CH 20

Well, we might have had an encounter in the garden, but we still got home safely.

In the carriage, my father and mother seemed to be thinking about something, and Brother Will also seemed to be concerned about something. He chatted with me for a while, but he seemed to be preoccupied with that blonde drill-haired girl and Madame Verandel.

After arriving at the mansion, I parted with Brother Will and went to my room to rest.

Mother, Father, and I often have dinner together as a family, so when we finished eating, I boldly asked my father and mother about it.

“Um, Mother and Father…What kind of people did we meet today?”

“Madame Verandel and her daughter…They are…umm…”

Father stammered a little. In response, my mother calmly spoke up.

“Alice is a bright girl, and since you will be going to social tea parties, I think you should know.”

“Well, I suppose so.” Said father, who nodded once and began to speak slowly.

“You already know that Eleanor’s family is the Duke of Jaime’s family that I visited the other day. The Duchy of Jaime is a very old family, and they are an aristocratic family with royal blood in their veins. Our own Marquis Archelaus is also a very old family, and as you can see, the two families are very close.”

“Yes.” I nodded

My father is explaining things to me in a way that I can understand, with a lot of verbiage.

I put the information in my head while making moderate counterparts to it.

“The Marquis Verandel family, on the other hand, is a very new house, although it has a history of about 100 years or so. The Edmund dukes are on good terms with the Verandel family.”

A new name has emerged. The Duchy of Edmund…

“The Duke Edmund is also a relatively new family, but in the past, when they took great credit, they received a princess and rose to the duchy. They are the most powerful of the emerging nobles who became successful in business and became nobles. And…the Duke of Jaime and Duke of Edmund have a very bad relationship with each other.”

“Oh, I see…”

I spoke pensively in a manner uncharacteristic of a five-year-old.

“The new aristocracy supports the Edmunds, and the old aristocracy supports the Jaimes. There are also neutrals, though. Those are the two main factions in this country.

In other words, Archelaus and Verandel are probably the No. 2 of the rival factions. Moreover, my mother is the daughter of the head and leading family of the rival faction.

“And which faction does the head of our country tend to side with?”

I suddenly became curious about the political situation and asked, and this time my mother answered.

“His Majesty Grihelms is in a difficult situation right now. The right and left ministers are neatly divided into Jaime and Edmund factions, so he cannot favor one side easily. If the old noble families become upset, the possibility of civil war and the danger of defending the borders increases. But on the flip side, if the new noble families become upset, then the nation could fall into bankruptcy…”

Wow, that’s complicated. That’s a position that would burn a hole in my stomach if I were him. I’m definitely glad I didn’t reincarnate as an emperor.

“Alice is going to be out in public now too, making your social debut, so you’ll have to think about the factions and the power relationships before making decisions. In the beginning, we, our aides, and our guards will be always be there to teach you what to do.”

“Yes, I will do my best!”

I’m happy. I am not very good at remembering people’s faces, so it would be nice to have someone to teach me.

“By the way, Marquis Verandel’s daughter had quite a violent temper.”

“Oh. She’ll be in the same grade as Alice, so I’m worried they’ll encounter eachother frequently.”

Father sighs. The same grade?

“When you say same grade, do you mean school? Speaking of which, what school will I go to?”

I hadn’t heard about school. I don’t want to go to elementary school because it would be a pain in the neck to deal with a bunch of toddlers.

“Yes? Oh, Alice will go to a place called the Lovaine Imperial Magic Academy.”

“………Huh?”

Im-im…Imper…ial…Ma-ma, ma-ma…?

“You’ll be starting first grade there next year!”

Magic…

…Magic Academy?!?!?

I was so shocked that I couldn’t keep the calm conversation between my parents out of my head. Then I shouted loudly in my heart.

Wha-wha-what’s with this wonderfully exciting fantasy setting?!?!

Even name also sticks in my mind. It’s a nice touch.

How great!!!!

“It brings back memories. We also got engaged while we were in school.”

“Mm-hm. There were a lot of people who wanted to get Eleanor, so I spent all my time trying to keep them in check.”

“Oh my…”

My parents were flirting and reminiscing, but thanks to that, I’m no longer listening and am in my own world. They don’t notice my uncommon behavior, so it’s good.

If I wasn’t in public, I’d be in tears, pumping my fists in the air and screaming like a banshee from the pit of my stomach.

I wonder if they have classes like a certain wizarding school, with mysterious teachers and strange rooms and lots of magical tools!!

Thank you God, thank you, reincarnation—thank you! Thank you, world!! Yeaaaahhhh!!!!

…All this high tension running through my still weak body was a bit too much.

Combined with the fatigue of the day, I couldn’t take much more and I collapsed onto the table, making my mother scream out in panic.