Chapter 21
Even before returning to the past, I had already decided to give everything up, return to my territory, find a pretty wife, and build a happy family. Perhaps this was an opportunity. This time, I thought I should truly live lazily like a grasshopper.
I was the third son of House Monetery. I was the son of House Monetery, which owned a trading company so wealthy that people said even if all the water in the Aizan Sea—supposedly the largest in the empire—dried up, House Monetery’s money would never run dry. It was practically the same as being able to live a luxurious life forever. When I could spend my entire life in warmth and comfort without doing anything, doing the foolish thing of deliberately suffering was something I’d done enough of once.
This time, I’ll truly live like a wastrel, squandering the family fortune. Even when I received the title of Duke Gladius before, it would be a lie to say I didn’t regret having to give up my inheritance rights to House Monetery.
If I had won Kyle’s heart, would I have made the same choice in this life? Would I have made him Emperor again? Useless thoughts crossed my mind. But there was no one here to answer those questions. Blair tossed aside the pink flower he had picked earlier and leisurely left the garden.
The day to return to the academy was approaching quickly. Blair spent his time at home dedicating as much as possible to contemplation. He reached one conclusion: this time, he would live a life minimally entangled with Kyle, find a pretty and kind wife, and build an ordinary, happy family.
In truth, when he thought about it, it wasn’t anything special. But since it was something he couldn’t achieve in his previous life, he seemed to have quite a lingering attachment to it. It felt even more so because it wasn’t that he couldn’t achieve it by choice—he had prepared everything and only needed to leave, but his will had been broken by external circumstances.
Anyway, this time he planned to keep some distance from Kyle. He had already been planning to end his unrequited love before returning anyway. No matter how beautiful and good a person Kyle was, fifteen years of unrequited love was enough. Continuing would be too cruel to himself. This time, he wanted to find a kind partner at the academy and marry early.
In the past, Theodore had married quite late but had two children. Clara hadn’t married and instead kept ten handsome male concubines with her beautiful face and good figure. Back then, Clara had only one niece or nephew, but now Blair was curious about how the two would live this time. Come to think of it, he had never seen Clara’s daughter in the past. This time, he wanted to marry normally like his sister and brother, and have two or three children.
After organizing his thoughts, his body recovered quickly. The morning of his return to the academy dawned. Blair climbed into a carriage made of sandalwood prepared by his family and leaned back against the seat. He had been attending the academy for a year already, so he must have spent about a year in the dormitory, but somehow he couldn’t remember anything.
That made sense. For Blair, being sixteen was seventeen years ago. It was nearly 20 years ago, so it was impossible for those memories to remain clear. His brows furrowed severely. Though his memories were blurry, he was confident he would do well once he got there. Although he hadn’t properly graduated from the academy because he had rushed to the battlefield, his grades during his time at the academy had been fairly good. He was particularly proud of his swordsmanship, which he had built up through actual combat.
The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the academy. Everyone seemed to have rested well at their family homes in various regions, as a long line of carriages waited to enter the academy. Blair looked outside through the carriage window and made a promise to himself.
Just live an ordinary life. This time, just live quietly, and when the time comes, if there’s a woman who suits me, I’ll meet her and marry her. Peacefully and smoothly. Have a child or two.
‘This time I’ll really live an ordinary life. I won’t wield a sword and rush to the battlefield, won’t become a Grand General or a Duke, but will live as a complete idler. I’ll graduate from the academy normally and just play the role of the stupid, inadequate youngest son who squanders the family fortune.’
Blair made a firm resolution as he gathered his belongings and got out of the carriage. Although his resolve was quite different from that of ordinary people, he had conviction and justification for wanting to live that way.
“Well then, young master. Take care for another year.”
“Yes. Return safely, and give my regards to my parents. Tell them I’ve arrived well.”
“Of course, young master. Please take care of your health.”
The coachman, who had been driving Blair since childhood, smiled brightly, adjusted his hat, and drove the carriage away from the main road in front of the academy.
“Oof.”
No matter how minimally he packed, the luggage for a year’s stay was by no means light. Inside the academy, students were encouraged to wear uniforms to eliminate status gaps and psychological discrimination between students. Students passing by in identical uniform designs caught his eye. Though Blair was small compared to his peers now, he would soon grow tall like bamboo.
The fully grown Blair had been a tall, handsome man. Kyle was also tall with a good frame, but Blair, trained through actual combat, had well-balanced muscles that looked very good. His slender, long limbs enhanced his appearance. Between the two tall men, only Aaron with his small stature and height seemed to sink into the ground, though his temperamental nature made up for the height difference.
He had brought the uniform he wore last year. But when he checked the uniform at home, the sleeves and pants were so short that it seemed impossible to wear. It looked like he would need to buy a new uniform. Blair carefully put away his jingling money pouch. Though the influence of Monetery’s trading company extended to the city where the academy was located, so he didn’t have to worry about money, there was no reason to deliberately lose what he had. Including what Clara had given him, the pouch contained several years’ worth of living expenses for commoners.
“Your name?”
When Blair stood before the clerk managing the dormitory, the man asked for his name without even looking up.
“Blair Shuho Monetery.”
It had been a long time since he had uttered his childhood full name. Speaking the name Blair Shuho Monetery made one corner of his heart feel complicated. He would no longer be called Duke Gladius or Grand General. This time, he would likely live his entire life with the name Monetery. This time, he wouldn’t deliberately twist fate or live outside his family.
“Second year, I see. Second-years use the fifth floor. Here’s your key.”
Blair took the key handed to him with a businesslike attitude and gathered his luggage. There were double or multi-person rooms, but nobles who made large donations were often secretly assigned single rooms. No matter how haughtily the academy might behave, it was still a place governed by power. Of course, Blair’s room was a single. Blair didn’t particularly refuse the privilege that was granted to him. He believed there was no need to refuse what was permitted, though he wouldn’t force things that weren’t allowed.
The corridor was by no means unfamiliar to Blair. Though the memories had been buried nearly twenty years ago, the school he returned to after so long was awakening his old memories one by one. He remembered Aaron, who whined about getting a stiff neck after falling asleep while studying in the library, and Kyle, who wore multiple layers of clothing like a large snowman when he caught a severe cold.
Blair unlocked the door and unpacked his belongings in the room. It wasn’t very spacious, but it was serviceable enough. The furniture and household items were neatly arranged. Since lower grades were assigned higher floors, Blair’s dormitory was on the top floor. As grades advanced, students would use rooms on lower floors. From Blair’s room, still in a lower grade, the entire view of the academy could be seen. Standing by the window, Blair surveyed the academy.
It was a very novel feeling. Just as he had done before, he would be able to do well this time too. And he wanted to do well.
Blair tried on the uniform he had brought. Even when just held against his body, the sleeves were short, exposing his wrist bones. It seemed he was entering a full-fledged growth period. Blair headed to the academy store that sold uniforms. Of course, he could have custom-made uniforms separately, but he didn’t want to do that for uniforms he wouldn’t wear for long. Having experienced war with limited resources, Blair had an economic sense unusual for a rich man’s son.
“Welcome.”
Entering the uniform shop with the employee’s guidance, it was more deserted than he expected. Everyone else seemed to have already purchased their uniforms. Blair looked at the uniforms hanging loosely. The employee, with a strong work ethic, immediately approached and took out a uniform for him.
“Which year are you in?”
“I’m entering my second year.”
“Looking at you, I think this size would be appropriate. Seeing your large hands and feet and long limbs, I think you’ll grow tall very soon.”
The employee smiled brightly as he selected clothes. The academy’s uniforms had small patterns on the collar to distinguish the grade. From red to black, each color corresponded to grades one through eight. Second year was green. After buying a uniform that fit at this shop, the pattern would be embroidered separately on the collar.
“Would you like to try it on to see if it fits?”
“Yes.”
Blair took the clothes the clerk had selected and walked toward the changing room. As Blair was about to enter an empty changing room, someone walked out of the neighboring changing room whose door had been closed.
Blair was startled when his eyes met with the person coming out of the changing room. Vivid blonde hair. Blue eyes like the sea itself had been melted down. Large, aristocratic almond-shaped eyes with no impediments and a perfectly straight nose like in a painting. Plump scarlet lips and an oval face.
Those who saw him unanimously declared without hesitation that he had the most beautiful appearance they had ever seen in their lives. People unanimously praised him as having the most beautiful appearance among all the people they had ever seen.
Kyle Owentree Crassia. The Second Prince of this empire.
Of course Blair had thought he would meet Kyle sometime since Kyle was also attending this academy. But he hadn’t expected to encounter him immediately upon returning to the academy. Kyle was two years older than him. If so, he would be eighteen now, making him a fourth-year student. Originally, in the past, Kyle and Blair had become close only after Blair turned eighteen.
Though there were some classes that second-years and fourth-years took together, so he had been prepared to face him eventually. But he hadn’t expected to encounter him in such an unexpected state.
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
