Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Snowfall
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"It's snowing."
"The central region gets cold in winter."
"It really feels different from the south."
The scenery visible outside the carriage was definitely different from the south.
It wasn't quite February yet, but compared to the warm south, the temperature here was lower, perhaps because of that.
Unlike the south, the view outside the window truly looked like winter.
When spending winter in the southern cities, it felt more like autumn than winter, but here it was unmistakably winter.
"I want to go outside."
"You can't."
"I know. How could I get out of a moving carriage anyway."
Right now, the carriage was heading straight for the central region and the academy. Not just the one carrying me and Lize, but a line of carriages carrying the heirs from various families.
It was nothing special, just a procession of assorted carriages running in a row.
There were plenty of carriages moving, but we still had a ways to go before reaching the academy.
"I hope we get there soon."
"They said we'll run for about three more hours today before stopping at an inn."
"Ugh... we still have that much left?"
"Yes."
"...Can't we just travel through the night?"
"The horses would get exhausted."
"That's... true."
Back when we traveled to the villa with Rozalin and the others, it had been really comfortable.
The horses then were far superior in stamina, and the carriage was nicer too, but not this time.
Because of that, it would take another full day to reach the academy... It wasn't ideal, but there was no helping it.
"I'm annoyed."
"Candy... how about some?"
"Peel one for me."
"Yes, Young Lady."
Anyway, with nothing else to do, I just accepted the candy from Lize.
Sweet and nice.
As expected, something sweet was the best when in a bad mood.
And even better since Lize peeled it for me instead of me doing it myself.
"Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Move over a bit."
"...Pardon?"
"Just scoot to the side."
I gave the instruction to Lize, who was sitting normally.
There was nothing to do anyway, and just sitting still was boring, so I said it on a whim.
Lize might feel a little uncomfortable, but I wasn't the type to worry much about that.
"Young Lady, why suddenly to the side..."
"I want to lie down like this."
"...Pardon?"
"Sitting still is uncomfortable. Leaning my head against the window is uncomfortable too... So I'm going to lie down with my head on your lap."
"...I'm not a pillow."
"Come on, it's fine. It's fine. I'm not heavy, right?"
"That's true, but..."
So it should be okay, right?
She was just going to sit there across from me anyway, and me using her lap as a pillow wouldn't be that uncomfortable.
"It's fine, right?"
"...Do as you please."
As expected, Lize accommodated my request like this.
It might have had a bit of a forceful vibe rather than a polite request, but if she really hated it, she would have said no.
Anyway, I lay down comfortably with my head on Lize's lap.
Definitely comfortable. Yes, Lize's lap is the best. It wasn't that she'd gained a lot of weight or anything, but there was this unique softness and comfort.
I could even bury my whole face in it if I wanted.
Of course, that would be a bit too pervy, so I wouldn't, but that's how good it felt.
"Haaah... I'm tired..."
"Is that so...?"
"Yeah, tired."
Lying there with my head on Lize's lap was definitely comfortable. Much better than sitting on the carriage seat.
"Lize, you're not uncomfortable? It's way worse than at the mansion."
"I can endure it."
"Ah."
"...And personally, the inn food being tasteless was even worse."
"I feel the same. It was really bad."
"It was so different from what we serve the servants at the mansion."
If Lize was saying that much, it must have been pretty bad.
Honestly, I thought so too while eating it.
We'd usually eat breakfast and lunch, but our stomachs got a little hungry late at night, so we ordered food at the inn. I hadn't expected it to be that bad.
Fried potatoes that somehow tasted awful...
"...The academy should be better than that."
"I hope so."
"Yeah."
I didn't know how the academy dormitories, cafeteria, tuck shop, and such were set up or what the vibe was like.
I was praying hard that the quality would be good.
"Still, it's supported by the empire. It should be good, right?"
"It seems like it should be, but..."
"Thinking about the inn makes it iffy."
Neither of us had expected the academy-provided inn to be like that.
It was worrying.
Of course, the academy itself received imperial support, so it should be good.
Plus, being in the central region, the food should be much better than in the south.
"Lize has surprisingly refined tastes too."
"...I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean it that way; it was just a casual comment."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. You've always had that tendency when eating, haven't you?"
I'd been with Lize since we were young, so I knew those things well.
From childhood, Lize had eaten better food than the other servants and maids when with me, and I'd seen her reactions plenty of times.
"Remember when we went to that fancy pasta place together versus the crappy one near the house? It was like night and day."
"Ah..."
"Lize, you show it a lot without realizing."
"...Do I?"
"Yeah."
Lize had always shown it subtly. She was somewhat aware of it herself... but especially with food.
Her mouth corners lifted nicely, and with bad food, her eyes got a bit gloomy.
"Even now, your face is a little red from embarrassment."
"Eek..."
I reached up and gently touched Lize's cheek.
Her cheek, a bit redder than usual—definitely noticeable.
"How can you still get embarrassed after I've done this so many times since we were young?"
"...I'm sorry."
"You're really cute."
"...You're teasing too much."
"I'm serious; you're cute. You think I'm lying?"
"........"
I always complimented Lize, but she always got embarrassed by it.
Personally, I felt like Lize lacked proper self-objectivity about herself.
She could have a bit more pride in her looks—I thought that every time... but Lize was a little lacking in confidence about her appearance.
"Young Lady, um... your hand now..."
"Should I let go?"
"...Yes."
"Did you hate it?"
"Not that, but it's a bit embarrassing..."
"Hehe, got it."
I did as Lize asked. It was fun watching her reactions, but if I kept going, she might actually dislike it, and it was easy to see her reactions without touching her cheek.
Plus, keeping my arm up and stroking her cheek was starting to hurt a little.
Am I really out of shape?
*
"Uwaaah... Ah... Ugh... Ungh......."
I stretched as I stepped out of the carriage.
As soon as I opened the door and exited, cool air greeted me, along with magnificent buildings.
It was definitely a place worthy of bearing the name of the Solchemia Empire.
"Whew... nice."
After spending days in a really crappy inn and two days in the carriage, we had finally arrived.
Honestly... the academy's exterior looked good, but right now I just wanted to rest more than admire it.
"Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Candy."
"Yes."
There were still many heirs who hadn't gotten off their carriages yet, and plenty in the process.
We were actually among the first to disembark upon arrival.
I spotted an adult man in a smart uniform standing a bit away, but he didn't seem about to do anything right away.
"Hmm..."
I rolled the candy Lize gave me around in my mouth and quietly surveyed the surroundings.
The spot where the carriage had stopped was just a decently wide open lot.
More precisely, it was inside the academy, essentially on campus, but separated from the main academy building and campus proper.
The actual academy buildings were a bit farther away... yeah.
Around the lot were various shops, bookstores, and such buildings.
"...Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Do we have to carry the luggage all the way over there?"
........
"Why is the academy building way over there? This is definitely the surroundings. It's inside the academy, but..."
"I'm not sure."
"The academy dormitory should be around the main academy building... way over there."
Anyone could see that the main academy building and dormitory were located a bit farther off.
What was this.
"Hmm... maybe they'll bring it to our dorm rooms for us?"
"...I think so."
With that thought, I stood there waiting a bit longer.
Until the other ladies and young masters got off their carriages and the academy staff member from afar came over.
I was worried about moving the luggage, but fortunately—really fortunately.
We didn't have to move it ourselves.
As I expected, the academy staff said they'd handle transporting the luggage from the carriages directly to each person's dormitory room.
"...Hmm."
And so we began heading toward the actual academy buildings.
Along the way, the staff explained the various shops, buildings, facilities on the academy campus, and the academy buildings themselves... but nothing particularly unusual.
Things anyone could figure out without explanation?
After crossing the bridge on campus, there were the student dormitories and various academy facilities, and before that, shops and other facilities.
It was such a straightforward layout that no explanation was needed.
"...Hmm."
After hearing all the explanations, we arrived at the dormitory. Upon arrival, as William had mentioned before, I was assigned a single room.
Not just any single room, but a C-grade single room.
I had no idea why dormitory single rooms had grades, but surprisingly, they did.
"...Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady..."
"...What is this?"
The dormitory room was incomprehensible in many ways.
I'd heard most nobles got single rooms, but this as a single room.
It felt more like a studio apartment than a proper single room.
"For now... solving this comes before writing a letter to Mother."
...I'd planned to write a letter right upon arrival and send it to Rozalin, but that wasn't feasible now.
Was it right for two people to live long-term in a single room like this?
I didn't think so. And since it was called C-grade, there must definitely be B, A, S, SS, SSS, SSSSSS grades or whatever!
"Money should solve it. Right."
Simple, easy, comfortable, and the best method, isn't it?