Chapter 39: A Forbidden Novel and Innocent Curiosity

After Elin’s one-sided declaration of friendship—

“The male lead always makes a mistake here…!”

“…So, what happened next?”

Bena continued airing her never-ending drama series.

Elin, the enthusiastic viewer, was completely immersed.

Her fluffy strand of hair swayed.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.

Her tiny fists clenched in anticipation.

She looked utterly adorable… but—

“Haha…”

Nia was on the verge of dying from boredom.

Summoning magic puppet shows are fascinating the first few times, but…

They had been at it for over half a day now.

This… This isn’t the kind of noble ladies’ gathering I imagined!

Nia wailed internally.

Wasn’t a noble gathering supposed to have a certain atmosphere?

Sipping tea together.

Engaging in lighthearted conversation.

Maybe shyly sharing stories about a favorite young lord!

She had envisioned laughing and chatting with girls her age.

Instead, she was trapped in an endless puppet show purgatory.

—Clap, clap, clap, clap!—

Finally, the ninth puppet show ended, and Elin applauded enthusiastically.

“Is there another one next?”

Her fluffy strand of hair wobbled in excitement, as if a major incident involving the puppets had just occurred (which, to be fair, was true).

“Of course! Cough. Just let me grab some water first…”

Bena’s voice had been hoarse for a while now.

But her excitement overpowered her exhaustion as she eagerly prepared for the next act.

No.

Nia couldn’t allow another puppet show to happen.

With a determined expression, she shot to her feet.

Clap! Clap!

She clapped to draw their attention.

“Why don’t we take a short break?”

“Ah.”

“Oh.”

It was only then that Elin and Bena seemed to realize Nia’s presence.

Her chest tightened.

For a moment, she almost teared up.

But with her well-trained emotional control, she maintained a smile.

“The puppet show is fun, but it feels like Bena is doing all the work.”

“A-Ah, no, not at all—! Cough, cough…!”

Elin, now pulled out of the fantasy world of the puppet show, glanced at Bena’s state.

Her lips parted slightly.

“…I’m sorry. I think I pushed you too hard.”

“N-No, no, no, no! I had so much fun! You don’t need to apologize, Lady Elin!”

Bena immediately listed 112 reasons why Elin wasn’t at fault.

Then she gulped down her water.

“Ah.”

The water jug was empty.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll ask for some tea.”

Nia stepped outside and called for a waiting maid.

“I’ll bring it right away.”

While they waited for the tea—

“We’ve enjoyed enough puppet shows for today, right?”

Sensing her chance, Nia pressed on.

“Instead of another performance, why don’t we just have a chat?”

“Umm…”

“S-Sure…!”

Elin nodded.

Bena clenched her fists.

And then—silence.

Elin, who had only ever spoken to Luke, had no idea how to continue.

Bena, now out of puppet-show mode, tensed up once again.

“…I was thinking, how about we decide how we address each other?”

It was up to Nia to lead the conversation.

“Address each other?”

“Yes. We’re all selected as promising young mages, so we’ll be seeing each other often. And we’re all about the same age.”

It didn’t really matter.

As long as they weren’t watching another puppet show, Nia was willing to do anything.

“So, how about we drop the formalities?”

She made a bold suggestion—something that would be unthinkable in a political setting.

Even among noble ladies of similar age, it was rare to grow close enough to speak informally this quickly.

In fact, many maintained formal speech even after years of knowing each other.

But—

Nia wanted a friend.

Not a friend made for political alliances between families.

But a genuine friend—one made out of mutual affection and a desire to be close.

“Alright.”

“?!”

Elin agreed without hesitation.

“Can I call you ‘big sister’?”

“!!!”

And she even went a step further.

“T-Then… Haha…”

Nia had to fight hard to suppress the grin threatening to take over her face.

Among noble ladies, a friend you speak informally with was someone special.

On important days, they exchanged gifts.

Sometimes, they met for no reason at all.

They shared their worries with each other.

It was exactly the kind of friendship Nia had dreamed of.

Of course, Elin didn’t grasp the full weight of it.

She had never had a friend before, let alone any girls her age around her.

She had simply agreed without thinking too much about it.

Meanwhile—

Compared to Elin, who dropped honorifics with ease—

“B-B-But how could I dare speak informally to Lady Nia…?”

Bena was in full panic mode.

If one could peek inside her mind right now—

W-What?

Why is she suggesting this?!

This is only our second meeting—is this really okay?!

Did I do something she liked?

Does she want to form a connection with my family?

But aside from me, my family has nothing to offer… Wait, no, thinking that way is disrespectful to my family…!

Or maybe—does she really love my puppet shows that much?!

—Her thoughts were in complete chaos.

Seeing Bena flounder, Nia smiled gently.

“There’s no need to feel pressured.”

“She’s right. We’re the same age, after all.”

With Elin backing Nia up, Bena’s internal turmoil intensified.

Is this really okay?

Really?

Is it truly fine for me to speak casually to such esteemed ladies?

After asking herself that question multiple times, Bena finally parted her lips.

“T-Then… Only when we’re alone…”

“—Please be careful. It’s hot.”

“…That’s not allowed either, huh.”

Bena had barely finished speaking when a maid entered, pouring them tea, making her voice trail off.

“Mmm. Since we’ll be meeting often in the future, you can get more comfortable with us over time.”

Nia smoothly changed the subject.

If she pushed further, it would feel like she was forcing her status upon Bena.

“Now that we’re friends…”

She took a sip of tea and gathered her courage.

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to try. Will you help me?”

“Of course! But… what is it?”

Bena tilted her head in curiosity.

Elin’s fluffy strand of hair curled into a question mark.