The Rumor's Storm and the Awkward Collision
The rift between Jiana and Idel had already spread through the entire ducal residence the very same day. It was almost unthinkable that no one knew about it. There had been only one carriage leaving, but two arriving. Was that all there was to it?
“I won’t be attending lessons with Idel.”
“What? Is this the same snack as the one Jiana had? Fine. I won’t eat anything like that.”
The two girls deliberately avoided each other as if they were trying to spread the rumor that their relationship had soured. The duke and duchess tried to intervene, but it was useless. Idel had already made up her mind to focus on her studies, and Jiana was even more determined than before.
What had begun as a simple cold war between them dragged on for quite some time. Even the servants began to gossip behind their backs, unable to stay silent any longer.
“Hah. I knew this day would come. Honestly, even if Jiana-nim is ever so kind, how is she supposed to put up with that personality?”
“Exactly. The young lady must have given up long ago since nothing could be done. They say she cried the day she returned from her outing.”
“Really? After all the bullying she must have done, Jiana-nim… Well, now she even pretends not to know her in lessons. This is definitely abandonment, isn’t it?”
Bullying. Cold war. Isolation. Just like any other rumor, Idel had become the wretched girl who had once treated Jiana badly in the servants’ eyes and was now being discarded.
It wasn’t going to last long. After all, the crisis of someone who had always been a thorn in their side was no different from a fleeting amusement in their daily routine.
Except for Diane.
One of the servants who had been quietly snickering with the others suddenly shot a sidelong glance at Diane.
“Diane, haven’t you heard any news?”
“Eh?”
“Didn’t we tell you before that if anything happens to Idel-nim, you should let us know? You don’t seem to be feeling well lately, after all.”
Multiple pairs of eyes suddenly turned to Diane. In the strange atmosphere flowing through the group, she gave a slightly awkward smile and rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry… I’ve been feeling bad ever since the talk you had with me. So lately I’ve just been doing my duties and coming back quickly.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Well, what would you do if you got hit? Haven’t your hands been injured before because of Idel-nim?”
“Yeah.”
“Poor thing.”
Diane quickly tidied up her protective gear, wiping the sweat from her palms onto her skirt. The bizarre atmosphere spreading throughout the space had been terrifying.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Ah, okay~”
With a harmless smile, she left the room at once. Throughout the entire climb up the stairs toward Idel’s room, Diane’s expression remained dark.
‘What do I do… The atmosphere is getting worse and worse.’
Yesterday, the servants had even joked about what to do if Idel-nim got isolated. That had come from the realization that Idel wasn’t old enough or in a position to do anything.
‘If that had been purely coincidental, I wouldn’t have known.’
Because Idel had a history of being bullied, she at least got along with the others, but if not, she would have been avoided long ago. After all, a servant who served her master closely had nothing good to learn from such stories.
Diane let out a small sigh in the exasperating reality.
“……What should we do about our Idel-nim.”
Our young lady isn’t like that at all!
Diane, who had been watching Idel since Jiana’s warning, felt like she was going to go crazy and jump for joy. After all, the fight between Idel and Jiana was far from a typical sibling quarrel.
Moreover, the person she had experienced Idel as was more like…
‘More like a cat with its fur standing on end.’
Diane’s view of Idel’s human relationships was extremely narrow. After all, she had only just debuted in society and wasn’t even attending the academy yet. Even so, was it really strange that there were so few people around her?
‘The duke and Lady Rowena probably kept their distance because Idel-nim made them uncomfortable. Melissa-nim… Well, strangely enough, Diane felt like she didn’t cherish Idel much.’
There was no clear evidence, but just a feeling she got while watching from the side.
‘Right now, the important thing isn’t Melissa-nim.’
The important thing was that Idel-nim’s small and precious human relationships, as well as the servants’ harassment, were all hanging by a thread.
‘But Jiana-nim keeps looking at Idel-nim as if she has something to say, doesn’t she?’
She twitched her mouth open and closed like she had something to say, or she kept wandering around the garden that Idel-nim often visited…
‘The problem is Idel-nim herself. She’s still being stubborn, after all.’
Diane’s face twisted in a troubled expression as she quietly knocked on Idel’s door.
“Come in.”
The permission came quickly. As she entered, Idel was scribbling something as usual.
“Young lady, I’ve brought your protective gear.”
“Oh, that thing?”
“Yes, it is.”
Diane, completely unaware of Idel’s thoughts, watched her owner’s sparkling eyes and let out a small internal sigh.
“What should I do?”
“Wrap your elbows like this. And put on the gloves too. I’ll help you now, but in the training grounds it’s against the rules, so you’d better remember it.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, and starting today, Prince Dante will also be joining the lessons.”
Idel’s eyes narrowed as if to ask what that was. Diane quickly continued her explanation.
“Prince Dante is the successor of the Knightray ducal family, who protect the empire from the borders. He has been a highly anticipated talent since he first showed his swordsmanship in childhood.”
“……Why is he here?”
“Um, I don’t know the exact reason either, but perhaps he has some connection with the duke? I mean, Idel-nim, Idel-nim also……”
“Me?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just hope you have a good impression of him.”
‘It’s better not to fight too much and leave a good impression.’
Diane swallowed the words she hadn’t been able to say out loud.
Diane hoped that Idel would use this place to receive better treatment. She didn’t want her to become the target of ridiculous rumors.
“Please take good care of yourself!”
“Okay.”
Whether Diane was stomping her feet inside or not, Idel left the room, her mind filled with the information Diane had provided.
‘Dante Knightray, that’s the male lead.’
The question of why he was here was completely sincere.
‘They weren’t supposed to meet after becoming adults?’
Because she hadn’t seen the male lead’s childhood stories in her little brother’s afterword, she had thought so.
‘Maybe there was a setting where they knew each other since childhood.’
Even if the main stage began in adulthood, such settings were common. It was also good for highlighting the “fated relationship” between the male and female leads.
Thinking about the two leads having fun together, the fact that she was in a cold war with Jiana felt rather fortunate.
‘If that wasn’t the case, she would definitely have been entangled with them.’
Remembering the two leads laughing and having a good time, she quickly shook her head.
‘It might be hard and painful, but it’s better to focus on the swordsmanship lessons.’
When the duke first said she had to attend lessons with Jiana, she had thought it was necessary, but after actually experiencing it, it wasn’t so bad.
After all, learning to wield a sword turned out to be far more useful than she had imagined.
‘If she trained like this for several more years, even after leaving the ducal family, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about making a living, would she?’
With the sword as her support, she might even do trading work at the port. Or she could get an administrative certificate and aim to become an assistant at a baronial or viscount family on the frontier.
‘I’ll have to learn more, but mercenary work isn’t a bad choice either.’
Honestly, she wanted to give extra points for being protected by the mercenary guilds across the empire. The pay was also good.
Thinking about using the secret swordsmanship passed down through generations in the Clementine ducal family for profit, Idel turned the corner.
Hadn’t she been too lost in thought and not paying attention to where she was walking?
The moment she took a step forward, her body was suddenly flung back with a thud.
“Ouch!”
Idel, who had fallen to the floor because she couldn’t catch her balance, grabbed her butt and let out a short groan. Her tailbone had probably hit the ground, making her bottom ache.
Confused about what was happening, she frowned, when a clear and melodious voice she had never heard before reached her ears.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Are you all right?”