Distance
Lux’s Side
Felisiana-sama and I had been chatting cheerfully, but as the sun dipped below the horizon, it was time for her to return home. I walked her to the front gate, where her carriage was waiting.
“Thank you, Lux-kun. I truly had a wonderful time today.”
“I did too! Thank you so much, Felisiana-sama!”
After expressing my gratitude to Felisiana-sama, I turned to Violet-san.
“Thank you as well, Violet-san!”
“No, thank you, Rodwell-sama!”
Bowing her head slightly as she spoke, Violet-san offered her thanks. As she straightened, Felisiana-sama’s voice followed.
“Let’s talk again at the Royal Exchange coming up at the academy, Lux-kun.”
The Royal Exchange—held once a month by the noble academy—is exactly what it sounds like: a gathering for royalty and the academy’s students, future leaders of the realm, to connect and build ties.
Felisiana-sama had visited once for the entrance ceremony, so I assumed it would be a while before we saw any royalty again. But before I realized it, I’d already spent more than half a month at the academy.
That exchange isn’t far off now.
“Yes, I’m already looking forward to speaking with you again, Felisiana-sama!”
With those final words, Felisiana-sama and Violet-san boarded the carriage, which rolled away and soon disappeared from sight.
Today, I got to see a new side of Felisiana-sama. It felt like the distance between us had shrunk—and that made me genuinely happy.
Siana’s Side
Siana, once again dressed in her maid uniform, and Violet, having shed her outfit and pulled on a black hood, were walking side by side toward the Rodwell estate.
“Today’s plan was mostly a success. I definitely managed to get closer to Lux-kun as Felisiana,” Siana said.
Violet gave a small nod. “Yes. But Rodwell-sama still seems somewhat guarded. We’ll need to close that distance gently, with care.”
“I know. The real turning point will be at the Royal Exchange.”
“Yes… though it’ll be harder to orchestrate everything perfectly, the way we did today.”
Unlike today, where they had spoken one-on-one, the Royal Exchange would be a formal gathering with numerous students and members of royalty present.
While student interaction is part of the event, its main purpose is to bring royalty and noble students together.
But that wasn’t what weighed on Siana and Violet’s minds.
“That woman… I doubt she’s realized that I, as the maid Siana, am the same person. But if I make even one wrong move at the Royal Exchange, my identity could be exposed—no, what’s worse is the thought that she might stay by Lux-kun’s side.”
“You mean Florence-sama. She’s certainly someone we can’t afford to underestimate. However, since the exchange is led by royalty, I believe we’ll have the upper hand.”
“True. There are plenty of ways to handle it. I’ll worry about the details later.”
With that, Siana took a deep breath—then suddenly burst out in a cheerful voice.
“In that case, shall we talk about what happened with Lux-kun today? First off, I was so happy I finally got to drink tea that he made! Normally, I’m the one making tea as Siana, so I never get that chance.”
She said it with a gleam of excitement, then continued.
“Of course, just having Lux-kun drink tea that I’ve made is enough to make me incredibly happy. But getting to taste the tea he brewed—it was a completely different kind of happiness.”
Picking up even more steam, she went on.
“And Lux-kun praised me so much when I was acting as Siana! Speaking of praise, he looked me straight in the eyes and called me beautiful! As Siana, I already knew he thought Felisiana was beautiful, but hearing it directly like that—it really does hit differently! Oh, and the look in his eyes when we parted ways… when he said he was looking forward to our next conversation… those eyes! That brilliance, that purity, that light—they’re part of what makes Lux-kun so wonderful! Ahh, I really do want to get engaged to him as soon as possible.”
Like that, Siana continued talking endlessly about Lux, her words bubbling with joy. But as they neared the Rodwell estate, she turned to Violet.
“—I believe the progress I made with Lux-kun today is largely thanks to you. I’m grateful.”
“Thank you, Ojou-sama.”
Once back at the estate, Siana and the concealed Violet stepped inside. Siana then made her way to Lux’s room and knocked gently on his door.
“Master, I’ve returned. May I come in?”
“Siana! Yeah, come on in.”
Hearing his voice from inside, Siana opened the door and stepped into the room.
There, Lux welcomed her with a bright, joyful expression.
“Welcome back, Siana!”
“Yes, Master.”
“It was a little lonely without you here today… but I feel like I got even closer to Felisiana-sama.”
Hearing that he’d missed her made Siana’s heart leap, and hearing him say he’d grown closer to Felisiana—herself—only made her happier. She tried her hardest to keep the smile off her lips.
“I-I see, Master.”
“Yeah! Felisiana-sama is really kind and beautiful. I honestly want to talk to her even more!”
Being praised, albeit indirectly, Siana’s cheeks flushed pink as she replied.
“I-I see… That’s… wonderful to hear.”
Afterward, Lux told her about his day. When the conversation naturally came to a close, Siana quietly left his room and returned to her own.
There, Violet—now revealed again—greeted her.
“He praised you, didn’t he, Ojou-sama?”
“I almost couldn’t stop myself from smiling…”
With that quiet confession, Siana and Violet began discussing the upcoming Royal Exchange—now just about a week away.