“Waitwaitwait, I think there’s still some stuff in my room!” Elia said, running back into the rowhouse.

The two motorcarriages' engines continued to rumble as Sara twiddled her thumbs. In a few hours, both were to be expected at the Imperial Palace for the first day of the new emperor’s weeklong coronation ceremony. 

“Got it~!” Elia exclaimed, walking out of her room carrying a full assortment of dresses, skirts, underwear, blouses, and so on, with one of their young servant-girls in tow with a few more. Her traditional light-blue-and-white Anglish maid uniform contrasted the bolder dress worn by Elia; while she and Sara had been largely living alone during their stay in Palanti, their servants had been summoned to aid them during the various galas. 

“Umph. That should do it!” Elia said, loading the last of her possessions up. An additional motorcarriage had been called up alongside the additional help, conveniently able to carry their remaining goods.

“Hurry it up, won’t you? I want to get there early!” complained Sara.

“Sorry, sorry!” Elia ran over to the adjacent seat and climbed in. Standing up and leaning over the front seat, Sara got the driver’s attention; “Imperial Palace, please!”

“Aye, ma’am.” The vehicle moved forward as the servants behind scrambled to climb in their own ride and follow in suit. 

Sitting back in her seat, she took a deep breath while her sister excitedly jittered about, looking towards the palace complex several miles ahead. The massive construct’s features, all atop a steep mountainside cliff, could be clearly seen.

Sara smiled. “Excited, I see?”

“Well, I’ve never been to a coronation before! I wonder who all will be there… beyond, y’know, the obvious…”

“Can’t say I have either, unsurprisingly, nor do I really have any idea who’ll be there myself…” This had been a point of anxiety for her; according to what she’d heard, most of Empire’s young nobility had been invited as guests of honor, alongside elders visiting on moreso official matters. While she far outranked most of her peers in terms of age, she remained a “youth” among Upyir-kind as long as she remained unmarried, something she was determined to change.

“I suppose we’ll find out, though.”

Elia smiled back. “Yeah!”

•  •  •

“Good morning, class. Bonum mane.”

“Bonum mane.” the class attempted to repeat back, with varying levels of success.

Ren sat towards the front of the class, with the room, meant to accommodate perhaps one hundred students, about nine-tenths full. He had reported to the schoolhouse only the night prior; before he could even ship to the Valentians’ version of basic training, he would have to learn Novolatin.

Unlike was common in the “isekai” genre back home, there was no easy way to cheat his way into this world’s language. No, he’d have to learn it like anyone else; with books, class time, immersion, and countless hours of trial and error.

“Good, good. Do note, though, that in Novolatin we don’t say ‘good morning’ or ‘good night’, and so on, as much as we say it in Anglish! Instead, a simple ‘Salve!’ would do. Now then, to start off…”

This was going to be a long, brutal several weeks…

•  •  •

Sitting at the oak desk provided in her bedroom, Sara glanced back at her door before turning around and taking her journal out from her bag. Starting a new page, she began to write.

“Our relocation was quite painless, and went as smoothly as I had hoped, especially as we had managed to acquire additional help in order to do so. We were additionally able to arrive early, just as I had planned to do. Once we had moved our belongings into our graciously provided boarding, Elia was free to entertain herself at one of many gatherings within this grand fortress’ many halls, while I, as always, found myself yet another string of chores.” 

Sara rubbed her eye as she continued to write. For her, it had been another long day.

“I was able to locate Uncle Bram, partially by checks of charisma among the other guests and partially by the sheer will of the gods, and informed him of what I found of Maria’s situation. He did not seem particularly surprised - which bothered me, somewhat - however he additionally informed me of plans to relocate her, away from Palanti. Perhaps she could be here now, too, blissfully unaware of what the greater family plans for her return?”

Looking out her window for a moment and off onto yet another guest building across the way, she wondered where her cousin could potentially be sleeping tonight, in the Palace’s grand walls - provided she’s here at all.

“Beyond the troubles caused by Maria, my coincidental interaction with the same outsider I had saved prior did not go as hoped. A pleasant man of military disposition, while certainly not meeting the blood, economic, or familial requirements to be a potential suitor, he nonetheless posed the opportunity of a wonderful new servant. Alas, he rejected my offer - perhaps for the best. I hope to spot him one day among the many scattered Imperial Guardsmen.”

With some closure on her mind regarding the past couple days’ events, Sara closed the journal and stowed it away once more.