PERSONAL

Chapter 6: Childish Subterfuge

Marie's POV

I never should've listened to that mob character. Three of my targets had lost their inheritances. Had I known that having them speak with their fiancees would have led to this, I would never have agreed.

Who was I kidding? I still would have sent Jilk to talk to Clarice. Then the others would have done the same with their fiancees out of pride. It was going to happen.

The only reason why I asked Jilk to settle his engagement was that I instinctively knew that Leon would follow through on his implied threat. Plus, he was right that this world was real enough. I didn't want to deal with the repercussions later on.

At least I didn't lose everything.

I still wanted some payback.

Leon and the villainess were partying up for the dungeon exploration class. I should've figured that Leon was trying to hook up with the villainess given his comments. Well, I did, but I didn't think he pulled it off.

They were happily chatting with each other without a care in the world. The two were more than just friends. It was so easy to see as an adult. Children thought that love was awkward fiddling about or glomping. That was only the beginning stage. This was far beyond that and most children would have just thought they were just friends. This was the level of comfort between two people who knew the other would always stand by them. They were enjoying the relationship to the fullest. His carefree attitude just pissed me off.

I'll get you yet, Leon.

As I glared at the boy, I noticed a familiar figure standing near him. The protagonist was furtively looking at the two. Could it be?

An amusing opportunity just presented itself to me.

Leon did mention that we needed Olivia to fall in love, and it looks like she has already set her sights on someone. The bastard can't blame me for trying to nudge Olivia along her romance. Her love was necessary to avert the apocalypse after all. It's not my fault that the protagonist set her sights on him. It's also not my fault that he was already pursuing the villainess who would not take kindly to another woman trying to take her man.

It would certainly cause him no small amount of headache, but it would be necessary according to him.

I walked up behind Olivia and said, "As difficult as it is to believe, Leon is unattached right now. You should ask him out while you can."

"Huh? Marie? I don't know what you are talking about," the protagonist said with a blush.

"Could it be that you were interested in someone else? Someone close to Leon?" I teased.

The question brought out a more vibrant blush on her face. She seemed speechless. Was she a lesbian? The protagonist romancing the villainess away from Leon sounded entertaining. It would be an act of even sweeter revenge.

"We're both girls! I just wanted to ask to be a part of their group!" Olivia stammered once she could collect herself enough to respond.

I guess she was straight. I'll put a pin in the villainess route. She could just be in denial.

"Oh, I don't know about that. No one casts such looks of longing at someone for something as simple as partnering up for a class activity. No, I see something a little bit more interesting."

"... It's not like that."

"Then how is it?"

"Those two are the only ones who have done something nice for me," the girl mumbled.

I had forgotten that I had been rude to her when we first met. I needed to apologize if I wanted to get anything done with her.

"Ah... Right, sorry about my behavior before. I wasn't in a good place when we first met."

"What? Oh! I didn't mean to bring that up. It's okay. You don't have to apologize... But thank you," Olivia said with ease. How magnanimous of her. As expected of a protagonist.

"Now tell me the juicy details. Maybe talking about it will help you."

"I don't even know where to start."

"The beginning is usually a good place."

"I guess your right. Let's see. It started when Ms. Redgrave scolded the staff. I was the subject of bullying due to my commoner status for quite some time," she said before halting. She seemed nervous that my friendly attitude would change once she revealed her commoner status to me.

"Go on," I pushed gently.

"... After she scolded the staff, there was a noticeable dip in the bullying. It was still there, but at least I was safe in my room. I wanted to thank her, but I don't think she likes me. I think she hates me since I'm a commoner. It is likely that she intervened because she disapproved of the other girl's behavior more."

"I can see that. Her fiancee has mentioned that she isn't a particularly warm person and adheres to decorum quite strictly."

"Leon has told me otherwise. From his stories, she seems quite nice towards him, his friends, and another girl at least," Olivia said with a wilted expression.

"Speaking of Leon..."

"Leon has been ever so kind to me. He's treated me to tea and pastries, stopped a few of my bullies in the hallways, and studied with me in the library on multiple occasions. He's even promised to help resolve the situation between Ms. Redgrave and me though I don't think he's been able to make much progress on that front," Olivia said excitedly until mentioning the villainess again.

Sounds like Leon was taking steps to ensure that the protagonist would be able to use her final skill against the final boss. He really should have been more careful of how someone may perceive his actions. Especially in the eyes of someone as lonely and abused as Olivia. It was a perfect scenario for some fun.

"It sounds like someone has a crush," I tittered.

"Eh? It would be far too presumptuous of me. I can't possibly," Olivia stammered cutely.

"It was obvious that you were interested, but I wasn't talking about you."

"You weren't? Wait, you mean you think Leon is interested in me? But that can't be. I'm just me."

"You either don't know the purpose of this school or you don't know Leon's reputation."

"Eh? Isn't the purpose of school to learn? Also, Leon's reputation?"

"It is to a lesser extent. For nobles, it's where you are supposed to find a marriage partner. The bulk of the work is done by the boys. They have to take the initiative of courting girls. Leon, as far as anyone can tell, has made zero effort to reach out to any girls here. He's only ever seen in the presence of Ms. Redgrave and Ms. Atlee, both of whom are or were unavailable to him. Their relationship is one amongst friends at most. There's been no indication that he has made a move on anyone. And now you're telling me he has treated you to tea."

"It was only tea though?" Olivia asked obliviously.

"For many, a tea party is something of a marriage interview."

"A marriage interview? Me? I had merely thought it was his hobby!" Olivia squeaked.

"It likely is, and it likely was how he approached it the first time. But that still doesn't change the fact that you are the only one to go to his tea party. You've been invited to several of his tea parties. You are the only unattached woman he has made the effort of meeting. What's more, you mentioned that he has helped you with your bullying situation. When did that start happening?"

"After I went to a couple of his tea parties, but he was just helping a friend out," Olivia said with a little bit of hope in her eyes. She wanted the justification, and I was all too willing to provide it.

"And how often has he helped you? Has the bullying stopped?"

"... Now that I think about it, I don't recall ever being bullied without Leon coming in. Though I don't even recall anyone trying anything recently."

"Ooh, I hadn't pegged him as a gallant knight. Always running when his fair lady needs him."

"But he's a noble. I'm not suitable enough for his attention," Olivia said weakly.

She wanted him so badly and had a glimmer of hope every so often, but her low self-esteem was stopping her. Even if I wasn't doing this to screw with Leon, I or Leon probably would have needed to play her wingman at some point. She was far too passive for a woman in love.

"It's such a shame for him then. He does have to marry a noble of suitable rank. Most women of his rank aren't... great. He'll likely be stuck in a loveless marriage at this rate."

Olivia looked down forlornly. She had already expected this result, but knowing that her commoner status would lead to Leon's unhappiness magnified the hopelessness. It would make convincing her to pursue Leon so much easier by dangling a little bit of hope. Desperate people always scrambled about the hardest.

"I suppose he'll have to settle for a mistress. It's probably not something that he would be too terribly against since he is from an illegitimate line himself. He even might see the mistress as his true wife since the noble he will marry will likely only be a duty. It might even be romantic in a twisted sense. It would certainly explain his lack of interest in the other girls and how out of character he is around you."

Olivia was left speechless as she imagined being with Leon. She fidgeted nervously, and I could see her body flush from the excitement of the idea. It was too easy to get into the young girl's head. No girl could resist a forbidden romance.

As I was about to leave Olivia to her thoughts, she tugged on my sleeve.

"Do you truly think that Leon sees me as more than just a friend?"

"I'm certain that you are a very special or intriguing person to him at the very least. I would be lying if I said that I knew that he loved you. But I would be confident to say that he would move heaven and earth for you. It's up to you to guide his emotions towards love."

"... Could you help me? I don't know many things about noble life, and I've never had the attention of a man before. I don't want to mess up and make Leon hate me."

"Of course, I will help. Why don't you join me for class today, and we can talk about how to get you your man. My party has quite a few empty slots since many of my friends have business with Leon for today's class."

"Thank you, Marie."

No. Thank you, Olivia.

....

Angelica's POV

I saw His Highness, Jilk, Greg, and Chris approach us. Why was he coming towards us? We had never interacted beyond the mandated dates in both this life and the last. Additionally, His Highness hadn't sought out other people in my first life. The scholarship student had been the exception.

Speaking of the scholarship student, she had gotten closer to Leon during the whole situation with Clarice. It must have been when Leon convinced her to talk to Jilk. It was unbelievable, but he would occasionally be seen with the scholarship student in the corridors and the library. I was certain she was having tea with him as well since Leon had been trying out more tea leaves that neither Clarice nor I had provided.

Leon hadn't treated me any differently, but I couldn't help but be worried. The scholarship student had ensnared five men before. I didn't want her to take Leon as well. Wasn't five enough for her? I didn't want Leon to become another piece of her collection.

"Lord Bartfort, do you have room in your party?"

So he was here for Leon. I should have predicted this.

"I do... I'm sorry. How do you want me to address you? You did mention to treat you as any other student during the opening assembly."

"Julius will do."

"Yes, Julius. We do have room for four more," Leon noted.

He had taken the presence of the others as a sign that they would be joining. I was surprised about Leon's lack of concern. The boys gave off the impression that this was an intimidation tactic. They were probably unimpressed that the scholarship student had taken an interest in Leon. Though I suppose Leon must have realized that there wasn't a point in worrying. It wasn't like he could say no to His Highness and his friends.

I was still bothered that the boys were coming en masse on Leon. I was worried about how troublesome it would be for Leon, but I was more worried that they had a legitimate reason to worry. That I had a legitimate reason to worry.

"Is that okay with you, Angelica?" His Highness asked me. It appears that my worries were made evident on my face.

"I have nothing against you joining our party. It's just curious that you would want to. You've even left behind Brad."

"With recent events, we thought it best to get to know Leon."

"We as in you and your friends or as in your parents."

"A little of column A. A little of column B. He is due for a promotion after all."

"I'm what?" Leon asked with a worried look on his face.

"There's been talks going on in the royal court. Due to your discreet involvement in settling things, a few prominent individuals have recommended you for promotion. Mother has decided that you will receive your title of Baron effective immediately. You are also to be promoted to Viscount upon graduation. This will also be accompanied by an appropriate increase in your court rank. Of course, we can't hold an official ceremony since we would very much like to keep the reason for your promotion under wraps for the sake of those jilted."

That was quite a revelation. Jumping from Baronet to Viscount within one generation was simply unheard of. Improving one's rank was considered a task for the family, not an individual. It was meant to occur after several generations of growth or service. To hear that Leon had risen twice within a year was absurd. It spoke well of Leon, but the system wasn't designed for such a rapid jump, especially with one's feudal rank.

Leon was savvy enough to know how problematic his promotion was. He couldn't afford the taxes or fulfill his duties to the Kingdom should Holfort be invaded. He nervously looked at me.

"Don't fret, Leon. The Queen is very reasonable. I'll make sure everything is in order when I next talk to her," I told Leon gently.

When I said those words, Leon relaxed immediately. It was comforting to know that he had such faith in me. I would not let him down.

As I looked at His Highness, I saw that he looked a bit uncomfortable. He was probably upset that Leon had an out. He knew just as well as the rest of us that the system was flawed. His Highness was probably banking on Leon spending his time frantically accumulating money instead of getting in the way of his love.

Fret not, Your Highness. This may be the only aspect in which our goals align. I will not allow that harlot to take more of Leon's time. It would not do to have Leon seduced by such an unworthy woman.

He deserved far more. I would ensure he would have a happy marriage with a good woman.

AN:

1) Marie is an opportunistic gremlin at times. Leon would totally do the same to her.

2) Olivia's love is not healthy considering it is born out of isolation and manipulation. It is probably a healthier relationship than the majority of engagements between the nobles in the Kingdom.

3) Now that Leon has made himself known to the prince and his friends, they are going to investigate him more closely. This is especially true since he had contacted them through less-than-honest means.

4) Angelica is still working under the wrong assumptions.

5) Angelica does not currently consider herself a love interest for Leon because she has her hang-ups. Actually, a lot of characters don't think they are worthy of love due to various reasons in this story.