Under her father’s murderous glare, Lilica invited Cynthia into her room to chat.
This was a reasonably spacious and bright room, but right in the middle of it was an open space instead of a large, sturdy bed. The bed, desk, wardrobe, and everything else had all been pushed close to the walls, clearing out as much open floor space as possible.
As soon as Cynthia stepped inside, she felt like something was slightly off, but she could not quite put her finger on it. She could only offer a compliment: “This is such a unique room.”
Lilica invited her to sit on a small sofa in the corner of the room, looking somewhat shy as she explained, “Before you came, I just had someone tidy things up. It was a complete mess in here earlier, with a lot of, well, a lot of books and art portfolios scattered around.”
Tina, the lady-in-waiting, maintained a completely expressionless face.
My lady, you never had any of those in this room. Everything I hauled out was your armor, equipment, and hunting trophies.
“Reading is a wonderful habit,” Cynthia said, easily buying the explanation. “I am so glad you have kept it up all these years.”
Feeling overwhelmingly guilty and terrified that Cynthia might get excited and start lecturing her on various poets and philosophers, Lilica quickly tried to cover. “My memory is terrible, though. I can never remember what I read, and sometimes I have to go through a book three or four times before I even recall what it is about.”
Cynthia offered a gentle, soothing reassurance. “It is completely fine. I could not remember anything at the beginning either. Once you read more, it simply sticks.”
Lilica looked deeply moved. “Sister Cynthia, you are so kind.”
After offering a few more words of comfort, Cynthia finally got around to the real purpose of her visit: “Lilica, the reason I came here this time is because there is something I would like to discuss with you.”
Looking pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed, Lilica replied, “I, is there anything I can possibly help you with?”
“Well, it is indeed something where you can help,” Cynthia said, not wanting to dampen Lilica’s enthusiasm. “At the very least, it is something I consider extremely important.”
Growing a bit excited, Lilica raised her voice slightly. “Sister, just tell me! As long as it is within my power!”
“Take care of your health.” Cynthia pressed down gently on her shoulder, pushing the teacup a little closer to her. “I want to invite you to come study at the Royal Academy.”
Lilica, who had just picked up her teacup, quickly took a small sip to hide her thoroughly shocked expression.
“I know you have barely ever left your family, so it is only natural to feel worried upon hearing something like this,” Cynthia said once Lilica finished drinking, taking one of her hands and offering a reassuring promise. “But do not worry. I will take care of you, and Carlo will as well. Besides, the academy has just opened literature and history courses, which happen to suit you perfectly.”
A complicated expression flickered across Lilica’s face. “Sister Cynthia, why, why did you suddenly think of having me go to school?”
“It is not something I just thought of on the spot. I actually mentioned it to Carlo before,” Cynthia explained. “On one hand, considering your future marriage to Carlo, coming to Gauss to study early would not only help you adapt in advance to noble social circles in the capital, but it would also allow you to nurture your relationship with Carlo. On the other hand…”
As she reached this point, she could not help but think of her own past destiny. “I do not want you to pin your entire heart and all your hopes on Carlo. You should go out and see the wider world. Well, although Carlo is indeed a reliable and good man, unexpected twists of fate happen to everyone.”
Lilica paused to consider what kind of misfortune could possibly befall someone with Carlo’s family background and capabilities. “The Kamans family has been condemned by the king?”
Cynthia chuckled softly. “No.”
“Is it because Carlo has fallen gravely ill and does not have long to live?”
“Not quite.” Carlo was still a long way from dying.
“Then?”
“Stop guessing wildly.” Cynthia tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said quite earnestly, “I simply believe that a woman should never stake everything she has entirely on a man.”
Such words bordered on rebellious, especially given that Cynthia held the status of a royal fiancée.
Lilica frowned. “Sister, has His Highness been bullying you?”
Cynthia startled slightly, turning her head away with an unnatural stiffness. “Why would you ask such a thing?”
“Sister, you really are being bullied!” Lilica completely forgot about pretending to be frail, scrambling eagerly to her feet. “You are only saying you want me to go to school because you are afraid Carlo might bully me too!”
Cynthia was taken aback by Lilica’s sharp intuition, but she was not the type of person to lay open her wounds for others to see. Instead of digging deeper into the topic, she followed the thread of Lilica’s emotion and asked, “So, are you willing to come to school? During the few days before classes start, you can stay at my home. My mother and father went away to a neighboring country on business and will be gone for some time, so you do not have to worry about inconveniencing anyone.”
Lilica hesitated. “Well, Sister Cynthia, do I really have to study history and literature?”
“You need to have a primary focus for your studies,” Cynthia said. “Your affinity for magic is very low. You were so heartbroken after your test back then, and you cried in my arms for a long time. Do you remember? As for swordsmanship…”
Lilica slumped defeatedly back down into her seat. Right, I know swordsmanship is definitely not the remaining path a young lady is supposed to be studying.
“You can think it over carefully; there is no need to give me your answer right away,” Cynthia said softly. “I will be staying here for the night and heading back to the capital tomorrow morning. We can discuss it with your parents right at dinner time.”
With her mind completely blank, Lilica stared straight ahead. Fine, whatever.
At dinner time, Earl Doyle’s very first reaction upon hearing Cynthia’s suggestion was, “Absolutely not. Where on earth would Lilica understand any of those subjects?”
If his daughter could manage to absorb even a shred of proper lady-like etiquette, he would not have been agonizing over her marriage prospects until now. It was one thing when only people on familiar terms knew about it, but now she was going to expose her shortcomings to the entire noble circle of the capital?
Lilica would never manage to get married at all!
His wife, however, clearly did not see it that way.
Madam Doyle cupped her cheeks, gazing in absolute admiration at her daughter’s long, flowing hair and the dress she wore, completely overwhelmed by the blissful feeling of a dream come true. “Going to Gauss sounds wonderful! My daughter is so pretty that the moment she shows her face, everyone will be completely captivated by her.”
Cynthia wholeheartedly agreed with that point. “Lilica is genuinely the gentlest and most considerate girl I have ever met. Above all else, she possesses a heart that cares deeply for others. Such wonderful qualities make her shine just like a precious jewel.”
Earl Doyle had originally wanted to blurt out, “Just look at her acting like a rough man? She’s more suited to beating people down with a greatsword!” But right before the words left his mouth, he suddenly noticed that Lilica was being unusually quiet today. Although she was still a far cry from Cynthia’s standard of a true lady, this could at least be counted as a rare display of quiet composure. And all of this seemed to have started right around the time she heard Cynthia was coming…
Ivor, sitting right next to Lilica, cast a suspicious glance at his sister and whispered, “That was just polite small talk. Why are you blushing?”
“Shut up and eat your food.”
Madam Doyle acted like she had finally found a kindred spirit. “I keep telling everyone that Lilica’s wonderful traits are bound to be discovered by someone eventually!”
“It is not just me. Carlo feels the same way,” Lilica had no intention of hogging all the spotlight. “When I was chatting with him previously, he even brought up the topic of his marriage to Lilica. It is just that he has to study in Gauss while Lilica cannot handle the exhaustion of long-distance travel, making it hard for them to find time to cultivate their relationship…”
Upon hearing those words, Earl Doyle looked as though a sudden flame had ignited within his eyes. “Then she is going to Gauss! Off to school with Carlo!”
Cynthia, who had prepared a whole stack of persuasive arguments, sat in silence. Just like that? She agrees?
Lilica, who could tell from her old man’s expression that she had no hope of stopping it, thought to herself: My dad really will pull off anything in this world just to marry me off.
Young Ivor let out an old-man-style sigh of profound weariness: “Gauss really is a magical place.”
Whether it was my dad or my sister, the moment they hear that name, they act like completely different people.
It is truly amazing.
Rolling her eyes, Lilica shoved a piece of bread across the table toward her little brother without saying a word, though her body language spoke volumes: Shut up and just eat your food!
After dinner, the Doyle family spent a short while chatting together before preparing to turn in for the night.
Cynthia, who was long accustomed to the bustling nightlife of the capital, felt somewhat out of place. “Um, do you not do anything else to pass the time? Like playing a game of chess?”
Sensing her discomfort, Lilica explained, “People in the countryside go to sleep very early and wake up early in the morning to start their chores. So after we moved out here, it only took a few years for us to fall into the same routine. Sister Cynthia, if you cannot sleep, I can have Tina show you around for a bit.”
She had originally wanted to say “I can show you around,” but fortunately, she remembered her frail illness persona just in time.
“There is no need. Everyone is resting, and us wandering around outside will only disturb your household.” Cynthia thought for a moment before asking, “If it is all right with you, perhaps I could go read a book in the study for a little while?”
“I suppose you can,” Lilica said with a somewhat troubled expression. “It is just that our family has not used magic lamps in a long time. Right now, we only have these ordinary kerosene lamps. If you try to read by this kind of light…”
“It does not matter,” Cynthia said dismissively. “As long as I can read, that is enough.”
Lilica could not help growing a bit curious. “Sister Cynthia, are your courses at the academy really that demanding? You still need to find time to read even when you are traveling?”
“Not quite. I just have a few personal matters I want to look into.”
“Is it very important?”
“Extremely important.”
Given Cynthia’s noble and prestigious status, even if she were to call off her engagement with Mita and offend the Holy Maiden, the worst-case scenario would simply be retiring to her family’s rural estates to live out a peaceful life. There was no way she would ever sink to the point of struggling and scraping by in a remote border town.
Yet the reason she did was because “she” had confronted the Holy Maiden and the prince right at their engagement ceremony, in full view of a massive crowd, and attacked the two central figures of the ceremony using a ceremonial noble wand before being subdued on the spot by Royal Academy magic professor Andrei.
Even after being restrained, “she” had continued to struggle frantically, relentlessly cursing the Holy Maiden, the prince, and even the entire nation itself.
Furious, the king had ordered her banished to the borderlands and sternly reprimached her father.
And yet, Cynthia herself possessed absolutely no memory of any of it.