Nobody Welcomes a Summer Fever (1)
Several weeks flew by in the blink of an eye after that incident. Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened, but time always passes quickly when you're busy, and studying is inherently demanding. Still, amid that steady flow of days, there were three things worth noting. First, our study group had unexpectedly turned into a regular gathering and kept going strong. Second, our lord and his fiancée had grown noticeably closer.... And the third, which was a bit too subtle to call noteworthy.... Lately, I'd been getting this nagging sense that someone was watching me.
"Something going on lately, Werner? You've been glancing around outside nonstop."
"Ah.... It's nothing, really. Just feels like someone's been tailing me these days."
"Tailing you? Hmm...."
"Don't worry about it. Probably just my imagination."
"Maybe it's because you're always buried in books. You should get some fresh air now and then. I hear you're bombing in martial arts lectures anyway. Could be from lack of exercise."
"......"
Of course, I'd brushed it off telling him not to worry, but hearing it out loud made me think maybe it was because I'd cut back on outdoor activities.... Maybe I should carve out some time for exercise starting now.
I was mulling that over when summer sunlight finally crept onto my skin.
*
Just as Sponheim's spring breezes differ from my homeland's, so too does its summer air. Ruticia's summers offer at least some clear skies amid the perpetually damp climate, but Sponheim's are far hotter and drier, naturally driving everyone into the shade. On days when the heat spiked too high, the magic department would cast some complicated temperature-lowering spell—but it was so inefficient that they only activated it at the peak hottest hour, when the sun hung directly overhead.
Rarely, though, they'd run it all day long, and that was always when VIPs visited the academy. With even a margrave's son, a duke's son, and an imperial princess all counting as mere "academy students," the VIPs who could escape the swelter were obviously the non-students: great nobles from outside.
"Why'd they make today so refreshingly cool all of a sudden? It's not like the academy's swimming in cash."
"I heard the Neustria Duke's come to Sponheim."
"The Neustria Duke? ...Achoo!"
I'm weak to heat to begin with, so I'd been enjoying the crisp outdoor air courtesy of the VIP visit. But now, with the AC blasting full tilt all day, warning signals were flashing. The kind of summer cold even dogs don't catch.
Come to think of it, there's someone from that side in my year....
Ludwig von Dennis. The short elf-mixed guy who'd given the first lecture when I joined the department. I'd been shocked later to learn he was the Neustria Duke's third son.
"Whoa, you okay? You've seemed off all morning."
"I've been feeling weird too.... Think I caught a cold."
"Should call a doctor?"
"Nah, it's just a cold. A good day's rest should fix it."
"Then head back to the dorm and crash. I'll let the professor know about your remaining classes."
"Thanks...."
And so, shivering from this untimely cold, I dragged myself home to rest. Buried under blankets in the summer heat, I woke up drenched in sweat—only for someone to rouse me fully.
Blearily peering out, I saw the servant who handled dorm chores.
"My lord, my lord. Baron, sir."
"What is it...?"
"A guest is here. What should I do?"
"Not for our lord, but for me?"
"Yes. Margrave His Highness hasn't returned yet."
"Who is it...?"
"Wouldn't say, just that they're a friend of yours, Baron. Said mentioning that would be enough...."
A friend...? It'd been a while since anyone called me that. What could this be about? More importantly, I couldn't guess who it might be.
No choice—I hauled my still-achy body downstairs, where I found someone who seemed very un-friend-like.
Dressed in men's clothes, hood still up indoors, arms crossed awkwardly—not at the waist, but pressing against the chest. A total stranger, yet the height, leg length, build... all felt eerily familiar.
"......Who might you be?"
They whipped around to face me, those familiar purple eyes lighting up.
"Ah, Werner! You okay?"
Those unique eyes and that voice....
"......Your High—"
"Shh."
I nearly shouted "Your Highness," but her finger to her own lips stopped me cold. Utterly baffled, my sluggish brain struggled to process.
"Don't you recognize me? It's Charl, Charl. We share lectures, remember? Must be the fever talking?"
"……………Ah, yeah. What brings you here?"
"No, I heard you were sick and got worried.... Plus, a little errand. Mind if I come in and chat?"
She flicked her eyes sideways pointedly—the servant gawking nearby was the target. What the hell was going on? Now casually dropping my name like old pals, she bounced on her toes as if flaunting our "friendship."
Swallowing my bursting questions, I turned to the servant.
"......I'll handle the guest. Just bring some light drinks."
"Yes, sir."
Once the servant vanished, I plopped her down at the table with a dubious look. She scanned around, then tucked into a corner behind the wall and finally ditched the hood.
I spoke up.
"......First off, care to explain this ridiculous disguise, barging into someone else's dorm—lord's residence or not?"
"Ju... just for a bit. I need to hide out."
"Hide?"
My eyes went wide. What could an imperial princess possibly need to hide from?
"It's about that person who came today. The Neustria Duke—you know him?"
"......Yeah, I heard. What'd he do...?"
For a split second, my mind flashed to epic intrigue: the duke leveraging his power to pressure imperial blood. Plausibility be damned.
But the reason was far simpler.
"......No, nothing like that. Just... don't wanna run into him."
"......Your answers are awfully vague."
"Anyway, just for a little while...! Let me hole up here. Please?"
"Doesn't matter to me.... But what'll you tell our lord?"
"He's got a heart—he'll say it's fine...!"
Her breezy non-answer made it clear she hadn't thought this through. Aigoo, what bolt from the blue is this?
No matter how good-natured Margrave His Highness is, he won't welcome a bombshell like this....
Even if the disguise fooled people, an imperial princess showing up solo at the margrave's place? Perfect recipe for suspicion. She wasn't clueless—why pull this stunt?
"......I've got a cold. What if you catch it?"
"Yeah. Better if I do."
"Pardon?"
Like a kid, for real. But that confirmed she was dodging something—enough to take this reckless gamble.
"Cough...! Seriously, just a bit. Not long. It's for your sake too. ...Saying catching it would be good—what, are you an idiot?"
I stifled a cough with my hand and shot back. Smart as she was, why act like this?
She hung her head, clearly knowing she'd gone too far, then mumbled like a mouse in a hole.
"......But still, hearing a friend's sick... it worries me...."
"......Jeez."
How could I stay mad at that? Stuck with no choice, I rubbed my throbbing neck, racking my brain for damage control.
A moment later.
"Baron, sir...! Another guest...!"
"......Pardon?"
What kind of day was this?
"Who this time...?"
"Someone sent by Baroness Kreuznach. What should I do?"
Who the hell? I glanced at the princess, a hunch forming. Her face had gone ghost-white, staring back at me.
"Uh.... What now? Already busted...?"
Obviously here for her. She's the one who wants to bolt.
"Your maid?"
"Yeah...."
We're doomed. But wait—didn't she mention the Neustria Duke earlier? What was really going on? Her trembling like a scolded child only muddled things more.
Sighing, I figured hearing them out first was best.
"For now.... Head upstairs. I'll handle it."
Looks like today was Headache Day, I thought.