Anathasia paused, crossing her arms as a faint smile curved along her lips.
"That's good."
She rested her elbow against the armrest, cheek propped against her knuckle as she watched Rania intently.
Rania nodded, though her gaze drifted elsewhere.
"She apologized."
The room went silent.
Even Anathasia froze, just staring at her.
When I glanced over, she still hadn't moved, so I poked her side.
"—Kya?!"
She flinched, shooting me a glare as she grabbed my wrist.
"Don't do that."
Then she turned back to Rania.
"She did what now?"
"She apologized," Rania repeated, letting out a small breath.
"To me… and she paid over four million gold to the Empire for logistics."
She hesitated briefly.
"According to the Dragon Emperor, Roselia also made a public apology… and is currently under house arrest in her estate."
Her fingers fidgeted slightly as she met Anathasia's gaze.
"Pardon me, Divine Grace," Mr. Kuragu spoke quietly.
Rania turned to him.
"But I must tend to the rest of the house."
After a respectful incline of his head, he turned and left while Rania gave a small wave in response.
"A house arrest, huh…" Anathasia muttered, rubbing her chin.
"Looks like this Dragon Emperor isn't as fierce as the name suggests."
"No," I said flatly, leaning forward slightly. "Dukes and Duchesses—they're all important figures, right?"
"And since Roselia got close to the Emperor that easily… she's probably one of their closest advisors."
Anathasia stilled at that, her eyes narrowing.
"…You noticed that too?"
"Not to mention, Roselia's one of the gods in Aegea's scriptures," I added, gesturing vaguely.
"They couldn't just execute her."
I trailed off, staring ahead.
"Execution wouldn't mean anything anyway. It'd just be seen as blasphemy."
A brief pause.
"She's part of that divine after all."
Anathasia slowly turned to me, her expression completely flat.
"…I really do hate how logical you are sometimes."
"Sir Kyle is right, actually," Rania cut in.
We both turned to her, Anathasia tilting her head slightly.
"Which part?"
"About Roselia being the Emperor's advisor," she clarified, unclasping her hands as her gaze drifted toward the flower vase on the table.
"It's been that way since Princess Euphilla ascended the throne… just over a decade ago."
Anathasia fell silent, her finger tapping rhythmically against the couch as she thought.
Then she looked back up at Rania.
"Wait… when we visited here around twenty years ago—Earth time…"
"How much time passed here exactly?"
Rania raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly as she tapped her arm.
"Roughly two… almost three centuries."
Her gaze settled back on Anathasia.
"That's how the Federation of Ishtar became the Theocracy of Ishtar… after Roselia dragged the two of you here three years ago."
Anathasia rubbed her temple, letting herself sink into the couch.
"…Politics sounds like a pain."
"It is," I replied with a sigh.
"Two to three hundred years… that's more than enough time for a full-scale revolution to start—and end."
Silence fell over the room.
Rania's eyes lingered on the vase in front of her.
Anathasia closed her eyes, already trying to fall asleep.
While I just stared out the window, watching the waves roll against the shore.
After a while, Rania stood, dusting off her skirt.
"That being said… I think it would be best to leave Roselia alone for now."
She glanced at us.
"I'll continue visiting her from time to time… until she finishes serving her sentence."
Her hands adjusted her blazer as she gave us a small smile.
"For now, I should take my leave. I still have classes to attend to."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Classes? You're a teacher?"
"A scholar," she corrected gently.
"At the Academy of Elements and History in Vàr—the Empire's capital."
She turned away, giving a small wave before vanishing without another word.
Left alone with Anathasia, I let myself fall onto the couch. My head landing on her lap.
"I wanna do something…"
"Like?" she yawned, stretching her arms before running her fingers through my hair.
"We could go sightseeing, if you want… maybe visit a few cities or countries around Aegea."
Her hand lifted a strand of my hair, bringing it close as she took a small whiff.
My gaze shifted, settling on her face.
"How many continents does Aegea even have?"
Anathasia paused, pulling back slightly.
"Around five."
She tapped her cheek lightly.
"There's Atakarp in the west. Flegen in the east."
"Fuendeum—the one Kazar and Ishtar are in."
"The last two are Heagviegiel and The Woodlands, up north and down south."
My brows furrowed.
"Do Aegeans really like complicated names that much…? Who even named all those?"
"An ancient dragon named Istaroth, apparently," she shrugged, then went right back to nuzzling my hair.
"Dragons were among the first races to emerge after Aegea's primordial soup era. If this were Earth, it'd be around the Phanerozoic Eon."
She started braiding my hair as she spoke.
"Istaroth's basically the first dragon. A primordial one."
"Most of Aegea's history got wiped out though, so not many people know the full story."
"Especially anything from five hundred years ago and earlier."
I hummed, shifting slightly as I buried my face against her stomach.
"What happened?"
She didn't answer right away. Just scratched her cheek.
"…Roselia ripped Aegea out of the fabric of existence."
A pause.
"And Rania was the one who put it back."
Her fingers continued moving through my hair.
"That's why Rania's more widely worshipped…"
"…while Roselia's more known as Duchess Nutriscu."
I slowly pushed myself up from her lap, staring at the wall as I sat properly.
"Yeah… I think I'd wanna go on a walk after hearing that."
—
Inside the City of Vàr
Academy of Elements and History
A student by the name of Reina Norustovakia hurried toward her first class of the semester, her heels tapping sharply against the marble floor.
If I'm late… my first impression is ruined!
She quickened her pace—
And bumped straight into a white-blonde-haired woman.
Her books slipped from her arms, scattering across the floor as she fell to her knees.
…I'm so useless…
Just as she was about to spiral—
"Are you okay, Miss?"
A soft, gentle voice cut through her thoughts.
Reina slowly turned, her eyes landing on the outstretched hand offered to her.
After a brief hesitation, she took it and stood.
"I'm fine, thank you…"
"And… I'm sorry for the inconvenience…"
But the moment she actually saw who she had bumped into—
She froze.
What the…
She stood there for a few seconds, completely blank, only snapping out of it when the woman waved a hand in front of her face.
"Hello?"
"—?! Oh! Yes, yes," Reina said quickly, forcing a smile. "I'm completely fine."
She's beautiful… her jellyfish cut suits her…
She stared a second longer before finally accepting her books back.
"Here," the woman said gently. "Please be careful next time, alright?"
Reina nodded absentmindedly, watching as the woman turned to leave.
Her long white hair cascaded behind her as she walked.
"So pretty… almost like she's from an anime…"
Then suddenly—
"Oh—right! I'm late—!"
Without wasting another second, Reina rushed toward her first lecture hall. After slipping inside and taking a seat in the front row, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Gosh…" she whimpered, letting out a weak chuckle. "That was close… too close."
"Are you okay?"
The voice made Reina glance to her side. A boy sat beside her, looking at her with mild concern.
"I'm fine," she replied with a forced smile. "Just… a little exhausted."
The boy nodded, turning his attention to the front.
Silence settled between them as they waited for their professor. Around them, a few classmates had already started chatting and introducing themselves, filling the hall with low chatter.
A moment passed.
The boy beside her, who had been staring out the window, finally spoke.
"By the way, I'm Lucian. Lucian Ataraxia."
He turned to her, a small smile forming.
"Nice to meet you."
Ataraxia…?
Reina returned the smile, glancing at his outstretched hand.
"Reina."
She took it, giving a gentle shake.
"Reina Norustovakia. Nice to meet you too."
They both smiled.
Then silence.
Well this is awkward…
Her smile twitched slightly before she forced herself to speak again.
"So… you're also here to—"
The doors suddenly opened.
Reina froze.
…Eh?
The same woman she had bumped into earlier walked in.
You're kidding…
The color slowly drained from Reina's face as she watched the woman place her books on the desk at the front of the hall.
The room instantly stilled.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The woman adjusted her tie, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I am Professor Rania Eon Augthorth."
A brief pause.
"And I will be your history professor for the entirety of your school year."