Everyone have things that they just aren't very good at, and for Claire that is observation. She reads people emotions quite well, but spotting movement in her surroundings or things blending in is a weak spot for her.

I do not make a good infiltrator and neither do I hide, but with Claire I just need to keep sufficient distance and preferable observe her from a different building. As cute as it is that she is chasing me around, I don't want to talk to her. With how desperately she's chasing me I expect something bad out of her mouth.

Then, one evening after I'd gone to bed she actually went directly to my room...

I'd just woken up from another nightmare as well... and when it's Claire I just can't help but to remember the lady that seduced Kenta... I nearly yelled at her to get away from Kenta when I woke up with a jolt. Thankfully I had just enough composure to hold it in...

She expressed her sweet and sincere worry, thinking I was acting weird because of the kidnapping. Really, even if it had been a problem then why would I talk to you about it?! Low on composure I ended the conversation with a proper explanation and said goodnight before I lost my patience... but... the next morning she was waiting outside my door...

---*---

"Uhm... Lily-sama, I am sorry for yesterday. If you are having problems with the heat, then would you like to borrow my handkerchief?"

....She's holding out a prettily embroidered handkerchief with a wolf on it... as expected, our beloved heroine is good at those things... though, I can't help but to consider that she likely devoted herself to the female arts to show 'Augustus' her favor...

"No."

She looks flustered for a moment and my plain denial.

"Ah! Uhm, this was a practice handkerchief..." her voice drifted off, but I can clearly hear the next part even though it isn't said: 'so it is not the one I made for Augustus'...

This maiden is probably still fawning over Augustus... As expected of the beloved heroine, her 'loyalty' isn't to be underestimated.

"I am fine, Claire-chan." Even though I say that she doesn't seem to budge though...

"Claire-chan?!" Magdalin's surprised voice chirps out.

Claire perks up and smiles brightly at Magdalin.

"Good morning, Magdalin-sama, I was just offering Lily-sama my handkerchief since she looks unwell," she responds in a sweet voice. Meanwhile Magdalin looks as though she just got overwhelmed with an unforeseen burden.

Unexpectedly Claire followed us all the way to class... but somehow I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by the attention recently.

Do I really look that unwell?

---*---

I managed to slip away from her after class so that she could continue her little routine with the guys. A little studying, a little practice and very best is the little tea party she is currently having with Alstair. Gilbert and Soleil are there as well, but for once Lionel isn't together with them. He probably got temporarily replaced because he keeps sending glares at Claire during the meetings.

Alstair actually seems really fond of her. It's the first time I actually see him lower his guard a bit, but that might as well be because he doesn't know that I'm watching from a hallway window. Still, at this pace it seems like the contract will be fulfilled properly.

Once Claire takes my place I'll be able to focus on my own things.

...but what were they?

Ah~ Gilbert noticed me. He's the most observant of the three after all. Lionel usually tends to glance up at me just once as well. As for Soleil... he's probably too busy enjoying himself.

While on the subject of Soleil... to think that it was as I expected. About 50 years ago all children born in the Listere family had a bad constitution, and it has stayed that way ever since. The important part is what follows:

If they are blessed by any other element than light, then they stop getting sick all the time and do well for themselves. Soleil fits in this category. He may have said his family's constitution was bad, but that isn't true. He held out while being injured, and he has never been particularly sick a lot either.

If they end up blessed by faeries of light, then their health deteriorates and they die. That's it. They get sick and die.

After considering how many plants in this kingdom is poisonous... it's pretty clear that someone is systematically poisoning every child that gets born in the Listere family. A blessing makes you stronger after all, not weaker. This leaves two questions:

How they are doing it, and who ordered it.

The goal is probably the Listere's status. Since they kept being blessed by light faeries someone probably sabotaged it...

I did find something else that was odd though... apparently house Tepet isn't the only noble family that our royalty have been praising a lot. William's family as well.

Except... William's family hasn't made any visible contributions, and more interestingly Soleil and William's families have been competing for the post of prime minister for a few generations now... Soleil doesn't have bad grades, and in fact I would say he has more connections than William, even if William is going for the school council spots in the future.

I suspected this silent feud for a little while, but there is no sign that the Aerielle have been making moves like that. Not just that, but the Aerielle have no sense of scheming... I thought I missed something for a while, but they truly appear to run no schemes. The only reason they're able to keep their position is because of the royal family. At least the Tepet family keeps themselves afloat with military acknowledgements.

In other words, William is oblivious to the schemes just like Claire. No, at least Gilbert appears to be teaching Claire...

Oh~ Gil is making her sit closer to Alstair.

As expected she slowly begins to fluster at Alstair's smile. It's a sincere smile from him though. Alstair seems rather happy with her. Perhaps I should ask him about his attraction to her next time we meet.

As for Claire, she's showing interest. For now Claire won't know about Alstair's more calculative side though. After all, he's being genuinely kind to her. If anything it's interesting to watch his well built facade crumble into actual smiles. As Eric said, she is Alstair's type.

Soleil even finally appears to catch onto what is going on, and pulls back a little. Not in disgust though. He just looks confused.

Gilbert quickly sends him a 'reassuring' smile. Probably to keep Soleil from interfering. While I'm grateful for the assist with this, I am not sure how I feel about being on the same side as Gilbert.

"What are you doing?" Lionel's voice draws me from the bright and sunny scenery outside at the tea table, and into the cool dark hallway.

Lionel's figure appeared at the end of the hallway while I was distracted... but he is covered in splatters of blood. He was sent off to get rid of assassins I suppose. Archers this time?

"Watching something interesting," I reply back and glance back outside the window.

They're laughing.

I can hear Lionel step closer, and he peers out the window as well. Though, unlike me he grits his teeth and then stares at me with hints of anger.

"Are you really trying to get out of the engagement?" He nearly growls out at me.

"Of course. Besides, Alstair appears to like the girl quite a lot. It would be quite chaotic if I got in the way," I end up saying it with a hint of amusement. After all, I am almost out of it.

"You cannot!"

DON.

Lionel puts a hand on the wall next to me and leans over me.

"I need you to stay by Alstair's side!" He actually raises his voice at me as well.

In return I click my tongue at him and puff up a bit as well. I don't intend to pull back from a little bit of intimidation.

"Oh~ so you can have Claire-chan to yourself? You don't even care about her, do you? You just want to see her innocence hurt and tainted," I speak back in a low mocking tone. To think he'd actually start an argument with me after avoiding me for so long. Still, I've not forgotten your behavior towards Claire, or those weird stares.

The temperature seems to drop further as Lionel's anger turns full blown from my provocation. Though, as expected from someone with his willpower, he keeps his calm, relatively.

"I'm not the only one, you know," he leans in and whispers back cruelly.

"You're the one who casually broke her heart, and you quite bemusedly watched me finish where you left off. Certainly it is hard to watch how ignorant she can be, especially how easily she gets tricked," he adds with a hint of bitterness. Ho~ he had realized we were watching and continued anyway?

"And that's why I need you to be by Alstair's side, you can see through him."

I narrow my eyes as he traps the other side with an arm as well. He's trying to trap me until I agree, but of course I've no intention of letting things go as he want. Still, it's unexpected that Lionel of all people actually realized that Alstair has a calculative side. I thought Alstair wanted him to stay ignorant.

"No. As for Claire-chan, she wasn't facing reality," I respond coldly.

Malice.

The feeling in Lionel's gaze sent a warm wave of tension through my body.

You want to fight?

He'd shown it up front this time, and his sharp emerald eyes gleamed.

"Claire isn't the only one," he almost sneered at me.

"Ho~ so that's why you want to hurt me so bad?"

I didn't give him the chance to respond before putting a knee to his gut and pushed him down on the ground. If it came down to raw strength I'd win any day, so I made sure to pin him down nice and well for this next part.

"Then, in return for that I'll tell you something good. Just to make sure you understand your place," I spoke back wryly and leaned down as he struggled against my hold.

Don't misunderstand, in a sword fight without magic I would almost doubtlessly lose to him, but when it comes to the art of the hand it appears that he is still fairly defenseless. It's almost painfully clear that he immediately begins to consider using magic, so I speak the words with interest in his reaction...

"I know what happened to Bertram's mother."

Lionel freezes underneath me at those words, so I lean in a bit closer.

"To think you'd do it in the royal palace though." His anger from before was mixing with a mix of horror.

"And I know that you couldn't kill her. How pitiful she was, screaming, clawing and crying for help... over and over... what a pitiful ghostly wail that is now heard from the Duchess Milliane..."

His expression was dyed white and blank with guilt at my words... guilt enough to tear him apart from the inside out... and so his composure broke and he flared up as everything he had pent up burst out in the form of words that made my stomach swirl.

"You lost everyone. All of your soldiers were slaughtered, and you died on that battlefield. If anyone has the role of a pitiful ghost, then it is you."