Emilio incidentally visited the Grassland Tribe when he heard that some of them had a fever and were cured. The Grassland Tribe, touched by the desperation to save his daughter, allowed him to stay there despite being a stranger.

His devotion reached the skies as Emilio found a medicine to cure Northern Fever. The medicinal herb is Ramunesia petals. While looking for reasons why the prairie tribe never caught Northern Fever while traveling to and from the regions, he noticed they regularly consumed the petals.

In the north, where the winter is long, Ramunesia flowers were not in bloom, so he found out that they weren’t edible like the Grassland Tribe’s petals. In the process, he devoted his life to bankruptcy and wasted his entire estate, but if only he could save his daughter, that would be enough. How can the riches of the world be compared to the life of his precious daughter?

Convinced of the medicinal effects, he was filled with hope that he could save his daughter. He hurried to visit Lucia, intending to help her heal quickly. However, Lucia, who believed in her father’s efforts, fought well against an inevitable end and died before he could reach her.

Emilio screamed. In front of Lucia’s grave, he cried for days and days. He barely felt emotional, but sent the doctors to write down the cure for the Northern Fever that he found. At his end, he wrote his wish that no one else would die in the same manner as his daughter. A few days later, Emilio, whose reason to live had moved on, would die. It was quite a tragedy.

Elena hated that tragedy. For as much as they did, it shouldn’t have been a tragic end.

In that sense, Lucia, you are a very lucky child.

Elena sat at her desk and pulled out the finest parchment. She took ink onto her fountain pen and wrote the letter. She then folded the paper and placed it in an envelope.

Your life. I’ll save you. I think that is a good price for borrowing your name.

For one year, Elena will walk through the academy using Lucia’s name and status. The only daughter of the Castol Chamber of Commerce. An archaeological student who likes to read books. Her name is Lucia.

* * *

Frontier Academy is an educational institute aimed at producing outstanding talents through researching academics and developing various qualities. However, very few of the nobles were admitted to learning specialized knowledge or academics. Higher-ranking aristocrats received private tutoring from an early age, so they were less hungry for a rigorous education.

Nevertheless, there is one reason why the children of nobles cross the threshold of the academy.

Networking.

It was not an exaggeration to say that the academy is the compressed version of Imperial society and the future. Many students will succeed their parents and become heads of households who run the Empire. In other words, the academy is a place for socializing in order to build strong connections that suit each other’s needs. The value of the academy was impossible to measure just by providing a space for people who will move the Empire to gather and build relationships.

Rumors circulate in such an academy that Princess Veronica returned to school after two years. The testimony of seeing a carriage, bearing the seal of the Grand Duke, continued the chatter and confirmed the rumors to be true.

Students currently in the school called themselves the ‘blessed’ generation.

Prince Cladios, successor to the throne.

Princess Veronica, the only successor to the Grand Duke.

Abella, the eldest daughter of the 4th generation Duke Reinhardt.

Ren Bastache, the head of the emerging aristocracy.

The opportunity to reach the center of power was opened just by attending the academy with talented people who will lead the future. If one can become acquainted with just one of those four people, your family’s character will transform. Enrolled students from families who had little to offer couldn’t stay still.

“The tea tastes good.”

“How the princess conveys her gestures is so elegant.”

“Is this all? She even served tea and was so kind. Can I say hello often?”

Elena smiled and silently drank her tea.

Annoying.

Excluding the day they came to the dormitory, the visits haven’t stopped. Even now, outside the dormitory, it was crowded with current students who wanted to give their greetings.

But, I have to put up with it for now.

The reason Elena continued to have this nourishing tea time was due to Liabrick’s request. Since all of Princess Veronica’s factions in the social world have broken up, Liabrick has nailed the necessity of making acquaintances with current students in her head. Although it was annoying, Elena’s actions are reported through Anne. It hasn’t even been a week since she came to the academy, so she had to follow Liabrick’s orders and obediently socialize.

This doesn’t look like it will be easy. Let’s do this in moderation.

Elena placed her cup on the sauce and softly said, “Yes. I will often have time in the future.”

“I’ll bring you blended tea, then!” The young lady’s expression brightened in the hope of continuing her friendship with Elena.

“Yes, I’ll be sure to invite you.”

Elena had no intention of meeting them again. She told them not to come until the invitation appointment was set. After that, Elena had tea with visitors several more times.

Elena rose from her seat and stretched her arms upwards.

“Today, do this and return everything. I drank too much black tea, so I feel sick.”

“Yes, young lady,” May and Anne politely responded as they arranged the cups and plates. 

Elena, as she went up to the bedroom on the second floor, stopped on the steps as if she had just remembered and said, “May, I have something for you, so come up for a while.”

Anne glared at May, She didn’t like that May, and not her, was responsible for personal affairs.

“Anne, when you finish cleaning that up, bring some new carpets. Cookie crumbs are irritating in my eyes.”

“Ha, alone?”

The weight of the carpet was quite heavy and too much for one person.

Elena asks as if she was reprimanding her, “If not alone, are you asking me to help you?”

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, lady,” Anne apologized as she bowed her head with a pale face. She remembered that she was almost punished outside Elena’s eyes for a small mistake over a word. 

Elena, who had left Anne alone, went up to the bedroom with May. Then, she pulled out an envelope from among the books that were placed in the drawer.

“Send this letter to Emilio, the owner of the Castol Chamber. This is urgent. It’s important to remember that nobody should know I sent you.”

May received the letter. Her gaze never fell from the envelope. She wondered why she wasn’t supposed to inform the receiver who the sender was.

“Are you curious?”

“How dare I?”

“It doesn’t matter if you read the letter, there’s nothing to hide. It’s enough if the letter goes well to the Castol Chamber of Commerce.”

“…!”

May’s eyes violently shook at Elena’s words. She couldn’t grasp Elena’s intentions, but Elena could see her agitation. 

She handed a small piece of parchment to May and said with a soft smile, “Buy what’s on the list there. You can’t forget anything.”

May’s eyebrows furrowed as she read through the list on the parchment. There were a number of items with an unknown purpose, such as a wig, glasses without power, and colored cosmetics. Among them, the most puzzling was the name tag of the academy.

May wondered why the name of the girl, Lucia, that Elena told her to hand the brooch to yesterday was there. Why on earth did she need a name tag with not hers, but someone else’s name? She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“What is all of this? Why are you asking me to buy these things? You are having such questions.”

“…”

“That’s why you can think about it slowly. If you buy them, pack them well and leave them with Sir Hurelbad. Also, you should never tell Anne what you bought. She can’t even pick up those things. Do you understand?”

“Yes, princess.”

She said she understood, but she couldn’t understand why she had to avoid being spotted by Anne. The questions grew, but the answers were seldom found. From the beginning until now, May could not figure out what the princess was thinking.

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