On a bright afternoon, with flowers in full bloom, Professor Robert walked along a sunlit path.

His destination: two lonely graves.

When he arrived, he greeted the graves with a small smile.

"Are you both doing well?"

Standing alone, he gently placed the flowers he'd brought before each one.

"I apologize for not visiting more often."

His smile remained, but a subtle sadness tinged its edges.

"Being a professor isn't as relaxed as you might think."

He confessed to the graves, his voice laced with bitterness.

"I've been teaching a young one from the Astria family these days."

He continued.

"He reminds me of Richard's younger days."

A sigh slipped from him.

"Do you remember how you were as a child, Richard?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered.

Overcome with emotion, Professor Robert sank to the ground, his head cradled in his hands.

"I should have never taken you on as my student, Richard..."

"I'm coming with you," Luna stated, her eyes fixed on me as I packed my belongings.

The journey to the Persia territory was scheduled for tomorrow.

I just told Luna about it today.

We often shared meals, but somehow I'd never found the right moment to bring it up.

Now, the situation had caught her off guard.

"I want to join you!" Luna stood with her hands on her hips, feigning anger.

I tried to reason with her.

"What about your classes with Professor McGuire?"

For me, I had already told Borval and, in the absence of Professor Robert, I was free to roam around, but Luna wasn't.

The special lecture she attended was closely managed by Professor McGuire.

Luna, usually an impeccable student, would risk upsetting him if she decided to leave for a trip out of the blue.

I've seen his explosive temper once and I have no desire to provoke it again.

I couldn't ask Luna to lie about it.

Not only was she terrible at lying, but it wouldn't have been helpful in this situation.

If it had been more of a vacation, I would've been more than happy to take Luna along.

But since this was a brief visit to the Persia family's residence and nothing more, I thought it was better for her to remain at the academy.

"I promise I'll get you something. Stay here at the academy, okay?"

Luna's face fell.

"I don't want to, I want to come with you..."

Despite understanding the difficulties, Luna's protest continued.

Perhaps the academy was taking a greater toll on her than I'd thought.

"I'll be back before you know it. Just focus on your studies."

Luna fidgeted with her fingers, her eyes on me.

Seeing her like this, a faint smile crossed my face.

"Luna, you'll be okay on your own, right?"

"I'm not a child," she huffed, but her face was undoubtedly that of a little girl's.

Her stubborn nod was so reminiscent of a puppy soaked from the rain that I had to stifle my laughter.

I knew an outburst would likely upset her, so I kept my amusement to a mere smile.

The following morning arrived, and I was up at the crack of dawn.

I boarded a carriage bound for the Persia territory.

The early start was tiring, but I managed to catch up on some sleep during the journey.

By the time we reached our destination, it was late lunchtime.

"Welcome, Rudy Astria," greeted Astina as I stepped off the carriage.

Seeing her in such informal clothing was an unfamiliar sight; I was used to her school uniform.

"What have you been up to?"

"Do you think I would have been doing anything other than studying?"

"Well, that sounds like you."

Astina said, laughing.

"My father is waiting inside. Have you eaten yet? We were waiting for you."

"You could have eaten earlier."

"How could we have started without our guest? Let's go inside and chat."

With that, I followed Astina into the building.

The Persia family mansion was astonishingly luxurious.

Instead of the white lilies of Astria, here, vibrant red roses were the prominent feature, perhaps in representation of the family's emblem.

The mansion was comparable in size to the Astria's.

Being closer to the capital, Astria's size was to showcase the family's power.

A mansion of this scale was a rare sight.

Inside, we were greeted by a middle-aged man.

"Is this Rudy Astria?"

He was Philip Persia, Astina's father and the head of the Persia family.

A renowned figure, he held the rank of a viscount, wielding considerable political and commercial power, even without any prowess in magic or swordsmanship.

"Hello. I'm Rudy Astria."

I responded politely, managing to conceal any surprise at the informal greeting.

"I'm Philip Persia, head of the Persia family. Please, take a seat. We'll chat over lunch."

At Philip's invitation, a servant guided me to a chair.

Philip sat at the head of the table, with Astina and I on either side of him.

We dined, engaging in light-hearted conversation.

As the meal progressed, Philip's demeanor shifted to one of seriousness.

"I'm very sorry about what happened with Harpel. I heard you were seriously injured. How are your wounds now?"

"I've recovered. It was not Harpel who hurt me, and there's no need for you, as the head of the Persia family, to apologize."

I answered with proper respect.

"Regardless, he was a part of our family, it's only right that I, as the head, offer an apology. More importantly..."

Philip cleared his throat a few times before proceeding cautiously.

"Calling me 'head of the Persia family', doesn't it create a sense of distance?"

"… Is that so?"

I was puzzled.

According to my understanding, my form of address was appropriate.

It would be correct to call him Viscount Persia if we were peers, but I am an academy student, with no rank to my name.

"So, how should I address you?"

"Uh... You could call me, 'Father'."

Astina's fist hit the table with a resonating thud at her father's words.

She shot him a fiery glare.

"Father?"

"Uh, well..."

Caught off guard by Astina's response, Philip dodged the issue and played it cool.

"Rudy Astria, don't worry about it."

"Ah, yes."

Once we finished the meal, maids escorted me to a guest room.

After freshening up, I set about organizing the luggage I brought along.

It felt like I was really on vacation... It felt good.

There was a knock at the door.

"Rudy Astria, may I come in?"

It was Astina's voice.

"You may come in."

Astina walked in, dressed in light, comfortable clothes that one would typically wear indoors.

Her hair was let loose, which looked refreshing.

"Did you enjoy the meal?"

"I did, very much so."

"And you didn't find it uncomfortable?"

"Since the head of the family treated me comfortably, I was able to eat comfortably as well."

"I see... Um..."

She asked some unusual questions.

When those questions ended, there was a brief silence.

In the silence, Astina hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.

"How about taking a walk together? The night air is nice."

The garden was beautifully lit by magic tools, creating a great view under the night sky.

"The roses are breathtaking."

I said as we walked through the garden.

"Uh...Yes, they are."

I had thought Astina wanted to talk about something, since she suggested going for a walk.

But, she just walked with me, not saying anything and keeping her head down.

So, I just looked around.

The garden was pretty, filled with the gentle fragrance of roses.

It was romantic.

"Um... Rudy Astria."

Astina broke the silence tentatively.

"Did you really form a pact with Priscilla..."

At the sudden mention of Priscilla, I cocked my head.

Astina kept her gaze fixed on me as she continued.

"I heard that she's an elemental known for consuming human minds..."

A faint smile spread across my face as I responded.

"It's alright. She doesn't seem to be such a peculiar elemental, and forming a pact was the best decision I could make under the circumstances. Had it not been for the pact with Priscilla, I wouldn't have been able to protect you."

Astina's face was etched with regret.

"I'm sorry. I was just too inexperienced..."

"It's alright. Without you, Astina, things could have been much worse. And I appreciate all the effort you put in for us. So, this is nothing."

It was not just empty words; it was really nothing.

Besides her student council duties, Astina often helped us with our studies and also freely gave important information.

Compared to what Astina, what I had done didn't seem like a big deal at all.

"Thank you for your kind words."

Astina murmured before she lapsed into thoughtful silence, and then hesitantly resumed.

"Rudy Astria, about what my father mentioned earlier..."

I mulled over her words.

"Are you referring to Harpel?"

"No…no. The thing he said right after that."

If it was right after that…

"Do you mean his suggestion to call him 'Father'?"

"Yes... exactly! It's not as weird as it sounds, it's just my father getting worried as I'm growing older and so, saying such unusual comments. But it's not that I... I mean, it's like a parent's concern about their children finding a suitable partner? So, you don't have to worry too much about it."

Astina rambled on.

"I think it's natural for parents to have such worries."

I nodded to Astina's words.

On second thought, it wasn't uncommon for someone of Astina's age to be engaged.

It was even an age where marriages were not unheard of.

So it wasn't strange that Philip was worried about that.

"But, I don't plan to get married early. ……Unless I find a good partner."

With that, Astina began fanning herself.

"It's a bit hot."

At that moment, a maid from a distance was seen rushing toward us.

"Miss Astina, the royal family has sent a message via magic orb...!"

The magic orb was an enchanted tool that could transmit brief messages.

It was a high-quality tool, typically reserved for extremely urgent situations.

The sudden usage of it visibly stiffened Astina's face.

"...Via a magic orb? To me?"

"It's not directly for you, Miss, but it's relevant to you..."

Astina cast a brief glance my way before questioning the maid further.

"What's the message about?"

"Well..."

The maid paused for a moment, then began.

"The first princess has reportedly run away."

"…?"

At her words, both of our eyes widened.

Rie ran away?

"Well…she suddenly said she was going to the Persia territory and left the royal palace."

"…It's not really running away if she mentioned her destination. But why is she coming here…"

"I'm not sure about the situation but the royal palace said to please take good care of her…"

"Okay, understood. Tell the servants to prepare a room and a good meal for the princess."

"Understood."

Astina blankly watched the back of the maid before frowning.

"A troublemaker is on the way."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing! Let's just continue our walk."

Astina said with a bright smile.