“Wah!”
The person who collided with me and collapsed was a young-looking girl.
“Sir, I’m so sorry! I’m in a hurry and wasn’t paying attention!”
She had auburn eyes and scarlet hair so bright it could almost be mistaken for gold. The way she quickly got up and bowed her head in apology reminded me of a young, skittish animal.
But as soon as I realized who she was, my body stiffened.
“Well, since I’m fine…”
I needed to send her away quickly.
‘I can’t get her involved with Reina.’
I had to act as if nothing had happened.
“No matter how urgent your situation is, there are some things that simply shouldn’t happen, even by accident.”
But Reina wouldn’t tolerate such behavior. She carried herself more like an aristocrat than anyone else, and she wasn’t about to let this slide.
‘Why did this have to happen?’
I hadn’t noticed anyone else around. No one else seemed to be aware of the situation—except me.
Just like that, Reina Rogelia took one step closer to her own destruction.
“For a commoner to harm the body of a noble is unacceptable.”
“Ah, I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry!”
The girl kept bowing her head, apologizing profusely to Reina, who was colder than usual.
This girl would later enter the Empire’s prestigious educational facility, ‘Arcana Academy’, as a special student. She would become the center of events at Arcana, steal the prince’s heart, and eventually rise as a saintess who saves the world.
She was the heroine of ‘She Heals the Wounded World’.
“Even if it was a mistake, for a commoner to harm a noble is a grave sin.”
‘I need to resolve this somehow.’
It was crucial for the heroine to leave with only a slight impression of us. But no matter how much I thought about it, the situation seemed impossible to salvage.
Reina was more aristocratic than anyone else. She was strict with herself and even stricter with others, earning her the title of the “Ice Princess.” The character Reina Rogelia wouldn’t take this incident lightly, no matter the circumstances.
“If you understood the weight of a noble’s rank, you wouldn’t have made this mistake, no matter how hurried you were. Even if it meant injuring yourself, you should have twisted your body to avoid this.”
Her logic might have seemed irrational and far-fetched, but every word she spoke was an irrefutable argument.
In the Astraia Empire, aristocrats were a privileged class, and their privilege stemmed from their innate talents.
For instance, the heirs of the Duke of Axus were born with the talent of knights, while the legitimate children of the Duke of Rogelia possessed brilliant intellects. Some families excelled in magic.
Nobles were the class that protected the Empire by utilizing their unique abilities.
“Even the slightest wound to a noble could result in enormous damage to the Empire.”
“Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry…”
The heroine continued to bow her head, her apologies endless.
If it had been me or another ordinary noble, this might not have escalated into a big issue. She had made a glaring mistake, but she had immediately gotten up and apologized.
Unfortunately, her opponent was Reina.
‘Is there any way to stop this?’
The heroine needed to avoid accumulating negative feelings toward us as much as possible.
“So, no matter how wrong it was, at least…”
“Sir, please! I’m sorry!”
“Let’s stop.”
When the heroine’s face turned pale at Reina’s words, I instinctively intervened. It was a reaction I hadn’t thought through.
“Young Master Ike?”
“It’s fine. I’m not hurt at all.”
“That’s a relief, but that doesn’t change the severity of the matter.”
Reina’s stern words left me speechless.
“We don’t have much time right now, do you? We still need to go to the lake.”
“Oh!”
Fortunately, my words seemed to work. Reina immediately frowned, her attention shifting.
‘Good.’
It was Reina who had suggested we visit the lake today. Now, with time running short, she likely realized we might not have enough time to do anything else.
True to her nature, Reina was strict with herself and wouldn’t casually break a promise, no matter how trivial.
“…Very well.”
Finally, Reina relented, though she bit her lip in frustration.
“You. Be more careful in the future. Other nobles might not be as lenient as we are.”
Reina offered the heroine one last piece of advice before turning away.
‘I wanted to point out that the tense atmosphere was entirely her doing, but I held my tongue.’
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Leaving the heroine bowing repeatedly, we walked away from the market.
***
Later, while having lunch by the lakeside, I brought up the earlier incident.
“What was that about? It seemed like you were about to punish her. At best, you were just trying to teach her about the nobility, right?”
“…Really?”
“Of course. What did you think I was doing?”
I couldn’t exactly say she came across as strict, cold, and terrifying.
Reina’s response to my question was that while the girl had bumped into her, no harm had been done. It was a mistake, and Reina felt she had overreacted by considering punishment.
“You must understand that bowing and apologizing so profusely shows she knew it was a mistake. Of course, if I had been more confident, I could have punished her at my own discretion.”
“But didn’t you come off too harsh? She looked terrified.”
“Of course she was scared. That’s the point of nobility. Suppose I had let it slide without a word. She might have thought, ‘Oh, I can get away with just an apology.’ Who knows what could happen then?”
“…I don’t think it would’ve been that simple. Even most other nobles would’ve let it go with a light warning.”