New Days
In her past life, Morris had occasionally mentioned Cassel, muttering about how he wished he could even follow in his footsteps. Who would have thought the taciturn archduke’s true nature was like this! He was far too cunning and wicked!
Dot, who had tried to win favor with a few tears, now wore a sulky expression, prompting the duchess to point it out again.
“That habit of twitching your lips is unbecoming as well. Hmm, I suppose I must teach you how to use a fan soon.”
“Yes…”
“Thank you for your hard work, Scholar Porshet. They say the fruit festival begins in the central district tomorrow, so please rest well for the next three days.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
With Cassel gone and Scholar Porshet—the second thorn in her side—also departing, Dot’s impatience burned even hotter.
Should I change my plan? I could present the silk robe as evidence first… As for the ruby pendant, since my friend took it without permission, I could go to the temple with her to verify it…
She was desperate to be recognized as the Klein daughter before that woman, yet opportunities refused to come.
No. Before verification, I must deal with Beryl and her daughter first, but I still lack the power, money, and connections. Ah, how troublesome!
“…Thea, Dorothea?”
“Yes!”
Startled from her wicked thoughts, Dot looked up and felt a jolt of alarm inside.
The duchess was watching her with a stern expression.
Those eyes were far too cold, as if she were looking at the old Morgana who had never earned her favor in the previous life.
“I just corrected your attitude. Why are you not paying attention?”
“I apologize.”
Dot offered a polite apology, but the duchess’s displeasure did not ease quickly.
“Do not grow lax just because life here is more comfortable than at the monastery. Dorothea, as an eina, you must become our daughter’s companion and a kind teacher in the future.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Are you confident you can explain things better than Porshet?”
“Yes, of course. I know well that this is the only way to repay His Grace the Duke’s kindness.”
Her shameless lie softened the duchess’s expression somewhat.
“Of course it must be so. Since you said it yourself, I hope Scholar Porshet will report that your progress is superior from now on. Otherwise, I cannot rest easy.”
“Understood.”
“Only when he praises you to the imperial palace will our efforts feel worthwhile, will they not?”
Ugh…!
Dot answered boldly, yet she was enduring hardships she had never known for an entire month after choosing differently from her past life.
Previously, Morgana had handled all the studying in her role as eina.
So Dot had only needed to display the manners she already knew and the new etiquette she had picked up on the sly, winning favor without the tedium of study.
Of course, she had also followed Morgana to every social gathering to build connections.
Damn it…! Why must I memorize architectural angle calculations, the histories of various estates, and all sorts of trivial family names? No noblewoman in high society cares about such petty, boring details!
Now that she had to shoulder everything Morgana used to do, it was pure torment.
Even the young ladies attending the academy are the same. Ha… If I just roughly understand the political situation in the capital, that should suffice. Why waste time on such useless studies?
She had never imagined the sheer volume of studying she had only glimpsed from the sidelines. Before the archduke left, she had thought two months would be more than enough.
That had been Dot’s fatal mistake—underestimating Morgana.
In the past, things had not been like this.
After I was successfully recognized as the real daughter at the main temple, you never made me study. Instead, you indulged me in luxury!
When Morgana said she no longer wished to stay with me as my eina, you cast her out without hesitation!
Having returned just before achieving perfect success, Dot felt unbearably wronged, yet she answered respectfully for now.
“Yes, yes.”
“Haa.”
Dot had something she wanted to ask.
Scholar Porshet had mentioned that the fruit festival would be held grandly. Would it be all right for me to attend?
In the past, she had been stuck in the monastery and only knew about it through constant invitation letters, so she had not understood its scale.
If the entire capital was this excited, then the noblewomen Dot knew would likely appear as well.
I need to run into them by chance and show them how well I’m building relationships. Ah, this is so frustrating.
There were quite a few young ladies and noblewomen who had been closer to Dot than to Morgana the eina. Dot was confident she could succeed this time, just as she had when she had charmed the Duke of Klein.
Would it be all right to mention it first?
“Oh, and tomorrow is the day the fruit festival opens in the city. Since I gave Scholar Porshet time off, you should prepare to go out as well.”
“Will I be able to meet other nobles while attending the festival…?”
At Dot’s cautious question, the duchess frowned.
“What are you saying? You have not yet mastered the basics expected of an eina. This concerns our family’s honor—we cannot present you at an official event yet. First, earn Scholar Porshet’s approval!”
“…Yes.”
“I plan to take you out tomorrow or the day after to have some clothes made at a boutique I know. I also want to see what the current trends are.”
The duchess intended to introduce Dorothea to society soon, but she gave the order and left without letting her get too excited.
Ah, how dull.
Once the duchess left Selphia House, Dot felt like kicking something in frustration.
She wanted to be recognized as the Klein daughter as soon as possible, enjoy luxury and power, and rise even higher to become crown princess.
Her mind overflowed with plans, yet she could not act on any of them, and that was maddening.
Be patient, Dot. No—Tiana. The crown prince won’t have any political marriage talks for another two years anyway. Ugh… Patience is victory. I will definitely become empress!
But she overlooked one crucial point.
Now that time had turned back and she had made completely different choices, none of the events and experiences she remembered would necessarily unfold the same way.
Dot, focused only on what lay immediately ahead, had no idea.
The next day.
Pay, who had risen at dawn, mumbled sleepily.
“Moo…”
“Peep! Peeep! (Water! Waaater!)”
Somehow, she could roughly understand what the Drakan, transformed into a baby bird, was saying. Having woken up with Pay after a good rest, the creature’s only demand was water, delivered with great enthusiasm.
“All right. Moietetra Banus. You want water, right?”
When Pay waved her hand, a perfectly round sphere of water formed in the air. It was not magic, but a unique ability born from her affinity with water mana.
The Drakan stretched its neck and drank the water like a fox, then smacked its lips in satisfaction.
It was not particularly important, but Moietetra Banus was male.
“Peep!”
“Got it. I’ll check if there’s anything to eat too. And I’ll be out late today, so what will you do?”
The soldier she had met yesterday had been quite friendly toward Pay. Still, she had no intention of letting her guard down and planned to thoroughly inspect everything under her charge.
She did not need to visit the ice storage first thing in the morning, but she was going anyway as part of that duty.
I’ll go check how much ice they’re moving out until just before noon. If everything looks fine, I’ll return to the inn and go with the knight.
Come to think of it, the black-haired knight still had not told her his name again. It was strange how that did not bother her.
Being with the knight puts me at ease. He’s a complete stranger, so why does it feel so natural? We never even crossed paths at Grace Monastery.
“Peep!”
“Oh, you want to play? All right. I’ll get some pork from the innkeeper later and leave it in your feed bowl. Eat if you get hungry.”
“Peep!”
Now that she had obtained a Drakan, she had technically become a Drakan rider, but she wondered when she would actually ride on its back.
Truthfully, she was not very curious. Pay possessed magic that grew stronger the more she studied.
Thanks to that, she finally had some breathing room in her life.
After washing her face and finishing her preparations, Pay headed toward the ice storage.
Hmm, it’s still quiet.
The streets where the fruit festival would be held were adorned with pretty flower decorations and model fruits, drawing the eye. It was a different kind of charm from the grandeur and splendor of the Klein ducal residence, and Pay smiled softly.
…It’s nice. Soon this place will turn into a lively spot.
She was alive and breathing in the capital, where a festival she had never even known about in the past was about to begin.
She herself.
Pay arrived at the ice storage shortly after and quietly watched the soldiers carrying ice without rest for the next few hours.
The Pine Echos were not by her side.
At some point, she had naturally become able to see them, and today she had specially given them time off. The water spirits must have scattered excitedly somewhere. Were they playing and giggling by the fountain?
“…Pay?”
“Oh!”
Pay, who had been in a corner of the ice storage where the chill had faded somewhat, looked up after a while and found the black-haired knight watching her with a worried expression.
Her eyes widened.
“What brings you here?”
“It is already past noon. I went to the Blue Butterfly Inn, but the owner said you were not there, so I came looking for you. There is plenty of ice for the festival, yet the soldiers told me not to leave this place?”
Had that much time already passed?
Seeing how angry he looked, Pay quickly waved her hands.
“Oh, no. It is not like that at all. I came early in the morning and got so absorbed watching the soldiers work that I lost track of time.”
The knight seemed quite concerned; he only managed to lower his sharply raised eyebrows with effort.
“I see.”
“I am sorry for forgetting our promise. I usually keep time appointments well when there is a clock nearby, but… there is no sun here.”
“Take this.”
“Pardon?”
Cassel pulled something from his coat without hesitation and held it out.
It was a finely crafted pocket watch with not a single scratch. Even at a glance, it looked expensive and far from ordinary.
Startled, Pay hurriedly refused.
“It is all right! Um… Actually, I was distracted and…”
“Please accept it, Miss Pay. It is from my heart.”
“Why?”
Her clear green eyes pierced the pupils of a man who had rarely extended his hand to anyone first in his life.
“…I do not know either. I simply wanted to give it to you.”
Cassel answered honestly.
This was not the first time he had dealt with a female mage during his knightly duties.
He had also met many young noblewomen with proper courtesy before heading to the Logia border region. Of course, those meetings had been arranged at the strong urging of the duke and duchess.
But this was the first time he had refined an undefined emotion and offered it to someone.