Volume 2 Chapter 1 Well, It Happens
(Hello, it's Randolph. Huh? Why did I suddenly start talking about myself? Well, of course──)
"Hey, are you listening?!"
In front of Randy, a blonde girl with beautifully styled curls puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm listening. Um..."
"Sir Randolph, I am Cecilia von Hartfield, Count's daughter."
Next to Randy, Liz sighed and gave a side-eye.
Yes, Randy was experiencing being called out by a girl for the first time in his 2 lives. It was definitely not a light atmosphere.
"Sir Randolph Victor. Please release Liza right now!"
(Ah, this is so annoying...)
In front of the angry young lady, Randy was trying to remember how this situation came to be.
* * *
Let's rewind a bit...
"Yawn~. I'm so sleepy."
"Randy, that's rude."
...Randy and Liz were on their way to school from an inn near the academy. After being kicked out of the dorm for unauthorized renovations, Randy and Liz were now being taken care of by the introduced inn.
At first, when they received the notice to leave the dorm, they felt down, thinking, "We messed up." But upon reflection, they realized that living freely at the inn was better than the complicated dorm life.
They didn't have to worry about being watched, and there were no curfews. Moreover, Liz had heard that she was supposed to be sent to the girls' dorm as a special measure, so escaping to the inn was a good thing.
And for Randy, who didn't have to pretend to be someone he wasn't, it was also a relief. Therefore...
"It's fine. No one's watching."
Randy, with his uniform disheveled and hands in his pockets, made Liz sigh.
"True, there aren't any students around here, but please behave when we get to the main street."
As Liz looked around, she was right; there were no students in sight. This was simply because they were taking a back alley, and the main street ahead was different.
At this time, students from noble families living in the royal capital and commoners who entered through general admission were on their way to school, so there would be quite a few students on the main street.
"I can't help it."
Pouting, Randy quickly tucked his shirt into his slacks, buttoned it up, and tightened his tie. His speed made Liz say, "Randy... you──" with an unending side-eye.
From his practiced movements, Liz realized that Randy often dressed casually when no one was around at school.
"It's my way of surviving."
Randy laughed proudly, and Liz couldn't stop sighing.
Finally, as they stepped onto the main street, several carriages heading to the academy and a few students appeared before them.
A few people noticed the two who appeared from the alley and whispered to each other, while rude gazes were directed from the carriage.
"Damn, sending Harrison back was a mistake."
Randy complained with a sparkling, cheerful smile.
If you are a noble, you are allowed to commute by carriage, but Randy had sent Harrison back home in the carriage as soon as they arrived at the academy.
Since they were in the dormitory, the carriage would only be useful for the end-of-term party. Plus, Victor Territory was always short on manpower. Right now was a crucial time... Randy and the others couldn't afford to let a man like Harrison just play around.
Besides, at the last party, he had gone in early and played at the casino. They needed him to focus a bit more on his actual work; otherwise, they wouldn't set a good example for others.
But that was under the assumption that Randy and the others were in the dormitory... If they were commuting from outside the academy like this, having a carriage would have been better. While Randy regretted it, Liz seemed somewhat happy.
"Isn't it nice? Walking is good sometimes."
"Not sometimes, but every day from now on..."
The two, skillfully chatting with bright smiles, finally reached the academy gate. They had been the center of attention earlier, but now, with more students around, the number of gazes on them increased dramatically.
They were already a hot topic, and now they were walking to school among commoners. And then...
"Have you heard? They have remodeled the dormitory, you know!"
"I heard they destroyed it."
"I heard they rebelled against the staff."
"Is that true? What a crazy guy."
...The dormitory remodeling incident had taken on a life of its own.
"What a mess."
"Well, it's true we remodeled it..."
As the two hung their heads, trying to change their mood and head to class,
"Lady Elizabeth, you're safe!"
A pink monster appeared.
With teary eyes, the pink-haired noble lady──Catherine Evans──was someone Randy had forgotten again. Ignoring Randy completely, Catherine spoke to Liz again.
"I was so worried about you!"
(What the heck is this? I really want to punch her.)
In front of Catherine, who was looking up with a sweet voice, Randy smiled while twitching his cheek, and Liz, with a composed face, completely ignored Catherine.
A subtle silence fell between the 3, and Liz tugged at Randy's sleeve.
(Ah, she's telling me to hurry up because it's a hassle.)
Understanding Liz's feelings, Randy said,
"Nice to meet you... Saintly Lady. We must hurry."
Leaving only a cheerful smile and a bow, he passed by Catherine with a dazed Liz in tow.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Catherine, completely ignored, trembled with shame and anger as she turned to look at the two who had passed by.
"Are you going to bully me again like this?"
Catherine's words, with tears in her eyes, stirred the surrounding students.
"Who is that girl? Can I hit her?"
"No way."
With their backs to Catherine, the two whispered to each other, and Liz sighed as she continued.
"Earlier, I was urging Randy for permission."
"Permission?"
"Yes."
From Liz's perspective, there was a no-contact order in place, and right now, she was technically Randy's servant. It was completely unacceptable to ignore her master and talk to another noble lady.
So, she tugged at Randy's sleeve, hoping he would take some action. But, of course, it was Randy.
It was a total misunderstanding, a bold move to ignore Catherine. Plus, calling her "Saint" implied he didn't even remember her name, which would anger anyone, not just Catherine.
"Please leave this to me for now."
"...I leave it to you."
Randy thought he would mess things up himself, so he decided to rely entirely on Elizabeth and turned back to the still-fuming Catherine.
"Sir Randolph, may I have permission to speak?"
"I grant you permission."
He nodded arrogantly, finally realizing what Liz wanted.
"Lady Catherine, it's been a while."
Liz performed a perfect curtsy, and Catherine responded with, "It's been a long time," but Liz quickly added her own words.
"However, I have been given a no-contact order regarding Lady Catherine."
Talking over the other person... this was a fine line of rudeness, but it was a measure to prevent Catherine from retaliating.
(Whoa. Scary.)
While thinking something rude with a smile, Liz took out a piece of parchment from her pocket and held it out in front of Catherine. It was a copy of the no-contact order issued by the kingdom against Catherine.
"I will not contact Lady Catherine, but I also need your cooperation to ensure this order is followed."
"But, I'm worried about you, Lady Elizabeth."
With tears in her eyes, Catherine looked at Liz, who sighed in clear exasperation.
"Thank you for your concern. However, I have no intention of involving myself with Lady Catherine from now on, so I would appreciate it if you could also keep your distance."
Liz bowed deeply, and Catherine desperately tried to hold on, saying, "B-but..." But Liz was one step ahead.
"Everyone gathered here, Lady Catherine is a compassionate person. You may worry about me and try to reach out in the future."
Her voice, though not loud, silenced the surrounding chatter instantly.
"So, if Lady Catherine tries to approach me, I hope the kind people here will stop Lady Catherine──"
Once again, Liz performed a perfect curtsy, leaving Catherine unable to respond.
──I won't approach you. So you shouldn't approach me either. And everyone around, keep a close eye. She's the one trying to get close. Make sure to stop her this time.
That was the declaration made.
Catherine knew she could never approach Liz again. Completely losing her chance to directly trap Liz, she wore a regretful expression that only Liz and Randy could see.
(Oh. What an ugly face.)
As Randy secretly smiled at Catherine's twisted face, he was poked in the side. It seemed he had said all he needed to, so Randy respectfully bowed to Catherine.
"Well then... Saintly Lady. We must be on our way──."
Despite Liz repeatedly saying "Catherine, Catherine," Randy called her "Saint" again, causing Catherine's face to twist even more. It was clear he had no intention of remembering her name. To him, Catherine was nothing. Even Liz looked away, staring blankly at the sky.
Once they had put some distance between themselves and the angry and embarrassed Catherine, Liz looked up at Randy with a glare.
"Randy, why don't you at least remember her name?"
"Impossible. My brain's capacity is limited. I don't want to waste space on useless info."
"...Hah. You're making a bad face."
At Liz's comment, Randy and the others quickly returned to their cheerful smiles as they finally reached the school building.
"Now then. We've dealt with the fool, so let's finish up class quickly."
"Yes, we need to earn money for rent as an urgent issue, too."
As Liz pointed out the reality, Randy pouted, saying, "Yeah, I guess."
"──Wait a minute!"
At the voice coming from behind, Randy turned around, not hiding his annoyance.
There stood a strong-looking young lady with blonde hair styled in tight curls.
"Sir Randolph Victor, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's me."
Randy managed a smile, but the blonde girl glared at him fiercely.
"I am Cecilia von Hartfield."
"Thank you for your politeness."
Randy instinctively bowed his head, and Cecilia also bowed in return, saying, "No, thank you..."
"But, that's not it! Sir Randolph Victor! I have something to discuss. Could you come to the back of the school building?"
"Impossible──."
Randy was about to say it was impossible when Liz quickly interrupted him. Seeing her clear objection, Randy looked at her, and she shook her head.
(You want me to listen, huh?)
Sighing, Randy replied to Cecilia with a forced smile, "If we can make it in time for class..."
With a huff, Cecilia led them to the back of the school building.
(I've been called out by a girl... but this isn't a romantic vibe at all.)
As Randy looked around the back of the school, Cecilia fixed him with a serious gaze and spoke.
"Sir Randolph Victor. Please release Liza immediately!"
"Huhhhhh?"
Randy's loud question echoed in the back of the school.
Thus, the first day of the two, which felt oddly distant from the classroom, began.
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