Once I was done with my singular obligatory dance, I set up on a sofa near the wall and had no intentions of going anywhere else. Why was a ball being used as a reward for good grades in the first place? It made no sense to me. That said, the other students looked like they were having a good time, so maybe I was the odd one here.
Damn. Guess this is what happens when you’re raised by people with muscles for brains.
As my mood started to tank, Ville hit me with another stabbing dose of reality.
“Next year won’t be this easy, Lera.”
“Really?”
“You’ve got your debut next year, don’t you?”
Ugh.
As much as I wanted to run from this sort of drudgery, I couldn’t. If I was going to inherit my house, I had to pay attention to my social life. After all, my father hadn’t been putting in any effort on that front. We had a pretty bad reputation thanks to him—he could’ve at least made sure our house was in good standing within our own faction. I hadn’t the slightest what was going through that man’s head.
While all this went through my mind, Colny finished dancing and came to sit next to me.
“Oh my, look there.”
“What is it, Colny?”
“Do you recognize the man watching us from that pillar?”
Using my fan, a necessity for all ladies, I discreetly looked in the direction Colny indicated. Indeed there was someone looking—or glaring?—at us. He was a handsome old man, though I could’ve done without the sharp look.
So wait, who is this guy?
“That’s Marquess Fezgahn.”
I’ve heard that name before. Oh, that’s the black knight’s house! Does that mean this is his father?
If he’s glaring at me, he’s probably thinking something like, “Useless dullard getting close to my son.” Except his son is the one approaching me.
After watching us for a bit more, the black knight father apparently left the ball.
With the new term underway, we were finally getting serious about coordinated spells in general magic.
“That said, you bunch can sit to the side.”
Bear, you’re just gonna throw that at us right off the bat?
“Are you for real?” I asked.
“Yeah, there aren’t any other students I can group you all with.”
“Then why not let the top students work with each other?”
“You guys all had a little too much fun with your spells, and the academy told me to put a stop to it.”
Damn.
It wasn’t just me; the other proficient students were equally disappointed. That didn’t come as much of a surprise though. If they picked general magic then, to some degree or another, they probably enjoyed magic and had a knack for it. Being told to sit back and watch because we were doing too well was bound to incite some complaints.
So I made my offer.
“Then can we work on another spell?”
“As long as it’s nothing too big.”
You don’t trust us, do you? What’s wrong with a harmless spell?
“Can we go big as long as we don’t do an offensive spell?”
“What are you up to?”
“The same thing we did at the academy festival.”
An illusory spell, that is.
Once Bear finally figured out what I was getting at, the sideline crew—the ten best in the class—got together for some synchronized magic. We got some prickly looks from the coordinated magic group, but I didn’t let it bother me.
You know, if you get distracted during class, your grades will slip and one of us will have to take care of you. If you’re unlucky enough to get stuck with me, you might end up like those three that transferred out, but if you want to get chased by Gonsuke, I sure won’t stop you.
Lacking any better subjects for our illusory spell, we tried depicting the flowers blooming in the academy garden. It turned out very pretty, and a satisfying experience.
Now, what are we going to project next?
Colny’s debutante ball was only getting closer. In the dorm, I started seeing more and more nervous faces. Though I thought they might be used to big events, I got the feeling this one was special—a thought I mumbled aloud during lunch.
“It most certainly is special,” Lanmia said, astounded by me. “You only debut once in your life. I don’t know what it’s like for boys, but it’s a vital event for girls.”
Luchirs then chimed with her own thoughts on the gravity of the debutante ball. “It’s fair to say that the course of your social life is determined by your debutante ball.”
Hmm, I see. So for a marquess’s daughter like Colny, it must be huge.
Well, okay, I shouldn’t be acting like this isn’t my problem too.
While I wasn’t disagreeing with my friends, I didn’t think we were on the same page either.
“That reminds me, is Colnesia still not engaged to anyone?” Lanmia asked.
“Nope.”
Not even Ville was engaged. While there was no shortage of candidates, working through the details was a lengthy process. Since Colny was going to be married off to another family, that gave her a different set of obstacles, which only grew taller when you considered how much Thand and Sheila treasured their daughter. There was a good chance they were thoroughly vetting candidates to find one who would make Colny happy.
“That would make it all the more stressful for her,” Lanmia said. “Many people find their partner at social events.”
So they doubled as events for men and women to meet. Thinking of it that way, they were sort of like big singles mixers. Looking at them that way actually made it sort of funny. What Lanmia said next, however, wiped the grin off my face.
“Lowell, you’re not engaged either, are you?”
Oh, now the fire’s on my lawn.
“Well, my family situation is a little complicated and all.”
“Ah.”
“That’s right...”
That was enough for those two to understand. At this point, there weren’t many people who didn’t know about the connection between Ribbons and me. Even the first-years knew about us.
“That must be so much trouble, Lowell.”
Hearing Lanmia’s sympathetic words, a wry grin was the only response I could offer.