I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 10

After school.

Max suddenly stepped in front of Ray, who had come to pick me up as usual.

“Good afternoon, Lord Raymond. Instead of heading home with Patrick today, would you mind sparing some time for me?”

Max flashed a charming smile—no, this was definitely Maxwell mode.

The female students in our class immediately stirred with excitement. That rare, dazzling smile of his had an undeniable effect.

“That’s quite unusual. Do you need something from me?”

Ray looked displeased at first, but after Max whispered something to him, he reluctantly nodded.

“Sorry, Pat. I need to have a talk with Maxwell.”

“Don’t worry about it, Rick. This might take a while, so you should head home first.”

…Wait, what?

I had every intention of being part of that discussion. I didn’t expect them to send me away.

I stood there, watching as the two of them walked off toward the exclusive lounge for high-ranking nobles.

The moment they disappeared from sight, I overheard a group of male students whispering behind me:

“Looks like they’ve finally had enough of him, huh?”

Unfortunately, it seems that some of the middle-ranking noble boys resent me.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed quite a few whispered remarks whenever Ray and Max weren’t around.

Sigh… Might as well head home.

As I walked alone for the first time in a while, a pristine white carriage suddenly pulled up beside me.

“You must be the son of Baron Humming, correct?”

The extravagant decorations made it clear that this was no ordinary carriage. Yet, despite its opulence, it exuded an air of elegance and refinement—truly befitting nobility.

Peeking out from inside was none other than Raymond’s younger sister, Lady Violetta, the Duke’s daughter.

Now that I looked closely, I could see the Duke’s family crest engraved on the carriage.

Wait… This is her personal carriage?!

As expected of a duke’s family—their wealth was on another level.

“Forgive me for approaching so suddenly. My name is Violetta von Feltenuch. If you wouldn’t mind, would you care to join me for the ride?”

W-Wait, what?! She’s inviting me?!

What do I do?!

“Please don’t worry. My maid is riding inside as well.”

Seeing me flustered, Violetta smiled softly.

No, no, that’s not what I was worried about!

Granted, being alone with her in a carriage would be improper, but more than that, riding with her at all felt completely beyond my social standing.

“Well, shall we?”

At her words, the coachman dismounted and respectfully opened the carriage door.

Violetta beamed at me with a warm smile.

…Yeah, there’s no escaping this, is there?

If anyone saw this, I had no doubt it would spark all kinds of wild rumors at the academy.

After glancing around quickly, I slipped into the carriage as discreetly as possible.

“It is a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance. My name is Patrick Humming.”

I sat across from Lady Violetta and bowed deeply in greeting.

Lately, being around Ray and Max had made me forget, but sitting face-to-face with her reminded me—she was the Duke’s daughter and the Crown Prince’s unofficial fiancée.

Just thinking about it made me tense up. She was far above my social rank.

“Oh my, no need to be so nervous,” she said gently. “Pat—oh dear, forgive me. My brother calls you by name so often at home that it slipped out.”

She blushed in embarrassment, giving me an awkward, shy smile.

Wait… What?

Why is this so cute?

This wasn’t at all the villainess I had imagined.

“May I also address you as ‘Patrick’?”

“O-Of course, with p-pleasure, madam!!”

In my nervousness, I somehow ended up speaking like a noblewoman.

How humiliating. I want to disappear.

Despite my embarrassing display, Lady Violetta simply giggled, seemingly enjoying herself.

Is she an angel?

“In truth, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to thank you, Patrick. However, it was… rather difficult, considering how often my brother was—ah, well—spending time with you.”

…Even his own sister saw Ray’s behavior as borderline stalking.

“My brother has been growing more withdrawn since about a year before he enrolled at the academy. I was worried about him, but no matter how much I asked, he wouldn’t tell me anything. And when I was preparing for my own enrollment, he suddenly became obsessively concerned about my well-being…”

Yeah… That was probably him trying to prevent her tragic fate.

“But lately, he’s completely changed! He seems so much brighter now! I heard you became his friend, Patrick.”

With a delighted clap of her hands, Violetta’s entire face lit up.

“My parents were also very worried about my brother, so they’re incredibly grateful to you! If you wouldn’t mind, we’d love to have you over for dinner sometime—”

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

Nope, nope, nope!

Her parents—Ray and Violetta’s parents—are the Duke and Duchess of Feltenuch.

A ducal family with royal bl00d ties. One of the most prestigious noble houses in the kingdom.

Just imagining it made my legs tremble.

Does this carriage have some sort of built-in panic vibration function?

Even as Violetta continued to chat with me so casually, my trembling didn’t subside in the slightest.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the academy dormitory where I was staying.

I bowed deeply to Lady Violetta, who waved at me with a warm smile, before turning toward the dormitory.

I need to tell Ray—under no circumstances should he invite me to that dinner.

Now, standing before me was the academy dormitory where I lived.

Edelstein Academy was one of the most prestigious institutions in the kingdom, attended by the children of high-ranking nobles.

One might assume its dormitory would be grand and extravagant.

In reality, it was… well, rather compact.

Or, to put it more kindly, a historically significant building.

It was also located at the very edge of the noble district—right next to the commoner district.

The reason for this placement was simple: the only students who stayed here were either lower-ranking nobles like myself, who had traveled from the countryside, or scholarship students from commoner backgrounds.

Take Ray and Max, for example.

Ray’s family owns an estate so grand it could be called a palace within the royal capital.

Max’s residence isn’t quite as extravagant, but high-ranking and even middle-ranking nobles typically own townhouses in the city.

As for me?

My poor baron household owns no such property.

We also have no relatives in the capital who could take me in.

My only option was to stay in this academy dormitory.

…As I mentally rambled about the dormitory to distract myself, something very strange caught my attention.

Right outside the third-floor window—

A person was floating.