NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20.1
Stage 1-20. How To Deal With A Girl Acting Strange
“Hey, Ouga. Good morning, what a coincidence.”
“……”
“Oh? Did you come to use the library too, Ouga? Actually, I did as well.”
“…………”
“Ah, Ouga. You know, um… for lunch… no, never mind! Forget I said anything!”
“………………”
“Forget it!!”
Right after she calls out to me, Karen dashes off.
That was what had just happened.
“……What was that all about?”
It had been a few days since I had a conversation with Karen after a long time.
Lately, I’ve been running into her in the academy like it’s a complete turnaround from before.
“Hehe. It seems even the perfect Ouga-sama still has some things left to learn.”
Alice, who was making tea, smiled as she said that.
Are you suggesting my communication skills are lacking…?
“She’s cute, isn’t she? Like a big puppy.”
Mashiro apparently thought Karen had a tail wagging behind her.
It seems the women around me have some insight into Karen’s behavior.
As her master, I felt a bit left out, which made me a little sad.
“Maybe this time, you should invite her out, Ouga-kun?”
“Me? Why?”
“Mmm, Alice-san’s food is so delicious~. What do you call this?”
“It’s a hamburger. It’s based on a recipe Ouga-sama came up with.”
“Ouga-kun can cook too? That’s amazing!”
No, seriously, listen to me.
But if the nutrients from that delicious hamburger were making Mashiro’s chest grow even more, I guess I didn’t mind so much.
Besides, I like girls who eat a lot.
Eating together makes things more fun.
“Still, it would be breaking the rules if I were the one to invite her out.”
“Breaking the rules? What rules?”
“What, you don’t know? Karen is engaged to Crown Prince Arnia.”
“The Crown Prince!?”
The Crown Prince’s fiancée has always been chosen from one of the Four Great Duke Houses.
There are other daughters from duke families, but Karen was the firstborn and is the same age as the Crown Prince.
Being the only daughter of the oldest family, the Revetzenka Dukedom, it seems her engagement was decided without objection.
They raised Karen as a “man” and now use her as a “woman” for political gain.
That alone tells you how much of a toxic parent her father is.
Karen’s biggest misfortune was being born into that house.
Well, not that I’m planning to do anything about it.
“Uh… then, isn’t the current situation bad for the Crown Prince…?”
For some reason, Mashiro anxiously looked around.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but that womanizing Crown Prince won’t have any problems.”
“Huh? A womanizing Crown Prince…?”
“He has no interest in Karen at all. Look, over there.”
I pointed behind us as I snacked on some of Alice’s food.
There was the Crown Prince of Arnia, surrounded by senior female students.
“Arnia-sama, ahh~”
“Mmm, delicious. Your cooking really is the best in the world.”
“Oh, thank you… I’m so happy to hear that!”
“Your Highness! Next, please eat mine! Mine!”
“No need to rush, I’m not going anywhere. Ahaha!”
What a lively scene.
The Crown Prince has been enjoying his youth with girls other than Karen since he enrolled.
At first, the other students held back out of respect for Karen, but lately, they haven’t cared at all.
Karen herself keeps her distance and never mentions his behavior, but her entourage seems to be quite on edge.
By the way, all of this was information Alice had gathered for me.
…Wait a minute. Ah, so that’s how it is…!
“Heh, Karen… using me like that…”
“Using you? Did you figure something out, Ouga-sama?”
“I thought she’d been talking to me to recruit me for the student council. But there was another reason.”
Alice, who’s devoted herself to martial arts, completely lacks an understanding of a woman’s heart.
I guess I’ll have to teach her. It’s a superior’s duty to help their subordinates grow.