Chapter 7
“There will be plenty of friends your age when you get there. Since this is your first time going to Follet, Raon might come as well,” Gloria said, gently holding Ellen’s hand in the carriage.
“Raon?” Ellen asked.
“The Crown Prince, your cousin. You probably haven’t seen him since you were a baby. He’s four years older than you, and when you were a baby, he used to think you were so cute. The way a baby looks at another baby is just adorable.”
Gloria smiled fondly at the thought of her cute nephew, and Ellen, seeing her mother smile, couldn’t help but beam as well.
“I think he’ll be a good older brother. Huh? Mom, isn’t that the Carzel family’s carriage over there?” Ellen pointed outside as she noticed a familiar carriage.
“I heard that Roil will be attending from this year as well. It’ll be nice for you, Ellen, to know someone there.”
Gloria’s words were true, and Ellen nodded in agreement. When in an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar faces, knowing someone could make all the difference.
Soon, the carriages of the Quintar and Carzel families arrived at the teleportation office. Gloria, Ellen, Diana, and Roil got off the carriage, exchanging brief greetings before quickly entering the office. The scheduled time with the teleportation office in the capital was fast approaching.
In order to use the teleportation circle, both offices needed to communicate and infuse mana simultaneously.
In the past, when magic was more abundant, it was possible to use a circle with mana from just one office, but now there were very few magicians with enough mana to do so.
“Ladies from the Quintar family, please enter the capsule first. The young lady must be carried by an adult. Please wait a moment, the Carzel family,” the office manager instructed as he greeted them.
Following the manager’s instructions, Marsha lifted Ellen and, together with Gloria, entered the capsule.
Ellen wrapped her arms around Marsha’s neck and looked around. The inside of the capsule appeared so old, it made her wonder if it might malfunction.
‘It looked fine from the outside. I hope it doesn’t break down…’
As they waited for a while, yellow and blue lights suddenly erupted inside the capsule.
✿ ✿ ✿
When Ellen, who had instinctively closed her eyes, slowly opened them again, she saw a completely different view. The inside of the capsule now appeared opulent, almost as if it had been coated in gold leaf.
‘This is incredible… in a different way.’
As Ellen marveled at the interior, a man who appeared to be the head of the teleportation office in the capital approached them, opening the capsule door and greeting them politely.
“Welcome, Countess Quintar, Lady Quintar.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they stepped out of the capsule and waited just a little while, until Diana, Roil, and Emma, Roil’s nurse, emerged from the capsule. Ellen’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw people materialize out of nowhere inside the capsule, with the light flashing.
She hesitantly approached the capsule and touched it with her finger. It felt just like a carriage… but still, it was amazing.
“Welcome, Countess Carzel, Lord Roil.”
The office manager greeted them once again, but this time, when he noticed Ellen touching the capsule, he gently pulled her finger away and secured the capsule door again.
“It might have been a strain on your body from the teleportation, so please rest in the lounge for a while.”
After the group moved to the lounge, the manager followed and checked on Ellen and Roil’s conditions.
He asked them whether they felt dizzy or nauseous, but both of them shook their heads to indicate they were fine.
“If you feel unwell later, please make sure to call the doctor. I’ll go meet the others who are arriving soon,” he said before instructing the staff to bring refreshments and leaving the room.
Soon, a staff member brought in the refreshments, and the six of them were left alone in the lounge. Gloria and Diana began chatting.
“Roil, this is your first time at Follet, right?”
As the adults started talking, Ellen and Roil whispered to each other.
“Yeah. I think our age group is starting this year. It’s an annual meeting, so Mother insists I attend every year.”
“My mother said the same. She told me to make a lot of friends.”
Ellen shrugged her shoulders and bit into a cookie before asking, “But, can you really become close to people if you only see them once a year?”
“That’s true. It’ll probably be different when we meet next year, huh?”
Roil agreed with her. He was thinking that if they remembered each other by then, it would be a good start.
As Ellen and Roil questioned the usefulness of the meeting, two women entered the lounge. Gloria and Diana, along with their nurses, immediately stood up in response to the faint sound of footsteps.
Startled by their mothers rising, Ellen and Roil also stood up without fully realizing what was happening.
“It’s been a long time, Duchess Nott. Countess Bruvon.”
“It’s been a while, Countess Quintar, Countess Carzel.”
Six people entered the lounge in total. The glamorous noblewomen, a girl with golden blonde hair, another noblewoman with brown hair styled up neatly, and a girl with reddish-brown hair, along with two nurses.
Ellen immediately recalled the portraits from the noble directory she had seen before coming to the capital. There were too many names to remember, but she remembered that some of the families attending this meeting had portraits that resembled these women.
From the portraits and the greetings, it seemed that the glamorous noblewoman was the Duchess Nott, and the more composed noblewoman with her brown hair styled up was likely Countess Bruvon.
Ellen was more interested in the children than the women, but she first greeted the adults.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ellenor Quintar.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Roilette Carzel.”
After their greetings, the two girls also introduced themselves.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Erica Nott.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Serele Bruvon.”
The girls curtsied and greeted politely, making Ellen smile with delight at their cuteness.
The two girls looked at each other curiously, and noticing this, Duchess Nott smiled and spoke.
“Erica, Serele. This is Lady Quintar and Lord Roil, your peers. Be friendly with them.”
Duchess Nott gently pushed their backs, encouraging them to be kind. Seeing this, Ellen immediately grabbed Roil and walked briskly to another circular table.
“Let’s sit at this table!” Ellen exclaimed, pulling out a chair for herself and giving Erica and Serele a sweet smile.
Roil sat next to her, and after a brief hesitation, Erica and Serele also joined them at the table.
“I’m Ellenor Quintar. You can call me Ellen.”
“I’m Erica Nott. Just call me Erica.”
“I’m Serele Bruvon. Pleased to meet you.”
After Serele finished speaking, Erica turned to Roil and asked, “What about you? What’s your name?”
Erica’s question came with an intense curiosity, as though she were leaning in with invisible antennae.
“Roilette. Roilette Carzel.”
Roil answered briefly, clearly uncomfortable with her probing.
“Carzel? I’ve heard of it… Where’s your territory? Do you have a mansion in the capital? Can I visit?”
Erica ignored Roil’s terse response, supporting her chin with both hands as she asked with a bright smile.
Her voice, tone, expression, and gestures all clearly indicated that she was interested in Roil.
Ellen, watching this, noticed that Serele was looking at her and nodded with a knowing smile.
‘Wow… we just met, and she’s already like this?’
Ellen found the situation fascinating.
How would Roil respond?
Ellen glanced at him, and he looked just as uncomfortable as she had expected. He seemed to have noticed Erica’s interest in him—he wasn’t entirely oblivious after all.
“…My territory is in the north. My mansion in the capital is…”
Ellen saw that Roil was clearly flustered.
‘What’s the address of the capital mansion? I’ve never heard of it.’
She wondered if it was normal to know such an address. Would it seem strange if he didn’t know?
Roil hesitated for a moment, trying to make up an answer.
“Noble mansions are mostly in the Granber district. Is it there?”
Serele, seemingly trying to help, answered in a clear voice.
“Uh… yeah. Probably?”
Despite Roil’s uncertain response, Erica beamed with happiness.
For the next while, Erica asked Roil more questions, and Roil answered awkwardly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Ellen and Serele quietly watched this, occasionally stepping in to help when Roil seemed to be struggling.
Ellen found it interesting how Serele, despite her young age, could read the atmosphere and was sensitive to other people’s feelings. It was clear how the two girls, Erica and Serele, had formed a friendship.
The tea and snacks were hardly touched, and as the tea began to cool, the women stood up.
“Erica, it’s time to go.”
Leading the way, Duchess Nott began organizing the children.
“Roil.”
When Countess Carzel called Roil, Erica immediately turned to him.
“Your nickname is Roil, right? Can I call you.
