Volume 3 - CH 28

Fol surfaced from the water after a swim in the sea along the shallow beachside. Raymond immediately ran over to her and handed her a towel since he was watching over her as her exclusive butler-in-training.

“Lady Fol, here, your towel.”

“Thank you, Raymond. You keep such a good eye on me…Could it be that you were captivated by me wearing a swimming suit? That’s a no, no! You cannot be looking at the young Lady you’re serving like that.”

“Wha—?! It’s nothing like that!” Raymond burst out, turning bright red. However when he saw that Fol was about to break out in laughter, he realized that he was being teased. He pouted a bit. 

“Lady Fol, I still don’t know your social status, but since you’re my savior who acknowledged my abilities and saved my family, I will serve you devotedly, no matter who you are.”

“…Continue.”

Fol wasn’t bewildered by his sudden declaration at all and she encouraged him to continue speaking. 

Raymond nodded in acknowledgement and began to speak, his hands curling into tight fists.

“However, no matter who you might be, as someone who has the support of a Count, isn’t it essential for you to behave with elegance befitting that role? For example, the swimsuit you wear….and things such as that…right?”

Halfway through his speech, Raymond blushed and averted his eyes.

“In other words, you’re worried about me.”

“…Yes. Was my remark uncalled for?”

Raymond looked anxious. If this were Cyril, even if the remark had been uncalled for, he would’ve breached the topic for the sake of his master. Raymond had decided to speak based on that thought alone, but it was also true that this wasn’t something a mere butler could say. However, Fol laughed, looking pleased.

“No, it wasn’t. From now on, do give me your advice whenever you think I am making a mistake. That’s something I want you to do as my butler.”

“Y–yes, c–certainly!”

He bowed his head along with his statement—

and realized that Fol didn’t say that she’d do something about her swimsuit. Raymond pondered over it, wondering if he should advise her again. As if she knew what he was thinking, Fol added: “However— I have my own opinions. So I won’t necessarily always yield to yours. That goes for this swimsuit, too.”

“….I understand. I won’t meddle as you have your own opinions on it.”

“Good,” Fol smiled and then added, “I think it’s about time.”

“About time…? For what?”

“For me to reveal my identity to you.”

Raymond trembled upon hearing these words. He had naturally noticed that Fol was intentionally hiding her social status from him. It was most likely a test. She probably wanted to make sure that his attitude wouldn’t change if he knew who she was—this was what Raymond believed.

It was for this reason that Raymond expressed that he wouldn’t change his attitude no matter who she was. It wasn’t like Raymond wanted to work for someone of a high status no matter what. His father died due to an unfortunate accident and Raymond was simply searching for someone who would save his family who were on the verge of becoming homeless.

This was why he swore loyalty to Fol, who had picked him out and protected his family. His loyalty wouldn’t waver, even if she wasn’t a noble or even just a daughter of a wealthy merchant. Perhaps because she knew of his intentions, Fol spoke quietly.

“I am not a noble—”

‘So she really isn’t a noble,’ Raymond thought for a mere moment.

“—I am a Royal.”

Raymond was unable to understand what she had said.

“…Ah, excuse me. What household is the Ro Yal family? I know very little so I have never heard of it…Ah, but I will follow you anywhere, of course!”

“It’s not the Ro Yal family, it’s the Royal family. I am Folcenia Ephenear. I am the daughter of the Royal Prince.”

“Ah, I see. The Royal family….the Royal family? The Royal family?!”

Raymond barely managed not to yell, but he wasn’t able to hide that his thoughts were in disarray. He did think of the possibility that Fol wasn’t a noble, and had thought of that possibility but he hadn’t thought of the possibility that her status would be higher than that of a noble.

“You seem surprised.”

“Of course I am….I mean, I never thought…”

“Are you scared of working for me now?”

Even though a lot of people wish for a successful career, they still have their limits. It wasn’t unusual for someone to get ruined by an unsuitable promotion either. There exist people who hated climbing the corporate ladder too high as well. Despite Fol’s anxiety that Raymond would be seized by fear when she revealed her status, a broad smile appeared on Raymond’s face instead.

“Don’t underestimate me, please. I had full intentions of serving you for the rest of my life even if you were the daughter of a merchant. So, even if you’re a member of the Royal family, that intention of mine will not change.”

“…What great determination. I look forward to you becoming my official butler once you graduate.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Just ‘Fol’ is fine for now, alright?”

And so, Raymond got to know Fol’s true identity. Well…even if his words sounded quite cool, deep down, he was actually quite scared. But, he bit the bullet despite this fear because he didn’t want to lose to Cyril. Raymond was once again chasing after Cyril and had grown up considerably.

“Excuse me. Do you know where Cyril and Lady Sophia have gone?”

Alicia approached them, perhaps judging that their conversation was now over.

“Those two? Hm…if it’s those two, then they’ve probably gone to the top of the hill.”

“The top of the hill…is there anything there?”

“It’s a famous sight-seeing area. The sight from the hill is absolutely stunning and there’s even a story about the Royal daughter that managed this place inviting her close friend up there.”

“Co–could it be the kind of story in which the two gazed at the scenery and tied their futures together…?”

Alicia was visibly shaken, which made Fol smile a little.

“It’s not that open of a story. It’s a modest tale of two people who had watched the scenery together and found happiness. I think that you could catch up to them if you go now…What do you plan to do?” Fol asked jokingly.

However, it was clear that her words were full of meaning. Fol was saying: ‘Alicia, are you prepared to wedge yourself in between their relationship?’

“…I’ve been thinking about this a lot. My father acknowledges Cyril, and proposed a marriage between Cyril and I. However, Cyril became Lady Sophia’s engagement candidate…”

“Friendship or love, which to choose? That’s a tough decision, isn’t it? However, to a noble’s daughter, the answer is obvious, right?”

In a noble’s situation, the family’s convenience should take precedence over friendship or love. Since it was none other than Alicia’s father who wished for the marriage between the butler of the Rosenberg Marquis household and his daughter, there shouldn’t be anything for Alicia to be hesitant about.

But, Alicia still shook her head.

“No matter what anyone says, Lady Sophia is a dear friend of mine. So, I won’t do anything that would get in the way of the two of them spending happy times together, like chasing after them immediately.”

“I see. It’s a little surprising that you gave up, but your decision has my respect.”

This too was a correct decision to make for a noble daughter. 

“I thought that you wouldn’t give up till the end, even if you were to lose eventually,” Fol said, as her eyes slightly crinkled.

But—

“Huh? I…didn’t say that I was giving up though?”

Alicia tilted her head to the side, puzzled. After correctly interpreting the meaning behind Alicia saying ‘I won’t chase after them immediately’, Fol began to laugh.

***  

“Lady Sophia, look.”

When we walked up the path leading towards the hilltop and advanced above the windbreaks, the view suddenly unfolded before us, stretching from the sandy beach to the blue sea and sky. Spreading before us was scenery that definitely couldn’t be seen from the capital city. 

“Whoa…it’s beautiful. It looks like the sea and the sky are connected.”

Nestled in my arms, my Lady’s eyes sparkled.

“….Come to think of it, is it true that the Earth is a sphere?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

I did think it was possible that within the game’s world, some unexpected theories would be at work—but one could conclude that the Earth was a sphere just from seeing the land or water horizon.

“So…can you let me down?”

“Certainly.”

I put Lady Sophia down and temporarily fixed the broken strap of her beach sandal. It would be impossible to climb up and down the hill with it, but a bit of walking around should be fine.

“Thank you, Cyril. Now, will you sit next to me?”

My Lady turned to face the sea and was about to sit down on the grass. I immediately whipped out a hand towel and placed it on the patch of grass where Lady Sophia was about to sit.

After I had checked that my Lady was seated, I sat down next to her.

“Thank you, Cyril.”

She bumped her shoulder against mine. She proceeded to watch the horizon with a small smile on her face.

“Hehe, this way, we’re watching the same horizon, aren’t we, Cyril?”

“Yes, we are.”

The distance to the water horizon appeared different depending on height. Although the difference between Lady Sophia’s and my height was small, if we watched the horizon while standing, the position of it would be different for each of us. Apparently, my Lady wanted to fix that.

“Thank you, Cyril….Next time, I will watch the same scenery with you using my own strength.”

“My Lady, you’re already watching the same view with me, all with your own strength.”

Of course, I wasn’t talking about the view visible from this place. Lady Sophia had thrown herself into high society suffused in trickery and had even competed with Royals from another country on equal footing. She had already climbed to the summit, far above me. These were my thoughts. But, Lady Sophia strongly shook her head. 

“Not yet. Although I was able to make you my marriage candidate, I can only pretend not to see what’s happening with Miss Alicia and Miss Pamela. The same goes for the matter of the Marquis household’s heir…”

I possessed all kinds of knowledge. It would be a huge loss to let Lady Sophia, whom I had taught all this knowledge, leave the Rosenberg Marquis household. Therefore, some were of the opinion that she should be the next head of the family.

She must have predicted that if she were to become the next head of the family, our marriage would be a simple matter. However, in order to become the next head, she would have to confront her older brother. And, it wasn’t like it would lead to a happy end if she were to decide that she would be the next heir no matter what. These were issues I would have to face eventually in order to fulfill Lady Sophia’s wishes.

Then again, Alicia and Pamela’s marriage proposals had already been declined. However, Alicia’s proposal didn’t happen because of political reasons alone. Since Lady Sophia was aware of that, she was unable to come to terms with this matter. She probably didn’t want to destroy her and Alicia’s friendship.

“It’s going to be alright.”

“…Cyril?”

I couldn’t tell her what. If I had to say it, I would have to say all of it—that I intended to follow Lady Sophia no matter what path she would choose, and that even if Alicia was heartbroken, she wasn’t the type of girl to break a friendship over it. I put all of these thoughts into a smile and in response, Lady Sophia gave me an adorable smile of her own.

“Cyril…are you going to keep walking by my side?”

“My promise from that day stands true today and always.”

“…Thank you, Cyril. To be honest, I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately.”

“Anxious?”

“Yes. I’ve been chasing after you with all my strength all this time. I have achieved my goal of making you my marriage candidate but then, I noticed that things have become awkward with the people around me… I don’t know what to do from now on.”

“I see…”

Although my Lady was holding her own, she was still a young girl. She had recklessly chased after her goal and had become unable to see her next objective.

To tell the truth, I was incredibly happy. If this were the girl from the original work, she would probably think things such as: ‘I don’t care about anyone besides the person I love.’ Or, she might have even burned with determination to defeat her rivals.

However, the current Lady Sophia was different. She treasured her friendships with Alicia and the others, which is why she was lost, stuck between a rock and a hard place—choosing between love and friendship. This was definitive proof that Lady Sophia had become someone completely different from the original work’s villainous daughter.

Of course, the possibility of her falling into darkness in the near future because of this wasn’t zero, but…I see. So, the true reason why Teacher Tristan made me come here was this, wasn’t it?

The DLC event was most likely a lie. Ah no, perhaps the DLC event itself did exist, but it was completely unrelated to Lady Sophia. Wasn’t it most likely an event between Alicia and another capture target?

From what the maids had told me, this was a famous place. Considering Lady Sophia’s reaction, it might even be a famous place visited by lovers. Me bringing Lady Sophia to this famous place was Teacher Tristan’s true goal. 

‘Do something about the young Lady gripped by anxiety’—this was his true intention.

Under normal circumstances, I would have noticed how my Lady felt. Yet, my sister had to point it out to me…how terribly frustrating. But at the moment it was more important to cheer Lady Sophia up, rather than lament.

“It will be alright, I’m certain of it.”

“…Cyril?”

“As long as it’s you and I, Lady Sophia, we’ll overcome any hardships.”

I heard footsteps approaching from a distance. Lady Sophia knocked her shoulder against mine and then gave me a radiant smile.

“Well then, let us overcome these difficulties together1, you and I.”