The Hated Young Lady, Hilda Fields, Puts an End to It - Chapter 3

“It’s been a while, Lady Hilda. Have you been well?” Rudolph asked, a smile gracing his lips as he looked at Hilda.

“R-Rudolph…”

(Why…? Why is he looking at me with that smile? Wasn’t he avoiding me?)

“Lady Hilda? What’s wrong? You look pale. Are you alright?” His face was filled with concern.

“Rudolph… are you… worried about me?”

“O-of course I am.”

Hilda chuckled softly. “Thank you… You really are kind, Rudolph…”

“Lady Hilda…” Rudolph looked at Hilda as if he wanted to say something.

“Um… Rudolph, I haven’t seen you around lately… Did something happen?” Hilda asked hesitantly.

“Oh? Ah… yes, that’s right. Actually, I’ve been helping my classmates, Grace and Nora, with their studies.”

“Oh… is that so? You’re smart, Rudolph. I’m impressed.”

“N-no, it’s nothing like that…” Rudolph blushed at Hilda’s praise.

“Rudolph, so you’ll be going on to the upper school after you graduate next year?”

“N-no… That’s… impossible. I’d really like to study more, but… I can’t afford it… I’ll have to get a job after graduation.”

Seeing the somewhat sad look on Rudolph’s face, Hilda suddenly realized something.

(That’s right…! It’s not enough to be smart to go to the upper school, you also need money… That’s why they say only nobles and wealthy merchant children can go on to higher education…)

Hilda quickly bowed her head. “I’m sorry! Rudolph. I… I said something insensitive…”

“W-wait, Lady Hilda. A noble lady like you… bowing her head to a commoner like me…” Rudolph said in a fluster.

“But…”

Then, Hilda had an idea.

(That’s right… It’s already decided that I’ll be going to the upper secondary school next year. So…)

“Um… Rudolph, I have a… proposal…”

“A proposal…?”

“Y-yes. I… it’s already decided that I’ll be going to the upper secondary school next year. So, if you’d like… it’s fine if it’s just on weekends, but I can lend you my textbooks… so you can study?”

Hilda blushed crimson as she spoke. She felt like she was asking him out on a date, and her heart pounded in her chest.

“Huh…? Lady Hilda…”

Hilda had expected Rudolph to be pleased, but his voice was filled with confusion.

“Oh… I-I’m sorry! I said something strange… This proposal… was it bothersome? … Forget what I just said…”

Hilda clutched her skirt and looked down. Then, Rudolph suddenly took her hand.

“!”

Hilda looked up in surprise. Rudolph was gazing intently at her.

“Um…”

Hilda blushed deeply as Rudolph held her hand.

“Lady Hilda. Actually… I haven’t decided what I’ll do after graduation yet. Whether I’ll work in town, or leave here and go to a bigger city to work and live… So, I can’t make any promises to you, Lady Hilda. I’m sorry.” Rudolph said apologetically.

“I-is that…so…? B-but…if you leave…I’ll…miss you…” Hilda blurted out her true feelings without thinking.

“Huh…?” Rudolph didn’t miss her words.

“Ah… N-nothing! F-forget what I just said!” Hilda blushed even deeper and looked down. Seeing this, Rudolph smiled gently.

“You really are… adorable, Lady Hilda…”

“Huh…?”

As Hilda looked up… Rudolph kissed her forehead.

The touch on her forehead was fleeting. Rudolph’s lips quickly moved away.

“U-um… Rudolph…?”

Rudolph gave a cherubic smile to Hilda, who was blushing deeply and touching her forehead with her hand.

“Lady Hilda, I may not be able to see you in the mornings, but… I’ll be coming here to help out after school from now on. So, I’ll be able to see you again. Shall we meet here sometimes? Tell me more about yourself.”

“Y-yes. I-if someone like me is… alright…” Hilda blushed and looked down. A strong gust of wind swept through, lifting Hilda’s golden hair and brushing it against Rudolph’s hand.

He caught a strand of her hair, inhaled its fragrance, and said, “…Your hair… smells like roses, Lady Hilda.”

“Oh…?”

The next moment, Rudolph released her hair.

“Well then, Lady Hilda, let’s meet again!” He waved and ran off.

“Rudolph…” Hilda, her face flushed crimson, watched Rudolph as he ran away.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

That evening at the dinner table, with her parents and herself—

“Hilda, you’ve seemed rather down lately, but you seem unusually cheerful tonight. Did something happen?” Her father, Harris Fields, the lord of these lands, inquired. He, like Hilda, had golden hair and a handsome appearance.

“Yes, that’s right, Hilda. Tell me too. What happened?” Her mother, Margaret, also a golden-haired beauty, asked gently.

“W-well… I saw Rudolph again after a long time… and I was happy…” Hilda placed the chicken she had been holding on her fork back on her plate, blushing and looking down.

“Rudolph… who is that?”

“Yes… I’ve never heard that name before… Whose son is he?”

Both her father, Harris, and her mother, Margaret, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Well, Rudolph is the son of Marco, who works at the stables.”

As Hilda explained, her parents’ expressions turned stern.

“What…? The son of the man who works at the stables… You mean a commoner?”

“Y-yes… that’s right…”

Sensing the change in Harris’s demeanor, Hilda looked to Margaret for support, but her mother simply gazed at her sadly.

“Hilda, listen carefully. You are a noble. Nobles associate with nobles. You must not involve yourself with commoners.” Her father, Harris, looked at Hilda with an unusually severe expression.

“Why? Rudolph is very good at his studies, and he’s a kind and wonderful boy.”

Her father sighed deeply. “Hilda… Stop talking about this Rudolph boy. Besides, Hilda, there’s been talk of a marriage proposal for you. Three young lords who attended the recent dance party have expressed interest. I have their pictures, so look them over later. It seems they’ve fallen for your beauty. The decision is yours, Hilda.”

“If I have the right to choose… then I refuse! The one I love… is Rudolph!” Tears welled up in Hilda’s eyes. She stood up from the table and, ignoring her parents’ pleas, ran out of the dining room.

She rushed into her room, locked the door, threw herself onto the bed, and buried her face in her pillow, sobbing—.