hotmtlnovel Chapter 371
Chapter 371
After finishing the two-day carriage trip, we finally returned to the grounds of Luminor Academy.
As usual, Princess Mezzlen had no apparent appointments with anyone else today. She sat on a bench in front of the magic department building, talking to me about various things.
“L-Lady Lilith, I think I misunderstood something last week... Haha...”
“...Yes.”
“I-I had no idea that person was overseeing your swordsmanship lessons... I mean, Lady Lilith, you're a student in the magic department, but you also take swordsmanship classes...”
“...That’s right.”
“A-And to think, you’ve already served him for over eight years at Blackwood Mansion... The world truly is full of surprises, isn’t it?”
“...Indeed.”
“S-So, Lady Lilith, could you perhaps tell me what Sir Harold is interested in...?”
“I’m sorry. Something urgent has come up, so I must excuse myself, Princess Mezzlen.”
-Grab!
“W-Wait! Don’t go, Lady Lilith...!!”
As soon as we met again at the academy, Mezzlen began with her usual pointless chatter, following it up with an absurd question.
I had no desire to get involved in her romantic pursuits, so I hurried to leave, but she quickly grabbed my arm, clinging to me.
“P-Please, give me some advice at least...! You’ve served Sir Harold for a long time, so you must know something about him...!”
“The only advice I can offer you, out of consideration, is to give up on your feelings for Professor Harold as soon as possible.”
“W-Why would you say that?! D-Do you secretly harbor feelings for him as well...?”
“Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you can say whatever you like, Princess Mezzlen. I have already given my body and heart to Master Ethan. How could you accuse me of harboring feelings for another man? Hmm?”
“...O-Okay, I understand. I-I know that’s not the case, so could you please stop glaring at me...?”
Mezzlen, spouting nonsense about me looking at another man despite being with Ethan, finally closed her mouth. I proceeded to explain in a way that even a fool could understand why things would never work out between her and Harold.
“First of all, Professor Harold has not had a single woman by his side since losing his wife over 20 years ago.”@@@@
“T-That’s just because he hasn’t met a woman that’s captured his interest...”
“...Huh?”
“Let me tell you a story from my first year working at Blackwood Mansion...”
I proceeded to explain to Mezzlen how dangerous it was to insult Harold’s family by recounting the story of "Aeria" and "Alicia."
Those two maids were caught stealing a keepsake from Duchess Tanasia, and as punishment, Harold had broken nearly every bone in their bodies.
‘For all I know, they’re still serving as sex slaves for the soldiers at the northern front of Silverwood Estate.’
Even though the keepsake was valuable enough that three years of service should have repaid the debt, the emotional value attached to Tanasia’s memento was incalculable. Harold’s rage had been factored into their punishment.
I didn’t mention the part about them being sent off as sex slaves, to avoid making things even more uncomfortable, but Mezzlen seemed to understand the seriousness of what I was telling her.
“I-I see... So, no talking about his family in front of him...”
“More precisely, don’t insult his family or tarnish their honor. That applies not only to the late Duchess Tanasia but also to Young Master Ethan.”
“O-Okay... I’ll keep that in mind...”
Whether this lewd princess would actually listen to my advice was unclear, but saying something was better than nothing.
If she went around spreading nonsense like "Tanasia was secretly lewd and Harold can’t forget her," it might provoke Harold into doing something rash. And while he was Duke of Blackwood, attacking a royal was a serious crime. I didn’t want any of this coming back to bite Ethan or me.
“Is there any other advice, Lady Lilith...?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, advice on how to behave around Sir Harold, or perhaps things he enjoys... The story you just told me was quite helpful...”
“...I wasn’t offering relationship advice, but...”
“B-But still...! Oh, do you happen to know any stories about Duchess Tanasia? M-Maybe they would help...”
“Like I said, stop mentioning Duchess Tanasia’s name so carelessly...”
As I was about to warn Mezzlen again about casually mentioning Tanasia, a familiar voice interrupted from behind us.
“Are you two talking about Tanasia? Or did I mishear?”
“............?!?!”
At the sound of the familiar voice, I froze completely, my body turning to stone.