Ramble — The royal family at the academy.

In the lounge specially prepared for the royal family, the four royals currently enrolled at the academy were each spending their time as they pleased: sipping tea, reading, organizing paperwork, the usual.

Among them, Gadiel had been acting odd for the past few days.

Rassiel and Amiel glanced sideways at Gadiel, their expressions a mix of disbelief and weary familiarity, watching yet another failed attempt at writing.

“Gadiel-sama… really, what’s gotten into you?”

Amiel spoke with concern, her voice tight—this wasn’t the usual Gadiel at all.

Though they were cousins, the four of them had grown up together in the castle, raised like siblings.

Out of that closeness, the youngest—Amiel—called them all “onii-sama” and “onee-sama,” a habit she’d never broken.

“Gadiel-sama’s completely distracted by the daughter of the hero who’s visiting the academy right now.”

Elen gave a quiet giggle, and Amiel blinked in surprise.

“Why, Gadiel-sama… you’re completely distracted…”

“N-No! That’s not it!! Sier, what kind of thing are you saying!!”

Lassiel watched Gadiel flustered with a cool, unimpressed gaze, then sniffed disdainfully.

“Indeed, Brother, perhaps you’ll get to meet her.”

Gadiel winced at his younger brother’s sharp barbs.

“Look, Lassiel…”

“Of course, even if I’m with her, Elen-sama doesn’t even know I exist. Yes, truly, I’m utterly envious.”

“…………”

Lassiel held a grudge. Back when he’d been sent to the Vanklyft Family on the King’s orders, he’d met Elen and spoken with her—something that had since come to light.

He’d believed he’d been betrayed. After all, they’d traveled together to the Vanklyft Family, and had even acted side by side in front of the monument.

Meeting you by chance on this mission was certainly lucky. I suppose so… though now it feels more like a thorn in my side.

"Lord Rasel is being strange too..."

"Amiel, Rasel wants to meet the Hero’s daughter. But since he only got to see you, he’s sulking."

Ciel chuckles. Rasel looks caught red-handed, and his sister snaps, “Quiet, elder sister!”

"But… you probably won’t get to meet her, you know?"

Ciel says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. The others freeze. Their eyes scream: *How do you even know that?*

"The Hero’s daughter… Elen, wasn’t it? Heard she’s been bedridden, unwell all this time. That’s why Lord Lovell stopped touring the academy—just to see her at tomorrow’s spirit ceremony. Now he’s staying by her side."

Without pausing her embroidery, Siele casually dropped the news, and Gadiel and Rasell both slammed their chairs back and shot to their feet.

Ignoring Amiel’s startled reaction, Siele just chuckled, a soft, amused sound.

“Ah-ah-ah, elder sister!!! Is it true Elen’s been laid up!?!”

“Why didn’t you say that sooner!?”

Biting back at her, the two of them. Siele, unfazed, continued stitching slowly, one needle at a time.

“Why, it’s not exactly earth-shattering, now is it? Everyone assumed Lord Lovell would tour the towers one day at a time, right? So when today’s the day he’s expected at the noble’s tower, Brother was practically vibrating with nerves. …Too bad, wasn’t it?”

The last words came out low, dripping with irony. Gadiel grimaced as if he’d swallowed something sour, glaring at Siele’s smug smile.

“Sister… where on earth did you hear such a thing?”

"Oh, come on, everyone's curious, aren’t they? Everyone’s running around, desperate for gossip, so you’d think they could at least *organize* it properly."

Princess Siele, turning fourteen this year, ruled the academy’s rumors with her mother’s own legendary knack for information gathering.

Her skill was so undeniable that even the king had taken notice—hence her occasional ability to make people lose their nerve.

Amiel had remained silent the whole time, face unreadable.

"S-sister, we can’t just leave it like this. We should send some get-well gifts… something like that…"

"Right! Let’s do that!!"

Siele watched her overeager siblings with a smirk, then tossed in something else that made her brow twitch.

"I get that you’re all worried about Elen… but are you really okay with *her*?"

"...Her?"

"Back when you two were always dropping by, weren’t you? That Vanklyft Family girl. She’s probably in the reflection chamber by now."

"Reflection chamber?"

Both of them stared at Siel, expressionless.

Apparently, Raffilia was widely regarded as a habitual troublemaker.

"What’d she do this time, that idiot girl?"

Lassiel spat out the words, sharp as a blade. Gadiel sighed beside her.

They’d played together as kids. But if you asked, the only real friendship they’d ever had lasted about a year.

Soon enough, her arrogance became impossible to ignore. They’d drifted apart, keeping only correspondence.

But even that stopped on the last mission.

She’d bragged to everyone she was in contact with the royal family—then got kidnapped using that very fact.

Gadiel and the others had been discussing whether she’d end up like this all along. They’d even warned Raffilia—only for her to just shrug it off with, “I’m fine, really.”

“Honestly, the difference in warmth between you two cousins is *stunning*! Secret meetings with noble gentlemen, no less. Honestly, that woman never runs out of gossip.”

“Secret meetings… with gentlemen?”

Gadiel frowned, eyebrows knitting. Rasell shrugged. “Maybe they got into a fight?”

“A fight…? But she was up against multiple people, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, well, *she’s* the type to do something like that. She’s got that ridiculous strength. Brother, anyway—let’s go pick out some gifts for the sick!”

“Ah, right… yeah…”

Nudged by Rasell, the two of them left.

Left alone in the parlor, Ciel and Amiel said nothing.

It was Ciel who broke the silence.

“…You’re curious, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean, sister?”

"It's fine. You can't get close anyway, not with the spirit's curse blocking you."

The way she pricked the fabric, one stitch at a time—elegant, yes—but Amiel still felt a chill.

"Cut it out, now, don't you think?"

A soft giggle from Ciel. For a second, I swear I felt a needle pierce my skin.

Then, Gadiel and Raffilia, bearing gifts, showed up at Lovell’s room only to be turned away at the door by the smiling hero.