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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The First Day of the Academy
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The first day of the academy’s new term.

After having breakfast with Piache, I moved to the drawing room for a cup of tea.

“Where is Piache?”

“She is getting ready.”

“Isn’t it about time we left?”

“I have instructed her to be ready so we are not late.”

“It would be unbecoming for a child of House Ivrante to be late on the first day.”

“Of course, my lady. Would you care for more tea?”

“No, that’s enough.”

“Yes, my lady.”

One would expect the house to be abuzz with excitement on the day its only child was going to school, but the Ivrante estate was anything but.

A few of the maids seemed excited, but most were as quiet and composed as any other day.

“D-Duchess! I’m re-ready!”

Piache came running into the drawing room.

She wore the same pale yellow dress and green ribbon I had seen a few days ago. Her face was slightly flushed, a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

The child’s arrival instantly brightened the room.

“Where is your bag?”

“Huh? Oh!”

Piache’s eyes widened, and she scurried out of the drawing room.

A moment later, a commotion could be heard from outside.

“O-Older sister, my bag, please!”

“Yes, Young Lady. Here… Goodness, Young Lady! Please don’t run!”

“Okay, okay, P-Piache won’t run!”

Despite her firm reply, I could hear the sound of Piache’s running feet all the way from here.

The child who was usually so conscious of me that she barely made a sound when she walked… She must be incredibly excited to go to the academy.

*She’s going to trip and fall. And those are new shoes.*

I didn’t want to pour cold water on a happy day, but I needed to temper the child’s excitement.

“D-Duchess! I-I brought my bag!”

I slowly set down my teacup.

“Who told you to run in the manor? How undignified.”

“Oh!”

“And why are you raising your voice? Is it proper for a child of Ivrante to be so frivolous?”

The drawing room froze under the weight of my oppressive aura.

*…Was that too harsh? Surely she’s not going to cry, is she?*

Unexpectedly, Piache neither cried nor cowered.

She simply blinked her large eyes a few times and asked cautiously.

“Fri…volous? What’s that?”

“…”

“Pfft—”

Hearing a chuckle from my side, I turned my head to see the butler quickly schooling his expression back into one of solemnity.

“Not frivolous, Young Lady, but ‘frivolous.’ It means one’s actions or words are careless and light.”

“Wow…”

Wow? Why is she impressed?

Piache looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“D-Duchess, you’re so cool.”

…Why?

I was baffled by her completely incomprehensible response.

*Didn’t I just scold her? What kind of reaction is this?*

[Oh, my, look at Piache’s expression. Just look at those eyes, full of admiration for our Lian! Isn’t she just adorable?]

That’s a look of admiration?

[Remember the day Lady Piache comforted you, Lady Lian? She’s become much more affectionate since then.]

[She must know the contractor has a weakness for small, cute things. That little human is damn shrewd for her age, isn’t she?]

[That can’t be it, Salamander. Lady Piache has completely opened her heart to Lady Lian. She’s gained the faith that Lady Lian won’t abandon her.]

Ah, so that’s what it was.

A wave of emotion washed over me, and my nose tingled.

I was so proud of this child, who, despite being hurt by adults, had chosen to trust one again.

Piache gently took my pinky finger.

“P-Piache can do well. I-I’ll be careful. I won’t dis, um, disappoint you, Duchess.”

“…Of course, you should.”

I spoke as coldly as I could and gave Piache’s shoulder a very light pat. The child beamed.

“P-Pat my head, too, please…”

“How dare you demand labor from me. How impertinent.”

Despite my words, I gently patted the top of her head, and she giggled sweetly.

She was just so adorable.

Just as the corners of my mouth threatened to curl upwards, I felt a strange, prickling gaze.

Unsurprisingly, the butler and maids were glancing our way, their faces a mixture of surprise and deep emotion.

Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and stood up.

“Ahem, Butler, isn’t it about time we departed?”

“We have thirty minutes, my lady.”

“…”

We departed exactly thirty minutes later.

***

The academy was bustling with people for the autumn opening ceremony.

Children, adults, and merchants selling all sorts of gifts mingled together, creating a scene no different from a marketplace.

Trying to navigate through the crowd, our carriage slowed to a crawl.

As the carriage attempted to enter the academy’s main gate, the people ahead of us turned to glare, their faces etched with annoyance.

Among them, I spotted a familiar face and raised the corner of my lip.

Marchioness Molten and Bianca.

Bianca’s cheeks were puffed out in a pout, clearly irritated from walking in the hot sun.

“Mother! I want to ride in a carriage too! My legs hurt!”

“Bianca, dear, only inconsiderate people would bring a carriage through such a crowded street. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

“Even if the parking area is inside the academy, this is just too much. They must not know what it means to be a nuisance.”

“They probably just wanted to show off their carriage. As if we’re walking because we don’t have one… How utterly unpleasant.”

“W-Wait a minute… that crest on the carriage. Doesn’t it look familiar?”

“A crest? Where… Gasp! That’s the seal of House Ivrante!”

“…!!!”

The once-noisy crowd fell silent all at once.

The nobles who had been complaining so loudly now looked particularly tense.

*Hmm, I thought they were walking because they didn’t have carriages, but I guess not.*

Well, they were all nobles, so of course they had carriages.

*I should have walked on a day like this. I really was being a nuisance.*

I hadn’t thought of it, my mind preoccupied with the telepathic chatter from the spirits.

“Stop.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Luna pulled on the reins, and the crawling carriage came to a halt.

As I opened the door and stepped out, the nobles flinched and drew back.

“Oh, my, it really is the Duchess… D-Duchess, why are you getting out here? The parking area is inside.”

“I-I believe she got out so as not to obstruct traffic. How very thoughtful of her… D-Don’t you agree?”

“The Duchess of Ivrante has always been known for her consider… um, her refinement.”

The nobles who recognized me scrambled to get on my good side.

All except for Marchioness Molten.

Her eyes were downcast and her lips were sealed, but she looked extremely displeased.

*She’s filled with resentment.*

It seemed she was convinced I was the one who had disqualified Fabius from the bid for the plaza construction.

I gave the nobles a gentle smile.

After all, I didn’t know which of their children my Piache might befriend.

“I regret that I’ve inconvenienced your passage.”

“Eek!”

“N-No, not at all! It’s perfectly normal to ride a carriage on a road made for them! We weren’t inconvenienced in the slightest!”

“Th-That’s right! We were just making a fuss! So please, don’t apologize!”

The nobles’ faces turned pale. Some even took a step back, their expressions fearful.

If I apologized one more time, it looked as though they might scream and scatter in all directions.

Amidst the frozen atmosphere, Piache tugged on the hem of my dress.

“D-Duchess…”

“What is it?”

“I-I want to say hello to the M-Marchioness.”

“…You do?”

“Piache is an Iv-Ivrante. I-I won’t run away.”

Just as she had promised at the dress shop, Piache was confronting her fears.

I silently stepped aside, and Piache approached Marchioness Molten.

“P-Piache Ivrante offers her greetings to the M-Marchioness.”

Her curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress slightly and bending her knees, was flawless, as were her words.

It was so perfect that her stutter was hardly noticeable.

*My Piache, you’ve practiced so hard.*

Was I the only one proud of her?

I glanced around and saw that everyone else was also watching Piache with faint smiles, just like me.

The tension that had filled the air just a moment ago had softened.

*Right, how could she not be lovely?*

But Marchioness Molten seemed displeased with Piache.

Her voice was laced with an edge.

“It’s been a while.”

“I-I hope you’ve been well…”

“How is the ducal household? Is it better than our home?”

“Yes, it’s w-wonderful.”

Piache answered honestly in a calm tone.

She hadn’t noticed the sarcasm embedded in the question at all.

Marchioness Molten blinked rapidly, a look of bewilderment on her face.

“W-What’s so wonderful about it?”

“The b-butler is very kind, and the maids are all super nice. The D-Duchess is also v-very good to me.”

Though Piache didn’t intend it, her words made it sound as though she hadn’t been comfortable in the Molten household.

The corners of Marchioness Molten’s lips twitched awkwardly.

“I’m glad to hear… that you like it.”

“Th-Thank you for your c-concern.”

Piache hesitated for a moment before approaching Bianca.

She looked even more anxious than when she had been facing the Marchioness.

“S-Sister, h-how have you been?”

“‘S-Sister, h-how have you been?’ Puhahaha! You sound like an idiot.”

“…”

Bianca perfectly mimicked Piache’s stutter and then laughed for a long time.

At the child’s rude behavior, the other nobles began to glance nervously at me.

“Anyway, why are you here? Do you go to the academy?”

“Yes, I-I’m starting today.”

“You’re not supposed to do that, are you?”

“Huh? Wh-What do you mean?”

“You’re a dirty commoner. You’re not allowed to attend the academy.”

Chapter 68