“Did you pack all your clothes?”
“Yes.”
“And your shoes?”
“I packed those too.”
“The emergency contact crystal?”
“That as well.”
“Then…”
“Ah, Dad—no, Mom! I packed everything! How many times are you going to ask?!”
As the morning sun began to rise, casting intermittent rays of light over the Evergarden estate’s front gate, Rosaria finally couldn’t hold back and shouted.
It had been three months since she found herself reincarnated as Rosaria Evergarden, the villainess in the romance fantasy web novel [Starlight at Dawn].
Although surprised at how quickly the time had passed, Rosaria now faced the moment to return to the academy.
“But this is the first time since we were reincarnated into this world that we’ll be apart from each other… I can’t help but worry…”
“Do you feel no pity for Bennet, who’s been unpacking and repacking my luggage over and over because of your concerns?”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine! Madam, my lady!”
“Really, after having served in the military, something like this is no big deal…”
Ever since arriving in this world, Rosaria’s family hadn’t spent a single day apart.
Now, with the thought of being separated in this unfamiliar fantasy realm, Freya’s anxiety had deprived her of sleep. As a result, poor Bennet kept unpacking and repacking Rosaria’s luggage, drenched in sweat.
“Don’t worry; what could possibly happen?”
Felix, who had already taken his seat in the carriage, peeked his head out and added casually.
“…Daughter.”
“Yes?”
“Please, for the love of everything, don’t cause trouble. Don’t do things just because they seem fun, and especially….don’t go firing magic at people or anything like that—”
“Do I look like some kind of psycho to you?!”
As Freya firmly outlined all the precautions in a grim tone, Felix’s face twisted, and he instinctively flinched. Freya was less worried about Rosaria herself than about Felix’s tendency to stir up chaos.
“If I’m worried about Rosaria because of what might happen to her, then Felix… it’s because of the trouble he will cause,” she thought.
“Still! Don’t worry; I’m here!”
Another voice piped up, as Tene, who was already seated in the carriage, poked his head out and clenched his fists confidently.
“Right. With Tene around, I can always just hitch a ride on his back if anything happens.”
“That’s a relief, but Tene, are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yes! Ever since we came to this world, I’ve been dying to see the academy!”
“Alright. I’ll be counting on you to take care of my kids.”
“Of course!”
Looking at Tene, Freya felt her worries ease slightly. Compared to her reckless children, Tene was both sensible and kind-hearted.
Moreover, as the most powerful being on the continent, he could handle just about anything if it came down to it.
“So, where are Dad and Grandpa?”
“Well… both of them overdid it last night while drinking…”
When they suddenly realized that Freya was the only one seeing them off, they turned to her and asked. Freya, pressing her hand against her forehead as if it was a headache, responded.
“…Ugh.”
“Ever since they found drinking buddies, they end up drunk every time something happens…”
Dariann and Estel didn’t get along at all in terms of personality, but they did have one thing in common: they were both heavy drinkers.
No matter how much they bickered during the day, they could arrange a drinking session with just a glance. They seemed to have a bad relationship, yet somehow, they were close in their own peculiar way.
“Anyway, we’re really off now!”
“There won’t be any trouble! We’re leaving!”
“We’ll, we’ll be back soon…!”
“…Alright, all of you, come back safely.”
At last, when the final person, Rosaria, grumbled as she climbed onto the carriage, the three waved goodbye to Freya. Freya, watching them, also raised her hand lightly and waved back to see them off.
“Giddy up!”
Clatter, clatter—
As soon as the carriage door closed, the coachman flicked the reins lightly. The two horses, harnessed to the carriage, charged forward energetically, propelling the carriage into motion.
The carriage rumbled along, gradually disappearing into the distance until it became a tiny dot. Freya stood there, continuing to wave her hand until it was no longer visible to the naked eye.
“…Gordon, Sir Fenrir.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“You called for us?”
Once the carriage had disappeared completely from view, Freya lowered her hand and spoke. At her words, Gordon and Fenrir appeared immediately, kneeling on one knee behind her.
Their usual polite demeanor remained, but there was a heavy and solemn air about them that was hard to describe. Fenrir, who usually wore comfortable clothing suitable for paperwork, now donned armor that gleamed and clanked with every movement.
“It seems we’ll be busy from now on. With the children gone, we can take care of the tasks left undone.”
Muttering this, Freya turned and walked back toward the mansion. The two followed her inside.
The doors of the Evergarden estate shut behind them.
“So, how much longer do we have to go?”
“Five days.”
“Five days stuck in this carriage?! Ugh… This is going to drive me crazy.”
As time passed and they had traveled some distance away from Evergarden territory, Rosaria twisted her shoulders, complaining about how stiff she felt. Her face was etched with frustration.
“Couldn’t we just ride Tenebris? Why do we have to use a carriage?”
In modern times, this distance wouldn’t take more than half a day. However, in this fantasy world where even asphalt roads were rare and well-maintained paths were hard to find, transportation was incredibly inconvenient.
With no cars or highways, traveling from one territory to another usually required at least one overnight stay. Longer journeys could take up to three weeks.
As a result, even though the nobles’ carriages were built to be sturdy and comfortable, the rough dirt roads caused them to jolt heavily, making the ride uncomfortable. The thought of being stuck in this situation for five days was utterly disheartening for Rosaria.
“I’ve said it before, but I’m not a taxi service!”
“Oh, come on, can’t a dragon do something like that?”
“Let me remind you again, isn’t this just a little too disrespectful?! Who uses a dragon as a taxi!”
“I am the eternal darkness, the one who defies the gods, Tenebrix Nox, after all!”
Tene, who had been listening to Rosaria’s complaints, responded with a pouty expression.
“…Hmph, it’s not convincing at all when you’re dressed like that and saying those things.”
However, Rosaria, who glanced at Tene with a sweeping look, raised one side of her lips in a mocking smile.
Tene, sitting next to Rosaria, wasn’t wearing her usual casual clothes but instead donned a maid’s uniform full of frills, the symbol of a servant.
Even in her everyday attire, Tene had the appearance of a small and adorable girl, but with the maid outfit on, she looked just like the youngest, clumsy maid in a household.
“T-this is…! I had no choice, okay?! To enter the academy, I had to pretend to be a maid serving a noble!”
Tene, flustered by Rosaria’s remark, shouted loudly in her defense, her face turning red.
By imperial academy regulations, each noble student was allowed only one attendant. Since students of all classes—from commoners to nobles—were taught together, this limitation was meant to foster closer relationships between the classes.
Thus, Rosaria had brought her dedicated servant, Bennett (who was riding in the carriage behind them), and Tene had entered the academy under the guise of being Felix’s servant. However, since she was now officially playing the role of a servant, wearing the maid uniform was unavoidable, something Tene strongly emphasized.
“Do you really want to go to the academy that badly?”
“Yes! It’s a magical academy that exists in the real world… It’s literally Hogwarts! How could I not go?!”
To Tene, who adored fantasy, the academy was a place filled with promises of grand adventures.
“Well, the design’s pretty good. It suits you.”
“Hehe… Really? I especially like this part with the frills.”
Despite her complaints…..or rather, her insistence….about disliking the maid outfit, Tene seemed to have already fallen for the charm of the uniform. This made it clear just how much the academy meant to her, enough to willingly play the part of a servant.
“You’ve totally become a full-on girl now.”
“…!? I’m a guy!!”
“Sure~ sure~.”
“Ugh…! By the way, I saw you the other day fixing your hair in front of the mirror, even humming to yourself!”
“Wha—! Wh-when did you—?!”
“Honestly, you like this body too, don’t you? Am I right?”
“Wh-what are you saying…?! No way!”
Rosaria, who had been teasing Tene, suddenly turned her head in feigned indifference when her embarrassing moment was revealed. However, her flushed face gave her away.
“Heh, seems like everyone’s enjoying themselves. I still vividly remember the first time you and Dad got your periods after coming to this world.”
“UWAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!”
Felix, who had been watching their childish bickering with a mischievous grin, suddenly spoke up, causing Rosaria to literally leap from her seat and lunge at him.
“Oh, that time, huh?”
“You—you…! Say it and you’re dead…!”
“Oops~! Pahahaha! I mean, come on…! One morning, you started screaming and running around the house like a madwoman. And why was that again? Oh right, because you thought you’d caught a deadly disease…! Pfft—hahahaha!”
“Oh, right, right! That was hilarious!”
Felix, dodging Rosaria’s attack with ease, continued his teasing while Tene also let out a giggle, as if recalling the memory.
It had happened one month after the Evergarden family found themselves reincarnated into this world.
Early in the morning, an abrupt scream echoed from within the mansion, startling everyone, who scrambled to find its source.
Felix and Dariann, equally alarmed, searched for the owner of the voice, only to find Rosaria in utter distress. She was clutching a blood-soaked blanket in her arms, unsure of what to do.
Standing barefoot in the mansion hallway, anxiously pacing back and forth, Rosaria’s desperation was evident.
Upon spotting Felix and Dariann, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she wailed at the top of her lungs that it was all over, that she was going to die. The incident went down as one of Rosaria’s most embarrassing moments.
Waking up to find her bed sheets drenched in blood, Rosaria, who had grown too accustomed to living in a male body, completely failed to recognize the concept of menstruation, something that should’ve been common knowledge.
Meanwhile, Freya was relatively calm by comparison. She sat huddled in a corner of her bedroom, wearing a gloomy expression, muttering something under her breath.
Thus, the legendary tale of two men—now a father and daughter—adjusting to the realities of female biology began.
“What?! How was I supposed to think of that when I woke up to so much blood? It never even crossed my mind!”
“Also, why are you just laughing?! Aren’t you going to deal with this too?!”
“What? Me? I don’t get periods.”
“……”
Rosaria, scratching her head furiously as she protested against their teasing, quickly shifted her ire to Tene. But when Tene just shrugged her shoulders in response, Rosaria was left speechless.
It was a relief, at least, that dragons didn’t experience such things.
“One of the best things about being in a male body was not having periods. It’s seriously the best.”
“I hate it! My underwear’s constantly damp all day, putting extra layers of fabric is suffocating, it’s uncomfortable no matter what, and my stomach hurts so bad! Ugh! Why couldn’t I have been a dragon or a man?!”
Felix, now free from the shackles of menstruation, smiled contentedly, which only made Rosaria more annoyed. She stomped her feet furiously on the floor of the carriage, shouting in frustration.
And so, the first day of their journey to the academy came to a close.