Brigitte Meidell, daughter of the Earl of Meidell, sat across from her waiting maid Sienna in a carriage trundling down the road.
The month-long summer holiday at the Otoleanna Academy of Magic had begun the week before, and Brigitte would have more chances than usual to leave her cottage this summer. She planned to follow up on invitations from her classmates Nival and Kira to spend time together during the break. And today—she was headed toward the Aurealis residence.
The home of the venerable Water Clan…to which Yuri belonged.
I wonder why he asked me to come…
Brigitte had narrowly lost to Yuri in their academic competition, and since they’d agreed that the loser had to do one thing the winner asked, he’d asked her to come to his house. But why had he chosen this as his request? He seemed to have a reason, but she still didn’t know what it was. She would simply have to find out once she got there.
C-calm down! Deep breaths, deep breaths…
She became so nervous every time she thought about it, she worried her heart would jump right out of her mouth. As she tried to focus, which was becoming a daily struggle, she reflected on recent events.
She didn’t want to receive a scolding for her visit upon her return, so she had asked the butler to notify her family—saying only that a friend and son of the Duke of Aurealis had invited her to the family residence. She had awaited their response without anticipation, and of course, all the butler relayed to her in reply was a dispassionate warning that she should “take care not to be impolite.”
She assumed her parents still had no interest whatsoever in her. To them, the fact that she’d ranked thirtieth in the written tests and second in the magic-stone hunt probably wasn’t even worth thinking about. After all, Brigitte didn’t have a spirit with a name. That was enough to leave her worthless in their eyes. She’d always known what their response would be, so she didn’t really care. She wasn’t going to get her hopes up now, after all these years.
What I’m really worried about…
She had something else on her mind.
“Let’s get engaged again. Will you make a fresh start with me, Brigitte?”
When Brigitte saw Joseph and spoke to him for the first time in what felt like ages, he had asked to try again. Ever since, the memory of those few seconds had replayed in her mind endlessly, and the incident made her wince every time.
She simply could not figure it out.
Not long ago, Joseph had mercilessly abandoned Brigitte, his fiancée of many years, because of what Lisa had said about her. So why was he raising the possibility of a new engagement now? She also had some questions for him about Lisa. But while she was frozen in shock, he’d told her with a smile that she could answer him the next time they met, then boarded his waiting carriage.
Since the summer holiday had begun immediately after that, she hadn’t had a chance to ask him what he meant. She was in a state of emotional confusion that was creating a strange burden on her heart. In the past, Joseph was the only person she felt she could be honest with. But now that he’d ended their engagement without so much as asking her opinion, that innocent adoration was gone.
But Sienna saw right through her attempts to appear calm. “Miss Brigitte, is something wrong?”
“…I-I’m only a little nervous. I’m fine.”
Brigitte would have liked to talk to someone about the situation with Joseph, but all the servants at the cottage seemed to despise him. She didn’t want to ignite their anger or worry them unnecessarily, so she shook her head.
“Well, you certainly look lovely today,” Sienna said, and she was so earnest about it that Brigitte felt a bit shy.
Brigitte was wearing light makeup and a vibrant orange short-sleeved dress. Her outfit’s elegant contours and wide hem were complemented by the single braid in her long red hair. She had wondered if she should dress more formally to visit a duke’s house, but Sienna had insisted on her present outfit.
“…Sienna, just to remind you one more time, I forbid you from asking Sir Yuri his thoughts on my clothes!”
“Then it’s all right to ask his impression of your overall appearance?”
“Absolutely not! Any questions about any impressions are forbidden!” Brigitte shouted.
Even Sienna had to agree to that, if reluctantly.
What a splendid gate…
After about fifteen minutes in the carriage, they arrived in the suburbs of the capital, where a magnificent mansion towered over them. The Earl of Meidell’s residence was far from humble, but the home of the elite Aurealis family was in a class of its own. A high wall surrounded the magnificent manor, painted white and blue. When they passed through the gate, they found themselves on a lane leading to the main house, lined with leafy green trees and babbling brooks as beautiful as a dream. What surprised Brigitte, however, was the glimpse she caught of a lake in the distance.
That’s a sight worthy of the famous Water Clan! Although perhaps it’s a bit much.
As she stuck her head out the window of the carriage to admire the landscape, the driver stopped the horses.
“You made it! Welcome Brigitte and Miss Sienna.”
Brigitte couldn’t believe her eyes as she stepped down from the carriage. Yuri himself had come out to greet them. By that point, she could hardly contain her anxiety.
“I-I’m honored you invited us,” she mumbled.
Yuri, who was dressed in street clothes rather than the uniform Brigitte was used to, held out his hand, and she nervously took it. He seemed used to serving as escort—which made sense, given his status as a duke’s son.
I wonder how many other girls’ hands he’s held like this…
The thought made her a little depressed.
Meanwhile, Yuri’s attendant, Clifford, was watching them and beaming. “Miss Brigitte, my master isn’t used to escorting ladies. What do you think of his first performance?”
“Clifford, please keep your comments to yourself,” Yuri said, clicking his tongue at his meddlesome attendant.
“My apologies,” he answered, still grinning unrepentantly as he stepped back.
Brigitte couldn’t help feeling happy to hear this. It meant Yuri had taken the time to practice escorting a lady, just for her.
Not noticing that Sienna and Clifford were watching her warmly, Brigitte smiled and said to Yuri, “S-so, Sir Yuri, what is your plan for today?”