Chapter 3: Alan’s Afternoon of Bliss

Chapter 3: Alan’s Afternoon of Bliss

Time in the Academy of Magic went by in a flash. In a few more months, I would become Alan Stuart, academy graduate.

I was spending a relaxing holiday afternoon in the courtyard, thinking back on the memories of my two years here. So much happened in so little time. With highlights like the disappearance during the fall of my first year and the kidnapping during my second year, I’d seen enough trouble for a lifetime.

But what surprised me most was the reaction, or lack thereof, from the center of all this trouble: Katarina. You’d think that after being knocked unconscious by Dark Magic and then kidnapped the next year, you’d end up pretty damn freaked out. But she was so impervious to these misadventures that she barely remembered them. “Something like that happened? Really?” was her average response.

Now that I’ve only got a few months left here, I hope I can enjoy them in peace...

The wind interrupted my thoughts by bringing a delicious smell into the courtyard. What’s that? It was the first day of the holiday break at the academy, so most students had gone back home, including my brother Jeord and my friends from the student council.

With so few people left, where could the scent be coming from? I guessed that it was some kind of food, but it’s not like anyone would be hosting a tea party at the academy during the holiday.

I went to investigate the source of the smell and ended up near a few trees in a corner of the courtyard. Someone was sitting, barricaded by foods in all sorts of containers that were laid atop a large piece of cloth spread onto the ground. I couldn’t see the person’s face, but it didn’t matter. There was only one person amongst all the nobles in the academy who would do something like this...

“Katarina Claes. What’re you doing here?”

“Hmfoo?!”

She turned back to face me and let out a nonsensical yell. Surprisingly (yet somehow predictably), her mouth was stuffed with food, and it still was when she first attempted a reply.

“Uoccha ew jooin ear, pweensh awam?”

Huh? “I have no clue what you just said. Swallow before trying to speak...”

“Gah, iesh. Nom nom nom nom...” She finished chewing and then tried to answer again. “What are you doing here, Prince Alan?”

“That’s what I was asking you.”

Katarina said she’d go back home for the holidays like everyone else. So why was she still here? And more importantly, why was she having a picnic in a place like this?

“Aren’t you supposed to be home right now?”

“I was... but this morning I decided to sleep a little longer since we don’t have lessons anyway, and before I knew it, it was afternoon.”

Typical Katarina... But what about that brother of hers who’s always following her around?

“Does that mean that Keith’s still here too?”

“No, he went back home first thing in the morning to help Father with his work. I told him that I’d follow him later, but I slept too long...”

That explained why she was still at the academy, but...

“Why’re you here all alone? What about your maid?”

“You mean Anne? She went back with Keith to help with the preparations for the wedding of one of our other maids.”

“Who prepared this feast, then?”

“The old lady that runs the school kitchen gave it to me! She said that since the dining hall will be closed for the holidays, she wanted to cook all the leftover ingredients so nothing goes to waste. So I asked if I could eat some, and she went to the trouble of packing all of this for me! Isn’t she wonderful? But she also said that students don’t usually ask to eat any of the pre-vacation leftover meals... maybe they just don’t know about them? It’s such a waste either way!” she said with sparkling eyes, holding one of the many food-filled containers in her hands.

It was pretty obvious that at this academy, where virtually all the students were nobles, nobody would go out of their way to ask for food made with leftover ingredients. The exception to that rule, who was sitting right in front of me, was the daughter of a duke — one of the most important people in the country. I was sure that the poor old lady had desperately tried to turn the leftovers into the best-looking dishes she could... and she’d definitely succeeded. Katarina’s food didn’t look like it was made from scraps at all.

“She cooked all of this for me, and since the weather’s good, I thought I’d eat outside!” she said, visibly happy as she cleared all the questions I had about her being there.

I guessed that since she was supposed to leave the academy soon after her brother, there probably wasn’t any lunch prepared for her. Hungry, she had then started wandering around, eventually stumbling onto the cooks as they made food from the leftovers. She had asked them for something to eat and they had rushed to plate what little they had in a luxurious enough way for a noble lady.

And there she was, sitting on a large piece of cloth, with all that food around her, enjoying the nice weather in the courtyard.

This girl... I should be used to it by now, but her antics really are... Wait, is that piece of cloth one of those things used to cover flower beds?

Come to think of it, this courtyard was the exact place where Katarina had been attacked with Dark Magic last year. Yet here she was, having a picnic. Despite having been kidnapped recently, she was smiling like a sunflower in May. Just where did she get such nerve?

“Are you practicing the violin?” she said, pointing her ever-carefree gaze at the instrument case in my hand.

“Yeah. The weather’s good, so...”

“So you’re out enjoying this beautiful afternoon, just like me!”

That was true, but I’d rather not compare my decisions with someone as airheaded as her.

I was supposed to go back to the castle with Jeord that morning. But when I woke up, I saw the clear sky and felt like I wanted to stay here. I didn’t hate being at the castle, and I didn’t have any problems with my family like I used to. Actually, I was looking forward to learning about royal diplomacy.

But the problem was that ever since I came of age, I’d been involved in the fuss about who was going to succeed my father. It used to be only my two oldest brothers and their supporters who were involved, but lately, Jeord and I had been included too. I personally couldn’t care less about becoming king, but the people around me just wouldn’t listen.

I couldn’t bring myself to waste such a pretty, sunny day dealing with the boring quarrels of nobles and their factions. I wanted to spend it doing something I loved. So I’d decided to stay at the academy and spend the afternoon playing the violin in the courtyard.

Because of this sudden change of plans, I got to see Katarina... I was sure that the folks at the castle would have their complaints, but I was happy I hadn’t gone.

“Have you already had lunch, Prince Alan?”

“I haven’t, come to think of it.”

I had been here in the courtyard for so long that I hadn’t even bothered eating. I just thought I’d go back to my room and eat whenever I felt hungry.

“That’s perfect! Why don’t you join me, then? I’ve got so much here that I could never manage to eat all of it by myself,” she said, showing me one of the containers which was indeed brimming with food.

Nobles normally just nibble all the different dishes and, once they’re satisfied, just throw away the leftovers. The academy’s cooks probably prepared all of this imagining that she would do the same. Little did they know that Katarina Claes, the duke’s daughter, always eats everything in front of her to keep it from going to waste...

As for me, I was starting to get a little hungry, so I gladly accepted her invitation.

“This is so delicious! It tastes zippy but rounded, without being too sharp!”

“I have no idea what you mean by that, but I’ll agree that it’s delicious.”

“Try this one too! The crust is crumbly and zingy, and on the inside it’s slushy and cushy!”

“What? Well... it does taste good...”

We went on chatting while eating together under the clear blue sky. This lunch was hastily made from leftover ingredients, but enjoying it with Katarina on such a beautiful day made it feel like an exquisite banquet.

“Ahhh, I’m so full! I can’t take another bite,” she said, flopping down on the cloth after she’d left not a single crumb behind.

Most people in high society wouldn’t approve of another noble slouching on the ground like that, but since it was only the two of us, I followed her example and lay down as well.

The afternoon sun was starting to inch westward, but it still shone warmly over the courtyard’s well-trimmed grass. Relaxing like that while looking at the sky slowly turning red made me feel at peace.

If I hadn’t met Katarina as a child, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this serene fulfillment. I was happy. Happy... and grateful.

“Ahhh, I can’t resist! I don’t care anymore!” she shouted all of a sudden, driving away any peace or serenity.

I looked at her, surprised, and saw that she was untying her shoes. Now barefoot, she stepped off of the cloth and onto the courtyard lawn.

“Whoo! Nothing feels better than feeling the grass under my feet!” she said, stretching out her arms in elation. That was a bit too much.

“Do you think that’s an appropriate thing for a lady to do?” I reprimanded her. Usually this would be Jeord or Keith’s job...

“But nobody’s looking! And it really feels good. You should try it yourself!”

Not only had she completely ignored me, but she even suggested I join her. If I were used to scolding Katarina, like Jeord and Keith were, maybe I could have managed to stop her... but this was a rare thing for me.

And also... she looked so happy with her bare feet on the grass, walking around under the sun... enticingly so. As a prince, I normally wouldn’t do anything unbefitting of a noble, but I couldn’t resist the temptation of sharing something so unusual, improper even, with Katarina.

I found myself barefoot, stepping onto the grass. It really felt good... I couldn’t blame her. I lost myself in the moment and, when I looked to the side, she wasn’t there anymore.

She was here seconds ago! What happened?! Did she get kidnapped again?!

“Katarina! Where are you?!” I shouted while frantically looking for her.

“Prince Alan! Over here!” came a casual voice from above.

I looked up and was shocked to find Katarina sitting on a tree branch.

“What are you doing up there?! I thought you were done with tree climbing!”

As a kid she’d spent more time atop trees than she did on the ground, but after her debut in society, the people around her insisted on it strongly enough that she decided to stop playing in trees... or at least, that’s what she’d said.

“I’ve been resisting the temptation all this time! But I was barefoot, and there happened to be a tree next to me, so...”

“So what? This isn’t your home! You’re at the academy!”

She laughed in response, and all I could do was sigh at this helpless girl.

“Don’t worry! Even from up here, there’s no one in sight. And the view is fantastic! Why don’t you come up too?” she said while playfully gesturing for me to come to her.

Climbing a tree in the academy was absolutely unthinkable. But today — maybe because of Katarina’s influence — my self-control wasn’t quite working.

I’m already barefoot, and if it’s just a little bit... just a couple of branches... were my unusually unrestrained thoughts.

And so, for the first time in eight years, I climbed up a tree. The memory of my climbing competition with Katarina in her garden was embarrassing but nostalgic at the same time. After that (as is the norm for any self-respecting noble), I had never even thought of going up a tree again. Despite this, muscle memory helped me reach the same height as Katarina relatively quickly.

I sat next to her, and she welcomed me with a smile. If we still were kids we probably could have sat on the same branch, but considering how much heavier we were now, I chose another one nearby.

I looked down at the courtyard, which looked nothing like it normally did. It was larger and more beautiful than I thought it was, shiny with its sunlit grass. Back when I first climbed on top of that tree in the Claes garden, I felt exactly the same as I did right now, after all these years. When you look at it from a new perspective, the world can be so different.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“...Yeah, it is,” I replied to Katarina.

“I told you!” she boasted with an innocent but prideful smile.

I felt a pounding inside my chest. A year had passed since I’d recognized what my true feelings for her were. I’d probably been in love with her for much longer, but was too dense to realize it.

Even then, with my twin being engaged to her, what could I do? I had to forget about her... which was easier said than done. Her smile was enough to send my heart racing.

“The wind feels so good, too!”

Just there, easily within my grasp, I could see them: her carefree smile, her eyes glowing with happiness. But I couldn’t move my arm... I couldn’t bring myself to close that last tiny distance keeping us apart.

I was resolved not to tell Katarina about how I felt about her, forcing all romantic feelings out of my mind so that one day in the not-so-distant future I could congratulate her on her marriage to my brother.

I knew painfully well that I couldn’t make her mine, but then... why? Why did I find myself hoping that this moment, shared between the two of us, could last forever?

But time is bound to pass and take with it my vain delusions. We couldn’t stay on this tree forever. What if someone saw us?

I reluctantly started climbing down, with the intention of helping Katarina’s descent once I was on the ground... But I had forgotten about how she was dressed today.

“Wait! Stop!” I shouted at her from below as she started moving towards a lower branch.

I hadn’t really thought about it when we were sitting together, but she was wearing a dress. And now, from this angle... I could see right up her skirt.

“I said stop! I can see up your skirt!” I shouted again, unsure if I should focus on decorum or helping Katarina — whose clothes made it hard to move — to the ground.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m wearing trousers underneath,” she said, noticing my distress and lifting her skirt.

She was definitely wearing something underneath her skirt, but it barely counted as trousers! It was so short that I could clearly see most of her thighs! The view of her bare legs made my face turn red and my heart throb uncontrollably.

I somehow helped Katarina, whose descent was so practiced that she hardly needed any help anyway, down from the tree. Then, still blushing, I shouted at her. “You’re not a kid anymore! Learn some decency!”

Her reaction reminded me of a puppy who doesn’t understand why it’s being scolded, but still looks up at its master. I gave up and sighed.

My oblivious friend and I went back to the dormitory, and thus ended my afternoon of bliss.

The only thing that was left to me after those few hours was the image of her legs burnt into my eyes. A souvenir that would definitely keep me up at night...