There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

The Wall (3)

‘To become a 4-star mage, you have to either jump over or break through that invisible wall.’

Late at night, Fine let her hair down and quietly looked up at the stars in the night sky.

‘I wonder if that wizard, Adelbert, knew that too.’

The man named Derek, who was struggling as her disciple, was quite capable, but he was still one step short of reaching the level of a 4-star mage.

As someone who considered herself a teacher, it was her job to create an opportunity for him to overcome that wall.

Fine smiled a bitter smile, then jumped off the roof and landed in the backyard of the mansion where no one was watching. And as she hid in the darkness,

she blinked her subtly gleaming eyes a few times.

*

“Haah.”

When Aislin opened her eyes on the bed, the sun was high in the sky.

The sight of the cool autumn breeze coming in through the window and shaking the curtains gave her a warm feeling.

“Huh, what…”

Aisellin opened her eyes and only after raising her upper body did she begin to grasp the situation.

The last thing she remembered was being startled by the sudden gush of blood and hurriedly grabbing a handkerchief, then losing consciousness in a floating sensation.

“Sister!”

“Lady Siern…”

Siern, who had been keeping watch beside Aisellin’s bed, quickly stood up and approached, grasping both of Aisellin’s hands.

It was rare to see the usually irritable and sharp Lady Siern show such an emotional side. It was almost the first time since Aisellin had appeared to be stabbed by Derek’s sword in the Rochester estate.

“Sister Aisellin, you finally opened your eyes. Are you feeling any discomfort? Is your vision blurry or do you have a headache?”

“Lady Siern… I… what happened…”

“I heard you collapsed from overwork. You’ve been unconscious for almost four days and just regained consciousness today. I need to inform Delbritton.”

Siern, with a relieved expression, quickly left the room.

It seemed she had been keeping watch beside Aisellin almost all day while she was unconscious.

‘Asleep for four days…?’

Aisellin was so startled that she had to catch her breath.

As a key member of the Ravenclaw Training Center, she had so many responsibilities that even being away for half a day would cause work to pile up.

But to have been unconscious for four days, the training center might have started to creak.

‘Oh my…! How could I make such a mistake…!’

Aisellin covered her face with both hands in shock.

To make such a mistake in managing her health at such a crucial time when the training center was just beginning to take off… It must have felt like a great discourtesy to Derek, who pursued perfection in everything.

She had always boasted that she liked to work a lot and not to worry, but when it mattered most, she collapsed from overwork… How pathetic and unreliable.

All these mistakes were due to her lack of virtue. Aisellin sighed deeply, covering her face.

‘In such times, I was leisurely feeling jealous of Lady Pine, trying to get Derek’s attention… When there were important things to do, I was distracted by such things and collapsed from overwork…’

‘So… ashamed… I’m a pathetic person…’

Aisellin knew Derek well. Having worked together for quite a long time, she felt she had a deep understanding of his way of thinking.

He was endlessly tolerant when teaching the ladies, but when it came to work, he was as sharp as a knife.

He would thoroughly reprimand and properly punish the servants or retainers when they showed irresponsibility. He was almost uncompromising when it came to work, so he was likely greatly disappointed by Aisellin’s irresponsible behavior.

‘I, I should apologize… but, how…’

Aisellin was lamenting with her head bowed deeply when it happened.

– Bang!

The people Siern had called opened the door and rushed in.

There was the retainer in charge of medical duties, the head butler, the deputy dean of the training center, Lady Siern, and at the forefront, leading them, was Baron Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw.

Suddenly gathered people seemed to have been focused on their own tasks in different places, some holding quill pens, others wearing work coats. They had all come in a hurry upon hearing the news.

“Miss Aislin. You have opened your eyes.”

“Yes, yes… Mr. Derek. That is…”

“That’s a relief.”

Derek strode in and plopped down on the wooden chair next to Aislin’s bed.

Then he slowly spoke, making eye contact with Aislin.

“Are there any aftereffects? Any other difficulties?”

“Yes? Yes… I was just tired… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way…”

“Excuse me? Sorry for what?”

“Well, the training schedule…”

“…”

Derek quietly watched Aislin, who was looking down apologetically, and then pressed his forehead with a heavy voice.

“Miss Aislin. This is not something you need to apologize for.”

“But… many people must have been affected by my sudden four-day absence…”

“Who in the world would blame someone who collapsed from overwork? If anything, this is largely my fault as the person in charge. I knew that Miss Aislin was always overwhelmed with an unrealistic amount of work, yet I neglected it.”

“No, that’s not…”

Derek tightly grasped Aislin’s hands.

Aislin’s face flushed at the sudden touch. She barely swallowed the sound that was about to escape, feeling a tingling sensation down her spine.

“Miss Aislin. This incident has made me realize something. There is a limit to governing people with only criticism and reprimands. Only with a deep understanding of the situations and ways in which everyone in the barony works can one truly lead.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far…”

By the way, Derek’s hands are really big. He’s not particularly large for a man, but just the fact that he’s a man makes his body feel so sturdy. And yet, his hands are surprisingly warm. Even his face is close, and his scent is strong, like the fragrance of wild roses. Such trivial and unimportant information was filling Aislin’s mind, tormenting her. Her brain felt like it was about to overload, her head was heating up, and she had to take a deep breath.

Seeing Aislin like that, Derek furrowed his brows.

“It seems your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

“No, this is… that… yes… you’re right…”

“Anyway, I have regretted a lot because of this incident. I should have treated you better while you were here. I took your sacrifices and dedication for granted.”

“No, you don’t have to think that way! I genuinely enjoy what I do… and it helps my family too…”

Derek, still sitting on the wooden chair, spoke with an even more serious expression.

“I came to see you every day during the past four days whenever I had time. I don’t know how Miss Aislin feels about it, but seeing you collapse because of my negligence made me reflect.”

“Every day… you came to see me…?”

Derek was as busy as Aislin, barely having a moment to breathe.

Often, to make time, he had to give up on one of his schedules, but the fact that he came every day to check on Aislin and watch over her made Aislin feel strangely overwhelmed. It felt like confirmation that Derek genuinely cared about her.

“Please rest for this week. It’s best to be cautious until you’re completely sure your body has recovered.”

“I’m, I’m fine…”

“No, you’re not. I’ll come regularly to check on you myself, so please focus solely on your recovery.”

“Ev, every day…”

Aislin, lying diagonally on the bed, hiccuped once.

It was hard enough to see Baron Derek’s face even once, but he was saying he would come every day, sit by her side, ask about her condition, talk about trivial matters, and spend time with her.

No matter how busy he was, it was absurd to have him take care of her, so Aislin tried to shake her head, but it felt like something was stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t turn her head.

“Th, that’s…”

“Derek is right, Aislin! You need to rest!”

Siern, who rarely raised her voice, also approached with a worried face and looked at Aislin.

Siern, who always had tea with Aislin whenever she had time, had been taking etiquette lessons and thought that life in the baron’s mansion would feel empty without Aislin.

Her already haggard face was full of worry. Even the other servants and the butler Delbrinton bowed their heads apologetically when they saw the fallen Aislin.

‘Wh, what is this feeling…?’

Aislin felt a thick, sticky sensation welling up inside her heart.

The girl had no way of knowing. About the regret, desolation, and obsession that reside in the human heart──

‘I feel, feel fulfilled somehow… Why, why…? This, this isn’t right…’

The sinister sense of fulfillment inherent in human nature was bewildering, and she could only keep questioning it. For someone as refreshing as Aislin, this was also unfamiliar.

*

After that, Derek really did come to Aislin’s room every day to check on her condition and ask if she was uncomfortable anywhere.

He would sit by her bed and talk about what happened at the training center today or tell her that many young ladies were worried about her while waiting for the temporarily suspended etiquette classes to resume.

“There was also talk of holding a tea party in the garden, but since the baron’s mansion is much smaller compared to the high nobles’ estates, it seems a bit ambiguous.”

“Haha. That’s true. Mr. Delbrinton also suggested expanding the garden, and I think it would be good to consider it positively.”

“The budget has become a bit more generous… I’ll suggest it to the retainers.”

After a few days, Aislin, who had been weak, regained some strength and was able to sit at the table.

The servants were also taking care of her meals, so her once haggard appearance had become elegant and beautiful again… It felt like every day was surrounded by a flower garden.

Above all, Derek came to see her every day.

Talking with him gave her a strange sense of fulfillment, making her feel like she was on the best vacation.

Thus, Aislin was having tea and basking in the sunlight with Derek.

The gap between now and when she was fiercely running around the business frontlines is enormous. All day long, doing nothing and just lying still, or chatting with visitors who come to see her… That was all Aiselin did.

There is a limit to how long you can keep busy people around, so she convinced herself to just enjoy this happiness for a few days – and was spending a pleasant time with Derek.

“Miss Ellente is scheduled to visit again next week.”

Thus, the happiness that was soaring high into the sky was instantly incinerated.

“…What?”

“We have informed the Duplain family and the Rosea Salon that Lady Aiselin is not in good health. It is only natural. If something happens to Lady Aiselin, we must inform them immediately.”

“Well, that’s true. The family would be curious about my news… But why is Lady Ellente…?”

When they were having a war of nerves at the Rosea Salon, Ellente was wary of Aiselin.

However, recently, that relationship had reversed. Although it was hard to explain clearly, Aiselin developed a chronic condition where she would become breathless and her gaze would falter whenever she heard that Ellente was coming.

“Although it has been a while since Lady Aiselin was pushed out of the Rosea Salon, she still has many people who are personally close to her. Many people wanted to visit her, and although I declined most of them, there were a few whom I could not refuse.”

Ellente, the legitimate heir of Belmiord, was not someone a rural baron could handle.

“Lady Drenis as well.”

Aiselin felt a cold sensation.

Ellente had recently shown a strange hostility towards Aiselin, and Drenis, being naturally lazy, did not usually form deep connections with others.

It would have been enough to send some pretty gifts out of courtesy, but the fact that they were coming to Ravenclaw Manor themselves made Aiselin think they might have other intentions.

In short, the concern for Aiselin was just a pretext.

It is not a pleasant thing to use someone’s illness as a justification for one’s actions. Of course, Aiselin was naturally kind-hearted and not the type to get angry about such things.

However, she just felt uneasy.

Ellente might just want to see Derek’s face.

But why was Drenis coming?

While Ellente’s intentions as a ruler were somewhat understandable, Drenis’s intentions as a strategist were completely unreadable. This fact made Aiselin even more anxious.

“…”

As Aiselin’s face turned pale again, Derek, who was drinking tea across from her, sighed deeply.

It seemed that the day when Aiselin’s fatigue would be relieved was far off.

*

“…”

Drenis pinned a pretty rose-shaped brooch to her chest, dressed in a frilled dress with moderate decoration, and got into the carriage.

Sitting inside the luxuriously decorated carriage, Drenis held her breath for a moment, then furrowed her brows as if troubled and sighed deeply.

“I told you, Derek. I’m just a chess piece.”

Inside the carriage heading to Baron Ravenclaw’s manor, the girl soliloquized, even though there was no one to hear her.

The Grand Duke Beltus was trying to somehow check and bring down the Barony of Ravenclaw. Anyway, Dennis was in no position to shake his head at his will.

Although he was on his way to meet his long-awaited teacher, it felt as if a heavy weight was hanging on Dennis’s chest.

If the opportunity arises, strike Derek from behind. Until then, gain his trust and stay close to him.

The heavy message from Grand Duke Beltus was weighing down on the girl’s shoulders.