CHAPTER 6 - ASTRICTION

Half a month had passed since the attack on Garrelia Fortress, and the activities of the Imperial Liberation Front were on the minds of every person in the Empire. The terrorists' two-pronged assault on both Garrelia Fortress and the Zemurian Trade Conference made it abundantly clear that they were no mere insurgents. Security across the Empire increased in the weeks following the incident, from the Railway Military Police increasing the number of patrols they conducted to the Noble Faction bolstering their provincial armies. And amidst the tension that was brewing in the Empire, there was also trouble brewing abroad. During the trade conference, one of the representatives of Crossbell's state government announced that Crossbell would soon declare its independence, breaking free from the neighboring nations of Erebonia and Calvard. While both the Noble and Reformist factions paid the declaration no mind, it sent ripples throughout the Empire and across the entire continent. The balance of power in the world was beginning to shift.

As for what all this entailed for Class VII, there was talk that the festering turmoil in the empire and the activities of the ILF could endanger the field studies. And so, as the first board meeting of the year steadily approached, the class waited in bated breath to see what fate would befall them. Miraculously, in a unanimous vote, the board of directors decided that the field studies would continue for the current month. With that worry out of the way, the members of Class VII could dedicate all their attention to the main attraction of the coming months: the school festival.

"It's been three days since the board meeting, and we still haven't figured out what we're going to do!"

Morgan sprawled her arms onto the table inside the Engineering Building. School had concluded for the day, and she wanted to get her ARCUS fine-tuned before tomorrow's free day and, by extension, another expedition into the old schoolhouse. George and Angelica were also inside doing maintenance on the orbal bike, and so after her ARCUS was properly outfitted, she was invited to stay for some evening tea. The discussion inevitably turned to what Class VII was planning to do for the school festival, at which point Morgan began to complain about her class' current predicament.

"Well, you've had so much on your plate with field studies, so who can blame you?" George figured. "Do you guys know what everyone else is doing?"

"Well, Bridget said Class II is making an indoor rose garden, and she also mentioned Alan and Class IV are building a cafe. Mint told me that Class III is holding some sort of Blade tournament, and I think I heard from Alisa that Class I is performing an operetta? One of her clubmates in the Lacrosse Club was boasting about how she was going to play the leading role. I don't know anyone in Class V, but I think I saw some Mishy merchandise hanging around their classroom, so maybe they're doing something with that?"

"I can definitely confirm Class I," said Angelica. "As someone who took part in last year's play, I'm definitely interested in seeing how they're going to follow that up."

"Really? You did?"

"She did," George confirmed. "THAT was popular, especially after it was revealed that she'd be playing the role of the leading man."

"Wait, MAN?!"

Angelica chuckled fondly at the memory. "I must say, I pulled off the gentleman look pretty well."

"Yeah, you were effective at captivating the audience, men and women alike. I'm still surprised the auditorium was left standing after that night."

"Haha! Those were fun times! But not as fun as seeing what Towa's class was up to. They did a cat cafe."

"Cat cafe?" Morgan asked. That was a term she was unfamiliar with. "Is that a cafe where you get to play with cats?"

"That would usually be the case. But Thors has that no pets rule, so Towa's class just made the whole thing cat-themed instead. Cat-themed decorations, cat-themed food, even the straws were made to look like catnip."

"You're forgetting about the important part, George!" Angelica pointed a finger at the pudgy boy.

"Right, how can I forget…" George coughed. "The cat-themed maid outfits."

"The…what now?" Now Morgan wasn't sure if they were being serious or not. What sort of cafe WAS this?

"Here! I took a commemorative photo with Towa. Oh, she looked so purr-fect, she basically acted as the class mascot!"

Angelica handed Morgan a photograph of herself standing next to Towa. The purple-haired noble was dressed very handsomely, presumably the costume that she wore for her class' play. Towa, meanwhile, was dressed in a cute dress with a frilly apron that had a paw print on it. She was also wearing a headband with cat ears for extra cute points. Morgan couldn't help but notice that both Angelica and Towa looked relatively similar to how they looked now, except maybe Angelica had grown a little taller, so in a way, it made them feel like they were friends for much longer than they actually were.

There was, however, one small detail that Morgan couldn't help but focus on.

"Why is the dress so short?! That's not a maid outfit; that's just a waitress uniform that happens to look like a maid outfit!"

"So nitpicky…" Angelica remarked. "Then again, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from Princess Alfin's personal attendant."

"S-Sorry, old habits." Morgan handed the photo back to her upperclassman. "But seriously though, if you tried wearing something like that to a fancy party, you might as well have written yourself a death sentence."

Angelica chuckled to herself. "You're awfully cute when you're angry, Mona. I can see why that asshole loves getting a kick out of pushing your buttons."

"You're still not over him taking the bike?"

"Oh, I am. It's sad what happened to his friend, don't get me wrong. And we all made sure to give him some space. Still, that doesn't make the fact that he took it without my knowledge any less true!" The purple-haired woman started cracking her knuckles. "That was meant to be my one night where I could have my darling Towa all to myself! No way I could just let him off the hook with a simple 'I'm sorry.'"

"So that's why you punched him into the pool?" Morgan tilted her head in confusion. "I thought you guys were supposed to be friends."

"That's just Angelica's way of reminding Crow that we're here for him," George explained. "If he'd at least talked to us beforehand, we could've searched for another alternative instead of just creating one big misunderstanding."

"Right! Exactly my point!"

Morgan wondered if this is what people referred to when they talk about "tough love." Still, it was a valuable lesson to remember. "Now if only he could help us with our own class…" she grumbled.

"Well, Crow's a second year, so he doesn't have to participate."

"Yeah. After all the stunts he pulled off last year? For once, I'd say that he earned his vacation."

"What do you guys mean?"

"He was the real star of the show, believe it or not," George said. "He helped out at a lot of different places and used his connections to get his classmates easy access to the materials they needed. Not to mention, he organized our performance that closed out the festival."

"A performance…?" That piqued Morgan's interest. "Like a musical performance?"

"Yup. Me, Angelica, Crow, and Towa formed our own little band. It was sort of a last minute thing, but as soon as Crow gave us the general idea, we were all in on it."

"I'd even go as far to say that it was more popular than my class' play," Angelica added. "It wasn't official or anything, so it wasn't entered into the community vote to see what was the most popular attraction, but if it did? Whoo-hoo! We would've won in a landslide!"

The gears started to turn in Morgan's head. Class VII had noticeably less people in their class than any other, which meant that whatever activity they decided to do would ideally have to capitalize on their small numbers. A concert would most certainly accommodate all of them, provided that there were enough instruments and voices to go around. She could just picture the elation on Elliot's face if heard about the idea; this sort of thing was directly in his area of expertise.

"I don't suppose you could tell me more about this performance, can you?"

"...And of course, the first thing they do is tell me to look for the trickster."

Morgan sighed. She tried to get as much information as she could from George and Angelica, but as it turned out, the both of them were the least involved when it came to the logistics and planning. Towa was currently in a council meeting, which left only Crow as the sole remaining source of information.

But finding him was easier said than done. There were a number of places he usually frequented after school, but over the course of the past few weeks, he was showing up at those places less often. Catching up with his old buddies from his previous class at the Student Union, playing Blade with the children at their usual table in Kirsche's, or even just hanging around the Engineering Building… It was getting harder to predict where he would be next, even for Morgan.

So she did the unthinkable. She called him on her ARCUS.

The good news was that he answered pretty quickly. The bad news? As soon as he heard it was her, Crow proceeded to cheer and act like it was a big deal. It was almost as if getting a call from Morgan was the equivalent to winning the lottery.

"Haha! You just seriously made my day! To think I'd live long enough to see you call me! So tell me, my cute underclassman: what must be so important that you needed to personally get ahold of me?"

Morgan was glad that no one was in her general vicinity when she called him.

Eventually, she agreed to meet him in the Class VII classroom, which was where she was heading to right now.

"I just need to ask him about the performance…" she repeatedly told herself, trying to get her mind off of their earlier phone call.

To her surprise, when she approached her class' homeroom, she found that the door was already open, indicating that someone was already inside. She peeked her head in, and sure enough, Crow was sitting at his desk, staring out the window without a care in the world.

At least, that was how she thought it looked at first. When she squinted her eyes, she noticed that Crow looked oddly…pensive. Almost like he was thinking about something. Combined with the view of the sunset in the background, and it made the entire classroom look like it stepped right out of a painting. If Morgan had a camera on her, she probably would have even taken a picture.

"See something interesting?"

Crow turned around to see her right beside him. "Oh. Hey, Morgs. Nah, it's nothing big."

Morgan frowned. Something was definitely on his mind, otherwise he would have already noticed her entering the classroom. "You suuure?"

"…Alright, you got me. I was just thinking about something."

"And that would be…?"

"I was thinking about…" His serious face promptly vanished, giving way to a grin. "Whether or not you have any more of those notes! Please, you're my only hope!"

Morgan resisted the urge to smack her forehead with her palm. "And here I thought it was something serious…"

"It's serious for me! Come on! Help a guy out, will ya?"

"Have you ever considered, I don't know, writing your own notes, my Trickster?"

"Yeah, but I can't do it as well as you can! The way you put things is really easy to understand!"

Morgan twirled a finger through her hair. "That's only because I asked Emma for pointers. Making a study guide for someone whose grades are lower than yours is a lot harder than you think. And you're a second year student; you can't expect to have a first year like me holding your hand all the way through."

"Hey, if you have resources, don't be afraid to use them!" Crow reasoned. "That's something my grandfather always told me."

"Your…grandfather?"

"Yup. He was like a mom, dad, and an old master rolled into one. Taught me everything a guy would want to know. Stubborn as all hell, but he always loved a good gamble."

"Hehhh…" Morgan hummed to herself. "I guess now we know who to blame for your gambling addiction."

"I'm not addicted! I just love me some good competition!" Crow clarified. "My grandfather was the same. Never count your chips until the last card is played, he always said. There's no way to know how a duel is going to end until it's over."

Morgan cracked a smile. "My father said something similar. There's almost never a 0% or 100% chance of doing something right. Even if the odds aren't in your favor, there's always a chance, no matter how small, to tip the scales."

"Yes! Exactly my point! Your dad knows what's up!"

"Heh. I think my father and your grandfather would have gotten along pretty well." Morgan's smile disappeared upon thinking about her father. 'A shame the two of them won't ever meet…'

"Sooo…" Crow opened his hands. "How about those notes?"

"Maybe before we get to that…" Morgan pointed a nagging finger at him. "Can we first discuss what I came here for?"

"Okay, okay. So let me see if I got this right: you're thinking of doing a performance for your class' activity, and you want me to show you the ropes of how it works."

"Don't forget that you're part of our class, too," she reminded him. "Second year or not, we're expecting you to pull your weight."

Crow stood up from his seat and stretched. "Alright. Come with me to the computer room. We can discuss this once we're there."

"Why do we need to go there? Aren't we just going to talk?"

"Sure, we can do that. If you're a fan of getting bored. Orrr…" Crow grinned. "I can just show it to you."

"You can do that?"

"The wonders of orbal technology, little Wunderkind!" he said, emulating Instructor Sara's speech patterns. "Hope you're ready to have your mind blown."

...

During the previous year, George had gotten his hands on an experimental "orbal video camera" that was being developed by the Roer Institute of Technology. Said device allowed a person to save recordings of events with visuals and audio intact, almost like a fusion between a radio and a regular camera. Using this video camera, George, Angelica, Towa, and Crow were able to capture their live performance and keep the recording for themselves, which is what Crow had invited Morgan to see. The quality of the video was choppy at times, a testament to how the footage captured came from a prototype, but it was enough for Morgan to feel like she was present in the crowd at that point in time.

"The music we went with is a little something called rock," Crow explained. "It's all about wild energy and throwing yourself out there. School life can be pretty restrictive, you know? That's why we thought this was our chance to get everyone to let loose and have some fun. But in order to do that, we needed to sell it ourselves. Embrace that whole punk aesthetic."

The camera began to zoom in closer to the stage as the four upperclassmen took their places. George took a seat behind a drum kit. Crow and Angelica grabbed two guitars that were hooked on to some odd speaker device. Towa stood in the very front with a microphone in hand, and Morgan immediately took note of her upperclassman's choice of clothes…or relative lack thereof.

"How did you guys convince Towa to put on THAT?!" Morgan exclaimed.

"That's what I mean by embracing the aesthetic!" Crow replied, totally not wearing a satisfied, lecherous expression. "In a concert, everything revolves around the genre of music. The outfits are kind of like an extension of the instruments. Like, would you wear a pair of shorts to a fancy party or a suit and tie to the beach? I swear there's a reason!"

Suddenly, the lights in the video blared to life as a sharp noise tore through the air. Upon closer inspection, Morgan realized that it was the sound of the guitar that Angelica was playing. She had never heard a guitar sound like that, though; was it because of the device the guitars were hooked up to?

Then Towa opened her eyes and began to sing.

"Cry for me, kimi no koe ga kikoeteru…"

That was when everything began to click for Morgan. If rock was about wild energy, then the performers needed to be able to convey that energy themselves. A regular school uniform would have been too restrictive for the sort of energetic movements the rock genre required, not to mention that standing up there all dressed up would have been sweltering. Morgan would know; nobles and servants frequently carried handkerchiefs on themselves so they wouldn't get their clothes wet from the sweat.

"This is…"

Crow nodded his head, muttering to himself, "Yeah. She's getting it…"

Before long, Morgan found herself tapping her foot to the beat of George's drums and bopping her head in time with the music. When the performance inevitably came to a close, with Angelica riffing her guitar wildly and George banging on the cymbals, Morgan began clapping her hands alongside the audience. That was how invested she had become in the performance in just a few minutes.

Elliot might have been on to something when he claimed that music was a powerful tool in the right hands. This video was all the proof they needed.

"So? What do you think? Is your mind blown yet?"

"It's. Perfect." Morgan then stood up and started packing her things. "I gotta go tell Elliot! He's gonna lose his mind when he hears about this!"

She then procured a small stack of papers from the bag containing her notebooks and placed it on the nearest table. "Here's your down payment!"

"Down payment?" Crow exclaimed confusedly. "For what?"

Morgan giggled and responded, "What do you think?" before she raced out of the computer room with her ARCUS in hand. "Hey, Elliot? You got a sec? There's this thing I need you to come see…"

Crow shook his head in exasperation. "How is this a down payment…?"

That was when he grabbed the stack of papers and turned them around. To his surprise, they were the notes that he was trying to pester her into giving. Had she been carrying those in her bag the entire time?

Inspecting the notes further, however, revealed they were different from the ones from before. The notes he received after he came back from his little trip were standard lecture notes, jotting down all the main points as they came up and adding in answers to questions that were asked during class in the margins. This was more like a personal study guide, honing in on the parts he had trouble understanding while skimming over the other, less important areas. Pinpointing where exactly he was struggling in must have been no easy feat, and by leaving out certain parts of the lecture, Morgan was indirectly expecting him to put in some effort into his studying. She might have given him the answers to some of the problems in this week's homework, but she wasn't going to hold his hand the entire way through.

And just when he thought she didn't have any more surprises, Crow found a note card inserted in between the last two pages. He pulled it out and saw that Morgan's handwriting was also on it.

"Here's to our continued partnership. Let's make this the best performance ever!

Signed: Morgan, your cute underclassman."

Crow let out a laugh, harder than he had ever laughed before. It was downright scary just how far he was falling right into her clutches.

"Damn… She got me."

"…A concert! Oh, that sounds positively exciting! What part will you be playing?"

"That's still being decided," Morgan's voice responded from the other end. "Elliot's choosing the music, while Rean and I are handling the preparations. Crow also agreed to take care of the back end support for now."

Alfin snorted through her nostrils. "Now I simply MUST pester Olivert into taking me with him! I cannot pass up a chance to see my best friend singing on stage!"

Morgan laughed. "Haha! Well, we're all amateurs, so don't get your hopes up too high."

"Oh, hush, Morgan! It's all about the experience."

The Imperial princess giggled as she plopped onto her bed. Olivert had been kind enough to pass along a message to Morgan when he traveled to Trista for the annual board meeting, and now the former master and servant were conducting another one of their nightly calls to check up on each other. Alfin had no orbment of her own, so she was currently using one of Olivert's possessions to contact her former attendant. Coined the "Sonorous Seashell," it was an artifact that was unearthed in the Empire several years ago and eventually found its way into the prince's hands. It allowed the user to piggyback off any orbal communications system without any fear of being intercepted due to the artifact's innate ability to encrypt its messages. How exactly it worked was beyond human understanding, but if it allowed Alfin to talk to her friend late at night, she wasn't complaining.

"By the way, are you still going on a field study this month?" she asked. "I heard from Olivert that would be the case, but I can't help but wonder if some concessions had to be met."

"Oh, we're still good to go," Morgan assured her. "The board of directors said it's okay, so if they're okay with it, we're okay with it. But you're not too off the mark; things are going to be slightly different this month."

"Different how?"

"You curious?"

"When you put it that way, of course I am!"

Morgan snickered to herself. "Well, you see…"

A few days earlier…

"You want us to drag this hyperactive chatterbox straight into the Noble Faction's largest stronghold?!" Jusis protested, indignantly pointing a finger at Millium.

"He's got a point," Crow agreed. "Ordis is hostile territory for her, no two ways about it."

"Eh, I'm not that worried!" Millium said cheerily. "I've snuck into Ordis plenty of times before, and this time I've got you guys with me! I'll be fine!"

Like with all things pertaining to Millium, the rest of Class VII weren't so keen to take her claims at face value. Everywhere the blue-haired gremlin went, chaos and a high probability of a breach in confidentiality were sure to follow.

Sensing the skepticism creeping up in her students, Sara clapped her hands together. "Not to worry, little Wunderkinds! That's why I'll be hopping along for the ride, too."

The students were stunned by how nonchalantly their instructor had just dropped that bombshell of information on them.

"You're coming with us, Instructor?" Rean asked, mostly to make sure that he and his classmates heard correctly.

Their instructor nodded. "That was one of the concessions the board of directors made in order to greenlight this month's field study. Call it a bit of insurance, what with the Imperial Liberation Front out in full force. I'll be escorting Group B to Ordis, while Sharon volunteered to go with Group A to Roer."

"I bet Mother signed her up for this, didn't she?" Alisa grumbled.

"It's probably for the best, seeing as the two of you are from Roer," Machias reasoned. "The more people we have who know the area, the better prepared we can be to fight back anything the ILF throws at us."

"Will Sharon be alright, though?" Elliot wondered. "She's only a maid. I'd feel guilty if we put her in danger because of us."

Sara tried and failed to hold back a snort.

…

"…I see! So the Purple Lightning and your dormitory's maid will be acting as chaperones!" Alfin summarized. "This is sounding more and more like a field trip rather than a field study!"

"We're not just going to be sightseeing!" Morgan insisted.

If I may be so bold to ask, which group will you be in?"

"I'm in Group B, so I'll be heading to Ordis. The other people in my group are Emma, Jusis, Machias, Gaius, and Millium."

"Aww, so Rean won't be traveling in your group. 'Tis a shame…"

"And why are you suddenly so interested in him all of a sudden?" Morgan asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Are you still intent on pursuing him after all?"

Alfin giggled, remembering the time she offered Rean to be her dance partner during the Summer Festival. The looks on his and Elise's faces… Ah! So perfect! "It's nothing as important as that, I assure you!"

"Then what…?" Morgan's voice trailed off, only to bounce back moments later. "Wait, don't tell me…"

Another giggle escaped from Alfin's lips. "I think it's time I unveiled my side of the story, hm? You see, at the end of this month, on the 26th, there is going to be an exchange program at one of the girl's academies in Ordis. It's an event held once every few years that brings together representatives from several noteworthy girls' schools in the Empire. Naturally, this also includes St. Astraia's, and for this event, we're planning on doing something…different."

"How different?" Morgan asked.

"Normally, the task of representing our school is left to the Student Council, but this month, they have become shorthanded. As such, the faculty has allowed them to invite students from the lower grades in their place."

"And judging from the tone of your voice, I presume you're one of them?"

"Teehee! You presume correctly! And I'm also delighted to inform you that Elise will be coming along as well!"

"So that explains why you were asking about Rean earlier…"

"I was hoping we could arrange our own little get-together while we were there. Oh, well! I suppose I'll have to settle with finding other ways with which I can tease Elise this month."

A snorting sound came from the artifact. "With all due respect, Your Highness, maybe you should consider finding another pastime."

The dryness of Morgan's delivery was enough to elicit a good laugh out of the princess. "At any rate, we will be arriving by airship on the morning of. If, by chance, you happen to see a group of junior high students making their way through the city…"

"We'll be sure to keep our eyes open," Morgan promised. "Security might be a bit tougher to get around this time, but we'll try to make something work."

"It's a plan, then! Oh, and this is just between the two of us…" The princess leaned in close to the seashell and whispered, "I think the Student Council is using this opportunity to scout for new members next year."

"Really?" Morgan gasped. "So you and Elise are going to be on the Student Council?"

"Oh, if only that could be the case! But alas, I hardly think I am skilled enough to be able to juggle my duties as a princess alongside those as a Student Council member."

"You sure? I mean, Fauna tells me both you and Cedric are excelling in your studies! I'm sure you can do both! Well, only if you really want to, of course."

Alfin laughed softly. "You flatter me, Morgan. And I thank you for your compliment. But next year will be a very momentous year for me. I can't afford to let myself get distracted."

"Oh, that's right…" Morgan remembered. "Your debut."

Alfin nodded. Her debut into high society was fast approaching, and with it came a host of other responsibilities she would need to attend to. Elise, being the same age as Alfin, would also be making her debut in the same year, but she was the daughter of a baron. Alfin was the Imperial princess. The magnitude of her debut far outclassed anything her peers could offer, and whether she liked it or not, the entire nation would be watching her on that day. It wasn't something any person could just waltz up to without proper care and preparation.

"In any case, whatever comes out of this, I will have to respectfully decline the Council's offers. But Elise, though? I think she has the potential to go all the way. President Carmine seems intent on grooming her to be her successor in the future."

"Do you want me to be there?"

Alfin blinked. "Pardon?"

"Your debut!" Morgan clarified. "If you want me to be there, just say the word. I'll even become your attendant again, just for a day!"

"Morgan…" The princess was mildly taken aback by the offer. "You needn't go so far. Who knows? You could be busy with so many other things next year-"

"I want to be there to support my friend! What's so wrong about that?" Morgan replied without hesitation.

There was nothing grandiose about her friend's words, yet they touched Alfin all the same. Perhaps it was because of Morgan's simplicity that she was always able to strike true at Alfin's heart. She was one of the few who recognized that while Alfin was the Imperial princess, she was still just a fifteen year old girl at heart. Sometimes, a short but sincere offer was enough to get the point across.

"Or could it be…" Morgan's voice started to choke up. "You…You don't need your older sister anymore?"

"I-It's nothing like that! Of course I'd love for you to come!"

"Heehee! Then that's good!" Morgan cheered, revealing that her previous statement was only a ploy. "I'll be counting on you to sneak me in!"

Alfin would have fired back with a response, had she not been so embarrassed. "When did you suddenly become so mischievous? That's supposed to be my character trait!"

"I guess you could say I learned a thing or two about tricking people."

"And what might that mean? Is there something…or perhaps SOMEONE you're not telling me about, hm?"

"Let's…not spend all this time talking about me, okay?"

An expertly-timed dodge, Alfin noted. She would definitely need to find some way to learn more about this…

"If we could switch the topic back over to St. Astraia's and Ordis for a sec…" Morgan hastily continued. "Is…you know…"

"Mm…" Alfin's expression fell. "It's difficult to say. I believe she was approached by the student council at one point, but she hasn't mentioned anything to me after that. As much as I understand that it is out of my control, I still cannot help but wonder what exactly is going on inside that girl's head."

"She has always been…difficult to pin down," Morgan agreed. "But even if she accepts the invitation, I doubt the Cayenne Duchy would be willing to let her waltz back into Ordis like nothing happened."

"That is also true…" Alfin agreed. "Say, Morgan? Do you remember the first time the two of you met?"

"That I do," her friend replied. "It was for my final test before I could become your attendant…"

"Thank you once again for inviting me, Your Highness. I really appreciate the company."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mildine! It's always a pleasure to have you over."

"By the way, I've been seeing Fauna less often these days. Is she doing well?"

The twelve-year-old princess giggled. "Oh, she's completely fine! Fauna has been helping to prepare for this afternoon. Today is a rather auspicious occasion, you see."

"Auspicious? Now you've gotten me curious."

The limousine the two were riding in eventually came to a stop in front of the Imperial villa. The two passenger doors opened, and both girls stepped out of the vehicle. Alfin practically ran to the entrance to the villa, where a girl wearing a maid uniform was awaiting the pair.

"Welcome back…Your Highness," the girl spoke, respectfully curtsying to the princess.

"I have returned, Morgan! How have you been? You're looking better since the last time we met!"

"Th-Thank you…" Morgan turned to the other girl and curtsied in her direction as well. "Welcome…to Karel Imperial Villa."

Mildine found herself staring at the servant for far longer than usual. She was able to deduce from the girl's uniform that she was in the service of the Imperial family, but as much as she prided herself in her memory, Mildine could not for the life of her identify this particular servant. Neck-length black hair and a scar traveling diagonally up her face? Was she perhaps a new staff member?

"Let me introduce the two of you," Alfin said. "Morgan, this is Mildine of House Cayenne. She is one of my friends at school. Mildine, this is Morgan. She is undergoing training to become my new personal attendant. Today marks the first time she will be serving me in an official capacity, so if there's anything you need, let her know."

Mildine smiled serenely at Morgan. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Morgan."

Morgan shook her head. "The pleasure to serve is…all mine." She then turned around. "Please…come this way."

Morgan led the two girls through the entrance hall, passing by all the other servants who had gathered and bowed to greet the princess. As the trio walked through the hallways of the villa, not once did Mildine's gaze leave the back of Morgan's head. It wasn't normally in the interest of nobles to ponder over whys and hows of a servant's employment, yet all she could think about was when Alfin decided she needed a personal attendant. After all, it wasn't like she required one before. Was it because she wanted to have a bodyguard, similar to how the crown prince would be given a member of the Vander family as his bodyguard? If so, then why choose this particular girl?

There were too many unknowns for Mildine to feel at ease, which was ironic as Alfin had invited her to the villa with the explicit purpose of unwinding with some tea and refreshments. At the very least, this would make for a more interesting discussion than just talking about their classes.

"Say, Lea?"

"What is it?"

"Let's say you were playing a game of chess. You have your opponent on the ropes, and you've come up with the perfect plan to net a decisive checkmate. But then, right before you can make a move, a butterfly lands on the board and becomes a brand new piece. Forget about which side it belongs to at the moment; just think about what that means for the game. All of the plans you meticulously crafted to seize victory have now been rendered moot in the face of this one newcomer. How would you react?"

Lea hummed to herself as she brushed her hair. "I suppose the first thing I would do is ask the Goddess if this is some kind of twisted joke. Then, I'd try to claim that piece for myself."

Mildine snickered at her roommate's remark. "Yes, that would be the normal reaction, wouldn't it?"

"So what is it, then?" Lea sighed, putting down her brush in front of the vanity. "What is this game of chess an allegory for?"

"Oh, it's nothing major. I was reminiscing about a unique encounter I had a couple of years ago when I was in the shower."

"Did it involve butterflies?"

"In a sense," Mildine answered vaguely. "You could say it changed my life forever."

"That's a bold claim, coming from you."

A giggle escaped Mildine's lips. "Heehee! You know me well! But actually, I was being serious."

Lea waited for her roommate to elaborate on the experience, but no explanation came. In other words, it was up to her whether to continue the conversation in this manner.

"Have you responded to the Student Council yet?"

"That was your cue to ask me more about my life-changing experience!" Mildine complained.

Not even Lea could stop her smug grin from showing on her face. "I know. I just chose to ignore it so I could see how you'd react."

"Hmph! I can't even be mad at that!" Her roommate pouted. "Fine! Then I won't tell you a thing!"

"Fine by me. Not knowing something won't kill me."

Lea crept into her bed and pulled the covers over herself, feeling quite satisfied that she had managed to get one over her roommate for once. But that satisfaction began to dwindle when she heard Mildine giggling to herself. She was plotting something, no doubt.

"What is it now?" Lea asked, wishing to save herself the suspense,

"You wouldn't happen to be preoccupied next weekend, would you?"

"Not especially. I wasn't invited by the Student Council to go to that exchange program, so that's none of my business."

"That's fair." Mildine turned herself over so she was facing Lea on her side. "I won't be going."

"…What?"

"I won't be attending the exchange program in Ordis. An answer to your earlier question."

"Why not?" Lea was puzzled. She knew that there were circumstances that prevented Mildine from returning to her home in Ordis, but surely this would have been enough to warrant an exception.

"There are some things that are beyond my control," the green-haired girl lamented. "And I know better than to enter a battle I know I cannot win. Both you and your father were taken in by Lord Voltaire, correct? I wager you know the importance of picking your fights carefully."

"That's…"

Lea's voice trailed off. Of course she knew how important that was. She remembered the days when she and Ralph were on the road, with Ralph using his medical knowledge from Remiferia to treat the injured and raise money to enter the Empire. They were still two wanderers, and thus, they had to be wary of those who could take advantage of them. Back then, being able to live to see another day was enough of a blessing; one wrong misstep, and the world would not have hesitated to trample over them.

Those days were long past, and Lea and her adoptive father were fortunate enough to be accepted by Lord Voltaire into his manor. But she was still walking on eggshells; they were operating under the pretense that Lea was connected to Ralph by blood, therefore making her a plausible marriage candidate should Lord Voltiare choose to name Ralph his successor. It was the reason she was able to attend St. Astraia's in the first place. If the truth about her and Ralph were to be revealed before then…

"You're not wrong about that," Lea eventually conceded. "But I think our respective circumstances are too far apart for me to empathize with your plight. I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright. But back to the topic at hand. Seeing as I am unable to attend, and you happen to be free during that weekend, I have a small proposition for you…"

Mildine told Lea her idea, which caused the latter to sit upright in her bed. "Me?"

Author's note: As explained in the previous chapter, I will now be glossing over many of the parts that overlap with the events of the game to save myself the hassle of repeating what is already said. So for once, there will be no free day or practical exam chapters. Though for this particular arc, that won't be a problem; in addition to the field study, which will be comprised of original content, I also plan on adopting parts of the Class VII trip to Ymir, which is only delved upon in a radio drama. An eye for an eye, as they say.

I hope you're all excited for what I have in store. See you next time.