Two more days passed like that until our summer vacation finally began. However, it wasn’t the end of my confused state of mind.

“How can I get over this?”

My excitement over the start of summer vacation was brief. I was unnerved watching the throng of students shuffling about in a wave of commotion.

A bunch of carriages were pulling up to the front of the school gates like a swarm of bees.

I looked around for a relatively simple carriage which would be my family’s but didn’t see it.

“What…?”

After a little while, the carriages began to depart, but I still couldn’t spot my family’s carriage.

Did something happen on their way here?

I placed my hand in my pocket and unintentionally felt the letter that I had put there earlier.

“… Are you kidding me?”

For no reason, I felt nervous and forced a smile.

I opened the crumpled letter in my trembling hands and tightly shut my eyes after I came to a stark realization.

“…”

Today wasn’t the 27th, it was the 26th.

Dad got the date mixed up.

I fell on my knees and let out a sigh.

I pressed my hand to my forehead.

Oh, Dad.

“Hey, there’s been a mix-up. Do you think you could lend me your carriage?”

“Sorry, but someone else has already asked me to give them a ride. I really am sorry.”

I bit my nails nervously at Dora’s answer.

“Ah, Aiko and Mallory… They already left.”

“So, what am I going to do then? Sleep on a park bench like a homeless person?”

I tugged at my hair as my face teared up.

Dora grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

“Hey, let’s make our way to the city center first. There we can find an inn and perhaps a carriage we can rent for you.”

“Ohhh…”

I felt all my strength leave me.

Nonetheless, I put on a fake smile for Dora. Just then, I heard a most familiar voice.

“What’s wrong?”

It was Noah.

When did he get here?

“Wha… Ah. Noah.”

I briefly hesitated and crumpled the letter that was in my pocket.

“You haven’t left yet?” I asked as I glanced at the Yurielle family’s carriage which was waiting among the others in front of the school.

“I wanted to say goodbye before I left. So, I came looking for you.”

Noah blinked his eyes and opened his mouth to speak again. “Everyone has pretty much left except for you. Is something wrong?”

“Well, my family was going to come to pick me up, but something came up and…” I cut myself off and bit my lower lip.

Noah stared down at me. With his own carriage waiting, he offered to help me. “If you’d like, I could give you a ride.”

I was immediately taken aback.

“No, that’s okay. Your family lives all the way on the islands,” I said, frantically waving my hands back and forth in the air.

In the end, I imagined him giving me a ride and stopping by where my family lived. He would have to come all the way here to drop me off at home and then he would have to go all the way back to where his family lived on the islands. I knew if I agreed to him helping me out, I would feel bad for Noah for doing this for me and feel bad for the coachman as well. The feeling was such that I quickly scrambled out of the carriage before the journey could start.

“You’re too kind, Noah. But I think I’ll find another way.”

He was such a gentleman for offering. I smiled and lowered my head.

Once again, my face darkened from loneliness and I bit my lower lip. Someone tapped on my shoulders from behind me.

“Hey, you.”

“Wah-ah!”

Surprised, I rubbed the goosebumps that formed on my ears and turned around to where the voice had come from.

“Why are you here?”

It was Arkhan, smiling from ear to ear. Parked behind him was Count Helis’s carriage.

Damn. Lucky him.

“Seems like you ran into a problem.”

“Huh? It’s nothing. My family just couldn’t come to pick me up is all,” I said, fiddling with the hem of my sleeve with an uncomfortable expression.

Arkhan turned his head towards Noah.

“I see… But who is he?”

“Mind your own business!” I said with alarm and extended my hand and slapped him across the back.

Who does he think he is? He should show his upperclassmen more respect. He doesn’t even seem to care.

I gulped and glanced over at Noah.

As always, he seemed indifferent. He was like that when I confessed to him as he seemed unfazed at that time as well.

Why is this? He looks so arrogant.

My face went pale and I gnawed on my fingernails.

“Uh… I’m going to get going,” Dora said, unable to endure the unsettling atmosphere any longer.

“See you when school starts.”

She patted me on the shoulders and got back in her carriage. When her horse began to depart, she turned to look my way with an excited expression on her face.

Oh. She’s gone. Now what?