July is a time when things generally start to ease up for students.

And in this world, it feels like that ease is even more pronounced than in the one I came from.

The Academy, which was modeled after the Japanese high school system, holds its final exams at the end of July. But that doesn’t entirely extinguish the anticipation for the approaching summer break.

This atmosphere was more prevalent among commoner students than among those from noble families.

Nobles, after all, are beings who live on pride.

Even though the primary goal here was to make connections, and many noble children believed forming good relationships was more important than achieving high grades, there were still plenty who would consider it a disgrace if their grades fell below a certain level. Many noble parents were especially sensitive about their children’s grades.

On the other hand, many commoners felt their fate was already set in a fortunate direction simply by being accepted into this Academy. Although the Academy had twice as many commoners as nobles, that was only because the number of commoners in the Empire far exceeded the number of nobles. In terms of competition, it was actually more challenging for commoners to secure a place here than for nobles.

Just graduating from the Academy was enough to secure a stable livelihood. Since the Academy also served as a military academy, they could even apply to become imperial officers if they so wished. Of course, they’d need to maintain at least the minimum required grades to avoid being held back.

As for me… I may have lost the ability to rewind to any time before mid-June, but that didn’t leave me as severely impacted as one might think.

That was thanks to my habit of diligent pre-studying and reviewing.

To be precise, it was because I had rewound time repeatedly after each class to make sure I understood everything thoroughly. Even during self-study, I would rewind several times to fully grasp the solution to each problem.

No matter what, though, rewinding after looking at the exam questions felt like crossing a line, even for me. And the idea of rewinding several months just to perform well on an exam felt like madness. So, I had studied diligently all semester instead.

After all, even an average person can become a genius if they invest enough time. And time was something I had in abundance. I had consistently used it without wasting any opportunity, leading to the results I had achieved.

Not that I was particularly looking forward to the summer vacation, though.

Returning to the Imperial Capital—the closest thing to “home”—meant that I would inevitably run into the Emperor.

Since the incident in June, he hadn’t mentioned anything, but I was sure that as soon as I saw him again, we would discuss something I would rather avoid.

---

But not everything that happens to a person is bad.

Even if it was only a temporary reprieve from something unpleasant, sometimes a welcome event would come along.

"An invitation?"

About a week before the final exams began, Claire came to my room and handed me a letter in an elegant envelope.

It was similar to the invitation Alice had given Charlotte, but at least this one wasn’t intended to distract me.

“Yes, it’s an invitation to our family’s estate.”

Grace Estate, located within the Capital, wasn’t too far from here. It was, from the beginning, a unique kind of territory, different from what most grand noble estates were like.

In terms of size, it was more like a grand mansion than a typical estate. By modern standards, you could compare it to a slightly large school. There was a large building, several smaller structures, some grounds between them, and a grassy area that could be considered a field…

Certainly, it was impressive for an individual to own such a property in their name, but compared to the vast counties and duchies owned by some, it was still a more modest, realistic size.

“I told Father and Mother about you, Sister. They really want to meet you.”

When I looked at Claire in mild surprise, she quickly shook her head.

“It’s okay. I only told them that I’d found my sister. I didn’t say anything else… Ah.”

It was only after she said this that Claire seemed to realize even that much was a detail that hadn’t been widely shared.

Claire, with a slightly uneasy look on her face, gazed at me. Even though she was almost my height, something about her made her appear younger.

“Did… did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I opened the envelope as I replied.

“The Grace family is a loyal house. And… it’s something that would eventually be revealed as long as you’re there.”

Claire blinked at my words.

“Besides, I was the one who took you there. There’s no reason to be upset now about what you’ve done.”

“R-really…?”

With a hint of relief, Claire watched as I took the letter out of the envelope. The letter itself was on high-quality paper, the kind only nobles would use.

Even a baron’s family is still noble, I thought as I unfolded the letter, revealing elegant cursive handwriting that looked almost as if it had been printed.

> To the Honorable Princess Sylvia Pangriffon of the Glorious Empire,
> 
> The sun’s intense rays warm the earth, and the breeze from the sea carries a hint of humidity. While some may find this weather uncomfortable, it can be a pleasant excuse to take a trip somewhere.
> 
> Our estate may not be far enough from your residence to offer a refreshing climate or entirely different surroundings, but the green lawns within our grounds are known among the nobility for their well-kept beauty. They provide one of the few places in our somewhat dreary city where the eyes can find rest.
> 
> It would be our greatest pleasure to host you here for tea and allow you to enjoy such greenery in our shaded gardens.
> 
> We sincerely hope that, through our daughter, we may receive a favorable reply from you.
> 
> July 11, 1901, Tuesday  
>   
> Edward Grace, Baron of Grace Estate.

The content of the letter aside, the handwriting gave off a strong “I am an honest person” impression. Of course, there were probably many villains with beautiful handwriting, but maybe I was reading too much into it because of my own preconceived notions about Baron Grace.

After reading the letter, I looked up to find Claire watching me with a hesitant expression, her hands clasped behind her back. She didn’t seem confident that I would respond favorably, and there was a faint shyness in the way she looked up at me, her head slightly lowered. It reminded me, vaguely, of an expression I’d seen before.

It was the same look she would give me back in the orphanage when I would share my food with her.

It seemed that even after a decade, Claire hadn’t lost that habit, likely shaped by those five years of having nothing.

Perhaps that’s why I remembered it so clearly—after all, I had been the first person to show her kindness.

“All right.”

I carefully folded the letter and returned it to the envelope.

“I’ll accept the invitation. Is there any particular date they have in mind?”

“Oh, no, any time after exams and the end of term would be fine!”

Claire’s face lit up with a bright smile at my response.

Honestly, I wondered what would have to happen to such a sweet child to turn her into what she became in the original story.

Maybe it was a miracle that she hadn’t broken entirely, that she had held on despite everything. It was proof of how strong she was.

After all, she was the kind of person who could die for a sister she hadn’t been particularly close to in the end.

At least, thanks to this, I could put off facing the Emperor for a bit longer, which made my heart feel slightly lighter.

Besides, I had been curious to see the Grace Estate at least once. While I would have eventually visited it in the original story, waiting around passively until then felt frustrating.

“In that case, after the exams and the end-of-term ceremony, I’ll visit right away. Does that work?”

“That would be great! I’ll let my parents know right away!”

Parents.

Thinking about it, I’d been with Claire often, but I hadn’t actually heard much about how she’d grown up. Compared to the original, she must have grown up in a far better environment, and perhaps that’s why she hadn’t felt the need to mention it.

After all, this was also the protagonist’s family.

Hearing firsthand from Baron Grace and his wife about how Leo and Claire grew up could be quite enlightening.