Fortunately for Clea, Ellie didn’t have any more major or terrifying conversations with influential figures after that.
There was an incident where Ellie caught a pickpocket or when people in the middle of the street shouted, “Oh, those two are from the academy! Wow! The most prestigious magic academy of all!” But compared to what had happened before, it was just a small, casual happening.
And Ellie, sticking to her original goal, also saw the Imperial Palace.
More precisely, she circled the outer walls of the palace and said, “This structure would make it hard to infiltrate.”
“Huh? Well, yeah… I guess you’re right…”
She ate almost every time they passed a street food stall.
“Oh, this bread wrapped with vegetables and meat is just…! Mister, give me one more!”
By the way, thanks to Ellie eating so happily at the food stalls, the vendors she visited were able to sell out all their prepared stock in no time.
As they walked, ate, and explored throughout the day, it gradually became evening.
The two took a carriage and headed back to the academy.
The ride back was quiet.
Having walked a lot and eaten plenty, Ellie was pleasantly drowsy, while Clea continued to be deep in thought.
[Why should I go into detail about it? I told you, it’s embarrassing.]
[Well, it’s because you want to tell me, Clea.]
However, the truly important decisions often came not from the mind, but from the body acting on its own.
“The Lacostrin Marquess family…”
The voice of the young girl spread gently through the quiet carriage.
“That family traces its origin back to a fief granted by the first Emperor.”
In the Empire, the terms “Empress” and “Consort” had different meanings.
“Empress” referred to the main wife or consort, while “Consort” referred to a secondary wife or concubine.
“The fief was originally managed by the younger brother of the Emperor’s consort, and after passing it down to his child, it became the territory of the Lacostrin family after one generation.”
Clea continued speaking while looking out the window.
“In the meantime, our family has produced consecutive Empresses, so it has become a tradition that daughters of the Lacostrin family are potential Empresses. However, they are not allowed to become the Empress.”
It was common for such customs to guarantee one’s status, but also to act as a constraint, preventing them from rising any further.
“The Emperor mentioned my mother because of that. There was once talk of her becoming the Empress of the Golden Emperor, but it ultimately fell through.”
Outside, the sun was setting.
“Being a potential Empress is the same for me. If I were to try marrying someone else, I would first need to get the Emperor’s permission, meaning I would have to be rejected as a potential Empress.”
A bitter smile.
“Because of that, other students find it hard to approach me. Of course, the Golden Emperor won’t make me his Empress, but they would think there’s at least a chance of that happening.”
So…
“Everyone knows it, but it’s an embarrassing story,” Clea explained.
In fact, by referring to this as embarrassing, Clea was already trusting Ellie and revealing her inner thoughts.
Being qualified to become an Empress was both an honor and a burden.
The word “embarrassing” was almost the same as insulting her family and the Emperor.
So…
Clea had been drawn to Ellie from the moment they first met, and she had been opening her heart to her since then.
Even though Ellie was an orphan, the way she stood tall and proud in front of the Duke of Edwick was impressive.
Clea had thought, ‘I wish I could be like her.’
She was envious.
And she wanted to get closer and talk to her again.
From the very beginning.
When Clea made her late confession, Ellie remained calm.
“I see.”
It wasn’t indifference.
“So, that’s your situation.”
“But that won’t stop us from becoming friends.”
It was a kind, calm response that seemed to say, “It’s okay, I understand.”
“…Ellie.”
Clea wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth, thinking that it might ruin Ellie’s considerate words.
A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed in her chest.
The inside of the carriage became quiet again.
***
Outside, the evening sun sank lower in the sky, and small stars began to decorate the purple night sky like gems on fabric.
The carriage, too, gradually fell into soft darkness, just like the outside world.
The coachman lit a lantern and hung it in front.
For Clea, the space inside the carriage, which was less than two cubic meters in volume, felt like a small boat crossing the darkness with only Ellie by her side.
But she didn’t feel uneasy at all.
If Ellie was by her side, she wouldn’t feel nervous even if she were stranded in the middle of a desert.
And in that warm silence, Clea realized that she wanted to continue walking alongside Ellie and follow her path.
As long as the day didn’t come when they would have to part, she wanted to stay by her side forever.
Clea’s lips parted as she spoke the words from her heart.
“The stars are beautiful.”
In the dimming world, Ellie’s lips curved slightly.
“Yeah, they are.”
Suddenly, Clea felt a rush of embarrassment and closed her eyes.
…
“Clea. Clea. We’ve arrived. Wake up.”
“Huh? Ah…?”
Blinking.
When Clea opened her eyes in confusion, she found herself sitting on a bench where academy students were waiting for their carriages.
“Uh…? Oh!?”
She jumped up, her blonde hair scattering.
“When did we arrive? How long have I been asleep?”
“About a minute ago, and fifteen minutes ago. The fee has been paid with your wallet.”
Now, it was clear that Ellie had used Clea’s wallet like it was her own, but neither Clea nor Ellie found anything odd about it.
“Hey, Ellie, um… did I say anything strange while I was sleeping?”
“Strange? Not really?”
‘Phew. That was a relief.’
“You did drool a bit.”
“!?!?”
Clea’s face turned bright red.
***
After the eventful Saturday, Sunday arrived, and one by one, the students who had stayed up late the night before began to emerge from their beds and rooms.
Tomorrow would be Monday again.
Once the semester truly began, things would get busier, so today might actually be the last day they could properly relax and have fun this semester.
Therefore, there was a feeling on many students’ faces that they should, somehow, find a way to have fun.
In fact, the freshmen were even more anxious.
Upperclassmen, who had already spent at least one year, knew there were times during the semester that were easier, and times that were incredibly difficult.
The freshmen, however, spent their day in various ways: some went on a picnic with their friends, some called a carriage to head to the academy, and others just spent the whole day lounging in bed.
The group of five friends, including Ellie, also came to the campus lawn for a picnic.
Isabel had purchased a luxurious picnic mat (extremely fancy), a tea set (gold-plated porcelain), and snacks (64 times the price of a normal meal) from the academy’s café, all prepared for the event.
Anyone quick on the uptake would have already figured it out: this picnic was organized because it had been one of Isabel’s long-time wishes to picnic with her friends.
She was so determined that she spent all day Saturday preparing the tools and snacks and even picked out the outfit she’d wear the next day.
Naturally, she couldn’t fall asleep right away and spent a long time tossing and turning.
But…
When the actual picnic began, Isabel couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
No matter how nice the blanket was, the grass was still uneven.
Plus, sitting on the ground made her legs numb, and while the snacks were delicious, they would’ve tasted better if she had eaten them right after buying them yesterday.
And none of her friends were actively participating in the picnic.
Philia was reading a book.
Clea was trying out knitting as a new hobby.
Stella was lying down, staring blankly at the sky.
Without a doubt, the undisputed center of this group, Ellie, was reading the public magic textbook.
She was actually studying.
On a sunny fall Sunday afternoon.
Seeing how different this picnic was from what she had imagined, Isabel hesitated and appealed to her friends.
“Um…”
The problem was that the image of a picnic in Isabel’s mind was overly idealized.
She had imagined sitting in a circle, laughing and chatting, “Oh, guess what happened,” “Oh, I had that happen too!”
Isabel decided to try talking to anyone, but…
‘Who should she talk to?’
‘Philia?’ She was the one Isabel most wanted to be friends with, but the memory of being rejected in the past still stung.
‘Clea? Well… she was hard to approach freely.’
‘Stella? For different reasons, but also hard to approach.’
“Um… Ellie…”
Finally, Isabel tried talking to her first real friend, but Ellie, looking apologetic, glanced up from her book and said, “Sorry. I really need to finish this book today, but I’ll play with you once I’m done.”
‘…tl.’
Isabel stuck out her tongue in her mind.
‘I worked so hard to prepare, and they’re not even properly having the picnic.’
‘They’re so mean.’
Feeling like she was the only one trying, Isabel just lay down.
‘Eh, whatever.’
‘If you guys aren’t going to have a nice picnic, then I won’t try either. I won’t invite you next time!’
But as she lay there, fuming, She realized…
It actually felt pretty good.
It was strangely enjoyable even though she wasn’t doing anything.
It had been a while since she had lain down and looked up at the sky.
The sensation of the world seeming so far away.
She could hear the soft breathing of her friends nearby.
The smell of their skin mixed with the smell of grass, earth, and the crisp autumn air, gently tickling her nose.
She could hear the sound of Ellie and Philia turning the pages of their books.
A strange-shaped cloud passed by in the sky.
‘I wonder if Stella saw that cloud too?’
Occasionally, their skin brushed against hers, and she felt their warmth.
It felt unusually cozy, probably because it was her friends’ warmth.
Without even trying, this warm sensation of spending time together with everyone seeped into Isabel’s heart, filling her with the desire for human connection.
Absently.
This was the moment she truly began to enjoy the picnic.
Isabel then suddenly thought, ‘Maybe what really matters isn’t where or what you do, but who you’re with.’
It was a moment when the girl grew just a little.
‘But why is Ellie so focused on that public magic textbook?’
Just as Isabel was thinking of asking, she overheard a voice from another student nearby.
“Hey, that orphan girl… honestly, isn’t she kind of annoying?”