Luna.
The daughter of a servant couple from the Noctus barony. She hadn’t liked Mars from the beginning.
She merely showed him the proper courtesy due to the future head of the household she was meant to serve, but she never held any affection or goodwill beyond that loyalty.
Strangely enough, young Mars must have picked up on this too, because he never pointed out or criticized her attitude. He treated her as if she were barely there, and the two maintained a plain, unremarkable relationship.
That made sense. In his early years after reincarnation, when confusion still lingered, Mars had trouble accepting the reality of his past life. Being trapped in a child’s body, unable to do anything, felt incredibly tedious.
With adult-level knowledge and cognitive ability still intact, he quickly completed the educational curriculum of this world, which only made everything else seem dull and awkward.
To Luna, Mars came across as nothing more than a spoiled heir pretending to be clever while slacking off.
The reality that the master she was supposed to serve was that kind of person came as a great shock to young Luna. Naturally, she paid little attention to improving their relationship, and so their indifferent dynamic had continued until now.
Yes.
If not for that incident back then…
***
“Luna? What are you doing here…?”
Long pink hair with curled ends and fierce-looking eyes.
And the small beauty mark next to her lips…all clearly showed that the girl in front of me was indeed the Luna I knew.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like I came somewhere I’m not allowed, right?”
“Well… technically, you’re not supposed to be here…”
It’s not that commoners aren’t allowed at the Academy, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can easily attend.
If she had outstanding talent in swordsmanship, magic, or even in arts, politics, or management, it’d be a different story. But the Luna I knew had no interest in any of those fields.
“So what, are you saying you don’t want me here?!”
“Hmm? No, it’s not that. I’m just happy to see you here.”
Even though Pollo was a close same-gender friend of mine, Luna who lived in the same household and spent her entire life with me was also a very precious person to me.
Part of it was because, back in the day, I tended to avoid forming relationships due to the influence of my past life, so I didn’t have many people I could truly call friends. That made someone like her all the more special.
“R-Really…? W-Well, that’s a relief.”
Luna blushed for some reason and twisted the hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
“Hah. To bring someone into the Academy purely for personal reasons… even if you are the Saintess, isn’t that going a bit too far?”
And then our princess who was clearly in a bad mood again, cast a sidelong glance at Luna as if to keep her in check, before calmly addressing the Saintess.
Her tone was quiet, but the subtle discontent behind it gave the air a sharp edge. It was clear something wasn’t quite right.
Is she upset because she thinks Luna was forced to come here?
But her expression as she looked at Luna didn’t seem entirely innocent either…
“Th-That’s not true… I just wanted to repay Brother Mars for his kindness—”
“Your Highness, it’s true that the Saintess asked me if I would accompany her to the Academy, but it was merely a suggestion. The choice to accept was mine.”
At that moment, Luna stepped in front of the Saintess and began to confront the princess.
Even though she was face to face with a noble princess, someone a commoner might only see once in their lifetime, Luna showed no sign of trembling and stood her ground with confidence.
Come to think of it, she was always surprisingly brave as a child.
“I don’t know exactly what you’re unhappy about, but I accepted the Saintess’s offer because I liked the idea of being with Mars, who’s an old acquaintance. So if you have a problem with it, wouldn’t it be better to direct it at me?”
“……”
The princess looked taken aback. She clearly hadn’t expected Luna to speak out so boldly.
“N-No, it’s nothing. I was being overly sensitive. I assumed there might have been some kind of coercion involved without knowing the full story. I apologize, Saintess.”
“N-No, it’s fine. Since you didn’t know the situation, it’s understandable you might have misunderstood.”
Fortunately, the princess, having calmed down, was the first to apologize and the rising tension quickly dissipated.
Watching this, I was once again reminded of how terrifying power struggles between women could be and I quietly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful the sudden wildfire had been extinguished.
“…Mars, do you have other plans with Her Highness?”
“Hmm? No, we just happened to run into each other.”
“Perfect. Then would it be alright if I borrowed Her Highness for a bit? We’ve met before, and now that we’ve reunited at the Academy, I thought it’d be nice to have some girl time together.”
Ah, so this is what people mean when they talk about things like pajama parties.
It’s an age when they’d be drawn to that kind of event, so I could understand.
Despite the sparks earlier, it seemed she genuinely wanted to get closer.
“Sure. I can’t exactly intrude on a girls’ hangout. It’s nice to see you all trying to get along.”
“Wait, I haven’t agreed to—Wah!”
Effortlessly dragging off both the princess and the saintess with muscles trained from years of household chores, Luna vanished with them in tow.
Watching their retreating backs, I found myself hoping that by the time I saw them again, they’d be a little closer than before.
***
“So? Why was I dragged here? And who’s this supposed to be?”
Selene couldn’t make sense of the situation unfolding in front of her.
Having received an urgent message from the princess, Selene rushed over…. only to find herself forcibly dragged into the saintess’s room and was now sitting across from the others at a table. She couldn’t make sense of the situation.
On top of that, wasn’t one of them the daughter of the servant couple she’d seen last time at Mars’s house?
“Luna… was it? What exactly are you doing here?”
“I came because Mars said he missed me.”
Flinch!
Flinch!
Seeing the two of them flinch at her words, Luna clicked her tongue inwardly.
I knew he was that kind of guy, but… having it thrown in my face like this is pretty uncomfortable.
“I’m kidding. I’m here because the saintess said she didn’t have anyone to serve her and asked if I’d be willing to work as her maid.”
“A maid? The temple could easily send someone if you asked. Why go through all this?”
“Well… things with the temple aren’t exactly good right now… They’ve been trying to reach out to me, but I still feel pretty uncomfortable around them.”
“Ah…”
It hadn’t been long since the saintess had suffered severe mental trauma due to betrayal from within.
For someone who went through that, accepting a reconciliatory gesture from the very people involved must be emotionally difficult.
“Alright, fine. That aside… why did you call us all here?”
“You all like Mars, don’t you?”
A direct, no-holds-barred strike.
“Wh-What are you talking about?! You must be saying that because you’re a commoner and don’t understand, but we—!”
“You fell for Pollo and got drawn to Mars while trying to get close to him, right?”
At Luna’s blunt and daring words, the princess and the noble lady either stammered or blushed, while Luna’s voice, as she spoke matter-of-factly as if it were a regular occurrence, carried a hint of resignation.
“W-What…?!”
But the saintess looked genuinely surprised by the reaction of the others, as though this was something she hadn’t expected at all.
“…Saintess. You didn’t know? That these two have feelings like that?”
“Ah, well… I’m really slow when it comes to things like this…”
As someone who had never had the chance to interact with the opposite sex or even talk about such things with the same sex while living in the temple…. the saintess found it astonishing that the two who once fought over Pollo now had feelings for someone else.
“Haa… He’s always like that. He acts indifferent to women, but then, when it really counts, he reaches out and treats them kindly. How could anyone not fall for him after that?”
Listening to her, it seemed that even back in the territory, there had been a few who had already fallen into his trap.
He would go around saving women who were in despair, those abused by their fathers, sold off because of debts, or abandoned by their lovers….and in doing so, attracted even more attention from women than Pollo ever did.
“But he doesn’t realize it. He helps people and shows kindness without expecting anything in return, but he doesn’t understand what it means to receive love. You could say he doesn’t even recognize the affection directed at him.”
At first, Luna had even considered suspecting the baron and baroness, but knowing how deeply they loved their son, she quickly dismissed that thought.
She had wondered if maybe his self-esteem had been eroded by constantly comparing himself to Pollo, but now, she just thinks that’s how he’s naturally wired.
Because Mars was so utterly oblivious to romantic attention, Luna said she had a hard time fending off all the girls throwing themselves at him.
“When you two came to our baron’s territory last time, I could tell by the way you looked at Mars. That you had feelings for him.”
“Ahem!”
“Mm…”
“But I don’t really mind all that much. I’m an adult now, and it’s not uncommon for nobles to have multiple wives. I can’t possibly keep every woman who likes him in check. Especially since we’re talking about a princess and a duke’s daughter. However…”
Suddenly, her expression changed. Luna looked at the two tense women and spoke in a commanding tone.
“I’m Mars’s official wife. That’s not something I’m willing to give up.”
Hearing Luna declare that the position of first wife was hers, the previously tense princess and duke’s daughter immediately stiffened. Then, they glared back at her. They were silently challenging one another to see who would become Mars’s official wife.
Th-The feelings I have for Brother Mars… what are they, really?
And among them
The saintess, uncertain whether what she felt for Mars was simply gratitude and admiration or something else entirely, fell into deep contemplation. She was struggling with her emotions in secret.
***
Some of the noble girls’ maids were given permission to leave the academy and go into the city to take care of errands.
Whether it was to purchase foodstuffs and supplies unavailable within the academy or simply to get some personal rest—
“The market here doesn’t even compare to the one in the baron’s territory. The scale is completely different.”
Luna, who had become the saintess’s maid, had come into town to find ingredients for healthy, tasty meals to help the saintess who had been unable to eat properly due to the trauma of recent events.
Though she came across as fierce and strong-willed, no one was more sincere when it came to serving her master. She was also a skilled cook with an excellent eye for ingredients. She would personally seek out high-quality goods herself.
“The vegetables should be enough now. As for meat, just a bit should do. If I grind it up and use it as a topping, it’ll be fine.”
Though the saintess still hadn’t fully realized her own feelings and remained somewhat clueless, Luna who heard bits and pieces about what she had been through couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She looked after the saintess as if she were a younger sister.
At first, the saintess had been so timid that it was hard to believe she had even suggested such a thing, but as Luna continued to care for her with sincerity, she gradually began to open up and grow closer.
“Here I am, at this age, finally getting a little sister. Mars is giving me something even my parents didn’t.”
It was frustrating to think that she had been rescued by Mars, of all people, but Luna decided she could at least concede the position of second wife to the kind, pitiable saintess.
But the noble daughter and the princess were a different story.
From what she’d heard, they too had been saved by Mars, but unlike herself who had quietly harbored her feelings for a long time without ever expressing them, those two looked at him with such obvious affection that it made Luna’s blood boil. That’s what drove her to declare war.
Sensing that she was outmatched in many ways—status, wealth, appearance—Luna boldly staked her claim to the position of official wife, using her long-standing relationship with Mars as leverage.
Haa… Honestly. This is why I can’t take my eyes off him, even for a second.
He was someone she admired so deeply, yet loving him was also incredibly exhausting. Luna let out a sigh at the trials of her one-sided affection.
“Young lady…”
“Yes?”
From the other side of a dark alley, a voice belonging to an old woman seemed to call out to her.
Luna instinctively turned her head in that direction.
“There’s a shadow on your face… burdened with worries. Perhaps… about a man?”
The old woman’s words struck too close to home to ignore, and Luna came to a halt.
Then, hesitantly, she stepped into the alley.
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