Inside Rie's room,
"This isn't it..."
"Ah, understood! Go fetch something else!"
At the head dressmaker's words, the servants hurriedly ran off.
Rie was trying on dresses to wear to the ball.
Her room was crowded with people and was piled with bags full of dresses.
She kept trying on and removing them.
The visitors were high-end dressmakers from the capital.
Originally based in the capital, they had been providing services to Rie since her childhood, even traveling to the academy to tailor her dresses.
But Rie's behavior was different today.
Typically, Rie would select dresses and accessories quickly.
She'd swiftly choose a dress fitting the mood of the ball and select the matching accessories.
Her choices were always spot-on.
But... today was different.
She kept trying on and taking off dresses, and it became clear that at this rate, there wouldn't much left to try on.
Rie frowned at the sight of the dresses the servants brought.
"Why don't any of these suit me..."
The shop owner standing before her turned pale at her words.
Rie was important to his clothing store.
The marketing effect of Rie wearing a dress from his collection to events was massive.
So, if Rie stopped being a customer, the losses would be unimaginable.
"Quick, bring me the most beautiful dress in the world!"
The shop owner yelled at the assistants.
The assistants, wanted to ask 'What does the world's most beautiful dress look like?' but couldn't.
So, they had no choice but to bring dress after dress from their collection.
Seeing Rie's expression, the shop owner carefully spoke up.
"Um… Princess Rie? Aren't you tired? How about a break with a cup of tea?"
"Hmm… Okay."
Upon hearing the shop owner's suggestion, Rie settled down on the sofa.
The shop owner subtly directed the employees and stood beside Rie.
"Ah, today's dresses seem to be lacking. I've told the staff, and they'll bring a better one."
Rubbing his hands, the shop owner gave an uneasy laugh.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Hmm... I think they're as usual..."
Rie commented casually as she sipped her tea.
What Rie casually mentioned was a shock for the shop owner.
'Wait, has she been finding our dresses disappointing all along...????'
The shop owner had been serving Rie for about 7-8 years.
Rie had been a customer since she was a child.
With her support, the scale of his shop had grown much larger than when it started.
'Of course, Princess Rie's taste would evolve as she matures...'
'Is this as far as we go...'
"Hmm..."
Just as the shop owner was about to wallow in despair, Rie cleared her throat softly.
"There's something I wanted to ask..."
Hearing Rie's words, the shop owner's eyes widened.
This was a chance.
A chance that could be his last.
"Ask anything! I can answer anything for Princess Rie!!!!"
Rie shrank back a bit at the shop owner's sudden enthusiasm, but then relaxed her expression.
"Well, um... what kind of dress do guys usually like?"
"You mean, men...?!"
The shop owner began to think rapidly.
Then, he clapped his hands.
"Fetch dress number 21 and 23 from bag 5, and dress number 6 from bag 12."
As soon as the shop owner commanded, the employees rushed to bring the dresses.
"These are the trendiest dresses. They're fashionable and I believe they would suit Princess Rie perfectly."
Rie stared blankly, alternating her gaze between the dresses and the shop owner.
"Isn't this... a bit short?"
Rie pointed to the skirt of one of the dresses.
"That's the beauty of it!"
"Huh?"
"Men are extremely sensitive to visual stimuli! So, if you wear such a flowy dress!"
"...If I wear it?"
"Then no man will be able to look away!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Rie rolled her eyes.
"Is that so...?"
At first, she thought the dresses were bold, but the more she looked, the more attractive they became.
"Then... I'll choose this one..."
Rie pointed at one of the dresses as she spoke.
It was winter.
Winters at Liberion Academy were freezing.
The biting wind turned my cheeks icy, and each time I exhaled, a puff of white breath rose into the air.
"Whew..."
I warmed my chilled hands with my breath.
"The first year's final exams are already over..."
After finishing all my exams, I was taking a short walk.
I was lost in thought.
With everything that's happened, the year had flown by quickly.
My abilities had considerably developed, and I had learned much from my new experiences.
While I was focused on such thoughts, someone tapped my shoulder.
"Did you do well on the exam?"
Behind me, Astina stood with a smile.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I saw you walking around and decided to come down."
Astina pointed to a window above.
That window appeared to be from the student council room.
"So, how was the exam?"
I responded to Astina's question with a faint smile.
"I think I did pretty okay on the test."
I wasn't certain about my score, but I had given my best.
Due to Robert's hospitalization, I had neglected dark magic, but I still studied more than usual.
There shouldn't be a problem since nothing should happen for a while.
Now it was vacation time.
However, there was still one more event left.
A ball before the holiday.
I felt a flicker of interest when Luna mentioned it last time.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})But I had mixed feelings about whether to attend or not.
After all, it would be a gathering of people sporting artificial smiles and hidden intentions.
Seeing me lost in my thoughts, Astina, with a shrug of surrender, posed another question.
"Do you plan on going home during the break?"
"Um... probably not."
Although I said 'probably', it was practically decided.
The current me and the previous 'Rudy Astria' were entirely different individuals.
Certainly, there must have been specific habits or behaviors that he possessed.
However, I knew nothing about them.
If I went home, people around me would undoubtedly notice something wrong.
To avoid arousing suspicion, it was better not to return home.
"So... you're saying you'll attend the ball?"
"...Huh?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
I don't understand how she came to that conclusion.
Astina frowned at my reaction, clearly displeased.
"What else would you do if you stay at the academy? You should go to the ball."
"...Hmm."
"It's good to show your face in such social circles sometimes. And well..."
Astina's voice trailed off, and she slightly turned her head away.
"I have something to say... so, you should go..."
"...Something to say?"
I looked at her, puzzled.
"Why not just say it now?"
Astina scowled at me.
"I have some things to talk about, so just go..."
"...Okay."
In the academy's principal's office.
McDowell was reading a letter from Yeniel.
"Those Rebel scoundrels...."
In the end, Yeniel couldn't return to the academy before the final exams.
Although the letter said there were no issues, it was still somewhat worrisome.
McDowell always cherished those under his wing.
Even though Yeniel was recruited through a somewhat unconventional route, the fact she was a student of McDowell's didn't change.
He wished he could help Yeniel return to safety as soon as possible.
However, if someone of his status intervened, the Rebels would likely go completely dark.
It was hard to give up the recently discovered location of their leader.
At least, since he had provided Yeniel with a magical tool capable of sending a distress signal, McDowell believed that Yeniel wouldn't be in too much danger.
"Hmm...."
McDowell set the letter aside and glanced at the documents beside him.
These documents were about those who had been in close contact with Yeniel.
He had them prepared in case anyone grew suspicious due to Yeniel's sudden disappearance.
The faces that appeared in the documents were all familiar.
Rudy Astria and Astina Persia.
They both were aware of Yeniel's circumstances, so there wasn't an issue there.
However, there was one person that could pose a problem.
One person who had been particularly close to Yeniel.
That person was Evan.
"That's not good...."
Having gone through the documents related to Evan, McDowell found that Evan also knew Yeniel was a member of the Rebels.
However, he was unaware of the details.
This was not the main issue.
The most significant problem was Evan's current state.
"Spends all day without speaking to anyone, completely focused on studying...."
McDowell quietly muttered the details outlined in the documents.
Evan's state.
It was not normal.
It wouldn't be surprising if it led to a mental breakdown.
He had to keep his position as the top student while dealing with those lurking below, greedily aiming for his spot.
All this pressure and there was no one by his side.
In the beginning, at least Yeniel had been there, but now he was all alone.
It was a challenging situation.
"I need to check on him."
Having finished reading the documents, McDowell stowed them away in a drawer.
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