まだ短い付き合いだが、ティナはとても素直で優しい子だ。今まで辛く当たっていたリリアに対しても友達として付き合ってくれる。それを考えるだけでも底抜けなお人好しだろう。それが欠点でもあるだろうが、それほど責められることではないはずだ。
そしてティナは、決して打たれ強いわけではない。おそらくは、むしろ打たれ弱い方だろう。何となくだが、ティナは人に嫌われることを怖れているような節がある。だからこそ、心無い言葉には人一倍敏感で、あんな紙に書かれた文字にすら泣いてしまうのだろう。
あれを書いた者にも怒りはあるが、もう一人、王子は何をしているのかと思う。リリアを捨てたのなら、それ相応の形を見せてほしいものだ。それなのに、ティナのことを守ろうともしていない。こうなることは予想できたであろうに。それとも、予想もできないような馬鹿だったのだろうか。
――本当に......許せないわ......。
リリアはゆっくりと息を吐き出す。
――あの子をいじめていいのは私だけなのに。
――今までの流れが全て台無しだよ!
さくらの叫びが頭に響く。リリアは眉をしかめながら、静かに微笑んだ。
――何か問題があるの?
――うん。もういいや。それで、どうするの?
さくらの問いに、リリアはそっと目を閉じる。少しだけ考えて、そして言った。
――まずは一人、叩き潰しましょう。
――怖いなあ......。それでこそリリアだけど。
さくらも楽しげに笑う。リリアの頭の中で、リリアとさくらの、とても楽しげな笑い声が響いていた。
翌日。リリアはいつも通りの朝を過ごし、いつも通りに教室に入った。何人かの生徒が教室で談笑していたが、リリアに気が付くと声を潜めて何かを囁きあい、忍び笑いを漏らしていた。夜会のことでも言っているのかもしれないが、特に気にするようなことでもない。
リリアは教室を見回し、目的の人物がいないことに少しだけ落胆しつつ自分の席に座った。
しばらく待っていると、リリアの取り巻き三人が入ってきた。リリアを見つけると、席に荷物を置いてすぐに寄ってくる。煩わしいと思いながらも、彼女たちを出迎えた。
「申し訳ありません、リリア様! 遅くなってしまいました!」
「別に待っていないから気にしなくてもいいわよ。それよりも、貴方......」
リリアの視線が三人のうち、真ん中に立っている方へと向く。しっかりと顔を見て、簡単に記憶を漁る。セーラ・ヴァルディア。伯爵家の令嬢で、この学園に来るまではリリアとの繋がりは一切なかった少女。どこかの夜会で会ったことはあるかもしれないが、その程度だ。
リリアは机の上に、ティナからもらったあの紙を置いた。丁寧に書かれた文字だが、所々に特徴的な癖がある。その癖は、セーラ特有のものだ。その紙を見たセーラが首を傾げた。
「あの......。どうしてリリアーヌ様がそれを......?」
どうやら隠すつもりはないらしい。それでも念のために聞いておく。
「これは貴方が書いたもので間違いないわね?」
「はい。私が書いて、あの小娘の荷物に紛れ込ませておきました。まさかあの小娘、リリアーヌ様を疑ったのですか? なんて恐れ多い、すぐに問い詰めて......」
「黙りなさい」
意識していたわけではなかったが、予想以上に低い声が出てしまった。セーラがぴたりと言葉を止め、顔を青ざめさせている。いつの間にか周囲も静かになっていた。
「別に私が疑われていたわけではないわ。夜会での一件があったから、誰かがくだらないことをしているんじゃないかと、ティナさんの部屋を訪ねたのよ」
「え......」
驚きからか、セーラが大きく目を見開いた。驚きの理由には察しがつく。上級貴族の者が二階に足を踏み入れることなどないからだ。上級貴族の誰もが下級貴族以下のものを見下し、彼らの生活圏には足を踏み入れない。その場所へ、リリアがわざわざ赴いたというのだからこの驚きは当然のものだろう。
リリアは指先で机を、紙を叩いた。軽い音がしただけだが、セーラは恐怖からかびくりと体を震わせた。
「私がどこに行こうが、貴方には関係ないと思うのだけど。違う?」
「はい......。仰るとおりです。申し訳ありません」
セーラが素直に頭を下げる。リリアは小さく鼻を鳴らしただけで、それで、とまた紙を叩いた。
「はい......?」
「これはどういうことかしら?」
セーラが書いたというこの紙にも、他に見たものと似通ったことが書かれている。殿下に釣り合わない、己の立場を考えろ、リリアーヌ様の温情を理解しろ、など。リリアの名前まで出ていたのでこれを読んだ時はさすがに呆れたものだ。
「その......。その言葉の通りです」
「つまり?」
「あの小娘が殿下の側にいることが許せません!」
セーラが声を大にして叫ぶ。その声に眉を上げ、続けなさい、という意味を込めて紙をまた叩く。
「殿下の隣はリリアーヌ様のものです! それを、あんな小娘が奪うなど許されるはずがありません! 殿下の隣にはリリアーヌ様が立つべきなのです」
なるほど、とリリアは頷いた。セーラにとってはリリアのための行動ということらしい。
リリアは怒りを必死に抑えながら、ゆっくりと視線を上げた。睨み付けられたセーラがひっと短く悲鳴を漏らした。
「言いたいことは分かったわ」
そうして笑顔を浮かべる。それを見たセーラは安堵のため息をついて笑顔になった。
「分かっていただけたようで何よりです。これは全てリリアーヌ様の......」
「セーラ。今すぐ私の視界から消えなさい」
セーラの表情が凍り付く。リリアがため息をつきつつゆっくりと立ち上がり、リリアを囲む三人を順番に睨み付けた。誰もが顔を青ざめさせていた。この三人だけではなく、教室にいる誰もが体を震わせている。部屋の中央付近にいるクリスですら、頬を引きつらせていた。
――リリア。怖い。すごく怖い。なんか殺気が出てると言われても疑わない。
――そう。
――あ、だめだこれ。うん、まあ、やり過ぎないようにね。
さくらの許可も下りた。もう何も気にする必要はないだろう。リリアは三人を順番に睨み付け、最後はセーラで視線を固定した。セーラは体を震わせ、何かを言おうと口をぱくぱくと動かしている。だが言葉にできていない以上、リリアにとってはどうでもいいことだ。
「仮にも上級貴族に数えられるヴァルディア伯爵家の者が、ずいぶんとくだらないことをするわね」
「そ、そんな......。私は、リリアーヌ様のために......」
「誰もそんなこと頼んでいないでしょう」
Lilia had only been friends with her for a short time, but it's clear that Tina is a kind and honest girl. Even though Lilia had treated her so badly, Tina still wanted to be friends with her. If you just think about that, you can imagine how much of a good-natured person she is. Some might say that it's a weakness, but Lilia couldn't criticise her for it.
However, it wasn't as if Tina was particularly strong-willed. Most likely, she was actually quite sensitive. She didn't have any proof, but, it seemed that Tina was afraid of being hated by people. Because of that fear, even just the thoughtless words written on those pages were enough to drive her to the point of tears.
Lilia was angry at the people who wrote those things, but also, her anger was directed toward the prince. What does he think he's doing? If he was going to throw Lilia away like that, she wanted to see him treating Tina properly. Yet despite that, he's not looking after her at all. He should have been able to fathom something like this would befall Tina. Or perhaps, he was more of an idiot than Lilia thought.
--This is truly...unforgivable...
Lilia heaved a heavy sigh.
--I'm the only one that's allowed to bully that girl.
--Don't taint everything you said before by saying that!
Sakura's voice resounded in her head. Lilia knit her brows and smiled silently.
--Is there something wrong with what I said?
--Yes! Nevermind. Anyway, what are you planning on doing?
When Sakura asked that, Lillia closed her eyes in silence and thought for a bit. And then she spoke.
--First of all, I'm going to destroy that person.
--Scaaary...Well, that's exactly what makes you Lilia, though.
Sakura laughed cheerfully. Inside her head, both Lillia and Sakura's incredibly cheerful laughter resounded throughout.
The Next Day. Lilia spent her morning just as usual, and went to cla.s.s just as usual. A group of students were talking casually amongst themselves. When they noticed Lilia, someone muttered something under their breath, and their stifled laughter reached her ears. It might have been about last night's party, but Lilia decided it wasn't worth worrying about.
Lilia looked around the cla.s.sroom, but it didn't seem that the person she was looking for was here. A little discouraged, she gave up and took her seat.
Lilia waited for a while, and her three followers entered the cla.s.sroom. When they saw Lilia, they dropped their bags off at their seats and came to her side. She found the entire thing bothersome, but greeted the three girls nonetheless.
"Our deepest apologies for coming in late, Mistress Lilia!"
"It wasn't like I was waiting for you, so don't worry about it. More importantly, you..."
Lilia cast her gaze directly at the girl standing in the middle of the three girls. Seeing her face, Lilia was easily able to recall who she was. Sera Valdia. The daughter of an earl. Before she had come to the academy, the girl had absolutely nothing to do with Lilia. Even then, Lilia had merely met her at an evening party or some such ordeal.
Lilia placed the note that she took from Tina on top of her desk. The handwriting was meticulously crafted, but here and there, some telltale quirks remained. These were the same quirks Sera's handwriting had. When Sera saw the note, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Umm...Mistress Lilianne, why do you have..."
It seems she has no intention of hiding it. Even so, Lilia asked her, just to make sure.
"This note. You wrote it, did you not?"
"Yes. I wrote it, and snuck it into that girl's bag. Could it be that she thought you were the one who wrote it, Mistress Lilianne? What an audacious girl, immediately accusing Mistress Lilianne..."
"Stop talking."
Lillia unconsciously spoke in a harsher tone than she intended. Sera stopped talking completely, and her face went pale. In the time since, Lilia's surroundings had also fallen into complete silence.
"It wasn't as if she accused me of doing it. After what happened at the evening party, I went over to Miss Tina's room to check if someone had done something foolish."
"Eh...?"
Likely not expecting to hear that, Sera's eyes hung open wide in surprise. Lilia could surmise why Sera was so surprised. The upper-cla.s.s n.o.bility stepping foot on the second floor was completely unheard of. All of the upper-cla.s.s n.o.bility looked down on the lower-cla.s.s n.o.bility, and so, they wouldn't step foot into their sphere of life. Lilia had expressly gone to the second floor to visit Tina, and so that surprise was natural.
Lilia placed her finger on the table and tapped the note. It made only a small sound, but Sera was shaking in fear from it.
"I would have thought that where I go had nothing to do with you. Am I wrong?"
"No...you're completely right. My deepest apologies."
Sera meekly lowered her head. Lilia turned her nose up in derision a little, and tapped the note again.
"Yes...?"
"What, might I ask, is the meaning of this?"
In addition to the note Sera had written, there were also other, similar notes. You're not worthy of being by His Highness's side, remember your place, don't abuse Mistress Lilianne's kindness, etc. Lilia couldn't help but be surprised when even her own name was mentioned when she was reading through the notes.
"It's...It is exactly as the notes say."
"Which is?"
"It's unforgivable for that girl to be at His Highness's side!"
Sera declared this with a loud shout. In response, Lilia raised her eyebrow. Go on, Lilia urged by tapping the note once more.
"Mistress Lilia should be the one at His Highness's side! To have that stolen by that girl is unforgivable! The one who should stand at His Highness's side is Mistress Lilianne!"
I see, Lilia nodded. It seems that, in Sera's mind, she had done all of this for Lilia's sake.
Lilia desperately bit down on her anger, and slowly lifted her gaze upward. When she levelled a glare at Sera, she suddenly let out a short shriek.
"I understand what you're trying to say."
And then, Lilia's lips curved into a smile. Seeing that, Sera breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled herself.
"As long as Mistress Lilianne understands, that is the most important thing. This was all for Mistress Lilianne's..."
"Sera. Get out of my sight immediately."
Sera's expression froze over. Lilia sighed and stood up. She glared at all three girls in turn, and all of their faces turned pale. It wasn't only these three -- everyone in the cla.s.sroom was shaking terribly. Even Kris, who was in the center of the room, wore a stiff expression.
--Lilia. You're scary. Super scary. If someone said you were out for blood, I wouldn't doubt them.
--Yes.
--Ahh, you're hopeless! Totally hopeless! Well, just don't overdo it, okay?
Lilia had also received Sakura's permission. There was nothing holding her back now. Lilia glared at all three girls in turn, and fixed her gaze on Sera. Sera started shaking in fear, and, as if trying to say something, her mouth opened and closed without a sound pa.s.sing through her lips. Lilia had no sympathy for her.
"Even as a joke, in the name of the house of Earl Valdia, which counts itself as one of the upper n.o.ble houses, you've done something truly foolish."
"B-but....I was... for Mistress Lilia, I..."
"n.o.body asked you to do this sort of thing."
Haunted Duke’s Daughter
取り憑かれた公爵令嬢
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/haunted-dukes-daughter/
Comedy Fantasy Romance School Life Shoujo Slice of Life Supernatural
Broken Engagement Character Growth Determined Protagonist Different Social Status Female Protagonist Friendship Hard-Working Protagonist Heartwarming Loyal Subordinates Maids Nobles Otome Game Possession Royalty Second Chance Servants Sharing A Body Sword And Magic Unrequited Love Villainess Noble Girls
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5708cr/
龍翠