Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It was an endlessly lazy afternoon.

I was sprawled across the table, having eaten my fill of snacks alongside the twins. From the soft snoring sounds coming from either side of the table, it seemed that Gilliou and Mayron had already drifted into a deep sleep.

I rested one cheek against the hard table and looked up at the sky, which was clear and bright without a single cloud in sight.

At least the immediate crisis is over.

By some stroke of luck, I had managed to safely deliver medicine to the second-born prince. In fact, I had prepared a backup plan to somehow give him the antidote in case I hadn’t been able to find his palace.

I decided to keep that plan in my back pocket, as it would come in handy in the future.

Ugh, I feel so stiff.

I stretched out and let out a big yawn.

Is that what they call a moment of leisure?

I had so many plans that I needed to execute, but my body refused to do anything.

My father had been so busy that I didn’t see him very often anymore. Sometimes we managed to have breakfast together, but even then, he was always deep in thought. That made it hard to start a conversation.

Thanks to my busy father, I found myself in the care of the twins’ family.

“Ugh...”

As Giliou shifted in his sleep, his blanket slipped to the floor. For a moment, I considered picking it up, but even that felt too troublesome. Instead, I pretended not to notice and turned my gaze out the window.

I tried to gather my thoughts and plan my next steps while half-asleep.

“Hmm, so let’s see... I need to deal with Estira’s situation next.”

For Estira herself, it was just a matter of saving enough money to enter the Imperial Academy.

Actually, I was the one that was in a hurry on her behalf. Getting her into the academy even a year earlier would help. Her ability to focus on her research would be crucial to my plans.

“Let’s see here. When is the deadline to apply for the academy this year?” I mumbled, scratching my ear with my pinky finger.

The rainy season ended last month, and proper spring was soon approaching. At that moment, a realization hit me like a giant hammer, jolting me awake.

“The deadline is this month!”

Luckily, it was still early in the month, but there was no time to waste lounging around. I jumped up and headed for the door.

“Err... Tia, where are you going?” Mayron asked as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

“The... restroom.”

“Okay... Hurry back,” he said with a yawn.

I’m sure that if I’d said something else, he would have followed me. Luckily, Mayron was so tired that he fell right back asleep.

I waited to be sure before I quietly closed the door behind me.

***

The head of the Dyurak Merchant Guild glanced at Gallahan, who was sitting across from him and poring over documents.

Even setting aside the fact that he was Lulac Lombardi’s son, Gallahan was a remarkably impressive fellow. Especially his appearance.

Women of this day and age seemed to prefer delicate, handsome men over rough and rugged ones, and Gallahan fit the bill perfectly. He was tall with a slender, lean build that made anything he wore look good. Above all, his occasional kind smile was enough to win anybody over.

Gallahan’s popularity among the Dyurak Merchant Guild’s female employees had been skyrocketing.

However, that was not why the guildmaster was looking at Gallahan. The man cleared his throat and licked his lips.

I need to figure out what project Gallahan Lombardi is working on next, he thought

This was the guildmaster’s latest directive from the empress. When he paid his last courtesy call, tensions had been high. He didn’t know the exact reasons, but he assumed it had to do with Gallahan.

Why did he have a falling out with the empress…?

The guildmaster inwardly shook his head at Gallahan, knowing the empress’s terrifying nature. Lavini Angenas would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

Despite feeling a pang of guilt, the guildmaster justified his actions as necessary for his own survival. He finally spoke up.

“Hey, Gallahan...”

“Yes?”

Gallahan, who had been intently reviewing the week’s sales report of coroy-flannel textiles, glanced up at the guildmaster.

“The personal project you’ve been thinking about… Can you share it with me?”

The guildmaster gave a hearty laugh while speaking in a friendlier tone than usual.

“Ah... it’s barely even in the planning stage. I’m just thinking about it and haven’t figured out how to execute it yet.”

The guildmaster was pleased to learn that Gallahan did not have finalized plans. He had found an opportunity to dig in deeper.

“Well, you know, I’ve got quite a bit more life experience than you do. Why not share it with me? I might know a good way to go about it.”

Though his words sounded plausible, it was actually quite absurd. No businessman would casually share their ideas with others.

Gallahan was taken aback. Despite the man being an employee of the Angenas family (and not particularly competent at that), he had considered the guildmaster a good person at heart.

Sure, Gallahan was a newcomer to this line of work, but he knew basic business ethics. He wondered why the guildmaster was acting so shamelessly.

Gallahan cleared his throat, not bothering to hide his discomfort.

With the cold gaze of the empress still vivid in his mind, Gallahan came up with a few theories very quickly. It was possible the imperial family planned to obstruct his next business venture using information gathered by the guildmaster. Or maybe they wanted to latch onto another successful venture, like they had with the coroy-flannel business.

Neither scenario was welcome.

Gallahan shrugged and said, “I don’t think it’s the right time to be consulting with anyone yet.”

“B-but...”

Gallahan was slightly amused. The questioning was clearly the empress’s doing, but the guildmaster was unfortunately not skilled at his position. He was on the verge of tears after this polite refusal.

This was proof that the empress did not have many competent aides to rely on.

With his signature kind smile, Gallahan said, “But one thing is certain. If it succeeds, my next business will turn the entire empire upside down.”

Once this got to the empress’s ears, it would really rattle her.

Gallahan smiled even more kindly, feeling like he had somewhat repaid the scare Tia had received on their way to the banquet.

***

After leaving Shananet and the twins’ house, I went straight to find Clerivan. Fortunately, he was in his office. Though a bit surprised, he opened the door for me.

“What brings you here, miss?” he asked, moving a towering stack of papers to see my face.

“I have a question.”

Clerivan raised an eyebrow.

He’s intrigued.

“How can someone get into the Imperial Academy?”

“The... Imperial Academy?” Clerivan repeated, looking confused.

He stared at me for a moment, removed his rimless glasses, and asked, “Do you want to attend the academy?”

Then, he scrunched up his face.

“The Imperial Academy is a six-year institution. Once enrolled, students cannot leave except for the annual break...”

“No! Not me!” I interrupted before his caution-disguised-as-advice could continue. “But someone else wants to attend the Imperial Academy.”

“Oh.”

Clerivan’s sharp demeanor softened significantly. He leaned back in his chair in a more relaxed position.

“You’re asking about the academy on behalf of someone? Who is it?”

I wondered if it was appropriate to divulge someone else’s personal business. But given that I was already asking for help, I decided to be honest.

“Estira. She wants to study herbology properly at the academy.”

“Estira... Dr. O’Malley’s youngest apprentice, right?”

Clerivan seemed to be calculating something in his head before nodding.

“If it’s her, she should be accepted easily. If you speak to the patriarch, he should be able to cover the tuition and registration fees. The remaining hurdle would be the entrance exam, but that’s just basic competency...”

“Estira needs to enter as a researcher, not as a student.”

“She needs to enter?”

Clerivan tilted his head at my firm statement.

Oops, I had spoken too forcefully without realizing it.

I quickly tried to cover up my mistake.

“I mean, Estira really wanted to!”

“Hmm...”

Clerivan looked at me suspiciously for a moment.

“If she wants to enter as a researcher rather than a student, that would definitely make the situation more difficult. The requirements are much more stringent.”

Of course. It is the Imperial Academy after all. On top of that, she isn’t even an academy graduate.

I gulped and listened intently.

“First, becoming a researcher requires significantly more money than being a student. This is because most of the expenses for personal research have to be covered by the individual.”

“And?”

“And she’ll need a letter of recommendation.”

“A letter of recommendation?”

I could find a way to handle the financial aspect, but I wouldn’t be able to write a recommendation letter myself.

“Whose recommendation would she need?”

“Well, Doctor O’Malley would probably be the most straightforward choice, since he’s been teaching Estira.”

I nodded, recalling Doctor O’Malley’s face. He didn’t seem like a particularly difficult person.

“Doctor O’Malley was renowned as the Lombardi family physician. If Estira were to get a recommendation letter from him, and if she applied as a Lombardi scholar, the academy would likely grant her immediate approval.”

“Yup, it’s great being a Lombardi...”

As expected, the Lombardis’ influence was unmatched. I listened, determined to protect such a prestigious family at all costs, as Clerivan continued his explanation.

“Actually, the ideal recommendation would come from the patriarch himself or Mr. Brochel, who once served as the academy’s vice dean. However, both are very cautious about giving recommendations, so they might be difficult to convince.”

Doctor O’Malley had been teaching Estira directly. He would know best how intelligent and passionate she was about herbology. Getting a recommendation from him wouldn’t be too difficult.

That was what I had thought.

“Thank you for the information! I’ll go tell Estira right away, Teacher!”

I bowed deeply and left Clerivan’s office.

“You will have to hurry.”

As soon as I arrived at Doctor O’Malley’s lab, I understood the meaning of Clerivan’s somewhat ominous smile while I was leaving.

What’s going on?

A man, glistening as if he’d been oiled from head to toe, was showering Doctor O’Malley with a wide smile and incessant flattery.

“Thank you, Teacher!”

“Do your best.”

I stood frozen in the doorway.

“Yes. I promise to work hard so as not to tarnish your esteemed reputation!”

Behind the laughter of what appeared to be a teacher and student, Estira stood watching them

with a bitter smile.

As I was still trying to grasp the situation, the oily man’s loud voice pierced my ears.

“Thank you so much for writing me a recommendation letter!”