For a while, Bershua seemed to repeat a life of going to the training ground earlier than anyone else and returning to the marquis’s mansion later than anyone else.

Initially, he left home with an irritated look, filled with anger toward Father, but as the grueling training continued, his face gradually showed only resignation and sighs.

And Leila, having lost Bershua as a major supporter, remained out of sight in the mansion for a while.

She only occasionally showed her face at dinner with Father.

Without Bershua, she knew she couldn’t win against me.

Brother Rubert seemed very busy preparing for business with Father, but once a week, he always sought me out to chatter about how the business was progressing and which nobles he had met.

These peaceful and satisfying days lasted much longer than I had expected.

Father regretted not being able to buy the land due to the opposition from the Gels Council, but as the business began to generate enormous profits, he seemed to leave me alone, considering my significant role in the business.

And surprisingly, Father’s anger toward Bershua was greater than I had anticipated.

Bershua had been living as a low-ranking knight for over three months.

Seeing his body improving, I thought this might also be part of Father’s scheme, but since it was quite entertaining to see him struggling, I decided to let it be.

After these three months of paradise, the time when I needed to exert my strength was gradually approaching.

Social debut.

The young ladies of the Gellions Empire hold a debutante ball in the year they become adults or the following year.

The purposes varied—young ladies looking for good marriage prospects, those trying to impress nobles for advancement, and so on—but in conclusion, it’s a place to show off, “Look how wonderfully I’ve grown up.”

Of course, it’s also a place for parents to boast, “Look how wonderfully I’ve raised my child.”

Ah, and Grace, although she was my friend, was a year older than me, so she already had her debutante ball.

Grace was more excited than I was, saying she would strongly support me for my upcoming debutante.

…Why do I feel uneasy?

Father also began to focus on educating me and Leila.

As of yesterday, many tutors had moved into the annex of the Masipacius residence.

And this morning, an absurd schedule arrived in my room through Mylene.

It was densely packed with the names of classes I had to take and the names of tutors from morning to afternoon.

“…What is this?”

When I looked at Mylene with an incredulous expression after receiving that schedule, Mylene also quietly shook her head.

In my previous life, Father had provided tutors before the debutante ball, but I don’t think it was to this extent.

Has he developed some other ambition after seeing my achievements…?

And at the bottom of the schedule, these words were written:

[Leila and Rowenloa should be punctual and follow the teachers’ instructions well.]

I nervously crumpled the paper and threw it into the fireplace.

Seeing this, Mylene, as if she had expected it, carefully took out an identical schedule from her pocket and placed it on the desk.

“Um… Miss, please go to bed early today. I’ll come to help you get ready in the morning…”

I sighed and waved my hand at Mylene.

She looked at me with pitiful eyes and then left the room.

I looked at the schedule on the desk and let out a deep sigh.

Just thinking about relearning the content I had already learned at the academy made my head throb, and when I thought about how to endure these boring classes starting tomorrow, my head felt like it would explode.

I crumpled the paper again, threw it in a corner of the room, and flopped onto the bed.

Ah, time seems to be passing especially quickly since receiving the schedule.

* * *

I fell asleep in shock and horror, and woke up as the morning sun began to rise.

“Miss… are you alright?”

Mylene expressed concern at my haggard face from the nightmare, and I shook my head at her words.

“Um… you know that type of bean called Arabica? Could you put it on fire… no, never mind. I’ll do it myself.”

So I headed to the kitchen with Mylene after a long time.

The kitchen staff, who were preparing breakfast, welcomed me.

“Um… there’s a type of bean, do you happen to have Arabica beans…?”

“Oh, Miss. I’ve asked you to please speak less formally to me.”

“No matter what, I can’t speak informally to the person in charge of the kitchen. Please think of it as the same as speaking formally to the butler.”

Hearing that, the chef seemed embarrassed but pleased, and had someone hand me a handful of beans.

“But these beans are famous for being tasteless and astringent, so they’re not used in most dishes… They give off a decent aroma when roasted, so they’re only used to remove food odors.”

I winked at the chef and asked him to prepare a frying pan, a mortar, and hot water.

He looked at me with worried eyes but immediately brought what I had asked for.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I’m not sure if it will turn out well…”

“Ah, I’ll do the roasting, Miss.”

So the chef skillfully roasted the beans until they turned a nice color.

“Now, what do I do with these…”

Ignoring his worried gaze, I ground the roasted beans in the mortar until they became powder.

Then I put the powder into hot water and waited until the water turned black, then strained out the bean powder with a sieve.

During my research days at the academy, when I was extremely tired, I searched for foods that help with fatigue and found a paper saying these beans contain substances that help with fatigue and chase away sleep.

But the beans were too bitter and astringent to chew, so they were forgotten without gaining much love from people.

When I was on the verge of fainting from extreme fatigue, I thought, “If I can’t chew the beans, I’ll brew them!” So I recklessly roasted the beans, ground them into powder, and sipped it, experiencing the miracle of my fatigue gradually subsiding.

Of course, people who tasted this tea on my recommendation grimaced, asking why I would drink such tasteless tea.

I seemed to become addicted to this taste gradually, and I remember reaching a point where I couldn’t start my day without drinking this tea.

Tasting the bitter yet fragrant bean tea after a long time, I unconsciously smiled.

“Could you roast the beans I mentioned earlier for me in the mornings from now on? I’ll make the powder and brew the tea myself.”

The chef shook his head at my words.

“I’ll make it myself and bring it directly to your room. I’ve already memorized everything I need to do after watching you. By the way… this tea has a really nice aroma.”

Hmm….

I felt sorry for giving him work on a busy morning, but since the class schedule was too tight to brew tea, I nodded at his words.

“I feel a bit sorry though…”

“No, no. The girl from our kitchen that you took with you before… seeing her smile happily makes me feel good too. Please consider this as my thanks for that.”

A true… true chef….

The maid named Bellua who had worked in the kitchen and participated in my plan to push out head maid Mollin had been recognized for her contribution and was now assigned as Mylene’s direct maid, working in the main building.

It’s not impossible for a kitchen maid to get a chance to work in the main building, but it’s a rare opportunity, so the kitchen staff had completely become my allies after that incident.

It seems like the number of my people in this house is unexpectedly increasing… or is it just my feeling?

After clearing my mind with the bean tea, I changed into a dress and headed to the study room Father had prepared.

Surprisingly, the inside of the study room resembled the academy.

“Ah, Sister! Hello!”

As I was looking around the study room, the door opened and Leila entered.

Mollin, who was behind her, frowned at me but then avoided my gaze when our eyes met.

“Hello, Lady Leila.”

So Leila and I exchanged greetings.

“But Sister… how long are you going to call me ‘Lady Leila’…?”

I made a puzzled expression at her words.

“Um… Brother Rembro said that you call me ‘Lady Leila’ because you still don’t acknowledge me as a person of the family…”

I chuckled at her words.

That was typical of Rembro.

Rembro was always like that.

He believed that people belonging to the Masipacius residence should do anything for the family and work for his father and elder brother.

I don’t know how he developed such values, but in my previous life, he constantly demanded endless sacrifices from me.

The fact that he was willing to sacrifice himself was perhaps the only advantage Rembro had over Brother Bershua.

“From the moment Father acknowledged Lady Leila as a member of the Masipacius family, you’ve become family. And I have never denied that.”

“Then can you address me more comfortably now…”

“What I mean is that the reason I don’t address you comfortably doesn’t stem from the family register. For some reason, you quickly became close with the other Masipacius members, but I still seem to need time. There was also that incident before.”

Leila flinched at my words.

She seemed to recall the Mollin dismissal incident.

Just as Leila was about to open her mouth again, the door opened, and many people, presumably teachers, entered the study room.

“Now, let’s begin the lessons.”