CH 49

Patrol

Sheila and the other students were treated the same way as apprentice soldiers in the corps.

First, they got up before dawn and began cleaning the dormitories and headquarters with the help of the apprentice soldiers.

After that, it was time for breakfast. At this time, the soldiers also got up and came to the cafeteria.

Holding a tray full of mashed potatoes and bread, Sheila looked around the bustling dining room. Was there an empty seat for two somewhere?

As she looked around, she found an area in the dining room with empty seats like a gaping hole. There, Leidyrune was eating with a beautiful posture.

“Cody, there’s an empty seat over there.”

“It’s not so much that it’s empty, it’s just that it’s keeping the people away…..”

Cody answered in a hushed voice, but Sheila didn’t understand why everyone was avoiding him.

“Why can’t we sit near him? Even in the morning, Leidyrune-senpai was cleaning the room without making a single disgusted face. He’s not a scary person.”

There were several senior aristocrats who had come in addition to Leidyrune, but they all seemed to be in a foul mood, as if to say, ‘Why do we have to do the cleaning?’. Leidyrune was the only one who was silently doing as he was instructed.

Seeing that, Sheila felt like she had once again witnessed his sincere and kind attitude.

Cody seemed to have noticed that as well, and nodded in embarrassment.

“I admire him too, of course, but it’s just a feeling of admiration and the hope that one day we’ll get to know each other better. Why do you have to approach him so openly?”

“Eh? Because eating a meal alone doesn’t taste good, does it?”

Ignoring Cody’s gentle refusal, Sheila proceeded towards Leidyrune.

“Leidyrune-senpai. May we sit next to you?”

He gave a sideways glance and resumed eating without a word. Taking the silence as an affirmation, Sheila took the seat next to him. Cody reluctantly took his seat as well.

“Today is the first day of the training program. I’m really excited!”

She spoke to him as she bit into the glazed bread. Leidyrune, who had been eating without any disturbance, put down his spoon.

“I heard that you’ll be doing the patrol with Cody.”

“Yes. The other two are Dilliam-senpai and Hyderion. It seems that we will be with Isaac-sama and Zola-san.”

Sheila looked at the other tables as she said that. With a little searching, she was able to find Dilliam’s blond hair and Hyderion’s dusky golden-brown hair.

The nobles must be gathering with each other, and she got the impression that there were a lot of people with similar hair colors around the area where they were together.

“….. Come to think of it, there are a lot of nobles with blond and silver hair.”

Cody’s shoulders stiffened at Sheila’s casual muttering. She turned to look at him with concern, but he remained rigid while still holding his spoon. His complexion was pale white.

She was about to ask him if he was feeling ill when Leidyrune spoke up.

“Because nobles repeatedly intermarry with each other, their hair color naturally becomes similar. In particular, the higher the nobility, the more blond or silver hair they had.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it, Prince Wilfrecht also has blond hair.”

The faces of known nobles came to Sheila’s mind.

‘So, is Claushezade-sensei a high-ranking noble too? Jornwerner-sensei’s hair is also bluish-grey, but since it’s closer to silver, is he a high-ranking noble? …..Eh? What about Felix then?’

While thinking about it, she suddenly stopped to look at Leidyrune’s black hair. Even though he was the son of a duke, his hair was jet black.

As she gazed at him curiously, her gaze crossed with Leidyrune’s. He brushed his black hair away with a graceful gesture.

“――My mother is from a foreign country. I’ve heard that my hair and eyes are not an uncommon color there.”

Perhaps because she was staring too plainly, Leidyrune revealed the reason before she asked anything.

Sheila nodded, unaware that not only Cody but also the students sitting nearby were silent.

“Ah. Come to think of it, Seiryuu-senpai also has black hair mixed with brown, doesn’t he? There wasn’t a completely black-haired person in the downtown area either.”

Amy’s hair was also brown, almost black. She thought of each of the faces of the customers who came to the pharmacy and was convinced.

Jet black, like the wet feathers of a crow, was a special color reserved only for Leidyrune.

“I see. So, Leidyrune-senpai’s beautiful black hair and jewel-like eyes were all inherited from your mother.”

Leidyrune’s eyes fluttered loosely. His eyes, like purple crystals, were so beautiful that you couldn’t help but sigh when you looked at them. Sheila smiled from the bottom of her heart.

“She must have been a wonderful mother, I’m sure.”

Leidyrune looked down at Sheila with wide eyes for a moment. After that, his expression was colored by a sweet smile. When the corners of his eyes were crinkled, the sharp impression softened, and he even looked somewhat charming.

“…. Talking to you always makes me let down my guard.”

“Eh, I’m very sorry.”

Sheila’s shoulders jumped when she thought he was angry, but Leidyrune shook his head.

“I’m not angry….. I’m relieved.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that.”

As Sheila and Leidyrune continued their leisurely conversation, the tense atmosphere faded, and the people around them were finally able to resume their meal.

◇　◆　◇

“It was really, really bad for my heart. I really thought my heart was going to stop today…….”

Cody muttered to himself while walking next to her as they began their patrol.

Sheila and the others were now wearing the uniforms of the Patrol Corps. The front of the black, stuffed collar was crimson, with a line of the same color running down the outside of the pants. The buttons were a gold color that shimmered in the sunlight.

Walking around town in uniform made her feel very proud.

Even Hyderion and Dilliam, who were ahead of them, seemed to be in high spirits, while Cody looked tired as if he had been up all night.

“Leidyrune’s mother is from the Faril Divine Kingdom. The status system there is unique; there are no kings or nobles. The highest-ranking person in the country is called the High Priest, and I’ve heard rumors that his mother is a relative of the High Priest.”

“Is it great if you’re a relative of the High Priest? Or if you’re not a priest, are you treated like a commoner even if you’re a relative?”

When she asked Cody, who was well-versed in the matter, he shook his head.

“The details of the country’s internal affairs are not known to people from other countries. That country is full of mysteries.”

“Hmm.”

Since it was a country with many mysteries, she wondered if it was rare for a woman to marry into another country.

At least, she had never seen a hair color like that of Leidyrune at the academy, where children of noble families from all over the Kingdom of Steitz gather.

“The circumstances surrounding the marriage of Leidyrune-senpai’s mother into the Centrix family are also not disclosed. There are all kinds of rumors flying around in social circles, but there is an unspoken agreement not to mention them in front of the Centrix family. And yet, when it came to you…..”

Cody clutched his chest, letting out a faint breath that seemed to exhale his soul. She couldn’t help but notice that it seemed to have grated on his nerves.

“Urm…. It was an honest slip of the tongue?”

She said, scratching her cheek, and Cody laughed.

“Well, Leidyrune-senpai smiled and forgave you, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Sheila was relieved to hear her friend’s approval.

She tended to forget these days, but when dealing with nobles, she didn’t know what will anger them. There was always danger by your side.

From now on, she thought, she must refrain from acting too friendly.

Her first patrol was nothing special and ended so peacefully that she was taken aback.