"......As long as you heat the blended ingredients with cold flame for two hours, just like this——"

  Puff——!

  A bottle on the operating table emitted a cloud of blue steam.

  "One vial of Sobering Potion is complete!"

  The Potions professor held up the freshly made Sobering Potion for the students to see. Through the transparent glass, the bright blue, clear liquid inside was clearly visible.

  The students took notes diligently.

  "Alright, that’s all for today’s class. You can try making it yourselves at home. Anyone who can successfully brew it in class next time will earn one credit as a reward."

  The professor’s words sparked a small wave of excitement among the students, but most quickly lost hope when they thought about their own skills.

  After leaving the Potions classroom, Hulim Heyerar planned to stop by the on-campus pastry shop for a snack. Manacos’s courses were mentally draining, and she had a Magic Circle Studies class later—she didn’t want her brain to run out of sugar.

  But before she could walk far, a group of girls blocked her path.

  "......"

  Staring at the group of young ladies all dressed as noble daughters, Hulim Heyerar didn’t understand why they’d stopped her.

  "You’re the daughter of the Heyerar family, aren’t you?"

  Among the group, a girl with curly blonde hair tips, holding a small folding fan, spoke up—as if she were the leader.

  Even though she didn’t know how the girl had learned her name, there was no point in denying it since they’d come with accurate information.

  "I am. What brings you here?"

  Whoosh~!

  The leading lady flicked open her folding fan, covering half her face and fanning herself gently.

  "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Djelte Barolian, the eldest daughter of Marquis Barolian."

  Marquis Barolian......

  Hulim Heyerar had heard of the Barolians. They were one of the most powerful noble families in the empire, and the maternal clan of the current Second Empress Consort.

  In other words, the current marquis was the maternal uncle of the Third Prince—who had considerable support. Which meant the girl in front of her was the Third Prince’s cousin.

  A member of the imperial family by marriage......

  "I’m not here for anything complicated. I just want to invite you to join a tea party I’ve founded."

  Djelte said.

  "Invite me? To a tea party?"

  "That’s right. It’s an exclusive tea party for noble ladies from within the empire."

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  I see......

  This was unexpected. Why would a club that sounded like it was only for wealthy young ladies invite a mere rural noble?

  Moreover, even as a rural noble, she’d heard rumors about the struggle for the imperial throne. If she remembered correctly, the Barolian Marquisate was right in the middle of that power struggle......

  Could this tea party really be just a simple social gathering—especially since she was in the same class as the Ninth Princess?

  "I appreciate the invitation, but I’m afraid I must decline, Lady Djelte. I have no intention of joining any groups at the moment."

  "What——? You dare refuse?!"

  Before Djelte could speak, the other young ladies around her began accusing Hulim Heyerar.

  "Do you know what you’re saying?"

  "Lady Djelte personally invited you—do you realize what an honor that is?"

  "Do you understand what you’re doing?"

  "Do you know the consequences of offending us?"

  Hulim Heyerar felt a little speechless. She wondered where these eleven and twelve-year-olds had learned such sharp-tongued behavior. Compared to them, the tsundere Fran was much more likable.

  "......Pardon me, but may I ask who you are?"

  Hulim Heyerar’s calm demeanor only made the noble ladies angrier—especially her tone, which made them feel like insignificant background characters.

  "......How dare you speak to us like that! Remember this—I am the third daughter of Viscount Merck!"

  "......I am the daughter of Count Vika!"

  "......I am the daughter of Viscount Lane!"

  The noble ladies valued their status greatly. Offended by Hulim Heyerar’s apparent ignorance of who they were, they announced their family backgrounds in the most emphatic tones.

  "......I see. I’ll keep that in mind."

  Even as the noble ladies grew more agitated, Hulim Heyerar’s expression remained calm.

  More importantly......

  From their introductions, it was clear none of them were from lower-ranking noble families—almost all were from mid-to-upper-class nobility. Obviously, this "tea party for imperial noble ladies" had a "threshold." That only made her more suspicious of their motives for inviting her.

  Naturally, Hulim Heyerar’s attitude angered the noble ladies further.

  "......Typical of a lowly down-and-out noble—no sense of propriety at all!"

  "Silence——! All of you, be quiet!"

  Djelte stopped the other ladies, realizing their shouting was attracting unwanted attention. If things continued, rumors might spread by tomorrow.

  "This is completely beneath your noble demeanor!"

  Scolded, the noble ladies fell silent.

  Djelte closed her fan, glanced at Hulim Heyerar, and said:

  "Hulim Heyerar, you don’t have to decide right away. Think over my offer—the doors to my tea party will always be open to you."

  With that, Djelte flicked her fan open again with a wave of her right hand and turned to leave.

  The other noble ladies hurried to follow. Before leaving, many shot Hulim Heyerar warning glances.

  "......"

  How bizarre.

  Hulim Heyerar shook her head and brushed the incident off. She needed to prepare for her Magic Circle Studies class—she’d wasted too much time here, and there was no longer any time for pastries.

  ......

  To Hulim Heyerar’s surprise, this was only the beginning.

  As she’d suspected, Djelte’s tea party was far from innocent—it was an extension of the upper-class power struggles in the empire. In the past, such conflicts had never escalated this much, but this year, there was a particularly important target. Even the highest-ranking figures had turned their attention to the circle of young nobles.

  Which meant some things were beyond the control of the teenagers themselves......

  "Uh...... Sorry, I have to leave first."

  "Ah, about that—I just had something come up, so I can’t make it to the pastry shop......"

  "......Tomorrow isn’t good. Maybe another time, some other time......"

  Hmm...... So this is what ostracism feels like?

  After noticing the sudden change in her classmates’ attitudes, Hulim Heyerar realized the noble ladies must have done something. While the ladies themselves might not have the power to pull this off, it was entirely possible with the support of their families.

  Even though Manacos was supposed to be free from imperial interference, the academy was still located in Langard. There were countless ways to exert influence.

  Just the fact that outside the academy’s walls was the nobles’ territory was enough to scare most teenagers—who had never experienced the cruelty of society—into backing down.

  "Well, it doesn’t matter......"