When I opened my eyes to the sound of a small bell floating with magic over a bronze basin announcing morning, golden sunlight was already filling the room.
“Ugh…. It’s already morning. I guess I fell asleep while studying yesterday….”
As I stretched lightly and tried to get up, something in my arms started wriggling.
— Meow.
“Wh-what…?!”
As I blinked my sleepy eyes at the suddenly heard cat’s meow, in front of me was a wrinkled cat doodle that looked roughly drawn with crayons, wriggling and jumping out from between my chest and starting to rub its face against my cheek.
— Meow!
“A cat? No, it’s magic, isn’t it? So cute!”
It moved like a real cat, but this was creation magic someone had drawn. When I gently lifted the black cat made of soft cloth material into my arms, the wrinkly cat purred happily.
There was only one student in our academy who could implement such sophisticated movements on an inanimate object.
“Haha. Cute ugly thing. Who drew you so wrinkly? Hm?”
At being called ugly, the cat seemed to grumble slightly and pushed my cheek away with its blunt paw.
“Of course it’s Cesare, right?”
I don’t know when he visited my room since I fell asleep early evening while studying, but this was definitely made by Cesare.
As soon as I called Cesare’s name, the cat meowed as if correct and placed its cute ‘3’-shaped mouth on the bridge of my nose before smoothly disappearing.
“Ah, a note…!”
Between the scattering cat, a single note fluttered and flew onto the desk. I quickly got out of bed and ran to the desk.
Without looking, I was certain that the corners of my mouth were lifted high as I checked the contents.
<Even if you wake from your dream, even if you open your eyes, it won’t disappear. Idiot, Lionel. I’m talking about your studying. If you want to go on a trip with me, work hard.>
Below the note with ‘Cesare Yanox’ appended was a neatly organized notebook of Mana Operations notes.
‘Cesare must have given this to me to study for the exam!’
Just the fact that he thought of me filled me with warm happiness.
I quietly placed my finger over the typeface that read ‘idiot Lionel’ on the note. I traced his handwriting with my finger. The handwriting, gorgeous yet full of strength, was even elegant. Just like him.
“Idiot, Lionel….”
To you, I’ll always be a helpless idiot. A stupid fool who got caught in addiction and just grins foolishly.
As sharp pain began to surge from one corner of the happiness that had swelled like a balloon, I quickly pulled up the corners of my mouth sourly and took a deep breath.
“Ha! Says the one who can’t even draw a cat properly. Cesare Yanox, how annoying. Stub your pinky toe on a corner.”
Mm, but don’t get too hurt.
Muttering a timid curse, I prepared to attend class today while gathering my feelings about Cesare Yanox once again.
But I kept remembering how the black cat that carried the scent of golden sunlight had meowed just a while ago.
It was a morning where I kept smiling as I pictured mini-Ce holding and fondling that wrinkly cat.
* * *
Morning geography lecture time. Today it was a somewhat bustling lecture hall since it wasn’t a listening class but a time to practice drawing maps.
We were supposed to freely choose a certain region and draw a map, and the noble students naturally started drawing the territories of the places where they were born and raised.
“Seyra territory has too many islands….”
“Southern islands are easy compared to this. Northern Evandale’s contour lines are crazy.”
“Was Evandale that big? But where would commoners without territories draw?”
The gazes that stuck at times like this were expected now. Actually, while noble students were the mainstream at the Imperial Academy, there were quite a few commoners attending too.
However, after Cedric enrolled, security became strict, making it difficult for commoners to enroll, so there weren’t many commoners my age.
‘Maybe that’s why discrimination against commoners feels particularly strong….’
On top of that, adults with some social experience wouldn’t openly look down on someone from the Mellans merchant guild, but noble students who had only lived in noble society since birth often looked down on me.
Also, with the special nature of the place called school, students swept up in the atmosphere would sometimes use me as material for jokes, calling me a commoner.
“Lionel’s lucky. Since he has no owned territory, he can just draw any easy place~. We have to draw our own territories for appearances’ sake.”
Like this. I was a bit stressed in middle school, but now I could retort as easily as breathing.
“If it’s hard to draw, return your territory and title. What’s so good about it that you’re holding onto it and managing it. Your territory’s income level is so low that business there is terrible too.”
“What did you say?”
“Hey, what’s the point of arguing with hell’s motormouth.”
“Right. Leave him alone. Want to get on Cesare’s bad side?”
As the kids hissed among themselves, the geography professor patted my back.
“Now, now. Quiet. If there’s nowhere suitable to draw, how about Lionel draws a map of the imperial capital or a foreign country? Taitus Principality would be good too.”
Taitus Principality was a nation formed by the union of several small countries, located near our empire but causing friction with us over various complicated internal matters.
Since so many small countries had joined together, the conflict between pro-empire and anti-empire factions seemed large.
‘In the original work, this Taitus Principality was one of the keys to defeating Cesare’s rebellion.’
The original Cesare planned to greatly reinforce his army by drawing in people from the anti-empire faction, but Cedric won over the pro-empire faction people and secured their military power in advance, so that plan failed.
‘It was a reckless rebellion in many ways.’
I thought while tracing the Taitus Principality drawn in the textbook with my finger.
Cesare’s rebellion forces were largely three: the anti-empire faction of Taitus Principality, the second son noble forces who couldn’t seize real power because they were overshadowed by the eldest sons, and me—the abundant support of the Mellans merchant guild.
The original Cesare’s ending was befitting of a villain.
Failure to win over the anti-empire faction. The surging army of Cedric and the heroine’s holy forces. And Cesare’s lack of charisma. On top of that, Cesare’s soldiers including Astol’s private soldiers were swayed by the momentum of Cedric’s camp and either dropped their swords and fled or betrayed, unable to even fight a proper battle.
My spine chilled as I recalled Cesare’s ending, muttering curses and pouring out curse magic until the end before becoming dew on the execution ground.
No matter how much money the Mellans merchant guild gave, moving soldiers’ hearts couldn’t be done at will. Life is only one, and life can’t be bought with money.
‘It would have been good if the rebellion succeeded…. Anyway, Cedric achieved love with the heroine, so it would be fine to hand over an empire to Cesare.’
…No. What kind of head-chopping thoughts are you having, Lionel! Are you a rebel?! Aren’t you going to go on a peaceful gourmet trip after graduation?!
I barely held onto my heart that was about to turn bitter and scratched the quill pen.
‘But looking at Cedric and Cesare’s current relationship, it’s hard to prevent the rebellion. If all the banks were blocked, Cesare must have been heated up to the limit.’
If someone who isn’t even gay cast addiction on me, his determination wasn’t something I could dare to stop.
‘Then… what if I make Cesare’s rebellion succeed?’
— Snap!
“……!”
The nib of the quill pen broke, perhaps because I applied too much force in that instant. I quickly shook my head at the absurd audacious thought and took out a new quill pen, but my hand’s trembling didn’t stop.
* * *
Hearing that parents had arrived for homecoming, I ran to the plaza in one go.
“Auntie!”
My aunt with honey blonde hair similar to mine prettily flowing down stood in front of the fountain wearing a large bonnet. At the first sight since winter break, I quickly ran to her and clung to her waist.
“Auntie!”
“……!”
Although startled by me suddenly running over, my aunt didn’t refuse and hugged me tightly. I rubbed my head while smelling the warm sunlight scent flowing from her.
“I missed you too! Hehe.”
My aunt smiled brightly while stroking my hair and cheek.
“I’ve been doing really well! How about you, Auntie?”
With a smack, my aunt kissed my cheek. She seemed to have been doing well too.
Aunt Belitia couldn’t speak because she had damaged her vocal cords in a fire accident. Incidentally, that fire was the accident that took my parents’ lives, and my aunt was holding me tightly in the flames of the mansion to save me as a child.
Though all the burn scars were healed, her vocal cords that had inhaled toxic gas were completely shrunken and couldn’t be healed even with divine power.
If I had a small wish, it would be not wanting to become a burden to her, who was warmer and kinder than anyone else.
My aunt took out a small notebook from her bag and showed it to me. It wasn’t an ordinary notebook but a magic tool that conveyed typeface in place of my aunt who couldn’t speak.
“What about Uncle?”
<He’s busy with guild work so only I came. But I heard you tore up a lady’s letter, is that true?>
“Mmm. There were circumstances….”
<Lionel!>
“I know it was wrong. But there was a misunderstanding!”
Of course, even if I said it wasn’t me but Cesare who brainwashed me, it would only endanger my life.
<Did you apologize?>
“Jaina Fellox won’t even look at my face now…. She completely dropped the classes we take together.”
<You didn’t apologize?>
“I sent a letter and gift saying I was sorry. I’m not sure if she accepted it though.”
<I have no face to show your parents. I don’t remember raising you to be so rude.>
“But I was originally rude? Maybe Auntie’s memory is failing? Hehe.”
<Lionel Mellans!>
Feeling guilty at the typeface being written quickly as if scolding, I quickly pulled my aunt.
“Oh, don’t do this under the sunlight, come inside quickly! This is your first time at the Imperial Academy! There’s so much I want to show you!”
I quickly pulled my aunt into the academy.
“Look over there. Countess Cicero has come out. They say she’s a mute who can’t say a word and bought her title with money?”
“I wonder how Count Cicero lives, being henpecked by his rich wife.”
Sure enough, nobles passing by today also slandered my aunt who was of commoner origin. They didn’t say it outright, but it was still a voice loud enough to be heard.
‘Damn it. This is why I didn’t want to bring Auntie to the academy.’
“Don’t nobles really have anything to do? They interfere so much in others’ business. When they themselves couldn’t last a day without money, what a bountiful year for bullshit. Were they nobles from 5,000 years ago or something?”
At my harsh words, my aunt gripped my shoulder firmly as if that shouldn’t be done. But while discrimination against me was one thing, my aunt who married a count was clearly a noble on paper. Even so, discrimination against nobles of commoner origin was tremendous.
If there was a difference between the Republic of Korea and this place, it was discrimination based on birth that even money couldn’t overcome. No wonder even my generous grandfather had such a hard time dealing with snobbish nobles.
Because of this half-baked situation, the past me had no choice but to fawn over Cesare even more. Because as long as Cesare Yanox was there, no one dared to mess with me.
“Don’t worry about it, Auntie. They’re people who don’t have the guts to say it outright anyway, so they only talk behind backs like that.”
At my words, my aunt’s warm and delicate hand brushed aside my side hair.
“We will escort the honored guests of Rose Cabin. Parents, please check your designated accommodations and gather.”
At the student council doing volunteer work calling people to gather, my aunt smiled brightly and held out the notebook.
<Auntie is fine. Study hard, my puppy.>
“Woof woof! Arf!”
When I barked like a dog as if understanding, my aunt couldn’t hold back her laughter even as she left and giggled.
“You really work hard at your specialty, junior.”
Someone behind me also laughed while touching my shoulder.
