Chapter 57

Released:

The incredibly awkward atmosphere continued all the way to the magic class.

“Does Mancy go skiing every winter?”

“Yes, that’s right. I ski, snowboard, and enjoy all kinds of winter sports.”

As someone who had grown up in a mountainous region, Mancy naturally loved winter sports, and Theo was brimming with curiosity about her.

Estelle and Iris also wanted desperately to join the conversation, but having grown up in the capital city with its mild climate, they were quite unfamiliar with winter sports.

“Oh! I once went skiing in some beautiful snowy mountains. Though not as beautiful as the Grandy Duchy, of course!”

Suddenly, Velia chimed in, as if the memory had just come to her and she inserted herself between Mancy and Theo to bring up skiing.

“Oh my! Velia, do you enjoy skiing as well?”

Mancy’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Velia.

“Yes! Even though it was my first time, I remember having so much fun.”

“In that case, why don’t you come to our duchy next time and ski together? Since it’s a ski resort operated by our duchy, I’ll make sure you can ski as much as you like for free!”

Mancy who was clearly thrilled eagerly began chatting with Velia about skiing.

Watching this, Estelle and Iris thought that perhaps Mancy wasn’t only interested in Theo, but even so, they couldn’t afford to lower their guard.

She could just be acting like this to lower our defenses.

Though neither of them were the type to look down on people, anything involving Theo seemed to make it much harder to maintain their usual perspective.

Even good people were subject to suspicion when it came to him.

“Estelle, Iris, have either of you ever been skiing?”

Mancy who was considerate enough to include even the two who had been left out of the conversation didn’t seem like a bad person at all.

“Oh, no. I’ve never tried any winter sports.”

“Neither have I. I usually spend most winters within the palace grounds.”

“I see. Then why don’t you all come visit this winter vacation? You can try skiing and snowboarding! I’ll teach you everything!”

Mancy looked to be genuinely happy at the idea of inviting her friends to her duchy. This left Estelle and Iris nodding along before they even realized it.

“It seems like class is about to start, so why don’t we all focus now?”

Mancy, who had been chatting away eagerly until that moment, fell silent and nodded when Theo spoke up.

Theo really is calm and mature.

Mancy found herself liking Theo quite a bit.

The Grandy Duchy, where she had grown up, was one of the regions known for not making a significant distinction between commoners and nobles.

Because of that, it had been easy for Mancy to open her heart to Theo from the start. Whether someone was a commoner or a noble, Mancy naturally wanted to befriend anyone who was as composed and mature as Theo.

He might even be… a little cool.

Of course, the feelings she had for Theo this time were a little different from her usual ones.

Unlike other peers she had met since becoming an adult and entering the academy, Theo’s composed and mature demeanor had been enough to captivate Mancy’s heart.

But Estelle and Iris are always by his side.

With two stunningly attractive, kind, and charismatic women always near Theo, Mancy didn’t even entertain the thought that his attention might ever turn to her.

Even if the opportunity arose, she wanted to give it her all. But to be honest, she doubted she’d even get that chance.

“Sir Theo, is this how you do it?”

“No, Estelle. This way is a bit more efficient.”

What’s more, no matter how she looked at it, Theo seemed much more natural and suited to being with Estelle or Iris than he ever did with her.

I’m jealous. If only I were the Saintess or the Crown Princess, maybe I could have been more confident….

As Mancy became lost in such thoughts, distracted from the lesson, Velia noticed and gave her a light nudge.

“Mancy, what are you thinking about so deeply? Could it be… Theo?”

Velia’s words hit the mark, and Mancy’s face flushed red as she awkwardly shook her head.

“Wh-What are you talking about, Velia…!”

“Oh, come on, it’s written all over your face. Besides, you’ve been staring at Theo nonstop since earlier.”

Velia spoke in a hushed tone, making sure no one else could hear their conversation. In the end, Mancy gave in and nodded her head.

“Yes, it’s true. Sir Theo is so mature and composed… I can’t help but be drawn to him.”

“Well, Theo does have that side to him.”

The way he led the swordsmanship class with such poise and authority was the very image of a leader.

Even Velia, who already liked Brandy, had felt her heart flutter slightly when she saw him in action. It was only natural that Mancy would be drawn to someone like Theo.

“But Sir Theo has both Estelle and Iris by his side.”

“Really? I heard the three of them are just friends.”

“Oh, come on. It’s so obvious that they’re not just friends.”

To Mancy, the feelings Estelle and Iris had for Theo were clear as day.

It was impossible not to notice, especially since their hearts mirrored her own.

“With two incredible women like them vying for his affection, there’s no way he’d ever notice me.”

“But you’re an amazing person too, Mancy! Don’t give up so easily!”

To Velia, Mancy was one of the most remarkable people she’d ever met.

After all, it was rare for a noble to treat commoners with as much kindness and respect as Mancy did.

Even at the academy, which emphasized equality, most nobles remained steeped in aristocratic ideals. Mancy, however, was different. To Velia, Mancy perfectly embodied the academy’s vision of equality.

“I’m on Mancy’s side.”

“Thank you, Velia. But I’m not planning to be greedy. Just being able to stay by his side as a friend is enough for me.”

She had no intention of forcing her feelings on Theo.

All she wished for was to remain by his side as a friend for as long as possible.

“What are you two talking about so secretly?”

Estelle, who had been focusing on the lesson, noticed Mancy and Velia whispering and decided to join in on their conversation.

“Oh, it’s nothing. We were just talking about how nice it would be to stay at our cabin retreat this winter.”

Estelle quickly realized from their awkward expressions that they had been talking about something entirely different. However, she chose not to press the matter or question them further.

“A cabin retreat! That sounds so romantic!”

Of course, while she didn’t ask, Estelle had a fairly good idea of what they’d been discussing.

They were probably talking about Theo.

Just as Mancy had easily picked up on Estelle and Iris’s feelings, Estelle, too, had some understanding of Mancy’s feelings.

She had figured it out while walking with them and observing Mancy’s interactions with Theo during their conversations.

Mancy is definitely a good person. But that doesn’t mean I can give up Sir Theo’s side to her.

Being a good person and being the one who stood beside the person she loved were two entirely different things.

Theo’s side was a place where she, or at the very least, someone like Iris, belonged.

That was what Estelle firmly believed.

No matter how good a person Mancy was, Estelle simply couldn’t see her as someone worthy of standing beside Theo.

If someone better than us were to appear… in that case, I might be able to give up Theo’s side. But…

She was convinced that such a person would not appear easily.

After all, in terms of status alone, it would be difficult for someone of higher standing than them to show up and fall for Theo.

If it’s someone like Iris’s new stepmother, then I suppose she might be of higher status than us… but if that woman liked Theo, there’s no way I’d step aside.

There was no way she could hand Theo over to a married woman.

Besides, considering that Iris didn’t particularly like her stepmother, Estelle was quite certain that the woman wasn’t a good person, which only strengthened her resolve.

“Iris, Iris.”

Whether Iris was aware of Estelle’s complicated thoughts or not remained a mystery.

Iris had taken the seat next to Theo and seemed fully focused on the lesson.

“Yes? What is it, Estelle?”

Since they were in the middle of class, Iris replied quietly, and fortunately, Theo didn’t notice their conversation.

“I think we need to form an alliance.”

“…An alliance?”

The idea of Estelle proposing an alliance struck Iris as a bit odd. She frowned slightly but she was curious about what Estelle meant.

“Oh, come on. Are you dense? What kind of alliance could it possibly be in this situation? Of course, it’s an alliance to protect Theo’s side.”

“I’m not dense. So, you mean protecting Sir Theo’s side… from Mancy?”

Iris wasn’t clueless; she was well aware of the feelings Mancy had for Theo.

“For now, yes.”

“For now?”

“There’ll be more situations like this in the future, won’t there? Sir Theo is kind of… attractive, isn’t he?”

“Well, that’s certainly true.”

Iris agreed, nodding seriously with a thoughtful expression.

“So, what should we do?”

“We need to make it clear to everyone that we are Sir Theo’s rightful companions!”

“R-Rightful companions? But we’re not in that kind of relationship with Sir Theo yet, are we?”

“And what if we just sit by and watch while someone else takes Sir Theo’s side? What will you do then?”

Estelle spoke with exaggerated seriousness, and Iris who was swayed by her argument nodded gravely as well.

“You’re right… I wouldn’t like that. So, how can we make it clear that we’re his rightful companions?”

“We’ll use rumors. Rumors,”

Iris tilted her head at Estelle who smiled faintly.

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