The next day, Leila found the four friends lounging in the back gardens.

“The weather is great today,” Nicholas Renault, the Duke’s son, says. He inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of the flowers to enter his nostrils.

“So peaceful. I’ll miss this when we go back to the capital,” the crown prince sighed. He turned to look at Frederick who was distractedly staring at the window. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back with us, Fred?”

“No, I’ll stay here. It’s my duty as the heir, after all.” Frederick sent him a half-smile. His friends had decided to come to play during the winter break, and now that spring has arrived, the crown prince needed to return to the capital, along with his retainers.

Leila, upon seeing that her room had been left untouched, happily floated towards the seat by the window, where she used to sit and read books. Since Leila was not physically there, she could only imitate her usual sitting position, hovering above the chair as if she was sitting.

She rested her arms on the windowsill, watching the pretty flowers in the garden sway with the wind as she listened in on their conversation.

“Why did you have to be the first son?” The crown prince asked rhetorically. “I would’ve loved to bring you back with me. Hey, say what, if you agree to come with me, I’ll make you the prime minister when I ascend the throne.”

Frederick chuckled, “No thanks.”

“Hey~ saying that will make your real future prime minister cry. The kid has been working really hard in the academy just to catch up with us, you know?” Nicholas laughed. He was reminded of the Prime Minister’s son who is currently in his second year at the Royal Magic Academy.

“Speaking of which, when will you all be leaving?”

“What, can’t wait to get rid of us freeloaders?”

“Yes,” Frederick deadpanned.

Leila who was watching the scene laughed. She had no idea that Frederick was capable of making friends and laugh that way. Ah~ she really missed a lot, huh~

As if he had heard her laugh, Frederick’s head snapped towards her usual seat, his gaze complicated.

He stared deeply at the glass window, looking as if he could see her reflection. The sound of tinkling bells and the fragrance of the garden flowers brought out a sense of nostalgia inside him. He vaguely thought about the auditory hallucination that he had heard earlier, sounding so much like Leila’s bell-like laughter.

“Fred?”

The crown prince and the rest noticed his strangeness.

Whenever they decided to come out to the back gardens, he had always acted like that. Distracted, and somewhat melancholic.

“Okay, this is making me concerned. What’s wrong with you, Fred? I’ve never seen you look and act this way before,” says Nicholas. The crown Prince Finn and General’s son August nodded in agreement.

“It’s nothing.” Frederick dismissed their concerned looks with a wave of his hand.

Prince Finn and the rest did not press him for answers, and instead chose to change the subjects. However, their gazes could not help but linger towards the mysterious room that faced the gardens. The room was locked and they were not allowed to enter it, but it made them extremely curious. Just what was the Rosenbell House hiding?

Prince Finn made up his mind. Although it was selfish of him to do so, for the sake of confirming that the Rosenbells were not hiding anything dangerous, he must uncover the secret before he leaves. He sent an imperceptible nod towards August and Nicholas when Frederick was not looking, solidifying his plans in his mind.

Just kidding~ Actually, he just wanted to satisfy his curious boyish heart~