“She is just as talented as they say... but she’s no good,” he mumbled to himself.
What? As one of the game’s love interests, he’s supposed to like her!
“Wh-Why?! Maria is a very good girl!”
She’s kind, cute, and a good cook! Anyone would want her as a wife!
“Oh? You know her?” he said, taken aback by my enthusiasm.
“Yes! I’ve known her since I was at the academy!” I said proudly.
I consider her one of my best friends! Not that I’ve ever asked her what she considers me.
“I see... I agree that she is an outstanding girl, but...”
“But what? Are you trying to say that there’s something wrong with my Maria?!” I said, accidentally giving Cyrus my villainess stare.
“Please calm down, Miss Katarina. I’m not trying to say that there’s anything wrong with her. I meant that she’s no good for me, since I get nervous when talking to girls. It’s nothing personal,” he hurriedly explained while shaking his head.
“...Phew, I see. No problem then.”
I got so worked up thinking that he was speaking ill of (my waifu) Maria. I even started looking like a proper villainess there. I’d better be careful.
“But why are girls such a problem? I understand that there were very few back in your hometown, but you’ve been here for quite a while. Haven’t you grown accustomed to them yet?” I asked him once I got my cool back.
He leaned forward like I’d done moments before and started explaining. “You don’t get it. Fifteen years! I spent my first fifteen years without ever meeting a girl, not even one! There’s no way I could get used to them in just a few years, and especially not when we only have little, superficial exchanges at work! And the girls in the capital are all prettied up, so I get even more nervous!”
He had said all of that in a single breath, with surprising passion, and now he was panting. I didn’t really understand him, but I guess a man’s feelings are complicated.
“And even among those prettied-up girls, Maria Campbell is one of the prettiest! To be honest, she’s so pretty that a bumpkin like me has no business talking with her!”
To think that the calm and collected Cyrus was hiding a personality like this... It was like talking to a completely different person.
“I agree that she’s beautiful, but isn’t it a problem work-wise if you can’t even talk to her?”
“No, I can communicate with her, keeping my voice and expression the same as usual. After years of effort, I can do it without any problem.”
Wouldn’t it have been better to put that energy towards something else? Like, learning how not to be nervous around girls in the first place?
“But you see, the more I have to hide it, the tireder I get,” he said with an exhausted expression on his face. The dark circles under his eyes had been getting worse day after day, and this finally explained it. Overworking wasn’t the only reason.
“All the more reason to do something about it, I think,” I said.
How can I make him get used to Maria? If he keeps talking to her only for work-related communication, he’ll never get past his fear of girls... If only he could talk to her like he does with me when he’s working on the field... Ah! Of course! I know!
“I have an idea. I will help you get used to speaking with girls, as thanks for teaching me so much about farming,” I said with a smile, and he looked back at me with a troubled expression.
The very next day after learning about Cyrus’s problem with girls, I visited the Magic Powers Department. As soon as I opened the door, I saw the director sitting inside.
Since I couldn’t just enter another department without a good reason, I decided to ask the nearest employee to relay my message.
“Oh, Lady Katarina! It is good to see you.” A handsome boy with orange hair and blue eyes came running towards me, like a puppy welcoming back his owner, before I could say anything.
“Dewey! Nice to see you.”
It was Dewey Percy, one of FL2’s love interests. I had last seen him a few days before in the library.
At first, Dewey, who was now working in the Magic Powers Department together with Maria, had absolutely hated my guts. But when we traveled together for an examination, a series of things (which I honestly don’t fully understand) had happened, and now we were friends.
“Thank you for visiting us. Do you need anything from our department?” he asked.
Being shorter than me, he always looked up at me from below. I wasn’t into younger guys or anything, but he was so cute that I risked grinning just by looking at him. However, this was no time to enjoy his cuteness. I was on an important mission.
“I need to speak with Maria. Can you call her over for me?”
“Of course,” he said with a very, very handsome smile before going to look for his colleague. Seeing him from the back as he walked away from me, he still looked like a puppy. So cute.
He came back with Maria, who, just like him, seemed happy to see me. I asked her if she could spare some time for me after work.
“Yes, I would just be going back to the dormitory anyway.”
“Thank you. I want you to come with me somewhere. It’s inside the Ministry, so it won’t take that much time.”
“Gladly,” she said with a smile.
Perfect. The first step of my mission was complete. I silently rejoiced inside my head.
“Ah, Lady Katarina, since you are here, would you like to eat lunch together?” she asked.
“With pleasure! Can Sora come too?” I asked. He and I always ate lunch together.
“Of course,” she replied with another smile.
I was ready to go back to the Magical Tool Laboratory to tell Sora when I got the feeling that someone was looking at me. It was Cyrus, staring at me from inside the office with a gaze that anyone else would have considered menacing. But I could tell that it wasn’t that. I knew about his hobby and about his real personality... That was an anxious gaze.
He saw that I was talking with Maria and was worried about what I was doing. I had told him that I would help him overcome his fear of girls, but I hadn’t given him any more details than that, because I thought that he’d complain or chicken out.
This will work. I’ll make sure it does.
I tried to tell him “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright” with my gaze, but he probably didn’t get it. He looked even more preoccupied.
Oh well, I’ll just explain everything to him later today at the field.
I then went back to my department.
I told Sora, who had been waiting for me to come back, that Maria had invited us to have lunch together.
“I was expecting that to happen when you went to her department,” he said. I was impressed by how he seemed to practically read the future.
“Some things are just too predictable,” he said, noticing my stupefied look. “Anyway,” he continued, “let’s go before lunchtime is over.”
We walked together to the Ministry’s dining hall, or rather, one of the Ministry’s dining halls. There were several of them, all of different sizes and with different menus. Some of them were very large, like normal company lunchrooms, and others were smaller, only offering a few seats and serving lunch boxes and other things that were easy to take out. There were even some that looked like fancy cafes.
Everyone would just have lunch when it was convenient for them. For example, Hart would ask a colleague to get a lunch box for him, and then he’d eat it inside the office (probably to keep from getting lost), and Laura always ate in the fancy cafes. To each their own.
Since there were four of us today, we went to the largest dining hall, the one which resembled a company lunchroom, so that we could all sit comfortably. Maria and Dewey were already waiting for us at the entrance, and, when we arrived, we all started looking for free seats. Thankfully it wasn’t crowded, and we easily found a table. All that was left was to order the food.
“Hm... The
daily special looks good for the price, but I also want to try the new course...” I mumbled to myself.
“I have been wondering for a while,” said Sora, exasperated, “but do you really need to bother about the price? Could you not simply purchase both and only eat what you wanted? Many nobles do just that.” His contrived polite speech was probably because Maria and Dewey were with us.
“But that would be such a waste! I don’t know about other nobles, but I hate wasting food!” Let the others do as they please. I live by my own rules.
And, while the Claes family certainly didn’t have any money problems, my allowance wasn’t that generous. Since I was a child, Mother always insisted that if she gave me more, I’d end up wasting all of it. And I also had to save for things that she didn’t approve of, like sweets and farming equipment.
“Speaking with you, one starts doubting that you are the daughter of a duke,” said Dewey, who was listening to Sora and me.
What does he mean? Is this a compliment? Is it an insult? I was thinking to myself, and my confusion must have been obvious, because Maria intervened to explain.
“He means that you are a wonderful person, Lady Katarina.”
Now, now, you’ll make me blush.
I eventually decided to go for the daily special, ordered, and came back to the table with my tray. I was sitting next to Maria, facing Sora and Dewey.
“Let’s eat!” I said, and didn’t wait a second longer to take the fork in my hand to eat the daily special — hamburger steak.
It was still steaming hot, and it was covered in a fragrant tomato and onion sauce. For vegetables there were appetizingly charred broccoli and corn. The bread was a freshly baked, still-warm butter roll.
I started by cutting off a piece of the steak and chewing it, making the delicious juices spread in my mouth, their decadent richness balancing the sauce’s refreshing sourness. I followed with the vegetables, which were slightly sweet and incredibly aromatic. The bread, which I ate next, was so soft that it melted in my mouth.
Ah, it’s all so tasty. This is wonderful. Totally fitting of the great Magical Ministry’s dining hall.
“Lady Katarina always seems to enjoy her food so much,” said Maria while she and all the others smiled and watched me eat.
“What can I do? It’s just delicious,” I replied.
For some reason, Maria replied with, “I will bring some homemade sweets for you next time.”
Heck yeah!
Once I was done delivering lunch to my stomach, I asked Maria about her and Dewey’s work. She told me that on most days they were in the library rummaging through books, like I’d seen them doing some days before.
Most of my department’s tasks involved manual labor, but they actually had to use their heads. Having to read research documents every day sounded so harsh. I was glad I was assigned to the Magical Tool Laboratory.
We also talked about our colleagues. I told Maria and Dewey that my department was full of oddballs, but they already knew that. It turned out that this was common knowledge throughout the whole Ministry. Sora even said that some people called it “the loony bin.”
They were all good people, but... I couldn’t deny that they were weird.
“What about your department? How are your colleagues?” I asked Maria.
“They are all kind, talented people,” she said.
As expected of the most popular department. Of course everybody would be talented. And I was glad to know that they were kind too.
“They have been teaching me so much. I have been learning a lot,” Dewey started explaining.
That’s nice. Nothing like having good relationships with your colleagues.
I was listening with a smile, but I noticed that Maria’s expression had become darkened.
“What’s up, Maria?” I asked her, very quietly, because Dewey was still talking enthusiastically.
“It is nothing,” she said at first, but after I kept looking at her for a while, she whispered something to me.
“All of our colleagues are very kind to us, but I cannot help but think that Director Lanchester treats me differently from the others... I am afraid he might dislike me.” After a pause, she added, “I could just be thinking too hard about it,” but her expression didn’t change. She really thought that he hated her.
And what about Cyrus? He was so proud to say that nobody would ever notice. Well, would you look at this. You’ve been noticed, alright.
I had to do something about this... Not only for Cyrus’s sake, but for Maria’s as well.
“Don’t worry,” I said with a smile, “if you come with me after work, I’m sure that problem will be solved too.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking surprised.
“I’ll explain later,” I said, but she stared at me with a troubled expression.
“Alright...” she said with a nod.
The meal went on as we chatted about our respective departments and work at the Ministry.
“Let’s eat together again soon!” I told Maria and Dewey in front of the dining hall’s exit before leaving for the Magical Tool Laboratory.
“Are you planning to do something weird again?” Sora asked me as we were walking back to the office.
How does he always guess what I’m thinking? Does he have psychic powers or something?
“N-Not at all,” I said, still scared about his ability to read my mind.
He looked at me and sighed. “Just don’t do anything dangerous, okay?” he said. He could really read me like a book.
Evening came, and I was finally done with work. Sora warned me again not to do anything dangerous, and then I went to meet Maria. She was already waiting for me, looking nervous.
“Come on, let’s go,” I told her, and we started walking together.
“Excuse me, but, where exactly are we going?” she asked me when she noticed that we had gone deep into the Ministry with nobody else around.
I had kept it a secret because I didn’t want anyone else to know about Cyrus’s secret hobby, but since there wasn’t anyone else around anyway, I thought that I might as well tell her.
“We’re going to a field.”
“A field? Have you started a field inside the Magical Ministry?!” she asked, surprised.
Indeed, I’d cultivated my own field back at the academy, partly as a hobby and partly as a Bad-End countermeasure. Maria definitely had reason to suspect that.
“No, not me. Someone else’s field. I found it by accident a few days ago.”
“There is someone else who likes to farm within the Ministry?”
“Yes, and their field is an incredible one. I’m sure you’ll be surprised too.”
“Hehehe, I am looking forward to it.”
We kept talking like this while walking until we finally reached Cyrus’s field.
“Oh, it really is a wonderful field!” Maria said as soon as she saw the perfectly arranged rows of vegetables.
“I know, right?” I said proudly, almost as if it were my own field.
Cyrus didn’t seem to be there yet. He’d been there every single evening since I’d started showing up, and he even said that he hadn’t been missing a day recently.
I thought he’d eventually come, but what if he’d realized my plan and run away?
All of a sudden, I heard a squeaking sound. It was the door of the hut near the field, being opened from the inside by Cyrus in his farming clothes, hat and all.
He saw us, and, just like the first time he’d seen me on his field, he stood there frozen with his eyes open wide. After looking at us for a while, motionless... he turned around and started running!
Years of escaping Mother’s lectures had trained my reflexes well enough that I lost no time and went after him, quickly managing to grab his arm.
“Wait! Why are you running away?”
“I’m the one who wants to ask why! Why is Maria Campbell here? Did you bring her with you?” he asked under his breath so that
Maria wouldn’t hear.
“Exactly,” I replied, whispering as well. “I thought that rather than overthinking things by yourself, it’d be faster to just talk to her and get used to it.”
“...Hm, you kind of have a point, but... why did you need to bring her here?”
“Because this is the only place where you can be yourself! At work you are always, you know, hiding behind a mask...”
“I know what you mean, b-but...” he said, frowning.
“That’s why I brought Maria here. If you can talk to her and befriend her here, I’m sure that you won’t have any problem with girls anymore,” I said, proud of my wonderful plan.
“That may be true,” Cyrus replied with a bitter smile, “but why does it have to be Maria Campbell right from the start? I’m already bad with girls, but it’s even worse when it comes to a beauty like her.”
So, men who aren’t used to girls have an even harder time with beautiful girls. Hm, I didn’t think of that.
“Hm... But Maria’s a very good girl! I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I said, dragging Cyrus back to her.
Now able to take a better look at him, Maria realized who he was.
“...Mister Lanchester...” she said.
Cyrus, noticing the slight surprise in her voice, looked at his own clothes.
“Ah, you see, this is...” he started mumbling, but I intervened to help him.
“This is Mister Cyrus’s field. He’s really knowledgeable about farming, and he’s also very skilled with a hoe!”
“Mister Lanchester? Farming...?” she asked, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Yes, he actually comes from a family of farmers, and mfghfgh...”
Cyrus had put a hand over my mouth as I was talking.
“I’ll just explain it myself from here,” he said, finally sounding calm.
“Maria Campbell,” he said, looking towards her, “what Miss Katarina just said is true. People call me a noble at the Ministry, but my family, despite its rank, lived off the fields in the country. I, myself, have grown up as a farmer. This is the truth behind my noble birth. Laugh at me, if you must.”
My Next Life as a Villainess Page 7