Chapter 103

I was sent back to the estate in a royal carriage. This time, Lady Attendant Charlotte accompanied me. I wondered if something was afoot.

“Lady Charlotte, the wave of reform is finally rippling through the Royal Academy’s domestic science track as well. As for the civil servant track, some subjects have evolved while others remain exactly the same.”

Lady Charlotte looked both surprised and delighted. “My, that is wonderful news. The domestic science track had degenerated into a mere course for coddling young ladies preparing for their social debuts.”

I was highly curious about what sort of mission the Queen had entrusted to Lady Charlotte, but I knew for a fact that she wouldn’t answer even if I asked. The journey from the royal palace to our estate didn’t take long at all. Well, it was a relief to save on horse rental fees for once.

As usual, Sophie handed two baskets over to Wyatt. Then, Lady Charlotte presented a letter from the Queen to Wyatt, stating it was addressed to Viscount Granger. I was incredibly curious about that letter, but since it was for my father, I couldn’t read it. How disappointing!

Now, it was time to embrace my absolute source of vitality. Hugging my little angel brothers works better than any Low-grade Recovery Potion. The twisting pain in my stomach instantly eased.

“Dearest sister, you look rather drained. Are you quite alright?”

Ah, Nacius. Your kindness thoroughly warms my soul.

“I’m just a little exhausted from adjusting to all the unfamiliar classes now that I’m in the middle division. More importantly, let me get a better look at your face.”

Taking advantage of the chaotic moment, I sneaked a second kiss on his cheek. Yes, I feel significantly recovered now.

“Can we do our equestrian training together this Sunday?”

Ugh, there was no way I could refuse Henry’s eyes, which were brimming with pure anticipation.

“Yes. As long as I take things easy today and tomorrow, I shall be perfectly fine.” I have absolutely no desire to go horseback riding myself, but I desperately want to watch Nacius and Henry practice. I’ll just hop onto a horse for a tiny bit to satisfy them.

“Hooray! It would be wonderful if Father joined us as well.”

Ah, so Father is being dragged into this as a victim too. Well, shutting himself up in his study all day really isn’t good for his health. I made sure to give Henry a second kiss on the cheek as well.

While there were countless things I wanted to discuss with Wyatt, I headed straight to the children’s room with my brothers first. We had a whole week’s worth of stories to catch up on.

“Father has been diligently supervising our studies,” Nacius reported proudly. “We’ve made significant progress through our first-year textbooks. On top of that, I’ve finally learned to cast Wind magic!”

Brilliant. It looked like Nacius was doing perfectly fine.

“Oh, that’s right! Sir Salyer is coming to visit tomorrow,” Henry chimed in. “He explicitly stated he wanted to visit when you were home, dearest sister.”

Henry is adorable, and I quite like Sir Salyer, but why on earth would he specifically want to visit when I’m around? Sensing that Henry might be a bit too unreliable to give me a straight answer, I turned to query Nacius instead.

“Nacius, does Sir Salyer happen to have some business with me?”

Nacius roundly scolded Henry, snapping, “Don’t go spouting unnecessary things!” but he ultimately crumbled under my demanding gaze. You can’t keep secrets from your older sister, after all.

“Sir Salyer mentioned he wished to ask you something regarding the academy’s knights club, sister. It’s rather bizarre, considering you belong to the music club.”

I felt a distinct, nagging premonition of dread. Regardless, let’s focus on pleasant topics for now.

“Your cousin Samuel has formally joined the music club as well. Nacius, do you have a club you wish to join? I gave you the club guide booklet, did I not?”

Nacius looked to be agonizing over it a bit. “I don’t share your deep passion for music, sister. I think I would prefer to join the reading club.”

That fits Nacius, a total bookworm, down to a tee.

“I want to join the knights club!” Henry declared.

Yes, that fits Henry perfectly too. However, that very knights club seems to be riddled with problems at the moment. Henry won’t be enrolling for another three years, so I highly hope they clean up their act and become a respectable organization by then.

Afterward, we spent some time playing jump rope. Pant, pant… I refuse to let Prince Keith ever open his mouth to call me slower than a turtle again.

“Sister, are you quite alright?”

Nacius, you don’t need to pull such a deeply worried expression… Except, I really wasn’t alright.

It seems I fainted. It was my very first time passing out, so I don’t remember a thing.

“My lady, have you regained consciousness?”

It looks like I gave Mary quite a fright as well.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine now. Oh, that’s right—could you fetch the bottle from inside my bag, please?”

The moment I swallowed the Low-grade Recovery Potion, a crisp wave of vitality rushed through my body, snapping me awake.

“My word, is that not a recovery potion? To use such an exorbitantly expensive item… Could it be a gift from the Queen?”

Eh? Are recovery potions really that expensive? Maybe I shouldn’t have drunk it so casually.

“No, this is a Low-grade Recovery Potion I brewed myself during Pharmacy class. The teacher explicitly stated we were welcome to sell them to the knight track or take them home as household medicine, so you can rest assured.”

The moment Mary heard I was the one who made it, she turned absolutely pale, only letting out a deep sigh of relief once I mentioned the teacher’s formal permission. Honestly, Mary, have a little more faith in me! Hmph.

“I’ll entrust one remaining bottle to Wyatt. If anyone in the family or among the servants catches a cold, please make sure they drink it. I intend to brew a high volume of them in Pharmacy, so drink up without any reservations.”

I rested in bed until dinner time, deciding to skip my side jobs for the day. The stress from the clash with Princess Margaret’s entourage had clearly taken a significant toll on me. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.

“My lady, what are your wishes regarding dinner? If you are still feeling unwell, I can bring a tray up to your bed.”

Having slept for a bit, my mind felt wonderfully refreshed. Besides, Father must feel terribly lonely eating dinner all by himself every day.

“No, I shall change. Help me, please.”

It wasn’t that horribly freezing lace dress I wore when I first reincarnated into this body. It was a beautiful dress crafted from the silk fabric Aunt Charlotte had gifted me.

“My lady, it suits you beautifully,” Mary beamed.

Yes, Patience has genuinely grown quite cute. While she is still slender, she is by no means skin and bones anymore. Her cheeks have filled out a bit, meaning her eyes no longer look starkly prominent. Yes, everything is coming together rather nicely. I’m thrilled.

The moment I entered the dining hall, Father stood up to welcome me. I always appreciate his impeccable manners.

Throughout dinner, I was practically dying to ask what the Queen’s letter was about, but unless Father brought it up himself, I had no choice but to hold my tongue. See? My manners have truly improved. Instead, I focused the conversation on my middle division tracks. This was perfectly acceptable according to etiquette.

“I see. Straddling three entirely different tracks must be a daunting task,” Father noted thoughtfully. “To graduate from the Royal Academy, earning the necessary credits for a single track is entirely sufficient. You should firmly commit to one track as your core focus, and simply study any other subjects that capture your interest as electives.”

He was entirely correct. For some reason, I had felt a vague pressure that I was required to complete two full tracks.

“I fully intend to focus on the civil servant track, and that is the qualification I wish to graduate with. While I’ve already accumulated enough credits to practically graduate from the domestic science track as well, if my interest in the mage track electives continues to grow, I can simply drop everything from domestic science except Weaving, Dyeing, Penmanship, and Embroidery.”

Faced with Father’s lingering worry, I added, “I’ve already received completion certificates for Dance, Cosmetology, and Cooking, and I tested straight out of Etiquette, Embroidery, Alchemy, and Pharmacy,” leaving him completely struck blank with astonishment.

“Julianne was exceptionally brilliant as well, but you are truly extraordinary, Patience. Queen Victoria praised you highly in her letter.”

Ah, I desperately want to know what she wrote!

“Is that so? I am deeply honored,” I replied with perfect refinement.

From there, I shared how a wave of reform was gradually hitting parts of the civil servant and domestic science tracks.

“I see. That is truly marvelous news,” Father beamed, looking genuinely overjoyed. “While the initial transition will undoubtedly bring a degree of chaos, and it is a shame that every single subject hasn’t been overhauled yet, it brings me immense joy to see things progressing for the better, even if it is step by step.”

Seeing him look so incredibly happy warmed my heart completely.

For dessert, we had pear compote served with a dollop of whipped fresh cream. And for me, a cup of rosehip tea. Since I had fainted earlier in the day, I had explicitly requested that we avoid any evening caffeine.

I had fully intended to use this weekend at home after a long week to rest my weary bones and thoroughly re-evaluate my course registration form. Especially since I tested out of Cooking, which meant I had to shuffle my schedule around yet again.