Chapter 42
After they finished their tea, Alisa came to collect their cups . Lilia stood from her seat, getting Sera’s attention .
“Now then, Sera . Before anything else, there are some things I must have you do . ”
Sera was a little surprised, but nodded firmly . The slightly frightened expression on her face bothered Lilia, but she reluctantly ignored it .
“Go and apologise to Tina . ”
When Lilia said that, Sera was lost for words, and her face immediately paled . For a noble—especially a high-ranking noble—her reaction was easy to understand . Why should I have to lower my head to my inferior? She was probably thinking something of that nature . Lowering your head to lower-ranking nobles and commoners was thought of as nothing short of humiliation .
“Sera . I’ll say this right now . ”
“Yes…”
“If I’m going to be responsible for you from now on, stop looking down on lower-ranking nobles, commoners, and the like . ”
Likely not expecting those words, Sera gulped and nodded gravely .
—Try your best too, Lilia .
—I know that…
Lilia didn’t realise she’d been looking down on her surroundings that much, but it seemed that those around her saw her differently . It was something she still needed to work on, she supposed .
“Now then, let’s go . I won’t allow you to refuse . ”
When Lilia said as much, Sera rose from her chair in resignation .
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As usual, the moment Lilia stepped foot on the second floor, the students around her fell completely silent . However, seemingly starting to get used to her presence, they soon went back to their own conversations . This time, Sera was with her, but perhaps because her presence wasn’t as startling as Lilia coming down here, nobody took any further notice of them .
“You just entered the room, Mistress Lilia, and yet nobody has greeted you…!”
“Sera, stop it . ”
“Ah…I didn’t…please excuse me . ”
Sera meekly lowered her head . Lilia sighed and crossed over the second floor entrance . She could feel a few gazes lingering on her, but that was it .
When they arrived in front of Tina’s room, Lilia immediately knocked on the door .
“M-Mistress Lilianne…!”
“What? It’s not as if you need to prepare yourself . Just acknowledge your mistake and apologise for it . ”
“That…might be so, but…”
Sera was chewing the inside of her cheeks, looking as if she wanted to say something, but Lilia took no notice of it . Eventually, the door opened, and Tina came out . When she saw Lilia, Tina smiled, and when she noticed Sera, her expression turned to confusion .
“Lilia, what brings you here? Who is this…?”
“Sera Valdia . She’s from the Earl Valdia family . She’s one of the people who sent you those inane letters . ”
When she heard that, Tina’s eyes opened wide, and she fixed her gaze on Sera . Sera awkwardly looked away, so Lilia glared at her slightly . Sera immediately rectified her attitude .
“Um…Miss Tina…”
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“Y-Yes!”
Tina yelped her reply and straightened her back . Sera aside, Lilia wondered what Tina was so nervous about . Incidentally, Sakura was trying to hold back her laughter inside Lilia’s mind . Was there really something all that amusing happening here?
“A few days ago, I did something very disrespectful . Please accept my deepest apologies . ”
Sera lowered her head, and Tina visibly hesitated, wondering how she should respond . Lilia lending a hand to Tina—is something she didn’t do, and she instead quietly watched over the interaction between the two .
“Um… You don’t need to worry about me, so it’s alright…”
“Thank you very much . ”
Hearing Tina somehow force those words out, Sera answered her as such with her head lowered . After that, there was an awkward silence that stretched on for some time . Tina looked to Lilia for help, but Lilia pretended not to notice .
“Well…umm…”
Tina thought for a little while, and spoke .
“If you like…please come in . ”
The two of them were invited into Tina’s room .
As expected, Tina didn’t have three chairs in her room, so she asked Sera to sit on the bed and Lilia to sit at her study desk . This was probably Tina’s way of being considerate of Lilia, but she ignored her and sat next to Sera . This time, Sera was the one out of sorts, but Lilia paid it no mind .
However, likely feeling sorry for Sera, Tina said this with a wry smile .
“Lilia . I feel sorry for Miss Sera, so sit over here . ”
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“I suppose it can’t be helped…”
Lilia sat in the chair, and Sera breathed a sigh of relief . Seeing that, Tina smiled .
“I’m surprised, though . I can’t believe you suddenly brought her over here…”
“This is the sort of thing you should apologise personally for, right? I’ll bring along the other five people too, at some point . ”
“No, it’s fine . In fact, please don’t . That’s way too much pressure…”
Is that how it is, Lilia thought to herself, finding her reaction strange . But it couldn’t be helped, so Lilia acquiesced .
“Still, you didn’t need to go this far for me, Lilia . ”
“I simply did as I wished to do . It’s not something you need to worry about, Tina . ”
“Geez… Lilia, despite everything you’re saying, you really are nice . ”
When Tina said that with a wry smile, Sera, who was sitting next to her, raised her head . Probably because she looked up so vigorously, Tina was surprised . Sera looked directly at Tina and said,
“Miss Tina… You, you understand…”
“E-Eh? What do I understand?”
“Mistress Lilianne’s kindness!”
Sera stood up and shouted this . Lilia was dumbfounded, but Tina’s lips curled into a smile .
“Yeah! Lilia is kind, isn’t she? I wonder why other people don’t seem to understand that?”
“It’s exactly as you say! They must all be blind . I misunderstood you, Miss Tina . You see the real Mistress Lilianne . We must talk more!”
“Right you are! Yes, yes! Let’s talk much, much more!”
I wonder why . They started getting overly excited when the topic of Lilia came up . In front of the person herself, no less . Lilia wanted them to think about her feelings a little . At first, Sakura was dumbfounded along with Lilia, but now she was roaring with laughter .
—Hey, Sakura . Hasn’t this become a hassle? Why are these two putting me on a pedestal?
—Ahaha! I think it’s fine! You’re kind, Lilia, so you should overlook these things!
—With just Tina before, it was already a hassle…but now there’s another one…
—Rather, since they’ve begun meshing so well it’s making the situation even worse! The chemical reaction it’s caused will raise the hassle by at least threefold!
It seemed Sakura was really enjoying the current situation . Lilia heaved a heavy sigh, and looked to the heavens .
—Sakura . Do something .
—The fact that you’re loved is a good thing . Hang in there, Lilia . Ah, but if they end up making a fan club, I’m not giving the #1 spot away . That’s mine .
—It’s starting to feel like you stopped joking a while ago…
Feeling a headache coming on, Lilia pressed her finger to her forehead and sighed deeply .