NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
42 – string(8)
“Sister Estelle!”
When I called out, the girl who was talking with the boys around her turned around.
Then, as if startled, he opened his eyes wide.
As she turned around, the boys moved away like a wall around them, leaving room for me and the girls to talk.
“…Are you really Edwin…?”
“If I’m not Edwin, who am I? I’ve changed a little bit. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
The girl’s name is Estelle Silla.
She is the daughter of one of only a few prestigious dukes in the empire, and my cousin, a sophomore at the academy.
Although they weren’t very close, they were intertwined in many ways, and since I was young, I’ve come and gone often, and he’s one of the very few people I still maintain a close relationship with.
“My God, my God. Yes, it really is Edwin.”
Estelle looked at me and muttered, forgetting the usual habit of covering her mouth with a fan.
“I heard about your rumors and came to check the truth, but I didn’t know that people could change this much. You’ve become very distant.”
“hahahaha…”
“To be honest, there were times when I lamented the ugliness of your appearance, but looking at it this way, you really resemble my uncle in a stereotypical way. It really resembles the portrait of him when he was young. You have buried this handsome face in his flesh. , How could I have lived that long in frustration? Huh?”
To Estelle’s harsh words, I was at a loss for an answer.
“By the way, shouldn’t you have communicated with me if something like this happened, you heartless bastard. How could you let someone else hear about your suspension? I even sent you a letter and you didn’t reply. I was young. Ever since I was young, I treated you so kindly, but now that I look back, it seems that everything was for nothing. Ehehehe.”
Estelle covered her mouth with a fan and turned her head, exclaiming! I made a face like that. But you sent a letter? i have never received
“At the time I was suspended, I was also distracted. And I really didn’t know about the letter. I left the estate a little early, and that’s why the time difference must have happened. If I had seen my sister’s letter, how dare I ignore it? Would you have been there? Please forgive my younger sister for her shortcomings, sister.”
“…That’s it. If it was true, I would have told my uncle about this in detail, but there’s no way you’d neglect me like that.”
As I slowly crawled over and courted her, Estelle let go of her anger as if she couldn’t win.
“That’s done. By the way, Edwin. I hear your name has been on the lips of worms again lately. Is what I heard true?”
“hahahaha…”
Apparently what Estelle was talking about was rumors between me and Ellie.
But I never imagined that even my sister would hear the rumor. No matter how notorious it is, does it make sense for rumors to spread to sophomores in such a short amount of time?
Well, Estelle has a lot of followers, so it’s probably because there are people who ask her about those things.
“Edwin. It’s embarrassing to bring up the word because of that lowly woman, but for now, be careful. You have to do everything in the world to the fullest. Didn’t anyone tell you in my normal life?
You were even involved in it and received a suspension and a class demotion, so how can you say that your honor was not damaged. If you behaved appropriately, would the principal or the student council dare to hold on to that pod?
From now on, stop doing such demeaning things yourself. Just because a dog barks, there is no need to respond with human words.”
At first glance, it was Estelle’s words that reprimanded me, but in reality, she was terribly for me, but Estelle’s kindness only applied to those of a noble class or higher.
Seeing that even the short words she just delivered were filled with aristocratic supremacy and subtle contempt for commoners…
The reason I didn’t have a bad relationship with Estelle since the days when I was an idiot was probably because the ideologies between the two were somewhat connected.
Estelle is a sophomore at the academy, and in the original work, she was briefly portrayed as a rival to Patricia, who is trying to break the barrier of status. It’s not like a good-natured rival, but an existence that can never be mixed like water and oil.
“…That’s right. I’ll keep that in mind, sister.”
“Yes. Now that you’ve had a painful experience this time, I believe you’ll do well in the future. But, seeing that you answer so obediently, it seems you’ve grown up in your own way.
You should focus on mathematics now and only think about coming up to a higher class again in the near future. In the second semester, you should also join our club. If you’re my younger brother, that qualification is overflowing.”
The club Estelle is talking about is like a club of their own, where only nobles, especially those recognized as prestigious, can join.
Of course, the academy, which aims for equality, did not officially give permission, but there was nothing they could do about holding private meetings among students.
And since the minimum entry requirement for the class was to be a noble as well as being in a higher class, that was exactly what she was asking me to do.
“I was thinking of doing that even if it wasn’t so. Sister, by the way, break time is coming to an end, so shouldn’t you go soon?”
“Already? It’s been a while since I saw my younger brother and talked to him, and time goes by in an instant. Edwin, if something happens in the future, please come and discuss it with me. We’re in the same academy, but I won’t be able to see you, so I’ll forget your face. From now on I’ll see you often, huh? These aren’t empty words, you mustn’t take my words carelessly?”
“hahahaha, I will. Then take a look, sister.”
“Before that, haven’t you forgotten something?”
“Yes…? Ah.”
Estelle motioned for me to come closer, but when I hesitated to come closer, she came towards me herself. Then he lifted his tiptoe, put his hand on my head, and started stroking it while moving his hand back and forth.
“Ah, older sister…I’m all grown up now too. I’m ashamed of the people around me, so stop doing things like this…”
“Sueup, stay still. How big are you? You’re tall, but in my eyes you still look like a child. It’s a punishment for neglecting my contact, so just accept it sweetly.”
As if to take revenge on me for neglecting her, Estelle tangled my hair for a while before putting her hand down with a satisfied look on her face.
“Then I really need to go now. How are you, Edwin?”
Estelle turned around, and the men in her party followed suit.
Her charming features, with dark purple hair and blazing red eyes, and her always confident and regal demeanor have constantly attracted followers since she was a child.
Perhaps those men fell in love with her charm and followed her around as followers.
Looking at it this way, it seems that I have the feeling of a villainous young lady. But suddenly I’m curious. Are those people commoners? Are you a noble? Are you close to your sister? I guess I’m just using it for what I like.
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In any case, despite my antipathy towards the common people, it is clear that Estelle is giving for me, so confirming her existence gives me a sense of reassurance.
If something goes wrong in the future, I think it’s worth considering asking Estelle for help. You should think twice about the club, but…
Before returning to the stone pagoda and going inside. I suddenly felt a presence, so I looked up and saw Ellie’s figure by the window. And what she was dissatisfied with, puffed out her cheeks and glared at me.
***
Ellie began to openly show dissatisfaction after I met Estelle, and eventually started to do things like poking my thighs with her fingers and blowing air into my ears while standing close to me.
I couldn’t find the reason for Ellie’s behavior, so as soon as class was over, I took her to the cafe we had visited last time.
“Ellie, what are you doing today? We promised not to do that at our academy.”
“What…? What did I do…?”
“Ugh…”
“Heh, that’s okay…I heard that you followed me all day…So I threw away all my friends and everything and I’m spending my academy life clinging only to you…But you don’t care whether I hold onto you or not, I leave you like a devoted mate and like that with another girl. Flirting and playing…”
“Wait, wait, Ellie. Could that be the reason you’ve been doing that all day?”
I think I found the reason for Ellie’s heartache in an absurd place. Apparently Ellie thought I had made a new friend without her.
I relaxed and told Eli about the situation.
“Ellie…The person I met earlier is my cousin. She is the daughter of the Duchess of Silla. She is from such a great family, so you must have heard of it too? Le Sin deal.”
“…Ah, was that the young lady? I… I was too far away and couldn’t see properly… Come to think of it, the color of her hair is really…”
As I explained, Ellie’s spirits visibly softened.
And only then, perhaps realizing the embarrassing acts she had committed all day today, Ellie blushed and lowered her head, avoiding my gaze.
“Are you feeling a little better now?”
“Yeah…no…sorry, Ed…I guess I misunderstood…”
“I hope it’s solved. And I think you can think that way enough.”
“Uh, uh…?”
“You’re saying that I played with someone else but you. Don’t worry, Ellie. I told you last time. Will I ever make friends at the academy other than you?”
“Ugh… of course that’s right…”
“?”
Ellie let out a sigh of dissatisfaction, then glared lightly at me again. I thought it was all solved, but I wonder if there are still sediments left…
“Ellie. My sister really has a lot of contempt for the common people, so you can’t just pretend you know, okay…? If you do something wrong, you can really get hurt…”
“I know that much, so you don’t have to tell me… but thanks for letting me know, hehehe…”
“But I’ve felt it since last time, you really know a lot about the aristocratic family. You know who’s who just by hearing the name. Did you study Bohak separately? Sometimes it seems like you know better than me.”
“Uh, uh? Ehh…just to pass the time…”
My question must have been so out of the blue that Ellie blurted out her words with a look of bewilderment.
This is Estelle Silla, Edwin’s cousin.