Things were rarely so hectic at Liliana’s estate on the outskirts of Hudore. Liliana herself wasn’t busy, but Marianne, the other maids, and the guards were all rushing about, preparing for the trip to come.
To the south of Hudore lay Fortier, one of House Clarke’s duchies. Liliana’s brother, Clyde Benito Clarke, was hosting a banquet there to celebrate his eleventh birthday. She hadn’t kept in touch with him or their mother, but her father insisted she attend—for appearances’ sake.
I’d much rather stay here and read.
Learning magic brought Liliana far more joy than seeing her family. She enjoyed not just practicing the spells she found in spellbooks but also developing her own, and she looked forward to trying them all.
Clyde, a talented fighter and scholar, had the characteristic look of a glasses-wearing academic. He was trim and well-mannered, with a sharp, intelligent face. It was little wonder that he had been a romance option in the game—or that he had been a massive hit with its fans. He had forsaken Liliana in the end, which was one of the reasons she really didn’t want to run into him.
One means of escape would be to meet with His Highness, who has been summoning me more than usual of late. Not that I really want to see him either.
Every time she visited the palace, Liliana found herself the subject of gossip. The loss of her voice wasn’t widely known, but her presence alone spawned rumors. Malvina Tanner had already spread the word that Liliana was to blame for it—that she had tried to curse someone, only for the curse to backfire. Riley had been outraged when he found out, but since Liliana wanted to be rid of her candidacy as his fiancée, it had worked in her favor.
At our age, we normally don’t have much time for tea parties. Lady Malvina must have nothing better to do.
To strengthen her family’s connections, Malvina Tanner exchanged daily letters with her hangers-on, hosted tea parties in elaborate attire, and otherwise enjoyed a life of luxury. Her father was only a marquess, but it was hard to say how far she could push her extravagance before the money ran out.
I can’t even use hexes. Oh, but Liliana in the game could... Isn’t this practically cheating?
Once again, Liliana was amazed at what she could do. If she reached her full potential, she might even be able to use the kinds of spells deemed too complex for humans. Judging by the fact that Duke Clarke hadn’t sent a mage to see her, he must have been fine with her never regaining her voice. That, too, was good news for her.
In the game, Liliana had a voice, so maybe she met a mage through His Highness.
If the prince really did offer to introduce her, she would refuse. But what if she had done that in the game? The other Liliana must have suspected her lost voice was the result of a hex. And it wouldn’t be strange if, after recovering, she grew curious about hexes and taught herself to use them. Liliana knew that without her memories of her past life, she would have acted exactly the same way.
Liliana was drawn from her thoughts by a sudden knock on the door. She gave permission to enter, and Marianne stepped into the room.
“My lady, everything is ready for your departure.”
“Very well. Let’s go,” Liliana wrote, rising to her feet.
“I was told His Highness will also be in attendance, so I packed your prettiest dress,” Marianne said restlessly as she draped a cloak over her lady’s shoulders. “It’s wonderful how much he cares about you.”
Liliana gave an ambiguous smile. Not having a voice was convenient when she couldn’t think of a response. She wondered how other nobles would interpret the crown prince attending the banquet of an heir, even one from one of the three most prominent ducal families. It obviously had something to do with her father’s political designs.
Naturally, Duke Clarke would expect his daughter to behave in accordance with his intentions. She had yet to even depart, but the very thought of what might await her after a weeklong coach trip sapped the strength from her body.
I wish I could just teleport.
Liliana had never teleported with another person before, but she was confident she could at least bring Marianne. The problem was that teleporting would reveal she could use magic—and since she was studying in secret, she couldn’t afford to be so careless.
“As well as the usual two escorts,” Marianne continued, “a mage shall join you this time—at my request.”
Liliana cocked her head. For a trip like this, she would normally have only escorts and her handmaiden. House Clarke did employ mages, but not for her personal use.
Seeing her lady’s confusion, Marianne revealed a look of slight concern. “There seem to have been frequent monster sightings on highways and in nearby towns of late. This never used to be the case...”
Monsters almost never appeared on the highways branching out from Hudore. Their safety had always been their greatest appeal to merchants and travelers—but attacks were now on the rise. Against such ambushes, knights alone weren’t enough; to survive, one needed a mage capable of light magic.
Liliana reached for her paper and wrote, “Do you know which mage is accompanying us?”
“The Ministry of Magic shall send someone fit for the task.”
It would most likely be someone affiliated with the ministry. While not every mage worked there, nearly all the talented ones did—and they were practically the elite.
With monsters on the rise, the ministry will probably send a newcomer not tied up with internal work. Hopefully they’re nice.
Liliana’s mood lifted at the thought of having someone to ask about hexes. Her estate’s library wasn’t lacking, by any means, but there were barely any resources on the subject.
Knowing one’s enemy was the first step to victory. If her in-game self had mastered hexes, her current self would need to understand them too.
In the south of the royal capital, at the entrance to the highway to Fortier, Liliana prepared to meet the mage sent by the Ministry of Magic. Though mages were usually treated as escorts and traveled in separate carriages from their wards, arrangements had been made for this one to ride with Liliana and Marianne. If only Liliana’s coach were attacked, the mage needed to be close enough to intervene.
The coach came to a halt, and a knock sounded at the door. Marianne opened it to reveal a young woman in her early twenties, with violet eyes and wine-red hair that fell across her chest. Even her flowing robe—the mark of a mage—didn’t quite conceal the fullness of her figure.
“Hi there. Are you Liliana Alexandra Clarke?” the woman asked merrily. “The name’s Petra Myyrylainen. Call me Petra.”
As if it weren’t rude enough to speak to a duke’s daughter with such unabashed impoliteness, Petra hammered the introduction home with a wink. Marianne’s face went rigid, but Liliana grinned and produced the piece of paper she’d prepared in advance. It bore an apology for her inability to speak—and words of gratitude for the mage’s company.
Petra climbed into the coach, sat beside Marianne, and accepted the paper handed to her. “Huh...” She read the note with a smirk, then tucked it into her pocket and stared at Liliana’s mouth with obvious interest. “I knew you were a weird one.”
The mage’s tone was even less respectful. Vulgar, even. Marianne grew increasingly serious—not that Petra seemed to care—while Liliana forced a weak smile.
My in-game self would surely be furious by now.
Petra had never appeared in the game, but the in-game Liliana had practically radiated pride. At one point, she even lashed out at the main character—a girl of much lower rank—accusing her of breaching etiquette by making eyes at her fiancé, the crown prince.
Liliana understood noblesse oblige well enough and took the rules of a status-based society seriously, as befitted someone of her rank. Petra was a commoner, so it stood to reason that the in-game Liliana would have found her attitude just as offensive.
Still, even if I threw all my weight behind getting her convicted, I doubt she’d care.
Judging by her last name, Myyrylainen, Petra wasn’t from the Kingdom of Slivegrandia. Foreigners almost never made it into the Ministry of Magic, so if she had, she must have been skilled enough to silence the fussy government officials who usually blocked the way. Even more impressive, she had risen high in an institution steeped in male chauvinism. She was no random nobody; having her as an ally could only be an advantage.
One of the escorts shut the door, and the coach set off again. The highway was reasonably well maintained, though it still paled in comparison to the roads of Hudore. At least the ride was comfortable—the coaches used by ducal families were far sturdier than any stagecoach.
Inside the coach, however, the mood was far less pleasant. Marianne had no intention of speaking to Petra after the latter’s blatant lack of respect for Liliana, who continued to watch the mage with a calm, unbothered smile.
Even as she stared out the window, Petra’s interest in Liliana was unmistakable. She also seemed unusually cheerful. Perhaps that was to be expected—her job had been forced on her by the Ministry of Magic, whose senior officials couldn’t stand her. They would have claimed her bonus for themselves if they could, but the vice minister who had hired her ensured she received what she was due.
Petra had expected the duke’s daughter to be completely self-centered, but Liliana had pleasantly surprised her. The trip was already proving far more enjoyable than she anticipated.