Uninvited Guest at Lunch!
After barely managing to stay awake through class without dozing off, it was finally lunchtime. As I knew from reading the original novel The Lady Sues!, the Witch Academy had no separate cafeteria, no high-school-style lunch line where everyone gathered for served meals, and no cheap communal dining hall where the entire student body ate together in one building. True to its reputation as the empire's foremost noble academy, a completely separate dining district had been established a short distance from the main building. Meals were provided only upon payment, and the menus and atmospheres varied wildly from one establishment to the next. I couldn't quite tell whether the academy was profiting from the district or operating it at a loss for the sake of student welfare. By modern logic, the limited number of witches meant a small customer base, and the operating costs for such an extensive facility would be substantial, so it should naturally run in the red... but in a world where magic existed, you couldn't always apply our world's common sense. In any case, whether the academy was running at a loss or turning a profit, with the imperial family backing it, the matter wasn't my concern.
I stepped into a steakhouse that resembled a rustic cabin, walking alongside Zophy. She had insisted on eating meat, claiming she had expended far too much energy today. Accommodating her personal desires to a reasonable degree seemed advantageous for me, and honestly, the smoke curling from the chimney and the rich aroma of grilling meat wafting through the windows were more than enough to stir my own appetite.
Once Maria von Letiaponk and her maid claimed a quiet corner seat by the window, no one possessed the nerve to approach and disturb us. No matter how desperately someone wished to build a connection, intruding upon a meal without any prior arrangement was regarded as an unforgivable breach of etiquette... with a single exception.
"Ah, Maria. May I join you?"
Erika Waldmark. To be honest, she had a beautiful face and her personality wasn't entirely unpleasant, but the fact that she outranked me combined with our eventual enmity in the original story made her far less reassuring company than Zophy. Besides, she was essentially my ex-girlfriend. Whether they stemmed from the memories embedded in this possessed body or not, recollections of her surfaced with painful clarity. If she started pressing her affections again after all this time, things could get awkward... Those memories of Erika were now so vivid that it would be no exaggeration to call them my own.
"Someone's already sitting there."
"Who?"
"Lillia Cosette."
Normally, mentioning that a seat was taken should have made her withdraw, but her persistent questioning made me blurt out the first name that came to mind. Erika shrugged.
"Lie. I saw you two rushing off to the library with the special student earlier. She declared, 'To completely devour the academy library before graduation, one must actively utilize the lunch hour, sawa-yo!' So you arranged to meet here?"
"Ah, we're meeting after. The food takes time to cook, doesn't it?"
Oh no. She'd caught me. Zophy looked somewhat displeased by Erika's intrusion, yet she clearly found my clumsy lie being exposed so quickly amusing. She covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"There are four seats at this table. Even if Lady Lillia is coming, surely one seat for me wouldn't be a problem? You wouldn't refuse the honor of sharing a table with the glorious Imperial Princess. That would be lèse-majesté."
"Lèse-majesté my ass. You mentioned earlier that Elena Kerru went with her. When those two arrive, both remaining seats will be taken."
"Then if they arrive together, I'll simply stand and leave. That should settle it, yes? Waiter!"
"You'll get oil splatters all over that white uniform."
"Still better than the pasta place across the way with all that sauce slathered on, wouldn't you say?"
I glanced at the pasta restaurant visible through the window as Erika spoke. Indeed, it did seem preferable to the red sauce option, leaving me with no rebuttal. Moreover, while I had been looking outside, Erika had already finished placing her order, making further protest impossible. I resigned myself to her joining us and watched the waiter set out her water glass, sparkling water, and napkin while I sipped from my own.
"Care for a glass of wine?" Erika suggested.
I shook my head. "We have physical education this afternoon. Why on earth would I drink?"
"Physical education is preferable to subjects that require mental exertion. Still, as you wish. Then I won't drink either. You're as strict as ever in that regard. You haven't changed at all."
"Speaking of which, you used to be far stricter than this. For someone of your ability, a sip of wine wouldn't hinder afternoon activities, yet you were never the type to drink when you still had matters to attend to."
"I changed after we broke up."
"We never officially dated, you know."
"To me, it carried that much meaning, it seems."
"Oh my. Then perhaps it was because our young lady had someone to support her in maintaining proper conduct? Unlike Your Highness."
Zophy interjected at the perfect moment. While Erika sat there stunned, mouth agape and head tilted in confusion, the food arrived. Thanks to that timely interruption, we were able to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Since we already had a meal before us, I had no desire to continue pointless verbal sparring. I spoke to Erika first.
"That professor's class was dreadful."
"That person is less an educator these days and more a historical resource. Someone whose testimony itself becomes history."
"Were you bored as well? It's essentially your family's history, after all."
"You're one to speak so casually of it. It's a tale from the empire's founding era. The Letiaponk family could hardly be unrelated."
"Well... It's not that I completely ignored the content, but... there wasn't much mention of our house. Or was there?"
I turned to Zophy. She tilted her head in equal puzzlement.
"In the lords' agreement from the early New Imperial Calendar, the Letiaponk family was... only mentioned by name, correct?"
"The name did appear, Erika."
At my words, even Erika tilted her head with a perplexed expression.
"Now that you mention it, it's a historic event where powerful families united after fierce calculations to confront the Demon King, yet your house, which remains influential enough to still raise its voice against ours, played little part in that monumental occasion. Quite peculiar. I hadn't given it much thought until now. However, in my opinion..."
"In your opinion?"
"Doesn't it simply mean that our two families have always gotten along remarkably well from the very beginning?"
As she spoke, Erika slyly reached for my hand. The moment Zophy noticed the movement toward me, she lifted her glass and brought it down sharply on Erika's hand.
"Ow!"
"Oh dear, I am terribly sorry, Your Highness. I didn't realize your hand was there... Ah, but of course it wasn't a position where Your Highness's hand should have been in the first place. Why were you reaching across the middle of the table?"
"Your glass had no business being in that position either, Zophy Polinbaroque."
"And neither did Your Highness's hand, correct?"
"This constitutes lèse-majesté."
Erika turned her head away with a pout. Zophy merely shrugged.
"Then by all means, file a complaint at the Academy Grand Court."
"The Academy Grand Court? Me? Don't be absurd. Why would I willingly enter the one place where I would be at the greatest disadvantage?"
The sudden mention of the court made my ears prick up. After all, that was the very place where, in the original story, my absurd ending as Maria von Letiaponk had been decided. A strong intuition told me I needed to hear more.
Keeping my voice calm so as not to betray any alarm or excitement, I asked carefully.
"What do you mean by 'greatest disadvantage'? You're the imperial princess, and it's the court of a school where your family serves as chairman."
"You already know that within the Grand Court, all other considerations become meaningless, don't you, Maria? If the parties were of equal status, perhaps it would be different, but with a clear difference in rank, why would anyone bother invoking the Academy Grand Court? Look, outside these academy walls, this young lady from a count's family wouldn't be able to oppose me at all. Yet thanks to the academy's protection, she can smash my hand with a water glass and bear no responsibility whatsoever. It would be even worse inside the Grand Court. Ow, it really hurts. Why are you so strong?"
"Maid work requires considerable physical strength, you know."
Joining in the banter between Zophy and Erika might have been entertaining, but other information weighed more heavily on my mind right now.
"Erika, then... when someone of higher status wishes to confront someone of lower status, filing a complaint at the Grand Court would be an entirely irrational choice?"
"It's pure foolishness. Outside the academy, the empire's hierarchy would function normally. Why go out of one's way to do something so counterproductive?"
"If someone did go out of their way to do it anyway, what could the reason be?"
Erika had been answering in a light, teasing tone, but she suddenly fell silent. It seemed the seriousness with which I was approaching the topic had been subtly communicated to both her and Zophy. Zophy stared at me with an expression that asked why I was so curious, while Erika tilted her head as though trying to peer into my thoughts.
"Well. If such a case existed... it would only be when there is reasonable grounds to conclude that the opponent is a dangerous entity that cannot be eliminated without borrowing the full power of the entire academy, and must therefore be dealt with within these walls. I've never heard of any such incident occurring before."