The girl named Natalie

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 『Natalie Crandon Glacier』
 
 That’s the name I knew her by.
 
 She was the daughter of the eldest son of Earl Glacier, and was raised in the city after her parents eloped, though both parents died in a carriage accident.
 
 Having been left alone, her grandfather took her in and officially made her a member of the Earl family.
 
 She was ignorant of manners as a result of having grown up as a commoner, but perhaps that innocence is what won over the heart of my fiance, the Second Prince Alvin.
 
 Alvin was supported by the bloodline-purists of the Royalist Faction, while though Natalie’s grandfather was of the old noble families, she had been raised among the commoners.
 There were those that admonished them for being so intimate at first, yet strangely no one said anything soon after that.
 
 Not even the young girls of the Royalist Faction.
 
 Rather, people started whispering things about me, Alvin’s fiancee, saying things like 『She’s unfriendly』, 『I can’t tell what she’s thinking』, or 『I pity Prince Alvin』.
 
 In the end, people would even say things like 『Natalie would be better suited to His Highness the Second Prince』, and I couldn’t understand why they would go as far as to say such things about me, so I began to withdraw more and more into the lab (my shell).
 
 It’s such a painful, bitter memory.
 
 But now, I understand.
 
 Natalie, who was the same age as me, was probably a young lady arranged for the prime minister, Duke Oswell, to solidify his own power.
 
 In the first place, Count Glacier is a maternal relative of Duke Oswell.
 
 Thinking back on it now, it’s only natural that the Royalist Faction did not criticize her.
 
 
 
 ——— The abovementioned is what I experienced before the redo.
 
 By all accounts, the 『her at this moment in time』 should be living with her parents in the Royal Capital Sanakia’s downtown area.
 
 There’s no way she could be in such a faraway foreign land.
 
 If it was just a coincidental resemblance, I could understand.
 
 However, when she introduced herself to us in the student council room, this was what she called herself.
 
 
 
 “I’m Natalia Bazinka, who serves as the student council’s secretary. Nice to meet you.”
 
 Saying this, Natalia quickly prepared a paper and pen.
 
 The same fluffy blond hair, identical appearances, and even their names, Natalie and Natalia.
 
 It’s impossible to think the are not related.
 
 If there are any differences to note, it would probably be their school year, atmosphere, and birthplace.
 
 The Natalie I knew was in the same year as me and had a cheerful personality.
 
 On the other hand, the girl who calls herself Natalia is in a grade higher and has a calm demeanor.
 
 Runefeldt Sorcery School does not place a limit on admission age, so it is possible for those of the same age to be in different grades.
 
 Then, what about personality and atmosphere?
 
 It’s probably impossible for a naive child to act all grown-up, but the opposite might be possible.
 
 And then, birthplace.
 
 Before the redo, Natalie was 『set up』 as having grown up in the Royal Capital Sanakia’s downtown area.
 
 On the other hand, judging by the name of the Natalia standing before me, she may be from the west.
 
 Specifically, the Brandishka Principality in Heielland’s northwest, and then the 『Empire』 further across the sea… the group of nations under the jurisdiction of the Railanuscar Empire.
 
 Supposing that she’s from the Principality, it’s not impossible for Duke Oswell to have lied about Natalie’s origins and had Count Glacier buy her out.
 
 (When I think about it like that, it seems very suspicious…)
 
 I was lost in a sea of thoughts.
 
 
 
 “Letia-san, Letia-san!”
 
 “Huh?”
 
 Renee called out to me, startling me back to my senses.
 When I looked up, everyone around the conference table, including the student council president, Prince Eric, were all looking my way.
 
 “Sorry! I was spaced out.”
 
 As I apologized, Anna followed up from beside me.
 
 “The student council president asked us why Olga slapped Freya.”
 
 “Oh, then that’s because 『she spoke ill of the Helqvist Marquisate』… right?”
 
 When I posed the question to Olga, the person in question gave a short nod and replied 『Right』.
 
 Olga endured being ridiculed for having little magic power.
 
 THe reason why she, who could endure that, ended up raising a hand was probably because something she held dear had been belittled.
 
 If someone were to badmouth my family, I think I would’ve fought back in some way.
 
 “I’m of the same opinion as Letia.”
 
 Anna agreed with me, followed by Sharieq, Renee and Reina.
 
 Sharieq even went so far as to explain in detail exactly what Freya had said.
 
 
 
 “I understand. And the testimonies from Miss Olga’s side are consistent.”
 
 After hearing what we had to say, the student council president this time turned to face Freya.
 
 “And so, Miss Freya. Do you have any objection to what these girls have said?”
 
 “That’s… I didn’t mean to belittle…”
 
 Freya said this while trembling.
 
 “Then, you admit you made unfavourable remarks towards the Helqvist House?”
 
 “……… yes.”
 
 After a long silence, Freya affirmed in a low voice.
 
 “I know that the Helqvist House of the north and the Astrid House of the south, both prestigious families of magic, often clash over domestic and foreign policies. However, that is strictly for politics. It is unacceptable for their children to bring that antagonism into the school.”
 
 Having said that, Prince Eric then stated his conclusion.
 
 “It appears that Miss Freya violated school rules by making unfavourable remarks about another student’s background, and Miss Olga violated school rules by responding with violence. This matter will be promptly be reported at a staff meeting for a decision, but until a formal punishment is handed down, it shall be handled by the student council, and both will be instructed to stay confined to their rooms. ——— Any objections?”
 
 “… None.” “I will follow as instructed.”
 
 The two at the core of the incident did not object to the chairman’s decision, and we were released without further ado.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 “I’m sorry for involving you in my problems.”
 
 This was on our way back to the dorms.
 
 Because of the questioning in the student council room, afternoon classes were already almost over, so we walked back with Olga.
 
 During this, the words that escaped her lips were words of apology to her friends.
 While surprised on the inside, I spoke to her.
 
 “Olga did nothing wrong. 2If someone spoke of my family like that, I think I would have reacted the same way. Besides, Freya was making fun of all of us, so it’s not someone else’s problem.”
 
 “… right.”
 
 “That’s right.”
 
 “…”
 
 Olga fell silent.
 
 It happened as I was stuck in my thoughts.
 
 “Hey, young miss from the Marquis House. You really gonna let that stupid woman talk to you like that? If you leave it like this, your House’s name might really get tarnished.”^[1]
 
 Sharieq, who was walking all the way at the back, dropped this bomb.