Dormitory

(Katarina’s Perspective)

…?

Sophia’s words left me puzzled.

I could understand her saying “nice to meet you” to Prince Edwin, but why to milady?

Sure, they’re not exactly close friends, but they’ve met enough times that “first meeting” feels off, doesn’t it?

And… she used to call milady by her name, yet now it’s “Lady Duchess.”

Could it be that milady upset her before, and this is her way of getting back at her?

It’s hard to imagine the kind-hearted Sophia being so petty.

“Ailena, we’re running out of time. Let’s get to the dorms and unpack. The freshman ceremony is starting soon.”

Milady’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

‘She doesn’t seem that surprised?’

“Alright, let’s head to the dorms.”

After a quick bow to the other two, milady and I hurried off.

For now, let’s focus on getting things ready.

At the Academy, even nobles have to live in dorms.

Two to a room, and servants aren’t allowed to share with their masters—they have designated quarters.

If I recall the game correctly, Sophia ends up rooming with Olivia, while milady, coincidentally, has no roommate.

“I can’t sleep with Ailena? What a shame.”

Milady grumbled.

I could only offer a wry smile.

What kind of logic lets a servant sleep with their master? What would the other nobles think?

Still, the idea of milady living alone in a room… it worried me, but also brought a tiny bit of relief.

…That’s how it was supposed to be.

“Whoa.”

The moment we opened the door, we saw a black-haired seaweed sprawled on the bed, rolling around, while a gray-haired maid watched her fondly.

…Compared to three years ago, her figure hasn’t changed one bit.

She insists she’s grown 1.2 centimeters, but to me, it’s barely noticeable.

“Margaret? What are you doing here?”

Milady looked just as confused.

She gave up her noble status… and she has no talent for magic. How could she enroll in the National Academy?

“I’m a special admit, you know—technical track.”

Swinging her legs, Margaret smirked proudly:

“The merchant I’ve been working with became a super famous baron these past few years. With his recommendation, I got in.”

“Alright… given the dean’s policy of admitting technical prodigies, it’s not entirely impossible.”

And Margaret is a genius when it comes to magical devices.

“But why aren’t you wearing the uniform?”

As milady pointed out, she was dressed in a dark sailor-style dress with a red bolero jacket.

…That’s the National Academy’s uniform.

Yet Margaret, as always, wore her signature black gothic lolita outfit.

“I don’t like being tied down by rules. So, I slipped the dean a little bribe to let me wear what I want.”

“Bribe? What kind of bribe?”

At milady’s question, Margaret pressed a finger to her lips, feigning mystery:

“Trade secret~”

“…We’ve been messing around long enough. It’s about time to head to the assembly hall for the freshman ceremony.”

“Oh no… my clothes are all wrinkled from rolling around.”

Isn’t that your own fault?

Margaret hopped off the bed, and Elizabeth quickly followed, smoothing out her clothes.

Her hair’s a mess, yet she’s fussy about her clothes… classic Margaret.

But no matter how you look at it, she’s not that weird.

As I mulled this over, a familiar, refined face entered my view.

My heart skipped a beat.

“Ailena, do I look alright? Check for me.”

“Ah! Yes, yes!”

Under my gaze, milady raised her arms and spun around.

The uniform hugged her figure, accentuating her slender limbs and balanced proportions, the colors perfectly suiting her.

It was just a school uniform, yet she looked like a princess on a stage.

I couldn’t help but think white tights or bare legs would suit it better, but milady insisted on black knee-high socks.

“No issues at all—you look stunning, milady! I can’t take my eyes off you!”

I gave her a big thumbs-up, showering her with praise.

Milady flashed a faint smile.

“Really? Good.”

“Ugh, stop dazzling me so early in the morning! Hurry to the assembly hall!”

“Mm… see you later, Ailena.”

“Yes, milady.”

Since the ceremony was for freshmen, servants like us, who aren’t students, had no need to attend.

After quickly unpacking milady’s luggage, I headed to the servants’ dorms with Elizabeth.

“Look at her…”

“She’s got bandages on her face… and gray hair.”

“Does she have some weird disease? Gross~”

“And the one next to her! Silver hair! I’ve never seen that before!”

Since this path was mostly taken by servants accompanying students, plenty of people our age walked alongside us.

Elizabeth’s and my striking appearances drew a lot of attention—some curious, but most unkind.

Stung by those gazes, Elizabeth’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Perhaps because she can’t hear, she’s extra sensitive to stares.

She usually lives in that rundown mansion, with supplies delivered by Margaret’s merchant contacts, so she’s rarely faced such hostility. It’s no wonder she’s unsettled.

There were just too many eyes, and I didn’t want to repeat past mistakes by acting impulsively… so I stepped slightly ahead of Elizabeth, shielding her from some of the stares, hoping to ease her discomfort.

This went on until we reached the dorm.

Honestly, enduring those looks was more exhausting than a full day’s work.

Thankfully, Elizabeth and I were assigned to the same room, so we’d at least have each other’s company.

And in the dorm, she’d probably face less scrutiny and feel more at ease…

Or so I thought. Isn’t the servants’ dorm supposed to house four per room? Why are only two beds occupied?

I glanced around—the other two beds were empty.

Have the others not arrived yet?

I’d need to explain Elizabeth’s situation to them later…

Bang!

“You jerk!”

“What did you say? I’ll rip your mouth off!”

As I pondered how to approach this, the dorm door flew open, and two girls in maid uniforms tumbled in, grappling with each other.

They were clawing at each other’s cheeks, teeth bared—it was an ugly sight.

Watching the two go at it, I started to rethink my hope that the dorm would be a peaceful place.