The Night Before the Entrance Ceremony
Just one more day remains until I begin my life at the noble academy.
Though I say “one more day,” night has already fallen—so once I close my eyes and awaken, the entrance ceremony will be here.
I feel both anticipation and unease, but I’ve done all I can. Now, I need only wait for that moment to come.
With the ceiling lamp unlit and only the table lamp casting a gentle glow, I sat gazing vaguely out the window—when suddenly, a knock came at the door, much softer than usual.
“Who is it?”
When I called out, a voice I knew well answered from the other side.
“It’s Siana, Master. Forgive the intrusion… May I trouble you for a moment of your time?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
The soft knock must’ve been her way of making sure she wouldn’t wake me, in case I’d already gone to bed.
Sensing her thoughtfulness, I watched as Siana gently opened the door, stepped inside, and made her way to stand before the chair where I sat.
“It’s not like you to come to my room this late. Could this be… the first time?”
“From time to time, at an hour even later than this—when I’m quite sure Master is sound asleep—I quietly come to look upon your face.”
“W-What? You’ve been doing that?”
Seeing my flustered reaction, Siana gave a faint, amused smile.
Then, her gaze drifting toward the window, she spoke softly.
“I assumed you’d be asleep again tonight… No, if I had truly wanted you to be asleep, I could’ve come later, as I usually do. But I didn’t—because, I think, deep down… I wanted to talk with you like this.”
“You… wanted to talk with me? Is that why you came?”
“Yes… more than wanting to speak, I simply wished to be near you.”
“Near me…”
As she shared the reason for her visit, Siana met my eyes—and began to speak words she had long kept hidden.
“Master… tomorrow, you’ll begin your life at the noble academy, won’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“That means starting tomorrow, moments like this—where I get to talk with you—might grow fewer and farther between… And that’s why… I feel lonely.”
For Siana, who stands beside me as a servant in form, to say she’s lonely—those words must’ve come from a place of deep resolve.
In other words, her loneliness is no fleeting thing. It runs deep, and it’s real.
“Siana… It’s true that starting tomorrow, I’ll be going to the academy, so we might not have much time to talk during the day… but we can just make up for it by talking lots at night. And there are bound to be times when I struggle with my studies, so if you ever have a free moment, I’d love your help.”
As I said that, her jewel-like eyes—brilliant and blue—sparkled with light as she replied.
“My hands exist for your sake, Master! So please, whenever you need me, don’t hesitate to say the word!”
“Thanks, Siana… It’s late, so make sure you get some rest too, alright?”
“Yes, Master! Please excuse me!”
With a bow, Siana gracefully turned and left the room.
Some vague unease had been lingering within me—but thanks to her, it melted away, and I slipped peacefully into sleep.
Siana’s Side
Back in her room, Siana found her lips curling into a gentle smile as Lux’s words echoed through her mind.
Watching her from across the room, a tall girl clad in a black hood, who had been waiting in silence, spoke with a trace of exasperation.
“Ojou-sama, did Rodwell-sama say something especially pleasant to you?”
Since she’d been ordered to remain in Siana’s room, the hooded girl had no knowledge of what transpired between Siana and Lux.
“Well, he didn’t exactly say anything in particular… It’s just, Lux-kun is always so gentle. Sigh… I wish I could love him not as a maid, but as Felisiana.”
“And tomorrow’s entrance ceremony is the first step toward that dream, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. These past few days, I didn’t focus on drawing closer to him as a maid. I poured all of myself into getting closer to him as Felisiana—the Third Princess—at the noble academy’s entrance ceremony.”
There’ll be plenty of chances in the future to grow closer as a maid—but the opportunity to do so as Felisiana is rare. And that’s why Siana devoted every hour of these past few days to tomorrow’s ceremony.
“If you’ve prepared so earnestly, Ojou-sama, then failure isn’t even a possibility.”
“Perhaps… though, if there is one thing that could ruin everything…”
“One thing? Then I’ll take care of it. Tell me—what is it?”
Siana paused for a heartbeat before answering.
“…Nerves.”
“…I’m sorry, what?”
The hooded girl blinked, clearly caught off guard, as Siana hastily elaborated.
“I mean—tomorrow, I’ll be standing before Lux-kun not as a maid, but as the Third Princess Felisiana. It’ll be the first time since we were children! And if I’m appearing as a princess, I won’t be in my usual maid outfit—I’ll be wearing a formal dress. Just imagining Lux-kun seeing me like that makes me so nervous, and if we actually talk face-to-face, I just know my heart’s going to be racing like crazy and I’ll probably end up——”
As Siana’s voice tumbled on and on with reasons for her nerves, the hooded girl let out a long, patient sigh. But even so, watching her Ojou-sama light up with excitement made her feel strangely reassured—and even a little fond.
——And so, the day of the noble academy’s entrance ceremony dawned.