My Ruin to You - Chapter 204

It was an unexpected display of conscience. But the surprises weren’t over. A certain young nobleman, with whom she’d only ever exchanged nods in passing, also raised his hand. He stated that Sir Mür’s tyranny, disguised as training, had been far too excessive, and that he would rather join the team in place of the two young ladies.

Next was another young nobleman, then after that, a young lady. Even the timid Ruav got swept up in the mood and raised her hand, meaning practically all the Manifestors from the Academy had stepped forward. In unison, they raised questions about Mür’s training methods, and as the testimonies piled up, Mür’s face turned various shades of red and purple. His tightly clenched hands trembled faintly, and his firmly pressed lips grew increasingly twisted.

“No, everyone, I appreciate your concern, but I’m really fine.”

While not as flustered as Mür, Roseline was also taken aback by the sudden turn of events and quickly added her words.

“Enduring is not always the best course of action, young lady.”

The Section Head looked down at Roseline with immense pity. It was frustrating because she couldn’t simply lay bare her true feelings. Around that time, the Chief Knight, having heard the news, hurriedly entered the healing center. The Chief Knight, who had admonished Mür on several occasions already, let out a heavy sigh at the situation that had finally boiled over.

“You’re here, Section Head.”

The Section Head’s sharp gaze immediately turned to the Chief Knight.

“Just how are you managing your subordinates?”

“I am deeply ashamed.”

“Follow me. You, come too!”

The Section Head, the Chief Knight, and Mür filed out of the healing center one after another. Roseline stared blankly at the barracks entrance.

◇◇◇

Mür was stripped of his senior knight rank.

The Chief Knight, having apparently heard something from the Section Head, called Roseline aside separately and apologized to her with a very respectful attitude. He even added unsolicited details, mentioning that while Mür was quite skilled, there had been a tendency to overlook his arrogant disposition.

The team leader was also changed. Mür’s demotion created a promotion opportunity for someone else, and fortunately, the person newly appointed as senior knight was a man of sound common sense. Thanks to this, Roseline and Malsen, finally free from menial chores, were at last able to begin their training in earnest.

Mür still remained at the healing center. Having lost a great deal, he seemed to quietly focus on his own tasks, but whenever their eyes met, he would glare at her as if he wanted to devour her. Did anyone think this situation was a great thing for me?

All I did was run into Valen while carrying a bucket, and things unfolded like this. It was utterly absurd.

She couldn’t even blame him for arbitrarily interfering, as it wasn’t something Valen had deliberately orchestrated. No, wait. If I had to point fingers, it’s suspicious from the moment he loitered near the healing center with the Section Head in tow, and even more so that the Section Head just happened to offer to carry the bucket for me. But she had no desire to dig into his motives now. Getting suspicious, fuming, and going to confront him seemed like exactly what Valen wanted.

“Good morning to you again.”

It was the third day since the commotion, and the Section Head had been frequenting the healing center almost daily. His excuses were varied. One day, it was to encourage the wounded soldiers fighting for the Empire’s eternal glory; another day, it was under the pretext of an inspection to honor the sublime sense of duty of the healing-type Manifestors.

But even the patients in the healing center knew these were just flimsy excuses.

‘That young lady Celodienne is the one who will become the Grand Duchess.’
‘Huh? The Grand Duchess, you say?’
‘As you know, I’m rather quick on the uptake, you see? It’s almost certain. It seems His Highness endured that humiliation all alone, wondering who it was for. For a young lady to be so admirable, yet it also weighs heavily on my heart.’
‘Oh my…’
‘Don’t go spreading this around, just keep it to yourself.’

He thought he had only discreetly hinted to the Chief Knight, but what secret ever stays perfectly contained?

The rumor spread from mouth to mouth and quickly permeated the entire camp. The reactions were mixed. Some acted shocked as if they’d never heard such a thing, while others nodded as if they had expected it.

On the other hand, the assessment of Roseline was consistent.

“They say the young lady endured all that hardship alone, fearing she might cause trouble for His Highness.”
“She’s truly deep, that young lady. If it were me, I would have already reported it to His Highness and had measures taken.”
“You said it. To be so beautiful and have such a virtuous character… His Highness has found a worthy consort.”

Whenever three people gathered, they were busy unanimously praising the future Grand Duchess. The problem was that the subject of the rumor, Roseline, had not a single thought of becoming the Grand Duchess.

“It seems the two wish to have a secret romance, so let’s pretend we don’t know. Everyone, don’t be indiscreet and conduct yourselves properly.”

The other problem was that those who heard the rumor were so wonderfully united, clenching their teeth, pretending ignorance, and not showing a hint of their knowledge.