The Banquet (2)
Ivan's outburst had caused a brief stir, but the banquet carried on as though nothing had happened at all.
Not that it was much of a banquet. Aside from the ladies of the two families, the only other guests were the cadet relatives of House Miseria—a modest gathering, by any measure.
"Lady Daisy, I heard you reached 2-Circle without even taking on a magic tutor. Is that really true?"
"Oh my, Lady Daisy isn't even old enough to enroll at the Academy yet, is she? Is that possible?"
"Heh. Indeed it is. Just the other day, she demonstrated Lightning Bolt—a 3-Circle spell—right in front of the manor servants."
"Goodness... Once Lady Daisy enrolls at the Academy, the top rank in the Magic Department is as good as hers..."
"How remarkable!"
The cadet members of the marquisate had clustered around Daisy, raining praise down on her from every side.
Heh. My little sister really is something else.
Watching my favorite character soak up all that admiration made my own chest swell with a ridiculous kind of pride.
Wasn't that talent bought with my heart, though?
So what? She wasn't some stranger—she was my favorite character and my own flesh-and-blood sister. It wasn't even my actual heart she took. And what was a Mana Core between family?
Besides, even setting the Mana Core aside, Daisy's talent ranked among the highest in the original story. Even on the corruption route, where she'd received help from outside forces, she had still become the youngest person in history to stand at the threshold of 7-Circle—the rank of Archmage.
I was proud of her. And jealous, too.
"Lady Camille?"
I had been gazing at Daisy with such dripping fondness that someone beside me struck up a conversation.
"Hello. This is my first time seeing you in person, and you're an even more stunning beauty than I'd imagined."
"Hello."
I turned toward the voice. A woman with neatly arranged brown hair, dressed in a white gown adorned with emeralds, was smiling as she greeted me.
"I'm Lady Albion. I believe I met Lady Daisy when she was quite young, but this is my first time meeting you, Lady Camille."
"Ah, Lady Albion!"
How could I not know her? She was the one who, three years from now, would elevate House Albion to the rank of count and transform them into one of the wealthiest families in the entire kingdom.
"By the way, wouldn't you rather go inside and rest? Your legs seem to be trembling."
"Ahaha..."
Honestly, if this weren't a banquet hall, I would have kicked these shoes off in a heartbeat. How on earth did people in the old days walk around in such uncomfortable footwear?
"And you're so terribly thin... I'll send a variety of restorative herbs to your family next time. Once you enroll at the Academy, you'll have to stand on your own in rather harsh conditions."
"I'm grateful for your kindness, my lady."
"Heh. It's nothing at all. You know, you look just like Elise. The younger one takes more after her father, I think."
Elise—that would be the Marchioness of Miseria, Camille and Daisy's mother. Unfortunately, aside from a single portrait left from her wedding day, virtually nothing of her remained.
"I... look like Mother?"
"Of course. Elise had such lovely white hair, too. She was innocent and kind, but she had a spine. They made such a well-matched pair..."
Lady Albion's gaze swept over my frail frame with a look of pity.
"I'm sorry. I went and brought up something unpleasant again without thinking."
"Oh, no, it's all right."
"Still, I used to worry so much when I heard you spent every day confined to a sickbed as a child. Seeing you looking so much better now makes me truly happy."
Lady Albion approached with a warm smile and reached out. Her elegant hands gently set my hair back in order—hair that had come slightly undone as I'd struggled down the stairs.
"Which department are you thinking of entering at the Academy?"
The question came out of nowhere as she tidied my hair, and I lowered my head, falling into thought.
Departments. The Academy, much like a university, required you to declare a major in advance and take classes accordingly. Mornings were spent in shared foundational courses; afternoons were devoted to your chosen field.
Ivan would go to the Swordsmanship Department without a doubt, and Daisy would enter the Magic Department. It wasn't that I disliked either of those options, but with my ruined Mana Core, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the actual coursework no matter which one I chose.
"I'll probably... go into the Magic Engineering Department."
"The Magic Engineering Department?"
Lady Albion's face registered genuine surprise at my answer.
The Magic Engineering Department. Unlike the Magic Department, where the quality of one's Mana Core and personal talent were paramount, Magic Engineering dealt primarily with magical tools—artifacts. With enough knowledge, you could more or less coast through it. On top of that, you hardly ever needed to use your Mana Core compared to the other departments.
The reason she was so shocked was probably that, in this world, it was unthinkable for a nobleman's daughter—especially one from a house as high-ranking as a marquisate—to enter Magic Engineering. Most children of high nobility went to the Magic Department to become renowned mages or to build connections with such mages, or else they entered the Politics Department to prepare themselves as the next head of their house. In short, they went wherever would bring glory to the family name.
Magic Engineering was typically the choice of children from lesser or less affluent noble houses—families like the current House Albion—who enrolled with the practical goal of making money.
"...That's wonderful. I'll be cheering you on."
But Lady Albion was no fool. This child intends to hand the position of family head over to her younger sister, then. How pitiful...
Having arrived at that conclusion, she understood Camille well enough to hold her tongue, even in the face of what would ordinarily have been a rather shocking declaration.
"I should go find my husband now. It was a pleasure, Lady Camille."
"Ah—yes! Please, go ahead, my lady."
"Heh."
Lady Albion accepted my greeting with a smile and quietly made her way toward where her husband stood.
That said, if she was around the same age as the late Marchioness of Miseria, that would put her at forty at the very least. Her youthful looks were no joke. Add a little makeup and you could easily believe she was in her late twenties—a genuine baby-faced beauty.
"...Everyone's so busy."
Daisy, Father—all of them. Everyone was occupied, laughing and chatting away with someone or other.
Daisy had probably been attending official functions with Father since she was little, so of course she was popular. She was stunning and radiant, besides. As for Camille, who'd spent her entire childhood practically glued to a sickbed, there was no way she had close acquaintances like that.
...Honestly, it reminded me of my school days before the transmigration, and it made me a little sad and lonely.
"I should go get some night air."
I stepped out of the manor, where the banquet was still in full swing, and made my way toward the garden. Unlike the interior of the estate, the garden was quiet and cool, greeting me with its usual serenity.
"Hm?"
I headed toward the bench where I usually sat to rest after my morning exercises, only to find that someone had gotten there first.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
That's my spot, you know.
At a glance he looked like a young man, but with the sun long since set, I couldn't make out his features properly. When calling from a distance got no response, I finally approached and looked at his face. The identity of the man illuminated by moonlight was—
"...Is this kid seriously sleeping here?"
It was Ivan.
Still in the same hunting clothes as before. He'd rushed out of the banquet hall earlier saying he needed a drink of water, and he'd come out here alone to take a nap?
This guy really was on another wavelength. He'd been a piece of work even in the novel, but coming all the way to a noble banquet just to sprawl out and sleep by himself? He was no ordinary weirdo.
"Hey."
I shook him a few times, and Ivan's eyes drifted open with a half-asleep look.
"...Zzz."
And then he fell right back asleep.
What the hell is this guy doing?
Looking at him like this, he really did seem to be the Ivan I knew from the novel. As a friend, there was no one more reliable. But if he actually had feelings for me, that would be a little uncomfortable.
Romance? Even if my body and mind were slowly becoming a woman's, love with a man was a hard no. With my past memories still intact, there was no way I could do something like that.
I didn't have the energy to keep waking him, so I gave up and sat down in the empty spot on the bench beside him.
The garden of the Miseria Estate was truly beautiful from this bench. Perhaps it was Father's influence—the man who had named his daughters Daisy and Camille out of his love for pure white flowers. The flowerbeds were always in bloom with white blossoms, bathed in sunlight by day and moonlight by night.
"Hah."
This peaceful time wouldn't last much longer. I had to do everything in my power to keep Daisy from falling down the wrong path—to keep the story from veering off in some terrible direction. And while I was at it, I'd have to deal with all the bizarre, headache-inducing incidents that were bound to unfold at the Academy, as befitting a romance-fantasy academy novel.
My head hurt just thinking about it.
If I were some overpowered protagonist, I could have protected everything without this kind of agonizing. But with this body—no transmigration cheat, just every sickly tag in the book slapped onto me—could I really protect everything I wanted to protect?
The scene of Daisy meeting a horrific death, having accomplished nothing, flickered before my eyes.
"What are you doing out here, Unnie?"
"Eek!"
Holy crap.
A familiar voice snapped me out of my moonlight-gazing spiral of anxious daydreams. I turned around to find Daisy staring at me—and at Ivan, who was sleeping soundly right beside me—with a look of utter disappointment, her tone almost accusatory.
"Hmph. So this is how it is? You tell me not to worry, and then you go and do whatever you want behind my back?"
"What are you talking about...?!"
Neither of us did anything!
"I wanted you to be happy, Unnie, but I didn't want you to be happy by abandoning me."
"I don't know what you're thinking right now, but that is absolutely not it. It's a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding!"
"You told me something once, Unnie. If a misunderstanding happens over and over... um, it becomes an 'oh yeah,' wasn't that it?"
"Aaaagh! That's not it!"
Why does she only remember the weird things I say, of all things?
Once the small banquet between the two families had ended, I found myself having to soothe a thoroughly sulking Daisy—and that meant finally giving in to something I'd never once allowed: letting her sleep in the same bed.
In the end, I didn't get a wink of sleep thanks to her.