The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“Honestly, if anyone with sharp eyes was there, they probably would have figured it out.”

I spoke calmly.

In reality, Mia Crowfield had alternated between looking at Roti and her mother’s faces before being taken aback. They looked so alike.

If they’d simply looked alike, Mia might not have noticed. Unless you were a lecher, there wouldn’t be any reason to study a maid’s face closely. Moreover, in this world—particularly a world set in the early 20th century—women over the age of 30 weren’t considered particularly attractive.

Sure, there were women who had remarried or swapped husbands, but they were typically women from noble families, not maids with nothing behind them.

“What truly gave it away was that you directly helped them,” I continued.

Even if I hadn’t known the background, I would have picked up on it. Besides their resemblance, Roti was someone Jake had ties with.

“I see...”

Roti’s voice lacked strength. She was very different from the usual feisty self she had when walking around with Jake.

Her usual stoic expression was now more than just a bit altered. It seemed like she wasn’t exactly comfortable in this place.

This moment was a clear indication that Roti had been able to relax at the Academy, much more than she usually did.

“Do you think this is going to be a big problem?” I asked.

Roti lowered her head and fell into thought.

“...It could be a problem. That action I took, I think... maybe it was my mistake.”

Hmm.

Listening to her, I couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

Though I’d seen Roti’s face many times, I’d hardly ever had a one-on-one conversation with her. We weren’t classmates, and whenever I saw Roti, she was usually with Jake. It was always Jake who would talk and chatter. Roti wouldn’t approach anyone unless they spoke to her first.

“You can’t really call helping your parents a mistake.”

I said this as emotionlessly as possible. Any emotional undertone would probably sound unpleasant to Roti.

At my words, Roti lifted her head and looked at me.

Having regained some composure, Roti’s face returned to its usual neutral expression.

“Your Highness, why did you help us back then?”

“....”

I quietly studied Roti.

“I already gave you the reason.”

“...You mean it was just because of the atmosphere?”

Hmm.

Did I accidentally raise her guard?

Come to think of it, Roti in the original story hadn’t been able to easily accept Leo’s help either. She couldn’t understand why a noble who had nothing to do with her would help her.

In the end, she did accept Jake’s help, but that was likely just a matter of familiarity.

Honestly, if Jake hadn’t been there, I think I could have made some progress. The story feels a lot like a visual novel.

“It could be because of the atmosphere.”

I turned back and leaned against the railing.

Even though this world has no electricity, the city here was incredibly bright. The gas lamps along the streets and the lights coming from the windows of the houses far in the distance were more than enough to light up the city.

Although, thanks to the smog emitted during the day, the stars in the sky were barely visible. Well, even at night, there were places still pumping out smoke. In an era like this, worker’s rights were hardly something to consider at night.

“The atmosphere of the banquet, and the mood about the situation, could have played a part.”

I paused for a moment before adding,

“I don’t have parents.”

At those words, I could tell Roti stiffened, even though I couldn’t see her expression or hear her voice.

“I can’t tell you anything more specific, but if you’ve heard anything about the imperial family, you probably know that only Alice truly carries the Emperor’s blood.”

To be more precise, everyone except for me carries the Emperor’s blood, but there was no need to bring that up.

“I won’t say I envy you or anything. Everyone has painful memories, and we shouldn’t easily empathize with that kind of pain. Even if we think we empathize, we can’t truly understand it until we go through the exact same experience ourselves.”

I spoke toward the silent Roti.

“But if someone has both parents, or at least one of them, and is in a position to help their parents in trouble, I would be more than willing to help that person.”

“...”

Roti remained silent for a while, and then quietly said, “...Thank you.”

---

“Roti.”

After finishing her conversation with me, Roti was called out by someone as she stepped out from behind the curtain.

There was no need to confirm who it was. She had been living with her master for her entire life.

Had she seen me talking to Silvia? Jake was standing by the entrance to the terrace, leaning against the doorframe.

“Did you hear that?”

“No, those curtains are thicker than I thought. With the curtains drawn like that, the banquet noise completely drowned out the conversation, so I couldn’t hear what was said.”

Roti recalled the image of the Princess. Even if she had overheard that conversation, with her usual composed demeanor, I didn’t think she would have reacted.

And besides, it wasn’t that important. If Roti had heard it directly, she would have already known that the majority of the Emperor’s children were orphans.

That rumor had reached Roti as well.

“So, what about Silvia?”

“...”

Roti opened her mouth briefly in response but then closed it again.

Earlier, when she’d helped her mother, she had been startled when a hand suddenly reached out beside her. Her expression had faltered for a moment.

And then she’d doubted.

Jake seemed to have no particular thoughts on the matter, but Silvia... Princess Silvia Fangryphon was someone to be wary of.

She had said something similar when Jake had placed Roti beside him at the Duke’s estate.

But the more she spoke with Silvia, the less Roti believed she was someone devoid of emotions. When they had encountered each other at the Academy, Roti had initially seen Silvia as someone to be extremely cautious around. But after watching her interact with Jake, Roti started to wonder if Silvia was just a caring person, after all.

“Did Silvia... say something bad to you?”

Jake asked, not really believing it himself, but Roti asked just to make sure.

“Do you think so?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

Jake furrowed his brow for a moment.

“Well... At the Academy, there were a lot of people who liked to threaten you, right? I thought that’s why they called you over.” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Those pathetic people aren’t like her.”

Even among commoners, Roti was treated in two ways. Some discriminated against her because of her colonial roots, while others were too afraid of the Duke’s name to even speak to her.

Among those who discriminated, there were a few who acted far beyond their station.

...There were commoners trying to seduce or threaten Roti to marry Jake and elevate their own status.

Most people didn’t know that Roti had been assigned to Jake’s side for precisely this reason, to stop such people from approaching him.

“And I was the one who went to help her. The Princess didn’t say anything.”

“Is that so? Well, Silvia did seem like that.”

Jake’s reaction caused Roti to widen her eyes just slightly.

Though Jake generally acted lighthearted, he wasn’t the type to easily trust others. Even if they were from the Imperial family, or perhaps because they were, Jake had to maintain a consistent demeanor and act in a way that made her believe he was being genuine.

If not... he would have had to be someone like that.

For a brief moment, Roti’s heart raced.

Though it was a presumptuous thought, she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie and... a bizarre intimacy with Silvia during their conversation.

But seeing how Jake spoke about Silvia like that—

“...”

And just as quickly as the thought appeared, it vanished.

For a moment, she almost scoffed at herself.

Jealousy.

That wasn’t an emotion Roti was supposed to feel. Jealousy. There was no need for it.

Jake would eventually marry someone else.

And Roti...

Hmm.

“Did you almost smile just now?”

Jake caught the subtle change in Roti’s expression.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Are you sure? I saw it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Roti firmly replied, walking ahead as Jake followed, teasing her. But that was just Jake being Jake.

At least, his behavior at that moment was enough for Roti to understand.

After all, Roti would never be the first choice.

In that case, perhaps it was enough to simply stay by his side.

Up until now, she hadn’t been attracted to anyone else, but... if she were to make a personal judgment, she didn’t think Silvia Fangryphon, as the future mistress, would be someone Roti would have any serious complaints about.