Chapter 14
Annoying Noise
(Garnest’s Perspective)
The lingering gazes turning to follow me and the high-pitched squeals were a daily occurrence. I was well aware that my appearance was reasonably prominent, and even more so when the prince, Dia, was walking right beside me.
Receiving the enthusiastic cheers of the underclassmen, we made our way to the classroom of my little sister, Beatrix. Noticing our arrival over the din of the hallway, Beatrix excused herself from the friends she had been with, stood up from her seat, and approached us. Lady Katrina accompanied her as well.
“Lord Dia, Garnest.”
“Thank you very much for coming to pick us up.”
Beatrix welcomed usāor rather, welcomed Diaāwith a beaming smile. Despite this being a routine occurrence, Lady Katrina politely offered her greetings and bowed her head today as well.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we head out, then?”
Dia gave a sweet smile, triggering an exceptionally loud burst of squeals from the onlookers. This, too, was a routine occurrence.
I had grown used to it by now, but I was still a bit repulsed by the overly sugary atmosphere between my sister and my best friend. Particularly when the three of us were together, they had a habit of drifting off into a world of their own, which made me feel incredibly awkward. Thus, it was a stroke of absolute good fortune that Beatrix had quickly made close friends. Mainly because it meant having an additional third party around.
As we headed toward the cafeteria with Beatrix and Lady Katrina in tow, the young ladies we passed by noticeably jolted their shoulders. In response, Beatrix directed a deliberately brilliant smile at them, while Lady Katrina watched her with a somewhat troubled grin.
“Did something happen?”
“No? Nothing at all.”
When I asked once we had passed them by, that was the response I received. That tone was clearly not the voice of someone experiencing “nothing at all.”
Her voice contained a distinct trace of anger. Detecting a slightly triumphant color beneath her tone, I deduced that she had likely argued someone down.
And the cause behind it… Undoubtedly, someone had spoken ill of Brother.
I could feel my expression twisting at the conclusion I reached. The primary reason Beatrix ever displayed open fury was when someone attacked those precious to her. Among those, her ultimate triggers were Brother and Dia.
It was a sentiment I myself had overheard countless times since enrolling in the academy. The loathsome word “incompetent” ate away at my chest.
“Your face looks terrifying.”
“It truly does. Please stop, or you will frighten Lady Katrina.”
Dia’s observation gave Beatrix the perfect opportunity to pile on. Though I found it annoying, I was aware that my expression had turned quite fierce, so I kept walking without offering a rebuttal.
The cafeteria we arrived at was enveloped in a clamor that could not even be compared to the hallways. Without anyone actually shouting, the ripple-like chatter echoing from every corner coalesced into a single massive wave that dominated the space. We cut through it toward our usual table, where I pulled out chairs for Lady Katrina and Dia. I did the same for Beatrix, just in case.
Once the food we ordered arrived and we began eating while chatting casually, my eyes suddenly met those of Lady Katrina, who was seated directly across from me.
“The cafeteria is as noisy as always, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I suppose it can’t be helped when so many people gather in one place.”
“Indeed. It is best to simply tune out meaningless noise. It is nothing more than static that doesn’t even warrant our conscious attention. Though, it is only natural to feel irritated when it forces its way into one’s ears regardless…”
The words were spilled with casual ease. Leaving behind a slight, wry smile at the very end, the fork and knife held in her delicate hands resumed their movements.
Meaningless noise. What she was referring to was surely not restricted to the clamor of this room…
“You’re right. It is tedious nonetheless.”
As I voiced my agreement, my lips unintentionally curved into an arc.
After finishing our meal, we escorted the two girls back to the underclassmen’s classrooms. On our way back:
“Those fools obsessed with absurd evaluations are as predictable as ever.”
Muttering those words, Dia had clearly also noticed the exchange that must have occurred between Beatrix and the young ladies earlier. His voice was low, entirely different from the sweet tone he had used with Beatrix just moments ago.
“Part of that is your fault, you know,” I shot back with a hint of teasing. Even if he was the prince, he was my long-time best friend; there was no need to mince words.
“Well, that may be true, but…”
Seeing Dia falter, I let out a quiet chuckle. The irritation I had felt on the way to the cafeteria had subsided considerably.
“They just can’t stand how much you dote on Beatrix. You’re as popular as always, aren’t you, Mr. Prince?”
“I don’t want to hear that from you. Besides, targeting her out of spite makes absolutely no sense. Don’t they realize that doing such things only guarantees my impression of them will hit rock bottom?”
“They do it precisely because they don’t realize it.”
“They really are dim-witted.”
Dia could be quite biting. Especially toward Beatrix’s enemies.
“Despite knowing absolutely nothing about Lord Kaiser. Talk about who the truly ‘incompetent’ one is.”
“Brother has no need for an ability. He is so perfect that such a thing is entirely unnecessary.”
“I know.”
Neither of us had any way of knowing that, by a strange twist of fate, Beatrix had used those exact same words to defeat the young ladies just a short while ago.
“Besides, abilities are unique to our country. It’s completely normal not to have them in other nations.”
“They only dare talk down to him because they haven’t met the actual man.”
“True. If they actually met Lord Kaiser, they would completely forget their own remarks and squeal over him like fanatics. It’s always those types who do.”
It was entirely possible… Because Brother was as breathtakingly beautiful as if he were God’s own masterpiece.
He was highly intelligent, elegant, gentlemanly, and so gentle that even we, his own family, had never once seen him angry. On top of that, he was actually incredibly strong!! He was thoroughly cool, and you couldn’t find a single flaw in him.
And yet… There were people who disparaged a brother like that.
After enrolling in the academy last year, I was forced to realize that fact all over again.
I had known since childhood that Brother did not possess an ability. But I had never thought anything of it. Because Brother was so entirely perfect in every aspect that he had no need for such a thing.
I had always hated the way Mother threw veiled insults at him since we were young. The man himself always listened to Mother’s words with absolute serenity, never once showing anger, but the loathsome word “incompetent” used to belittle my beloved brother eventually took deep root within me.
Yet, the reason I had never been completely consumed by it back then… was because I was being protected.
Upon entering the academy, I interacted extensively with the general populace for the first time. And immediately, a multitude of grating words assaulted my ears.
The numerous remarks and the reality of the situation, which had never reached me while I was protected by Brother’s side, suddenly came to light. The word “incompetent” was whispered to me as a means to attack me, as an outlet for jealousy and envy, and above all, as a tool for sycophancy.
They claimed that I was far superior to my “incompetent” older brother, and therefore, I was the one truly suited to inherit the Ducal House. Those vulgar sycophants, genuinely believing that such words would bring me joy, spat that phrase out one after another.
And thus, I was forced to realize. That my very existence was stripping the rightful position away from my brother, the eldest son…
I heard that when Father passed away, Brother declared that he would yield the peerage to me. Despite the fact that Brotherāthe eldest son who was far more brilliant and perfect than I could ever hope to beāwas the one truly suited for it…
My fist clenched involuntarily, my fingernails digging deeply into my palm.
