Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 22: Taming the Student Council President (3)

There was only one time when Lady Ruby, who was always healthy, suffered from a high fever.

Even after two years, I vividly remembered how hard it was to nurse her back to health.

At the time, I was so flustered by the unfamiliar sight of her bedridden that I couldn’t stop sniffling in panic.

Looking at Citrine lying on the pristine white bed in the infirmary reminded me of those memories.

The infirmary teacher, who was examining Citrine's condition, looked at me and said:

"Her fever has gone down quite a bit compared to before. Let her rest here until she feels better."

"Yes, thank you."

Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious, just a common cold.

I was told that her immunity had weakened significantly, so her symptoms might persist for a few days.

‘She got this sick without saying a word…’

With her hair completely untied, Citrine looked like an ordinary, adorable young lady from a noble family.

Maybe it was because she didn’t have her usual pigtails, or perhaps because she was too drained, but her impression seemed unexpectedly gentle.

About two hours passed since she had been lying down when she quietly stirred and opened her eyes.

I spoke to her as she moved.

"Get some more rest. Your fever hasn’t gone down completely yet."

"…Ah, commoner. It’s you."

The first thing she said upon waking to the person who had been caring for her was, "Ah, commoner."

Looking around with a confused expression, she asked:

"…What’s this? Why am I here?"

"You collapsed right in front of me."

When I explained the situation to her, Citrine made a troubled expression.

"…So, I was just being a loser."

I could only marvel at her calling herself a loser now.

"Anyway, thank you. I’ll get back to work now."

"And where do you think you’re going?"

I quickly stopped Citrine, who was trying to get up, and gently pushed her back onto the bed.

"…Why?"

"You absolutely can’t move until your fever is gone. Do you want to collapse again?"

"But I have so much to finish by today…"

Citrine tried to force herself up but swayed again, only to be caught by me.

"…!"

"…See? I told you to rest."

"…Fine."

I thought she’d argue more, but once she made contact with me, she became docile.

Now, she seemed too exhausted even to complain, lying back down with a resigned look on her face.

Her voice lacked its usual vigor, to the point where I questioned if she was the same person.

"President."

"…Yes?"

"…Why do you work so hard?"

"…"

Citrine stared at the ceiling with a complicated expression before she finally opened her mouth.

"…When I first joined the student council, everyone got along really well. Everyone was eager to take on responsibilities, full of enthusiasm."

"But now…why?"

After a long silence, she spoke with a heavy expression.

"…They were all dismissed. Except for me."

"Dismissed? What do you mean?"

"Student council positions aren’t permanent. If you can’t maintain top grades, you lose your qualifications quickly."

"Disqualified…?"

This was a fact I hadn’t known, as it wasn’t something that typically happened in the game.

"The current members in the council were all newly appointed."

It seemed the current student council, excluding Citrine, had undergone several complete overhauls.

"I’m good at memorizing, so it wasn’t hard for me, but I guess it was tough for them."

Most students who managed to join the council found it hard to balance its intense workload with academics, causing their grades to drop inevitably.

Surprisingly, Citrine had the highest intelligence stat among all the heroines.

Her physical abilities and eloquence were abysmal, but her memorization skills were almost genius-level.

"…I didn’t know it was that difficult to maintain a council position."

"The top ranks change quickly, so those students have no choice but to study like their lives depend on it."

Frequent changes in council members were apparently a common occurrence.

The problem was that Citrine had to hold her position alone all this time.

"I only just got close to the current council members. I don’t want to lose them again after finally becoming friends."

"…So, you’re shouldering all the work on your own?"

"…Yes. I insisted on doing it."

It was astonishing that her fellow members let her take on all the work, and equally impressive that Citrine managed to handle such an impossible task.

Ironically, her actions, meant to bring them closer, only created more distance.

She must have done it to get along with them in her own way.

"President. Even if it’s just a little, please start sharing the workload with the other members."

"That’s impossible. If I don’t handle it, someone else will…"

Listening to her, I spoke with a frustrated expression.

"…I don’t want you to suffer alone."

"…What?"

"Watching you overwork yourself is painful for the people around you."

Citrine looked slightly taken aback before lowering her head and murmuring.

"…I’m sorry."

I hadn’t said it to make her apologize.

I just wanted her to realize that her well-meaning actions didn’t always yield good results.

"If someone you care about is treated this way, anyone would feel upset."

"Someone I…care about?"

Citrine softly repeated my words, then pulled the blanket up to her face and asked:

"…I thought Amber hated me…"

"What? How could I hate someone as kind as you?"

"But I always scold you, call you a commoner, and call you a loser…"

"You do that to everyone. No one thinks you mean it."

"…"

Citrine, now almost entirely covering her face with the blanket, spoke in a barely audible voice.

"…I don’t dislike you either, Amber."

"Really? That’s a relief."

When I said that and placed my hand on her forehead, Citrine flinched in surprise.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Stay still. I’m checking your fever."

"Ah… okay."

Citrine’s gaze wandered strangely, unable to settle.

"That’s odd. It feels like it’s gone down compared to before."

As I leaned in slightly to check properly, she tightly shut her eyes.

"…"

Up close, her face was incredibly small.

Her demure posture reminded me of a doll.

As I brushed her bangs aside and stroked her forehead, my hands ended up touching her reddened ears.

"…Hmph…"

"…Did it feel cold?"

Given how hot her ears were, my hands might have felt cool to her.

"…N-No. You can keep going."

Although I confirmed that her temperature had gone down, I couldn’t stop myself from continuing, as if entranced.

Maybe I found it amusing how Citrine flinched every time I touched her small ears.

Using my fingers, I stroked the inner parts and gently fiddled with her earlobes.

"That should do it. Your fever has gone down quite a bit."

When I finally removed my hand, Citrine gave me a slightly suspicious look.

"…Was that really to check my fever?"

"Of course."

"That seems a bit fishy."

Her curt expression was somewhat amusing, and I was holding back a laugh when the infirmary door suddenly burst open with the sound of multiple footsteps.

I turned to face them and spoke with a surprised expression.

"Student council members…?"

They entered with somber expressions, looking at Citrine before bowing their heads and shouting.

"We’re sorry, Citrine…!"

"We’re sorry, President!"

Both Citrine and I were caught off guard by the sudden apologies.

"We heard from the previous council seniors that Citrine has been handling all the work alone because of us."

Heads bowed low, they all looked remorseful.

"We didn’t realize and took it for granted that the President was the only one struggling…"

Seeing them on the verge of tears, Citrine instead smiled and said kindly.

"It’s fine. It’s enough that you’ve realized it now."

I glanced at Citrine with a faint smile and added.

"Looks like you won’t be able to handle things alone anymore, President."

Citrine alternated her gaze between me and the members before asking me with a conflicted look.

"…Amber, are you sure this is okay?"

"Are you worried about their grades dropping?"

"…Yes. Honestly, they’re all total idiots from what I’ve seen."

She uttered harsh words without a care, yet no one pointed it out.

After pondering for a moment, I offered a suggestion based on what I’d observed about Citrine so far.

"Then how about doing this?"

"How?"

After that, the student council gradually regained its proper structure.

Everyone worked busily, helping each other out without leaving anyone behind.

"President, you used to handle all this work by yourself?"

"We were the absolute worst members ever…"

The incident seemed to have given them significant cause for reflection.

Citrine, meanwhile, continued to spend most of her time in her room, claiming she simply preferred dark spaces.

Still, it was noticeable that she communicated more with the members than before, which was a relief.

The biggest change came after the student council’s daily tasks were completed.

"It’s done…"

It was 5:30 p.m., and as everyone basked in the relief of finishing their work, the office door slammed open.

Citrine stormed in with an imposing aura and declared.

"Nobody’s leaving until you memorize all of this today. Get to it, you losers."

What she brought out was a monstrous stack of self-prepared assignments meant to help improve their grades.

One member grimaced and tugged at her hair in frustration.

"…I can’t remember this. What was it again…?"

Citrine’s sharp rebuke followed without hesitation.

"Is your brain made of sea anemones? You can’t even memorize that?"

"President, can I go to the restroom…?"

"With that pathetic excuse for a bladder, how do you expect to pass exams? Hold it."

Citrine supervised them closely, mercilessly berating them with dedication, and eventually, everyone’s grades improved significantly.

So… does that count as a good outcome?

At the very least, one person seemed visibly happier than before, so let’s call it a success.