Love Letter From The Future

Chapter 322: Bread and Dagger (20)

At Senior Elsie’s provocation, Emma bowed her head without hesitation.

It was a respectful gesture—the proper etiquette for a commoner toward a noble.

Even so, watching that scene made my insides twist.

Emma was my dear friend.

Although there was a social barrier between nobles and commoners, we had spent a long time together as classmates at the academy. Not once did I consider Emma to be beneath me.

Moreover, it was a principle of the academy that all students, regardless of their social status, were treated equally.

The point was that, even outside of the academy, there was no reason to establish such a hierarchical relationship.

Just as I, unable to stand it any longer, was about to say something, Emma subtly shot me a glance.

It was a plea to hold back for a moment.

Unable to ignore her plea, I swallowed my discomfort and looked away.

Well, I could understand Emma’s position too.

If I rashly take her side, it will only provoke Senior Elsie’s resentment.

Especially since Senior Elsie had been openly expressing her goodwill toward me recently.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she, at any moment, did something reckless while blinded by jealousy. While I was not sure about the others, nothing was impossible when it came to ‘Elsie Rinella’.

That’s why I decided to pretend not to care.

This was, of course, merely a facade.

My eyes continued to dart toward Senior Elsie and Emma.

Subtly—just enough so the two wouldn’t feel burdened.

With her arms crossed as if displeased, Senior Elsie kept provoking Emma.

“Why do you keep hovering around Master, being so annoying? Ah, that’s right... You’re that girl—the commoner wench whom the Master spent 10,000 gold to save.”

Sneering, Senior Elsie moved in closer to Emma.

Her blue eyes held a fierce glint as a cold voice slipped through her clenched teeth.

“Don’t get any ideas. The only reason Master is giving special treatment to a commoner wench like you is because he’s kind. It’s nothing beyond sympathy and pity. Got it?”

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. By now, even the Saintess and the Princess were carefully watching my reaction.

Only Senior Elsie, who was all riled up to keep Emma in check, remained oblivious.

It was becoming hard to keep listening.

Emma was as precious as Senior Elsie to me. I wanted the two of them to build a healthy relationship.

Just as I was about to say something to Senior Elsie—

“Lady Rinella...”

Emma, with a somewhat sorrowful look in her eyes, brought her lips close to Senior Elsie’s ear, who stood tiptoed.

And then, a whisper softly resonated.

“In any case, I’m satisfied with just being a mistress.”

Did I hear that right?

Even though I was certain my heightened hearing couldn’t be wrong, I tapped my ears. The statement was too abrupt for my mind to keep up with.

It seemed to be no different for Senior Elsie.

She was left dumbfounded, only able to muster a bewildered question.

“...H-Huh? What did you say?”

“You really don’t need to be wary of me, Lady Rinella. I know my place better than anyone.”

A bitter smile appeared on Emma’s face as she spoke..

“As a commoner whose only skill is making a few potions... How could I possibly dare to be greedy? So please, just allow me to stay by Ian’s side... I’ll assist you as well, Lady Rinella.”

Her overly humble demeanour left Senior Elsie more taken aback than before.

The Saintess and the Princess looked at Senior Elsie as if she were trash. In response, Senior Elsie immediately jumped up, her face turning red.

She appeared utterly indignant.

“W-What! Why! Y-You two also felt the same way as I did, didn’t you?!”

However, the Saintess clicked her tongue and shook her head, while the Princess simply cleared her throat and averted her gaze.

No one took Senior Elsie’s side.

It was then that the Saintess suddenly intervened.

Perhaps unable to hold back her sudden surge of emotion, she even forgot to keep her usual facade and blurted out her true feelings.

Of course, no one was surprised.

Not only I and Yuren, but also Senior Elsie and the Princess had all seen her true nature at least once. There was no reason to be surprised now.

Only Emma seemed confused by the situation, her eyes wide open..

Seizing the moment, the Saintess sharply retorted to Senior Elsie.

“Could you stop spouting nonsense? I—I asked Ian about what you said last time, and he said it was nothing! Do you enjoy being this underhanded?!”

She was clearly still bitter about having been deceived by Senior Elsie the last time.

According to Yuren’s testimony, the Saintess even cried, so it would be strange if she weren’t angry.

Unfortunately, Senior Elsie wasn’t someone who would bat an eye at such things.

Rather, she displayed an even more triumphant smile.

“Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Who told you to be one step behind? Oh, that’s right... You’re the most beloved maiden of the Heavenly God, so you have to remain a ‘maiden,’ don’t you?”

As if that remark hit the nail on the head, the Saintess’s body trembled.

Since no rebuttal came, it seemed she couldn’t think of an appropriate response. The position of the Saintess in the Church of the Heavenly God was that significant.

She had even abandoned her life as an orphan to live as the Saintess.

She couldn’t abandon her duties recklessly.

Senior Elsie was intoxicated by the one-sided victory she was savouring after a long time.

“But then why do your actions make you seem less like a maiden and more like a ‘slut’? Huh?”

“P-Please, be quiet...”

As always, I shook my head while watching the two of them bickering.

Though I had forgotten about it for a while, Senior Elsie’s original rival was actually Senior Delphine. Just thinking about what new conflicts might arise once we arrived in the North was already giving me a headache.

To make matters worse, seizing the moment while the Saintess and Senior Elsie were arguing, the Princess quietly approached Emma.

“Um, Senior Emma?”

“Y-Yes?!”

Following the young lady of the Rinella family and the Saintess of the Holy Nation, even the Princess of the Empire was getting involved now.

Emma, who was merely a commoner, now looked as if her soul had left her body.

After fidgeting with her fingers for a while, the Princess finally spoke up.

“I-I have a lot of money!”

“...?”

At the sudden declaration, Emma’s eyes went blank.

Regardless, the oblivious Princess clenched her fist tightly with her eyes closed.

“A-And I have power too... Please keep that in mind, uh... when choosing sides...”

After saying that, the princess, seemingly embarrassed, quickly turned around and put some distance between them.

What’s so special about the declaration of being my mistress that it sparked such a fierce competition?

I was dumbfounded, but since I had long given up trying to understand the ways of women, I decided to stop thinking about it.

At least listening to their squabbling made the time pass quickly.

And like that, time flowed by, and right after we passed through the warp gate—

I was greeted by the cold northern climate I had only heard about.

A biting wind blew as if it would cut through my flesh. The dry air delivered a sharp pain to my lungs with every breath.

And beyond it all, stood a woman with hair as radiant as the sun.

“Long time no see, Maste... I mean, Ian.”

Wearing her usual confident smile.

It was a reunion with Senior Delphine.

Although she looked a bit more emaciated than before.