Balance of the World

Episode 3 Memory

After that, I said, "I want to be alone for a while," and shut myself up in my room to organize my memories.

I sit down at my desk and take out a notebook from the drawer.

Linalite's memories were vague in places, like a haze, but basically she was able to recall them with some degree of clarity, just like Linaria's memories now.

Linalite was the third son of the marquis.

She has the same birthday as Linaria and has two older brothers. This is the same as the current Linaria.

By the way, my older brother is enrolled in the Academy of Magic, so he lives in the dormitory. His younger brother fell off his horse in early spring and broke his leg, so he has not come to the royal capital.

While exploring my memories, I wrote down various things in my notebook, such as my family structure, the geography and history of this country, but... As a result, I found out that the world in my previous life and this life are exactly the same.

The amount of knowledge between the 20-year-old Linalite and the 10-year-old Linaria is completely different, but as far as I know, nothing has changed in particular.

Only my gender is different.

I would like to say that it was just gender, but this was a big problem. This is because the roles of nobles differ greatly depending on their gender.

Although there are many exceptions, most of the people involved in political and military affairs are men.

This is because women have periods when they have to take time off from work for childbirth and childcare.

In this country, the general idea is that although a nanny helps with child rearing, it is basically better for the mother to be by her side for education.

And since it is said that men are better suited for military service, the ratio of men in the military is even higher than in civilians. This is a simple fitness issue.

If you can use magic, you can easily overturn a slight difference in physical strength, and there are actually quite a few female soldiers who are actually skilled, but in terms of physical strength itself, men still win.

Also, in terms of personality, men are said to be better suited to the military.

For these various reasons, it is common for aristocrats to have the male head of the household work outside the house, and the female spouse to manage the household affairs.

The royal family is also basically that form, and the throne is usually held by a man, often the eldest son.

Therefore, the royal family, especially the boys, receive an overcrowded education in the castle from an early age in order to become the future king.

Until the age of 15, when most children of nobles attend the Magic Academy, the prince does not leave the castle much until he grows up.

However, it is said that it is not very good in terms of education to grow up surrounded only by adults.

In the past, this has led to the birth of kings with various problems, such as being able to love only older men, being extremely shy and being a mother's boy, and when the prince turns 5 years old, a boy of the same age will be attached as a squire. A decision was made.

A follower, or in short, a playmate, but the child will live in the royal castle.

Part of the education will be received with the prince (naturally, the best tutor in the country will be in charge of the class), and when he grows up, he will also serve as the prince's advisor and escort. Promise to become a high official in the future is promised, it is an honorable role that any aristocrat would want to send their children to.

The child is often chosen from around the third and fourth sons of influential noble families. The eldest son has to take over the house, and if something happens to the eldest son without the second son, it would be a problem, so the third son is just right.

It is desirable to be slightly older than the prince, and for the convenience of being an escort, being a possessor of high magic power is almost a prerequisite.

In light of these conditions, I...Linalite was barely within the conditions.

In this country, there is a subtle gap between knight-type aristocrats and magician-type aristocrats, and it wasn't very good from the current balance of power to send a prince's attendant from my family, who was a newcomer to magician-type aristocrats.

The reason is that His Majesty the current King has a support base that is somewhat closer to the magician-type nobles.

Therefore, if you choose a follower from a magician family, it will be easy for the knight nobles to complain.

And I'm the same age as the prince.

The only things that fit were the fact that he was the third son and that he possessed a certain amount of high magic power. Well, since all the nobles possess high magic power, it doesn't make much sense even if it fits in the end.

As for why he was chosen, it was the result of a series of coincidences.

I was very surprised when I found out that I was selected, and I was also worried about leaving home at the age of 5 and living in a castle.

Eventually, she comes to feel happy that she has become His Highness's servant, but...

anyway.

I, a Linaria, had already begun to walk a completely different life from Linalite, despite the only difference being my gender.

It's only natural that men can become prince's servants.

I grew up without ever meeting His Highness, and just turned 10 years old.

If it were a princess, the girls would be her servants, so if Her Highness had been reborn as a princess, she might still have had a chance, but... Even in this world, Her Highness was still a normal prince.

Well, I don't really want to imagine His Highness becoming a princess, so it might be a good thing.

... In order to protect His Highness from "that woman"'s evil clutches, we must somehow prevent that woman from approaching His Highness at the academy.

However, the other side is different from the newcomer, the daughter of a venerable marquis family... a partner who has power close to a duke's house.

Putting aside the fact that she was in a position closest to His Highness as a follower in her previous life, how should she deal with a lower-ranking daughter of a Marquis (once acquaintance, no conversation, worst first impression)...?

After all, I want to recover my first impression somehow before entering the academy, and I want to get to know him to some extent.

His Highness isn't very sociable, but he has a kind personality that doesn't discriminate against anyone. Especially when it comes to close friends, she is a little sweet and honest.

If you get along with her and gain her trust in advance, it should be easier to keep her away.