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Chapter 07
For a moment, Cecilia found herself wondering whether those eyes—those clear, violet eyes—were truly the kind in which madness could reside.
They were clean to that extent—almost too clean.
“Alex?”
Armand urged him again.
“All right. I’ll pick it up when I go to school this afternoon.”
Alexis replied without protest.
Only then did he finally tear his gaze away from her and look at his father, and only then was Cecilia able to escape the strange moment his eyes had bestowed upon her.
That feeling—of her heart alone rustling noisily within the calm of his steady gaze—well…
‘How should I put it…’
Without realizing it, her hand had clenched into a fist. She hesitantly opened it again.
Rather than thinking any further, she handed her brother the pepper shaker.
Alexis always ate his scrambled eggs with green pepper.
He snatched it up eagerly and began shaking it with gusto.
That innocent, lively behavior—did he know or not that it was like tossing a small stone straight into the hearts of those watching?
Armand reached out and playfully ruffled his son’s hair.
“Ah—what was that for, all of a sudden—”
Alexis grumbled as he tried to dodge his father’s hand. Over their affectionate exchange, Marisa’s quiet laughter settled softly.
The warmth of familial harmony began to paint over the dim reality.
What emerged instead were only warm, radiant moments, like the shimmer of sunlight on a sunset lake.
Cecilia watched them willingly.
It was around the time when the sun stood directly overhead.
The coachman, who had brought the carriage at the princess’s command, felt his nerves tighten as he looked at the two children standing side by side.
Surely they weren’t the only ones riding, right? Her Highness would be coming along too… right?
The coachmen of Pontref often joked that they would rather drive the carriage straight into a stream than carry Prince Alexis and the young lady of House Houston alone together.
The sad part was that it wasn’t entirely a joke.
Watching anxiously, the coachman fell into despair when it became clear that Princess Cecilia would not be boarding.
“Alex, Blanche?”
At that moment, the princess placed her hand firmly on her hip.
“Don’t fight on the way to the academy. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Yes, Sister!”
“I’ll be checking later, both of you!”
“I said we won’t fight…”
“…Yes. Understood.”
Thankfully, Her Highness had even issued a stern warning.
Long live Pontref’s treasured jewel!
May she shine forever.
The two children—whose personalities were questionable but whose looks were undeniably perfect—climbed into the carriage side by side, and the coachman closed the door after confirming they were seated.
Right beside him, the princess was smiling beautifully.
“Thank you, as always. And if…”
She pointed straight into the carriage with her thumb.
“If those two troublemakers start fighting, tell me immediately. All right?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
He replied loudly, sincerity mixed into his voice.
Soon, accompanied by the spirited cries of the horses, the carriage began to roll away.
As Cecilia waved her hand lightly in farewell, Alexis and Blanche, peering out from inside, waved back.
Warmth overflowed from the smile of the woman seeing them off.
Cecilia continued to watch from where she stood until the carriage turned the corner and disappeared.
“I can’t believe we have to go to the academy during vacation!”
Blanche complained, and Alexis shot back casually.
“You and I both need to go if we’re going to attend my sister’s debutante ball. We have to get tested, don’t we?”
“Well… that’s true.”
Blanche flopped back in her seat, swinging her feet.
“Your Highness probably didn’t see it, but I know the design of my sister’s dress~! At the debutante ball, she’s going to be insanely beautiful!”
Judging by her dreamy, light-green gaze, she was clearly imagining Cecilia dressed for the occasion.
“Pretty is the best! I’ve seen it!”
The light-brown-haired girl suddenly threw her arm up and cheered.
Her smugness was so irritating that Alexis had to suppress the urge to smack her.
‘My sister told us not to fight.’
Endure it. Just endure.
He turned his gaze sharply toward the window.
At some point they had left Pontref behind, and under the clear sky stretched the watercolor-like summer scenery unique to Saint-Löec.
Alexis admired the city where he had been born and raised all his life, shimmering under the gentle sunlight.
It was an ordinary summer day in Saint-Löec.
A woman in a green dress walked briskly, parasol in hand, while children ran toward their father clutching cotton candy.
The poplar leaves were a lovely pale green, and the Havel River encircling the city was, as always, clear and blue.
Sunlight glimmered faintly across the calm surface of the water.
“But, Your Highness—are you confident you can maintain your rank?”
They were crossing the bridge when Blanche asked.
Alexis glanced sideways and looked at Blanche, now sitting properly upright.
There was a reason she could ask so casually, as if it were someone else’s problem. When a mage nearly went berserk and then stabilized, their mana temporarily decreased…
In other words, Blanche Houston had no reason to worry about failing the mana examination.
‘Lucky you.’
Hiding his honest thoughts, Alexis gave a small nod.
“The instructors said your mana increased again, didn’t they? They said it’s at a record level.”
“So far, I’ve been fine.”
“……”
“So it should turn out okay.”
After hesitating, he added in a slightly quieter voice.
He made no attempt to hide the stiffness in his expression.
Blanche, too, fell silent.
It wasn’t a topic to joke about lightly, and more than anything, she couldn’t help but understand the tension the boy before her felt.
If his mana dropped into the danger category, the Mage Tower would keep him under strict surveillance.
Not only would outings be forbidden, he might be confined—yes, confined—to an isolation chamber.
In extremely severe cases, she had even heard that the mage’s eyesight would be taken entirely.
The justification being that blindness temporarily reduced the risk of berserk outbreaks.
‘…Ugh. He’ll really be okay, right?’
Even though she sometimes wanted to grab the prince by the hair, she didn’t want him locked away somewhere.
So Blanche found herself even more nervous than the person concerned.
Perhaps because of that—
Even when they arrived at Ribe Academy and hopped down from the carriage, she was only half-aware.
She twisted her ankle and staggered loudly.
“Please be careful.”
She was rescued along with a blunt voice of concern.
The person who caught her arm and prevented her knees from smashing into the ground was none other than—
“Sir Thierry!”
Blanche cried out, eyes shining—completely oblivious to the anxiety flickering across Alexis Lucien’s face.
Blanche Houston’s face as seen in the forest was clearly—well—uh—clearly love at first sight—uh—mm—ngh—
“We really are fated—!”
“Are you insane?!”
Alexis clamped a hand over his friend’s mouth and dragged her away on the spot.
Whether Blanche muffled protests or flailed about, he remained mercilessly firm.
Only after they reached a deserted area did he finally release the crazed filly.
The light-brown-haired bomb gasped for air, huffing angrily.
“Hey! Why’d you stop me?!”
“What were you about to say just now?”
Alexis glared down at her, brow furrowed.
Do you have any idea I just saved you from a lifetime of suffering?
‘Ungrateful little mutt.’
Blanche finally seemed to regain her senses, rolling her big eyes around.
“…Um, I was going to say it was a lucky day! A lucky day!”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Yes!”
“Do I look like an idiot?”
“Yes! Ah—um—that slipped out…”
Blanche hesitated, and Alexis pressed his fingers to his forehead. What am I even supposed to do with this?
“Want me to pretend I’m fooled?”
“Please.”
“Fine, then.”
I didn’t want to hear the word “fate” from you anyway.
The very next moment after grumbling inwardly, the boy despaired with all his heart.
“Why did I ever do you a favor?”
“You want to help people and get cursed at, Your Highness?”
“I’m being honest, damn it…”
“Wow, you got helped and you’re not even grateful! You damn prince bastard!”
“You’re under arrest for lèse-majesté, Lady Houston.”
Blanche turned her creaking head and found Thierry Esdier standing there with a composed expression.
She didn’t know how much of their conversation he had heard, but he appeared calm nonetheless.
“Why are you here, Sir Thierry?”
The moment she asked in her sweetest possible voice, the damn same-aged boy beside her made a horrified face.
Wow.
Forget lèse-majesté—she seriously wanted to kick him hard.
Suppressing the urge with great effort, Blanche listened carefully to Thierry’s reply.
“Ah, now that I think about it, I failed to mention it yesterday. My apologies. Starting this summer, I’ll be working as an instructor at Ribe Academy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. For now, you should both go inside. Sir Yulike is waiting for you.”
Thierry moved ahead first, and Blanche quickly followed at a light trot.
Alexis watched their retreating figures, unable to hide his incredulous expression.
I swear I can practically see a white puppy tail wagging right now—makes me want to stab my eyes out…
‘Sister, I miss you so, so much.’
He thought of Cecilia with a touch of pitiful longing.
Then he lifted his head and stared quietly at the academy building before him.
The shadow of the towering structure swallowed him whole. The reality he had briefly forgotten amid the commotion settled back down, dark and heavy.
Tension stiffened the back of his neck.
Alexis bit his lip and slowly took a step forward.
…The test results came out exactly three hours later.
Maintaining his composure in accordance with the palace etiquette ingrained in him, Alexis accepted the envelope handed to him by Yulike, the headmaster of Ribe Academy.
“So, Your Highness. The rank is—”
He half-listened as he unfolded the report.
Hurriedly.
And with desperate, earnest hope.
