The day of the entrance ceremony, Milly rose early. Perhaps because it was such a momentous occasion, the maids in charge of her preparations were in unusually high spirits. By the time they finished fussing over her with painstaking care as she slipped her arms into her brand-new uniform, it was already time for breakfast.
Hurrying toward the dining hall, Milly happened to cross paths with Kyle as he was leaving the estate.
“Good morning, father.”
She offered the words with all the formality and obligation of rote courtesy. Kyle, however, did not answer. He simply stared at her in silence. Was her uniformed appearance so novel to him?
Still, what sort of parent doesn’t even return a greeting to his own daughter? The complaint rose to her lips, but she forced it back down.
This was the first time she had seen him since his harsh rejection. Their mealtimes had never overlapped since, and her disillusionment with him already felt like something from long ago.
Before all this, I hadn’t given it much thought, but the truth is, we stopped being family ages ago, didn’t we?
In retrospect, Milly of the previous timeline had done as everyone else had. She agreed with whatever her father said. As the grand duke’s daughter, the safest course had always been to follow his lead.
Living under his umbrella until the age of eighteen had allowed her to focus on her studies, and whenever she stood before her father, she spoke only bland, inoffensive words, careful never to spark his displeasure.
But that was all in the past.
I’ve greeted him. That’s enough. I’m starving.
With so little time to spare, Milly hadn’t the leisure for courtesies, and more importantly, she was hungry. She couldn’t waste energy humoring him.
As she moved to slip past Kyle, he suddenly stopped her. “Milly.”
“Was there something else?”
When she turned back, her eyes were cool, shadowed. It was only because she was hungry, but Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise, something Milly failed to notice.
“You...”
“If there’s nothing, then may I be excused? You’re on your way to the castle, aren’t you? Please take care on the road.”
She expected nothing from him. She’d vowed as much the day she realized time had turned back. No matter what happened now, her father would continue to treat her as a tool. That much would never change.
“Ah, yes. I should mention I’ve been invited to a party today, so I may return home late.” With that parting remark, Milly pressed a hand to her near-growling stomach and left the scene.
Left behind were only Kyle—stunned by the transformation of the daughter who had once watched his moods so carefully—and the uneasy servants. Pressing a hand to his brow, unable to hide his astonishment, Kyle muttered aloud without looking at anyone in particular, “I never heard about any party.”
The servants, with no choice but to remain silent, shifted their eyes as if desperate to flee.
In Kyle’s mind flickered the memory of a much younger Milly, smiling as she held out a four-leaf clover she had found in the garden.
Meanwhile, having finished breakfast and set out from the estate, Milly felt nothing short of exhilarated. Starting her second student life with a clean slate didn’t seem so bad. Even the scenery through the carriage window looked different when viewed in that light.
Careful. If I let myself get carried away like this, I’ll end up dead before I know it.
Startled, she slapped both cheeks lightly and straightened her posture. For now, her goal at Grandor was to make friends. Not out of giddy excitement, but because she had concluded that building connections was necessary for survival.
Since she could not rely on her father Kyle, Milly needed new allies to stand against Angelina. She had no close relatives to turn to; that left only her fellow students. Eventually, she would need to gather information too, which was exactly the kind of task she could entrust to a friend.
I still don’t really know what friendship is supposed to look like, but I’ve heard it means helping each other. So surely friends would do things like gathering information for me, right?
She wasn’t certain, but she was convinced it must be so. Either way, Milly needed companions who would help carry out her plans.
Which means I’ll have to play my part well at Grandor.
Grandor Magic Academy was the most prestigious school of magic in the Kingdom of Aviria. On paper, it boasted equality between noble and commoner, but in practice, it was a noble’s academy through and through, with more than half its students coming from the aristocracy. A student’s standing was decided by their family’s rank, and those of lower status were expected to yield.
Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I was avoided at that academy.
In such a microcosm of society, Milly of the previous timeline had always radiated an aura that set her apart. Part of it was due to her birth, her family, the sole grand ducal house of the kingdom, while another part was thanks to her own excellence, both in academics and in magical skill.
And then, of course, there was her unsociable nature. Over time, Milly had established herself as untouchable. Before long, the very act of walking down a hallway had students stepping aside to clear her path.
If Milly spoke on a whim, all conversation around her would fall silent. If she looked away in irritation, a hush spread for meters around her. Though she had never been aware of it, Milly Asteara, the “final boss,” possessed a kind of power that bent the atmosphere around her.
That garden she had thought of as her secret refuge hadn’t been unpopular for any reason other than the fact that Milly frequented it. No one else dared approach.
“We’ll be arriving at the academy soon, my lady.”
At Bibi’s words, Milly opened the carriage window. Beyond the glittering cityscape of the capital, the familiar gates of the academy came into view. Grandor Magic Academy stood in the heart of the capital, its lavish main building rivaling the castles of minor kingdoms.
The source of its endless renovations was the generosity of noble patrons. Among them, the Asteara Grand Ducal House had donated enough to build another ornate main gate outright.
Pocket change to the grand duke, perhaps, but to the academy it was a lifeline. The special treatment Milly received as his daughter was nothing more than the result of such sordid politics.
It never made her happy. If anything, it ensured that only sycophants ever gathered around her. Half the reason Milly avoided socializing was the very fact she could never shake the feeling that people saw her not as Milly Asteara, but merely as the grand duke’s daughter.
She tucked her windblown black hair behind her ear, softening her expression as the scent of flowers tickled her nose.
“Bibi, I’ve made up my mind.”
“Yes? About what, my lady?”
“At the party after the entrance ceremony, I’m going to befriend someone.”
“Wh-What?! You want to make...a friend?”
“Indeed. Is that strange?”
“N-No, not at all. Just a little unexpected.”
“Really? Well, one should always set their sights high.” Satisfied, Milly closed her eyes, letting the pleasant breeze wash over her. Soon, the carriage passed through the grand main gate and rolled to a stop.
The entrance ceremony of Grandor Magic Academy was held in the chapel adjoining the school. Students weren’t obligated to offer prayers there. Outside of ceremonies, the place was mostly used by the choir. Supposedly, it was also popular for romantic trysts, which made it even less relevant to Milly.