Chapter 54
At the center of Alk, the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Russell, stands a tall tower overlooking the entire city, and since everyone who visits the capital for the first time inevitably climbs this tower, various shops representing the Kingdom of Russell line up around it.
The main street leading straight to the castle, the western street where the cathedral, the Academy, and nobles' secondary residences are gathered, and the eastern street with the commoners' district—all were built radiating in four directions from the tower, which was originally a watchtower at the founding of the Kingdom of Russell.
The Academy, the oldest historical structure in the Royal Capital, was originally a fortress, repeatedly expanded and renovated to be repurposed as an educational institution, with successive kings donating dormitories, sports fields, and gardens within the Academy grounds, while the cathedral on the same premises remains in its original location without being moved elsewhere.
A special room located on the top floor of the Academy.
There, several students were gathered, each silently working on their assigned tasks.
At a brownish desk by the window, Ludweek, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Russell, was handling governmental affairs gradually handed over by his father, the king; at a desk placed diagonally in front of him, Dylan Drant, a son of a Count family tasked with assisting in these affairs, was reviewing the contents of documents to be passed to Ludweek; near the door, on a sofa, Floyd Armle, a son of a Marquis family, and Jake Admore, a son of a Count family, sat facing each other, sorting through a massive pile of documents stacked on a glass table.
"It's almost time......"
In the room where everyone silently processed documents without a single word, a small voice slipped from Ludweek's lips and echoed softly.
Dylan briefly glanced at Ludweek before returning to his work, Floyd paused for a moment, and Jake prompted with, "Almost time......?" to urge him to continue.
Unable to brush off the words that had unconsciously slipped out, Ludweek placed his pen down and leaned back in his chair, thinking it was a slightly early break.
"Soon, there'll be the Music Festival, right?"
"Yeah. But before that, there's the ball, isn't there? I heard this year's will be especially grand."
"......Mother is putting more effort into it than usual. I told her I don't need a fiancée for a while, but she wouldn't listen."
"Of course. If the Third Prince gets engaged to a prominent noble's daughter before the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, it'll definitely cause a stir, right?"
Even without voicing the rest—like when the current king took the crown—everyone understood.
That's precisely why a fiancée must be chosen with caution.
Dylan, the son of his aunt, and Jake, the son of the king's old friend—choosing another aide from outside these two childhood friends took time and effort as well......
"You should prioritize getting accustomed to governmental affairs."
"Trying to avoid troublesome things and pushing them off for later is a bad habit."
Having finished reviewing the documents and organizing them by priority on Ludweek's desk, Dylan offered advice with an exasperated look, though Ludweek himself had no intention of fixing this bad habit.
"The leading candidate for Crown Princess is probably the daughter from a Duke family two years younger, right?"
"But...... isn't that young lady the complete opposite of the type of woman Rudo finds appealing?"
"Dylan......"
"Am I wrong? Rudo has always been drawn to slender women with beautiful features......"
"That's right......! That young lady was definitely fixated on Jake."
Interrupting Dylan's words, Ludweek raised his voice to steer the conversation back, and Jake, recalling something, frowned deeply and hung his head with a look of distaste.
"......I can't get along with her personality at all, so it would never work out."
"I see. Sorry about that."
"I think a woman with a bit of a strong personality would suit Jake better, though?"
"No way...... If you're going to recommend her to me, why don't you get engaged to her instead, Dylan?"
"I refuse."
Excluding the king, for a conversation among the most noble man in this country and his aides, it was quite pitiful, and with a wry smile, they felt depressed as their parents subtly pressured them about engagement during this season.
"By the way, Floyd, you already have a fiancée, don't you?"
"......Yes."
"It's that young lady from the Rotish family, right?"
"Do the two of you know Celestia?"
"The Rotish family is well-known, after all. I've greeted her a few times at social events, but I haven't seen her recently."
"She should be the same age as us...... Now that you mention it, I don't see her at the Academy either."
The young ladies Ludweek and Renato remember by name and face are only those who attend the events hosted by the queen to gather potential fiancée candidates for her sons.
Naturally, Celestia, who already has a fiancé, wouldn't be invited, so it's only expected that the two don't know her face, though Jake and Dylan, being from Count families, have met and greeted her on other occasions, so they are acquainted with Celestia.
——Besides.
As the heir to one of the two major Military noble families, with a fiancée from a Marquis family.
It's inevitable that Celestia Rotisch would gain the largest faction within the Academy, and it's only natural for the Crown Prince's aides to be wary of her movements......
Yet, the subject of their caution doesn't seem to exist anywhere in the Academy, and whenever they try to find out her whereabouts, everyone just shakes their head, saying they don't know.
Unable to betray a childhood friend to his confused peers, Ludweek has maintained his silence.
"Is she on a leave of absence?"
"I've never heard that she's frail, but if she's ill, we should visit her at least once."
Though it hadn't been long since they became colleagues as the Crown Prince's aides and they weren't particularly close, Ludweek noticed that the two took advantage of this sudden opportunity to subtly probe Floyd about personal matters.
Ludweek pondered whether to help Floyd, who was tightly biting his lip, but at the same time, he couldn't help but think it was in poor taste to want to see how Floyd would respond.
"Celestia is......"
There were several reasons why Floyd was chosen from among the many aide candidates.
Being the same age and able to interact casually was one of them, but Ludweek also valued how Floyd answered his questions calmly and competently, as well as the abundant knowledge that seemed to endlessly fill in any gaps.
Additionally, Ludweek liked how Floyd always wore a smile and rarely showed his emotions, though it seems that doesn't apply when it comes to matters concerning Celestia.
"She has enrolled in the Military School."
"Military School, as in, *that* Military School......?"
"Yes. She doesn't seem to intend to hide it, so I think the news will spread soon."
"......That's quite a bold move."
While Jake and Dylan were visibly surprised, Floyd turned to Ludweek, who remained silent, and stared at him intently as if to protest, his displeasure evident on his face, refusing to look away.
——Does Floyd realize what kind of expression he's making right now?
The reason Floyd was placed in the last remaining aide position was because his fiancée is Celestia. Ludweek is human too, so it's only natural to act based on calculation or personal feelings. He had even agonized over whether this, rather than being just one of several reasons, might be the primary one.
"Celes must have strongly inherited the blood of Fildé Rotish."
Saying this, Ludweek straightened his posture, picked up his pen, and smiled.
Sensing that the break was over, Dylan and Jake returned to their respective tasks without feeling any discomfort with Ludweek's words.
Ludweek and Floyd stared at each other in silence for a while, but it was Floyd who lowered his gaze first.