Chapter 20: Leaving So Easily

The dining hall was already empty.

This place, prepared for the servants, had few windows. The afternoon light could not penetrate the room, leaving it quite dim.

Harvey held his tray and stood before the stone sink in the corner.

The sink was constructed from rough-hewn stones, and a wooden bucket filled with clear water sat beside it.

He scooped a ladle of water from the bucket and slowly poured it into the stone basin.

The clear stream carried a delicate coolness that easily soothed one’s heart.

Clearly, water magic existed in this world, yet people still had to carry water bucket by bucket to wash things.

After all, magic had always been the privilege of the nobility.

Harvey lowered his head to wash his tray, but his thoughts drifted away before he knew it.

He suddenly remembered a book he had read before.

The book said the continent once had an incredibly glorious Magic Era.

A great mage had established a magic system that everyone could use and personally negotiated with various races across the continent to promote racial integration.

It was an incredible era.

The humans of that new era built floating cities, completely changing the appearance of the earth.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Unfortunately.

That was only a world found in a storybook.

The water fell into the stone basin, making a thin, monotonous sound that interrupted his wandering mind.

Splash—

Splash—

The sound was exceptionally clear in the empty dining hall.

Harvey felt he had to think about something else.

Otherwise, he would keep picturing the Head Maid’s cold gaze.

Indifferent, scrutinizing.

As if he were someone plotting a conspiracy.

He did not understand why everyone had to look at him that way.

Even someone as upright and fair as the Head Maid looked at him with a hint of strange wariness.

As if he would turn into a schemer the moment he had an opportunity.

As if he would bewitch Lavia.

As if he would cling to power and seek something that did not belong to him.

Harvey frowned.

Clearly, many things had never been his to decide.

He had always been the one being managed.

Watching the plate become shiny under the water, Harvey dazed out for a while.

That familiar sense of powerlessness slowly crawled up from his chest.

Like a hand, it lightly pressed against his throat.

It was not enough to suffocate him, but it made his breathing very heavy.

“…Is it because I’m a slave?”

The thought he had been unwilling to admit slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Harvey looked at his pale palm and suddenly smashed it into the water.

To him, the massive Duke’s Mansion felt like a giant cage.

It always gave him an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Putting the tray away, Harvey walked out of the dining hall to meet the brilliant spring day.

The courtyard nearby radiated vibrant life.

He squinted his eyes, unaccustomed to such intense light.

In a daze, he thought of Lavia.

A beautiful and excellent person would always attract attention no matter what she did.

Furthermore, she possessed such magnificent ice magic.

Harvey looked at his raised palm.

By contrast, the magic he had learned was…

Cold.

Heavy.

Its mere existence was enough to make one tremble with fear.

Recalling that power gave him a strange sensation.

‘It feels as if I’m standing on the edge of a cliff.’

‘I’ll be lucky if such power isn’t treated as heresy,’ Harvey thought, feeling anxious about his future.

Especially since, up until now, he still could not perceive the Mana Elements in the air.

That was the starting point of magic.

Unfortunately, at this point, the Head Maid certainly would not be willing to teach him magic anymore.

As for the Academy—there was still one week left, and Harvey did not think a single sentence from Lavia could settle such an important matter.

He always felt there would be a new complication.

He was a male servant; how could he possibly enter the Academy’s girls’ dormitory to serve Lavia?

Harvey lowered his head in silence, feeling a bit discouraged.

He craved freedom more and more.

—

Harvey stood before the magnificent gates of the Main Castle with a small cloth bag in his hand, looking bewildered.

He had only been to this place a few times.

In front of the Main Castle’s gates was a wide carriage path, about 40 meters long.

Once he crossed the front courtyard and stepped through those iron gates, he would reach the world of freedom.

Harvey subconsciously glanced back.

The high towers of the Duke’s Mansion looked solemn and cold in the afternoon sun, their grayish-white stone walls extending straight up like silent spears piercing the sky.

He had lived here for fourteen years.

At this moment, it looked somewhat unfamiliar.

Fourteen years of time.

And now, he could leave so easily?

The intense sense of unreality made his breathing quicken.

Back then, when he was first brought into the Duke’s Mansion, he spent every day in fear, terrified of being kicked out.

His parents, who had died for the Duke’s family, had no way to protect him when he was only four years old.

It was not until later that he gradually became familiar with life here.

The kitchens, hallways, laundry rooms, and servant dorms.

He had left his footprints in every corner of the Duke’s Mansion.

Now, he was really leaving.

Today was the day to return to school.

Although the Royal Academy of Magic was within the Royal Capital, the Duke’s Mansion had still made meticulous preparations.

Most of the necessities had been sent to the Academy over the past two days, with the Duke’s Mansion’s maids arriving ahead of time to organize the dormitory.

Two luxuriously understated carriages were parked in the front courtyard, the Duke’s Crest carved into the doors. Two beautiful horses stood quietly at the front, occasionally flicking their tails.

Harvey stood awkwardly on the steps, his eyes filled with both anticipation and nervousness.

The old coachman was already in the driver’s seat, eyeing him curiously.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the Main Castle behind him.

There was more than one person.

Amidst the rustle of dresses, the low murmurs of maids talking drifted out from the hall.

Harvey hurried to one side and bowed respectfully.

Several maids stepped out of the gate first, lining up on either side.

Then —

Harvey followed the sound of the footsteps and looked over, his face filled with surprise.

Today, Lavia wore a magnificent court gown.

The long lines of the dress cinched perfectly at the waist, while the layered hem maintained the dignity expected of a noble lady. The light blue fabric shimmered slightly in the sunlight, with delicate embroidery extending along the edges.

Her water-blue hair was tucked under a wide-brimmed hat.

A thin veil hung from the brim, obscuring most of her face.

It only revealed her thin, delicate lips.

The maids crowded around her as she walked out, everyone’s gaze falling upon their Eldest Miss.

That noble and beautiful aura made people instinctively look up to her.

Standing there, Harvey suddenly did not know where to look.

Lavia walked toward the carriage.

Then, as if sensing something, she turned her head slightly.

Through the veil, those azure eyes looked at Harvey.

Their gazes met briefly for a second.

No words were spoken, but those red lips curved slightly upward.

Lavia quickly withdrew her gaze and stepped up to the carriage, surrounded by her maids.

The hem of her skirt swayed slightly on the steps, and then her figure disappeared.

The carriage door closed.

Harvey still stood there like a fool.

He was unsure of what to do. Should he get directly into a carriage?

Or should he walk behind?

Or…

While he was still hesitating, the sound of crisp footsteps approached from the side.

Harvey turned his head.

It was actually Evelyn, whom he had not greeted in a long time.

The moment he saw her, Harvey instinctively took a step back.

“Good morning, Head Maid.”

She was not wearing her familiar Head Maid uniform today.

In its place was a sharp, dark-colored Western-style dress. The hem had no complicated patterns and only reached her calves, revealing her straight legs clad in black stockings.

On her feet were long boots designed for easy movement.

She still wore gloves, and she looked even more capable than usual.

And even more like a stranger.

Evelyn stopped beside him, taking no notice of Harvey’s backward step.

She spoke flatly, “What are you dazed for?”

Harvey finally snapped out of it.

“I… I’m sorry.”

He subconsciously gripped his cloth bag. “Should I follow behind the carriage? Or…”

“…”

Evelyn took a deep breath.

“Get in,” she said coldly. “Miss Lavia is already waiting.”

It seemed that even when she was about to go out, she still maintained that cold posture.

Harvey nodded and hesitantly walked toward the other carriage.

Evelyn seemed to notice his hesitation.

“Once you arrive at the Academy, you must be careful with your words and actions. It is filled with the children of noble families; you must treat them with more caution and prudence.”

Was it because he looked unreliable that he finally heard the Head Maid speak so many words?

Then why had no one suggested replacing him?

Was it because he was equally an eyesore in the Duke’s Mansion?

Recalling the scene of the two of them in the same place last week, Harvey fell silent for a moment.

“…Yes.”

Evelyn watched his back.

‘This youth might never come back’ — the absurd thought suddenly rose in her mind.

Her gaze lingered on Harvey’s profile before she quickly looked away.

“Also.”

“Do not cause trouble for the Eldest Miss.”