The Young Lady Tames the Main Leads

“My… my…?”

Without realizing it, I seemed to be muttering blankly as my face turned white as a sheet. Soon everyone who had been frozen like ice for a moment came to their senses. Except for me.

“Wha-what should I do? What should I do……? Lady Emir’s stuff…!”

The first to shout was none other than Alice. Alice already had tears in her eyes, even though she hadn’t broken it.

“I-I’ll pick it up…!”

After saying that, without hesitation, she jumped off the carriage. All that was seen were remnants of something that may have once been my artifact. Since it was made of a sharp ceramic material, picking it up with bare hands would cause injury. I finally came to my senses and opened my mouth to stop Alice.

“No, don’t do it! It’ll hurt you, Alice!”

“It’s dangerous, Lady Alice!”

Fortunately, another guard who was closer to Alice stopped her, so such an accident did not happen. Thankful for Alice’s actions, I approached her slowly and muttered, “…I-I-I’m fine. Really. Alice, thank you for your help.”

Was it because I was upset? Somehow my voice sounded like I wasn’t alright at all, but it wasn’t really a lie. That’s right, I didn’t even imagine that my artifact would break, so I was just stuck in the sudden situation for a while. Of course, what happened was very regrettable, it was disappointing, and I was a bit angry, but I was able to replace those feelings by saying it was okay.

“However, this looks very expensive… It must have been Emir’s favorite item…” Alice stood next to me and muttered, her fingers trembling.

Of course, that was correct. It was the only artifact in this world that I received as a birthday present from my parents.

‘But, you can’t be mad at Cedric because it broke.’ I thought to myself. Moreover, he didn’t do it on purpose, it was a mistake. I turned my gaze and looked at Cedric, who just got off from the knight’s arms. Unlike usual, his face was pale, and he did not even look at me. He moved his lips a little as if he wanted to say something to me.

“So-so……”

I slowly walked over to Cedric. He then took a step back in surprise. I guess he was flustered. I waved my hands at him in an attempt to say I was alright.

“My Lord, I’m fine.”

All of a sudden, Cedric closed his eyes and shouted.

“Sorry! I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. I didn’t drop it on purpose. I put it in my pocket, but…”

I listened to Cedric’s excuses without saying a word, and nodded my head.

“I know it was a mistake. Let’s go to class first.”

* * *

In a little while, we all entered the classroom. Since no one spoke readily, there was only a tense silence. Shortly afterwards, one of the guards came in and handed me something. Because it is a precious item, the artefact couldn’t be just thrown away, so all the pieces were collected in a box.

I bowed my head and looked inside the box.

“……”

My cherished artifact was now nothing more than trash. I thought I should have used it at least once before lending it to Cedric. As I was regretting my actions, my expression hardened without me realizing it. I could sense Cedric, who was standing near me, gazing at me, startled.

‘Ah.’

I quickly toned down my expression because I didn’t mean for Cedric to notice. But when I looked up at him, Cedric was stunned for some reason. He was literally sweating and rolling his eyes around and looking into my eyes.

“…Lord Cedric?” I called Cedric in a low voice.

Since he apologized, I was just about to say that this accident would not be brought up again. Thinking about it, the artifact was something I wouldn’t have used even if I had it in the first place.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who keep carrying valuables and use them, and those who keep their cherished things untouched. I was obviously the latter.

‘If Cedric put it to good use, that’s good enough.’ Thinking this, I regained my positive mindset again.

“You don’t have to be so sorry. After all, I don’t really use it anyway.”

“…eh, but! You said you cherish it because you got it as a birthday present.”

It seemed like Cedric cared about the artifact more than me, didn’t he? Before I could answer, Cedric continued.

“I will make it up to you.”

“What? Make it up?”

“Yeah, I’ll get something like an artifact. I have a lot of pocket money.”

Cedric was speaking in a voice with a sense of responsibility and for some reason he didn’t look his age. I hesitated for a moment and then declined.

“Um, thanks, but that’s fine.”

“……What? Are you ignoring my offer now?”

Cedric asked, startled, as if he didn’t think I would say no. I nodded in response to his question.

“Yeah. I already have several artifacts. And those kinds of artifacts, enchanted with power handling, are so rare that they won’t be re-created. And above all…”

‘It’s expensive.’

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