The imposing gates of the Royal Pomelia Academy rose before me, carved with reliefs of ancient battles and emblems of the great noble houses. The murmur of students ceased for a moment when Rossette and I entered arm-in-arm, as if our mere presence had cut through the air.
The impeccable uniforms—navy blue with gold details for the men, white and blue silk dresses for the women—shone under the morning sun. But amidst all that elegance, one figure stood out: Elizabeth. Beside her,Prince Alexander was frowning, clearly annoyed by seeing Rossette and me together like this. Today seems like it will be far too "interesting," and I don't want it to be interesting.
Rossette, however, walked with her head held high. Her smile was calm, but in her ruby-colored eyes, there was a glint of defiance.
"Ready for the show?"
"Always."
That was my response,though I actually had no idea what awaited us. But obviously, I couldn't just stay home training my Aura at Arthur's place; I have to find some way to help change Rossette's fate.
The academy's main hall was a vast space with high ceilings and stained-glass windows that filtered the light into warm colors. The students were grouped in their usual circles, but their gazes never left us. What is this,some bad preteen novel where the whole school pays attention to what two students are doing? Doesn't anyone here have a life of their own to stop them from watching our every move?
Rossette walked beside me with elegance, her open fan hiding a mocking smile.
"It seems our little secret is now public knowledge."
"Littleis an understatement. But I sincerely doubt it was a secret after the show I made. And even if it was, someone would have ensured our relationship became a huge scandal."
My gaze drifted toward a specific someone.Rossette turned her head slightly toward Elizabeth.
"I don't doubt that for a second."
For a commoner in this world, she has a lot of persuasive power, though being the woman the prince loves and protects must give you a lot of favorability points.
A group of students approached, feigning courtesy, but it was obvious they came to ask poison-laced questions.
"Arthur,what a surprise to see you with Rossette after… well, after everything."
"Life takes unexpected turns,though some seem to have trouble accepting it."
I'm not even going to ask this person's name;they don't matter to me anyway. Rossette stifled a laugh behind her fan.
Elizabeth couldn't contain herself any longer. She strode toward us, ignoring protocol, her voice a sharp whisper.
"What game are you playing,Arthur? Do you think allying yourself with her will get you anything?"
Rossette lowered her fan,revealing a cold smile.
"Dear Elizabeth,if Arthur preferred my company to yours, perhaps you should ask yourself why instead of making a scene."
I'm not even going to get too involved in this conversation;Rossette is much better trained—and truer to herself—in trading subtle, venomous words.
The hall fell silent. Alexander paled and grabbed Elizabeth's arm before she could respond.
"Enough.This is not the place."
She shook him off but didn't insist,only throwing us one last glare before walking away.
"Well,dear Arthur, we must get to class. So try to stay calm and learn a lot."
As we walked to our classroom, a thought occurred to me.
"Rossette,was Arthur a good student or something?"
"No,let's just say he was average. So don't worry if you don't understand anything; I'll help you improve."
That's not really what worries me.If they ask me something and Arthur used to be intelligent, it would be very suspicious if I didn't know basic things. Well,I can only pray nothing too weird happens.
∆∆∆
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of furtive glances and hushed whispers.Every step Rossette and I took together through the academy corridors was followed by dozens of curious eyes. Even the teachers seemed more interested in observing us than in teaching their classes. Is this damned academy cursed?Have they never seen a couple before or something? Did that prince tell everyone to watch us so he could know everything we do?
During fencing practice, Master Laurent deliberately paired us off.
"Young Master Crimson,you will face Duvont today. Show us that this new engagement hasn't affected your… skill."
Viscount Duvont,tall with a scar on his eyebrow, drew his sword with elegance.
"Don't worry,future Duke. I'll be merciful."
Now I have a real problem:I have no idea how to use a sword. Arthur's body did,but my mind did not. When I lifted the weapon, its weight felt foreign, like trying to write with my left hand when I'm right-handed.
"Begin!"
Duvont's first move was a swift lateral attack. By instinct,I raised my sword to block, but the impact forced me back three steps. My hands were still vibrating from the blow I had barely managed to defend. A second attack came quickly—a thrust aimed at my stomach.I tried to dodge as fast as I could, but I tripped over my own foot. Damn it,even the laughter of my classmates is annoying, but I don't have time to think about that now. Duvont's next attack came with more force, aimed directly at my face. Not knowing what else to do,I dropped the sword and threw a direct punch at this idiot's face. It sent him to his knees, blood starting to trickle from his nose.
"STOP!"
The master rushed to Duvont and checked on him. Seeing that he was okay, he turned his gaze to me, looking very annoyed.
"CRIMSON!Since when do we resolve duels like drunken brawlers at this academy?!"
Don't ask me, I just reacted on instinct. I looked at Rossette, who was sitting a little ways off, and noticed she was covering her face with her fan, but it didn't hide the fact that she was laughing. Hey, this can't be good. If someone realizes I'm acting strange, it'll be a real pain in the rear.
I bowed, picked up the sword from the ground, and held it like it was a broomstick.
"My apologies,Master, but this is to teach Duvont a lesson."
"A lesson?Explain yourself."
"These duels are meant to instruct us in case we ever go to war.He was overconfident. On a battlefield where death lurks everywhere, no one focuses on maintaining knightly honor—only on survival."
That left him speechless for a moment.He ran a hand through his hair, exasperated.
"Fine,I'll accept that explanation for now. But I expect you not to do that again in the future. This is a fencing class, not a lesson on how to act in the midst of war."
After that, the class continued with total normality. I just moved the sword according to the exercises the master demonstrated, for about an hour, until classes ended. I put the practice sword aside and left with Rossette.As we exited the hall, Rossette dragged me into a corner.
"You really don't know how to use a sword?Arthur Crimson has been training since he was three years old."
Three years old?!Could he even lift a sword at that age? I have a slight suspicion that such an exaggerated claim is just the fantasy of a loving father. Istarted training at seven… but with my fists. Even then, I only knew basic punches. It wasn't until I grew older that I learned more structured martial arts.
As we talked, we noticed someone approaching. When we turned to see who it was, we found Elizabeth. Her pale blue dress contrasted with the red flowers. She wore a single white lace glove on her left hand, which she nervously fiddled with a petal.
"Lady Elizabeth."
It's best to address her this way;I have no idea how Arthur referred to this woman.
"Oh,please, after all we've shared, formalities? Come, walk with me. I want to show you something… private."
Rossette dug her nails into my sleeve,but I calmed her with a look. It's obvious she feels insecure when that woman approaches, which is honestly kind of cute.
I started following Elizabeth for a while until we reached what appeared to be a greenhouse, though it didn't seem to have been used in a long time.
"You know this engagement with Rossette is a farce,right? She's just using you to get back at me. But us… what we had was real. Remember that night in the library, when you swore to me that…"
Damn it,these two were that close? It even seems like a very deep love.
"What?You deny it now? When you kissed me behind the portrait of Queen Margarita, when you wrote me those letters… you call this nothing?"
Without waiting for me to respond, I felt a pull from behind and noticed Rossette stepping in front of me.
"My,my, dear Elizabeth. I never thought you were the type of woman to meddle in someone else's relationship—no, wait, you are that type of person. But this time, you're trying it with my dear Arthur. You know, if you keep this up, I'll take it as a personal attack."
Elizabeth,unflinching, looked directly at me.
"Don't say that,Miss Rossette. I'm merely trying to help a friend who might be going through a difficult time. After all, it seems he now has to spend time with a certain person."
"Miss Elizabeth,if young Arthur didn't enjoy spending time with that person, he wouldn't have agreed to be with them in the first place."
The glares between the two grew increasingly hostile. The best thing to do now is to leave this place; we have far more important things to resolve that I don't even know about yet.
"Let's go.There's no need to waste our time here."
Without waiting for Rossette's response,I took her hand and quickly led us out of that place so we could spend our time in peace.