Chapter 50: A Dizzying Change in Daily Life

────It’s been a week since the curtain came down on the sports festival that caused so much turmoil.

After winning the magic division, my surroundings have changed rapidly and I’ve become a popular figure in the school.

Daniel, who had attacked me twice, was expelled from the school and I regained my peaceful school life. …… Anyway, the people around me were very flattering.

“Hey! Isn’t that Charlotte-sama?”

“How do you do? What are you doing here?”

“Oh my! I love your hair ornament! It suits you very well, Charlotte-san!”

As I was walking down the quiet corridor after school, students from other classes came running towards me.

They were smiling and affectionate and quickly surrounded me.

I smiled fondly back at them as they continued to spit out compliments as if they were breathing them in.

I was just going to return a book to the library, but I got caught by a bunch of chatty girls….. To be honest, it’s nice to be pampered and it feels good, but it’s really tiring every day.

I understand that this is a luxury, but could you please do it once a week?

I sigh inwardly, as my facial muscles are dying from all the people talking to me every day.

As we walked down the corridor, talking about trivial things, one of the female students suddenly shouted ────.

“Oh! That’s right! Actually, we wanted to apologize to Charlotte-sama for something!”

The other two, as if caught by her clapping hands, nodded.

I don’t have any particular idea what it is that they want to apologize for. I tilted my head.

“The thing I want to apologize for is about… Scarlett-sama……”

My question deepened when they hesitantly mentioned my sister’s name.

What exactly is it that you want to apologize for about my sister…? Maybe you want to apologize for believing the rumors that were spread when you first entered the school? No, it seems too late for that. ……? I don’t see the point of digging all the way back up now…..

I don’t know what the purpose of the apology is and when I gave them a quizzical look, they hurriedly opened their mouths.

“I’m really sorry! Charlotte-sama has been making excuses for us all along….! We took the rumors to heart and ……!”

“I’ve heard that Charlotte-sama’s academic abilities have improved dramatically over the past two years! So Scarlett-sama, who lives in the dormitory didn’t even notice!”

“I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused by misinterpreting a misunderstanding caused by a small miscommunication…..! When I heard that fact earlier, I felt bad!”

The girls with moistened eyes put their hands on their chests and bowed their heads slightly.

My eyes went black and white at the change in these girls, who until just a few days ago hadn’t trusted my story at all.

What the heck is going on….? Yesterday, no matter how much I told them that it was a misunderstanding or that I had misspoken, they wouldn’t listen to me. ……

After the sports festival, while my reputation was on the rise, my sister’s reputation was on the decline.

It was so much that I couldn’t even see it …

She  was a member of the student council, so she wasn’t overtly avoided or treated coldly, but the backbiting was just too much.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that I was bullied, and I rushed to excuse her, but all I got was sympathy, “You were instructed to say that”.

This is exactly what I’ve been saying and I’m really confused about it. …… What does this mean?

How in the world can a rumor that even I, the victim, couldn’t fix be handled? I don’t think it’s possible unless you’re a very affected person────

“──── Charlotte-san, may I have a word?”

Suddenly, a voice called out to me from behind, and I turned around in a panic to see a beautiful young man with blond hair.

Wearing the badge of the student council officer, he smiled softly.

He has a lot of influence and there is only one person who can quash the rumors about my sister. That’s this person in front of me …….

“Of course. Your Royal Highness Prince Leonardo.”

With a soft smile, I responded to His Highness’ invitation.

I managed to move my recently overworked facial muscles and smiled at the girls who had taken the trouble to come and apologize.

“I don’t care about what happened to my sister Scarlett, so please don’t let it bother you. As long as you understand, that’s fine with me. However, I would appreciate it if you could spread the truth so that false rumors don’t spread any further.”

I asked the chatty little birds to do so and they nodded cheerfully.

They softened their expressions and said, “Well, we’ll be going now”. There was some sort of cheering from behind me, but I pretended not to have heard it. ……

I’m not aiming to become the Crown Princess, so that kind of support is not needed with me. I appreciate the sentiment, but it would be troublesome if people misunderstood me.

I stopped in front of His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, thinking that I didn’t want to face the storm of jealousy of an unmarried woman.

I tried to keep as much distance between me and His Highness as possible and let people know that we are not on the same page.

I didn’t think twice and refuse to initiate a source of jealousy like my sister did.

“Hello, Charlotte-san. I’m sorry for interrupting the conversation between friends earlier.”

“Good day, Your Royal Highness Prince Leonardo. I was just making small talk, so please don’t mind me.”

I put my hand on my chest, plucked the hem of my skirt a little and bowed gracefully.

His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, who is not very particular about etiquette, responded by raising his hand lightly.

Leaning against a nearby wall, he smiled calmly as usual.

“You did a great job at the sports festival. You are indeed Scarlett’s younger sister, aren’t you? Oh, and of course, Emilia-san and His Highness Grayson also did a great job. The quality of this year’s first-year students is high overall. As for His Highness Grayson, if he had been allowed to use his sword aura, he wouldn’t have been defeated in one shot.”

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t feel like I’ve won,” said Crown Prince Leonardo, who did not appear to be lying.

It seems that he’s seriously recognizing His Highness Grayson’s ability.

It’s honestly nice to hear His Highness Grayson being praised. Even though it’s not about me, I get excited.

His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo’s eyes narrowed as his cheeks naturally relaxed and he smiled at me.

“By the way, there is one thing I’d like to discuss with you. …… What kind of flowers do you think would suit me, Charlotte-san? The most popular rose? Or lilies? Oh, lavender would be nice too.”

His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, who asks me for my opinion in a very natural way, raises the corners of his mouth loosely.

His tone and demeanor were the same as usual, but his questions were clearly strange.

I don’t mean to say that it’s because he’s a man, but there are very few gentlemen who talk about flowers except as a gift for women. What kind of flowers do you think would suit me?

In other words, there is another intention behind this question. And that intention is probably to judge me.

“Lavender has a relaxing effect, right? So I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. What do you think, Charlotte-san?”

His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo, who hid his true feelings behind a smile, was both gentle and terrifying.

I realized once again that no matter how mild-mannered he seemed, this was a man who would become the future head of the Empire. I regretted now that I might have been rash in accepting His Highness’ invitation.

Lavender probably means me. And the roses and lilies probably refer to the candidates for the Crown Princess.

In that case, Crown Prince Leonardo’s question can be interpreted as ──── Who do you think is the right woman for me?

“…… I suppose so. I think lavender is a very beautiful flower. But, I think it is a little too plain for Your Highness. I think that roses and lilies are the best.”

I smiled, asserting that I was not suitable to be next to His Highness.

I’m not aiming for the position of Crown Princess, nor do I like Prince Leonardo, so to be honest, this kind of talk annoyed me.

“Do what you want without letting it get to me!” That’s what I really feel.

“Is that all you have to say? If that’s all you want to talk about, I’ll be going now. It’s almost time for the library to close…… I have to go return the books as soon as possible.”

I deliberately hugged the book with both hands and made a troubled expression.

Normally, it would be impossible for me to cut off a conversation with the royal family in the middle of the day, but now I could.

After all, I am the person who caught the attention of the Emperor! No matter who the crown prince is, he can’t touch me carelessly! Well, if I go too far, I’ll be hurt later, so I have to be careful!

“I see. I’m sorry I held you back. Thank you for answering my questions. It was helpful. I’ll talk to you some other time when I have a chance.”

“I am honored to be of service. I would be happy to speak with you again, should the opportunity arise.”

After bowing, I said, “Well, then,” and turned around.

And then I turned the corner of the corridor without looking back again.

Phew….. I was so nervous. I’ve known for a long time that he was no ordinary person, but I really can’t let my guard down. I could see that he wasn’t just a gentle Crown Prince.

Leaning against the wall and taking a breath, I earnestly hoped that I would never have to deal with him again.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter