TMM 7

Because Alicia was a marquess’s daughter, she was never openly bullied.

Even so, there was no mistaking that she was being looked down upon. Her former classmates began to keep their distance, circling her from afar.

Gradually, she found herself eating alone in the cafeteria more and more often, tormented by Lily and the others’ suppressed giggles.

In the end, Alicia stopped eating there altogether.

There was no reason she needed to sit alone like a spectacle in a place where royalty and nobility gathered.

There were other dining halls available, and so she began using the dormitory dining room instead.

Only students who lived in the dorms were allowed inside, which meant she never had to cross paths with Mariabelle.

At times, she had sandwiches prepared and sat alone on a bench in the academy’s vast gardens, quietly eating by herself.

A month passed after Alicia began taking her meals elsewhere. Joshua said nothing, and the snickering laughter within the classroom continued as before.

Alicia wished only to pass her academy days quietly, without drawing attention.

She assumed that Mariabelle was now dining with Joshua in her stead.

The twice-monthly tea gatherings she once shared with him before enrolling at the academy disappeared as his official duties increased.

(Am I truly still His Highness’s fiancée?)

At times, she even wondered whether it had all been her own misunderstanding.

Only her queenly education persisted, unrelenting as ever.

One day, as Alicia was eating alone in the dormitory dining room, someone spoke to her.

“Lady Alicia, may I sit here?”

It was Françoise Moore, the dormitory head and a final-year student. She was the daughter of a distinguished count and carried herself with unmistakable grace.

“Yes, of course.”

Though she allowed her to sit, Alicia felt uneasy. She had never spoken with Françoise beyond administrative matters.

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Those words alone made Alicia’s heart leap. She feared it might be another unpleasant rumor involving Mariabelle.

“…What is it, Lady Moore?” she asked, lifting her gaze cautiously.

“Please call me Fran. I may be your senior, but your rank is higher than mine.”

With an easy smile, Françoise continued.

“I have a favor to ask, but would you listen to me?”

“Yes. If there’s anything I can help with.”

Naturally shy, Alicia kept her guard up even as she returned a polite smile. Years of queenly training had taught her at least that much.

“I’m engaged to the heir of a count’s house, and he’s a truly wonderful man.”

The unexpected confession made Alicia blink.

“I’m aware of him. Lord Patrick Hubert, is it not? He seems a very fine gentleman.”

Patrick was undeniably handsome. Alicia offered a neutral response, and Françoise gave a wry smile.

“The truth is, there are rumors that Patrick is being unfaithful.”

“What? Lord Hubert?”

“Yes. With a baron’s daughter in my class, Charlotte.”

Alicia gasped.

“Then… why are you telling me this?”

Most of Alicia’s female friendships had faded, and she was not close to Françoise. She hardly seemed a suitable confidante for matters of the heart.

“I may be speaking out of turn, but I thought your situation was similar to mine.”

“……”

Alicia felt as though her chest were being crushed. If even an upperclassman like Françoise knew, then surely the matter of Mariabelle and Joshua had become common gossip throughout the academy.

“By the way, have you heard of the mirror in the academy’s clock tower?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Alicia had no idea where this conversation was heading.

“There’s an old mirror on the fourth floor of the clock tower at the back of the academy. Supposedly, if you go there at two in the morning on a full moon, it will show you your future self.”

“That can’t possibly be true,” Alicia said with an awkward smile, tilting her head.

It sounded like nothing more than a ghost story.

She had never been particularly interested in such tales.

(Fran is such a composed person… whatever could have come over her?)

She could not help but wonder.

“I’m not entirely convinced myself. But there’s a rumor that the mirror was created by a graduate of the magic department over ten years ago.”

“I see.”

Alicia had already finished her meal and was thinking it might be time to excuse herself.

“So here’s my request. The full moon is in a week. Would you go with me?”

“In a week? But the dormitory curfew is at eight in the evening.”

When Alicia looked startled, Fran gave a mischievous smile.

“If I’m with you, it won’t be a problem. Besides, you wanted to enroll in the magic department, didn’t you?”

“Um… how did you know that?”

At once, Alicia’s eyes darted about uneasily.

“I’ve seen you reading magic books in the library. Everyone calls you a bookworm, but that’s not the truth, is it? You understand everything the moment it’s taught in class.”

She had been seen through.

“Were you watching me?”

Fran laughed softly.

“Actually, I was instructed by Her Majesty the Queen to keep an eye on you. At the academy, it’s customary for a crown princess candidate to be monitored. And that role must be filled by a neutral noble. But I’m graduating soon, so my duty ends here. I don’t know who will take over.”

A chill ran down Alicia’s spine.

“Then… is this some kind of final test? If I refuse the temptation, I pass?”

“No. I never reported that you’ve been secretly studying magic.”

“Why not? I don’t think it would have put me at a disadvantage.”

She felt a little embarrassed that a pastime she had never spoken of was known to someone else.

Even so, it was nothing she ought to be reproached for.