Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster: Volume 4 E-Book

Saki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Heart
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 279

Beschreibung

Another school year begins! This time, Mary’s friends from Elysiana College join her at Karelia Academy for an exchange program. With crybaby Parfette, icy Carina, and ambitious hunter Margaret thrown into the mix, Mary’s life becomes all the more boisterous. But her lively routine is swiftly interrupted when Veltina, a younger girl from the exchange program, swoops in and starts doting on Adi!
Veltina openly loathes Mary, taking every opportunity to bully her. The girl’s cheap tricks remind Mary of her in-game self and shake loose yet another insight: Veltina is an original character from the Heart High anime! Could Veltina have past-life memories too? How will former villainess Mary deal with this targeted harassment? And why does a strange dark mist swirl within her chest whenever Veltina embraces Adi? It’s enough to make poor Mary fear that her heretofore blissful relationship with Adi may be headed through troubled waters for the very first time...

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Characters

Wishing for a Peaceful School Life

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

I Wished for One Sweet, Peaceful Day

Afterword

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Wishing for a Peaceful School Life

Sunlight poured gently over the gardens of Albert Manor. Beautifully blooming flowers swayed in the breeze, along with Mary’s silver-thread hair. Indeed, her hair swayed. The waggling, tightly curled ringlets were now a thing of the past. Recalling those bygone days, Mary lovingly pushed down her hair, until the man sitting opposite her—Patrick—called out to her.

Alicia was sitting next to Patrick while munching away on some cake. Meanwhile Adi, who was next to Mary, kept glancing between Alicia’s plate and the cake stand on the table. (Despite having wed Mary, Adi’s servant-like disposition hadn’t gone away. That said, he wasn’t trying to get rid of it, and Mary and the rest of the folk at Albert Manor all thought things were fine as they were too.)

“By the way, Mary,” Patrick said. “You also refused the offer to be an exchange student at Elysiana College, didn’t you?”

“I was thankful for the offer, but there’s a class at Karelia Academy that I’d like to take this time,” Mary replied. “But the way you said that...sounds like you refused the offer too.”

“I have a lot on my plate and no free time,” he told her with a shrug of his shoulders.

Indeed, Patrick had already been occupied before with matters such as changing House Dyce’s heir and entering the royal family. However, ever since he’d been officially tied to Alicia, things had reached a new height of busyness for him. Even so, he exhibited no signs of exhaustion and always properly showed up for tea, as expected of someone like him.

“Adi, didn’t they extend the offer to you as well?” asked Patrick.

“Yes, the school spoke with me about that. I did marry into House Albert and all. But since milady refused, I had no interest in accepting either,” Adi asserted, adding a second serving of cake to Alicia’s plate. He then picked up one of the strawberries from the table and placed it on the edge of Mary’s plate with some cream.

Mary looked at him, wondering what he was doing. His rust-ringed pupils were watching her fixedly. The red strawberry led her gaze, and when she looked up, she met his rust-colored eyes.

“My place is by my lady’s side. If she’s staying in Karelia Academy, then so am I.”

“Adi...” Mary’s heart started pounding from the way he was looking at her.

How passionate and affectionate the air was between them! Had they been alone right now, though it was still daytime and they were in the gardens, they certainly would’ve at the very least exchanged a kiss. Unfortunately, they were not alone, and as such...

“Can you come back from your own world already?”

...Patrick cut in ruthlessly.

“No, Lord Patrick!” cried Alicia. “We’re supposed to pretend we don’t see anything at times like these. Let’s turn the other way! We aren’t seeing any of this at all!” she insisted, turning her chair around with a clatter and feigning ignorance.

Though Mary had been entranced, Alicia’s actions promptly dampened her enthusiasm, and she let out a sigh. Adi, in contrast to his fervent declaration from moments ago, now smiled wryly. Mary then looked at the other pair and let out an openly displeased huff, as if to say, “Stop getting in our way!”

“I heard you refused as well, Alicia,” Mary said. “What a shame. Such a perfect opportunity for you to be forcibly expatriated for reeking of the boonies, gone to waste.”

“I wanted to see what it’s like to attend Elysiana, but I’ve been busy with a lot of things myself!” Alicia responded.

“Oh really? I thought you were impudently inviting yourself over to other people’s houses, but now I see you’ve been gracelessly running around all over the place.”

“But I really don’t want to be apart from Lord Patrick... It’s because we’ve been so busy that I want to treasure the time we do get to spend together!”

“Not only are my cutting remarks completely ineffective, but you’re counterattacking by getting all lovey-dovey! And why do you look so happy, Patrick?!” Mary shrieked. “If you two want to treasure your time together so badly, don’t spend it drinking tea at somebody else’s place! I’ll start charging you for the tea and venue costs!”

But no matter how much Mary yelled, Alicia only smiled cheerfully. Mary’s efforts didn’t get through to her at all—though, by now, that much was stating the obvious.

“It’ll be so much fun to study together with everyone from Elysiana! Right, Lady Mary?” Alicia prompted.

“What fun?! You’re supposed to be the princess, so at least try not to stain the name of your school and country with your provincialism!”

“Hee hee! Okay!”

“Ugh! Get hurt already! You’re breaking my heart over here!” Mary appealed, while Adi and Patrick exchanged a look with each other and shrugged as if to say things were the same as always.

Their reactions only heightened Mary’s rage, but she told herself that screaming any more than that would only tire her out. She calmed her emotions by remembering the delicious taste of freshly fried croquettes.

Mary let out a curt sigh, and then once more glanced around the tea party attendees. There was Alicia, smiling away and enjoying herself, with Patrick gazing at her affectionately. Next to Mary was also her husband, Adi. It was the usual lineup of people.

However, once the study exchange program from Elysiana College began, Parfette and the others would join them. With everyone gathered together, the time they’d spend here would be even more boisterous, lively, and fun...

Mary caught herself and quickly snapped out of her thoughts, pressing her hands to her cheeks in a fluster. She was looking forward to it from the bottom of her heart, and her true feelings had been reflected in her face for a moment. She must’ve been smiling warmly at her thoughts, and the idea of anyone having seen her embarrassed her a little.

To smooth over what just happened, Mary reached for her teacup and slurped her tea with heavy gulps. It was unbecoming of a noble lady to act in such a way, but everyone here knew her well, so she wasn’t bothered by it. Right now, her priority was to conceal her beaming smile at the thought of the exchange program.

Sensing what she was doing, Adi smiled wryly and poured her a new serving of tea. “It’s going to be fun, milady.”

At first, she had no idea how to respond to his encouraging words. Finally, she settled for saying, “I’m going to be fed up if things get even noisier!” as she looked away with another huff.

Chapter 1

The very first person who received the letter about the exchange program was Gainas Eldland. Having thanked the messengers from the academy, he promptly opened the envelope to check its contents.

The letter spelled out the details regarding the exchange program between Elysiana College and Karelia Academy, which he’d been aware of prior. He read through everything with a somber expression, and even let out a sigh as if he felt under pressure. He wasn’t exactly the image of someone who had chosen to study abroad for himself.

However, Gainas had a reason to feel the way that he did.

The original purpose of this exchange program had been to deepen the friendly relations between the two schools, and to broaden the students’ perspectives. Although the school term was short, developing relationships between nobles from different nations was beneficial for high society.

But things went even further for Elysiana College. They had another goal with this program, one which they seemed to value above all others.

It was a matter pertaining to Lilianne, a student who’d attended the college in the past. She was a peasant girl who’d been allowed to attend Elysiana as a special case, but she had ended up capturing the hearts of many of the aristocratic boys at the school, leading to the destruction of numerous betrothals.

Lilianne not only caused the daughter of House Albert to get wrapped up in the situation, but the motive behind her actions had been an illicit love towards the first son of House Dyce, Patrick. All of that had completely ruined the entire academy’s reputation.

In other words, for Elysiana College, the exchange program was their opportunity to redeem themselves.

Recalling how the school staff had explained this to him, Gainas groaned quietly. After all, he’d been one of the very people who’d fallen in love with Lilianne and followed her around. The memory of that alone made him feel pathetic and ashamed. Even when speaking to the staff, he’d kept his head lowered and murmured over and over again, “I’m so sorry for causing you all that trouble.”

But that was exactly why he had to give his all in fulfilling the role he’d been assigned. Thinking as much, Gainas called to a nearby maid and arranged for a carriage to take him to House Marquis.

Under usual circumstances, Gainas was not the sort of person who’d choose to participate in a study abroad program. Yet he’d been selected for it under Elysiana’s appeal to “reform the problem students from the previous incident.” Gainas himself also understood why it was appropriate for the school to request this of him.

After all, most of the other men who’d been involved with Lilianne were still chasing their former fiancées around, or else desperately trying to make marriage proposals to other families. There was no way for them to go abroad right now.

And the one who had it worst of them all was...

“No... It’s too late for him. He definitely can’t leave the country...!” Gainas exclaimed, shuddering by himself inside the carriage.

He remembered one of his schoolmates who used to surround Lilianne, along with himself and the other men. Or to be more precise, he remembered the miserable state of said schoolmate, and the icy young lady who reigned over him.

Needless to say, he was thinking about Carina and her former fiancé.

How terrifying, indeed. A chill raced through Gainas’s entire body, and he shivered involuntarily.

But he couldn’t let himself catch a cold right before the study abroad program began. He told himself as much in his mind, putting the thoughts of those two away. Or rather, the lady in his mind was happily dragging the man away with her. The scene was strangely vivid, perhaps because Gainas had witnessed exactly that just the other day.

When Gainas finally made it to House Marquis, hoping to find a bit of warmth, he instead found Parfette crying in the garden.

“Lady Mary...! Lady Mary...!” she sobbed.

The sight of a young girl crying in the sunlit garden while surrounded by pretty flowers was quite beautiful, stirring pain in the hearts of anyone who gazed upon her. Or that should’ve been the case, but the maids and gardeners simply went about their usual work without paying Parfette much attention.

In fact, one of the maids even said, “I’ll bring you some tea and cake,” as if knowing there was no use saying anything else to the girl.

It might’ve seemed cruel, but Parfette crying while thinking of Mary had become a daily occurrence within the Marquis mansion. (As a side note, Parfette had responded to the maid with, “Lady Mary, Lady Mary...! Chocolate cake, please... Lady Maaaryyy...!”)

“Parfette,” Gainas called out to her.

“Lady Mary...! Oh, Lord Gainas... Lady Mary? Lord Gainas...?”

“Don’t get confused; it’s me. Can I sit here?” he asked, and upon receiving permission, he sat down facing the sniffling Parfette.

The maid brought over the tea and snacks. Parfette drank some tea, ate a bite of the cake, and then wistfully whispered, “Lady Mary...”

“It’s too bad about the exchange program, Parfette,” Gainas told her.

“I wanted to study together with Lady Mary...” she lamented, lowering her head dejectedly.

Gainas tried to say some soothing words to her, and then handed over his share of the chocolate cake.

The reason Parfette was crying (alas, she was always crying, so it’d be more accurate to say, “the reason she was crying right now”) was because she hadn’t been chosen for the exchange program. And that was solely because House Marquis had a low standing in Elysiana College. The school was like a smaller version of high society itself, and the students’ ranks reflected how they were treated.

But Parfette was doted on by Mary, and she was cake friends with Alicia. She’d been certain the school would want to pick her based on those factors. However, it turned out that if Elysiana had shown too much preference to someone’s personal feelings, the other families would’ve caused a ruckus. Some of them might’ve insisted that their own family was a better choice than someone from House Marquis. All of this would’ve also occurred because the school was like a smaller version of high society. Hence, they hadn’t spoken to Parfette about the exchange program—at least, not officially.

“Parfette, do you want me to speak to the principal?” asked Gainas.

“Huh? The principal?”

“Yeah. I’m sure he’d be willing to listen to me, and to keep things under wraps from other families.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of course. I mean...I was planning to do it from the start anyway,” he said, murmuring the last part under his breath.

But his quiet words didn’t reach Parfette, and her eyes lit up at his proposition, so much so that it was almost as if her tears from before were never even there. Surrounded by flowers, she looked dazzlingly beautiful to Gainas. He was spellbound by her for a moment, until he snapped out of it and cleared his throat. He straightened his posture, feigning tranquility in hopes she wouldn’t notice his tension.

But however much he tried to put up a front, he was an awkward man at his core. When he muttered, “Still...” his voice sounded slightly shrill.

“What’s wrong, Lord Gainas?”

“O-Of course, I don’t mind speaking with the principal at all. If I’m going to be studying at Karelia, I’d like you there with me. But, well... Speaking with him will take time and effort, so...”

As he spoke incoherently, Parfette fixed her eyes on him. After a moment, she conjectured what he was trying to say, and let out a gasp. “I... I see! Lord Gainas...!”

“Parfette, I...”

“I understand! In order to spend time with Lady Mary, I will marry you, Lord Gainas!”

“I know it’s a foolish thing to wish for, but I’d really like it if— Marry?!” he spluttered.

“You were about to say, ‘If you want me to convince the principal, you’ll have to marry me,’ right?! I’ll agree, but only so that I can spend time with Lady Mary!”

“No! I’d never say something like that!”

“‘Something like that’?! Are you engaged to me with no intentions of marrying me, then?!” she asked incredulously.

“That’s not it either! I do want to marry you, very much so! But what I was trying to say was...”

“Yes?!”

“I... I just wanted to ask you for a kiss! That’s all!” Gainas shouted in desperation, his face flushed bright red. But then he gave in to his embarrassment and hung his head.

There was an awkward silence between them. It was so still that they could even hear the footsteps of the maids and workers in the garden. After another moment, Gainas murmured, “Sorry. I know I’ve kissed you before, but you’ve never kissed me... That’s why I... But if you don’t want to, it’s fine. I’ll still speak with the principal...”

“All right, I’ll do it.”

“Parfette...!” Gainas exclaimed, his expression brightening.

He expected to see his adorable fiancée blush from being coaxed into kissing him, but that didn’t happen. So perhaps she would be determined, and charmingly approach him...but that wasn’t the case either. Instead...

“This is for the sake of spending time with Lady Mary! Prepare yourself, Lord Gainas!”

...his fiancée, full of vigor, came flying at him with all her might.

The sound of a certain couple and two chairs tumbling to the ground echoed through the serene garden of the Marquis estate.

***

Right around the time when Parfette and Gainas hit the ground at House Marquis, two letters arrived at House Brownie’s mansion. One was addressed to their daughter, Margaret, and the other to Carina, whom Margaret had invited over for tea. The two opened their respective letters, and then smiled calmly.

“Tell the principal I look forward to attending,” said Margaret.

“Thank you for delivering this to me directly,” said Carina.

Both of them sounded appreciative. They could afford to feel so relaxed because they’d been told in advance about this. They hadn’t asked for all the particulars, but they had mostly predicted everything.

“I look forward to studying abroad,” Carina remarked.

“Me too; I’d like to go as soon as possible. Ever since he heard about the exchange program, Bernard has started to sign off all his letters to me with, ‘I’m waiting for you.’”

“Here we go again...”

“His grade doesn’t do exchange programs yet. But he told me, ‘Just this once, I’m glad to be the age that I am, because I can come and welcome you.’”

“Exchange programs start from high school, no? We’ll be graduating college around the time he begins high school. I’m sure they’ll select him for the program, and then it will be your turn to welcome him. What a good age difference you have!”

Margaret nodded in satisfaction at Carina’s words. She then smiled gently, perhaps thinking about seeing Bernard again soon, or perhaps imagining him when he’d be starting high school. Whatever the case, she certainly didn’t seem like a hunter right now.

Carina, unwilling to endure having to listen to any more of Margaret’s love talk, swiftly changed the topic to packing for their move.

That said, as Carina and Margaret were both noble ladies, they wouldn’t have to do the packing themselves. Everything would be left for the maids to take care of. So what they discussed instead was how many new clothes they should order, or where to have their suitcases made. The discussion was perfectly aristocratic.

In the middle of it, Carina suddenly muttered, “The luggage...” while lifting the tablecloth slightly to peer down at her feet.

Margaret continued quietly sipping her tea as she observed her friend. Though the tea was freshly poured, it seemed lukewarm, or maybe even entirely cold. Was it just her imagination?

“I wonder if my footstool will fit into the suitcase?” Carina inquired calmly, tilting her head.

Margaret took another sip of her drink. “In consideration of Elysiana’s dignity, please do not bring that with you,” she advised assertively, putting a stop to her friend’s eccentric behavior before it could even begin. And all the while, she acted as if she couldn’t see what, or rather who,the footstool beneath the table was.

On the first day of the exchange program, Mary stood by Albert Manor’s entryway. The place where they’d be welcoming the visitors was as lavish as one would expect from the Alberts, but Mary was long used to the view. The same was true for Adi, who’d worked for House Albert for many years.

The same was also true for Alicia, who visited Albert Manor almost every day, and of course was here today as well. As a side note, it wasn’t that she’d come here in the morning, but rather, she’d been here since the morning.

“By the way, Alicia...” said Mary. “You were having breakfast with my mother this morning like it was no big deal. But I wonder why you’re here when I haven’t summoned you?”

“When I heard that Parfette was coming, I just couldn’t stay still! I had to come!” Alicia replied enthusiastically.

Mary glared at her, then sighed. The other girl’s early morning visits were nothing new, and likewise, nothing Mary said now would do anything to change it, so she gave up on the idea.

Lately, it had become so normal for Alicia to hang around Albert Manor’s kitchens and assist with the cooking that it had gotten to the point where she had to notify the cooks if she wouldn’t be able to make it on any particular day, and they’d have leftovers just enough for one person. The rest of Albert Manor accepted Alicia’s visits as if they were par for the course, so it was no wonder that Mary’s heart was breaking.

But somebody like Mary Albert couldn’t let herself look defeated. “Visiting without an invitation? Such boorish manners!” she said as a last means of attack.

Adi, who was next to her, laughed quietly. “All that said, you woke up pretty early today yourself, milady. You were really looking forward to everyone coming over, weren’t you?”

“Not at all. I simply happened to wake up early. Besides, speak for yourself! You woke up early today too, didn’t you? The maids told me as much.”

“Alicia’s arrival woke me up...”

“I will avenge you!” Mary cried, and then lightly hit Alicia on the forehead.

“I was just so excited...!” Alicia exclaimed in her defense, which was so very much like her.

Glancing at the girls out of the corner of his eye, Adi let out a quiet yawn. But soon enough he was fixing his posture, for a horse-drawn carriage had arrived at the gates of House Albert. Though he may have been sleepy, his habit as a servant had taught him to snap out of it and not let such things show in front of visitors.

“Your Ladyship, a carriage of House Marquis has arrived. Lady Parfette is here. Seems like there’s one more carriage coming—who might that be? Lord Gainas is supposed to be completing the procedures at the school now, right? My lady...? Are you listening to me?”

“Wait! I want to get in at least two more blows...!” Mary vigorously smacked Alicia’s forehead twice, then exhaled a long breath. She straightened her skirt and went back to standing with an air of ladylike dignity. The change in her was extraordinary, and it was as if she hadn’t just been hitting someone. Nobody would’ve ever guessed that this beautiful young lady had just smacked the forehead of her nation’s princess moments ago.

The two carriages slowly came to a halt in front of the estate. The coachman rushed over, pausing briefly to bow to Mary and the others, before opening the carriage doors.

Of course, Parfette came bursting out from the other side. It was as if she simply couldn’t wait another second as she darted towards Mary with a cry of, “Lady Maaaryyy!”

She was truly like a puppy. That said, she was actually a little slow on her feet, so though she had a puppy’s brightness, she didn’t have the agility. If anything, it was stressful watching to see whether or not she’d fall over.

But that, too, was a part of her adorable charm, and Mary found herself smiling and spreading her arms open to greet her. (Seeing her sweet gesture, Alicia pursed her lips and complained: “Whenever I run at Lady Mary, she always gets angry and says it’s graceless!” she appealed.)

(“Perhaps it’s a matter of velocity,” Adi responded in an attempt to help, completely missing the point.)

Parfette finally made it to Mary, and threw herself into her arms. “Lady Mary!”

“Lord Adi!”

Mary smiled warmly. However, she frowned a moment later, realizing she’d heard another voice that wasn’t Parfette’s calling out at the same time. It was an unfamiliar, high-pitched voice, and the one it had called for was...Adi?

Mary glanced at him in confusion, only to see that a girl she didn’t recognize was hugging him. Mary blinked at the sight. “Adi, who is that...?”

“Who, indeed...?” responded Adi, his own eyes just as wide as he glanced down at the girl. Though he gently put his hands on her shoulders and tried to encourage her to move away, she didn’t seem to catch on. Meanwhile, Mary was dumbstruck by the scene before her, as was Parfette. Even Alicia, who’d taken advantage of the opportunity to cling to Mary, was stunned into silence.

Only the girl who was still clinging to Adi didn’t seem to realize everyone’s eyes were on her. “Goodness!” she exclaimed before letting go of Adi. She then grasped the hem of her skirt and bowed gracefully. The ribbon tying her chestnut hair together swayed with the movement.

“Pardon me! My name is Veltina Barthez.”

Adi paused. “Lady Veltina, is it...? Excuse me, but have we met somewhere before?”

“No, this is our first time meeting. I’m sorry—I was just so happy that I finally got to meet you,” Veltina said, smiling amicably. Her eyes were fixed on Adi, and her cheeks were just a little pink. It was almost as if she were gazing at her beloved, not meeting someone for the first time in her life.

In contrast, Adi looked confuddled. He glanced Veltina over dubiously, and nonchalantly took a step closer to Mary. The unexpected embrace from a girl he’d never met before had made him put up his guard a bit. He found her strange, but based on her attire and conduct, it was clear that she was a noble lady of high standing. As such, Adi couldn’t be impolite towards her, and decided to at least gain some distance from her for now.

Just as he decided he should say something and opened his mouth, however, another carriage approached noisily, making him glance its way. Mary did the same while peeling off Alicia and Parfette.

Another horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the extravagant Albert Manor. Soon enough, a man stepped out of it—the principal of Elysiana College. He rushed over to Veltina without offering any greetings, seeming relieved that he’d found her safe and sound. But then he snapped back to his senses and turned to Mary, apologizing for the sudden visit.

Mary still had no idea what was going on. First, she put her efforts into once again peeling off Alicia and Parfette, then looked at the principal and bid him an elegant greeting. (As soon as she was done, the two girls once again embraced her.)

“I’m so sorry for showing up unannounced, Lady Mary!” said the man.

“No, it’s fine... Come on, you two, we’re in front of the principal! Show some respect! Stop hugging me! And stop crying!” Mary huffed, rebuking the girls clinging to her.

“I’m just so happy to see you again, Lady Mary...!” sobbed Parfette bashfully.

“I just couldn’t help myself!” said Alicia, scratching her cheek. (Perhaps the same logic could’ve been applied to Alicia’s daily visits to Albert Manor.)

But upon Mary’s scolding, the girls finally snapped out of it and then greeted the principal politely, like a proper princess and noble lady respectively.

“Princess Alicia, my apologies for disturbing you when you’re spending time with your friends. I’m here because I was told one of the students from our school got lost,” he explained apologetically.

Veltina, realizing he was talking about her, joined in. “I did get lost, but I happened upon Lady Parfette’s carriage. I thought they were heading towards Karelia Academy, so I followed them. I never imagined they’d be heading to Albert Manor instead...” she said, modestly lowering her head and apologizing to Mary. But when she lifted her head again, her pupils strayed from Mary to glance at Adi momentarily.

It was the briefest of glances, after which she turned to face the principal again. “I still haven’t completed the procedures yet, sir. Would you mind showing me the way to Karelia Academy?”

“Of course, I don’t mind... Oh?” The principal looked aside, as if having noticed something.

Everyone else followed his line of sight, and saw that another carriage was approaching Albert Manor. Karelia Academy’s emblem was engraved into its side.

“My, we’re having plenty of guests today,” Mary remarked with a smile. Adi was restless, as if wondering whether he ought to fetch some tea. Meanwhile, Alicia and Parfette were meekly listening to the conversation...while also meekly and gradually stepping closer and closer to Mary.

The principal of Karelia Academy stepped out from the carriage. “There you are, Lady Veltina!”

“Even you came all this way... I’m so sorry, sir,” said the girl.

“It’s all right. I’m just glad you’re safe. Your schoolmates were worried when we lost sight of your carriage.”

“Gracious!” Veltina exclaimed with exaggerated concern. She turned to Mary and curtsied. “Lady Mary—and everyone else—I’m very sorry for disturbing you. I’ll be taking my leave now. I will come back at a later date to apologize properly. See you then.” Her words were perfectly ladylike, and she seemed sincere in her apology.

However, Mary was certain she wasn’t imagining the way Veltina glanced sideways at Adi even as she spoke to Mary. In fact, when she’d said, “See you,” she was mostly looking at Adi. He seemed to have noticed as much himself, and his expression was indescribable.

There was no sense in pointing that out for now, so Mary focused on seeing Veltina off. “No need to apologize,” she said, sounding just as ladylike. “But since we made each other’s acquaintance, please feel free to come visit in the future.” Her honeyed words were simply lip service. Though she was feigning friendliness, she wasn’t speaking from the heart.

(Mary had been addressing Veltina as she spoke, but two delighted voices cried out from the side. “Okay! I’ll come by every day!”)

(“Waaah! What an honor...!”)

Leaving Mary’s doubts unconfirmed, Veltina curtsied once more and then walked towards her carriage. The two principals watched her, then each returned to his own carriage as well.

As they did so, both of them paused to bow at Mary at the same time. Their bald scalps reflected the sunlight’s rays with a momentary glint. Mary squinted from the brightness, and in that instant, she remembered: this was no longer the world of an otome game...but in a small way, it was still the world of Heart High.

Heartthrob High School was an otome game Mary had played in her previous life, one where Alicia was the protagonist. There was the original game, the bonus content, and a sequel with a different setting and cast of characters. With those three products, the series had ended.

Or the game series had ended, to be precise.

“Adi, I want to discuss something,” Mary said sometime before dinner.

After Veltina and the principals had left, she’d tried to get Alicia to leave and failed. She then went to have a tea party in Albert Manor, once more tried to get Alicia to leave, and failed again. For some reason, they then went on a tour of Alicia’s favorite cake shops, and by the time dusk arrived, Mary had finally foisted Alicia and Parfette off to Patrick and Gainas, who’d come to collect their respective partners.

Mary’s day had been busy, but she’d at last found a moment of peace and quiet before dinnertime. However, rather than being peaceful, her tone of voice was grave when she spoke up to Adi, who tilted his head at her.

“Very well. Shall we go to my room?” he suggested.

“No need. Let’s go to that room over there for a bit.”

“Let us go to my room.”

“Like I said, there’s no need. We could even go to the garden.”

“My room—”

“Where’s your restraint?” Mary asked, tightening her fist.

Sensing the impending danger, Adi quickly said, “I’m so sorry! Let’s head to the garden! I’ll prepare some tea!” He rushed away, holding on to his flank as if he could still remember the pain of being dealt Mary’s fist of moderation. One could even say he was a little traumatized.

Mary shrugged as she watched him leave, and then made her way to the garden.

***

“An...animation?” Adi asked slowly, as if he were saying the word of a foreign language. Huge question marks flitted about his head. The evening breeze swayed his rust-colored hair, but there was no time to appreciate that right now. “I think you mentioned it before, but just what is this ‘animation’ thing?”

“Animation, or anime, is...basically, it’s moving pictures created using lots of amazing technology,” Mary told him.

“That’s so vague that I don’t really understand, but you’re saying that Heart High became an anime, yes?”

“That’s right. When they first broadcast it, my previous self should’ve seen it... At least, I think so. Probably.”

“You don’t sound very certain about that,” Adi pointed out.

“I may have memories of my past life, but they’re mostly fragmented,” Mary explained, sipping her tea. “How troublesome...” she added, though her tone didn’t sound particularly concerned. It seemed she wasn’t trying to force herself to recall the details.