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nChapter 325

nEllen changed back into her training clothes.

nEllen was extremely angry.

nThe situation itself was infuriating enough to make her want to burst with annoyance.

nWorse, she couldn’t show what she wanted to, while Reinhardt seemed to find the whole situation amusing, which made her even more upset.

nShe had promised to show him how she looked in a dress, but after realizing she couldn’t put it on by herself, she found his amusement infuriating.

nHowever, Ellen was somewhat puzzled.

nInstead of asking why, Reinhardt simply agreed when she told him she couldn’t put the dress on by herself.

nIt was as if he had experienced it himself.

nOf course, that couldn’t be possible.

nAnyway, it seemed Reinhardt understood that she couldn’t help but not show him how she looked in the dress.

nThe two were now at the dining hall.

nThey had both been busy during the festival, and it had been a while since they had a late-night meal together.

n“What do you want to eat?”

nTherefore, Reinhardt brought Ellen to the dining hall, suggesting they should eat something.

n“Beef stew.”

nAnnoyed, Ellen ordered a time-consuming and bothersome dish.

n“Alright.”

nHowever, Reinhardt nodded obediently, as if he would do anything for her today. Ellen was surprised since she expected him to complain.

nShe quietly watched Reinhardt as he entered the kitchen and began preparing something.

nShe wanted to show him, but in the end, she couldn’t.

nBut was that really so important?

nChop, chop, chop

nWhile watching Reinhardt start cutting, Ellen smiled. She kept observing Reinhardt as he cooked.

nHaaaaaah

nNot long after, Ellen turned her head to the sound coming from the hallway.

n“Oh, Ellen?”

nHarriet, looking very exhausted, met Ellen’s gaze while walking down the hallway. She must have been working late in the magic research room.

nSlowly approaching the dining table where Ellen was sitting, Harriet said:

n“What are you doing up so late…”

nShe tried to continue her sentence but widened her eyes upon seeing the kitchen.

n“Reinhardt?”

nSurprise was only momentary.

nEllen could see the veins popping out of Harriet’s eyes.

n“Hey!”

n“Uh, uh?”

nHarriet quickly walked to the kitchen and shouted in her clear voice.

n“You! Where have you been today?”

n“Uh… Um, why all of a sudden?”

n“You wandered around without saying anything! Why didn’t you come to the contest?”

n“Uh… Ah, well. That… There was a reason?”

n“What? Hurry up and tell me!”

n“There was… a situation…”

n“What situation? You jerk!”

n“Ah, ah! Wait! Why are you hitting me! I’m holding a knife, you know? I have a knife in my hand… Ack!”

n“You! Bad! Guy! Ah!”

nEllen saw Harriet’s face turn bright red as she pounded Reinhardt’s back. Ellen just stared blankly at the scene.

nShe should be the one who’s angry.

nInstead, Harriet’s face turned bright red with anger.

n“Are you seriously doing this with just strength? Strength! Huh? You’ve been hitting me non-stop lately, haven’t you? You want me to show you my strength? Huh?”

n“Uh… shouldn’t we be grateful that it’s only strength? How about with your special skill? You want to try it with that?”

n“No, no… that’s not what I meant…”

n“Then, just take it quietly! It’s not like it hurts when I hit you!”

n“But it will hurt if you keep hitting me!”

nHarriet was extremely angry.

nHarriet should have wished that Reinhardt wouldn’t come. Ellen thought so, but Harriet was earnestly furious and continued to pummel Reinhardt relentlessly.

nIt was strange.

nEllen thought she understood, to some extent, why Harriet was so angry.

nAs much as Harriet cherished Reinhardt, she must have been worried about the injuries she received today.

nThat’s why Harriet didn’t congratulate Ellen for winning Miss Temple, but instead comforted her with a hug.

nEllen could hardly get angry herself.

nHarriet was getting angry on Ellen’s behalf.

nIt was amusing to watch.

nAnd Ellen was grateful.

nAnd sorry.

nSo very sorry.

nEllen laughed.

nWhile laughing.

nShe didn’t know why tears were coming, but.

nEllen laughed and quietly wiped away her tears.

n——

n“So, are you going to try and eat me alive now that we’re a bit closer? Is that why you cooked that?”

n“Of course.”

nThe three of them gathered around a pot of beef stew that had been completed without them realizing. Harriet had joined them somehow, but Ellen didn’t find it uncomfortable.

n“It’s snowing outside.”

nHarriet mentioned while looking out the restaurant window. Both Ellen and Reinhardt had just come in from the snow, but Harriet seemed to have been cooped up in the magic laboratory.

n“Do you want to eat on the terrace?”

nHarriet seemed to imagine eating warm stew while watching the snowy scenery.

nHarriet de Saint-Owan valued a bit of romance.

n“Let’s do that.”

nNot seeing any harm in it, they went out to the restaurant terrace and placed the pot of stew on the table.

nThe night breeze was chilly, but it wasn’t too cold. The three of them sat at the terrace table, each scooping a bowl of stew and eating a little at a time.

nIt wasn’t a blizzard but rather a light snowfall.

nIt had been falling for quite a while, and a considerable amount had accumulated.

n“It reminds me of when we made snowmen.”

nHarriet said, smiling quietly as if reminiscing about that time.

n“It wasn’t a snowman, it was a snow giant.”

n“Anyway, you’re silly.”

nEllen made a human-sized snowman, while Harriet made a huge snow giant.

nAt that time, they entered the Epiaux fortress again and found out that it was a place haunted by ghosts. As if suddenly remembering something, Harriet’s expression changed, and she looked back and forth between Reinhardt and Ellen.

n“But you know what’s funny?”

n“No? I don’t know.”

n“Do you want to refute me directly? You’re really annoying!”

n“Why have you been so short-tempered lately? It’s like you have a disease or something.”

nAt Reinhardt’s teasing, Harriet’s face turned bright red.

n“Do you really have to get on someone’s nerves at least once a day? Why are you like this?”

n“Technically speaking, it’s just you. I only do this to you because it has to be you.”

n“Don’t use that kind of language in this context! It’s really annoying!”

nHarriet’s lips quivered. Watching Reinhardt’s expression as he continued to torment her was enough to make one’s blood boil. Even though his taunts were not directed at her, sometimes her fists would clench involuntarily.

n“So, what’s so funny?”

n“I don’t know! You made me so mad, I forgot!”

nHarriet huffed and scooped a spoonful of stew into her mouth.

n“!!!”

nOf course, she had not let the very hot stew cool down enough and ended up with wide eyes, unable to spit it out, flailing her arms and stomping her feet.

n“Spit it out! What are you doing?”

n“!!”

nReinhardt looked at her disdainfully, and Harriet, perhaps unable to spit out her food due to her noble dignity, struggled for a while before finally swallowing it.

n“My mouth is all burned…”

nHarriet opened her mouth wide, looking exhausted.

n“It must be hot, try eating something cold.”

n“What’s going on? Are you going to get water… hey, what are you trying to do…?”

n“Something cold.”

nHarriet face turned pale as she watched Reinhardt scoop up a handful of snow from the terrace railing.

n“You’re not… no, no way… no way…”

nHarriet knew such a thing was possible.

nShe could calculate in her head what crazy thing Reinhardt was about to do.

nBut even then, she couldn’t believe he would go that far with her.

nFor a moment, she didn’t react at all.

nAnd Reinhardt was, without a doubt, the madman who would actually do it.

n-Smack!

n“Kyah!”

nA snowball hit Harriet squarely in the mouth, causing her to scream in shock.

n“Feeling cooler?”

n“You, just, just now… what… what did you do to me?”

nWhen something unimaginable happens, sometimes anger can’t be expressed immediately, and this was one of those times.

nOf course, that was only for a moment.

nWith trembling hands, Harriet wiped the snow from her lips and, her face turning red, reached for Reinhardt.

n“I’ll kill you!”

n-Whack!

n“Ugh!”

n-Thud!

nA blue magic line appeared on Harriet’s forearm, and Reinhardt, hit by the shockwave, was flung off the terrace and slammed into the ground.

n——

n“You must be insane!”

n“No, if it’s hot, you should cool it down. Right?”

nReinhardt, who had been flung off the terrace and had climbed back up by grabbing the railing, sat down again.

nHarriet, still fuming, brushed the snow off Reinhardt’s clothes.

n“Anyway, if it’s hot, spit it out. Why do you force yourself to eat it?”

n“I wasn’t raised on the streets like someone else here; I learned to live with dignity, you know?”

n“Really? Does that undignified behavior of yours, just now going ‘Ugh! Ugh!’ also count as grace?”

n“Wha… What… What do you mean? When did I ever do that like you!”

nAs Reinhardt exaggeratedly imitated the gesture Harriet had just made, twisting his body, she seemed to get even more annoyed and started grumbling again for a while.

nWhenever they were together, they would bicker over trivial things for quite some time. Although the conversations that followed were devoid of any substance, they would often find themselves losing track of time.

nEventually, after going back and forth for a while, they both seemed to tire of each other and began to eat the stew in silence.

n“It’s beautiful…”

nHarriet mumbled absentmindedly as she gazed at the snowy landscape.

n“Thanks.”

n“I wasn’t talking about you… Hmph, I won’t be fooled. I won’t fall for it, you know?”

nAlthough she acted as if she had built up immunity, Harriet would still instantly react to any casual remark thrown her way.

nThe night of the festival.

nIt wasn’t particularly boisterous.

nIn the end, the three of them gathered on a quiet, snowing night to eat beef stew.

nThis was an ordinary event, not a special day.

nHowever, Ellen was well aware that these moments wouldn’t last forever. A day would come when they could no longer spend time like this.

nAnd when that time comes, they would remember these moments.

nThey would think that every day they spent together had been special.

nEllen vaguely guessed.

nMaybe this was enough.

nAs they had been doing so far, they could continue like this.

nWouldn’t it be enough just to continue living this way?

nWithout being greedy, without wishing for more. Ellen found herself quite content with this.

nThere was no need to get closer.

nMaybe it was enough not to drift apart.

n“Hey, fetch some water.”

n“To me… Are you asking me right now?”

n“Who else if not you?”

n“Don’t order me around!”

n“My goodness, can’t you just fetch some water while you eat?”

n“Ugh, fine! I’ll get it!”

nThe only person who would dare to treat a princess like this was Reinhardt. Seeing Harriet’s reaction to him was quite endearing even to Ellen.

nThe princess.

nAs that thought crossed her mind, Ellen recalled a question she had forgotten.

n“By the way, I’m curious about something.”

nEllen tilted her head.

n“What are you curious about?”

nHarriet, who had been fetching water, stared intently at Ellen upon hearing her question.

n“How did your parents know Reinhardt?”

n“Oh.”

n“Ah… That… That’s…”

nTheir awkward response made Ellen tilt her head again.

n——

nAfter hearing the detailed circumstances from Reinhardt, Ellen nodded.

n“Ah… That senior?”

n“Yes.”

nEllen had been aware of Adriana’s sudden dropout, but she hadn’t known the specifics.

nOf course, Reinhardt hadn’t fully explained the situation; he only mentioned that he had business in the Saint Owan Duchy due to a certain incident and had become acquainted with Arunaria of the White Palace while stopping by to resolve the warp gate issue on his way back.

nWhen Adriana’s name was mentioned, Reinhardt’s expression darkened slightly, but Ellen simply assumed it was due to concern.

nWith a puzzled look, Harriet spoke to Ellen as if confiding in her.

n“Isn’t he really strange? Even if he’s a royal class like me, it doesn’t make sense. Coming to our palace, knocking on the door, and asking for priority access to the warp gate?”

n“…You’re right.”

nArunaria was not a place one could visit as easily as a friend’s house, and even if it were a friend’s house, it would be rude to visit at such an hour.

nBut he had visited not just a friend’s house, but a palace of an entire nation in that manner.

n“No, without saying anything, I skipped… You guys seemed like you were going to kill me…”

nReinhardt defended himself in a small voice.

nIt was even more surprising to Ellen that the Duke had opened the door and welcomed the entire family, despite such an intrusion.

nShe had wondered what was going on, but it was quite unexpected for Ellen that Adriana’s issue was involved.

nThinking about it, Ellen roughly guessed when Reinhardt had visited the Saint Owan Duchy.

nHowever, it was still astonishing that he had traveled that far in just one day.

nEllen found Reinhardt’s actions to be mysterious. With their forgotten question resolved, the three tried to resume eating their stew.

n“Um… there…”

nBut Harriet discovered something in the scenery outside the terrace and pointed it out.

nThe first-year dormitory was on the first floor.

nAnd because it was a terrace, the outside view was much clearer.

nIn the direction Harriet pointed, Ellen could see the person whose whereabouts had been unknown today.

n“…That senior.”

nAnd the situation became even stranger.

nThe dropout senior they had just mentioned was with her.

nAdriana.

nOlivia was walking towards the royal class dormitory with Adriana.

nReinhardt quickly stood up and looked at the two.

nSome strange emotions flickered across Reinhardt’s eyes, but Ellen couldn’t tell what they were.

nOlivia and Adriana inevitably made eye contact with the three watching them from the terrace.

n“Ah, Reinhardt…”

nOlivia Lanze.

n“Junior…”

nAdriana.

n“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now. Let’s talk later.”

nBefore Reinhardt could say anything, Olivia hurriedly led Adriana toward the dormitory entrance.

nHarriet and Ellen tilted their heads as they watched them, and Reinhardt sat down again.

nThe tournament ended with a runner-up finish.

nMiss Temple couldn’t even participate.

nAnd then, suddenly returning to the Temple in the deep night with Adriana, who had dropped out.

n“…I wonder what happened to that sister today?”

n“…Indeed.”

nReinhardt took a sip of water.

n“…I’ll have to ask later.”

nReinhardt said this, but all he did was take another sip of water.

nEllen looked at Reinhardt.

nIt was Reinhardt who had gone all the way to the Saint Owan Duchy upon hearing the news of Adriana’s dropout.

nThere was no way that someone like Reinhardt would obediently sit still when he said he’d talk about it later.

nReinhardt was not that kind of person.

nEllen looked at Reinhardt, who was quietly staring in the direction where Adriana and Olivia had gone.

nReinhardt knew something.

nIt wasn’t that she deliberately tried to figure it out, but because she knew Reinhardt too well.

nEllen naturally realized this.

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