It’s not easy.
[Academy Classmate]
Remian, who had introduced herself as such, was standing by the window in Ariel’s lodging parlor, looking outside.
For the purpose of identity verification, she had taken off her hood.
Her snow-white hair and ocean-like blue eyes were clearly visible.
After all, in a few days, she was expected to reveal her face through a face-to-face meeting, and after the engagement battle, she planned to hold the hand of the winner and receive a grand celebration from the northerners as they moved into the city.
Not as the red-haired Erinysia Beloc, but as the white-haired Remian Winterfell, she was to proudly reveal herself to the world.
There was no need to refuse the guard’s search, nor any reason to hide anything.
After all, for now, she was just Erinysia, a poor noble daughter from a border territory.
‘…The advisor must have delivered it well, right?’
Tomorrow would be the last evaluation battle before the face-to-face meeting.
Before that, she had drawn out decisive encouragement and persuasion strategies for Elden’s will to participate.
Gelwood took care of the encouragement towards Elden, while she took care of the persuasion towards Ariel.
The strategy was to offer irresistible sweet temptation as encouragement, followed by persuasion to fuel that temptation.
Moreover, the card of encouragement she had chosen was not the hidden favor shown until now.
[Love at First Sight]
It was clear favoritism, and a confession made as a woman.
The reason for the quarrel due to the news of abstention, the declaration of companionship at the end, and not giving any attention to other candidates were all because of ‘love’.
Of course, it was a false confession without any feelings.
Anyway, by doing so, they delivered a powerful force that could even mix water and oil to the abstainer, and they also provided information about the evaluation battle that would take place tomorrow, making it difficult to refuse.
A golden opportunity to revive a declining family, becoming a part of the great ducal family, and seizing omnipotent power directly in one’s hands – who would let go of that?
They encouraged someone who claimed to be leaving due to lack of qualifications with complete support and love, so it was clear that the will to abstain was surely wavering.
If only Ariel Elon wasn’t deeply in love.
If not for that powerful force that even blurs rational discernment, crumbles intellectual contemplation, and disregards the origin of birth.
To verify that, Remian, who had come up with a newly established hypothesis, had made her move.
If.
If it was true that he was having a secret affair with Ariel, that alone would be enough to proceed with repentance guidance for the villain Elden.
Violating the sacred rules of the engagement battle was tantamount to insulting the grand ducal family and deceiving the Northern Command.
If Ariel’s secret affair was not the reason for the abstention, the decisive card would work as an effective hit.
If the reason for abstention was true, it could be used as a pretext to encourage participation.
It would be much cheaper to reflect on and repent for past mistakes than to receive punishment for violating the sacred rules of the engagement battle.
Yes.
[Love]
If the credibility of this hypothesis is confirmed, everything that has gone awry will return to its original state.
Although I haven’t experienced it, they say lovers come to resemble each other.
The reason why Elden, the ruffian who despised books, is close to them must surely be because of that.
Efforts to resemble the loved one, efforts to win the favor of the loved one.
If not, Elden, who looked down on reading as a pathetic act, wouldn’t follow such a pathetic deed.
No.
It has to be love.
Only then can this most difficult problem be solved.
Thinking so, Remian waited for Ariel.
After a brief wait, she heard.
“Elden?”
The voice of Lady Ariel Elon was a powerful support for the crucial hypothesis of [Love], solving the worst problem.
“Ho ho. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Lady Ariel.”
With a bright smile, Erinysia Beloc, the poor noble daughter from a border territory, greeted Ariel.
**
“I really didn’t expect us to meet again like this. I’m glad. Erinysia.”
“Ho ho. I also didn’t expect to meet like this. Have you been well?”
“I’ve been well. You?”
“I’ve been well too.”
A few formal exchanges went back and forth.
That was the end.
It was natural for the conversation to be limited with someone they had never expected to reunite with and with whom they had no prior exchanges.
There was nothing to ask about each other’s recent situations.
The relationship was too awkward to continue a warm conversation.
After a few words of greeting, an extreme silence dominated the space, as expected.
Fortunately, Ariel managed to ask a question with difficulty.
“But, what happened to your hair color? I’m pretty sure it was red.”
“Ah, actually, I changed the color through mana dye. Many people think northerners are barbaric, don’t they?”
“That’s true. So, the Northern Command is your homeland? But white suits you better. You look extremely beautiful, Erinysia.”
“Ho ho. Lady Ariel, you also look extremely beautiful.”
Once again, formal compliments were exchanged.
The compliments were sincere.
Both the blue-eyed white-haired Remian and the golden-haired hazel-eyed Ariel were so beautiful that it was difficult to determine who was more attractive.
However, it was not enough to dispel the increasingly awkward atmosphere, and Ariel, who preferred a nutritionally rich reading time over spending time with someone she was not close to, broached the main topic.
“…So, what brings you here?”
Remian also didn’t want to drag things out.
She had simply come to secure the credibility of a newly established hypothesis.
[Love]
She just wanted to check if this futile illusion of emotion was messing up her plans.
If so, she would have to establish a new plan accordingly.
There are no unsolvable problems, and as a relentless researcher, Remian had never faced a problem she couldn’t solve.
After taking a sip of winter flower tea, a specialty of the Northern Command, Remian broached the topic.
“Actually, I have a message for you.”
“Hm? A message?”
“Yes. I was told to get an answer.”
“From whom…?”
In the dead of night.
Darkness spreading everywhere.
The chill enveloping the body.
A nighttime visitor cutting through the darkness and chill.
The message from someone that this nighttime visitor wanted to convey.
Everything exuded an ominous sense of unease, and Ariel waited for an answer with a slightly intimidated demeanor.
When the name of the message’s sender was revealed, Ariel’s hazel eyes widened significantly.
“The Third Northern Duchess.”
“
……!”
Her mouth opened wide in surprise.
The academy classmate she had never expected to reunite with in this strange and distant land.
A name she couldn’t even imagine would be uttered by that classmate’s lips.
“…The Third Northern Duchess?”
It was a natural reaction for her ears to perk up at hearing the name, her eyes to widen at seeing the lips that spoke it, and her mouth to freeze open as she had to respond.
And shortly after.
“Wow—!”
The excitement that dispelled all the ominous feelings and brightened the darkness with joy was the natural reaction of a devoted reader who had read the novel [The Woman of the Secret Snowfield], starring the mysterious [Third Northern Duchess], with tears and snot.
“…Huh?”
“Then, are you working under the Third Northern Duchess?”
Ariel stood up abruptly, leaning forward with her hands on the table.
With eyes sparkling like the stars in the night sky.
In response, Remian had to lean back.
“Yes…, I suppose so?”
“Then you must know a lot about the Duchess, right!?”
“Well… I suppose so.”
Remian, who had always had a book by her side but only research and knowledge books, had no way of knowing about a novel based on herself.
Moreover, that novel was pure literature, exploring secrets and adventures to find one’s existential meaning, not the romance that maid Marien enjoyed.
Therefore.
It was natural for the purely investigative Remian not to understand the sparkling eyes of Ariel Elon, a pure literature enthusiast, and it was also natural for Ariel, who was deeply moved by reading [The Woman of the Secret Snowfield] five times, to unleash a barrage of questions.
“What kind of person is the Duchess?”
“…?”
“Is it really because of a curse that she’s shrouded in mystery?”
“…”
“Kyaa- I want to meet her soon-!”
“…”
“Rumors say it’s because of her absolute beauty surpassing even princesses that the Duke is hiding her! Is that true?”
“No…”
“I heard she has overwhelming martial skills that could defeat veteran warriors, is that true?”
“Please, let me…”
“Kyaa— Do you have to go back soon? Or can you talk more about the Duchess?”
“…”
The excitement of a book lover upon hearing the name of another protagonist from a novel.
It took a long time for that excitement to subside.
“Hee… So, sorry. I was really deeply moved by the novel starring the Third Northern Duchess.”
“……What? There’s such… a novel?”
“Yep!”
Remian was dizzy with the news of a bogus autobiography.
It took her a long time to regain her composure.
Blud is flabbergasted