It has been two months since the incident in the dance hall, and though I haven't made up with Lionel, things have been progressing steadily... Most things...

William invites Claire to regular study sessions in the huge school library, and he seems to be opening up quite well.

Soleil is actually managing to have peaceful and teaching conversations with her, where he explains basic interpersonal connections and the political landscape. I am actually quite impressed with Soleil's progress. Usually he was too snobby and arrogant to deal with Claire properly, and her lack of manners didn't help either.

Still, as an effort between Soleil and William, she is slowly settling in, and actually begins to blend in... as much as a person of interest can.

Furthermore, Gil has become glued to her side. In the beginning he would offer me cookies once in a while, but recently he's been looking exhausted. Yes, that Gil has been looking exhausted. I suspected our Heroine for a while, but it doesn't seem to be her behavior driving him to this point of exhaustion.

About people glued to someone. Lionel is as usual glued to Alstair... but when he switches out during the evening hours he tends to relax by the bathhouse, where Claire approaches him. They end up talking about the day quiet peacefully. It's just that once in a while he gets quite... aggressive in his approach of her as he traps her like he did the first time.

Eric... she's missed all of Eric's events. Perhaps, more than missed he's just surrounded himself by people to the point no heart touching moments could happen... multiple of Eric's friends have shown interest in her, but Eric politely ignores her unless it is actual business she needs him for.

Now, the other lack of progress for the Heroine is with Alstair. Furthermore, it's neither because of Claire or Alstair.

Let me illustrate the problem:

Say the event is a conversation at the fountain. Claire and Jesmaine arrive from one side, and Lionel and Alstair from the other. Then students from Crinia approach the two girls for a talk. At other times it is students from Headal, the country to the east, that insistently request that Jesmaine return to Headal.

Meanwhile on the other side of the fountain Alstair and Lionel are approached by foreign students from the northern country, Semor...

Now, things pass like that for a moment until Gil arrives with the girls and support Jesmaine in trying to get out of the conversation, and guide Claire around the fountain... and about the same time Lionel picks up on Gil's voice and realizes Claire is coming, then pulls Alstair off for 'security reasons'...

The whole Heroine and Alstair thing is like a game of tag at this point.

Ah, Helena Fox?

It is not that I've forgotten her, it is merely that she has been temporarily expelled for her behavior. She should be back today though.

Other interesting things belong to the category of darker things. I've not been attempted assassinated even once... and I've seen Claire nearly attacked with a knife at least once...

Asher still insists on picking me up and dropping me off though... but with the chaos going on around Alstair I can understand why he's paranoid. I think Alstair is reaching a point of exhaustion as well... but I need him to meet and talk with the Heroine properly... what in the world is going on with this chaos?

How can pretty much all other events than the ones with Alstair go smoothly?

At this point I am hardly doing anything other than smoothing out Claire's initial negative impression on some other nobles and preventing any bullying from girls fawning over our male characters... thankfully that part is going smoothly... well... with everyone except the foreign students from Crinia. They don't bully her, but it's visible that they don't like her... and yet they certainly do talk with her a lot.

As for Jesmaine's transgression in the ballroom... it was buried quickly... under harsh stares from the Headal students that began to form a pack around her... something that makes her incredibly uncomfortable, and she certainly manages to escape their surveillance very adeptly... watching her from the distance has become like watching a bad play... and from what I manage to hear, Jesmaine's fiancé is becoming increasing frustrated with her rejections...

There is so much I simply don't understand... like... why do the north and south have any opinion on whoever Alstair marries? In fact, shouldn't they choose her? Why in the world do they make such an effort to separate the two?

If I marry Alstair you guys will have to deal with the so called child of Scorog... at least I've found out that is what I am called in Zocria.

Furthermore, it's not like either country has sent someone to charm our Heroine. They don't appear to want her for their own, at least not the proper way... there's going to be a rather cute event in a few months where Claire and Soleil gets kidnapped. In the original story this was the turning point for Soleil's character. The heroine began to sympathize with him, and he finally accepted he couldn't force her and was utterly charmed. It's a sugar sweet event that I am looking forward to, and since those events don't seem to have trouble, it might actually happen. Sadly I can't observe it from up close.

—-*—-

"Lily-sama."

My conclusions over the progress for the last two months are cut short by Magdalin's voice.

I peer up from my exotic tea and peer across the table. Magdalin has been actively sending Lionel warning glances whenever we pass, and since I know that Lionel is the one that sent me a stare of malice, I am also aware that Magdalin knew that, and was keeping it from me... I'm not sure why, so I've been observing her closely.

It is not as though I've not asked her, but she's simply t-

"Helena is here," she says with a slight smile. I feel as though she's seeing past my mask more often recently, but since she is sincerely just trying to protect me, I'll leave it be

Instead I will focus on a sweet punishment that I, at least, have been looking forward to.

Helena Fox looks quite exhausted, and looks bitterly and tearfully at the ground. The look of bitter and grudging defeat.

"Lily Celeste, I've a letter for you from my Lord..."

She looks bitter as she stops in front of me and hands over the beautifully written letter.

Her Lord is a Duke, not someone I can mess with easily. Still, I doubt he deems Helena worth the trouble she brought along... and by the time I've read halfway through the letter, I get the point.

I pause reading and stare at Helena.

"It appears your Lord insists that you are regretful for your actions, but I cannot help but to need to see such a thing in person. So, why don't you get on your knees, Helena Fox."

She grimaces bitterly, but gets on her knees without a word, and plainly stares at the ground while on her knees, though without sitting down into seiza.

I click my tongue at her.

"That is supposed to be a form for apologizing? Put your hands on the ground, and your head as well."

She follows my order with obedience this time and is almost in the position I want.

"Now gather your hands with palms down in front of your head and press your fingers together."

I get her down into dogeza with a little guidance, and look satisfied over her cowered form, and continue to read the letter quite satisfied.

Foreigners have quite stiff limbs, and she is on the ground as well. It is likely uncomfortable, and quite shameful. Of course, I've no intention of letting her get up from dogeza for a while. This will let people passing by see her very sincere apology.

"You...."

Words slip from Helena's lips.

"Your ladyship," I correct her plainly.

"...this form..." she speaks out in a trembling voice.

"...why... like this?" She asks again, this time more clearly.

I glance from the paper and down to Helena for a moment.

"It's elegant," is all I respond before going back to the letter.

"What is... what is you ladyship planning?"

She was rather chatty for someone supposed to be repenting her actions. Perhaps I'd make her stay more.

"Having you stay there until I am satisfied, and then send you off back to Claire, if she still wants you."

I place that last comment on purpose. Claire may be naive, but she wasn't stupid.

"...why are you so cruel? Do you enjoy this so much?"

I nearly sighed and glanced to Magdalin. Magdalin was glaring at Helena rather angrily. She probably wasn't interfering because I was talking to her.

"I am merely punishing an insult. You even get off just with dogeza, you should be thankful."

Things went quiet for a while... that certainly took a while.

—-*—-

I finished my tea peacefully and read the rest of the letter. There wasn't anything important other than apologies.

I let my gaze fall back down upon Helena.

"Your apology?"

"...I apologize for going out of line, and speaking above my station. I apologize for causing a ruckus... and for calling you-.... your ladyship a monster..."

I have a satisfied nod.

"Very well, you may get up, your apology has been accepted."

Helena finally moved up, rather smoothly too... but as our eyes met I made sure to give her a good taste of killing intent...

Her already pallid and tear filled expression went blank with fear, as if this was the first time she'd felt it.

Her eyes filled with tears again, and they rolled down her cheeks.

Yet... she searched my eyes for something. Something I have no idea what was.

She turned and hurried away. I doubted I would have trouble with Helena for a while...