Chapter 48
“You read the letters.”
“Yes. They were interesting.”
“I didn’t write them to be interesting…”
Sue fidgeted, feeling embarrassed. Noel stared into her red eyes, then started tapping his fingers on the windowsill.
“…You seem to have gotten quite close to Leo.”
“Sir Leo? Ah, well, yes.”
It was safe to say that Sue’s letters were almost entirely about Leo. She would fill the letters with stories about him, then briefly mention Enzhe and herself at the end. Even though she didn’t meet with Leo that often, her letters to Noel were always like that.
“How is Leo?”
Noel asked cautiously.
He didn’t seem interested before.
Sue replied casually,
“Sir Leo is a kind person. He always tells me interesting stories, and he’s very considerate.”
“That man?”
“Huh? Why?”
His tone was disbelieving. Noel quickly composed himself as Sue stared at him blankly.
“No, it’s just… surprising. That you two became friends.”
“Haha… I see. I don’t even know how it happened myself.”
She had another meeting scheduled with Leo in a few days. He could be gloomy at times, but he was a genuinely good person. The fact that he even complimented someone like Sue Byron was proof enough. That was why she was still surprised that they had become close.
“You never know what might happen in life.”
Noel repeated her own words. Sue just smiled faintly, not knowing what else to say.
She looked out the window with him. She could see young students playing in the beautiful garden of Full Bloom.
It was afternoon the next day. Sue had somehow gotten used to dealing with the lifeless Enzhe. Her days were peaceful, at least for now, since Enzhe wasn’t throwing any tantrums. Sue was enjoying her newfound peace and quiet. She decided not to think about the possibility that this tranquility might turn into a deadly poison later. There was nothing she could do about it anyway. She just hoped things would work out somehow.
That day, Sue was preparing to leave after class.
“Is Lady Sue Byron Chiqmefriar, daughter of the Viscount, present?”
A visitor had arrived at the Black Eagle Class. It was Fritz. His clear, authoritative voice called out the unbelievable name, and the classroom buzzed with excitement. Sue, startled, answered instinctively,
“I’m Sue Byron, Master Fritz.”
“Ah, right. You’re… Mask.”
What was even more surprising was that Fritz remembered her face. He still seemed to be struggling with her name, judging from the strange nickname he had given her. Sue, feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes, quickly left the classroom.
“Master Fritz, what brings you here…?”
“Woo told you, right? About the temporary committee.”
“Ah… You came because of that? Yes, Master Acrea told me. So a masquerade ball really was chosen.”
Fritz had come to the Black Eagle Class to personally escort her to the representative committee meeting room. To appoint her as a temporary member of the September Festival preparation committee.
The theme for the September Festival had been decided: a masquerade ball. The official announcement had been made just before school started.
When she had received the invitation from the academy, Sue had stared at it in disbelief, checking it over and over again.
Was it because of me?
She had thought that a masquerade ball wasn’t a particularly unique theme, so she hadn’t expected to be chosen as a temporary committee member. But she was deeply moved that the representative himself had come to see her.
“Then follow me. Let’s go to the meeting room.”
“Yes, Master Fritz!”
It was a good thing she had talked to Enzhe about it beforehand, while she was still out of it. She couldn’t refuse the order from Fritz, who was standing right in front of her, so she followed him obediently. She was excited that her suggestion had been chosen, and she was curious about what she would be doing as a temporary committee member. There was a hint of anxiety, but she quickly pushed it aside.
As they were crossing the sky bridge, Fritz suddenly asked,
“Have you been on the temporary committee before?”
Sue searched through ‘Sue’s’ memories and answered,
“Once, in my third year… For the Imperial Family visit.”
They rarely selected temporary committee members for the Imperial Family visit, but Sue had insisted on being chosen and had tried to impress the Imperial Family with her cuteness and flattery, only to end up humiliated.
Sue shook her head, her face burning at the memory.
“So you’ve never been on the September Festival temporary committee.”
“No, I didn’t expect to be chosen this year.”
Fritz smiled.
“It’s called preparation, but most of the work is done by the servants, so don’t feel pressured.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration, Master Fritz.”
It’s unlike him to be so considerate.
She wondered if Fritz was also suffering from the aftereffects of his fight with Enzhe.
***
The representative committee meeting room was ridiculously grand. The class representatives were sitting around a large, round table in the center of the room.
‘What is this, the Knights of the Round Table?’
The other temporary committee members were already there, seated at the table. It seemed like Sue was the last to arrive.
“Welcome, Lady Byron.”
Acrea greeted her with a gentle smile, organizing the documents. He always smiled at her in that emotionless way. Sue bowed her head slightly instead of greeting him out loud.
She couldn’t help but notice that the other representatives didn’t look happy.
“Take a seat wherever you like.”
“Yes, Master Fritz.”
Sue ignored them and found an empty seat. Sensing the cold atmosphere, she clenched and unclenched her fists under the table.
The meeting seemed to be about to start as Fritz sat down next to Acrea. Acrea was the first to speak in the silent room.
“As I mentioned this morning, Lady Byron was instrumental in deciding the theme for this year’s September Festival. That’s why we’ve chosen her to be a member of the temporary committee.”
Fritz nodded, looking through a report. But the other representatives remained silent.
A cold atmosphere had settled over the meeting room the moment Sue entered. But Fritz and Acrea didn’t seem to notice. Or rather, Fritz didn’t seem to notice.
“Then let’s officially begin the meeting…”
“Hold on a moment!”
Sue’s gaze, which had been fixed on the ceiling, snapped downwards. Acrea had just turned the first page of the report.
“…Lady Granhyut?”
“I have something to say, Master Fritz.”
See? I told you I was worried.
The girl who had been glaring at Sue raised her hand.
It was Granhyut. She was a marquis’s daughter from the Blue Shark Class, a Skia, and a model student. And as was typical of model students, she was a teacher’s pet. That was why Sue remembered her face and name.
Granhyut spoke in a clear, sharp voice.
“I request that you reconsider.”
“Reconsider? What do you mean?”
Fritz looked up at Granhyut, who was sitting directly across from him. Granhyut took a deep breath and stood up.
She clearly disapproved of the new temporary committee member, glaring at Sue as if she wanted to kill her. She adjusted her glasses and spoke again.
“I object to the appointment of Lady Sue Byron as a temporary committee member.”
“What?”
Fritz’s expression changed. But he didn’t say anything. He was waiting for an explanation. Granhyut nodded and continued, her sharp voice echoing through the meeting room.
“Master Fritz, we can manage the September Festival without Lady Sue Byron on the temporary committee.”
“Why shouldn’t we include Sue Byron on the temporary committee?”
Granhyut paused for a moment at Fritz’s question, then continued.
“First of all, when the idea of a masquerade ball was suggested during the meeting, we didn’t know it was Lady Byron’s suggestion.”
“What does it matter if it was Byron’s suggestion?”
“Lady Byron…”
Granhyut started to say something, then swallowed her words. She looked down, her right hand clenched into a fist, as if enduring some pain.
“…Lady Byron won’t be able to integrate into our representative committee. And she won’t cooperate.”