The day after the weekend break, it was time for us, children, to decide what to do.
âWhat do you mean, decide what to do? Weâre going to observe.â
âNo.â
I shook my head at Nico, who was as serious as ever.
âThe Academy wash awsho aththacwed recenthwy.â (The Academy was also attacked recently)
âYou mean when Luke and Gill successfully escaped?â
âYesh.â
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.
âWeâre going tho shee how much thhey have changed. Soâ¦â (Weâre going to see how much they have changed. Soâ¦)
âSo?â
âWe canâth jushth go shee. We have tho creathe an incidenth.â (We canât just go see. We have to create an incident)
âWeâll trouble everyone if we do that.â Nico was shocked, but that was the point.
âIthâsh importhanth tho wnow whath tho do in thimesh of emergenciesh.â (Itâs important to know what to do in times of emergencies)
âHmm. So, weâll do something unexpected to test the Academy. Is that what you want to do?â
I nodded at Nico who finally seemed motivated.
âYesh, for thhe Academy.â (Yes, for the Academy)
âBuffo.â
You shouldnât look at me as if to say I was just making an excuse to do as I like. Itâs just an unannounced observation.
âMarw wiww be thhe decoy. Nico, Chrish and Lei wiww run around, and thhenâ¦â (Mark will be the decoy. Nico, Chris and Lei will run around, and thenâ¦)
I grinned and gathered everyone together. Hans and Natlie looked warmly as the three toddlers talked in secret, but Nicoâs guards looked anxious. How pathetic. We were going to the Academy tomorrow. We canât be lax in our preparations. I think my original goal was to go to the Academy to see Nii-sama, but I donât know when that changed. But once I started, I couldnât 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.
âChrish, whereâre your panthsh?â (Chris, where are your pants)
âUnderneath my skirt. See.â
Chris lifted up her fluffy skirt.
âChris! Ladies donât do that sort of thing,â Nico advised, but I nodded.
âPashsh.â (Pass)
âYouâre ready too, right Lei?â
âAi!â
I wasnât going to lift my skirt, but I was wearing a short skirt and frilly pumpkin pants.
âI have prepared for such an occasion.â 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.
âThank God Prince Nicoâs father is in Easter. I didnât have to ask for permission.â
âMarwâ¦â
On closer reflection, I realised that Prince Lambert was working hard in Easter.
âNow, letâs take an unannounced tour around the Academy. Everyone, get in the carriage!â
âââOok!âââ
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 weâre 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.
âWeâre here.â
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 guardsâ room.
The guard spoke to the stopped carriage.
âState your name.â
Before the coachman could answer, a momentary look of amusement flashed across Markâs face as he stepped out of the carriage.
âOh, my bad. Iâm Marcus Molesey.â
âWhat?â
The guardâs voice sounded suspicious, but he must have recognised Markâs grey hair and winter-cloud eyes. Suddenly, a hint of nervousness sounded in his voice.
âThe-the. Four Marquis Molesey?â
âAre there any other Moleseys?â
I could picture Mark raising his eyebrows.
âNo. Then, Mark-sama, is there anything I can help you with?â
âI have business at the Academy. Let me in.â
âYes.â
I heard the rattle of the gate opening and Mark came back. I shook my head.
âFaiw.â (Fail)
âYouâre right. He should have asked me what business I had even if Iâm a Four Marquis and he should have checked in the carriage to see if there were passengers.â
Mark also looked a little bitter. The heavy gates were closed, so a pack of Rug Dragons wouldnât 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.
âThe students enter the Academy through this entrance, and the guests enter through the same entrance or the guest entrance over there, this isâ¦â
âThe bad guysh can enther thhe Academy shthraighth away.â (The bad guys can enter the Academy straight away)
Mark wasnât joking around anymore.
âItâs the same as the time when I went here five years ago. Itâs no surprise, but this isnât 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. Itâs not a playful observation anymore.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âSthop, Marw.â
Mark signalled the carriage to stop.
âI was going to go straight to the faculty building.â
âWeâww enther from here.â
Mark grinned.
âYouâre right. We were going to come unannounced from the start. Alright.â
We got out of the carriage at the entrance for the students. Seeing this, the guards got out of their carriage.
âWeâre entering from here. Weâll start with the first and second grade students on the third floor.â
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.
âWeâre in the middle of class. Please move quietly. Oh, guests? Guests have to go to the faculty building over there first.â
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?
âFaiw.â
Huh? Faiw?â
The teacher, who was still holding the door handle, gaped. Nico saw this and raised his hand and put it down again.
âAlright, letâs go.â
âOkay!â
âAi!â
We ran past the teacherâs feet and into the classroom while screaming.
âWow.â
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.
âGoal! Blackboard!â Nico said, and the extra chairs were dragged over, then we started scribbling on the blackboard.
âLei, you first.â
I reached out and wrote as big as possible.
âLei, is it alright to evidence?â [1]
âNo!â
âIâll draw a flower.â
âIâww draw a Rug Dwagon.â
Thus the unannounced observation began.