Temporary Alliance #019
The shady side of the academy.
There, cunning villain Clara and her followers existed.
Clara, with the girls following her, had her head wrapped, wearing a serious expression.
“That person was much more dangerous than we thought. Amber, the maid of the Sarka family.”
The seemingly ordinary commoner who clashed with Clara on the first day of school had an extraordinary background beyond their expectations.
“As the fiance of the second princess Amethyst Lupin, and also the exclusive maid of Ruby Sarka, all while being a commoner.”
Using that special position, she was a chilling villain who didn’t hesitate to threaten weak-hearted nobles like diamonds.
The rumors about Amber circulating among the students were unsettling.
As they collected the rumors about Amber as they heard them, they shared the information one by one.
“I heard recently she’s creating a club with other nobles···!”
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“A club? That’s strange. A first-year creating a club···.”
Upon hearing this, one of her followers seemed to recall something and spoke.
“Ah…! I saw Ruby entering a strange abandoned building together yesterday.”
“What are you saying? Why are you mentioning such an important thing now?”
“I-I’m sorry, Miss Clara…”
Clara, holding her forehead, asked her again in a calm voice.
“Tell me more about it.”
“…Yesterday afternoon, I witnessed Ruby and me walking in the academy backyard. At first, I thought it was just a walk, but I secretly followed and saw them entering a building I’ve never seen before.”
“A building you’ve never seen before…”
Thinking she had obtained valuable information, Clara voiced her speculation.
“They must be plotting something there. I can sense it with a woman’s intuition.”
“As expected of Clara! Your intuition is extraordinary!”
“hehehehe, do you understand now?”
Amber, the villain with two faces threatening Clara’s position.
Though she wore an innocent expression, there was undoubtedly a venomous snake hidden inside.
“This is an opportunity. We’ll find out what they’re up to inside and expose Amber’s despicable side to the world with our own hands.”
***
The young lady and I, who received permission from the student council president Citrine to establish a club, gathered in the empty library as usual after finishing our studies.
But today, it wasn’t for reading books; it was a meeting for establishing the club.
Unfolding the paper handed to me by her, I said to Ruby.
“It would be best to write ‘Miss Ruby’ under the representative’s name.”
“Uh… Let’s go with my name.”
Representative meant being the head of the club, so in many ways, it would be better for her name to go up than mine, a commoner.
“Well, the form is filled out, and the insufficient securing is done. Is there anything else needed?”
Around the time we naturally decided to use the library as our base, Coral, sitting across from us, curiously asked.
“Just a moment… Club? Base? What are you talking about?”
Coral swept her violet hair aside and raised an eyebrow.
‘Right, I haven’t told Coral anything about it…’
Glancing around discreetly, I awkwardly replied to her with a puzzled expression.
“…Actually, Miss Ruby and I are planning to start a club.”
“A club?”
I was contemplating how to bring up the topic of using the library as a base.
“Coral.”
Ruby declared straightforwardly to Coral.
“We’re going to use this library as our club room.”
“…What?”
Coral showed a bewildered expression at her assertive declaration.
“Of course, we’re not asking for permission for free. Until now, this place has been no different from your private space.”
Ruby, with an expressionless face, took something out of her pocket and handed a small piece of paper to Coral.
“What is this, Miss Ruby?”
“Read it. You’ll like it.”
Coral read the contents of the paper with a confused look.
“Amber… a rental ticket…?”
“Each ticket is valid for 24 hours. Not a bad deal, right?”
An Amber rental ticket. It was an absurd item that popped up out of nowhere.
As I listened to their conversation, I asked with a perplexed expression.
“No. What on earth is an Amber rental ticket, miss?”
And finally, Coral reluctantly accepted it, although it was hard to believe.
“Yes, I’ll take it.”
Contrary to my expectations, Coral put the rental ticket in her pocket with a satisfied smile.
“…I can’t understand either of them.”
Anyway, the contract ended successfully with a suspicious bribe, and we naturally discussed our plans with her as new club members.
I pointed to the paper spread out on the table and said.
“The problem now is the number of club members. It says here that we need at least 10 people to apply for establishment.”
So far, we had secured five members: me, Ruby, Amethyst, Diamond, and Coral.
Unless each of us managed to bring in someone else, filling the remaining five spots would be difficult.
The problem was, I couldn’t think of any other friends besides them.
“I can’t think of anyone suitable. What should we do? Do you have anyone you can bring, miss?”
“…No, I don’t.”
“What about Coral?”
“I don’t have anyone either.”
“… .”
Three people who shared the same opinion were sitting together, feeling a sudden sense of loneliness.
-Thud.
“···!”
A sound like a thud came from outside the library door.
“···Did you hear that just now?”
As the sound of something hitting the door reached them, everyone looked surprised.
‘Strange. I never told anyone about this place···.’
Because it seemed like my curiosity would only be satisfied by checking with my own eyes, I stood up and headed towards the door.
Holding the doorknob and contemplating, I boldly opened it.
“···Ahh!”
Upon opening the door, five women with an appearance that seemed familiar poured in, screaming.
“Clara···?”
The face of the woman who was at the forefront and received the unexpected welcome was unmistakably Clara.
“What were you doing sticking to the door?”
She looked at me with bewildered eyes, lying on the wooden floor.
“Sticking to it? That’s absurd. I happened to pass by here and noticed a suspicious building···.”
“···You weren’t eavesdropping, were you?”
“···.”
Seeing a sudden decrease in words, it seemed like I had hit the nail on the head.
“Let’s talk once you get up.”
As I reached out to lift her, Clara defensively shielded her head, startled.
“···!”
“···Why are you like this?”
“Well, I can get up on my own.”
“Fine, do as you wish.”
There was an odd sense of wariness from everyone, to the point of it being peculiar.
As a minor scuffle unfolded at the door, Ruby approached with a curious expression.
“Who’s outside, Amber?”
“Oh, from last time···.”
Ruby casually looked at Clara and her followers before nonchalantly saying,
“···Perfect timing. Come on in.”
“Really?”
“It’s fine. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Unlike the last time, she didn’t display a hostile attitude. Maybe it was okay to observe them a bit longer from my perspective.
“···Alright. Come on in, everyone.”
They entered the library without resistance, and Clara, still showing a guarded demeanor, surveyed the library interior before asking me,
“What kind of place is this?”
“It’s an abandoned library. Also, it’s the meeting place for the free activities club.”
“···Freedom Activity Club?”
As Clara wore a puzzled expression, a female student who seemed to be her companion whispered into Clara’s ear.
“It’s the club that the commoner girl, Ruby-nim, is creating with you, Clara-nim.”
“···Ah, I see.”
I couldn’t easily let my guard down around them.
“It’s strange from the start that I followed them so easily.”
Especially after witnessing them openly harassing Dia the other day, it was even more so.
Ruby casually glanced around at the girls and asked.
“Do any of you happen to have a club in mind?”
Receiving an unexpected question from the young lady, the girls looked puzzled, exchanged glances, and Clara, as the representative, answered.
“No. We don’t have one yet···”
“Well, then, how about joining our club?”
A moment of silence ensued.
Coral, who had been quietly holding a book in the corner, dropped the book, and both I and the girls’ expressions froze.
“···Miss, can I have a moment to talk with you?”
With a smiling face, I quietly took Ruby to a corner of the library.
“Are you serious? You know what those people did to us on the first day, right?”
“There’s no club available, and we have exactly five members. Isn’t it a good opportunity?”
Certainly, if Ruby proposes admission to them, it didn’t seem like an atmosphere where they would refuse.
“But still, I can’t help but worry a bit.”
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“It will be okay. And if anything happens, Amber will protect me, right?”
“···.”
She had certainly said such words before.
“···I understand, Miss.”
Breaking Ruby’s stubbornness once it was activated was not an easy task.
***
While Amber and Ruby were away, the Clara assembly began to discuss frantically.
“What is happening right now? Ruby wants to take us in···.”
Considering all the efforts they had made to approach Ruby, the result was undoubtedly absurd.
“What should we do, Miss Clara?”
They all looked at Clara for an answer.
“···.”
It was truly an extraordinary situation.
Although Amber, the wicked commoner maid, was supposed to be tightly holding onto Ruby from behind, it was surprising that they allowed such easy access.
Clara, contemplating her response, finally spoke.
“···This is probably a trap, without a doubt.”
“A trap···?”
“Amber, what that woman is scheming is undoubtedly a trap.”
She knew that the pink-haired maid had the ability to manipulate nobles, using the Osteon family’s beloved diamond to secure favors and sowing terror through discreet electric shocks.
She had proven herself to be a ruthless villain, using their eyes, manipulating the nobility for her own gain.
By deliberately bringing themselves closer in this opportunity, there was no doubt that they intended to use it to their advantage.
“It looks like a trap using Ruby as bait… but…”
There was no better opportunity to approach Ruby with confidence.
“If I gradually manipulate Ruby, avoiding Amber’s gaze, and make her side with me, there is a chance of winning.”
Currently, the best ability Clara had was her eloquence.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 90% of her life was lived through this brilliant way with words.
While they were deep in discussion, Amber and Ruby approached them again.
Amber asked them with her usual vague expression.
“So, what will you do? Will you join our club?”
Looking at that expression, Clara thought to herself.
“That expression that pretends to know nothing… It’s as if she’s hiding something, like a fox without a separate identity.”
It seemed like she was deliberately putting on an innocent expression to not reveal her plans.
“I understand. We will also join Ruby’s club.”
The agreement was made, and Ruby nodded quietly and said.
“…Welcome to the free activity club.”
As Ruby read the paper with all their names written on it, she handed it to Amber.
“Then, can you go and deliver the forms to the student council, Amber?”
“Yes. I’ll go right away.”
Amber, who received the request, swayed her skirt and headed out of the library.
Clara, who was quietly observing her from behind, opened her fan to hide her ominous smile.
“Amber, just watch. I’ll make Ruby mine in no time.”
To make a good impression on their Ruby, gaining her trust was their top priority.
Clara put on her best friendly smile and spoke towards the turned-back Ruby.
“What can we help you with, Ruby?”
In response to their words, Ruby turned to face them and replied.
“Oh, I forgot to mention one thing.”
“Yes?”
Ruby’s calm expression disappeared in an instant, replaced by a chilling look, as she warned them.
“If you dare touch that girl like last time, you won’t like the outcome.”
Everyone, including Clara, avoided Ruby’s gaze and lowered their eyes.
“U-understood…”
It seemed that Ruby had been firmly brainwashed by the villain Amber.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t say such things for the sake of some commoner.
“Anyway, everyone, take this.”
Ruby handed them a stack of thick papers and one pen each.
“We’re going to make promotional materials for the club. I’ve already prepared a sample, so I hope you all copy it diligently.”
“Yes, Ruby!”
Scratch, scratch.
Rip.
The library was filled with the sound of pens scribbling and paper tearing.
Almost twenty sheets into copying promotional materials by hand, the women tightly gripped their pens, whispering to each other.
“It’s so tough, Miss Clara…”
“I can’t see the end coming…”
“Everyone, endure it. Right now, we’re aiming for the opportunity to get closer while trying to match as much as possible…”
But the copying task on that day didn’t stop until they pleaded for it to stop.
