Chapter 4: Confession

Time pass by so fast, I became a second year at the Royal Academy. When I got home on my day off, I met my sister who graduated from school.

“Noah, it’s been a while”

“Sister, it’s been a while… congratulations on your marriage”

“Thanks”

Saying this, I handed her a deco pin. She is my unreasonable sister. Such an older sister is loved by her brother-in-law Cecil, and they will have their wedding next month.

“Make sure to make Grace happy, too.”

“…”

“Why are you making such a face? Are you in a fight with Grace?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

“Then it’s fine, but… remember to properly say the important things in words.”

Sister said in a rare serious tone.

It’s not like Grace and I are in a quarrel. However, since we became second years, Grace seemed to constantly avoid me. At least I have no idea why and want to talk properly about it…

“Are you being avoided by Grace?”

---

Back at school, I talked to my friend James about it. James loves drawing as much as Grace, and he’s often talked about Grace. James also said, 「I never thought that a young lady with a vertical roll would also draw pictures…」.

“That’s right… Even if I try to speak with her, she comes up with some reason to quickly get away from me.”

I may have been able to stop her by force… but I’m scared to think that that would make Grace hate me.

“I see… We talked recently, though. She said she lost an important paint… should I ask Grace more about it?”

My chest ached when James said Grace was talking to him about things I didn’t know. Aa expected, I should talk to her myself… When I was just about to say that,

“Noah~!”

Elena Walker interrupted our conversation with a honey-filled voice. Elena is a former commoner adopted by the Baron family and has moved into the school this year. Many guys are absorbed in her lovely appearance of blond blue eyes and her innocent personality. Even though I just told her the way, from then on she always comes to talk to me. I’m annoyed because she even interrupts me from trying to talk to Grace.

“What is it, Walker-san”

“Now~, even though I told you to call me Elena!”

What are you saying even though we are not close to each other…

“You know, I have something to talk about about Grace Roland. I’ll wait for you in the classroom after school.”

Calling her Grace disrespectfully, I suppressed the feelings of wanting to say something about it, and accepted her invitation.

“Hey, Noah. Are you really going to see that woman?”

James said worriedly.

“I’m interested in what she has to say about Grace.”

“… Be careful. Recently, there are rumors that you’re in love with that Elena girl.”

“Huh?! What’s with that?”

“It’s not like I believe it, since I know you love Grace so heavily. But there are quite a few who are being fooled. So be careful.”

Somehow I feel something bad’s going to happen. Why on earth is such a rumor…

---

When I went to the classroom after school, there was only Elena there.

“Noah! I’ve been waiting.”

“… What is it with Grace that you’re going to talk about?”

I want to hear the story early and go home. And then talk to Grace properly.

“Uhm… you know… I’m being bullied by Grace Roland.”

What? What is this person talking about?

While being stunned, Elena wept and suddenly hugged me.

“Walker-san, get off me”

“Because I’m scared! Grace Roland is jealous of me, who is good friends with Noah, and gossips about me and hits me!”

For the time being, I peel Elena off from me. I can’t trust a woman’s tears. That is what I learned from my sister.

I mean, I don’t understand what the heck she’s saying. Grace is by no means the type of person to do that, and she can’t be jealous because she doesn’t even like me in a romantic way.

“That, is there any evidence to your claim?”

“Huh?”

“Even though you have no evidence, how can you even make up lies like that.”

“B-but… on purpose! Grace Roland deliberately made sure that no evidence remained… Noah is being deceived!”

“Don’t insult my fiancee any more”

I shouldn’t have come to such a place. I have to somehow erase the rumors.

“Wait!”

As Elena grabbed my arm, I unconsciously fling her away and something fell from her pocket.

I picked it up before Elena who rushed to do so.

“This is… Grace’s paint…”

What Elena dropped was the jade-colored paint I gave Grace one day. It seems that she hasn’t used it since she drew a picture at that time, and most of the contents still remain.

“Y-you’re wrong! That’s mine!”

“Isn’t the name of Grace engraved here?”

Speaking of which, I recalled James said Grace lost her paint.

“Walker-san, I’ll have you explain properly.”

Elena muttered something with a pale face.

“What is this, why is this… Even though I’m the heroine…”

Then with no way out, she admitted that she had stolen Grace’s paint, and I reported her to the teacher for the time being. I still have things to do, but I just want to see Grace right now.

I went to find the place where Grace is most likely to be. When I went to the school backyard where Grace sometimes do her sketches, I saw her and James talking there.

I could have just immediately went on to talk to them, but somehow I hid instead. Grace looked at James with teary eyes.

“… Like, I like…”

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