Chapter 81

Thus, Roz's school life greatly improved. All the broken and dirty things were replaced with new ones. Rumors spread throughout the school that she was being protected by the Orion family, and no one dared to openly mock her anymore.

But she didn't make any friends. However, it didn't matter to Roz. She preferred being alone, and as long as she could read books quietly and safely during breaks and focus on her classes, she didn't need anything more.

Until she met Rondo.

Let me repeat, Roz is slow.

But she is not insensitive.

She just doesn't show her emotions, but she feels them like any other girl.

When she was on the verge of giving up and breaking down, Rondo stood in front of her and protected her. It was only natural that she would fall in love with him.

She wanted to know more about Rondo than any book or any interesting content.

So she investigated him.

With her inadequate explanations, she asked other students for information.

She gathered all the information she could about Rondo.

But during her investigation, she heard a rumor that made her uneasy.

Rondo was said to have forcibly brought Sophia to his side to use her magical talent.

Such a baseless rumor.

People sometimes believe what they want to believe. Roz was elated. She didn't doubt the truth of this rumor, which had no solid evidence.

Roz was a duo mage, which was not uncommon in the school, but she had a rare advanced skill for enhancing water magic that other students didn't have.

Sophia was a trio, but Roz believed she could make up for the difference with her skill.

She was confident that she had enough talent to stand by his side.

She was convinced of this and immediately went to Rondo.

Roz's face had a slight smile. If Sophia was there reluctantly, she would gladly take her place. That would allow her to be by his side, which made her happier than anything else.

With such a buoyant feeling, she searched for Rondo and found him.

She thought it wouldn't be good to immediately call out to him, so she observed him from the shadows and waited for the right moment.

Then, for the first time, she saw Sophia's face.

The first time, in the classroom, she had immediately lowered her head, and after Rondo helped her, she hadn't confirmed Sophia's face.

During the information-gathering stage, she might have passed Sophia in the hallway, but her mind was only on Rondo, and she had no memory of anyone else's face.

This was the first time Roz properly saw Sophia's face.

And she was astonished by her beauty.

Sophia had a different kind of radiance from Rondo, who had saved her. She was a beautiful woman, plain and simple.

Then, Rondo teased and Sophia laughed. Seeing this made her even more depressed.

Roz, who had fallen deeply in love with Rondo, understood. A girl who had truly fallen in love would understand.

Sophia's smile.

Her loving smile directed at Rondo.

It was not fake.

Therefore, Roz was convinced that those two were in love with each other.

If you think about it, no, even without thinking, Rondo would never force a female student to be by his side. Such a ridiculous thing would never happen.

Sophia was there because she wanted to be.

If that was the case, there was no way she could win.

Roz knew her face was sullen.

She couldn't compete with Sophia, who radiated a carefree smile that was incomparable to Roz's face.

Roz had a broken heart. Her innocent love as a young girl had shattered in an instant.

While running away from the scene, she thought she heard a voice say, "Oh?"

Then Roz went back to the dorm, curled up in the clean futon that had been replaced, and fell asleep.

The next day, she went to school still reeling from the shock of her heartbreak.

She attended classes with a gloomy mood.

Of course, none of the class content entered her mind.

After the class finally ended, Roz trudged down the hallway toward home.

Suddenly, she bumped into something and fell.

"Um? Oh? Are you okay?"

A girl who seemed to have bumped into her extended her hand.

Roz, who had been hit, took the hand and stood up, wondering why the girl was so calm.

Then she said,

"I'm sorry."

Words that she would never have said in the past.

When she apologized, the other girl said,

"No, it's fine. Are you hurt?"

Roz, who wanted to go home and wrap herself in her futon as soon as possible, nodded and said,

"I'm fine."

and tried to leave quickly.

But,

"Wait a moment."

The girl grabbed her arm. Then, when Roz turned around, she was stared at.

Then, with a look of recognition, she said,

"Oh? I've seen this face somewhere before?

Ah, could it be the girl Rondo helped a week ago?"

Roz's heart ached.

She had just experienced a heartbreak the day before.

She didn't want to be reminded of it for a while.

"Yes," she said and tried to leave, but her arm was held tightly.

"Let go," she requested.

"You seem troubled."

Roz was startled by the directness of the statement. The girl continued,

"My name is Lisadora. If you have any troubles, I can listen to them."

Roz found it annoying.

Roz, who usually didn't talk to people, found it difficult to talk to others.

Being pushed like this made her want to run away.

Especially since her mood was at its worst.

"It's fine," she said, with a hint of anger.

But,

"Let me guess your troubles?

You are troubled by the relationship between Rondo and Sophia.

How about that? Ah, ah, ah..."

Roz bit her lip.

"Bit," Lisadora said, her face turning red with anger.

"Be quiet! Anyway! You like Rondo, don't you? That's why you were looking at him yesterday, right!?"

Lisadora, who had been calm until then, started to shout in a careless manner.

"Looking at him?"

Roz, who had been staring at Lisadora, said bluntly.

"Yes! Yes, I was! Is there a problem with that?!"

There was a big problem.

What a shameless woman, Roz thought.

"It's fine. Is that all?"

She asked as if it was enough.

"It's not fine! Nothing has been resolved! Will you tell me your troubles?"

Lisadora said, her face red with anger.

"Persistent," Roz pushed her away.

"What? I'm offering to listen to you!"

Lisadora pushed Roz's hand back. Then Roz said,

"Pushy kindness."

Roz described the current Lisadora in this way.

"What's wrong with that? I can't stand seeing the girl Rondo helped looking so down. I want to solve your problems. Is there something wrong with that?"

Lisadora said, puffing out her cheeks.

"Nothing in particular..."

Roz was troubled by the mention of Rondo.

Normally, she wouldn't care.

But in Roz's mind, where she was in love with Rondo, it felt disrespectful to be sulking after he had saved her.

So,

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed.

...

"Hmm..."

Lisadora's first reaction to hearing Roz's troubles was this.

"Mu..." Roz was a little annoyed by the casual and indifferent response to her serious talk. Lisadora noticed this and changed her expression to a serious one.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I really can't stand the idea of breaking up Rondo and Sophia. But I don't think you need to worry so much."

Lisadora said.

"Huh..."

Why? Roz wondered.

"A noble as high as Rondo can't have just one wife.

Even if Rondo wants it, the people around him won't allow it.

So, you could be one of his multiple wives."

Lisadora said casually.

"I see..."

Roz had forgotten. It was rare for a high-ranking noble to have only one wife.

Given the status of the Orion family, it was certain that Rondo would have multiple wives.

If she could be one of them, that would be enough.

"Problem solved. Thank you."

Roz sincerely thanked Lisadora, who had unexpectedly solved her problem when she hadn't expected it.

"You're welcome! I'm happy if it's resolved.

Well, I'll be going now."

Lisadora said and tried to leave.

Roz, in a panic, called her back.

"Wait. Why are you trying to bring me and Rondo together?"

Roz couldn't understand why Lisadora wanted to insert herself between Rondo and Sophia.

"It's because one wife isn't enough for him.

The first wife will definitely be Sophia. But the second and subsequent wives might be enemies of Rondo and Sophia.

You, who were saved by Rondo, wouldn't do anything to harm him, would you?

I want those two to be happy. Sophia might not think so, but..."

Lisadora said and left the scene.

"Right," Roz muttered to her retreating figure. Then she said it again to herself,

"Right."

After that, Roz worked hard.

She tried to change her position as the third daughter of a baron and become one of Rondo's wives among many women.

This wasn't about becoming better at cooking or learning makeup to improve herself as a woman.

She thought she could never match Sophia's talent.

So, she focused on the minimum necessary for household matters.

Instead, she worked hard to improve her water magic talent, which could be enhanced with skills.

Rondo, or rather, that group of five, was in the same class as Roz.

So, Roz sat behind Rondo and watched him from behind.

Rondo, since the day he saved Roz, started attending classes.

According to what she heard (or investigated), his family found out he was working as an adventurer and gave him a severe scolding.

"Who would get so angry normally..."

He muttered, but it seemed he had been severely reprimanded, and Rondo, though not serious, was listening to the classes.

Roz, from behind, just kept watching him, but even so, she was happy.

Rondo and the others noticed, but Lisadora somehow managed to smooth things over and prevent any issues.

Day after day, Roz continued to improve her water magic and level while watching Rondo.

One day, after more than a year of this, an incident occurred.

There were many classes, but the magic department had only one class, so there were no class changes.

So, even in their third year, Rondo and Roz were still in the same class. As a result, Roz was in the same class as the girls who had bullied her, but she didn't care. To Roz, who was in love with Rondo, anyone other than Rondo and his friends was of no interest.

That day, as usual, Roz was watching Rondo's back.

Rondo, as usual, was complaining while attending the class.

But in the middle of the class, Rondo said,

"Huh?"

in a slightly deep voice.

The next moment, he stood up abruptly.

The whole class fell silent, watching Rondo's movements.

In the midst of this, Rondo muttered,

"No... This can't be..."

and rushed out of the classroom.

Immediately after, Sophia shouted,

"Rondo!!"

and ran after him.

Roz couldn't move. She was completely stunned by the sudden event. She was in a daze. She had never imagined that Rondo, who had saved her so heroically, would let out such a pained cry.

The next day, Rondo and Sophia didn't come to school. The next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, those two didn't come to school.

Even when she asked Lisadora, she only said she didn't know.

Then, about two weeks later, Roz found out.

Two weeks ago, Rondo's father had died in a war.

Roz didn't know until a noble who had a relative in the war spread the rumor.

And Roz realized.

She couldn't be by Rondo's side.

When she was in the most difficult time, the one who reached out to help her was Rondo.

But when Rondo was in the most difficult time, she couldn't be by his side.

Probably, Sophia was by his side now.

When he was on the verge of breaking down, the one who held him back and encouraged him was Sophia.

Not her.

Realizing this, Roz came to a realization.

How selfish she had been.

She thought she had to repay the favor.

She thought that a husband and wife should support each other.

Roz couldn't support Rondo when he was in the most difficult time. She couldn't move at all then.

Did she have the right to be by his side?

No.

Roz concluded this.

A few days later, Rondo and Sophia came to school.

Both of them looked a bit haggard, but they told the people around them,

"We're fine."

Rondo answered with a clear smile, and Sophia watched him with a smile.

Seeing this, Roz gave up.

From that day on, Roz stopped trying to become Rondo's wife.

She stopped watching Rondo.

She continued to love Rondo, but she suppressed her feelings and, in the end, never spoke to Rondo until she graduated from school.

Time passed, and after graduating, Roz became a court mage of the country. Though not as high as Elir, the head court mage, she became famous for her high-level water magic, which she had frozen her heart and worked hard to achieve.

Then, a marriage proposal came to her.

Roz, who had refused many marriage proposals in the past, felt her frozen heart move when she heard who the proposer was.

It was Rondo Duk de Orion, the current head of the Orion family.

It was inevitable that Roz couldn't refuse this request.

Since that day, she had frozen her heart, worked hard to improve her level and water magic talent, and