Chapter 23

I sat with Orion in a private room at the cafe’s top floor.

After receiving the menu, I could see his eyes darting back and forth between orange juice and chocolate pudding.

So he likes sweet things.

It looked like his taste in food and drinks was the same as Rany’s.

“I’ll have a black coffee.”

The menu he ordered after much consideration was completely different from where his eyes were.

Without thinking, I pointed straight to the end of the menu.

“Please give me orange juice.”

“So you like orange juice.”

But I was just thinking that he ordered wrong and that we needed to change our drinks.

Orion nodded and spoke seriously,

“I’ll remember that.”

Why would you remember that?

I decided that I wouldn’t ask him anything anymore.

It was kind of scary since I always heard an unexpected answer no matter what I asked him.

For me, it was a much more possible scenario for him to grab my head then take an issue on my mother’s profligacy and my origin.

I don’t know why he keeps looking at me with wet eyes.

For some reason, I had to suffer from a sense of guilt and puzzlement whenever I received that look.

“Is it usually time for you to leave school by now?”

“No. These days, I’m studying separately for the advancement exam, so I tend to stay a little longer for self-studying. I just came out a little earlier today.”

“What about your relationship with your friends? Did you make many friends while attending the academy?”

“Yes, you’ve seen her before. Raynia Rocke. She’s my friend.”

He flinched for a moment then looked at me and asked back carefully.

“The other friends?”

“There are other friends, but I’m closest to her.”

I couldn’t grasp what his intention was with this question at all.

No matter how careful the Ducal Family was, was it to the point of investigating the friendship relationship of the marriage partner’s daughter in her academy?

“At your age, it’s good to have a good friendship.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you were preparing for the advancement exam.”

I nodded at the statement.

“I know of a genius who advanced to senior student at once, then transferred from a public academy to the imperial academy. If you want private tutoring . . .”

“No, it’s fine. In the first place, studying should be done by one’s power.”

“Well, that’s right. I think that is an amazing mindset. But, it is not bad to get private tutoring!”

Now I realized the reason he came looking for me like this and asked for a one on one talk.

So you won’t just stand by even if I don’t possess a single drop of blood from the Duke.

I wondered if I had to show a definite result because I carried the Ducal family name.

As I felt the pressure of the exam results intensifying, I nodded and pushed the fresh orange juice in front of me to Orion.

“Seems like I should do my best and show a good result. For now, I’ll try hard without a private tutor.”

When I passed over the juice then took the bag by my side, he looked at me with a flustered expression.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“Studying. To get an excellent result, of course I should strive for studying only.”

“. . . !”

“Thank you for your advice.”

I wasn’t a type that hung on grades, but if need be, I could do it.

When I said that there was no need to make any more appointments like this, Orion’s eyes widened.

“But, I mean grades aren’t everything in a student’s . . .”

He was about to stand up from his seat while arguing in a hurry.

Suddenly a strong wave of mana could be felt.

When I turned my head, the familiar form of a green magic circle was being drawn.

“Don’t tell me . . .”

At the same time when the figure in an ash gray robe appeared, Orion’s face stiffened before he stood in front of me and pushed me back.

“Marianne, stay behind me. It is a mage.”

“I know.”

That mage was a mage I knew.

Orion pulled his sword with an anxious face.

Then he murmured seriously.

“So you try to attack when there’s no guard. Although, I don’t know about your power, I . . .”

“Hmm, Sir Young Duke.”

Before I could even explain anything, Zen, who had finished his teleportation, glared at Orion who was protecting me.

“I will let you live if you safely hand me the girl behind you.”

Zen spoke grimly in a cracked voice.

It seemed like he just woke up from sleep or his throat wasn’t fully relaxed since he came after lying down, but that only made it more eccentric.

“Not a chance! Do you think I’ll hand her over to you? I don’t know where you come from but I’ll make you tell me the truth about the mastermind and all people involved in this.”

Ah.

A lamentation came out of nowhere.

They were playing as main characters of comedy plays with different genres.

Zen was the hero of justice who came to save the kidnapped girl, while Orion was the hero of justice who convicted the criminal who came to kidnap the girl.

How’s the play supposed to work if both of you are heroes?

To break through this situation, I tiptoed and waved at my somewhat aggressive friend.

“Zen, don’t prepare to chant the spell. This person is my new brother.”

“Tha-that’s right. I am Marianne’s brother.”

Orion’s voice trembled slightly after I finished my words.

It must be just my feeling that his voice is somewhat happy, right?

Unfortunately, Zen glared at Orion after glancing at me with an unconvinced look.

“I know. He is the pervert you talked about that stared at people with his extraordinary eyes.”

“. . .”

“. . .”

Right at that moment, Orion looked back at me as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Just in time, the door swung open, then Bertin and Sir Rune rushed in.

The other two people who had heard Zen’s words also began to stare intently at me.