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When Ekaterina knocked on the study door, Yvan appeared immediately and quickly took the baskets from her and Flora.

“Come in, milady, Lady Flora.
“Thank you, Yvan.”

The moment they entered the study, Aleksei broke into a smile when he saw Ekaterina and stood up smoothly.
Then, he spread his arms slightly.

“Come here.”

When he said that, there was no way a sister with a brother complex could resist throwing herself into her brother’s arms.
So, she threw herself into them without hesitation.

“Onii-sama!”
“My Ekaterina.”

Aleksei gently embraced his sister, who was clinging to him innocently.

“I’ve missed you so much since we last saw each other yesterday.”
“Me too. The world seemed dark to me because I couldn’t see your beautiful face.”

So Onii-sama’s siscon filter even has a brightness adjustment feature! It really is high-performance.

Or so said the thoughts that crossed her mind, but the siblings only moved into the dorm yesterday. They’ve only been apart for less than a day.

That said, during summer break, they almost always ate breakfast and dinner together. Both of them are staying in special rooms in the dorm, so instead of going to the dining hall, they’re supposed to eat in their own rooms. Therefore, he’s been eating alone since last night’s dinner, so it’s no wonder he feels lonely—or maybe it is.

Beside them, Yvan and Flora were warmly preparing lunch.

“Lady Flora, please have a seat and wait a moment.”
“I get restless if I just sit still… I’m sorry for taking over your work.”

At that, Aaron remarked thoughtfully.

“This really feels like what an academy should be, doesn’t it?”

No one in the room said anything back. It was an office devoid of any comebacks.

“I’ve really missed home-cooked lunches like this,”

Khalil said happily, looking at the omelet sandwich in front of him.

“What did you have for lunch during summer break, Lord Khalil?”
“Mostly, I had business lunches with people from various trading companies. Sometimes it was a lavish lunch at a fine restaurant, but whether the food tasted good or not depended on how the business negotiations went. Satisfactory results make for the finest cuisine.”

In response to Ekaterina’s question, Khalil answered with a chuckle.
As expected of Khalil the merchant.

However, that pleasant atmosphere changed the moment Ekaterina mentioned the earlier incident. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up, knowing it would lead to this, but reporting, communicating, and consulting are important.

“…The daughter of the Marquis of Seleznyov?”

Aleksei’s neon-blue eyes flashed.

“You know her, Onii-sama?”
“It seems she holds a firm position in the imperial capital’s social circles. Is that right, Novak?”
“Yes. As the family of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager, she possesses the highest social standing among the unmarried young ladies who have made their debut in society. —Or so it has been, until now.”

At Novak’s words, everyone in the office turned to look at Ekaterina.

Oh… So because I came to the Imperial Capital, I’ve become the unmarried young lady with the highest social standing.
Um, there’s also a young lady in Jurmagna… Elizavetta, I believe. But isn’t she only ten years old? If so, she hasn’t made her debut in society yet. In the Imperial Kingdom, the typical age for a debut is fourteen or fifteen, before entering the Magic Academy.

Since I was introduced at the banquet in Jurnova, I’m considered to have made my debut in society. I seem to recall that in Victorian England, a debutante’s debut involved attending a ball held after an audience with the Queen, but in the Imperial Kingdom, the rules are more relaxed—attending a party of a certain standing is enough to mark one’s debut.

“Does Count Novak know anything about the Imperial Capital’s social scene…?”

Just as she began to speak, Ekaterina suddenly realized something.
If Novak is familiar with the Imperial Capital’s social scene, that knowledge was likely gained during the process of considering a marriage partner for Aleksei.
Considering social standing, it wouldn’t be surprising if Lydia were at the top of the list of candidates. Plus, she’s beautiful, and her skills as a noblewoman are top-notch. As a partner for my brother, she’s flawless… well, almost.
Grrr!

Ah, but Lydia seemed to be a fan of the prince.

“No need to worry, Ekaterina. The Seleznyov family has no intention of forming ties with Jurnova.”

Aleksei said, sounding concerned for his sister.

“The Seleznyov family is deeply committed to reinstating an empress consort. They are the leading faction arguing that the current concentration of power within the three major ducal houses is unhealthy, and that the imperial power structure should be reformed by elevating their own family. To that end, they aim to produce an empress consort and seize power as her maternal relatives. That, it seems, is their idea of justice. Lady Lydia is the very embodiment of that aspiration. She was raised to be the kind of woman the Seleznyov family considers fit to be Empress. She herself seems to hold that conviction very strongly.”
“Is that so? Just as you said, she did seem quite friendly with Prince Mikhail.”

Ekaterina felt a sense of relief so immediate it made her feel a bit materialistic.

Besides, the prince wasn’t very nice to Lydia-chan. Well, she also completely ignored Flora-chan too. Is that what the Seleznyov family considers a woman fit to be Empress?
But Her Majesty Empress Magdalena is nothing like that at all. And I can’t imagine His Majesty the Emperor, who married her out of love, would ever approve of a child who acts that way. The prince respects his parents and has inherited their values.
Yikes, does that mean Lydia and the Seleznyov family are just wasting their efforts?
When I think about it that way, I almost feel sorry for them.

“Even then, what exactly is this unwritten rule that says she shouldn’t have anything to do with me?”

When Ekaterina muttered this, Aleksei also looked perplexed.

“I haven’t heard of it either. Novak, do you know?”
“No. I’m afraid I’ve never heard of such a thing existing between the Seleznyov family and our house. Besides, it’s puzzling that His Highness the Prince would be aware of something you do not.”

At that, Khalil cleared his throat.

“…Perhaps it is not an unwritten rule between our family and the Seleznyov family, but rather one concerning His Royal Highness the Prince.”
“Speak.”

Aleksei ordered succinctly, in his typical manner.

“It’s a rumor I heard in the capital’s social circles during the summer holidays. Apparently, if an unmarried member of the imperial family becomes close to a member of the opposite sex, and another member of the opposite sex were to harm that person, it is said that the perpetrator would be severely punished. It is said that during a time of unrest in the Empire, a young lady died in an accident following a clash over the future position of Empress, and that incident triggered a civil war in which families fought each other by force.
“Since then, conflict between members of the opposite sex in the royal family’s circle has been strictly avoided. It’s said that once a royal has a close romantic partner, harming that person in any way is absolutely forbidden. There were even rumors circulating—told with such conviction—that a certain young lady was sentenced to lifelong house arrest over a trivial matter, and that in cases where a family was involved, their lands were confiscated.”

Ugh…
W-Wait, does that mean that I could actually get the Doom end from the game?!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, but could that unwritten rule actually be the reason for the ruin?! Gah, if that’s the case, then it really is bad news!

“…So, because His Highness came to Jurnova, Ekaterina has now become someone protected by that unwritten rule?”

Aleksei said this with a very displeased expression. Khalil nodded with a wry smile.
And Ekaterina tilted her head inwardly, thinking, “Huh?”
So the one protected by the unwritten rule is me, the villainess?…But then again, that makes sense. The prince said so, didn’t he? Pull yourself together.

“Most likely. If she were a legitimate fiancée, she would be protected by virtue of that status. But since she’s merely a close friend—a relationship without a clearly defined status—he couldn’t protect her if harm were to come to her. That’s probably why this unwritten rule, more like a legend than a clear regulation, came into being. It’s unclear whether there were ever actual cases of harm being inflicted at that stage, but since suspicious accidents frequently occurring around the heir to the throne is something that simply must not happen…”

Ah… I mean, killing someone just because they’re friendly? That sounds like something a total psychopath would do. Honestly, royal fiancés are almost always chosen based on family influence. Doing something like that would be a foolish move—retaliation from the other family is inevitable. I’m not sure if there were actually any real cases like that.
But maybe it’s a legend created because people thought, “It’s a problem if we can’t even make friends in peace.” Like, “If you don’t go home soon, ghosts will appear!” I mean, it’s a shame to go through all that trouble of being a student and not be able to make friends.
Oh no—I was trying to stay away from that prince, but before I knew it, I’d already been drawn into the inner circle, aiming for the “best friend” spot.

As always, Ekaterina was engaging in some rather regrettable thinking.

But what’s up with the Seleznyov family? They’ve produced Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, yet their greatest wish is still to install an empress consort.