Published at 25th of March 2019 11:56 pm

Volume 3 Chapter 1 The magic school’s festival Part III

First, I went to visit the closest place to me, a display about this country’s history and the study of magic. In my previous world, at a school festival everyone would be busy having fun, but as expected of a magic school everyone here, from students to parents and guardians, seem to be paying attention seriously to the display. It’s so wonderful that everyone has a nice passion for learning. Although, I get sleepy whenever I see too many lines of text……

My younger stepbrother Keith and my friend Mary Hunt are in charge of this display. Mary’s just like me, she’s the fiancee to a prince of this kingdom. My fiance is Prince Jared, while hers is Prince Alan, Jared’s twin brother. While we’re both fiancees to a prince, her specs are much higher than mine.

Mary’s a beauty with auburn hair and eyes, excellent at academics, and is praised as fairy-like in her dancing skills, and her splendid ladylike qualities are said to be a reflection upon what a true noble girl should be like, admired by all.

She’s quite popular with handsome royalty, and she tells me that “you and Prince Jared aren’t suitable for each other,” while it’s recognized by everyone that she and Prince Alan are a perfect match. Such a perfect Mary had made wonderful preparations for the display today, and I saw her face, tired from dealing with all the people, from among the crowd. Or maybe it’s hunger that’s causing her fatigue?

It’s already afternoon, but she might have been so busy that she didn’t have time to eat lunch. Thinking so, I began to feel regretful for my actions of stuffing my face all by myself.

Alright, I’ll share some of the new sandwich products that I was going to have for myself later with Mary, just for her. Thinking so, I grabbed on to my bag of sandwiches, and called out in Mary’s direction.

“Mary, I’ve brought something for you!”

“Katarina-sama!”

When Mary saw me, a bright smile appeared on her face. It was as if her fatigue had been nothing but an illusion. As I expected, she must have been starving.

“Mary, sorry that I’m late. I brought some of the latest sandwiches for you.”

“Katarina-sama, I’m so happy that you’ve come to see me. I was getting a little worried that you wouldn’t return from your visit to all the food stalls.”

“……Mmm, sorry.”

Actually, before I went out to all the food stalls, I had passed by here coincidentally and I had told Mary “I’ll be right back after visiting the food stalls” and promised her…… and quite some time has passed since then. Of course she’d get worried about me. Sorry, Mary.

“Well, considering how nee-san is, she probably forgot about the time completely and was completely engrossed in stuffing her face at the food stalls.”

Ah, Keith has arrived as well. As expected of my younger stepbrother who’s been my family for eight years. He really knows me well.

“……Sorry.”

Once again, I bowed my head and apologized to Mary and Keith who had worried about me.

“No need to be sorry. Everything’s alright as long as you’re okay.”

Although the kind and gentle Mary said that to me, Keith went with:

“Honestly. Nee-san, you should at least restrain yourself a little more just for today. Just saying, you get mixed up in all sorts of troubles too easily.”

He had such a strict expression. What’s with this, it feels like Keith is getting more and more like my mother as time passes. Whatever will I do if he starts lecturing me for several hours at a time like my mother does. If my mother turned into two people…… I wouldn’t be able to take it……

“Katarina-sama, there’s getting to be fewer people at this time of day now, I’ve been thinking that we can get some rest and eat something. I’m very grateful you brought some food for me. If you’d like, shall we eat together, Katarina-sama?”

Mary instantly perked me up as I was feeling a little depressed at getting lectured.

“Really!?”

Actually, there were only a few of the sandwiches remaining. I had really wanted to try them as well.

“You just, ate so much, yet you’re eating again already……”

Keith seemed to be looking at me in astonishment for some reason, while the classmates that were with me while I was at the food stalls all seemed to have looks of surprise on their faces.

This is bad, at this rate, everyone will think I’m a glutton…… The amount I eat is really quite normal though, it’s just that noble girls are supposed to have small appetites. Well, it might also be true that some of my dresses have gotten too skinny for me due to me being unable to stop myself from eating too many things. By the way, just for today, I’m wearing my absolutely widest dress, especially for the purpose of allowing myself to eat as much as I possibly can. Of course, my maid Anne had quite opposed me, saying “wearing such a ridiculously wide dress on a nice day like this,” but I told her that if she didn’t allow me to wear this, I’d join the festival in my usual work clothes when I’m farming! And so, I defeated her, and was allowed to wear the widest dress in my wardrobe.

So, that’s why I’m able to eat more than everyone else! It has absolutely nothing to do with gluttony!

However…… As expected…… “You should restrain yourself a little,” was told to me. And so, I went with Keith and Mary to a resting area where we would have tea and sandwiches.

I also invited my other friends over, but I was told “since we’re already full, we’re going to check out the display.” If only they had all worn wider dresses as well.

“Wow, delicious!”

The sandwiches on the table weren’t from food stalls that I had already been to, they were new products from other stalls that I didn’t get to taste yet.

“Oh, quite so. They seem to taste amazing. Thank you very much, Katarina-sama.”

While I was busy drooling over the sandwiches, Mary saw I was acting and smiled faintly as she mentioned how good the sandwiches were.

“Nee-san, you just had so much to eat earlier, try to slow down a little now. If you eat too much, you’ll just upset your stomach.”

Since Keith knows me so well, he’s making snide remarks at me again.

“……Yes.”

Since there’s some extra space yet for filling out my dress, I should be fine still. So, I’ll just secretly filch another sandwich.

Mmm. What a wonderful taste. The first sandwich that I had earlier today had a jam that made it taste like a confectionary, but this one has fresh tasting lettuce, and bacon with an amazing texture, cooked to perfection. There’s lots of types of sandwiches, from desserts to main courses.

Ahh, that sandwich with what seems like a potato salad looks so delectable as well, and I could just inhale this egg filled sandwich right here instantly. Mmm~. Although, I’m troubled as even I won’t be able to eat some of everything. Ah, that’s it!

“Hey, Keith. Can I have half of this and share with you?”

“……Mm. I figured you’d say something like that. Ok, sure.”

“Yay~”

There’s less food in one serving in this world, but there’s just so many different kinds. Well, it could just be that it’s nobles that get to have all these different types of food rather than the whole world having access to it, but anyways, there really is such a large variety.

And, the new products I got my hands on today are things I’ve never seen before, and look so delicious that I want to just devour all of them immediately. Also, in my previous life, my mother always told me “don’t waste food and eat everything,” words I’ve always taken to heart.

Well, I did often eat too much and upset my stomach as a child, but Keith would always go “well, if you want to eat that much, just have half of it and I’ll eat the rest.” Well, we couldn’t share food in public places, but Keith and I would often split food and share it back at the Claes mansion.

I gained more energy due to Keith’s approval, and broke the sandwich with potato salad filling in half, sticking my arm out to put half a sandwich into Keith’s mouth.

“Here, Keith, go ahead.”

Normally, Keith would just instantly snap up whatever I hand him instantly, but today he was frozen there with a mysterious expression on his face. I wonder what’s the matter?

“What’s the matter, Keith?”

“Ah, um, nee-san. Why don’t we not do this in front of others?”

“In front of others? But you said that it was alright to split things with you so long as it wasn’t in public. You said it was okay a second ago, right?”

“No, it’s not about splitting with you… I mean…”

I’m beginning to wonder about Keith’s suspicious behaviour.

“Oh? So long as it’s not in front of others, you two do this all the time?” asks Mary with for some reason a beautifully wide smile.

“Ah, yeah. When I want to eat something but can’t eat it all, we split it and I have him eat the other half.”

“I see. And Katarina-sama, you always take his half in your hand and offer it directly to Keith-sama’s mouth?”

“Yup. I didn’t do that before, but a little while back Keith said that he wanted me to feed him like this when we split things.”

Yeah, that’s the way it is. We’ve been splitting food for a long time, but a little while back Keith started begging me to just immediately feed him after splitting it in half. I’m not sure why he started wanting me to bring the food all the way to his mouth – I wonder if picking it up became too much of a pain for him? I’m not sure what his reasoning is, and it’s pretty bad manners for the typically well put together Keith.

Still, it’s a precious request from Keith, who doesn’t usually ask things of me. I usually avoid troublesome things, but for him, I decided to hold up food to his mouth when we split it.

After hearing my explanation, Mary’s smile grows wider and wider.

Huh? It seems as though the atmosphere has gotten colder…

“Keith-sama, did I not warn you to not take advantage of being family to get ahead?”

“W – what? Something like this is no big deal, right? I’m not trying to blatantly start something like Jared-sama is.”

“Please do not use Jared-sama as an excuse. He’s just unusual! … I miscalculated, I had thought that he had so many hidden plans that I could not lay a hand on him.”

“I apologize, but I heard that second part even though you said it in a smaller voice. Anyways, Mary, you take advantage of being the same sex as her all the time, embracing her and touching her and all sorts of things.”

“My, how rude of you to say that I’m ‘taking advantage’. We are the same sex, so it’s perfectly normal for us to embrace and touch each other. Eventually, perhaps we’ll even bathe together…”

“Um, no, no matter how I think about what you’re saying, Mary, it isn’t normal.”

“My, is that not an issue on your side?”

Just what about splitting food got the two of them so fired up? Ignoring me, the two of them have gotten all worked up.

I knew that Jared and Keith got along well but… looking at them now, it seems like Keith and Mary are fairly close as well. They seem as though they trust each other very much from how quickly they’re talking back and forth with no hesitation.

… Wait a second, no way!

I had thought Keith had been turning down countless engagement requests because he had fallen for the otome game’s heroine, Maria, but could it be instead… Mary?

Not to mention, unlike in the game, Mary doesn’t seem to have any interest in Alan at all… could it be, because of Keith…

A capture target and a different capture target’s love rival… it’s a pairing that could have never happened in the game, but this is reality, and the game has already ended. It’s not impossible.

Oh my, it seems as though my woman’s intuition is acting up. I gaze at the two of them, still engrossed in their back-and-forth.

Keith has no fiancée, but Mary is the fiancée of the country’s fourth prince, Alan. They may not have yet ratified the engagement, but Mary is very precious to Alan. In particular, lately I’ve often spotted Alan following Mary around like an underling… I mean, like a knight protecting a princess.

… in other words, this love won’t be easily permitted.

O Keith! Wherefore art thou Keith?

Ah, Mary.

I recall a famous play about a tragic romance from my previous life. In my mind, I replace the protagonists with Keith and Mary. Oh, how heartbreaking. I gaze at the two of them.

“Keith, Mary. If it comes down to it, I promise to stand by the two of you, so don’t worry! I won’t let it end in tragedy like with Romeo and his lover!” I declare firmly.

Hearing my passionate words, the two of them calm down and grow quiet in moments, as if they had never been fired up in the first place.

“Nee-san. I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking, but… I am absolutely certain that you’re mistaken,” Keith says finally.

Huh? I’m wrong? But my woman’s intuition…

“I concur. I disagree with anything you imagined,” says Mary in a calm voice, sounding firm.

Wait, but, it’s true that I didn’t ask them explicitly, but maybe if I ask them straight-out…

“… Um. Keith and Mary, are you two in love – ”

“ – No,” firmly denied the two of them before I could even finish my sentence.

I see.

After that, the two of them looked at me in disappointment. But why?

I had begun to feel a bit embarrassed, so after responding to their question about who Romeo was with “The protagonist of a tragic love story,” I left the area.

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