Chapter 491: Silent Night, Holy Night (3)
Chapter 491: Silent Night, Holy Night (3)
"You... you're a real bastard..."
A tearful voice, thick with intoxication, leaked out.
Though the sun was still high in the sky, the person sitting across from me had long since melted into a puddle of mush, thanks to high-proof alcohol. To make matters worse, we were alone in a private room.
If my companion had been a lovely lady, this would have been an ideal situation.
I had to swallow a sigh of lamentation. It was all because I was already well-acquainted with the man making a spectacle of himself before me.
Lupin Lainella.
He was a precious comrade and the younger brother of the woman I might end up engaged to. If it were Senior Elsie, her drunken sobbing might at least be cute.
Still, I couldn't exactly kick my future brother-in-law out on the street.
I let Lupin’s lamentations go in one ear and out the other. Strong liquor sloshed in my own glass, but I had reached a level where I could dispel any hint of intoxication at will.
As proof, not even a trace of the scent of alcohol lingered on my breath.
In this room, Lupin was the only one drunk.
And listening to a one-sided drunken rant was a surefire way to get irritated.
Part of me wanted to stand up and leave right then and there, but there were circumstances that prevented me from doing so.
For one, I was technically the guilty party here.
I averted my gaze slightly and swallowed a groan.
"How... how could you dump my sister?!"
"Look, I told you, I didn't dump her."
"Then what's with those rumors?!"
Thud, thud.
Lupin’s thin arms flailed as he pounded on the table. He likely wanted to make a loud 'bang,' but a drunken mage didn't have nearly enough physical strength for that.
"The Holy Kingdom basically wrote a romance novel! A framed Saintess, the knight who came to save her... and the Heavenly God, moved by his devotion, even granted a miracle?!"
"Even I have to admit, it's a pretty great story."
"The rumors have already spread across the entire continent!"
Lupin, who had been huffing and puffing for a while, finally seemed to lose his strength and slumped onto the table.
A listless lament followed.
"Our Lainella family has become a laughingstock... We went through all that trouble to push for an engagement, and now this...!"
My gaze drifted toward my coat pocket. Inside was a letter from the Lainella family that I hadn't opened yet.
To be fair, Count Lainella had every right to be flabbergasted.
One of the family's great mages had suddenly died, and then the man they were trying to arrange an engagement with started spreading a grand love story in the Holy Kingdom.
It wouldn't be strange if the Count collapsed from a stroke right now.
Ugh. I let out a faint groan and leaned back against my chair.
I had to find a breakthrough somehow.
"What are you going to do? The other woman is a Saint... No matter how high-ranking our Lainella family is, we're just not in the same league. Even bigamy is out of the question—"
"—That’s it!"
It was right after I heard Lupin’s grumbling.
I unintentionally clapped my hands together and let out an exclamation.
Lupin looked at me with bewildered eyes, but I was already deeply immersed in the flash of inspiration that had struck my mind.
"That'll work! Polygamy!"
Of course, Lupin’s only response was one of utter disbelief.
"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear what I just said? Even if you wanted to take multiple wives, the Holy Kingdom and the common people wouldn't accept it. There are plays based on your story popping up everywhere right now—"
"What if the other party is one of the Empire's Five Great Noble Families? Or better yet, the Imperial Household?"
Lupin’s mouth snapped shut at my counter-question.
Instead, he wore an expression of pure horror.
"...Don't tell me there are more?"
Regardless of his reaction, I simply nodded as if impressed with myself.
It felt like all the troublesome problems I’d been facing were being sorted out at once.
"Once polygamy is officially recognized, people won't care much whether I have two wives or three. Lupin, you're surprisingly smart—!"
"Die, you philandering bastard!"
Lupin, having lost his mind, tried to swing a wine bottle at me.
Naturally, his rebellion was suppressed in an instant.
Such was the sorrow of being a mage.
I left the room, leaving behind Lupin, who had passed out from a combination of alcohol and shock. Come to think of it, it was about time I paid someone a visit.
Senior Elsie.
It had been over ten days since I’d last heard from her. Besides, I happened to have something I needed to return to her.
Inside my pocket, the jet-black rod was humming.
Emma unintentionally swallowed hard.
The person sitting across the table from her was simply too high-profile. Her heart still fluttered whenever she had to deal with nobles, so she had never dreamed that a member of the Imperial family would request a private meeting.
Cien, the 5th Princess of the Empire.
Though she was far down the line of succession, she was a girl who undeniably carried the blood of the dragon. Emma was currently sitting alone with someone whom even high-ranking nobles, let alone commoners, were expected to look up to.
It would have been stranger if she wasn't nervous.
Actually, it wasn't their first time meeting.
The two had already become acquainted back in the North. However, this was the first time they were having such a serious conversation.
And to think they would be talking with a heavy pouch of gold coins between them.
Unable to overcome her confusion, Emma’s pupils began to tremble slightly.
In contrast, the Princess’s expression remained perfectly calm.
"I heard your financial situation has improved recently... I was told Senior Lainella helped you out. Is that correct?"
"Ye-yes... That is correct, Your Highness..."
Emma tentatively confirmed the truth while gauging the Princess's reaction.
It was difficult to guess what the Princess was after. She had a vague idea, but she needed to understand the exact intention.
Such was the sorrow of a commoner.
If she accidentally offended a noble, her life could be at risk.
Sensing Emma’s state of mind, the Princess intentionally offered a harmless smile.
"But it seems your life has become impoverished again lately? Don't tell me you're making do with the mushrooms in that basket?"
The Princess’s light gray eyes drifted toward a certain spot. A basket was sitting there.
It was filled to the brim with mushrooms—edible ones Emma had gathered from the forest.
The Academy’s forest, rich in mana, grew nutrient-dense mushrooms all year round. Emma, whose life was steeped in poverty, wasn't one to miss out on such good ingredients.
Plus, if she was lucky, she could find mushrooms suitable for alchemy materials.
It was an action driven by a fairly rational motive. Nevertheless, Emma couldn't overcome her sense of shame and hung her head low.
Even a reason like that must seem pathetic to someone else.
After all, the Princess was a resident of a world far removed from Emma’s.
As if to prove this, a look of pity soon clouded the Princess’s face.
"It seems Senior Lainella didn't provide you with enough gold coins."
"O-oh, no! That's not it!"
Emma raised her voice, worried there might be a misunderstanding.
The Princess’s steady gaze fixed on Emma. Startled back to her senses, Emma calmed her racing heart and carefully chose her words.
"It's just that my spending habits were too excessive. Lady Lainella gave me more than enough gold, but there were alchemy materials to buy and money I had to send back home..."
"Yes, it's not enough."
Emma couldn't even finish her sentence.
As if bored, the Princess spoke and began to swirl the teacup in front of her.
Even the fragrant aroma of the tea failed to cause a ripple in the Princess’s expression. It was as if she were reminding Emma that the worlds they lived in were different.
"Being 'enough,' Senior... means having gold left over no matter how much you spend. Alchemy materials and living expenses for your family? How can you call that 'excessive'?"
With that, the Princess gestured with her eyes toward the pouch of gold coins on the table.
Emma’s dazed gaze fixed on the heavy pouch.
"5,000 gold."
The unimaginable amount took Emma’s breath away.
It was a sum most commoners wouldn't see in their entire lives. It was a fortune that even most nobles couldn't easily produce.
Unless one was a high-ranking noble, it was extremely rare for an individual to carry such an amount in cash.
Even in the face of that much money, the Princess remained perfectly composed.
"It's a small gift. Please, accept it."
The Princess’s smiling face showed no hint of calculation or conspiracy. It meant the payment was being made out of pure goodwill.
Nevertheless, Emma didn't have to think long.
"Um, Your Highness? This amount is far too much for me—"
Just as Emma shook her head and tried to push the pouch back toward the Princess.
"...Senior."
A polite tone leaked from the Princess’s mouth.
It was clear and elegant, yet it carried an undeniable authority that commanded obedience.
"Knowing one's place is important, of course. But there's no need to play the fool."
"I'm not sure what you mean..."
"It means just take it quietly."
That single sentence was the signal.
The Princess’s aura shifted instantly. The corners of her mouth were still curved in an arc, but her eyes were different.
Above all, that gaze was sharp enough to pierce through one's brain.
Before Emma knew it, the girl’s light gray pupils had slit vertically.
"Too much? Why are you the one deciding that, Senior? I carry the blood of the dragon. A truly wise person should know how to exploit the miscalculations of the powerful."
"B-but..."
"If it truly burdens you, you can provide me with a small bit of help. That, too, is a virtue of those who possess."
Emma had no way to hide her confusion.
After the last Homecoming Festival, hadn't the Princess chosen to live quietly with her claws hidden? Yet here she was, revealing her true colors again.
The sudden change of heart was bound to be bewildering.
In the end, Emma, her face pale, had to ask.
"Because of my humble origins, I find it difficult to guess Your Highness's true intentions. What exactly is it that you want...?"
Ahem. It was then that the Princess let out a cute, fake cough.
The atmosphere shifted once again.
The snake whose thoughts were unreadable was gone, replaced by a cute girl fidgeting and glancing around nervously. Emma could only look on with even more bewilderment at the dramatic change.
After hesitating for a long time, the Princess finally whispered as if she had made up her mind.
"The... Holy Night Festival..."
Her voice was as tiny as a mosquito's. When Emma tilted her head in confusion, the Princess finally shouted, her face turning beet red.
"I want to be Sir Ian's partner for the Holy Night Festival!"
It was such a trivial wish.
It was a reason Emma could never have imagined. For a while, the woman stood there dazed, listening to the Princess’s excuses.
"I-it's not like I'm scared of Senior Lainella or the Saintess, okay? It's not like I lost my nerve just because I got scolded before... I carry the blood of the dragon! It's just that Senior Emma seems kind, and you seem close to Sir Ian... A-and it's not like I'm anxious because of all that talk about engagements! I-it's not jealousy. Yes, it's definitely not jealousy..."
Eventually, unable to overcome her embarrassment, the Princess’s head dropped.
She stole glances at Emma before squeezing out one last word in a pathetic voice.
"C-could you please help me...?"
Emma let out a shallow laugh in spite of herself.
Now the Princess finally seemed human. Emma breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, thinking that girls her age were all pretty much the same.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the Princess’s feelings.
Emma, too, harbored feelings for the same man.
So, Emma spoke with a much more relaxed smile.
"...First, I'll have to ask Lady Lainella."
Surprisingly, Emma was a woman of loyalty.
Loyal enough not to budge even when the Princess offered cash worth 20,000 gold.
In the end, the Princess had to spend the rest of the day crying and pleading.
While the various characters crossed paths ahead of the Holy Night Festival.
Another guest arrived at the Academy.
Every time the girl took a step, numerous gazes naturally gravitated toward her. Against the backdrop of her flowing gray hair, her snow-white skin—as if sculpted from ice—and blue eyes resembling a frozen lake were revealed.
Seeing her haughty and cold expression, a few passersby whispered.
"It's Yurdina's Rude Brat... When did she get back?"
"How old is that nickname? You should call her the 'Ice Princess' now. She's one of the key figures of the Yurdina family..."
The girl’s name was Seria Yurdina.
She was once a person who lived amidst contempt and cold treatment. But in just a few months, public opinion had flipped, and some students at the Academy even looked up to her with admiration.
After all, wasn't she one of the party members fighting against the darkness of the continent?
Most people assumed the burden hidden behind that cold face must be unimaginably great.
In reality, Seria’s mind was occupied by only one thought.
I want to see Senior Ian.
Walking absentmindedly, Seria thought blankly with a brain steeped in desire.
I want to be held in Senior Ian's arms. I want to smell Senior Ian. I want to ravish Senior Ian...
The continuous battles with Delphine had caused Seria immense fatigue and stress. It was enough to make Seria, who already had a severe obsession, lose her grip on reason.
The girl’s blue eyes scattered a chilling radiance.
What if someone got in her way?
I'll just kill them.
Just as Delphine had personally taught her.
Thus, a broken girl arrived at the Academy.
It was the precursor to a storm.