Chapter 7
Lewis worked a thin layer of scented oil into Monica’s light-brown hair, then brushed it out with meticulous care.
"Do you understand? Beauty is not achieved in a day. It is the result of daily effort. Serendia Academy is a school attended by the children of nobles. If you dress too shabbily, you’ll stand out for all the wrong reasons."
After arranging Monica’s hair, Lewis took out another cream and smeared it over her skin. Monica felt like she had become a doll and simply let him do as he pleased.
"Moisturize both your skin and your hair! That is the most important thing. I’ll give you separate bottles of oil and cream, so apply them every night before bed. Understood?"
"Y-yes……"
As her cheeks were kneaded mercilessly, Monica managed to answer in a faint voice.
Lewis Miller was utterly devoted to his beauty regimen. He was a man so beautiful that he could easily be mistaken for a woman. He ought to have been in his late twenties, but he looked considerably younger.
It seemed that his beauty was the result of his daily grooming routine.
"…Lewis-san, you’re more womanly than a woman……"
The hand that had been rubbing cream into Monica’s cheek suddenly clamped down hard on her face. It hurt.
Lewis wore a smile so icy on his beautifully feminine face that it sent chills down her spine.
"Fellow student-dono, allow me to teach you something important. I hate being told that I look ‘like a woman’ more than anything in the world. Would you like to know what happened to the fool who said that to me once before?"
The hand gripping Monica’s face tightened.
Monica trembled violently at the fear of her skull being compressed with a creaking crunch.
"I-I-I-I’m s-sorry, s-s-sorry! I’m s-sorry! P-please forgive me! I-I’ll never say it againnn!"
"Good. As long as you understand."
Lewis released Monica’s face and pressed the bottles of oil and cream into her hands.
"Make sure you don’t neglect your proper grooming… Understood?"
With that, Lewis smiled sweetly.
That smile was more beautiful than any ordinary woman’s, and more intimidating than a dragon’s.
＊ ＊ ＊
Three days had passed since Monica began staying at Lewis Miller’s house.
She had not infiltrated the academy immediately because they were waiting for the arrival of the daughter of Count Kerbeck. The Kerbeck territory lay near the border, and it took about three days to reach the royal capital.
While they waited for the count’s daughter to arrive, Lewis thoroughly drilled Monica in everything she needed to know about Serendia Academy and noble etiquette, while Rosalie instructed her in maintaining regular meals and a proper sleep schedule.
She had not changed dramatically in just three days, but according to Lewis, her complexion—which he had said was corpse-like—looked considerably better. At first, going to bed when night fell had been difficult to get used to, but once her candles and lamps were confiscated, there was nothing left to do but sleep.
Nero, her familiar, spent the daytime reading in a corner of the room. Apparently, he had borrowed novels by his favorite author from Rin.
Nero deftly turned the pages of his romance novels with his cat paws, and whenever he felt like it, he would wander off for a stroll around the estate.
Today, too, Nero had gone for a walk to help digest his lunch. But then he suddenly returned and, taking advantage of Lewis and the others being distracted, spoke to Monica.
"Hey, Monica! This is serious! Some amazing curls just showed up!"
"……Amazing……curls?"
"Yeah, orange curls."
What in the world could “orange curls” possibly mean?
As Monica stood there in confusion, Rin quietly appeared and addressed her.
"Monica-dono, Isabelle Norton-sama, the daughter of Count Kerbeck and our collaborator in this operation to infiltrate Serendia Academy, has arrived."
＊ ＊ ＊
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! How do you do!"
The girl who greeted Monica with a ringing laugh that seemed loud enough to be heard anywhere in the estate was about Monica’s age. She wore a crimson dress lavishly embroidered with gold thread. Her bright, orange-tinged hair had been styled into magnificent curls. This, apparently, was the “curls” Nero had mentioned.
As Monica stood frozen in front of the door, overwhelmed by her presence, Isabelle Norton held a fan to her mouth and looked at Monica with narrowed, spiteful eyes.
"Oh my, how do you do, Aunt Monica? Your attire is as impoverished as ever, I see. I’m absolutely mortified that your name remains listed among the lowest ranks of our noble House of Kerbeck!"
Confronted with such obvious hostility, Monica went pale and stood frozen in place.
Monica was timid and highly sensitive to other people’s malice. Even the slightest prick in someone’s words was enough to make her shrink back; she was a timid little coward. Faced with such clear hostility, tears were already welling in her eyes.
But before Monica could crouch down on the spot, Isabelle broke into a bright smile on her spirited face.
"So, how was that? Wasn’t it suitably villainess-like? Ever since I was given this role, I’ve practiced my voice every single day without fail! I pride myself on the crispness of this laugh—I’m confident no one can match me!"
What did she mean by the crispness of a laugh?
As Monica stared at her blankly in utter bewilderment, Isabelle suddenly looked as though she had realized something.
"Oh dear, how improper of me—I haven’t even introduced myself."
Isabelle then pinched up the hem of her skirt and performed an extraordinarily graceful and elegant noblewoman’s curtsy.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Silent Witch Monica Everett-sama. I am Isabelle Norton, daughter of Azure Norton, Count of Kerbeck. You were of great assistance when the Black Dragon was defeated. On behalf of my father and the people of our territory, please allow me to express our deepest gratitude."
Isabelle smiled sweetly at Monica, who had been rendered statue-like by the shock.
There was not a trace of spite in that smile. It was incredibly cute, overflowing with friendliness, and utterly charming.
"Oh, to think that one of the great Seven Sages, who shot down an entire flock of more than ten wyverns all by herself and even drove off the legendary Black Dragon of Wogan, would be such an adorable person! And I hear that you’re only one year older than I am!"
As Monica’s numbed mind wondered whether a one-year age gap meant Isabelle was eighteen, Isabelle took Monica’s hand, colored her cheeks rose, and peered into Monica’s face.
"Oh, please… would you allow me to call you Monica-oneesama?"
She was younger. Shockingly, she was younger.
"Ah, um, er, well……"
As Monica opened and closed her mouth helplessly, Lewis, who had been sitting on the sofa and watching the exchange with a pleasant smile, stood up and forcibly pushed her head down.
"Come now, Silent Witch-dono, won’t you greet Isabelle-sama, who will be assisting you from now on?"
"P-plea…sed… to… meet… you……"
When Monica forced the words out through her constricted throat, Lewis kept her head bowed and sighed in exasperation.
"My apologies, Isabelle-sama. Silent Witch-dono is a little shy."
"No, no, please don’t worry. I know that Monica-oneesama is shy… but she is stronger, kinder, and braver than anyone else!"
Who on earth was she talking about? Monica wondered. She was neither strong nor brave, at least not as far as Monica knew.
But Isabelle seemed to have completely drifted into her own world. Resting a hand against her rose-colored cheek, she gazed dreamily into empty space and began to speak.
"They say that even the Dragonrider Corps would have difficulty defeating the Black Dragon of Wogan. The flames it breathes are flames from the underworld. They burn everything to ashes and even nullify a mage’s defensive barriers… Truly, it was the strongest, most evil, and most vicious dragon of all. And yet you defeated it all by yourself! That is not something just anyone could do! And then, after defeating the Black Dragon, you left without saying a word… That’s… that’s just far too cool!"
The truth was that Monica had only participated in the Black Dragon hunt because Lewis had grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her out, saying, "Might I suggest you get some exercise once in a while?"
And she had not skipped the banquet out of humility, either; she had done so because she was painfully shy around people.
But to Isabelle, who knew none of this, Monica appeared to be a brave and humble archmage.
It was a spectacular misunderstanding, but Monica was not eloquent enough to explain it. Lewis, for his part, was trying to exploit it to the fullest.
"Oneesama! I hear that you’re infiltrating the academy this time to serve as Prince Felix’s bodyguard! It is a great honor to be able to help you! So that no one will suspect you, I shall bully you thoroughly, bully you, and bully you to within an inch of your life! Please rest easy and devote yourself to protecting His Highness!"
With that, Isabelle took Monica’s hand and shook it up and down vigorously.
Completely swept along by the atmosphere, Monica could do nothing but let herself be handled as she pleased, managing only to squeak out, "Yeees……" in a tiny voice.
＊ ＊ ＊
While Isabelle clung to Monica and excitedly chattered away, Lewis kept a little distance from them, wearing a gentle, amiable smile.
A beautiful woman in a maid’s uniform—Rin—approached him without making a sound and whispered in his ear.
"Apparently, two members of the Magic Corps whom we had sent to infiltrate Serendia Academy were exposed by His Highness and expelled from the academy."
What an observant prince, Lewis thought, clicking his tongue silently.
After the magical artifact meant for self-defense had been destroyed, he had sent members of the Magic Corps into the academy as a precaution. He had not expected them to be discovered so quickly.
There was no doubt that the Second Prince would turn his suspicious gaze toward Monica and Isabelle once they enrolled.
The Count of Kerbeck had no direct connection to Lewis, but the Second Prince was bound to harbor suspicions: could these two be agents of Lewis Miller?
"We need a decoy."
"What do you mean?"
"At the same time that Monica-dono and Isabelle enroll, we’ll have my idiot apprentice enroll as well."
Lewis wore a sinister grin, and the eye behind his monocle gleamed sharply.
"That way, there’s no doubt His Highness’s suspicions will be directed at him, don’t you think?"
Lewis Miller’s apprentice was a troublesome student who had once half-destroyed the campus of Minerva, an academy for training mages.
Silent Witch Monica Everett, who had difficulty dealing with people.
Isabelle, who was playing the part of a villainess for her sake.
And Lewis Miller’s apprentice, who had a prior offense involving the destruction of an academy.
Rin secretly wondered just how quickly Serendia Academy would collapse with these three problematic individuals enrolling at the same time.
"I estimate two months."
"Where did that come from all of a sudden, you stupid maid?"
That was the predicted remaining lifespan of the prestigious Serendia Academy.