Chapter 35: Emelly’s Suspicions

“Uh, um, w-well… hello…?”

“Hello.”

Ahrin, approaching with their drinks, paused upon seeing the unfamiliar blonde girl sitting at their table. After a hesitant greeting to Emelly, she carefully placed the drinks on the table and whispered to Sayoreinne, “Um, Miss, who is that…?”

“That’s Emelly. She’s in Class A with me. She’s… a… classmate…?”

How should she introduce Emelly? Calling her a friend felt premature, but simply referring to her as a classmate seemed inadequate.

Observing their exchange, Emelly waved cheerfully at Ahrin, her face bright with a smile. The contrast between her demeanor towards Ahrin and her attitude towards Sayoreinne was stark. “I’m Emelly. I’m in the same class as this young lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Calling her a “friend” was unexpected.

Emelly had no reason to be nice to her.

“Ah, yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you too… Emelly… sama?”

“I’m a commoner, not a noble, so there’s no need for honorifics or formal speech. You must be a noble, so please, just speak comfortably.”

“Oh, no. I’m a commoner, just like you, Emelly-sama. And regardless of social status, anyone who is a friend of my mistress is someone I must respect! Please, speak comfortably.”

“A commoner? You, Sayoreinne’s maid?

Truly?”

“…? Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Emelly’s expression was a mixture of confusion and disbelief as she glanced back and forth between Sayoreinne and Ahrin. Sayoreinne understood her reaction. The maid of Sayoreinne, who notoriously hated and looked down on commoners, was not only a commoner herself, but also seemed to be on good terms with her mistress. It was understandable that Emelly, still more familiar with the old Sayoreinne, found this difficult to believe.

Ahrin, her expression clouded with anxiety, whispered, “Miss, did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t. Stop standing there and sit down. Your legs must be tired.”

Sayoreinne took Ahrin’s hand and pulled her down onto the seat beside her.

“Hmm…”

Emelly watched them with a skeptical expression, her arms crossed. Her gaze was unnerving. Sayoreinne took a sip of her fruit juice. The sweet, slightly tart flavor was refreshing.

“Shouldn’t… you order something, Emelly?”

As Emelly spoke, glancing behind her, Sayoreinne followed her gaze and saw a familiar figure approaching – a girl with black hair tied back in a ponytail. It was Sowol. They were always together at the academy, and it seemed their close bond extended beyond school grounds.

Sayoreinne was curious about their relationship.

“You two seem to be always together. You look very close. What’s your relationship?”

“There’s nothing special about it. Sowol and I are just close friends. And close friends hang out together, even on their days off.”

‘Well, that’s what I expected.’ Having nothing more to add, Sayoreinne quietly sipped her drink through the straw. Ahrin, sensing the awkward atmosphere and the presence of a stranger, sat quietly beside Sayoreinne, nervously sipping her coffee.

Thud

Sowol arrived, placing her drink on the table. Her previously cheerful mood soured the moment she saw the person sitting across from Emelly.

She had been momentarily thrown off by the unfamiliar hairstyle, but she recognized her instantly. The sight of this person, someone she despised, intruding on her time with Emelly, filled her with annoyance and anger. Her face darkened.

“…Emelly, why did you choose this table, of all places?”

“As you can see, there are no other seats available. Sayoreinne had already taken this one before I even realized it was her. I didn’t recognize her until I got closer.”

“What? Then we should just leave…”

“Sorry. I actually wanted to talk to Sayoreinne.”

“Haah… Fine. Do whatever you want.”

Sowol sat down beside Emelly with a sullen expression, turning her head away from Sayoreinne and pointedly sipping her coffee.

‘What is she thinking?’ Sowol, of course, had seen and heard about Sayoreinne’s recent change in behavior, a change that had begun during the second semester. But to Sowol, it was all an act, a facade.

She still remembered Sayoreinne’s condescending attitude towards her during the first semester, and more importantly, she remembered the sharp-tongued, ill-tempered Sayoreinne who had constantly clashed with Emelly, a commoner who refused to be intimidated. She couldn’t believe someone like that could change in just a month.

‘There has to be an ulterior motive, some grand scheme she’s working towards.’ She suspected Emelly felt the same way.

Something had shifted in Sayoreinne’s behavior during the second semester. By the third semester, she had somehow managed to ingratiate herself with Euru, the princess, and was now spending a significant amount of time with her. And even Nell, who had been relentlessly bullied by Sayoreinne, was now often seen in her company.

Seeing these two, who had seemed to dislike Sayoreinne as much as, if not more than, Sowol herself, now willingly associating with her, only deepened Sowol’s suspicions. Could Sayoreinne have used some kind of brainwashing magic? The thought was absurd, a mere fantasy. She had never heard of such a convenient spell, and if it existed, Sayoreinne would have used it on everyone.

Sowol pretended to be disinterested in their conversation, staring out the window, but she listened intently to every word exchanged between Emelly and Sayoreinne.

The silence, punctuated only by the occasional clinking of glasses and the soft sounds of sipping, was thick with tension. Sayoreinne decided to break the ice. The sooner this conversation was over, the better.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Straight to the point, I see. Well, I suppose we’re not exactly on friendly terms.”

Emelly looked directly at Sayoreinne, her gaze unwavering.

“So, what’s your game?”

“Game? I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Don’t play coy. I’m talking about your recent behavior.”

“I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly noteworthy lately.”

Emelly’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. It was unsettling. Sayoreinne met her gaze, refusing to be intimidated.

‘So, it’s about that again.’ This felt familiar… She had had similar conversations with Euru and Nell. Her past actions had clearly left a lasting impression.

“Putting on this act of innocence, trying to improve your image, and now you’ve even managed to rope in Nell and Euru-sama. What are you plotting?”

“I’m not plotting anything. I simply realized I was wrong, and I wanted to change. And I have changed.” Even if she said that, Emelly probably wouldn’t believe her. ‘How do I convince her?’

“I’ll… believe you. For now.”

“You… believe me? Me?”

“‘For now,’ I said. So, are you lying?”

It was a lie, since that wasn’t the real reason she had changed.

“No, but… why do you believe me? I find it hard to believe, even myself.”

“It’s simple. Considering your past behavior, the idea of you suppressing your true feelings and conforming to social expectations is far more unbelievable. The Sayoreinne I remember acted impulsively, spoke her mind freely, and readily lashed out at others.”

‘That’s… an interesting perspective.’ Come to think of it, considering the old Sayoreinne, the idea of her suddenly becoming demure and manipulative was perhaps more plausible than a genuine change of heart.

“That doesn’t mean I completely trust you. If you’ve changed, I believe it’s because you’ve become more cunning, more adept at hiding your true feelings. That seems more likely than a sudden change of heart.”

“…You said you’d believe me, but it sounds like you don’t.”

“Hmm, you might be right.”

Emelly smiled, and Sayoreinne couldn’t help but notice how charming she was, befitting a heroine.

“I’ve said what I wanted to say, so we’ll be going now. Sowol?”

“Yeah.”

Emelly and Sowol stood up, turning to leave.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Emelly turned back and extended her hand towards Ahrin.

“Cute maid-san, let’s shake hands.”

“Shake hands?”

Ahrin, looking bewildered, took Emelly’s hand. Emelly held Ahrin’s hand, her other hand resting on Ahrin’s shoulder, her face close to Ahrin’s ear. Ahrin blushed, clearly flustered by the sudden intimacy.

“If your mistress ever mistreats you, or if you grow tired of her, come find me. I’m quite wealthy, you know? I’ll take good care of you,” Emelly said, her voice loud enough for Sayoreinne to hear, despite the pretense of a whispered confidence.

“O-Oh, um, y-yes…”

‘Why is she saying that to Ahrin, loud enough for me to hear?’

Emelly, with a disapproving glance at Sowol, turned and left the cafe.

“Ahrin.”

“Yes?!”

“I’m glad you found a good prospect. Be sure to take her up on her offer if I ever get tiresome.”

“Th-That’s not what I meant, Miss!”

Ahrin’s flustered response was probably just a reflex, but… Sayoreinne couldn’t resist teasing her a little.