Last night's events still lingered in the corner of his mind. The moonlit courtyard. Liliana standing alone in profile. That necklace. Yuu had watched from the window, unable to call out to her, his feelings indescribable. (……Well, I'm just a familiar here anyway.) Yuu pushed himself up from the creaking bed in the former storage room on the second floor of the servants' quarters. A small window in the stone wall. The morning sunlight filtering through from outside was thin and unreliable, and just like yesterday, a spider web swayed in the corner of the ceiling. Reality. The mark on his left wrist glowed faintly. Under the Familiar Decree of the Elstrian Kingdom, summoned familiars were considered the property of their summoner. Escape was a grave crime equivalent to treason. But for some reason, Yuu's mark had incomplete binding functions, and his free will remained intact. Even Orthensia, the chief court mage, tilted her head in confusion, saying "there's no precedent for this." In other words. "……I can't escape anywhere, but I still have free will?" He muttered and gave a wry smile. It felt like a bad deal somehow. A voice came from the hallway immediately after. "[cold]Familiar. Come to the front of the administrative office. Now." It was a voice like subzero temperatures. ─── The hallway in front of the administrative office was chilly even in the morning. The second floor of the main building of Elsgarde Castle. A draft ran thinly through the white stone corridor. Beyond the window, the cityscape of Fiorenza spread out, and in the distance, the roofs of this capital, also called the Silver City, reflected the morning sun. When Yuu stood in the hallway, the office door suddenly opened. Liliana emerged with her silver hair tied into twin tails on both sides, wearing a pale blue dress. A faintly glowing royal crest on her forehead. Her transparent aqua eyes glanced at Yuu once, and she thrust out a scroll she was holding as if slapping it against him. "[serious]Read it." "Eh, this……" When he took it and unrolled it, characters were densely packed across the page. "[cold]Article One. Walk three steps behind your summoner. Article Two. Don't speak unnecessarily. Article Three. Never enter my room under any circumstances." "Y-yes." "[cold]Article Four. Forget what happened yesterday." "What happened yesterday…… Do you mean the incident where I woke up in bed?" It came out unconsciously. Lightning flashed across Liliana's brow. "[angry]Article Five. Do not mention that matter under any circumstances." "Um, is it even allowed to keep adding articles on the spot like this……?" "[cold]Article Six. Do not complain about the addition of articles." "It increased!?" Liliana had already closed the door and turned to her desk. The conversation was over. Completely one-sided. On his first day as a familiar, there were already six rules. The anxiety about how many articles there would be in the end accumulated in Yuu's chest as he stood alone in the hallway. ─── During the morning, Yuu spent his time sitting in the hallway outside the administrative office. The only task Liliana had given him was to "wait until called." That was it. The courtyard was visible from the hallway window. Morning dew glistened on the stone pavement, and a small fountain flowed gently. The bell of Fiorenza Magic Academy reached him on the wind from far away. About two kilometers south of the castle, that academy with a hundred-twenty-year history was probably beginning its magic lessons around now. Yuu leaned against the wall and listened beyond the door. The sound of paper continued. The rustling of documents being turned, the scratching of a quill pen writing something, the dry sound of a seal being pressed. Unbroken. Not once. (……How is she eating, that girl?) No one had brought any food since morning. Yuu glanced around the hallway, but there was no sign of any dishes. The situation didn't change even after waiting. As it approached noon, Yuu gently knocked on the door. "[serious]……What is it?" "[gentle]Um, have you taken a meal?" "[cold]A familiar shouldn't worry about their master's meals. That's backwards, isn't it?" "Even if you say backwards……" "[cold]If you have no business, leave." The door didn't open. Yuu withdrew once and stopped at the end of the hallway. He folded his arms and thought. Liliana hadn't eaten anything since morning. She'd been wrestling with mountains of documents. For three months since King Vernard III collapsed, the princess had been carrying out government duties as a temporary regent without even receiving formal approval as regent. The aristocratic council's approval was necessary, but the opposition faction was stirring and progress had stalled. She was bearing it all alone, skipping meals. (……Maybe that's what it means to be a "familiar"—not to worry about such things.) Yuu shook his head and headed toward the castle's kitchen. ─── The kitchen was on the first floor, at the end of the north wing. Three stone ovens lined up, and the air was filled with steam from pots and the smell of baked bread. One of the cooks' eyes widened when he saw Yuu's face. "[surprised]You…… Are you on an errand for the princess?" Yuu hesitated for a moment. "……Yes." It was a lie. But the mark didn't react. Strangely. (Maybe it's because the binding function is incomplete. Well, whatever.) The cook quickly prepared sandwiches for two people with cheese, ham, and seasonal vegetables, wrapped them in cloth, and handed them over. He said they were special with thinly sliced Selene River trout. The subtle umami of the river fish was apparent even through the cloth. Yuu thanked him and returned to the administrative office. He knocked on the door. "[sarcastic]Following your orders, I've come to assist with documents from three steps behind." "[cold]I didn't call you." "Excuse me." He opened the door just slightly and gently placed the sandwiches on the edge of the desk. He said "Excuse me" and turned on his heel. "[angry]Wait. Who asked for this?" Yuu was already in the hallway. He closed the door. And he pressed his back flat against the hallway wall, peeking through the narrow gap in the door. Liliana didn't move for a while. Her eyes remained on the documents as she glanced sideways at the sandwiches. She pretended not to see them. She focused on the documents again. But her gaze kept drifting back. Making sure no one was in the room, Liliana slowly looked around. Then she picked up one of the sandwiches. She took a bite. The wrinkle between her brows—disappeared for just an instant. The area around her eyes softened. The tension left her shoulders. Just for a moment. But it was definitely there. It was a mistake to do a fist pump in the hallway. His foot hit the hallway floor with a thud. The door swung open forcefully. "[angry]Stop spying on me!!" "I'm sorry, I'm running!!" He sprinted down the hallway. It was the moment he himself had spectacularly broken Article One—walking three steps behind. ─── In the afternoon, Yuu took refuge in the castle's courtyard. The stone pavement of the courtyard was warm and cozy in the afternoon sunlight, and the sound of the fountain echoed peacefully. Yuu took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Officials and maids passing by glanced at Yuu as they went past. (……There are a lot of stares.) Voices came from nearby. "I heard he's a familiar summoned from another world." "How is it possible for a human to be a familiar?" "Apparently his mark is incomplete. So basically he's free?" "Did the princess fail the summoning?" He heard it all. Yuu's hearing was much better than he'd thought. He stopped and considered how to respond. Should he laugh it off? Pretend not to know? Or—— "Hmm." A voice came from around the corner of the hallway. The figure that appeared was a middle-aged man. A fine dark green jacket, a gold badge. A nobleman. His eyes were narrow, and his appraising gaze was unpleasant. It would later be discovered that he was one of Count Hermann's faction, a leading nobleman directly opposed to Liliana's regency. The man looked Yuu over slowly from head to foot. "[sarcastic]So this is the rumored otherworlder. Quite a shabby familiar. To keep such a thing at her side…… Has the princess's judgment become clouded?" He said it dismissively and left. Yuu didn't chase after him. He clenched his fist slightly. (My insults are fine. But disparaging Liliana's judgment is different.) Yuu didn't yet understand why he was so angry. But something hot was definitely being born in his stomach. Keeping it off his face, he walked on through the courtyard. Just as he was trying to calm down by walking around the courtyard once, a young female servant coming from the other direction saw Yuu's face and let out a shriek. Her feet tangled and she fell, and the water bucket she was carrying drew an arc——Yuu instinctively dodged, but it hit the stone statue next to him and the water splashed back spectacularly. He was soaked from head to toe. The servant apologized with a tearful face, saying "I'm sorry, the otherworlder appeared so suddenly," and hurried away. Yuu stood alone in the sunny courtyard, dripping. (……Today is an unlucky day.) It went without saying that the rumor of "otherworlder sighting" spread through the castle at an even faster pace. ─── In the evening, Liliana called Yuu to the administrative office. "[serious]I need to drill at least the basics of court etiquette into you, or you'll be useless." As she spoke, she threw a stack of documents at him. Materials summarizing the Elstrian aristocratic hierarchy and the relationships of key figures. When he took it and flipped through the pages, names, family names, affiliations, and factional relationships were neatly arranged. "Am I supposed to memorize all of this?" "[cold]Of course." "Please give me a week." "[angry]Three days." "That's a bit——" "[cold]Two days." "The negotiation is going in the wrong direction!?" "[cold]Three days. Don't say another word." She settled it with an uncompromising tone. Yuu gave up and began reading through the materials, while Liliana returned to her next document. Only the sound of pens and paper continued in the administrative office. The western sun tilted outside the window, dyeing the stone pavement orange. The surface of the Selene River glowed in the distance. The great river of this country flowed two hundred eighty kilometers north to south, and Fiorenza was positioned in its middle reaches——such geographical information was also written in the materials. "……How is His Majesty the King doing?" Yuu asked quietly. Liliana's hand stopped. Silence lasted for about two seconds. "[cold]That is not something for you to worry about." Short, but her voice was just slightly——harder. Different from her usual crisp coldness. "I see." Yuu didn't press further. He simply murmured that and returned his eyes to the materials. His hand turning pages didn't stop. After a while. Liliana said something like a soliloquy. "[serious]……The cause still hasn't been found, Orthensia said." Yuu didn't look up. His hand turning pages didn't stop either. "I see." That was all he returned. Liliana said nothing more. But the pen began moving again. This time, the line of her shoulders seemed just slightly——very slightly——softer than before. By not pressing in, the mouth opens. Yuu hadn't been conscious of this. He just felt that pushing in too hard wasn't right. That was all. ─── When night came, Yuu gazed at the moon from his room's window. In Elstria's night sky, one large moon floated white. He didn't think it had a different shape than Japan's, but it seemed to be at a different angle. The courtyard's stone pavement glowed white under the moonlight. Liliana was in the courtyard. Just like last night, alone. She held a th