CH 166

“I was given permission to tell you the details.”

“Then let me ask, why do you use His Highness Ferio’s name?”

“Having the person in charge of escort immediately move on a different agenda would naturally make Sophie-sama offended. In that case, claiming it was His Highness Ferio’s order would make it seem more favorable, such was my thought.”

Does that mean he at least didn’t mean to disrespect the purple star? I wouldn’t get offended regardless of who actually gave the order though.

However, Gerald didn’t make it clear who ordered him. Sophie also didn’t ask that, but instead asked another question.

“Since you’ve revealed it now, does that mean the decree is fulfilled?”

“…No, it’s the opposite. Yesterday, I was told that I couldn’t accomplish the mission.”

That was surprising for Sophie.

Even though he was moving under a different decree, Gerald was still within the academy. That meant the decree was something to be fulfilled within the academy’s premises.

Is it something that difficult?

Although Sophie didn’t like him, she didn’t see him as an incompetent person.

When Sophie was skeptical, Gerald suddenly bowed his head and said, “My apologies,” for some reason.

Sophie thought it was an apology for falsifying Ferio’s name, but she soon learned the meaning of his apology from his next words.

“As I was told I wasn’t capable of accomplishing it, I was also told to ask Sophie-sama for help…”

“Heh?”

It was unusual for Gerald, who only stated facts, to look down and have a hard time spinning his words. His beautiful eyebrows furrowed in regret and Sophie had a bad feeling when she saw that appearance.

“What was the order?”

“Yes. It’s about one of the people that greeted Sophie-sama on the first day―”

Gerald’s words stopped halfway without finishing it and his dark blue eyes squinted sharply.

As Sophie saw his change and followed his gaze, Sophie saw the black star students approaching with dubious expressions.

Oh my… Sophie didn’t let such words come out of her mouth and she saw the reproduction of what happened two days ago. It was the second time Sophie saw the black star students kneel before her. Luca, who had no idea of the circumstances, would find such a scene shocking. It could be seen by how dumbfounded he was since he couldn’t speak anything.

I guess it’s not a scene you want to see without knowing the circumstances, thought Sophie as she inwardly apologized to Luca, and in the silence, it was Evert who first spoke.

“Sophie Linier-sama. We apologize for the repeated disrespect toward the person granted the purple star. We black stars apologize for our careless behavior. We beg for your leniency.” 

Apparently, they followed Gerald’s advice.

Well, I guess that’s a reasonable choice, thought Sophie as she glanced at Gerald, only to see his expression harder than before and he had a sharp gaze as if he was angry.

They apologized later than expected. I guess that’s what he’s angry about?

For Gerald, who was strict with himself and others, it might be considered late by his standards, but for Sophie’s, it was earlier than she expected.

They only experienced being treated as the sons of aristocratic families, yet their dignity was crushed by a daughter of a baron family that was younger than they were. On top of that, having to apologize once again would only add to their pain. To be honest, Sophie thought it would take longer before they acted.

The one who took the lead in apologizing is Evert. I guess he’s the one who led them?

Sophie, who prioritized Tasuku’s personality last time and ended up making the situation more troublesome, didn’t mind what shape it took as long as the situation was settled. Just as Sophie decided to give a graceful smile and opened her mouth to accept their apology,

“Sophie.”

Her name was called and her words were cut off.

Geez, what is it this time?! I keep getting interrupted since earlier!

Sophie put on a little expression of dissatisfaction as she turned around, but the moment she saw who called her, she leaked, “Geh…” which was completely not a word that a lady would say.

Sophie should have realized who it was the moment she heard someone naturally call the purple star without any honorifics. She had only met one such person so far.

“Remiel…”

The person who approached Sophie with his fluttering, silk-like silver hair and a calm gait was Remiel.

I didn’t want to meet him now… No, not just now, I don’t want to meet you often.

In the situation where Sophie hadn’t consulted with Firth yet, Sophie had no intention of confronting Remiel. At the very least, Sophie wished she had consulted fellow silver stars like Firth beforehand.

“Why didn’t you come to the library?”

Without knowing what was in Sophie’s mind, Remiel snarled like a child and asked that in a bad mood.

“Why, you ask…?”

“I’ve been waiting since early in the morning, but when will you come?”

“In the first place, I didn’t say I would go there. Rather, it’s amazing to see you’d completely ignored the situation here and said that regardless.”

Were the black stars invisible to him?

It was the second time for Sophie to see such a scene, but there was nobody who wasn’t astonished the first time they saw it.

However, Remiel seemed to only consider them as dust in the wind and didn’t even bother. Remiel glanced at the black stars, but he returned his gaze to Sophie as if nothing happened.

“Then when will you come? Can’t you just come now?”

“There’s no way I could. You should attend the class for the silver star properly.”

“Why? I don’t see any worth attending there.”

It was a ruthless affirmation.

“I see. So that means you found something useful in that lesson. Which part is that?”　

“…”

Sophie felt sluggish at Remiel’s question. She couldn’t proceed at this rate.

I should just totally ignore Remial and take care of the black star for the time being――

Sophie decided to take care of that first. When Sophie looked at the black star with that in mind, all of them widened their eyes and looked at Remiel.

Sophie thought they were dumbfounded by how Remiel ignored the atmosphere, but the situation was a bit off.

“It’s Remiel-sama…”

“To think he’s really here.”

Hm? What do they mean by ‘he’s really here’?

As Sophie reacted to the muttering of the black star, Gerald took a step forward and approached Remiel.

“Remiel-sama, where have you been until now?”

“Sophie, why don’t you answer my question?”

Even when Gerald asked him, Remiel’s gaze didn’t move away from Sophie, and naturally continued his conversation as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

Apparently, he completely intended to only recognize Sophie’s existence.

Sophie couldn’t help but want to retort: what the heck is this chaos?

However, Sophie was curious as to why Gerald referred to Remiel with “–sama”.

Gerald’s family was considered among the top aristocrats despite being a count family, putting them at a comparable level of a duke, such was the Forsius family. In that case, that would make Remiel a person that even Gerald had to show respect to.

Now that I think about it, I never heard the pedigree of the “Karlfeldt” family. But Karlfeldt, I think I’ve heard of it somewhere before…

Even as Sophie desperately tried to recall it, her thoughts were immediately dispersed by Remiel.

“So, when will you have time?”

“…I won’t be free for the time being.”

“What is the exact period of ‘for the time being’?”

“Perhaps until you graduate.”

“In that case, you’ll have time tomorrow once I graduate, right?”

Why can’t it get through him?!

Is the indirect way of telling him like an aristocratic lady useless on him? In that case, Sophie then roared her voice with the indignation from yesterday.

“Remiel, shut up for a moment. Did your ‘why why’ period come late now?”

“What is ‘why why’ period?”

“I’m telling you not to underestimate my thinking cost!”

The one who responded to Sophie’s piercing words wasn’t Remiel, but Evert, who was kneeling.

“Sophie-sama. If I may advise, I think such a statement is a little inappropriate for Remiel-sama, who has the second-highest priority over the succession of the throne…”

“Eh?”

At Evert’s complaint, Sophie’s mind stopped for a while.

What? What did he just say?