Chapter 51: The First Event (II).

As the voting proceeded to come to an end, the classroom was divided into a few groups. Backstage, Artists, Costume Makers, Music, and Cast. Everyone can't hide their excitement for the upcoming play- after all the main roles have been given to Lady Evelyn and Lord Ein who have been born with exceptionally good looks.

"Everything is settled, we've all been given our roles and responsibility for the upcoming festival. I'll go ahead and rent out the open stage. We have to be fast just in case there are other class sections that are planning the same idea as us." (Lord Ein) smiles, organizing his papers and thoughts on the plan.

"Well that's all for today, we don't have any more classes in the meantime, so all of you study and prepare for your part, that will be all have a nice rest." He dismisses everyone and off they go to their own groups.

Analissa who has gotten the tree role was also tasked to help around the set of the play, seeing that she was the one who suggested the idea she wanted to find a place where reference books were available in making backstage drops and props.

"Lady Evelyn-" she calls but she stops after hearing the other noble lady beside her has already invited her to walk home together.

 

It was the lackey of the villainess. "Hey, Evelyn, we're going home together!"

"We have lots to catch up on, especially now that you're the female lead in the play with my help, of course, the greatest friend you have so how are you feeling on getting it?" (Lady Serene) who has just finished packing her bags walked over to her seatmate who was also packing her things and realized that the blonde girl had already gone on her way before saying goodbye.

She could barely catch the blonde hair's figure by the door. Analissa was with Losimer as she left the classroom with the rest. Lady Evelyn quickly packs her bags and replies to Lady Serene. "I... feel alright."

"...?" Her friend was dumbfounded.

Why isn't she happy? Clearly she deserves the role more than some commoner who was put into their special class just because she possessed a rare affinity for light magic. "I thought you would be more happy with this."

"The role of the princess doesn't suit me." The villainess stood up from her seat, holding her bag and looked rather in a hurry. "Even if I do end up marrying a prince, I wish... I wasn't."

Her words only made Lady Serene stop in place, was this really how she felt?

She couldn't help but feel heavy and... guilty.

Was it really the right choice- should she not have raised her hand to make her friend be the princess of the story? "But you're-"

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can walk with you today." (Lady Evelyn) quickly went out in hopes she could still catch up with Analissa Blanchet who just got out of the room.

"Evelyn-!"

It was no use calling her because the villainess intended to ignore her childhood friend for today. She really didn't want to be burdened by the role of the princess because of her fate- just one day, she wished things were different.

Lord Ein who was watching his fiancé couldn't help but laugh and walked over, holding Lady Serene's wrist. "Hold on now, why not let her be? It must've been a shock for her to take the main role for the play when she was rooting for someone else to have it. You could even say someone even more fit for it."

The knight didn't let this woman complicate things for those two, he needed to make sure she was kept on hold until it was too late for her to catch up to the villainess who was meeting up with the heroine.

Lady Serene glares at the boy and grits her teeth in annoyance. "Ugh Einsel, let go of me right this instant."

Lord Ein, feeling like he's given the two enough time to catch up, lets go of her wrist and smiles innocently. "Alright but... don't ruin my plans, Serene."

"Tch, plans. What do you have up your sleeve?" (Lady Serene) pats away the part of her wrist that his fiancé held. "You better not be roping Evelyn to get hurt. I won't stand by it."

"Hurt her? On the contrary... I know what she likes more than you do, it's simple really. Oh and you did more than enough to complete what I intended to do so that you have my thanks." (Lord Ein) tells her, making the girl confused and concerned.

"What are your planning, Lord Ein?" (Lady Serene) asks, her voice serious as she crossed her arms staring straight towards him. "You better not be tricking me, I know what you really are deep inside ever since we were children- don't expect me to believe you've changed."

"My plan? Well- hahaha... hah... as if I'll tell you." He chuckled mockingly and waved goodbye, not planning to continue the conversation any longer. "Have a nice rest and don't overthink it much. I promise, it's for your friend's sake."

And for his entertainment.

He leaves the room leaving the red haired girl all alone in the classroom looking list and glum. She held her bag and decided to retreat to her room and hope to comfort herself with her pet project egg that hasn't hatched.

"I don't trust you, any of you... If you hurt my best friend I don't think I'll let you off that easily."

...

Meanwhile...

Analissa was walking around the hallways trying to find the faculty room where she promised to introduce herself towards their homeroom teacher, Miss Freya.

"Ugh, introducing yourself... I mean it's better than doing it in front of the class. It's pretty weird actually, I couldn't do it there but she wants me to do it in private." (Analissa) sighs, feeling like a nervous wreck.

As a streamer who was always inside her house and not used to a school environment because of her sickness- she never got to really experience introducing herself to the whole class.

"Tweet~" (Losimer) sits by her shoulder and makes sure that no suspicious person is following them or spying on them. "Tweet."

"You seem awfully chipper, Losimer. I'm kind of glad ever since that day we seemed to have gotten a lot closer." (Analissa) takes a few berries out of her pockets and gives it to Losimer, raising it to his beak. "Want a berry?"

"Tweet~!" (Losimer) couldn't say no to free food. He immediately started pecking on the berry as the girl walked.

"Yeah I figured you haven't eaten. Tell me what kind of berries you like or seeds. I can put it in my pocket next time." The heroine was truly considerate, even to a bird and she didn't even realize it.

Step...! Step...!

Heavy footsteps behind them could be heard.

"Miss Blanchet, wait a moment-"

"...?"

Analissa heard someone calling her name. It was the villainess looking like she ran a marathon, panting a little and her hair was a little messy from running.

Lady Evelyn wipes the sweat off of her chin and with a reddened face she asks the blonde girl, "I... Hah...! Can I walk with you-?!"

"Lady Evelyn? Why did you run-?"

"Because... you went on first... I never got to ask... if I can walk with you to your dorm."

The heroine frowned, usually she could be happy- but everything in her mind was a mess at the moment. Horny braincell on the other hand did a happy flip but that was all. "Apologies, Lady Evelyn but I thought you were going to walk with Lady Serene and besides I'm not going back to my dormitory just yet."

Lady Evelyn closed her eyes, feeling tired of her friend's unusual overprotectiveness over her; she didn't feel like walking with her today. "Oh... I... didn't feel like walking with Lady Serene today."

Well that was new.

"I'm sorry to hear that- Did something happen or um... Do you want to talk about it?" (Analissa) asked a little awkwardly, knowing the bond between the two was most likely strong. She didn't need to know the backstory to see how Lady Serene, the villainess' lackey and childhood friend viewed Lady Evelyn to be an important person in her life.

In the original otome game novel, it never showed much of the antagonists' past.

"I don't want to... talk about it but I want to walk with you that's all so... if it's okay with you can I do that?" (Lady Evelyn) asked, her eyes turning similar into a puppy's again when she wanted something.

Analissa held her chest- while in truth she was excited but at the same time she was afraid. "You can but I have a long evening ahead of me. I have to find the faculty room to report back to our homeroom teacher after being absent, then I have to go to work and take back our egg in your dorm because we had our arrangements."

The heroine was afraid that the first event was a new route- and considering that she didn't choose any of the original love interests' route this is new territory so she had burned into her mind to be prepared for anything that could happen.

Losimer, who was watching everything, couldn't help but make fun of his master. "Tweet, tweet- kwkwk!"

The little bird laughed, holding his stomach, chirping and chuckling. He told his master that the blonde girl doesn't have time for her because- first ask herself what are they to each other?

Master and the pretty blonde girl are not even friends yet- officially! She dares to ask if she can walk with her like a little puppy?

"Tweet~ kwkwkwk!"

Lady Evelyn's face slowly turned red with embarrassment. She couldn't accept that her bird familiar might be right- officially the two had never said it- that they were friends! For the whole time they talked- bonded- and even stayed in personal spaces it was all as a classmate or a duty of annoyance.

"B-Be careful with your words, Losimer." (Lady Evelyn) warns her bird, getting close and pinching his beak.

"Oh what did he say?" (Analissa) unconsciously and calmly takes the villainess' pinching hands away from Losimer's beak. "Please be careful with him, milady."

"...!" (Lady Evelyn) with their hands touching did not say anything and replied. "N-Nothing just teasing me for running and now I must look like a mess."

"Well-" (Analissa) who has gotten a bit comfortable with the villainess, stands on her toes and reaches for a loose strand of hair on the other girl's head that was standing up.

"...!"

The heroine managed to get that silly little hair under control, caressing a part of her head that almost seemed like a pat on the head.

"Now your hair is neat and tidy. You don't look like a mess now, milady." She smiles naturally, beaming and for some reason- "You can come with me whenever you'd like but only if you're not busy."

Lady Evelyn Alarie's heart was pounding.

"I'm not busy- not at all." she replies almost instantly, hand gripping onto her bag as if holding for dear life. "I'm free."

"Alright we should get going then, now um... Do you know where we could find the faculty room?"