Chapter 91

As Julian returned to the dorm room with his arm around a female student, Cain was reading a letter at the study desk by the window.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Cain’s golden hair, which shimmered like silk. His face, slightly tilted down as he read the letter, was filled with a loving smile, and the shadows cast by his long eyelashes added a touch of fragility.

Julian, forgetting that he was still holding the female student, was captivated by Cain’s beauty. The female student, too, was entranced by Cain.

“Prince Julian?”

Cain, noticing the door was open, looked up. Seeing Julian and the female student standing at the entrance, his eyes narrowed and a frown appeared on his forehead. His face, which had looked like a painting of a goddess, instantly transformed into that of an irritated friend.

“Men’s dormitories are off-limits to women.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be working part-time today, Cain?”

“I switched shifts with a friend who had an emergency. Today is my day off. ... Were you trying to bring a woman to your room while I was away?”

Cain works part-time on campus.

He had expected that the money left by Palepantle wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of a flying dragon, but when he rechecked the costs for connecting carriages and accommodations for his journey home, he found that the money was far from sufficient.

The amount was enough for a student to enjoy campus life, but it was a perfect amount that wouldn’t allow him to return home.

Moreover, the cost of stationery and postage for the letters he sent to Dianah every three days was not negligible.

When he applied for a part-time job at the dorm supervisor’s office, he was surprised to be asked, “A duke’s son from a neighboring country working part-time?” He managed to explain it away by saying he wanted to quickly adapt to the culture of Yuum and make many friends through the experience.

Of course, there was no rule that wealthy students couldn’t work part-time, so he could have been introduced to a job without any excuses, but it was hard to say he just needed money.

“No, that’s not it. It was just a coincidence that she approached me at the dorm entrance. I thought my room was the closest, so we came here.”

“Whether I’m here or not, the rules are the rules. Please ask her to leave.”

“... I’m sorry, my lady. I forgot that the dorm is off-limits to women. Let’s part here today. I look forward to seeing you at school tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes. Prince Julian, see you tomorrow...”

Sliding his arm from the female student’s waist, Julian turned her around by the shoulder. The female student kept glancing at Cain, hesitating to leave. But when she realized Julian wasn’t going to introduce her and Cain wasn’t going to introduce himself, she finally walked down the corridor.

“Is anyone acceptable, Prince Julian?”

“Not just anyone. I’ve turned down some girls who approached me. I choose those who seem trustworthy and have large breasts.”

“How low.”

“Hey!”

Closing the door and entering the room, Julian plopped down on the bed.

Cain folded the letter he was reading, put it back in the envelope, and stored it in a drawer.

“Was it a letter from your family?”

“Yes, everyone is doing well.”

“Speaking of family, are you going home for the Flower Festival, Cain?”

“No. A two-week break isn’t enough for me to go and return, so I’ll spend it working part-time.”

(I don’t have the money to go back anyway, that damn father of mine.)

Cain had planned to do some previewing for the next day after reading Dianah’s letter, but with Julian back, he turned his chair to face the bed and crossed his legs, resting his hands on them.

“By the way, I’m surprised that there’s a two-week break after only a month and a half of school.”

“Yes, many of our territories rely on agriculture and dairy farming. From mid-March to late March, many students need to return to their territories for plowing, sowing, and seedling cultivation. It’s pointless to have classes when more than half the students are gone.”

“Do the children of the lords do the farming themselves?”

Cain’s father’s territory, Nerglandi, was half agricultural land. He remembered that his father, Dismaya, used to go to the territory for about a month at the beginning of spring every year.

“There are various ceremonies in this period, such as the plowing ceremony, the fertility festival, and the harvest prayer festival. The seeds for the crops offered to the gods during the harvest festival are sown in the lords’ fields. While the lords can delegate the maintenance to tenant farmers, the plowing and sowing must be done by the lords themselves. The fields for the ceremonies are quite large, so it becomes a family effort.”

“I see. By the way, why is the festival held in the capital during this break called the Flower Festival?”

Those who remain in the capital, Sadies, are nobles whose territories are not agricultural or nobles who don’t have territories. Cain thought there was no need for a festival since it wasn’t related to agriculture.

Julian, folding his arms on the bed, raised his chin and put on a grandiose face.

“The nobles who stay in the city are those with official positions at the castle, or those who have made their fortune in commerce, trade, and transportation. The Flower Festival is meant to provide them with a stage to shine. Flowers grown in greenhouses are displayed throughout the city, and fabric decorations shaped like flower petals are scattered in the streets. Stalls line the roads, and performances take place in the squares at every crossroads, where everyone sings and dances. It’s a way to keep the economy moving.”

“So it’s just a festival without any particular reason?”

“Spending money in the capital while taking a break from work and returning to their territories is costly. Even sending one or two children back to the territory is quite expensive. To avoid unfairness, the festival is also a way to encourage the nobles who stay in the city to spend money.”

“I see. But wouldn’t that benefit the nobles in commerce?”

“Well, it does in the end. But the name ‘Flower Festival’ isn’t just for show. The nobles who stay in the city are required to provide the flowers for free. They are also instructed to open their gardens to the public. While those who are away are exempt, the nobles who stay must open their gardens and serve light refreshments. Naturally, they have to maintain their gardens well, and if the refreshments are poor, they will be looked down upon by the general public. They can’t afford to cut corners.”

“I see... It’s more ruthless than I thought.”

Julian laughed heartily.