Chapter 51: End of the semester Part 1

Upon hearing Isabel’s words, “If there’s nowhere to go,” I realized that there was an issue I hadn’t thought of until now.

“Ah, right? Do most people go home during the break?”

“Generally, yes. There might be a few who stay in the dorms because of special circumstances, but most students will go back to their families.”

Isabel continued, “Ellie is visiting us. It’s pretty common to have guests for a few months!”

“Is that so…?”

‘Staying at the academy wouldn’t be so bad, but if no one else stayed except for the professors and TAs, that seemed a bit lonely. It would also get boring, barging into the dean’s office to mess with their hair for fun every day.’

‘And above all, I didn’t want to be apart from my friends.’

“Wait a second, Ellie. If you’re going to stay at someone’s house, the Lacostrin Marquis family is also a great choice!”

Clea suddenly grabbed my arm and began to talk quickly.

“Our castle might not be the biggest, but it’s famous for being beautiful. There’s a lovely walking path around the large lake in front of the castle, and when the water freezes in the winter and snow falls on top, it’s absolutely magical. You should come to us for the winter break!”

Before I could respond, Stella pulled on my other arm.

“If you’re worried, you can’t leave out our royal palace. Aren’t you interested in history, Ellie? The palace was used by the royal family for five hundred years, and part of the castle was built over a thousand years ago! I’ll personally give you a tour, and don’t forget the library full of ancient books!”

“Hey, don’t jump in line! I suggested it first!”

“Isabel’s palace might be too crowded, don’t you think? We have no one here right now!”

“Our castle is just as comfortable. Plus, my mom has a great interest in Ellie, so you’ll get the best treatment!”

“Well, if we’re comparing, my dad is also really interested in Ellie! He’ll make sure to serve delicious food every day, so you should come to our house!”

My friends, each enthusiastically promoting their homes, suddenly grew quiet, as if they had just remembered something, and turned their gaze toward one side.

‘What’s going on?’

Philia, who had been silent, trembled and lowered her face.

“Well… we also have a castle, but… it’s not as beautiful as Clea’s, and… we have less money than the Shuker family… and our history is shorter than the royal family’s…”

Ah.

“Ah…”

The others quickly came to the defense of Philia, or rather, the Clyford family.

“Don’t say that! Our land has great natural beauty, and it used to be one of the Emperor’s palaces, so it’s an important place that you must pass through if you’re traveling south! The Emperor didn’t just give that honor to our family for no reason!”

“I’ve heard it too! The air is clear because there are lots of mountains, and the people are really kind!”

“The history of the Clyford family is intertwined with the empire’s history! Saying it has a short history is like saying the empire’s history is short!”

Listening to my friends’ desperate words, Philia wiped her eyes.

“…It’s okay, really. Honestly, if I were Ellie, I’d probably prefer to go to your places over ours…”

In the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Isabel looked at me, asking for help with her eyes.

‘What should I do about this…?’

I smiled and took Philia’s hand.

“Do you want to go together?”

Philia blinked.

“Huh? Where?”

“This time, I was planning to visit Isabel’s. Do you want to come with me and spend the break together?”

Philia nodded eagerly.

Then Clea and Stella grabbed my arms again.

“Eh, Ellie?”

“Then we…!”

“Yes, of course. But only if Isabel—well, actually, Isabel’s father agrees.”

I made the proposal to my precious friends.

“Let’s all go together. We’ll spend the winter break together.”

Isabel, unable to contain her joy, jumped up and shouted, “Yaaaaay, sounds great!!!”

***

“Dear, a letter from Isabel has arrived.”

“Is that so? I’ll read it shortly, so leave it there, and if you want to read it first, go ahead.”

“You’re really something, you know. Even when it’s about our daughter, you show so little interest.”

“I’m sorry, dear. I’m a man of few words. I have to quickly reply to this letter I’m reading right now…”

“Then I’ll read it first.”

“Go ahead.”

Rustle, rustle.

“…Oh my? Dear, dear…”

“What is it?”

“Isabel says it’s okay to bring her friends over during the winter break?”

“Hmm… of all times… the room is probably too full. How many is it?”

“She said four, excluding herself.”

“Four… that’s not easy. Wait. Isabel’s friends, you say?”

The Duke looked up from the important letter and asked.

“Do they mention names?”

“Let me see… Clea Lacostrin. Oh, so it’s the Lacostrin family?”

“Keep reading.”

“Philia Cryford. This is also a prestigious family, right? A duke serving the royal family… Stella Blaze, oh, the long-established Blaze family…!”

“What’s next?”

“You really have no sense of recognition. Can’t you see how many great friends our daughter has made?”

“Alright, what’s next?”

“Next… it’s Ellie. No last name.”

“Ellie is coming!!”

“Kyaa, kyaaa!?”

The Duke quickly abandoned the letter he had been writing and stood up.

“Ed! Call!”

He called for the head of the household staff, and two men came running from different directions.

“You called for us, Your Grace!?”

“Did you, did you call for us?”

“Before the third week of December, clear out the best guest rooms in this house. Four of them.”

“Clear them out? But what about the people currently staying there?”

“Give them other rooms or tell them to go on a short trip to the villa. I’ll cover the expenses! And of course, make sure you’re ready to receive new guests from then on!”

“Understood, Your Grace!”

“We’ll follow your orders!”

The two men disappeared, and the Duke returned to his letter.

“Dear…”

“Please be quiet for a moment.”

At her husband’s earnest words, Isabel’s mother closed her mouth.

The Duke focused intensely and finished the letter, then immediately threw it out the window.

A spell that had been cast earlier activated, and the letter flew toward the pre-designated direction.

“Phew.”

After letting out a short breath, the Duke looked at his wife.

“Ellie.”

The Duke pointed to one of the names in the letter his daughter had sent.

“This commoner girl is more important than the entire Lacostrin, Clyford, and Blaze families combined.”

“…Really?”

“You don’t have to believe it. You’ll understand when you see her in person. But, if you love our Isabel, you must never treat that child poorly. Understood?”

“Ah, I understand. And there’s no way I would do that. She’s probably Isabel’s precious friend.”

“Well, then, of course, you wouldn’t. I’m sorry for being too harsh.”

The Duke got up from his desk.

“Shall we have some tea together for a while?”

“Oh, that would be nice! I wanted to show you the new beautiful teapot I got!”

***

A few days after Isabel sent the letter to her family, a reply came back.

The letter, written by the Duke himself on very luxurious paper, said that he would welcome Isabel’s four friends.

Stella said, “He’s very polite.”

“Can you guess why?”

At Philia’s words, Stella nodded and looked at Ellie.

All of their attention focused on Ellie, and she awkwardly scratched her cheek while laughing.

“Well, let’s all have fun together, okay?”

“By the way, now we have to tell our families. Did you all write the letters already?”

“Yeah.”

“Already done.”

Except for Isabel, who was going to her own house, the other three had to inform their parents.

They were going to stay at their friend’s house during the vacation.

“Nothing will go wrong, right?”

“I don’t think anyone will refuse, right?”

As Clea had said, it worked out as expected.

It wasn’t a strange place, it was a prestigious northern family, and they were going with friends they made at the academy.

“However, my mother said I should show my face before the spring semester starts.”

“Should we go together?”

“Would that be alright? If we’re going, how about the end of January or early February when the lake is still frozen? It’s really beautiful, and I’d love to show it to everyone.”

“That sounds good.”

With that, the vacation plans were roughly decided.

“Alright, now let’s get back to studying.”

Ellie encouraged her friends, who had been distracted.

Time had passed while they exchanged letters, and now there was little time left before the final exams.

“We’ll dominate the top five in the whole school again,” Ellie said, with confidence.

“…Do you think we can really do it again?”

Philia asked, but everyone shared the same feeling.

So, Ellie nodded confidently.

“Yeah. We can do it.”