CH 9

Chapter 9: The use of skills is…

After arriving at the Academy, I was able to lead a comfortable Academy life just like yesterday.

Although I wanted to think about the dream, I saw a troublesome Albert and immediately kept my distance from him. As a result, today he didn’t chase after me as he usually does.

But today, Michelia Allerid, the servant that Albert was dating, appeared in front of me.

Whenever I see Michelia, a noble lady, cleaning the hallway, the noble ladies start whispering to each other.

For example,

——Michelia, the servant, was originally the daughter of a Count.

After incurring debt and committing a blunder, they incurred the displeasure of the king. The main head fell ill, and according to what I’ve heard, in order to erase the debt, they secretly traded with a neighboring country.

As a traitor, the Count’s territory was seized, and poor Michelia, the Count’s daughter, became a commoner.

Thanks to the introduction of a sympathetic friend of her father, she obtained a job as a servant at the Academy.

(The problem is that the one they owed money to was our Count family.)

——They fell from grace because of the debt they incurred from the Elvasti Count family.

I’ve heard that many times in the rumor mill.

Yes, Michelia’s house is one of the infamous actions of my Count family. That’s why I’m being told things like this: Michelia stole the fiancé of the Elvasti daughter for revenge…

As far as I’m concerned, that’s a believable story.

Otherwise, a former Count’s daughter would not be flirting openly with a man to whom I am engaged in a place where I might witness it.

(She must be doing it on purpose. She must be trying to annoy me.)

I’ve suspected this all along.

So I don’t envy Michelia, I just find it annoying that if she becomes his mistress, I’ll have to be conscious of Michelia from now on.

I also suspect that Albert is taking advantage of the situation just to annoy me, since he doesn’t like me either. 

(But is it really love that makes me want to be with Albert? Or do I just want to secure a guarantee for my own life?)

If that’s not the case, I might as well go see Albert right after I’ve fallen from an aristocrat lady to a commoner.

I thought I might have met again and relied on Albert when I started studying at this Academy.

Michelia Allerid was mumbling and dawdling there after finishing cleaning the corridor today.

On my way to take a music lesson.

Moreover, there were many other noble daughters around. Even Augren Duke’s daughter was chatting with her friends.

It’s a really bad situation.

If I turn around and go the long way, they’ll say I’ve been defeated by a servant or some such nonsense.

But now I have the power to overcome this.

(I will not hear that servant’s voice, and I will not let her come near me…)

I advance forward with that thought.

Michelia suddenly looked this way. As if she had noticed something, she started walking towards me. Why?

I don’t know.

A servant normally doesn’t speak to a noble daughter so openly. Moreover, what does it mean to approach me with a bucket in hand?

But I have the power to block her… or so I thought.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

One of the daughters pretended to stumble and bumped into Michelia, tripping her up.

One of Augren Duke’s daughter’s underlings… A baroness.

Michelia naturally tripped and overturned the bucket of water with all her might.

(I hate getting wet with water!)

I screamed as I was splashed with water.

(…Hmm?)

Although the floor near me got wet, there was no sign that the hem of my dress got wet.

“Oh no, a servant spilled the bucket of water!”

“My shoes got dirty! These are the white silk shoes that my father kindly bought for me!”

“Me too!”

The noble ladies who tripped Michelia nearby were making a big fuss.

Since it was the person holding the bucket who tripped, it is only natural that it is their own fault.

Michelia seems to be saying something in defense…or at least it looks that way. Since I set it so that I can’t hear any sound, I don’t know what she is saying.

In any case, there is nothing good for me to stay here, so I left as I was.

I noticed that Michelia was looking at me with pleading eyes, but unfortunately, I am not kind enough to help the person who put me in this predicament.

After all, in her case, even though I helped her before, I have been repaid with ingratitude.

“Was it her who tipped over the bucket of water that time?”

Even though I said “don’t worry about it” because I didn’t know about the matter with Albert, Michelia made a big fuss.

In the end, Michelia told the person who came, “that My Lady…” as if I had tripped her and made me out to be the villain.”

I won’t fall for the same trick again.

While thinking such a thing and trying to turn a corner and get away from the scene.

The place where Michelia and the others, who I had left behind, were. They were still talking about something.

On the other side, I could see the appearance of that confectionery Duke and the knight, watching Michelia and the others’ commotion with interest.

“…”

I sigh inwardly.

I might have been disliked by those people.

I had no concern for the tripped servant and did not kindly address or protect her from the surrounding people.

It was certainly behavior that was far from that of a gentle noblewoman.

“After all, I’m already a disliked person. It’s too late now…”

I probably muttered in self-defense, but even I knew that.

Instead of such things, I focused my attention on other things.

I should think about the ability that unexpectedly arose. 

(I thought it only worked on people. Can it work on other things too?) 

I knew that it could prevent people from approaching me physically and vocally, but I didn’t think it would work on water as well. 

(I’ll try it later on fire and other things to see if it has the same effect.) 

I make a mental note.

Now, what else should I try? After thinking for a while, I remembered the bag I was carrying. Its contents.

After going to the music room, I tried to reach into my bag and take out my writing supplies while thinking about it. 

(The pen and notebook won’t make contact with me.) 

Then, my hand stopped short, as if it had hit the bottom of the bag, and I couldn’t reach any further. 

(Does this effect work on pens and notebooks too? If so, it probably works on most things.) 

I was excited about my new discovery and wanted to try more things. I couldn’t get this idea out of my head during my music lesson.

This happened after the lesson was over. 

As I was walking quickly towards the waiting carriage, Duke Svald called out to me as usual, “Hey, Count Elvasti’s daughter.”