Gacha Kingdom Building

The second semester was in many ways a simple continuation of the first.

While there were changes in the status quo, they only seemed to emphasize the trends we were already seeing before.

The already existing ideas only consolidated as the general opinion regarding Isabella and Sabrina continued to form much the same as it had before.

The incidents that were happening to Sabrina never stopped, there were only a few days where the girl was left alone, and Isabella remained the most probable culprit in the public perception.

However, because of her position demanding respect and commanding authority, many if not all felt afraid of voicing their opinions and concerns. At least directly.

Behind her back, theories and rumors continued to form. Many scenarios and reasons were created to reason her actions, even if there was never substantial proof of her being the culprit.

Thanks to our help, as well as in many cases her own intelligence and newly developed confidence, Isabella was able to deny and defend herself against all accusations and evidence.

But even still, there was enough evidence to make her suspicious. Almost every time she was simply the only one who could have or had a motive.

Because of this, even Edmond decided to take action.

Whether or not Isabella noticed his intentions is unknown, but he started to ask her to help him study more often.

This could have been a good opportunity for them to get closer to each other, but the truth was that he was doing it simply to prevent Isabella from acting against Sabrina.

In his mind, as long as he occupied her time, she wouldn't have a chance to strike against Sabrina.

Obviously, this would never work since Isabella was not the culprit, however...

It did, in fact, work.

Whenever Edmond was with Isabella, nothing would happen to Sabrina.

Sadly, this probably caused Edmond of all people to become even more sure of her identity as the culprit.

And to make matters worse, unfortunately, while I have discovered the identity of the true culprit thanks to Lana's efforts, we have no way to prove it.

Or rather... We could easily prove it thanks to "modern" technology. A.K.A. my not-so-new phone.

Lana has taken plenty of photos of the mastermind doing their work. From multiple angles and on multiple occasions.

And yet, even if I were to borrow Claire's phone to catch them in HD or 4K, it still wouldn't be enough.

It's a problem of credibility.

While on Earth a phone is well understood and we have ways to determine whether or not evidence provided by them is true or not, this world simply does not.

The very tool is completely unknown to them, and so, whatever proof is created by it has very little to basically no power to convince others.

Because of this, when accusing the culprit, it would simply become a battle of reputation.

And sadly, as Isabella's entourage, we stand no chance against them.

Still, I decided to keep the evidence we gathered. If they make a mistake, or if an opportunity presents itself, I would be able to force them into the light.

However, more realistically... Considering the path Isabella and the others are walking and the future events... I'll probably have to use it as a last defense to cause chaos and confusion.

Aside from Isabella and Edmond though, I also got to spend some time with Sabrina.

Our time together was nice, as expected, but thankfully, it seems to not have affected my feelings toward her.

All thanks to the contract I made with Elizabeth, of course.

But I can't say my opinion about her hasn't changed either.

After confirming my theories, it has actually decreased quite a lot.

And so, this is where things stand within the academy.

Neither Sabrina nor Isabella seem capable of conquering all characters.

While one seems to have all but one left, as long as I have Elizabeth's protection, she won't be able to persuade me.

As for the other...

She has already given up on all but one.

When she challenged her brothers, she already knew that these would be the consequences.

Any hope of her mending the gap and making true friends was gone.

The only one who wouldn't care about her position was Edmond.

And now, not only is she the target of gossip, but actual fear.

A position that is arguably even worse considering her desires.

She has done an excellent job as the Duchess of Evretis. She made sure that the noble families would treat her with the necessary respect by shutting down their attempts to persuade her or use their children to reach her.

Because of this, they were forced to address her directly, indirectly recognizing her as the legitimate Duchess.

The way she handled all of them, with both authority and intellect, showing her knowledge over every single territory while still negotiating fiercely made her reputation as the "Umbral Duchess" skyrocket.

She is now known as a dangerous woman who should not be treated lightly.

She stands amongst the nobles not only as an equal but in most cases, as the superior existence she is.

Seeing their most respected family members lower their heads and treat her carefully, the younger children of the noble families are now incredibly wary of her, afraid to even walk in front of the Umbral Duchess.

Thus, she is truly isolated in the academy.

It became a place where the only eyes that gaze upon her are filled with bitterness, fear, or anxiety.

I've tried my best to protect Isabella wherever I could, but the game is still on its tracks, and I don't think I can stop what's to come.

And so... I decided that I would support Isabella as much as possible.

I know now that she's a strong girl. Even if this world is set on hurting her, as long as she has one last hope remaining, she will not give up on her happiness.

No matter what form her desires take or how her expectations are broken, if I can't prevent her from falling, I'll at least cushion it for her by being by her side.

Licia: "Someone's excited."

Miwen: "Not as much as you."

The coming end-of-the-year party is quite an important event.

Although I was hoping it happen like in the game, since servants can't attend it, I couldn't do much to help Isabella once she entered the hall.

However, I was more than happy to help her with choosing a dress, so today, we went searching for one that satisfied her.

As for her bodyguards this time, she asked for Beatrice, Claire, and Licia, and as usual, Lana was with her as well, although not in her shadow, like she would usually be.

These ones were chosen for a very specific reason, a team built with efficiency in mind.

Beatrice is an extremely attractive woman. She's also incredibly sensible in the eyes of men and should be able to help Isabella choose a dress that will emphasize her figure.

However, if it was entirely up to her... Let's just say she might not pick the most appropriate item for the occasion.

And so, she sought the help of the Kingdom's most noble girl aside from our busy Devil. The daughter of a Duke and a complete fire hazard, Claire is probably the most suited to advise given her position was quite similar back in her own world.

And then we have-

Mia: "Then why I am here?"

Miwen: "Well... You are also a princess... And I wanted to see you wearing a dress too."

Mia: "Why?"

Miwen: "You're not going to our wedding wearing shorts and-"

Suddenly, I felt like my life was at risk, but after glaring at me for a while, she eventually relented and picked a few dresses to try on.

Truth be told, while I'm all for her style of choice, especially considering how much skin she usually shows, I feel like it's a bit of a shame that she doesn't normally try other styles, especially the more girly ones.

And while yes, this is mostly due to me thinking she's pretty and wanting to see her in all types of clothes, there's also the fact I worry a little about her reasons for picking the clothes she chooses.

Whenever she describes why she likes them, she says it's because they allow her to move freely, and the conversation eventually heads towards fighting and whatnot.

While this is fine, I don't like the idea of her always worrying about such things.

I'd be quite proud of myself if I could provide her the safety to pick other things she might be interested in without having to worry about being in danger.

Mia: "Here!"

Hmm... Her choice was exactly what I imagined if I forced her to pick a dress to wear.

It wasn't really suitable for such an occasion, it was quite breezy due to being sleeveless, and it only went up to her knees.

Quite a simple design, the most flashy thing about it being the lace around her waist.

In other words...

Miwen & Licia: "Cute!"

Mia: "Hrnm..."

She tried her best to pretend the compliments had no effect on her, but... It was no use. She could never hide her embarrassment from Licia and me.

Miwen: "Although... White, huh?"

Mia: "...! I didn't mean anything by it."

Miwen: "Uh-huh."

Mia: "Ugh... Idiot..."

Even though she seemed a little angry, she ended up trying a few others.

I also ended up judging Isabella's... And Beatrice's... Claire's... Even Lana, who also seems to share the same philosophy as Mia ended up trying a few out.

All of them were as cute as I expected, but...

Miwen: "Are you not going to try one?"

Licia: "Ah, no... I'm having fun watching... Heh... To be honest, I'm not really sure why Isabella invited me. I'm not good with fancy things like this..."

There was a tinge of sadness in her words.

It was quite hard to notice, but still, I was sure it was there.

As for the reason... I had a good idea.

Although Licia earned quite a sum of money in her time as an adventurer, she never got to spend much of it on herself.

At most, she would only spend it to upgrade her equipment to make more money.

And the reason for that was obviously her sick sister.

Licia was in a constant race to earn more money and buy more and better potions as her sister's disease grew stronger.

She probably closed her heart when it came to expensive things, trying her best to save up as much as she could.

Not only clothes, but food and even small things, I'm sure there were things she wanted to buy but didn't dare to even if with the money in her hands.

Miwen: "You radiate your calm and gentle nature in a way that I can only describe as beautiful. It's quite easy to get infatuated by it, and when it comes to attracting people, it is as powerful as whatever Bea and Claire can offer."

Licia: "Hm?"

Miwen: "I'm saying your modesty is something to be proud of. You offer a different view, and you are capable of extracting the beauty of the simple things. It's no wonder to me that Isabella wanted your insight."

Ever since the first day, I always thought that Licia looked very humble despite her appearance.

I think that's part of her charm, and it made sense to me why Isabella would want her here.

Even if she thinks she doesn't belong in fancy places like this one, the truth is that she's grounded, but also has a good eye for the simple, yet beautiful.

She's the perfect bridge between Claire and Bea, and with her help, they were bound to see things they wouldn't be able to.

Miwen: "That's why you should also try a few on. Don't worry, it won't be a problem."

Licia: "No, I-"

Mia & Claire: "Oh, you will!"

The two jumped out of the rooms where they were supposed to be changing, clearly having listened to the whole thing.

They were a little more forceful than me, but ultimately, I was glad for that as well.

In the end, all of them tried on a different design.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Even Mei, who did her best to avoid doing such a thing, saying she didn't need a different attire, and that her only reason for coming was to help Isabella and the others, eventually ended up trying one or two when I phrased it as an order.

I made sure to buy the ones they liked the most, and it seems like Isabella also managed to choose the one she wanted to wear for the end-of-the-year party, and so, we waited for the day to arrive.