Chapter 51 · Human Hunting (1)

‘My diary is gone!’

I was in a very bad mood from the morning. The diary I always kept under my bed had disappeared.

Of course, I never wrote anything important in it for security reasons, but a diary is a diary. I didn’t want anyone else to see it. And somehow I had this ominous feeling that I might have left it in that tower…

Leo didn’t particularly like me—no, to be precise, he hated me—and the diary was… full of content that wouldn’t exactly help my image.

‘Aaaah! Why did I make that mistake!’

I suppressed the urge to kick my blanket and got ready to go to the academy. Maybe Leo hadn’t even looked at the book and notebook and had just shoved them into a closet. Considering the hostility he’d shown yesterday, it was entirely possible.

‘What on earth can I use to win him over…’

He seemed like someone as hard to crack as Paeon. How could both of them be so cold, heartless, and indifferent to a lovable girl like me? There didn’t seem to be any chance of them becoming puppies like Ark and Rizen, so I’d have to think of another approach. For now, I needed to figure out what kind of person he was, so I’d have to keep going. Surely he wouldn’t actually hit me?

“Papa, wait a moment!”

While I was thinking about this and that, Paeon finished breakfast and was about to slip off to where the Veritas members were. Today I felt oddly irritated, so I called out to him.

“Don’t you want a goodbye kiss fwom Asha? We won’t see each othew until evening.”

“…”

The knight order members around us clutched their chests and murmured.

“A kiss fwom the princess… Hah…”

“Khh… Next life, I need to be born as a knight commander…”

But he looked at me with a frown, as if I were a worm.

“If I sit hewe, I’ll give you one!”

“…No thank you. I’ll see you this evening.”

He turned away coldly. The knights around him glared at the back of his head as fiercely as I did.

“That’s not normal…”

One knight shook his head. I thought so too.

Neither Paeon nor Leo is normal!

◇ ◆ ◇

“You are beautiful today as well, Princess Anastasia.”

Melvian Laselles was waiting for me at the main gate with a sweet smile. Compared to those two cold-hearted men, how normal a reaction was this!

“…So that’s him.”

“Yes. That guy.”

Today Rizen had come along to the academy as well, saying he would escort me alongside Ark. Whatever Ark had told him, Rizen was glaring at Melvian with an uncharacteristically fierce look.

“Who are you?”

Despite the height difference of more than a head, Melvian asked confidently, undaunted by his presence.

“I am Rizen Tigris of the Holy Veritas Knight Order. I have been granted the duty of protecting the princess.”

“I see. Then you should be heading to your knight order now. You won’t be able to come inside, after all.”

Perhaps offended by Melvian’s cold tone, a vein bulged on the usually gentle Rizen’s forehead. Melvian, despite his soft appearance, clearly had quite a temper as well. The two gentlemen glared at each other as if sparks could fly, and the academy students murmured.

“It’s Sir Tigris!”

“The one who summoned Ultoor at the Ars Confelo…!”

“To be escorted by both Sir Tigris and Sir Ellenoa at once…”

“They say both of them swore loyalty oaths.”

Hearing conversations that dropped the honorific ‘Princess’ didn’t feel very pleasant. What confidence did these kids have to say such things where anyone could hear?

“Lord Laselles, please stop paying attention to the princess and go now.”

“Yeah. Don’t hover around trying to look good to the princess for nothing. Honestly, it’s obvious. It’s not like you’ve built trust slowly over a long time like we have.”

Since when were you two so in sync?! I was about to say something about Ark and Rizen’s rudeness when I heard a small sigh from in front.

“Haa…”

Melvian murmured as he swept back his finely textured rose-colored hair.

“…How troublesome.”

“What did you say?!”

“What’s with this brat?!”

“The princess came to the academy partly for the purpose of interacting with other nobles. Do you two have the right to block that?”

“Th-that is…”

“And however young I may be, I am a noble and an academy student just the same. I have never permitted Lord Ellenoa to speak to me informally, so please show me proper courtesy.”

“…!”

Ark’s face turned crimson. Well, well, this young lord has a sharp tongue.

I liked people who were decisive, so I felt a bit of goodwill toward Melvian. How much would I gain if a clever one became my ally! Marquis Laselles really had educated him well.

“Why are they fighting?”

“It seems to be because of Lord Laselles.”

“Why does Lord Laselles keep going to Princess Anastasia’s side? Is the rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“Well, you know… that Marquis Laselles has his eye on Princess Anastasia…”

It wasn’t that the marquis had his eye on me—it was that I had my eye on the marquis.

Just then, a girl burst into tears. What was this now?!

“Anise, it’s all right. The young lord is only doing this because the marquis ordered him to…”

She whispered softly, but I heard it all. Goodness, what kind of love and war was this?

“Let’s go in quickly. Rizen, goodbye! See you later!”

I hurriedly greeted Rizen and pushed Ark and Melvian, who were still glaring at each other, inside the gate. But they wouldn’t budge.

“Wawk, and I mean it…”

When I bit my lip hard and spoke in a menacing voice, the two flinched and moved their feet. Ark and Melvian didn’t say a single word to each other the whole way, and stuck between them, I thought I would die of discomfort.

But as we neared the central building, I heard a familiar voice.

“Princess!”

“Fwee!”

For once, Freesia had come looking for me first. After running away so much yesterday! Of course, I knew why. She must have had no choice but to come find me.

“Princess, um… by any chance…”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Well…”

She hemmed and hawed, looking terribly anxious.

“The clothes… did the princess perhaps…”

“Ah, you mean the waundry in Fwee’s woom?”

I deliberately answered in a loud, ringing voice. I could feel all the students looking our way.

“So you did see them after all…”

She went pale and trembled.

“But they’re… gone…”

“Oh, I buwned them aww.”

“Whaaat?!”

That’s right. Yesterday, together with Ark, I had set every last piece of clothing ablaze. Ark grumbled that he never thought he’d use the Flamma Gladius for such a purpose, but he poured his power into it enthusiastically.

It wasn’t really revenge, and burning a few uniforms wouldn’t cause the nobles even a speck of loss… But watching that blazing pile of clothes, it somehow felt satisfying, like holding a pyre for their owners.

“Awk, go to the gweat haww with Wod Waselles.”

“What?! Why…”

Why? Because your face is too red. Even if you’re near Freesia… When I stared at him firmly, he grumbled and headed for the great hall.

But the moment Ark disappeared, Giselle suddenly appeared and gave me a noble’s curtsy.

“Excuse me, Princess. I happened to overhear your conversation with this girl as I was passing by.”

“…What is it, Miss Giselle?”

“The princess says she burned those uniforms, but they belong to the academy students.”

Wow, so brazen. I knew she’d react somehow, but I hadn’t expected her to be this shameless, and my anger surged. I tried my best to keep a poker face and opened my mouth.

“I’m cuwious why the academy students’ unifowms wewe stacked in Fweesia’s downmitowy woom.”

“It’s a little awkward to say, but Freesia was being punished for violating too many school rules.”

“…What?! Who gave that punishment?”

“I have the authority to discipline students. I’m the upperclassmen president.”

She pointed to the golden laurel-shaped badge on her jacket. So that was the badge worn by the year president. So she was brazenly admitting that she had given the punishment?

“What school wules did Fweesia viowate?”

“She was often late to prayer meetings and disrupted the other students, and she secretly skipped classes. She also failed to wear her uniform properly and couldn’t maintain dignity, and she talked back to me, the president.”

The more I heard, the more my blood boiled. She was late to prayer because you made her work and she couldn’t sleep, and you probably dragged her out during class too! And looking at the uniform, it seemed the ribbon was missing—that was clearly your doing!

I was disgusted by them for creating this endless loop of bullying.

Freesia, pale as a sheet, looked back and forth between us and spoke in a thin voice.

“P-Princess… I’m all right…”

“What do you mean, all wight? I’m not all wight! My pwecious unifowms tuwned to ashes. Even if you spent youw entiwe fowtune, you couldn’t buy a single button of that unifowm.”

Giselle snapped coldly and turned to me.

“I’m not asking the princess for compensation. But I humbly submit that it is unfair to unconditionally take one student’s side without knowing the specific circumstances.”

“Is the type of punishment up to the discwetion of the one giving it?”

She was taken aback by the unexpected question.

“…Yes, well. Within reasonable bounds.”

“Hmm… within weasonable bounds…”

“?”

I gave Giselle, who looked bewildered, the most benevolent smile I could manage.

“I undewstand. I’ll have to think of a cweative method. Wet’s go, Fwee.”

“U-um… Princess?”

Ignoring the displeased Giselle, I entered the great hall. Freesia followed behind me, shrinking into herself.

Melvian, who had been standing by the hall door, smiled brightly and held out his hand, as if to guide me to a seat he had saved in advance. Mm… isn’t holding hands a bit early? Ark would complain. But where was Ark?

After hesitating, I lightly took his hand. He whispered, “Thank you for permitting my hand, Princess.” My ear tickled for some reason, and as I rubbed it, Ark was sitting there staring straight ahead, unable to look my way.

‘Should I call him pure…’

I sent Freesia to the seat beside him. Ark nearly jumped out of his skin. But it was the innermost seat, and there was no reason to move, so he couldn’t say anything and just moved his lips.

Even though there was no space left to retreat, Ark leaned slightly away from Freesia, fidgeting and opening his scripture. At this point, the quick-witted Melvian seemed to have noticed. Sure enough, when I glanced at Melvian, he was smiling at Ark. Ark… I think your weak spot’s been caught?

“Sir Ellenoa, have you been well?”

Perhaps feeling it impolite not to greet him at all, Freesia cautiously greeted Ark.

“Ah, well… um…”

When he stammered and failed to give a proper answer, Freesia wilted and bowed her head.

Ugh, this frustrating boy! Can’t you take the opportunity when it’s handed to you!

I pounded my chest inwardly, then asked Melvian.

“Wod Waselles, how does one become the yeaw pwesident?”

He opened his eyes wide and looked at me.

“You wish to become the year president?”

“Why? Is thewe a school wule that pwincesses can’t?”

“No… But usually royalty don’t do it. Because it’s troublesome.”

“Fwom what I’ve seen, the job seems to consist of nothing but acting high and mighty and buwwying othews.”

He let out a puff of laughter, then leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Just as Dinitas and Veritas have the Ars Confelo, the academy has an exam held at the beginning of every year. If you get a good score, you can become the year president. I heard this year’s is a hunting competition.”

Oh ho… A hunting competition? Then I suppose I should do a little human hunting.