In the Kathalle family's private mansion, located 15 minutes from the Fresleken Academy,
a loud alarm clock blared, announcing that it was 6:30 a.m., signaling the time to wake up.
Lucy woke up with enthusiasm and energy, still clutching a teddy bear, her hair tousled.
"It's the second day of preparations for the festival," she said, her eyes still closed and a clumsy smile plastered on her face.
She jumped up eagerly, determined to get ready for the day, having decided to enjoy the days leading up to and during the festival.
She headed straight to the breakfast table, which was laden with a variety of delicious dishes.
The head waitress gracefully placed food on Lucy's plate, a gesture befitting her position, and stood beside her with a slight smile.
Lucy ate with grace. The aristocrat gazed listlessly at a table laden with the most delicious food, yet empty of its occupants.
A profound loneliness, untouched by the family's wealth, a loneliness that couldn't be alleviated by the inability to gather for even the simplest things, like sharing a meal, was a source of deep sadness for Lucy.
The head butler gently stroked her hair, her warm voice bringing a smile to Lucy's face. "It's alright, Ms. Lucy," she said, "I know it's sad, but a day will come when you'll be with your husband and children, sharing meals and living a peaceful and somewhat acceptable life."
Lucy continued eating, a faint smile playing on her lips at the head butler's words. She hadn't longed for a perfect life, knowing it was impossible, but a beautiful life was perfectly acceptable.
After finishing her meal, she rose enthusiastically from her seat and headed out of the Kethali family mansion towards the Ferkelsen Academy.
There, she would meet Beatrice, Gia, and Previca, and then explore the city of Giemburg, which was preparing for the millennium celebration of the demons' defeat. On her second day
She boarded a carriage belonging to the Kethali family. The carriage was beautiful and elegant inside, hinting at the family's magical skill and abilities thanks to the intricate array of runes scattered throughout.
Speaking calmly as she looked at the driver through a small window, she said, "Head to the Fresleken Academy."
"Yes, Madam Lucy Kethali," his voice filled with respect as he tightened the reins, setting two horses off at full speed.
Inside the carriage, Lucy gazed at the sights of the decorated city of Giemsburg. Though not yet fully completed, it was enough to create a magnificent and beautiful view.
"It will be so much fun to tour Giemsburg in the coming days. Wonderful preparation!" Lucy said enthusiastically as she looked around the neighborhoods.
The carriage stopped, signaling the end of the journey. The driver's voice confirmed, "Madam Lucy Kethali, we have arrived at the Fresleken Academy."
Lucy stepped out of the carriage without a word, and the driver drove off immediately, leaving her at the gate. The Fercles Academy
A sigh of relief escaped her as she gazed towards the gates of the Fercles Academy, anticipating the arrival of her companions.
Several minutes passed before Beatrice Gia and Previca arrived to find Lucy waiting for them impatiently, yet slightly annoyed.
She was upset that they were late, even though she had told them the time they were supposed to meet beforehand, at least from her perspective.
However, she decided to ignore the fact that the day was still young, not wanting to ruin it over something as simple as being late.
"How are you, Lucy? You seem to be early," Beatrice said, glancing at her watch.
This surprised Lucy, who wondered how she could have arrived so early. She spoke, confused, as she pulled out her phone. "We agreed to meet at 7:30. How come you're here so early?"
Previca looked at her, puzzled, as she listened to her. She continued to check her phone. "It's 7:30, just like we agreed. You seem to be..." "I was excited and didn't make sure of the time properly."
Lucy turned on her phone to check, only to find they were right on time, and she was the one who had arrived early. She felt a little embarrassed as she looked at them.
"Looks like I really was early, hahahaha," Lucy said awkwardly, putting her phone back in front of her.
She turned her gaze towards the city of Giemburg, trying to change the subject. "Now that we're together, it's time to have some fun. It's the second day of preparations for a festival that's going to be so much fun!"
Beatrice and Previca sighed, looking at her with hopelessness. Her attempt to change the subject had been incredibly awkward and unsuccessful.
They decided to play along and set off around Giemburg, specifically towards the restaurant they frequented, Ain Sultan or Dar Sultan, as it was known by two different names.
"So what are we going to do? Have you planned where we'll go?" asked Gia, sipping a chocolate milkshake.
Beatrice and Previca remained silent. Previca and Lucy were silent, as they hadn't planned anything. They were relying on Lucy, who was excited about their planned tours of Giemsburg.
"Yes, I've planned everything for today," Lucy said calmly as she ate a chocolate cake.
"First, we'll take a short walk around the city, especially around the areas where they're going to build the recreation center. I heard from my father there are five: three in Giemsburg and two at the Wersleken Academy, for future use by students."
"After that, we'll go to the Yang-Yin Park, where the Zao Li and Alessandra tree stands, planted by Wersleken when the academy was finished."
"Then we'll visit the circus, which is currently located in the city center, and watch the workers preparing it."
"After that, we'll return to the Ain or Dar Sultan restaurant for lunch before continuing our tour of Giemsburg. Any questions?"
They all remained silent, looking towards Lucy. She was eating her chocolate cake.
"It's so delicious, isn't it?" Lucy's voice was filled with delight.
She turned her gaze back to them. "What are you going to do at an upcoming festival? I heard it's going to be amazing and huge. I've never met any angels, or elves, or barbarians in my entire life."
Beatrice looked at him after hearing his words. "Of course you won't show them. You're only 15."For a year, you'd stay in the palace for a whole year, only leaving to wander around Durbakia or attend noble parties."
Meanwhile, Previca watched them with utter boredom. She'd expected them to do something interesting, but they'd done nothing but chatter.
Her gaze shifted to Gia, who had been eating without saying a word for an hour.
It was as if she was pondering something that still puzzled her, or perhaps contemplating killing them on the spot.
These were the two possibilities she could deduce from Gia's silence and her observation of their conversation.
She took a deep breath, putting down her spoon as a sign that she didn't want to eat.
This prompted Lucy to look at him with obvious sarcasm, but her expression quickly turned to surprise as she glanced at Previca, whose eyes turned cold for a split second before returning to normal.
Lucy then looked at her food and discovered it contained nutrients that strengthened brain function and protected it from damage. Sick
However, she couldn't quite place the name of the food, but what surprised her even more was that the plates, spoons, and forks were all white, even the food itself was white, and there was a glass of cold milk.
She didn't understand why she'd ordered this food and insisted on it being served in this strange way, but she decided to ignore it because Previca loved the color white, or was obsessed with it, as she'd noticed from her clothes and the decor of her house inside the academy, which was entirely white.
Therefore, she decided to ignore the matter because Previca didn't want to talk about it at all, and she didn't want to force her into anything.
She spoke in an enthusiastic tone, trying to ease the tense atmosphere caused by Previca's behavior, which Beatrice and Gia had both noticed.
"Now that we've finished our meal, it's time to go for a walk and enjoy ourselves, we girls!"
Previca, Beatrice, and Gia all agreed, as they were bored inside the restaurant after being inside for a whole hour with The shops and places they had planned to go to were closed at 7:30 AM.
They left a restaurant after paying the bill and wandered around.
"I feel a bit relieved. Eleven days without studying makes me incredibly happy," Lucy said, her voice brimming with joy as she looked around with a small smile.
Previca responded sarcastically, placing a hand around Lucy's neck. "Of course, a lazybones like you would wish every day was a holiday. However, if Yuta wasn't studying at the academy, you wouldn't have seen my face at all. I'd be securing my own independent wife from people like you, Lucy, you little rascal! Hahaha!"
Lucy's face contorted with annoyance and irritation as she glared at Previca. "You're so annoying! I'll give you a good beating if you do that again! Heh!"
This only made Previca's smile widen as she laughed, looking at Lucy. The anger only intensified Lucy's frustration and annoyance before she decided to ignore Previca to preserve her dignity in front of the public.
They continued on their way with almost no words. Beatrice and Gia were taciturn, and Previca and Lucy were at odds, potentially causing problems no one wanted.
Gia's gaze fell upon some children playing with wooden swords and men preparing the tools they would use to complete the festival's arrangements.
However, she couldn't understand why she felt something was amiss, that some ridiculous scheme had been hatched to create this festival, which would last from June 4th to June 10th—seven full days of celebration and exciting challenges.
Her gaze then shifted to the shops, most of which were currently closed. Everyone had decided to collaborate on decorating the city of Giemburg, which was so vast that it was impossible to decorate it in just one or two days, even if all the city's residents and the students of the Freslaken Academy were involved.
Yet, she felt a surge of happiness that lay hidden Within the hearts of the local people, and those who came to participate in the celebration from other continents, kingdoms, and cities.
For the festival brought together all the inhabitants of the human world to celebrate the defeat of their common enemy, the king of the demon world. Humans, led by Daniel de Molière and aided by his companions from other races, had defeated him, making the victory shared by all, with no race superior to another.
"Today is more active than yesterday. It seems they've been eagerly awaiting the festival for a whole year."
"Although I feel something is amiss, a trick everyone has fallen for, I also feel happy and joyful while waiting for this day of fun and a break from strenuous exercises and training," Gia thought to herself as she observed everything happening around her, trying to enjoy herself.
She picked up a lantern that was about to fall on her clothes, potentially staining them with oil or, worse, burning them.
She returned it to the person who was assembling it. He couldn't utter a single word; Gija's beauty had made him forget that he had dropped Fanon and that she had returned him to him.
He snapped out of his reverie to find that Gija had left some time ago, and his disappointment was palpable. "What beautiful girls are wandering around our city," he said with deep frustration. "They look like students at the academy. I'll send you a look at them."
"I need to think carefully about my actions. Treating a group of minors as if they were adults will land me in prison, especially if they hold a high position in society."
Meanwhile, Previca felt slightly annoyed as she looked around irritably. Lucy was focused on the festival preparations, making her annoyance unnecessary.
Her gaze fell upon five trucks lined up in front of the largest Sunday shopping center in Giemburg. She smiled slightly and pointed at them. "We've arrived at the first stop on our tour: visiting entertainment centers. They're in the process of being prepared."
Gia, Lucy, and Beatrice all turned their attention to the location where... Previca pointed at him.
They decided to approach him with apparent enthusiasm. Lucy and Previca met Catherine's granddaughter standing outside a shop, her expression somewhat disappointed.
"Lauren, why are you still standing in front of the door?" Lucy's voice held a hint of confusion as she looked at him.
Previca spoke in surprise after hearing Lauren's name and not Catherine's. "Isn't it...?""Why did you call Catherine by a different name?"
A faint smile appeared on Lauren's face after hearing Previca's words. She answered her question, "Catherine is my first name, and Lauren is my second, but they call me Lauren so there's no confusion between me and Catherine, who teaches you in the elite class."
Previca didn't think for long that it was logical for someone to have the same name as her; it was perfectly normal. There were hundreds of people in the Verselkin Academy named Lucy, Beatrice, Previca, and even the professors.
However, she was surprised, like the others, as she was standing in front of a door without entering. She was the granddaughter of the Academy's director, Soliver, and it was impossible to insult her like that.
A sigh of annoyance escaped her lips as she looked at the faces of each of them, all asking the same question: Why were you standing at the door?
"They told me that entry is only permitted to Leota Cassiral, the Academy's director Verselkin, or someone of the same rank."
After hearing Lauren's explanation, which The atmosphere was filled with frustration. Both Previca and Lucy Beatrice glanced at Giba, who seemed unconcerned.
She looked towards them, understanding their intentions from those puppy-dog eyes, except for Beatrice, who seemed to have a problem with her facial expressions, as her face was calm as usual.
Lauren joined them, also with puppy-dog eyes, even though she was two years older than Giba. This was her final year at the Versace Academy, and there was a chance she could become a teacher in the Masters' class if the senior professors agreed.
Gia spoke with obvious annoyance, pushing their faces away from her as she entered the recreation center. A guard stopped her, but before he could even look at her, he recognized her as a girl.
"Sorry, ma'am, but you are not allowed to enter a facility that is temporarily under maintenance until June 4th," the guard's voice was respectful. He looked up to find a girl who looked very much like Yuta, and considering that Gia has been locked away in rigorous training since her adoption by Emperor Aster Guilford.
This has made it difficult for the common people and most of the nobility to recognize her, or even know that she is Aster Guilford's daughter. The Guardian, a former young man, is a prime example.
He spoke with a hint of nervousness as he bowed to Gia, whom he mistook for Yuta, who had come disguised as a girl. Yuta had been using various disguises to gather information about those working under him.
"I apologize for not recognizing you, Mr. Yuta Casseral. Your disguise was so convincing that I wouldn't have recognized you were it not for the resonance of your power and your unique presence."
"Please don't dismiss me from my post. I have nowhere else to go."
Gia continued to look at him, her suspicions growing regarding her relationship with Yuta Casseral and the true nature of her family, given that she was the adopted daughter of the Magic Emperor Aster Guilford.
Nevertheless, she decided to ignore the matter for the time being, as all the secrets would be revealed during the holiday. Summer at the summer festival that will be held in the city of Berheis
"That's fine, but don't tell anyone who enters or leaves that I'm here, or you'll be fired without a penny. My words are clear." Gia's voice was firm as she looked at him with a gaze that was enough to send shivers down his spine.
"Yes, sir, Yuta Caseral," the servant's voice was filled with fear as he left immediately without saying another word.