C81
For now, Isidor experienced a strange phenomenon in which he could only see one person who seemed to be moving slowly among the large crowd of people.
"Oh, what? Heuk, I'm sorry."
"Just a very handsome person..."
"It surprised me."
He ran quickly through the crowd in the square and stopped in front of a woman wearing a black robe.
"......?"
In the robe, bright red eyes like rubies were wide open in surprise.
Isidor was surprised as well.
During the Spring Flower Festival, he was already aware of her usual destinations and routes, so even a quick glance was enough to identify her.
But now it was pure coincidence.
"Oh..."
As he watched her, his eyes blinked slowly.
Her long, violet eyelashes fluttered slowly like falling petals.
Perhaps because he had rushed, his heart was pounding, and his neck was burning.
"Sir Isidor?"
* * *
When I saw Isidor suddenly appear, it felt as if my pounding heart sank into a dark place.
"Why can't I ever get used to that beauty?"
And the clear smile I saw a moment ago was truly amazingly beautiful.
"Princess Deborah. I happened to run into you. What were you doing?"
He cleared his throat and asked.
"Oh, I'm just taking a walk. What about Sir Isidor?"
I felt embarrassed and spoke distractedly.
"I was on my way to the training ground."
Now that I think about it, the headquarters of the White Knights to which Isidor belonged was relatively close to the east gate.
"The fall semester begins next week."
Suddenly, I regained my senses because it reminded me of the start of classes without warning.
The academy's classes are divided into two semesters: the spring semester and the fall semester, and the fall semester starts next week.
"Did you have a good vacation?"
"Yes. What about Sir Isidor?"
If he was the key to uncovering the Master's identity according to my assumptions, I decided it would be better to be closer to him than to be vigilant.
"It was fine."
Isidor squinted his eyes and smiled faintly.
"Have I been too alert all this time? I'm glad it's nothing, so I felt like my conscience was stabbed for no reason."
"In fact, I've been busy paying attention to my colleagues for a while. It's all thanks to the princess wishing me luck in the jousting match."
"Congratulations on winning the match. My congratulations are a bit late."
"Everyone bet on Diery without thinking, but perhaps you also bet on him?"
"Well, it can't be. Sir Isidor was really amazing! Uh, uh."
My body stiffened when he hit the nail on the head.
When Isidor noticed my poor performance, absolute embarrassment appeared in Isidor's eyes.
"I said it as a joke, but is it true?"
"It's because the world of victory is cold."
I looked ahead.
"You also gave me your handkerchief... Of course, I thought you were cheering me on."
"Honestly, you're so handsome that I didn't know you were so talented."
"Suddenly you're flattering me."
Isidor would be tired of hearing that he was handsome, but he rubbed his long neck with a pleasant expression.
"You're very popular."
I thought it was a concert hall, not a jousting battleground.
"Did you know?"
"Ah, let's leave it at that. Is it okay if I don't go to the training center?"
"I still have plenty of time. I even received honor as a Knight by going to that annoying match, so even if I'm late, they'll let it pass."
"Annoying match?"
"Weren't you planning to go in the first place?"
His long, gloved fingers trembled.
It seemed like he spoke without thinking.
"Even if it's annoying, I tried to go because the prize was good. It was a rather useful sword."
"If it's for the prize, why didn't you participate in the jousting event?"
Since he's a third-generation heir, I think he can buy hundreds of swords. Besides, he's an only child, so he wouldn't have money scattered among siblings.
I looked at him skeptically, but Isidor stared at me in silence.
"Is it obvious that I'm lying?"
"Eh?"
"About the jousting match. I wanted to pretend to be cool in your eyes. Was it a bit childish?"
He spoke in a light tone, but I felt embarrassed as if I had received a strong blow to the side of my heart.
My brain started to refuse to think now. It was on strike.
"It's tea time, so why don't we go there?"
Isidor changed the subject and gestured to Armand.
"That... Yes, let's go, let's go."
If Isidor visited the store, the promotional effect would be high, so I planned to ask him to stop by the store.
"I'm a regular there. The atmosphere in the store is not bad."
In response to my words, he smiled.
"I should be a regular customer too."
"If the celebrity becomes a regular, that would be nice, but I still have a headache."
That day, I went home after being served tea and sharing a dessert with Isidor.
"It's strange."
I think I was trying to figure something out about him, but the conversation was trivial and clearly without any oddities. He ordered all the cakes by type and placed them in front of me.
Looking back, I felt confused because it felt like I was having something like a date.
"I felt like I was caught up in his rhythm."
I let out a sigh as I rubbed my flushed face and covered myself with the blanket.
--------------------------------
Knock, knock...
"Come in."
I was very tired after only three hours of sleep.
When I sat with a tired look and wrote the household accounts book, the servant suddenly appeared with a bunch of things.
"Why is there a gift all of a sudden?"
I felt amazed.
There was a box of high-quality tea leaves, and when I unwrapped it, I noticed that there was a congratulatory card from Isidor.
"Congratulations on being the best at the Academy."
The Fifth Princess also sent gifts and cards.
She sent chocolates and expensive-looking wines.
It seemed that everyone found out that I had become the best at the Academy, as if my name had been stuck on the Academy's Hall of Fame or something.
Not only a gift but also a letter for me.
I began to realize that my position was better than when I first fell into this devastating novel.
"At first, I didn't receive a gift or an invitation because no one liked me. But many things have changed."
The first letter came from Marquis Bert, the dean of the Department of Magic.
When the fall semester started, I was asked to visit the dean's office at least once.
In fact, I want to focus on business rather than my studies, but I was anxious thinking that if I neglected my studies, I might have to get married.
I don't know what business my uncle has with me, but there's nothing good in becoming enemies within the Academy, so I wrote a response saying I would visit soon.
And the rest was an invitation from the social club to a small tea party.
Tea party.
I assumed it was a group invitation written by the servants, but only now did I really feel like I was joining the social club.
The thesis study on mana, with only the Fifth Princess in a place resembling a haunted house, was the only activity I did in the club, so it was quite exciting for me.
"What should I wear?"
That afternoon, my exclusive designer, Helen, brought me a lot of clothing to wear during the fall semester despite my concerns.
The clothing lined up clearly showed the style that is popular in the recent social world.
It's really beautiful.
I was looking happily at the fabulous dresses, then I stopped at the last dress.
It was the most modern dress I had ever seen, maybe because it had a less decorative feel, and the fabric layout was bold.
Even if it were displayed in the big stores, there doesn't seem to be a great sense of discomfort.
While I stood still in front of this, Helen's expression suddenly turned white.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Prin-princess, it's a new style of dress I tried."
"Mmm."
"Of course, it may seem simple. But if you grab the ruching asymmetrically while giving a twist to the monotonous feel, it will give a clear cut to the sapphire blue, emphasizing its elegance."
"The skirt's width isn't that large, and the fabric is soft, so it looks quite comfortable."
"It's, it's a dress that doesn't match the princess's beautiful beauty, so I'll take it out of your sight..."
"Why are you getting rid of it? You can leave."
"Thank you, thank you! Then I'll leave first."
"Why are you saying thank you?"
Well, since my bad reputation is so high, there are many people who are grateful to me just for not doing bad things.
For example, the history professor.
Every time each class ended safely, he would say thank you repeatedly before leaving the reception room as if he were fleeing.
"Sorry all the time, but the life of a notorious villain is not so bad."
I nodded with crossed arms.