After Filiel had left her room, Yui’s drowsiness had completely disappeared. She was peacefully reading while leisurely stretching out on her bed when her magic communicator started making noise.
Yui answered, “Yes?”
“Get out of there!”
Yui was momentarily surprised by the sound of Carlo’s panicked voice coming from her communicator. Her eyes widened.
“Carlo? What’s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“The grandmaster threatened a Luster teacher and got his hands on the key to your quarters! He’s heading there right now with the cardinal. He’s had a bit too much to drink—actually, he’s pretty drunk—so it won’t be good if he captures you. Run away as soon as you can!”
Yui jumped out of bed. “Why has he been drinking?!” she shouted.
Under Garlant’s laws, one had to be eighteen to consume alcohol. Some of the students were over eighteen, so they were technically allowed to drink, but many were still underage, so there shouldn’t have been any alcohol served at the party.
Apparently, the grandmaster had brought in his own alcohol beforehand. And as he’d kept drinking, he’d gotten merry. He thought of going to meddle with Yui, but when he noticed she wasn’t at the party, he went to Carlo to ask where she was. Then, learning that Yui was holed up in her room, he demanded a key from one of the teachers. Naturally, the teacher had refused at first, but the grandmaster made threats like a small-time mobster; he asked if it would really be all right if none of the students from Luster were given positions in the guild the next year. The teacher had sought help from those nearby, but everyone averted their eyes. No one was brave enough to challenge the leader of the guild. He then shook down the teacher, and they gave up the key like a small, scared rabbit. Next, with the key in his possession, the grandmaster triumphantly called out to the cardinal, who decided to accompany him. As a clergyman, the cardinal had judged that it would be unwise to let a bothersome drunk roam free.
The grandmaster was an infamously bad drunk, so Yui practically flew out of her room to avoid being caught. After warily surveying her surroundings, she put some distance between her and her room without making a sound. Just as she turned the corner, she heard a drunken yell of “Missy, I’m here!” and the cardinal’s scolding, saying, “Don’t be so loud! You’re being a nuisance.”
Yui breathed a sigh of relief. She’d escaped danger by the skin of her teeth. Still, it was too soon to relax. They would go around hunting for her as soon as they realized she wasn’t in her room, so she quickly left the area.
Ever since coming to the fortress, she had been unable to walk the corridors alone, especially not when they got even eerier at night. But now she was in such a rush that she forgot her fear. She headed to the party venue to seek help from her brothers.
“If it was going to end up like this, I should’ve just gone with El,” she muttered without thinking, even though she knew it was too late to change her mind now.
Yui took a detour to avoid her pursuers. She walked along a vaulted corridor leading to a courtyard. The fortress was situated farther north than the capital, so it was colder, but since it was summer, the weather still felt somewhat warm during the daytime. However, now that the sun had set, Yui could feel the chilly nighttime air on her skin, and she regretted not having put on a coat. She’d been in a hurry, so there had been no time to worry about that.
As she approached the large hall where the party was being held, she spied light coming from a second-story window, and she started to hear music. Then she heard a group walking toward her from up ahead. Judging from the sound of the footsteps, it was two or three people. Her mind immediately jumped to the grandmaster and the cardinal, and she quickly looked all around, searching for a place to hide. She went down into the garden and crouched where the greenery was particularly thick, held her breath, and motionlessly waited for them to pass.
However, they didn’t pass at all—far from it. They came into the garden and moved close to the spot where Yui was hiding. She felt her heart beating loudly. Had they found her? But then, she heard a voice. It wasn’t the grandmaster. This was someone completely unexpected.
“My apologies for suddenly bringing Your Highness to a place like this.”
“Please, I don’t mind at all. You had something you wished to speak with me about?”
Is that El? And why’s she...?
Yui was relieved that it wasn’t the grandmaster, but as she peeked out at the familiar-sounding people from a gap between two trees, she was surprised to see Filiel and Charlotte standing there. She never would’ve expected them to be together. She also couldn’t spot Charlotte’s mindless flunky, Stella, anywhere.
“To tell you the truth, I have something I must ask Your Highness regarding the recent talks of engagement.”
When she heard the word “engagement,” Yui’s face froze. Charlotte was the daughter of a marquess. She lacked none of the qualities required of a princess. In fact, Charlotte had learned everything there was to know about the rules of courtesy and etiquette befitting a noble lady—she had attended countless noble social events, she comported herself with refinement, and she had connections. Also, the marquess was a solid man that the king put his trust in. At Charlotte’s age, it wouldn’t be strange for talk of marriage to come up.
This was all in contrast to Yui. She was the daughter of a count, but he had expected nothing from her, so she had only studied the bare minimum amount of etiquette necessary to not embarrass him. There was no comparing the two of them. A thought crossed her mind: I guess I wasn’t worthy of El after all. She felt her heart ache.
“My father contacted me today. He said that His Majesty was officially retracting all engagement talks.” Charlotte hesitated. “I hoped that I might be able to hear the reason from Your Highness yourself, so I stopped you. Was there something I did to displease you?”
“No, not at all. You did nothing wrong. However, my heart has already decided upon another. My father and uncle were unaware of that when they chose you as a potential candidate for marriage. My apologies for causing you trouble.”
To Yui, it sounded like he was saying that the talk of engagement hadn’t been his own idea, and before she knew it, she felt relieved.
Charlotte’s expression clouded over. “You’ve already decided... Of course... Is she, possibly, the daughter of Duke Favis?”
“No. Eliza is like a little sister to me.”
“Is that so? I thought for sure...” Charlotte’s words trailed off, and she momentarily fell silent. Then, working up her resolve, she opened her mouth. “Um, what kind of person is she? Your Highness chose her, so she must be a wonderful lady.”
“Yes, well, I think she’s somewhat different from the type of noble lady you’re imagining. However, she’s incredibly kind and cute. She’s my moral and emotional support, and I wouldn’t give her up for anything.”
As Yui crouched in her hiding spot and listened to Filiel speak, she could feel her face grow warm.
After she heard Filiel’s lovey-dovey talk about Yui, resignation crept onto Charlotte’s face. “Your Highness must truly love her.”
“Yes, more than anyone,” Filiel instantly replied, without a trace of embarrassment.
Yui was actually the one who started to feel embarrassed—she put both hands to her cheeks and bowed her head.
“I see... Thank you very much for your frank answer. That was all I wanted to speak with Your Highness about, so please excuse me.” Charlotte moved to leave, but then Filiel stopped her.
“Shall I escort you back to your quarters?”