Chapter 84
As you walk a little further from the Academy's buildings, the main garden comes into view.
This place naturally attracts those who want to spend quiet time alone, whether it's enjoying a book while sitting on the long benches placed in the garden or taking a nap on the always neatly trimmed lawn.
Beside the stone steps leading to the main garden, there is a white bench for two, surrounded by small, charming flowers in pink, white, and light purple.
It's a wonderful space, almost like part of the scenery itself, captivating anyone who sees it even just once.
"Strange... This is absolutely strange...!"
There, sitting on the bench as if she were part of the scenery from the start, was an adorable girl glaring sharply straight ahead.
Occasionally, some people noticed the girl and were surprised, but most somehow felt an illusion that her presence suited this place perfectly.
And that's no surprise, because in the game, this bench often features still images of the heroine and a target character sitting together harmoniously. When sitting alone, it's a space made specifically for the heroine to meet a helpful character who assists in capturing the targets.
"......Tch"
The helpful character, absolutely necessary to overcome differences in status or age with each target character, as well as pressures from their fiancées or surroundings, and to reach a happy ending, must definitely be caught here and now.
For example, if it's Floyd, it would be a member of the Crown Prince's close aides like him; if it's the Third Prince of another country, it would be the innkeeper in the Royal Capital. Helpful characters exist among those close to the target characters, in mentor-student relationships, or even within families.
"If it were Renato, it would've been easy......"
Renato, the Second Prince, is a bit special. To capture him, all you need to do is relentlessly raise the favorability of his older brother, Ludweek. If you pursue Ludweek, Renato will naturally develop feelings and approach you on his own—a character you can get as a bonus.
"......But he's not at the Academy."
Unlike Floyd, Renato, or the other characters, Ludweek, who differs in both status and grade, isn't someone you can easily run into within the Academy.
Therefore, to trigger an event with Ludweek, who is hard to even meet face-to-face, a connecting character is necessary.
Considering the status of the person who is important to me, they aren't someone I should be able to meet in a place like this. Yet, according to the game, I should encounter them here, as this spot is a shortcut to the Knight course's Training Ground.
The timing and hour are undoubtedly correct, just like in the game. I'm sitting on the white bench, fully focused and waiting in all directions, but that person still hasn't shown up......
"What is this? This is completely, utterly different from what was supposed to happen!"
I enrolled in the Academy this spring, thinking that the wonderful Academy romance game would finally begin.
Yet, at the entrance ceremony, there was no sign of the Second Prince giving the new student representative speech. Instead, a minor character from a Count family took the stage in his place.
The Crown Prince, a son of a Marquis family, a son from a Count family with a long lineage of knights, and the son of the largest merchant in the Royal Capital—these target characters are at the Academy, but the Second Prince alone was missing.
I still remember running to the staff room after checking each classroom to find out what was going on.
'I heard that His Highness, the Second Prince, was supposed to enroll as well.'
When I casually mentioned the Rotish family name while asking, I was told that Renato had enrolled in the Military School instead of the Academy.
My chances to meet Floyd have decreased, the convenient maid I had was fired by Celestia, and Count Baldo, the head of the family, drew a clear line with me. Because of that, I can't even access information that any noble would know.
If Renato isn't here, there's no helping it. If I capture Ludweek, I'll naturally get Renato as well.
So...... with that in mind, I brought homemade sweets and have been sitting on this bench for so long that my backside hurts, all to start capturing Ludweek immediately with the help of a supporting character.
"Come on, is it still not time......?"
A person who can create a connection with the high-status Crown Prince and become a backer for the heroine.
The Knight Commander who has supported the current king for years, and the head of a prestigious Count family, Ivan Tseli.
Tseri, who used to visit the Knight course at the Academy until just before retiring from the knight training, meets the heroine when she is bullied by Celestia and her entourage and cries quietly here.
Tseri, concerned about the heroine who cried every time he passed by this path, offered her a handkerchief and some sweet treats. Even without planning the timing, the heroine and Tseri enjoyed chatting here every day, gradually developing a relationship like that of a grandfather and granddaughter.
The heroine, unaware that Tseri was the Knight Commander, is shocked one day when he reveals his identity by bringing the Crown Prince along. This is the event with the Crown Prince, and clearing it means everything else will fall into place.
Ludweek, who had been watching the girl he fell for at first sight but couldn't bring himself to speak to her, finds time to come here to meet the heroine.
On holidays, they disguise themselves to stroll around the Royal Capital, or have picnics in a secluded corner of the main garden, meeting alone multiple times to raise favorability.
That's why I'm eagerly waiting here, but even after two days, three days, a whole week, Ivan Tseli hasn't appeared. The sun has already started to set, and the Knight course classes ended long ago.
"Maybe this isn't the right place...... That's it, I must've made a mistake."
I scratch the bench with my nails, and a small cracking sound accompanies a sharp pain in my finger.
But I don't have the luxury to care about that, and just like at the entrance ceremony, I run toward the staff room.
※
"......Huh? Um, the Military School, you say?"
I catch a teacher returning to the staff dormitory in the hallway and ask about Ivan Tseli without any preamble. I'm told that he retired from the knight training several years earlier than in the game, moved back to his territory, and has been an instructor at the Military School since this year.
Moreover, I'm the one who's surprised to learn that this is common knowledge among the people of this country, something I didn't know.
"If I'd known this, I wouldn't have cut ties so soon......!"
Nobles gather information through social interactions.
Unlike men who go out, women who manage the household collect all sorts of information at social venues like tea parties and evening gatherings. This isn't something that starts in adulthood; it's done from childhood, as naturally as breathing, and I've lived that way too.
But the connections I had when I was part of a Baron family were all severed when I became the adopted daughter of the Rotish family.
If the family status is different, there's no value in using them, and they don't have the information I desire.
There are other sources of information besides social interactions.
There's a newspaper agency run by the state, and newspapers are published during emergencies or celebrations. Surely, a newspaper must have been issued when the Knight Commander who supported the current king retired.
However, due to the prevailing notion that newspapers aren't for women who aren't the head of the household or heirs to read, neither I nor my mother can easily access them where they're placed......
"What is this about the Military School......! What are royalty and the Knight Commander doing in some remote borderland? That's nothing but a demotion! Just refuse it!"
Once again, the story has been twisted.
I told them I'm not stupid, that I understand everything, that I'd even show mercy if they didn't interfere......
"Even from afar, you keep getting in my way, Celestia......!"
As I walk down the hallway toward my destination, I kick the wall several times to vent my frustration.
Classes are over for the day, and only specific students remain in the Academy, so I don't need to wear the mask of the adorable heroine.
"No villains, no helpful characters—what kind of lousy game is this?"
Even though I successfully triggered the love-at-first-sight event with Ludweek, without Renato and Tseri, who are necessary for his capture, other events might not occur.
Shaking my head side to side as if to cast off my impatience and anger, I catch sight of a terrace filled with pure white tables and chairs.
A terrace used by upper-class nobles for small-scale tea parties.
Naturally, commoners and even lower nobles are never invited, so I've never set foot there.
"If things had gone as planned, Celestia and her entourage would've been there......"
Each table is decorated with vibrant flowers, and round, cute glasses are filled with iced tea garnished with fruit. Elaborate cakes and sweets, arranged according to the season, are laid out, surrounded by affluent and glamorous girls.
Celestia isn't at the Academy, but her entourage is still around.
I recall that the four or five members of her entourage are all daughters of Count families. They resent the heroine for being liked by Floyd and other prominent characters, and even without Celestia's orders, they carry out quite extreme bullying.
So, when I first enrolled, I decided to frame those daughters of Count families as villains.
I was originally from a Baron family, but now I'm the adopted daughter of the Rotish family. That title carries significant weight, placing me among the upper echelons within this Academy. If I play the role of a kind, smiling girl who gets along with everyone regardless of status, I'll become a beloved heroine just like in the game.
Among the people flocking to me are sons and daughters of Count families. All I need to do is hint to those who approach out of curiosity with, "My adoptive father treats me very well, but......" and give a sad smile. Nobles who love gossip will, as always, let their imaginations run wild and spread it as if it were the truth.
It took about three months after enrollment to lay the groundwork, becoming a prominent presence that made the girls having tea on that terrace frown in displeasure. All that was left was to wait for the entourage to step in as Celestia's substitutes, but......
"What do you mean I'm not even on their radar......?"
I've locked eyes with the entourage a few times within the Academy, but there's no hostility or malice. Even when I deliberately made noise near the terrace, they only glanced at me once. They don't even register my existence, treating me like part of the scenery.
Hah...... I scoff through my nose and turn my face away from the terrace.