I eagerly returned to my hotel with my acceptance letter in hand, unable to contain my elation. Mother was shocked that I was a special case and worried that I’d be working while going to school. Surely, that was a lot on my plate. But I was excited and determined to work hard.
When I returned to Lawlife, Father and Claire welcomed me home, and I told them the happy news.
“Father! Claire! I got in!” I squealed.
“Sister, you’re amazing!” Claire beamed. “I knew that you could do it!”
“I’m proud of you,” Father added.
“What dorm will you be in?” Claire asked. “If I recall, Vizer is split into five dormitories.”
“Er, about that…” I started.
As Claire said, Vizer had five dormitories split by the students’ elements. Those with an affinity for fire were placed in Flame, students who could wield water were in Aqua, the wind element was Leaf, and the fourth was Earth. The fifth and last dorm was for the others who had none of these elements, Arcenciel.
“Dorms are generally divided by your innate elements,” I explained.
“Since you’re snow, are you in Arcenciel?” Claire asked.
“Not quite.” I trailed off, unsure of how to explain myself, when Father spoke up.
“Didn’t you mention that results for the interview would come out in a month?” he pointed out astutely.
“That’s right,” I replied. “I was actually accepted on special terms…”
When I told them the truth, Father and Claire looked shocked.
“If you truly want that scholarship money no matter what, surely it’s no harm to try again next year,” Father said.
“He’s right,” Claire agreed. “Working while going to school? You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“Um, I’m sorry for deciding this myself,” I apologized. “But I was only committed to applying once. And I won’t be able to obtain a scholarship in the future either, so I thought that this was my only chance and took it.” My chest tightened, but I told them the truth. “Actually, if you have a relative who dropped out, you don’t qualify for any sort of scholarship.”
“Ah, so it’s Guy’s fault,” Father grumbled. “Because of him, you can’t use the scholarship program to get in.”
“Right…”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
I had something else I wanted to tell my father, and I asked to be left alone with him. Mother and Claire caught the hint pretty quickly and left.
“Father, I’ve got bad news,” I divulged. “I saw Uncle Guy in the royal capital.”
He didn’t seem that surprised. “I thought as much… Did he ask for some money? Is that all he wanted?”
“No, actually, I fear it’s far, far worse.”
I couldn’t speak loudly, and I instead scribbled what happened on a piece of paper. I showed it to Father, then burned it atop the ashtray.
“What?!” Father gasped.
I told him that Uncle Guy tried to kidnap the crown prince and that the prince was actually a woman.
“I suspect that some kind of revolt is on the horizon,” I said. “And I’m guessing that Uncle was persuaded by someone to act.”
“Misha, have you told this to anyone else?”
“Not a single soul. Only to you, Father.”
He came to my side and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Misha, I’m begging you. Please don’t head to the royal capital.”
“That would be a tough request for me, Father. It’s been my dream to attend a magic school.”
“I suppose there’s no stopping you…”
“I’m sorry.”
He told me to wait for a few moments and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a wooden box in his hands. Inside was a single letter. “Misha, I’m sure that you’ve been working to find the right guardian for you as you attend that school, but I have someone that I hope you’ll rely on,” he said.
“To: Oswald von Leviathan,” the letter read.
“Isn’t he…” I started.
“Yes. I’m sure you’re familiar with his nickname, the ‘Bloody Marquess.’”
The marquess had the blood of an ogre, and in the war twenty years ago, he was heralded as a hero for his stellar accomplishments. Around fifteen years ago, Father helped Marquess Leviathan at a ball, which led to them forming ties.
“How did you aid Marquess Leviathan, Father?” I asked.
“His love is actually a distant relative of mine. I simply helped him speak to her.”
Ultimately, that meeting allowed the marquess to marry his beloved, and he was eternally grateful to my father. The marquess vowed to always be at my father’s service should he require any help.
“If Marquess Leviathan is your guardian in the royal capital, it shall put my mind at ease,” Father said. “Is this acceptable to you, Misha?”
“Of course,” I nodded.
I heard rumors about how terrifying the marquess was, but a man like him would be more reliable than ever as an ally.
“I’ll ask a private detective to find Guy’s whereabouts and track him down,” Father added, mentioning that this was a difficult case to bring to the knights. “The knights generally can only do something when they catch a criminal in the act. Unless any major incidents require their attention, they don’t quite listen.”
“Which means allegations alone can’t do anything to Uncle…” I muttered.
“Precisely.”
Father assured me that once he located Uncle Guy, he would be dragged back to Lawlife by force. “I can only pray that that scoundrel won’t trouble you, Misha…” he mumbled.
“If I bump into him and he’s up to no good, I’ll call for a knight immediately,” I said firmly.
“I’m counting on you.”
My uncle’s issues were a tricky situation. If we didn’t act wisely, it might affect our entire family line as well. It was imperative that we tread carefully. Just as I thought our conversation was over, Father also updated me on current events.
“Rudolph and Lizzy apparently moved to the royal capital,” he revealed.
“Did they, now?”
For a moment, I barely recognized their names, but then I remembered my former fiancé and uninhibited cousin. My aunt was wandering the land and came to Lawlife to beg for money again and the couple headed to the royal capital with her. They left just as Mother and I arrived back home.
“I hope that I won’t run into them in the royal capital,” I said.
“As do I,” Father grimaced.
I spotted a glimmering tear in the corners of his eyes—he must’ve been reluctant to send me off.
“Father, I’ll be just fine,” I told him. “I have ample life experience, you know.”
I was rather young in this world, and my words may have felt like idle nonsense, but I had memories of my previous life. I worked myself to exhaustion, and, distracted, I fell into a ditch and died, covered in mud. That was my rock bottom. Surely, it couldn’t get worse than that.
“Don’t worry, okay?” I insisted.
His eyebrows drooped into a troubled smile, but he nodded.