#52: Epilogue — I’ll Become an Elegant Villainess! (Wn)

After that, the soldiers of the armed organization were neutralized and taken into custody by the Royal Magic Knight Order.

Thanks to Vincent’s maneuvering, the whole incident was credited entirely to us, the students of S-Class.

We were praised by all sorts of people as the children who drove off the armed organization, and articles about us were published in the newspapers.

“It was the result of everyone working together.”

“We just knew we had to save our classmates.”

My classmates answered in bright voices with the sort of things that sounded appropriate.

(Good grief, this is exactly why children without words of their own are such a handful.)

That kind of response might be pleasing from the media’s perspective, but as the charismatic one, I naturally had to captivate people with words that were uniquely mine, unlike anyone else’s.

In my head, I prepared my answers for the interview.

However, the interview time ended without anyone asking me a single question.

“That girl is the smallest one, and she probably did not do anything.”

I heard a voice say that.

(Grrr… I played a pretty major role too…)

As I glared at the foolish, undiscerning adults, the kids from my class patted me on the shoulder and said,

“This is Mythia, who did the most as our leader this time.”

I was startled by those unexpected words.

As I stood there confused, the reporters’ eyes all turned toward me.

“Is this the same Mythia who has been making headlines recently for restoring Lineage?”

“The genius young lady lord of House Lumiore.”

“Excuse us, could you let us hear just a little from you?”

I was surrounded and interviewed over and over.

It felt rather good, almost like I had become a celebrity.

I do not remember what I said, but I think I managed to answer with a sense of charisma that suited me.

When I finished the interview, my classmates welcomed me warmly.

“Thanks for coming up with the plan, Mythia.”

“Next time, teach us how to fight and make strategies again.”

It seemed I was being rated quite highly.

Other classmates I had never spoken with before also came over one after another to talk to me.

(Huh, I kind of feel popular.)

Being praised and thanked by everyone made me pretty happy.

It was hard to control the raging monster of my need for approval, but I decided to see even that as a welcome kind of problem.

There were other happy things too.

At the end-of-month class reshuffle, Claris was promoted into S-Class.

Apparently, her admission into S-Class had been decided because of her performance in the special practical exam and the power of the new light magic she had awakened.

“To think a child could use such a terrifying magic.”

“She might be the greatest genius since this school was founded.”

The teachers had stared wide-eyed, but Claris seemed happier about the fact that she now had more time to spend with me and Kate than about any of that.

“I have never had this much fun at school before…!”

She was a good girl.

A really, truly good girl.

Claris was originally in the heroine position, which should have made her incompatible with me, but her happiness as a friend mattered more, so I decided to get along with her as a special exception.

“Um… I was wrong.”

That was what Camila said to me one day.

Apparently, she had worked up the courage to stop me.

She wanted to apologize to me properly one more time.

“I do not mind. More importantly, apologize properly to Claris.”

“…Understood.”

A little while later, Camila apologized to Claris.

I still could not forgive her for egging on the bullies and making Claris go through something so awful, but I thought I could at least give her credit for trying to apologize properly and do things the right way.

My distance with Felix, who had been avoiding me, also returned to something close to normal after that incident.

Sometimes he still acted a little strange, blushing and making his voice go shrill.

Considering that he looked a little happy when I hit him back, and that he hesitated whenever he tried to hit me, maybe that frightening incident had affected him and made him a little weird.

Lately, he would carry my desk for me during cleaning time, or come help me with my class duty work even when I did not need the help.

“Why are you helping me?”

When I asked, Felix’s face turned bright red and he stepped back.

“I-it is not anything, I just felt like it.”

“For someone who just felt like it, it sure feels like you help me a lot.”

“Do not get the wrong idea. I do not like you at all.”

“I know.”

“I really, really do not like you.”

“I said I know.”

“……..I see.”

He wore a complicated expression that somehow looked both relieved and disappointed.

By the way, this is a secret only I know, but apparently Felix has someone he likes these days.

During lunch break, when we were pretending to be together as a windbreak, I asked him, “Do you have anyone you like?” and he answered, “…It is not like I do not.”

When translated from adolescent-boy language, the phrase “It is not like I do not” means “There is someone I like a whole lot.”

“Who do you like?”

“I am absolutely not telling you.”

He said that while letting his gaze wander.

Just who was it that he liked?

I did not know the answer.

But it was a few days later that I learned what seemed to be the most likely answer.

The strongest rumored candidate was in S-Class.

The person who had recently been keeping an even closer distance with Felix than before—Roy Edwilde.

He always tried to be with him no matter the situation, and the closeness between them went beyond servant and master, beyond even friendship, to the point that one could mistake them for lovers.

He had said that being unable to protect the prince during this incident, despite being entrusted with supporting his academy life, remained a strong regret within him, but the extent of his devotion looked like it exceeded the bounds of a mere retainer.

The sight was so overwhelming that some of the girls in S-Class were practically rolling their eyes in circles.

“Felix and Roy-kun are both so handsome… no… I am opening a forbidden door…”

“Forbidden love is what is truly beautiful. His relationship with Mythia was only camouflage for that.”

“I really think boys ought to fall in love with other boys.”

It felt like something outrageous was happening, but I decided not to think too deeply about it, because if I actually tried to understand it, it felt like my brain’s information processing would suffer a catastrophic error.

And finally, about Kate, whose transfer had already been decided.

Because of this incident, Kate’s earth magic had been reassessed, and the way the class viewed her had improved a great deal.

She was no longer isolated in class,

—and even so, I could not stop Kate’s transfer.

“It sounds like Mama has already moved things along. She says she does not want to keep living in the royal capital without Father here.”

That was what she told me with her shoulders slumped.

Apparently, the plan was for them to move to a provincial city, which was her hometown.

Because Kate was still a child, she could not decide on her own where she would live.

“Let us make lots of memories before the end.”

That was what I said, and while the three of us spent more time together than ever before, I thought about whether there was anything I could do.

I tried gathering information about Kate’s father.

There was only so much I could do alone, so I consulted Vincent.

“Vincent. I want to ask you to investigate this case.”

“This case? Understood.”

Vincent had looked puzzled, as though wondering, “Why this case?”

A few days later, after finishing the investigation, Vincent said to me with an impressed expression,

“As expected of you, Lady Mythia. To notice that clever disguise. That fraud was connected to a major figure in the Council of Three Hundred. I will expose the entire truth without fail.”

I had no idea what he was talking about, but

“Of course. No one can deceive my eyes.”

I replied with something that sounded appropriate.

Vincent looked even more impressed.

“If only that prince could also be… if only the prince could be dealt with…”

“Absolutely not, Vincent.”

Ciel said that in a quiet voice to the frustrated Vincent.

Then came the start of the new week, in front of the academy.

Kate, who had been waiting for me at the school gate, said in an excited voice,

“Listen, Mythia! They found proof that Father was innocent!”

Now that there was a possibility her father would return, the transfer was apparently off as well.

“The farewell party is canceled. Instead, we are holding a farewell-cancellation party.”