Chatper 29: Hope for a change
As the evening was drawing near, the celebratory meeting in the common room was slowly coming to its end. While the mix of students of various factions and ages would have been quite overwhelming at any other time, Muriella felt unusually relaxed in this setting.
It still feels unreal. She smiled.
Unlike Adeus or Matthias, who had already managed to acquire the status of honor student a year ago, Muriella considered herself a failed noble—one who didn’t really meet social expectations. Never once had she thought of herself capable of achieving the same honors.
And yet, all the mednobles in her year had managed to do exactly that. Muriella had already expressed her gratitude to Brunhilde on many occasions, and she still felt as if it hadn’t been enough. Their “study group’s coordinator” had provided all sorts of materials, notes, and aid—even her own books.
Though, most surprisingly, Brunhilde had been generous enough to let Muriella borrow a collection of romance short stories when the latter expressed interest in the topic, despite the book having nothing to do with their studies at the time. Such a thing would have been unheard of outside of the dormitory as the two of them didn’t socialize. Not by faction, and definitely not by status.
I understand why Lady Mila advised me to read them; they were wonderful. Muriella recalled when the current conversation touched on one such story.
Although, this one wasn’t from any book. Leonore had mentioned it as she was recalling a conversation from her socializing season, which seemed to be more fruitful this year. The story itself talked about a pair of lovers who had exchanged their names as an act of their trust and connection.
I can only imagine the sprouts growing strong and high, intertwined by Liebeskhilfe’s help, it’s so romantic. “Lady Leonore, do you find the gesture romantic?” Muriella asked eagerly.
She was quite envious of such socializing among archnoble girls. They surely must have talked about these topics much more than her own social circle.
“It sounds exciting as a part of a story, but in reality, I don’t see myself ever going that far.” Leonore shrugged.
The others in the room seemed to share her indifferent attitude.
As Muriella wondered about the concept, she noticed the strongly focused expression on Mila’s face. It made her smirk.
Lady Mila always acts so shy, like she is too young to witness Bluanfah’s dancing, but deep down, she must be embraced by Brennwarme whenever the topic is mentioned.
Mila even showed interest in further details about the practice, which caused the nearby boys to turn her way. Seeing their reaction, Muriella felt a positive pressure inside her chest. It was a mixture of excitement and expectation.
However, the conversation moved towards another topic, which left Muriella only with her own thoughts. It was really disappointing. She had all these ideas to talk about, but they no longer fit what was being discussed.
It would have been wonderful to be born in Haldenzel. Muriella sighed.
She had heard that the series of romance stories had been produced in that province. It was tempting to imagine herself there, working in the printing industry, helping to produce many such wonderful stories. Discussing them with others. Muriella sighed again.
The place in her imagination felt cozy. Covered by the snow for many months, it was perfect for long talks near the fireplace. To Muriella, it felt really poetic that the province where Ewigeliebe held onto Geduldh the longest would produce such passionate writing.
“Mila, are you planning to print the study guides that were transcribed over the winter?” Brunhilde asked, waking Muriella from her imagination.
“I assume that is the plan back home.” Mila shrugged. “Since Lady Rozemyne woke up, it will be up to her. Are you asking because of the printing in Groschel?”
“Indeed.” Brunhilde smiled, though still maintaining a serious face. “Unless Haldenzel was already planning for it.”
“They seem to have more than enough to print,” Mila remarked.
Hearing about “more than enough to print” piqued Muriella’s interest. She asked in greater detail about the printing in Ehrenfest’s northernmost province.
Mila mostly focused on the logistics of the whole undertaking, but Muriella managed to fill in the blanks in between. The picture in her head became that much more clear.
Naturally, it was mere curiosity, that she didn’t intend to follow through on. Sure, when it came to interaction between status and faction, her experience had been a wild one this year, just like among the other first- and second-years. However, Muriella knew all too well that back home, her future life had already been planned, and she merely had to follow.
Her life was the exact opposite of all those exciting stories where protagonists followed their heart.
Despite understanding that reality and resigning herself to her fate, she was still admonished by Barthold after the meeting while they were heading towards the staircase.
“Why would you ask about the work-life balance in Haldenzel? Someone with blood connections to the south would definitely be seen with suspicion and face ostracism,” he insisted. “There is no guarantee that they would treat you as well as some students here in the dormitory.”
Muriella inadvertently recalled how even Brunhilde had been lukewarm at best when interacting with her classmates last year. The current arrangement was really abnormal.
“I was merely curious about their experience with printing technology,” Muriella deflected.
Barthold nodded, though he didn’t look convinced about her reply. “Adeus told me that they plan to establish printing in their province as well after the archnoble provinces are served. Joisontak is closer, connected to us, and with Adeus as the giebe, we would work for a friend. You wouldn’t have to worry about being treated badly.”
Muriella couldn’t argue against the facts. Provinces in the south-east were interlinked. It was safer to keep close.
I just wish… Muriella cast her eyes down.
She was ready to drop the subject and continue towards her floor.
“Apologies, could you tell me your perspective?” Barthold asked suddenly.
Did he notice how I feel? Muriella was utterly surprised by the question, as she was used to him always pushing his opinion through without much care for her feelings. For a moment, she deliberated whether to actually say something or just deflect.
“I am interested in the printing industry because of the authors behind the thrilling stories I had read. Their perspective resonated with me dearly, and I wish that I could participate in the process beside them,” Muriella spoke up. “But I also understand that it is not realistic for someone like me.”
“Oh… I see,” Barthold uttered.
It didn’t look like he wanted to argue. Muriella had been certain that he would shoot her idea down, but he merely gave her a weak smile and headed to his floor.
It still feels unreal. Muriella widened her smile.
To her, this year in the Academy felt so weird, exciting, and different from the last one. Maybe things are really changing. She dared to hope for a moment before climbing the stairs as well.