TSOJI CH 12

Chapter 12 – I’ll Sign a Lifetime Contract (8)

Why would she suddenly ask me that? Of course, I’m Elsie!

Before Lynette even finished speaking, I nodded my head furiously.

“Of, of course! Who else would be Els—”

“Stay still.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lynette tapped my back as if to warn me. Something thin and hard, with a sharp edge, pressed lightly against my back and then pulled away.

Wait… don’t tell me that was actually sharp?

It was so unexpected that my whole body started trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Stay calm. If that really is what I think it is… But why would she point something like that at me in the first place?

Just then, I felt Lynette’s presence behind me.
And suddenly, I got a strange sense of déjà vu.

Wait. This situation… it’s exactly the same as in the original story.

Who was I again? That’s right—“Extra No. 3, the one who gets caught red-handed by the heroine and kicked out.”

In the novel, Elsie was so clueless she never noticed Lynette sneaking up behind her.
And then? She was caught red-handed at the crime scene.

And Lynette had threatened her with her self-defense dagger…

Just like now.

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became. My vision darkened with dread.
Secretly, I gathered magic in both hands, just in case.

If it came down to it, I’d blast her and run—just like I did back in the carriage.

Alright, on the count of three. One, two…

Thre—

“All done.”

At that moment, Lynette stepped back and spoke.

“Your ribbon in the back had come loose. Didn’t you notice?”

Huh? Ribbon?

I quickly dispersed the magic I had gathered and touched my waist. Sure enough, there was a ribbon there.

“What? So you were… just joking earlier?”

I pouted on purpose, and Lynette’s cold face brightened with mischief again.

“My teacher is just too much fun to tease. I can’t help myself.”

“That’s so mean…”

Honestly, I know I’m an easy target, but does she really have to prank me every single time?

Still… it wasn’t only a prank. She also asked if I was really Elsie. That part is bothering me. Was it just my imagination?

As I frowned, Lynette muttered quietly to herself, looking serious again.

“But strange… You didn’t know about that ribbon?”

She thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

“That’s odd. I was told you were assigned a personal maid. Whoever it is, they’ll need to be punished.”

When Lynette was expressionless, she looked icy cold. And when she was serious, it was even scarier.

Wait… why so serious, Miss Saint? And punished? Who do you mean…?

She must mean Penny, my assigned maid.

I stayed silent, just watching as Lynette murmured.

“I told them to take care of you in every detail, yet they dare to neglect my guest? Straight to dismissal…”

“What? Dismissal?!”

I frantically waved my hands and shook my head.

“No, no, no! It’s not like that!”

All this over one little ribbon? That’s way too harsh!

To protect Penny’s job, I quickly explained:

“Please calm down, Miss Saint. Penny did nothing wrong. She offered to help, but I sent her away.”

“…Really?”

Lynette looked doubtful. I answered firmly.

“Yes. I just felt awkward getting help dressing, so I told her to leave. Please don’t fire her. Please?”

“…”

“I don’t want anyone to lose their job because of me. I’m begging you, Miss Saint.”

I clenched my fists and pleaded.

Do you even know how awful it feels to lose your job overnight?

Lynette stared at me for a long moment, then sighed and nodded.

“…Alright.”

“Thank you, Miss Saint!”

Yes! I saved you, Penny! I protected the livelihood of a fellow worker!

Phew. I was so worried she’d be fired because of me.

As I celebrated like it was my own victory, Lynette’s face softened. She seemed lost in thought, then spoke quietly.

“…I think I just learned something.”

Huh? Learned? But I haven’t even started teaching yet.

Confused, I looked at her. She continued:

“I’ve always told myself not to treat servants lightly, to respect them as individuals with dignity.”

But as she said it, Lynette looked bitter.

“And yet, just now, I almost fired someone in anger. Even though you—someone I barely know—worried for her. Meanwhile I, who should know better…”

Ah, so that was it.

She was blaming herself.

“This isn’t respect. It’s tyranny.”

“Miss Saint…”

“Sorry. I acted without thinking. I just… get overly sensitive about these things.”

I knew exactly why.

It was because servants were usually commoners.

Lynette hated discrimination based on status more than anything.

After all, her older brother Eclipse was once a commoner, and she had seen how cruelly people treated him for it.

In the novel, Lynette always wondered:
“To me, my brother is the perfect duke. Then why do people treat him as if he’s flawed?”

When she realized it was only because of his “low birth,” she had been furious.

That was also why Lynette refused to become the Saint until the very end.

She was born with every privilege, while her brother, despite his talent, was constantly belittled because of his origins.
She could never accept that unfairness.

Personally, I think that’s just a luxury problem. If you were born with nothing like me, you wouldn’t even have time to brood over such things, Miss Saint.

While I was lost in thought, something slipped from Lynette’s hand.

Hm? What was that?

I bent down and picked it up.

A pen?

It was a slim, hard pen.

Puzzled, I handed it back.

“Miss Saint, you dropped this.”

“Ah, thanks.”

She took it naturally and twirled it between her fingers.

At that moment, I realized.

Wait… was that what I felt against my back earlier?

If I had attacked her then…

Yikes. I would’ve been executed on my very first day of work.

Not just fired—beheaded.
The thought alone made me shiver.

Shaking it off, I led Lynette back to the desk.

I glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had already passed.

Out of the three hours I’d been given, twenty whole minutes were gone.

Nooo! That precious time I needed to prove myself…!

The ticking clock only made me more anxious. I forced myself to focus.

Get it together, Elsie. If you fail here, you’re really dead!

Resolving myself, I spoke solemnly:

“From today on, I, Elsie Bloomhire, will be teaching Saint Lynette d’Ledaire magic. Let’s begin our lesson.”

I smiled as Lynette clapped her hands in excitement.

After checking the notes and textbooks I’d prepared, I lightly flicked my finger.

“Wow, amazing!”

The books and papers floated into the air, dancing like they were alive.

Lynette’s golden eyes followed the fluttering materials in awe.

“Sacred magic can’t do things like that.”

“That’s because holy magic is focused on healing and blessings. But magic is different. Look, for example—”

I snapped my fingers.

The floating books and papers gently landed on her desk in neat stacks.

“You can use it in many ways.”

Her eyes sparkled even brighter.

“What I just showed you was a very basic spell. With some practice, you’ll be able to do it easily.”

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. For a beginner like Lynette, it was still a challenge.

I had learned it in just one day—
but only because I was that talented.