CHAPTER 36 - ELISE AINDREA P3
~36.3~
*****
“Let me stop you there,” I said. I stepped toward them, not bothering to hide the anger on my face. “First, if I want to be friends with Maya, and she wants to be friends with me, that’s that. We’ll be friends. If feelings develop in one or both of us, that’s our business and our problem to solve, not yours. Take your warning and shove off. I’m not interested in your doom saying.”
“Tch.” Without another word, they walked away and found their seats.
When I turned back to the pink-haired girl next to me, she had her hand over her mouth, and a hint of tears in her eyes. “Maya?”
She didn’t say anything, only stared into my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“You defended me.”
I was taken aback. She said that as if it was something unusual. “Yeah?”
“Nobody has ever done that before.”
My eyes widened. My sense of wanting to protect her grew rapidly. “Get used to it.”
“Huh?!” She still had her hand over her mouth.
“If you’re going to be friends with me, I’m going to take your side on things. So get used to it.”
She finally moved her hand away from her mouth, and I swear I saw a hint of blush for a moment before she regained her composure. “Okay! And I’ll take your side!”
With a giggle, I replied, “Just don’t defend me when doing so will put you in harm’s way.”
She looked at me quizzically, as if what I said was completely out of nowhere.
“What I mean is, I don’t want my new friend getting hurt if that royal boy from yesterday takes offense to what I said in class after the test.”
Her expression hardened, understanding what I meant. She was there in the same class. The fifth prince of Gallia got upset that I aced the test and he nearly failed it. He said I didn’t stand a chance against his older brother. What a childish comment that was. I told him that I would take on any challenge relating to mana, no matter how much older the challenger was.
“Are you concerned that the third prince is going to try to harm you?”
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“Hmm... not really. I expect the royals won’t let it slide after I called the fifth prince’s bluff, but I’m not concerned about it.”
“That settles it then. After what I saw you do with mana in that test, I don’t doubt you can hold your own. And if worse comes to worst, I’ll help you with-”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want somebody else to risk anything on my behalf. Trust me. I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t relent at all. “And trust me, I’m not standing on the sidelines if a friend needs help.” I started to refuse, but she held up a finger. “I don’t think you need help to defend yourself physically, even against the older students, but if things escalate and the princes try to throw around their royal weight, I will not hesitate. There’s quite a gap between a count family and a royal family, but there’s not much gap with a duke family.”
“Do those girls say those mean things, knowing that you’re a high-ranking noble?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. They do. Back home, I once said that I don’t believe in throwing around one’s rank over petty things. The things they say to me are just petty schoolgirl words that ultimately don’t do any harm. They didn’t believe me at first, but after a couple of failed friendships like what they mentioned, rumors started. I walked into class one day and a few girls were gossiping about me.”
I listened intently. I wanted to ask questions, but I didn’t want to interrupt. I felt somewhat embarrassed that I was so interested, though that didn’t stop me from listening.
“They didn’t notice me, and I didn’t care. I sat down in my usual seat and waited for class to start. Another girl came in shortly after me and noticed both the gossiping and me sitting nearby. She pointed me out to the gossiping girls, and both gasped. I waved a hand at them and said, ‘It’s okay, I’m not going to reprimand you or anything.’ They still didn’t believe me, but after a few days with no repercussions, they approached me and apologized. As far as I know, those two in particular never gossiped again. I think they had genuine growth then. The girls you just met are not them, just so you know.”
I smiled warmly. “That’s very mature of you. I’m not sure that I can be that mature in a similar scenario.”
She smiled back and said, “I believe in you.”
“You do?”
With a nod, she explained as if it were common sense. “You already have power. You’re not worried about somebody hurting you, and from what little I’ve seen, you don’t seem to be hurt by mean words either. You defended me, you don’t want me to get involved, and you took that prince’s challenge as though it didn’t matter. I think you’re quite mature yourself. Not all maturity is the same. Perhaps we can learn from each other, eh?”
I chuckled. “Perhaps.”
*****
Later the same day, the same class where the prince challenged me began and sure enough... his older brother was there. The class was taking place outdoors in a courtyard with an open sky above us, as with most mana, magic, and combat classes.
“Prince Wallace, to what do I owe this visit?” asked Instructor Wilson. The instructor knew, but was afraid to speak above his own noble rank.
The third prince looked around and asked, “Which one of you is Elise Aindrea?”
Most of the class backed away as I stepped forward. “Greetings to the Third Prince of Gallia. I am Elise Aindrea.”
“My brother tells me you mocked him for being unable to best you in the exam in this class yesterday, then boldly stated you would accept a challenge from anyone.”
I glanced at the third prince. “The latter is correct, the former is not.”
“So then you’re saying my brother, a royal, is a liar?”
So that’s how they’re going to play this out.
*****
Revision: 2025-2-7