Her Royal Highness Seems To Be Angry Volume 1 Chapter 3

Hey, it's me again. It's been two months since the last update and I'm really sorry about that. I just couldn't find any motivation to do anything. With the 2nd volume of this book coming like tomorrow (you can look at the cover , I'll try to finish it as fast as I can which will be sometime in May.

Some announcements,  I'll stop working on Ben-to for the foreseeable future. I picked it up because I really liked the anime but trying to translate (with my horrible j.a.panese and English skills) it was another story. I didn't enjoy the way it was written and stopped having fun working on it. Most of this two months hiatus was me trying to force myself to work on it and got nowhere as a result. Maybe I'll pick it back up in the future.

In other news, I mentioned vol 2 of angery princess is coming but I plan to finish another book first before  working on vol 2. While I like Leticiel and her shenanigans, I really want to finish this one-shot book due to certain personal reasons that you will see. It's a romance novel that I randomly bought (because of the cover) during my trip in j.a.pan.  I'm just about half way through vol 1 but I thought I should give you a heads-up.

Finally, the usual support the author and artist by buying a copy yourself. I really like the ill.u.s.trations for this chapter and you can see it too if you buy the book.

Editor: Muge

Proofreader: Muge, Marv

Local artist getting better with every release: Muge

Chapter 3: Encounters on Campus

On the next day, Leticiel opened her eyes to find that everything had been a dream… not. She welcomed the morning of her second day as Drossel.

Just like yesterday, the maids helped Leticiel get ready. Although they proceeded with a blank expression, upon closer inspection, their eyes were filled with a slight tint of displeasure.

Since she could do something as trivial as dressing up by herself, Leticiel told Ruvik that she wouldn't need the maids from tomorrow. While he was a bit surprised, Ruvik acknowledged his master's wishes with a smile.

She also asked for breakfast to be brought to her room. Leticiel considered going to the dining hall, but decided that she wanted to reflect on yesterday's events alone.

While stuffing her cheeks with the so-called 'croissant', Leticiel opened up the history book on her bedside table. It was one of the books that she had asked Ruvik to get her from the library. Besides the history book, there were also books about the world's geography and the continent's economy.

By eliminating things like the time needed to walk to the dining hall, her free time in the morning had increased. But as a result, Leticiel became so engrossed in reading that in the end Ruvik had to forcefully send her off to the academy.

The sight of a n.o.ble daughter refusing to look away from her book, being slowly dragged away by her butler must have been a very strange one. It was a natural reaction for the servants pa.s.sing by, but even the Duke and the d.u.c.h.ess were flabbergasted when they caught sight of it.

Without paying a speck of attention to anyone in the Duke household, Leticiel consolidated the information from the previous and current era as her eyes ran across the atlas.

As one would expect, there wasn't a single country that Leticiel knew of on the world map after over a thousand years had pa.s.sed. However, she continued and used the names of various places to drill an up-to-date summary of the continent into her head.

The sound of the carriage door being opened snapped Leticiel back into reality. She raised her head to find the coachman looking at her.

As soon as she descended the carriage, Leticiel once again opened the atlas and continued reading. While it may have seemed dangerous to walk while reading, she already had Magecraft prepared.

She had invoked a surrounding detection Magecraft. By doing so, she was able to grasp the positions of things and people around her so that she would not stumble or b.u.mp into them while reading. Furthermore, it was a Magecraft of the Void Element, which was invisible to others, so the chance of anyone noticing it was low.

(…Like I thought, just one volume isn't enough.)

Leticiel had only brought this one atlas with her, and being the avid reader that she was, she had gone through it in the blink of an eye.

(…I could just read the textbook, but…)

For someone like Leticiel who wanted to be fully immersed while reading, she wasn't too keen on getting called on in cla.s.s like yesterday. While thinking about what she should do, her eyes wandered to the school map near the entrance, where two words in one of its corners caught her attention.

'Great Library'. From its name, Leticiel guessed that it was some room to archive books. In her previous life, there were small rooms dedicated to archiving doc.u.ments and books, so she reasoned that this must have been something similar.

The library was in an annex next to the main school building. Curious, Leticiel decided to head to the Great Library, knowing there wasn't much she'd be missing out on if she skipped cla.s.s anyway.

After thorough inspection of the map, Leticiel left for the Great Library. Luckily, the route was straightforward and she arrived in front of the door without getting lost.

The library was exuded an air of silence. It was a two-storied room with an atrium in the center. There were tables and chairs for reading placed around the first floor. There were even some placed near the windows. All the remaining s.p.a.ce was occupied by bookshelves that touched the ceiling.

In the age where Leticiel lived, there hadn't been many books in circulation.

During that age of chaos, it was common sense not to record information in books due to the risk of them falling into the hands of an enemy nation. Not to mention, paper was a valuable resource in the first place.

On top of that, as memorization ability could help with Magecraft to a certain extent, the people in that age were quite smart in general and didn't find much use for books.

Due to those circ.u.mstances, possession of books was limited to the royal family and the richest of the rich. Due to her status, Leticiel had been able to enjoy reading from a young age and it had turned into a hobby of hers.

Leticiel was uncharacteristically standing in a daze as a result of the overwhelming spectacle of the Great Library before her. Compared to this, the archives of her era were like that of a child's room. It was something beyond the wildest imagination of anyone from that era.

Taking in the unfamiliar smell of old books, Leticiel restlessly glanced around, just like a child. Even though she had yet to go to the library in her own residence, she thought it would give off the same atmosphere.

There was a tall and long counter set up near the entrance, and behind that counter was a cute and small gentleman with a pure-white moustache nodding off.

"Good morning. Excuse me, but I would like to ask you something."

Leticiel raised her voice towards the sleeping old gentleman. She had come to the library to look for books, but thought it would be more efficient to ask a professional for help than to look around on her own.

"…Hyahh?"

Leticiel's call startled the old gentleman awake with a jump. He blinked repeatedly with his eyes hidden by his pure-white bedhead.

"Ohh…! An unusual visitor! What can I do for you?"

As Leticiel had prepared to be treated coldly like everyone else, the sight of a cheerful and smiling old gentleman betrayed her expectations. Meeting a friendly person should have been a good thing, but she couldn't get over it. Incidentally, his name was David.

"Mister David, could you show me where the books about world geography are?"

"Hohoho, world geography, right? Give me a moment."

While his moustache was swinging about, David reached for a giant book under the counter and placed it onto the table. He then flipped through the pages at a quick pace.

Perhaps that bulky book that seemed to be over 10 centimeters thick contained a list of every book in this library. Although the amount of pages was staggering, as one would expect of the skill (Leticiel's a.s.sumption) of the Great Library's librarian, he was going through them like it was nothing.

"Hmmm, if you want those books, then you would find them on the bookshelf behind the stairs on the first floor"

It took David just one minute to answer Leticiel's question. It was a speed that would make people applaud out of sheer amazement. Leticiel then thanked David and walked toward the bookshelf he had indicated.

Naturally, the reason Leticiel inquired for books about world geography was because she had just been reading an atlas earlier. Her head was currently filled with geography and it would be more effective for her to take advantage of that momentum and learn more about the subject.

(…!)

Furthermore, by the time she had found her desired books, Leticiel eyes were sparkling from another new discovery. Back in the previous age, every book had been transcribed by hand. However, she noticed that each and every book in this Great Library was written with a similar font.

(Magecraft to create transcriptions like this was still under development…! Perhaps Magic for this purpose has already been developed?)

Leticiel picked out three books that looked easy to read and headed to the reading corner. After taking out the atlas from her bag, she then invoked a Magecraft to strengthen memorization ability.

After finis.h.i.+ng her preparations, Leticiel lightly slapped her cheeks and opened the first book. With her concentration at full throttle, she tore through the books at a fearsome speed.

Leticiel was summoned back to reality with the loud sound that resounded throughout the library.

Having just finished the book in her hands, Leticiel shut the book and looked up at the clock. According to the clock's hands, that chime marked the end of the second period. Once again, one hour, or rather, two hours had pa.s.sed before she had even realized.

"…Hyah? Are you going now, Drossel-sama?"

"Yes, I'll come again."

"Hoho, please feel free to come at any time."

Leticiel left the library, sent off by the shaking, white fluffy hairball of a librarian. She thought about showing up for third period, but remembered that her appearance wouldn't be welcomed anyway.

There wasn't any place she wanted to go in the first place, so Leticiel decided to just familiarize herself with the school grounds by exploring it for the time being. Besides the cafeteria, her cla.s.sroom, the Magic Training Field, and the Great Library, she didn't know much of the academy's facilities.

Knowing only those places would negatively affect her academy life, so she decided that checking the locations of facilities beforehand would be the best use of her time.

Leticiel's first course of action was to walk around the annex. She only learned afterwards that the annex was filled with the teachers' private offices. They used these rooms to prepare for cla.s.s as well as grading a.s.signments and processing doc.u.ments. As cla.s.s was currently in session, there was no one in the annex.

While tracing her steps back to the main building, Leticiel's feet came to a halt at the corner formed by the paths leading to the main building and the annex.

A large clock tower stood at the intersection and at the very bottom, there was a rectangular opening of human height. While it was just an open door, there was a strange noise emanating from within it. While wondering about what was in it, Leticiel approached and peered inside.

Within the room were lumps of unknown objects and metal. They were lined up for some reason, and Leticiel didn't have the slightest idea of their purpose.

Although the room was equipped with lighting and windows, the interior was dominated by the colors black and gray, which gave off a sense of foreboding.

On the gray floor were many sheets of white paper scattered about that caught Leticiel's attention. Those bizarre sheets of paper were being filled with some kind of small letters and numbers; indeed, they were being filled.

The source of the sea of papers was the figure of a black-haired boy with his back to Leticiel. His body was covered in soot while he was tinkering with something before him.

His jet-black hair had completely blended in with the gloomy atmosphere; however, his white hands stood out among the sheets of paper.

"………Hm?"

As if he had felt her presence, the boy's hands suddenly stopped and he turned around. Leticiel's figure was reflected in his dark purple left eye and his deep green right eye.

"Eh… Ah! My apologies! I didn't think that someone would be inside…!"

The boy's eyes were opened wide for an instant. He then, in a fl.u.s.ter, used the towel that was on his lap to wipe his face.

However, Leticiel didn't mind the boy's dirty appearance. Or rather, it wasn't that bad in the first place.

When their gazes met, Leticiel had already taken a good look at the boy's face. Two deeply-colored heterochromatic eyes, beautiful glossy hair, and a breathtakingly handsome face.

Leticiel was sure that this was her first time meeting this boy. And yet, she found traces of a certain person on his face.

"…Nao."

With a faint voice, Leticiel squeezed the word from her throat. It was the name of her beloved partner, the person who gave up his life to protect her.

The boy before her resembled her husband to the point that Leticiel had a flashback.

Nao's final moments raced through her mind. Even though he couldn't use Magecraft, he used his body to s.h.i.+eld Leticiel from the enemy's poisoned arrow and lost his life.

And for just an instant, Nao's bloodied face overlapped with that of the boy before her. A sharp pang shot through Leticiel's temple, causing her to grasp her forehead.

She then began to recall countless memories of Nao. When they first met, when they had a date in the town, when they exchanged their feelings for each other, when they got married, when they sought each other's warmth for the first time, when they acted rashly and angered the king, and when he smiled at her for the last time.

Those memories were like bubbles on the surface of water, even the slightest attempt to touch them would cause them to pop without a trace.

"Uh, um… what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

As Leticiel was wordlessly staring at him, the puzzled boy called out to her. However, she didn't respond.

"Huh…? are you okay!? Um, you can use this… if you want?"

The black-haired boy suddenly panicked and rummaged through his pockets. He took out a handkerchief and held it out toward Leticiel for some reason.

"Eh, uh… your cheeks…"

The boy mumbled as Leticiel gazed at the handkerchief. What did he mean by my cheeks? Leticiel touched her cheeks to find that they were wet.

(…I, was crying…?）

After being surprised for a brief moment, Leticiel looked at the worried black-haired boy and quickly used her fingers to wipe away her tears.

"…N…no, it's nothing at all. Something just got in my eyes."

Leticiel immediately came up with an excuse. She thought that the boy would be suspicious but it seemed that he accepted it.

"Ahh… I'm sorry. This room is something you could say is a work in progress, so it's dusty."

"Oh no, I'm fine. I was the one who made you worry…"

Looking at him again after calming down, she realized that while the boy greatly resembled Nao, he was also different in many aspects. For example, he lacked the mole near his left eye and the monolid eyes that Nao had. Little by little, Leticiel was able to mentally divorce the boy before her from her image of Nao.

"Um… By the way, you are…"

Leticiel nonchalantly stepped backwards as she asked that question. Even after her realization, she was unable to stay calm near him. The boy made a blank face for a few moments before remembering that he hadn't introduced himself.

"Ah…! I'm sorry, I haven't named myself, right? I'm Sieg Viollis. And you are…?"

"My name is Drossel Noa Filiaregis."

Upon hearing Leticiel's name, the boy called Sieg opened his eyes wide as if it was the last thing he expected to hear.

"So you're Drossel…"

"You've heard of me?"

"Rumors about you have spread all around this academy, so I've known of your name for a while now. But why are you here?"

Sieg asked this with an amazed expression. Perhaps it was natural to be surprised when you were visited by a Duke's daughter, of all people.

"I was on my way back from the Great Library. You too, what are you doing here instead of going to cla.s.s?"

"Oh, I was fiddling with the machinery in this room. I usually spend most of my time in the laboratory, but it's been a while so I wanted to fiddle with machines today."

From what he said, it seemed that Sieg didn't show up to cla.s.s at all.

"…Do you… like machinery?"

"Yes. As machines are things that operate based on the designed mechanisms, I enjoy learning about their inner workings."

While he was talking, Sieg's eyes seemed to sparkle like a child. Leticiel was somehow reminded of herself when talking about Magecraft.

(…Just earlier I thought he didn't resemble Nao… and yet, somehow, he really does feel like Nao.)

His smile also reminded her of Nao's. Her late husband wouldn't lose to Leticiel as a researcher. While she was a Magecraft Maniac, he was a Politics Maniac.

Once again, the figure of Nao gleefully running his his pen through a mountain of paperwork overlapped with the figure of Sieg happily speaking. That sight made Leticiel unconsciously let out a giggle.

"So what is this machine? It must be used for something, right?"

"This? This is a machine used for letterpress printing. It's indispensable for printing books and newspapers."

"Letterpress… printing…"

Listening to the strange words and the explanation from Sieg's mouth, Leticiel stared at the mysterious wooden object before her.

The image of the Great Library she just saw flashed through her mind. Leticiel had considered the possibility of the development of duplication technology while looking at the vast collection of books, but didn't expect it to be the case.

"Then perhaps the books in the Great Library came from…"

"…? Yes, they were printed though letterpress printing. A lot of them were printed here at the academy, but most of the collection was ordered from all over the country, and some even from overseas."

"I, see… Then how do you even use that machine to print letters?"

"You see, first you line up the printing types on this board to form what you want to print…"

Leticiel was bewildered by the object at first. However, in just a moment, her inquisitiveness as a researcher took over. She became greatly interested in the unfamiliar machine and began to ask Sieg various questions.

However, the person who was most surprised was none other than Sieg. n.o.ble daughters would typically have no interest in something like machinery, yet the girl standing before him was captivated by the subject. Looking at the girl's eyes sparkling with curiosity, Sieg began to harbour a genuine interest in her.

For someone who had never shown up to cla.s.s like Sieg, he had only heard of the name "Drossel" while being completely ignorant of all the bad rumors paired with it. So for him, he could only think of the girl before him as simply, "Drossel".

"…Huh? It's already lunch break?"

"Time sure flies, we only started talking a moment ago."

Leticiel and Sieg looked at each other and let out a small smile.

"I'll head for the cafeteria, what about you, Sieg?"

"Let me see… I need to tidy up this place first, so you can just go on ahead."

Leticiel bid farewell to him and left the room. She did offer to help him, but Sieg refused, saying he didn't want to trouble her for something so trivial.

As she walked down the hallway, Leticiel realized that in the end, she hadn't managed to visit any of the facilities besides the machinery room.

(…Oh well, I can just do it later.)

Since the academy wasn't going to go anywhere anyway, Leticiel decided that her campus exploration would either take place later in the afternoon or on another day entirely, and resumed walking towards the cafeteria.

Just before afternoon cla.s.ses began, Leticiel's cla.s.s of Elementary 2 had gone to the Museum for Art cla.s.s.

Earlier, because she couldn't go to the Museum with her bag, Leticiel came to her cla.s.sroom during lunch break and left it there. Lucrezia Academy was built on a ma.s.sive plot of land. Beside the main building and annex buildings, the academy was fully equipped with various facilities such as the Swordplay Training Hall. One of these was the Museum, which functioned as both a museum and an art gallery.

"Oka~y, everyone, please pick something you like in the Museum and draw a rough sketch of i~t. There's no time limit, bu~t please make sure to return to the entrance two minutes before the end of cla~ss!"

The person giving the instructions was the Art teacher who looked like a normal old man, yet strangely, his tone and movements were those of a woman's. Following his instructions, Leticiel's cla.s.smates scattered in every direction. Some of them were bustling with excitement, while others were grumbling about how annoying the a.s.signment was.

Incidentally, Rochefort headed straight for the Weapons section. It seemed that he loved weapons.

The only reason Leticiel learned of this was because he was loudly chatting with Christa from that section. Even if she had no interest in the pair, she couldn't block out their unpleasant voices.

"…Oh well."

Accepting the situation, Leticiel, along with Mirandalette, began to stroll around with no destination in mind.

After walking for a while, Leticiel entered an exhibit with a gigantic bone specimen displayed in the center. The sight of that fossil made her leak out an amazed voice.

"This fossil is from a type of creature called a dinosaur that lived millions of years ago. In those times, this diverse group of creatures inhabited the entire Astraea continent. This dinosaur was discovered within the mountain on the outskirts of the capital. It belongs to the…"

The curator in charge of the Zoological Specimens section was giving a detailed explanation on the fossil to a group of students.

"…Hey, Mirandalette."

Leticiel earnestly listened to the explanation at first; however, the more she listened, the more questions she had. In the end, she called out to the person next to her.

"Hm? Is something the matter?"

"So about that dinosaur thing…"

"Y-yeah…?"

"Isn't it just a lizard?"

"…You whaaat!?"

Mirandalette let out a hysterical yell to Leticiel's casual question. She then covered her mouth in a panic and apologized to the people staring at her.

"No no, they're completely different! Lizards are much smaller than that, like… they're small enough to hold in your hands."

"Oh, I see…"

Even with that explanation, Leticiel was still somewhat confused.

During the Astraea Continental War a thousand years ago, humans weren't the only ones who were fighting to survive. As humans struggled to find food, their wars caused constant s.h.i.+fts in habitable lands which forced animals to once again live in a world that favored survival of the fittest.

Because of that, back in those days, animals tended to have large bodies as well as natural defense mechanisms. For Leticiel, the sight of an animal near that fossil's size strutting around was something ordinary. After listening to the dinosaur explanation until the end, even if she tried her best, she couldn't think of that fossil as anything other than a lizard.

In the end, while Leticiel was standing around in a daze as she was not satisfied with the answer, the rest of the students began to move on.

Suddenly, she heard a loud voice yelling 'Ooohhh!'. Wondering what was going on, she turned to the source of that voice to find the figure of Rochefort brandis.h.i.+ng something that looked like a s.h.i.+eld. Rather than the usual Christa, the person next to him was a pale-looking curatress. She was looking at him while panicking.

"Y-your Highness, please don't swing it around that hard. You might hit something…!"

"Just this much should be fine! I'm the first prince of this country, you know? Do you have any problem with that?!"

It seemed that the s.h.i.+eld was quite heavy as his balance was thrown off every time he swung it. The curatress was frantically trying to stop him, but from afar, the person that looked the most foolish was Rochefort himself.

"…What is he doing over there?"

"His Highness is always like this, you see… He really loves weapons… Every time the Museum displays a new weapon, he would forcibly try to wield it like this…"

"Hmm…"

Hearing Mirandalette's explanation, Leticiel gave an indifferent reply. She glanced at Rochefort, who was holding the s.h.i.+eld with great delight, and promptly walked onwards.

While moving along with the other students, Leticiel came to a stop at a corner. The thing that had stopped her was something under a magnificent arch at the end of the hallway.

"…? Drossel? Everyone is heading this way…"

"Please go on ahead, there's something that caught my eye."

There was a small hexagonal room in the direction of the arch. There weren't many exhibits in that direction but on the innermost wall of the room was a large painting in a golden frame with velvet curtains tied to both sides.

There were three humanoid figures in the painting. One was a beautiful woman wrapped in a pure-white robe, her hand holding a golden jewel staff. Another was a man bending over in pain while grabbing his own throat with both hands. And the last figure was pitch black person with a tail and horns that resembled those of a devil.

"Oh? Perhaps you're interested in Her Holiness Lucrezia?"

While Leticiel silently stared at the painting, a young curator approached her from behind. Perhaps he was in charge of this booth.

"…No, I was just thinking that this is a wonderful painting."

"That's great. This painting depicts the scene of Her Holiness Lucrezia performing exorcism. Her Holiness Lucrezia is said to have miraculous powers for purifying evil. Indeed, facing such power, even a devil would have no choice but to submit to her will."

"I see…"

"The Magic Staff she used to perform exorcism is also displayed at this museum as a relic."

Just as the name implied, relics were articles of saints that were preserved to the present day. In the Platina Kingdom, they were revered as objects of wors.h.i.+p. There were a large number of relics stored in this Museum, but the ones put on display were all replicas.

"Is that so?"

While she replied to the curator's explanation, Leticiel kept on silently looking at the painting of the Holy Lucrezia.

"Uh, is something the matter?"

"Ah… no, nothing at all. Could you let me look at them for a bit?"

"Yes, of course."

Leticiel exited the room with the painting and walked to the booth by it. It seemed to house various ancient objects for display. Inside the gla.s.s displays were various artifacts arranged side-by-side.

And one of those articles caused Leticiel to gasp in surprise. It was a simple pitcher with no pattern drawn on it. However, the pitcher was a sky-blue color that was clearer than the blue of a clear sky. At first glance, she thought it was just a beautiful pitcher. However, on its rim was a thinly engraved crest. A crest that Leticiel could never forget.

"Are you interested in that?"

The curator who had walked along with Leticiel asked her as he peered into the gla.s.s display.

"…This pitcher, is it something from Rizenrose Kingdom?"

"You sure know a lot! That's absolutely correct. This pitcher is made from a special product called 'celeste gla.s.s' from the Rizenrose Kingdom that existed in the remote regions a thousand years ago. It's known as the most beautiful porcelain in the world and it still has many enthusiast collectors, even today. It's a shame that the method of production for celeste gla.s.s was lost with the kingdom's downfall."

Engraved on the rim of the pitcher was the crest of the Rizenrose Kingdom. Celeste gla.s.s was a porcelain product that Nao had developed for trading. Because the king had been so deeply moved by its beauty, he granted the use of the kingdom's crest.

"That was quite detailed, perhaps you've researched this topic?"

"Yes, that's right! My specialty is archaeology from a thousand years ago, so meeting someone else with an interest in it makes me beyond happy! We also have similar artifacts of different varieties here like bowls and flower vases; they all share that same signature heavenly blue color. Some have dulled over time, though there are many that have retained the same color as this pitcher…"

Afterwards, the curator talked about the objects from the Astraea Continental War period for a long time. Rather than just objects from the Rizenrose Kingdom, the topic even expanded to objects from the countries in the center of the continent during those times. As Leticiel was also very interested in the topic, she listened to it attentively.

(The Museum is a really interesting place… And being a curator seems to be a really fun job.)

The fact that someone was knowledgeable about something from a thousand years ago made Leticiel a bit happy. She looked at the nameplate on the curator's chest.

On that plate, the words 'Relics Floor Gilm' were written in small letters.

A while after the bell signaling the end of cla.s.s rang, Leticiel exited the Museum by herself.

The rest of her cla.s.s had already returned to the usual cla.s.sroom the moment they had finished their rough sketches; however, because she was so interested in the Museum, Leticiel had briefly informed the teacher that she would stay even after cla.s.s had ended.

And then, after looking here and there, by the time she realized, far from the end of 5th period, it was already the end of 6th period.

"…My, looks like 6th period has already ended."

Because it had been quite a long time after the day's cla.s.ses had all ended, there weren't that many students around. Leticiel decided to first head back to her cla.s.sroom as she had left her bag there.

"You, you should at least know your place, right?"

"…?"

The moment Leticiel arrived at the door of Elementary 2's cla.s.sroom, she could hear a girl's voice from behind it. When she peered through the opening of the door, she saw the figure of Mirandalette surrounded by three other girls.

"For a dunce like you to walk in front of an honor student like me, isn't that quite shameless of you?"

"Good grief… You're just a daughter from a low-ranking n.o.ble family with almost no Magic Power. This should be common sense for you."

"…"

Even though they were looking down on her, Mirandalette didn't say a single word and just stood there.

Leticiel thought about what she should do for a moment, but remembered that in order to retrieve her bag, she would have to enter the room regardless. She then threw open the door without a speck of hesitation.

"…!?"

"D-Drossel…"

The n.o.ble daughters inside jumped at the abrupt noise before quickly spinning towards the source. Upon seeing it was Leticiel, they openly scowled at her.

"Oh my, if it isn't the Magic Powerless Drossel. For you to be here at such a time, you sure do have a lot of free time."

"Ah yes, being able to freely use my time after school is truly a wonderful thing. I've been thoroughly enjoying it until just now."

Perhaps the n.o.ble daughter trio was making a sarcastic remark about how as a Magic Powerless, she was unable to attend any tea parties. However, Leticiel was truly grateful for her free time after school and answered without a second thought.

"Furthermore, I don't think that having Magic Power or not should be the basis to determine someone's worth. Or perhaps Magic Power is something that important to you?"

"…My isn't it just natural? For n.o.bles of this country, it's, normal, that the higher your n.o.bility, the more Magic Power you hold."

In this country, higher ranking n.o.bles tended to have higher Magic Power. Because of that, some n.o.bles treated Magic Power level as some kind of status symbol. And within that group, there were many people like these n.o.ble daughters who believed that Magic Power was everything.

"I see. Then since everyone here has high Magic power, you must know a lot more than a Magic Powerless like me, right? If it's you three, then you must be able to write something that surpa.s.ses the Formula I rewrote, right?"

With a smile on her face, Leticiel asked the trio with a voice full of admiration.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say a n.o.ble's worth is determined by their amount of Magic Power? If that's the case, then people with high Magic Power such as yourselves should still be superior to a Magic Powerless like me at Formula Studies."

"…Tch…"

The three faces stiffened after hearing her words; however, Leticiel continued on as if she didn't notice.

"The incompetent me is really looking forward to what kind of wonderful Formula you will write."

"…Tch! Q-Quit saying something that absurd! You're so annoying!"

While maintaining her haughty att.i.tude, the girl who seemed to be the leader let out a 'Hmph'. Her eyes were clearly filled with agitation and annoyance.

Although she knew it was an unreasonable demand, Leticiel still challenged the girls. While spitefully glaring at Leticiel and Mirandalette, the trio quickly left the cla.s.sroom.

"Mirandalette, why didn't you fight back at all?"

The things the group had said to Mirandalette could only be taken as provocation. And yet, the only thing she had done was stand there quietly and take it. Leticiel couldn't accept her response at all.

"…My Magic Power is weak, and what they made fun of me for was also the truth… There was nothing I could do…"

As she said that, Miradanlette let out a lonely smile and made a distant expression.

"Mirandalette, could you show me your Magic Power measurement results?"

"Eh…? I don't mind, but…"

She hesitated for a bit, but Mirandalette still nodded her head at Leticiel's request. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she opened her bag.

"Let see… Measurement results, measurement results… Ah, there it is! Here you go."

Mirandalette took out a small piece of paper and handed it to Leticiel. On it were the results of the Magic Power measurement made through the use of the ice crystals. It seemed that after the test, the teacher had written down the measurements and handed it to the students.

"It's quite crumpled."

"Well, the results weren't good, so…"

After opening up the piece of paper that was crumpled into a ball like a piece of trash, Leticiel looked at the numbers written on it.

Leticiel was frozen solid while staring at those Magic Power values. She has… amazing Magecraft potential.

When she was a princess, Leticiel also had her Magic Power measured and all of her Elemental Ratings were between 10 and 15. In other words, someone with an average rating of 20 like Mirandalette was surely a great Mage in the making. Finding an existence like Mirandalette caused the Magecraft Maniac to burn with excitement.

"Mira, these are wonderful numbers."

Leticiel said, while using a nickname for Mirandalette.

"Whaaat…?"

Mirandalette's eyes opened wide from the unexpected remark coming from Leticiel.

"What's wrong?"

"I-it's nothing… I just didn't expect a nickname…"

Leticiel hadn't noticed that she had used a nickname for Mirandalette until it was pointed out by the person herself.

"Oh my… I'm sorry, I got a bit too excited."

"You don't have to be sorry! I'm actually glad that you called me by a nickname."

Leticiel thought that she would be offended by being called a nickname out of the blue, but Mirandalette seemed to be happy about it.

"…Um, why did you say that my results were wonderful? With my Magic Power that low, it only showed how incompetent I am…"

"No, having high Magic Power is actually a bad thing. Because people with high Magic Power are unable to use Magecraft."

A thousand years ago, people with high Magic Power had to choose between working at home and doing housework or honing their physical ability. In those days, bands of mercenaries were almost exclusively composed of people with high Magic Power.

"Uh, um… Magecraft? What in the world is that…?"

Using Mirandalette's question as a starting point, Leticiel started to thoroughly explain what Magecraft was. Furthermore, she planned to explain until there was nothing left, no matter how much time it would take.

"…and that about sums up the basics of 'Magecraft'."

"Oh… So there's a power like that too…!"

Although Mirandalette had been wearing a dubious expression , after hearing the general explanation, it had transformed into a dazzling smile filled with hope.

Even a thousand years ago, Leticiel was unable to stop herself when it came to Magecraft. Because of that tendency, even her va.s.sals had to chide her with a bitter smile on their faces.

However, more than just being interested in the topic, Mirandalette listened attentively and took in everything Leticiel said. Meeting someone like her made Leticiel a little bit thankful and happy.

Thus, Leticiel started to view Mirandalette as a 'comrade who wants to master Magecraft'.

"This really feels like a dream…! So even someone who is only able to use weak Magic like me can still use it, right?"

"Yes. That's why you don't need to feel bad about having low Magic Power. Unlike people who can only use that dull thing called Magic, you're able to use the much stronger Magecraft. So Mira should be proud of the fact that you have no talent for Magic."

"Okay…!"

Mirandalette still wasn't sure if she was being praised or being mocked. But seeing that dead-serious expression on Leticiel's face made her even more willing to try it.

Afterward, the two moved to the Magic Training Field to practice Magecraft.

"Then let's start by practicing a.s.sembling Mana. Try summoning the Mana in the atmosphere into your palm."

"Mmm… Mana, Mana Mana Mana Mana…"

"Y-you don't need to mumble it like that…"

For someone who only knew about Magic like Mirandalette, it was understandable that this would be the result when she was asked to call for an unknown object like Mana. However, it was still somewhat of an eerie sight.

"…Ah! I kind of feel something warm in my palm!"

"You're doing great. Next, try to recall the Basic Fire Formula."

"Basic Fire Formula? Um… The one taught by the teacher? Or the one you rewrote it with?"

"The one you were taught is fine. It should be better for your first time, right?"

Following Leticiel's instruction, Mirandalette closed her eyes and started to groan while making a serious face. Unlike Magic which could be invoked with a chant utilizing the user's feelings regardless of the accuracy of the Formula, a precise image of the Formula was vital to Magecraft.

There was no reaction at first, but before long, the air above Mirandalette's palm grew hazy, little by little. Then, suddenly, an orange fireball appeared with a popping sound.

The fireball was just the size of a fist; its small size was a consequence of the terrible Magic Formula used to invoke it.

"Now try imagining a Formula like the one wrote."

"Ah, give me a moment in that case! I'll take out my notes!"

After saying that, Mirandalette started to rummage through her bag once again. Many things were excavated from her bag. Textbooks, a pencil case, an accessory case, a memo pad…

Leticiel suddenly came up with an idea and picked up Mirandalette's memo pad. It appeared to be empty.

Leticiel then held her hand over the notepad and developed a transcription Magecraft. It was a Magecraft for imprinting the image inside the pract.i.tioner's head onto an object using words and figures. The fact that it currently could only transcribe what was inside the pract.i.tioner's head was its greatest flaw; but for the time being, that was irrelevant.

After she had completed the transcription, Leticiel flipped through the notepad. The first few pages now contained eight perfectly imprinted Sorcery Formulas.

"Mira, you can stop looking for it. I've transcribed the correct Sorcery Formula into this notepad."

"Ehhh!? Since when!? Was that also Magecraft? And, what's the difference between Magic Formula and Sorcery Formula?"

"You see, the inferior Formulas taught at this academy are Magic Formulas, while the ones here are Sorcery Formulas. You can still use Magic with Sorcery Formula, so why don't you try it out? It's really fun."

"Really!? Then I'll start using Sorcery Formula instead!"

When she tried to invoke Magecraft using the Sorcery Formula, the resulting fireball was twice as large as before. Seeing the difference, Mirandalette got so excited that she was like a child.

Afterwards, Mirandalette continued to practice Magecraft following Leticiel's instructions in the most secluded practice s.p.a.ce within the Magic Training Field. She became quite familiar with handling Magecraft after about an hour.

"…By the way, the lower your Magic Power, the easier it is to invoke Magecraft, right?"

While taking a break on the bench, Mirandalette suddenly asked a question with a serious face.

"Yes."

"In other words, someone without a speck of Magic Power like Drossel would have an appropriate affinity with Magecraft then?"

"That's right. Being a Magic Powerless is the greatest condition to be Mage."

"Then can you let me see you use Magecraft once? I'm really interested in your Magecraft!"

Leticiel thought about what she should do for a moment. Seeing Mirandalette staring at her with eyes full of antic.i.p.ation, Leticiel ended up conceding.

There, within the deepest booth inside the practice s.p.a.ce, was a shabby wooden target that was used for cla.s.s yesterday. As Mirandalette had been using it for practice up until a short while ago, it was charred black here and there.

When she thought about it, since her awakening in Drossel's body, Leticiel had only used a healing Magecraft yesterday morning, detection and memorization strengthening this morning and transcription just now. The fact that she now had an opportunity to use offensive Magecraft for the first time got Leticiel a bit excited.

(Okay… It doesn't seem like that target can hold out for much longer. Maybe a Basic Fire Formula with reduced power would be enough?)

Leticiel held out her hands and a fireball of about 15 centimeters in diameter appeared before her. Originally, the fireball would have been twice as big, however, its scope had been reduced, which in turn also reduced its power by half.

She then molded it into a long and narrow shape before shooting the fireball like a bullet. She paid extra attention to its speed as it could pierce the target if it went too fast.

The fireball swayed through the air, leaving a trail of flame behind as it flew toward the target at a speed that was neither too slow nor too fast, as fast as a typical Magic.

BOOOM!!

A loud roar reverberated as the target burst into pieces. It was a flas.h.i.+er explosion than she had expected, but according to Leticiel's calculations, the fire bullet should have dissipated upon impact.

However, after crus.h.i.+ng the target, the fire bullet showed no sign of slowing down or decreasing in power as it continued straight for the wall behind the target. At the sight of this, Leticiel's eyes showed the signs of frustration for the first time.

(…Huh? That target should have been able to stop a Magecraft of this level.)

She quickly tried to reverse the fire bullet's movement vector at the very last moment, but she couldn't make it in time. The fire bullet crashed into one of the walls that enclosed the Magic Training Field.

KABOOOM!!!

A terrific thunderous sound reverberated as the ground trembled. The wall was covered in a cloud of dust, but it was clear that it had been blown away by the explosion. Even the ground around the point of impact had been slightly gouged out. It was truly a dreadful scene.

Leticiel was shocked at the carnage before her… or not. Instead, she was flabbergasted about the fragility of both the wall and the target.

Wooden targets had also been used for Magecraft practice in the olden days, but they were all imbued with Structural Strengthening Magecraft. Something on the level of a Basic Formula would never have had any effect on them.

Leticiel was racking her brain over the target's worthless level of fragility. She had already reduced the power of the Basic Formula by half, and yet the target was still smashed into pieces in an instant. Furthermore, as if the target hadn't been there at all, the fact that it had not slowed or weakened the bullet even by a bitleft her beyond speechless.

It was only natural for her to wonder why the people of this age would be satisfied with a target this fragile. Would they not have to constantly replace to even be able to practice or something?

Once again, her common sense was in stark contrast to that of the current world's, and yet, Leticiel still hadn't realized it.

"…Can, can I ask you a question…?"

"Of course."

"Just now, did you go all out…?"

"No? I thought I held back enough, but I guess my estimate was off because of how long it's been."

"…Y-you were holding back…?"

A shocked Mirandalette looked back and forth between Leticiel and the broken wall with an incredulous expression.

"Don't worry. With some more practice, you'll be be able to easily do something of that level."

"I'm actually scared about being able to do that…"

"Why? You could just fix it if you destroy something, you know?

"No… That's not the issue here…"

The idea of an unknown power like Magecraft that didn't need Magic Power, something that could release power manyfold higher than Magic, even while suppressed. If anyone heard of it, they would scream out in terror.

It wasn't something as simple as fixing something after you destroyed it. Realizing that she would graduate from being human once she mastered this power, Mirandalette began to worry about her own future.

(First things first, leaving it like this would be bad…)

After casting a sidelong glance at Mirandalette, who was turning into a stone statue, Leticiel faced the broken wall and promptly invoked Magecraft to repair it.

Unbeknownst to Leticiel, whose back was to Mirandalette, the sight of the wall rea.s.sembling itself only further accelerated the girl transformation into a statue.

"…Drossel?"

Suddenly, a familiar beautiful tenor voice resounded within the booth.

Without even considering it could be someone else, Leticiel took her time to slowly turn around.

Just like she thought, what she found was the handsome face of Sieg dyed with surprise. Leticiel wondered why in the world he would be in this place.

"…What's going on here? You were supposed to have no Magic Power, so why is the wall like this…"

Contrary to her blank expression, deep inside, Leticiel was trying her best to think about what she should do but all she could do was to keep blinking her eyes repeatedly.

"Drossel, what exactly… is that power…?"

"Um…"

"I promise I won't tell anyone. So, can you explain it to me?"

Being stared at by those green right eye and purple left eye caused Leticiel to blink both her red left eye and blue right eye.

While she was worrying about whether she should tell Sieg or not, she remembered that she had just told Mirandalette about Magecraft earlier, so increasing the amount of people who knew about it by one wouldn't change anything.

"…That's, an extremely interesting story, or rather power."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And I think it's better for the public to not know about it."

"…? And why is that?"

Hearing what Sieg said while holding his chin, Leticiel tilted her head.

"It's because this power is too unusual. Think about it, a power that exceeds Magic in a world where Magic is flouris.h.i.+ng, a power that doesn't require Magic Power in a world where n.o.bles place great importance on Magic Power… If it gets into the hands of commoners, it would be the same as giving them the power to overthrow the n.o.bles."

"That would be…"

After the situation was pointed out by Sieg, Leticiel thought about the role of Magecraft in the current age for the first time.

"…You're right, since commoners don't have much Magic Power, it would be easy for them to master Magecraft…"

"Yes. Moreover, commoners don't have much knowledge about Magic. They don't really use Magic in their daily lives; it's something exclusive for the n.o.bles so to speak. And because of that, commoners don't have any preconceived notions about Magic, so if they get their hands on this technique, it would quickly spread throughout the world."

"I can see that…"

"If something like that happens, our government structure of n.o.bles ruling over commoners would collapse. If the public know about this power, this country might…"

"Oh? Why if it isn't Sieg!"

Before Sieg could finish his words, the voice of Lucas rus.h.i.+ng into the training field rumbled toward them.

"What the h.e.l.l? So that thundering sound had to be your doing! That's why I kept telling you to not go so far!"

"…My apologies, Dean. I'll be careful from now."

Lucas smacked his forehead with his hand and looked up at the sky before turning his gaze to Sieg as if goading the boy to say something. He then cast a subtle glance at Leticiel and Mirandalette.

Even though she didn't know why Lucas glaring scornfully at Sieg, Leticiel decided to make full use of her status as a witness at the scene of the crime by making use of the conversational skills she had acquired in her past life to make Lucas drop the issue.

She then gave the following fabricated account chock full of lies:

Drossel and Mirandalette went together to practice after school. They coincidentally ran into Sieg at this booth. When the three started to practice Magic together, Sieg's Magic Power went out of control and led to the state of affairs.

The reason Leticiel threw Sieg to the wolves was because Lucas had already misunderstood that he was the culprit. The person in question was making a bitter smile as his name had been used without his consent; Leticiel could only hope that he would forgive her when she apologized afterwards.

Her fabricated testimony proved to be effective as Lucas was easily tricke… no, persuaded. The incident was resolved without issue.

"That was a bit surprising. I thought you would tell the Dean about it."

As the departing figure of Lucas got farther and farther away, Sieg turned to Leticiel with a troubled smile. Seeing that serene smile prompted her to quickly avert her gaze.

"Drossel Noa Filiaregis is a Magic Powerless who can't use Magic at all. That fact is enough."

"…Like I thought, it was something you didn't want others to know?"

"No, I only learned about the role of Magecraft because of you, Sieg. I don't regret telling you about it at all. More importantly, I'm sorry for using you like that."

"It's fine. I believe that was the best course of action too."

The fact that Sieg wasn't angry made Leticiel let out a sigh of relief in her mind.

"By the way, what were you doing here, Drossel?"

"Me? I was teaching my friend over here about Magecraft."

"N-nice to meet you! My name is Mirandalette Lulu Wald!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. I'm Sieg Viollis."

Leticiel was keeping her eye on the two people exchanging greetings.

The reason she had kept the Dean in the dark about Magecraft was to prevent the chance of any more rumors about her from spreading through the academy.

Leticiel didn't want to be deeply involved with someone who stood out. In the academy, she was already known as the worthless Ice Demon. She had no interest in having extraneous information spreading around and attracting undue attention.

The Dean had placed a gag order about the incident in the Large Conference Room. However, unlike teachers, she didn't expect something like that to work on students. She could see that even a tiny bit of information would spread in no time at all.

Moreover, it was bad enough that she had acted recklessly on multiple occasions today. Luckily, it seemed that other students hadn't noticed; but she would need to be more careful from now on.

Leticiel didn't hold any grand plan like proving everyone else wrong. She didn't care what those people thought about her in the first place. For that reason, she would rather have a quiet life rather than one under the spotlight.

Magecraft was a technique that didn't exist in the current age. If the information about it happened to reach the upper echelons of the kingdom, it would be extremely troublesome for her. She wouldn't be able to live her life like before, and in the worst case scenario, there was even a chance of her being confined for life as a research subject, a life of being used by others that Leticiel abhorred.

"You two, can I trust you to not tell a single soul about Magecraft?"

""Of course!""

Leticiel slightly lowered the surrounding temperature as she confirmed that Mirandalette and Sieg would keep the secret. The pair immediately straightened their backs and answered in the affirmative.

"Shall we go too?"

"Yes, it's pretty late already! Thank you for today, Drossel!"

"Don't mention it. Oh right Mira, you have to keep it a secret from your family too, okay?"

"I got it!"

With a vigorous nod, Mirandalette left in such high spirits that her feet seemed to be skipping.

As she gazed at Mirandalette's retreating figure, Leticiel thought that she should leave as well, and began to walk. However, as she noticed that Sieg hadn't moved from his spot, she turned her head around.

"…Sieg, you're not going home?"

"I live in the dorm, so I'll just head to lower campus straight through this wall."

While Sieg seemed to be joking, Leticiel only gave him a simple shrug while maintaining her never changing expressionless face.

"I'll teach you more about Magecraft later, okay?"

"…You want to teach me too?"

"Yes, the amount of people who know about it only went from one to two anyway. As long as you keep your promise, there shouldn't be any issue."

"Of course I'll keep it. Thank you very much…! I'll look forward to it."

Hearing Leticiel words, Sieg's face beamed with delight. Unlike his usual forced, faint smile, it was a smile that seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.

That slightly childish yet beautiful smile brought Leticiel's mind to a complete halt for a moment. After a few moments spent frozen, her mind resumed activity and she came to a single realization.

(I see, the destructive power of a beautiful smiling face is nothing to joke about.)

By the time she returned to her senses, the smile that looked like a blooming flower had already disappeared, replaced by a worried expression.

"Actually… Your carriage should have already left by now, right?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry. I can just use transference to return home."

"…Is that also a Magecraft?"

"Yes. There are some restrictions on the location, but it can reduce travel time and distance to zero."

"Truly an intriguing power."

Sieg smiled once again. While thinking that it might be lip service, Leticiel managed the almost impossible feat of maintaining her usual expression.

"Then I'll also be going now, Drossel."

"Okay. Let's meet again tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Maintaining his refres.h.i.+ng smile to the end, Sieg gallantly left the Magic Training Field. After his figure had disappeared from her sight, Leticiel invoked a transference Magecraft.

Transference was a Magecraft to create warp gates between two locations by utilizing the Mana around the user's current position and their target destination. However, it required the user to form an image of where they wanted to go, so they could only use it between places they had been to.

Her surroundings distorted, and by the time it subsided, Leticiel was already in her own room.

(…Excellent, I just need to use Magecraft a few times to refamiliarize.)

While thinking that, she casually looked around the room and ended up making eye contact with the tailcoat-wearing man standing before the table.

"…Huh? My… lady…?"

Her exclusive butler… Ruvik was surprised by the sight of his own master's back appearing out of thin air.

She always came home along with Christa, yet she didn't return at all today. Thinking that his master had been acting strange lately, Ruvik couldn't calm down at all. He began to wander aimlessly around the residence, constantly checking back in on his master's room.

He couldn't come up with a single reason as why she had suddenly appeared inside the room like a ghost. She had no Magic Power. She was not supposed to be able to use Magic. Beyond that, Ruvik didn't know such a grand Magic existed.

Ruvik started mumbling incomprehensible words as his head was spinning in complete chaos. He was in such a state that he was completely taken in by his master's voice and words.

"Ruvik, you didn't see anything. I was already in this room when you entered it. Isn't that right?"

Drossel said those words to Ruvik. That he should pretend nothing happened. That he shouldn't disclose it to anyone. Ruvik gulped as he experienced an indescribable force from that gaze. Facing such a fleeting, yet awe-inspiring beauty, he was captivated by her dignified air.

"Your wish is my command, my lady."

Receiving confirmation of the highest degree, Leticiel heaved a sigh of relief in her head as she stared at Ruvik. She then remembered that he was Drossel's exclusive butler. The fact that he was in this room was nothing strange at all.

"I a.s.sume that you have a reason for it. And I don't plan to be unreasonable, but, could you at least tell me how you returned to this room, please?"

Leticiel was at a loss. She had just heard from Sieg about the peculiarity of Magecraft in this day and age. She understood that she should be careful with the information.

A long silence fell upon the room. In the end, Leticiel decided to explain the situation to Ruvik. As Ruvik had been supporting her since her transmigration, Leticiel had a certain degree of faith in him.

"…Okay. It's not something I plan to hide forever, anyway."

After confirming that there was no one else in the vicinity, Leticiel gave Ruvik a brief explanation about how she got home and the effect of that power. However, instead of Magecraft, she called it a 'strange power that's similar to Magic'.

"I see, so it was like that…"

After listening to Leticiel's explanation, Ruvik mulled over her words while making a complicated expression.

"However, what about the fact that… you don't have any Magic Power, my lady…?"

"Uh…"

"I'm but a commoner… I don't have much knowledge about those things like n.o.bles. Maybe… that power is something you just learned at the academy?"

"Eh?"

Hearing Ruvik's timid conjecture, Leticiel accidentally leaked out a surprised voice. She was reminded of how Sieg had told her that commoners didn't have much knowledge about Magic.

"…Yes, well, it's something like that."

Leticiel reflexively said those words to dodge the question. While she did tell Sieg and Mirandalette about Magecraft, it was because they were her friends at the academy. It hadn't been long since they had known each other.

However, Ruvik was different. For someone who had been serving 'Drossel' for a long time, she didn't know whether it would be a good idea to tell him she was 'Leticiel', or whether they could maintain the same relations.h.i.+p if he knew that she wasn't 'Drossel'.

The risk of losing an ally in the Duke's household full of enemies prevented Leticiel from revealing everything to Ruvik. Both about Magecraft and about her previous life.

"However, I want you to not speak of this to anyone. Not even to anyone in this household."

"Understood, I vow that I won't tell a single soul."

"Thank you, Ruvik."

While Ruvik was Drossel's exclusive butler, his employer was still the Duke.

Even Leticiel didn't think he would hide this from his employer, but Ruvik had promised that he wouldn't even tell the Duke.

It doesn't seem like this body is completely hopeless in terms of interpersonal relations.h.i.+p, Leticiel let out a giggle.

"By the way, I want to have dinner now."

"Certainly, my lady. Then let us depart for the dining hall."

She headed out of the room with Ruvik in tow. En route, many servants who pa.s.sed by Leticiel made a face that seemed to say 'Huh, since when did she…?' However, she continued walking with an expressionless visage as st.u.r.dy as an iron wall.

While walking along the first floor corridor, Leticiel suddenly heard voices coming from outside and turned her eyes towards the garden.

In the night-time garden were the figures of the other five members of the Duke's household. With Christa in the center, they seemed to be having a good time chatting and laughing with each other.

The Duke's household's outdoor garden was a wonderful place. During the day, it was a brilliant garden full of vibrant colors. However, under the gentle glow of a moonlit sky, the garden was dyed silver, giving off the mystical feeling of a snowy landscape.

"…"

"My lady, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just captivated by the garden's splendor."

"I see… huh? You mean over there?"

"My, what else is there beside the garden?"

Hearing Drossel nonchalantly say that, Ruvik could feel a sharp pain beginning to torture his stomach.

"Um… Everyone is also over there."

"You're right, they are. And?"

"…Are you not going join them?"

"I'm not going there. What makes you think so?"

Whenever Drossel saw her family gathering like that in the past, she would have surely tried to join in. She would beg them to look at her as well, not just her younger sister. And despite the cold treatment she received even after her pleas, she would still cling to them.

Even when it came to her fiancé, the first prince, she would fawn on him whispering her love. When her little sister got close to the prince, she would always throw a tantrum. She would resort to verbal abuse, physical violence, or just simply cry.

Ruvik reported this to his master without hiding anything. After hearing that story, Leticiel thought that Drossel was truly a hopeless girl.

It seemed that Drossel wanted to be loved by her family and fiancé. However, all her effort proved to be fruitless as everyone only thought of her as a nuisance. And they would continue to do so.

"…I see, I got it now. In other words, I've been wasting my precious life on some worthless things until now."

"Y… yes?"

"I wonder why I was doing something so wasteful like that. Please have all my meals brought to my room from now on. If I have time to go to the dining hall, then that time would be much better spent on something I enjoy."

"Huh? Ah, yes, understood…"

"Then let's go, Ruvik. I want to eat soon."

"Heh? Yes?"

As if looking at pebbles on the side of the road, Leticiel turned away from the Duke family. Her mind was fully occupied by thoughts of dinner as she already stopped caring about them.

Ruvik followed behind her while pressing on his forehead. He had a hunch that this person would continue to freely use him from now on, and yet he treated it as if it was someone else's problem.