The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

In the past, the reason I was called to the student council was because I was a princess, but now it seems it's because I'm a 'notable person.'

In the empire’s social hierarchy, where titles are simply divided into Duke, Count, Baron, and other untitled nobles, the number of people who could truly be called 'notable' is extremely small—aside from the royal family, almost all of them are concentrated in the dukes and counts. There are as many as twelve dukes. Naturally, the counts are more numerous, and barons are so abundant that they’re everywhere.

So, when a baron becomes a 'notable person,' in a way, it can be more contentious than the children of a middling count family.

Well, someone might try to say, “That baron’s daughter is making a fuss,” but what’s the worry when two princesses will be right next to me?

“Ah, Lady Grace!”

The student council president greeted me in an unusual manner.

“You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. I sent a few letters, but I assume you didn’t read them?”

“......”

Oh.

Had we met before?

Whenever I went to a ball, men kept bothering me, so I usually just exchanged brief greetings and stayed with Leo, so I didn’t quite remember.

The people I typically spoke to were older women or high-ranking nobles with sharp airs. As a granddaughter, I listened to their stories and provided polite responses, and they’d laugh happily, talking about various topics, praising me in front of other nobles.

It seemed that some male nobles looked at me with those kinds of eyes, but I always stood proudly because I knew that, as the daughter of a baron and not a commoner, they couldn’t just treat me recklessly. Plus, the fact that I had already conversed with two princesses had spread everywhere.

Honestly speaking, Alice and Claire weren’t particularly social people, right? Just the fact that they spoke to me at the ball became quite the topic of conversation.

Maybe that’s the decisive reason I came this far.

Or maybe it was just the student council president’s personal agenda.

One thing was clear though: unlike before, I didn’t have the kind of harmful image I once had.

“It’s an honor to have you, Your Highnesses. And Princess Belvur as well.”

With a small cough, the student council president said, as if embarrassed.

Right, it was a bit rude. Even though there were several people with higher status than me, he had reacted first to me.

In fact, Alice, Claire, and Charlotte’s appearances weren’t any worse than mine. However, since all three were meeting the president for the first time, it’s possible he didn’t immediately express excitement.

For someone who was supposed to come from a refined family, his reaction was somewhat clumsy.

*

“You want to invite all of us to the student council?”

Charlotte asked calmly.

“Yes. In Rondarium Academy, there’s no distinction between foreign and local students. Our goal is to learn the same things and aim for greater heights, so nationality or class doesn’t matter much.”

That was a lie.

There were so few foreign students that it was almost laughable to talk about nationality. And most of those few foreign students were from distinguished families.

I, as a baron’s daughter, was an exception, but that was in a very specific context. I was called not because I was just the daughter of a baron, but because of the title "Sylvia Grace"—or rather, "the Grace family’s—" whatever that entailed.

In fact, some of the female students in the student council weren’t exactly fond of me. There were probably bad rumors circulating, and since most of the nobles I interacted with were much older, they might have thought I was just trying to attract attention.

On the other hand, the male students showed a clear affection. It was a far cry from the times when they would shake with fear just from making eye contact with me.

I reaffirmed my belief. The only people who likely still held onto my "previous image" were probably the people around us. Certainly, the only ones affected by the relics and mechanisms were those in the Holy Nation.

“And... someone else was supposed to join us—ah.”

The student council president muttered as he took out a pocket watch from his chest, then exclaimed when the door to the student council room opened.

“Lady Crowfield!”

At the president’s words, Alice, Claire, and I immediately turned our heads toward the door.

There, standing, was Mia, who looked far more gloomy than when I first met her. No, not gloomy, more like shy or reserved. In any case, she had a certain somber vibe.

And the only person who welcomed her was the president himself. The moment Mia stepped in, the student council room became eerily silent. Even the few girls who had been gossiping when I entered shut their mouths.

There was a reason for that.

Unlike when I had been the emperor’s child, this time Lucas had carefully selected the people around him.

It seemed Claire, with her time-rewinding abilities and proactive personality, had led the effort to rescue the other children, which likely caught Lucas's attention.

I had heard a little about recent developments. The emperor of this timeline seemed just as cautious as when I had been his daughter.

...Whether it was because he remembered, or perhaps because, like Leo, he sensed something, I wasn’t sure. Claire becoming the emperor’s daughter was just like in the ‘original,’ but everything else seemed to be unfolding in a direction I didn’t fully understand.

Perhaps it had to do with the differences in the relationship between Claire and Alice compared to mine.

“......”

And, thanks to that, Mia’s father... survived. He was probably still living that same life.

And that life likely influenced Mia as well.

It was said that he was a kind father in front of Mia. I believed that was true. He probably didn’t show any dark emotions, acting as a capable and competent count.

But even if Mia respected her father, could his wife do the same?

No matter how much of an arrogant nobleman, able to treat commoners as insects, some people might be, isn’t it impossible for them to treat a commoner as a 'tool for self-gratification' without hesitation?

No, I mean it in a way that a woman sees her husband, who performs sexual acts with commoners.

How many women would like a husband who goes out every day, embraces other women, and returns home?

Moreover, there wasn’t no affection between the husband and wife. In fact, after her husband died, Countess Crowfield immediately planned for revenge.

Love and hatred can coexist. And children raised in such a mixed emotional environment are typically affected by the negative emotions.

In aristocratic families, those negative rumors spread incredibly fast, especially when a person’s personality begins to deteriorate, like someone addicted to drugs.

“Ah, hello...”

Seeing Mia, who seemed even more at a loss for words than when I first met her, I didn’t feel particularly good.

The last image I remembered of Mia was that of someone who had overcome everything.

“Lady Crowfield.”

Seeing the atmosphere of the student council room drop to a cold silence, even the student council president looked a little taken aback, so I immediately called out to Mia.

Mia slowly raised her head and looked at me.

I saw her eyes gleam from under her bangs.

Though her overall vibe was somewhat gloomy, and her voice lacked strength, making her seem a bit at a loss for words, I was certain that this was the Mia I knew—the Mia who had overcome everything before.

...Whether this world was an illusion created by the goddess or a real world where time had truly turned back, I couldn’t be certain. But whatever world this was, I believed that Mia would overcome it again.

“There’s a seat available here, why don’t you come and sit?”

I smiled gently at Mia as I spoke. Leo and Claire were seated beside me, but there was an empty spot next to Alice.

And Alice, of course, didn’t reject Mia. Charlotte, sitting across from us, didn’t either.

Claire had a visibly pleased expression.

Seeing us, Mia’s expression suddenly changed. If I had to put it into words, I would say she was ‘bewildered.’

If two princesses and the famous baron’s daughter suddenly acted friendly toward me, I guess I would have reacted the same way.

Charlotte, seeing our reactions, looked intrigued. Perhaps she had become a little interested in Mia because of ‘our reactions.’

...Wait a minute.

I think I’ve read a manga before where an unpopular heroine suddenly had an ‘in-crowd’ group approach her and become friends with her.

Is this that situation?