Chapter 142
After a moment of silence.
“What’s on your mind, Rose?”
“…”
“Are you… thinking about something naughty?”
“…Eh.”
…What? Isn’t this what you asked when you asked how imprinting was?
As I stopped talking, puzzled, the Guides exchanged strange looks.
After a meaningful glance, one of the Guides tried to hold back a laugh and gently said,
“We were just asking… if there’s anything different before and after the imprinting…?”
“Huh?”
“Like, if Claude treats you more dearly…?”
“…”
Meaning, there was no need to explain exactly what happened at the moment of the imprinting.
…This is crazy.
Realizing this, I was shocked in real time, and the Guides, of course, found something to tease me about.
“Chattering away and then suddenly getting all shy! Why are you so innocent? So cute, adorable!”
“Rose, how far did your thoughts go, sitting in broad daylight in front of us! Your face is all red!”
“Come on, Rose. We just started talking today, did you really think we’d ask about intimate bedroom details?”
“…But since you’ve imagined it, why don’t you tell us a bit more?”
“N-No…”
Whether I turned pale or not, the Guides quickly surrounded me with mischievous grins.
“So Claude tormented you, huh? That’s interesting… Tell us in chronological order how you got tormented…”
“I’m so curious about how Claude treated you carefully, Rose…”
“If you’re embarrassed, want to come here and whisper it in my ear? Hehe…”
“Aaaaack! I didn’t imagine anything! I won’t tell!”
At that moment, when I was cornered and feeling faint.
“…What are you guys doing?”
The Guides froze instantly at the venomous, furious voice.
Beyond them, I could see Shana, fuming with anger.
Epine and Simeyez stood up in confusion.
“…Shana! You said you weren’t coming today… why…!”
“So, that’s why you were so curious if I’d come. Planning to play with that cheap F-Class in my absence, were you…?”
“Shana, we were just…”
“…You’ve all gone mad.”
Hmm, even the infamous Shana has moments where she’s helpful to me.
I thought disinterestedly.
Regardless, Shana, not even realizing she had just helped me, snapped fiercely.
“Epine, do you not remember when she threw your pen out of the window? And you guys, have you forgotten how she said if you have a brain, you should use it to think? Don’t you have any pride? Snap out of it…!”
“Um… Since it came up, I want to clear up a misunderstanding. That comment about presenting feelings wasn’t a broad attack on all Guides but was targeted solely at Shana…”
“Shut up!”
Shana snapped fiercely. I clamped my mouth shut in surprise.
“You, come here right now and leave that thing alone.”
“Shana…”
“Right now…!”
Simeyez and Epine hesitated, glancing back and forth between me and Shana.
Even if they had opened up to me because of the outdoor mock training, they had spent years under Shana’s thumb. It wouldn’t be easy for them to go against Shana’s wishes. I didn’t have much hope either.
But then…
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Uh, Shana, we are…”
Unexpectedly, Simeyez and Epine were wavering between me and Shana for quite a while. Naturally, Shana seemed to feel even more betrayed by their behavior.
The atmosphere was decidedly not good.
So, after watching for a bit, I impulsively spoke up.
“Um… But if Shana truly considers you guys her friends, why would she try to interfere and control who you choose to associate with?”
“What, what did you say…?”
“Friends, right? They’re not subordinates who should move and act as you wish, Shana. Do you really consider them your friends?”
Shana faltered as if caught off guard. Epine and Simeyez looked at me, surprised.
“What do you know…! What do you know to spout off like that!”
“Eh… well, I guess I don’t know.”
I shrugged. Honestly, I said it without much thought since I don’t have friends either.
I didn’t mean to provoke her, but Shana seemed to get even more irritated, her eyes now bloodshot with anger.
“You think just because you’ve imprinted with Lord Claude, you own the world, that it’s all beneath your feet? Wrong, Rose Valentine. No matter how high your matching rate with Lord Claude is, you’re just an F-Class Guide. With zero guiding stability! What use is a Guide like you who can’t guide when it’s most needed?”
“Um…”
…That’s not true.
Lately, Claude has been receiving guiding energy whenever he wants, and quite satisfactorily at that. He still won’t tell me exactly how it’s done, though.
…
…Thinking about that annoyingly proud look he gives every time the guiding works was about to sour my mood when.
“Hey! Are you listening?”
“Ah, sorry. I got distracted for a moment.”
Shana yelled, having caught on that I wasn’t paying attention.
I offered an unnecessary apology, startled, which seemed to irritate her even more.
As if she couldn’t stand it unless she somehow diminished me and inflicted some hurt.
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