Two weeks after the informal tea party at the palace, Alicia managed to attend her magic department classes without once running into either Joshua or Mariabelle.
She had caught up with the coursework, and her exam results were excellent.
During a break, she was eating a light meal with Brian, whose free period happened to coincide with hers, and Miranda, a girl she had recently grown close to.
“Still, it’s amazing. Both you and Brian transferred in during your third year, and you’ve already overtaken everyone in grades.”
Miranda washed down her sandwich with tea as she spoke.
“That’s not true. During experiments, I’m always impressed by your ideas, Miranda.”
In the magic department, social rank did not matter, and students addressed one another without honorifics. At first, the familiarity had startled Alicia, but now she found it comfortable.
Even so, Brian and Miranda had seemed cautious around her at the beginning, mindful that she was a daughter of the Wellston family.
“So, what are you two planning to do after graduation? I want to work at the Ministry of Magic. Before enrolling, I thought about joining the Mage Corps, but after monster-subjugation training, I hated it. People do get killed in action, after all.”
Alicia nodded at Miranda’s words.
She herself had participated recently, and the tension had been very real.
“I’ll probably return to my country. I don’t really know what comes after that,” Brian said.
“So you’re going home, Brian… that’s sad,” Alicia murmured.
Miranda looked at her in sudden realization.
“Oh, right. You’re a noble lady of the Wellston family.”
“Even so, I have dreams of my own.”
“Becoming Crown Princess?” Miranda asked.
Alicia smiled.
“I want to make magical tools.”
“Really? While being Crown Princess? That sounds kind of amazing.”
“Not at all. It’s just a dream. I’d like to make things myself and sell them in a shop.”
“What?”
“Why?” both Miranda and Brian exclaimed in surprise.
“Is it really that shocking?” Alicia blinked.
“No, it’s just… too modest,” Brian said.
“I agree! You get great grades, your magic power is high, and your control is excellent. You’re surprisingly unambitious,” Miranda added.
Alicia tilted her head.
“I’m not good at socializing. My stepsister is far better at that sort of thing. And she’s very cute, too.”
Just then, someone cleared his throat behind them.
Startled, all three turned around.
For some reason, Samuel was standing there.
“Hello, Alicia. It’s been a while.”
“Yes… it has.”
The moment Alicia saw him, she felt her expression stiffen.
Without asking permission, Samuel sat down at their table.
Miranda, being a commoner, looked troubled and glanced at Alicia, while Brian shot Samuel an openly annoyed look.
“Do you need something from me? If so, perhaps we should move elsewhere,” Alicia said.
“No, this is fine,” Samuel replied, shaking his head.
“Lord Samuel, you’re not in the magic department, are you? Why are you in this cafeteria?”
“Didn’t you know? Magic knight students are technically allowed to use this dining hall too.”
Hearing this for the first time, Alicia looked to Brian and Miranda. Both nodded.
Brian spoke up.
“That’s right. But magic knight students are prideful. They avoid this down-to-earth place and stick to the fancy cafeteria where the nobles gather.”
Samuel’s blue-gray eyes met Brian’s honey-colored ones.
The air grew tense. Miranda, the only commoner there, looked at Alicia as if pleading for help.
In truth, Alicia’s own heart was pounding, sensing trouble, but she decided that helping Miranda came first.
She leaned close and whispered.
“Sorry, Miranda. You don’t need to worry. You have practical training next, right? You shouldn’t be late. Go on ahead.”
“R-right… sorry. Alicia, I’ll head out first, then.”
As Miranda quietly stood up, Samuel called out sharply.
“Wait. What did you just say?”
For once, Samuel looked almost intimidating as he stared at her.
“Please stop, Lord Samuel. This is the magic department, not the general course,” Alicia said.
Samuel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Miranda, it’s really all right. Leave this to me.”
“All right. Alicia… sorry, I think I messed something up!”
With that, Miranda hurried off, looking apologetic.
“Alicia. You are the Crown Prince’s fiancée. Why does a commoner address you so casually? Does that girl not even know basic etiquette?”
“There is no need for such things in the magic department. This is a place for practice and research, not for social maneuvering.”
Samuel frowned briefly, then relaxed.
“You have a point.”
He answered lightly, as if nothing had happened.
“So, what do you need?” Alicia asked.
Samuel smiled.
“There’s something I don’t want anyone else to hear. But I can’t very well speak alone with a woman who has a fiancé in some secluded place, can I? That’s why I came here. This is a public space.”
“Does that mean you want me to leave?” Brian said.
Alicia did not know the history between Brian and Samuel, but it was clear they knew each other and not on good terms.
(He seemed so affable before, but perhaps it’s only natural. He is, after all, the son of a ducal house… domineering, in his own way.)
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