The Rush family has been in Valdore for a week now. Abstenir castle was built around a thousand years ago, during the consolidation of the empire. At the time, Valdore served as the capital of the First Excissil Empire. The castle served as the empress's residence back then.
The monument is simply splendid. The Marquisate of Rush, which once also served as the castle of the Kingdom of Rush, seems modest in comparison to Abstenir.
Even today, Rias is still exploring it. But it takes a whole midday to cross from one end to the other. His little feet don't feel the fatigue. He's fueled by the wonder of each room, each garden, each corridor, the nooks, the crannies...
"If only I could take pictures of all this," Rias thinks. And all of a sudden, he opens his sketchbook on the terrace, where the view stretches over the city avenue to the west. And opposite, to the east, below, lie the rice fields. This part of the kingdom is a plateau. Rias draws a parallelogram, then larger lenses, then smaller ones, and even smaller ones. He starts calculating the phenomenon of reflection, noting everything he remembers about visible colors, optical materials, and sunlight.
"Since our sun is a white dwarf system, I think the intensity of light diffuses differently. So..."
He says to himself.
Indeed, the matriarchal world Rias inhabits is not quite like ours. Rias has done the math. The planet is lighter than Earth. Proof: women are more at ease than men. Since their center of gravity is slightly lower compared to men's, they move more freely, while men feel short of breath with every slightly strenuous task.
And this is one of the factors that changes men's morphology here, as well as their always effeminate role.
On the other hand, the density of the atmosphere remains unchanged—perhaps slightly denser than Earth's, since this world has not yet known heavy fuels—but the air is fresh to breathe.
"The altitude of the atmosphere must also be the same to maintain the same seasons as Earth. Basically, this planet has roughly the same proportions as Earth, except that its core is surely made of something lighter than nickel..."
He thinks to himself again.
Thinking about this kind of worldly logic is the sort of thing that usually crosses Rias's mind. While powerful nations like the Kingdom of Healley, the Excissil Empire, the Phype Empire, and the Kingdom of Essoma can barely acknowledge that their planet is round, their universe is reduced to the theological myth of Inamia and Aquetos. And it's understandable, because this is reinforced by the existence of magic.
"And if... the beliefs are right after all?" he finally wonders.
— "He, little prince. Still lost in your thoughts?"
— "(Dazed...) Ah... it's you, Elisabeth."
He tucks his notebook behind his back as if hiding gold.
— "Tell me. What could you possibly be writing in that notebook again?"
Elisabeth says, while snatching the notebook from Rias's hands by force.
— "Nothing. Nothing. Give that back."
— "What's all this gibberish? What kind of writing is this?"
Elisabeth takes a moment to realize that these scribbles have some sort of logic to them. Then she shrugs it off. She turns back to Rias, looking amused.
— "I guess I'm the only one in the family who isn't a genius."
Rias jerks forward, still trying to grab his notebook.
— "Come on, Eli, that's not true."
But Eli isn't listening. She flips to the last page.
— "The world map... and what are these notes..."
She turns to Rias:
— "Don't tell me you believe in those Charbert nonsense? Even the Terades banished him for those blasphemies."
But Rias pushes back. This time, his shyness has completely disappeared. He confronts Elisabeth.
— "How is it blasphemy? I don't think there's any way to prove the earth is flat either. Why does simply mentioning a round earth become a problem?"
— "Because—"
But a servant cuts off the debate between Eli and Rias.
— "Mistress Elisabeth, Master Rias, your mother calls you to the table."
...
They stop their discussion reluctantly and head toward the dining room.
But once they arrive, they freeze.
Anna is already there.
And their mother is calmly chatting with her. The topic is none other than the entrance exam for the Academy of the East. Rias and Eli exchange a quick glance. Then they sit down.
Diamond is enthusiastic:
— "So, Anna, you haven't been too bored during these two months here without us? I struggled managing the family business alone and having to teach Shire. Even she has trouble understanding how our factories work."
But Anna says nothing. She glances a little toward Rias. Because the credit doesn't all go to her—it goes to him. Rias, however, stays focused on his meal. He's trying deeply to hide his anger. With his head down, the cards must be played well, he told himself inwardly. Anyway, no one pays attention to him in the family.
No one but Anna.
She has so much to ask him. She misses him so much. His indifferent expression doesn't please her at all. Especially since she's already feeling low.
— "You'll tell me all about it, Mother."
She sighs.
— "And why are you sighing so much, my child?"
— "It's because the exam was very difficult."
— "Kof, kof..."
It's Diamond who chokes.
— "What... what did you put in my wife's plate?" shouts Yelo.
While Idris stands up and rushes to fetch the wine on the table.
Anna pats her mother on the back.
— "No. It's fine. It's fine. Leave me," Diamond insists.
— "Mother, have you been poisoned?" Eli wonders.
She's angry at the servants. Her hand is already on her saber.
The men are terrified. Sweat pours down their foreheads.
— "Calm down, Elisabeth," Diamond asks.
So Eli sits back down quietly, seeing that her mother's face already says enough about her condition.
Diamond downs the whole pot of wine Idris gave her in one gulp.
— "What were you saying, Anna?"
Anna lowers her eyes a little. She fidgets with her fingers.
— "I'm afraid I've disappointed you regarding the exam."
Everyone is stunned. Eli and Rias are somewhat satisfied with the situation. And we know each has their own reasons.
Anna continues:
— "I did my best, I swear, but... maybe I'm still too young for the academy."
She sighs again:
— "Test 1 was a puzzle—I'm not sure about anything. The last question of Test 2 was just impossible for me. What could the wind element possibly evoke besides a carrier pigeon? And that's still the most basic summoning."
Diamond is completely speechless.
— "For Test 3, my team and I did our best, but I doubt our score will fill enough of the gaps."
Rias and Elisabeth seem genuinely relieved this time. For them, it's clear that Anna won't be going to the academy. They'll still be able to play together like they always have, as brother and sister.
But it was a short-lived happiness.
— "Then how come you're the top of your class?"
Now the suspense is total. Even the housekeepers and the head maids are curious.
— "Mother, explain yourself. I don't understand anything. The results aren't official yet."
— "Ah... crab," Diamond admits. Her face clearly shows that the lady has said something foolish.
— "It was supposed to be a secret, but the headmistress gave me a letter recounting her achievements during the examination."
— "But that's not done," says Eli. She's on edge. She still struggles to process what she just heard.
— "Yes, normally, they don't do that. But the result will be made public during my official ceremony at Place de la Douchet."
Diamond turns back to Anna. The face of a mother proud of her child. A charming smile naturally drifts across her face. She strokes Anna's small back. She kisses her forehead.
—"Anna, you are the youngest candidate ever recorded to pass this exam. And also the one who has broken the record for admission scores so far. Congratulations."
And Anna's heart suddenly beats, fast and strong.
And Yelo, Anna and Eli's father, is deeply moved by the scene. He claps his hands.
And Idris, Rias's father, remains calm as he often does. A slight smile on his lips, and that's all.
And the servants and head maids begin to clap and clap with all their might. Their mood is festive.
And Rias gently sets down his spoon. In imperceptible silence. He stands up and leaves the dining room.
Without anyone noticing.
Eli lowers her head. She claps her hands once. Then she continues, again and again. Tears begin to well up in her eyes. But no one saw that either. So she too leaves the room.
...
— "Rias? Rias?... Sorry, have you seen my brother?"
It's Anna, wondering where Rias is.
The young servant boy in front of her just shakes his head. He has that shy look.
— "Can you tell me where the library is then?"
And the boy points her to the library.
And in the library, there really is a Rias who's starting to pack up his notebooks. Anna immediately calls out, looking enthusiastic:
"Hey Riri, how are you? You haven't said a single word to me today."
But Anna is talking to a wall. He rushes straight for the exit.
Anna catches up with him right in front of the door.
— "Wait. What's wrong? Is someone hurting you here?"
— "Anyway, you wouldn't be here to watch over me," Rias replies nonchalantly.
He walks toward the path leading to his room.
— "But what's wrong with you? You can tell me anything, you know."
— "Pff, look at this loser," Eli replies behind her, half-amused.
— "Leave me alone, Eli. I—"
— "No, you leave my little brother alone."
— "Your little brother? Hey! What is this craziness? What did I do?"
— "Idiot. Do you really think the little prince is going to accept you leaving? He's a boy. He has a fragile heart."
Eli still keeps her cheeky look. But her tone is sincere. And that's when Anna finally realizes that for Rias, her success means separation. She's still so young. She doesn't understand the complexity of the choices she wants to make.
She turns around slowly. She walks steadily toward her room. But Elisabeth stops her.
— "Anna, I challenge you."
— "To what? Swords again?"
Eli can't answer her. Anna's response rings in her ear like something along the lines of, "Are you only good with sabers?"
— "Whatever. You won't beat me this time."
— "Grow up a little, Eli. Not everything is solved with force. You'd be surprised to see that there are people who overthrow entire empires with a whisper."
That last word completely breaks Eli. She feels so inferior next to Anna.
And we have to understand that this is reality. She has to accept this reality.
It happens that Anna is far, very far ahead of her. Her back becomes difficult—even impossible—for Elisabeth to visualize. Brute force, which was once her only common ground, she wonders if it's even worth giving her all in training anymore.
Elisabeth possesses a very high combat quotient. That instinct to know her opponent before the fight. That combative instinct that expert warriors take time to develop comes naturally to Elisabeth. But what baffles her is that in Anna, this aura is almost nonexistent. Fighting Anna is like fighting a void. That's why during their fight, she didn't give her any credit. Because she knows full well that if Anna directs the flow of combat, she couldn't imagine what comes next. Which means total defeat.
And right now, she knows that Anna has already won before the duel even begins. So what's the point of dueling?
Anna has already won everything. And she will win no matter what.