The day after graduating from the Magic Academy, I was summoned to the royal castle.

…Why?

“Why am I being summoned to the royal castle?”

I asked my father in confusion as we traveled there by carriage.

He had only recently inherited the viscountcy.

Moreover, this was a direct summons from His Majesty the King.

I had absolutely no idea why I would be called.

Father seemed just as puzzled, shaking his head with a troubled expression.

“Our Baum family never does anything that attracts attention, and Melissa is the same.”

“So I can’t imagine that she’s done anything to warrant this.”

Father muttered quietly.

Honestly, it made me happy to know he trusted me that much.

“Which is exactly why I have no idea what the reason for this sudden summons could be.”

Father continued, a deep crease forming between his brows.

I tilted my head.

A slight sense of suspicion was beginning to emerge.

As a lower-ranking noble who had only just graduated from the academy, there was no way I should have any connection to His Majesty.

I had never even met him in person.

At most, I had seen his carriage from a distance on two occasions.

I couldn’t even get a good look at his face.

I had been disappointed at the time, so the memory remained vivid.

The only thing I really knew about him was the portrait displayed at the Magic Academy.

For that matter, I had never even visited the royal castle before.

It wasn’t a place the youngest daughter of a viscount’s family could casually enter.

My grades at the academy had been good.

But not exceptionally good.

And yet, here I was, suddenly summoned by His Majesty himself.

None of it made any sense.

To begin with, I planned to leave the nobility and become a commoner within the next few years.

My family had already agreed to it.

Having memories of my previous life, I simply wasn’t suited to being a noble.

Though naturally, I had learned the minimum manners expected of one.

In fact, I had been writing novels since before entering the Magic Academy.

On a whim, I once submitted one to a publisher.

After a few revisions, the novel I had written was published as a book.

Even while attending the academy, I continued writing whenever I could find the time despite being busy with classes and friends.

Recently, I had started earning enough to support myself, provided I didn’t live too extravagantly.

Of course, my family was fully aware that I intended to relinquish my noble status.

The novels I wrote weren’t anything that violated public morals.

…At least, they shouldn’t be.

Other publishers had approached me as well, so I was probably fine.

Even my serious second older brother had told me, “It was interesting.”

Though I was mortified that he had read it!

Normally, I wrote my novels while wearing comfortable dresses suitable for relaxing in my room.

Sometimes I even wrote in my nightclothes before going to bed or immediately after waking up.

Elegant and restrictive formal dresses were completely unnecessary to me.

Since I planned to leave the nobility eventually, I had no intention of participating in a debutante ball.

I didn’t even own a dress suitable for visiting the royal castle.

To begin with, I had an instinctive aversion to spending large amounts of money on appearances.

Mother scolded me for it all the time.

Still, I genuinely felt it was wasteful.

Perhaps that way of thinking came from my previous life.

Back then, I had been an ordinary commoner.

I understood the value of money.

Working to earn it was only natural, and I had carefully managed my finances to prepare for old age.

It wasn’t easy to overturn values that had become ingrained.

Even in this life, our family was far from wealthy by noble standards.

We were a viscount family with our own territory, small though it was.

The Baum family’s land lay deep in the mountains, and the soil was poor.

It generated very little profit.

My grandfather, the former viscount, my father, the current viscount, and even my eldest brother lately all worked tirelessly to improve the lives of our people.

Anything to make life a little better for them.

Whatever small profits we earned were invested back into improving the land.

Having watched my grandparents, parents, brothers, and sisters all these years, there was no way I could waste money.

The Baum family believed that merely maintaining the appearance expected of lower nobility was enough.

If we lost our dignity as nobles, our people would suffer for it.

Connections with other noble families were that important.

We could purchase goods unavailable in Baum territory at lower prices and sell our local specialties for reasonable amounts.

Normally, Mother wasn’t the type to buy dresses unnecessarily.

She, Grandmother, and my sister shared dresses and accessories whenever possible, and often altered them themselves.

Yet even Mother became angry because I spent so little on my appearance.

I think she could see right through me whenever I thought, ‘I can live perfectly well without expensive dresses.’

I glanced down at the dress I was wearing.

It was a new dress my sister had recently had made.

A sigh escaped me.

I had refused to borrow it, saying that my sister hadn’t even worn it yet.

My sister insisted that I should wear something nice since I was going to the royal castle and that she didn’t mind.

We argued back and forth until Mother finally scolded me.

To be fair, this time I was at fault.

I truly felt sorry toward my sister.

The dress would undoubtedly look better on her.

After all, it had been made for her.

“Melissa, it suits you.”

I raised my head at Father’s voice.

He had probably sensed what I was thinking.

Before I realized it, the carriage carrying Father and me had nearly reached the royal castle.