Villainess and the Stalker - Chapter 30

Chapter 30 : Reminiscence of a Certain Girl 5 [GIRL A POV] 

The result of my foolish plan… 

That’s right, I… messed up. 

Although this kind of matter wouldn’t really affect me typically, this blunder of mine ended up embarrassing Maria-sama too… 

That day, I approached Maria-sama just like everyone else who wanted to give her a present when she made her entrance for the morning assembly. 

It was Maria-sama’s first morning assembly since she was appointed as a member of the student council. 

Everyone wanted to congratulate her, which was why the entrance of the assembly hall was jam-packed as soon as she made her entrance. 

Many of them were carrying bouquets of flowers to give to Maria-sama. 

Due to their status as nobles, the other students carried luxurious gifts, definitely things beyond the reach of a commoner like me. 

But, even competing against such wonderful gifts like those, I didn’t think my own present would lose. 

As for why I was so sure of that fact, unlike their presents, mine wasn’t something they could just obtain with money. 

Look, my present was something that Maria-sama personally requested, an extremely rare Dragon Call Flower’s potted plant. 

I think none of the girls here asked Maria-sama what she wanted. 

And none of them were using their own money to buy their gift. 

Yeah none of them, except for me. 

I puffed my chest in pride in that regard alone. 

But when I looked back on this event, I realized that my pride might have been the main reason for the incident. 

It was because I got conceited that I felt I had the right to be the first one to give her my present. After all, mine was far better than that of anyone else.
 

To be honest, I shouldn’t have been handing the present over at such a moment… Yes, I should’ve given the present when it was just the two of us in that plaza. 

If I had done that… I could just picture Maria-sama’s gentle smile as she received my gift, after which we would have a lively conversation. 

And yet, I became too conceited and blindly approached Maria-sama, completely forgetting to show my manners in front of so many people. 

As a result, I made a slip. 

At that time, I managed to approach her bit-by-bit, shuffling around the crowd of students. 

But then, I felt that my body was suddenly out of balance, and I fell forward, breaking past the crowd. 

Naturally, the potted plant also slipped out of my hands. 

The potted plant flew from my grasp, drawing a parabolic trajectory toward Maria-sama’s direction. It fell and scattered its contents, soiling both the floor and Maria-sama’s dress. 

The moderately damp soil, which I found after much trial and error, now stained Maria-sama’s dress. It completely covered her to the point that the entire room fell silent. 

That fact served to prove just how grave the situation was.
Something that shouldn’t have happened—that should have been impossible to do—I had miraculously accomplished it due to a moment of carelessness.
This was the feeling that overtook me. 

But I had no leeway to think about that right now. 

「… Insolent girl! Look at what you did to Maria-sama!」 

Following those words, the other girls cursed at me. I couldn’t say anything back to them. 

After all, no matter what I said, they would just ignore me. 

Though their curses became crueler by the second, the only thing that I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat. 

W-What should I do? What should I do in this situation? 

The me, at that time, was desperate. But even after all that, the one who helped me out of that situation was none other than Maria-sama herself. 

「… Be quiet.」 

The entire venue was silenced with just a single order from her. 

After that, she instructed me to take the potted plant and leave as soon as possible. 

「Did you hear me…? Go back, and bring the soil and flower along with you.」 

Those might sound like harsh words to an outsider. 

But, that didn’t apply to me… And Maria-sama, who knew the true value of the soil and flower pot. 

The method to create a Dragon Call Flower’s potted plant was a closely guarded secret. I could understand immediately what she was trying to say: hide the flower, the pot, and the soil—to protect my recipe. 

I wanted to convey my gratitude and apologize, but… 

「Y-Yes… E-Excuse m-!」 

As someone always fumbling over her words, I couldn’t express my thanks. 

Maria-sama, who could discern my intention, spoke to me again. 

「If you have time to apologize, you’d better use that time to do what I told you.」 

With that, she turned around and gave another set of instructions to her attendant, shifting everyone’s attention toward her. 

Now, I needed to use this moment, when they weren’t looking at me. 

I realized that I had been unable to move from that spot due to the malice coming off in waves from the other students, but Maria-sama then spoke to her attendant. 

「Let’s go back to my room to change into a new dress. As for the soil and the flower pot… Keep them beautiful until I return.」 

Thanks to those words, compounded with her slightly sharp glare, I felt the students’ malice lessen and transform into pitying looks. 

Maria-sama became the center of attention then as she exited the venue… The tension dissipated as soon as she left, and I managed to leave that place in one piece after I successfully collected the soil back into the pot. 

「… Are you alright, Joze?」 

After I left, someone called out to me on the way toward the secret plaza. 

When I turned around, I saw Maria-sama standing behind me. 

「Maria-sa…! My apologies for soiling your dress…!」 

Despite reflexively apologizing, quite rudely on top of that, Maria-sama just smiled. 

「I really don’t mind, you see. I should be the one to apologize for using such coldhearted words to convey my hidden message. I mean, it would have only worsened if I didn’t do so, and yet… On top of that, I’m the one who personally requested that potted plant…」
She said those kind words to me. 

As I thought, her harsh words in the venue were truly a hidden message for me… 

「No, the one at fault here is me who acted without thinking about the consequences. To think that I even soiled your dress… I don’t know how many years it’ll take, but I’ll definitely reimburse your dre-」 

「Reimburse? My attendant is excellent, you know. That degree of damage is nothing for her. In addition, I would often wear dresses whenever I played in the gardens back in my family house. I still do it, even at this age. That’s why you don’t need to worry about dirtying my dress.」 

「Maria-sama…」 

「Even if you insist, I prefer a present over money, like that potted plant. I just took a glance at it before, but it really is a beautiful flower. Can you reimburse me with this flower instead?」 

「… N-Naturally! The flower pot from before was broken, but… I’ll prepare a new one for you. I’ll present the flower the next time we meet in that garden…」 

「That’s also romantic. A secret between you and me.」 

「Yes!」 

「Well then, I guess I need to go back soon. You don’t want everyone to talk behind my back because I take a long time to change my dress. And, Joze…」 

「I think it’s better if I don’t attend today’s morning assembly.」 

「I think it’s better you participate, but I guess it’s your decision. I mean, you’ll be fine as long as you show a “scared” reaction whenever you see me. I shall go first then. See you later.」 

Maria-sama headed toward the venue after she bid me farewell. 

She really was the prime example of a noble-minded, beautiful, and kind woman… 

Her actions today only reminded me of what I already knew: she was truly a great person.