Chapter 325

In the end, Ellen changed back into her training clothes.

She was very angry.

She couldn’t stand the whole situation, and was filled with frustration.

Above all else, she was annoyed that she hadn’t been able to show off what she had wanted to, and Reinhart found the situation amusing.

She had said she would show him the dress, but when she realized she couldn’t put it on by herself and grew angry, he found her reaction amusing.

However, there was something else curious about Reinhart’s reaction.

When she’d said that she couldn’t put on the dress by herself, Reinhart responded with “I see” instead of asking why, as if he had some experience putting on one himself.

Of course, that couldn’t be the case.

Anyway, Reinhart seemed to understand that it was inevitable that she couldn’t show it to him.

They were in the dining hall.

During the festival period, both had been busy, so it had been a while since they had a late-night snack together. So, Reinhart suggested they make something to eat, and brought Ellen to the dining hall.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Beef stew.”

“Alright.”

Ellen, still feeling frustrated, ordered a dish that was time-consuming and bothersome to make. That day, though, Reinhart seemed willing to do anything, and nodded without complaint. Ellen was a little surprised. She’d expected at least a few grumbles.

Ellen watched quietly as Reinhart entered the kitchen and began preparing the meal.

She had wanted to show him how she looked in the dress, but in the end, she couldn’t.

But was that really important?

Chop, chop, chop.

Watching Reinhart start chopping vegetables, Ellen smiled. She quietly observed him cooking.

Not long after, a yawn from the hallway made Ellen turn her head.

“Oh, Ellen?”

Harriet was walking down the hallway, looking extremely tired as she made eye contact with Ellen. Perhaps she had been working late in the Magic Research Lab.

Seeing Ellen sitting in the dining hall, Harriet slowly approached her.

“What are you doing up so late...” she started to say, but then looked towards the kitchen, and her eyes widened.

“Reinhart?”

Her surprise was short-lived.

Ellen saw Harriet’s eyes flare up with anger.

“Hey!”

Harriet marched into the kitchen, her voice sharp.

—Huh, what?

—You! Where have you been today?

—Uh... what? Why are you asking all of a sudden?

—You wandered off without saying anything! Why didn’t you come to the contest?

—Uh... well, you see...

—What? Speak up!

—I had... There were some circumstances...

—Circumstances, my foot! You jerk!

—Ah, ah! Why are you hitting me? What did I do wrong? I’m holding a knife, you know? Huh? I’m holding a kni—ow!

—You jerk! You jerk!!!

Ellen observed as Harriet, her face turning red with anger, pounded on Reinhart’s back. Ellen stood there, dumbfounded.

She should have been the one angry at Reinhart. Instead, Harriet was the one whose face was red with rage and was scolding him furiously.

—Y-You’re seriously hitting me? Just because I let you hit me, you think you can just hit me whenever? Should I show you my strength too? Huh?

—Ha... Shouldn’t you be grateful that I’m just hitting you? Do you want me to use my special abilities? Want to try me?

—No, no... that’s not what I meant...

—Then take it quietly! It’s not like it hurts when I hit you anyway!

—It’s gonna hurt if you keep hitting me like that!

Harriet’s anger was extreme.

Ellen thought Harriet should have been glad that Reinhart hadn’t shown up. But Harriet was genuinely furious, and was hitting him repeatedly.

It was strange.

Ellen thought she understood why Harriet was so angry.

Harriet cared about Reinhart deeply, and she was worried about the hurt Ellen had felt that day.

That was why Harriet had hugged Ellen—not to congratulate her on winning Miss Temple, but to comfort her.

Ellen found herself unable to summon her anger.

Harriet was getting angry on Ellen’s behalf, and to Ellen, that was amusing. It was also heartwarming, and it made Ellen feel sorry. So very sorry.

Ellen laughed. She laughed as she wiped away her tears, not knowing why they came.

***

“I let you hit me a little, and now you’re trying to completely dominate me? Is that why you developed whatever that thing is?”

“Of course.”

The three of them sat around a pot of completed beef stew. Somehow, Harriet had joined them, but Ellen didn’t mind.

“It’s snowing,” Harriet said, looking out the dining hall window.

While Ellen and Reinhart had just returned, covered in snow, Harriet had been holed up in the Magic Research Lab.

“Want to eat on the terrace?” she asked.

Harriet seemed to be imagining the romantic scene of eating warm stew while watching the snow.

Harriet de Saint-Ouen had a subtle appreciation for such romantic notions.

“Sure.”

It didn’t seem like a bad idea, so they took the stew pot out to the dining hall terrace and placed it on a table there.

The night wind was cold, but not unbearable. The trio sat at the terrace table, each with a bowl of stew, eating slowly.

The snowfall was heavy, though not as bad as a blizzard.

It had been snowing for quite a while, and piles of snow had accumulated on the ground.

“Remember when we made that snowman?” Harriet said, smiling as she recalled the memory.

“It wasn’t a snowman; it was a snow-giant,” Reinhart corrected.

“Whatever, idiot!”

Ellen had made a snowman, while Harriet had made a giant snow figure.

They had re-entered the ancient castle of Epiacs and had discovered that it was haunted by ghosts. Harriet suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at both Reinhart and Ellen, her expression bright.

“Do you know what’s funny?”

“No? What is it? I am dying to know.”

“... Do you always have to have a go at everything I say? It’s really annoying!”

“Why are you so angry these days? That’s a problem too, you know?”

At Reinhart’s sarcastic remark, Harriet’s face turned red.

“Do you have to irritate someone at least once a day? Why are you like this?”

“... Strictly speaking, it’s not ‘someone,’ it’s you. I only do this to you. This only works with you.”

“Stop being so specific! It’s really annoying!”

Harriet’s lips trembled. Watching Reinhart’s expression as he teased Harriet was annoying, even for Ellen. Sometimes, even though that expression wasn’t directed at her, Ellen felt her fists clench just from watching.

“So, what’s the funny thing?”

“I forgot! You made me so mad that I forgot!”

Harriet huffed and took a spoonful of stew.

The stew was very hot, and she hadn’t let it cool properly before shoving it in her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she couldn’t spit it out. She flailed her arms and stomped her feet.

“Spit it out! What are you doing?”

Reinhart looked at her with a mix of pity and amusement, while Harriet, unable to spit out the stew due to her noble sense of etiquette, finally managed to swallow it after much flailing.

Harriet, looking pale, opened her mouth wide.

“My mouth is burnt...”

“It must be. Eat something cold.”

“Oh? Are you going to get me some water—Hey, what are you doing...?”

Harriet watched in horror as Reinhart scooped up some snow from the terrace railing and brought it over.

“Here, something cold.”

“You’re not... No, you wouldn’t... Surely not...”

Harriet had this tendency to be able to calculate exactly what crazy thing Reinhart might do in her head, but she often hesitated, thinking,

‘He wouldn’t

really

do that to me, would he?’

On the other hand, Reinhart was the kind of person who would do it without hesitation.

Wham!

“Ah!”

Harriet screamed in shock as Reinhart shoved the snowball directly into her mouth.

“Refreshing, isn’t it?”

“You... you... What did you just do to me...?”

Harriet, too stunned to react, stood there with snow all over her mouth while Reinhart burst into laughter.

When something completely unexpected happens, it takes a moment to even get angry. This was one of those moments.

But only for a moment.

With trembling hands, Harriet brushed the snow off her mouth, her face turning red with rage. She lunged towards Reinhart.

“You’re dead!”

Smack!

“Ouch!”

Thud!

A blue line of mana blossomed on Harriet’s forearm, and her punch sent Reinhart flying off the terrace and crashing to the ground.

***

“You’re actually crazy!”

“Well, if it’s hot, you need something cold. Isn’t that right?” said Reinhart, who had taken his seat again after climbing up via the terrace railing.

Despite her irritation, Harriet brushed the snow off Reinhart’s clothes.

“Anyway, if it was too hot, you should have spit it out. Why force yourself to eat it?”

“Unlike someone who grew up on the streets, I was taught to live with dignity.”

“Really? Does flailing around like a maniac and making weird noises count as dignified?”

“Fl-Flailing? You... you... And when did I ever do that?”

Reinhart mimicked Harriet’s earlier actions in an exaggerated fashion, twisting his body about, which only made her angrier. They had started bickering again.

When the two of them were together, they would bicker endlessly over trivial matters. Their exchanges, though lacking any real substance, made time fly by. Eventually, after a long back-and-forth, they both grew tired and went back to eating the stew in silence.

“It’s wonderful...” Harriet murmured absentmindedly as she gazed at the snowy landscape.

“Thank you.”

“... I wasn’t talking to you... Hmph. No, I’m not falling for it. Not this time.”

Despite her words, Harriet often found herself reacting to Reinhart’s casual remarks, as if she had built up some immunity but still couldn’t help herself.

It was a festival night, but it was not particularly noisy.

Just the three of them, quietly eating beef stew on a snowy night...

This was a common occurrence, and it wasn’t a particularly special day.

But Ellen knew that these moments wouldn’t last forever. There would come a time when they would not be able to spend time like this anymore.

When that day came, they would look back and realize that all the days they’d spent together were special.

At least, that was what she thought.

Perhaps all this was enough.

It had been so far, and if things continued like this, it would be enough. There was no need to want more, to be greedy.

Ellen found herself content with just this.

It was okay not to get any closer. As long as they didn’t drift apart.

“Hey, go get me some water.”

“A-Are you... ordering me around?”

“Who else would I be talking to?”

“Don’t order me around!”

“Come on, you eat what I make for free, but you can’t go get some water?”

“Ughhh, fine! I’ll get it!”

Reinhart was probably the only person in the world who treated the Grand Duchess like this. Even Ellen found Harriet’s reactions cute.

‘Grand Duchess...’

As that thought came to her, Ellen remembered a question she had forgotten.

“By the way, I have a question,’ Ellen said, tilting her head slightly.

“A question?” Harriet, who had come back with a bottle of water, looked at Ellen curiously.

“How do your parents know Reinhart?”

“Oh.”

“Oh... th-that...”

Seeing their awkward reactions, Ellen’s head tilted even more.

***

After hearing the detailed story from Reinhart, Ellen nodded.

“Oh... that senior?”

“Yeah.”

Ellen had known about Adriana’s sudden withdrawal, but did not know the details.

Of course, Reinhart did not go into the whole story. He just mentioned that certain circumstances had led him to visit her at the Duchy of Saint-Ouen and, on the way back, had stopped by the White Palace in Arnaria because of issues with the warp gate, which led to him becoming acquainted with them.

When Adriana’s name came up, Reinhart’s expression darkened slightly, but Ellen assumed it was out of concern.

Harriet, exasperated, vented to Ellen, “Isn’t he really strange? Even if he’s in the same Royal Class as me, does it make sense to show up at our palace out of the blue and knock on the door, asking for priority access to the warp gate?”

“... Yeah, it doesn’t.”

Arnaria wasn’t open to casual visits, the way a friend’s place was, and even if it were a friend’s house, visiting at such a late hour would be rude.

However, he hadn’t just got to visit a friend’s house; he had paid a visit to the palace of a nation in that manner.

“I was afraid you guys would kill me if I missed class without saying anything...” Reinhart muttered in a small voice.

Even more surprising to Ellen was that, despite such rudeness, the Grand Duke had actually opened the gates, and the entire family had welcomed him.

Ellen was curious, but the fact that Adriana was involved was unexpected. As she cast her mind back, Ellen vaguely remembered when Reinhart had visited the Duchy of Saint-Ouen.

Even so, the fact that he had traveled such a long distance in just one day was astonishing.

Ellen found Reinhart’s decisiveness almost mysterious. With her forgotten question now answered, the three of them resumed eating the stew.

However, Harriet soon pointed out something that she could see from their viewpoint on the terrace.

“... Uh, over there...”

The first-year dormitory was on the ground floor, and it was easier to see outside from the terrace.

In the direction which Harriet was pointing, Ellen saw someone who had been missing earlier on.

“... It’s that senior.”

Somehow, the situation was even stranger.

The senior who had just been mentioned, Adriana, was with her.

Olivia was walking towards the Royal Class dormitory, accompanied by Adriana.

Reinhart stood up abruptly and stared at them.

A strange mix of emotions flickered in Reinhart’s eyes, but Ellen couldn’t decipher them.

Olivia and Adriana also noticed the three of them watching from the terrace.

“Ah, Reinhart...” Olivia Lanche said.

“Junior...” Adriana said.

“Sorry, we’re a bit busy right now. Let’s talk later.”

Before Reinhart could say anything, Olivia hurriedly led Adriana to the dormitory entrance.

Harriet and Ellen watched them, puzzled, while Reinhart sat back down.

Olivia had gotten second place in the tournament, and she hadn’t even participated in Miss Temple.

And Adriana, who had withdrawn from the Temple suddenly, had returned to the Temple in the middle of the night, accompanied by Olivia.

“... What do you think happened to her today?”

“... I wonder.”

Reinhart took a sip of water.

“... I’ll ask later,” Reinhart said, taking another sip of water.

Ellen watched Reinhart closely.

Reinhart had gone all the way to the Duchy of Saint-Ouen when he heard of Adriana’s withdrawal.

There was no way Reinhart would just sit around quietly after saying that they’d talk later. Reinhart wasn’t that kind of person.

Ellen observed Reinhart as he stared in the direction Adriana and Olivia had gone.

She figured that Reinhart knew about something.

She didn’t pry, but she knew Reinhart well enough to know that.