Side Story ─ Lioness

Once upon a time there was a girl who was not like other girls.

That girl saw life in a boring way.

Born into a family of counts, that girl with cyan-blue hair, fuchsia eyes and drills as a hairstyle, she─

Eleonora von Roseblaire, was bored at the moment.

Entering the Altfode Kingdom academy, she expected an exciting life because she would meet many people of different statuses.

In the end, that first year was spent yawning.

After a while, her second year at the academy arrived.

The first semester of the new school year started smoothly.

Eleonora, or Ellen as her family called her, sat drinking tea in a social gathering room.

Her entourage was talking to her, but she ignored them.

(How boring it is today, no, it was boring yesterday and it will be boring tomorrow.)

Ellen's days were calm and peaceful, she was bored with those days being like that.

She wanted excitement in her life. Something to get her heart pumping and remind her that she was alive.

It was then, when a piece of news came from one of the girls in her entourage.

"What's that you say?"

"I swear. I heard from some senpais that a first-year peasant challenged the heir of Kingsfort Household to a duel at the next inter-school.

"That peasant is dead."

"Not only that, he's a tremendous idiot. He'll be killed before the duel."

The conversation momentarily disconcerted Ellen, but then she returned to her normal state.

(It doesn't really matter. A crazy peasant is a normal thing these days.)

Ellen sipped her tea and sighed again.

◇◇◇

The summer vacation came.

Ellen returned to her home in Count Roseblaire's territory.

Upon entering, she found her family.

An extravagant woman with a voluminous hairstyle was drinking tea.

It was her mother, Loretta von Roseblaire.

Next to her was a little girl with a small-framed hairstyle and bright eyes reading an illustrated novel. It was Theresia von Roseblaire, her younger sister.

The Roseblaire Household had no heir, so his daughter─ the man who married her would be the new heir to the house and the territory.

Her father did not want it to be just any man, so her engagement was in search of the right man.

Ellen greeted her family.

"Good morning, dear mother and Tia."

"Good morning, my beloved daughter."

"Good morning, onee-sama."

Ellen sat up and asked about something missing from the room.

"Where is father?"

Her mother replied.

"He's busy in the capital, apparently something happened that shocked the royal palace."

"Is that so?"

Ellen wondered intrigued what happened.

◇◇◇

The month was almost over and her father finally arrived.

Ellen had been riding and practicing with her magic for days now. Seeing her father, she ran to see him.

There at the door stood a tall man, neatly combed cyan hair, thin pointed mustache and strange fuchsia eyes.

The strangest thing was that near his face, small stars were shining brightly.

They were visible to everyone, but no one really cared.

That man was the Count, Wallace von Roseblaire, Ellen's father.

"Dear father, it is good to see you healthy."

She gave a bow and her father spoke in his usual but strangely calm tone with a high-pitched voice.

"How do you do my daughter, we have not seen each other since you entered the academy."

"Indeed."

"Father, may I know why you disappeared for most of the month?"

The count gave his coat and hat to a servant, another servant gave him an already lit pipe and went to sit down before speaking.

"It's good for you to know, as this will be big news for everyone before long."

Ellen looked worried.

"Did something bad happen?"

"Not really, well, if you look at it from the palace's point of view, then yes."

That intrigued Ellen more, her father told her.

"Weeks ago there was the duel between a peasant and Duke Kingsfort's son."

"I know, did the peasant's family protest his death?"

To Ellen, for a peasant to wreak havoc was normal. There was nothing odd about that, the odd thing came with the next thing she said.

"No. That peasant─ rather, that upstart country nobleman─ fought a duel to defend the honor of Duke Bismarck's daughter."

Ellen's eyes snapped open at that.

"You speak of Lady Alicelotte? I didn't know that."

"It doesn't end there. That boy defeated not only the duke's son, he also defeated the heirs of both Households, Nightray and Arses. And to make it worse... he beat the crown prince."

Ellen couldn't believe that, at the same time, she felt her heart beating abnormally.

◇◇◇

"Hmph~, so that's the noble awarded for beating the prince."

Ellen was on a balcony of the inner palace watching from the heights, the award ceremony.

She was looking boredly at a black-haired boy.

Behind him was a large, absurdly large jet black armored unit.

"That Armor is absurdly large, how can it move?"

Ellen didn't understand what the palace was thinking in awarding that boy.

Her eyes then focused on a golden blonde haired girl standing next to the rumored meddling commoner, a light blonde haired girl.

"The new semester will be boring again. Never mind that there are unruly kids around."

◇◇◇

The new semester had begun.

Ellen was busy as many girls in her entourage disappeared.

That was because they found themselves teasing and bullying a commoner girl.

Ellen didn't mind that, she might feel a little thrill if she had participated, but commoners are a lower rank that had to be ignored.

That was the thinking of the upper class.

In the middle of her usual walk during recess, her eyes encountered a normal scene.

It was the duke's daughter sitting with her entourage.

The boys and girls were chatting happily, but her expression showed that she was drooping.

"Why are you making that face? It's normal to be with your entourage, even if you barely know their last name."

Ellen walked on.

◇◇◇

Fall break came.

Ellen and other students went on a cruise.

They went to an island belonging to an ancient country known as Musashi.

It was night and there was a festival.

Ellen wore a blue kimono with small birds embroidered in the color of her eyes.

She wandered away from the stalls to explore the place.

Unbeknownst to her, she came to a forest.

She wandered deeper hoping for something exciting.

But sure enough, she found it.

Near a split tree, lay a man.

He was wounded and there were several bodies around him.

Without any fear, Ellen approached.

The black-haired, black-eyed man with oriental features became aware of her presence.

He pulled a knife known as a kunai from his pocket.

He was breathing very roughly.

"Who are you, identify yourself!"

Ellen, despite being threatened, felt no fear.

"I am a noblewoman of the Kingdom that runs this island."

"That's a lie! This country belongs to us, the original citizens of Musashi!"

"Even if it does, your country no longer has an identity of its own. You are nothing but a shadow."

"Guh!"

Ellen stepped closer.

"You're hurt, what happened?"

The man was silent for a moment before answering.

"... It's none of your business."

"Is it? To me it looks like you need help. Although well, if you want to bleed out there and die, I have no objection."

Ellen turned around, stopped when the man yelled at her.

"Please, wait! I... I need your help. I can't move."

Ellen smiled at that.

"That's fine with me, but it's impossible for me to do it alone anyway. Wait there until I bring my entourage."

"Thank you for your help."

"There's nothing to thank, I'm doing it on a whim. By the way, what's your name?"

The man moved his mouth and said his name.

"I'm Madarao, a ninja."

Ellen ran off while the man─ Madarao, hid in the bushes.

She thought as she ran.

(Finally, something exciting.)

Her heart was pounding, but it was different from the feeling she felt that time.

◇◇◇

The situation when the cruiser was returning to the capital was totally blackened.

Ellen was feeling a pain in her chest as she watched an enemy fleet surround the ship she was on.

"This is bad."

Ellen muttered as she was being held along with other students.

Two men were talking to them. One of them was tall in armor and very old besides. The other was smaller and with a strange coconut shaped bowl cut and thin mustache.

The coconut-headed man demanded that they hand over the higher ranking one.

Ellen was the daughter of a gentleman.

There were sons of counts and marquises.

She was the highest ranking of them all.

Just as she was about to stand up so they wouldn't touch the other students.

"I, Alicelotte von Bismarck offer myself in place of everyone present! Please do not harm them!"

The duke's daughter stood up and gave herself up as a hostage.

Right after that.

"Don't do it, Alisa, please!"

The scholarship student, a commoner stood up and called out to the duke's daughter.

"You big idiot, what do you think you're doing!!?"

Right after the commoner, a boy went on a rampage, beat up everyone who tried to stop him.

In the end it was useless and they beat him up.

They took him to the jail in the back.

Ellen followed them out of curiosity.

She watched as the boys belonging to the duke's daughter's entourage threw him mercilessly.

There she watched his face.

Ellen said nothing, just watched him and felt her heart pounding with intensity.

◇◇◇

"Die for me."

Ellen couldn't believe her ears.

The boy from earlier came out of the dungeon and after summoning everyone on the deck, told them to die for them.

"He's insane."

She muttered that as he pointed his rifle skyward and laughed in their faces.

"And you call yourselves descendants of adventurers like that? Hahaha, your ancestors must be turning over in their graves."

Hearing that insult, Ellen couldn't take it anymore and went to the front.

"Hold on a minute!"

She shouted.

"My name is Eleonora von Roseblaire! The daughter of Count Roseblaire! And what is yours."

The boy smiled.

"Third son of a baron. Rudel van Bradford."

On that day, Ellen's heart beat like a locomotive.

◇◇◇

It's been a year since that one.

Ellen was returning home in an airship.

Beside her was a boy who was saying goodbye to her.

A few minutes ago, she did something she shouldn't do without being married.

But she didn't care.

Since in her hand, she held a proof that one day she would be taken by him.

It was a ring.

"And to think it all started with a fight. Life is truly curious."

Eleonora von Roseblaire was a simple woman who enjoyed life in a different way than others.

Daughter of a count.

She, who let her vassal return to his homeland because of a revolution that was soon to take place.

She, who wanted more than anything else a boost of excitement in her life.

"Please continue to bring me excitement from now on. I won't love you if you become a boring man, or maybe I will, ufufu."

She wished that her first love would be the one who would make her feel alive and eager to live it.