“So, weirdos stick to my kid, huh?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
May was struggling to redirect the arrows aimed at her towards other girls with a fierce expression.
“Do you have any idea how much Daniel is stressing over them right now? I’m just glad I chased Elise away a bit.”
May Plov.
She pacified delinquent students with her fists, but of course, that alone couldn’t put the stiff-necked delinquents of Aios in their place.
Tact.
Along with bravery and her fists, the part she grew significantly in was her tact, and the moment May heard Diana raise the end of her sentence while looking at her, she knew.
‘This girl hates me.’
She could understand it to some extent. After all, not only was she a delinquent student right now, but she was also the one who tried to get Daniel expelled in the past.
But the past is the past.
Having already forgiven Daniel, she didn’t want to trip over her sister-in-law’s feet unnecessarily.
If it were Eve, she would have explained her situation in detail to gain understanding here.
Rin would have smiled kindly and eased the misunderstanding through conversation.
But May Plov was different.
She was looking to expel other girls from her sister-in-law’s eyes as an opportunity to pull off her schemes.
“Especially Elise and Sen, they’re really bad, you know.”
“Bad?”
“Yes! They even freely enter Daniel’s dorm!”
“……”
Feeling the gravity of the situation, Diana seriously instructed May to explain the situation in detail.
[Case.04: Elise (Elise de Prizhia)]
Finding Elise itself wasn’t difficult.
Students with golden hair were scattered across the courtyard like grass, but none shone as brilliantly and lustrously as hers.
Looking at her golden hair made the other kids seem like mere imitations trying to hide the real thing.
‘Someone like that is following our Daniel?’
Honestly, I was half in doubt when I first saw her.
Of course, I had seen them together in places like the cafeteria, but still, seeing Elise like this made me wonder if it was really true.
‘Well, I heard she’s also planning to date an elf.’
I was curious how she could so easily spot and approach the hidden charm of our Daniel, and as Diana approached her…
“Hello, sister. My name is Elise.”
“Uh?”
Diana was taken aback at the sight of Elise who bowed and greeted her first. She never expected her to recognize her.
Understanding Diana’s reaction, Elise covered her mouth with her hand and smiled with her eyes.
“You are Daniel’s only sister, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“R-really?”
What’s going on here.
Diana felt a bit flustered as the situation was flowing quite differently from what she had expected.
When May Plov told her, she was described as a masochistic lunatic who called Daniel her master and made a fuss.
But looking at her now, Elise seemed to be a polite and surprisingly dignified female student for her age.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. However, since you’re Daniel’s sister, we do have a relationship, so I might have gotten a little excited.”
Seeing Elise make a genuinely apologetic expression, Diana began to feel a strange satisfaction.
This girl is better than I expected.
“No, it’s not uncomfortable. Rather, can I know a little about your relationship with Daniel?”
“We’re just simple friends, for now.”
“For now?”
When Diana tilted her head and asked again, Elise shyly blushed a bit and, avoiding eye contact, replied.
“Actually, I have feelings for Daniel.”
“……!”
It was true.
The more the conversation progressed, questions about why someone like her liked Daniel arose, and doubts about whether there was some misunderstanding grew, but hearing it directly from her own mouth felt like a weight lifting from her chest.
“Can I know why you like him?”
“That’s a bit embarrassing for me.”
“Y-yeah.”
Recognizing how rude she had been, Diana decided to take a step back.
‘Did May lie?’
While listening to the story, it felt impossible to think it was a lie, yet upon meeting Elise, she seemed like the complete opposite of what May had said.
‘Right, delinquents are all the same.’
Diana said she understood and lightly bowed before turning back.
‘Ugh, she’s a good one.’
It seemed Rin felt something was amiss, as that was the moment Elise entered Diana McLean’s heart as ‘Daniel’s number one bride.’
Elise, smiling innocently as she watched Diana McLean turn her back, complimented Bertia, who approached with a wicked grin.
“Well done, you almost got into a big trouble.”
“……No, I didn’t.”
Bertia felt a bit uneasy, but decided to remind herself to be content as a servant who made her master happy.
“May Plov. How dare you try to tear apart the bond between my master and me? That won’t do. Absolutely.”
“……”
Beginning to regret gathering the information beforehand, Bertia felt a headache while watching the giggling princess of this country.
[Case.05: Sen]
Aios Academy had quite a few flower beds and a large garden located right in the center.
It wasn’t just for aesthetics but made for students to experience various activities, and one could spot a striking white-haired figure there.
“Uh?”
Sen.
According to May Plov, she used to be a cheerful and lively child, but now she had shed that facade and acted as if her emotions were dead.
In particular, she was said to frequently visit Daniel’s room through the window, taking away his personal time as a bad girl.
But right now, Sen was squatting down in the central garden’s flower bed and weeding.
“What are you doing?”
“……Pulling weeds.”
As expected, her voice was lukewarm, neither hot nor cold.
Watching Sen continue to pull weeds without stopping, Diana wondered why she was doing this, as it wasn’t like she was working as a gardener.
“Why are you pulling the weeds?”
“It’s a mission given by Daniel.”
“A mission? Daniel?”
Diana’s words quickened slightly as she pondered why what Sen was doing was related to Daniel, but Sen continued plucking weeds without even looking up.
“I’ve finished the mission of picking up trash around the academy, so now I’m on a weed-pulling mission.”
“Why… why are you doing it?”
For the first time, Sen paused her hands and slowly turned her head to look at Diana. She already knew that Diana was Daniel’s sister but casually continued.
“I was with some really bad people.”
“……”
“I needed to escape from them and needed something to do.”
Sen began pulling weeds again.
Since Sen explained simply, it took Diana a little time to grasp, but she started piecing together the puzzle.
‘So she’s getting Daniel’s help to atone for being with bad people!’
Now, Sen, doing this diligently even for a small task to wash her dirty hands, and Diana felt proud of Daniel for guiding her correctly.
Of course, the reality was slightly different.
Since the request from the Chokugen Faction had disappeared, Sen had to rely on the mission Daniel gave her, and Daniel simply gave her a task that would take as long as possible because she was becoming a nuisance.
Well, no matter their intentions, in the end, it was good for both of them.
“Good luck.”
Diana patted the head of Sen, who was working hard for atonement, even if just for a small task.
[Case.06: Hayun]
In the classroom of Class E for the third year, all lectures had finished.
Inside the setting sun-lit classroom, a man and a woman were engaging in a candid conversation.
To be precise, the man was receiving counseling from the woman.
“So, I told Sen to pull the weeds, right? But she’s quick, so I think she’ll come back soon.”
“Sen’s a bit ambiguous. Unlike Elise or May, who straightforwardly approach, her feelings seem more dependent than romantic.”
“Sigh, how did I end up in this situation?”
Daniel sighed and slumped over his desk.
The one giving the counseling was Hayun.
Since the time they went to Yggdrasil together, she had been giving him relationship advice, so Daniel often sought her counsel.
“I’m in no position to criticize Ares.”
Muttering as if confessing his true feelings in a cave, Hayun chuckled softly beside him.
“That’s not true. Ares subtly gives distance while acting like there’s an opportunity, and you give a clear answer.”
“That’s true, but…”
“This isn’t your problem anymore. You’ve already responded to their feelings, yet they keep clinging to you.”
With Hayun’s words comforting his crumbling heart, Daniel slightly nodded.
Normally, he would have shared such worries with Eve and Tana, but after the last confession, Eve’s demeanor had also changed significantly.
Rather than charging in like the other girls, she was teasingly hinting at her intentions. Even when he couldn’t respond.
For example, during lectures, she would subtly poke his calf with her toes and, when he turned, give him a knowing smile.
It was as if she was indirectly communicating her feelings, probably because she read a lot of books.
“My little Eve…”
“Sigh, what a drag.”
He thanked Hayun, who gently patted his shoulder.
“I honestly couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Don’t mention it. You helped me with my confession to Ares, didn’t you?”
The two, who were both clueless about romance, supported each other, which might seem silly to outsiders but had become a great strength for Daniel.
After all, it was valuable to receive a woman’s perspective.
At that moment, the classroom door opened, and Diana McLean walked in.
Diana noticed Daniel with Hayun and showed a mildly complicated expression but approached her brother with a smile, as it had been a while.
“Daniel!”
She hugged her little brother tightly and began to ruffle his hair.
Though Daniel could have easily avoided it, he stayed still, not wanting to deal with whatever comments might follow.
Once freed from his sister’s embrace, Daniel steadied his breath and asked.
“What’s up?”
“Why do you visit me only when there’s a problem? You’ve been so cold to me lately.”
“……I guess it’s time to graduate from being your little brother.”
Though he had practically graduated ages ago.
“Right, gaining independence is a good thing! But, what were you doing here?”
“Huh? Just…”
“Giving him counseling.”
Hayun casually chimed in.
Diana instantly looked Hayun up and down and retorted.
“Counseling?”
“Daniel’s been quite troubled lately, in many ways.”
“Do you want me to help?”
Having completed her investigation, Diana offered boldly, but Daniel lightly smiled and replied.
“No, I can’t leave everything to you.”
“……”
Diana felt a mix of disappointment and fulfillment in her chest. Initially, she had invested the day to check on Daniel’s bad rumors.
Yet, most of the students she met at the academy had a deep fondness for Daniel.
And now, the Daniel she was looking at was different from before but not as lightheaded as Ares.
He had a dignified presence.
Though many said they liked him and followed him, to some, it could look like he was merely playing around with hearts.
On the contrary, for some, it also meant he was someone they could trust.
Of course, there were those who did play with hearts, but now, the Daniel right in front of her seemed to be living sincerely, encountering people’s hearts gently.
“When did you grow up so much?”
Diana beamed with a brilliant smile as she ruffled Daniel’s hair.
“S-sister!”
“Why? I’m just impressed at how much our little darling has matured.”
With a playful laugh, Diana crossed her arms.
“Should we go have dinner? I’ll cook for you for the first time in a while.”
“……Let’s just eat out. Hayun, do you want to come with us?”
Hayun shook her head, noting it was her first time witnessing this side of Daniel, intrigued.
“Nah, you all enjoy a good meal together.”
Family.
Something Hayun no longer had.
Realizing that, Daniel momentarily froze, but Diana forcibly looped her arm with Hayun’s.
“What are you talking about? If you helped Daniel, it’s on me to treat you! Come on, I’ll buy you something you like today!”
Eventually, both ended up trailing behind Diana with half-hearted smiles.
After enjoying a cozy dinner, two days later, Diana McLean fell into a coma and was hospitalized.
