Reincarnated as the Legitimate Son of a Duke Family's ~ Just Trying To Live Live My Life Normally, But Somehow I've Got a Harem?~

Chapter 8 : Making Up WIth Serena!

After leaving the classroom on the second floor, the four of us headed to the cafeteria which was situated on the first floor.

And since there’s a line, we quietly queued up and waited for our turn.

The scene in front of me is reminiscent of my previous world. There is not really much difference despite having aristocracy involved, everyone is treated equally on the academy grounds.

Indeed, there’s no shortage of similarities between this and the world I used to live in.

Although there’s no such thing as a meal ticket machine here, I guess.

“Wow… There are so many people.”

“Yeah, it’s quite surprising.”

In the first place, the number of humans is definitely large.

For the beastfolk who don’t form large groups, that alone is noteworthy.

“This is how we line up to receive meals. I remember hearing something about paying money?”

“…Right, we don’t have money.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that it’s only for humans.”

Not just the beastfolk, but everyone except humans lacks a monetary system.

It seems to function through barter and equivalent exchange.

And that’s a significant cultural difference.

While we were discussing this, the people around us noticed the unusual group and reacted in surprise.

“Hey, hey… Isn’t that Lady Serena and Lord Thor?”

“And Alex-sama too… And the one at the back is a beastfolk, right?”

“I think I heard something about an exchange student coming to the academy…”

“Or rather, didn’t there were talks about the engagement being broken?”

Well… it seems that anywhere we go, gossip will be the favorite thing in any world.

In the midst of it all, a first-year girl who had been queuing in front of us timidly approached us and spoke up.

Come to think of it, the red badges denote that the student belongs to third year, blue for the second year, and green for the first year.

“Um… Lady Serena! Please, go ahead!”

“It’s fine, you were here first.”

“But, you’re royalty…”

“Here, neither royalty or nobility nor the race of the person matters. Some people might treat it as a facade, but I don’t see it that way. Anyway, don’t worry about it so much. It’s more tiring on this end.”

“Y-Yes!”

Surprised by those words, she returned to her previous spot with a fluster on her face.

I didn’t think about it before, but… Serena’s demeanor is kind of nice in this regard. Her tone and attitude might be a bit much, but her words are agreeable to much extent.

In this country, royal authority is significant. If she wanted, she could change things for any student without a problem.

“Lady Serena is really kind.”

“…Huh?”

“However, it might be better to be a bit more careful with how you phrase things. Maybe talk with them with a little smile.”

“W-What, cheeky bastard…! And stop with that overly polite tone!

Blushing heavily, she angrily slapped me on the back.

I retract my previous statement! She’s definitely a violent one!

“Ouch!? Don’t hit me on my back!”

“Heh… You’re the one who was saying weird things!”

“Oh, you’re back to your previous way of talking? Well, it’s easier that way.”

“You two seem quite close!”

…Oops! I slipped into my old habits without thinking.

Serena was my fiancée and childhood friend.

Before regaining my memory, exchanges like these were an everyday occurrence.

Haah… This is why I wanted to avoid getting involved in problematic things as much as possible.

“…I apologize. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“S-So, stop it… Do you hate it that much?”

Saying those words, she looks a bit sad.

‘…Argh! Seriously! I’m doing this for your sake!’

“It’s not like I hate it. It’s just that after breaking off the engagement, acting friendly like this might cause some misunderstanding. It might confuse your new fiancé too.”

“I-It’s not a big deal to talk with each other after our engagement broke off. Besides, there will not be a new fiancé or anything…”

“Ah, I see…”

“Also, it’s not good to be that fickle. You should wait at least a year or two…”

“Yeah, I guess…”

There’s no strict rule, but it’s probably expected to wait a bit after breaking off an engagement.

In other words, this is… also partly my fault.

Although dealing with Serena’s harsh words was tough too…

But ultimately, it’s because I was being too lazy that the engagement was broken.

While Serena can’t be entirely absolved of responsibility for that, it’s not entirely her fault either.

“So, it’s your fault, right? A-And besides! It’s okay if we continue being friends like this!”

“I get it… I get it, Serena… Geez, is this okay?”

“Hehe~! Yeah!”