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Euphemia Lucia Aulanthia turned nine this year. She is the youngest of the twelve sons and daughters of Count Corrad Simon Aulanthia, who possessed one of the most powerful territories and national strengths in the Livitium Imperial Kingdom.

By the way, her mother was a concubine, not a legal wife. She was the youngest daughter of a noble concubine, and she had yet to reach adulthood.

In normal circumstances, she would be considered quite insignificant, but due to the fact that her birth mother, Eloise, hailed from the royal lineage of the Cilento Central Kingdom, and above all, her elder half-sister, Syltianna —known as the Ragweed Princess of the Livitium Imperial Kingdom— had gained such notoriety across the continent that it, in contrast, significantly raised her own standing. She was known as the ‘beautiful and intelligent youngest princess.’

Furthermore, her father, the Frontier Count of Aulanthia, had yet to determine a clear inheritance order among his twelve children, leaving everything in uncertainty. Therefore, all of his siblings, including her, were treated as equals, giving her the status of being the princess of the most influential noble family in the empire.

Of course, while they were considered equal in name, in reality, her elder brothers, who were already entrusted with managing the territory and assisting their father, held far more advantageous positions due to their age and achievements. Thus, she was seen as lagging behind by not just one step, but five or six steps within the family, and she was fully aware of this fact.

Nevertheless—

(Some people make light of Father as an indecisive opportunist, but I think he’s hiding some cards…)

For the past half year or so, Euphemia had been living in the imperial capital along with her half-sister, Syltianna, ostensibly for future studies and debut in the social sphere, as well as for political matters, where their father spent most of his year.

Having had few interactions with her father previously, Euphemia, upon unexpectedly having many opportunities to be in close proximity to him, sensed something different from the public and familial perception of him, something indiscernible lurking within him—his ‘darkness.’

Despite his seemingly amiable demeanor, the Count possessed a mysterious and somewhat unsettling aspect —the hidden side of her cheerful old father— and it was the fact that he was a significant figure in the mainstream of aristocratic society. Being a man of his stature, of course the Frontier Count wasn’t as harmless as the rumors made of him, and Euphemia was fully aware of that… Still, for the 9-year-old girl, knowing there was a side of her father that was beyond her comprehension was frightening.

Fear, awe, confusion, submission… In the presence of the profound darkness glimpsed at the corners of his seemingly casual words and actions, swirling emotions of uncertainty arose, prompting her instinctively to keep a certain distance, despite outwardly appearing to be relaxed and jovial at the dinner table.

“Take this opportunity to get as close to your father as possible.”

That was the directive given by her birth mother when leaving the Aulanthia Frontier County, but honestly, Euphemia didn’t feel like it was going very well. Of course, she was making efforts to suppress such feelings and strive for closeness, but…

(…But really, I’m just an afterthought to sister Syltianna, aren’t I?)

Reflecting on this fact, which she had unavoidably realized over the past half year of her life, Euphemia bit her lip.

Truth be told, unlike her other siblings, Euphemia herself didn’t harbor much resentment toward Syltianna. Syltianna had been mostly isolated ever since Euphemia was old enough to know anything, and apart from a few meetings each year, they had kept their distance from each other. Moreover, after the subsequent tragedies, Euphemia even felt sympathy for the lifelong scars her sister had endured.

However… At the same time, she had her doubts.

Her father’s obsession with the Ragweed Princess —who was openly ridiculed by society and reviled by family members like a disease— seemed somewhat abnormal. From an objective standpoint, considering her appearance, personality, and abilities, Syltianna was significantly inferior compared to herself and her siblings. So why was her father so fixated on her?

It made Euphemia wonder if it had something to do with the ‘darkness’ her father carried within him.

By the way, Euphemia didn’t hold herself or her family members in high regard. In terms of appearance, she was at best slightly above average, with childish charm. She had a pair of a full-blooded brother and sister above her, both with ordinary looks, so she assumed she would be just another version of them when she grew up.

The same could be said for her other half-siblings. They all lacked glamor, were far from clever, and while not exactly dull, were just average people. Despite this, their father, Corrad, treated them all with equal warmth. Even if they made mistakes or tried to cover their mess —mostly caused by the squabbles between his legal wife and concubines, leading to misuse of power, embezzlement of taxes, or bribery— he would calmly navigate the situation without causing any fuss.

She inwardly resented her family’s indulgence, led by Simonetta, the legal wife, who dismissed all of it with “as long as our family doesn’t suffer, it is fine,” and “he simply isn’t interested in managing the state,” labeling him as a doting parent and a weak-willed character. Initially, Euphemia had been infuriated by her father’s tolerance of such behaviors as well, but now she found herself questioning it.

Was it possible that her father simply had no interest or expectations for his wives and children? Perhaps his lack of interest led him to treat them all equally and forgive their failures because he really had no expectations for them to begin with…?

She didn’t know. But, the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced, and the more it scared her. And yet…

Her thoughts always seemed to loop back around like this in the end. Perhaps she was just an ordinary person after all. She couldn’t delve deeply into her thoughts, draw conclusions from reasoning, or take action to change her situation. If only she could consult with someone she could trust…

Euphemia let out a heavy sigh.

It was hopeless. Her family was a bunch of fools, the servants around her were just yes-men hired by her father, and her friends were shallow individuals drawn to the prestige of being associated with a noble family. She couldn’t rely on any of them.

She felt alone. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, possessing everything from status, wealth, and reputation, Euphemia’s heart was always filled with loneliness.

♢♦♢♦♢

“Oh, goodness! This is the worst! To be held up in a place like this!” The distinctively high-pitched voice of a girl echoed through the main street.

“I’m terribly sorry, milady. It seems the carriage axle was damaged by the pavement’s step, but I’ll arrange for a replacement carriage immediately,” apologized the coachman, bowing deeply and expressing his apologies to the much younger girl.

The girl, dressed in attire befitting a noble, clicked her tongue lightly in a somewhat improper manner and averted her gaze from the two-horse carriage pulled to the side with the coachman, looking across the street.

“Fine. It would be faster to walk from here anyway. I’ll go ahead to Letindüte myself. You stay here to repair the carriage or prepare a replacement.”
“A-, are you planning to go alone?! That won’t do, milady! Your father will scold me. Please wait a little longer. At least until Emily the maid returns!”
“What if the dessert I want is sold out by then?! Letindüte has their menu pre-made, so if I don’t go quickly, they’ll be sold out in no time!”

By the way, Letindüte treated all customers equally, no matter if it was a beggar or a King who stepped inside. No matter how much wealth or status one had, it was nearly impossible to purchase goods that were not available on the spot.

“It’s only about two streets away from here, right? I’ll just walk along the main street, so it’s fine,” the girl said, then started to trot away.

“Milady—!!” The coachman’s scream chased after her, but she pretended not to notice and disappeared into the crowd.

♢♦♢♦♢

In the main street leading from the Livitium Imperial Academy to the city center of Cilento Central—a street commonly known as Academy Street—was a pair of a young boy and girl walking side by side.

Both wore brand-new uniforms, indicating they were students of the academy. The boy had light golden hair and blue eyes, with a soft and handsome face. The girl, on the other hand, was a lovely beauty with cherry blossom-colored hair and emerald eyes.

Their heights were almost the same (the boy being average, but the girl showing considerably good growth), and they appeared to be around 13 to 14 years old.

Though their designs and colors were the same, the fabric and stitching of their uniforms clearly set them apart from those of ordinary students. More than anything, the elegance and refinement they exuded just by walking together indicated that they were young nobles—perhaps a young master and a young lady. Walking shoulder to shoulder with light steps, their presence evoked the joy of simply being together—a scene reminiscent of a charming and innocent young couple that made onlookers instinctively smile.

“Hmm, I wonder if the mint flavor is a bit too strong…?”

Pulling out a piece of dessert from her Close Spatial Magic Art, Jill took a bite of it. She made a difficult face as she tasted the freshly baked “prototype” chocolate mint tart made that morning. Despite her expression, Luke, walking beside her, couldn’t help but smile at her adorable gesture.

Now, on their way home after safely finishing the entrance ceremony and homeroom.

“Since we’re here, I’d like to take a look at the city on the way back.”

In accordance with Jill’s wish, their attendants had gone ahead by carriage, while the guards discreetly walked a little distance ahead, behind, and on either side… Thus, to the eye, it appeared as though the two were simply walking home together.

The reason why they set aside some time alone together was because Daniel suggested, or rather, pushed their backs with a nudge and a wink, that Jill should fill Luke in about the tea party invitation from Princess Lieselotte and Princess Viola.