In any world, there are men who ruin themselves over women.
In this world, it was His Highness the Crown Prince.
He was supposed to have fallen in love with the heroine, the Saint, and nurtured that love over time, earning the approval of those around him before leading to a happy marriage.
Some fool had rushed things and overlooked what truly mattered.
The heroine was Olivia — and that was precisely why she ended up bound to the Crown Prince.
If a fake of Olivia tried to do the same, it would be pointless. Attacking as herself might have actually yielded better results.
Heh. I got a little lost in thought about the otome game world.
"So you're telling me to clean up your mess, are you?"
I'd been running from reality long enough.
I was using summer vacation to visit Angelica's family home — the Redgrave Duchy.
The current head, Vince Rapha Redgrave, was a distinguished man with grey hair swept back. Tall, well-built, and sharp-eyed — a middle-aged man who carried an air of authority.
Standing beside him was his son, Gilbert Rapha Redgrave — Angelica's older brother. Blond with blue eyes, but with features very much like his father's.
He appeared to be in his early twenties.
Both of them were glaring at me.
I straightened up and made my request.
"I have no connections whatsoever at the royal palace. In this state, I'm completely powerless. As for funds, I've prepared platinum coins."
The stack of platinum coins was what I'd won from gambling at the academy. Debts and allowances from the foolish children of nobles had accumulated into an absurd sum.
I pushed the pile forward and presented it.
In short, I was asking them to protect me in exchange for money.
Pathetic? If money could buy my life, I'd buy it!
Gilbert was about to speak, but Vince silenced him with a hand.
"For a newly raised baron, you've managed to scrape together quite a sum. Court maneuvering does require money, after all. You acted as my daughter's duel proxy, so I'll take care of things. But I can't protect every little thing. You're not my sworn vassal, and you don't belong to the same faction. My daughter dragged you into this through her recklessness, but on the other hand, you were the one who stuck your nose in."
I wasn't supposed to have been involved in the first place. That's what he meant to say, but...
I wanted to pump my fist in triumph on the inside.
I was still a student, and I intended to use that status to the fullest, steering this crisis in the direction I wanted. My life starts here!
"Yes, I understand. I'd like to ensure that my life and my family are not affected by this."
Vince had interlaced his fingers on the desk.
"...Your honor has already hit rock bottom. Will you discard your status next?"
Beating five people senseless in a duel was one thing, but I'd utterly crushed them in spirit as well. It was far from an honorable duel.
"I will surrender the title and knighthood that were to be granted to me."
With this incident, a large sum of money, a title, and a knighthood — I was pleading to have all of it count as compensation.
Considering I'd fought a duel against the Crown Prince, it was a small price.
And as a bonus, I could escape the marriage hunt.
Gilbert turned to me with a question.
"There's one thing I'd like to know. What's your real goal? If you had that kind of ability, you could have weathered the storm and risen through the ranks. You could have climbed all the way to viscount in a single generation. What was it worth throwing all that away for?"
I was irritated. I wanted to punch the capture target. And I wanted to flee the marriage hell. There were plenty of reasons, but none I could say out loud, so I offered something plausible.
"I couldn't stand to leave His Highness being deceived by a woman like that. For the country, perhaps. Someone had to do it."
Vince let out a quiet, amused chuckle.
"If that's genuine, then it's admirable. But honestly, play is one thing — if you're serious, it's a problem. Because of you, the court and the prestigious families are in a panic. The Redgrave family has formally dissolved the engagement between Ange and His Highness. She isn't suited for that. Don't you agree?"
I felt like I was being tested.
I wasn't trying to impress anyone. If my life was saved and I was freed from my noble status — freed from the marriage hunt — that was enough.
I got to beat up those five as stress relief, escape the marriage hell, and lose my noble status. Ah, I was getting closer to the result I wanted.
"It's not my place to comment on their relationship. Personally, I'd like her to continue her studies at the academy. I hope she becomes a fine queen."
"...I see. Changing the subject — there's one favor I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"It's about my daughter. She's been taking this incident rather hard. As a parent, it's hard to watch her looking so drained and listless. I'd like to send her to recuperate somewhere rural, but family matters have kept me rather busy."
This was about managing the vassals and faction — the aftermath, essentially. Having betrayed Angelica, the ducal household wasn't going to let it slide.
Every day, the parents and siblings of the students were coming to apologize, keeping them very busy.
When the servants and siblings sent out as retainers betrayed their master's daughter, it was a major scandal.
Many were coming to apologize to Angelica, and he wanted to send her somewhere unreachable.
"Your family home has favorable conditions, so I'd like to have you take her there when you leave. I'll attach several attendants."
"Huh, ah... Y-yes!"
Leaving his daughter in the care of a man. That felt a bit... off? But there was no way I could lay a hand on a duchess's daughter, and the thought that I'd even entertained such an idea was terrifying. I'd just have to play it off as a casual trip — "Travel, right? Leave it to me!"
"Much appreciated. That will be all."
"Thank you for your time."
Once I left the room, I exhaled in relief. This would probably be the end of my academy life, but I felt great.
If I had any regrets, it was that I hadn't learned tea ceremony from my master. She'd scolded me for having no poise during the duel, but she'd also let me drink delicious tea.
"That's really my only regret."
The others on my mind were Daniel and Raymond. How was third-year Senpai Rukuru doing? It was also a shame that I hadn't conquered every popular dessert in the student cafeteria.
Come to think of it, I'd actually been enjoying academy life quite a bit.
◇
In the office after Leon departed.
Gilbert turned to Vince.
"Father, what do you think?"
Vince was smiling.
"Just as you said. If he were a clever child who only thought of himself, he would have quietly observed from the sidelines. In fact, isn't that what most students would have done?"
Both of them looked at the mountain of platinum coins Leon had prepared.
"He brought quite an impressive sum."
"He threw away both status and honor to admonish His Highness. That takes admirable resolve. In contrast, fawning over a childhood companion is pathetic. Ange was the one who should have done the admonishing. Still, the academy has always been full of problems. Too many sheltered children."
The academy was a somewhat unusual environment.
Since it was where the next generation of nobles was educated, the official stance was that everyone should be treated equally. As if that were possible.
In this sheltered environment, students disregarded the outside world and became obsessed with internal rankings. This was what led to incidents like this.
It was a microcosm built from sheltered children. Problems were inevitable.
This time, the problem had blown up into a major scandal. And when the students returned home for summer vacation, they would learn the reality of the situation.
In truth, Angelica's entourage would come to understand the meaning of picking a fight with a ducal house.
"Of course, there were plenty of other ways to handle it, I think."
"Was there? I find it rather delightful. Ange was foolish to challenge him to a duel, but to step forward when everyone else had become an enemy and no one would help — isn't that a beautiful story? That's how a knight should be. On the surface, at least."
Gilbert pressed Vince on his true intentions.
"What do you plan to do?"
Vince grinned.
"He's my daughter's benefactor. The least I can do is clean up after her. Besides — it's better to have a reliable ally, wouldn't you say? If we bring him in, the Redgrave family would be secure. Because of this incident, it's become clear which families are unreliable."
Both of them looked out the window.
There, a flying ship well over seven hundred meters long floated in the air. Its unfamiliar design was curious, but the idea that it was a lost item discovered in a dungeon struck a chord.
In a world where adventurers were revered.
Leon's achievement was the stuff of aspiration for any young man.
"His ability to easily defeat the sons of prestigious nobles is highly valued. But how far do you intend to take this? Will you arrange a suitable daughter from among our associates?"
Vince rested his chin on his hand.
"That's not bad, but a bit weak. The sharp-eared and quick-eyed among them would be desperate for a chance. But let's start with cleaning up the mess. I'm heading to the court. I'll leave the territory to you."
Vince stood up, determined to get to work on court politics in earnest.
◇
A flying ship reconstructed from Luxion's hull.
Its name was Partner.
Robots with hands attached to cylindrical bodies that floated in midair managed the ship. When Leon had acquired Luxion, he'd destroyed it, salvaged the broken machines, repaired them, and put them to work.
Even the round, legless defensive Guardian was on duty.
Stepping onto the deck, the breeze felt wonderful.
Beside me, the spherical-bodied Luxion hovered.
*'Aren't you going to see the two of them?'*
The two — Olivia, who'd come along for summer vacation, and Angelica, who was still grieving.
Several maids had been assigned as attendants, but the only two I was involved with were Olivia and Angelica.
"See them and say what? Don't expect me to come up with some eloquent speech."
*'No one's expecting that.'*
"Do you hate me?"
*'I don't hate you, but I don't like you either.'*
...If I weren't dependent on its abilities, I'd have grabbed that ball-shaped body and hurled it into the sky.
"...Ugh. In all seriousness, I don't know what to say. The engagement has been formally dissolved. And on top of that, their discussion fell through, didn't it?"
Angelica had spoken privately with His Highness, but in the end, things didn't go well.
The duel had ended the romantic relationship between His Highness and Marie.
People say love burns hotter with obstacles, but His Highness — the man himself — said he would continue to love her even if their relationship was severed, and that he wished her happiness.
He'd said something about remaining pure, too.
I was actually curious whether he was still... No. I don't care. Wait — no, that's still not okay.
That guy was the Crown Prince. He needed to produce an heir, or the country would be in trouble. He'd have to sire a child with some suitable woman.
"If I intervene, it won't solve anything, so I'd rather not get involved."
*'You really are an impressively hopeless person.'*
◇
Inside the ship.
In what appeared to be a guest room, Olivia and Angelica sat on a bed.
Angelica had grown even more gaunt lately.
After the duel, her conversation with Julius hadn't gone well.
Olivia had been keeping Angelica company during summer vacation.
"It's laughable. Not a single one of my feelings got through. I even lost to the woman who tried to tear us apart. I really must be a colossal fool. As a woman, I'm utterly defeated."
Julius had rejected Angelica.
He'd told her that even if they were torn apart, he wouldn't stop loving Marie.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Angelica."
"No, I did. I picked a fight with the woman who tried to steal my fiancé, and all I got was beaten down. It's laughable. They say I won the battle but lost the war?"
Thanks to Leon, she'd won the duel itself, but the result was that Angelica had lost to Marie.
"In the end, it meant nothing. I just dragged you and Leon into my selfishness."
Olivia lowered her head.
"That's not true. I only talked — Leon was the one who actually fought. Leon said from the beginning that he'd intended to drop out of the academy."
Angelica's tears began to fall.
"I went to see His Highness without even thanking him. I should have properly thanked him right there. I really am a worthless woman. I didn't think he'd made that resolve..."
As Angelica broke into tears, Olivia stroked her back.
◇
Outside the door, I'd overheard their conversation.
*'That's painful to listen to. I'm not sure if I have a heart, but if you hear that and feel nothing, something is wrong.'*
Luxion's words pierced through my chest.
"...I'm sorry. You've misunderstood."
I did think this couldn't go on as it was, but I never truly expected to change anything. I just wanted to escape the marriage hunt and punch those guys. I didn't need it to be taken so seriously.
I'd simply thought the timing was right for a little chaos.
*'What do you plan to do from here?'*
"Drop out and live off my old man's care. I'll set up independently on the island I found, become a retainer of some sort, and live in peace."
*'...Will that work out?'*
"Of course it will. I picked a fight with the Crown Prince! I'm paying a fortune as restitution! They won't kill me. Wait — they won't kill me, right? Oh no, now I'm getting nervous. Maybe I should just run?"
*'That's not what I meant.'*
The world of an otome game.
Now that the chaotic period had ended, I felt a tinge of loneliness.
But for a mob like me, this was the right time to make my exit. I'd been given an incredibly eventful stretch of time. I was satisfied.
Things hadn't gone according to plan, but after everything I'd put in, it had to count for something.
I'd done my best as a mob.
◇
Summer vacation.
Marie had been told to remain at the academy, and a messenger from the royal palace delivered news about what was to come.
The messenger was a bureaucratic sort of man who delivered the news in a flat, matter-of-fact manner.
The content was more than enough to leave Marie speechless.
"W-wait a moment. What do you mean everyone is being disinherited?"
Gathered there were Julius and all the other romance targets Marie had been involved with.
The bureaucratic man stated things plainly.
"As stated. His Highness Julius has been disinherited and is no longer the Crown Prince. Henceforth, he is merely His Highness. The other four have also been officially disinherited. His Highness — I should say, he has also had his engagement with the Redgrave family dissolved, but we are also in possession of letters from the women the others were engaged to."
Jilk, Brad, Chris, and Greg... the four received letters from their former fiancées, wearing slightly sorrowful expressions.
The letters informed them that their engagements had been formally dissolved.
Marie protested.
"Just because he lost a duel?! That's too much!"
Greg, running a hand through his hair, spoke to her with a hint of embarrassment.
"It's fine, Marie. We were prepared for this."
"Huh?"
Chris explained the facts.
"A while back, our fiancées told us they'd found someone they loved. We were also told to reconsider by our families and the fiancées themselves. But after this incident, they've apparently given up on us."
Marie was the only one who hadn't known, but even beyond Julius, the others had been trying to draw a line.
The result was disinheritance.
They were no longer heirs.
Julius had become a prince without succession rights.
Jilk, after graduating from the academy, would be a knight guaranteed the rank of baron — but with no territory to govern and no position at court.
The other three were in similar situations.
None of them could expect support from their families.
The sole exception was Julius, who was deemed to still have value due to his royal blood. In plain terms, a prince to be used in marriage diplomacy. And with his poor reputation domestically, the likelihood of being sent abroad as a groom was high.
Julius hung his head.
"I can no longer be by your side, Marie. But I'll always be wishing for your happiness."
Marie felt a wave of dizziness.
If there was anything unfortunate for Marie, it was that their charm was genuine. Mere imitation of the heroine — of Olivia — wouldn't have been enough to make them this serious.
It was the combination of appearance and her experiences from her past life that had created this situation.
Greg smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry — I'll protect your share too. Besides, as long as you're alive, you can make things work somehow. Being an adventurer isn't bad, is it? If I find a suit of armor from a lost item, then next time I'll get my revenge on that bastard Leon."
Chris let out a small laugh.
"Yeah. It might not be so bad."
Brad made a cutting remark.
"Just four barons in name only. Well, with the four of us, we'll manage somehow."
Jilk looked slightly pained.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry. If I'd been able to stop him, this wouldn't have happened."
Julius shook his head faintly. He wore a faint smile, but he looked sorrowful.
"It's fine. If you're all protecting Marie, I can rest easy no matter where I am."
Kyle had his hands clasped behind his head.
"You all had so many things on your minds. That's wonderful, Master."
With a smile that seemed genuinely sincere, Marie felt the world go dark before her eyes.
"Y-yes, quite."
*(What the — are you kidding me?! You idiots! How can you all just throw away your status and wealth like that?! Wait — you're basically all unemployed now, aren't you?! How are you planning to live?! Adventurer? There's no way I'm living day-to-day! F-fine, if it comes to this, I'd better find a rich man and trap him!)*
Switching to a pragmatic mindset, Marie stared at the men smiling at each other and was deeply disturbed.
The bureaucratic man took his leave.
"I shall take my leave now."
As he departed for actual work, Marie had to admit he was better off than the rest of them. She could feel the future she'd imagined slipping further and further away.
It was like having four boyfriends with no future employment prospects.
The result was nothing like what she'd wanted.
*(Why did it turn out like this?! This isn't the future I wanted at all!)*
◇
The floating island I'd discovered was more developed than before enrollment.
The robots worked on it day and night, and it was taking shape.
My plan was to eventually settle here independently, watching over the chaotic kingdom from the comfort of the high ground — but...
"Why are you all following me?"
I'd come to check on the fields the robots were maintaining, and Olivia and Angelica had tagged along.
Angelica was looking over the neatly arranged rows.
"What's wrong? Opportunities like this are rare — it's refreshing. Besides, a baron's territory is always under development, and it would just be in the way if you watched."
My family home was busy every day thanks to my investments, developing areas left and right. Road construction, waterway improvements, and a newly established pioneer settlement.
The harbor was also being expanded. It seemed like busy days were the norm now.
Olivia was examining the fields with a serious expression.
She crouched down, studying the soil and the surrounding area.
"This is remarkable. I've never seen such well-maintained land without anyone present."
Angelica tilted her head.
"Really? I'd think the lack of people is what makes it so clean."
Olivia shook her head.
"What are you talking about? There's no way a place this well-tended could exist without people. Oh — was it robots? That's incredible."
I just nodded along.
Explaining everything would be a hassle, so I agreed that it was impressive.
Angelica lifted her head.
"What's that? There's a strange smell."
The odor carried on the wind had caught her attention.
"Ah, that's —"
◇
A natural hot spring on the floating island.
The setup was complete, and Angelica and Olivia entered the bath while taking in the expansive view.
The water was slightly warmer than a normal bath, with a different sensation. The water itself hadn't changed, but there was a clinging feeling against the skin.
With her hair down, Angelica's hair was being washed by Olivia.
"Your hair is beautiful, Angelica."
"...His Highness always said he liked long, beautiful hair. I'm thinking of cutting it shorter this time. Maintenance is a hassle."
Olivia rinsed the soap away with clean water.
"Still, this is a wonderful place."
Angelica praised the floating island Leon possessed, gazing at the scenery. Being able to bathe while watching the sunset — it felt like an indulgent luxury.
Olivia probably felt the same way.
"He apparently found it before enrollment and claimed it as his own. In the future, he plans to settle here independently... I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm the reason he's gone through so much trouble. I'd like him to have this place. Right now, all I can do is wish, and it's agonizing."
As for Leon's plans for independence, nothing was certain yet.
Angelica could only pray that her father would handle things well.
"All the same, very few adventurers have achieved this level of ideal success. Beyond this, you'd only find adventurers in stories. Or rather — if nothing had gone wrong, he might have made it into one of those adventure tales."
Now it was Angelica's turn to wash Olivia's hair.
"He's really that impressive? From my perspective, adventurers are mainly people who tackle dungeons."
"That's true. I've heard the initial investment is tough for commoners, so that image might be stronger. But nobles prefer exploring by airship rather than grinding dungeons. Discovering new lands, challenging unknown dungeons — sometimes lost items turn up in ruins. Both my father and brother were adventurous in their youth and pushed themselves on expeditions, so I think they hold Leon in high regard."
Angelica glanced at Olivia's chest. Hers was larger, but now she recalled that Marie had been rather small.
*(Did he dislike women with large chests? No — let's just forget about it.)*
"Is Leon really impressive for discovering a new island in a small boat?"
Angelica chuckled.
"Oh, incredibly. If things had gone even slightly wrong, no one would have blamed him for being called a death-seeker. It's the greatest achievement in decades."
The third son of a baron's house had risen spectacularly.
And there were reasons for it to be so.
"...I envy you."
"Huh?"
As she washed Olivia's hair, Angelica let her true feelings slip.
"You're his lover, aren't you? Since you're always together, I assumed you'd marry eventually. I wanted to become like you two."
Olivia's expression clouded over.
"...The gap in our social standing is too wide. It's beyond my reach."
Even as a student in the upper class, Olivia was a commoner. Leon, as a noble, would need to marry someone of appropriate standing as his bride.
Angelica remembered this.
"My apologies. You were on a special scholarship, weren't you?"
Then Olivia spoke.
"I thought... perhaps Leon might actually be in love with Angelica."
"Why would you think that?"
Rinsing the soap away with warm water, Angelica waited for Olivia to continue.
"He went so far to protect you. I was envious of that. When I wondered what he would do in my case, it hurt."
"...Me? That's impossible. I'm a terrible woman. If I weren't, His Highness wouldn't have cast me aside."
The two finished washing in silence, then soaked in the bath, gazing at the scenery.
◇
The two of them were in the bath.
I had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.
"Heheh — I've been waiting for this moment."
My eyes were getting bloodshot with excitement.
The white steam and that familiar fragrance made my soul tremble. This floating island was my domain. I could do whatever I wanted here.
*'I'm glad to hear it went well. The meal will be grilled fish — is that acceptable?'*
*'Oh? It seems a flying ship is approaching.'*
"I've been waiting for this event!" I shouted.
A table was set with freshly steamed white rice, still giving off clouds of steam.
Since we didn't have miso yet, something that imitated a soup broth.
Salt-grilled river fish.
The two of them probably wouldn't understand, but I'd been looking forward to this for so long...
Tears welled up in my eyes.
*'I'm happy for you. You can savor your happiness while worshiping me.'*
"I'll let you off the hook just for now. Alright — time to eat."
The taste was similar but subtly different from what I remembered. But it was still white rice. I used chopsticks to flake the grilled fish, placed the meat on the rice, and shoveled it in.
"Ahh... bliss."
*'You look so happy. Oh? It seems a flying ship is approaching.'*
During the meal, Luxion detected a flying ship heading toward our location.
◇
Barcas had been in a panic since morning.
"Ryuse, is the food preparation going smoothly?"
"Yeah, that side's fine... B-but are we really going to let her stay? She might say no! Besides, hosting a princess in our home..."
The cause of this was Leon, who'd returned for the visit.
Barcas, Leon's father, wanted to clutch his head.
"That idiot — first he picks a fight with the Crown Prince, and now he brings a duke's daughter home? Could he at least spare my heart? If I die of shock, it'll be his fault!"
He never imagined a duke's daughter would be visiting a baron family in the borderlands, so he'd been scrambling to prepare since early morning.
Leon had returned by airship at dawn.
From then on, it had been a frantic rush to get everything ready.
One of the Redgrave family's maids appeared in the kitchen.
"Excuse me. The rooms we borrowed have been prepared, so I came to offer assistance."
The maid wore an elegant uniform.
She was well-trained and clearly a senior maid — in simple terms, a daughter from a high-ranking family serving in the ducal household.
Retainer nobles' daughters. Some of them, though technically retainers, held estates larger than those of minor barons.
To Barcas, these were not people he could ignore.
"No, no — please rest. We'll have the rooms ready shortly —"
"You know, those people already finished that earlier."
Barcas was already busy from morning.
And now another disaster struck.
From the kitchen came a shrill, screaming voice.
"Excuse me?! You're a servant and you're telling me you can't follow my orders?!"
Barcas covered his face with both hands.
After apologizing to the maids in the kitchen and rushing to the entrance, he found Zola standing there. Lutoart and Merce had come as well, along with Zola and Merce's personal slaves.
*(Why today of all days does it have to be so crowded?!)*
What Barcas saw was Zola cornering one of the Redgrave maids. Suppressing the urge to scream, he stepped forward.
"It's been a while, Zola! What brings you here today?"
Zola slapped his cheek with the fan she was holding.
"'What brings me'?! Your useless son — do you even know what he's done?! The capital is in an uproar! How do you plan to take responsibility for this?!"
The eldest son, Lutoart, was fiddling with his long hair, showing no interest. Merce wasn't paying attention to Barcas either.
"V-vehicle... I mean, that's..."
Barcas didn't even know where to begin.
Lately, his daily life had been changing so rapidly that he couldn't keep up with everything.
As an escape, he'd been thinking things like, "I wish Nicks would graduate and come help with work."
The maids gathered at the entrance, lining up to greet their mistresses.
"Welcome home, young ladies."
When Zola and the others turned around, there stood Angelica with her hair down.
Leon was lurking behind her, trying to hide.
*(Get out in front, you coward!)*
He wanted to scold his son, but this wasn't the time to speak up, so Barcas stayed quiet.
"What's all this noise? What's happening?"
Zola narrowed her eyes at Angelica.
"And just whose daughter might you be? And that one behind you — that's the great fool, isn't it? Stop hiding and come out here."
Leon reluctantly moved to step forward, but Angelica stopped him with her hand.
Her eyes had gone sharp at the insult to Leon.
"How about you introduce yourself first? You haven't even given your name."
Zola's mouth twitched.
"Wait, Zola! Let's just talk this over. Right — everyone, please come inside. Come on! Come in!"
Forcibly cutting the conversation short and ushering everyone into the mansion, Barcas thought to himself that he would never forget this day for the rest of his life.
◇
"W-well, so that's how it is. I never imagined the daughter of the Redgrave Ducal Household would visit such a remote countryside."
Zola's face had performed such a complete reversal that if you could see the cold sweat she'd been breaking internally, it would have been quite a sight.
Thinking what an idiot she was on the inside, I listened to the exchange between Angelica and Zola.
The two sat facing each other.
"I'll be in your care for a while. However, it seems rather odd that the lady of the house is perpetually absent. That the eldest son doesn't help with work is also difficult for me to understand. What is the eldest son, Lutoart, doing currently? He doesn't look like military material — civil service, perhaps?"
Lutoart wasn't present.
Zola looked down.
"He's currently in the capital, studying for his future."
"I see."
Lutoart was nineteen. Merce was twenty.
Neither had married, and both were living in the Bartfort family's residence in the capital. Or rather — Zola's family's residence. It cost a fortune to maintain, but apparently its rank was still low in the capital.
Seeing Zola squirm was enjoyable, but Father kept shooting me looks that said "Do something about this."
"A-anyway, what brings you here this time?"
It was rare to see Zola so subdued.
Angelica gave a small smile.
"Just sightseeing. Today, I visited a newly discovered floating island. There's a hot spring and it's quite lovely."
Zola brightened up.
"How wonderful. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Yes — I'll be staying for a while."
At that, Zola froze.
"H-how long do you plan to stay?"
"No particular timeline. Until I hear from my home, I expect. Don't worry — I'll be paying for my lodging. To the baron, of course."
Hearing this, Zola offered a warm "Please make yourself at home" — but the very next day, she packed up her children and fled back to the capital.
Honestly, seeing Zola run away like that filled me with indescribable joy. When I clapped for Angelica, she gave me a complicated look. Her words — "You've been through a lot too" — brought tears to my eyes, but the way Father and Mother looked at me with cold, expressionless faces was beyond my understanding.