost in thought.
Then... slowly, stealthily.
Suspicious moves started piling up.
Her eyes darted wildly.
Back and forth between the bento box and me, nonstop,
and the hand with the fork was slyly shoving something behind the garnish.
No need to even glance sideways.
"...Hey. Don't hide carrots under the garnish."
"Ack?!"
At my words, Luena jumped and dropped her fork.
As expected.
I knew it.
Tsking my tongue, I pinched and pulled her cheek.
"Owww...!"
"I told you not to be picky. Right?"
"Sorryyy...!"
"Always just saying sorry without fixing it—"
I stopped mid-scold, as usual.
Because I realized we weren't alone.
I quickly released her cheek and propped my chin on my hand.
"...Eat. Hurry up."
"Yeah."
Looking around, thankfully there weren't many people.
That didn't mean rumors wouldn't spread, though.
It was plenty scandalous enough.
But—
Surprisingly, there might be no real reaction.
People get trapped in their own preconceptions and only see what they want.
The Eliad wall was sturdy.
So no matter what this scatterbrain did, it all looked plausible.
Using a blanket worth two months of a commoner's living expenses
as a casual picnic mat for lunch? Not idiocy,
but a tale of her family's wealth to admire.
Me feeding her because she couldn't use a fork? Just extending her usual attendant duties.
Even that moment just now.
They'd interpret it their way or brush it off, for sure.
That was the power of prejudice.
A hopeless klutz
had all her flaws covered by the Eliad name alone.
People love gossip but couldn't care less about others.
'That's exactly the problem...'
After forcing down the carrots—
I quietly watched Luena sip her peach tea for a palate cleanser.
Someday, the heir she'd exchange proposals with.
They'd only know Luena's public image.
Luena Eliad.
The Eliad Grand Duke's only daughter.
Heir to the realm's mightiest house.
They wouldn't know the real person hidden behind those grand titles.
Weak in the mornings,
tripping in hallways at the drop of a hat,
helplessly fumbling because she couldn't even tie her own hair.
That's the real Luena Eliad, klutz and all.
'Of course... the maids handle the hair in the end.'
Whatever, our house is so weird anyway, so leave it out.
Other noble ladies struggle with self-sufficiency too,
but Luena was... something else.
A different league of trouble from mere clumsiness.
A total helpless case who couldn't do anything alone.
That was the essence of Luena Eliad.
Now...,
would the guy by her side someday embrace even that side of her?
Or would Luena hide it all until she crumbled from exhaustion?
Not happened yet.
But bound to happen.
Watching her look so blissfully happy made my chest tighten for no reason.
The moment I let out a quiet sigh—
Luena set down her peach tea and tilted her head.
"Celen?"
"...Yeah? What."
"Why do you keep staring? Do I have something on my face?"
"...Yeah, you do."
"Huh? Where, where?"
Luena flailed and rubbed her face.
I chuckled at the sight.
How does she always miss the spot every time?
That was a talent in itself.
Without a word, I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped the crumb from her mouth.
Luena—
meekly accepted my touch.
As always.
A moment later, as I pulled my hand away, Luena beamed.
"Thanks, Celen."
"Please, just carry a hand mirror for once. I put one in your bag every time—why don't you ever use it?"
"...Ah!"
"Seriously, you."
Yeah.
This was Luena Eliad.
A being who needed attention for even the tiniest things.
'Who the hell is gonna take her like this?'
With the usual fussing and nagging,
and a worry a bit different from usual tucked in my heart,
the noisy lunchtime passed as if nothing had happened.
🔮 TELEPATHY 🔮 ⟨From Melissa⟩ "Celen, did you have a nice cozy lunch?"
⟨From Melissa⟩ "As expected, my guess was right. You really are an Irregular."
Until Melissa's telepathy reached me.
Of course, up to this point was more or less as I'd predicted, so it was annoying but no real issue.
🔮 TELEPATHY 🔮 ⟨Celen⟩ "...Ah, yeah."
⟨From Melissa⟩ "Yeah. I want to talk about that a bit at dawn today."
⟨Celen⟩ "Do whatever. I have questions too."
This much was all part of the plan.
She'd made a fuss earlier about keys and such.
Obviously, she'd beg for cooperation and try to persuade me.
Yeah.
Everything was going as expected.
But what Melissa said next was completely off-script.
"She likes you."
"......Huh?"
That one line—
turned my mind blank, white as the moon in the sky.