LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 80
Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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Although Amelia hastily called Adele to persuade her, it seemed to me that Amelia was at a loss as to how to convince Adele.
What should I do?
It was all my fault. If I hadn’t brought up the class to Adele, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have made such a bombshell remark, and Adele wouldn’t have been hurt. Amelia would have had a little more time to think and could have come up with a better way to support Adele.
If only I had thought things through a little more, I might have been able to stop the fight between Amelia and the Crown Prince in a better way.
In the end, I had dragged an innocent person into my problem.
“……”
A somewhat awkward silence filled the carriage on the way back to the mansion with Adele.
Amelia’s carriage, befitting that of a grand duke’s daughter, was luxurious. It was pulled by four horses, and although designed to accommodate four passengers, it was incredibly spacious. There was no chance of knees touching when sitting across from one another.
The issue was that such extravagance would likely rub Adele the wrong way, given her pride had already been wounded due to her family’s circumstances. To begin with, we didn’t even know how Adele had traveled to the Tower of Magic. Since her family didn’t have a dedicated coachman or carriage, she must have either rented a carriage or walked.
Ah, what should I do?
While I was lost in thought, the carriage arrived at our mansion.
…The mansion looked excessively large for just two people to live in. Naturally, it was bigger than the Carlins’ mansion. While the Carlins’ mansion was truly their family home, this was more like a villa for the Grattanmount family, with the main residence in the Grattanmount estate.
Maybe we should have gone to Adele’s house instead?
But Amelia must have had her reasons for inviting Adele here.
Thinking as such, I glanced at Amelia, but her expression wasn’t particularly bright.
At that unfortunate moment, a maid came out to greet us, which only highlighted the glaring disparity between Adele’s and Amelia’s households.
Adele greeted the maid politely and exchanged pleasantries with other servants we encountered on our way to the room, but the stiff atmosphere refused to lift.
Finally, we reached Amelia’s room and sat around a table, with a brief silence falling among us.
Both Amelia and Adele seemed to be deep in thought. Adele seemed to be waiting to see what Amelia would say, while Amelia looked like she was agonizing over what to say to start a smooth conversation with Adele.
“……”
And there I was, being anxious between the two.
In this situation, it was only natural for me to speak first. After all, I was the one who had caused this situation.
But then, how should I phrase it? Simply apologizing didn’t seem right. It would only bring up Adele’s earlier experience unnecessarily.
Then—
“A-Adele!”
“Yes?”
When I suddenly called her name loudly, Adele blinked in surprise and looked at me. She hadn’t expected me to suddenly speak up.
“I-I have a favor to ask. Would you mind hearing me out?”
Amelia, too, widened her eyes and looked at me, but fortunately, she didn’t stop me. Whether it was because she trusted me that much or was simply taken aback by my sudden outburst, I didn’t know.
Honestly, I was startled by myself for calling out to Adele so abruptly.
Wasn’t this just like earlier? Back when I had called Adele suddenly to stop Amelia and the Crown Prince, only to say something strange.
But I couldn’t just remain silent after opening my mouth.
Thankfully, it was only the three of us here—Amelia, Adele, and me. Even if I said something foolish, it wouldn’t reach anyone else’s ears.
And wasn’t it better for my image to take a hit than Amelia’s?
“Would you… be willing to attend the Tower of Magic with me?”
“……”
Adele, who had been staring blankly with her mouth slightly open, blinked once before slowly starting to speak.
“May I ask… the reason for such a request?”
“Well, that is…”
I darted my eyes around, desperately piecing together thoughts in my head.
“I… I think I have to attend that class. Lady Amelia will be taking the lessons too, and since I’m her escort… Besides, since the Tower of Magic Master personally spoke to me, if I don’t attend, rumors might spread that I’ve fallen out of favor with him…”
As I rambled on, I realized how feeble my excuses sounded. But what could I do? Those were the only reasons I could think of.
Even Amelia paused with her teacup in hand, staring at me blankly. Seeing her slightly open mouth—uncharacteristic of her—made it clear that she also found my explanations awkward and strange.
Well, at least I’d ensured my own image would take a hit.
But isn’t that better than Amelia’s image getting tarnished?
Despite feeling my face flush with heat, I continued to stammer through my explanations.
“H-However, I’m incapable of using magic because of my background. I also don’t know many people in the royal capital… If I do take the lessons, Lady Amelia will be the only person I know. And failing to keep up with the class under those circumstances would be so embarrassing… So I thought, if I had at least one more friend attending with me, it’d be better…”
Ah, this was my limit.
Anyone sitting beside me would surely notice my face turning red. Since my skin was rather pale, any rush of blood made it appear almost scarlet.
“……”
When I finished, Amelia and Adele stayed silent for a while. I hesitantly raised my head to glance at their faces. Thankfully, neither of them looked angry at hearing my nonsense.
Wait, was that really a good thing? They weren’t angry, but their expressions were dazed, as if unsure how to process this situation.
“May I speak now, following Elsie’s comments?”
The first to regain composure was Amelia.
“Oh, yes.”
At Amelia’s voice breaking the silence, Adele blinked a few times before nodding, seeming to have snapped out of her daze.
At least her expression had softened compared to when we first arrived.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking along similar lines as Elsie. Fortunately, I have a lineage that allows me to use magic, and I don’t think my magic skills fall behind others… But I’ve only just started participating in social activities in the royal capital. Of course, I’m not opposed to making new friends, but maintaining relationships with those I’ve already befriended seems just as important.”
“……”
Adele’s expression grew more serious. It was much better than when she’d heard the Crown Prince’s earlier remarks about unilateral support.
“You might have already noticed, but I’m not particularly sociable. I intend to make new friends, but I can be quite picky about people. So, compared to other noble young ladies, I’ll likely take much longer to expand my social circle. That’s why I’d prefer to keep the friends I’ve already made, like Lady Carlins, close by.”
“So…”
“So, I’d like to support Lady Carlins’ tuition.”
“……”
“Of course, it won’t be free support.”
Before Adele could voice any objections, Amelia spoke again.
“The reason nobles sponsor the Tower of Magic and its mages is because they trust they’ll eventually be repaid for their support—whether through the services of the mages trained there or the results of the tower’s research. I feel the same. I’m investing in Lady Carlins because I see potential in her.”
Amelia smiled at Adele as she continued.
“The Grattanmount family’s greatest source of income is gold. And gold is never distributed for free. That’s something I learned while living in my family. So, if I provide support to Lady Carlins, I fully intend to claim every bit of it back someday.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
A smile played at the corners of her mouth.
It was an expression that suggested she had a hidden agenda.
It was a face Amelia rarely wore, but—
“Understood. In that case, I’ll give it some thought.”
—at least it was one that suited this occasion.
Sometimes, a well-defined ‘transaction’ was more trustworthy than an unexplained act of kindness.
And it allowed one to preserve their pride as well.