Chapter 22

After breakfast on Saturday, the carriage is scheduled to pick me up. I want to go home first thing in the morning, but they have to rent a horse and come all this way first. The dormitory feels deserted. Most of the royalty and their aristocratic entourages—who normally wouldn’t even stay in a dorm—have returned to the palace or their own mansions.

“Well, the food here is more voluminous than at home, so I might as well eat up.”

It seems I get to keep the textbooks, so I’ll bring them home for my brothers. If it’s Nasius, I bet he could skip grades to his heart’s content. Although, he might struggle with Dance and P.E. I need to save up some money (gold coins) to get Nasius his aptitude check early. I think he’ll need practice, too. Also, it would be great if I could hire a tutor. Boys’ P.E. seems a bit different from what I imagined. Running is the same, but I caught a glimpse of the upperclassmen’s lessons—swordsmanship, horsemanship… though horsemanship is impossible without a horse.

The refined hobbies of noble sons seem expensive. I haven’t seen any swords around the house; I wonder if they were sold off? And while Father can teach academics, I doubt he can handle dance, music, or swordsmanship.

I’ll teach them dance, music, and art. The Hanon (piano-like instrument) was sold, but we have a dummy keyboard model. You can’t make a sound on it, so actual practice might be impossible, but since Patience practiced on a real Hanon, she could use the flat model for finger exercises. I need to get a real one, even a cheap one. Having a Hanon would bring some life back into our home. Without it, the only way to hear music is to play it yourself. I miss my CDs.

“I want money!” In the end, it always comes back to that.

I spend the time in my room thinking of ways to make money until Mary arrives. Darning socks only brings in enough for pocket money. Piecework doesn’t pay well, but I’ll do it anyway. My brothers will need uniforms when they enroll.

But to buy a Hanon or a horse, it looks like I’ll have to involve Wyatt the butler.

“Wyatt will figure something out.”

Coming to the Royal Academy has made me realize exactly what is necessary for my brothers’ education. Plus, I want a Hanon and paints for myself.

If there were a side job for painting ceramics, it would be killing two birds with one stone. I’ll consult Wyatt about that, too.

“Also, I want to grasp the family’s actual economic situation. Though Wyatt’s guard seems quite firm on that.”

The Granger family’s finances don’t seem like they could sink any lower, but it doesn’t look like we’re surviving solely by selling off our belongings. It seems there is a small amount of aid from relatives. I have no memory of ever meeting the relatives who gave me this uniform.

Patience’s early memories are hazy, but guests used to visit. Do relatives not greet young children in aristocratic society? By the time she grew a bit older, Father had already been dismissed, and people stopped visiting. That’s why I’ve put off repairing the closed-off parlor; it hasn’t deteriorated much. But I should probably do it soon, just in case of an unexpected visitor.

“Mary is late…”

I want to wait out in front of the Academy, but apparently, that’s not allowed. They say it’s a breach of etiquette for a lady to be alone without a maid. If I can persuade Patience, I’ll think about sneaking into the downtown area during my gaps in Magic Practicum or after school while everyone else is doing club activities. The downtown area seems far, but Eva the cook worked at the market every day. I doubt she used a hackney carriage, so is it walkable? Actually, even nobles must buy daily necessities. There might be a “Middle District”—an upscale residential area for commoners or a middle-class town. I’ll check the downtown area later. I’ll ask Mary about these things while she helps me change for dinner… just as I thought that, she finally arrived.

The carriage ride feels so slow. I haven’t seen my brothers in a whole week.

Patience’s voice is screaming, “How unrefined!” in my head, but I leaped out of the carriage anyway. I couldn’t wait for George to climb down from the driver’s seat and pull out the carriage steps.

“Welcome home, My Lady.”

Wyatt opened the front door for me.

“Sister!”

Nasius and Henry came racing down the stairs. Careful, don’t trip!

“Nasius, Henry, have you been well?”

I hug them both, soaking in the happiness. I don’t want to leave them again. For the sake of these children, I absolutely have to do something about the Granger family economy!

Lunch is a smaller portion than the Academy meals, but it has improved significantly. Maybe it’s because I’m back? I need to check what my brothers are eating on a regular basis. Also, I need to tend the vegetables in the greenhouse and get to my piecework.

More than that, I want to study and play with them. It might be fun to take Henry—who is more mischievous than Nasius—to the greenhouse.

And yet, after the meal, Father summoned me. Ah, a letter must have come from the Royal Academy. Feeling dejected that my grade-skipping was all for naught, I knock on the study door.