On the flip side, Ariadne and Arabella enjoyed a very pleasant daily life. It is said that when one sits, they want to lie down, and Arabella wanted more now that daily life had become peaceful.

“Ari!”

“What’s the matter, Arabella?”

“It’s already the beginning of February, is there any news from the music college about my admission?”

Arabella was talking about the music college admission notice she had been waiting for.

“Indeed? It seems like the results should arrive soon.”

“Ari, you know….”

Arabella crossed her legs and dragged it out. She wanted to ask a favor but her mouth wouldn’t open.

While it would be quite amusing to see Arabella force herself to voice her request despite her inner awkwardness—how cute that would be—Ariadne saved her the trouble by voicing what she wanted to hear first.

“I will ask the nun in charge of music at the Grand Cathedral how the screening process at the Padua music college is going.”

“Really?”

Arabella’s face brightened up. Ariadne smiled and kissed Arabella on the forehead.

“Of course. Our father left the pay pouch to be given to the servants when he goes to the Grand Cathedral today. It’s a lot of money, so I didn’t trust anyone else with it. While I’m delivering it, I’ll check if the nun is there. How does that sound?”

Arabella, who had been preparing herself for the tedious process of Ariadne writing a letter, receiving a response from the nun, and then replying to that, looked even happier.

“Sounds great!”

“Then I’ll be right back, make sure to behave yourself while I’m away.”

Ariadne immediately had Sanchar prepare the bishop’s silver carriage. As Ariadne was getting ready to leave with her outerwear, she glanced at Arabella and teasingly scrunched up her nose.

“But when are you going to stop calling me ‘Ari’?”

“What?”

Arabella’s face turned bright red.

“Such a naughty little sister, huh? I helped you prepare your application, I helped you submit it, now I’m even finding out about your admissions results, yet you keep addressing me by my first name?”

Arabella had nothing to say in response to Ariadne’s completely accurate statements.

“I don’t know! Ari is bad! Go quickly!”

Arabella pushed Ariadne out to the entrance with her flushed face. Ariadne did not torment Arabella any longer and cheerfully got into the carriage.

“Be careful on your journey!”

Arabella waved at Ariadne as a goodbye. Ariadne also waved back at Arabella in response.

‘When the admission acceptance letter from the Padua Music College arrives…’

Arabella’s face brightened.

‘At that time, I should call her older sister.’

She is… qualified.

With this resolution, Arabella wanted to show some appreciation to Ariadne. A gift would be the most appropriate thing. However, the problem was what to get.

All the money was with Ariadne. All that Arabella was given was pocket money. When compared to the sizeable gifts that Ari received from friends outside, Arabella’s pocket money was truly meager.

Then, a silver idea flashed through Arabella’s mind.

‘A metal clamp!’

Ari liked to ponder over strange objects. After a while of doing so, she would often send Sanchar to the workshop to have it actually made.

Everything Ariadne created in this way always proved to be useful or became hugely popular among the locals.

The more unique, the better, and if it was something that resembled an item she wanted to make, she would like it even more. The metal clamp met all these criteria. And Arabella was sure she had seen one just like it.

‘It belonged to older sister Isabella.’

A smile spread across Arabella’s face. It just so happened that both Bishop de Mare and Ariadne were not at home. It meant that it was time for Isabella to come out of her room.

“Today is the day.”

Arabella set the first day of February as the ‘day of exploration’.