A fleeting calm

“Thank you for helping, Shasha, even though you should be resting.”

“What are you saying? Aren’t we friends?”

I—we are now in a dormitory room at the academy.

“Few people come to stay here at a time like this, aren’t they?”

“Precisely why I could help. If it were the end of summer, when new students arrive, or just before summer break, when graduation season begins, I would have been far too busy to lend a hand.”

Shasha speaks with a bright tone.

“Still… is that truly all the luggage? Even a noble girl from the provinces would have more than this. And no attendant at all…?”

I can barely manage a wry smile in reply.

The academy’s dormitories are meant for students from provincial noble families who do not own townhouses in the capital, or for those in disciplines like knightly training, whose schedules are irregular.

Shasha is a provincial noble with a townhouse in the capital, yet she finds it more conducive to study—and more economical—to attend from a well-equipped residence rather than one seldom used. Above all, the dormitory is strictly for women, so her parents are at ease, and she has lived there since enrollment.

Most students enter the dormitory at the start of term, but now that the new term has begun and it is already mid-February, arriving late is out of place.

Moreover, it is rare for an upper-class noble lady who owns a townhouse and lives there with her family to enter the dormitory—especially alone. Even among lower-class nobles, one or two may enter alone each year, but among the upper class, such a thing is unheard of.

To explain why this situation has arisen, one must look back a few days…

—A few days prior, in the study of the Emmental Count’s residence—

I sat on the sofa, facing my father and Mother.

The space with just my parents and me—rare after so long—felt neither warm nor familiar, as though the joints of an ungreased axle creaked with discomfort.

I took a sip of the tea brought in, then began to speak.

“Father, Mother, thank you for granting me your time despite your busy schedule. I will speak plainly. I wish to be granted permission to enter the academy dormitory. May I have your consent?”

My father and mother started slightly at the suddenness, but their expressions of surprise vanished instantly, replaced by quiet inquiry directed at me.

“Why not continue as before, traveling from the estate? Is there some dissatisfaction—perhaps concerning Stella?”

“Sir!”

Though they may have harbored thoughts of their own, I did not intend to confirm them. I shook my head.

"No, Father. It is a joy that Lady Stella has returned, so there is no dissatisfaction in that. This suggestion, however, comes from Madame Nefel."

After our Debutante ceremony, Madame Nefel, who had served as the Head Lady-in-Waiting of the Imperial Court, stepped down from her post and assumed the role of instructor in Imperial Etiquette at the Academy.

Since last year, I have been invited by Madame Nefel to enroll in either the Liberal Arts or the Civil Service course.

"I have already earned most of the credits required for graduation in Liberal Arts. The teacher proposed that I take on a new field of study. A new wind has stirred within our household, and I have resolved to take on something new."

Hearing that Lady Stella was not the direct cause, my parents exhaled with visible relief.

"Then, why not simply continue attending from home as before?" Mother narrowed her lips.

I have considered it, but taking into account the remaining duration of my time at the academy and the duties I have been entrusted with, I fear the time available may be insufficient. Moreover, if I reside in the academy’s dormitory, Madame Nephel will personally guide me in my instruction as a future consort.

The academy allows students to accumulate credits over six years, regardless of the number of subjects taken. Even if one does not complete the full term, one may continue studies at the graduate level.

I am currently in my fourth year, with only two years remaining. Even if I have nearly completed my credits, there are still liberal arts courses to attend, and the time available for new studies is limited. Given the demands of my duties in the student council and my training as a consort, this decision seems reasonable.

Receiving direct instruction from Madame Nephel gives me a distinct advantage over the other noble ladies vying for the same position. From the family’s perspective, this is no unfavorable arrangement.

"If that is so, then you must cease assisting with the student council. Only then will you be able to attend your lessons and receive your royal education!" Mother persists.

Father chides her with, "It is a great honor to serve in the student council—such a responsibility should not be spoken of lightly. And to resign before one’s term ends would bring ill repute, would it not?" She seems unconvinced, though she admits it holds some truth.

"Why do you insist so strongly on commuting? Your elder brothers lived in the dormitories, did they not? It is not fair that I alone should be unable to do so."

I speak my mind.

Cain Elder and Fret Elder both resided in the dormitories during their time at the academy—this fact, if brought up, would strengthen my argument.

"Spica is a girl, isn't she? And since Stella has returned, I’d like her to help with the education going forward. Spica is exceptionally talented among girls her age—she’ll be an excellent example! Isn’t it wonderful to have a sisterly friend like that?"

"Mother, I’ve never heard such a thing before. And it’s not certain that my involvement in the education will only bring positive results… The gap between me, who was raised as a noble lady from childhood, and my elder sister, who has lived a commoner’s life against her will, is simply too great. I fear my sister might feel overwhelmed. If you, Mother, who raised me into such a refined lady, were to guide her, she would master noble manners in no time at all."

I silently convey that it would be better if I were not present, that things would be just fine without me. Mother falls silent.

A sense of inferiority lingers in my elder sister, now raised as a commoner. If that is so, it is clear that my presence nearby would be unwise. And now, my mother and the others seem to distance themselves from me, as though their coldness toward me were a form of affection toward my sister. This imbalance places too great a burden upon one side. I do not yet possess the capacity to bear such injustice.

After a long silence, Mother at last said, “I understand.”

When Father asked, “What do you intend to do about your attendant?” I answered, from a quiet defiance, “I wish to take my personal maid with me.”

No one currently serves as my attendant. It is inevitable, since no successor has yet been chosen after Alyssa. Yet I wonder whether Father or Mother, who oversees the inner chambers of the house, has even noticed.

I understand. Then I am at ease. But you will return home on your days off, won’t you?” Mother smiled at me as she always did, gentle and warm.

I might have said then that I had no personal attendant, but I grew resentful at her obliviousness and resolved not to speak of it—let her remain unaware, if she would not notice.

The purpose of my enrollment and permission to study multiple disciplines had been achieved, so the matter of minor details seemed trivial in comparison…

Afterward, I hurried through the formalities of dormitory registration, and thus it came to pass that today marked my arrival.

My parents had not noticed that I had no personal attendant, nor had I, having been trained by Grandmother to manage my own affairs without pretense, and so I entered the dormitory—was it truly safe?—without drawing attention.

Since then, days have passed. The demands of my studies and student council duties have been constant, yet I have found many reasons to be glad I have come here.

The direct instruction from Professor Nephel was far more demanding than I had imagined, yet the rewards were great—so great that I sometimes found myself longing for the days of my debutante years.

On days off, I made it my intention to return home whenever possible, yet the campus life was so rich and full that I often remained behind.

Thus passed half a year—life away from home, busy yet deeply fulfilling.

Until, half a year later, it was decided that Stella-sama would enroll as a special student…