Chapitre 33: Chapter 32: The Villainess Wished to Commit Murder. (2)
Despite her irritation and annoyance, Angelica's follower informed her that she had a visitor.
Though she was reluctant, she convinced herself that it would be polite to meet the person face to face, at least.
Thus, here they were.
Before her sat a woman, likely around her own age, though her appearance was decidedly unconventional.
The woman was thin, with a faint dark circles under her eyes hinting at sleepless nights, but, as mention those shadows seemed to be fading.
Despite her slender frame, Angelica could discern that she had once been more robust.
If Angelica's hair could be described as a slightly scarlet-tinged blonde, the woman before her possessed a paler, more vibrant shade of gold.
From the moment she entered and took a seat, the woman fidgeted anxiously, playing with her nails as if they were a lifeline.
Perhaps because of all the attention from the people of the room, or because she was in front of Angelica herself, regardless it was clear as a day that she was very nervous.
Like a startled rabbit, her eyes darted around the room every few second, her shoulders hunched, signaling a desire to avoid attention.
It was clear she wanted to escape this setting quickly.
Rumors had reached Angelica's ears about this commoner student, suggesting she had been bullied for the past month, marked by Stephanie due to an alleged attempt to seduce the fiancé of the aforementioned girl.
'Now that I think about it, that vixen has ensnared him as well, hasn't she?'
The vixen in question was the daughter of a viscount who had been a thorn in Angelica's side for weeks now, and 'that man' in the sentence is the apparent heir from an earldom who have been hopelessly in love with the, said Vixen.
The girl, was it Marie? She appears to be very intent on disrupting Angelica's relationship with the crown prince.
Even if it was unintentional seduction, her, acting like 'that' to a man who already have a fiance was still dirty.
"If that's the case, then the rumors may be false," she mused, sipping her tea with a delicate air. "But really, it doesn't matter either way."
To some, her line of thinking might seem cruel, but with the persistent nuisance posed by that woman, Angelica had little time to spare for other matters, much less extend her hand to fight her political opposition right now for a complete stranger.
While she was lost in thought, the timid commoner spoke up again.
"I—Um... I won't be a problem staying here, right?"
For a noble, such a question could be deemed rude, yet Angelica recognized her lack of education in etiquette and chose to overlook it.
However, her entourage, present in the room, did not share her understanding and began to murmur discontentedly.
With a wave of her hand, Angelica dismissed them. Though hesitant, they left reluctantly.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Angelica sighed in exasperation, a sound the commoner appeared to interpret as disapproval.
"I, um..." The girl fidgeted with her fingers again.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Angelica shook her head in an attempt to clarify her earlier reaction.
"No, no. I was just thinking of something else. Don't worry about it." She smiled wryly.
"...S—So?" Olivia asked again hesitantly, her voice small.
"You could have simply nodded off after I thanked you, and everything would have been fine. When you ask questions like that, it complicates things, you know?" Angelica replied with a smile.
"I'm so sorry," Olivia murmured, her eyes downcast.
Angelica sighed lightly again, adding, "In the first place, I'm not in the same circle or connected to that girl, Stephanie. I do not influence her in any way."
"Is, that so?" Olivia's demeanor shifted, and for a moment, she seemed downcast, prompting Angelica to feel sympathy for her.
To ease the tension, she continued, "However, you were involved in the sky pirate incident, yes?"
Olivia nodded lightly, and Angelica smiled in response.
"Knowing the investigation is ongoing, she won't attempt anything new again, if she feared getting mixed up in the investigation. So, you can be assured."
"Hmm." Olivia make some noise which could be interpreted as a reassurance of some kind of finally understanding perhaps.
Angelica, seeing olivia's brighter demeanor held back the darker thought that crossed her mind—that the prisoners had all mysteriously died from poison after suffering through a night of excruciating pain and fever.
Meanwhile, Olivia mused 'Maybe that's why nobody has disturbed me anymore,' innocently, not knowing what kind of blackmailing had taken place in the background.
Instead of continuing about the previous topic, Angelica composed herself and, intrigued, asked, "You're a commoner, right? How do you know about the unwritten rules of the academy?"
'Perhaps she sells herself to the boys?'
Angelica mused, considering the harsh realities faced by a woman from a common background, bullied and impoverished, it was not too unrealistic of an assumption, and she herself fully understand that there was a very few option she could chose.
However, she decided to tactfully avoid asking outright.
"...and I don't think you could buy these cookies on your own budget," she remarked instead, gesturing to the expensive sweets and the very fine tea leaves Olivia had brought.
In the back of her mind, Angelica reminded herself that Olivia had been one of the girls involved in the kidnapping incident.
However, before she could reach a conclusion about that, Olivia spoke.
"Um, Mr. Bartfort told me about it, and he also bought these sweets as a gift for me to give you."
"Bartfort? He was the one who saved you from the kidnapping incident a few days ago, right?"
"Y—yes." Olivia hesitated momentarily, but Angelica dismissed her ambiguous as her own fatigue.
After all, it couldn't be that she was unhappy about being saved, especially when considering the fate of those who had been kidnapped.
With a logical mind, it would be easy to deduce the dangers of such a situation.
"I've heard he's quite capable, one of the most promising knights of our generation."
Olivia looked a little surprised at this and asked timidly, "Is he a very famous person?"
"Yes. Last year, he single-handedly conquered a dungeon and a floating island. I also heard whispers that he dealt with all the smugglers involved in that incident quite single handedly."
While Olivia exhibited admiration and understanding at the beginning of Angelica's speech, her expression darkened at the latter half, revealing a complex mix of emotions.
"I see," the commoner replied, her tone subdued.
"I suppose I should arrange for him to meet with the crown prince. He'll need strong allies and support later on," Angelica murmured, lowering her gaze to the tea, tracing the rim of the cup.
Suddenly struck by an idea, she looked up, excitement brightening her voice by a few level.
"If I remember correctly, The week after next is dungeon diving, right?"
Olivia nodded, albeit with some confusion.
"Could you ask Bartfort to accompany us into the dungeon? I wanted to ask him directly, but..." Her fatigue was palpable.
"Well, please send him the message for me, will you? I'll ask the teacher to coordinate with us."
With that, Olivia nodded, and their conversation drew to a close.
As Olivia left, Angelica thanked her multiple times.
However, when she stepped out of the room, Angelica's entourage regarded her with disdainful glances, though they refrained from speaking.
'Well, at least that's something,' Olivia thought, reflecting on how her standards had lowered.
As she took her leave, a few steps in, she recalled the sweets and other gifts Leon had given her for the lady of the duchy.
"He'll expect something in return, won't he?" she pondered, feeling a wave of despair wash over her, despite the little reassurance she had felt moments before.
Author's Note: Would you like me to develop and fleh out side characters also? Or should I focus on the protagonist only?
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone