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Once all the girls had chosen the dresses they wanted, Ekaterina suggested taking a break for tea, and they all returned to the garden. Just then, the boys came back as well, and the entire group was reunited.

The boys seemed unusually excited—apparently, near the armory, in one of the training rooms, Aleksei and Mikhail had a sparring match with longswords.
It was said to have been an impressive duel between two highly skilled swordsmen. The tension was so sharp it was almost like a real battle, with sparks flying—utterly thrilling to watch, they said.
Though they hadn’t officially declared a winner, Aleksei had the advantage. Given his height, longer reach, and two extra years of experience, that was only natural. Still, Mikhail holding his own against him was quite admirable.

On top of that, Nikolai had been lending his chest to the younger students for sparring, tossing them one after another in a flurry of practice bouts. As a result, nearly all the first-year boys of Ekaterina’s class had become utterly devoted to him, to the point of saying, “Please, let us call you ‘Aniki’!”

Hey, Prince! What are you doing making my brother take on all that!?
He was never supposed to be involved in the first place! The plan was for Graham to guide the boys around the armory. But since you showed up unannounced, I had no choice but to drag the head of the house into it—causing no small amount of trouble!

“Lord Mikhail, that was quite inconsiderate. We are honored by your visit, of course, but my brother devotes himself day and night to balancing his duties as head of House Jurnova with his studies. Please refrain from taking up his time—let alone making him do something dangerous.”

Aleksei had already returned to his office, so Ekaterina, brows sharply raised in indignation, confronted Mikhail on his behalf. Cornered by her righteous anger, Mikhail raised both hands in surrender, looking troubled.

“Forgive me, Ekaterina. Aleksei and I used to practice swordsmanship together a lot. When he asked me for a bout after all this time, I couldn’t say no.”

Huh?

“Oh? My brother was the one who asked?”
“Yeah. He said his body’s been getting soft since he inherited the title. Though honestly, there was no sign of that.”

Ah—damn it.

“My apologies. I spoke rudely without knowing the circumstances.”
“It’s fine. It just shows how much you care about your brother—that’s one of your best qualities. I’m sure Aleksei feels lucky to have such a sister.”
“Oh my, you flatter me.”

Really? You actually think so?
Wow, Prince, that’s really sweet of you to say. My brother’s a total siscon, so he often tells me he’s happy to have me around—but hearing it from a third party that I actually make him happy means a lot.

“By the way, I heard from my mother that you wanted to learn the rapier. If you’d like, I could give you a few lessons sometime. I don’t think Aleksei would mind if it’s just basic handling.”

Ooh, that sounds fun—
…Wait. Hold on. Stop right there, me.
Do not forget: *the prince equals doom flag.* Unless Flora-chan joins too, it’s dangerous to accept that offer just for my own interest.

“Lady Flora, might you be interested in learning the rapier?”
“Eh? M-me? The rapier—that’s the thin sword, right? Um, not particularly…”

Well, most girls wouldn’t be into that, of course.
Sorry, Prince. You probably thought inviting me would make Flora-chan tag along, but that didn’t pan out. My bad.
Besides, I’ve got to study my duties as the lady of the house under Graham, and there’s the glass pen project coming up too.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but for now, I must focus on learning the duties of household management.”
“I see. After all, you are the acting Duchess until Aleksei marries. If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word.”
“Your kind words humble me, Your Highness.”

Thank you, prince. You really are a good guy.
Which is exactly why I can’t let my guard down and forget about that doom flag.

.

And with that, the day came to an end. Since Ekaterina still had business at the ducal estate the next day, she stayed behind to see everyone off as they boarded their carriages and headed back to the dorms.
At that time, she handed each of the girls a large ribboned box containing their chosen dress to take home. Everyone smiled happily as they hugged their boxes and thanked her.

But of course, there were three exceptions.
Naturally—the Yes-Yes Trio.
Every other girl had chosen only one dress. Those three, however, after much indecision, clutched onto about five each and refused to let go. That made fifteen dresses in total.
The carriages were already filled to their limits, so there was absolutely no space for fifteen large boxes.

“Hey, do something about this! Lady Ekaterina *herself* said she’s giving these dresses to us! Then it’s your duty to figure out a way for us to bring them home properly!”

They crowded around the duke’s servants, shouting. It was such utter nonsense that Ekaterina couldn’t help but chuckle.

They remind me of Osaka aunties from my previous life. This is how they act when their bad side comes out. Though in Osaka, they’d usually make a joke of it with a bit of comic banter and somehow smooth things over.

Ekaterina started toward the trio but stopped when she noticed the butler, Graham, give her a subtle signal.
He walked over to the Yes-Yes Trio and bowed politely—an absolutely perfect bow, like it was measured with a ruler.

“Ladies, may I ask what seems to be the matter?”
“This maid is defying Lady Ekaterina! She refuses to follow orders!”

Huh?

“We were specially given all these dresses, you see. Then, naturally, you should give us special treatment as well. It’s only proper that you prepare another carriage for us, don’t you think?”
“Yes, yes!”

…A certain martial artist would say it best right now:
*‘What the hell are you talking about?’*

Graham smiled faintly. It was a refined, but somehow inscrutable butler’s smile.

“Ladies, as members of House Jurnova, we always strive to act in perfect accordance with our mistress’ wishes.”
“Oh, really? Then you know exactly what to do, don’t you?”
“Lady Ekaterina wishes only for her guests to return safely and comfortably. So, to avoid troubling the other passengers, we shall have these dresses delivered directly to your dormitory at the academy tomorrow. Please, rest assured and enjoy a safe journey home.”
“Wait a second! That’s not what we meant!”

One of the Yes-Yes Trio raised her voice, but Graham’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest.

“Forgive me, but might you be Lady Sofiya Saimar, daughter of Count Saimar?”
“Well, yes!”

Oh, so the one sticking her chin up is named Sofiya? So close to “Souya,” what a coincidence. And Saimar, huh. How does Graham even *know* that? Amazing.
¹

I later found out that all three members of the Yes-Yes Trio were named Sofiya. Incredible.
But to me, you’ll always be the Yes-Yes Trio. Let’s call Lady Saimar “Yes-Girl No. 1.”

“If you know of my family, then—”

Before Yes-Girl No. 1 could finish, Graham leaned close and whispered something in her ear.
And just like that, her face changed completely.
Graham straightened up and bowed once more.

“Please have a safe trip home, my ladies.”
“F-fine! We will!”

And with that, the Yes-Yes Trio scurried off in a fluster.
Graham, you were magnificent… My Butler’s Magic is Too Useful, trademarked.