I looked at Vigdis with a quietly pitying gaze.
Only then did her faculties, which had been absent, seem to return, and she let out an “Ah….” before bowing her head deeply with an embarrassed expression.
She must have realized her misunderstanding and was feeling ashamed.
Though it seemed the others still held their misconceptions.
But hadn’t I already decided to endure the rumors that “Karvald likes Vigdis so much he’s clinging to her”?
Even if they misunderstood, it wouldn’t cause any problems when I later break off the engagement with Vigdis.
“If Vigdis has cleared up her misunderstanding, that’s enough!”
To reveal that Reysir’s interpretation was all wrong, I would first have to explain that I don’t love Vigdis.
And to do that, I’d have to talk about secretly making the engagement contract with her.
If Vigdis brought it up first, I wouldn’t stop her, but I didn’t want to be the one to confess it myself.
“Because, who just goes around sharing personal secrets with anyone?”
Friends. Usually, one only shares secrets with very close and trusted friends.
And I’d much rather be misunderstood as considering Reysir a friend than be mistaken for deeply loving Vigdis.
So instead of explaining, I put food into my mouth…
“Then wouldn’t this problem be solved if we all called each other by nicknames?”
Suddenly, Reysir came up with that ridiculous suggestion as if it were a solution.
‘How on earth did such a conclusion come about?’
“First, Karvald finds it uncomfortable to call Vigdis by a nickname, right? But if we all called each other by nicknames, it wouldn’t be a special term between lovers but just a friendly nickname among friends. Then, even if you called Vigdis by her usual title, it wouldn’t feel like you want to cling to her as before.”
Hearing his reasoning, it wasn’t just ridiculous—it was utter nonsense and babbling.
“And if Vigdis were called by a nickname by not just Karvald but by all of us, she wouldn’t be scared of that name anymore, right?”
No matter what, Vigdis has never been afraid of being called a nickname by Karvald.
What she feared wasn’t the name but the obsession.
That’s why she reacted with confusion when I tried to use trauma as an excuse.
“So, let’s all just call each other by nicknames!”
Reysir probably just wanted to say that for himself, not for me or Vigdis.
Listening to him, I was so dumbfounded that I even forgot to chew the food in my mouth.
Before I could voice my refusal, someone else spoke first.
“I’d prefer to be excluded.”
I wasn’t surprised at all that Hailga said that.
Because even now, she was hiding her usual tone and personality.
There was no way she would allow nicknames.
But her childhood friend couldn’t accept Hailga’s reaction as natural.
“Why not?”
“Although it’s common for friends to call each other by nicknames, it’s kind of embarrassing and awkward… I want to save them for when I find someone I truly love.”
Hailga covered her cheek with her palm, pretending to be shy.
Seeing her coy act, Reysir’s expression immediately crumpled.
It was only natural…
“Hailga. No, Helly. Why are you lying to me?”
That’s what childhood friends are for.
They used to call each other by nicknames.
But now, Hailga says it’s awkward for friends to use nicknames and that she wants to save it for someone she loves—Reysir couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
“You were the one who suggested we stop using nicknames. So now you shouldn’t call me that.”
“You know I had no choice then, right? Now that the problem is all solved, I want things to go back to how they were. Why are you refusing? Are you still upset because I said we should keep our distance? If so, I’m sorry.”
From their conversation, it’s clear that the reason these two, who used to call each other by nicknames, now use proper names is entirely because of Karvald.
If Karvald hadn’t been bothering Reysir, Reysir wouldn’t have told his childhood friend to keep her distance.
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not for that reason.”
“Then why?”
Resentment dripped from Reysir’s expression and voice.
It seemed that Reysir’s suggestion to call each other by nicknames wasn’t only about closing the psychological distance between us.
That was certainly one purpose among others.
“Looks like the real goal was to narrow the gap with your childhood friend who has grown distant.”
No doubt, this wasn’t the first time Reysir asked Hailga to call him by a nickname again.
They must have talked about it many times when they were alone.
Still, nothing changed, and this situation happened.
“I already said I want to save nicknames for someone I’ll love someday.”
“I don’t believe that for a second, but I’ll let it slide since you insist. But what about your tone? How long do you plan on speaking formally to me in front of others? There’s absolutely no reason for that anymore.”
No, there was a reason for Hailga.
She was pretending to be a sociable character who got along with everyone at the Academy.
When she realized she couldn’t do anything to protect Reysir from Karvald’s torment, she understood that power was necessary to protect those she cared about.
But titles can’t be raised just by wanting to.
“So Hailga set her sights on rising to a high office!
Unlike titles, offices can’t be inherited by descendants, but if she could just get a high position, she could protect those close to her immediately.
If she were lucky enough to make a name for herself working in the royal palace, her rank could rise.
While it would be impossible to gain the same authority as the great Dukedoms, she thought she could acquire enough power to make bullying her without cause burdensome.
Naturally, to reach a high office, she had to study hard, and noticeably so.
Without that, she wouldn’t get a chance to be promoted, let alone raise her rank by merit.
So Hailga was working hard, aiming to be top of her class.
“The problem is, whether in a feudal fantasy society or modern capitalist one, there’s a limit to how high you can rise on ability alone.”
This was why Hailga hid her tomboyish nature and acted coy.
First, to expand her network, and second, to avoid making enemies.
Of these, the second was the most important to Hailga.
Nobles were the kind of people who couldn’t bear having someone they didn’t acknowledge above them.
If someone like her—just the baron’s daughter—ended up top of the class, many would be displeased.
Those high-born but lacking substance might harass her and disrupt her studies, or even block her from getting a position altogether.
So even when unpleasant people approached, she couldn’t just push them away.
She tried to maintain an appropriate distance by speaking pleasantly and carefully, so as not to offend them.
“Reysir, we’ll soon be adults. We can’t keep acting and speaking like children forever.”
It was truly ironic.
Smiling and saying pleasant things to people she disliked, but making sharp remarks and stern expressions to those she cared about most.
“If you called Reysir by a nickname and spoke casually, the people you dislike would force the same treatment on you and cross all boundaries. Even if you wanted to, you can’t do that. You should just honestly explain your situation…!”
Reysir had no idea about Hailga’s goals or the reasons behind them.
I knew because the original story unfolded this through Hailga’s point of view.
Since readers hated Hailga so much, the author probably wrote it to say, “She’s trying, so please look at her kindly~!”
Yet the comments wishing for her early death never stopped.
Critics complained that a useless character was wasting time on backstory and screentime, making public opinion worse.
“As a result, in the original story, Hailga died a meaningless death without ever getting the chance to explain her efforts to Reysir!”
‘Maybe because of that setting?’
Current Hailga seemed to have no intention of explaining her efforts to Reysir.
Yet she looked at him with a resentful gaze and pursed her lips.
Normally, this would be incomprehensible.
But as the author, I saw the answer.
This was the cliché: she never told him anything but thought, “I’m working so hard for you, but you don’t even know my feelings!” and got hurt all alone.
A conflict that could have been resolved through dialogue instead dragged on silently.
A tedious plot that blew a trivial matter out of proportion.
Knowing this frustrating scene was about to unfold right before my eyes, my throat tightened, and I suddenly craved a cold soda.
So I couldn’t help but blurt out.
“It seems like there’s something going on. Wouldn’t it be better to just speak honestly? We’re friends like family, so what’s there to hide?”
“At least I don’t want to hear that from you…!”
True to their longtime friendship, Hailga snapped at Reysir, her anger flaring suddenly.
Still, I could understand.
“That’s understandable. Since you two are distant because of me, it’s natural you’d be annoyed by my interference. But if it wasn’t for that reason, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“What do you mean? Because of Karvald, my relationship with Reysir became strained, and now Karvald’s stepping in to make peace?”
“You two have to make peace yourselves. I’m just adding my two cents.”
“……”
Hailga didn’t hide her discomfort and tilted her head as if daring me to speak more.
Even though she knew exactly what Karvald did to Reysir last semester.
‘Doesn’t she think I might block her path to advancement because I dislike her?’
‘Surely she hasn’t been brainwashed by Reysir’s ‘Karvald = tsundere theory’ into thinking I’m a decent person?’
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