The Villainess Is Too Difficult

After Reinhardt left, my daily life didn’t change much. As always, studying, training, resting… the daily life of a student doing their best. I think it will probably continue like this until the entrance exam, unless something unexpected happens.

But the unexpected always happens beyond our expectations. As some ballerino said, life doesn’t go the way you think it will.

And it’s a miscalculation to think that such unexpected events only happen because of others.

[Such old stories, it’s about time to get tired of them.]

[Hmm?]

That’s right.

“This won’t do.”

After finishing today’s study, I closed the book with a thud and muttered to myself. The reason I’m doing this is nothing special, just because of thoughts I’ve been having lately.

It’s been quite some time since I became Ariel Walpurgis. The blazing sunlight has weakened a bit, and cool autumn winds are blowing.

Autumn is the season of harvest and reading. As it’s harvest time, delicious fruits and various fresh produce are naturally delivered, and meal times and snack times become more bountiful than usual… No, that’s not the important thing!

“I can’t keep living like this with Father.”

That’s right. Lately, I’ve been thinking that I need to have a sort of showdown with Father. To be honest, it’s not an urgent problem. I could tell that Father doesn’t particularly hate me, and I’m (mentally) way past the age of craving a parent’s love.

But that doesn’t mean it’s good to continue like this. It’s been months since I woke up, how is it possible that I haven’t seen his face even once? It’s not like he’s on a long business trip or anything. He’s always around the mansion or the domain, or occasionally going to work at the Imperial palace.

I heard that the frequency of his trips to the Imperial palace increased after I woke up, but I was told that normally he handles almost all his work from home. And recently, there doesn’t seem to be anything special happening in the Empire, and judging from when Reinhardt came last time, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything going on at the Imperial palace either.

So what does this mean? It means Father is ‘deliberately’ going to work at the Imperial palace just to avoid me. Even though he doesn’t need to go to work! He’s trying his best! To spend less time at home! Am I that bothersome to him?

At first, I just went along with it. I knew from the original story that the relationship between Duke Walpurgis and Ariel was distant, and I’m not the type to be desperate for parental love, so I was just going to live like this.

But. But you know…

“It’s too much to not even see his face for months.”

It’s not just about not talking. I simply can’t see his face. I’ll say it again, but I’ve never once seen Father face to face. No, I haven’t even seen him from afar. Good heavens, we’re not strangers but family, living under the same roof, yet I haven’t even seen his face! Where else in the world is there such a comedy?

Yes, that’s us. It’s driving me crazy, really.

“Should I just pretend to be crazy and barge in?”

If I barge into Father’s study, we’ll have no choice but to face each other, whether we like it or not. No, come to think of it, it’s not even a strange thing. A daughter going to see her father’s face. Who could say anything about that? Right?

It’s something I could do right away if I set my mind to it. It’s such a trivial matter. It’s as trivial as drinking tea and munching on cookies.

“No, but at my age, is that a bit…”

As I said earlier, mentally I’m already well past adulthood. At this age, looking for my father? Wow, that’s really embarrassing. No matter what, that’s a bit… in many ways, it’s a bit much.

“But, it’s frustrating.”

I’m not setting up any useless pride like ‘I won’t go first because it feels like I’m losing to Father!’ This isn’t a matter of pride. If it were just that, I would have gone without hesitation.

But… Even if I’m gradually adapting as a woman, for me, who still fundamentally has a male mentality, to barge in saying I want to see Father’s face? How would that look to others?

Hmm, an excellent papa’s boy… no, papa’s girl. The maids have been gently suggesting lately that I should meet Father, saying that despite appearances he cares about me, telling me not to hate him too much… These kind words of comfort are quite torturous to hear. No, I’m really fine. I’m really fine!

But can I just let this slide? Keep this unsettled feeling and go to the Academy? That’s also a bit…

“Ah geez, it’s driving me crazy, really!”

In the end, no conclusion is reached. Jajangmyeon or jjamppong, dipping sauce or brushing sauce, chicken or pizza, cola or cider, bread or snacks, man or woman… No matter how much I think, nothing comes out. All that increases is frustration and the heat rising unnecessarily to my head. Oh no, if my head gets hot like this, I’ll go bald. Surely I’m not already losing hair? Worrying about hair loss at this age, the world is truly coming to an end. No, is it my situation that’s coming to an end?

“What’s the matter?”

Startled by the sudden sound of the door opening, I turned around to see Brother staring at me with his characteristic expressionless face.

Brother remained at home despite his vacation being over. He used to live in the dormitory provided by the Imperial Knights, but he started commuting from home to teach me swordsmanship.

Fortunately, it’s not too far from home to the Imperial Knights headquarters, and he can use magic circles if necessary, so it’s not a big problem.

Anyway, even if I’m his sister, isn’t it a bit much to come in without knocking? When I pointed this out, Brother made an indescribable expression.

“I’ve already knocked several times.”

“Ah.”

Then I didn’t hear it, you dummy Ariel.

“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“I see.”

And then silence. Come to think of it, Brother’s conversational skills are also disastrously poor. Yet they say he’s a promising talent with a bright future in the Imperial Knights. I wonder how he managed during his time at the Academy. I couldn’t help but be curious about Brother’s school life.

“So, what were you thinking about so deeply?”

At Brother’s question, I sensed an opportunity. Unlike me, Brother communicates properly with Father. In other words, there’s no better person to consult with!

“Brother. Actually…”

Alright, once you’ve made a decision, act quickly!

“What should I do?”

After hearing Ariel’s words, Theodore closed his eyes for a moment. He was also aware of the seriousness of the relationship between Father and Ariel, and had thought that it needed to be changed someday.

But that thought had been fading lately. Because Ariel was living steadfastly despite Father’s neglect.

He thought she was living energetically and diligently, albeit with some quirks. He thought she was already a complete being despite Father’s neglect.

‘You fool. That can’t be.’

Ariel is still young. She’s a girl who isn’t even an adult yet. No matter how much she pretends to be okay, to be unaffected on the outside, she must be continuously hurt inside.

Even now, that’s the case. If he hadn’t come at the right timing, if he had just let it slide without pressing for what was wrong, Ariel’s heart would have weakened even more.

The thought that he almost missed it, the relief that he realized it now, self-reproach for only noticing now – Theodore couldn’t help but stand still for a moment.

“Brother?”

Fortunately, he didn’t miss Ariel’s voice, so Theodore could quickly return to reality.

“Is something wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I’m sorry. Theodore barely swallowed the words that had risen to his throat. What difference would it make if he apologized here?

Once, Theodore had turned his back on Ariel. Seeing his twisted sister was like seeing his own faults, reminding him of the foolish son who couldn’t even properly fulfill his mother’s dying wish to take care of Ariel, and he just couldn’t face her.

That’s why Theodore deliberately applied for the dormitory as soon as he entered the Imperial Knights. Comforting himself that he had overcome it, that he had won.

But that’s not right. Trying to brush it off with such nonsense was no different from running away. Let’s help Ariel with the thought of atoning, even now. That’s what he decided.

“Ariel.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll cooperate as well.”

“Pardon?”

A look of confusion appeared on Ariel’s face, as if she hadn’t expected this. But Theodore didn’t bother to explain that confusion. What’s important now is to make Father and daughter face each other and talk. That was all that mattered.

“If you have any ideas, tell me.”

“Um… I guess barging into the study with an axe is out of the question?”

Theodore unconsciously grabbed his forehead.