🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 12
“Ah, you must be Miss Sarah Arnstadt.”
Julian responded that way when he heard my introduction. But just as he was about to say something more, another voice came from behind.
“Duke Schweiden, Princess.”
“…?!”
I widened my eyes as I recognized the voice. The people approaching our group were none other than the game’s main male characters.
“All together at once?! Why does this game insist on such contrived encounters?”
Among them was the Crown Prince, who had been with Charlotte earlier. I cautiously observed and politely bowed along with the Arnstadt siblings.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Heartfelt congratulations on your birthday. There is also a gift prepared from Schweiden, which I humbly hope you will accept with pleasure.”
As before, Cobin smoothly continued the conversation, just as he had with the Emperor earlier.
“Yes, I will check the gift later and send my reply.”
While they were talking, I quietly stepped back and studied the backs of the male leads. Being an extra really had its perks—slipping away didn’t draw much attention.
“The Crown Prince is fine; I saw him earlier…”
I first looked at the tallest man, who immediately caught my eye. Judging by his black hair and red eyes, he was likely the Duke of the North.
[✦Leopold Kreutz✦]
[Affection | 0%]
[Status | Mild hatred (misanthropy)]
[Main character | Yes]
[Related quest | No]
[Description | The Iron Fortress of the Far North, Duke Kreutz. Suffers from a mania that makes him despise all humans except Charlotte.]
Next was a gentle-looking man with auburn hair and green eyes.
[✦Martin Lott✦]
[Affection | 0%]
[Status | Indifferent]
[Main character | Yes]
[Related quest | No]
[Description | A diligent young man from the Hanov estate, working as a shepherd as a family trade. Childhood friend of Charlotte.]
Lastly, a mysterious man with long violet hair.
[✦Oscar Freden✦]
[Affection | 0%]
[Status | Disdain (contempt for humans)]
[Main character | Yes]
[Related quest | No]
[Description | Authority on magical engineering, head of the continent’s top magic towers under the Eastern Magic Federation. Believes all humans except Charlotte should serve as experimental subjects for magical research.]
I had now opened the status windows for all the main male characters, including Julian and the Crown Prince.
Interestingly, every description referenced Charlotte, but Charlotte herself hadn’t appeared since earlier, which was unfortunate.
“She’d probably prefer being with Charlotte over someone like me.”
As I pondered this trivial thought, my eyes met a pair of purple eyes, and I was suddenly startled. The mage tower master, whom I had thought was just looking at the Crown Prince, was now staring at me.
Even though our eyes met, he only lifted the corner of his lips slightly, without changing his gaze.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t met you before. Are you the fiancée of the Duke of Schweiden?”
“…?”
At his question, the Arnstadt siblings—and even my partner, Sergei, who I had almost forgotten—looked stunned. I hurriedly denied it.
“Ah, no! Not that! I’m friends with Princess Angela! I just met the Duke today…!”
“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t expect it would be the princess’s side.”
The mage tower master replied with a faint smile. Not exactly the kind of smile that should be displayed, but I had to act.
“What did you just say?”
Cobin immediately turned toward him, eyes nearly popping out, clearly ready to strike.
“No!”
If Cobin punched him, the already fragile image of the Schweiden family would plummet further. As someone closely associated with the Schweidens, I had to stop it.
“That’s extremely rude! Apologize to the princess immediately!”
The words came out faster than I expected. I noticed Cobin pause mid-step as he was about to confront the mage tower master.
“Why are you suddenly intervening, Lady?”
“I just want you to say it to the princess, not me. Can you explain what you meant by that remark?”
“Well, I hadn’t seen you with the princess before, so I assumed it…”
The mage tower master answered nonchalantly, but I couldn’t let it slide. Only one who fights to defend his lady’s honor against an unfair opponent can truly be called a proper ladies’ protector.
“Address it to the princess, not me.”
“Yes, I apologize for diminishing the princess’s mood.”
The mage tower master obediently apologized to Angela, who nodded slightly, still a bit surprised. Crisis averted—mostly.
Except for one thing…
“I can’t believe I’ve not met such an interesting lady until now… Please, tell me your name.”
Suddenly intrigued, the mage tower master asked my name. Even the other male leads were looking in our direction because of the commotion.
“….”
Honestly, I didn’t want to reveal my name to the main characters, but refusing might harm my reputation, so I finally spoke.
“I’m Sarah Arnstadt of the Arnstadt Count family. Nice to meet you.”
I forced a gentle voice, then realized something and looked up slowly. My gaze landed on Julian.
“Of course, Julian was the first to learn my name.”
Out of the five main male characters—the Crown Prince, the Northern Duke, the childhood friend, the mage tower master, and the paladin—Julian seemed the least prominent, yet he learned my name first. Unexpected.
“Ah, so you’re the Count Arnstadt’s sister. I am Oscar Freden, running several magic towers in the East.”
“I’m Martin Lott.”
As Oscar and the cheerful Martin greeted me, the Crown Prince and the Northern Duke averted their gazes, uninterested.
Good, I thought. I had no desire to associate with a Charlotte-obsessed madman or a misanthropic duke. I wasn’t about to be stuck in a “Why are they acting like this toward me?” scene typical in transmigration stories.
“Good. Please, keep your attention to yourselves for life.”
Feeling slightly satisfied, I turned my head again, only to meet Oscar’s gaze. There was a strange, uneasy feeling in his eyes.
“What is it…?”
He didn’t speak, only observed me. After a few seconds of staring, he finally looked away—but that wasn’t a good sign.
“By the way, you seem familiar with the paladin, Miss Sarah.”
Oscar’s mention of me made Julian glance at us with a silent What are you saying? expression.
“Uh? Why do you say that…”
“I overheard your introductions earlier.”
I tried to brush it off like Julian, but Oscar continued, pretending not to notice. He was persistent, not someone easily dismissed.
“…Yes, we met by chance a few days ago.”
Julian reluctantly replied, but Oscar wasn’t satisfied and pressed further.
“Oh, truly a fated reunion! Do you remember what happened then?”
Persistent as ever, but it made sense. In this world, detecting suspicious behavior from a transmigrator was basic.
If Julian and I, who rarely interacted, suddenly appeared close, it would naturally arouse suspicion.
Since Julian, who was responsible for purging transmigrators, could not be one, the suspicion would fall entirely on me.
“Please, don’t cause suspicion!”
Anxious, I looked at Julian with pleading eyes. He looked as serious as ever, choosing his words carefully.
Finally, he spoke.
“At that time, Miss Sarah was definitely with Miss Hanov…”
“Hanov? You mean Charlotte?”
At that moment, the Crown Prince, Deveric, interjected, cutting Julian off.
“Of course, the moment Charlotte is mentioned, he jumps in. Definitely a Charlotte-obsessed one.”
But it wasn’t something to laugh off. As soon as Charlotte was mentioned, the situation grew serious.
“…Ah, so it’s you?”
Exactly, it was the next line from Oscar that made it so.
“New female member of Shasha-mo. I’ve only heard rumors, so I wanted to meet you personally.”
