The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Despite his personality, Jake Lindbergh is a character who often ended up unfairly portrayed.

He was written as a hopeless romantic with unrequited love, but because of his appearance, he was often used negatively in fan works. Although the game itself was quite popular, there weren’t that many of those types of fan works, fortunately.

Later sequels managed to shed some of that image, but then he became the character who lost the girl due to his "pure-hearted" nature in other fan depictions. Either way, he was a somewhat pitiful character.

"......"

"......"

The issue was, there wasn’t much for us to talk about.

At this point, he probably had more to talk about with Alice than with me. Alice was in line to become the emperor, and most nobles would have their eyes on her. Even if someone tried to get closer to me...

Oh, wait, maybe not. I was always seen with Alice, so from their perspective, befriending me wasn’t a bad idea. The issue of my intimidating image only came after that.

By the way, the girls who had been standing beside him slowly slipped away the moment Jake and I started exchanging words. They had already vanished by now.

"I’ve heard a lot about you, Princess. I apologize for not greeting you sooner, given that we’re in the same class."

But Jake wasn’t the type to avoid conversation with women. Just because there was a brief pause in the conversation, he didn’t flee from me.

Even now, he was flanked by two girls, wasn’t he?

...Come to think of it, Jake had the air of a "clueless harem protagonist." Of course, unlike the heroines around the protagonist, the girls near him were almost always side characters. Nobles with names, sure, but their roles were brief, usually just appearing in jealousy scenes.

Those background characters had already started slipping away as soon as Jake and I began talking.

Even if they envied or ostracized someone, they were still noble daughters. Regardless of their status or background, none of them would openly challenge me, especially with some rumors in noble circles suggesting I had killed someone.

Few nobles dared to approach me directly.

“I don’t mind,” I replied, glancing at the maid standing just behind Jake.

Though the nobility and commoners had different classes, their uniforms were practically the same. If not for the characteristic pleats in the skirts, it would be hard to tell the difference between the military-style design and a standard school uniform. It seemed the academy wanted to convey the message that all students were equal... but among nobles, everyone already knew each other’s faces, so it didn’t really matter. Even if they didn’t, gossip spread quickly enough.

“At least within the academy, we’re all just students. You don’t need to address me as a princess.”

“Oh, then...”

Jake hummed in thought before responding.

“Would it be alright if I called you Silvia?”

“...”

Well.

To be fair, calling me "Lady Fangryphon" felt a bit too formal too. It was a royal family name, after all, and using it so casually would’ve been odd. Still, his quick shift to using my first name was... bold, to say the least.

But then again, this was Jake. He was the type to call everyone by their first names from the start, so there wasn’t much point in correcting him now.

Instead, I turned my attention to the maid who had likely brought Jake over to talk to me.

Her skin was slightly darker. In the game, there were scenes where her skin tone was a point of discrimination. But it wasn’t as if her skin was completely dark either—she was a half-blood, after all.

“If people are going to discriminate based on skin color, should I be discriminated against too?”

That was a line Jake had said when standing up for her.

Most people knew Jake’s tan came from sun exposure, so some argued it was different.

“But if something as simple as a tan can change one’s skin color, how can you claim someone is incapable of something just because of it?”

No one could refute Jake when he said that. They probably had a lot to say, but what could they do when he was a duke’s son?

“Oh, this is...”

Jake must’ve noticed my gaze shifting toward his maid, as he extended a hand, gently pushing her forward.

“This is Lottie... that’s her name.”

The girl, who seemed rather small, was introduced by Jake.

Like the children from the orphanage, Lottie had no last name. In this world, if one doesn’t inherit a surname from their parents, they live without one unless they marry or create a new family name.

Lottie was an illegitimate child of the Lindbergh family. Even if a nobleman had a child with a commoner, they wouldn’t recognize the child. It was even worse in Lottie’s case since she was born to a maid from the colonies.

She had lived her entire life as a maid, while Jake had been a noble from the moment he was born.

Though they were a supporting couple, they were interesting characters.

“Silvia Fangryphon,” I introduced myself.

“I... I’m Lottie. I apologize for not greeting you sooner.”

Normally, a maid wouldn’t introduce herself like this. Even though she’d grown up with Jake, Lottie was surely aware of this fact.

Lottie’s face was... a perfectly expressionless one, one I could probably learn from.

“Did you have something you needed to do? Sorry if we interrupted. Lottie thought that talking to you might help get rid of the girls.”

“Young master.”

“......”

I stared at Jake’s face for a moment.

There was no hint of malice in his expression. Being a nobleman, especially from one of the highest-ranking families like a duke’s, he surely knew how to navigate conversations. Yet, his words seemed genuine rather than probing for information.

Still, it was surprising he’d be so candid.

“Don’t worry, Lottie. Silvia’s not like that.”

Jake responded to Lottie’s concerns with confidence.

Where did that certainty come from?

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Jake nodded at my question.

“I don’t know what others might think of you, but personally, I don’t believe you’re a bad person.”

Whether Jake had good judgment when it came to people wasn’t really addressed in the original story. He was simply friendly with everyone. In the part of the game where the protagonist’s party goes into hiding, Jake nonchalantly lived in a harbor town, mingling with the common folk and spending his days fishing. He even pretended to be married to Lottie during that time.

In retrospect, maybe he did have good judgment. If he couldn’t trust the people around him, he wouldn’t have been able to live so casually.

Perhaps it was just luck, but shouldn’t he at least be a bit more cautious?

I raised my guard against Jake slightly.

“Well... yeah. She gives me the same vibe as Lottie.”

“......”

“Young master.”

Lottie’s expression didn’t waver, but seeing that I didn’t respond, she called out to Jake again. Jake, however, remained unfazed.

I glanced at Lottie, and she averted her eyes, looking down at the ground. Being the son of a duke, Jake’s words carried a lot of weight, and Lottie couldn’t take them back, nor did she have the authority to apologize on his behalf. While her face remained blank, I could sense her fear through her demeanor.

“Perhaps we’re not so different after all.”

When I finally responded, Lottie’s face lifted slightly, though she still couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Was that the only reason you approached me?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Just thought I’d say hello since we’re in the same class.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

Jake waved enthusiastically, and I didn’t bother returning the gesture as I turned around to leave.

The fatigue was starting to catch up to me. Even though I’d gone to bed early and rewound time to sleep longer, waking up at dawn had still taken its toll.

...I’ll take a proper nap when I get back. I’ll think about these two later.

With that thought in mind, I headed quickly to my room.

At least one thing in my day should go according to plan, right?

“......”

As they watched me walk away, it was Lottie who spoke first.

“Young master.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know who you just spoke to?”

“Well, didn’t you suggest I talk to her?”

“Young master.”

Lottie had snapped at Jake earlier, frustrated by all the girls surrounding him, and Jake hadn’t forgotten. He’d followed through on her suggestion, using the opportunity to speak to me, especially since neither the princess nor the other royal was around.

And the strategy worked. The girls who had been hovering around him scattered.

“See? It worked. Maybe I should start hanging out with that group.”

“Young master.”

“What? Why not? There’s the princess of Belbur Kingdom, a leading candidate for the next emperor, and the Greys are closer to the imperial family than most dukes. Perfect connections to build, don’t you think?” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“......”

When Lottie fell silent, Jake let out a laugh.

“Alright, alright. I admit it. At first, I just wanted to tease you.”

“......”

Lottie remained quiet, but Jake shrugged and continued speaking.

“But after talking to Silvia, I realized something. She doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Jake tilted his head, lost in thought.

“To be honest, I don’t have a logical reason.”

“......”

“She’s similar to you. Silvia didn’t deny it either. What would a typical high-ranking noble have said if they’d been compared to you?”

It was true that Silvia Fangryphon’s reaction had been surprising. Even among commoners, most wouldn’t appreciate being compared to someone with darker skin, let alone the majority of white-skinned imperials.

Yet Silvia, despite being a princess, didn’t seem offended at all.

...Even if her expression remained blank.

“Princess Silvia is someone who rarely shows any emotion.”

“I know. I saw it up close.”

Jake replied immediately to Lottie’s comment.

“But I know someone who always keeps a neutral face. I’ve spent over a decade learning to read subtle expressions, thanks to someone.”

“......”

“Why? Are you going to argue that Silvia and you are completely different?”

Jake smiled as he spoke.

“How about a bet? Whether Silvia’s a good person or a bad one?”

“Is this really the time to be making bets? What if...”

“What if she’s as dangerous as the rumors say, and my life is in danger? Thanks for the concern.”

“......”

Lottie fell silent, but Jake didn’t stop speaking.

“Even if Silvia did kill that person, I can’t imagine someone with her demeanor doing it without reason.”

Lottie let out a sigh, as if realizing there was no point in arguing with Jake.