A stylish facility with chocolate-colored roofs and white buildings lined up side by side. This place, with its neatly arranged flower beds and lush, pruned green trees, is Mistelteinn Royal Academy.
It was mainly attended by the sons and daughters of royalty and nobility, as well as some wealthy merchants and commoners who had found employment at a young age.
The nobles of Mistilteinn are all eager to enroll their children in this school to add luster to their careers.
The school has a uniform system, with separate uniforms for boys and girls as a rule.
The boys wore white shirts, gray half coats, ties, and checked slacks.
The girls wear a white blouse with puff sleeves, a short poncho with ribbon, and a dress underneath.
Some students add a little extra style by using elaborate buttons and decorations, making the ribbons a little larger, or adding lace.
Everyone was wearing roughly the same uniform, but one girl stood out as being particularly beautiful.
Her long silver-white hair sparkled in the sunlight, and her eyelashes of the same color complemented her pale, sky-blue eyes with a hint of purple. Her pale lips and rosy cheeks gave her pale skin a warm, human appearance.
It's clean and elegant, with an otherworldly atmosphere.
Even the way her fingers tilt the tea is like a work of art, and students passing by quietly sigh at her beauty.
Even a standard uniform without any customization seems to give off a dazzling aura when worn by her.
She is the model lady, Count Euphilia von Harmonia.
"Good day, Yuffie. Can I sit next to you?"
"Oh, Marie. Please have a seat."
A pink-haired girl came over with a tray of food on it.
She is Marietta von Bentere, the daughter of Marquis Euphilia, a childhood friend and a friendly friend of Euphilia's.
After receiving her permission, Marietta sat down without hesitation, but then noticed that there was only tea and a modest plate in front of Euphilia.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Elios-sama invited me, which is unusual, so I was waiting."
However, only Euphilia was there. She had been stood up.
Sensing Marietta's watchful gaze, Euphilia smiled. She didn't mind, so there was no need to look so annoyed.
"Is lunch break over already?"
"Well, I'm glad I ordered the set with a sandwich just in case."
However, this is not a high tea set, but a regular tea set, so it is small enough to eat with just a few bites.
The cafeteria's tea set includes small scones, sandwiches, cookies, and other items that change daily.
"What are you doing abandoning your fiancée, Lord Helios?"
"Well, I wonder where he is. He's always with a different woman, so I'm getting tired of trying to keep track."
Even though Duke Axel has scolded him, he still shows no signs of learning.
The son of Duke Elios von Axel is Euphilia's fiance.
He took a liking to Euphilia, who was incredibly adorable from a young age, and used his parent's influence to make her his fiance. However, he was a man who easily got bored, and would not feed the fish he caught.
He neglects Euphilia, knowing that he will get married after graduating from the academy.
Since they are engaged, they do receive gifts and letters, but they are all written by servants. It is obvious that the presents are just random flowers and trendy items.
At its worst, it's the exact same gift he's giving to his favorite girl at the time.
Euphilia's brows furrowed in confusion left Marietta feeling conflicted. Even if it was a political marriage, was it really okay for her to be in this state before marriage?
Marriages between families to connect them are not uncommon, but love still grows over time.
(What is Lord Helios doing leaving such a cute Yuffie behind?!)
Marietta hates Elios. She has hated him since she was a child.
Euphilia was four years old when she first met Marietta.
Apparently, he was surprised and excited to see this adorable girl, like an angel or a fairy, talking to him with a charming smile. When it got dark and they were saying goodbye, Marietta burst into tears and refused to go, and his family still teases him about it.
There are many children her age who want to be friends with Euphilia, but Marietta has always defended her position as her best friend.
Euphilia could see clearly what was going on in Marietta's mind, a woman with many different expressions on her face.
"Oh, that's right. There was something I wanted to give to Marie."
With that, Euphilia handed over an envelope.
Marietta immediately opened it and her eyes widened. It took a lot of courage for her not to immediately frown afterwards.
"Come to think of it, Yuffie's birthday is next month."
Will it open properly this time? - I swallowed that sentence with all my might.
I've received many invitations to Euphilia's birthday celebrations, but it hasn't happened in years.
I know the reason. It's Euphilia's younger sister, Alice.
Perhaps she is jealous of her beautiful and talented older sister, but she is a young girl who always ruins events.
Every year, on Euphilia's birthday, she would always fall ill and cancel the event, brandishing some incomprehensible, outrageous statement like, "It's not fair that everyone is celebrating Onee-sama when I'm in such pain!"
It might be one thing if it happened once or twice, but it looks like it's about to reach double digits, so it's definitely a fake illness.
However, Count and Countess Harmonia dote on Alice and tolerate her selfishness, with the burden falling solely on her older sister, Euphilia.
Alice had a grudge against Euphilia, who was close to her age and of the same sex.
He throws a tantrum because he can't stand Euphilia being the main character.
Even if Marietta, an outsider, complains, the Count and Countess' favoritism will not end.
"Nothing. Just like always."
Euphilia said matter-of-factly. This mature girl had a certain amount of trust in her family—even though they were unreasonable people who treated her poorly and prioritized Alice's selfish desires.
Which means Alice will ruin it again.
"But you have to send out invitations."
It was all for the sake of appearances for Count and Countess Harmonia. They said they would do it, but then canceled it right before, so I think it's all but gone.
Rather, it would be disrespectful to the guests who dutifully cleared their schedules.
It must be annoying for Euphilia to have to go along with this pretense of wanting to properly celebrate with her.
"You can look forward to a present."
Marietta grinned. Sensing some kind of plot, Euphilia nodded.
To be honest, I'm more excited about Marietta's gifts than my family or fiancé.
"Fufu, I'm looking forward to it."
What is it that he is so confident will make Euphilia so happy?
The only presents Alice can't steal are books. She hates studying, and when she sees printed text, she immediately falls asleep.
It could be a popular romance novel, a collection of foreign poetry, or a copy of an ancient history book.
Euphilia was hoping that it would be a book about alchemy, if possible.
Although I gave Marietta an invitation, I thought it would be canceled again this year.
She didn't know why she was so jealous, but Alice would cry every time Euphilia got all the attention.
Brandishing his childish theories, he calls it cruel and unfair, and demands that he either step down from his position or give it up to Alice.
Lately, I've been finding my cute little sister to be a nuisance.
Alice's parents dote on her because she is a cute and pitiful child, but they don't scold her, and her brother agrees.
Even though it's her own home, she has no place to belong. Euphilia is currently 16 years old. When she turns 18 and graduates from school, marriage to Helios awaits.
Elios, who is two years older than him, is graduating this year, but he hasn't taken the entrance exam to become a knight or the exam to become a civil servant. Elios, the third son, has no family inheritance to inherit, so he should have to find a job himself, but there was no sign of him doing so.
(I passed the second-class alchemist exam the other day. I hope I can get first class by the time I graduate...)
Harmonia's state alchemists are ranked from first to third grade.
A first-class qualification would allow you to work in the royal palace. A second-class qualification would allow you to become a servant to a nobleman. Even a third-class qualification would allow you to open a shop.
The young lady, Euphilia, passed the difficult qualification exam because she was worried about her future. She didn't think her husband, Elios, would ever get a decent job. No matter how wealthy the Duke of Axel's family was, they wouldn't trust the irresponsible Elios with such important work.
If that was his intention, he would have interfered more vigorously, but the fact that he has remained silent despite his poor grades and womanizing shows that he intends to throw him out once he becomes an adult.
He'd probably accept a small amount of money if asked, but it was unlikely that any of it would find its way to Euphilia.
So Euphilia obtained the qualifications to become independent.
Both her current and future family are indifferent to Euphilia.
Euphilia is doing her best now so that she won't have any regrets.
But why do I feel so empty?
On the way to the classroom, I spotted a bright orange in the courtyard. It was Helios' hair.
He was standing in the shade of a tree with a girl from his year. Though she didn't even try to hold his hand, she reached for his waist.
They whispered to each other, played with each other, and laughed together -- just like two loving lovers.
(A secret rendezvous in such a conspicuous place... Ha, even if I get a decent job, I'm sure I'll cause trouble.)
Elios is not the smartest, but he always gets angry at those around him for his cocky behavior.
Telling lies that can't be hidden and creating secrets that will be discovered.
(After marriage, I'll let her off the hook once, but the second time I'll slap her with a divorce letter.)
The first time, you can give them a grace period to repair the relationship, but the second time, you can leave a written document stating that you will impose severe sanctions. In the case of adultery, the person who committed adultery is at fault and will be required to pay compensation.
Even if they had made a fuss about divorce the first time, it was obvious that the Duke of Axel would have somehow managed to reconcile them. They would not want to be saddled with the bad debt that is Helios.
However, if you have forgiven someone once and then forgive them a second time, it will be difficult to persuade them.
(I don't really want to get married.)
If it were possible, I'd give a man with a face like that to Alice.
Alice always criticizes me, saying, "It's not fair to be engaged to a duke!" without even realizing how hard I've worked.
Even if I get divorced, I have no intention of moving back to my parents' house.
It's obvious that she will be forced to take care of her hysterical younger sister, be insulted for being a returning mother, and be forced to help out with her work.
In that case, I would live alone. It would be better to remain single. I had the qualifications to support myself without any inconvenience.
Contrary to what Euphilia was thinking, a beautiful blue sky was spreading before her.