“Well, Selian, be careful on your way back, and see you when school starts.”
Since Selian had no intention of going back until I leave the capital, I decided to return first.
To go back to the academy, I had to take a cheap carriage at my own expense, so I tentatively asked the royal palace if they could help, and they were kind enough to secure a carriage for me to return to the academy.
By a stroke of luck, there was a carriage heading toward Ference on the day I requested, so thanks to the royal palace’s coordination, I could share the ride.
The carriage was already waiting, so I gave one last wave to Selian, who had come to see me off, hurriedly opened the carriage door, and quickly boarded.
The moment I sat down, the carriage immediately departed, as if it had been waiting quite a long time.
Before the carriage picked up speed, I quickly stretched my hand out the window and waved, but the carriage was already far enough away that Selian was no longer in sight.
“I’m sorry for being late, and thank you for letting me share your ride.”
I apologized and bowed my head gratefully to the person who had agreed to let me ride with them.
The passenger, who had been hiding their face under a deep hood, turned toward me after I greeted them, pushed their cap back, and revealed their face.
“Boss?”
“I was wondering when you’d return.”
The unexpected appearance of Presia. However, it seemed I was the only one surprised, as Presia spoke in a calm voice.
“Are you already done with your errands? I thought you said the Emperor summoned you too?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’ve been done for a few days now. I was waiting for you so we could return together.”
If only we had a boss like this who cared so much about employees, we’d show up in a heartbeat. The best boss ever!
“But I’m sleepy…”
That’s right, Presia was naturally nocturnal.
She must have only been awake during the day because she had no choice when meeting the Emperor, but it was impossible to break the habits of a lifetime after just a few days.
Presia was rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands while fighting sleep. However, the sleepiness was overwhelming, and her half-closed eyes were now looking up at me.
I got up from my seat and sat next to Presia.
This was the perfect opportunity to put the things I had learned into practice.
“Here we go.”
I suddenly slipped my hands under her armpits and slightly lifted her up, causing her to look at me curiously.
Next, I gently moved her to the middle of the carriage seat. Then, I placed my hands on her head and slowly pulled her closer to me.
I carefully supported her, gradually lowering her head until it rested on my thigh.
Presia was now fully reclined on the carriage seat.
With her head resting on my thigh, Presia looked up at me with drowsy eyes, and I leaned down to meet her gaze.
“Elicia…?”
And now, it’s time for the finishing touch.
I placed my hand gently on Presia’s black hair and began to softly stroke it, just as I would with a pet—carefully and considerately.
Presia’s eyes, which moments ago had been questioning my actions while sleepy, began to slowly close.
“El…Elicia…”
She managed to say my name, her voice growing weaker with each syllable.
After a few strokes, Presia began to breathe softly and had fallen asleep.
Watching her like this, I understood why Selian used my lap as a pillow.
Seeing someone trust you so completely and use your lap as a pillow is deeply comforting. I wanted to do this for Selian, Yuli, and Anne too, given the chance.
Even though Presia had already drifted off, I couldn’t resist running my fingers through her hair a little longer, savoring the texture.
“See you later.”
Just as the sunset began to fade, we arrived at the academy and parted ways—me heading toward the dormitory building and Presia toward the magic building.
Of course, saying “see you later” meant that while it was almost night for me, which was bed time, it was actually the start of Presia’s day since she’s nocturnal.
After seeing her off, I returned to my room and began unpacking my bags.
First, I carefully sorted the clothes Selian and Yuli had given me and placed them neatly in my wardrobe.
Next, I tackled the underwear.
Since I had washed everything before leaving except for the underwear I was currently wearing, the six clean ones went straight into the dresser.
Afterward, I sorted out the miscellaneous items, though there weren’t many.
After organizing everything, my room looked exactly the same as it did before I left, except my wardrobe was full.
Except for the slightly rumpled bedspread, everything seemed untouched. I checked under the bed just to be sure, finding the bag I had hidden in the darkest corner, untouched, with some dust on it.
The paper I had placed in a crevice to see if the bag had been tampered with was still there, untouched.
Still, just to be safe, I entered my secret password into the lock mechanism. This bag contained the most important and dangerous item of all—my assassin’s uniform.
After triple-checking that it was safe, I finally felt at ease.
It was unlikely anyone would break in anyway. Who would sneak into someone else’s dorm room, especially when it’s in the middle of the semester? If they were caught, the consequences wouldn’t just be demerits; it could mean expulsion.
Probably the bedspread was disheveled because I had forgotten to tidy it when packing.
Sipping warm milk and sitting in the chair by the table, I finally felt like I was back home.
Technically, it was just my dorm room, not my real home, but this was the first room I had ever decorated to my liking, and I had grown attached to it.
However, anxiety began to creep in again.
Despite my best efforts, first-semester grades didn’t quite meet my expectations.
I had gone through the scholarship options multiple times, but there were three main expenses I needed to focus on: food, tuition, and dorm fees.
Fortunately, the part-time job payment from Presia covered the food and even left some for living expenses.
As for tuition, though I hadn’t received a full exemption due to Selian, I was still getting some support.
I had hoped for a fifty-percent discount, but absences in the middle of the term likely ruined my chances.
Still, thanks to the reward money from the demon invasion, the tuition was manageable.
Griffin Academy tuition, however, was prohibitively high. After paying it, the amount left in my account would drop significantly.
Even with the leftover funds, which were substantial enough for living expenses, it was essential to consider emergency savings.
I still needed to live frugally.
Which brought me to the last issue—dorm selection.
I had received some support for dorm accommodations. The downside, however, was that the free dormitory was a four-person room.
Compared to that, a double room was much more expensive, and the single room was exorbitantly priced—a far cry from affordable.
It wasn’t just twice or four times the cost.
This left me with two real choices: a double or a four-person room.
Either dip into my emergency savings for a double room, or stick with the four-person room and preserve my reserve funds.
Living with fewer people would make it easier to keep my secrets hidden, especially the master-slave mark on my body and the assassin’s suit stored in that corner.
With registration still a month away, I needed to think carefully.
After Elisica returned, I also returned home.
Previously, my room would have been a comfortable place to relax, but now that Elisica wasn’t here, the entire house felt bleak and empty.
I’d rather return to her dorm immediately, but my duties as a noble and responsibilities as a child weigh down on me.
While discarding these duties would be easy if it were for Elisica, I remind myself they might one day benefit her.
So, during this brief vacation, I’ve decided to stay in the room where Elisica stayed while at my house.
Though her dorm bed lacks the lingering scent of her, it’s enough to endure for now.
Knock, knock.
I was sitting in her chair, sipping from her teacup, lying in her bed when someone knocked at the door.
I reluctantly got up and opened it to find the butler who handles my chores standing there.
“Miss, we’ll take care of registering you for the second semester as we did for the first.”
The matter of registering for the second semester at the academy.
Since I had earned the top scholarship, covering all sorts of fees, there was no need for me to pay any money. I merely needed to register.
Even the registration itself didn’t really require my intervention, as others were always prepared to handle everything to perfection, much like when I first enrolled in the academy.
“Wait a moment.”
However, if I let them do everything for me, it would undermine all the efforts I put into the first semester.
So, I stopped the butler as he turned to leave.
“Please register me for a double room.”
By refusing the full scholarship due to being top of the class,
“Are you sure? Living with other students can be more troublesome than you might think.”
I wanted to share with her the joy of delicious food but sought out the most expensive items to play with my tight budget,
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be living with a friend anyway.”
And during that time, I deliberately taught her slightly wrong answers to the test questions, using some of my accident-related compensation money,
“Understood. I’ll process the application for a double room as per your request.”
so as not to lose all the effort I’ve put in.
“If you need anything, please let me know.”
After the butler left, I returned to the bed and tightly embraced the pillow Elisica had once rested her head on.
“Elisica…”
From now on in the second semester…
…we will be together all the time.
