In preparation for the school festival the next day, there were students holding signboards advertising their exhibit.
“Alright, I’ll work hard as well!”
Livia, holding a handmade signboard, walked in her usual way that differed from the students in the academy.
She was promoting Leon’s cafe.
Leon and the others were busy with preparations. Daniel and Raymond were running around making purchases, and Anjie was the representative for the first year girls.
She was busy since she had work to do in the executive committee as well.
The only one who could advertise was Livia.
While she was walking in the courtyard, there were also several boys who were similarly holding signboards and promoting their exhibit.
They then noticed Livia.
“Huh? You’re the honor student, right?”
Livia panicked a bit and answered the voice calling out to her.
“R, right. Um, I’m advertising a cafe.”
The boys began to talk with her while smiling.
Livia, who had been on alert, slightly lowered her guard.
“So there’s a cafe over there? We’re setting up a stall, so please come visit when you want to eat. We’ll provide service.”
“It’s just things like crepes, though. We’re suffering from overdrafts, so we need to give it our all to earn money.”
“I head that there were lot of cafes, so your group should do its best.”
Once the group of three returned to resume their work, Livia calmed down.
(What a relief. I don’t know what I would’ve done if they had bad intentions.)
Livia was given special permission to enroll in the academy, but she herself was not a noble.
From the view of the people around her, Livia was an outsider. Due to that, she had been the victim of bullying in the past.
She once again walked around to advertise, and then stumbled across a group of girls.
“Excuse me!”
However, unlike the boys──the girls gave her a very cold glare.
They were a group of three girls who seemed to be from the advanced class, judging by the fact that there were exclusive servants following them.
She called out to them since they were chatting while sitting on a bench, but they took a very bad attitude.
“What does the honor student want? We’re busy.”
“I, I’m advertising our cafe.”
Livia summoned her courage and promoted Leon’s cafe.
The girls sneered as if looking down on her.
“Don’t tell me that it’s that Baltfault’s cafe? There’s no way we would go. Are you perhaps getting cocky just because those guys back there took a liking to you? Don’t get the wrong idea when only a few guys fawn over you. Lowly commoner.”
Even though she didn’t like being called a commoner by them, Livia felt that there was a barrier between them and her.
The other two girls intervened.
“Stop. This girl is that duke woman’s favorite.”
“It’s best not to get involved. If Baltfault gets angry, your household might be in danger.”
The group of three girls left with their servants after the two calmed down the third and dragged her away.
Livia was a bit saddened, but shook her head.
“Alright, I’ll move to the next location!”
She was a bit gloomy, but she still had Anjie──and Leon. She was not as lonely as when she had just entered the academy and had no acquaintances.
(It’ll be fine. ──I have those two, after all.)
She had those two. Though, that also meant she only had two people with her.
As she continued her advertising, the boys turned out to be relatively kind towards her.
What happened so far was unbelievable for Livia.
However, the girls were still cold towards her.
A majority of the girls left when seeing Livia’s face.
Despite being in low spirits, Livia soon brought out her willingness to promote Leon’s cafe.
“You’re doing a cafe? Oh, so you’re giving out free tickets. Do you still have one?”
“Y, yes!”
──When she turned around, a girl called out to her with a smile.
The girl, who she handed a free ticket for a set of tea and sweets to, had beautiful long navy blue hair. Livia was envious of her slender figure, and the way she stood seemed dignified as well.
“You’re the honor student, right?”
“Right.”
“I see. I’m Cara──’Cara Fou Wein’.” I’m the second daughter of a semi-baron household, and I’m enrolled in the regular class.”
The lessons differed between the advanced class and the regular class.
Though they acted together during events, they usually worked in separate ways.
Due to that, this was pretty much their first meeting, even if they may have passed by each other in the past.
Livia was delighted that the other party introduced herself, and so she politely explained the location of the cafe.
“My name is Livia──Olivia. We’re setting up a cafe for the school festival, so by all means, please do come!”
Upon which──
“That’s also where Julian’s cafe is, right?”
Livia dropped her shoulders and felt down.
The cafe belonging to Julian’s group was a powerful rival for Leon.
“That’s right. Leon’s also troubled by it.”
“Hmm~, you’re quite close with the Baron Baltfault.”
Livia was taken aback when hearing Leon being called the Baron Baltfault.
(M, maybe I’m acting a little overfamiliar towards him?)
Leon didn’t care about it, but it didn’t change the positions held between nobles and commoners. Livia knew that there were students who didn’t like the thought of Leon and her being more friendly than necessary.
However, Cara seemed delighted.
“These are just rumors, but I heard that he might be a kind person.”
“Huh?”
“After all, there’s nothing for a baron to gain by being with a commoner. Ah, I’m not trying to say that it’s bad for you to be with him. It’s just that he might kinder than others think.”
Livia was happy after hearing Cara’s words.
It seemed to her that Leon was being recognized.
“R, right! Leon is a kind person. He’s kind, strong, and a really reliable person. He sometimes ends up going to far, but everyone’s misunderstanding him.”
It was doubtful whether Leon was truly being misunderstood, but Livia saw Leon as a knight to long for.
He was her ideal knight who was kind, strong, and would protect another.
“I, I see. How nice.”
Livia smiled in satisfaction towards Cara, who seemed to be acting uncertain.
“Right. I feel like I made the right choice coming to this academy because of Leon──and Anjie.”
“By Anjie──you must mean Anjelica, the daughter of a duke household.”
Cara then asked Livia a question.
“Hey, would you be able to talk with barons during the school festival?”
“I think I can.”
“I see──in that case, could you introduce me to some barons? I’d like you to mediate the process.”
“Introduce you? I don’t think that’s necessary, but if I’m able to be of service, then I suppose I can.”
Even though Livia was curious about what she meant by mediating, Livia nodded with a smile.
“Thank you. I will definitely show up in front of you again, so I’ll be in your care when that time comes.”
──Cara left after saying that.
Livia waved her hand without thinking about the matter too deeply.
â—‡
It was the day of the school festival.
Fireworks lifted off into the sky above the academy to signify the beginning of it.
White smoke drifted in the sky before disappearing.
The guests were mainly those involved with nobility.
There were women who had missed the days of when they were students, and had brought along their husbands, children──and their lovers.
It was quite the strange sight.
Guests were entering the school gate one after another, but there was one woman watching the commotion.
She had platinum blond long hair.
She was a woman with blue irises and slightly drooping eyes that conveyed had a gentle appearance.
At first glance, she appeared to be a woman in her twenties.
She wore a dress that was fastened to her waist and went up to her ankles, emphasizing the outline of her body.
She had woman-like features and a slim waist.
She was woman who had a glamorous figure, but left a gentle and tender impression.
She looked at the academy lined with general guests who seemed delighted.
“Oh, they seem to be having fun. There are many stalls out.”
She wasn’t addressing anyone in particular.
However, a guard dressed as one of the common female guests replied to her.
To the people around them, it didn’t look like the two were having a conversation.
“──My queen, it’s not the time for playing around. If you wanted to watch the school festival, wouldn’t preparing a formal visit have sufficed?”
The queen, “Milaine Rafua Holfault”, had a fascinating smile that could change the mood of a room into a gentler one.
As a woman, Milaine was Julian’s genuine mother, and the queen of the Holfault Kingdom.
“It would be boring if we did it that way. I need to give a firm warning towards the baron who made a fool out of my cute Julian.”
Several guards dressed as ordinary guests were deployed around her.
The guard nearest to her sighed.
“If you give us an order, then we’ll──”
Milaine made a soft smile.
“I want to confirm something with my own eyes. I wonder what kind of child he is. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Queen Milaine chuckled, and made a request to the guard.
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“So, I’d like to call one person to guide me. ──Anjie. Could you bring Anjelica to me?”
When the guard disappeared into the crowd of people right then and there, Milaine smiled while opening a pamphlet that students were handing out.
“──I look forward to it, Baron Baltfault.”
Milaine, hiding a slightly eerie smile behind the pamphlet, looked at the stalls lined up near the school entrance in order to pass the time until Anjie would arrive.