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The start of the week at the Magic Academy.

The academy’s lush grounds are dotted with dormitories where the students live.
As the academy boasts a history of four hundred years—just like the Imperial Kingdom itself—the dormitories were built in various eras. This is reflected in the architectural styles of the buildings.
Although there were periods of civil unrest, the Imperial Kingdom has long enjoyed peace and continued development. The population has been growing steadily, and proportionally, the number of people possessing the magical power required for admission to the academy has increased. As the student population grew, more dormitories were built.

The older dormitories feature special rooms on their top floors.
The rooms for regular students are single rooms furnished with a bed, a desk, and a closet. However, the special rooms include a spacious bedroom, an even larger living room that doubles as a study, as well as a small room for a personal servant and a compact kitchen. These rooms were reserved exclusively for the sons and daughters of the Imperial Family or dukes.

Special rooms are found only in the historic dormitories that have existed since the academy’s founding. Depending on the generation, there may be no students at the academy who qualify to use a special room, so a large number of them are not necessary. That said, children of such high status often enter the academy in groups of similar ages.
This year, four special rooms are in use. In other words, four members of high nobility were enrolled at the academy.

Mikhail, the Crown Prince.
Aleksei, the Duke of Jurnova.
Ekaterina, the Young Lady of Jurnova.

And… Vladimir, the son of the Duke of Jurmagna.

.

A young man with bluish-black hair is climbing the stairs of the dormitory where Vladimir lives.
He has a slender, supple build; though not particularly tall, he exudes a sense of hidden power. His eyes are black, but when light hits them, they appear to turn a deep blue. His features could be called beautiful, but his expression is so stern—unbecoming of his youth—that he lacks any sense of radiance.
He is the personal attendant who looks after Vladimir’s daily needs. However, he was not a mere footman.

The other three occupants of the private rooms were accompanied by maids or valets. Ekaterina had Mina, Aleksei had Yvan, and Mikhail had Luka. All three attendants were of magic beast descent, and their duties extended beyond personal care to include protecting their masters as bodyguards.

However, the House of Jurmagna has a tradition of shunning magic beasts. Furthermore, as a family that upholds a policy of clearly distinguishing social ranks, they would never assign someone of low status to a position where they serve close to the eldest son and exchange friendly conversation.

Vladimir’s attendant is named Lazar Magnus. He is the legitimate eldest son of the House of Magnus, a branch of the Jurmagna Ducal House. He is also a student at the Magic Academy.
Furthermore, he was the great-grandson of Zakhar Magnus, the Jurmagna family’s utterly loyal elderly butler.

Born just a few months after Vladimir, he was practically destined from birth to serve the heir of the main house. Having been mentored daily by his great-grandfather, he excelled in both the arts and martial arts as befits a member of the Jurmagna family, and is a taciturn seventeen-year-old who considers it his duty to devote his life to Vladimir.

The top floor consisted solely of the private quarters. Having climbed the stairs, the young man opened the door to the private room silently, yet without hesitation. Although it was daytime, he knew that his master was not in the living room and study, but in the inner bedroom.
Furthermore, he opened the door to the bedroom without even asking for permission.

The bedroom was dim, the curtains drawn tight. Even so, he could make out the outline of the bed and the figure lying there. He could also see that the person had such pale skin that they seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
Vladimir was asleep. He had been unwell again today and had been resting.

Making absolutely no sound, the young man walked straight toward the bed.
Then, he leaned in, almost as if to cover his master.

Right then, Vladimir opened his eyes.

“Zamira.”
“Oh.”

The young man smiled, the corners of his lips curling up.
That alone was enough to transform his figure into that of a woman. With a single change in expression, the very atmosphere around her shifted completely, and her smile seemed to exude a certain allure.
She grabbed her bluish-black hair. As she pulled it off, long strands of the same color cascaded down.

“Did you recognize me at a glance?”
“Of course. …And you’ve snuck into the men’s dorm again. What about Lazar?”
“No one else noticed but you, Your Highness. My brother is attending class diligently, just as Lord Vladimir ordered.”

Speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, Lazar’s twin sister, Zamira Magnus, gave a beaming smile.

.

Although they were twins, they were a boy and a girl, so they weren’t identical. Still, they were very much alike. And Zamira possessed a strange natural talent: she could easily mimic people’s mannerisms, speech patterns, and even their voices. If she disguised herself as her brother, whom she’d been with since birth, no one but her family and Vladimir would ever notice. That was why she could casually sneak into the boys’ dormitory where Vladimir stayed time and time again.
In the strict and upright Magnus family, she was something of a black sheep.
And she was remarkably well-informed.

“How are you feeling?”
“Much better now. What is this about?”

Still leaning over Vladimir as he spoke curtly, Zamira said:

“I have news to report. Lady Lydia of the House of Seleznyov has been defeated by Lady Ekaterina. It seems she intends to withdraw from the contest for the Empress’s throne. An honorable end to her endeavor. I often enjoyed tea with Lady Lydia, so I find this most regrettable.”

Vladimir’s eyes widened.

“Withdraw? …Not now, not when she is our best candidate.”
“Oh dear, ho ho ho.”

With a somewhat insincere air, Zamira laughed.

“What a ridiculous thing to say. The Seleznyov family is a house with ambitions to replace the Three Great Ducal Houses. Above all, Duke Georgiy has decided that Jurmagna will throw the entire family’s weight behind promoting your younger sister, Lady Elizavetta, to Empress.”
“It’s simply that we must make it appear that way to outsiders. Seleznyov has no power to influence the Empire as an in-law; in the end, they will seek our family as their backing. It is best for our house to hold the real power behind the scenes… Why are you taking Father’s words so seriously?”
“Well… why shouldn’t I take them seriously? I can’t wait for the day when you become Duke of Jurmagna and, as a member of the imperial in-laws, support Lady Elizavetta and help prosper the Empire.”

Vladimir let out a small sigh.

“You know as well as I do that such a day will never come.”
“No.”

Zamira’s expression turned serious as she fixed her gaze on Vladimir.

“What I know better than anyone is that there is no one but you who should become Duke of Jurmagna. That is why I will ensure that Lady Elizavetta becomes Empress. I will.”
“……What are you thinking?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? I am burning with ambition.”

Once again, Zamira curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

“I wish to become the Duchess of Jurmagna. I wish to become your consort, my dear lord.”