“Huh?”
Sonya bit her lip.
Byleth had inadvertently spoken. An unconscious criticism directed at her.
“You said you don’t want to lose the chance to hear Lady Aria’s singing in the future. Given that you, Lord Byleth, are willing to provide such valuable information without any expectation of return just to alleviate her condition, it’s only natural for you to be suspicious of why I’m not taking action.”
“…”
(Eh? No, I never thought that about Sonya…)
On the contrary, he believes she’s as capable as Sia. It’s because she is that she’s reading so deeply into this.
“While I have no way to justify or excuse myself to you, Lord Byleth, I have been trying to take action in my own way. I’ve negotiated with the Madam several times about easing Lady Aria’s schedule.”
“R-really!?”
“As the one who’s always by her side, I understand better than anyone how the packed schedule is affecting her throat. Ah, but we’ve strayed from the topic. Regarding the negotiations… they haven’t been fruitful… I’m sorry.”
“No, no! I should be the one apologizing for saying something so inconsiderate without knowing the circumstances!”
Now he understood what Sonya meant when she called herself “useless.”
Sonya’s job as Aria’s servant is to “take care of her master without causing any inconvenience.”
Despite that, he had said:
“There might be days when her throat gets strained.”
In other words, it’s as if he was questioning Sonya, asking, “Are you just doing the bare minimum of your job?”
Although he had no intention of saying it that way, this is truly something he deeply regrets.
“…Um. There’s one thing I’m curious about. Is it okay to negotiate ‘several times’?”
Negotiating with the Duke’s wife… for someone of her servant status, it seems like an unfavorable position.
There’s even a risk of being seen as “someone interfering with opportunities to gain achievements” and becoming a target of animosity.
“To be honest, the next time I negotiate with the Madam, she has declared that this will happen.”
“Oh…”
While maintaining her dignified attitude, Sonya gestured by pointing to her neck and making a cutting motion.
It meant [dismissal].
“Truly, it’s troubling… If I were to leave, Lady Aria would lose her place of respite. However, if I try to resolve the current busy situation, it would be as I mentioned earlier…”
“So you’re caught between a rock and a hard place… You may not believe me, but I understand that pain all too well.”
“Even someone in your position, Lord Byleth?”
“I have my own experiences…”
(I only experienced such a dilemma during my time as a working adult, though.)
Of course, Byleth couldn’t say that.
As Byleth gave a vague answer, she seemed to sense my feelings and didn’t press further.
“Somehow, I feel a sense of kinship.”
“I feel the same way.”
“…I’m saying something strange, but Lord Byleth, you seem to be around my age or older. Even though I’m three years your senior.”
“R-Really?”
“Your way of thinking. Your courage. Your composure. Your sense of duty. Above all, just by talking to you, I can tell you’re someone trustworthy. I’ve never felt this way about a student before.”
“Thank you very much.”
(In reality, our mental ages are quite different. Wait, this dignified Sonya is only twenty-one!?)
While her appearance conveyed her youth, she was so mature and composed.
Byleth had thought she was much older.
“…By the way, weren’t you wondering? About me revealing the inner workings of the duke’s household without hesitation?”
“Y-Yes, I was. I thought it might be something you shouldn’t be saying… Why did you tell me?”
As Byleth tilted my head and asked, Sonya narrowed her eyes and said,
“You didn’t seem like someone who would gossip, and forgive my presumption, but I felt you were someone who could sympathize with Lady Aria.”
“W-Well, I can’t deny that when you put it that way…”
“You look like you want to say, ‘Is that all it took?'”
“It seems like a high price for confidential information…”
“From another perspective, you could say it’s too cheap.”
Sonya declared this and explained before Byleth could interject.
“This is just my personal thoughts, but—if I could evoke your sympathy, I thought you might become aware of me as a woman. Someone like you, to whom I could entrust Lady Aria with peace of mind. There aren’t many who understand Lady Aria, you see.”
“…N-No, no.”
“In short, I’ve come to believe that the only way to resolve Lady Aria’s current situation is for her to leave the duke’s household.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Once again, Sonya skillfully inserted words to evoke sympathy, smiling with a tone that didn’t seem to be joking.
“Well then, Lord Byleth. Since it’s about time, shall we return to the venue? We both have things we need to do.”
“…Ah, excuse me, Sonya. There’s one last thing I’d like to propose, or rather, correct, if I may.”
“Correct?”
“About the information on vocal care that I shared earlier, I believe I said I would ‘offer it to the duke’s household’…”
Byleth put on an apologetic expression and clasped his hands together.
“Would it be possible to change that to ‘offer it to Sonya’? Of course, I promise not to claim to be the originator of this information.”
“I think you understand, Lord Byleth, but I am a person employed under the duke. Even if we make this correction, it wouldn’t change anything for you, would it?”
“That’s true in my case, but if this information proves effective, I thought it might improve your position a little.”
“!”
“I apologize for bringing this up now, but honestly, I’d like someone sincere like you to receive this kind of information. Um… is that alright?”
As Byleth timidly tilted his head, Sonya put her hand to her mouth and said, “Fufu.”
“I have no right to refuse the provider of information. Rather, I’m grateful.”
“Then, please.”
The moment the conversation concluded, a silent pause ensued.
“…”
“…”
“……”
“…Haa.”
During this time, what Byleth received in response to his earnest appeal was a sigh from Sonya.
“You’re in an important position, so why don’t you try to act a bit more like a noble? That kind of behavior can lead to people looking down on you and taking advantage of you.”
She spoke with an exasperated voice while smiling wryly. There was no malice in her words.
Byleth felt like he had caught a small glimpse of her true self behind her dignified facade.
“However, given your personality, I think that would be the most difficult thing for you, so I’ll teach you one simple countermeasure.”
“Th-That would be helpful. So… what’s this method?”
“Become close with Lady Aria. She has that much authority.”
“H-Haha…”
Just when Byleth thought he was going to get some serious advice, she says something so unrealistic.
Seeing Byleth’s wry smile, Sonya narrowed her eyes.
“If you’d like, I can pull some strings as well.”
“…Y-You’re joking, right?”
In response to those words, Sonya simply shook her head silently. Feeling more serious than if she had responded verbally, Byleth found myself blinking rapidly.
“Are you not fond of her? Lady Aria, I mean.”
“No! Not at all! It’s just that she’s in a higher position than me, and more than that, she’s such an amazing person that I find myself hesitating, you could say.”
“I see. May I ask one thing, could you spare a bit more time?”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
“Thank you. Then, once we return to the venue, I’ll call for Lady Aria.”
“Eh…”
“I think if you talk a bit more, you might not hesitate as much.”
Byleth, who hadn’t expected these words, was caught off guard and seen through.
“I had a feeling you were planning not to interact with Lady Aria anymore today. Am I wrong?”
“I-I was thinking of talking to her if the timing was right… you know?”
“Fufu, is that so? Then I apologize.”
She bowed slightly, but her smile showed that she had conceded.
“I apologize for my personal feelings as her attendant, but I’d like you to share your impressions of Lady Aria’s singing with her as well.”
“My impressions… you say?”
“There’s a possibility that you might never get to share your impressions with Lady Aria, isn’t there? In the worst case, you might both leave this world together.”
“W-Well… that’s true…”
It’s not funny because it’s not a joke. But Byleth the one who got involved. There’s no turning back now.
“Then, if I could have a little conversation with Lady Aria…”
“I appreciate it. Then, shall we head to the venue?”
“Yes.”
We exchanged these words and walked down the long corridor, approaching the venue. Just then,
Sonya spoke with a somewhat regretful tone.
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