Ugh…

I stretched my stiff body and lifted myself from the bed.

Still rubbing my hazy eyes, I got up and washed my face.

Today was an earlier start than usual, even though it was Saturday.

Yesterday, Friday, I returned to the academy, and just before I washed up and went to sleep, I received a note.

To summarize, Felix’s father and older brother wanted to see my face as they would stay nearby for a day.

‘… I forgot.’

Since I possessed his body, I needed to meet them at least once.

That golden opportunity was yesterday, but I was distracted by other things and completely forgot about it.

So Father, who hadn’t seen his second son’s face in about a month, had no choice but to summon me.

Since the academy allows relatively free outings on weekends, I decided to see them first thing in the morning.

I casually shook the water off my wet bangs, yawned, and got dressed.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to wear formal attire like yesterday.

Still rubbing my not fully awake eyes, I left the room and calmly strolled down the quiet hallway.

Since I finished getting ready early, I had ample time to walk around the campus leisurely.

When I moved towards where I rode the luxurious imperial carriage yesterday, I saw a familiar family crest on a carriage.

‘… House Astria.’

This wasn’t my memory, but Felix’s.

Recognizing the crest Felix knew, I confirmed it was the Astria family’s carriage and walked over.

“…Felix!”

“…Helena?”

Next to the carriage stood the familiar figure of Helena.

“Why are you here…?”

I looked at Helena with a puzzled expression.

She stared back at me, then puffed her cheeks, approached me, and jabbed her fist into my side.

“Urgh…!”

I tightened my abs to block it.

Helena burst into laughter and said,

“Uncle told me to come too.”

“… Really?”

Father did?

I blinked slowly at the sight of Helena waving around a paper with the Astria family crest, then shrugged and headed to the carriage.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“He said he wanted to see the both of us.”

Helena and Felix have been childhood friends since they were young.

Although there’s a bit of a status gap, Father doesn’t care about such things, so Helena calls him uncle.

Calling him that somehow makes me feel like I’m back in modern times.

“Well, it has been quite a while since he’s seen you…”

Considering Felix’s father’s personality, it was entirely possible.

He thinks of Helena as his own daughter.

I answered casually and tried to board the carriage, but I blinked at Helena fiddling with her skirt.

She wasn’t wearing her usual academy uniform but an elegant black dress.

It was a pretty dress that contrasted with her fair skin.

“…But why are you so dressed up today?”

“Uh… umm…? Does it look weird…?”

Helena asked, her cheeks turning bright red at my question.

If you ask me if it looks weird or not…

“You look pretty?”

In fact, Helena’s beauty is not inferior to Sylvia’s.

She’s quite pretty if you think about it.

And now, while wearing a fancy and quite luxurious dress?

Of course, she would look good.

“Re… really…? Then, then that’s good.”

Giggling to herself, Helena boarded the carriage before me.

I tilted my head at her actions, then followed her onto the carriage.

“So why did you dress up like this?”

“We-well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Uncle…”

“…Is that so?”

No matter how handsome Father may be, he’s a married man, you know…?

I felt pity for Helena, who harbored a forbidden love that could never be fulfilled.

I roughly patted her blue hair and turned my gaze to look out the window.

‘Did she actually like Felix’s dad, not Felix?’

Such a question arose, but I quickly erased it.

What does it matter anyway? She can’t end up with Father in the end.

The Felix that Helena used to like no longer exists in this world.

‘I am Felix, and Felix is me.’

In other words, the previous Felix that Helena liked has long disappeared.

I can’t do anything about that.

“Was the banquet yesterday fun?”

“Huh? No, not really.”

Rather, it gave me a headache.

Helena tilted her head at my indifferent expression.

She looks so cute.

“Why? It was a banquet held by the Imperial Family, right?”

“Ah, the food was delicious though.”

The meal was definitely extraordinary.

It was high-class food that couldn’t be compared to the academy cafeteria.

“I wanted to try it too…”

“Helena, why didn’t you come?”

In fact, if Helena wanted to come, she could have.

The Degreff family were also of the nobility, being a baron family, so they probably could have if they wanted to attend the banquet.

“Why would I go if Father isn’t going…”

“He didn’t attend?”

That can’t be.

The reason Helena and I can be childhood friends is because the Astria Earl family and Degreff Baron family have a certain degree of friendship.

In fact, Father and Helena’s father, the head of the Degreff family, are close enough to call each other sworn brothers.

So, if our family had supported Ashillya, the Degreff family would have done the same.

Even if they are a baron family, they should have attended the banquet as a loyal family.

Then why didn’t they?

When I asked with that question in mind, Helena shook her head and said,

“Our family manages a business centered around the Astria family, so he’s busy with that.”

“…I see.”

It’s probably related to Ashillya.

It seems he is immersed in a business that can expand the family’s power.

It could be seen as a good sign.

It proved they could increase the family’s power and gain Ashillya’s trust.

As I nodded in understanding, Helena puffed her cheeks again and tapped on the innocent carriage seat.

“I wanted to go to the banquet too…!!”

“…You can go next time.”

“Will there be a chance next time…?”

There will be occasional banquets or parties held by the imperial family.

Moreover, they will be invited often as the Degreffs were in Ashillya’s faction.

However, Helena was probably worried about whether the increasingly busy Baron Degreff family could attend such parties.

She seemed quite disappointed as if she had high expectations.

I gave a wry smile and stroked her hair to console her.

“If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll take you, so don’t be too upset.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

No matter how much attending a party or banquet with a partner is seen as ‘that kind of relationship’ in noble society, it won’t be a big problem once or twice.

Helena and I are childhood friends anyway, and it’s a well-known fact among noble families that the Astria and Degreff families are close.

At my words, Helena smiled happily and held out her pinky finger.

“Promise!”

“Would I lie about something like this…?”

“I can’t trust Felix!”

“That kind of hurts my feelings.”

I awkwardly smiled at Helena’s words and linked my pinky with hers.

Helena touched her thumb to mine, making a seal, and finally smiled with relief.

I let out a small sigh at her childish behavior and smiled resignedly, gazing out the window.

Helena was grinning, bouncing her feet, looking overjoyed for some reason.

“… We have arrived, young master.”

After a short ride, the coachman’s voice was heard.

“Good work.”

I thanked the coachman for his hard work since early morning, opened the carriage door, and stepped out.

Although he could have gotten lodging in the center of the capital, I was grateful for Father’s consideration in choosing an inn not too far from the academy.

“Hup…!”

I took Helena’s hand as she got off the carriage, helping her descend safely, and realized something.

“…Which room was he in?”

Where do I go to meet Father?

That information wasn’t written on the note, so I stared blankly at Helena.

She looked back at me with an expression that said, ‘If you don’t know, who would?’

“Umm…”

Even if I just went in and asked where Earl Astria was staying, they probably wouldn’t answer.

I absentmindedly scratched the back of my head, pondering, and finally made up my mind.

Yeah, I’ll just shout.

Who cares if someone wakes up and makes a fuss? I’m a noble.

With that brazen thought, I was about to open my mouth.

Smack…!!

“Little brother…!!”

“Ack!!”

I screamed as I felt someone’s thick hand slap my back.

Wiping my teary eyes from the stinging slap, I turned around to see someone who looked almost identical to Felix…me, smiling at me.

“Brother…?”

It was Felix’s older brother.