Chapter: 132
Before my possession, I once heard something like this: the mouth is a door to disaster, and the tongue… what was it again? Was it a knife that slits throats? Something along those lines. Not that it carries any weight; it’s not like I can look it up.
Anyway, looking at the current situation, it seems more like a piercing needle than a neck-slicing knife. It’s unfortunate that it’s someone else’s tongue that’s transformed into a needle, not mine.
“Prince Rutis is said to have been born to become a knight. From a young age, he trained alongside the royal knights—”
Is it a compliment to refer to someone of royalty as a knight? Sounds more like a backhanded insult, if you ask me.
But more importantly, my ears are hurting. I can’t fathom why I have to hear about Rutis’s past. Did I somehow wrong someone and deserve this punishment? To be honest, I’m not completely innocent, but I don’t think I’ve committed any crime that warrants this level of torture.
I’m sorry, I apologize. I don’t even know what I did wrong, but whatever it was, I messed up. Please forgive me. Daring to call upon the knights for such trivial matters must be a sin, right?
As I suppress the urge to smash my head against something to make her stop, I turn my gaze to Sir Villar, who is peacefully sipping his tea.
“He’s so detached.”
He’s not even attempting to stop his daughter from going on a rampage, just sitting there in bliss. But upon closer inspection, there’s a subtle emptiness in his expression.
Noticing my gaze, Villar turns his head toward me and slightly shakes it, as if to say, “Just give up. Accept what you brought upon yourself.”
“This is a disaster.”
Alright, I admit, I’m the one who brought up Rutis. But who could have predicted it would spiral into this?
Perosa’s story that started with, “When I was in Radus—” shows no signs of stopping. What kind of place is Radus? What on earth is it that turned a perfectly normal knight into a raving lunatic?
“They say that most knights were no match for him when he was just twelve. He was incredibly gifted, and his efforts matched his talent.”
“I see…”
The father sitting next to her rose through the ranks of the Royal Knights in just five years. Is that not astonishing?
Of course, I didn’t voice that out loud. I’m not looking to summon a twelve-year-old Villar and have him compared to Rutis. It might just break the heart of someone who spent time as an ordinary apprentice knight.
So, I politely interject, and Perosa becomes even more animated.
“Stop it.”
Honestly, I don’t care about Rutis at all. The only news I want to hear about him is when he returns to his homeland.
It feels odd that Villar is suddenly turning a blind eye to the ongoing nonsense. I guess through experience, he learned it’s better to ignore her than engage.
Yet, even I, the sole listener, find it awkward to ignore her completely. If we were on friendlier terms—or at least had exchanged a few words—it would be easier to cut the conversation short. But making a cold dismissal is tough since this is our first meeting.
“How annoying, she’s the same age as Erich.”
Thinking of her as a younger sister makes it even more challenging to be harsh. People like me, with a tender heart, have a tough time navigating this cruel world. If only I had half the Crown Prince’s temperament…
“It seems that Dame Perosa has already shown her brilliance at a young age, given how exceptional her admired figures are.”
After pondering a bit, I decide to keep playing nice.
Well, she’s Villar’s daughter, and we’ll likely have to coexist until graduation. Villar seems to have an unusual soft spot for his daughter, so leaving a good impression on Perosa won’t hurt.
“That’s right! I owe my current self to my father and Prince Rutis!”
She nods vigorously. See? At least she recognizes her father’s contributions. A sense of filial duty isn’t completely lacking.
When I glance back at Villar, he looks utterly captivated. It seems a single word from his daughter can sweep him off his feet. Is this the natural fate of a father?
“I nurtured my dream of becoming a knight by watching my father and trying to emulate Prince Rutis’s fairness, courage, wisdom, and patience.”
“What?”
Who the heck is this? Seriously, where does this ‘Rutis’ even live?
“I don’t know this person.”
Sure, the subject is clearly Rutis, but the adjectives that follow don’t fit that brat at all.
Could it be that all this time, she was talking about a different Rutis? Is there another prince with that name?
Maybe the Rutis at the Academy is the imposter. Yeah, a real prince wouldn’t bother attending the Academy. They wouldn’t lose themselves in love and create such a fuss.
“He must be a fake.”
It’s obvious he’s a phony. There’s no way that kind of fellow could be an actual prince.
“Fairness?”
“Well, I solved two of them, so you guys should eat two each!”
“No one told us to eat them; what do you mean—”
When I think back, he did seem fair. During those times when the club members were forcing themselves to eat Louise’s cookies despite hating them, Rutis displayed a bizarre sense of fairness.
“Courage?”
“If it’s us, we could easily conquer most dungeons.”
Thinking it over, he also exhibited bravery. He declared he would personally deal with any dungeons that appeared, showing courage that transcended his status.
“…Wisdom.”
“Chess isn’t about winning. It’s about making your opponent so furious that they can’t win.”
“Please just shut up and take your turn.”
His method of winning implies quite a bit of wisdom. He even made Lather lose his cool.
“Why are you not checkmating me when you can?!”
“Wait! I just need one more knight to create!”
He showed patience too. Just when he was about to win the pastry club’s chess tournament, Rutis intentionally stalled to create five knights.
“What the heck?”
Why does it seem like everything aligns perfectly?
I’m getting goosebumps. Surprisingly, Rutis genuinely embodies fairness, courage, wisdom, and patience. Even if the contexts are bizarre, it’s not an incorrect statement.
Could it be that Rutis is a prince worthy of admiration? Maybe he was fine initially and has merely deteriorated due to the power of the original novel at the Academy?
Of course, these are all pointless speculations. Whether he was perfectly fine originally or became a mess at the Academy doesn’t change the fact that I’m the one stuck in this chaos because of him.
“Great, now I’m losing my mind too.”
I nearly deceived myself and attempted to glorify that brat. Thankfully, I managed to dodge that crisis.
As I continue to project an agreeable demeanor, Perosa’s excitement flames up rapidly. Typically, when a listener responds well, speakers tend to become more spirited.
“I’m so sorry. I think I’ve talked too much about myself.”
At least Perosa realizes she’s gotten a bit too carried away and lowers her head belatedly. From her perspective, she likely feels she might’ve gone over the line.
I understand. Well, to be honest, I don’t really understand, but I’m trying to. Talking excitedly about someone you admire is thrilling, after all.
And considering I was the one who initially brought up Rutis… Damn it, if only I’d kept my mouth shut.
“It’s quite alright. I found it fascinating to learn about Prince Rutis from a different perspective.”
= In simpler terms, don’t repeat what you’ve already said, it’s not new anymore, so cut it out.
Perosa appears to grasp this hidden meaning and lowers her head even more. She doesn’t seem like a bad person.
When I glance sideways, Villar’s gaze towards Perosa is a bit scalding. No matter how casual the meeting, it doesn’t seem right to spill such personal matters to someone you just met.
But really, if he was going to say something, he should have done so earlier. What’s the point of bringing it up now that we’re done with it?
“I felt sorry for Sir Villar being alone here, but it’s a relief that Dame Perosa is now here with him.”
Perosa cautiously looks up at this, cautiously gauging her father’s reaction.
How many fathers would scold their daughter upon hearing such words? Well, at least Villar doesn’t seem like that. He sighs softly and withdraws his steely gaze.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to meet her at the Academy.”
Instead, he doesn’t forget to slip in a pointed comment.
That’s right. Who could have envisioned a father-daughter reunion at the Academy?
“Still, I’m glad that thanks to the Executive Manager, I have the chance to spend time with my daughter.”
“Ha ha, I appreciate your kind words.”
Following that, the tea party proceeded in tranquility.
Villar is typically a man of few words, and Perosa had already lit up. Thus, the gathering closed rather calmly.
“Thank goodness everything seems fine.”
After the father and daughter pair left, I let out a relieved sigh as I finished my tea.
Though he hadn’t wished for it, Villar’s face brightened quickly upon seeing his daughter. Thankfully, the chances of his mental derailment vanished.
Perosa’s sudden appearance at the Academy… it doesn’t seem like it was a ploy from Armein. If they were utilizing her fanatical enthusiasm for ulterior motives, we’d have to quietly accept our fates.
“I doubt there’s anything to worry about.”
Actually, I briefly entertained the notion that Perosa’s presence might be linked to the original story.
A young female knight, noble lineage, bound to follow and respect a prince—it all reeks of typical villainess archetypes.
Suddenly, I find myself on edge, hoping Perosa won’t approach Louise, slap her, and scream, “You thieving cat who bewitched His Highness!”
“Prince Rutis is someone who always radiates brilliance. As a knight, it’s natural to revere him and aspire to learn from him.”
But as we talk, it becomes clearer she’s not a villainess.
I might not be an expert in romance fantasy, but I’ve never seen an antagonist heroine so consumed with admiration and respect. Was it love for Rutis? At the very least, there’s no sign of that admiration showing.
“I worried unnecessarily.”
I dodged a terrifying love triangle.
And thank goodness for that. I nearly collapsed from stress before school had even started.
…But please, don’t let her realize her feelings for him belatedly, okay? It’s fine if she does, but I hope it happens after graduation.
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