TMM 22

The magic department occupied a different set of buildings from the general course.

Because dangerous experiments were sometimes conducted, the facilities were situated a considerable distance away from the ordinary classrooms.

The students there were different as well.

In the general course, pupils tended to move about in fixed groups, but the magic department allowed its students to assemble their own curricula, and so the very notion of a “class” scarcely existed.

They moved from room to room according to subject, and few could be seen clustering together in groups.

Each student passed swiftly through the corridors, already focused on the next lecture or practical exercise.

Alicia was surprised that, within the same academy, the atmosphere could differ so profoundly from one department to another.

More than that, she was experiencing a sense of liberation she had never known before.

She chose a practical course on amulets, a field that had long fascinated her.

She had studied magic by devouring books in the library, but amulet crafting was not something she could learn on her own.

As she took her seat, her heart pounding with anticipation over what the lesson might entail, the male student beside her spoke.

“We met at the royal ball, didn’t we? I’m Brian Richter, an exchange student from the western neighboring kingdom of Greymore.”

With his lustrous red hair and well-balanced features, Alicia remembered him at once.

“I apologize for my rudeness then. I am Alicia Wellston.”

He gave a slightly awkward smile and scratched the back of his head.

“Haha, it’s no trouble at all. I’m not very good with formal speech, so may I speak normally? And please call me Brian.”

“Yes, Lord Brian. Please call me Alicia. You don’t need to use honorifics.”

“Great. Thank you, Alicia.”

Brian smiled brightly, clearly relieved.

Being addressed so familiarly without preamble startled her, yet strangely, she did not feel uncomfortable.

Before she realized it, Alicia found herself smiling as well.

There were nobles in the magic department, but also many commoners.

She quickly came to like the free, unrestrained atmosphere. It lacked the stifling pressure she had felt in the general course, where nobles dominated everything.

Through alchemy experiments and shared assignments, she gradually gained companions with whom she exchanged words.

Most reacted with surprise when they heard the name Wellston, but that was all. None seemed particularly interested beyond that.

They were a group who loved magic more than their daily meals.

Unlike the general course, where social maneuvering reigned supreme, these students were absorbed in their research, and that alone put Alicia at ease.

To her further delight, the department had its own independent dining hall.

Many students begrudged the time spent eating, so the space was designed for efficiency. There was even a shop, and some took quick meals in the lounge before hurrying off to their next class.

She no longer had to sit alone in that nerve-wracking cafeteria.

Here there was no stifled laughter, no whispered mockery.

The dining hall was far larger and calmer than the dormitory dining hall as well.

Undoubtedly, there were still those who reported her every move to the queen. Even so, this place was comfortable beyond measure.

Yet when she returned to the dormitory, that familiar sense of suffocation crept back in.

The dormitory was filled almost entirely with nobles.

As she passed the salon near the entrance, she was stopped by a student from the general course.

The girl was a provincial noble, a friend of Lily’s. Alicia remembered her well, as she had joined Lily in mocking her.

“Won’t you join us for once?”

She was forced into a seat among a group of girls and made to listen to idle gossip.

From what they said, the rumor of Mariabelle being barred from the palace had not spread. No one mentioned it at all.

Instead, it seemed Mariabelle had formed a faction among the noble daughters, placing herself at its center.

There were even whispers that Mariabelle would soon be engaged to Joshua.

Alicia neither affirmed nor denied it. She merely smiled, listened politely, and excused herself when the moment felt right.

She had no time to indulge them. The magic department assigned far too much work.

From then on, she resolved to stop by the library and return to the dormitory only once they were gone.

“Heehee, I have Grandfather and Grandmother to thank. So far, everything is going smoothly.”

It might have been the first time in her life that she had felt this lighthearted, Alicia thought.

Three months after transferring to the magic department, an invitation arrived from Fran.

Her wedding had finally been set for the following month, and if Alicia’s schedule allowed, she was invited to attend.

Aside from the incident at the clock tower, Alicia’s interactions with Fran had been minimal.

Yet the postscript caught her attention.

I want you to witness my future.

Those words stirred something in Alicia’s heart.

Fran had once said that the future might be changeable.

And at the clock tower, she had also said this:

At Patrick’s wedding to me, that woman will appear. But it’s all right. I won’t let her.

Recalling those unsettling words, Alicia felt a quiet unease settle in her chest.

(Nothing will happen… right?)