by D. S. Craig
“And what if I win? As far as I can tell, there’s nothing in this for me.”
“I guess you have a good point there. It’s not much of a bet if there’s nothing for you to win.” I gazed off toward the training grounds where I could see Lesti and Aurelia starting their morning practice. Aurelia and Fang were properly warming up, while Lesti was slacking off and reading books on magic theory as usual. It was a little frustrating to see, but at the same time, it gave me an excellent idea of what I could offer Elliot.
“How about this? If you win, then I’ll teach you how to increase the power of your spells.”
Elliot followed my gaze, eyes landing on Lesti. “Increase their power, huh? Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Bending down, he held out his hand. I placed my paw in it, and he gently shook it, which felt rather odd. Honestly, I felt more like a pet doing a trick than an equal making an agreement. Still, I was too busy relishing my victory to focus on that. After all, there was no way that Elliot was going to beat Lesti as she was now.
* * *
A while later, Elliot was sitting on his butt, his spear lodged into the ground nearby. Balls of flame and spears of stone hovered in the air around him, preventing him from moving. He stared at Lesti in disbelief, eyes wide. Meanwhile, I watched smugly.
“Want to keep going?” Lesti called out to him, her satisfied grin matching my inner feelings. “I can do this all day.”
Elliot stared at her for a moment longer before smiling. “No. I know when I’m beaten. I admit defeat.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly from behind me, I heard the sound of someone clapping quite loudly, as if trying to announce their presence. Turning to see who was there, I found a man I had never seen before. His chestnut-colored hair was tied back in a long ponytail, a popular style amongst noblemen.
He was perhaps just a little older than I had been before I was reincarnated, dressed in formal wear entirely unsuited for the training grounds. A rather attractive maid trailed behind him as if she were his shadow.
Lesti stared back at the man with an expression that bordered on loathing. “Augustine, what are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you until this evening.”
“Yes, that was the original plan, but I simply couldn’t wait to see you.” Augustine smiled at her, causing a shiver to run down my spine. Though his smile was quite charming on the surface, it never reached his amber eyes. This man was clearly good at putting on airs.
“I thought that perhaps you could show me around the academy and introduce me to some of your friends.” He glanced over at Aurelia, looking her up and down, causing her to glare back at him. Wow, Lesti wasn’t kidding when she said he was a scumbag. He hasn’t even been here for five minutes, and he’s already eyeing her friends.
“I deeply apologize, Augustine, but after this, I have to begin preparing for the party tonight.” She gave a quick yet elegant curtsy as she rejected him. I hadn’t seen Lesti act so formally since I arrived in this world, so the gesture caught me off guard. The fact that Augustine was the person she was talking to made it seem all the stranger to me.
“What? After I came all this way?” At first, Augustine seemed somewhat irritated. However, he soon turned his gaze down toward me while looking like he had just come up with the most brilliant idea. “Well then, perhaps your familiar here could show me around?”
I saw Lesti start to say something but quickly cut her off. “I would be honored to show you around the academy, Master Augustine.”
Taking note of Rose’s manners, I tried to be as polite as possible. Lesti stared at me, completely dumbfounded. She was surely wondering why I was acting so polite and friendly towards someone that she considered public enemy number one. Honestly, I just wanted to see what he was planning. Based on first impressions, his reason for showing up early like this was undoubtedly devious.
Augustine turned and started walking toward the main building. “Excellent. Then let’s get started right away. My time is rather limited, after all.”
I followed after him, glancing back at Lesti as I reassured her privately, “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Besides, this way, we can make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble.”
She visibly relaxed after hearing my reasoning but still had a troubled expression on her face. “Astria, be careful. Unless he’s about to do something truly terrible, you can’t attack him. The rules of the academy don’t apply to him.”
Rules of the academy? I wasn’t sure what she meant by that but didn’t have time to ask. Augustine was already looking back at me with an annoyed expression as he pulled ahead of me with quick strides. At any rate, I just have to make sure not to hit him. It should be easy enough. Keeping Lesti’s warning in mind, I trotted ahead of Augustine and began to show him around the academy.
* * *
An hour later, I was utterly fed up with Lesti’s betrothed. We were finishing up our tour of the academy with the library, which was filled to the brim with students. Augustine spent most of our time together scoffing at how old and primitive the facilities were. Even in the library, he continued to complain about the seating not being fit for nobles.
The only time he hadn’t been whining about the facilities was when he was staring at the female students and staff like a creep. The way he looked them up and down like nothing more than pieces of meat was disturbing in and of itself. However, once you considered that even the oldest students here were only sixteen, it became downright revolting. It had taken every ounce of my willpower not to claw his eyes out.
Even worse, though, was how he was clearly using my presence to make everyone aware of his “relationship” with Lesti. Whenever he would ask me a question, he would intentionally ask me as loudly as possible, while making sure to refer to me as his “fiancée’s familiar” in awkward ways. It seemed my guess had been correct to some extent, and he was trying to ward off any other potential suitors that might get ideas.
Regardless, I had managed to make it through the entire tour, and my duty was going to be done soon. All I had to do now was see him off the grounds, and I could be rid of this foul man until this evening. Just as I was about to suggest we head toward the gate, a familiar voice called out from behind me.
“Astria? What are you doing here?” I turned around to see Lani walking up, a pile of books in her hands. “I figured that you would be helping Lesti prepare for the party this evening.”
Augustine, noticing I was no longer paying attention, turned around, looking like he was about to scold me, but stopped short when he spotted Lani. “Familiar, who is this?”
“This is Lani, one of the instructors here at the academy.” I intentionally didn’t mention her being from the Vilia territory or her service to Lesti’s parents. If this guy found out about that, I got the feeling that he might start acting like he owned her. Unfortunately, it turned out my efforts were for naught.
“Lani. My what a lovely specimen.” He bowed gracefully and kissed Lani’s hand. “I am Augustine Vanderbolt, second son of the Vanderbolt family and future lord of the Vilia territory. May I ask what family you belong to? I would like to start negotiating with them right away.”
At hearing the man’s full name, Lani’s face grew hard. “I am sorry, Master Augustine, but I don’t belong to any family, so there is no one for you to negotiate with.”
“I see. You’re not of noble birth.” He looked somewhat disappointed but quickly recovered as he rose to his feet. “Well, no matter, you’ll still make a fine concubine. Silvia, please make the necessary arrangements once we return.”
The maid that had been following us the entire time, pulled up her skirt in a quick curtsy. “As you wish, Master Augustine.”
“Now then, where were we? As yes, I apologize, but I won’t be able to take you as my consort right away. The foolish old man running the Vilia territory keeps delaying my marriage, you see. Worry not, though. I shall settle that matter soon enough.”
“Master
Augustine, I do apologize, but I can’t become your consort.” Lani’s response was calm on the surface, but I could feel a bit of the same chill I always did when she was angry. This didn’t appear to be lost on Augustine, either.
He glared at her with narrowed eyes, “Oh, and why is that? You had better have a good reason.”
“First, I have my duties here at the academy to attend to. Second, I already have someone that I intend to serve.”
“And who might that be?” Augustine practically snarled at her. I could tell he was slowly growing angrier by the moment.
Lani simply smiled back at him, her voice growing colder. “That’s not for me to say at this time. You only need to know that it’s someone truly worthy of the title, lord.”
I felt a smug sense of satisfaction as Lani delivered her put down. She had carefully chosen her words to not be a direct insult while still delivering maximum damage. Augustine didn’t seem to share my appreciation, however; his fists curled tightly into balls, and his face turned red as a tomato.
“So, that’s how it is, then?” Augustine took a step forward, causing me to tense. I knew Lesti had warned me not to hurt him, but if he was going to take a swing at Lani, I wasn’t going to let that go. “You stupid peasant. I’ll find this lord of yours and—”
“You’ll what, Master Augustine?” An authoritative voice I knew came from down the hall. Being careful not to lose sight of Augustine, I turned to find the headmistress heading toward us, her familiar riding on her shoulder. “I would hope you weren’t thinking of threatening a member of the academy? You do remember that all within these walls are to be treated as equals, yes?”
Augustine clicked his tongue and stepped back from Lani. “That only applies to the students here, and you know it, you old hag.”
“As lovely a personality as ever I see.” The headmistress approached our group, maintaining a calm, dismissive air. “While that may be the council’s official stance, I personally intend to hold everyone, even guests, to that standard. Still, if you’d like to push the matter further, we could continue our discussion on the training grounds.”
Her tone darkened significantly with those last words, giving the impression there wouldn’t be much talking going on if Augustine didn’t back down. Augustine simply glared at her for a moment before turning on his heel and storming off. “Enough of this foolishness. I have far more important matters to attend to. Silvia, we’re leaving.”
“Yes, Master Augustine.” The maid quickly curtsied to the headmistress, her face just as lacking in expression as always, before scurrying off after her master.
“What a scumbag.” Once he was well out of earshot, I voiced my grievances with the headmistress. “How the hell could the council pick a disgusting man like him to become Lesti’s husband?”
She stared off after him, a rare look of disappointment on her face. “Yes, I had hoped I was wrong, and he had changed since his time here at the academy, but it looks like he’s being set up to fail.”
“You think so as well, Headmistress Rena?” Lani looked at her, surprised.
The headmistress smiled back at her wryly. “You’re not the only one researching the movements and inner workings of the noble families, you know, Lania.” Turning on her heel, she headed back in the direction she came from. “At any rate, everything seems to have settled down here for now, so I’ll be getting back to work.”
“Ah, thank you for your help!” Lani called after her, caught off guard by her sudden departure.
I looked up at Lani once she was gone. “So, care to explain what you guys were talking about?”
“Sorry, but no can do. It’s too dangerous to talk about it here.” Lani glanced toward the students going about their day in the library. “Besides, I need to gather more information before I can be sure.”
“Alright, I understand. I’ll leave it at that for now.” I let out a heavy sigh as my thoughts turned toward the evening to come. “But I’m not looking forward to dealing with that jerk tonight.”
“I doubt he’ll give you too much trouble. If anything, he’ll be too busy hounding every woman that catches his fancy to bother with you or Lesti.”
“I can only hope so. At any rate, I’m heading back. Thanks for your help this week.” With that, I turned and dashed down the hall to meet up with Lesti and Aurelia.
Elliot’s Party
“Ugh, what a moron. I can’t believe he didn’t even realize who Lani was.” Lesti glared out the window of our carriage. I had just finished updating her on everything that had happened with Augustine during our tour of the academy. She had told me to wait until we were in the carriage so Aurelia could hear as well.
“Mm. Incompetent,” Aurelia chimed in, scratching a nervous Fang behind the ears.
“Oh, well, let’s forget about that bum for now.” Lesti turned and smiled at her friend. “Since we went through all of the trouble of getting dressed up like this, we should at least try and enjoy as much of the evening as we can.”
Even knowing that the situation was going to be dangerous, I couldn’t blame her. Both girls spent most of the afternoon getting their makeup done by a couple of maids from the Gambriel family, at the insistence of Elliot. Lesti had tried to refuse him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer, saying it was the least he could do since we were helping his family out. I had to admit, they had done a fantastic job. Lesti looked like a completely different person.
Looking her over once more, I couldn’t help but tease. “You may actually have to spend some time fighting off the boys for a change, Lesti.”
Her hair, usually sloppily thrown into a ponytail, had been neatly combed and styled. Her dress was a low-cut gown that showed her shoulders. Its silky red fabric glowed in the orange evening sun that flowed in from the carriage window. A golden necklace holding a green broach that matched her eyes finished off the outfit. Combined with the makeup the maids had applied, she looked like a proper noble lady for once.
“Oh, knock it off.” She swatted at me playfully, her cheeks slightly red from embarrassment. “If anything, Aurelia is the one who’s going to be turning heads this evening. The maids did a fantastic job with your hair.”
Unlike Lesti, Aurelia typically took better care of her hair, so the maids had gone all out to elevate it to the next level. It was pulled aside in a single large braid decorated with bright, colorful flowers, which matched the color of her eyes. Her dress had a simpler design than Lesti’s and featured a short skirt that ended at the knees, allowing her to move around easily.
“Rarf!” Fang barked and puffed out his chest, a tiny bow tie being his decoration for the evening.
“Yes, you look good as well, Fang,” Lesti giggled as she responded to his boasting. She had been getting better lately about understanding what he was trying to say without Aurelia needing to translate.
“Mm. Astria, too.” Aurelia reached over and played with the blue bow tied around my neck.
It was taking everything in me not to paw at the stupid thing. The maids had insisted Fang and I wear proper attire if we were going to accompany our masters. Although, the barely concealed grins told me that it was more about them having some fun than out of any sort of formal necessity. I felt ridiculous, but at least I could rest easy knowing there wouldn’t be photographic evidence.
A few minutes later, our carriage rolled to a stop in front of a massive manor that put the ones I had seen in the merchant district to shame. A gigantic garden stretched out in front of the building. A long stone pathway, wide enough for two carriages to ride side by side, led to the main entrance where the path circled a large fountain.
We stepped out of the carriage, assisted by two well-dressed butlers who guided us to the door. There, a third butler checked a list for our names before a maid led us through the manor to the ballroom. The entire walk had Aurelia and I gawking at the pure extravagance on display. Every inch of the place was covered with high-quality materials and art pieces.
W
hen we finally arrived at the ballroom, yet another butler announced our arrival at the party. The sheer number of staff used solely to guide guests to the party venue was making my head spin. It was even worse inside the party. Any number of maids and butlers wandered amongst the scattered groups of nobles, carrying trays of food and drink. Off to the side, more food options were piled high on long tables covered in fancy tablecloths.
“Miss Vilia, Miss Aurelia, I’m glad to see you could both make it.” As I stood gawking, Elliot noticed our arrival and came over to greet us, Rose in tow.
The pair were just as well-dressed as you would expect. Elliot was wearing what looked like some sort of black military uniform with gold trim and decorations. Rose, meanwhile, was wearing a pink dress that matched her hair. Unlike the other two, her hair was short enough that not much could be done to style it differently. Instead, she wore a simple barrette set with blue gemstones that matched her eyes.
“Master Elliot, you have my heartfelt thanks for inviting us.” Lesti tugged her skirt up in a quick but elegant curtsy. “May this year bring you more fortune and happiness than the last.”
Aurelia quickly attempted to mimic Lesti, but lack of practice led to a much sloppier greeting. “Mm. Thanks for inviting us, Elliot.”
Her simple greeting earned a slight giggle from Rose and an amused smile from Elliot. Bringing his right hand to his left shoulder, he gave a simple quarter bow to the pair. “Thank you both for taking the time to attend my humble celebration. I hope you find everything to your liking. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other guests that I must greet. I’ll leave Rose in your care.”
With a slightly exhausted look, Elliot hurried off to greet another group of young nobles that had arrived at the party. Turning back to the group, Lesti clapped her hands. “Well, then, since we’re here, why don’t we enjoy ourselves? I’m starving, personally.”
“Mm. I’m hungry, too.”
“Shall we?” Rose turned, leading the others to tables stacked with food, chatting merrily as they went.
