bookpub Chapter 325
Chapter 325
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.
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.