Chapter 41

At that moment, Eloise brought in honey tea and a thin soup.

"Miss, please get up and have this. Your stomach will feel much better."

"Mm, thank you."

I gulped down the honey tea and then took a spoonful of the soup.

Eloise, tidying up the surroundings, asked,

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"No, not at all. Come to think of it, how did I end up here?"

My last memory was taking the tenth shot in the club room.

Eloise answered with a perplexed expression, as if unsure how to respond.

"The head of the house brought you here."

"…Huh?"

The head of the house? Surely she's not talking about the head of the house I know?

"He carried you and laid you down on the bed himself. I don't know where he carried you from, but it seemed like he walked for quite a while."

I was taken aback.

Raul was not a character who would come here unless a demon appeared at school and put Revi in danger.

"Why did he come?"

"I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I heard he made a substantial donation to the school."

A donation? What kind of development is this?

"A new training ground, garden, and library will be built in Squire's name. A famous restaurant and café are also scheduled to open next month."

'Is this because of Revi?'

Since his precious daughter had enrolled, he might have put aside the enmity between the families for a while.

In any case, it wasn't a bad thing.

"That's good. We can't afford to be at odds with the Willow family forever."

To see the true ending, the reconciliation between the two families was a must.

Of course, I wouldn't be the one to do it.

However, the surprising story didn't end there.

"The profits from the shops will be given to the scholarship recipients in the name of Squire and Willow. He said the Squire Scholarship Foundation should oversee this."

This was not something to be taken lightly.

The fact that the Squire Scholarship Foundation was to oversee it meant he was entrusting the authority to me!

'He's making such a decision even after seeing me drunk yesterday? Raul really dislikes unruly behavior.'

I suspected this might be a bug.

Eloise chuckled and pointed to the side table.

"Look over there, Miss."

On the side table was a note left behind.

"I have appointed Damian West as your bodyguard mage. He is undoubtedly a talented mage, but his low status should not be a topic of gossip, so the appointment ceremony will be omitted.

Also, I noticed you've lost a lot of weight today. Don't skip meals and eat well. Drink alcohol in moderation.

-Your father R."

It was an unexpected note filled with nagging.

Eloise made a pained expression and said,

"Did you see that? I don't know how much trouble I got into yesterday. He said I was treating you like a child and being too casual."

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

Honestly, I didn't mind being nagged and worried about.

It felt like my heart was filled with warm bubbles.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly finished getting ready and left the dormitory.

Eloise's gaze, which kept looking at me with a pleased expression, felt like feathers tickling me, making me want to sneeze.

As I entered the school, I could hear more lively conversations than usual.

"Good morning!"

"You too! Did you have a good night?"

"I drank too much, so I'm not in the best condition today."

"Ha ha ha!"

Even students who usually walked alone were pairing up and giggling, likely due to the social club orientation.

The same was true for the club.

"Hello, Tereze-sama!"

"Good morning, Tereze-sama!"

The freshmen's faces were filled with friendliness as they greeted me cheerfully.

'After drinking so much yesterday, they don't seem to be suffering at all.'

Indeed, freshmen. They have the stamina to chew rocks.

"Sure, hello."

I felt burdened by their attention but waved back casually in response.

The freshmen laughed in delight.

The people who acted like they knew me didn't end there.

Proving that the club's record-breaking membership wasn't just talk, many young ladies greeted me.

Some of them were even concerned about yesterday's events.

"Did you see the Duke yesterday? He looked very angry. Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer right away.

I had no memory of it.

If what the young lady said was true, Raul must have been angry at seeing me drunk.

However, I was puzzled as to why he didn't stay angry and why he gave me so many privileges.

Then another young lady laughed slyly, as if surprised I didn't know.

"Oh, didn't you see the Duke carry Tereze-sama to the dormitory yesterday? He carried you all the way from the main building, and many students witnessed it!"

...I had heard about him carrying me, but this was the first I heard of this.

Seeing my surprised expression, the young lady who spoke looked even more surprised.

"Surely you don't remember? The Duke carried you from there yesterday!"

Following the direction of her finger, I saw the wide, straight road leading to the main building, the most frequented path.

"…Really?"

The young lady, seeing my reaction, said with a knowing smile,

"Are you worried it was against etiquette? But no one who saw that scene yesterday would criticize the Duke for carrying his child. Honestly, I was envious too."

Another young lady, who had been listening, chimed in,

"He looked very affectionate. After all, even in the closest of families, nobles don't usually engage in such intimate actions due to their sense of propriety."

"Etiquette isn't bad, but sometimes it feels too cold."

When I heard Eloise's story, I didn't expect it to be this much.

Raul had acted without caring about others' opinions.

The young ladies, who had been discussing how good the scene looked, suddenly looked at me and covered their mouths.

"Oh my… Tereze-sama, your face is red."

"Huh?"

"It's even redder now!"

"Wh-what?"

I was very flustered and quickly covered my face.

My cheeks felt hot, as if I had been in the sun for too long.

Ding!

[Throne 'Betting on Tereze's Life' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[Cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

"Are you blushing?"

"No way. Tereze-sama doesn't know what blushing is! She must not be feeling well after drinking so much yesterday."

"No, she's definitely blushing! Isn't that right? She's blushing because she found it embarrassing to be treated affectionately by the Duke, right?"

'Stop…! Please, just stop…!'

These girls were seriously clueless.

They didn't even lower their voices, so passing students could hear their shocking conversation.

The number of people glancing at me increased.

'I can't take this. I need to run.'

I was in the middle of the main building's lobby.

To run, I needed to either go up the stairs to another floor or head to the library.

'In that case, I'll go to the second floor.'

"Girls, it was nice seeing you. Take care."

"Wait, where are you going, Tereze-sama!"

"Of course, you're running away because you're blushing, right?!"

At this point, it wasn't that they were clueless; it felt like they were deliberately teasing me.

Anyway.

I left the chattering young ladies behind and quickly ascended the stairs.

Just as I reached the second floor and was catching my breath,

"Terezeee—!!"

I saw Mimosa approaching with a terrifying expression.

"What's her problem…?"

She shouted as if venting her frustration.

"How dare you join the student council behind my back?! Resign immediately!"

…It was that issue.

I thought Mimosa, who was afraid of demons and magic and refused to join the student council where Damian was, would definitely be angry.

That's why I deliberately didn't tell anyone about joining the student council, but it was finally discovered.

'Damn. I should have run to the library.'

As I was trying to figure out how to resolve the situation, I noticed Professor Ilya looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"Professor!"

"Uh?!"

Mimosa, who had been approaching, immediately stopped.

I approached Professor Ilya with a brighter smile.

Our professor is always exuding the dignity of a great demon, making it impossible for Mimosa to get close.

"Hello, Professor. I was just about to come see you."

Professor Ilya raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mimosa standing behind me.

"Ah, hello… Professor…"

I felt guilty for using Professor Ilya to avoid another crisis and lifted my heels.

It wouldn't be very effective, but I did it to block his view.

"Professor, I've finished the book you gave me last time. Could you lend me another one?"

This time, I had a real reason too!

Professor Ilya looked down at me with his usual indifferent tone.

"Follow me."

"Yes!"

I turned to Mimosa.

"See you later, Mimosa."

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y