The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 161: Beware Of The Red-head (3)

Luxury items were always expensive.

The clothes that Lotte had recommended to Aether all had brand names. Clothes that commoners couldn’t wear because of how expensive they were.

Aether thought that it was fine as long as the clothes were functional. In fact, Lotte thought the same. If it blocked the wind and cold, what was the point of wasting money on expensive, designer clothes?

But Lotte shook her head.

Her friend already lost her fashion sense. If it wasn’t fixed now, then it wouldn’t be fixed when she became a noble.

The aristocratic society valued reputation and honor, and designer clothes were a part of it. She needed to teach her friend that a certain level of luxury and dressing up was required.

Above all, neither of them lacked money. For one thing, Lotte was the child of a prestigious family; she wasn’t short on money.

And as for Aether... she didn’t know how, but she had a suspiciously large amount of money.

“I’m the one who’s going to wear it so I’ll pay.”

So much so that she had no problem saying things like this. Aether soon cast a transportation spell and pulled gold from thin air. It was a huge amount of money, which shocked Lotte when she saw it.

Just where and how did she get that kind of money?

It was only a few months ago that she’d been in a financially tight situation, and so Lotte would help her by paying for tutoring.

It had been a kind of co-prosperity–Lotte would acquire knowledge, and Aether would make a living. It had been a relatively stable and satisfying relationship.

However.

Something was different now.

Her friend had become financially independent. She wasn’t sure from where she was getting funds, but it was definitely a good thing. Nevertheless, Lotte could only smile ruefully.

Lotte had learned most Fire Magic from Aether. This had been towards the end of summer vacation.

She never got tutored after that, and Aether didn’t come and offer to tutor first, either.

Instead, she assigned her research. When Aether asked her to do this, she had felt relieved inside, thinking that ‘I can still stay by her side’.

Lotte could only think that way because while she had many acquaintances, they weren’t deep. That was generally how relationships between noble children were.

Meet many people and expand your network; that was the fundamental way of doing things in the aristocratic world.

There were a lot of people around her, but most of them had approached her because of the Saliere name. Any one of them would’ve left not long after.

─Make at least one friend who will be with you until the end.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Lotte recalled what her father had said before. She thought of the girl in front of her as that ‘friend’.

Why wouldn’t she? This girl had such a good heart that she had nursed Lotte herself during the Black Death despite the danger of being infected. There was no way she could lose a friend like that.

Lotte watched Aether pay for the clothes with this in mind. A slightly rueful smile graced her lips.

It was fine. It wasn’t as if she’d be going off somewhere because she had money.

“Sis! Aren’t you spending too much on a single shopping trip?”

That relief began crumbling bit by bit with the appearance of a certain girl at the pasta restaurant.

She was a girl with purple-tinged ultramarine hair and eyes like blue sapphires. She was slightly taller than Freyr–her friend in the same class–but had better proportions which made her look taller than her actual height.

If a blueberry or belladonna were personified, it would be exactly her. Wearing a thin fur coat, she bounded into the restaurant and stood before Aether, trembling..

“Even if I told you to use it however you want.... If you spend like this, I have to get more money from my dad!”

“Then take the card back.”

“But you said you didn’t have enough money!”

Lotte knew this blueberry-like girl. Her name burst from Lotte’s mouth.

“Lady Rosemary?”

The only daughter of Duke Blanton who was one of the Four Grand Dukes.

‘Rosemary Blanton’, that was what she knew about this girl.

Although they’d never had a proper conversation, Lotte and Rosemary knew each other. Sweeping over Rosemary’s face, Lotte’s memories painted a scene.

It was long ago when she’d still been in elementary grade. Having accompanied her father on a brief visit to the capital for social gathering purposes, Lotte remembered seeing a girl waddling around the palace with a turtle doll in hand.

It had been cute of her, carrying a doll around a social event like that. But that hadn’t been the only impression Lotte had of the child.

Even while she went around with the turtle doll dangling in her hand, she never lost her elegance. It was an inherent radiance, the aura of a leader that came with being a member of a Duke family.

Until then, Lotte had expected Rosemary to grow into a dignified Lady. And that was only half the answer.

After transferring into the Academy, Rosemary had been a most elegant Lady. In public, at least, and when she talked with others.

The wisdom and valor, and alluring smile she showed especially when dealing with Prince Klion had been impressive. She certainly wasn’t a noble with the title of Duke for nothing.

So she should have been.

“Sis.... let’s save money, please. We’re not even going to be able to afford snacks at this rate....”

That very Lady was putting her hands together, begging. Not to the Emperor or anyone else, but to a Golden-Eyed girl of commoner origin.

Rosemary showed no signs of responding to Lotte’s call. Her blue eyes had stayed on Aether from beginning until now.

It was strange, come to think of it. Rosemary only referred to Aether as ‘sis’.

Lady Rosemary’s eyes were sapphire color, and Aether’s eyes looked like topaz. This indicated that the two weren’t blood-related.

It could only be like that. The Grand Duke families valued the bloodline.

That was the case for the Hasfeldts. The legitimate heir of Hasfeldt had to find a spouse with red eyes, so that they could maintain the name of ‘Duke of Fire’.

And it was the same for the Duke Blanton family that placed importance on Water Magic. Only the child born of a marriage between a man and woman with blue eyes inherited the qualities of a legitimate heir.

Rosemary was legitimate blood. Aether was... well.

This girl had called Aether ‘sis’ from the beginning. Lotte felt something off about that, because besides Aether, Rosemary didn’t refer to anyone else in the Academy as ‘sister’ or ‘brother’.

“Excuse me, My Lady...?”

“What is it all of a sudden, Miss Saliere?”

It was true for Lotte. When she called her once more, Rosemary turned her head slightly and gave her a sidelong glance. Those eyes contained a mix of fatigue and annoyance.

It was a chilling look. Lotte unconsciously stiffened her shoulders.

Yet she still had a question. In fact, it was something she’d been curious about since before, but had never asked.

But she was slowly reaching her limit. As someone who’d been inquisitive since she was a child, Lotte couldn’t take it anymore. It seemed she would only be satisfied if she asked about the exact relationship between these two.

Lotte opened her mouth.

“Would the two of you happen to be half-sisters?”

Rosemary and Aether’s expression turned dumbstruck after hearing that, but Rosemary’s was a little more so.

Lotte’s remark could be considered rather rude, as it was prying into someone else’s family affairs.

What she had just said was even a roundabout way of asking if Duke Blanton had committed adultery. It wouldn’t have been strange for any another noble who valued honor to be outright offended by this remark.

But Lady Blanton was different. Rosemary brightened instead and plopped down next to Aether.

“Do we really look that way?”

Lotte didn’t bother answering. Come to think of it, the two seemed to have a feel.

“I’d love it if we could be half-sisters. Don’t you agree, sis?”

“I’m eating. Go away.”

“If it’s pasta, we can make as much as you want if you come to our house.”

“You’d probably put in some weird spices again.”

“Noodles are supposed to be enjoyed sweet.”

The two carried on talking familiarly. Lotte’s mind became even more troubled.

Rosemary was a Lady, and Aether was a commoner. There might not be any difference in status at the Academy, but this was just too strange. That was how close the two seemed.

“If you aren’t half-sisters, then how are you two so close?”

The second question was asked respectfully. It was clearly directed at Rosemary.

“It’s a long story.”

The answer was short and pointed. The words Rosemary had spoken didn’t satisfy all of Lotte’s curiosity. Rather, it only piqued more of it.

How in the world did they come into contact, then? Lotte felt something she couldn’t understand from that curiosity.

It was uneasiness, something instinctive on her part that had no rational basis.

It happened last time as well–during summer break, when she met a girl named Akasha.

Unlike Rosemary, Akasha was a girl who looked exactly like Aether. The two were clearly twin sisters. And Akasha was the second Golden-Eyed that Lotte had ever met.

But Akasha and Aether were different. Lotte felt an indescribable apprehension towards the girl named Akasha.

“Anyway, sis, let’s consume in moderation. You can’t go spending haphazardly during a recession like this, alright?”

Akasha had definitely called Aether ‘sis’ as well. That girl’s voice was overlapping exactly with Lady Blanton’s.

An emotion once forgotten reared its head. Lotte swallowed and put down her fork. Rosemary was already about to order and eat the most expensive item on the menu.

“Haa.... but still, how did it cost you 400 gold to get clothes?”

“You just said it was recession. It’s possible.”

“So I told you to save money! Did you even listen to what I said?”

“What are you, my mom? Talking like that.”

“We’re going to live together in the same house later, so if you pick up this kind of spending habit, you’re going to make me die of frustration, sis!”

Rosemary thumped both sides of her chest like she was frustrated. Thud, thud, it went, making a dull sound, but she didn’t care.

Rather, Lotte was more focused on the last thing Rosemary said.

Siiip. The eyes of Lotte, who’d been quenching her thirst with juice from a straw, went cold.

“Aether.”

“Hm? What?”

“Didn’t you promise to live with me?”