<CHAPTER 1>
The village had a small general store.
“Emilia, are you done cleaning up?”
“Cough, yes!”
A brown-haired woman poked her head out from the back of the storeroom.
“I’m almost finished!”
“Then finish that up and go home for the day.”
Mrs. Anderson said this as she looked through the ledger.
“Really? Is it okay for me to leave?”
Emilia’s face lit up. It was much earlier than her usual quitting time.
“Of course. There aren’t many customers anyway. Besides…”
The older woman spoke again, her expression turning slightly displeased.
“Today’s Cedric’s exam results day, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Emilia nodded brightly.
Mrs. Anderson shook her head as though there was simply no getting through to her.
“What on earth do you see in that boy? All he ever does is make you work yourself to the bone.”
“Well, it’s not exactly easy to pass that exam.”
“Even so, he should hurry up and pass for your sake. How many years have you been supporting him now?”
Emilia gave an awkward little smile.
“Anyway, if he fails again this time, just give him a good kick in the rear and dump him. Got it?”
“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t just think about it. Actually do something! He’s such a smart boy, yet whenever it comes to this, he turns into a big old bear…”
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll put my thoughts into action and go home now, shall I?”
Before Mrs. Anderson could continue lecturing her, Emilia quickly untied her apron.
“Good grief. Fine. Go on, off you go.”
Mrs. Anderson waved her hand impatiently, urging her to leave.
Jingle—
After leaving the general store, Emilia headed straight for the grocery shop.
But before long, she stopped, her expression darkening.
Although she had joked around with Mrs. Anderson, she had actually been extremely nervous inside.
What if he fails again?
To be honest, she was beginning to feel a little helpless.
The exam her fiancé, Cedric, had been taking for several years was none other than the Fifth-Class Administrative Officer Examination.
Anyone from a family of baronet rank or higher was eligible to take it, and those who passed were granted the right to serve in the Imperial Palace.
Naturally, the competition was fierce, and the exam itself was notoriously difficult.
That was why most applicants hired private tutors to prepare for it.
But Cedric was a fallen noble from a family struggling financially, and he was also supporting his widowed mother.
Because of that, Emilia had taken full responsibility for both his studies and his financial needs.
Of course, she was nothing more than a commoner living in a rural village.
But, rather unusually, she possessed the memories of her past life, which made all of this possible.
Well, I suppose the fact that this is a world inside a novel is rather unusual too.
Still, as far as Emilia was concerned, she had nothing to do with the story.
She was merely living in a small rural village.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was whether Cedric passed.
Still, I should make an extra effort and prepare a nice meal today.
Emilia rubbed her stiff shoulders as she resumed walking toward the grocery shop.
—
“Mother, I’m home.”
“Come in.”
“Is Cedric still not back?”
Emilia entered the house and looked around.
“If he were here, would I be sitting around like this?”
Mrs. Romans snapped back without even looking at her.
“I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry for asking something so pointless.”
Emilia apologized with a gentle smile.
It seemed Mrs. Romans had been waiting anxiously ever since Cedric had left.
If that was the case, Cedric should be somewhere near the village entrance right now.
Waiting for the postman who came to the village once a week.
And the letter he was waiting to receive was the notification of his exam results from the Imperial Palace.
“Emilia.”
“Yes?”
“Even if Cedric failed, don’t you dare let him see that you’re disappointed! Do you understand?”
Mrs. Romans gave her a stern warning, her eyes sharp.
“Of course. I understand.”
Emilia calmly nodded.
In truth, Mrs. Romans was always the one who struggled to maintain her composure, but Emilia saw no reason to point that out.
A short while later, hurried footsteps approached, followed by the door being thrown open.
“Cedric?”
Emilia turned around and called his name.
But Cedric’s expression was strangely dazed.
When she lowered her gaze, she saw a crumpled letter clutched tightly in his hand.
Don’t tell me…
Emilia quickly hid her disappointment.
Then, forcing a smile, she reached out toward his shoulder.
“Cedric, it’s all right. Even if you didn’t pass this time, you can try again next year…”
But before her hand could reach his shoulder, Cedric suddenly raised his head.
“No…”
“Huh?”
“I said no! Cedric Romans has become a Fifth-Class official of the Imperial Palace!”
Mrs. Romans, who had been standing there anxiously, widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Really? Is that really true?”
“If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!”
With an excited voice, he held out the notification in his hand.
Mrs. Romans hurriedly took the paper and scanned it.
“Oh, my goodness!”
Overcome with emotion, she threw her arms around Cedric.
“My son! My son! I knew you could do it! You did it! You really did it! I can die without a single regret now!”
“What are you talking about? From now on, you can finally live in comfort!”
Cedric shouted excitedly, his face flushed with pride.
“Exactly! Someone as talented as me was bound to get selected eventually! I was simply unlucky all those years!”
“Of course, of course!”
While Mrs. Romans eagerly agreed with everything Cedric said, Emilia quietly picked up the notification that had fallen to the floor.
Sure enough, Cedric’s name was written there, along with the words confirming his acceptance.
He really passed…
The strength drained from Emilia’s legs, and she sank heavily to the floor.
It hardly felt real.
At the same time, all the hardships she had endured over the past several years flashed through her mind like a panorama.
She had worked at the shop from morning until sunset, earning money, and devoted all her remaining time to Cedric.
She had prepared dinner for both Mrs. Romans and Cedric, of course.
She had also studied administrative and legal texts and even created practice questions for him, doing everything she could to support his studies.
She had somehow made use of the experience from her previous life, when she herself had passed the civil service examination.
It would have been a lie to say that she hadn’t grown exhausted from that life.
“Hey, why are you crying?”
Cedric grumbled when he saw Emilia’s shoulders trembling slightly.
“Exactly. It’s a happy day, so why are you crying? Honestly, you’re such a sentimental fool.”
“I’m just happy.”
Embarrassed, Emilia quickly wiped away her tears.
Then she smiled brightly at the two people who would soon become her family.
Never once imagining what Cedric would say after returning from the capital following his appointment ceremony.
—
One month later.
Worry clouded Emilia’s face as she stared at the calendar, where she had circled a particular date.
“Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
The day Cedric was supposed to return had long since passed.
Even if his schedule, including the appointment ceremony, had taken longer than expected, this was far too late.
Did something happen to him?
The problem was that he hadn’t sent a single word of news.
Emilia didn’t even know where Cedric was staying, so unless he contacted her first, there was no way for her to know what was happening.
After staring at the calendar for a long while, Emilia abruptly stood up.
This won’t do. I should go ask Mrs. Romans.
—
Knock, knock.
Emilia stood outside the house, waiting for Mrs. Romans to answer.
But no response came, even after quite some time.
Is she not home?
She glanced toward the windows and saw bright light spilling through them.
She could even faintly hear voices from inside.
Just as she was about to knock again, the door suddenly flew open.
“…Cedric?”
Emilia stared at him in bewilderment.
The person standing before her was the very man she had been waiting for all this time.
“Uh… uh?”
“What took you so long? If you were already back, you should have told me right away. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”
Seeing that Cedric had returned home without bothering to tell her, Emilia couldn’t help feeling hurt.
Still, she looked him over carefully, checking to make sure he hadn’t been injured anywhere.
At least he doesn’t seem to be hurt.
If anything, his face was positively glowing, perhaps from enjoying the finer things in the capital.
Emilia decided to take comfort in the fact that nothing seemed to have happened to him.
But there was something strange about Cedric.
After awkwardly shifting his eyes around for a moment, he subtly slipped his arm out of her grasp.
Why is he acting like this?
Then, at that very moment, a woman peeked out from behind Cedric.
Emilia’s gaze naturally shifted toward her.
“…Who is she?”
