“Give this to Filiel for me,” Carlo said to Luca as he handed over a large package. Carlo had summoned Luca here, and the bodyguard had just arrived.
“What’s this?” Luca asked.
“Clothes. It’s clothes. Yui told me to say that there are some in there for you and Zeke too. Put them on when you go out to Bahal tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Luca paused. “Oh, so he’s actually going?” Luca remembered that Filiel had said he would go shopping with Yui during the camp. Unlike the other students, Filiel usually spent his free time in his room instead of taking advantage of the opportunities for shopping or sightseeing. Luca had thought that Carlo had been joking at first when he’d mentioned Filiel going out. “Lord Filiel knows, right?”
“Yeah. He always indulges Yui, so he couldn’t bring himself to refuse—especially not when she was looking forward to it so much. I think it’s great that he finally feels like going out for once. Ah, by the way, if Eliza tags along, tell her to wear some simple, plain clothing. And I’m certain she will come.” Carlo then left the room.
As Luca looked at the package in his hands, he had mixed feelings about it all. Because of Filiel’s powerful magic, he rarely went to places where many people gathered—in crowded areas, there was a high likelihood of him coming into contact with someone. He avoided those kinds of places. On many occasions, people like Eliza or Luca had invited him on a carriage ride where he could safely gaze outside without touching anyone, but he had never agreed to go. He had always apologetically turned them down, saying, “You guys go out, and don’t worry about me.” Lately, they had given up on even inviting him, and it had become the norm for them to stay in.
But his repeated, stubborn decision to seclude himself had been so easily altered by Yui. Luca was delighted to see that his master, who always declined people’s invitations, was going to enjoy himself. However, as a bodyguard who served at Filiel’s side, Luca also felt a sense of defeat. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“I wonder how Lady Eliza will take it...” Luca wondered aloud. Every year, Eliza had stayed behind with Filiel out of concern. This time, once she learned he would be going out, she would definitely tag along. That in itself wasn’t a problem at all—the problem was that Yui would be taking Filiel out. Luca was tempted to just go out in secret, but it wouldn’t be pretty when Eliza found out.
Luca felt more and more depressed. Wondering what to say to resolve things peacefully, he returned to Filiel’s room. By the time he arrived, he still hadn’t collected his thoughts, but Eliza was already there.
“You were here?” Luca said.
“What, is there a problem with that?” Eliza asked with a sharp look.
After having known her for so long, Luca was used to this behavior. He didn’t flinch at her intense glare. But also, his mind was completely occupied by something else. “Not at all,” he said. “I was simply confused because you haven’t been around lately.”
“There are times when I’m busy too, you know,” Eliza said after a pause. She huffily averted her gaze, not making any effort to hide her bad mood. Ever since the day Yui had used magic on the king and queen at the palace, allowing them to touch Filiel for the first time, she had abruptly stopped showing up.
Normally, she would come to see Filiel even if she didn’t have any business to take care of. Perhaps she’d been busy with preparing for the camp, or maybe she’d been caught up in her social affairs as the daughter of a duke. Still, up until the moment Yui had cast her spell, Eliza had always found even the briefest of spare moments to meet with Filiel—even when she had other things to do. The same was true during the camp; Luca had seen her around, but she had never come to talk to them for some reason. It was obvious that Yui’s presence had something to do with this. He could tell that Eliza had something on her mind, but he had no intention of saying anything about it.
✦ ✦ ✦
Luca placed the package he had just been given on the table.
“Luca, what’s that?” Filiel asked.
“Carlo just gave it to me. He said to wear what’s inside when we go out tomorrow.”
“What, so there are specific clothes we have to wear too?”
“Yes. There are apparently some for me and Zeke as well.”
The only thing that Filiel had heard from Yui was that they were going to Bahal the next day, but whenever he’d asked her where in the town they were going, she’d just told him that it was a secret. That, too, seemed to be so exciting to Filiel that he couldn’t stand it, and a smile crept onto his face.
Eliza looked at him like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing—her surprise was clearly visible. “Fil. You’re going out?”
“Yeah. I promised Yui.”
Eliza paused for a moment, then muttered, “Again with that girl.” Filiel was next to her, but he didn’t hear her. Various feelings mingled together in her voice, though the two most prominent were sadness and irritation. “I’ve asked you countless times and you’ve never gone out, but now that she invites you, you’re obediently going along. That blank-looking, homely girl isn’t fit for you, Fil, so why—”
“Eliza, that’s enough,” Filiel said, angrily interrupting her. “You don’t know anything about Yui, so I won’t allow you to attack her. And it’s not just me—you’ll make the twins angry too.”
Filiel was criticizing her so harshly precisely because he knew the reason for Yui’s expressionlessness. However, to Eliza, it just looked like he was covering for her, and this made Eliza even more irritated. Additionally, unlike Luca and Zeke, she wasn’t surprised to hear the twins mentioned, probably because she had done some investigating into Yui already.
Always adept at reading the room, Luca detected that things were going in a threatening direction before anyone else, so he hurriedly changed the topic away from Yui. “What will you be doing tomorrow, Lady Eliza?”
“I’m going! If Fil’s going, then it’s only right that I go too!”
“All right, then Carlo has said he’d like for you to wear simple, plain clothing. Please do so.”
“Do you think I own anything like that?”
Luca was silent. Ever since the day she’d been born the daughter of a duke, every single one of Eliza’s personal belongings had always been of the absolute highest quality. In addition, Eliza had always preferred showier clothes, so she had few outfits that were plain and simple. She certainly hadn’t brought any to the camp.
Without warning, Eliza stood up. “I’ll borrow an outfit from someone.” Then she left the room.