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I felt bad for the 1st Manager, who was protesting like she was deeply hurt, but throwing a tantrum in front of me wouldn’t change anything. I didn’t even know that the Mage Duchess was going to the academy. Actually, how did she even know something I didn’t? Was she in touch with the Mage Duchess?

“Unnie bragged about it earlier! She said the deployment got the final approval and that she’s going to the academy!”

So they were keeping in touch. What impressive social skills.

The 1st Manager’s complaints were valid, but they were aimed at the wrong person. If she felt so wronged, then wouldn’t it be more effective to throw a tantrum at the Mage Duchess and beg her to be taken along instead of crying to me?

Not that it would be a good idea to actually do that, though.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. You don’t have a valid reason to go to the academy.”

I spoke, trying to calm down the increasingly upset 1st Manager. It would be embarrassing for everyone involved if someone else walked in right now.

But the 1st Manager, already lying on the ground throwing a fit, wasn’t interested in that. She glared at me with teary eyes like she wouldn’t get up until I gave her the answer they wanted.

“If unnie goes to the academy, then the 50-50 split becomes 60-40!”

There was a certain desperation in her voice. It was almost pitiful, as if she believed the sky would fall if those in the academy and the non-resident ones weren’t balanced.

At the same time, I could sort of understand how she felt. It’d be one thing if the numbers were even, but it was only natural to feel uneasy when your group suddenly became the minority. Yeah, I got it. I totally understood it.

“I’ve already been pushed back to fifth place in the pecking order! What if you forget about me altogether?”

Hearing that, I couldn’t even bring myself to respond.

After all, I met the 1st Manager before Louise, Irina, and even Marghetta. But being stuck in the capital and not being able to go to the academy with me had pushed her further and further down the list, all the way to fifth. Even though she acted like she didn’t care, she had every reason to feel frustrated and anxious.

And now, with only the fifth and sixth left behind in the capital, she was probably scared it wasn’t just her place in line, but her importance to me, that was slipping.

“I don’t want to be forgotten! I don’t want to be that character who only gets remembered at the end like, ‘Oh yeah, she was there, too!’”

But why was she making such weird comparisons? Did she travel to the future or something?

Still, seeing how much her anxiety had risen, I couldn’t tell her to cut it out. No matter how anxious she was, it wasn’t something she could really share with others, and the 4th Manager, her only ally, wasn’t the type to get worked up about things like this. So, she must’ve been stewing in her own frustration. Maybe she wasn’t even looking for a solution—maybe she just needed to vent.

And since the 1st Manager had already shown her vulnerable side to me before, now she had no qualms about crying her eyes out and genuinely flailing about. Maybe she figured she had nothing to lose by crying again. It was bold for sure, but this was going in the wrong direction.

“I’ll contact you every day from the academy—”

“But we can’t hold hands or hug through the communication crystal!”

Well, that was true.

“Maybe I could ask the Mage Duchess to teleport me back on weekends—”

“Then it’ll just be the three of us going on dates!”

That was also true.

What should I do?

I was losing my mind. There really was no good answer here.

Should I take the 1st Manager to the academy? No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason to justify that. And if the 1st Manager went, that would leave the 4th Manager all alone. That would be way too harsh on her.

Should I ask the Mage Duchess to give up the academy deployment? But if I did that, wouldn’t I just end up seeing the Mage Duchess in tears instead? Besides, from what the 1st Manager said, the whole point of the deployment was to look after her one and only disciple, Louise. I had no grounds to intervene in that. And it had already gotten the final approval from the emperor, so it wasn’t like I could stop it.

“I’ll spend as much time with you as I can before the semester starts…”

“Okay.”

?

“I’m really disappointed, but I’ll bear with it if you stay with me during the vacation.”

The 1st Manager, who had been flailing around like she was trying to mop the floor with her clothes, casually stood up as if she hadn’t been sobbing just moments ago before approaching me and sitting on my lap like nothing had happened.

“Since you’re going to be apart from your cute lover, you need to be extra nice to me right now!”

“…Alright.”

It was only then that I realized that she had planned this whole thing from the start.

No, the emotional outburst wasn’t entirely an act. But she knew she couldn’t change the situation, so she played on my guilt to at least get what she wanted instead.

I really need to graduate soon.

I stifled a sigh that was threatening to escape and gently patted her head. Her little scheme had been highly effective, mainly because I did feel guilty. Not that this situation was making me happy, either.

If I were apart from all of my partners, it’d be one thing, but staying with some while being separated from others felt like favoritism. We could’ve figured something out if the 1st Manager and the 4th Manager were civilians, but there was no way around it since they were both civil servants.

So what choice did I have? I’d just have to bear with the complaints and frustrations of the ones left behind for the next two years.

I need to meet with the 4th Manager as well.

Yes, I should see the 4th Manager soon. Unlike the 1st Manager, who was always here in the capital, the 4th Manager could be deployed on an assignment at any time.

***After soothing the 1st Manager with some heartfelt head pats and narrowly escaping with my dignity intact, I went to find the Mage Duchess, the one responsible for this mess. Honestly, indiscriminately dropping bombs like that was just too much.

“What happened? I didn’t know about any of this.”

“Well, you see—“

“Do I really have to hear about Beatrix through someone else? I’m really hurt.”

I went on the emotional offensive as soon as I stormed into the tower, and the Mage Duchess was so flustered that she couldn’t even respond.

She probably had plenty of logical explanations prepared—something about needing to look after Louise, for the development of the Empire’s magic system, or the Magic Tower being understaffed. There were plenty of reasons she could throw at me.

But what she probably didn’t anticipate was me appealing to her emotions, especially not by throwing back her own words at her.

“The thing that hurt the most was hearing about your news through the Information Department’s Executive Manager. Can you understand that?”

Last year, before I even knew that the Mage Duchess had feelings for me, she had said something similar out of disappointment. But from my perspective then, her words had felt more like a heavy warning, one that had stuck with me ever since. I never expected to use it like this, though.

“You could’ve at least given me a heads-up that you were coming. Were you afraid I’d oppose it?”

That hit the mark. If the Mage Duchess had consulted me, I would’ve found a way to oppose it.

But the decision was already made, and I couldn’t undo the Mage Duchess’s deployment to the academy. So, the best I could do was show enough disappointment to prevent any more sudden surprises. What was done was done, but I didn’t want any more decisions to be made without my knowledge.

It might make me seem like a manipulative jerk, but this was the Mage Duchess we were talking about. When a lion stretched its limbs, the nearby rabbits would jump in fear. The Mage Duchess, who had ruled for over a century, could easily throw those around her into chaos. As her future husband, at least, it was my job to prevent that.

“I’m sorry, baby. I should have discussed it with you first.”

Thankfully, the Mage Duchess seemed to understand my feelings and, looking a bit down, apologized sincerely.

I wasn’t sure if she was apologizing because she knew I would’ve opposed it, or if it was just because she was planning a surprise and it backfired. Either way, it was a decent resolution. An apology and a promise not to let it happen again was all I really needed.

“Let’s promise to be open with each other from now on. If something comes up, I’ll talk to you right away too.”

I responded with a gentle expression, but I couldn’t help but notice the slight flinch from the Mage Duchess. It was just for a moment, but it was definitely there.

Wait, what? Did she do something else behind my back?

“…Beatrix?”

“I-I did keep it a secret, but it’s something that’ll make you happy.”

What followed was indeed something I’d be happy about.

The Mage Duchess had been debating what to get me for my birthday and, on Erich’s suggestion, decided to request a leave of absence as a gift. Thinking it was a good idea, the Mage Duchess formally petitioned the Imperial Council, but to avoid making it obvious, she included the entire Imperial civil service rather than just the Prosecutors’ Office. It was meant to be a surprise, so she hadn’t said a word about it.

…Wait, this is actually for real?

I was stunned. They said it was a free vacation, and of course, I assumed there’d be a catch. But instead of a poisoned chalice, it turned out to be a goblet of fine wine. I had no idea the Mage Duchess had been working behind the scenes like this.

“Was it… too much?”

“No.”

I quickly shook my head at the Mage Duchess’s cautious question. Too much? Absolutely not.

“Thank you. This is the best gift ever.”

I couldn’t hold back my emotions and pulled the Mage Duchess into a tight hug. The Mage Duchess’s sudden actions and the whole surprise visit to the academy? That was nonsense. The Tower was wherever the Mage Duchess was, so technically, she was just reporting to her rightful workplace.

How could I have been so clueless?

At the same time, guilt washed over me. How could I have been so ungrateful? I’d complained about feeling hurt when she had been doing something so kind for me. I needed to reflect on my behavior…

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

The Mage Duchess, momentarily surprised by my sudden embrace, eventually returned the hug and spoke softly.

And again, I was overcome with guilt.

***I took a deep breath as I opened the door. There was no point in fretting over something unavoidable.

“Ainter.”

The Crown Prince, seated at the head of the table, spoke in a calm voice as soon as I stepped in. His tone was devoid of any clear emotion—no joy, anger, welcome, or disdain.

Oddly enough, I felt relieved by his neutral tone. Besides, it wasn’t just the Crown Prince here; the Crown Princess was present as well. If this was a meeting to punish me, she wouldn’t be here.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

I greeted him while bowing deeply and he gave a nod before gesturing for me to sit as if saying, ‘You’re here, so sit down already.’

“It’s been a while since the New Year’s Ball.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It has.”

I quickly bowed my head again at the natural question that followed as soon as I sat down. It was true—I hadn’t seen the Crown Prince since the New Year’s Ball. He had been busy with official duties, and I had been deliberately avoiding any public appearances.

That made me even more nervous. Why would the Crown Prince call for me a whole month after the ceremony? What could it possibly be—?

“It’s unfortunate that we don’t get more opportunities to talk as a family.”

…What?

Family?

I froze at his unexpected words.