A Day
"But I'm busy at noon, so I probably won't be able to train with you then"
"So, would you rather train in the evening or on the weekend?" Kaiser asks
"Tonight" Mary replies quickly, her warm voice tinged with anticipation
"Alright then. Let's meet at 7 PM at the training area in the east wing"
"I'll remember that" Mary says with a slight smirk, her red eyes fixed intently on Kaiser
Kaiser studied Mary for a moment, sensing both expectation and a hint of nervousness in her gaze
"I'll be going now" he says before turning back toward Amelia
Mary remained standing in place, watching his retreating figure. Her eyes didn't blink, as if she was trying to memorize every small movement of Kaiser. A gentle breeze swept through, causing a few strands of her pink hair to flutter in the air
"7 PM tonight..."
—-
As soon as Kaiser returned to Amelia, she crossed her arms over her chest, her sharp gaze scrutinizing him
"What did she say to you?" Amelia's tone was a bit blunt, clearly displeased about his conversation with the pink-haired girl
"Mary asked me to teach her how to strengthen her Mana Shield" Kaiser calmly replied
"Her name is Mary?" Amelia raised an eyebrow as if committing the name to memory
"Mary Blossom. That's her full name"
Upon hearing that, Amelia immediately fell into thought, mumbling as if trying to deduce something
"The Blossom family is a Marquess household, so their descendants must attend a lot of noble gatherings. But…" She tilted her head, suspicion flashing in her eyes "I don't think I've ever seen her at any of those events"
Kaiser slowly nodded before speaking softly
"She's an illegitimate child"
" :0 " Amelia was caught off guard by his words.
"…That makes sense" She finally spoke cautiously, as if not wanting to say anything too sensitive
But she quickly changed the subject
"So, how do you plan to train her?"
Kaiser thought for a moment before answering
"I was thinking of training with her tonight, after visiting Helen"
"Tonight?" Amelia frowned slightly
Kaiser nodded. He could tell Amelia wasn't thrilled about the idea, but in the end, she just sighed and didn't say anything more
Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Kaiser flashed a light smile
"Anyway, let's go eat now."
Amelia blinked, then nodded
"Yeah, it's about time"
"But I don't want to eat in the cafeteria"
Kaiser turned to her, surprised "Why not?"
"Merias" Amelia crossed her arms, her expression clearly showing displeasure
Kaiser chuckled
"You really don't like her, huh?"
"Of course not! That blonde girl is way too friendly - it makes me feel like an introvert just standing next to her!" Amelia pouted
The sight made Kaiser unable to resist, he reached out and ruffled her hair
But the moment he touched Amelia's head, she immediately reacted. First, she was caught off guard, but within seconds, she grabbed his wrist with both hands and glared at him
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't blame me. It's your fault for being too cute" Kaiser laughs
Hearing that, Amelia froze for a second before suddenly turning away, trying to hide her face, which had turned bright red
"You always act like I'm younger than you! We're the same age!" she stammered
Then, to cover up her embarrassment, Amelia lightly punched Kaiser's chest
Kaiser chuckled at her reaction, then walked with Amelia toward the cafeteria for lunch. And, of course, in the end, their meal still included Merias
After lunch, Kaiser and Amelia went to visit Helen and her father. The meeting took place in a warm atmosphere
After spending a peaceful afternoon, Kaiser and Amelia left to return to campus
On the way back, Amelia suddenly spoke up
"Hey, Kaiser, now that I think about it, why did Mary ask you to teach her how to strengthen her Mana Shield?"
"Couldn't she just read a book?"
"She said she's not good at learning from books, so she wanted me to help her" He replies
Amelia remained silent for a few seconds, then stole a glance at Kaiser, a small trace of doubt surfacing in her mind. But in the end, she kept her thoughts to herself
…
After parting ways with Kaiser and returning to the girls' dormitory, Amelia didn't go straight to her room. Instead, she turned into a secluded corner where no one else was around
Her voice became noticeably more serious as she spoke softly
"One, come here"
Immediately, a shadowy figure appeared - dressed entirely in black. A calm, steady voice belonging to a woman echoed
"What are your orders, Princess?"
Amelia stared directly at the figure before her, her sharp gaze a stark contrast to the adorable girl from earlier that day
"Have someone investigate Mary Blossom. It seems she's an illegitimate child of that family"
"Understood, Your Highness" The black-clad figure bowed before vanishing into the darkness
Amelia remained still for a moment before turning back toward the girls' dormitory, as if nothing had happened
…
At that moment, Kaiser was on his way back to the male dormitory. But as he neared the building, a familiar figure caught his eye.
'Mary?'
He was surprised to see her sitting on a bench near the dormitory. Her messy pink hair still covered one of her eyes, while the remaining crimson eye stared blankly into the distance
As Kaiser approached, Mary turned to look at him
"Oh, Kaiser!" Her face lit up
"Hey, Mary" Kaiser smiled
"What are you doing here? Didn't we agree to meet at the training area?"
Mary hesitated, lowering her head as her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her shirt
"I-I just… didn't have anything to do today, so I thought… I'd just wait for you here."