Chapter 49

“I’m relieved to be in the Empire.”

When the carriage stopped, Alicia got out of the carriage first and spoke to Noel.

“The princess told me that she made a good friend. She looked very happy.”

Noel got out of the carriage and looked at Alicia.

It was a little unpleasant for Noel to have to look up to make eye contact with Alicia, but he couldn’t help it.

“That’s me, no?”

“Of course, young master.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s a pleasure to have a friend like me.”

“Yes, I think so, too.”

Alicia nodded gently at Noel’s words.

He said the right thing, so it was natural that he had that reaction.

‘—Is this, kind of something weird?’

Why did he have these strange doubts?

He and Rieta were pretty good friends. Yeah, that was clear.

But it felt weird that Alicia knew as well.

—It was strangely unpleasant.

“Please take good care of her in the future. As a best friend.”

“……”

Noel did not respond to Alicia’s final request.

Did it matter?

Alicia left without hearing Noel’s answer.

******

While Noel and Alicia were at the academy, Rieta’s luggage arrived at the Duke’s house in the evening.

While Rieta inspected her luggage in her room, Noel solved one of the wooden puzzles sent to her.

Now, he was making the easiest first stage, the square.

“Wow, Noel, I think you’re almost there?”

“Don’t mind me, just clean up.”

Noel frowned, fiddling with the pieces that didn’t fit.

He couldn’t believe this was just the first step.

“Yeah, I’m almost done. In fact, I don’t own much… Oh, it’s Sweet Squirrel.”

Rieta found a nostalgic book and picked it up.

The book was covered in affectionate fingerprints, likely from Rieta when she was young.

“What a relief, they took good care of this.”

“Of course they would, since it’s your squirrel book.”

“Kk, is that so?”

Actually, she liked it when she was very young, but she stopped reading until she came to the Empire.

“Alicia bought this for me for my fifth birthday.”

“Ah… Really?”

Noel put down the little puzzle for the last time.

The completed product was a distorted square. Unfortunately, it was yet another failure.

“You’re very close, aren’t you?””

“With Alicia? Of course we’re close.”

Noel felt somewhat offended.

Of course, it was because the puzzle was too difficult.

He couldn’t believe that even the first step of the puzzle was so difficult.

Noel slowly swept the pieces of the puzzle he had painstakingly assembled with a crash.

“You know, actually…”

Then suddenly, Rieta’s calm voice came through the loud noise.

Noel stopped for a moment.

“It’s a secret—”

Rieta, hugging “Sweet Squirrel,” approached Noel and sat facing him.

Noel gazed at Rieta for a bit, but was soon absorbed in the puzzle again.

“When I was very young, I thought Alicia would hate me.”

“No way.”

Noel smirked as he recalled the conversation he had with Alicia that afternoon.

Far from hating Rieta, Alicia seemed to revere her like a religious figure.

“I know that’s not the case now. I was a little worried when I was younger.”

“Why would you worry about that?”

Being hated by a maid’s son wasn’t that important.

“That’s… I’m..”

Rieta picked up a puzzle piece that Noel had been pondering about and slotted it in.

It fit perfectly.

“I feel like I took Alicia’s mother away.”

“You mean your maid?”

“Yes.”

Rieta liked being with her maid, who took care of her from sunrise to sunset, but on the other hand, she was worried about Alicia.

“Alicia would have needed his mother’s touch.”

“Well… I understand, but.”

Noel put another puzzle piece next to Rieta’s contribution.

“Anyway, it’s clear that Alicia doesn’t hate you. Don’t you think so?”

Rieta nodded, quite grateful for that.

“Yes, so now I wish to shelter Alicia and his dreams.”

“Do you know what he wants?”

“I’m not sure.. Alicia rarely talks about himself.”

Still, after she observed him for a while, Rieta thought she had an inkling.

“Alicia said he respects his grandfather. So, perhaps he would like to become a knight—?”

Besides, he even wanted to visit the Empire’s military academy.

Noel nodded, agreeing. He felt the same from the way Alicia admired knights.