Interlude 2: Margaret

My name is Margaret, daughter of Baron Eucharis.

Just yesterday, Lord Glen, a nationally-recognized Appraiser—who was wonderful and as beautiful as an angel!—appraised me as needing to go through special training for my Upper Level [Fire Magic]! Those who were deemed as needing training were to be sent to the Royal Research Academy. This was an incredible honor among nobles.

The Royal Research Academy was on the same grounds as the royal palace. Being sent there meant that they could enter it earlier than when they turned fifteen and became an adult. And in doing so, they could also search for a marriage partner earlier than other nobles. But that wasn’t all. If you were especially skilled, you could go on to become a researcher, knight, or mage. Your success in life would be guaranteed, but my useless twin sister was here, too... What’s the big deal about having some new Skill? Trash like her shouldn’t be here.

“This is your room. Wear what’s in the closet under the bed. You can’t do your training wearing anything else. If you need anything, you can buy it from the shop inside the gray building next door, the Royal Research Institute. Before the eighth bell, we will be meeting at the reception desk right inside there as well. I could explain anything you don’t understand, but you didn’t want to shake my hand, so you must be fine on your own, right?” My instructor, Mirabel, gave me a challenging glance before leaving my room. All I did was not shake her hand because I thought she was a commoner. I didn’t know why that would anger her.

“Why is she so bothered that I didn’t shake her hand!? It’s not my fault!”

After yelling that, I looked around the room I was shown to. On the right side of the room was a ladder and upper bed, with a closet and storage space underneath. On the left was a desk and chair. That was it. There was no maid to take care of me.

“Why is my room so small!? And why isn’t there a maid for me!?” I yelled again.

A second later, there was a knock on my door. “May I say something?”

Suspicious of who could be at the door, I opened it. There I found a very unhappy looking blue-haired girl who seemed to be around my age.

“Hey, I completely understand that you’ve just arrived, but could you quiet down? Your screaming is too loud.”

My face burned at her words. I hadn’t meant to be that loud!

“And I’ll let you know another thing. Your family is renting this room for you,” the blue-haired girl sighed. “Screaming about how your room is too small, and you don’t have a maid... Aren’t you embarrassed to be spreading that your family is poor?”

I lowered my head, humiliated.

“If you need a maid, have your family send you one. But they’ll also need to rent a room for them,” she said flatly before turning around and leaving.

Frustrated, I could only bite my lip.

After that, I spent a while emptying my bags into the closet. As I did, I saw the ugly black clothes Mirabel had mentioned. Telling me to wear this... Is she just bullying me? Not feeling like doing anything else that day, I went to bed with an empty stomach.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of footsteps in the hall. Putting on a yellow dress that I’d brought from home, I looked out my door to see what was happening. Everyone was wearing those ugly black clothes with a gray robe on top, and heading somewhere. I went to follow them, but the blue-haired girl from the day before stopped me.

“What are you wearing? Control trainees can’t enter the Royal Research Institute wearing their normal clothes. Didn’t your instructor tell you?”

“Huh?” I know she had said something when she showed me to my room, but I couldn’t remember what.

The blue-haired girl continued, “Just go put on the black uniform from your closet—and a gray robe. As a control trainee, you won’t be able to get into the Institute after the eighth bell.”

I rushed back into my room, quickly getting changed. Once I stepped back into the hall, it was empty. I ran through the halls, and as I was going down the stairs, the bells started ringing. Somehow, I managed to get inside the Royal Research Institute before the eighth bell chimed. As I was gasping for breath, Mirabel spoke up.

“You’re late. I thought you weren’t coming. We’re going now.”

Mirabel started walking away without waiting for me. I’d never been treated this way before in my entire life. My mother and I were always treated with reverence by the maids in the manor. Even my useless sister bowed to me... I couldn’t believe this!

Still out of breath, I chased after her. She led me to her room, and gave me an introduction, but...

“You trainees are doing your control training here at the Institute for us. Which means you can leave whenever you want, if you don’t want training.”

Leave? To my tiny room with no maid... I was about to announce I was going home. But before I could, she continued.

“Those who leave before completing their training will have to live wearing a Mana Sealing Bracelet,” she said, pointing to a bracelet displayed off to the side of the room. “Those bracelets are only used for criminals and failures. So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m staying!” I screeched angrily. I’d never become a failure like my sister.

“I see. If you’re staying, then you’ll have to obey our rules here in the Institute.” Mirabel peered at me with a stern look in her eyes. “Just like I told you yesterday, control trainees must all wear their black uniforms and gray robes. They serve as your identification, and wearing them lets you eat for free in the lodging house.”

So I have to keep wearing these drab black clothes the entire time I’m here!? I wanted to complain, but Mirabel kept on speaking.

“There’s a communal bath and laundry room in the lodging house for your use. If you don’t want to wash your clothes on your own, you can pay to have the laundrymaids do it for you.”

I’ve never done laundry... And I don’t have any money. I’ve never used it before... My mind blanked out as I realized that. What should I do... What could I do... But an idea suddenly came to me while I was worrying. That’s right! I could use my failure-of-a-sister as a maid! Once I realized that, I was able to listen calmly to Mirabel’s explanation.

She went on to explain how living in the lodging house worked, and how we’d be trained. Afterwards, we headed to a hall on the first floor of the building. Inside were lots of people wearing white robes with different colored stoles.

“Go stand with the other trainees over there.”

I scowled at her ordering me around, but I did as I was told. Why are there so many people gathering here?

After a while, a woman with purplish-red hair stood on a platform in the middle. The woman was acting self-important, just like my grandfather Marquis Ackroyd acted back at home in the manor when he came.

“I’ve called you all here today to introduce a new colleague.” After she said that, the whole room began buzzing.

A new colleague? She must mean me! Why else would all these people be gathered here! Just as I was about to step forward, the woman looked towards the entrance.

“Chelsea, over here.”

What? Why is she calling my sister’s name? While I was in shock, my sister stepped onto the podium wearing a light green dress. She wasn’t wearing the same black and gray outfit we were, even though it was supposed to be mandatory.

The purplish-red haired woman clapped her hands, silencing the room. “This is Chelsea. She just awakened to a new type of Skill. Make sure you treat her well.”

My sister timidly bowed. Why should I treat my trash sister well!?

“I’m the Chief of the Royal Research Academy. The kids in gray robes are the control trainees, and the people in white robes are all researchers. You can tell who works where by the color of their stoles. Yellow means martial arts, red means magic, green means technical, and blue means unique. We’ll be doing research and observation of your Skill, but I will promise you that we’ll never be rough with you. That’s it; meeting’s over.”

I didn’t get a chance to complain before all of us control trainees were shuffled to a big room. The moment I entered, I could hear people talking.

“Lady Chelsea, was it? I’m so jealous that she’s awakened to a brand new skill.”

“I heard that she won’t have to wear a robe because she’ll be treated as a special researcher.”

“She might not have to usually, but she might in formal situations.”

“Huh? What color stole would she wear?”

“I think it would be the highest rank, purple.”

“Isn’t purple the color that only royalty can use!?”

“That’s amazing!”

“That isn’t amazing at all!” I spoke up, causing all the trainees to stop and look at me.

“Do you happen to know Lady Chelsea?” The blue-haired girl who spoke to me earlier asked.

“She’s my older twin sister! Let me take this opportunity to tell you all about her,” I said. Everyone edged in closer to hear what I had to say.

Listen to me as I explain just how much of a failure my sister is! I went through everything that happened at home for them. How her appearance, personality, and actions were all completely inferior to me. How she was such a failure that we had her do the cleaning. How she’d always have to be whipped for not cleaning properly.

“Do you understand how my sister is trash, now?”

As I finished my explanation, everyone who had listened started whispering to each other, glancing in my direction.

“Lady Chelsea was very cute...but she did seem quite thin.”

“...Rather than thin, she looked like skin and bones.”

“If they’re twins, why is one withering away while the other is perfectly normal?”

“And making Lady Chelsea wake up so early to clean the entire house...”

“They whipped her as punishment!?”

They all turned to me at once. The blue-haired girl stepped forward, almost as if she was representing them all.

“So your twin sister was abused?”

“No! My sister is garbage. All we did was discipline her!”

The only thing I had wanted to do was tell everyone how much of a failure my sister was, but for some reason, it made everyone stay away from me.