Prologue

Prologue

 

AUGUST WAS FAST APPROACHING in the Alzer Republic where I, Leon Fou Bartfort, was studying abroad. At present, I was in an academy classroom, stretching in my seat.

“It’s finally over!”

Dusk had fallen, painting the sky outside a beautiful shade of orange. This was probably my own bias speaking—one born from the sense of freedom that came from completing my supplementary lessons—but the scenery dazzled me more now than it ever had before.

I wasn’t alone in the classroom; the others were fellow exchange students from Holfort Kingdom.

“Haaah, finally we get to enjoy summer break.” Marie Fou Lafan’s shoulders slumped. She didn’t look the least bit excited. Odd, given that she struck me as the type to get fired up at her second chance to go through school and enjoy the long holidays that came with it.

Carla Fou Wayne, a girl who felt indebted to Marie, was quick to reassure her friend. “Lady Marie, it’s our long-awaited summer break. Why aren’t you looking forward to it more?”

Where Marie was short and petite, Carla was of fairly average height, with long, straight, navy-blue hair.

Marie turned her gaze to a group of boys happily chatting amongst themselves. These were also Holfortian exchange students, or as I’d dubbed them, the idiot brigade.

“What a novel feeling, having a break without any plans.” Julius Rapha Holfort smiled, his short navy-blue hair shining.

“Yes, so much happened during our previous summer break. Do you not have anything lined up, Your Highness?” asked Jilk Fia Marmoria, Julius’s foster brother. They had been raised together from a young age, so they had a unique master-subordinate relationship.

Greg Fou Seberg folded his arms behind his head in contemplation. “Wonder how I should spend this month off…?”

All these boys were former heirs of their respective houses. If things had gone to plan, their elevated status would have meant their itineraries were packed even during the summer months. Sadly for them, they’d been disowned, so they were free of such obligations. Apparently, they enjoyed that, since they were all anticipating summer vacation.

Even the normally quiet Chris Fia Arclight excitedly joined the conversation. “I have an interest in the republic’s weaponry, so I would like to go on a bit of a tour to see their armaments. Hopefully they have museums and the like.”

Visiting museums was a noble’s idea of a break. In my previous world—before I’d reincarnated into this stupid otome game, that is—I would have passed my days lounging about, doing absolutely nothing.

The last to comment was Brad Fou Field, who had an oh-so-helpful suggestion. “None of you have solid plans for our break? In that case, why don’t we borrow an airship and go on a cruise around the republic?”

Hearing the word “cruise” come out of his mouth just went to show how filthy rich these losers were. He said it in the same casual, cool way a normal person might say “Let’s go for a picnic!”

Julius’s eyes lit up. “That’s a brilliant idea. We did come all the way here to study abroad. Sightseeing wouldn’t be a bad choice. Although we only have a month, which might make for a hasty trip, we should still be able to get a decent look around the country.”

Did he seriously intend to use the entire month to sightsee? That certainly was an extravagant way to spend his time, but it was ultimately meaningless.

I turned my gaze back to Marie. She regarded the Moronic Five with an icy glare, being far more in touch with reality than they were.

Flustered by Marie’s scowl, Carla asked, “Wh-what is it?”

“Carla, do you really think I’ll be able to fully enjoy my time off when I have to spend it looking after the boys? I had a certain level of freedom during lunch while school was in session, but starting tomorrow, I’ll have to babysit them from morning to night.” Any excitement Marie might otherwise have felt was sapped right out of her.

Only children got to enjoy summer vacation. Their parents, meanwhile, dreaded it. Since the school functioned as a form of day care for Julius and the other boys, Marie had some reprieve during the day, but soon, looking after them would once more become a full-time job.

If Marie’s expression was anything to go by, being a mother was rough, especially considering she was basically the sole caregiver to five brats.

Marie let out a dry laugh. “Aha ha ha! And starting tomorrow, I’ll even have to prepare lunch for them too. That means our food expenses are going to skyrocket!”

This was the sorry end for a woman who had reincarnated into an otome game and aimed for the reverse-harem ending. I had to shake my head, wondering how the sister from my previous life could have ended up so miserable.

I didn’t purely pity her. The only reason she had five jerks to mind was because her own greed had driven her to pursue the aforementioned reverse-harem ending—but I would have been lying if I said I didn’t feel any empathy at all.

At the same time, it was a little entertaining. The way she talked made her sound like a beleaguered mom. It was a fitting punishment for her foolhardiness.

I grinned to myself as I watched her—at least until someone came and pinched my cheek.

“Tha hurds!” I protested, my complaints coming out garbled.

The girl responsible had long, soft hair tied in a side ponytail with a unique gradient scheme that started blonde up at the top but turned pink at the tips. She had a tomboyish air, but her appearance was more that of a playgirl. All this belied how sociable and kind she actually was. No one would have guessed it by looking at her, but she was skilled at housework too. She was one big pile of contradictions.

“What are you smirking about?” Noelle Beltre—whose real name was Noelle Zel Lespinasse—asked with a smile.

Although I hadn’t known it at first, the otome game I had been reincarnated into had multiple sequels, and she was the protagonist of the second installment.

I pulled away from her grasp and rubbed my throbbing cheek. “I’m grinning because I get a kick out of Marie’s situation. Don’t tell me you don’t find it just as entertaining as I do. She’s a prime example of how trying to net yourself a harem won’t necessarily lead to happiness.” I chuckled.

Noelle sighed, exasperated. “I think you’re taking it a bit far to call a living, breathing person’s life an ‘example’ of anything.”

“My bad. But I still can’t help laughing.”

Considering all the grief Marie had given me countless times, I thought I at least deserved to laugh at her. I was also helping finance her daily expenses. If anyone had the right to poke fun at her, it was me.

“You really do have a twisted personality.” Noelle pulled a face, but the smile soon returned to her lips. She leaned in toward me until our noses were inches apart.

“Hey, all that aside, I need you to come with me to the store on the way home.”

“What for?”

“I’m staying at Rie’s place too, and she’s been looking after me, so I feel like I need to contribute occasionally.”

“I don’t think you really need to worry about that,” I said. So she’s calling Marie “Rie” now, huh?

The two of them had grown pretty close, which wasn’t surprising. Since the issue with Pierre, Noelle had been staying at our—okay, Marie’s—estate. I was still living there too, namely because of the troubling mark on the back of my right hand. I had covered it up with bandages and played it off as a wound, but beneath all that was the Guardian’s Crest—proof that the Sacred Tree had chosen me. To be more precise, the Sacred Tree Sapling, which I had secured during my conflict with Pierre, had done the choosing.

Ordinarily, the Sacred Tree chose a Priestess first; the way I heard it, the Priestess then selected a Guardian to serve with her. Needless to say, I’d been caught off guard by this whole situation.

I glanced behind me to where Jean sat. He was a male student whom I’d met and befriended here at the academy. We were all in supplementary classes since our group had been temporarily unable to attend school during Pierre’s reign of terror. Thus, we’d been offered additional instruction to make up for what we missed.

“Are you headed straight home after this? If so, wanna go with me to the store?” I asked Jean, eyeing Noelle’s reaction.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but she seemed to be pouting.

“I have something planned after this,” Jean smiled as he turned me down. “I’m going to return to a relative’s house—the one that has been looking after me. They were pretty worried and wrote a letter asking me to visit.”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

“Besides, I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.” Jean shot a glance at Noelle. Her cheeks turned red.

Not too long ago, I could have sworn Noelle had feelings for the guy. Game-wise, Jean was like me: a mob—an insignificant background character, a.k.a., not one of the love interests. I couldn’t have held it against her if she fell for that kind of person, but alas, it seemed I was mistaken.

This is a real pickle.

Since Noelle was the second game’s protagonist, she needed to pair up with one of the aforementioned love interests. If she didn’t, the whole world would be in danger. Yes, you read that right. The whole world was in real danger of falling apart because of some teenager’s love life or lack thereof.

This world really is garbage.

All that aside, our current situation wasn’t ideal. All the love interests from the second game—that is, Noelle’s potential partners—had little to no contact with her. At the top of the list of candidates was Loic Leta Barielle, who was supposed to be the canon choice. But somehow, he had become Noelle’s stalker instead.

I had heard he was a bit possessive in the second game, but he’d turned out way more dangerous than I pictured. Noelle abhorred him because of it, to the point that she didn’t even consider him a possibility.

The next possible love interest was Narcisse Calce Granze, a professor at the academy. Bit of an eccentric, that guy. Obsessed with archaeology, he frequently left the school to do fieldwork. While he was a bit preoccupied with his hobbies, he wasn’t bad. Even so, at present, he had almost no interaction with Noelle. Saying he wasn’t in the running would have been an understatement. If you brought up his name to Noelle, she’d probably say, “Professor Narcisse? Oh yeah. I guess we do have a teacher here by that name, don’t we?”

In order to trigger Narcisse’s route, the protagonist had to select his class for special study before her second year of school—otherwise all possibility of dating him evaporated.

Speaking of chances going poof, she’d missed yet another opportunity: Hugues Toala Druille, a third-year student. If the protagonist didn’t meet the prerequisites of his route during her first year, then it would be too late by her second. Since Noelle had failed to do this, he was also off the table.

The fourth candidate was Emile Laz Pleven. He was so easy to date that players had nicknamed him Easy-Pick Emile. Alas, Noelle’s twin sister, Lelia Beltre—a girl who had reincarnated into this otome game world like me and Marie—had already claimed him for herself. Yes, that little charlatan had swiped him from right under the protagonist’s nose.

With those four candidates a total bust, the only remaining option was Serge Sara Rault, but he wasn’t even attending the academy right now. It was bad enough that Noelle had no opportunity to meet the man, but his household also had a strained relationship with Noelle. Serge’s adoptive father was Albergue Sara Rault, the game’s final boss, and his adoptive sister was Louise Sara Rault, the villainess. On top of that, the Raults had once wiped out Noelle’s family—the Lespinasses. Trying to hook up Noelle and Serge with all that standing in their way would be a monumental task.

Frankly put, the love interests were all duds. And now, despite not being her lover, I had been chosen as the sapling’s Guardian.

Yeah, we’re screwed no matter how you spin it.

As I was lost in thought, Noelle reached over and pinched my shirt, coaxing me to my feet. “Hurry up, let’s go.”

“Yeah, yeah. Quit pulling on my clothes.”

As we left the classroom, Noelle paused to speak with Marie.

“Hey, Rie, don’t worry. We’ll buy the seasonings you ran out of earlier.”

Marie’s expression grew strained. “Uh, thanks. Actually, Bro—I mean, Leon. When you two get back, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” She nearly referred to me as her brother before hurriedly correcting herself.

Wait, forget that part—she’s got something she wants to talk about?

If it wasn’t something she could speak about here, it probably had to do with our future.

“Okay, got it,” I said. “We’ll hurry home.”

Marie glanced briefly at Noelle before turning her gaze back to me. “Getting dinner ready will be a pain, so you two eat while you’re out. Our conversation can wait ’til tonight.”

“Uh, okay. If you say so.”

She was acting awfully strange. In fact, I had been noticing it more and more lately.

Nonetheless, Noelle and I left to do our shopping.

 

***

 

That night, after we finished buying groceries, we ate at a restaurant with an open terrace. Our table was lit by candles and had three large plates spread around it. Smaller plates sat in front of each of us, as well as a tiny bread basket.

I had ordered some boiled lobster, which was giving me no end of grief.

“This thing is hard to eat,” I muttered.

Not long ago, after the incident with Pierre, the republic had given me compensation money for all the trouble one of their own had caused. I’d decided to splurge by coming to this fancy eatery, only to find the cuisine egregiously difficult to consume.

“I can’t keep watching you struggle like that. Here, give it to me.” Noelle snatched the crustacean. Unlike me, she had no trouble dismantling the beast. After extracting the meat, she piled it on a plate and handed it back. She grinned proudly as she reached for a napkin and wiped her hands.

“That’s incredible. You dissected that lobster with such ease.”

“Dissected? I guess you could technically call it that. Well, what do you think? It should be easier to eat now, right?”

I popped some of the meat in my mouth. Ah, tender and juicy.

The terrace was rather quiet, but the merry voices of other customers spilled out from within the restaurant, joined by a chorus of waiters verifying orders. Light trickled out of the windows and onto the terrace, accompanied by the streetlights glowing faintly nearby. That left our table dim, but not so dark that we had to squint. In fact, it all had a certain atmosphere that I quite liked.

“This is really good. Noelle, you try it too.”

“I’ll feel ashamed of myself if you keep treating me to meals all the time. Don’t you think you’ve been blowing your money a bit recently?”

With the Pierre situation over, I wanted to enjoy my time in the Alzer Republic. We still had a mountain of problems on our plate, but that was a separate matter.

“Most of what I’ve been buying are gifts for the people back home. My family’s been kicking up a fuss, you see.”

And by family, I meant two insufferable culprits in particular, i.e., my two sisters—the older one, Jenna, and the younger one, Finley. They’d been pestering me about a variety of rare goods. I already felt obligated to send gifts to the other people who had looked after me, so I probably had been splurging. All these expenses were necessary, though; I wasn’t simply spending money to spend it.

Noelle eyed me skeptically. “But I don’t see how you needed that brand-new tea set. And what about that other thing you purchased—the one that had its own special bag? How much did that set you back?”

“Aha ha ha… Noelle, why don’t you try this? It’s delicious.”

Okay, okay, I’d seen this one amazing tea set for sale. Since I had the change to afford it—and because I desperately wanted it—I made the purchase. However, that was the only thing I’d bought for myself. Everything else was pretty much daily necessities.

“Leon?” Noelle’s voice was stern, indicating she wouldn’t abide my change of subject.

“Fine. Altogether, it was about a hundred grand.”

And that wasn’t in Japanese yen, mind you. If we were to convert that amount to yen, it would be at least ten million, or somewhere around there.

Turned out that was far more than Noelle had anticipated, because her brows shot up to her hairline. “And didn’t you buy some expensive tea leaves and snacks before that?”

“Well, I wanted to have a tea party with my new set! This is my hobby, you know! Besides, you drank the tea and ate the snacks too!”

After all, she was the only person I’d invited.

“W-well, I mean, you know how it is…and it was delicious.”

Tea was one of my few pleasures in this world. Maybe the people here saw things differently, but as a Japanese man who’d lived in the 21st century, I thought my interests unimpeachable.

“It’s my only hobby,” I said.

Noelle realized she had taken the wind out of my sails. “I-I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “I took it too far. But I admit, I didn’t expect tea to be your hobby.”

I couldn’t hold that against her. My previous attitude had been, “Tea? Oh yeah, totally fascinating, I’m sure.” Meeting Master had completely changed my values.

“If you attended one of my master’s tea parties, I’m sure you would understand too.”

Noelle watched me enthuse as she resumed eating. “Yes, I’ve heard that numerous times now.”

True. We’d had this same conversation more than once.

As I went back to eating my lobster, a waiter approached.

“Would you like to order anything else?” he asked.

Noelle seemed content with what we had at the table.

“I’ll have your most expensive juice,” I said, trying to make myself sound like some kind of pompous moneybags.

The waiter forced a smile. “Um, I regret to inform you that we do not carry particularly ‘expensive’ juice.”

Yeah, I’d learned that by looking at the menu. “I was only kidding. Give us two more drinks then, the same as what we ordered before.”

Noelle seemed fine with my order, and as soon as the waiter left, she said, “I see you don’t drink alcohol at all. Rie and the boys seem to. You must be the odd man out even in the kingdom.”

In this world, people were legally allowed to consume alcohol starting at the age of seventeen. The age of adulthood was actually fifteen, at which point you were expected to make judgment calls on your own—including whether or not you drank. Personally, I just wasn’t that interested in liquor.

“I decided I won’t drink ’til I’m twenty.”

“But why?”

“It’s my own personal rule.”

It wasn’t that I was morally opposed or anything, but it didn’t sit right for me to drink before then. After all, Japan’s legal drinking age was twenty, so I’d resolved to wait until then.

Noelle smiled, but there was something forlorn about it.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head, her side ponytail swaying with the motion. “I always dreamed about being able to enjoy a meal like this.”

I immediately thought of her younger twin. “Are you referring to Lelia?”

Her expression soured.

She sure lets her emotions show on her face.

“You suck at reading the air, Leon, and you tend to be a bit dense. Not that I really mind that much. But sisters are different, and to begin with, Lelia isn’t into this kind of thing.”

“Huh, that so?”

Had something happened between them? Well, knowing Lelia, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn it. She was the entire reason for our current predicament.

“Well, as long as you’re having fun, that’s all that matters,” I said.

“What?” Noelle stared at me. Then she beamed, her face the most beautiful I had ever seen. “I was just thinking, you eat as if you really enjoy your food. Anyway, let’s figure out what we’re going to do next—”

Noelle was about to confirm our schedule when a flurry of footsteps came toward our table. It wasn’t the waiter this time, though the face was familiar. The second I saw her, I grimaced.

Lelia quirked a brow at me, setting her hands on her hips. She had no intention of hiding her displeasure. “You don’t have to act so annoyed by my presence.”

Noelle’s forehead crinkled. She turned her face away. “Lelia, what do you want?”

An awkward atmosphere descended between the sisters. The guests at nearby tables turned their attention our way, made curious by the commotion.

I heaved a sigh. “Speak of the devil, as the saying goes. Well, have a seat, then. Want anything to drink?”

Lelia turned her chin up at me. “No need to trouble yourself over me. I already have someone waiting.”

I glanced behind her. Emile—a boy with silky blue hair—was standing nearby, clad in an expensive-looking suit. I smirked.

“What, here on a date?”

“Oh, shut up! More importantly, I’ll be going to your house tonight.”

Noelle’s face hardened. “Lelia, I have told you multiple times, don’t just barge in.”

“We have important things to discuss, so butt out.”

After saying her piece, Lelia promptly marched off. Emile shot us an apologetic look, bowing before hurrying after Lelia.

As whispers surged around us, the waiter finally saw his opportunity to approach and set our drinks down. “Apologies for the wait.”

I yanked out a couple of bills and threw them on his tray—compensation for all the trouble we’d caused. He was more than happy to excuse himself after that.

Noelle’s eyes fell to her lap.

Lelia was like Marie and me—someone who had reincarnated into this otome game from the real world. She also had intimate knowledge about the second installment in the series.

“I guess we should finish eating and go home,” I said.

“Yeah.”

Since Noelle was down in the dumps now, I thought it best to end things early.

 

***

 

When I returned to the manor, Marie and I settled down in the dining hall to discuss the future. A clock hanging on the wall informed me that it was 11 p.m.

“Lelia sure is taking her sweet time.”

I was growing more and more irritable at her tardiness, tapping my finger rhythmically against the table as we waited. Marie let a yawn slip.

“She’s on a date, right? I’m sure they’re probably busy having fun. In fact, maybe it will go so well that she won’t even make it today.” Marie started rubbing at her eyes, drowsiness getting the best of her. As far as she was concerned, there was no point in worrying if Lelia didn’t show.

“Don’t you think it’s incredibly rude of her to piddle our time away and leave us hanging?”

“I already told you: If they’re having a good time on their date, they’re probably going to go for home base. Oh, sorry. I forgot how incompetent you are. You wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

My nose flared. “What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

“That you’re a wuss when it comes to Noelle. In fact, remember your two fiancées back in Holfort? You were a coward with them, too, when they professed their feelings to you.”

Angie and Livia had grown impatient waiting around for me to make up my mind and finally confronted me directly to make their affections clear.

Y-yeah, I can’t really argue the point. I was a bit of a coward then.

But Noelle was a completely different matter.

“Okay, but what’s this about me being a wuss with Noelle?”

Marie pulled a face. “You really are a scumbag.”

“And you’re really going to call me that without giving a reason? Tell me then, who is it that’s receiving money for their daily expenses from this scumbag, huh?”

Tears sprang to Marie’s eyes as she protested. “This is the exact kind of thing that makes you a scumbag!”

While we bickered, Luxion drifted into the room, his round, metallic body bobbing and red eye flickering.

“Master,” he said, “even I cannot deny her assertion that you are a coward.”

“Hey!” I protested. Some servant you are, always having a smart mouth.

“More importantly, your guest has arrived.”

I glanced outside. Lights glared through the glass—car lights.

“Is that Lelia?” I asked.

“It appears Emile escorted her here,” said Luxion.

He sure is a nice guy.

Marie left for the front entrance and came back a few minutes later with Lelia in tow. Outside, the lights disappeared as Emile’s car pulled away.

Lelia took her seat while Marie poured us drinks from the tea pot she’d prepared. Lelia took her cup and immediately launched into the heart of the matter.

“All right, so what are we going to do now?”

Marie and I exchanged looks. We both snorted with laughter before shrugging.

Lelia looked back and forth between us as her brows drew together. She smacked her hand against the table. “What’s with your attitudes?!”

Marie stared down at her. “Don’t you see any irony in this? You suddenly appear and ask us what we’re going to do when we’re only in this mess because of you. Don’t you get that?”

Lelia shot to her feet. “I was doing just fine on my own until now! You’re the ones who stirred the pot! My sister and Loic were doing just—okay, well, maybe that part wasn’t going too well…”

Even Lelia was disturbed by Loic’s behavior. Calling him a stalker was putting it nicely. The guy was basically a criminal.

Wait, I guess those are pretty much the same thing.

At any rate, Noelle’s disgust toward him was at a level of instinctual contempt. It would be far too monumental a task to push the two toward a romantic relationship now. Giving up was the wiser option.

I passed some sweets to Lelia so she could enjoy them with her tea.

“I looked into all of her potential romantic options, but they’re all dead ends,” I said. I shot a look at Luxion, expecting him to relay the details.

“In regards to Narcisse, there is a high likelihood that he will leave the academy entirely by the end of this year. As for Hugues, he already has an engagement of his own. Emile is out of the running entirely since he’s already in a relationship with you, which only leaves Serge. Currently, we don’t know his whereabouts and lack any meaningful information on him.”

It was less a problem of Luxion being incapable of gathering information on Serge and more that he saw it as a waste of resources. I had no doubt that if he committed himself, he could find the guy, but what then? Noelle avoided all mention of the man—or rather, all mention of House Rault. The chances of those two hooking up were slim.

Lelia frowned. “Serge, huh…?”

“Do you know something?” I asked, hoping she could shed some light on the matter.

“He always wanted to be an adventurer, and he often slips away from the academy.” Lelia was being cagey. Like that was a real answer!

“I’ve already heard that part.”

When the Raults had invited me to their house before, they’d told me about Serge’s interest in adventurers.

“Well, um… I figured I’d need a backup for Loic, so I got in close with Serge.”

Marie tilted her head. “Then why were you so fixated on Loic until now? Don’t tell me that you screwed things up with Serge?”

“Don’t put it like that! I didn’t screw things up, okay? Well, no, I sort of did.”

She’s not making any sense. Which is it? I frowned. “Okay, back up. So something happened with Serge, right?”

Lelia gave up beating around the bush. “I had no trouble getting acquainted with him. But his sister didn’t want us involved with the Raults, and Serge himself wasn’t interested in my sister.”

On that last point, their feelings were mutual—Noelle wasn’t interested either. Although, if that was all, I didn’t see the problem.

“And then he…told me that he liked me.” Lelia’s cheeks flushed.

Marie clicked her tongue, disgusted.

Uh… Well, this is terrifying. I don’t think I want to get involved.

“I can’t believe you,” Marie snapped. “After all that crap you gave me about having a reverse harem, here you are seducing two different men! Any trust I might have given you just went out the door, never to return!”

“Oh, please. I don’t want to hear that from a temptress who went after five different guys! We’re not even in the same league!”

For argument’s sake, two was definitely not as bad as five. Mathematically, Lelia’s romantic pursuits weren’t as egregious as Marie’s.

Not sure that makes her look any better though…

Regardless, we’d hit a dead end.

“Well, we’re screwed then,” I said.

Lelia thrust a finger in my direction, tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t you say that! You’re the one who messed it all up by becoming the Guardian!”

I really wish she’d stop foisting the responsibility on me. She got us into this situation way before I became anything. I snorted. “It’s not my fault. Even assuming I hold some of the blame, we’ve only got these problems because of you.”

Lelia’s face turned red.

Great, she’s lashing out even though she’s in the wrong.

“Are you trying to say this is all me?!”

“Duh, of course it is. The only reason you got backed into this corner is because you made the wrong choices to begin with. Besides, if you had taken Noelle’s feelings into account, we wouldn’t be in this mess. And if you’d engineered opportunities for her to get to know Hugues and Narcisse, we might at least have other options.”

Unable to defend herself, Lelia grimaced.

Well, I’m sure she wants to verbally rip us apart for our role in screwing up her master plan.

Nonetheless, it was still her fault things had wound up this way.

“Besides, what about you?” I asked. “You secured Easy-Pick Emile for yourself. If you were thinking properly about the circumstances, you should have avoided him.”

Behind me, Marie cheered. “You tell her! Tear her to shreds! Make her feel like absolute garbage, like you do when you lecture everyone else!”

Jeez, what kind of person do you take me for? Back to the point. “Easy-Pick is the one safe option we could have used to recover from any situation. You should have left him alone. Don’t you realize you’re the inventor of your own predicament?”

“Couldn’t you be nicer?!”

“No. Don’t assume that all guys will be unconditionally nice to you simply because you’re a girl. I have no reason to fear being blunt anymore!” I declared. That’s right! There’s nothing for me to be scared of. I have two kind fiancées waiting at home for me. I am above fear!

Lelia’s gaze dropped to her feet. “I do think I flubbed things,” she mumbled. “I never dreamed Loic would turn out to be this bad. In our first year, I thought everything would be fine between them and took comfort in that.”

In other words, she’d let her guard down, and that had led to disaster. Now our impending doom was fast approaching. That said, hashing it out any further wouldn’t provide a solution.

“All right, let’s actually talk some strategy about what we’re going to do from here on out.” I glanced over at Luxion.

“Very well. I shall explain a few possible plans we might—Master, there’s an emergency.”

“What is it?”

“An airship from the kingdom is fast approaching, and Angie and Livia are on board. Cleare appears to be with them as well. Apparently, it’s urgent.”

“Urgent?!”

Had something happened back in the kingdom? That seemed the only reason they would come all the way here.

Shit.

Luxion’s main body—an enormous spaceship—was located nearby here in the republic. Unless he straddled the border, he wouldn’t be able to check in on the kingdom in real time.

“What’s their ETA?” I asked.

“It appears they will be arriving in the harbor tomorrow morning.”

“D-did something happen back home?!”

“I cannot answer that. Cleare did not send me any reports beforehand.”

What in the world was going on in Holfort?