Princess of the Minerva Empire, Rina’s academy life was surprisingly normal. She had expected to encounter only tiresome tasks before her enrollment.
By “tiresome things”, she meant the “flies” swarming to her, just like her brother, crown prince Leort, has been always experiencing. This could be seen from the moment when Sophia, a young lady, clung to her even before the start of her first lecture, and when Jackson recklessly approached her.
However, contrary to her expectations, such situations rarely occurred. That was due to Helium’s princess and her newly made friend, Cecily, she had made on the first day of enrollment.
She displayed exceptional behavior from the entrance ceremony and attracted the attention of many. Moreover, she exuded elegance with her beautiful appearance and seductive atmosphere.
Cecily’s reputation had already spread throughout the Halo Academy. Because of this, there were no small number of people who came to see her face, but even that ended up being fruitless.
Just as Cecily was by Rina’s side, Rina was always next to Cecily. Unless one had a significant amount of courage, there was no one who dared to approach the two.
Thanks to that, she was able to enjoy a relatively calm academy life. She had new friends, and there were things to enjoy that she couldn’t do in the palace, so every day was enjoyable for her.
Above all, there was an unexpected harvest. While having a conversation with Cecily about the correct answer, Rina asked her a question that had been on her mind for a while.
“Cecily, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure, ask me anything. I always welcome Rina’s questions.”
At Cecily’s agreement to Rina’s request, Rina asked the question she had been wanting to ask without any hesitation, shedding her mask.
“Are you also looking for the author of Xenon’s Biography?”
“Xenon’s Biography?”
Upon hearing Rina’s question, Cecily widened her eyes and replied. In response, Rina nodded her head and asked the question she wanted to ask.
“Yeah. I’m sure you’re looking for him in Helium, too.”
The reason for asking this question was simple. Although she couldn’t say it directly, Rina hoped that it would be at least a little helpful to Cecily.
As Rina got closer to Cecily, she realized one thing. She wasn’t sure if it was just Cecily, but the demons considered the author of Xenon’s Biography to be not just a benefactor, but a savior.
As creatures who were forcibly cut off from the world and had to live in hiding in darkness, it was only natural to treat him as a savior. So the demons would also be eager to find the author of Xenon’s Biography, and they would be very restless about it.
And Rina, she knew exactly who the author of Xenon’s Biography was. Strictly speaking, he could be considered a “co-author”.
‘It must have been written by Isaac based on the story the Red Lion told him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a callus on his middle finger.’
The crown prince, Leort, confirmed Hawk, known as the Red Lion, as the author of Xenon’s Biography. But I thought differently.
Could a knight who had only trained in martial arts all his life have enough talent to write such a work? For Rina it seemed like too much of a stretch.
So she expected that the Red Lion gave Isaac a rough outline, and he would then ghostwrite it before publishing it.
While Rina was making such a conjecture in her mind, Cecily, who heard her question, blinked her eyes and soon smiled.
“We are naturally looking for him. But still, I try not to worry about it.”
“Huh? Why?”
Rina showed a puzzled reaction to Cecily’s response. If it were her, she would do anything to find it, but Cecily replied that she wasn’t like that.
Cecily then made a subdued but wistful expression and said quietly.
“I also tried to find that person at first. But then I thought it might be rude.”
“Excuse me?”
“Right now, I want to focus on my studies. You heard the speech I gave at the entrance ceremony, right? I said that we demons will live like humans. That person probably wants the same. So instead of looking for them, I need to achieve what I truly want. it won’t be too late to find them later when they reveal their identity themselves.”
Rina made a slightly stunned expression at Cecily’s explanation, realizing that Cecily’s decision was much more mature than hers and Leort’s, who had used the power of the royal family to find that person.
Of course, Cecily could say those words because she had already found “that person,” but Rina, who had excellent observational skills, immediately sensed that Cecily’s words were sincere. So she became a little uneasy.
“…Is that so? Okay, I understand.”
So Rina gave up on giving Cecily a hint. As friends who exchanged their thoughts, and as fans who loved Xenon’s Biography, wasn’t it okay for them to talk about this much? That’s what Rina thought, but she backed off after hearing Cecily’s determination.
Cecily got up from her seat, gave a faint smile, and then suggested to Rina.
“Do you want to go to the bathroom?”
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
Rina lightly accepted her proposal and got up from her seat, walking together. Just before they were about to exit the classroom, Rina caught sight of someone.
It was Marie, who was hiding her face by lying down on the desk. She looked different from her usual self.
Most of all…
‘…Why are her ears so red?’
The ears that were peeking through her white hair, which had a faint bluish tint, were visibly red.
It was a somewhat curious reaction for Rina, who had known Marie for a long time. If it were anyone else, they would have approached her out of curiosity, but Rina couldn’t. It was because Marie had developed deep hostility towards her due to a mistake she had made when she was very young.
So, even if she was curious now, she had no choice but to endure it.
‘I wonder if she’s sick? I’m a little worried.’
Lastly, Rina was ‘slightly’ lacking in her ability to read the situation. She looked at Marie with a worried gaze and then headed outside.
Meanwhile, Marie, who was lying face down on the desk…
‘He said he had something he wanted to talk to me about? I’m sure he did. Well then… No, but what should I wear? He said to just come in my school uniform…’
Her mind was a mess.
*****
I arranged to meet with Marie at 6 pm. I thought it would be nice to take care of dinner while getting the necessary items from my dorm.
Naturally, Marie questioned why we couldn’t just go together from the beginning, but I told her that I had something to show her, and she quickly stopped questioning me. Her face turned red as she closed her mouth.
It seems like she thinks that I am confessing something to her. Although it’s true that I am confessing something, I’m not sure whether I should clear up the misunderstanding or not.
‘…I hope she won’t be disappointed.’
Now, I’m waiting in front of the promised restaurant until Marie arrives. I’m wearing my school uniform since it was ambiguous to wear casual clothing.
The restaurant is the same place where I had dinner with Leort and Rina last time. As far as I know, this is the only soundproof restaurant here.
‘First of all, let’s show this after all the story is over.’
While waiting nervously, I checked the envelope in my hand again. The first edition of Xenon’s Biography that I’ve written was inside the envelope.
After dinner with Marie, I plan to give her this and explain everything. Whether she’ll believe me or not is unknown, but I’ll do my best.
“Isaac!”
As I waited with a pounding heart, a familiar voice pierced my ears. As I turned my head, Marie, a white-haired girl with a hint of blue, was approaching me, waving her hand.
Did she put on makeup, too? As I had requested, I wore her school uniform, but it felt different from before. I was slightly mesmerized by her even more vibrant appearance than what I had seen so far.
She was definitely pretty, even if I asked someone else, but because of the reason I decided to meet her today, made me think that she looked even prettier than usual.
“I’m not too late, am I?”
Marie, who had suddenly approached me, smiled and asked. I stared blankly at her happy smile and replied in a dazed voice.
“… No, I just arrived myself. It’s not even six yet.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Let’s go inside now.”
Marie urged me to hurry up and come in, as if she wanted to be alone with me even for a moment longer. Hearing that, I couldn’t help but think that she really liked me.
I naturally had a gentle smile on my face. I always said that, but when I was with Marie, I felt at ease. I didn’t need to worry about anything else and could focus solely on her.
My decision to confess my secret to her was definitely not a wrong choice. I slid the first edition of the book under my left armpit and offered my hand with a bright smile.
“Shall we go, my lady?”
“… …”
As soon as I spoke, Marie’s face noticeably turned red. It was just a simple gesture, so I couldn’t help but wonder why.
‘What’s wrong with her? Is she embarrassed?’
As far as etiquette goes, this behavior is just a matter of manners that I learned at home. It was something I learned from my mother. However, I later remembered something else my mother had told me.
This behavior only serves as a matter of manners in formal events like church or parties, but its meaning changes completely in everyday life. If this behavior is displayed by a man to a woman in everyday life, it’s equivalent to saying, ‘I have romantic feelings for you.’
This alone is enough to make me flustered, but the problem didn’t end there.
“…yes.”
grip-
Marie grabbed my hand gently while blushing. I could feel a slight tremble and a strong will to not let go of my hand.
Thanks to that, it was my turn to blush. A man offering his hand, and a woman taking it? It was like an answer saying, ‘I too have romantic feelings for you’.
If not, she would have just laughed and politely declined. However, Marie gently took my hand that I offered. It was the same as accepting my indirect confession.
“… …”
We stood there holding hands and gazing at each other without saying anything.
I couldn’t figure out what to do, but to break the awkward silence, I quietly opened my mouth.
“Should we go inside?”
“…Yes.”
Marie lowered her head and answered in a tiny voice.
Translators note:
I forgot to change the font size last chapter, fixed it.
