Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 118: Fina (5)

‘Aren’t Lady Fina and Lord Dereck spending too much time together lately…?’

Aiselin thought as she carried materials on court etiquette and left the classroom building.

While she had been absorbed in her work, autumn had suddenly settled in completely, with clear blue skies and a pleasantly mild climate.

After the start of the semester, Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion had been full of chaos, but now the weekly schedule had stabilized, and a sense of calm was beginning to spread among the young ladies living their academic lives.

It was an afternoon when the weekly schedule was about to end and rest time was beginning.

In the central garden of the baron’s mansion, where a cool, pleasant breeze blew, many young ladies were having tea or chatting.

Some got into carriages to visit Ebelstein Street during the break, and other more diligent students practiced magic on their own in the training field without taking the day off.

Before she knew it, Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion had grown quite large.

After all, many families, since their daughters attended there, spared no expense in supporting it. Aside from tuition, several wanted to use their own funds to build additional convenience, cultural, and academic facilities for them.

Delbriton accepted those intentions and decided to add various facilities, and in no time, the baron’s mansion, originally a single estate, had turned into a complex with seven large buildings and more than eleven auxiliary facilities, becoming a well-equipped place for social exchange.

If one were to ask who had contributed most to all of this, without a doubt, it was Aiselin.

She walked down the corridor of the mansion’s main building with a somber expression, unaware that she herself was already the true power behind the Ravenclaw Training Center.

‘Lord Dereck is human too; he can’t treat all the young ladies equally. It’s only natural that there’s someone among them who catches his affection, draws his attention, or whom he wants to teach more…’

Speaking of Dereck and Fina, their private conversations had increased noticeably lately.

Most of the time, they were about magic classes or impressions of the humanities lectures held in the annex building. It was the sort of talk a teacher would have with a student, and Aiselin tried not to pay it too much mind.

However, even if they were close, they were too close.

After meals, she often saw Fina leaving Dereck’s office in a hurry, or the two of them seriously discussing magic in a corner of the training grounds. She had even seen her visiting Dereck’s office late at night.

At that point, Aiselin couldn’t help but have complicated thoughts.

Although it seemed impossible, she couldn’t shake the idea that Dereck and Fina might develop a relationship beyond that of teacher and student.

Caught up in questions she couldn’t even answer herself, she ended up burying her face in her desk.

“My God… what am I doing? How undignified…”

Aiselin quickly raised her head and adjusted her jet-black hair.

As she twisted the ends of her hair, she let out a deep sigh and reflected.

Fina had an oddly captivating aura.

‘As a business partner, shouldn’t I confirm this with Lord Dereck? If they end up having an improper relationship, who knows what could happen…’

But thinking that way also felt strange to her.

‘Improper? In what sense? Can what Lady Fina and Lord Dereck do really be considered improper? A man and a woman their age falling in love doesn’t seem strange at all. They’re both from baronial families in remote regions, so they probably have things in common, and their ranks are similar—there wouldn’t be any incongruity if they were together…’

In truth, Aiselin came from the high-ranking noble family Duplain, several levels above Dereck.

Of course, the Duplain family had recently fallen into decline, and that was already in the past, but the saying that a noble’s wealth lasts three generations was not false.

When Dereck and Aiselin stood side by side, there was an obvious difference.

The noble hierarchy was cruel.

“…What on earth is wrong with me?”

Suddenly, she felt a strange emptiness and lifted her head.

When she looked at the elegant full-length mirror in the corner of her office, she didn’t see the Jewel of Ebelstein, the Queen of the Rose Hall, but an ordinary woman blushing for no reason.

Aiselin Eleanor Duplain. Herself.

“Yes, let’s stop making ridiculous excuses that don’t suit me and speak honestly. Twisting things around isn’t my style.”

Grasping the mirror with both hands and exhaling, Aiselin managed to calm herself just barely.

Even in a cold social world, at least when she was alone in her room, there was no reason to lie to herself.

And then came an unexpected self-questioning.

“What is it that’s bothering me so much?”

She waited a few seconds before continuing.

“No matter what Lady Fina and Lord Dereck do, it’s their decision—it would be ridiculous for a third party to meddle in their personal lives… So why am I so restless and upset to the point of pacing around…?”

“…”

“…”

She remained silent for a while as she looked at herself in the mirror.

There was a girl with a completely red face, nervously touching her hands.

“…I have no choice but to admit it. I… I’m jealous. Ugh…”

Leaning back, Aiselin fell into her chair and covered her face with her hands. Her fingers burned from the strange heat she felt.

No problem can be solved without first acknowledging it.

Aiselin was mature enough not to lie to herself or justify things with rationalizations.

But that didn’t mean the problem was solved.

“How ugly, but… I admit it… I’m jealous! I’m envious!”

For someone who had been the flower of House Duplain and the Queen of the Rose Hall, envy was an unknown emotion.

Only Ellen, who had always lived in her shadow, had known that feeling.

Only then did Aiselin feel that she understood a small part of the emotion that had burned in Ellen’s eyes.

To put it plainly—she was jealous of Fina!

Although she hadn’t done anything special, she envied her greatly—her position, the fact that she monopolized Dereck’s attention. She wanted to be noticed too.

And by admitting it so directly, she felt a kind of relief spreading through her chest.

Human emotions—once acknowledged and released—produce a strange sense of liberation.

“…Could I perhaps be a very complicated woman…?”

Of course, that self-reproach that comes afterward was its own kind of punishment.

“Or maybe I’m just naïve…? In moments like this, do I try to attract attention however I can…? No, I’m not a child throwing a tantrum! What am I saying… how low am I going to sink…?”

Aiselin adjusted her hair and took a deep breath for a while.

Once she calmed down a bit, she placed a pretty accessory in her hair again, sat in front of the mirror, and straightened up with a serene and elegant air.

Now, the most renowned noble lady of the Rose Hall had returned to the mirror.

“Oh… I must focus.”

It wasn’t the time to mope over unimportant things.

Aiselin was a key figure of the Ravenclaw Training Center. By working diligently day by day, the seasons had changed, and each day brought something new that made her feel her life had meaning.

For a fallen noblewoman, wasn’t that already a great happiness?

Feeling envy, wanting attention—all of that now seemed pitiful. Even at that very moment, the servants of her household, Diella and Leigh, were working tirelessly for the family.

“Yes. I must do my best too.”

Work had piled up to the point where she could only sleep two or three hours a day.

She had maintained that pace for months.

Having so much work was a blessing. Grateful for that environment, she decided to carry out her duties with even more determination.

It was then that Aiselin reaffirmed her resolve.

Drip.

“Huh… what…?”

A thread of blood ran from Aiselin’s nose.

Startled, she quickly grabbed the handkerchief on her desk and covered her face.

It was more than clumsiness—it was humiliation. If that had happened in public, her dignity would have been seriously damaged.

Dizzy, she tried to wipe away the blood flowing from her nose.

“Oh… no…”

Suddenly, her vision clouded as if a shadow covered it, and Aiselin’s body collapsed backward.

Crash! Bang!

A loud noise echoed through her office, and it didn’t take long for Butler Delbritton, noticing the unusual sound, to rush to the scene.

*

A guiding spirit that emitted a faint glow, summoned through a first-class summoning spell, floated at the tip of Dereck’s fingers.

Among summoning spells, which are divided into biological and non-biological, this particular one was uniquely classified as non-biological.

Was it because the fairy did not communicate, had no consciousness, and moved only by following commands that it wasn’t considered a living being?

In fact, the fairy summoned by that spell followed the summoner’s orders completely mechanically, without making any judgment.

It could do nothing more than trace the path taken so far or observe the surroundings and report possible dangers.

Even those supposed dangers were usually limited to detecting the presence of monsters.

‘It’s not versatile and useless in combat. Although it’s helped me a few times during labyrinth exploration, I definitely need to learn at least level two-star summoning magic.’

The weekly schedule was nearly complete, and Dereck was sitting alone in a corner of the garden, silently watching the glowing fairy.

“Well, it seems Lord Dereck has a great interest in summoning magic.”

With a mischievous laugh, Fina approached from behind and raised her voice.

It was hard to believe that this girl, who now smiled so boldly while calling out to Dereck, was the same necromancer who, at night, watched everything with narrow, piercing eyes.

“Did you finish your humanities class?”

“Of course. As I said, there are many interesting things to hear, so I’m quite satisfied. Although it doesn’t exactly match actual history.”

When Fina said that, her tone took on a meaningful nuance.

After all, that girl had personally witnessed several of the events considered historical.

“Someone could be listening.”

“That’s why I’m being so respectful, isn’t it? For me, Lord Dereck is like a lofty master in the heavens.”

“…You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Acting is always fun, no matter how old you are. So? How’s it going? Do you think you’ll be able to break through the four-star barrier?”

“…”

The truth was that Dereck still didn’t fully understand it.

It wasn’t a level that could be reached overnight or through intuition alone—not even for nobles of pure blood who had full support.

Certainly, theoretical knowledge alone was not enough.

Something else was needed. A catalyst.

‘It would be best if I could consult a summoning magic master separately, but there aren’t many summoners in the southwestern part of the continent…’

Dereck fell into thought.

‘Famous summoners in the southwest—Rope Gale from the Drest Society, Pablo from the Krem Guild, Viscount Blythe… no others…’

There was one person who couldn’t be left out when speaking of great summoning masters.

The Grand Duke Beltus.

A five-star summoner, capable of bringing forth the army of mountain spirits or even a massive magical library if he wished.

‘…None of them are easy to contact.’

“So you plan to fill your pockets elsewhere, leaving this noble master in front of you behind?”

“…There might be eyes watching during the day, so could you please maintain formality?”

“Really, men are so timid.”

The presence of a necromancer was like a bomb that could wipe out an entire family.

There was no harm in being cautious, so Dereck didn’t yield.

Fina, who understood Dereck’s circumstances well, gently closed her eyes, smiled calmly, and nodded.

“I originally had three other mentors.”

“I thought you only had good luck with women, but it seems you’re lucky with teachers too. Though of course, none would have more magical knowledge than me.”

“Well…”

“…Was that a joke?”

Even if one of them had been a beggar from the slums or Katia, Dereck’s third teacher was someone who could rival the legendary Necromancer Fina.

That was also the reason why Dereck’s search magic surpassed that of ordinary mages.

Fina watched Dereck’s reaction silently, then frowned.

“That hurts my pride.”

“…”

“Who the hell could it be?”

As she said that, Fina was about to flash a seductive smile.

Tap, tap!

Delbriton, who always valued dignity and usually walked calmly, suddenly became alarmed and ran toward where Dereck was.

He didn’t even care that his antique monocle swung from its chain; he ran full speed, breathing heavily.

“Ugh… huff… I was in the garden, Baron.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Lady Aiselin has fainted.”

At those words, even Dereck—who rarely showed surprise—couldn’t help but widen his eyes for a moment.

*

Squeak, squeak.

Bang!

Aiselin, her face flushed red, lay on the bed, letting out small whimpering sounds as she slept.

The servant in charge of medical duties was watching the situation beside the bed, and when he saw Dereck burst into the room, he quickly bowed his head.

“Baron.”

“Report the situation.”

“The butler found her unconscious in her room. I rushed over immediately and administered basic medical treatment.”

Dereck strode in and examined Aiselin’s condition.

She didn’t seem to be in immediate danger. However, she was sweating slightly, and her complexion was quite pale.

“It’s exhaustion. Sometimes, those who devote themselves entirely to work don’t even notice their bodies are deteriorating.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any risk to her life or any serious aftereffects.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Once the fever subsides, she should regain consciousness soon.”

The servant said only that before retreating to the edge of the room.

“…”

Dereck silently watched Aiselin, who had yet to wake, and let out a deep sigh.

Then he sat down on the wooden chair beside the bed, resting his hands on his knees, lost in thought.

Thinking about it, it was more surprising that Aiselin hadn’t collapsed from overwork sooner.

However, Aiselin was such a strong and steadfast person that he had thought she could endure it easily.

Although it was clearly unreasonable, her ever-smiling face and her ability to handle everything smoothly made it hard to notice any signs of strain. She was always looking for more tasks to take on.

But one thing must never be forgotten—the physical and mental strength of a person is a resource that gets consumed.

Even though he knew that, he had believed Aiselin was an exception.

If sacrifice and dedication are taken for granted, the organization will eventually collapse.

Dereck realized he had made a very basic mistake as a leader.

“…”

Dereck was not very expressive with his emotions.

However, there was a distinct seriousness in the way he sat silently, pressing his knees with his hands.

The servants, noticing the heaviness in his expression, could only bow their heads, unsure of what to do.

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