“No!” Rudolph cried. “Are you giving us an order as the lord of this land?! Are you exiling us?”
“Not quite,” Father replied, clarifying that he didn’t want them to leave his land simply because he was infuriated. “Your body has failed to adapt to the climate here. If you can neither hunt nor chop wood, you will only experience hardships living here. You’d be far happier living elsewhere.”
His logic was sound as he recommended that they leave.
“Henceforth, our family will cut all ties with you, Rudolph, and Lizzy,” Father declared. “Please don’t ask us for aid any longer and live well and happily with your future child.”
Rudolph clung to my father, pleading, “I’ll give up on Misha! But not my job! Please! Please let me live and work here!”
“Rudolph, I may sound strict, but the moment you betrayed my Misha, your ties with our family were through.”
“But I’ve seen House Ritual’s ledgers! I can leak that information to others! Are you okay with that?!” he threatened.
“Ah, the ledgers you’ve seen are around a century old. My ancestors preserved them to use as teaching material for future generations.”
A lot could change in a hundred years. Father had no issues with Rudolph spouting a century-old secret to others.
“You raised me so dearly until now!” Rudolph wailed. “Aren’t you even a touch lonely to see me go?!”
“Indeed, I suppose I’ve educated you, but you never made it past the basic lessons, did you?” Father pointed out. “Truth be told, Claire and Maris are far more competent than you will ever be.”
“What?!”
Maris was the son of a village merchant, and he swore his heart and future to Claire. Father had become rather fond of Maris and took the young man under his wing, treating Maris like family and teaching him everything he knew.
“Even if you’re gone, nothing of value will be lost,” Father said sternly. “I only offered you respect because you were engaged to Misha.”
Apparently, Father deemed Rudolph no longer worthy of his respect. Father called for a burly servant to send Rudolph and Lizzy away. The couple screamed and cried as they were dragged off, but their voices faded into the distance, and peace settled within our manor. Truthfully, I was a bit shocked. My father was generally a rather gentle man; I assumed that he would acquiesce to Rudolph’s request, and plainly, Claire thought the same.
“Father, you were very dignified and solemn,” Claire said. “You acted splendidly and with grace.”
I nodded along with the sentiment. “I thought you would forgive Rudolph and Lizzy and let them stay. I didn’t expect you to turn them down so firmly.”
“I didn’t expect those two to understand subtlety or nuance,” Father explained. “Had I not been explicitly clear, they’d never get it. But most importantly, even I’m not gracious enough to offer benevolence and kindness after they treated my dear daughter so cruelly.”
The back of my eyes stung at Father’s words. I wanted to thank him, but tears flowed instead, and Mother and Claire gently hugged me.
“It must’ve been rough for you, dear,” Mother said.
“Sister, you’re not at fault. Not one bit,” Claire said firmly. “Forget those scum! Don’t let them get to you!”
“Thank you, everyone.” I wept.
Their kindness only made me sob harder. It took a while for me to regain my composure, but when I did, I decided to make a request to my father, now that my engagement was over.
“Father, I’ve got a favor to ask of you,” I said.
“Say it. Anything you like,” Father replied.
Not once had I made a request to my father before. Perhaps that was why he was so eager to listen. I don’t know if he’ll let me do it, but I’ll muster up my courage and say it anyway.
“I’ve actually had this dream for quite a while,” I started.
“And what might it be?” Father asked.
“I want to attend a magic school.”
The Vizer School of Magic was an institution that gathered those with magical abilities from across the nation and educated them to become full-fledged wizards or witches. Each grade had five classes, totaling two hundred people; the grades were divided by year. Teens aged from seventeen to nineteen attended, meaning a total of six hundred students attended the school. A majority of the students were nobles who were fortunate enough to be raised in an environment of magic, but commoners also managed to join the mix.
Though many magic schools existed within our nation, only Vizer had a dormitory. Since I was a young girl, I always dreamed of going to school, but as the future head of House Ritual, I never once tried to leave our domain. Now that my engagement was cancelled and the memories of my past life had come back, my urge to attend a magic school was stronger than ever. I was likely greatly influenced by a children’s book series that I read in my previous life. The main character attended a magic school, and each volume was jam-packed with the events of that school year. It had even been adapted into a popular series of movies and was loved by many. I grew up with those books, and it wasn’t an understatement to claim that I spent much of my youth dreaming about that world.
Since I threw Rudolph and Lizzy out in the cold, I didn’t doubt that I’d earn a negative reputation. No one would dare marry me now, surely. My new wish was to learn magic in the royal capital, become a renowned witch of the nation, and support my family. That was my new desire.
“A magic school…” Father murmured. “Are you sure about this?”
“I am,” I replied. “I won’t let it be a burden to you financially, either.”
The school offered a scholarship, and if I could get that money, I’d be able to attend for free. The exam was a month away, and if I signed up now, I was sure I’d make it in time.
“Oh, but I’ll only pursue it if Claire’s okay with it,” I said.
“I will never oppose your dreams, Misha,” Claire said firmly. “I know more than anyone that you’ve worked tirelessly for our family and your fiancé until now. I don’t think anyone should mind if you do as you please now!”
“Claire… Thank you,” I said. She confidently told me that she could hold the fort while I was away, and I anxiously waited for Father’s permission. “Please, Father!” I begged. “It’s always been my dream!”
Claire and Maris could take over House Ritual if they wished. And if they didn’t want to, I could return home after I graduated from school. My parents exchanged a glance, their awkward expressions difficult to decipher.
“I’m sorry, Misha,” Father finally said. “I can’t give you an answer on the spot. I must ask Maris, Claire’s fiancé, as well. Would you give me a bit of time to think it over?”
“Of course,” I replied.
My parents didn’t reply impulsively, proof that they wanted to take their time and reach a conclusion—they treasured Claire and Maris and loved them very much. If I were to leave, the strain it’d put on their work would be great, and my parents wanted to carefully mull it over. I thanked them and decided to wait.