So, what do we have here? I’m a pretty well-off, young, attractive lady. In just a few hours, I’ll be happily kicked out of this bridal selection. And? Is it a tragedy? Nope, it’s an opportunity. A chance at a new life. Personally, I’d bolt from this competition of the worthy and the worthiest so fast no one could catch me. But luckily, I don’t even have to try. Everything’s already worked out in the best possible way.
Next step: enrollment in the magical academy. Yup, that’s right—I’ve got magic as a bonus. The previous owner of this body didn’t bother developing it much, just enough to get by. And what does a woman need in this world? Exactly—next to nothing. Look pretty, and that’s about it. All I knew how to do was tweak dresses, fix my hair, and cast some basic household spells. But the potential? Oh, it was more than promising. I’d even say it was downright impressive.
The wealth I had meant I could live without worrying about going hungry tomorrow, and believe me, that’s no small thing. Getting into the academy opened doors to independence and a career. The fact that out of a hundred first-year students, only two or three were girls—and in the best-case scenario, maybe one would make it to the end of the program, if at all—didn’t faze me one bit. Let them worry about how to deal with my presence.
As for why I’m here, how I ended up in the middle of all this, I wasn’t even going to try to figure it out. Not now. Because there are no answers, and there’s nowhere for them to come from.
A soft knock at the door instantly interrupted the monologue in my head.
“Irene, Lady Irene, I’ve come to help you get ready for breakfast.”
Right, breakfast—my grand exit into a happy and exciting life. But it’s only six in the morning. Three whole hours to go.
“Isn’t it a bit early? Come back around eight, maybe a little later.”
The girl, who had almost opened the door, froze. Her face clearly showed surprise, but after a few seconds, she composed herself, lowered her eyes, and quietly murmured:
“But, my lady, you won’t be able to get a good seat. You’ll have to sit at the far end of the table. The king won’t even notice you. It’ll be awful.”
She lifted her gaze to meet mine, her eyes full of how truly awful it would be, while I focused on not bursting into laughter at the absurdity of the situation. Two hours of sitting at the table just to snag a spot closer to the king? And even then, it’s not guaranteed to be the best spot, because the best ones get taken even earlier. Thank the heavens, this all ends today. I’ll enjoy a nice breakfast, politely say my goodbyes to everyone, and head off in any direction I please. Or rather, in one specific direction—the one leading to the academy. Just gotta remember to put on a sad, despairing face instead of showing joy and relief. No need to give them—or myself—any extra reasons to overthink things.
“There’s no need for that, Cecile” (that’s my assistant’s name), “I’ll come down at exactly nine. For breakfast. It’ll even be better to sit at the edge. Easier to get up and leave.”
The girl didn’t reply. She bowed once more and left the room. Of course, there was doubt in her eyes, probably wondering if I’d lost my mind, but that’s trivial. Worrying about such small stuff wasn’t on my agenda. What was on my agenda, though, was the dress.