The day after the weekend break, it was time for us, children, to decide what to do.

  “What do you mean, decide what to do? We’re going to observe.”


  “No.”


  I shook my head at Nico, who was as serious as ever.

  “The Academy wash awsho aththacwed recenthwy.” (The Academy was also attacked recently)

  “You mean when Luke and Gill successfully escaped?”


  “Yesh.”


  I tried my best to explain. I had already explained this to Chris over the weekend, so she was nodding her head next to me.

  “We’re going tho shee how much thhey have changed. So…” (We’re going to see how much they have changed. So…)

  “So?”


  “We can’th jushth go shee. We have tho creathe an incidenth.” (We can’t just go see. We have to create an incident)

  “We’ll trouble everyone if we do that.” Nico was shocked, but that was the point.

  “Ith’sh importhanth tho wnow whath tho do in thimesh of emergenciesh.” (It’s important to know what to do in times of emergencies)

  “Hmm. So, we’ll do something unexpected to test the Academy. Is that what you want to do?”


  I nodded at Nico who finally seemed motivated.

  “Yesh, for thhe Academy.” (Yes, for the Academy)

  “Buffo.”


  You shouldn’t look at me as if to say I was just making an excuse to do as I like. It’s just an unannounced observation.

  “Marw wiww be thhe decoy. Nico, Chrish and Lei wiww run around, and thhen…” (Mark will be the decoy. Nico, Chris and Lei will run around, and then…)

  I grinned and gathered everyone together. Hans and Natlie looked warmly as the three toddlers talked in secret, but Nico’s guards looked anxious. How pathetic. We were going to the Academy tomorrow. We can’t be lax in our preparations. I think my original goal was to go to the Academy to see Nii-sama, but I don’t know when that changed. But once I started, I couldn’t stop.

  Then the next day we gathered at the castle like always. What was different from normal was that Mark was there in the morning. His hair was slicked back, and he was almost dressed formally. We were also dressed more smartly than normal, and we indeed looked like noble children.

  “Chrish, where’re your panthsh?” (Chris, where are your pants)

  “Underneath my skirt. See.”


  Chris lifted up her fluffy skirt.

  “Chris! Ladies don’t do that sort of thing,” Nico advised, but I nodded.

  “Pashsh.” (Pass)

  “You’re ready too, right Lei?”


  “Ai!”


  I wasn’t going to lift my skirt, but I was wearing a short skirt and frilly pumpkin pants.

  “I have prepared for such an occasion.” The outfitter in the mansion said. For almost an hour, I resisted the urge to ask exactly what kind of moment he had imagined I would need these clothes, but I held back. I was proud of myself for holding back.

  “Thank God Prince Nico’s father is in Easter. I didn’t have to ask for permission.”


  “Marw…”


  On closer reflection, I realised that Prince Lambert was working hard in Easter.

  “Now, let’s take an unannounced tour around the Academy. Everyone, get in the carriage!”


  “““Ook!”””


  Despite our enthusiasm, we were foolish enough to get into the carriage with the help of a footrest or being carried in. We needed the help since we’re small.

  I had only ever ridden in a carriage with my family, so riding in the carriage with friends was fun. We looked out the window while chatting and arrived in the Academy in no time at all. The library where I usually studied was further from the castle gate than the Academy was.

  “We’re here.”


  I looked out the window when Mark said that and saw that the Academy was indeed bigger than the Albans mansion. The three-story building had a neat row of large windows. Perhaps because it was located in the centre of town, the grounds seemed small compared to the size of the building, but Nii-sama told me that the building was built around a large courtyard where the students exercised.

  The front of the school was surrounded by a wall, and the gate, which was large enough for a carriage to pass through, was now closed, with two people standing guard. Right next to the gate, there was a new hut, it was probably the guards’ room.

  The guard spoke to the stopped carriage.

  “State your name.”


  Before the coachman could answer, a momentary look of amusement flashed across Mark’s face as he stepped out of the carriage.

  “Oh, my bad. I’m Marcus Molesey.”


  “What?”


  The guard’s voice sounded suspicious, but he must have recognised Mark’s grey hair and winter-cloud eyes. Suddenly, a hint of nervousness sounded in his voice.

  “The-the. Four Marquis Molesey?”


  “Are there any other Moleseys?”


  I could picture Mark raising his eyebrows.

  “No. Then, Mark-sama, is there anything I can help you with?”


  “I have business at the Academy. Let me in.”


  “Yes.”


  I heard the rattle of the gate opening and Mark came back. I shook my head.

  “Faiw.” (Fail)

  “You’re right. He should have asked me what business I had even if I’m a Four Marquis and he should have checked in the carriage to see if there were passengers.”


  Mark also looked a little bitter. The heavy gates were closed, so a pack of Rug Dragons wouldn’t be able to push through like they did the other time. However, if someone were to use one of the Four Marquises to open the gate, then it would be a disaster. The carriage arrived at the entrance of the academy.

  “The students enter the Academy through this entrance, and the guests enter through the same entrance or the guest entrance over there, this is…”


  “The bad guysh can enther thhe Academy shthraighth away.” (The bad guys can enter the Academy straight away)

  Mark wasn’t joking around anymore.

  “It’s the same as the time when I went here five years ago. It’s no surprise, but this isn’t a problem that can be solved with the efforts of the Academy alone. What goes on inside the royal capital is under the jurisdiction of the Moleseys. It’s not a playful observation anymore.”


  “Sthop, Marw.”


  Mark signalled the carriage to stop.

  “I was going to go straight to the faculty building.”


  “We’ww enther from here.”


  Mark grinned.

  “You’re right. We were going to come unannounced from the start. Alright.”


  We got out of the carriage at the entrance for the students. Seeing this, the guards got out of their carriage.

  “We’re entering from here. We’ll start with the first and second grade students on the third floor.”


  We began walking down the corridor in a line and climbed the stairs to the third floor while being noisy. As soon as we reached the top, the door of a classroom opened.

  “We’re in the middle of class. Please move quietly. Oh, guests? Guests have to go to the faculty building over there first.”


  The teacher looked at Mark, then at us, then at the guards behind us before advising. I slumped my shoulders. What if we were the bad guys?

  “Faiw.”


  Huh? Faiw?”


  The teacher, who was still holding the door handle, gaped. Nico saw this and raised his hand and put it down again.

  “Alright, let’s go.”


  “Okay!”


  “Ai!”


  We ran past the teacher’s feet and into the classroom while screaming.

  “Wow.”


  There were about 20 students. They were sitting on long desks in pairs and looked a little younger than Nii-sama. They stared at us as if they were dumbfounded.

  “Goal! Blackboard!” Nico said, and the extra chairs were dragged over, then we started scribbling on the blackboard.

  “Lei, you first.”


  I reached out and wrote as big as possible.

  “Lei, is it alright to evidence?” [1]

  “No!”


  “I’ll draw a flower.”


  “I’ww draw a Rug Dwagon.”


  Thus the unannounced observation began.