Knock, knock, knock—
“Erica?”
“…………”
“Hello, Erica, are you there?”
“…………”
Still, no one answered.
By the looks of it, she must be asleep.
Well, if that was the case, it worked out perfectly.
Creaaak—
Reaching out, he grasped the doorknob and gently pushed the door open.
Naturally, the first thing that greeted his eyes was the living room’s decor.
There were no added embellishments, nor the girlish charm Maxwell had imagined. Instead, it retained the original simplicity and innocence of the hotel room.
Next, he noticed the tightly shut doors and windows in the other rooms, excluding the living room. Though it seemed unnatural, it was commonplace for Leya.
Without a doubt, Erica was responsible; it was always this way. Windows and doors sealed shut, as if she feared an intruder. Ah… it truly wasn’t easy for her.
“Come in. We can’t very well talk in the hallway, can we? Though if you insist on doing so, I wouldn’t mind.”
Observing Maxwell still hesitant behind her, looking rather reserved, Leya couldn’t help but turn back and speak.
“Uh… yes, alright, alright!”
Answering with such excitement, Maxwell followed closely behind Leya, arriving before the dining table in the living room.
Nervousness… excitement… Yes, this was likely the truest reflection of Maxwell’s inner state at that moment. Though, in truth, he didn’t even know why he was so tense.
After all, he was merely facing what appeared to be a teenage girl.
However, was it a wondrous, natural allure, or perhaps a more noble aura at play? Maxwell invariably sensed something from the young girl before him.
A dignified presence seemed to merge with her very being, unlike anything an ordinary noble could project. It was an inexplicable sense of majesty.
“Hm? Aren’t you going to sit? Or… are you unaccustomed to speaking while seated?”
Snapping out of his daze, Maxwell finally noticed that Leya had already taken a seat at one side of the table, gesturing to the chair opposite her as an invitation.
This caused Maxwell’s cheeks to flush. He truly hadn’t expected a girl to witness such an undignified side of him. He quickly, almost clumsily, took a seat.
“Well then… before we formally begin our conversation, shall we have a calming cup of red tea? Yes, I enjoy red tea, though its taste seems more akin to wine than actual tea. Of course, you may also call it red wine.”
“Uh—”
‘Honestly, I truly want to remind the Blonde Sword Princess that it’s called [Rum], and it’s a high-quality liquor from the Kingdom of Elaine…’
‘Well… never mind that. At least on the surface… the Blonde Sword Princess doesn’t seem as unapproachable or difficult to talk to as she appears… This observation instilled Maxwell with considerably more confidence for his upcoming plans.’
Relaxing his brow, a perfect, confident curve formed on his lips. Maxwell responded:
“Yes, yes!”
****
Over the next period, Maxwell, adhering to his pre-conceived narrative, embellished his own story, transforming it into a grand tragedy in hopes of eliciting sympathy from the Blonde Sword Princess.
In essence, he recounted his family’s past glory, his own ambition, and his aspirations for a magnificent career in adulthood. However, due to certain circumstances, he had ended up in his current state.
This left him with talents he couldn’t utilize—a truly frustrating predicament.
Indeed, in theory, there should have been no missteps. For, according to Maxwell’s understanding of Leya, she was precisely the type to embody noble knightly virtues.
Always radiating warmth like the morning sun, she was an angelic girl through and through!
“So that’s how it was… After my family’s decline, all those former friends abandoned me. Haha, after all, so-called nobles are mostly made up of such cold-hearted people, aren’t they?”
“………………”
She took a sip—
Elegantly and gracefully, she raised the glass, silently draining its contents.
“………………”
Eh?
Eh?!?
“Um…”
She took another sip—
“…………”
‘Hey, hey, hey! Director, this script… why is the script different?!—’
‘Shouldn’t she be full of sorrow, expressing her condolences with empathy?’
‘Even if not, please, at the very least… at least react! You’re making me incredibly awkward, truly!’
Honestly, Maxwell was so frantic he nearly leaped to his feet!
“Hm? Are you finished?”
“…………”
“Uh… I apologize, but I’m not particularly interested in such matters…”
“…………”
‘Then please, for goodness sake, be a little interested!’
‘And since that’s the case, why didn’t you say so from the beginning? After all that, it turns out I was just entertaining myself all this time!’
“But all in all… you still wish to become a noble again, and revive your family, do you not?”
Leya spoke, idly swirling the glass in her hand.
Compared to Leya, however, Maxwell was far more tense.
“No… not entirely. Given the current state of Alvia, there should still be many opportunities to achieve great deeds and establish oneself.”
This was, without a doubt, an allusion to the civil war likely to erupt after the current elderly King of Alvia’s demise.
Indeed, war was often the swiftest ladder for mortals to ascend to power, especially for a confident and capable former noble like Maxwell.
“But more than any of that, I believe there is a far, far more important matter at hand right now!”
“…………”
“However, before I elaborate on this issue, I wish to ask the Blonde Sword Princess to answer a question for me!”
“…………”
Still, Leya showed no reaction, merely continuing to silently sip the drink that, in truth, contained no alcohol.
Golden bangs obscured her sapphire eyes. Perhaps she would occasionally twirl a strand of golden hair by her ear.
Yet, this did nothing to alter her inscrutable nature.
“And that question is: I wish to ask the Blonde Sword Princess to tell me, in her own words, who… who exactly are you!?”