I Raised the Villain's Daughter Too Well-Chapter 53: Didn’t Know! -

Even if you called it an afterparty, the academy itself held student gatherings at least five times a week.

Ultimately, while it was certainly important to learn swordsmanship, magic, politics, war, or any specialized discipline and improve one’s skills—

The most important thing, without a doubt, was connections.

Bluntly put, even if nothing else changed from before to after your time here, as long as you built strong relationships, that alone could count as a decent achievement.

Naturally, that meant endless numbers of tea parties, balls, hunting festivals, and countless minor events.

If one were to attend them all, it would be a massive chore.

Fortunately, Lady Firnea was the type to attract cadets even if she stayed put, so unless it was a particularly major event, she didn’t need to attend in person.

"E-Excuse me, may I request an audience—"

"I've been waiting since two hours ago!"

"Apologies, but today the Lady said she wishes to enjoy a tea party only with those she feels comfortable around."

"Kh—argh, w-well, it can’t be helped then..."

Because of that, I excused myself from the cadets gathered nearby and descended to the reception hall below the dormitory.

By then, people were already gathering in scattered groups around the spacious hall, engaged in conversation.

"I heard you passed the Advanced Swordsmanship Test—congratulations!"

"Hmph, with my skills, that was only natural!"

The scale wasn’t too large—around fifty people? It was a manageable number.

Well, there were more cadets who failed than passed.

And really, what kind of face would someone have to show up here after failing?

"..."

I quietly observed the attendees.

Maybe it was still early in the term, but the atmosphere was light, lively—

Olvesia wasn’t here.

...Well, that was expected. She was probably getting ready to meet me.

And I had to prepare myself to meet her as well.

"Pardon me a moment."

"Huh, y-yes?"

I smoothly snatched a tray from a nearby wine-serving waiter and began walking the hall. Dressed in my butler’s uniform, I didn’t look out of place.

It was the best way to move around without having to engage in conversation. I scanned the room for people—but didn’t see the one I was looking for right away.

Where are you, Leah...

"To rank 5 with such a team lineup—truly impressive."

"Oh, it wasn’t that hard, really. I did most of the work alone~ Ah, some wine, please."

"Yes, I’ll pour for you."

"Thank yo—u?"

It wasn’t the person I was looking for, but Emily was here.

Wearing an extremely dressed-up gown, she was in the middle of recounting her exploits to a crowd of cadets. But when she saw me pouring wine, she froze on the spot.

"W-Wait. What are you... doing?"

"Just picking up a side job. Please, continue with your story."

The cadets looked confused upon seeing her talking to me, so Emily forced a smile and introduced me.

"...Ah, ahaha... This is, um, Virdem."

"Oh, the butler from Seriratus, right? The one in your squad..."

"Uh, yeah..."

They seemed unsure how to treat me.

Special cadet? You can ignore that.

Seriratus? Ignore them and your life is over.

Butler? You can ignore that.

Firnea? Ignore her and your entire life ends.

It was an extremely ambiguous position. In moments like this, I had to initiate the boundary-setting.

I bowed my head.

"Please feel free to speak comfortably. I am, after all, merely My Lady’s butler. As long as no insult is made toward the House, I shall remain as such."

If I were disrespected, it would reflect poorly on Firnea’s dignity.

Once I made that clear, the cadets visibly relaxed.

"Ah, yes, of course. We have no intention of going against Seriratus."

"Since fate has brought us together, would you share your firsthand account of Lady Emily’s exploits?"

"Lady Emily’s exploits?"

She didn’t really do much though.

"I heard she seized the enemy HQ practically on her own..."

"They say she singlehandedly swept through dozens of elite soldiers! I would’ve loved to see that spectacle for myself..."

"..."

I looked at Emily, whose face flushed deep red, though she tried to hide it.

Did she not expect me to show up? I gave a brief chuckle and replied:

"Yes, the swordsmanship of Laurencia is truly outstanding. Among all the techniques I’ve seen, it was the most polished. Arin and I were only cheering from the rear."

"Ooh...! Is that so?"

"It reminds me once again of Laurencia’s noble heritage."

A little flattery never hurts.

The cadets’ eyes sparkled even more as they crowded around Emily.

"...Oh? Uh, yes. Well, it was nothing special for me, really..."

Leaving a flustered Emily behind, I turned toward the corner.

I’d found her. Though... why was she hiding in such a dark spot?

She looked utterly dejected, like someone who’d just been dumped.

I approached her cautiously and spoke.

"Care for a glass of wine?"

"I’m good... I’m already drinking."

She was wearing a gown, slumped in a chair, staring out the window with lifeless eyes as she downed her drink—hardly the kind of demeanor that welcomed approach.

Maybe it was the mess Armeria caused, but even as part of the top-ranked squad, she’d ended up this isolated.

Sighing, I refilled Leah’s glass.

"Ah..."

Leah glanced over in surprise, then, upon recognizing my face, covered her mouth slightly.

"V-Virdem?"

"Might I ask why you’re sitting here alone, gloomily sipping grape juice?"

"...How did you know?"

"The scent is different."

"Scent... it has a scent?"

Leah sniffed at her wineglass as if confused.

The wine they sold at the academy wasn’t cheap.

It was so high-end that just pouring it into a glass made it easy to distinguish from grape juice by smell alone.

"I don’t really get it... That’s kind of amazing."

Leah kept drinking her blend of grape juice and wine with her dead eyes—

Then grimaced, sticking out her tongue with a "blegh."

"Ugh, what is this? It tastes weird!"

"You’ve never had alcohol before?"

"Ah, well, um... It’s not that I’ve never had it... yeah."

She let out another long sigh.

"That’s me, I guess. Can’t even drink properly... no friends either..."

This wasn’t going to go anywhere productive.

I set down the tray nearby, reached out a hand to her seated form.

"Lady Leah."

"Uh, yes?"

"Shall we step out for a bit of fresh air?"

"...Huh? Wait, what???"

Life returned to Leah’s previously dead eyes in an instant.

She let out a high-pitched voice loud enough to turn heads, then grabbed her cheeks and started scanning me up and down.

"Wait, wait—am I allowed to take this the way I think I am? I am, right??"

"No, you’re not. Please don’t."

"...Yesss..."

With her brain evidently turning bright pink and producing strange sounds, I led Leah out to the nearby garden.

It was the same place I had confirmed as safe yesterday. Though she’d been all fidgety and blushing at first, once we were in a more secluded spot, she immediately perked up.

"So, was there some kind of problem—"

"Well!! Sure, maybe I messed up a bit, but honestly, I think it’s more like a failure of upbringing than entirely my fault, you know? I mean, even if it's Palthis, how can a family teach swordsmanship all day long and nothing else?? And then they expect me to adjust to academy life? Sure, Dad said I didn’t have to go to the academy, but I couldn’t just rot away in the family house forever either..."

Leah plopped down on a bench and started talking—no, ranting—for a solid ten minutes, complaining in a tone that barely disguised how much she just wanted to talk.

I found myself imagining something odd.

She’s like a pufferfish.

All puffed up inside, holding back everything, but once released, swims around just fine.

...Maybe that’s a rude thought. It felt like this could go on forever, so I cut her off at a natural pause and asked:

"I see. But I noticed you were in the same team as My Lady. How was that?"

"Uh..."

Mid-sentence, Leah froze.

She started tapping her index fingers together and sneaking glances at my face.

"So, I mean..."

"It’s okay even if it’s something negative. I’ll keep it to myself."

"No, no, it’s not bad or anything, it’s just... she was kind of scary..."

Leah hugged her knees and mumbled.

"I mean, she’s competent and amazing and all, but she doesn’t feel very... human. I admired her, but more than that, I felt scared first. Like, ‘Ah, so this is what a truly noble lady is like,’ you know?"

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"Yes. Ah, b-but I still thought she was incredible! Even Lady Psyche seemed to be looking down on Firnea at first, but she got completely overwhelmed in no time... Ah—was that gossip?"

"No need to worry. If you want to live as a butler, the first thing you must learn is silence."

"Ahaha..."

Well, if it were actual gossip about My Lady, I wouldn't forgive it—but fine.

Letting out a sigh, Leah buried her face into her knees again and spoke, now in a softer voice.

"...Um, Virdem... thank you."

"Pardon?"

"You noticed I was feeling down and reached out, right? I’m not that much of an idiot. Probably."

I shook my head with a smile.

"Ah, that’s not it."

"...Huh?"

"It wasn’t out of concern. I just had something I needed to ask you."

At that, Leah looked up at me, blinking in disbelief— ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Then let out a quiet giggle, as if she found it endearing.

"Come on, that’s such an old-fashioned line."

"?"

I had no idea what she meant.

While I was still puzzled, Leah began to share some strange knowledge from an equally strange realm.

"You know, like—‘I didn’t come here because I was worried about you or anything! I just had something to do!’ That cliché. Super old-school. You don’t even need to say that kind of stuff..."

"...No, seriously, I called you because I need your help."

"Really? With what?"

"Tonight—would you be willing to act as my escort?"

Leah tilted her head.

"An... escort? Inside the academy?"

"Yes. I’m meeting with a cadet tonight, and there’s a chance they may pose a threat. I need a reliable ally to prepare for the worst. I called on you. There’s no pressure—feel free to decline."

"Well, it’s not like I can’t do it, but..."

Leah fell silent, thinking deeply—then smirked again.

"...See? I was right."

"I’m not sure what you’re claiming is correct."

"I mean, come on. It’s not like we’re dealing with assassins, and it’s just meeting a cadet. Escort? Please—that’s just your excuse. You couldn’t stand to see me looking all gloomy, right?"

"And why exactly would I be unable to bear seeing you in a gloomy state? That’s a mystery to me."

"Isn’t it because you keep thinking about me? And before you know it, your eyes drift in my direction? Hmm? Hm~?"

Just a moment ago, Leah had looked like she was at death’s door—

Now she was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ like a fish thrown back into water, puffed up with pride, poking at my side playfully.

I let out a sigh, but... things had gone well.

Leah was, aside from being a bit soft-hearted, probably my only viable countermeasure against Olvesia.

Arin could be used far more easily—but she wasn’t strong enough yet to stand against Olvesia.

By comparison, Leah was already a finished product.

"Haa... What can I say. Sure, maybe I’m lacking in a few areas compared to other cadets, but when it comes to this face, I’ve got real confidence. So in the end, I am a help, aren’t I..."

...Except in the brain department.