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“No matter how I look at it, I just don’t like it…”

Bella, sitting across from me, was staring at me with a dissatisfied expression.

Her slightly disheveled silver hair seemed to reflect her discomfort.

But I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“…What is it?”

“Did you really have to lose so much weight?”

“…?”

I was confused and asked her back.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t have?”

“A reason? No… but, well… I thought you looked fine when you were a bit chubby. What do you think, Blanshe?”

“Um… well… I think you look good now.”

“Huh? Really?”

Blanshe, who had seen me before I lost weight, answered indifferently, as if she didn’t care much.

But wait, wasn’t Bella the same?

I couldn’t understand why she was so dissatisfied.

I had not only successfully lost weight but also managed to build a balanced physique.

It took time to go from being overweight to a normal weight, but once I reached a normal weight, muscle came easily.

I pushed my body to its limits every day, so I succeeded in dieting in a short time.

Thanks to my efforts, Tristan had completely transformed into a different character.

The first thing I noticed was that the way people looked at me had changed.

Even today, on the way here, the students’ gazes were piercing. Especially the female students, their looks were quite complicated.

As a child, Tristan was so pretty that people mistook him for a girl. Now, my appearance was that of a androgynous young man.

If I grew my hair out, some people might really mistake me for a woman.

And not just that.

Tristan’s cold gaze now had a sensual charm that was hard to resist.

It was only natural that the female students’ eyes were drawn to me.

Until recently, the fear and disdainful looks directed at me had changed to admiration and longing, and I was having trouble adjusting.

But the people closest to me reacted the same as always.

No, they seemed to disapprove of my change.

“If I had to point out a flaw, your body still looks a bit weak. If the Count wishes, I can teach you some proper exercise methods.”

“Wait. What kind of nonsense is that? Who’s trying to teach whom here?”

Helga, sitting next to me, reacted to Blanshe’s words.

“And what do you mean by the Count’s body being weak? Have you even seen it?”

“I can tell just by a glance. People who have trained can be recognized at a glance.”

“Huhu… You must have really only glanced. I’ve seen it for real, and it’s amazing.”

“Co, cough…! What, what did you see?!”

“Miss Bella!”

Blanshe patted Bella’s back as she choked on her water.

I thought this might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, so I spoke up.

“Helga. Stop with the unnecessary talk.”

“Count! What on earth did you show your bodyguard knight?”

Bella asked me with eyes full of suspicion.

I didn’t have to answer, but it seemed better to be honest. I didn’t want any trouble.

“I just did some exercises in the office.”

“Exercises? What kind of exercises did you do in the office?”

“Just some regular repetitive exercises. I wanted to sweat a bit.”

“Hmm… So you’re saying you secretly did repetitive exercises with that bodyguard knight in the office, just the two of you, until you sweated?”

Bella wasn’t wrong, but if I agreed, my reputation might suffer.

I calmly corrected her misunderstanding.

“That’s not wrong, but I was the only one exercising. She was just sitting there.”

“I see… I misunderstood you, Count.”

“……”

I rubbed my temples.

It was hard to look directly into Bella’s cold eyes, and I had to sigh inwardly at my pitiful situation.

To relieve my frustration, I turned my gaze outside.

Through the window, I could see white snow falling.

The snow-covered campus of Meikhael University was visible at a glance.

We were sitting on the terrace seats of the student cafeteria.

Not long ago, a large budget was poured into remodeling this place.

The external seats, created through this process, were separated from the internal seats, ensuring privacy.

The reason we were eating here was simple.

I didn’t want to be noticed while eating.

Even when I had a meal with Bella before, the students’ gazes were piercing.

And today, Blanshe and Helga were with us. Although overshadowed by Bella, their appearances were also beautiful enough to attract attention.

Add to that the now slim Tristan, and it was a complete package. Almost everyone we passed on the way here had stared at us.

It seemed it would take some time to get used to this kind of attention.

Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Bella asked with a smile.

“Why? Do you want to do repetitive exercises with me too, Count?”

“…Think what you want.”

Just then.

Knock knock.

“Excuse me!”

The muscular cook poked his head in.

Unlike last time, he was wearing a bright smile.

As he placed the food on the table, he spoke.

“Thanks to the Chairman, we were able to remodel the cafeteria. I don’t know how to thank you enough…”

“Save the thanks.”

“I must thank you! And because of me, you were misunderstood, causing you trouble.”

Not long ago, the cook had knelt down in gratitude, and the students had protested.

They thought I was going to shut down the student cafeteria.

It was a scene that could easily be misunderstood by those who didn’t know the circumstances.

If the cook hadn’t actively worked to clear up the misunderstanding, the students might have been protesting on campus by now.

Of course, even if that happened, it would have been laughable to me…

“It’s fine. I’m used to misunderstandings.”

“I’m grateful for your understanding… By the way, Chairman. You look great after losing weight! Ah! Of course, you were impressive before too…!”

“No need for flattery. You can go now.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you! Please enjoy your meal!”

As the cook left, Bella spoke up.

“Hmm… So everyone thinks it’s good that the Count lost weight, huh?”

“Isn’t it better now? The way people look at the Count has changed a lot.”

“I know, Blanshe. That’s why I’m dissatisfied.”

Bella’s words were strange, so I had to ask.

“Dissatisfied…?”

“Yes. The people who used to show hostility towards the Count are now showing favor because of his appearance. I don’t like that.”

Listening to her, I could understand Bella’s point.

After losing weight, it was hard for me to tell who disliked me now.

“If they’re going to show favor, they should have done it from the start. Ugh… I was more comfortable when the Count was chubby. Now that he’s become unnecessarily handsome, I can’t even tell who’s who anymore.”

“…Handsome?”

“Ah…?! Wait, that’s not what I meant…”

At my question, Bella looked flustered.

Blanshe, Helga, and I all focused our gazes on her.

“What I mean is…”

Bella’s hand, fidgeting, had the ring I gave her still on it.

I decided to help her out a bit since she was still being dishonest.

“Are you sure it’s not a misunderstanding that I’m handsome?”

“Y, yes! That’s exactly what I meant! I’m worried that people will misunderstand and start flocking to you! That would be troublesome for you too, right? Isn’t it?”

“Right. That would be troublesome.”

“So, become ugly again.”

“…?”

“Become so ugly that no one wants to approach you.”

What on earth is this girl saying now?

As if determined to push this absurd logic, she threw a tantrum like a child.

“Ah, if you don’t, I’ll spread rumors that you’re a jerk. Then your bad reputation will grow again, right? How about that? Scary, huh?”

There’s only one way to handle this.

“…I’ll be right back, I need to use the restroom.”

“Ah…! Don’t run away!”

Ignoring Bella’s shout, I left the terrace.

Wondering what to do with this dishonest, mischievous princess.

Ah, right. Maybe washing my face will help.

Thinking that, I turned the corner and bumped into something small.

“Kyaaah!”

She let out a small scream and fell on her backside.

“Sorry, sorry!”

A cute girl with reddish hair tied in two braids apologized to me.

The moment I saw her face, I felt a sense of familiarity.

It had been a while since I last saw her due to my busy schedule, but she was my exclusive maid.

Soon, her mouth opened wide as our eyes met.

“Eh…? Ehh?! Count?!”

Wendy looked up at me with teary eyes.

 

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