Book 5: Chapter 7: Ah, The Height (1/2)
When Monica recalled her memories about her father, the only thing she could remember was his back figure.
His figure who was facing the table throughout the days as a researcher.
Dad… Dad…
Hoping that he could turn his gaze to her, the young Monica could only reach out her hand toward his back figure… only to pull her hand back.
She understood her father was doing an important job, that's why she didn't want to bother him.
But, as if he heard Monica's inner voice, he stopped his writing hand, then turned his gaze at Monica.
Behind his glasses put on his face full of beard were the calm eyes of an intelligent person. Her father always has a calm demeanor.
Her father reached out the hand she was pulling back, and wrapped it around with both of his hands. That made Monica happy, to unable to hold her voices.
”…Ehe… Dad…”
”Hmm? Am I really that old?”
”Your Highness, there's no need to listen to this little girl's nonsense.”
”Oh, I thought you're going to wake her up with a slap?”
”W-Well… I mean… this girl is sick…”
A familiar voice came from just above her.
Monica groaned softly before opening her eyes.
Apparently, she was on a bed in the infirmary. It was the same place she had been taken to before.
Monica found two figures standing beside her sleeping bed. Sparkling in the slightest light, it's honey blonde and platinum blonde.
”Your Highness and… Lord Ashley…?”
Felix Ark Ridill, the student council president, and Cyril Ashley, the vice president.
The one that grasping Monica's hand was Felix.
Why are these two people here? Why is Felix holding onto Monica's hand?
Monica's mind, which had begun to slowly awaken, vaguely recalled the events that had led her to this point.
If I recall correctly, my head felt dizzy after drank that bitter tea…
From that point on, the rest of her memory was very vague. She felt like having a nightmare.
”You were drugged by the daughter of Count Norn at the tea party. Being poisoned, you were in a terrible stupor.”
”!!!”
Monica paled quickly and pulled her own hand out of Felix's. She then rolled off the bed and forced her still weak body to place her forehead against the floor.
”Hey, little girl, what are you doing!?”
Cyril sounded surprised and tried to get Monica to stand up.
But Monica remained to prostrate on the floor, her motionless lips quivering as she squeezed out the words.
”…I apologize… for any inconvenience… I may… have caused you.”
As soon as she said the word, she felt nauseated by it. Her head was spinning and she felt dizzy.
Still, she felt she had to apologize. Because Monica had ruined the tea party and caused a commotion, that's all.
”I apologize… for not able to live up as the student council members…”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she apologized. Somehow, the back of her eyes was extremely hot. Tears spilled from her tear glands, which had become even looser than usual.
”Miss Norton, please raise your head.”
Felix dropped to his knees and stroked Monica's hair. But Monica couldn't raise her head.
They must be so disappointed in her, thinking she's an ignorant person who can't even behave properly at a tea party.
There were so many things she could think of to blame herself for. As she was grinding her own heart out, thinking of endless words to blame herself with, a hand plunged into Monica's armpit.
That hand lifted Monica like lifting a kitten.
”Hey! How dare you make His Highness kneel before you!”
It was Cyril who lifted Monica up.
Ah, because of her inability to conduct herself, Lord Ashley got mad at her again… thought Monica sobbingly, only responded with a grunt by Cyril.
”You were a victim! Why would a victim apologizing?”
”B-But…”
”A sick person with a deathly complexion shouldn't talk nonsense! Next time you get out of bed without permission, I'll tie you to the bed with a rope!”
Cyril raised his eyebrows as he made a rather frightening declaration.
”My, what are you raving about in the infirmary? …My.Dear.Bro.Ther?”
The curtain dividing the bed swung, revealing nothing but a beautiful face.
Straight black hair and lapis lazuli eyes. A young lady with beautiful looks and a gloomy atmosphere, she was Claudia.
Brother?
Cyril stared at Claudia with a startled look on his face, then bent his lips into a frown and fell silent.
Felix, on the other hand, gave Claudia a beaming smile.
”Miss Claudia Ashley, thanks to your excellent first aid, a student was saved. As student council president, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”
”…it's my pleasure to help.”
For some reason, Claudia looked uncomfortable even though she was being thanked by the prince of this country.
At this attitude, which could be taken as disrespectful, Cyril raised his eyebrows.
”His Highness has honored you with his compliments. You should show a little more appreciation.”
”Oh my, you want me to wag my tail like a praised, stupid dog like someone did?”
Claudia managed to pull off a clever move of snickering with a blank expression on her face.
As expected, the attitude that struck a nerve in most people made Cyril popped his veins.
”Who are you calling a dog!?”
”No one said anything about you, my dear brother. My, what's wrong with your face? I had tried to carry the sick Monica Norton in my arms, but because of my lack of strength, after halfway through, I ran out of energy, so I asked the president to take over, that is. My.Dear.Bro.Ther.”
At the words spoken in an indifferent voice, Cyril turned red, then pale, and finally, his face turned completely white. He simply felt so pathetic.
”…I'm sorry… if I'm heavy…”
As Monica did her best to follow up, Cyril crunched and gnashed his teeth. But he didn't say anything.
What should I do? thought Monica in fluster, and Felix stroked Monica's cheek.
”You're not heavy. In fact, I'm surprised you're so light. You need to eat a little more.”
”Y-Yes…”
After Felix put Monica's blanket back on, he turned his attention to Cyril.
”Well, I guess we shouldn't stay too long in a woman's infirmary. We'll be leaving soon.”
Cyril's expression, which had been drawn out by Claudia, returned and he nodded ”yes” to Felix's words.
Then he glanced at Monica and told her.
”Monica Norton. You don't have to come to the student council room today. If you do, consider that you have no work to do there.”
”You should go back to your dormitory and get a good rest.”
With that, Cyril and Felix turned their backs on Monica.
Claudia took a handkerchief out of her pocket and fluttered it around to show him off. With a blank expression, of course.
This blatant attitude of Claudia's made Cyril's temples tighten.
”Claudia. Keep an eye on that little girl to make sure she doesn't slip out of infirmary to come to the student council room.”
”…Oh my, if you're worried, why didn't you just say so? You looked at Monica Norton's sleeping face with great concern, My.Dear.Bro.Ther.”
Cyril was shaking all over and Felix was chuckling at the interaction between the two siblings as they walked out of the infirmary.
After they left, the infirmary instantly became quiet. Monica gathered her courage and spoke to Claudia.
”Um… T-Thank you very much for your help with the first aid…”
”…how far do you remember?”
”Up to the point where I drank the tea…”
After that, all she could remember was that she was having a nightmare. The next thing she knew, she was on a bed in the infirmary.
Claudia sat down in a nearby chair and brushed back her long black hair.
”The tea was laced with a pupil enlarging eye drop.”
”…an eye drop? …ah, that's why, even though it's a bright place, Their pupils were…”
Monica had felt uncomfortable with Caroline ever since she had confronted her at the tea party in the courtyard.
Normally, when someone was in a brightly lit place, their pupils become smaller in order to regulate the amount of light entering your eyes. However, Caroline's pupils were wide open.
”Um, did Lady Caroline have an eye disease?”
”Those eye drops are for cosmetic purposes. The idiots who blindly believe that the bigger your pupils are, the more beautiful you are, will get involved with those eye drops without knowing their side effects.”
The eye drops Caroline was carrying were originally intended to be used for eye diseases. As long as they are used in the proper dosage, they are not a problem, but if used in the wrong way, they can be poisonous.
And, she put it into Monica's teacup.
”Those eye drops were laced with a mixture of ingredients that made them very bitter. They were planning to make you a laughing stock by making you choke from drinking the tea laced with it…”
That's why Caroline had chosen the more crowded courtyard.
The whole idea was to ridicule Monica in front of the crowd as she choked uncomfortably as she drank her tea.
However, what Caroline miscalculated was the fact that Monica drank it down.
”That… uh… was bitter, but it wasn't undrinkable.”
”What do you think the creature's sense of taste is for? It's not for savoring delicious food. It's to distinguish between flavors and avoid the dangers of toxins.”
Monica was scolded in a roundabout way for not being able to avoid danger, and she fell silent.
She might not have been careful enough, that was for sure. But the fact that Caroline and the others had bad intentions toward her was quite obvious, so she shouldn't have said anything at all.
Claudia mentioned that Monica couldn't vomit the poison properly, so they forced her to drink diluted saltwater to make her vomit the poison. When she had emptied her stomach, she was given milk to protect the mucous membrane of her stomach.
”The contents of your stomach were almost empty when I made you vomit. Judging by your appearance, you're underweight for your age, and I don't feel you're trying to maintain your health.”