"The reason we came today because we are too busy to participate is because we heard that some of you had requests for us..." (Mitsuha)
Of course, I didn't talk to elderly heads of aristocratic families, but in informal conversations with children of aristocrats who were close to my age, I always spoke in a broken tone. And all of these kids knew this because they had attended tea parties several times now.
Well, I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm so easily attacked by minors...
People of adult age thought that I was not a child of a nobleman, but a nobleman myself, a great hero who saved the country, and the sister of the king of a great country...and that I, the "Lightning Archpriestess", was of age. People could think that I was trying to make it easy for the children who were close to me to talk without feeling embarrassed.
No, there really wasn't any deep meaning behind it, I just didn't like fancy lady language.
...But right now, I was speaking ...in a polite, firm tone.
I had no smile, an expressionless face, and was indifferent...
Well, there's no child of an aristocratic family who wouldn't notice that I was extremely displeased with this, right?
Sabine-chan and Beatrice-chan on my left and right also had hard expressions.
…I was trying my hardest to hold back my laughter.
And I said, "Against us..."
That meant that Adelaide-chan and I weren't the only ones to whom that ridiculous request was made, Sabine-chan and Beatrice-chan were also included.
Beatrice-chan, the daughter of a marquis and a great saint (unofficial), and Sabine-chan, the third princess who was doted on by the king's family and was extremely popular with nobles and commoners. An arrogant and playful request was made against them.
...Yes, it's not a "request", it's a "demand".
"......" (Everyone)
Hmm, everyone's reactions were divided into several different ways.
A slight sense of impatience, like "Oh no!" or "Oh no!".
It's like, "Hey, that's why I told you so." "It's not my fault." "I don't know!" It didn't matter to me.
...And several pale girls.
Yeah, that's easy to understand.
Did they make selfish or selfish demands out of spite?
Did they want to embarrass or degrade Adelaide-chan by giving her an impossible task?
Didn't they think that he would just convey such an unreasonable request to us?
...Well, if Adelaide-chan and I weren't such close friends and just knew each other, I didn't think she would be able to tell me something like that...
However, Adelaide-chan and I were good friends, and we could talk about our complaints and worries.
It's crazy that they didn't know that!
So, let's start with a light jab.
That's, "Aim for a slightly inside corner and hit the ball in a hollow manner."
...By the way, in "For My Sake (Part 1)," which I learned from the first generation Micchan, you don't strike the opponent's body, but their heart.
"I have only heard simple things from Adelaide-chan, so I would like the person who made the request… no, the demand, to explain it to me directly."
"......" (Everyone)
No one spoke a single word...
Hmm, aren't you planning to come forward yourself?
Well then....
"Then, the requester is the daughter of Count Culvadi, Lastena-sama. The daughter of Marquis Vibold, Theresa-sama. Could you please explain?" (Mitsuha)
"Hih..."
What? Are you scared of something?
"Mitsuha-nee-sama, your face is scary..." (Sabine)
Sabine-chan whispered so that only I could hear.
...Yeah, well, of course they felt uncomfortable.
And they didn't even try to hide their feelings.
"Did you convey your request for us to Adelaide-chan? Your demand was conveyed as you asked, so that's why we came all the way despite our busy schedule. His Highness the Third Princess... Together with the daughter of Marquis Bozes..." (Mitsuha)
There's no one here who didn't understand why I called them by their titles instead of the usual "Sabine-chan" or "Beatrice-chan."
And by repeatedly using the word "demand" instead of "request," I emphasized the other party's disrespect.
The two ladies whose names I mentioned earlier had pale faces and were in a state of confusion.
Well, the words I said lightly ended up turning me, Her Royal Highness the Third Princess, and the daughter of a marquis, a great saint, into enemies.
In the worst-case scenario, if their parents found out, they might even be cut off.
No, of course it didn't mean that they would be physically cut down, but that they would be disowned or put into a local monastery.
The Marquis Bozes family was currently on the verge of knocking down a flying bird. Great Saint Beatrice-chan was being carried into a portable shrine by the temple forces. Her Royal Highness the Third Princess, beloved by the King's family. ...And I was the Lightning Archpriestess.
To make all of them enemies, and to cut off one of the many daughters (pawns) for political marriage.
...Which one would the head of the aristocratic family choose?
Not just as a single father, but as the head of the household. As a lord, protecting the territory and its people.
Well, there's no need to think about it...
Why did this happen?
I didn't know much about aristocratic families or their children, but Adelaide-chan and Sabine-chan must have properly vetted the members of Sorority...
...Ah, these two are the daughter of a Count and the daughter of a Marquis.
In other words, they were not the initial members when Sorority was formed, but were added to the group after allowing children from earl and marquis families...
Was it because their judgment was too lenient, or was she a decent child who couldn't stand the inconsistency between her family's title and her own position within "Sorority"?
At least we were able to pass the screening of the initial members. Actually, I didn't think she's that bad of a child...
Well, I guess there's no other way.
The ladies who made the request to us didn't say anything, so as I previously explained to Adelaide-chan, "The Maid-san" was just a commoner's activity that was carried out by commoners in their spare time. I made it clear that I had no involvement whatsoever in this, and that I had no intention of cooperating with this shameless imitation of the aristocrats usurping what the commoners had obtained through their own efforts.
If you asked me to shamelessly imitate them anymore, I would withdraw from "Sorority"...
As a nobleman, they acted shamefully, angering and appalling Her Royal Highness the Third Princess, the Great Saint, and the Lightning Archpriestess, and forcing them to leave "Sorority".
If such a story spread, the position of the person who caused the problem in the social world and the search for an engagement partner would be affected...
And if I had any sane nerves, there's no way I would have stayed on Sorority, which had lost so much fame because of me.
...Or rather, if that happened, "Sorority" probably wouldn't be able to survive.
To prevent that from happening, it's not us who left...
But then, these two...
It seemed that it wasn't just these two who had problems, there were also people who provoked them and rode on their butts.
However, these two never made any excuses, shifted the blame, or tried to implicate others, saying that it wasn't just them who were at fault.
Both of them were proper, noble girls with pride.
I didn't particularly like "Zamaa" or "Ore TUEEE!". It's not what I wanted to do.
Besides, there's no way these kids' lives had to be messed up over something like this.
"Sorority" was just a fun, social circle that I started for my convenience.
It wasn't created to make girls unhappy.
Hmm, what should I do...
"Theresa-sama and Lastena-sama are not the only ones to blame!"
Huh?
Someone, a little kid, came out!
"In addition to the two of them, there are other people who have criticized and complained about Adelaide-sama in various ways.
Both of them were simply carried away by those people and forced to draw the poor lottery.
"Those who are to blame are those who incited various things to both of them, provoked them, and all those who didn't try to stop it!"
Oh, in this situation, would you side with these two? Even though you're small...
"Are you friends with these kids?" (Mitsuha)
"No, I'm the seventh daughter of a poor baron's family...Ah, no! We're members of the Sorority, so of course we're important friends!"
Hoho, it's not like we're from the same faction or cronies, and they don't have much contact with each other, so why would she protect them at the risk of getting displeasure from us?
The children who were close to the two were gradually moving away and keeping their distance...
...She's a great kid...
Okay, maybe something will work out!