I Was Rejected by the Main Character in a Romantic Fantasy

Chapter 37

Ugh...

I stretched my stiff body and lifted myself from the bed.

Still rubbing my hazy eyes, I got up and washed my face.

Today was an earlier start than usual, even though it was Saturday.

Yesterday, Friday, I returned to the academy, and just before I washed up and went to sleep, I received a note.

To summarize, Felix’s father and older brother wanted to see my face as they would stay nearby for a day.

‘... I forgot.’

Since I possessed his body, I needed to meet them at least once.

That golden opportunity was yesterday, but I was distracted by other things and completely forgot about it.

So Father, who hadn’t seen his second son’s face in about a month, had no choice but to summon me.

Since the academy allows relatively free outings on weekends, I decided to see them first thing in the morning.

I casually shook the water off my wet bangs, yawned, and got dressed.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to wear formal attire like yesterday.@@@@

Still rubbing my not fully awake eyes, I left the room and calmly strolled down the quiet hallway.

Since I finished getting ready early, I had ample time to walk around the campus leisurely.

When I moved towards where I rode the luxurious imperial carriage yesterday, I saw a familiar family crest on a carriage.

‘... House Astria.’

This wasn’t my memory, but Felix’s.

Recognizing the crest Felix knew, I confirmed it was the Astria family’s carriage and walked over.

“...Felix!”

“...Helena?”

Next to the carriage stood the familiar figure of Helena.

“Why are you here...?”

I looked at Helena with a puzzled expression.

She stared back at me, then puffed her cheeks, approached me, and jabbed her fist into my side.

“Urgh...!”

I tightened my abs to block it.

Helena burst into laughter and said,

“Uncle told me to come too.”

“... Really?”

Father did?

I blinked slowly at the sight of Helena waving around a paper with the Astria family crest, then shrugged and headed to the carriage.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“He said he wanted to see the both of us.”

Helena and Felix have been childhood friends since they were young.

Although there’s a bit of a status gap, Father doesn’t care about such things, so Helena calls him uncle.

Calling him that somehow makes me feel like I’m back in modern times.

“Well, it has been quite a while since he’s seen you...”

Considering Felix’s father’s personality, it was entirely possible.

He thinks of Helena as his own daughter.

I answered casually and tried to board the carriage, but I blinked at Helena fiddling with her skirt.

She wasn’t wearing her usual academy uniform but an elegant black dress.

It was a pretty dress that contrasted with her fair skin.

“...But why are you so dressed up today?”

“Uh... umm...? Does it look weird...?”

Helena asked, her cheeks turning bright red at my question.

If you ask me if it looks weird or not...

It proved they could increase the family’s power and gain Ashillya’s trust.

As I nodded in understanding, Helena puffed her cheeks again and tapped on the innocent carriage seat.

“I wanted to go to the banquet too...!!”

“...You can go next time.”

“Will there be a chance next time...?”

There will be occasional banquets or parties held by the imperial family.

Moreover, they will be invited often as the Degreffs were in Ashillya’s faction.

However, Helena was probably worried about whether the increasingly busy Baron Degreff family could attend such parties.

She seemed quite disappointed as if she had high expectations.

I gave a wry smile and stroked her hair to console her.

“If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll take you, so don’t be too upset.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah.”

No matter how much attending a party or banquet with a partner is seen as ‘that kind of relationship’ in noble society, it won’t be a big problem once or twice.

Helena and I are childhood friends anyway, and it’s a well-known fact among noble families that the Astria and Degreff families are close.

At my words, Helena smiled happily and held out her pinky finger.

“Promise!”

“Would I lie about something like this...?”

“I can’t trust Felix!”

“That kind of hurts my feelings.”

I awkwardly smiled at Helena’s words and linked my pinky with hers.

Helena touched her thumb to mine, making a seal, and finally smiled with relief.

I let out a small sigh at her childish behavior and smiled resignedly, gazing out the window.

Helena was grinning, bouncing her feet, looking overjoyed for some reason.

“... We have arrived, young master.”

After a short ride, the coachman’s voice was heard.

“Good work.”

I thanked the coachman for his hard work since early morning, opened the carriage door, and stepped out.

Although he could have gotten lodging in the center of the capital, I was grateful for Father’s consideration in choosing an inn not too far from the academy.

“Hup...!”

I took Helena’s hand as she got off the carriage, helping her descend safely, and realized something.

“...Which room was he in?”

Where do I go to meet Father?

That information wasn’t written on the note, so I stared blankly at Helena.

She looked back at me with an expression that said, ‘If you don’t know, who would?’

“Umm...”

Even if I just went in and asked where Earl Astria was staying, they probably wouldn’t answer.

I absentmindedly scratched the back of my head, pondering, and finally made up my mind.

Yeah, I’ll just shout.

Who cares if someone wakes up and makes a fuss? I’m a noble.

With that brazen thought, I was about to open my mouth.

Smack...!!

“Little brother...!!”

“Ack!!”

I screamed as I felt someone’s thick hand slap my back.

Wiping my teary eyes from the stinging slap, I turned around to see someone who looked almost identical to Felix...me, smiling at me.

“Brother...?”

It was Felix’s older brother.