After finishing the two-day carriage trip, we finally returned to the grounds of Luminor Academy.

As usual, Princess Mezzlen had no apparent appointments with anyone else today. She sat on a bench in front of the magic department building, talking to me about various things.

“L-Lady Lilith, I think I misunderstood something last week… Haha…”

“…Yes.”

“I-I had no idea that person was overseeing your swordsmanship lessons… I mean, Lady Lilith, you're a student in the magic department, but you also take swordsmanship classes…”

“…That’s right.”

“A-And to think, you’ve already served him for over eight years at Blackwood Mansion… The world truly is full of surprises, isn’t it?”

“…Indeed.”

“S-So, Lady Lilith, could you perhaps tell me what Sir Harold is interested in…?”

“I’m sorry. Something urgent has come up, so I must excuse myself, Princess Mezzlen.”

-Grab!

“W-Wait! Don’t go, Lady Lilith…!!”

As soon as we met again at the academy, Mezzlen began with her usual pointless chatter, following it up with an absurd question.

I had no desire to get involved in her romantic pursuits, so I hurried to leave, but she quickly grabbed my arm, clinging to me.

“P-Please, give me some advice at least…! You’ve served Sir Harold for a long time, so you must know something about him…!”

“The only advice I can offer you, out of consideration, is to give up on your feelings for Professor Harold as soon as possible.”

“W-Why would you say that?! D-Do you secretly harbor feelings for him as well…?”

“Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you can say whatever you like, Princess Mezzlen. I have already given my body and heart to Master Ethan. How could you accuse me of harboring feelings for another man? Hmm?”

“…O-Okay, I understand. I-I know that’s not the case, so could you please stop glaring at me…?”

Mezzlen, spouting nonsense about me looking at another man despite being with Ethan, finally closed her mouth. I proceeded to explain in a way that even a fool could understand why things would never work out between her and Harold.

“First of all, Professor Harold has not had a single woman by his side since losing his wife over 20 years ago.”

“T-That’s just because he hasn’t met a woman that’s captured his interest…”

“That’s highly unlikely. While Professor Harold may be older, he is a Sword Master and one of the empire’s three greatest swordsmen. To this day, marriage proposals and invitations to social events continue to pour into Blackwood Mansion. According to the head maid who’s served there for a long time, these letters have been arriving ever since Duchess Tanasia passed away 20 years ago, without interruption.”

“B-But I’m a princess! Surely, I have more appeal than some noble ladies sending proposals…”

“Proposals to Professor Harold have not only come from noble ladies within the empire. Women of high status, whose names even you, Princess Mezzlen, would recognize, have sent him letters. Even a foreign princess once proposed marriage.”

“……”

“Besides, Duchess Tanasia wasn’t from a particularly prestigious family. She was the daughter of a minor viscount from a remote region. If Professor Harold cared about family or bloodlines, he wouldn’t have married her in the first place. So, your noble blood won’t help you attract Professor Harold. He hasn’t shown interest in another woman in over 20 years, not even hiring a personal maid.”

Mezzlen clearly wanted to argue but had nothing to say. I felt a little sorry for her, but it was better to cut this short now. Letting her waste time on a love that would never materialize was in no one’s best interest.

I had emphasized the 20-year gap to make it clear she should give up, but instead, she latched onto that detail in the most bizarre way.

“W-Well, 20 years is a long time… He might have changed by now…”

“…What?”

“I-I mean, Sir Harold must have had strong feelings for his late wife, so it’s understandable he hasn’t been with anyone else for 20 years… But he’s still a healthy man, right? Surely, his desires must still burn within him…”

“…What?”

“T-They say men think about women even while holding a fork and knife. Sir Harold is still in such good shape, swinging around that heavy sword every day—maybe he’s actually looking for someone to handle all that energy…!”

…You should just call yourself the lewd princess. Maybe then I can shed my title of the "lewd maid."

Despite her innocent appearance, much like Saintess Celestia, Mezzlen was here spewing nonsense about lust and vitality. I could hardly believe what I was hearing, but she continued, oblivious to the absurdity of her thoughts.

“Princess Mezzlen, if Professor Harold heard you saying these things…”

“M-Maybe the reason Sir Harold hasn’t been with anyone for 20 years is that his physical connection with Duchess Tanasia was too strong… Perhaps she was the only one who could handle his desires…”

“W-Wait a minute! You can’t just say that—”

“A-And after she passed, he must have thought no one else could ever satisfy him like she did! Maybe Duchess Tanasia was secretly as lustful as a commoner?!”

-Clap!

Before this insane princess could spout any more nonsense, I clamped my hand over her mouth and quickly looked around.

There’s a saying that speaking of the devil brings them near, but thankfully, just because we were talking about Harold didn’t mean he had suddenly appeared nearby.

If Harold had overheard, Mezzlen and I both would have been in serious trouble. Insulting the honor of Tanasia, and by extension allowing it to happen, would have drawn his wrath upon both of us.

“Princess Mezzlen, if you don’t want to avoid Professor Harold’s gaze for the rest of your life, you must never say anything like that in his presence.”

“…Huh?”

“Let me tell you a story from my first year working at Blackwood Mansion…”

I proceeded to explain to Mezzlen how dangerous it was to insult Harold’s family by recounting the story of "Aeria" and "Alicia."

Those two maids were caught stealing a keepsake from Duchess Tanasia, and as punishment, Harold had broken nearly every bone in their bodies.

‘For all I know, they’re still serving as sex slaves for the soldiers at the northern front of Silverwood Estate.’

Even though the keepsake was valuable enough that three years of service should have repaid the debt, the emotional value attached to Tanasia’s memento was incalculable. Harold’s rage had been factored into their punishment.

I didn’t mention the part about them being sent off as sex slaves, to avoid making things even more uncomfortable, but Mezzlen seemed to understand the seriousness of what I was telling her.

“I-I see… So, no talking about his family in front of him…”

“More precisely, don’t insult his family or tarnish their honor. That applies not only to the late Duchess Tanasia but also to Young Master Ethan.”

“O-Okay… I’ll keep that in mind…”

Whether this lewd princess would actually listen to my advice was unclear, but saying something was better than nothing.

If she went around spreading nonsense like "Tanasia was secretly lewd and Harold can’t forget her," it might provoke Harold into doing something rash. And while he was Duke of Blackwood, attacking a royal was a serious crime. I didn’t want any of this coming back to bite Ethan or me.

“Is there any other advice, Lady Lilith…?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, advice on how to behave around Sir Harold, or perhaps things he enjoys… The story you just told me was quite helpful…”

“…I wasn’t offering relationship advice, but…”

“B-But still…! Oh, do you happen to know any stories about Duchess Tanasia? M-Maybe they would help…”

“Like I said, stop mentioning Duchess Tanasia’s name so carelessly…”

As I was about to warn Mezzlen again about casually mentioning Tanasia, a familiar voice interrupted from behind us.

“Are you two talking about Tanasia? Or did I mishear?”

“…………?!?!”

At the sound of the familiar voice, I froze completely, my body turning to stone.