Kays Translations

Chapter 12: Iris Zefarm

The end of December.

At the National Academy of Magic, there was a charity event organized by the fifth grade students which were the highest grade.

The fifth graders would set up a bazaar and food stalls in the schoolyard and invite the public.

There were about ten large cloth tents in the schoolyard, and I was in charge of selling chocolate cake.

It is a cake with apricot jam sandwiched in the middle of kneaded-chocolate dough, and coated entirely with fondant chocolate.

The sweetness is just right for a winter snack.

Cakes baked in the school kitchen were brought in one after another by the classmates in charge of cooking, and we sell them in the school yard.

“This is a failure. I should have been in charge of the soup.”

Mac complains as he cuts the whole cake into eight equal pieces in the cold, almost flickering snow.

Even his breath is white. It’s not easy to be a vendor in the schoolyard all the time.

It’s like training for something.

If you ask me, the soup section looks a little better than the chocolate-covered cakes because the products are warm.

“But wouldn’t it have been better if you were in charge of the kitchen?”

“Well, Casa-chi is in charge of the kitchen. But, you know, if I baked this, it would be a disaster — oh, welcome, would you like some cake?”

With a quick smile, I show the cake to an elderly couple passing by the store.

There were a lot of visitors in the schoolyard.

Not only the neighbors but also the parents and friends of the academy come to visit in large numbers every year.

The Crow family didn’t come because they are far from the royal capital. 

Even though I had no choice, I honestly felt jealous when I saw my classmates selling the products to their parents who came with a proud look on their faces.

There were many carriages lined up at the parking lot next to the school grounds. 

It was quite an impressive sight to see all the carriages of various sizes lined up, all of which had been ridden by visitors to the school.

Then, a new, magnificent carriage arrived, attracting the attention of the students in the schoolyard.

“Wow, that carriage is amazing. Whose carriage is it?”

Mac muttered to himself as he put away the money he had received from the customer in a can with a lid.

The carriage was very luxurious. 

The dark brown body of the carriage was lavishly decorated with silver ornaments, and the two chestnut-haired horses pulling it were well groomed and well-maintained.

“My guess is that there’s a Jijibaba (old man) on board. I’m guessing he’s the type who loves his grandchildren so much he’ll buy them anything they want.”

“Will he buy the rest of the cake?”

“That would be nice. I hope it’s an old man with a sweet tooth.”

I noticed that all the vendors had stopped and were all staring at the prominent carriage.

The door of the carriage opens, and a girl emerges from inside.

Mac shouted in surprise.

“Oh, I didn’t expect that. It’s a girl!”

At that moment, I screamed in my heart.

The fork in my hand slipped and fell to the table with a thud.

I can’t believe my eyes.

Although I was supposed to be working as a vendor in the schoolyard of the National Academy of Magic, I couldn’t figure out where I was for a while.

A beautiful girl in a light purple dress with a white fur scarf wrapped around her.

She was coming towards the store, exhaling white breath and smiling adorably.

At the sight, my breath stopped.

–Oh, no way.

(You’re kidding, in a place like this? That girl…)

Wanting to hold on to something, I clutched the stall pole with my right hand.

“Gideon!” 

The girl waved her hand in a high, clear voice and headed straight for the stall selling cookies.

“Iris? You came…”

Gideon, who was setting up freshly baked cookies in the store, looks up in surprise.

Iris crosses the street in front of me and stands in front of the cookie stall in the back.

Feeling a sudden chill, I hugged my arms around my cloak.

(I can’t believe I’m seeing you again without any warning!)

Iris Zefarm. Daughter of the Marquess of Zefarm.

A childhood friend of Gideon’s. And the last time I saw her, she became a saint in less than a year.

Of course, there was no way she could have known that, and Iris was smiling innocently.

“I heard it from Duchess Lancaster! The Duchess Lancaster told me that this is Gideon’s year to be a vendor. Hey, please show me around the academy!”

Iris pulled Gideon out of the store and entwined her hand in his arm, looking up at him indulgently.

“I’d like to see more of the National Academy of Magic.”

“I have to sell at the store. Sorry, I can’t leave yet.”

Gideon gently pulled his arm out of Iris’s hand. 

Immediately afterwards, a male classmate, who was also selling cookies, shouted loudly.

“Gideon, who is that really pretty girl?”

All the classmates at the nearby stall turned their attention to Iris and Gideon at the sound of his undoubtedly buoyant voice.

Gideon replied with a wry smile.

“It’s our neighbor, Iris of the Marquis of Zefarm.”

The girls of Gideon’s Guard were buzzing. 

They were all staring at Iris with their mouths agape, as if they were trying to figure her out.

Mac poked me with his elbow.

“Gideon’s childhood friend is a very beautiful girl.”

Iris was indeed beautiful.

Her loosely curled hair was as shiny as the sun, and her white cheeks were dyed a light vermilion from the cold, making her look so smooth that I wanted to touch her cheeks when I stared at them.

Her large, lovely eyes were particularly impressive, and they were honey-colored with a gentle warmth.

She was a bit small, but in contrast to her sweet, innocent, girl-like face, she had a seductive figure that drew the eye in, and her dangerous imbalance was also eye-catching.

“Hey, I’m going to fall in love with her…”

The boys at the food stall were looking at Iris with their noses in the air.

“Thank you everyone for your hard work today!”

Iris smiled at the students in the stall, then pinched the hem of her dress, bent her knees and bowed. 

The hem of her light purple dress spread softly with air. 

The flowing movement was refined and beautiful.

A few of the boys let out sighs of admiration.

“They all look so delicious! I want to buy them all.”

“Wow, she’s so nice!” 

And the boys lowered the corners of their eyes slackly.

Iris was definitely this kind of girl. 

With her innocent charm, she was able to hide her cunning nature and charm people.

But I have a special memory of her.

“The accused, Liesel Crow, is hereby sentenced to death.”

At the moment the verdict was pronounced, in my despair, I did indeed see. 

I saw Iris raise her pale red lips faintly and smile at my verdict in the shadow of her fan.

With those innocent eyes, her clear voice, and her innocent demeanor that seemed to know no dirt at all. 

She was the one who tricked me. 

And she smiled at the verdict that I would be executed.

Of course, I couldn’t see even a glimpse of that in the present Iris.

Iris looked around our stall with a beaming smile that seemed to loosen her mouth a little.

When she comes to the cake stall, I just move to the back so that I don’t have to serve her.

However, the result might have been the same even if I hadn’t moved back because another boy with his nose in the air intervened and took over as a vendor on his own.

A charity concert was held in the evening.

Fifth graders who are good at playing instruments, teachers, and about ten members of the Royal Orchestra participate in the concert without pay, so the quality of the performance is maintained at a very high level every year.

I’m not good at playing an instrument, so every year I joined the general audience to listen to the music.

Relieved that we had somehow managed to sell out of chocolate cake, I went with Mac and Cynthia to the concert hall.

The Academy of Magic had a magnificent hall.

A wooden stage was set up in the back, with a crimson velvet curtain over it. 

In front of the stage, there were white chairs with fluffy seats and backrests.

The ceiling was also beautifully decorated with detailed paintings of the countryside and angels.

The front row was already full of people, and Iris was among them.

I took a seat as far away from her as possible.

Mac, who was sitting next to me, looked around the whole time and didn’t seem to be listening to the performance at all. 

Or maybe he was just not interested in the performance from the beginning.

The first song was a heavy religious piece, perfect for winter.

Listening to it while looking out the window at the cloudy sky added to the flavor.

The next song was a change of pace, a light-hearted song. 

The expressions of the students sitting in their seats seemed to lighten up.

I glanced over at Mac, he was asleep. 

I guess he was completely uninterested in the orchestra.

It was rude to the performers, so I gently moved my left elbow and poked Mac to wake him up.

Mac straightened up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to keep himself awake.

While Mac was staring at the stage with his eyes unusually wide open, trying not to fall asleep, the waltz began.

He smiled happily, tilted his face toward mine and said in a small voice,

“‘Blue Reich River,’ that’s this song. I don’t know much about music, but I know that one!

“That’s right. It’s a popular song.”

That was all I could answer.

It was a cheerful song in three beats, but it made my heart squeeze tightly. 

If I listened to it normally, it would be a joyful song that would make my heart skip a beat.

It’s a really famous song that even toddlers know. 

It’s a song that all Leia people love.

From the wounds that were supposed to be closed, from the feelings that were covered up, a memory came back to me as if it was leaking out from deep inside my chest.

I had a memory that came back with this music.

This was the music I used to listen to in the royal palace.

I closed my eyes tightly and looked down at my knees with my hands on them.

(It’s okay. Because this is a future that shouldn’t come to me anymore…)

Or it could be said to be a lost past.

Behind my closed eyelids, the scenes of those days come flooding back like a running lantern.

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