I Became the Absolute Hidden Villainess Princess of the Academy

Chapter 12: What’s This? What’s Going on Between These Two? (2)

With layers upon layers of misunderstandings piling up, Louis now found himself face-to-face with Esti dressed in a gown.

It was the first time in 10 years he’d seen her in a dress.

His mind was swirling in confusion.

‘All of a sudden!? What on earth happened…?’

He knew just how much effort the imperial family had put in over the past 10 years to get Esti to wear a skirt even once.

The Blézer family had also taken full responsibility and worked tirelessly to assist the imperial family, so Louis was well aware of their efforts.

But despite all of that, Esti had stubbornly continued wearing pants.

And now, here she was, suddenly appearing in a dress. It’d be strange if he wasn’t shocked.

His eyes widened to their limit as he quickly scanned Esti’s state.

It didn’t take him long to notice something was off.

—Glance, glance.

‘Hold on. What’s with her condition…?’

Her breath was rough enough to be visible as white puffs, and her cheeks were flushed red.

Esti had charged full speed with her short legs, and as a result, she was completely disheveled.

Almost as if she’d done more than just take a bath.

By the time Louis’ thoughts had reached that conclusion…

—Step, step.

“Lord Louis, what do you— Oh my.”

“…!!!!”

Behind Esti, Irene’s face appeared.

No longer covered in the grime from her days of vagrancy, and now dressed in a fine outfit, she radiated her natural beauty.

Her attire was… a white dress similar to Esti’s, as if they’d matched their outfits.

Louis’ mind spiraled into disarray.

‘What’s this, they’re even matching clothes? Wait, wait. They’re matching clothes after taking a bath together? And Esti’s in a dress?! What is this?!’

Esti’s breathlessness, as if she’d just engaged in strenuous activity, coupled with the matching dresses that she and Irene wore, completely overwhelmed Louis’s ability to think straight.

His mind blanked momentarily, only to leave behind one massive question.

‘What on earth happened in that bath?’

“E-Esti. What’s with that outfit?”

He asked, trying to resolve his mounting confusion.

There was no way he could ask, “What did you two do in the bath?” since, as a man, he’d never be able to voice such a question.

So instead, he focused on the more apparent mystery—why Esti was suddenly in a dress.

What he received in response was Esti’s beaming smile.

‘Hehe. He’s so shocked to see Irene.’

“Irene suggested we wear matching clothes. So? How’s it look? Pretty, right?”

Esti’s grin widened as she asked.

She was actually asking, “How does Irene’s dress look?” but, thanks to the tangle of misunderstandings, the question was interpreted differently by each person present.

‘She just needed a chance, huh? A chance to show herself again to her boyfriend.’

To Irene, it looked like a girl showing off her adorable outfit to her boyfriend.

Considering Esti’s trauma, it felt like a heartwarming display of bravery, and Irene’s smile softened with pride.

For Louis, however…

‘No, seriously, what’s with these two? What’s going on?!’

It looked like the boast of a couple in a happy, matching set of clothes.

They seemed to be saying, “Look how great we look together!”

Adding to the scene, Irene’s sly grin appeared behind Esti, and Esti’s ragged breathing only fueled the confusion.

Overcome, Louis’ brain failed him, and an unthinkable question escaped his lips.

“What on earth happened in the bath…?”

‘Oh, he’s wondering what kind of magic I pulled.’

The proverbial “Pandora’s box”—the question no man should ever ask—had been opened by Louis.

But given the circumstances, Irene understood.

After all, from his perspective, his childhood friend had just gone into the bath and came out wearing a dress for the first time in 10 years.

Of course he’d be curious.

So, she flashed him a more playful grin and answered.

“We just got a little closer. Close enough that she even agreed to wear a dress when I asked her to.”

‘I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll be useful to you two. Keep me around, at least until I graduate from the academy.’

“Wha… What… WHAT?!”

‘They got closer during the bath? Esti—who never wore a dress no matter how much people begged her to—put one on just because she was asked?!’

Irene’s grin deepened, and Louis’ misunderstandings grew more intense.

So intense that the very foundation of his assumptions about Esti was beginning to crack.

‘No way. Don’t tell me they’re… they’re that kind of relationship?!’

—Gasp.

Shaken to his core, Louis slapped a hand over his mouth.

Come to think of it, he’d heard rumors before.

That places like nunneries were hotbeds for same-sex relationships.

At the time, Louis had dismissed it as a “weird, niche taste” and moved on.

But what if Esti was into girls?

Then suddenly, everything made sense.

Why she’d been acting so strangely today.

Why she’d worn a dress for the first time in 10 years.

It’s only natural to want to look pretty in front of someone you love.

If you’ve gotten closer to them while taking a bath together, of course you’d want to show your best side.

With that realization, Louis’ face drained of color.

‘So they’re actually… really in that kind of relationship?!’

—Tremble, tremble.

‘…Oh, he’s having another meltdown.’

However, to Esti, the sight of Louis trembling with realization appeared quite different.

It seemed as though he’d once again felt the words “not ripe yet” rising up to the back of his throat upon seeing her in a dress.

‘Honestly, he’s so consistent,’ she thought, taking a subtle step back.

“Hhmm. I’m just going to pop back to my room for a bit. You two have a nice, slow chat, okay?”

—Plod, plod. Creak… Slam.

Leaving the frozen Louis and Irene behind, Esti exited the reception room.

Irene shot a reproachful look at Louis.

“You seem very moved… so much so you’re at a loss for words.”

‘Not even one compliment like “You look good” from this dense fool.’

From Irene’s perspective, Louis’ reaction made him look like a boy so moved by his girlfriend’s rare appearance in a dress that he’d been rendered speechless.

At the same time, he appeared to be a clueless boyfriend who couldn’t even manage to tell his girlfriend she looked pretty.

This was why she’d spoken so curtly.

Since she didn’t dare to openly criticize the Blézer family’s blue blood, she indirectly expressed her dissatisfaction.

“Uh, uh…?”

However, Louis didn’t catch on at all.

Since being branded a social pariah 10 years ago, Louis had had little chance to interact with girls his age.

Women’s subtle, indirect communication style was something he took at face value.

“Esti’s pretty, right?”

To Louis, it sounded like Irene was bragging about her lover.

And it made him feel slightly irritated.

‘A commoner? No, it’s probably because she’s a commoner. Esti’s only able to keep her close because of that.’

But that thought didn’t last long.

He couldn’t get mad at Irene for being a commoner who’d “gotten close” to Esti.

After all, Esti could only truly love a commoner.

As for the noble young ladies of the social scene?

How many of them would have tastes similar to Esti’s?

If one of them accidentally revealed Esti’s preferences, it would cause an enormous scandal.

In the end, the only people Esti could safely love were commoners who wouldn’t cause a stir.

‘I’ve thought she’s the prettiest person in the world since the first time I met her, but… I see now.’

“…Irene, let me ask you something.”

Thus, rather than getting angry, Louis turned to face Irene with a serious gaze.

It was a question of great importance.

“You… by any chance…”

Though he’d nearly reached a conclusion on his own, it was still technically a misunderstanding.

He wanted to be absolutely sure.

“Do you like Esti?”

If he’d just been able to ask that question, perhaps his confusion would’ve been cleared up.

…But, unfortunately, the blood of Blézer caused another incident.

—Glance.

“…She’s well-developed.”

“…Pardon?”

“…!!!!!!!?”

The serious atmosphere was instantly shattered as Louis’ gaze drifted to Irene’s chest.

Because he’d been standing next to “unripe” Esti, it hadn’t been noticeable at first, but now that she was gone, his inherited “preference for mature figures” kicked in.

And unfortunately, the realization had his mouth acting faster than his brain.

“This filthy scumbag…!!”

Irene’s face twisted into an expression of pure disgust.

The fact that he’d ogled her chest right after Esti had left was bad enough.

But to top it off, this scumbag was Esti’s so-called “childhood friend.”

The thought of having to support a relationship between innocent Esti and this type of man was repulsive.

Still, Irene didn’t scold him outright.

She was a commoner, and he was the heir of a grand duchy. Insulting him would be suicide.

“…Huh!? I’m sorry, my mouth just…!”

—Slap, slap. Mutter, mutter.

“How could I… in front of Esti’s…!!”

Louis’ expression twisted in horror as he slapped his own cheeks.

He muttered Esti’s name over and over, lamenting his mistake.

The reason he kept calling out Esti’s name was to chastise himself for saying such a thing to the “girl Esti loved.”

Seeing that, Irene’s wariness eased.

‘…He’s not that bad. Just another guy driven by hormones.’

At least she felt reassured that he wouldn’t use his authority to force himself on her.

Dirty men would pursue any woman they could, but at the very least, his heart was still focused on Esti.

Even so, she decided she’d better leave an impression.

“Th-Thank you for the compliment, Lord Louis…”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

“But… I’m… I’m afraid of men… I have androphobia…”

She faked a quivering voice as she “confessed” that she had a fear of men.

It was a calculated act to stir up Louis’ guilt.

Lightning struck in his brain.

“…!!!!!!!”

‘Androphobia… which means she’s into… women. So, they’re really like that…!!!’

The concept of asexuality never even crossed his mind.

He had the logic of black and white: she’s afraid of men, so she must like women.

Overwhelmed, he made his decision.

“…I understand. You don’t have to say anything more.”

“Huh? O-Okay…?”

“I promise, I’ll never look at you that way again. So don’t worry.”

‘Love between women… I don’t get it, but if it’ll make Esti happy, I’ll support it with everything I have.’

Same-sex love was still seen as scandalous in the empire.

But Louis decided he’d support the two of them in secret.

“All I want… is for Esti to be happy.”

“…Huh? Y-Yes…”

‘Huh. I guess he’s thinking about how I got her to wear a dress. He’s probably saying he’ll stay out of it and keep supporting her from now on.’

Of course, Irene had no idea about the deeper misunderstandings brewing in Louis’ mind.

She just thought he was encouraging her to take good care of his “girlfriend.”

‘Guess I’ll have to make sure they get plenty of time alone together. Yeah, I’ll make sure to leave them alone if they go off to bathe together, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything if I hear weird sounds.’

If she’d known what Louis was actually thinking, she’d have furiously declared, “Even if I’m a lesbian, I’m definitely not a pedophile!”

But, unfortunately, their thoughts weren’t connected, and the misunderstandings continued to grow.