Chapter 71

Thanks to President Albert’s enthusiasm and the intensive training he put us through, the ensemble was a brilliant success. Good grief.

With the Harvest Festival over, I relaxed in Princess Margaret’s room, sipping fragrant tea.

“So Brother Richard is graduating. Next year it’ll be just Keith and me—that’s going to be a problem. I doubt his hatred of vegetables will ever change, no matter how much I scold him.”

I definitely wanted to avoid lunches with just Princess Margaret and Prince Keith in the High Dining Hall—the Salon. Prince Keith often made me break into a cold sweat by picking at Prince Richard, but Richard’s presence was a real stabilizer. The only reason Keith heeded warnings about his vegetable phobia was because Richard was there. Dealing with eleven- or twelve-year-old boys in a rebellious phase is hard. It’s kind of ‘moe’ in a way, but I’d rather appreciate it from a distance—they’re so prickly you’ll get hurt if you get too close.

“I’ll ask Mother if we can eat separately. But with Jane in the mix, things might stay the same for another year.”

Lunch with her schoolmates will have its own challenges, but I definitely want to avoid dining with Prince Keith at the height of his rebellion. More importantly, I’ll take advantage of Princess Margaret’s good mood to ask a question.

“Princess Jane enters the Academy the year after next—will she be staying in the dormitory?”

I used Princess Jane as a pretext to ask—indirectly—whether Princess Margaret planned to leave the dorm. I’m timid, after all.

“Most likely. Jane’ll enter the dorm too; she enjoys the freedom of dorm life and will probably have fun.”

So Princess Margaret has no intention of leaving the dorm. But what about her social debut? Argh—I’ll ask. I don’t know how long I’ll be her lady-in-waiting, and it feels like I won’t be able to quit anytime soon. If that’s the case, not knowing her plans makes me nervous.

“Will you not be making your social debut, Margaret-sama?”

Princess Margaret thought for a moment before speaking.

“I want to perform at concerts, but I have no interest in high society. After all, Father and Mother will decide my marriage partner.”

I felt sorry for Princess Margaret, resigned to a political marriage, but I—Patience—don’t even have a dowry, so marriage is out of the question for me anyway. Still, now’s not the time for sympathy.

“Will Lady Catherine, Lady Harriet, and Lady Liliana be making their debuts?”

Even if the princess isn’t interested, if her classmates debut the Queen might force her to as well.

“Probably not at fourteen—the Academy is too busy. Won’t they debut after earning certifications in mandatory subjects and practical arts like Fine Arts in Middle School? Their parents will likely choose their husbands anyway.”

I see. Middle School’s Home Economics (bridal training) course is probably structured so a debut is easy once the mandatory certifications are completed.

“They all seem to struggle with math; will they be alright?”

Princess Margaret, who also struggles with math, knit her brows.

“I hear the math in the Home Economics course is simple. As long as you can balance a household ledger, you pass. Girls who obtain a full Mathematics certification like you are extremely rare.”

So Middle School uses a credit system by track—students poor at math can take the ‘Household Ledger’ credit. The school would have a problem if more students couldn’t graduate. Essentially, elementary-level math is enough.

“You’re asking as if it’s someone else’s business, but have you thought about a marriage partner, Patience?”

Margaret seems to have given up on her own marriage, but as a maiden at heart she loves talking about love.

“What? I won’t be getting married. I must look after my little brothers until they are fine young men.”

She looked at me with exasperation.

“Your brothers are the same age as Jane and Marcus, right? If you wait for that, you’ll become an old maid.”

I know that.

“That is why I won’t marry. I want to obtain a profession, which is why I’m choosing the Civil Servant track.”

Princess Margaret looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Then… will you be my lady-in-waiting for the rest of your life?”

Please, spare me. But saying that outright would be rude and sour the princess’s mood.

“Ideally, I would like to become a bureaucrat, but I am troubled because I hear there are no female bureaucrats.”

“True, it is different from being a lady-in-waiting. Bureaucrats are all men. But then, Lord Eugene became a female knight, and that opened the path for other female knights. Why not just give it your all and see?”

I felt a twinge of guilt at being encouraged, but I’ll give it my all.

“More importantly, I trust you will be able to skip a grade to Middle School properly?”

That’s right; the grade skip will be decided by the final exams. If possible I want certifications in Language, Classics, History, and Magicology too. They say the Oni laughs if you talk about next year, but…

“First, I must study.”

Princess Margaret remembered the final exams as well.

“As long as I don’t get a failing grade in math in these finals, I’ll be fine. This will be the end of my relationship with those loathsome formulas.”

I, too, prayed that the math in Home Economics would really be only household-ledger level.