I Became an Outcast in the Academy

9. Branch (3)

The next day, Ellie officially gave permission to Lutra and went out to her outside.

Basically, Ellie had a similar type of personality as her Sian. In other words, she said that Ellie, like her sister-in-law, had an extremely short relationship with other people.

She is completely different from Lobelina, who wanders around the mansions of various noble families whenever she has time to expand her personal network, or Leticia, who has a gentle personality on the outside and gets along well with many people. It was a type of race.

However, she did not say that Ellie enjoyed entertainment or had unusual hobbies. In a sense, Ellie was close to the typical example of a humble warrior.

Even if she escaped Lutra, there was only one place Ellie could go.

She was currently visiting the Duke of Orphea, where her teacher was staying.

“… Phew.”

To tell the truth, it has been almost a year since Ellie became Duke Orphega’s student, but she still felt like her teacher was somehow distant.

It did not mean that Orphée felt burdened or uncomfortable with the Duke.

However, from Eli’s perspective, Duke Orphega is… She just felt like she was someone living in a different world than herself.

In fact, over the course of her year thus far, Ellie had been her duke’s pupil, but she had had, on her hands, very few private conversations with her own master.

The only time her duke spoke to her first was when he brought up a story related to the sword.

And it was a rule that applied not only to Ellie but also to other people without exception.

Until now, the Duke had felt so uncomfortable, and even now, that thought had not changed, but there was something Ellie had to say to the Duke.

To settle the matter with her brother in some way, and to put an end to all the things that now feel so bad.

Good progress.

Like that, Ellie entered the Orphega duchy’s mansion and walked towards the dance hall as she always did.

Normally, the duke handles his duties as a duke in his office, but on holidays, he always comes out to the training hall and wields his sword.

Ellie also knew it well, so she did not head towards the office, but moved towards her training room… There was a completely unexpected person there, not the duke.

“Huh, Ellie?”

“… “Princess?”

She was none other than Chlamys, the princess of the Duke of Orphega.

“I told you not to call me princess. You are your father’s only disciple, and at the same time, you are also my junior in Luthra. If you call me princess, what would happen to your father and me? “It’s okay if I just call you sister.”

“… “Yes, sister.”

Chlamys was a good person. She doesn’t know where she came from, but she was generous enough to allow Ellie to call her her older sister.

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other. Should we spar? How is it?”

“Well. “For now, I have come here because I have something to say to Master, so I will decline.”

When Ellie politely declines her climas, she tilts her head.

“Did you come to see your father on some business? “Then I guess I’ll have to wait a little bit.”

“Why? “Has Master by any chance gone out somewhere?”

“Yes. Draft… “So, you went out for a while to meet up with your brother.”

The moment those words came out of Chlamys’ mouth, Ellie’s heart went cold.

“… Master went out for a while to meet her brother?”

“Why? You won’t believe it either, right? But what do you do with something that is true? “She already says she’s a prospective son-in-law, and seeing her go around like that makes me fearful for the future, I’m afraid.”

Chlamys said these words without much thought, but Ellie had to feel the pain in her heart again as she listened to her words.

And when Ellie tried to find the cause of the bitter pain she was feeling, Sian was always in the middle of it.

“Well, anyway, if you came to see your father, you have no choice but to wait here for a while. “Anyway, I actually had a few things I wanted to ask you.”

“What do you want to ask me? “What is it?”

“Umm, so… You and I are that person… So, you know that I might end up marrying your brother, right?”

“… Yes. “I know.”

The correct answer would be to say that she could not have known. Ellie still vividly remembered how the duke had made a fuss that day, boasting that he would make her son-in-law.

“Actually, I haven’t had any worries about marrying someone until now. Because, objectively speaking, I was pretty, came from a good family, and had a lot of talent, so I was definitely a first-class bride.”

Chlamys, who had been brazenly saying such things out of her own mouth, perhaps because of her shamelessness, suddenly pouted and stuck out her own mouth.

“But… I’ve been feeling very anxious lately. No matter how you look at it, it seems like the person called me is clearly being pushed down in priority to the person called your brother.”

“… “You are talking about Her Highness the Princess.”

No matter where Sian goes, she always follows Cartesia around like a dog, so Ellie was able to answer without hesitation because no one who was a student at Luthra knew this.

“Actually, Her Highness the Princess already has a fiancé, and her relationship with Xian is a kind of playing with fire and cannot be said to be a truly serious relationship, right? But as I watched quietly, it seemed like things were going strangely.”

Cartesia’s ‘lover’s game’, which was once thought to be like playing with fire, did not die out, but instead only flared up more fiercely as time passed, and perhaps she decided not to pay any attention to her ‘future-to-be fiancé’ or something else. They even engaged in acts of affection even in places where people were watching.

And the emperor, who thought he would at least say something to save the face of the imperial family, just quietly watched Cartesia’s actions and did not interfere in any way.

At this point, Clamis could not help but have some doubts as he looked at the relationship between Xian and Cartesia.

Aren’t these two actually in a romantic relationship, not playing with fire?

But if those two are really lovers, what on earth will happen to me?

I also like a guy called Sian, although not as much as Cartesia, right?

‘It’s dangerous. If this continues, I might end up being abandoned by the real Xian.’

At first, the relationship was brought about by pressure from her father, but now Chlamys did not feel too bad about marrying Sian.

No, on the contrary, he even felt a sense of relief at the fact that the person he was marrying was Sian.

No matter how big this world is, there was no way that there could be a man other than Xian who could compete with Chlamys and her sword on equal footing, and ultimately surpass her.

This is the first time in my life I have encountered an opponent whose skills are equal to or greater than my own.

I was sure. One day, Xian will surpass Chlamys and become a man of equal skill to Duke Orphega, leaving his mark in history.

In order to catch him like that, Chlamys himself would not be enough as a dowry.

That’s why Clamis had the desire to securely capture the man named Sian and make him his.

However, since there was already a huge enemy called Cartesia next to Xian, it was like a dream that could never be achieved in the current situation.

In order for Clamis to aim for a comeback in this extremely bleak situation… Isn’t that why we need information about it more than anything else?

If you can figure out Xian’s tastes and give him the right gift at the right time, it wouldn’t be impossible to not only beat Cartesia but also make progress with Xian.

“That’s why I’m asking you… If you know anything about Sian’s likes or hobbies, could you let me know? “You’re Xian’s younger sister and we’re from the same family, so you probably know this well, right?”

Looking at Chlamys asking that question with her own eyes sparkling, Ellie felt her own breath becoming difficult.

What my brother likes. And it’s my brother’s taste.

Chlamys’ guess was not wrong. Ellie had lived with Sian under the same roof for several years, and as such, she knew Sian’s tastes intimately.

But, but… Would it be okay for her to tell Clamis such things? To be precise, does she have the right to say such things to herself?

Chlamys probably doesn’t know it yet, but he and Sian are already in a relationship that can’t be called family. Because she had unilaterally cut off ties with Ellie a long time ago on her part.

So, when Ellie found out about Sian’s tastes, she felt envious of Chlamys, who wanted to give him gifts using that as an excuse.

Sometime in the past, there was a time when she acted like Elido Chlamys.

At a time when she didn’t know that she had a talent for swordsmanship, and was just learning how to use a sword for self-defense from her brother, Ellie risked her life to go to the battlefield to welcome her brother to his home. Every time he came back, he would always prepare a gift.

At best, it was a small gift prepared by her young child, but even with such a small gift, her Xian was always happy and would smile brightly at her.

Even though I had nothing and was poor… Looking back now, she realized that those were the happiest times of her life.

Ah, how good it would be if she could go back to that time.

If only she could return to the relationship between her good brother and her younger sister, rather than the current relationship where her brother and she are practically strangers… I could do anything. I am prepared to pay any price.

“…..”

But that is a dream that can no longer come true. Because that relationship had long since been shattered by Ellie’s own hands.

“My brother, what my brother likes… “

Tracing her memory little by little, Ellie explained to Klamis what Sian liked and what his tastes were.

And every time she gave her explanation to Chlamys, Ellie felt as if something about her was being chipped away in her own mind.

Whether or not she knows how Ellie feels, Klamis smiles with her happy face.

“Then what do you dislike?”

“Yes?”

“From now on, you only told me what Xian likes. “Then I wonder if you don’t know what Xian hates.”

Of course, Ellie knew very well what Sian didn’t like.

Because it was Ellie herself.

But no matter what else she said to Ellie, she could never say those words to Chlamys.

That was the last bit of pride that Ellie had left.