NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
The ball is held at the academy, and those invited naturally prepare by acquiring new clothes and accessories.
Since there aren’t many places near the academy that handle such high-end goods, this meeting can hardly be called a coincidence.
Yet, without considering that, I visited the market with Jeremiah… Yes, perhaps it was my mistake.
“…What are you?”
But for now, let’s focus on dealing with the current situation.
Standing by Jeremiah’s side, I faced a man who openly displayed hostility towards me.
It was my first time seeing him in person, but I had heard of him in the game.
Walter Karia. The last head of the Karia ducal family…
The reason he’s called the last head is that, by the main timeline of the Romancing Academy, the Karia family had completely fallen due to Jeremiah.
A family slowly corroded by a witch’s curse. Driven mad, its members turned on each other in a massacre…
The only survivor of that madness was the youngest, ‘William Karia,’ and with such a tragic background, he played the role of one of the main male leads who formed a connection with the game’s heroine.
Surely, while tracking the witch who ruined his family to seek revenge, he encountered the protagonist, who was being relentlessly tormented by the witch, and together they overcame the crisis…
Considering that they achieved revenge together with the heroine, it could be called a happy ending. But now that I’m inside the game and have seen the details, that narrative feels unsatisfactory.
After all, Jeremiah became a witch because the Karia family’s successor abandoned her.
“Excuse me. The person I serve doesn’t seem to be in a good state, so I had no choice but to intervene in this conversation.”
“…Serve? Are you that woman’s servant?”
Walter Karia scoffed at my words.
Yet, maintaining his fierce expression, he directed his hostility towards Jeremiah.
“Yes, even a rotten fish has its pride… It seems she still receives the treatment of a lady despite being part of a family. Even after committing a grave crime that got her expelled from the academy.”
Jeremiah’s shoulders flinched.
Unable to face him, her face turned pale, and she could only stare at the ground.
“…From what you’re saying, it seems you have a lot of grievances against the lady.”
I signaled Angela to support her, then stepped forward to block the hostility directed at Jeremiah.
“Step aside. I still have words for that wench.”
“I’m sorry, but the lady doesn’t seem to be in a good state. If you have something to say, please say it to me instead.”
“Hoh, do you think a servant like you, clinging to a rotten rope, can understand my words?”
“I stand here to understand and respond. At this point where we can converse, there seems to be a slight flaw in your assessment, young master.”
“You…!”
“My apologies. It seems I’ve overstepped my bounds. Please accept this humble servant’s sincere apology.”
Placing a hand on my chest, I bowed respectfully in apology.
Seemingly at a loss for words, he grimaced, and I continued with the softest smile I could muster.
“But a rotten rope… If I may ask, is that expression you used to scold me based on your personal experience?”
“…What are you babbling about?”
“I’ve only heard rumors, but after you declared the annulment, your standing in the family became precarious.”
Of course.
Just as Andersen wanted to form ties with Karia, one of the highest nobles, Karia also stood to gain much by aligning with the swordsmanship-expert Andersen family.
But from the start, he was dissatisfied with Jeremiah, the connection arranged by his family, and after entering the academy, his heart turned to someone else.
Who knows what the future holds, but for now, many in the family would be displeased with how Jeremiah was treated, no matter what she did.
“Ha, are you defending that wench’s servant?”
But the one who should feel this most acutely was acting as if nothing was wrong, brimming with confidence.
“Griping about that won’t change anything. That damned wench did something unforgivable, and marrying her would only bring shame to the family. Everyone knows that.”
Shut up. If you had shown even the slightest consideration, this mess wouldn’t have happened.
Biting back those words, I maintained a smile and subtly shifted my gaze to his side.
There stood a commoner woman, watching the situation with great anxiety.
Effectively the root of all this, she maintained eye contact with me for a while after our eyes met.
And just as her expression was about to change…
“Take your eyes off Nenya right now!!”
Walter grabbed my collar and yanked me towards him.
His face was even more twisted with anger than when he was berating Jeremiah.
As if I had committed an unforgivable sin.
“How dare you try to harm her in front of me? Nenya is not someone a filthy servant like you, serving a wench, can look at so casually!”
We merely made eye contact, so why such an overreaction?
To my eyes, she seemed no different from any other human.
What possibility did he see in her to become so obsessively attached?
“…If only half of that devotion had been directed towards the lady.”
That bitter thought slipped out, and just as my hand reflexively moved to strike, someone grabbed the hand clutching my collar to stop him.
“Young master, that’s enough!”
Nenya Silvestain.
Effectively the root cause of all this.
Despite that, her face showed clear confusion and concern as she tried to dissuade Walter.
“I-I understand your feelings for me, but please calm down!”
“Nenya, don’t defend him. Have you forgotten what that woman did to you!? How can I forgive this man who stands by her!?”
“I understand your feelings, but there are many people watching!!”
-Commotion.
The crowd passing through the center of the market began to murmur.
Emphasizing that all eyes were on them, Nenya looked around anxiously, and finally, unable to continue his anger, he roughly released my collar and turned away.
“Don’t ever show your face before me and Nenya again. If you have even a shred of conscience left in that wench of yours.”
With those words, Walter Karia roughly made his way through the crowd and left.
After hesitating briefly, Nenya glanced back at me, then slightly bowed her head and moved her lips.
‘I’m sorry.’
An apology, whether sincere or not.
With her departure, only Jeremiah and I remained under the crowd’s gaze.
We came here to shop happily, but ended up making a scene.
Deciding to move, I seated Jeremiah in a less crowded area and called Angela aside to express my concerns.
“How is the lady’s condition?”
“The psychological distress is greatly affecting her physical state. It would be best to return to the mansion and let her rest.”
Right, in her current state, she can’t properly choose clothes.
With that in mind, I considered returning home.
“Ah, and…”
Angela seemed to have something more to say, calling me over and whispering.
“That, there’s something bothering me about the people we encountered earlier. Is it okay?”
“…Something bothering you?”
“Yes, I don’t know the details, but… I thought it best to mention it.”
Her face was quite tense.
Facing her, I sensed it was no trivial matter and urged her to explain.
“…I saw original sin in that man we met earlier.”
“Original sin?”
“Yes, compared to Lady Jeremiah, it’s on a much smaller scale, but it’s not entirely insignificant.”
The ability to see original sin.
As an angel, Angela’s innate power allows her to gauge the sins a person might commit in the future.
Of course, like fanatics, there are those who cause chaos in the world with righteous beliefs, but that doesn’t mean original sin itself is meaningless in discussing good and evil.
Just as Jeremiah still has the potential to grow into a great evil, seeing original sin means there’s a possibility that person could become a villain in the near future.
“Walter Karia… You said you saw original sin in him?”
“Yes, on a very small scale…”
“Angela, how do you see it? If original sin is visible in him, what level of deeds do you think he might commit?”
“Hmm, hard to say. At that level, it might affect those around him…”
The collapse of those around him… It aligns perfectly with the future downfall of the Karia family.
Of course, that was ultimately caused by Jeremiah, but if he has original sin, it’s hard to say it’s unrelated to what will happen.
“Angela, please take the lady back home first.”
“Huh? Go back first? What about you, Sebastian?”
“I have some business to attend to.”
Yes, this needs to be looked into.
Having decided, I parted from Angela and slowly made my way towards where the two had gone.
Pondering how to deal with the key figures who played a decisive role in Jeremiah’s fall into becoming a witch.
***
As the sun set.
Having finished buying the necessary preparations at the market, Nenya faced Walter, who had been by her side all day, and expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you for today, young master. Thanks to you, I received such gifts…”
Walter handed her a shopping bag containing a dress and accessories.
As Nenya accepted it, she felt a significant weight on her shoulders.
For a commoner like her, these were clothes she couldn’t afford even after years of work, yet he gave them to her as if they were nothing.
“Really, is it okay for me to receive such gifts…?”
“Haha, don’t worry about it. Compared to what you’ve done for me, it’s nothing.”
Saying so, Walter smiled warmly at her.
From that smile, Nenya felt his genuine feelings towards her.
Always there for her, considerate, and generous with gifts…
Thanks to him being by her side, she could continue her awkward life at the academy.
While always feeling grateful, Nenya also couldn’t help but think it might be a bit excessive.
“Um, but what about Lady Jeremiah…?”
“Don’t even mention that despicable wench.”
Yes, like now.
Whenever Jeremiah was mentioned, he openly displayed his disgust towards her.
“That wretch has done unspeakably heinous things to you. Don’t even think about forgiving or sympathizing with her now.”
“…Young master.”
“Nenya. Just trust me. No matter what that woman does, I will definitely protect you.”
Saying so, Walter comfortingly patted her shoulder.
Nenya couldn’t say anything in response.
It was true that he had done so much for her, and it was also true that Jeremiah had maliciously tormented her.
If it weren’t for the efforts of those who supported her, what would have become of her…?
“…Yes, I suppose so.”
Covering her bitterness with gratitude, Nenya quietly bid him farewell and stepped out of his embrace.
“Then I’ll be going now. See you at the ball.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for the day you wear that dress.”
After parting with Walter, Nenya walked down the street as the sun set.
A man approached her just as she reached a secluded alley.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Facing her was a man in a butler’s uniform.
A familiar face to Nenya.
“Ah, you are…”
“Sebastian, the butler serving Lady Jeremiah.”
Yes, the man who had clashed with Walter at the market square earlier.
Recognizing him, Nenya suppressed her confusion and smiled warmly.
“Yes. Sebastian. Nice to meet you. My name is…”
“Nenya Silvestain. Correct?”
Cutting off her greeting, Sebastian spoke her name.
Nenya’s body trembled slightly, and she forced a nervous laugh while scratching the back of her head.
“…Ahaha, yes, that’s right. You know my name. Did you hear it from Lady Jeremiah?”
“Well, something like that.”
An uncomfortable feeling washed over her.
Even though it was just his voice, it felt like thorns were pricking her.
“You were the reason she was expelled from the academy.”
“That was…”
“Miss Nenya.”
As Nenya hesitated, unable to respond, the butler Sebastian slowly closed the distance.
Tensing up, she froze in place as he quietly made a proposal.
“Would you kindly spare me a moment of your time?”
His crimson eyes, unhindered by the encroaching darkness.
Now directed towards the subject of the impending judgment.