Time passed quickly.

At sixteen, the classroom felt empty as many students who received F grades had to leave school.

Siara felt bored since most of the children she had become friendly with had disappeared.

Many of her friends hadn’t had the capacity to study. After finishing classes, they would work outside until late, likely too tired to concentrate on their studies.

“Are you okay?”

Siara sighed at Diego’s question.

“Come to think of it, without you, I probably would have gotten an F and quit school too.”

“…”

“I received a letter from my father yesterday.”

“…Duke Light?”

<You must come during this summer vacation! Marquis Marcel Hart really wants to meet you. A position as his second wife is quite rare. Moreover, he’s willing to treat you well and wants to get engaged despite you being an illegitimate child.>

‘He wants to get engaged without even seeing my face?’

It was truly absurd. Siara spoke to Diego in a tattling manner.

“He says I must come down this summer. To get engaged to Marquis Marcel Hart.”

“…Engaged?”

A murderous aura emanated from Diego, but Siara paid no attention.

“Yes. Looks like I’m getting engaged at sixteen.”

Diego brought his face close to Siara’s. Rather than feeling flustered, Siara thought his eyes were quite beautiful.

“What are you going to do?”

“…What choice do I have? I’ll get engaged.”

Siara didn’t particularly care. Once she became an adult, her magical power would be abundant, and she planned to escape this world using dimensional transfer magic. If she endured a little longer, things would work out somehow.

But leaving this world meant never seeing Diego again. That thought made her feel sick inside.

‘…These feelings for Diego will soon be sorted out. They must be.’

Diego gripped Siara’s chin painfully tight.

“…Ow.”

When Siara frowned, he bit his lip.

“I thought you were different.”

“…What?”

Diego released Siara’s face and turned away abruptly. Seeing such a cold expression for the first time, Siara was taken aback.

‘What’s that about…?’

She couldn’t understand why Diego was acting this way when the Annie he loved would remain here. And she couldn’t comprehend why she cared so much about his reaction.

“It’s because of love.”

Ella, who had come to Siara’s room for snacks, said while eagerly spooning boiled chestnuts.

“Love?”

“Yes. Diego is angry because you so casually accepted an engagement to another man.”

“But I’m an illegitimate child, so I was never destined to be with Diego.”

They wouldn’t want even a drop of commoner blood mixing with the noble imperial bloodline.

“Diego will become Emperor anyway, right? If the Emperor wants you, who would dare object?”

“That’s true.”

“Do you dislike Diego?”

Siara blinked at Ella’s question.

She wasn’t sure. He was the first person she had ever been spoiled by or leaned on when sick. She had thought him merely a child, but surprisingly, he had found his way deep into her heart.

‘But I have a conscience. A child should be with another child. Not with an old person like me.’

“Tell me. Do you dislike Diego? When he becomes Emperor, he could give you power and wealth.”

“I don’t dislike him, but I don’t particularly like him either. I’m going to return.”

“You mean you’ll return to your territory after graduation?”

It wasn’t territory, but returning was correct.

“Yes.”

“Well, I have to marry my fiancé after graduation too. My father’s business failed, but my fiancé’s family is quite wealthy. They said they’ll pay off our debts when we marry.”

Ella spoke matter-of-factly. Despite being sixteen, she seemed very mature.

Siara grinned.

“Really? That’s good.”

“Yeah. Except my fiancé is in his sixties. I’m not getting married; I’m going to take care of an old man.”

“Oh…”

Siara felt awkward. She knew that arranged marriages among nobles were generally like this, but it didn’t feel good.

‘A large age gap really isn’t good.’

It seemed better to just live alone forever. It would be difficult to find someone similar to her who had lived for a thousand years.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. When Ella opened it, Diego was standing there.

“I’ll be going now!”

Ella quickly made way.

Since Diego hadn’t visited since leaving that way before, Siara was very glad to see him.

“Want some boiled chestnuts?”

“You have chestnuts?”

“Yes.”

Even out-of-season varieties bore fruit within a week under Siara’s care. Diego was puzzled but remembered the sugarcane that had grown in a week and took a chestnut.

“More importantly… Summer vacation is coming soon. Are you really going to get engaged to Marquis Hart?”

Diego’s protruding lips looked quite cute. But reality was reality.

“Yes.”

“Let me ask one thing. What would you do if something happened to the Duke and Duchess?”

“…Happened?”

“Yes.”

‘What would I do? They’re parents who are trying to use their child for business.’

“Not much… I don’t think I’d feel particularly burdened.”

“Even if they died?”

“…Yes.”

She didn’t know Annie’s thoughts, but that was how Siara felt. She had not even a fingernail’s worth of sympathy for them.

After confirming that Siara’s eyes didn’t waver, Diego stood up.

“Let’s go downtown. I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Shall we go to the café we went to before?”

“…Sure.”

Siara linked her arm with Diego’s. When she clung to him, Diego seemed very tense.

Peter followed behind them. He looked at Siara’s back with suspicion.

Annie had certainly been a gloomy child overall, but she had been a presumptuous illegitimate daughter who worried about her father and family. She had definitely changed from a certain point.

The café was crowded, perhaps because it was a holiday. The server broke into a cold sweat, unable to offer them the best seats.

“I’m sorry. Right now, only this seat is available…”

The seat he indicated was in a corner. However, Siara actually preferred the corner. She sat down immediately and scanned the menu.

“Let’s have what we ate before, Diego.”

“Sure. Peter, place the order.”

Peter placed the order and continued standing behind Diego. Seeing him standing there, Siara pulled out an empty chair.

“Sit down. It makes me uncomfortable watching you stand like that.”

“But…”

When Diego nodded, Peter sat down obediently.

The best window seats were occupied by two women and two men. They were laughing and talking excitedly when one of the women spotted Siara, stood up abruptly, and approached.

“Annie? And His Highness the Crown Prince?”

The woman wrinkled her nose bridge with all her might, seemingly unable to believe this combination.

Siara didn’t recognize her face. However, she could tell the woman wasn’t particularly friendly toward her.

“Do I know you?”

The woman, wearing a completely different school uniform, had approached and spoken first. But when Siara tilted her head, the woman snorted in disbelief.

“You don’t know me? You know me well! You’re the illegitimate child with a maid for a mother, right? Annie Light, the shame of the Duke’s family!”

“…You know me well.”

“What? Are you putting on airs because you’re with the Crown Prince?”

‘Who is this person?’

Speaking like that at their first meeting, she was truly an ill-mannered brat. It would be easy to silence that mouth, but Siara didn’t want to use her abilities on a student.

Seeing that Siara still seemed not to know her, the woman appeared to be boiling with anger.

“…Go back to your seat and eat. Ah, here it comes.”

When the server brought the tea and tea table, the woman returned to her seat, fuming. There, she seemed to be pointing at Siara and cursing her to her companions.

Siara paid no attention and enjoyed her tea and delicious cake.

Then she tilted her head at Diego and Peter, who were looking at her strangely.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…Nothing. I was just wondering if you really don’t know that woman.”

“I don’t. I’ve never seen her before. This is our first meeting.”

“…I see.”

Diego tapped the table with his finger.

Siara handed bread to Peter, who looked dazed.

“Here. You should order tea too.”

“What? No, how could I dine with Your Highness?”

“It’s just dessert. Is that okay, Diego?”

Diego nodded indifferently, and Siara ordered another tea for Peter. Peter carefully sipped the tea placed before him.

“But, Lady Annie…”

“Yes?”

“You’re treating your sister like someone you’ve never met before.”

“…Sister?”

Come to think of it, she had heard that Duke Light had a child born from his legal wife. Could that be her?

It seemed that ill-natured woman was Annie’s sister. She had only heard about her but never seen her, so she didn’t know.

Diego stared at her.

“You said you’ve never seen her before, right, Peter?”

“Yes. I heard they were meeting for the first time.”

Siara smiled awkwardly and ate more cake.

“I’ve been very forgetful lately. I keep forgetting things.”

“Your recent magic grades have been excellent though? Especially with magic formulas—even Professor Dennis was amazed.”

“That’s because I studied hard…”

“You, who spend all your time farming, fishing, and hanging out with friends, studied?”

She had been hanging out more since making more friends recently, but Diego spoke like Siara played every day.

‘Why would I study things they’re teaching when I already know them? I know far more than the teachers.’

She wanted to say this, but right now, she was a magic school student.

“…I’ve been living quite busily.”

To be fair, she had rejected Diego’s date invitations several times because she was playing, so Diego might have had reason to be dissatisfied.

Siara looked again at the students sitting by the window. Her eyes met with the ill-natured woman, who muttered something. She probably thought Siara couldn’t hear, but Siara had good ears.

Dirty b*tch.

That’s exactly what she said.

Was she calling her dirty because she was an illegitimate child? Since Siara wasn’t actually Annie, it didn’t particularly affect her.

While drinking tea and looking at the ill-natured woman with indifference, Diego and Peter followed Siara’s gaze to the woman.

The woman was busy cursing, not realizing Diego and Peter were watching. She uttered curses so difficult to repeat that it was hard to believe a student could say such things. Her friends around her giggled and laughed.

“Hahaha! That’s really funny.”

“But is it okay to say such things? She may be illegitimate, but she’s been registered in the family, right?”

“Hmph. She’ll only be used for a political marriage anyway…!”

Suddenly, the woman’s hair began to burn. Her shocked friends turned pale and avoided her, and the woman herself froze in surprise.

“Kyaah! What is this! What’s happening! Someone put it out, please…!”

The woman reached out to grab a friend. The friend recoiled in terror and moved far away from her.

“D-don’t come near me! The fire will catch!”

The fire playfully burned only her hair completely. The woman, instantly bald, collapsed to the floor.

“What is this, what’s happening! Uwaaaaah!”

Her friends looked perplexed as she sat on the floor crying. Peter and Siara’s gazes turned to Diego, but he pretended not to know anything and finished his tea.