NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82.1
Stage 3-15. Gears Gone Awry
Morning training with Mashiro and the others, Day One.
I woke up at my usual time and got out of bed.
But something was missing—her customary morning greeting.
“…Did Alice oversleep?”
She’s always the first to come to my room and wake me.
Since hiring Alice, she’s never been late.
Not just in the mornings—she always acts on time, without fail.
So, oversleeping doesn’t seem likely. Two possibilities come to mind:
Either she’s preparing equipment for Mashiro’s training or waking them up.
It’s understandable if she prioritizes them over me, who can wake myself up.
After all, waking up earlier than usual is harder than it seems. It takes time to change ingrained habits.
Sure enough, my neatly folded training wear was already set on the table.
“It’s been a while since I dressed myself.”
I’ve become quite spoiled, haven’t I?
For the first time, I found getting dressed bothersome.
Feeling slightly awkward, I slipped into the training wear and headed to the mansion’s training room.
This facility, which I had requested from my father, is relatively new compared to the mansion. Incidentally, it was completed just a week after my request.
My father’s family devotion is apparent in such ways.
“Oh! Good morning, Ouga-kun!”
“Good morning, Ouga. Hehe, we’re the first ones here!”
“Ouga-kun, good morning. Since everyone’s here, shall we start—huh? Isn’t Alice with you?”
The three of them greeted me as I entered.
But what I saw wasn’t what I had expected.
“…Isn’t Alice waking you all up?”
“Nope. We woke up on our own!”
“We went to bed super early yesterday and adjusted to wake up on time.”
“Me too. I thought she’d come with you…”
Something felt off—an unusual disturbance in my daily routine.
If anyone knew something, it would be her. Just as I was about to clap my hands to call her, Molina appeared beside me.
“Ouga, young master.”
“Molina! I need to ask you something. It’s about Alice…”
“It’s about that girl for me as well. I was informed she hasn’t shown up for her early morning duties, so I came to check if she was with you…”
The moment I heard those words, I turned and bolted toward Alice’s room.
A bad feeling gripped me.
If she’s merely oversleeping, that’s fine. I’ll laugh it off.
But because it’s Alice… the worry surged like a tide.
There was one thing—just one possibility that came to mind.
Juke Andraus.
The noble who sent me a party invitation and could be considered her nemesis.
If she learned that he had approached me, Alice might act on her own.
That’s why we kept everything about him a secret from her. We told her nothing.
But if he had approached her instead…? How could that have happened…?
“No, now’s not the time for that.”
Before speculating, I needed to confirm Alice’s safety.
Please let this be an overreaction…!
I reached Alice’s room and flung the door open.
All that greeted me was the sight of curtains fluttering in the breeze from the open window. The scene I had hoped for was absent.
Alice had left? Was this a nightmare?
Stumbling into the room, my eye caught a familiar-looking letter on her desk.
“…This is the last thing I wanted to see, Alice.”
On the desk lay a single sheet of paper.
[I request leave.]
The beautiful, straight handwriting—so like her—spelled out what I didn’t want to believe.
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