Haunted Duke’s Daughter

Chapter 26

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Here’s another chapter. Let’s all be optimistically pessimistic about how many chapters will come out before I disappear off the face of the planet again.
Enjoy~

Take back? Who will? Take whose heart?

Lilia’s smiling mask came falling off. Eyes glazing over, she became unable to hide her displeasure. The other two girls noticed and their expressions immediately paled, but the one talking didn’t notice at all.

“Let us go immediately switch back the seats with Miss Krystel. It is alright, although we are weak, please let us also a.s.sist you. Please rest a.s.sured Miss Lilianne…”

“Silence.”

It was in a small, and low voice. It was at a level just for the one person in front of her to be able to hear. The talking girl let out a short shriek, and halted her words. Incidentally, silence fell through the cla.s.sroom as well. However, Lilia paid that absolutely zero mind, and released her words.

“I will say this once again but… From now on, I have no intention of involving myself with His Highness. I would bid you to not do anything unnecessary due to your own misguided interpretations. Or is it that, you actually wish to anger me?”

The three all vigorously shook their heads. They were shaking almost pitifully, but Lilia did not notice. Even if she did, she did not intend to stop.

“Well then please do close that noisy mouth. Is that alright?”

The three shook their heads up and down again and again. Seeing that, Lilia, with a ‘very good’, nodded satisfied.

—Scary. You’re scary, Lilia.

—What is. I spoke with politeness right?

—Certainly your words themselves were! Those eyes are scary! Like I was feeling bloodthirst there!

—Isn’t that just your imagination.

With a small sigh, she looked up. The three were still standing before Lilia. They had their heads hanging down apologetically, but it seems they didn’t intend to leave. When Lilia frowned dubiously, the one who was talking until just earlier deeply lowered her head.

“Miss Lilianne. I am truly sorry.”

“It’s fine. Please be careful next time.”

“Yes…”

After that she raised her head, finally leaving to head to her own seat. As Lilia was looking at her departing figure, Sakura’s voice sounded in her head.

—Lilia. About those three. Well actually not just those three.

—What about it.

—Well, right. About those lot of followers. You should be careful.

Lilia frowns, as Sakura continues.

—Those people are ones who are after the ducal’s power. It’s no good becoming friends with them. No well, there are good people too. Make friends with the ones who will properly look at ‘Lilia’ rather than your status.

She was wondering what Sakura was trying to say all of a sudden, but it seems it was her trying to look out for Lilia. Lilia made a wry smile inside, and nodded that she understood.

—Just that honestly I don’t have much confidence in seeing through people… Do you know of anything Sakura?

—Nn… My knowledge regarding the followers is also somewhat vague. It’d be better to rely on someone else.

—Rely on who then.

—The person above your room.

Lilia’s face twitched slightly. She hadn’t heard anything about that. Who, and for what reason they’d be there. As Lilia gulped down her saliva, as if it was no big deal at all, Sakura said,

—It seemed to be someone who was at your estate so, isn’t it someone who your father or brother stuck there as a guard? They were really good at hiding their presence, so it’s probably someone who can also do intelligence work.

—… Ahh, that so…

So it was her family’s doing. Those two don’t really have a need to keep it from Lilia, so why didn’t they say anything about it? Pressing her temples and fighting back a headache, Lilia made another sigh.

—Got it. Let’s make a request when we get back.

—Yep. There should be three people so it’s probably fine if one of them shows themselves.

So there were three whole people. This time Lilia ended up truly holding her head in exasperation.

Just before the time for the morning a.s.sembly, the prince entered the cla.s.sroom. And immediately after that the teacher came in. You’d think that they were arriving together, but the prince would always insist that it was just a coincidence. Though it was questionable whether such a coincidence would happen every day.
The prince’s reason for arriving right before the morning a.s.sembly was simple, it was an anti-Lilia counter. If he comes earlier, then dealing with Lilia trying to talk to him would be troublesome, so it seems he’s trying to avoid that. Lilia had felt a bit down about this when she heard it from Sakura. Since he kept to it today as well, it seems he hadn’t really believed what Lilia said the other day.

The teacher stood before the podium, and started relaying some announcements. However, Lilia didn’t listen to a single bit of it. Inside her head, Sakura’s lectures that she deemed as time-killers continued.
Today’s Sakura’s lecture was on something called ‘science’. It was quite interesting to hear the explanations of reasons for various things that were just thought of as ‘natural’ before. She realised with a start that the teacher’s speech had ended, and at some point, the lesson had begun.

—Ah, sorry. It’s cla.s.s time huh. Well I’m gonna be quiet now, good luck with the lesson.

—Even though it was really getting into the good parts… Oh well.

Maybe she’d hear the continuation tonight? While feeling a bit reluctant, she turned her gaze to the teacher. The first lesson was arithmetic. Listening to the teacher’s explanation for a while, Lilia knit her eyebrows.
What’s with this, she thought. Even though there’ve been two weeks of lessons, they were still doing these problems? At the exceedingly boring explanations, Lilia sighed deep inside.

—Sakura. I’m not really confident that I’ll be able to stay awake.

—Nn… Shall we, continue?

Sakura probably had a similar feeling, as she didn’t disparage Lilia’s uttering. ‘So you get it,’ Lilia said as she formed a smile and gave a small nod.

And so the next thing she knew, it was noon. Between lessons there would be a change in teachers, but Lilia didn’t notice a single thing. When the surroundings got noisy and she looked around with a start, everyone was heading to leave the cla.s.sroom. From that and her depleted stomach, she guessed that it was now lunchtime. Just listening to Sakura, the whole morning ended up going by.

“Miss Lilianne! Perhaps we may go together!”

The three followers from this morning gathered around Lilia, inviting her. Lilia looked at them with suspicion, and shook her head. She said to the surprised trio,

“I’m sorry. I feel like being alone today. It’s a unfortunate, but I’m good so you three go on ahead.”

Saying that, the three came to an understanding with ‘that is so isn’t it’ and left the cla.s.sroom. How and what they were understanding were unknown, but it was convenient to be able to be alone so this was fine.

—Sakura. I’m curious about one thing.

—Yup. What might that be?

—I… That is… I wonder if it would be a problem if I, went to that cafeteria…?

Sakura
Lilia

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