Estelle and Iris, who had been assigned to a different group from Theo, found themselves unable to focus on the class, even though it had started quite a while ago.
“Um, Sir Theo, do you know how to do this?”
“Oh, for that, you just need to do it like this.”
“Wow! You’re amazing!”
The cause of their distraction was none other than a noblewoman named Mancy Grandy, who had long black hair and puppy-like blue eyes, and who was constantly sticking close to Theo.
To the two of them, Mancy looked nothing less than a sly fox.
How dare she stay by Sir Theo’s side… That spot is mine!
…Does she not realize that Sir Theo is uncomfortable? She really should know when to stop.
Though their thoughts were different, they were both unable to focus on the lesson because of their preoccupation with Theo.
Surely, Sir Theo won’t start liking her, right?
…She does have quite the figure… Is her chest bigger than mine?
After all, Theo was still a man, and it was only natural that he might be attracted to a beautiful woman with a great figure.
Of course, Theo wasn’t attracted to them because he felt a sense of duty to bring them together. But with such an assertive woman actively approaching him, it was hard to imagine that Theo’s feelings wouldn’t waver even a little.
“Oh, Lady Mancy, that’s not how you do it. You need to…”
At first, Mancy was the one who approached Theo for help, but by the middle of the lesson, it had escalated to Theo proactively checking on her and helping her without being asked.
Estelle and Iris, fearing that Theo might be stolen away, nervously bit their nails. They couldn’t even properly respond to the voices calling for them.
“Lady Estelle, are you alright?”
“Ah, y-yes…! I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit distracted today.”
One of her group members sitting next to her asked if she was okay. Estelle snapped out of her daze and hastily apologized to them.
“You seem to be worried about Sir Theo.”
“What? No… well, actually, yes. We’re always together, so being apart like this makes me feel nervous.”
In reality, she wasn’t nervous at all.
It made no sense for Estelle, who got along with everyone so effortlessly, to feel nervous.
The truth was, she was merely making excuses out of fear that someone else might confess their feelings to Theo, who still claimed to have no interest in romance.
“Sir Theo must be truly remarkable, to be trusted so completely by the Saintess.”
“Well, he certainly is extraordinary. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone else in the world who could surpass him now.”
The group members smiled warmly at the obviously biased praise.
“Still, let’s do our best with this group project, Lady Estelle! If we finish this well, Sir Theo might praise you!”
“Ah! You’re right! A compliment from Sir Theo… I have to work hard now…!”
By this point, her group members had completely figured out how to motivate Estelle.
Iris, meanwhile, was in a similar situation, but her group lacked anyone with the tact and warmth to coax or encourage her.
Instead, everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, with no progress being made at all.
“Haah…”
Whenever Iris sighed, someone in her group would quietly mimic her sigh, until finally, one person mustered the courage to speak up.
“U-Um… shouldn’t we start working on something?”
“Oh, right. We’re supposed to turn it in before class ends, so let’s get started.”
Encouraged by the one who spoke up, Iris surprisingly went along easily and without resistance.
Relieved, the group members began tackling their tasks one by one, and thanks to Iris’s exceptional skills, the workload started to shrink faster than they had expected.
“Wow, Your Highness, you’re amazing!”
“Oh, please, call me Iris instead of Your Highness. We’re at the academy, after all.”
“Ah, th-then, is it alright if I call you Lady Iris…?”
“Of course. That’s perfectly fine.”
Of course, even as Iris resolved one task after another, her gaze occasionally drifted toward Theo.
“Mancy, you’re incredibly skilled with your hands. How do you manage to make things so effortlessly?”
“Oh, no, not at all! It’s just something I’ve learned since I was little… Hehe, but hearing praise from you, Sir Theo, makes me so happy!”
Theo and Mancy looked definitely close to anyone watching.
Brandy and Velia, who were sitting in the back, were also chatting with them as a group of four, but there seemed to be a certain warmth, something even more affectionate, between Theo and Mancy.
…It can’t happen. Theo can’t end up liking that girl.
After spending a year together in the same group, it felt as if something might actually develop between Theo and Mancy.
This won’t do. I’ll have to ask for a group change.
Iris, who had resolved not to use her influence or power since entering the academy, now felt this was an unavoidable emergency.
I’ll need to contact Father first…
Her plan was to offer the Emperor credit for their current relief project she had decided to do with Theo this time in exchange for being assigned to the same group as Theo.
If I ask only for Theo to be in the same group, it might seem suspicious, so I’ll include Estelle too.
It was clear that the Emperor was already aware of the three of them spending time together.
If she specifically requested to be in the same group as Theo, it would be as good as admitting there was something going on between them. Or worse, that she had feelings for him.
He said he doesn’t plan to be in a relationship for the time being.
She had no intention of letting such rumors reach the Emperor and risk drawing his ire.
And so, although regretfully, it was necessary to have Estelle included in the group as well.
Of course, this arrangement would be a significant advantage for Estelle.
***
For the first time in a while, I found myself in a class where I didn’t feel tense like I usually did when I was with Estelle or Iris. It was surprisingly refreshing not to feel so drained by the end of it.
Of course, it wasn’t that I disliked being around either of them. Far from it.
It was just that the sense of exhaustion they left me with was a bit unique.
“I think it would be great if we could be in the same group for magic class too, Sir Theo!”
Spending just one day with Mancy made it feel like we had grown remarkably close.
I was always happy to get along with someone so beautiful.
“Oh my, me too! There’s so much I can learn from you, Sir Theo!”
“Me too! Me too!”
It seemed that everyone in my group was quite pleased to be grouped with me.
Not just Mancy, but even Brandy and Velia were saying they wanted to be in the same group as me for the magic class as well.
Kuhu~ Was this what it meant to live the life of a popular guy?
“You’re heading straight to the magic class, right?”
“Shall we all move together then?”
“That sounds great! They said building camaraderie within the group is important, after all!”
The three of them chattered excitedly about going together.
“Sir Theo, did you enjoy the class?”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Sure enough, Estelle and Iris approached with smiles on their faces.
“Oh, Your Highness, hello! And greetings to you too, Saintess!”
“H-Hello!”
“Ah, hello!”
Unlike how they were when it was just me, the three seemed to act nervous in front of Estelle and Iris.
“Yes, did the two of you enjoy the class?”
But my thoughts on the matter were a bit different.
Of course, I liked how they relied on me, but wouldn’t it be good for them to make other friends too?
I didn’t want their social circles to shrink.
“Yes, we enjoyed it.”
“We did.”
“These three here are Mancy Grandy, Brandy, and Velia, all in the same group as me. We were planning to head to the magic class together. Is that alright?”
Grind—
Uh…? Just now, I thought I heard the sound of someone grinding their teeth.
“Of course, if they’re close to you, Sir Theo, I’d like to get to know them better myself.”
“I feel the same.”
Still, their expressions didn’t seem all that pleasant…
Well, it was understandable.
For a while, it had just been the three of us sticking together all the time.
While I wasn’t sure about Estelle, I knew that Iris tended to be quite cautious.
In fact, it had been strange how quickly she’d opened up to me in the first place.
“Um… if we’re being a bother or anything… it’s fine if we go separately…”
Mancy spoke hesitantly, clearly reading the atmosphere.
“No, it’s fine. They both said it’s okay, didn’t they? This is how you build friendships.”
As expected, I was the only one stepping in to mediate.
The truth was, they probably just wanted Mancy and the others to leave so they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.
“Why don’t you tell us more about your duchy while we’re on the way? Earlier, we only got to hear about the class.”
“Oh! Sir Theo, are you interested in my duchy?”
“Yes, I’ve been curious. I was born and raised in the Deir Viscounty, so I haven’t seen much outside of it.”
In reality, places like the Imperial capital or the Holy Empire were locations I knew quite well because they frequently appeared in the game.
But the Grandy Duchy where Mancy was from had never been mentioned in the game, which made me all the more curious.
“Hmm, our duchy is a mountainous region, so we manage ski resorts during the winter. If you ever come skiing in the winter, you’ll get to see some beautiful snowy mountains.”
Oh, a ski resort?
I’d never been skiing before, either in my past life or this one, but it definitely sounded like something worth trying at least once.
“That sounds great. How about the five of us visit the Grandy Duchy together this winter?”
I deliberately emphasized “five” as I spoke, and Estelle and Iris seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding.
Well, in the end, they always went along with whatever I suggested.
I felt a little bad seeing how uncomfortable they seemed, but building connections was one of the key reasons we had come to the academy in the first place, wasn’t it?
Eventually, they’d thank me for this. I was sure of it.
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