Where else would I go but to the house of someone I was close to during my time as Anais, as I hardly knew anyone else?

So, I took Hans to Eric’s house.

“This is the Heyward estate.”

Hans, who often visited the town, recognized it immediately.

“Do you know someone here?”

“Yes.”

I remembered the location of the house. However, as it wasn’t a holiday, Eric’s sister would be at the academy.

After knocking on Eric’s door, he soon appeared.

“Oh.”

He greeted us with a bright expression.

“You brought a friend too.”

“Hello. Sorry for the sudden visit.”

“No, I was just feeling a bit bored.”

Truly, he was such a kind person.

“I kind of expected this…”

Hans gave a faint smile.

Entering the house, a warm atmosphere enveloped us.

It was always a place I liked.

“Would you like some milk?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t refuse Eric’s kindness.

We started chatting after Eric brought us warm milk.

“Is the gentleman here from this village too?”

Right, Eric believed I lived in this village.

I should have told the truth earlier. I felt sorry for deceiving Eric.

“Not exactly living in this village, well…”

“…?”

“I live at the Grand Duke’s mansion.”

Hans answered for me.

Eric looked momentarily stunned, then collected himself and asked,

“Perhaps a child of one of the servants?”

“No, no.”

How should I explain this?

After hesitating for a moment, I decided to be honest.

“Have you heard the name Owen?”

“…”

Judging by Eric’s reaction, he had heard it. It would be more surprising if someone living in the Heyward estate didn’t know the name of the successor to the Grand Duke.

“I heard rumors that the Grand Duke had taken a successor, but I didn’t know he was a friend of Camilla.”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“So, you’re the future Grand Duchess. I should be even more respectful.”

“More than this?”

Eric was already exceedingly polite. It made me wish he would treat me more casually.

“How is your shop coming along?”

“Yes. We’ve found a location and are about to start decorating. It seems like we’ll be able to open soon.”

Eric was diligently making his way too. It reassured me to meet like this occasionally.

“Come visit us at the Grand Duke’s mansion. We’re usually there.”

“I do receive occasional messages from the Grand Duke. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to show my face, though.”

Eric had nothing to be sorry about. He was too modest for his own good.

Considering Kabir was consistently reaching out to Eric, it was clear how faithfully Eric had served the Grand Duke’s family.

“I should drop by sometime soon. Will you welcome me?”

Eric joked with a smile.

“Of course.”

Eric was always welcome. I wanted to see him happy more often.

* * *

After the short break, I returned to the palace.

‘Training starts again today…’

The thought of studying with Irmin all day was daunting.

Trudging to the classroom, I unexpectedly ran into a familiar person.

“Your Highness.”

“I was looking for you.”

It was rare to bump into someone in the vast palace unless they were specifically searching for you.

Why did he come to find me himself instead of sending a maid? That was beyond me.

Jamon glanced around discreetly. Only after making sure we were alone did he speak.

“It’s nothing much, just…”

“…?”

“…My cat had kittens. I thought you might want to see them.”

Nemoh?

A bright expression crossed my face. Kittens. I wasn’t particularly fond of animals, but Nemoh was different.

Besides, it was a chance to delay my lesson time. If I were late because of hanging out with Jamon, Irmin would understand.

“I’d love to!”

Seeing my response, Jamon gave a small smile.

We headed straight to Jamon’s garden. It was still a peaceful place.

Not long after entering the garden, we heard meowing. It was a delicate, almost squeaking sound.

“They’re scattered around now, so it might be difficult to find them.”

“How many are there?”

“Including Nemoh’s family, five in total.”

Excluding Nemoh, the adult cat, that meant three kittens. My heart raced with excitement.

It didn’t take long to find the cats. Like Nemoh, they approached us first. Had they inherited Nemoh’s personality too?

“So cute…”

I petted the squeaking kittens.

“You seem to like cats quite a bit. Have you thought about keeping one?”

“I don’t think I can take the responsibility.”

“That’s wise.”

Taking care of myself was already a handful. Moreover, I was too young now, and I didn’t want to experience parting at an early age.

“Camilla― are you here?”

Suddenly, we heard Irmin’s voice.

Irmin’s expression brightened when he saw us.

“I thought you might be with Jamon. I was worried when you didn’t show up.”

“Was it lesson time?”

“Yes.”

I boldly admitted to skipping the lesson.

“You should at least tell me before you go!”

“I heard there were cats.”

“Well, can’t help it then.”

Irmin readily accepted my excuse. He was always a peculiar person in my thoughts.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Irmin asked,

“Did your talk with the duke go well?”

“Yes, it went smoothly. We’ve agreed to meet once a week.”

“That’s great! It wasn’t a big issue then.”

Irmin seemed genuinely pleased, as if it were his own matter.

“Now that you don’t have that worry, you can prepare.”

Prepare?

When I looked puzzled, Irmin clarified as if it were obvious.

“For the academy admission.”

Right, I had almost forgotten.

I was supposed to enroll in the academy soon along with Hans.

‘We just agreed to meet regularly.’

The academy was a boarding school, so it would be hard to leave. Using scrolls to sneak out also had its limits.

“I don’t want to go to the academy…”

“Why not? The academy can be so much fun!”

Irmin reacted strongly to my muttering.

I did want to make new friends, but I preferred staying with the people I already knew. I felt downhearted.

“Do you have any reason for not wanting to go to the academy?” Jamon asked.

“Because I have to stay away from everyone.”

“…”

My words made both of them fall silent for a moment.

Then Irmin spoke up seriously,

“I’ll arrange for you to commute. You can stay at the palace.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“We can certainly find a way from our side.”

“I said it’s fine.”

These people had turned into helicopter guardians when I wasn’t looking.

“I think I’d miss Camilla too if she went away.”

“Miss Dias is an academy teacher, so you’ll be able to keep in touch frequently.”

Jamon’s future fiancée was a teacher. Somehow, I felt I would play a significant role in their story.

“Let me know if there’s any good news.”

“Me?”

“And you too, Your Highness.”

“About what?”

“Never mind.”

Whether it was Irmin or Jamon, I wanted to help with their romantic endeavors, but it looked like I’d be enrolling without doing anything.

‘They’ll manage on their own.’

There’s still vacation time and plenty of time ahead. Slow progress is fine.

There was still time left until the academy admission.

* * *

…Or so I thought, but now only a week remains until the admission.

“Ugh…”

I sprawled on the sofa. Hans, sitting next to me, fixated on his book, asked,

“What’s wrong now?”

“I don’t want to enroll… Already feeling lazy…”

“Just skip it then.”

“Can I really do that?”

“No.”

Tch. I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

Irmin and Kabir, Jamon and Laila, then Finley and Selena, even Eric. With news of my enrollment, they all sent various congratulatory gifts for my admission until my house was nearly overflowing.

At this point, I felt like a nuisance to my parents. I was sorry for the scale of my connections.

“Aren’t you bothered, Hans? Having to mingle with the younger kids?”

“I’ve done it more than a couple of times. I’m confident I’ll adapt well.”

Hans would’ve gotten used to it during his vacations. But it was all new to me.

“If you keep living through it repeatedly, you’ll get used to it soon.”

“Really now…”

“Right, Gabi mentioned she has a message for you.”

Hans closed his book.

“We have to visit the Celestial Realm soon.”

It’s been a while since we last visited the Celestial Realm. Perhaps they’re calling us for a check-up. Or maybe they want to talk because we haven’t been broadcasting recently. I was a bit worried.

“We should go before the admission then.”

“Yes, we should go this week.”

“Let’s go tomorrow.”

“Think it over before deciding.”

Hans sighed heavily.

If we’re going anyway, why delay? I didn’t see the point in postponing.

‘I’ll see the angels again after a while.’

Even though it would just be a day trip to the Celestial Realm, the thought of meeting the angels I hadn’t seen in a while brought some anticipation.

‘I should eat lots of delicious things.’

Unaware of what was to come, I was simply cheerful at the moment.