Chapter 80
“Aaaagh...”
Groans and moans echoed inside the bathroom.
Naturally, that was the sound of me dying.
Odette said this was the same kind of care all the other students get when they’re headed to important events too, but from my point of view, this was punishment and abuse.
“Lady Lunaris, please raise your arm a little higher.”
“Ms. Odette, that’s a very sensitive spot... kyaaah!!”
“You’re quite the drama queen. We haven’t even started yet.”
The maids, sensing their chance, started kneading me all over.
Luxury aroma oil slid over my skin, and some sharp, unidentifiable tool scraped away years of grime.
Wait, hold on... there’s no need to touch there... Besides, there are layers of underwear and clothes over it anyway, so no one’s going to see...
...Eek! W-who was that?! That hand was definitely doing it on purpose, you bad hand!
For dozens of minutes after that, I was boiled and scrubbed in the hot steam.
“Now, shall we head out?”
I thought I’d finally escaped the torture chamber(?) when the real ordeal was only just beginning.
“Hmm~ You’re starting to look a little more human now.”
Dean Raymond was standing guard at the door.
“But seeing you like this makes me want to keep at it.”
Behind the dean’s back, there was a mountain of what looked like scraps of cloth.
“The robes I bought from the Magic Tower just arrived too, so shall we try them all on?”
“...Huh?”
“While the dean chooses your clothes, we’ll finish getting you ready.”
Wait, weren’t we busy...?”
Weren’t we supposed to hurry because some carriage from the Imperial Palace or something was waiting?
“Mmmph... Nnngh, aagh...”
But my protests were cut off by hands kneading my mouth and cheeks.
In the end, I gave up on everything and entrusted myself to the dean and the maids.
“Head maid, doesn’t this one look better?”
“Wouldn’t this suit Lady Lunaris’s hair color better?”
“But this time she made an impact at the Magic Tower with starlight magic. I’d like to give that symbolic color some meaning.”
“Then this color would be much more...”
“No, no. This one’s better...”
...These people aren’t playing dress-up with me like I’m a doll right now, are they?
*
Half a day passed like that.
“It’s done.”
At Odette’s declaration, the maids squealed in delight and stepped back.
“Well? What do you think?”
I rolled my stiff neck and stood in front of the full-length mirror.
“...?”
There was a stranger standing in the mirror.
My hair, which had been a wild mess in every direction, was neatly arranged and flowed down elegantly.
I don’t know what they’d done, but my ash-gray mop had turned into a pure-white galaxy.
The deep midnight-blue formal dress looked incredibly elegant.
The makeup had also been done neatly, not too heavy, just enough to bring out my features.
“Ooooh...!”
Dean Raymond covered his mouth and let out an admiring cry.
“As expected, when the base is good, dressing it up is fun! Perfect, Student Lunaris!”
“W-well, you do look like a different person.”
I muttered indifferently while looking at myself in the mirror.
Well, it’s decent enough.
“But, Ms. Odette.”
“Yes, Lady Lunaris.”
“This feels like it’s a little tight around the neck.”
Odette smiled softly and lightly adjusted my collar.
Just from her touch, breathing became much easier.
“Even if it’s uncomfortable, you have to endure it for fashion.”
“...Okay.”
When I absentmindedly tried to scratch my head, Odette smacked the back of my hand. She said all the careful styling would get ruined.
...Now that I looked at it, this was quite the exhausting outfit.
“Come on, come on! Let’s get going. We’re already way behind.”
“Wait just a second. These shoes are really uncomfortable...”
After sending Dean Raymond off first, I was just about to head out of Rinea Hall.
“Luna?”
I happened to run into Princess Celestina, who was coming up from the dormitory basement.
“Waaah—so pretty! I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
“Th-thank you.”
“What’s going on? Are you headed somewhere... ah.”
The princess gave a short exclamation and smiled brightly.
“Are you going to the Imperial Palace?”
Was it my imagination, or had an invisible line suddenly been drawn between us?
“Yes, well... By the way, aren’t you going, Princess?”
“I have some business to take care of.”
A bitter smile settled on Princess Celestina’s lips.
“...Then I’ll be off.”
I blinked blankly, nodded, and passed the princess on my way to the carriage.
Even seeing someone off has to be done with an eye to appearances.
The Imperial Palace really is such a troublesome place.
*
“Isn’t Duke Adrian coming?”
At the nobleman’s words, Miriel’s hand tightened around the champagne flute.
Again.
She had no idea how many times she’d heard that already.
Miriel turned her head with an elegant smile, acting as if nothing was wrong.
“My father had another engagement, so I was forced to attend in his stead as the acting head of the house.”
“I see... Is that so?”
Who was that again?
Judging by his familiar face, he must be from the same Second Prince faction as Duke Adrian.
The man who couldn’t even lift his head in front of the duke was now holding it high before Miriel.
“It seems His Grace the Duke doesn’t think this investiture ceremony is all that important.”
“...”
“Well, he is an incredibly busy man. I can understand that, but... ahem!”
His words were covered in thorns.
Even putting aside the fact that this was where the youngest archmage in imperial history would be born,
He knew the Second Prince was taking an interest in the new archmage, and yet he still put forward a proxy.
“And what’s more, instead of even sending a proper proxy, they send the second child, the least distinguished of the three siblings... tsk tsk!”
“What did you just say?”
“Goodness! I seem to have misspoken without realizing it. My apologies, Lady Miriel. Please send my regards to His Grace later.”
He turned away as if he’d lost interest and blended into another group of nobles.
Soon, whispers reached her from behind.
They said they knew the Duke had another engagement, but they never expected him to send the second child.
They said they had looked forward to seeing Adrian’s famed flower, one of the empire’s three great beauties, after such a long time, only for his younger sibling to show up.
Even in the face of such blatant disregard, Miriel only smiled as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
Of course, she couldn’t stop her insides from burning.
At Elterion Academy, she had ruled like a queen, above even the mistress of the house.
Here in the Imperial Palace, she was nothing more than the least favored finger on Duke Adrian’s hand.
Miriel took a deep breath and steadied herself.
Today’s goal was just one thing.
To bring Lunaris Evermoon before the Second Prince.
If she succeeded, she’d be able to make at least a little impression on the prince too.
The recognition of her father would be a bonus.
But now that she was actually in the Imperial Palace, it really didn’t look easy.
“Too many rivals...”
Miriel let out a sigh as she looked around.
There were far too many people in the Imperial Palace today.
Especially far too many mages in shabby robes.
The mages she’d been seeing often lately at the academy—the ones who’d crawled down from the Magic Tower.
“Did you hear the rumor? That grimoire on harnessing natural mana that was put up for auction at the Magic Tower this time.”
“The buyer released the first five pages, and just that alone has already turned academia upside down.”
“There are already dozens of academic papers pouring out of it...”
“They say the author is only sixteen. I can’t believe it.”
“They say Lunaris wiped out the Vice Tower Master’s signature spell in one shot...”
The mages were talking about nothing but Lunaris.
All those mages were scheming to somehow get even a single word in with Lunaris.
And among the mages who’d come down from the Magic Tower to see Lunaris, there was one Miriel couldn’t even hope to match.
“Good heavens... even the Tower Master came?”
“How long has it been since the Tower Master last came out of the Magic Tower? Thirty years?”
“I heard the Tower Master had marked someone as a successor...”
The Tower Master of the Magic Tower, Eleanor.
If that heavyweight stayed right next to Lunaris with a straight face, Miriel might not get a chance to approach at all.
‘This is bad...’
As she let out a low sigh and kept pressing at her brow...
“She just got down from the carriage and is on her way in!”
At someone’s shout, everyone’s gaze turned toward the door.
Soon, two female mages appeared in the hall.
The one leading them was Raymond Cloud, a middle-aged mage dressed head to toe in luxury goods.
Looking at him closely, he seemed less like a mage and more like the spendthrift matron of a noble house.
And behind him.
“Oh!”
Gasps erupted all around at the sight of the graceful girl following behind Dean Raymond.
“That must be the girl from the rumors.”
“Lunaris Evermoon...!”
Silver hair cascaded like starlight over the deep navy robe, as if the night sky itself had been sewn into it.
Even with that youthful face, those blue eyes seemed to hold the truth of the entire world.
Miriel drew in a sharp breath without realizing it.
Was that really the same Lunaris from Elterion Academy, the one who used to yawn sleepily like everything in the world was a pain?
‘What on earth happened during vacation?!’
Watching Lunaris shine brilliantly even in the gloomy Imperial Palace only made Miriel feel more and more shabby and insignificant.