When the sun gazed warmly over mortals, a good day was destined to follow. Not to mention the clear blue sky, like an inverted ocean, with clouds battling for their place in the vast pool… Elise had never felt better.
Today was Eli's second day in this world, and more importantly, his second day as a woman. Many things had happened, some he already wanted to bury in the deepest, darkest corner of his memories, but nonetheless… he loved it here.
He felt important in this world. He had a goal in his mind. Having a direction to go was a thousand times better than walking in circles.
And that direction was now pointing to Florentine. The ride to Florentine was short, barely an hour along the established path. The fields on either side gave way to orchards, scattered houses, and proper stone buildings with titled roofs and merchant signs.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was palpable, save for the carefree Julianne humming a sour melody that made their ears bleed.
Eli hadn't spoken to Ravi, and neither had she.
Ravi fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and looked up, staring at him.
'Is she going to break the ice?'
Just as Eli expected, Ravi made the first move to mend this relationship.
"May I ask who Julianna is? She seems… familiar."
Eli glanced at Julianna, whose hands were behind her head.
"She's a Knight Academy alumnus. Graduated First Sword."
Ravi's eyes widened like they were about to pop out.
"…Wait. Is she the one I'm thinking about?"
Eli nodded. It seemed Julianna notoriety reached even the Magic Academy.
Ravi snapped her head toward Julianna, who was now dozing off atop the horse.
"No way, right? She's the Julianna Owens?"
He chuckled softly with amusement.
"She may seem that way, but she is that Julianna Owens you're thinking about."
Ravi's breath hitched.
Eli didn't know what kind of image or reputation Julianna had with her juniors, but judging by Ravi's expression, whatever respect she had for Juli had probably vanished.
Then, another revelation seemed to dawn on Ravi, making her almost fall out of her seat.
'Did she finally realize?'
A mischievous gaze burned behind Eli's eyes. He looked like a demon enjoying Ravi's confusion and fear.
Ravi blinked a couple times, her hands clutching the skirt's hem even tighter, before finally revealing the truth.
"Y-You. Are you from… House Lagranche?" she asked, her voice quivery and small.
Eli nodded firmly.
"Correct."
Ravi's face went pale as soon as she heard his confirmation, draining every bit of color from her face.
It was common knowledge Julianna got recruited by the Marchioness herself after her graduation. Most First Swords and First Arcanes were personally invited by the Marchioness, given the chance to train with the best of House Lagranche, and free to work for the House if they wished.
Julianna was an even more special one because she was a prodigy, just like Irene.
And so it begged a question. Why did Eli bring Julianna along when this was supposed to be a "secretive" mission? Even a student of the Magic Academy could recognize her, so what of the Duchess? Of course, they would know right away, and Eli expected that.
The Duchess possessed an intelligence network that rivaled the royal family's. If Elise, the maid who stood at Irene's side during the meeting with Edmond, suddenly vanished from the estate alone in the middle of the night, it would raise every red flag imaginable.
They'd tail him, and he'd lead them straight to whatever he was planning.
But a lady's maid, who was also known as the fixer of the household, traveling with one of the House's most recognizable knights? That was just official business. Running errands for the household, exactly as Eli had told Irene.
The Duchess's lackeys could watch all they wanted, but all they'd see was two women from House Lagranche going about their duties.
'Heck. They might not even watch.'
If Edmond was truly behind this assassination plan, Eli was certain he would think the finish line was near. And when people thought they were about to win, they stopped paying attention to small things. Hubris made people sloppy — it was the oldest story in the book.
'My lovely classic hare and tortoise story.'
Julianna's voice then rang out as he schemed.
"We're here!"
Eli looked out the window, and Florentine opened up before him.
'Woah…'
Florentine… was alive.
Cobblestone streets branched out from a wide central square, packed with market stalls that sold fresh produce, prepared foods, and household goods. The buildings were a handsome mix of old dark stone and polished timber, with some draped in ivy and moss, while others bore colorful signs for taverns, apothecaries, and smithies.
Somewhere down the street, the smell of fresh loaves wafted in the air so inviting it could bring a dead man back to life.
'Did I mention the beautiful flowers spilling from window boxes? This place feels like a fairy tale!'
In the game, Florentine appeared in a handful of visual novel scenes — as a painted backdrop behind the characters and dialogue boxes, or as background of heroines' official in-game illustrations.
One fun fact about Eli was that he dreamed of being either an artist or an architect, and so he would study every background in the game down to the smallest detail, from the architecture to the way the artists rendered light.
Of course, he never had enough money to buy any tool for digital art.
In any case, it was extremely crowded, mostly with students from the academies. Florentine housed many who lived far from home, and most of these buildings were dormitories, so the businesses here focused on attracting young people.
Ravi leaned toward the window, her posture straight as a board.
"The magic a-academy is on the east side, p-past the fountain," she said, her tour-guide voice quavered. "The knight academy i-is further west, near th-the training fields. The central square h-has most of the shops and e-eateries."
She paused, then added quickly:
"I-If there's anywhere specific you'd l-like to go first, I-I can arrange that."
'She's so stiff. House Lagranche really stole her soul, huh?'
Eli could tell the reveal had changed things. Before, Ravi was just embarrassed about the bath house incident.
'Not an incident. It was a misunderstanding, got that, brain?'
Anyway, now she was embarrassed and nervous. She had thought they were two random travelers, but they were actually envoys of House Lagranche instead.
'I do feel bad for her.'
Eli shifted in his seat.
"Ravi."
She flinched.
"Y-Yes?"
"You can relax. I'm just a maid."
Ravi looked at him like he'd just said something completely insane.
Julianna, riding alongside, poked her goofy head through the carriage window.
"She says that, but she runs the entire Lagranche household. The Young Miss only trusts her. Don't let her fool you!"
Eli turned to Julianna with steam blowing out of her ears.
"Juli! I am trying to make her comfortable."
She shrugged.
"I'm helping, aren't I?"
"You are not!"
Ravi watched the two of them bicker and let out a small laugh. She covered her mouth immediately like she'd committed a crime.
"Anyway," Eli said, sighing in defeat.
He turned back to Ravi with a soft smile.
"Don't mind her. And seriously, just treat us like normal people. We're commoners too, you know."
Ravi blinked.
"…Commoners?"
Eli nodded.
"Just like you."
Ravi's death grip on her skirt loosened just ever so slightly.
"…Okay."
Eli bloomed a smile after successfully taming her.
"Take us to the magic academy first."
Ravi nodded rigidly.
The carriage turned east, past the fountain, and rolled to a stop before a wide iron gate. A sign above the gate read in gilded letters:
Sienne Magic Academy
Founded by House Lagranche, in service of the people.
Eli stepped out of the carriage and looked up at those words.
'The Marchioness really put her heart into everything, didn't she?'
He took a breath and walked through the gate.