The Lady Wants To Rest [PDF]

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The Lady Wants To Rest Description In the distant past, I was cursed by my dealings with the world. Over the next 1,000 years, I lived an endless life. There isn’t a single life I haven’t experienced. I have been the most noble and humble person in the world, I have become a beggar, I have been revered as a saint, and I have been burned as a witch. And after my most miserable and painful life, I thought of it all again. ‘It’s all bothering me now—I’d like to take a break, please. I’ve decided to live a life of a lazy sloth this time, but why are people still bothering me? Let me get some rest.’ Her story of wanting to rest! Chapter 1 The Returner 52nd? No, 53rd? That was the number of times I reincarnated over a thousand years. There isn’t a thing I haven’t tried. I’ve been the greatest magician and I’ve been a swordmaster known as the “Sword Saint.” The life of a musician, an artist, a blacksmith, a doctor, I’ve experienced them all. I’ve been a billionaire who had mountains of money and once starved without any food for a single meal. I’ve lived as a king who decided the life and death of strangers with a single finger and lived the life of the humblest of humble slaves as well. I’ve been praised as a saint and holy woman who saved the lives of millions and accused of being a witch and burned at the stake. “I’m sick of everything.” Those were the very first words that I, who had just started her 54th life, spat out. Would it be as disagreeably eccentric as my 53rd life? I seriously didn’t feel like doing anything. ‘This time, I’ll live as a loafer. I must rest peacefully.’ The goal for my 54th life as an idler had been decided. It was now time for me to rest. I didn’t want to move even a single finger. It was at the moment that my life’s goal had been decided!



The door to the room I was in burst open and a sophisticated aristocratic lady walked in. “You’ve woken up now? You’re weak and frail just like your mother. Anyhow, you’re clearly not useful in any way.” What were these roll-cake-bursting-like words as soon as I’ve reincarnated? It was a sharp voice filled with hostility. I blinked my eyes for a moment. I had only just come to my senses, so I did not have the memories of this body’s ‘original owner’. With my skills as a reincarnator, I quickly scanned over the body’s memories. ‘Oh my. I’m the Princess Rubia of the Roxanne Grand Duchy?’ This body’s identity was far greater than what I had anticipated. A princess from the start? For me, whose ambition was to become a slacker, this wasn’t a good thing. ‘Also, this is clearly a dysfunctional family. Rather than a family, they’re all enemies.’ I felt this body’s original owner, ‘Princess Rubia’, was pitiful. She died after a lengthy battle with a fever. And in the empty spot vacated by her soul, I had entered. From the perspective of her family, their daughter must have been suffering from a high fever and had barely woken up, but their response was only this. I couldn’t help but frown. When the noblewoman saw my disagreeable expression, this stepmother of ‘Rubia’s’ lost her temper. “You- what is with that frown? Anyhow, those with the blood of commoners are coarse to no end.” At the fatigue that swept over me, I let out a loud sigh. Of course, my sigh naturally brought out the stepmother’s wrath. “Sighing? How dare you sigh rudely when your mother is speaking?! Do you need to be scolded once more before you come to your senses?!” Afterward, she continued to nag for a long time. Politely put ‘nagging’, but it was just a temper tantrum. I listened quietly and only after she had finished her sentence did I open my mouth. “Have you finished talking? Then, why don’t you be quiet.” Oops. The attitude from my past life had burst out unconsciously. “…What?”



At my shocking attitude, the stepmother looked like someone had hit her over the head with a hammer. “You, you… What was that just now…!” “I’m sorry.” I apologized easily. Though she may be the villainous stepmother, speaking thoughtlessly is still wrong. “I just woke up, so it appears I have yet to come to my senses. As such, if you have finished what you wished to say, please return. If you still have more to say… Um… Even so, please return. I’m rather tired.” When the stepmother heard my words, her jaw dropped. Shock and perplexity filled her face. Surely she would have never imagined hearing such words from ‘Rubia’. It was to be expected, as the original Princess Rubia was so timid and cowardly that she would not rebuke, let alone answer when abused. ‘It’s too tiresome to follow her pace.’ Chapter 2 The usual me would have appropriately imitated the personality of the original owner of the body. That way I would be able to assimilate without much trouble. Perhaps it was due to my last life being especially turbulent? I was much too tired to do so. “You, you! What is that…!” It was the second the stepmother trembled and flared up. I motionlessly looked up at her eyes. The moment when our eyes met, she hesitated and quieted. “……” I could feel that she was stunned by the difference in the look of my eyes. No, to be more specific, what this stepmother must have felt was not bewilderment. Overwhelmed. When she met my eyes, that was what this stepmother must have felt. Not even a day had passed of my new life. It was inevitable that there remained influences from my past lives. My eyes possessed the traces of my past lives in the form of an unexplainable pressure, and it was not something a sheltered villainess of a stepmother could handle. ‘If she met me in my last life, she wouldn’t have been able to properly hold up her head.’ Every time, I would always reincarnate on the same continent into a body whose soul had recently departed.



My last life was set in the central region of the continent during a chaotic and turbulent age. It was rather far from the Roxanne Grand Duchy, which was located to the west of the continent. Despite that, this stepmother would have heard my name. Thanks to having lived a dreadfully tumultuous life, my name was rather notorious. My notoriety had reached the point that the average person would not have not heard my name previously. ‘It’s all in the past. Now everything’s too tedious.’ Just then, the stepmother, who had been trembling, quickly turned around and walked outside. “You, you! You’ll be punished for what happened today! You’d better be prepared!” Left all alone, I laid back down on the bed. ‘Did I provoke her too much? Will I be bothered?’ I thought for a moment, but shook my head. Whatever, it’ll be resolved one way or another. ‘So, my name is Rubia.’ I looked at the mirror. Am I now eighteen? An exceedingly beautiful girl absentmindedly sitting was reflected in the mirror. ‘She’s really beautiful.’ Even though I found everything tedious, I expressed my admiration. Radiant silver hair, jewel-like crimson eyes, pale skin like white jade. The impression the reflection gave was pure and kind-hearted. Even then, the body emitted elegance. Should I say gentle, pure, yet like an elegant flower? The appearance of the reflection was the embodiment of a princess that emerged in fairytales. The fault in an otherwise perfect jade was the world-weary look that didn’t go well with the otherwise exquisite looks. ‘Looking into the mirror will be a feast for the eyes.’ Though the beauty of this body was not short of being enough to cause the downfall of a country, my appreciation ended right there. In order to live a lazy life, it made little difference whether I was beautiful or ugly. Rather, being too beautiful could easily lead to tedious situations and logically disadvantageous for such a life. ‘But, what do I have to do to live like a slacker?’ Having been born as the princess of a great republic, it was natural to assume that one could live richly without suffering, but in reality it was not so.



First, not only the stepmother, but King — the birth father of the princess — abhorred Princess Rubia. Why does he hate his own daughter? I have no idea. Anyway, he hates her. What a dysfunctional family. ‘How should I go about it? I need money in order to live lazily.’ There were many ways to earn money. If I made up my mind, I could build up an immense estate from nothing. However, this all required great effort and labor. Even if it was me, there was no way for me to amass such wealth without effort other than winning the lottery. ‘Renting out land is by far the most comfortable, but I don’t have any cash on hand. Do I have to catch a wealthy fool to marry?’ I let out a giggle. Was it the 27th or the 28th? I’ve lived a life like that before. Chapter 3 The wife of a wealthy man. It wasn’t a very happy life, and its ending was likewise not preferable. More importantly, the madam of a rich family had many things to consider and care about. ‘Or perhaps the estranged mistress of an unambitious man? Would that be enough?’ I collapsed into my bed and closed my eyes. ‘I don’t know. Whatever. Everything will be solved in due time. Let’s take a nap.’ Sleep swept over me. In my last life, I had never slept for more than four hours per day. And, even then, I was unable to sleep deeply. It was because I was always in danger of being assassinated. As a result, this time I decided to keep to three rules: sleep early, wake up late, and take an afternoon nap. Of course, if I feel drowsy in the middle of the day, I will sleep even more. ‘Life isn’t complicated. Good things are good. This time, let’s be happy at all costs. But first let me sleep.’ However, my first attempt at an afternoon nap, which was required for my happiness, turned to smoke from the beginning. It was because the door to my room slammed open. “Rubia!” Sharp voice. It was the stepmother. This time she came with backup. It was a handsome young man with attractive and elegant, radiant silver hair and



cerulean eyes. He started to speak in a firm tone. “Rubia, are mother’s claims true?” I woke up wearily. ‘Viscount of Sabien.’ That handsome young man was the heir to the throne of Roxanne Grand Duchy, the Viscount Sabien. He was also Rubia’s stepbrother. He was the child of the first Grand Duchess, prior to the Grand Duke’s marriage to Rubia’s birth mother. As one could see from how her stepmother had brought him as backup, he, too, did not like Rubia. ‘No, to be accurate, he has no interest. As such, even as the stepmother blamed Rubia for a million faults, he didn’t think to investigate more deeply into the circumstances.’ In some ways, he was worse than her stepmother. For the timid Rubia wasn’t given a chance to explain the unfair rumors about herself. Had Viscount Sabien had investigated even a little into her circumstances, the amount of hardship in her life would have been reduced by half. “Answer me. Is it true that you had acted rudely to our mother?” His cold tone was like that of a blizzard, full of sharp, frozen needles. Of course, I only felt that it was rather cute. “Yes, it is true.” Viscount Sabien’s eyes shifted unusually. It was because my tone of voice was calm, unlike usual. I ignored his reaction, and continued speaking. “That is if you can call a lady, whose first words to her daughter who had just returned from death’s doorstep were that of scolding and mocking, a mother.” “……!” At the sudden blow, the stepmother’s face blanched. The stepmother had always pretended to be good-hearted in front of others, with the exception of Rubia. Viscount Sabien frowned deeply. “Your words are too harsh. Even if mother had said seemingly hurtful words, they must not have been with bad intentions.” “R, Right. I was just worried about you!” Worried? If she worried twice, she’d end up nailing a scrappy doll.



T/N: Nailing a scrappy doll – This is a Korean idiom. There no direct translation, so the translator made a reference to voodoo dolls. It’s basically cursing people by stabbing the doll. I let out a sneer, stared straight at Viscount Sabien and spoke. “Is my lord scolding me with the loving intentions of an older sibling or trying to set straight the household decorum?” For a moment, Viscount Sabien was at a loss for words. “I….” If it was out of love for his younger sibling, this was not how one should have scolded them, as showing concern over his sister’s wellbeing, who had recently been ill, should have come first in the conversation. Had it been for the sake of setting straight household rules, the stepmother’s usual actions towards Princess Rubia would not have abided by the decorum. ‘How frustrating.’ I fumbled for the mallet out of habit from my past life, and after realizing it was absent, my eyebrows furrowed. “Anyhow your attitude was at fault. Apologize to mother.” I crossed my arms. What frustrating development. It felt like I was stuffing myself with baked potatoes without water. I thought about using my syllogistic reasoning to deliver a fatal blow to Viscount Sabien’s argument, but I gave up at the last second. Chapter 4 I, myself, was not Rubia, and it was tiresome to pour energy into a dysfunctional family for some affection. “Sorry.” “…What?” “I am sorry. As such, please relieve your anger. Since you like apples, please go eat many apples.” T/N: This is a word play. The word “sorry” sounds the same as the word “apple”. She’s using wordplay to taunt both the stepmother and stepbrother. I think she’s being rebellious because she herself can’t stand being blamed unfairly rather than seeking justice for Rubia. A chilly silence fell on the room. That lasted but a short while, and the stepmother trembled as if convulsing. “You, you…! Just now…!” “Do you hate apples? I thought you liked apples. If you dislike them, then please



do not eat them.” At my words, the stepmother was even more angered. It was to the point that she wasn’t able to hold back her temper and slap me in the face. Of course, that was the exact development that I wished for. At that time, Viscount Sabien stepped forward as if to appease the stepmother’s rage. “Rubia, what kind of rude word play is that?” He stared at me ferociously. I returned his gaze apathetically and replied. “Is there something wrong? Apples are great for your health. If you eat one a day, the chance of catching a serious illness decreases. I understood after becoming sick. Being healthy is the best.” “You…!” Viscount Sabien, who had been about to blow his top, thought of something and suddenly pressed his lips tight. The stepmother who had expected Sabien to scold me instead of her looked at him with an odd expression. “…I think it is best that you return to your quarters, mother.” “Royal Son?” The stepmother drew on a bewildered face. However, Viscount Sabien shook his head gently, yet firmly. Then, the stepmother helplessly withdrew from the room. After all, Sabien, who was the heir to the Grand Duchy, was not someone that the stepmother could dare to rival. After glaring at me for a long while, she disappeared. Left all alone, I thought of how unexpectedly the Viscount had acted. ‘So, he’s not entirely a fool.’ Sabien had definitely understood that my apology was not a simple play on words, but a sarcastic statement on the irony of their own conduct. Decorum and whatever. It was sarcasm on their rude conduct of crowding into the room of a family member recovering from a rather serious illness and berating them. Seeing how he had retreated without a word after his realization, there appeared to be a chance for starting anew. ‘Whatever. This time, let’s actually sleep.’ I collapsed onto the bed. And immediately fell asleep. ***



I dreamt a happy dream. Memories. What I mean is, in this 53rd life of mine, I dreamt of spending time with my precious son. At the time, he, who was but a small boy, smiled brightly at me. I love him, and he too loved me. I looked happy in my dreams. “……” When I woke up, I found that the pillow underneath me was wet. They were tears. I let out a sigh. “Rue. Get me that.” I was surprised by my own subconscious words. There was no ‘Rue’ anymore. I had searched out of habit. ‘I’ve bid farewell 53 times, but I still can’t get used to it.’ I smiled bitterly. There was something that I could never get used to. It was the sense of loss felt through death and rebirth. When I first received the punishment of reincarnation, I had thought the contrary. If I repeated the process of birth and death, I would become accustomed to it. However that was not reality. It was something that one could never become accustomed to. ‘I should eat something.’ Feeling my mood dropping, this was what I thought. Eating was the best on moody days. I was about to have someone bring me food, but I realized that there wasn’t even a single maid assigned to me. It was all due to the stepmother’s schemes. And the one maid that had been assigned to me was currently receiving her punishment in my stead. As a result, I had no choice but to throw on any clothes and hurry down to the dining hall. “Today, you know….” “Is that true?” Chapter 5 However, the servants who had been heatedly conversing spotted my presence and closed their mouths.



The atmosphere in the dining hall was suddenly overturned. Animosity. Disregard. Contempt. There were gazes mixed with a touch of pity, but most of them were like that. I disregarded their gazes and spoke. “Bring something to eat. Cook the meat medium rare. Ah, if there’s wine, bring that too. It would be nice if it was a Bordeaux le vin.” Bewilderment swept through the eyes of the maids. It was surprising that Rubia was making such a demand. The Rubia that they knew was a cowardly, timid, and withdrawn princess who could barely say a word. “What are you doing? Hurry and bring out my meal.” “Your Highness, it is past supper and there is no food to be brought out.” The head maid of the kitchens said. She was the stepmother Marguerite’s favorite maid, and the look that appeared to be cast down upon me was rather insolent. “There is no food?” “Yes, your Highness.” “Then make some now.” “Eh?” “If there is no food, then make some now. Is there a problem?” The head maid of the kitchens pressed her lips together at my words. Then, she let out a big sigh. “Ha. How inconvenient.” It was a mutter, but it was rather coherent. Of course, it was probably her intent to have me hear it. “Anyways, I understand. Please wait a while.” It was impudent of a mere maid to act with such attitude towards a princess, but this was the treatment that this body’s original owner, ‘Rubia’, had received all along. There was not a single person in this castle that treated her humanely. The King’s neglect, the Viscount’s disregard, together with the stepmother’s bullying caused even the servants to scorn Rubia. ‘Let’s just eat.’ I could feel my body growing weary as I waited for my supper. Let’s eat first, then think. Soon, the head maid returned with a tray. On top of the tray there was only one lonely, small dish.



Clank! The maid put down the dish in front of me as if throwing it. As I laughed out of astonishment, the corners of her lips rose. “The only food that we had was this. I hope you have a good meal.” The dish was filled halfway with cold oatmeal. “Also please have your meal at the proper time from now on. We are unable to arrange our schedule to match your Highness, the Princess’, laziness.” After listening up to that point, I let out a sigh and stood up from my seat. I was so weary that I was going to close my eyes against such insolence and retreat as soon as possible. Yet, there may be scum, but where in the world is there such despicable scum? This situation was carried far, but it was carried way too far. “Are you done talking?” As I stood up and looked down at her, the middle-aged head maid flinched slightly. However, after seemingly having recalled the usual Rubia, she arrogantly lifted her chin. “Yes. Please be careful from now on.” I considered how to solve this situation where my legal authority had collapsed. There were many solutions. But they were all too troublesome, so I chose the simplest and fastest method. The most efficient method of rebuilding collapsed authority. That is to show overwhelming authority. Smack! My hand sliced through the air and struck the maid’s cheek. *** “Aack!” The head maid let out a scream as she fell. At this unexpected scene, the other maids also paled and screamed. I said to the dazed maid who had collapsed in pain and shock. “Stand up.” “……!” The head maid wrapped a hand around her swelling cheek, and ferociously glared at me. When I saw her glare, I continued unmovingly.



“It appears you still lack discipline. Or else, you must consider the Roxanne Grand Duchy an easy target.” “……!” At the words “Roxanne Grand Duchy”, the maid stilled abruptly. I swallowed my sigh. Ever since the start of this reincarnation, I’ve used this repertoire of threats many times. It was to the point that I was getting tired of it. Chapter 6 “I’m the Roxanne Grand Ducal family’s First Princess. Holding me in contempt is equivalent to holding the Grand Duke of Roxanne, his Royal Highness, in contempt. It seems you have at least five lives.” The maids blanched. It was because there was nothing incorrect about what I had said. No matter how strong the stepmother who stands behind them is, how dare a mere maid affront a princess? To tell the truth, it was a crime that would result in death. “W, we have never disdained your Highness, the princess….” The pain of her cheek long forgotten, the head maid fumbled over her words. “Really?” I tilted my head a little to the side and looked straight at her. When the maid met my scarlet gaze, she froze like a mouse who had seen a snake. “Is that so?” The head maid gulped nervously. Confusion, shock, and fear welled up in her eyes. At last, the maid lowered her gaze. “I, I apologize.” I decided to stop when I heard the apology. In order to prevent similar situations from occurring, I thought it was necessary to give a firmer warning, but that was too tedious. And I was hungry. “Bring out the food.” “…Yes.” The maids’ polite manner couldn’t even begin to compare with their attitude from before. The kitchen was bustling as the servants prepared food, and soon enough a savory meal was brought out to the dining hall. A cold hors d’oeuvre, soup with shrimp, fish, a main course of medium-rare steak, a refreshing sorbet, and a sweet dessert accompanied with the Bordeaux wine that I had mentioned.



It was a full course meal fit for an honorable personage. As I cut my steak, I thought to myself. ‘This won’t



do. I need to find a way.’



Though I had reprimanded the head maid as an example, the number of people who scorned Princess Rubia would not have been a mere one or two. It had to be the entire castle. As I chewed my meat, I thought of a million ways to overcome this situation. ‘Which life was it? Was it the 7th, or 14th, maybe the 33rd?’ This was not the first instance. Every time I was reincarnated, I would either earn favor through charity, possess cutthroat authority, or conspire the fall of my enemies, each of which was a potential means of resolving the situation at hand. These were all possible solutions. To be honest, Rubia’s stepmother… wasn’t a very difficult villianess to bring down. However as I laboriously sifted through my options, I quickly became bored. ‘So tedious.’ *** No matter the method, each required a certain amount of effort. I found it annoying to even lift a finger, so where would the effort come from? Also, if through that effort, they all came to not abhor me, but instead stand by my side? Then would I still be able to live the life of a couch potato that I so desired? Definitely not. ‘In the end, the fate of a princess is but one. I’ll probably be sold into an arranged marriage.’ My marriage had already long been decided. In other words, Princess Rubia already had a fiance. ‘Hmm, how troublesome.’ I frowned as the forgotten fiance came to mind. Unexpectedly, Rubia’s fiance was a rather virtuous figure. No, it wasn’t just to the point of virtuosity. From all the men on the continent, he was considered the best candidate for a son-in-law. ‘The West Empire’s Fourth Prince. He has no right to the throne, but he has amassed more than enough popularity and capability to even threaten the Crown Prince. In reality, it is unknown whether the Crown Prince or the Fourth Prince will inherit the throne.’ After I thought up to this point, I had on a bitter expression. If I was to marry a figure with an exceptional background like the Fourth Prince,



this life would be ruined. Even in this uncertainty, I knew for certain that I had to avoid this marriage. After I chewed my last portion of steak, I stood up and downed the rest of the wine in my glass. “Your Highness?” The head maid approached me carefully. I looked at her swollen cheek and spoke. Chapter 7 “Does it hurt?” “Oh. No, it does not.” “Are you vexed? No, are you angry and resentful? Do you want revenge?” The head maid paled and lowered her head. “That is not so. How could I dare….” I extended a hand towards the head maid. “Your Highness?” “Take it.” The head maid made a befuddled face. What I had in my hand was a copper coin. “Use it to treat the wound on your cheek. Since it is not severe, it will heal quickly.” There was confusion swimming in the head maid’s eyes. It was as if she was questioning how she was to interpret my actions. I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Instead, take today’s incident as a lesson. If you scrutinize it long and hard, in a day far from now, it will be less likely for you to be abused by some unbecoming incident.” This was sincere advice. If I was that maid, I would not have persecuted Princess Rubia as she did. It wasn’t because I was kind, rather I feared the consequences that would return to me like a boomerang. Just then, I sensed someone’s presence just outside the hall. Soon the doors opened, and a knight in armor walked inside. “I greet your Highness, Princess Rubia.” Was it the chivalry of knights? Unlike the servants, the knight addressed me politely. “What is it?” At the difference in my tone of voice, the knight’s eyes slightly shifted.



“His Royal Highness, the Grand Duke, calls upon your Highness.” His Royal Highness, the Grand Duke, would be my father. “His Royal Highness? Right now?” “Yes, Your Highness.” I crossed my arms. It was clear why the father who never searched for me had called for me suddenly. ‘That’s great. I, too, have something to say to the Grand Duke.’ “I understand. Please lead the way.” On the east side of the continent, there is an idiom that advises striking the iron while it’s hot. Just as well, in the west, there exists an idiom that tells one to cut the Gordian knot. T/N: Striking the iron while it’s hot – taking advantage of an opportunity when it comes to you. Cutting the Gordian knot – When a knot looks impossible to untie, and can only be undone by force (cutting it). In other words, she uses these two idioms to say that she will take advantage of the current situation and cut off the relationship between her and her family. Without any hesitation, during this meeting with his Royal Highness, I resolved to cut this knot, this dysfunctional family, from myself. *** The Roxanne Grand Duchy was a small state under the West Empire’s governance. Though a little too small to call a nation — about the size of an earl’s jurisdiction — there was not a person who would overlook their household. After all, they controlled the West Empire’s key financial and raw resources through the Destan River Delta. A small state, but too important to overlook, that was exactly the Roxanne Grand Duchy. “……” The overlord of the duchy, Grand Duke Jourdian was looking down at the Destan River from the window of his study which overlooked the river and its surroundings. “I have brought her Highness, the princess.” At the knight’s words, the Grand Duke turned around indifferently. I looked at the Grand Duke’s face, and let out a quiet exclamation. ‘A Grand Duke is not a Grand Duke without reason.’ Seeing the state of such a broken family, I had thought he would be a half-witted



figure of authority. Like father, like son, the looks of the Grand Duke matched that of Viscount’s Sabien. This meant he was rather handsome. As such, Rubia’s beautiful looks were not simply from her birth mother; the Grand Duke’s own genes held great influence. More than anything, those eyes left the greatest impression. Within those blue eyes, one could feel intense pressure. Just from his aura, it could be felt that there was not even a fault in him as the overlord of the Roxanne Grand Duchy. ‘He is indeed a man of great character. Why had such a figure turned a blind eye towards the stepmother’s temper tantrums? For the moment, I folded my questions, and politely greeted him. “First daughter Rubia d’Grandia la Roxanne greets his Royal Highness, the Grand Duke.” Chapter 8 An unknown look briefly passed through the eyes of Grand Duke Jourdian. “You’re not nervous today.” At those words, I closed my mouth. How much was Princess Rubia afraid of her father that it became normal for her to be frightened whenever she met him? “I have done nothing wrong, so there is no reason for me to be nervous.” I said in a lukewarm tone. It was a matter of course. Why fear when you’ve done nothing wrong? However, my statement of fact didn’t seem to be so natural to the Grand Duke. “You’re different. It’s as if you’ve become a totally different person.” “……” “Has something happened in the meantime, Rubia?” I answered carelessly. “I’m going through a rebellious phase.” “What?” “During a period where I’ve grown an inch taller when I wake up each day, it seems my personality has also changed, your Royal Highness.” At my nonsensical remark that didn’t relate at all, the Grand Duke made a baffled expression.



“So it seems. After all, it has been a while since we’ve seen each other.” I furrowed my eyebrows. There appeared to be a touch of regret towards Rubia in the Grand Duke’s voice. ‘What is this? It wasn’t merely just hate?’ As if to prove what I had just heard was a mistake, the Grand Duke’s voice grew cold once more. “Do you know why I called upon you?” “I have surmised what it is about.” Anyone could guess that it had to do with my dispute with the stepmother. “Alright, it is a relief that you already understand what this is about. I will not investigate or scrutinize the rights and wrongs. Just understand that I do not like such disorder within the household. I hope that there will be no further incidents similar to today. I will also have a word with your mother.” To summarize, he found it tiresome to deal with either me or the stepmother. I saw that the Grand Duke’s eyes were filled with deep-rooted fatigue and futility. What is it? Rubia’s birth mother was a commoner. That meant the Grand Duke had loved her so much to make her his legal wife. However, why would this man neglect the daughter of his beloved and turn a blind eye to the household affairs? I was curious, but I tucked it away. In the first place, if the Grand Duke had even coughed once, both the stepmother and Rubia wouldn’t have been able to act wickedly. No matter what reason there was, the Grand Duke’s neglect couldn’t be justified. “I am unable to obey.” “……!” “Hiding the wounds with clothes does not make the wounds nonexistent. Your Royal Highness’ words entail that I pretend that I do not have infected wounds.” The Grand Duke fell at a loss for words and closed his mouth. Because my words were not wrong. “I have a solution for the wounds. Would you like to listen to my solution?” “You may continue.” I slowly opened my mouth. Of course, my intention was not to treat the wounds. That required far too much effort and labor. “There are two ways to treat infected wounds. The first demands one slowly treat the wounds with medicine and wait for it to naturally heal. This method is



excellent in that there are no side effects, but, in my case, the infection has spread too far to be utilized.” “Then what is the second method?” “That is to cut off the area that has been infected. It might be painful, but it is the most definitive method.” Questions arose in the Grand Duke’s eyes. He had yet to understand what exactly I was referring to by this method. As such, I clarified. “I would like to leave the Roxanne Grand Duchy.” “……!” The Grand Duke’s eyes grew so large that they seemed like they would pop out. I continued in a calm voice. “I already know. I am an existence like the thorn in your Royal Highness’s eyes. If I stay, the infected wound would only continue to spread, and both of us will live in pain. As a result.” In reality, I found the skirmishes too tedious. “For everyone’s peace of mind, I would like to leave. Please allow me to leave.” Chapter 9 As soon as I finished my sentence, the room was filled with deafening silence. Both the butler and the knight, who had been listening to the conversation from the sidelines, had also stilled the sound of their breathing. The Grand Duke glared ferociously and narrowed his eyes at me. There was a complicated knot of emotions that passed over his face that could not be expressed accurately with words. “You… Do you think I would give you permission to leave?” “You will have to.” I said. “The person who allowed the wound to become so infected was no one else but your Royal Highness, the Grand Duke.” “……!” The Grand Duke’s eyes trembled. He pressed his lips together and was unable to let even a word pass through. ‘Tsk.’ I clicked my tongue inwardly to myself. Though I wasn’t sure of his personal feelings, as a father, the Grand Duke didn’t



have any rights to do anything other than sincerely apologize to Rubia. Of course, the Grand Duke would not apologize. “Then I shall understand that you’ve given me permission, and withdraw. I shall promptly leave the premises by today.” After finishing my sentence, I turned around. Just like that, I walked towards the door. One step, two steps…. As I purposely stepped slowly towards the door, I muttered to myself. ‘Will he grasp hold of me?’ I shook my head inside myself. I didn’t believe he would do so. As expected, the Grand Duke did not even open his mouth as I arrived at the door. Relief and pity swept over me at the same time. Relief that I would finally step away from such a broken family, pity for this body’s original owner, Rubia. ‘You truly were a pitiful child.’ The tip of my tongue tasted bitter without reason. As a result, I politely greeted him with an even more relieved expression. This life, I resolved to live happily for myself and for Rubia. “Thank you for your care until now. I bid your Royal Highness farewell for the last time. Please be healthy and happy.” The Grand Duke’s lips trembled at his daughter’s last farewell. But, in the end, he was unable to say anything in response. *** After Princess Rubia had left, a heavy silence fell upon the Grand Duke’s study. With his chin propped up, the Grand Duke had on a stony expression. Out of all the times the butler had seen him, he appeared to be at the worst, so he carefully opened his mouth. “Will you be okay without catching her?” After a long silence, the Grand Duke opened his mouth. “She’ll return soon enough anyways.” The butler nodded his head at the Grand Duke’s words. There was no way an aristocratic lady with no wealth could live outside of the castle. It was fairly likely that Princess Rubia would be unable to last even a day. ‘But will it really be like that?’



The butler recalled the figure of Princess Rubia he had just seen. She was different from before. It wasn’t Princess Rubia whose shoulders slouched, head lowered, and eyes filled with fear. In fact, what he saw was confidence and freedom, unlike all others. Though she was a princess with a small figure, she appeared stronger than anyone else. ‘And… she was beautiful.’ Unbeknownst to him, the butler shook his head. It wasn’t something that a commoner could ever judge, but her figure filled with confidence was so beautiful that one couldn’t take their eyes off her. Though such reckless confidence often appeared arrogant, for her, it made her beauty shine even more brightly. If the princess of before had been like a porcelain doll bathed in light, then the princess of today was like a divine fairy. *** Just then, the Grand Duke spoke. “Sir Olivier.” “Yes, your Royal Highness.” The guard knight bowed his head. “Watch over Rubia till she returns. It should not take too long.” “Yes, your Royal Highness.” As “to watch over” was equivalent “to guard against harm”, the butler let out a sigh of relief. Sir Olivier asked. “What should I do if the Princess really decides to leave the Grand Duchy?” “At that time, bring her back to the castle.” “I shall obey.” Chapter 10 Sir Olivier was one of the best ‘Mana Owners’ of the Grand Duchy. It was near impossible that the princess would be able to leave the territory of the Grand Duchy without him noticing. As Sir Olivier left, the butler asked. “What will you do when the princess returns to the castle?” “……” The Grand Duke closed his mouth once more and did not respond.



The butler glanced at the Grand Duke with eyes of regret. “I understand your Royal Highness’s feelings, but the princess has done no wrong.” “… I know.” A soft voice could be heard from the Grand Duke’s mouth. It was twisted voice, twisted as far it goes, filled with hate and guilt towards an unknown entity. “… I know as well.” Seeing such a figure of his master, the butler let out a sigh. *** I, who returned to my room, packed my bags. ‘This was the best possible conclusion. If I had stayed here, there would have been too much unnecessary consumption of emotional labor.’ Usually, I would have attempted to adapt to this new life. I would have even tried my hardest to mend the bonds between myself and the stepmother and father. However, not this time. It was all too tedious, and I merely wished to rest comfortably. ‘I need my outdoor clothes. There are no sleeping bags. I’ll just take the blankets.’ I’ve been alive for a thousand years. I’ve traveled to the point of exhaustion. Even if I had reincarnated into the frail body of a female aristocrat, there was no reason for me to avoid traveling. ‘Valuables… None.’ I frowned in the middle of packing. I had searched through the entire place, but Rubia had no valuables that could be sold. The sun was setting, and I had no money to find a place to rest. ‘Well, I can just earn money.’ I thought to myself calmly. It was just troublesome, but there were many ways to earn money. ‘Let’s go.’ I changed into my outdoor clothes and tied up my silver hair. After firmly checking the few things I had packed, I left the room. There would never be a reason for me to ever step foot into this castle ever again. However, I ran into an unexpected figure in the corridors. A youth of shining silver hair, stern blue eyes, and a sharp impression. Rubia’s stepbrother, Viscount Sabien.



“What do you think you’re doing, Rubia?” It was a voice filled with indignation, so I ended up looking at him blankly. “I’m leaving the castle.” “The castle? Are you joking?” He had on an expression as if he was suppressing his anger. As a result, the uncertainty in my heart grew larger. Why was he doing so suddenly? Was it that he now wanted to act like a brother? ‘He should have done better while he had time.’ I was about to corner him indifferently, but I had a sudden change of heart. There was no reason to part on bad terms. After all, this would be the last time he would see his younger sister. “I’m sorry, but I thought this was the best possible decision.” “Leaving the castle is the best possible decision? Are you being serious…?” “Or do you have a better solution?” I looked straight into his blue eyes. “Had there been a better solution, then the situation would have no reason to carry so far.” Sabien’s eyes trembled at my words. I watched motionlessly as guilt passed through his face. “That….” Sabien, just like the Grand Duke, merely fluttered his lips but was unable to say anything. That is, there was nothing for him to say. I thought that Rubia, this body’s original owner, would feel a little happy seeing this side of Sabien. Of course, no matter how much the Roxanne Grand Ducal Family was to regret, it was already long after the storm had passed. Because ‘Rubia’ was no longer here. I’ve realized after repeating life after life, humans frequently regretted long after the fact. Though that was why they were humans. “Then, I shall take my leave. Please be healthy.” Once again, I turned around to leave the castle. “Wait!” But at that moment, Sabien took hold of my hand and pulled. Chapter 11



Because this was a body that had not one ounce of strength in it, I frowned at the fact that I was being held back by him. “What might you be doing?” Sabien said something unexpected. “Take this.” Baffled, I looked down at the necklace that was decorated with sapphires. ‘An artifact?’ Immediately, I could feel the flow of mana that had been written into the sapphires. It wasn’t a mere accessory. Rather, it was a magical artifact, and one of high value too. “This necklace has the Roxanne Grand Duchy’s coat of arms impressed on it. Should a difficult situation arise, use this necklace.” I understood his words. He was telling me to use the family’s name should an emergency arise. Though I doubted I would ever use it, there was no reason to decline his offer, so I took it. “Then, later.” This time, it really was farewell. Goodbye, Roxanne Grand Duchy. Rubia, I’m sorry for doing whatever I want. If it saddens you that I’m leaving the household, please forgive me. In return, I will be happy for both me and you. With those thoughts, I left the castle. Once I crossed the moat, the darkness started to part and the territory of the Grand Duchy appeared. As expected of the state that dominated the financial center of the West, it was bustling with people. ‘Hm, I should earn money first.’ For me to have to earn money as soon as I dream of living like a couch potato. It was regrettable, but it couldn’t be helped. One could only be lazy if they had money. First, I needed money to board. ‘Well, it’ll work out. Anyways.’ As I walked forward, I frowned and looked behind me. A young man with a stern impression wrapped in a hood was following after me.



When I stood still, he feigned ignorance. Anyone could see who had sent him. By either the Grand Duke or Sabien’s order, a knight had been sent to escort me, alternatively tailing me. Even so, to follow me so blatantly. As someone who had once been called the Master of Hiding in the east, I wanted to teach him how to tail someone properly, but I gave up and decided to ignore him. However, not too long after, a person I could not ignore showed up. “Milady! Lady Rubia! Waa Waa! Milady! Wait for me!” Shouts mixed with youthfulness and sobbing could be heard from the direction of the castle that I had just come. When I turned my head, what thirteen? A young girl with a cute and lovely appearance shouted after me as she ran. “Marie?” I called the girl’s name. Due to the chaotic nature of the recent incidents, I had forgotten that girl’s existence. Marie. Just as the butler was Sebastian, the head maid was a girl with the name Marie. As the only maid who obeyed Rubia, she was Rubia’s only ally within the Grand Duchy. “Waa! How can you leave me alone like this!” Having run up to me like a puppy, the panting girl burst into tears. I thought to myself. ‘What should I do?’ This young girl, who left a kind impression, had once made a big mistake and was nearly punished, but Rubia had taken the punishment upon herself. After that incident, she obeyed Rubia and served her as one would the savior of their life. “You can’t leave alone, waa! How am I to live without milady? Please take me with you!” I made an awkward face and replied. I didn’t want to walk around with a hook. “Marie, you’ll suffer terribly if you come with me. Remain at the castle.” “I’m willing to suffer! I would like to be of help in any way! Please don’t just throw me away.” “There are no benefits for you if you follow me. Why are you doing this?” The young girl shouted loudly with a face wet with tears.



“Of course, that’s because I like milady!” It was when I heard these words. A singular voice faintly resounded inside my head. It was familiar, but a voice that I could never hear again. [The reason I follow you? Isn’t it obvious?] Chapter 12 In my previous life, the figure who was equivalent to my family. In those final moments, they had thrown their life to save mine. [It’s because I like you.] “…Rue.” Unconsciously, I absentmindedly muttered their name. “Huh? Rue, what is that?” I took a look at Marie’s befuddled eyes and quickly shook my head. “Alright.” “Milady?” “If you desire it so, you can come with me.” The young girl’s face lit up. “Thank you! I will serve you well.” Looking at her figure, I let out a sigh inside. ‘Anyhow, I’ll need someone to serve me if I want to live the life of a couch potato.’ My specific goal was to be the lazybones who wouldn’t even lift a finger, and have a sloth-like life filled with sleeping. It was because I accepted it; it wasn’t because I recalled the servant of my previous life, Rue. Really. “Then let’s go, milady!” Looking as if she had never cried, Marie shouted with a voice filled with valiance. “Where?” “I don’t know! Anyways, that dark and gloomy Roxanne Castle doesn’t match my kind lady at all! I’m fine with wherever, so let’s go!” Was it her youth? Bright, bright energy was overflowing from her. I giggled and stroked Marie’s knotted hair.



“Alright, let’s go. Wherever.” That was how I left the castle together with Marie and walked towards the territory of the Roxanne Grand Duchy. It was the first step of my 54th life. Was it a coincidence? It had been exactly a thousand years to the date. *** Just like that, we had not walked bravely for more than 100 meters when we came upon an obstacle. We had no money. “……” Marie and I motionlessly looked at each other. Together we were beggars that had but a few bits of coins. “Marie, don’t you get a lot for your wage?” “I, I do… but… I spent it all on eating cakes.” Marie blushed and lowered her head before suddenly shouting. “M, money I’ll earn it in any way possible!” “You?” “Yes! I work well! Thus, I will be able to earn it in any way possible!” Marie, as if she would somehow protect the pure and timid Rubia, shouted valiantly. ‘How cute.’ “Keke…” I chuckled. I decided to give a reward to this maid who had such a valiant heart. “Marie, do you enjoy cake?” “Ah? Yes. Strawberry cake….” “Then is there any other food you like?” “Filet mignon… In other words, veal tenderloin steak.” As if embarrassed, Marie spoke softly and carefully. “To be honest, I’ve never had filet mignon, but after seeing the masters eat it, I was a bit jealous… But why do you ask?” I smiled. “Okay. Then, tonight’s supper shall be filet mignon and strawberry cake.” “Yes? What? But the money?”



“If it’s money, we can earn it. Come along now.” Marie followed after me with wide eyes. “Milady? W, what are you trying to do? If it’s something bad, you should never do it!” *** Where I arrived at was a cheap shop that sold junk. A middle-aged man with a sulky look glanced at us and turned his head, then having seen my appearance he stood up, surprised. “How have you come?” Considering the polite tone, though he didn’t know for certain, he seemed to have sensed that I was an aristocrat. “Do you perhaps have any musical instruments?” “Yes, it’s over there.” In one corner of the shop laid a dusty pile of cheap instruments. I picked out a harp, the best of them. “Can you lend me this instrument for a moment?” “Would you be referring to rental services? That’s a bit….” “I’ll give you 5 cena for 2 hours.” At my words, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened. The cost of this instrument was 10 cena. By lending it out for 2 hours, he would earn half the value of this harp, so how could he not be tempted. It was an instrument that would never sell. After considering it, the man decided to lend us the harp. “Milady, what will you do with that?” “Earn money.” “……?” I told Marie. “Marie, you just need to hold onto this hat.” “Yes?” “You have to hold it upside down. Then, there will be money.” Marie was swept up in confusion. Chapter 13



I walked over to a small bridge near the center of the territory of the Roxanne Grand Duchy. It was a place where people leisurely enjoyed a walk. Only now understanding my intentions, Marie’s eyes grew large. “Milady, are you?” “Yes, that’s right.” I giggled and pulled down a hood to cover my looks. Then I examined the current state of the harp. ‘Though it is rather old, it seems usable.’ Strum. As my fingers strummed the strings, the sound spread through the streets. The cheap harp resounded with an unimaginably beautiful and clear tone. “What is it?” “A bard? Is it a street performance?” The people who were walking to and fro on the bridge focused on me. “M, milady.” At the sudden situation, Marie grabbed the edge of my clothes. She appeared worried that I would be humiliated. “It’s alright, you can listen comfortably as well. It’s worth listening to.” I said soothingly and started a full-fledged performance. The first musical piece was a soft and peaceful one. It was a melodic song worth listening to, that matched the atmosphere of a slightly windy spring day in the early evening. It was the leisurely time of the day. “Wow.” “Who is it? Was there a bard of that level on this street?” I heard a portion of the audience let out exclamations. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the music. ‘It’s been a while.’ The music not only pleasantly entertained the ears of the audience but also consoled the performer’s heart. As the soft tone spread, my heart too grew peaceful. In my previous life, I neither touched any instruments nor had any reason to. Performing after such a long time, I was bathed in happiness. As the performance continued more and more people gathered at the bridge.



The people who had grabbed a spot to listen to the performance remained there to listen more. Soon, the bridge was completely filled. There was barely any space left to stand, and a great number of people came to listen to my music, as if it was a performance by the Royal Orchestra. “Ha, huh? Oh, thank you. Thank you!” Just as I said, Marie became busy. Much of the audience came forward to place money into the hat that she was holding. Seeing that scene, I smiled proudly and once again closed my eyes. The peaceful tone saddened, then became bright and clear again. It was a melody that seemed to imitate the turbulence of life. And finally, the climax. With the strong note, the curtains fell on the performance of 2 hours, and the bridge overflowed with loud applause. “Wow! Bravo!” “Encore! Encore!” Amongst the aristocrats who were listening, there were even those who said the following. “Who is it? Why don’t you come and perform in our household.” “Hey, why are you interfering with our conversation?! I came here first. No, why don’t you instead become our household’s official musician?” I shook my head at them all and slipped out, away from the bridge. There were so many people that it took some effort. When we reached a place with fewer people, we calculated our profit. “One, two… a hundred, hundred ten… hundred fifty?” Marie counted all of the coins and made a dazed expression. 300 coins. 300 cena! The average daily wage of commoners was 10 cena, so within 2 hours, we had earned a month’s wage. “If I’m not mistaken, milady had never even touched an instrument….” As Marie muttered with a stupefied expression, I let out a cough and answered carelessly. “I’m a bit of a genius.” “A genius?” “Indeed, a genius.” It was a nonsensical excuse, but surprisingly the kind girl appeared to believe my



words. “Of course! Milady’s a genius! That’s why you always appeared a little naive!” … No, that’s not it. Well, if that’s how it goes, then it’s okay. “For me to have so much money. Of course, it was all earned by milady.” I giggled at her enraptured expression. “Take good care of that money. No, from now on, you will be in charge of finances.” “Yes? What? But….” “Even if I look like this, I am still the Roxanne Grand Ducal Princess, so I cannot directly manage finances. As such, you should do it in my stead.” Chapter 14 At my words, Marie looked touched. It was because the management of finances was often given to the most trusted subordinate. “Then let’s go before we’re too late.” “Yes. To where?” I spoke as if it was obvious. “We have to eat supper.” Since we’ve earned money, now it was time to go eat filet mignon and strawberry cake. *** “N, no. You don’t have to come here because of me….” Marie appeared lost with the veal tenderloin steak sitting in front of her. Just to note, the cost of food at this restaurant was about 30 cena. Considering that most restaurants served a meal at 1 to 2 cena, it was an incredibly expensive restaurant. She seemed so touched to the point of being contrite and appeared to be at the brink of tears, so I spat out a curt explanation. “It’s not because of you.” “Then?” “It was because I wanted to eat it. I, too, like veal tenderloin steak. And the strawberry cake. So don’t think too much about it.” However, it seemed she didn’t believe my words. On the contrary, she spoke with her eyes that were wet with tears. “I will serve milady well from now on. Truly.” “I said we’re not eating here because of you.”



“I’m also just saying it.” Look at this? I giggled and asked what had been on mind. “Marie, don’t you find it strange that I changed so suddenly?” At my question, Marie pressed her lips together. No matter how bright and pure this girl was, there was no way she didn’t notice the difference in my behavior. “It is strange. But it’s okay.” “Why?” “Because milady is milady. Also, I like the confident milady more than the previous milady.” Just like that Marie abruptly shook her head. “That doesn’t mean that I disliked who you were previously. It’s just that my heart ached when I watched milady in the past.” Then she burst into a wide smile. “Anyways, be it milady from before, or the milady now, I like them both. Hehe.” I nodded my head. As more food was being served, the conversation was momentarily halted. This time, Marie asked. “But what will you do now, milady? Will you continue performing as a bard?” “No.” I shook my head. I did not wish to live the life of a musician. It was hard to earn that much money every single time, and it was necessary for musicians to undergo extremely hard labor in the first place. It was because, in order to earn money as a musician in this era, it was necessary to be subordinate to an aristocratic family and create art like machinery. It was no different for any other artist, painter, et cetera. ‘What should I do?’ I was filled with wistfulness. Just because I wanted to live like a sloth, didn’t mean I could do absolutely nothing. There had to be a means to eat and live. Rather than uselessly reincarnate as the princess of a broken grand ducal family, it would have been better to reincarnate into an heir of a considerable amount of estate. ‘First I need to earn money. Enough money such that I can live blissfully for the



rest of my life.’ There were few jobs that met those conditions. No, there were many measures to earn money, but all of them required an equivalent amount of labor. The only to amass wealth without effort or labor was to inherit it. ‘Creating and selling magical artifacts won’t work either. Unless I have a justifiable reason, my usage of magic will be strictly controlled and limited by the world’s balance.’ No matter how much I mulled over the matter, none of them matched my conditions. Everyone in the world wished to be lazy and merely eat and play, but, in reality, even if they worked like ants, it was hard to earn enough to eat. To achieve living the life of couch potato was something of that high of a difficulty. ‘First, let’s solve the problem of board and room, and then I have to find a way to exert minimal effort and strike it rich.’ There will always be a way. Soon, I thought of a method. “First, we’ll head to the West Empire’s city of liberty, Renault.” Chapter 15 “Renault?” Marie looked surprised. “Will you attend the academy?” “Indeed.” Marie’s eyes sparkled. “Renault Academy is without a doubt the continent’s best academy! So you’ve decided to attain your goals!” There’s no way that’s true. There was no virtuous reason. If you entered the academy, the board and room were free. Additionally, Renault Academy educated only on the basis of ability, and it was possible to substitute attendance with testing. As long as I cursorily took the tests, I would attain 4 years of the couch potato life that I desired. On the other hand, Marie, who didn’t know my dark intentions, continued with sparkling eyes. “What major will you select at the academy? A great female knight? Or perhaps a magician? Or, or a Physician? Astrologer? Artist?”



Renault was not a primary, secondary, or tertiary educational institution, but an upper-grade educational institution at the university level. Attending students tended to be around the age of their late teens to early twenties and attended a wide spectrum of classes as befitting of the continent’s best. “I wonder. I’ll have to think about it.” I shook my head. I was going merely to rest, so why would I have thought of a major let alone a goal. I merely hoped to earn a free meal while resting blissfully. Then, when an opportunity comes, strike it rich. Of course, I hadn’t chosen Renault Academy simply due to free room and board. If I wanted free room and board, there were definitely other options. Even so, there was a distinct reason why I had chosen Renault Academy. ‘Renault Academy is a place akin to my homeland.’ [Teacher, Teacher? Hehe.] As I dimly recalled the voice of the past, I closed my eyes. Though I had lived a total of 53 times, few lives were happy. However, 200 years ago, the life I led at Renault Academy was one of the happiest memories from my thousand years. Afterward, with each reincarnation, I overcame great suffering, and when I sunk down in sorrow, I would console myself by remembering my memories at Renault Academy. With my eyes closed, I recalled my past from200 years ago. [Teacher, is this really where we will live?] A young boy with a nasally voice gripped my hand and gazed up at me. [Indeed, this is where we will live.] [Hehe.] A total of five orphans turned their eyes with expectant expressions. The object at the end of the children’s gazes was a shabby building standing desolately on top of a vacant lot. [You’re going to start a school where we can study here, right? What will the school’s name be?” [I wonder. Do you have any ideas? Let’s go with the one you choose.] At my question, the children quibbled over the name. In the end, after many names had been mentioned, the children had chosen a name for the school.



[Renault.] [Renault? Can’t it be a different name?] But they firmly shook their heads. [No, we don’t like it! It can’t be a different name!] The children shouted in one voice. [Since it’s our teacher’s name, it has to be Renault!] “……” Having remembered up to that point, I smiled bitterly. That was so. Renault Academy was the school that I had raised. ‘Of course, even at the time of my death, I hadn’t imagined it would become the continent’s greatest educational institution.’ Since it happened 200 years ago, the traces of past memories probably remain no longer, but I wanted to return there once more. Was it because the previous life had been so torturous? I wanted to be consoled. I felt that, at Renault Academy, I would feel like I had arrived at home. ‘I’ll go there and rest for a few years and, after having sought an opportunity, I’ll leave far wealthier than I had entered.’ With that in mind, I decided to head to Renault Academy. Without hesitation, I decided to board a ship headed towards Renault City the very next day. Renault City was located on the coast of the Destan River, so the ship had to travel for three days down the river from the Roxanne territory in order to reach its destination. Chapter 16 Without hesitation, I decided to board a ship headed towards Renault City the very next day. Renault City was located on the coast of the Destan River, so the ship had to travel for three days down the river from the Roxanne territory in order to reach its destination. “We’ll be boarding the ship today, right? I, it’s my first time leaving the territory of the Roxanne Grand Duchy. I’m excited.” In the hotel room, Marie, who had just woken up, wore an expectant face. Before I went to buy boarding passes, I realized there was something to be taken care of.



“Will you stay here for a while?” “Yes?” I opened the hotel door. At my sudden movements, the hooded man from yesterday flinched as if surprised and attempted to act naturally. It was the knight who was both my escort and shadow. I clicked my tongue and called out. “Sir Olivier.” “……” “Sir Olivier?” Since he did not reply, I stood directly in front of him and stared. Was it from embarrassment, or perhaps a different reason? His face flushed red and he appeared rather flustered. “Were you sent by his Royal Highness, the Grand Duke?” “…Yes, your Highness.” In the end, Sir Olivier nodded his head. He continued with a firm voice. “I was ordered by his Royal Highness to keep your Highness safe at all costs. Even if you are not pleased with my presence, please understand that I have no option other than to follow you.” “I wasn’t telling you to return.” “Then?” Sir Olivier seemed confused. As if it wasn’t unusual, I said. “Since you’ve suffered, come in and have a cup of tea.” *** Sir Olivier seemed flustered at the sight of Marie. Sir Olivier was a proper knight, and a Mana Owner at that. His status was far above that of a maid like Marie. “What will we do if Sir Olivier kidnaps us?” Marie approached me as I prepared tea and whispered. I giggled. Even if she lowered her voice, for a Mana Owner like Sir Olivier, it was the same as speaking normally. I patted Marie’s head as if consoling her and continued steeping the tea.



Soon, the room was filled with a warm aroma. “T, thank you. How could you, for me….” Sir Olivier seemed incredibly touched just by the fact I, the princess, had prepared tea for him. Then, he took a sip of tea and continued. “Your Highness, please return to the castle.” I did not answer. Instead, I motionlessly studied the clock. “Are you really planning on leaving the territory?” “Indeed, I shall board the ship today.” I answered honestly. Marie, who had been listening from the side, paled and glanced at Sir Olivier with suspicion. Sir Olivier spoke in a strict tone. “I cannot allow you to do so. His Royal Highness ordered me to bring back your Highness should you attempt to leave the territory.” Oh? The Grand Duke ordered such? How unexpected. “I see. I understand your position as a knight to obey the order.” “Then, will you now return….” “However, does Sir Olivier understand my circumstances as I understand yours?” “What, what is?” Sir Olivier’s eyes grew large. Just then, his body swayed and he collapsed onto the table with a slam. Surprised, Marie let out a shout. “Aahh! Sir Olivier! Milady! Sir Olivier is! Sir Olivier is!” “Everything’s alright. He’s merely asleep.” I responded in a calm voice and Marie blinked her large brown eyes. “…What?” “Look. Isn’t he snoring?” Marie carefully studied Sir Olivier. He truly was sound asleep on the table. “Why so suddenly?” “I wonder? Perhaps he was tired. Anyhow, let us move him to the bed so he can sleep



comfortably.” Of course, the reason he fell asleep was because of the tea that I prepared for him. I had secretly added sleeping drugs into his tea. From the moment I had noticed he was tailing me, I had formulated a plan to escape from him and had bought sleeping drugs from the junk shop. ‘It appears only his mana, alone, is outstanding. To drink the tea made by his target, he’s definitely disqualified.’ I decided to give him a light punishment for being so careless. “Marie, get me paper and pen.” Chapter 17 I left a note next to the sleeping Sir Olivier, after writing this on the paper: [I will have the cost for the hotel room charged to your name. Be careful that similar events will not arise in the future.] Just to note, the room I had stayed at was the hotel’s suite room. Once he saw the bill for the hotel room, he was sure to come to his senses. It was certain that he would never again have a sip or taste of any food given by his target. This was a punishment for him so he would learn the lesson he desperately required, it wasn’t to save money by having him pay instead. Truly. *** We immediately boarded a passenger ship headed for Renault City. It was only after three days on the ship that we reached the city. “Woah! Milady, it’s Renault City!” Marie shouted happily while clinging to the railing, but I merely had a drowsy expression. ‘So tired.’ Though I had remained in bed all three days, due to the ship’s swaying, it hadn’t felt as if I was resting, and my body ached. On the other hand, Marie, who was in her element, was skipping about. Maybe it was her youth. “Look! That must be the famous Renault Academy. Isn’t it cool?!” “Indeed, how interesting.” Marie pouted at my indifferent expression. “Is it not interesting to milady?”



“It’s interesting.” “What a lie.” Well, there is a limit to interest. After so many lives, I had seen numerous cities just as big as this one. Only, it was the differences compared to 200 years ago that drew my eyes. ‘It really has changed a lot. When I lived here, it had been a small countryside village.’ Of course, the reason a village had transformed into a city was due to Renault Academy, the continent’s greatest of educational facilities. With my abilities, it wasn’t difficult for me to feed the orphans, but rather to have them educated. I had built a school to give them the opportunity of education and, after many years, students started to gather after hearing the rumors. ‘So it grew this big. I see….’ I looked at Renault City with eyes filled with renewed sentiments. Currently, Renault City has become a politically emancipated city, granted independence of any territory as a means of respecting the continent’s most famed Renault Academy. ‘It is nice to return after such a long time.’ Taking a deep breath, it felt like I was breathing in the same air as I did 200 years ago with the children, and it felt welcoming. As soon as I disembarked, I immediately handed in my application. “The exam day is next week.” After getting my application processed, Marie looked at me with a nervous expression that suggested that she was the one who would be taking the exam. “You’re nervous, right, Milady? It’ll be alright. I believe in milady! So what if you don’t do well on some exam? If you fail the entrance exam, let’s do something else! I’ll earn money somehow!” It wasn’t that I wasn’t nervous, since the streets bustled with fellow examinees, all of whom were the geniuses of the West Empire. Renault Academy was truly the continent’s greatest educational facility. It was the climax of the elite course and the greatest of social opportunities, so throngs of people desperately clamored to be accepted into Renault Academy. ‘Well, I couldn’t possibly fail.’ I looked about and thought.



‘Still, just in case, should I just take a glance at what will be on the exam?’ I crossed my arms and fell into deep thought. Of course, no matter how many geniuses crowded into the exam, I wasn’t worried that I would fail to be accepted into the academy. However, much may have changed from the knowledge of 200 years prior to the knowledge of today, so I considered scanning over the exam content. ‘It’s tedious.’ After long consideration, I came to a decision. ‘In the end, if I’m accepted, all I’ll do is laze around and study for a few days.’ Just like that, I swallowed my dreary feelings and perused the books of the library opened for applicants. The library was filled with many applicants passionately studying. Chapter 18 ‘The Introduction of Humanities from the Perspective of the History of the Human Race and the Insight of Philosophy.’ I looked at the textbook that was included in the exam and frowned. Sleepiness arose in me just by looking at the title. I swallowed my desire to throw the book away and started to read. My eyes widened as I read. ‘…What is this? It’s fun? Why is it fun?’ I flipped through the book. It was filled with literary content on history, philosophy, and metaphysics. Its content was something that could never be fun, but it was oddly enjoyable. I soon realized the reason. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve read a book leisurely.’ My previous life was dominated by veiled strife and schemes, blood, and death. Yesterday’s ally would stab me in the back today, and such instances occurred not a mere once or twice. Innumerable times, the person who had been smiling so brightly would end up as a cold body by the time I woke up the next day. How could I leisurely read in such a life! It was unimaginable. ‘Though one of my wishes in my last life was to read in peace, I wasn’t able to read a single book other than official documents.’ Was that why? It was enjoyable and relaxing to sit in the library and read this book.



I moved to a sunlit corner with a pile of books. Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, Pure Sciences, Military Arts, and more were the books included in the exam, but they all seemed fun. (Imagine reading your physics textbook for fun.) ‘It’s more fun than billing documents.’ I also brought a sweet drink and mouth-watering pastries with me. As I fooled around while reading the books, I felt sleepiness sweep over me together with the warm sunlight, so I walked out of the library. As I was about to enjoy the wind on my skin when a high-pitched voice called out to me. “Oh my, your Highness, the princess. I was uncertain, but it really is your Highness. It has been a long while since I’ve met you.” When I turned my gaze, a girl with pink curls was wearing an exaggeratedly welcoming expression. I looked at her awkwardly and asked. “Who are you?” “Wha-?” “Who are you.” At my question, the pink-haired girl flushed in embarrassment. It was an expression that implied it was unimaginable for me to not recognize her. However, no matter how many times I scanned over this body’s memories, I could not remember a pink-haired girl with a fake smile. “I am the daughter of Marquis Hansen, your Highness.” At the mention of Marquis Hansen, I looked at her again. The Hansen Family, as one of the households that held up the West Empire, was spread about far away in the midwestern countryside. It was a famed aristocratic family not far behind the strength of the Roxanne Grand Duchy, so those who passed by us looked at the girl with rounded eyes. “I am truly surprised to see the famous Princess Rubia of the Roxanne Grand Duchy in such a place.” At her words, the corners of my mouth lifted. ‘Ha, look at this.’ The famous. This was clearly a reference to Rubia’s nickname. The Roxanne Grand Duchy’s Cowardly Princess



Rubia’s name was notorious not only within the duchy, but throughout the Empire’s entire high society. The shame of the duchy birthed by a common-born mother. With that, her idiocy and shameful behavior. It was the same as Rubia being humiliated and taunted by the Empire’s entire high society. As soon as they knew I was Rubia, I could feel contemptuous gazes from here and there. “To sit in on the Renault Academy’s entrance exam. Have you come to take the exam alone?” The pink-haired girl made an expression as if truly surprised. And she continued in a voice that suggested her concern towards me. “I am astonished by your Highness’s courage, but wouldn’t his Royal Highness, the Grand Duke, be enraged if he was to hear of this?” She then continued with a more careful tone of voice. “If one was to be accepted in Renault Academy, their household’s name would become that much famous, but if they failed, who else would be burdened by the failure?” Chapter 19 Though she beat around the bushes at length, to summarize, it went like this. Since you’ll fail and be humiliated anyways, why did you come take the exam in the first place? Your courage is reckless. It had been a while since I’ve received such a childish taunt, so I ended up giggling instead of raging. ‘How cute. It’s a good time.’ Was it because the scent of blood was too dense in my last life? The pink-haired girl’s taunts felt refreshing. “Seeing how you speak, it appears you have no worries that you’ll fail?” The pink-haired girl replied proudly. “Though I have many faults, I am prepared to do my best. I believe passing the exam will not be a problem.” Oh, is that so? Then, that’s good. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and relieve a few of my curiosities. “Then may I ask a few questions? I found a few confusing points as I read.” “You may.” “What was the influence of Kazan’s uprising in the southern regions during the



revolution of year 524 in the Empire on the Hristov Household’s power?” T/N: I think this is considered a difficult question due to either Hristov Household’s ambiguous relationship with Kazan, their ambiguous stance on the revolution, or their ambiguous location in regards to the South and North Empires. All of these cases would have resulted in both positive and negative effects on the Hristov Household, which would have made it hard to determine if they had made a net gain or net loss or status quo in the end. The pink-haired girl hesitated. Though my question was within the exam topics, it was also a controversy that social scientists had yet to come to a consensus upon. It was rather curious what the social scientists of Renault Academy, who would make the exam questions, would hypothesize. “That… the result was the independence of the Southern Empire from the Western Empire….” I shook my head. “That was the result of the war. Kazan’s uprising influenced the petition for the liberation of slaves, but what I’m asking is the influence it had on not only the southern society but also its influence on the eastern society.” “……” The pink-haired girl stood motionlessly while she blinked. It appeared she had never considered such an issue. Then, the next question. “What is the number of beta particles when you apply the known values of light, in other words the waves of photons, to Fernyl’s 38th summarized equation?” It was derived from the information in the book I had just read, but its content was different from my own knowledge. I think it was because a few houses of scientific thought had introduced new constants, but it was interesting to see which of these the Academy would adhere to. “……” “It’s sigma 178.2343 or maybe sigma 178.2345? If it’s not that either, sigma 178.2347?” What, she doesn’t know this either? Though she mentioned the three values given by the three houses of thought considered most reasonable, the pink girl was unable to continue speaking. “Then, on the body’s natural response to its homeostasis being broken by the paradoxical reaction of a sympathetic nerve….” Just like that, a few more difficult and ambiguous questions included within the scope of the acceptance exam were asked.



However, the pink girl was unable to answer. Only, as I continued my questions, her face grew redder. In the end, I tilted my head and asked carefully. “Um… Are you sure you studied hard?” “……!” The pink girl’s face grew so flushed that it looked like it was about to explode. Her hair was pink, with a red face, she looked somewhat cute. She tightened her small fists, shivered in anger, and, biting her lips, glared at me. I reacted indifferently to that cute look of hers and said. “I’m thankful that you’re worried about me, but you should examine the books more. I’m saying this in case you think I’m being sarcastic, but I’m worried about you, you know?” “……!” Her face filled to the brim with humiliation. The pink girl bit down on her lip with an angered face. However, she was unable to speak, and turned around with a swish and disappeared. ‘I wonder if she would continue to challenge me if she’s accepted. Or should I tell her directly?’ I was a little concerned, but I shook my head. It was too tedious. And, to be honest, a little cute. ‘Let’s just go read books. Since I studied hard today, I’ll have to eat something delicious.’ Just like that, a week’s time rushed past and the day of the exam arrived. “Milady! You can do it! Even if you fail, it’s okay, so don’t feel too burdened!” Chapter 20 With Marie’s cheering, I entered the exam room. I sat down in my seat and the exam proctor handed out the tests. Soon, the exam started. ‘Hmm. Did I study too hard in the last week?’ I fell into thought as I looked over the test. There wasn’t a single problem that I couldn’t answer! ‘What should I do? It would be a problem if I pass with a high score.’ As I have said before, but I wanted to enter the Academy for its freeboard and room and rest peacefully.



If I were to pass with a high score, I would attract too much attention, and my first step into Renault Academy would be a failure. An average passing grade. I needed an ambiguous score such that no one would pay attention to me. ‘Since I don’t know the difficulty of the questions, I’m not quite sure what I should score. If I get too many wrong answers and fail, it would become troublesome.’ I swept my gaze around the room and scrutinized the other students’ reactions. Just then, my eyes met the pink girl’s. The pink girl taunted me with her eyes. Let’s see just how well you do. Those eyes overflowing with confidence. So, I thought. ‘Since she’s so confident, it must not be too difficult. Let’s pass safely with 90 points.’ (Out of 100) Having decided, I started to solve problem after problem. The goal was 90 points. It should be enough to pass, but not enough to attract attention. ‘Okay. From now on, I will really live the life of a couch potato.’ The exam ended, and I took time off and relaxed as I awaited the scores. Seeing that I was nonchalant, Marie drew a worried face. “The exam results will be alright, right? Of, of course I believe in milady… But it is an exam with a lot of competition.” “Everything will be fine.” “Really?” “Of course. This personage is a genius, so acceptance will not be a problem.” I had scored exactly 90 points on the exam. No matter how easy the exam was this time around, there was no way that I would fail. Just then, Marie said something unexpected. “I’m sorry, milady. I heard that the exam this time around was rather difficult, so I ended up getting needlessly worried.” “What? Difficult?”



“Yes. According to what the people on the street were saying, it was the hardest test in the last ten years. There are innumerable people who have already packed their bags to leave without checking their score.” “……” I pressed my lips together. That was difficult? A sudden shadow of misfortune swept past by me. ‘Ah, no way. It’s the place filled with all the geniuses from the Northwest. There’s no way it’s true.’ Renault Academy’s status was to the extent that even the West Empire’s Imperial Family graduated from the Renault Academy. Even the current Crown Prince had graduated from Renault Academy 2 years ago, and even now there were a few princes attending the Academy. By that notion, it was the best of the best, the greatest Academy! ‘At such a famed place, with a score of 90 points….’ I muttered till there and my thoughts halted. It wouldn’t happen. So, there was no need to worry ahead of time. After I had forcibly swallowed my sense of dread, I laid down once more on my bed and wasted time. And finally, the day of the scores of the exam was to be announced. Marie and I headed to the exam result announcement location. We were surrounded by those who had already checked their scores and were separated into those light with joy and dark with dread. “I, it seems a lot of people have failed the exam. What do we do?” Marie gripped the edge of my clothes with a nervous face. She seemed nervous that I too had failed. I too was equally as nervous. Of course, in another manner. ‘Could I…? No, no way. With only 90 points….” The exam result announcement was done on a slip of paper for each test-taker. I went up to the exam proctor, who was handing out the announcement slips and said. “My name is Rubia d’Grandia la Roxanne.” For a second, the exam proctor’s eyes were filled with surprise. Chapter 21 “Prince Rubia, your Highness?” “…Yes, that’s right.”



Ba-dump. Why did he react like that? Was it because I was society’s notorious princess? Yes, that’s probably why. No, it was to be expected. “I’ve been waiting for you. Please check your scores first.” When I had checked the slip of paper, I unconsciously crumpled it. ‘Damn it.’ Score 90 points. Ranking 1/150. The top out of the 150 accepted students! That was my grade. ‘Why am I at the top? Did something happen? How could I get first with 90 points?!’ I shouted inside myself. Just then, the main culprit, the pink girl, approached me while chuckling, “Hoho.” “I greet your Highness, the princess. Did you do well on the test?” The pink girl looked down at me and lifted the corners of her mouth. After seeing my crumpled expression, it appeared she had come to her own conclusion. “Well, even if I do hear it, I think I can guess. Please don’t be so saddened. Being accepted into Renault Academy is after all a rather difficult feat.” How dare you take the test, she said with her expression. She covered her mouth with her face and let out a low chuckle. “Should you ever think to take the exam next year, you may ask me for help. Though not the best, I passed the exam, and I believe I could help your Highness as well.” The pink girl flaunted her acceptance. It was surprising, but I was so distracted having received news that I scored the top, and had no energy to reply to her. Then, the exam proctor, who had been looking between us with an odd look, started speaking. “Lady Hansen, I believe there is a misunderstanding, but her Highness, the princess, is….” “Stop!” I quickly covered the exam proctor’s mouth. Then I gave the exam proctor a ferocious look. The exam proctor blinked with an unreadable face. It was the face that complained it was an honorable feat, so why block it, but I



was desperate. If the rumor that I had received the top scores on this exam, there would be too much of a disadvantage to my life as a couch potato without a doubt. I had to prevent it. After quirking her head, the pink girl returned to her clique after fulfilling her revenge. “I’m sorry. I’m rather shy….” “Ah, yes.” The exam proctor nodded his head awkwardly. I let out a sigh and turned around. How could things grow so twisted before I had even been accepted? It appears I will have to consider what I should do from here on out. Just then, the exam proctor called me back. “Princess, your Highness, please wait for a moment.” “What is it?” After hearing the proctor’s words, I frowned deeply. “The president wishes to see your Highness.” “The president wishes to meet me? For what reason?” Even if one was to be the top scorer of the exams, there was no reason for the president to immediately request to see a student. It was very unusual. At my askance, the proctor said in a proud voice. “That is because your Highness has passed the test with the highest score yet.” “……!” “A top scorer. And at that, with the highest score. Congratulations, your Highness.” Not just the top scorer, but admitted with the highest score to date! I frowned deeply. However, this wasn’t a time to be dazed. I had to hurriedly think of a countermeasure. ‘What countermeasure? I’m already ruined.’ There was no question that my ambitious plan to spend the next 4 years freeloading had been ruined before I’d even started it. Top scorer. At that, the top scorer accepted with the highest score to date; who would leave me alone?



‘What should I do?’ I crossed my arms in front of the President’s Office and considered it. Many methods passed through my brain, but everything added up to a single conclusion. It was too late. Just then, the door to the President’s Office opened and the secretary led me in. “Have a seat, Your Highness.” At my entrance, an elder, whose hair was white and had a gentle demeanor, stood up. “I greet her Highness, the Roxanne Grand Duchy’s Princess Rubia. Though I have many flaws, I am Baron Krujen, currently in charge of Renault Academy. Chapter 22 I too gave my respects. “It is an honor for me to meet the President. My name is Rubia d’Grandia la Roxanne.” It truly was an honor for a mere entrant to meet the President of the continent’s best, Renault Academy, as soon as they finished their entry exam. However, from the looks on our faces, it appeared that it was not I, but the President who felt honored. I peered at his deeply moved face. It was a face that appeared to have met a oncein-a-millenia genius, so my face only grew gloomier and my heart heavier. *** “I apologize for suddenly asking for your attendance. I’m sure you were very surprised.” I felt the need to prevent his misunderstanding from growing any deeper. “President, if you have called me here because I performed well on the exam, it is a misunderstanding. Though I have performed well on this exam, it was a result accompanied by luck, and it is hard to say my own abilities are that outstanding.” “Luck, you say?” I tried my best to appear sincere and honest. “Yes, it is rather forward of me to say so, but there must be more than a few questions that I had answered correctly by coincidence. It is a score that came to be from a miraculous combination of coincidence and luck, and cannot be seen as my own abilities.” The president looked at my eyes for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. “Oh my. It appears your Highness has misunderstood something. I am not struck with awe by merely your exam score. There is no reason for me to be at such awe because you had solved a few more problems.”



Grandfather President grew agitated as his voice grew louder. “It is not only because of your exam score, but the answer your Highness had written on your answer sheet! Though they were short sentences, they clearly understood and looked through to the core of the issue at hand.” “……” “Amongst the answers you had submitted were even those which you had answered better than the professors of that specific field. It is an unimaginable and incredible occurence. I could not sit still after reading your answer sheet.” He looked at me with a truly moved expression. “To have such a talented student attend the Academy when I am in office! This is what I felt. Though there are only a few years till my retirement, it is my final wish as the Academy’s President to have your Highness’ talents bloom like flowers!” “No… President, please do not work yourself up….” “It’s alright. There is no need to feel burdened. Your Highness seems to not only have outstanding talent, but also a benevolent and humble character. It is truly incredible.” No! That’s not true! I barely tamped down my desire to shout my true feelings. As I saw the Grandfather President grow excited like an adolescent boy, I hardened my resolve. It wasn’t like me to drag my feet. Cutting the Gordian Knot. Let’s resolve this complicated problem now. “I’ll reject it.” “…What?” At that moment, the president’s eyes froze. It was as if he had heard something impossible. I said even more firmly. “I would like to reject my acceptance.” *** Deafening silence fell on the president’s office. “D, did… I hear wrongly just now, Your Highness?” Slight guilt welled up in me, but I stood firm. ‘Everything’s already been ruined. Let’s not waste any time and look for a different method.’ Of course, I held some affection towards Renault Academy due to my past. However, I had come to leisurely eat and play, I hadn’t come to laboriously achieve



something at the Academy. ‘It’s a shame, but I’ll have to find another way. What should I do?’ I held back a sigh. I, who had lived for a thousand years, knew well. To eat and play was not entirely easy as it sounded. Was there not a person in the world who disliked lazily eating and playing? However, there were few people in the world who had the capabilities to do so. It was just that hard. ‘It can’t be helped. Since the situation has come to a dead-end, I’ll have to find another method.’ Chapter 23 After coming to that conclusion, I lowered my head. “I’m sorry for the confusion, President. I shall withdraw at this point.” The president, who realized I was sincere, hurriedly held me back. “P, please wait a moment, your Highness! Why is that so?” The president’s face had fallen into despair akin to losing his entire world. Though I understood the president’s pure desire for talented students, I stood firm and responded with an excuse. “In truth, my body is not very healthy.” “…Your health, you say?” The president’s eyes grew wide. Of course, this was a lie. While Rubia’s body lacked muscle and stamina, it was healthy, without any illness. ‘Still, she appears frail.’ Well, it didn’t matter if it sounded suspicious because it was merely a pretext. I continued with an indifferent attitude. “Yes, I’m ill, but I took the test knowing that it was unreasonable for me. Though I was accepted with an unexpectedly good score, I feel that it will be hard for me to continue my education at the Academy.” “Hah.” As if he believed my words, the president had a worried face. “If you don’t mind, may I ask what illness it is? I would like to help your Highness in any way possible. After all, Renault Academy has many great doctors at our medical school.” Since he had offered so much, there was no way I could refuse.



‘What should I say?’ The medical practices of the west were incredibly well developed. It had come together with magical practices such that it was possible to diagnose most illnesses. ‘What kind of disease can I use as an excuse without getting caught?’ I recalled one disease from my medical knowledge from living as a doctor. “I have migraines.” “…Migraines?” As if to prove my words, I lifted one hand to my head. “Yes, if I work excessively, I have severe migraines. If it wasn’t for my migraines, I would be willing to make some effort, but it seems difficult.” “How unfortunate….” The president expressed his regret for me. He wanted to hold onto me in any way possible, but, at the mention of an illness, he was clearly flustered. I bowed my head once more to show my respect. “Thank you for lending me some of your time. Though I am unable to attend due to my illness, I will study with the mindset of being taught at Renault Academy.” Being taught, my ass, I haven’t even learned from them. Still, I expressed my empty words of thanks and exited from the President’s Office. Just then, the president made an unexpected offer. “How about this, your Highness?” “……?” “Just enter the Academy. You don’t have to attend any of the classes afterward. As long as you meet the minimum requirements, we will accept any credits you earn.” I hesitated for a moment. ‘…I don’t need to attend any of the classes? Even though they’ll give me a board, room, and meals for free?’ It was an attractive offer. Even at the Renault Academy, there existed the concept of minimum attendance. But he was exempting me from even that. The dean spoke as if to assure me. “If it causes impractical demands on your body, then you can substitute your attendance with homework and exams.”



If those words were true, my life at the Academy would be a blissful paradise. “In return, please promise that you will stay at Renault Academy for at least one year.” I frowned at the president’s words. ‘Look here?’ I giggled at the transparent intentions to tie down talent to the Academy. ‘Though the conditions are far better than what I hoped for, a promise. That is a little difficult.’ I was a little different from the other people who lived in this world. If ‘I’ made a promise, then I would be forced to keep it due to the balance of this world. While others think lightly of promises, and often break them, ‘I’ was unable to do so. This was a result of the very ‘character of my soul’ being at a totally different level than others, so if I were to make a promise, I would have to follow it. ‘It can’t be helped.’ Chapter 24 “…I’m sorry. I’m thankful for your generosity, and there is nothing else I can say. I shall return now.” I nodded my head and turned around. The president jumped up as if he could not understand and shouted. “Why is your decision so?” “In life, there is no certainty of what will happen, so I am unable to make promises that I cannot keep.” “It’s because there is a rule against leaving the Academy the first year when receiving a scholarship! It is something that has nothing to do with your Highness.” The president shouted with a desperate face. “In any case, it is rather difficult. I apologize. I shall leave now.” As I stood firm, the president despaired and hung his head. ‘I feel a little sorry.’ I clicked my tongue inside of my mind. The president was not trying to fulfill his own interests. As a true educator, and for the Academy, he was doing all he could do to seize the talent that stood in front of him.



‘Anyhow, there’s nothing to be done.’ That was what I thought as I approached the door, but a wistful murmur could be heard behind me. “I’m not sure what kind of reason you have, but it is really unfortunate. Your Highness is the kind of person we need for the Academy’s future.” It was a voice filled with regret that thought only about the Academy. Saying such, the president once again looked at me with desperate eyes. “The doors of the Academy are open at any time. Should your health return, please visit at any time. We will wait for you.” But what was this? The moment I heard the president’s words, I recalled a memory. [Teacher, I will definitely make Renault Academy prosper! I will spread the teachings that you have left me.] It was the determination of the child who became the second President of the Academy after me. That child, as he resolved, lived his life for the Academy, and with his effort, the Academy became the continent’s best educational facility. ‘…Now that I look at him, they seem a little similar.’ For some reason, President Krujen’s love for the Academy made me remember that child. In the end, I felt my heart grow weak. ‘Ah, whatever. They’re not conditions that I lose out from.’ At first, I thought about resting at the Academy for 3 to 4 years. By the rules of the Academy, it was a promise that lasted for one year, so I felt it might not be so bad. “Alright. Since that is what the Dean has said… In return, there are a few conditions.” “What is it?” The Dean asked with a bright face. “First, should the situation call for it, even if a year has not passed, I shall leave the Academy.” This was a necessary condition. Should an unfortunate situation occur, it would become incredibly troublesome if I am unable to quit the Academy because of a promise. “Hm… That… Alright.”



The president considered it before nodding. It seemed he didn’t want to lose me in any case. “Also, who at the Academy knows I am the top scorer of the entrance exam?” “There’s myself and the employees who scored the exams. The professors of each branch will also be notified.” “Then please tell the employees to never say a word about my exam score. That is my second condition.” The president clearly didn’t understand the intentions behind my requests. “Why go to such lengths? It should be celebrated that your Highness’ score is the highest up to date… Shouldn’t it be obvious to make it known….” After thinking for a moment, I thought up an excuse. “I have anxiety.” “…What?” “Attracting the attention of others is a trigger to my anxiety. As such, please notify them. As long as you fulfill these two conditions, I shall attend the Academy.” The president let out a cough. From migraines to anxiety. Apparently, it seemed rather suspicious. My ordinary expressions were rather far from a nervous breakdown. However, I was confident. What could they say when I argued thus? *** “I understand, your Highness. Then, from today onwards, your Highness is a student at the Renault Academy!” Dean Krujen smiled widely as he spoke. Chapter 25 He looked so happy that I let out a quiet sigh and shook my head. ‘…But I’m not going to do anything at the Academy except lie around.’ I started wondering if I should at least toss them a research paper as I graduated, as a monument to the Academy. *** In any case, that was how my life at Renault Academy started. “Wow. So this is our dormitory.” Soon after the acceptance announcement, due to the start of the orientation, the dormitories were quickly assigned.



Marie looked around the inside of the dorm room with an astonished face. “It’s great. It doesn’t seem like a dormitory.” I nodded my head. I was assigned to a dormitory where only the higher aristocratic students stayed. It was as spacious as its title as the greatest of dormitories. Though it was made for two students, there was a shared living room with a private bedroom, and it came with a smaller attached room for maids and servants. It was a little hard to fathom it was a dormitory, rather it was closer to a hotel room. ‘Right, it should be of at least this scale to make it worth having made me stay.’ On the other hand, Marie’s eyes were tearing up and she looked deeply moved. “For milady to attend the continent’s greatest academy, Renault Academy. At that, to attend as a top scorer.” “Marie.” “Yes. I’ll never tell anyone else that you had the highest scores on the entry exam. Still, the top scorer is still the top scorer. Wah.” It appeared she remembered the criticism and contempt that Rubia was given at the Grand Duchy, as Marie wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Hmm, I had no intention of attending the Academy normally, so I felt a little guilty that she felt so moved. ‘I’ll have to buy her something delicious later.’ Thinking that far, I laid down on the bed. “Milady? Why are you on the bed?” “I’m going to sleep. I’m going to sleep from now on. There’s no need to rouse me even if I don’t wake up.” It had come time for me to enjoy the leisure that I had pushed back again and again. I resolved to not get up from the bed for at least 72 hours. I had even prepared food to eat while in bed. “B, but milady? Shouldn’t you be busily making friends before the orientation?” Friends? ‘What friends, what about friends.’ Glancing outside, I saw the newly admitted students gather into various groups to interact with each other. They all looked anticipative of their life at the Academy. ‘What a great age to be.’



Of course, I too was expectant of the future. The life of an idler that was spread in front of me, of course. “It’s a bitter life to be a genius.” This time, Marie didn’t let it pass. “What nonsense are you saying? Even geniuses need friends.” “Then I’ll make some later. Let me take a nap first… Just 72 hours….” “You can’t, milady!” Like this, Marie and I quarreled with each other. As if she felt a sense of duty to make sure my Academy life was bathed in pink light, Marie spoke in a passionate voice. “You have to make friends and date as well!” “Cough.” D, date? I unconsciously choked on air. “How can I date?” Of course, I did not hate dating. It was just that I did not want to think about things like love in this life. It was too tedious. But Marie misunderstood my words, as said the following. “His Highness, the Fourth Prince, is attending the Renault Academy right now! You should fall into fated love with him!” “……” For a moment, I made a surprised expression. What did you just say? “Marie, what did you just say? Can you say that again? Who is currently at Renault Academy?” Marie tilted her head with a slightly befuddled face. “His Highness, the Fourth Prince.” I frowned deeply and asked. “Why is his Highness, the Fourth Prince, here?” “As a student, obviously. They say he’s a fourth-year student representative?” I finally understood why I sensed a hint of misfortune in my future when I made my promise with the Dean.



Chapter 26 It was definitely because of this bomb! ‘The Fourth Prince is here?’ My eyebrows furrowed. Fourth Prince Aurelian. Though he was a prince with no right to the throne, he inherently had the Eye of the Beholder that was the symbol of a King. The Eye of the Beholder, which was also known as the Emperor’s Eye, was something that appeared in only one person every few generations. It held the power to look through to the very essence of an object, so it had been decided that those born inherently with the Eye of the Beholder would always rise to the throne. However, in this generation, the illegitimate Fourth Prince was the one born with the Eye of the Beholder. Thus, the issue of the inheritance of the Western Empire’s throne had become incredibly complicated. The political scene split into two behind the traditional Crown Prince and the Eye of the Beholder, the Fourth Prince. Of course, it wouldn’t matter whether the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince battled for the throne or not if I merely baked cakes at a bakery. ‘That is, if I wasn’t the Fourth Prince’s fiancee.’ That’s right. The fiancee of the protagonist of this chaotic fight for the throne, the Fourth Prince, was Rubia. In other words, my fiancee was attending this Academy. *** ‘Why did the Fourth Prince have to attend Renault Academy?’ I thought as my face crumpled with annoyance. The person I needed to avoid the most was the very Fourth Prince. However, I had entered the school of the figure I should never meet, the Fourth Prince, headfirst. ‘If I marry the Fourth Prince, my life will be ruined. Not just a little, but completely ruined.’ The moment I married him, it was obvious what kind of life laid ahead of me. It was a spectacle itself. I had to avoid it at all costs. ‘If he is part of the Royal Family, he should stay at the Royal Palace. Why here of all places?’



The reason was very simple. It was mandatory for the Royal Family of the Western Empire to graduate from the Academy. Its intent was so that the figures who would reign in the political field of the Empire would not live imprisoned in the Royal Palace, and would experience various environments outside of the Palace. ‘I should have finalized this issue before leaving the Grand Duchy.’ I sighed. I had set off from the Grand Duchy so chaotically that I wasn’t able to pay full attention to the problem of my engagement. As I was deep in thought, I came to a conclusion. ‘Since he’s a fourth year, he’ll graduate soon anyways. I’ll just avoid him till then.’ Since I’ll almost never leave the dormitory, there would be no chance we’ll meet each other. ‘Not to mention, if a lady left her household, the household would naturally dissolve her engagement.’ Of course, they might not dissolve the engagement. In the worst-case scenario, I really might have married. If that happened… I laid in bed and muttered indifferently. “Well, is there anything difficult about it? I will make the Fourth Prince dissolve the engagement himself.” ‘Great. Now that everything’s been figured out, I’ll enjoy this paradise leisurely.’ Afterward, I continued to lay in bed lazily. I didn’t get up unless I was hungry, at which time I would go to the cafeteria. ‘I am the bed. The bed.’ I wonder how long I could remain in this state where I and the bed had become one? The figure of the sulky and pouting Marie appeared in front of my eyes. ‘Hm. I feel a little sorry.’ I recalled Marie’s excitement that had exceeded mine when I received news of my acceptance. For some reason, I felt a little guilty. “Marie?” When I called her, Marie responded with a sulky voice. “What is it? Since milady is a genius, you said you didn’t need someone like me.” At those words, I chuckled. I have no idea why she’s so cute.



“That’s not true. Why, I need our Marie.” Marie looked away with a swish. I decided to present my cute maid with a gift. “Do you want to go get some good to eat?” Chapter 27 “…I’m fine.” “Really? Even though I was going to eat strawberry cake?” Just to note, the strawberry cake was Marie’s favorite dessert. “…I’m alright. I don’t want to eat it.” Oh my? Let’s see how much she can resist. “I was going to go to the Mayen Pasta Restaurant? I’m going to eat seafood tomato pasta.” Flinch. Marie’s body swayed. I threw another blow. “I’ll order pizza as well. A pizza with bacon, potatoes, and lots of cheese.” Flinch. Flinch. Those were all Marie’s favorite foods. I smiled, albeit a little wickedly. “I’ll have strawberry juice on the way back as well. But what should I do? Since Marie’s not coming with me, I’ll have to eat by myself? How delicious, yum yum.” “Wahhh! You’re being too much, milady!” In the end, Marie waved a white flag and rushed over to me like a puppy. I stroked Marie’s brown hair and said. “There’s no need for you to worry too much. I’ll do well myself.” “… But I end up worrying.” I made a calm expression. Why was it? Whenever I looked at Marie, I remembered my last life’s servant, ‘Rue’. [How could I not worry? Not when you seem like a child who’s been abandoned on the streets. In any case, I don’t think my reputation will survive because of you.] I hurriedly erased the memory of ‘Rue’ that faintly reappeared in my head and tried to smile.



“Let’s hurry. I’m hungry, so let’s eat a lot of delicious food.” But Marie said with a worried face. “But, milady, we have no money?” “What?” “We only have 20 cena left. Is there a place where we can earn some more money?” I closed my mouth at the unexpected turn of the situation. Now that I think about it, it was about time we ran low on funds. “Then, how have you been living?” Though Renault Academy provided meals, it was solely for their students. In the case of servants like Marie, they had to figure out their meals with their own money. “That’s… With the leftover bread.” Marie murmured. ‘Oh, my bad.’ I let out a loud sigh. That kind girl had run out of money but hadn’t been able to say a word to me, so she had starved. This kind of problem was something that I, the mistress, should have paid attention to. I felt very guilty. “I’m sorry.” “Hm? Ah, no. I’m alright! I love bread very much.” I stood up from my seat. No matter how much I loved being lazy, this was not a time to be laying down. “Marie, do you know one of the things I hate the most?” “…What is it?” “It is for my people to live in destitution.” That’s right, anyone I had taken as my person ought to be wealthy. That was what I desired. “I wish for you to eat well, dress well, and live well. No, you have every right to do so.” At my words, Marie looked lost. “No, I’m alright. I’m happy just being next to milady….” However, I shook my head and spoke. “I cannot forgive you living in poverty. As such, come along.”



I searched through the closet to change my clothes. “Milady? Where are you going?” At Marie’s flustered question, I answered as if it wasn’t serious. “We have to go earn money. This time, let’s earn a lot of it.” *** When I had rushed out of Roxanne Castle, I had packed not only comfortable outdoor clothes, but a fancy dress that distinguished me as an aristocrat. “Wow!” Milady, you’re so, so beautiful.” My eyes widened slightly at the sight of me wearing a dress for the first time in a long while. Then I said calmly. “I’m a little pretty normally.” …is not true, as Rubia’s reflection was truly beautiful. Smooth and pale skin like porcelain and radiant silver hair that looked like real silver. An appearance that was pure as a blank paper at the same time it was elegant felt beautiful. It was like that of an angel or a fairy. The most outstanding characteristic was those crimson red eyes that contrasted with the otherwise pure image. The scarlet eyes filled with leisurely indifference were charismatic in a different way from her elegant features. Chapter 28 At the same time, she was like a pure angel who had come down from the sky, she was also beautiful like a rose whose aroma was sensual and seductive in nature. She did not fall short of the description of a woman whose beauty could bring down nations. This was especially true when she wore a dress that complimented her features rather than her usual, comfortable, outdoor clothes. Her beauty was like a million blooming flowers. “But why did milady suddenly wear this dress?” “Because it has a purpose in earning money.” At my words, Marie’s eyes grew round. “A-are you trying to do something bad? Y-you can’t!” What was she thinking with that small head? I flicked her forehead and said. “Let’s go.” When I exited the dormitory, the campus was filled with blooming spring flowers.



Students, excited for their future life at the Academy, were conversing with each other here and there. ‘How fresh. It’s a good time.’ I looked at them before starting to walk. In any case, I wasn’t interested in a successful Academy life. Let’s just go earn some money. ‘As much as possible, such that we won’t have to worry too much about money.’ But it was just then. As I was about to leave the campus when I heard a sound that made me stop in my hurried steps. Slap! “……!” It was the sound of a slap out of nowhere. Soon, a sharp voice resounded through the area. “Just what are you doing! Can’t you properly apologize?!” “I, I’m sorry.” “In any case, whoever said that you weren’t from a common, lowly background. Tsk.” The high-pitched scream that didn’t fit the gorgeous campus drew the gazes of all the people, including myself. Nineteen, twenty? The neatly-dressed girl was shouting angrily at another girl about her age. ‘An aristocrat and a commoner?’ I frowned. Just from their appearances, the raging girl was clearly an aristocrat, and the other girl who was hanging her head was a commoner. ‘It’s not like it’s anything new.’ I thought indifferently. Entry to Renault Academy was based entirely on an individual’s ability, so people of all different hierarchical statuses, from royals to commoners, attended the school. However, just because they attended the same classes didn’t mean that they were of equal status. There was, without a doubt, a clear difference in social status and authority. Aristocrats belonged with other aristocrats, commoners with other commoners, and it was very common for aristocrats to harass commoners.



‘Let’s go on our way since we’re busy.’ With that thought, I turned my head, but yet another sharp sound resounded through the campus. Slap! The aristocratic lady had let another slap fly. “Is that a proper apology? Is that how your household taught you? No, you don’t have anything like a household, right?” “……!” The commoner girl’s face flushed and her eyes filled with tears. However, she was unable to say anything and lowered her head. Marie gripped the edge of her clothes and then shifted to and fro on her feet. “Milady, what should we do?” Just then, the aristocratic girl said something that crossed the bottom line of my tolerance. “Lowly things should keep a humble attitude. If you’re sincerely sorry, kneel and beg for my forgiveness.” The girl’s face grew pale. “T-that….” “Now!” Though everyone’s faces grew dark at the scene, no one stood up for the girl. It was unfortunate, but no one wanted to become enemies with an aristocrat. Marie watched the commoner girl, whose eyes were filled with tears. Marie, who had been criticized repeatedly at the Roxanne Grand Duchy, felt empathetic towards the other girl. “What are you doing? Let’s go. We’re busy.” I pulled at Marie along. Marie hesitated, then lowered her head. “…Okay, milady. Let’s go.” Marie’s voice died almost like a mouse that is as dead as a doornail. “That… Milady, you can’t help her, can you?” “That commoner?” “Yes.” I asked emotionlessly.



“Why?” “…….” “Incidents such as this one are very common. How would it be possible to help every time this happened?” “…That’s true.” “Also such punishments given by aristocrats towards commoners isn’t enough for others to step in and criticize them.” Chapter 29 Marie was unable to answer and merely nodded her head. This was a strictly hierarchical society. How could one step up to help at merely just this? This was my answer to Marie’s question. At the sight of Marie’s mood dropping even further, I couldn’t help but raise the corners of my mouth. And I muttered in a low voice. “Well, that’s true in most situations. However, it’s alright to have exceptions to the case.” “What?” It was the second that Marie looked at me oddly. I, who had been walking for quite a while, turned around. ‘I didn’t laboriously establish the Academy just to see those little ones who’ve just been born use their status to threaten others.’ And I kicked a small rock the size of the end of my pinky. Whish! The small rock flew in a straight line and rammed into the back of the aristocratic girl’s head. Bang! “Ack!” A refreshing sound resounded through the campus. Though it looked like a simple kick, it was filled with the power of the swordsmanship household that dominated the east. Even if it was just a small rock, it must have hurt quite a bit. The aristocratic girl shouted angrily and looked around. “Who! You dare!” I raised my hand and shook it blankly.



“Oh. It was me.” “……!” “I didn’t do it on purpose. So why did you stand there? Anyways, sorry. Did it hurt?” I said indifferently. No matter who heard it, it was an insincere apology, and the aristocratic girl’s face flushed. But she had recognized me, so she was unable to scold me, let alone shout at me in anger. “…Please be careful next time, Your Highness. It’s dangerous.” “Sure, I’ll do that.” As I nodded my head, I looked at her blankly. “But you’re not going to greet me?” “Yes? What?” “I’m asking if you’re not going to properly greet me. Don’t you know who I am?” There was very little chance that she didn’t know me. Because the silver hair and red eyes were no different from Rubia’s trademark. At my criticism, the aristocratic girl became flustered. “I greet Her Highness, Princess Rubia. I am Earl Peletier’s daughter, Meyna.” She bent her knee slightly and bowed her head. It was the mannerisms that lower-class aristocrats used with upper-class aristocrats. However, I tilted my head and said. “Doesn’t it seem like the angle of your knee is too wide? Your shoulders are also tilted slightly to the left. Why is your right hand resting on your hip? Is it also on purpose for you to bow your head before you bend your waist? Or, perhaps a new style of mannerisms?” At my criticism of her mannerisms, Meyna, the aristocratic girl’s face grew pale. It seemed she was growing angry in embarrassment. However, she couldn’t retaliate in any way. They were all precise criticisms that didn’t hold even a hint of falsehood in them. “I, I apologize.” “I’ll teach you to do it again.” “What?”



“Do it again. Oh, don’t misunderstand. It seemed you weren’t properly taught at your household and I’m worried you’ll make a mistake elsewhere, so I’m teaching you. It’s okay for you to feel thankful.” In my words, the sound of the people in the nearby area swallowing their chuckles could be heard. The aristocratic girl gripped her fist tightly and trembled. And unluckily for her, she had to repeat her curtsy many times. “Didn’t I tell you to lower your neck further? Oh my, you can’t lower it that fast! The core of the West Empire’s mannerisms is elegance and grace in moderation. Again! Like a butterfly! At the same time like a bee!” I sincerely taught her how to curtsy properly. There was perhaps no one else within Renault Academy who knew the traditional polite mannerisms. In a long, long past, I had even taught the Royal Family. Since I had made up my mind to teach her, there were numerous details to correct endlessly. A good while later, I clapped my hands. “That’s right, it’s great! Now your mannerisms are not lacking even in comparison to the royal mannerisms.” “T, thank you.” The aristocratic girl looked at me blankly and nodded. Chapter 30 Maybe it was due to the long lecture on mannerisms, but she had on an expression as if her soul had left her body. “Would you like to learn other different manners? There’s a lot for me to teach.” “……!” She came to her senses and lowered her head. “N, no! I’m thankful for just this much! I have a prior appointment to hurry to, so, later!” The girl hurried away without even looking back. It seemed she had totally forgotten about how she had harassed the commoner girl. I looked back at Marie with a refreshed face. “Let’s go now. We have to earn money.” But Marie’s eyes looked a little odd. She looked at me with large eyes. Her eyes swirled with envy, respect, admiration, and affection. “Why are you looking at me like this? I said, let’s go.”



“Milady.” “Yes?” “I respect you! You’re definitely my lady. From now on, milady will forever be my lady!” What? Why is she like this? Marie wasn’t the only one who looked at me burdensomely. Those who had gathered around and seen both the aristocratic girl and myself, especially the students from common households, were looking at me with a surprised gaze. The gazes were far too burdensome for me to handle, so all I could do was draw an astonished face. Just then, a trembling voice called out to me. “T, thank you, your Highness.” Furrowing my eyebrows, I turned my head to find the commoner girl lowering her head towards me. “…….” “Truly… truly thank you. For someone with no relation to you….” The girl closed her mouth mid sentence as if her throat dried out. I crossed my arms and pursed my lips. “But I didn’t do it for you?” “Yes?” “I just wanted to teach that girl named Meyna some manners? Even if I don’t seem like it, I am quite the polite girl, you know.” However, no matter how much I told her not to misunderstand me, whatever she had misunderstood, the girl seemed to grow much more moved than before. Hm, it’s not a good reaction. The girl wiped away her tears with her sleeve and smiled with red eyes. “I suppose you’re saying that so I won’t feel burdened. Anyways, I understand, Your Highness.” Then, she bowed her head. It was a greeting filled with sincerity. “My name is Millia. Though Your Highness disagrees, I will never forget what you’ve done for me today.” If I let her be, she seemed as though she would do anything to repay me, so I hurriedly left the location.



Once we passed the campus gates and left the Academy, Marie asked. “You stood up for her, right?” “Even if I don’t say so….” However, Marie laughed as she understood. “But, where are we going?” “We’re going to go earn money.” “A music performance this time too?” Marie asked as though she’d recalled the last time. However, I shook my head. While I could earn money by performing on the streets, rumors about me would spread through Renault Academy. “This time, I’m going to earn money in a different way.” “……?” Marie looked curious. I didn’t answer and only continued to walk. Soon we arrived in front of a big building. “Milady? H, here? You’re going to earn money here?” Marie, who’d recognized the identity of the building, stuttered as if flustered. “I’m going to earn money here.” “B, but….” “Is there a problem?” At my question, Marie firmly nodded as though it was a big problem. “This is definitely a problem! This is a casino!” That was correct. The identity of this building was a casino. This time, I was planning on earning money through gambling. *** At the same time, at the campus that Rubia and Marie had left, there were those with an odd look on their faces. “It seems that some great freshmen came in this time. No, should I say, future sister-in-law?” He was a youth with light blue hair and eyes the color of the ocean. The youth with a clear impression whistled. “I didn’t think my future sister-in-law would be such a charming person. Just from



the rumors, I had thought she was merely a cowardly princess, right?” Chapter 31 “Ezekiel.” The black-haired youth who stood next to him frowned. “Please don’t speak without any thought.” Was he in his early twenties? Handsome. No, was it possible to describe the youth’s charismatic beauty with the mere word ‘handsome’? He was just that attractive. A beautiful face shape like that of a woman’s. Black hair that seemed to contain the sky. It was a face that one would never forget even if they just walked past him. However, the look in his eyes was as cold as ice. Due to that, his face, which could otherwise be mistaken for a woman’s, was clearly masculine. In fact, it was clear that those with little courage wouldn’t even be able to properly meet the youth’s golden eyes. His gaze was just that chilly. Perhaps that was true for even the youth named Ezekiel, as he spoke with his body crouching in on itself. “Ah, don’t look at me like that. Even if I am your younger brother, dear brother’s symbol as an emperor is still difficult and burdensome.” As the black haired beautiful man frowned deeply at the words ‘symbol as an emperor’, the blue-haired youth smiled as if jokingly. “Oh, my bad. It’s not the symbol of an emperor, but the Eye of the Beholder, right?” The words that had come out of the blue-haired youth, Ezekiel’s, mouth was a wondrous thing. The black-haired beautiful man with golden eyes was the Eye of the Beholder? In other words, that man was Rubia’s fiancee and 4th prince, Aurelian. “Right now, we’re not the only two people at Renault Academy. Please be careful with your words.” It was a chilly tone of voice. It appeared it was the 4th prince’s habit to use polite speech as he used it with his younger brother, the 6th brother as well, but because of that his words sounded calm and polite while also feeling even colder than ice. At the 4th prince Aurelian’s warning, the 6th prince Ezekiel nodded his head. “Yes, that’s true. His Highness, the Crown Prince, is also here. Please do be careful. In any case… she’s rather great, my future sister-in-law. Isn’t she?”



The 6th prince looked at where Rubia had once been and muttered. “To be such a girl….” Of course, they, too, had heard the rumors about Rubia. Roxanne Grand Duchy’s cowardly princess! However the girl they had seen today was someone far from cowardly. “Rather….” Ezekiel recalled her figure. He was rather surprised by her beautiful figure. Though the world was wide and there were many beauties in the world, a girl as beautiful as her was not very common. Even throughout the entire Empire, she would have been picked as the most beautiful. However, what was most surprising wasn’t not her beauty. It was how she handled the aristocratic lady. Charismatic and refreshing, but at the same time comical. What Ezekiel wanted to grab his belly and burst into laughter, he had barely withheld. She was just that charismatic! Ezekiel had never met a lady with so much charm throughout the entire Royal Palace, and in the entire society of the Empire’s capital. “How is she, dear brother? What are your thoughts upon having seen your future wife?” Ezekiel asked with a mischievous voice. However, the fiancee, 4th prince Aurelian’s reaction was not very refreshing. “Beautiful.’ “What? And?” Though he sent a look asking ‘That’s all?’, the 4th prince Aurelian said nothing more. Chilly air blew in his golden eyes like usual, as if he really had no opinion. The 6th prince Ezekiel sighed as if there was nothing he could do and shook his head. “However, why did his Highness, the Crown Prince, come to the Academy?” The Crown Prince had already graduated 2 years ago. However, he had still come to the Academy. Not as a simple guest, but as a temporary professor. “I don’t understand his Highness’s intentions either.”



“The reason that was given was that he missed the Academy, but how could one believe such a sneaky person’s words?” Ezekiel complained. “But there is no way for us to understand those dark intentions. Also, where did you say his Highness, the Crown Prince, went?” “They say he is at the Casino.” “Again? I wonder how much he will earn.” Chapter 32 Ezekiel looked rather guilty. The 4th prince Aurelian shook his head. “Perhaps he really came to take a rest. Let’s not mind him.” “How can you not mind him? I’m nervous about what he’s scheming in that black heart of his.” “Indeed, there’s a mountain of things to do, but it seems you still have the leisure to be nervous? Have you finished your research paper?” At that, the 6th prince Ezekiel paled. Ezekiel was in his third year. Even if he was a prince, he received no special treatment when it came to homework or grades. In fact, if he received poor grades, it was immediately reported to the Royal Palace, so there was no leisure for him to pay attention to anything else. “Ehh. I came to the Academy to play, but what is all this? I shall return first.” Just like that, the 6th prince disappeared first, and the 4th prince Aurelian, who was left all alone, turned his gaze. It landed where his fiance Rubia had been. “Her name was Rubia, was it?” With his mutterings, his gaze was very different from the indifference he had shown earlier. Then he murmured with a tone of voice hard to decipher. “How interesting. I’ll have to keep watch.” His golden eyes, the Eye of the Beholder, filled with deep thought. “Hey, you there! Raise!” “Ah, damn it! 200 cena more!” A casino was the definition of a chaotic storm of pleasure. The large, flashily decorated room bustled with people gambling. There were shouts



of victory and shrieks of loss coming from here and there. “My, my lady. Let’s just go back.” Marie begged me as she grasped onto the edge of my clothes. From her face, it seemed as though we had walked into a tiger’s den. “There’s nothing to be worried about. Even if I seem like this, I’m rather good at card games.” “T, that’s not the problem here! Gambling, I mean, gambling! That’s a bad thing!” Hm, Marie’s words weren’t wrong. Gambling wasn’t a virtuous activity. So, I gave her a spiel I had prepared earlier. “Marie, do I look like a bad person to you?” “…No. However, gambling is still bad.” Marie said as she lowered her head. I patted the tangled hair of the girl, who was like a bunny. “Right, that’s correct. To be honest, what I’m going to do here isn’t simply gambling.” “So?” “Should I say I’m trying to be the champion of justice?” “…What?” Marie’s eyes grew round. I raised the corners of my mouth. “There are bad people in a casino like this one. They are tricksters and scammers, the worst of the worst who take advantage of others’ misfortune.” “……!” That’s right. The reason I came to the casino wasn’t merely to win some games, but to win off of and punish scammers, who were akin to cancer for casinos. Of course, just because I’m trying to win money doesn’t mean I have to win it from scamming gamblers. ‘However, it’s far more refreshing to win money off of them, given I win money.’ I smiled inwardly. Winning money off the average gambler made me feel uncomfortable. Especially due to the fact that I, too, was an expert trickster, which made me feel guilty when I used my tricks against them. On the other hand, when I flipped the tables to scam the scammers, it felt far more



rewarding. It felt so rewarding that those who hadn’t done it before would never be able to perceive how refreshing it feels. I hummed and looked around the casino. Since it was impossible to gamble in the majority of games with only 200 cena, I started to increase the money through a simple game of dice. However, Marie’s reactions were rather unexpected. “Milady! You should place your bet here!” “Ahh! Milady, that’s not it!” “Gah! So close!” That trembling figure of hers of mere moments ago had long disappeared, and she was starting to grow agitated and excited by the bets I placed. “Didn’t you say that gambling was bad?” “I’m not sure. Since it seems like we’ll earn money, it’s alright.” I was a little flustered. What the… She was just worried we would lose what little money we had left. Chapter 33 ‘Next time, I should make sure not to bring Marie.’ Looking at how she grew excited quickly, she was the type of person who should never gamble. If she started gambling, it felt as though she would lose all she owned. In any case, Marie and I walked around the casino playing this game and that. Since I didn’t use any tricks, we won some and lost some, and slowly earned more and more money. Soon we had gathered about 200 cena more. “Wow! Already 200 cena more. At this rate, we’ll become extremely rich!” As Marie’s eyes sparkled, I held in a giggle and smiled. ‘There’s no way anyone can become wealthy through gambling.” Throughout my thousand years, I’ve never heard of a legendary gambler who has become wealthy. Enjoying it sparingly on rare occasions is one thing, but the result of gambling was always one’s ruin. In any case, I, who thought I’d earned enough wealth, stood up from the dice table. “Oh, you’re not going to gamble anymore? Even though you’re earning money?” “We have to play a different game now.” “What game?”



I leisurely watched the people concentrating on gambling games around us. “Stripping a scammer of their wealth.” “Ah!” Marie’s eyes grew wide and she spoke in a voice that suggested she was afraid. “T, that do we have to do that? Can’t we just continue to play dice like right now? O, of course, I trust Milady, but….” Marie appeared to be as scared of gambling tricksters as one would be when standing in front of a tiger. Of course, she was worried because she didn’t know that the person at risk of bankruptcy was not me, but those scammers. “Since we’ve come all the way here, we should at least win big once.” “Win big?” “Indeed, we can’t earn a lot if we continue playing games like dice that earn us only a little bit of money at a time.” “S, still….” “How about 3,000 cena? Let’s earn just that much.” Marie froze like a statue at the mention of 3,000 cena. 3,000 cena was more than enough for an average family to live without any worries for more than a year. ‘After I earn money, I’ll never leave my bed ever again.’ After having decided thus, I looked around for my prey. Of course, by prey, I was referring to those tricksters. ‘In such a big casino as this one, there’s no way there wouldn’t be any scamming gamblers.’ I walked around pretending to spectate as I observed the people gambling. ‘Not this man, nor that woman. This man’s not one either.’ And after scrutinizing for how long? At a table located near the center, a noise that sounded as if a building was collapsing resounded throughout the entire casino. “Wow! Bravo! How could a four card appear with this timing?” “I thought it would be a full house?” “Just how much have you earned up till now?” When I walked over discreetly, a young man was pulling chips towards himself.



With a little exaggeration, there was a small mountain of chips gathered in front of the man. “Oh, ho?” It caught my eye. Something smelled. The smell of a scammer. I stood still as I scrutinized the man. Now in his early to mid-twenties? He was a very handsome youth. To be specific, he had a very sweet aura? I’m not sure if the word ‘sweet’ perfectly fits the description of the man, but it really was like it. Dark blue eyes that seemed to contain the oceans, soft eyes, and dark blonde hair cut short. The smile that rested on his mouth was leisurely and relaxed. A man who was sweet yet softly seductive. Without a doubt, a single gesture from the man would cause many young aristocratic ladies to run over with a hypnotized expression. Just like how a flower attracts bees. ‘It’s a sinful face. In addition, he’s a gambling scammer. I should punish him.” I was certain that this man was using tricks while gambling. It was the sense of a fellow trickster. It was impossible to bring in that much money in a normal game. Chapter 34 The man spun a chip with a finger and said. “Of course, it’s a net loss of 2,000 cena for me. So I have a condition. If I win, please listen to a request of mine.” “What kind of request?” The man lifted his blue eyes and looked straight into my eyes. Then, he said something I had never imagined. “If I win, please spend a day with me together. How is it?” “……!” I looked at him as if he’d gone crazy. However, his words seemed rather sincere. The man’s blue eyes held a sincere and powerful gaze. “My, my lady.” Marie shook her head as if to tell me not to accept. It was a face that clearly distrusted this man of unknown background.



I giggled and answered. “I refuse.” At the firm denial, the man seemed surprised. “Why is that so?” “It’s not even 200 thousand cena, and yet you wish to buy a day of my time with 2,000 cena? It seems you find me rather cheap.” Though I spent all day in bed, the value of my day was expensive. The man seemed speechless at my words. Then as if he had been disrespectful, he lowered his head. “Right, I was rather rude. Then how about this? Though 2,000 cena is much too little to buy your time, please accept my request for a cup of tea together.” Unlike the shamelessness he had shown, it was a very sincere tone of voice. Well, that’s not a big deal. I nodded my head. There was no way I would lose anyways. That was how the final round started. It was my turn to play house. With experienced hands, I shuffled the cards. Then, I handed three cards to hum. “Open.” The three cards caught his eye. The audience who had gathered around to spectate also let out exclamations of surprise. “Good. Great.” 7,7,7 All three cards showed 7s. If he managed to get another 7, he would complete a Four Card, one of the best hands in pohen. “It’s my turn this time.” Everyone had astonished expressions when they saw my three open cards. 2,2,2 My cards were also of the same number. The situation grew strange. From now on, we would each gain another five cards, and if either of us drew a 7 or



2, we would win, and would lose otherwise. “How exciting. I’m curious whose hand fortune would hold.” I smirked. In such a situation, that man was absolutely in a more advantageous place. That man merely had to find an opportune time to use teleportation magic to switch two cards. Unlike open cards, hidden cards aren’t shown to the opponent. As such, it was a perfect crime to switch cards with magic that leaves no trace. “Please take your cards.” I alternately dealt a card to each of us. The cards stacked up one by one in front of us. And after the last card had been handed out, I felt the man’s mana start to move. Just as I had expected, he was going to use magic. Now, he definitely had four 7s and completed his four cards. He looked at me with all smiles and said. “Lady, the condition from before is effective, right?” It was a voice that was certain of his victory. It made sense. Even if we both completed a four hand, since 7 was higher than 2, his hand of four 7s would be stronger than my four 2s. However, the corner of my mouth rose. “It is effective. However, we’ll only know after we’ve checked each other’s hands.” The man made a stunned expression at my voice filled with confidence. I opened all of my hidden cards at once. ♧(Clover) A 2 3 4 5! “Gasp. It’s not a four card, but a straight flush?!” The audience gasped and exclaimed loudly in astonishment. As expected, the man’s hand was a four hand consisting of four 7s. It was a very strong hand, but it was far too short of a straight flush. In other words, it was my win. ‘Rigged gambling isn’t something that only you can do.’ Statistically, it was very rare for a four card and a straight flush to occur in the same round. It was near impossible.



Chapter 35 Thus, this round was a game that I had constructed. I made a situation where he would use his magic to create a four hand, and I would end up with a straight flush. “Then, it’s my win. Thank you for your effort.” I pulled the mountain of chips that laid in front of the man towards myself. ‘How much is all this? It seems we won’t have to worry about money for a while.’ It totalled nearly 4,000 cena. I had hit the jackpot thanks to meeting a fool. Just as I left my seat, I searched the man’s face. Leaving after taking everything made me feel a little sorry. However, contrary to my expectations, the man seemed indifferent to the fact he had lost a large amount of money. In fact, he was chuckling, and said. “It was a really fun game. It was an honor to play the game with you.” And then he asked me. “May I ask my lady’s name?” I looked into his eyes. His blue eyes were knotted with a very complicated mixture of emotions. I crossed my arms and answered. “My name is Rubia.” “Rubia, you say. What a pretty name.” The man smiled as he looked at me. “I feel that we will see each other soon.” “That will never happen.” As I replied as such, his smile grew deeper. “No. We will definitely meet once more.” His gaze looked straight into my eyes. It was as if he had swindled me. “Then, I will be expectant of our next meeting.” Just like that, we retreated from the casino after our great victory. “4,000 cena. Not 400, but 4,000 cena….”



Marie looked astonishedly at our money purse. It was such a large amount of money that she had most likely never dreamed of holding so much in her life. “If you keep the purse open like that, a pickpocket is going to steal it.” “Ah, no, never! I’ll never give it away! This is mine… no, milady’s!” Marie flinched in surprise and placed the purse securely in her inner pocket. I could feel the avaricious determination to protect the money even if she lost her life. “What should we do now?” “Eat. Didn’t we agree to eat something delicious?” In celebration of our victory, we ordered a feast at an expensive, luxury restaurant. “Eat up.” “Yes, thank you!” Marie excitedly lifted her fork. But after a while, she, who had been eating pasta, made an unusual expression. “Why aren’t you eating, milady?” “Ah. I am eating.” “But it doesn’t look like you’ve eaten a lot.” I looked down at the plate of steak in front of me. It was close to untouched. “Do you have any concerns?” Marie asked in worriedly. “What concerns? It’s not that delicious.” “Yes? But it’s very good?” Marie tilted her head to the side. ‘That man. He knew I had used sleight of hand in the last round.’ When their gazes had intersected for the last time, she could tell at that moment. He saw through her tricks. ‘Why did he say nothing and just let it pass? And what was that about meeting each other again?’ Just then, Marie muttered as she chewed her meat. “Who do you think that man from earlier is? He was rather handsome.” That was something I was curious about as well.



Appearances were appearances, but what was most surprising was his skilled magic. ‘He’s at least a magic expert(☆ need to check this out again).’ Using translocation magic in order to switch out cards. And to do so without any hint of him using magic. Even if it was close range teleporting, it was an impossible feat for an average magic user. He must be at least a magic expert. ‘There’s only about a dozen experts within this Empire. Was there such a young expert amongst them?’ A magic expert was comparable in strength to a sword master. Amongst those who had talent in magic, only a small minority were able to become magic experts. And the vast majority of magic experts reached that level in their late thirties, early forties. No, even middle-aged was rather early. Chapter 36 However, the youth they had seen just now looked to be in his early to mid twenties. But he was at the level of a magic expert? ‘There’s no way I wouldn’t know of such a young magic expert.’ I tapped the table with the end of my knife and muttered inwardly. ‘West Empire’s young magic expert. Young. Magic expert.’ It was at that moment. I realized a very important fact. There was one person who came into mind! The West Empire’s young magic expert! But I deflated like a balloon losing air and slightly shook my head. ‘There’s no way. Why would he be here?’ The person I thought of was an incredibly famous person. Because he was the West Empire’s Crown Prince. ‘Crown Prince Friedhelm is a magician with one of the greatest magical potentials throughout all of history. That was why he had risen to such a level as well.’ I propped up my chin. ‘If it wasn’t Crown Prince Friedhelm, then who was it? Was there someone born with such an immense talent in magic other than him?’ I considered it and shook my head.



‘Why should I care who he is. It’s not as if we’ll ever meet again. Let’s not mind it.’ I neatly erased every trace of thought about that man. [It seems we will meet again.] Though I recalled his words, I scoffed. Meet again, my ass. Since I’ve earned plenty of money, I was going to live lazily from now on. “Thank you for the meal! It was delicious!” After we finished our meal, we slowly walked through the streets of Renault City. The slightly chilly spring breeze felt good. “Hehe.” “Why are you laughing?” “Because I feel happy walking with milady.” “And it’s not because you have a lot of money?” “Ah, no. N, no, that’s true to some extent.” I let out a chuckle. “Marie, follow me.” “Where are we going?: “Since we’ve earned a lot, we should use it. Let’s use some money before heading back to the dorms.” The place I led Marie to was the tailor’s. It was just any tailor shop, it was an expensive one that used only the best quality cloth. “Wow. This is the first time I’ve been to a place like this.” Marie’s eyes grew wide as she looked around the shop. “Milady, I’ll help you choose your dresses. Since milady is so beautiful, you’ll look great in whatever you wear.” I shook my head. “We’re not here to buy me clothes.” “Then?” “It’s to buy you clothes.” Marie blinked her eyes as if she didn’t understand my meaning before she jumped in surprise and her eyes grew round. “What, what? What!”



“Come over here. Let’s hurry up and buy some clothes.” “N, no! Don’t you know how much these clothes cost?!” Just like the luxury tailor shop it was, the cost of one dress exceeded several hundred cena. “It’s alright. I have a lot of money.” With that, I gestured at the shop employees. “Take her away and fit her with some clothes. There’s no need to be concerned about money, so do what you wish and pick out a few dresses for daily casual wear and a party dress.” “Yes, milady.” Since I roughly seemed to be an aristocrat with a lot of money, the employees politely lowered their heads and dragged away Marie. “N, no! My money…! N, no… Milady’s money!” Marie shouted as though she was being dragged into a slaughterhouse, but she was neatly ignored. The shop employees dressed Marie with clothes as if they were playing with a doll. At first Marie resisted, but after having worn clothes of such high quality, she made a dreamy expression. “D, does it fit me?” “Yes, it’s pretty.” They weren’t empty words. Be it due to the dress being beautiful or Marie being rather cute, it fit her very well. Marie blushed as she looked into the mirror, then abruptly shook her head. “B, but you can’t! It’s too expensive.” “It’s fine. Please package all of them.” This time, Marie didn’t give way and resisted. It was understandable, since the clothes were rather expensive. After all, the total cost for all of the dresses was around 1,500 cena. Chapter 37 Marie continued to shake her head in an absolute refusal. “I can’t wear dresses like this.” I didn’t want to argue, so I replied carelessly. “It’s not for your sake, but for mine.” “Yes?”



“I truly hate it when my subordinates are scorned by others, especially those of little to no importance. Also, aren’t you the person who is closest to me? You should wear clothes of at least this quality. Alright?” In truth, I wasn’t actually embarrassed by what Marie wore on a regular basis. I just wished to reward those who served me. It was the stubbornness that had developed over a thousand years. There wasn’t a special reason for my actions. It was just my desire, a personal selfishness. In the end, wealth was something that disappeared after death, even if one piled it up like a mountain. After repeating this several times, I felt piling up money was futile. Even then, to use it on oneself it felt like the wealth and honor would all go in vain. I was satisfied with just being able to eat what I wanted, sleep comfortably, and live a moderate life. If I had the wealth, then I felt it was best used on those around me. Perhaps she understood my thoughts from my words, but Marie grew quiet. “Still….” “It’s alright. If you’re sorry, you just have to work harder.” Marie firmly nodded her head. “Yes. I’ll serve you well. Thank you, milady.” Afterwards, we wandered the streets buying this and that. In reality, it was unknown how long I would remain at the Academy, but since it appeared we’d stay for at least an year, there were quite a few items we required for our survival. And we couldn’t forget the expensive and delicious wine for good luck. After shopping for a long time, we returned to the dorms late evening. “Ahhh, how nice.” Marie said in a happy voice as she looked at the items we had bought. It seemed that she was more happy about the fact that we could shop around without having to worry about money. On the other hand, I was rather tired. From gambling to shopping, I had used up an excessive amount of energy. It seemed I would have to remain in bed for the next 72 hours. It was the moment I was considering crawling back to my bed. Knock knock. With the knocking, a low voice resounded on the outside of the dormitory door.



“Is anyone there?” There wasn’t anyone we’d been expecting to visit, so Marie and I looked at each other in confusion. “Who is it?” “I’m not sure.” “Go open the door.” Marie, whose face was still filled with expression, opened the door and started to gape in surprise. Her expression as she turned back towards me was filled with far too much surprise, so I headed to the door. When I saw the visitor, my head tilted to the side. ‘Who is it? He’s rather handsome.’ It was a man with dark hair and gold, but it was an appearance as beautiful as jewels. The only shortcoming was that the look in his eyes was incredibly chilly, but even that seemed to be charming due to his rather handsome features. But why was Marie so surprised? I was still dubious, but the man opened his mouth. “Are you the freshman, Rubia?” “Yes, that’s correct. Who are you?” “I am called Aurelian Lon Haustia.” For a moment, I was unable to process the significance of the name ‘Haustia’, but when I did, I was appalled. ‘Who did he just say he was?’ Aurelian Lon Haustia. The 4th prince of the West Empire, Haustia, and the name of this body’s fiancee. ‘Why so suddenly?’ I wasn’t a person who was easily surprised, but this time I couldn’t help but be flustered. It was because his visit had been unexpected. “I greet the Empire’s noble prince. I am Rubia of the Roxanne Grand Duchy.” First, I expressed my polite welcome and continued to consider what to do. ‘Why had he come? To see his fiancee?’ I was faced with a difficult situation. I had absolutely no plans of marrying him. Instead, I had been planning on avoiding that at all costs, but what should I do if he came to me with his own feet?



Chapter 38 “Do you perhaps know why I am here?” I wonder? Out of curiosity regarding your fiance? That’s what I thought for a brief moment, but it didn’t seem to be the real reason. The fourth prince’s eyes and tone of voice was not tinted with even the slightest bit of affection for his fiancee. In fact, his polite and formal speech sounded cold as though building a wall. ‘What is this?’ At the one possibility that came to mind, I frowned, and he opened his mouth. “I came as the student representative. Rubia de Grandia la Roxanne. It appears you’ve violated the school rules.” Marie, who was watching nervously from behind me, jumped in surprise and her eyes grew large. “There was a report. It seems you went to the casino to gamble a large amount of money. A gamble that totaled around 5,000 cena?” “……!” My fiancee said in a voice tauntingly good to listen to. “You have violated a rule, leading to academic disciplinary action. Tomorrow morning, please attend the disciplinary committee’s conference to address your violation.” *** “M, milady. What do we do?” The next day, Marie asked nervously. “What do you mean? It’s something that could happen.” At my calm response, Marie made a face that showed just how nervous she was. “Aren’t you worried, milady? They said disciplinary action. You haven’t even properly started your life at the Academy, but what if they punish you severely?” I laid on the bed and thought absentmindedly. ‘I’ll take whatever disciplinary action they give me.’ There was no reason to get all worked up over a mere disciplinary action. To be honest, I knew that gambling was a violation of the Academy’s rules. In the first place, there wouldn’t exist an academy that allowed students to gamble large amounts of money, so it was an obvious sequence of events. ‘At most it would be a suspension or probation.’



In any case, I had arrived here to lay about leisurely, so why would it matter to me if I received a probation or a transfer? I would be more than happy to welcome a means for me to lawfully laze about. Just in case this happened, I had already put aside money for living expenses. ‘The problem is how they knew I had gambled… Who had filed the report against me?’ I narrowed my eyes. The casino wouldn’t have filed a report, so it must have been someone I knew who had secretly reported it to the Academy. “Wah. What do we do? Should I go ahead first and beg them? You had no choice but to gamble in order to feed me.” Marie said nervously. I giggled and sat up on the bed and patted her head. “It’s fine. I’ll just negotiate with them.” As I thought how wonderful it would be for me to receive a probation so I could laze about, I headed towards the student council office. Since the circumstances surrounding the violation were clear, the disciplinary action was decided almost immediately. However, it wasn’t the disciplinary action I had anticipated. “Then, we shall punish the freshman, Rubia, with cleaning the campus.” I frowned. “Cleaning the campus? Not suspension or probation?” Gambling was a very serious violation of school rules. I had thought it was proper to give the punishment of at least a suspension or probation. It appeared that it had been lightened because it was my first violation and I was the Princess of the Roxanne Grand Duchy. The problem was that for me, who wished to be a literal sloth, cleaning the campus was an even worse punishment than expulsion. As a result, I spoke up. “It seems the punishment is too light.” “Too light?” “Yes. Even if I’m the Princess of the Roxanne Grand Duchy, I have committed a great infringement upon the Academy’s principles, so it is only right to receive a punishment of weight equal to my violation. Please punish me with a probation or suspension as according to the school rules.” I said this with an expression that looked determined to receive the right punishment. It made sense for me to place an emphasis on the words ‘suspension’ and ‘probation.’



Chapter 39 ‘What’s with cleaning the campus. Let’s just be hit with a probation and go back to sleep.’ *** Just then, the corners of the fourth prince’s mouth rose. In addition, right now only the fourth prince and I remained at the student council office. “It is incredible that you admit to your violation and even ask for a stronger punishment.” “Don’t mention it. I’m a rather honest person.” It was the moment I replied with a shamelessly calm expression. I looked into the fourth prince’s golden eyes and realized I had made a great mistake. Eye of the Beholder. That golden gaze, which was able to see through to the core of matter, could roughly see through my lies as well. In fact, he probably realized the true intentions behind my words just now. ‘Ah, the Eye of the Beholder. How tiresome.’ I frowned. Of course, he couldn’t see into my true self with his Eye of the Beholder. ‘My’ true identity was protected by the world’s balance itself, so even the Eye of the Beholder was unable to look into it. However, even if it was me, simple lies could be easily seen through, so I found it troublesome to look into his eyes. ‘In any case, I can’t clean the campus.’ After thinking that far, I opened my mouth. “Please punish me with a suspension or probation. I’d rather take expulsion than cleaning the campus.” I referenced expulsion with a voice that didn’t have even a hint of hesitation or regret. Right, I came here to rest, so why do I have to do anything like cleaning the campus? Instead of doing something as bothersome as that, I’d rather leave the campus. “Will you really be alright with probation?” “Yes.” The fourth prince looked at me with an unusual gaze.



“Truthfully, it was I who decided the princess’s punishment would be cleaning the campus. No matter how big of a violation it was, I thought it was far too severe to receive a probation as soon as one had entered the Academy.” “…Were you perhaps being generous as my fiancee?” At my question, the corners of the fourth prince’s mouth curled upwards. “It would be satisfactory to interpret it in such a way. After all, I found it rather difficult to give a severe disciplinary action on our first meeting, even if we’re in a strategic engagement.” I felt it was rather unexpected. He gave off a rather cold impression, so I hadn’t thought to consider such an interpretation. “It’s a useless act of generosity. Business is business, personal life is personal. Please act accordingly to the school rules and punish me with a suspension or a probation. Since it’s come to this point, it would be better to give me probation as a cautionary example to others.” The fourth prince nodded his head, and wrote something on the paper in front of him with his pen. “Alright. Then, I shall punish the princess with a probation of 5 days. During the duration of your probation, you will not be able to attend any classes, and participation in campus activities will be prohibited.” It was the same as receiving an official vacation of 5 days, so I felt rather happy. “Alright. Then I shall use those 5 days for self-reflection.” I closed the door behind me and headed immediately to my dorm. I was planning on not waking up for the next 72 hours. However, there was something I had been unable to see as I had turned my back. It was the fourth prince, Aurelian’s, gaze as he watched my retreating back. His chilly golden eyes were filled to the depths with an unknown gaze. *** That was how I came to laze around. For the next 5 days, I was on an official vacation— no, to be more accurate, official probation period, during which no one could touch me and I could show off my skill of lazing about. I laid about for 72 hours and rolled around after that. And on the fifth and final day of my probation, I thought to myself. ‘Should I go take a walk?’ It was just about the middle of class time, so it would be nice to take a walk because it would be very quiet.



Chapter 40 Since I wanted to see how the Academy had changed within those 200 years personally, I raised my heavy body. For some reason, I wanted to walk alone, so I told Marie to stay at the dorm. ‘At first, it was just this main office building, but it has changed a lot.’ I thought as I looked at the old building standing tall in the middle of the campus. I looked around the academy, but nothing remained of what it was 200 years ago. Even the main building, where I used to stay, appeared to be newly built after being burned down in a large fire. ‘I feel bitter for some reason.’ I smiled bitterly. Everything I had cherished had disappeared with the flow of time and it felt as though only my reminiscing heart was left. ‘It’s been a long time, so it’s natural.’ I shook my head and thought. ‘But this rock remains. I touched the large rock in front of the main hall. When I looked closely at the side of the rock, the letters were engraved. ‘The writing is also left.’ It was so faint that you would not notice it if you did not observe it thoroughly. The handwriting was also childish. It was hard to recognize because it was crooked like a child wrote, but what do I mean. I knew well. I love you, Teacher Renault!! It was the handwriting left by the children when the main office building was built 200 years ago. ‘At that time, I scolded them for carving letters into a rock with a knife.” I calmly closed my eyes. The memories of being with them in the past came to mind. ‘I want to see them..’ In the end, I thought to myself deep in my heart. I missed the children I had been with. be achieved.



Of course, it was a wish that could never



In fact, longing was a familiar feeling to me. Missing the past was my destiny as punishment for my previous life for eternity I. When I thought about the past, the only thing that remained in my heart was the faded bitterness, but I still longed for it. I couldn’t help lifting it. ‘I don’t want to see only those children. life. I miss everyone a lot.’ I had a hard time.



The same goes for those I met in my last



Are they all comfortable now?



I remembered the 53rd life I was trying to avoid recalling, the life just before this one. The moment I lose my life, I immediately reincarnate into someone else’s body. So, it had been less than a month since my last life was over. ‘The central region would be noisy about my death. Since I was rather famous, news of my death must have started to spread across the West as well.’ I smiled bitterly. I remembered the last moments of my past life. All were dead. One person who said they would try to save me somehow, but everyone lost their lives in front of my eyes I witnessed all of my precious people dying before my eyes, and the last time I died. ‘Stupid guys.



Anyway, I didn’t have a chance of survival.



Why so stupidly…..



I suppressed my feelings. It had been 200 years since the events in Renault’s memories, yet for me it had only been a month since the events of my previous life. In other words, I had been separated from my loved ones by death for less than a month. So no matter how much, I couldn’t think calmly. controlled.



My emotions were not well-



“It’s done. What are you doing when you think of a life that’s over? now. Don’t think about your previous life.”



I’m Ruby



I shook my head strongly. I forcefully buried the feelings which had come out in my heart and suppressed them hard. They couldn’t leak out. So there.



I will live this life with a rest unconditionally.



I have struggled this far.



So, I stepped back to reflect on my goal for this life. The weather is nice, so let’s walk slowly and take a nap in a quiet garden. ******** I toured the campus further and took a nap in the back of the garden where no one was likely to find me. Chapter 41 Sleeping in bed is sweet, but sometimes sleeping outside like this is also delicious. It was a good day to take a nap as if it was a picnic because the sunlight was just warm enough. How long would it have been after taking such a nap? When I opened my eyes, I felt something worrisome, and there was an unexpected person looking at me. “Sleep a little more.



You look tired.”



I blankly blinked my eyes a few times. Focus returned and the face in front of my eyes was clearly recognized. A handsome man with bright gold hair and sea-colored eyes. It was the scam gambler I met a while ago! “Nice to meet you, milady. What a coincidence to meet each other again like this.” The man smiled and greeted me. However, I looked at him awkwardly without a response. Seemingly a little embarrassed, the man scratched the back of his head. “Oh my, it seems I’m not very welcome.” “It’s because I don’t have the generosity to welcome the person who reported me.” At the words I had carelessly spat out, the man’s blue eyes hardened slightly. But that too was a short while, and asked while laughing loudly. “Oh my, how did you know I reported it?” “I didn’t know.” “…… Excuse me?” “I had carelessly conjectured, but it must have truly been you.”



The man made an embarrassing expression. In fact, I was worried after the Fourth Prince came to me a while ago. Who really reported me? Come to think of it, there were no strong suspects other than this man. So taking this time, I had carelessly let it slip, but it must have really been him. The man was absent-minded for a while, then burst into laughter again. reason, it was a smile mixed with mirth.



For some



“It seems I ate another loss. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m still a temporary professor here, so I couldn’t sit still when I saw a student head straight off the rails, and consequently reported it. The report was all for Student Rubia’s sake.” Ha, you reported it for my sake? By that matter, that couldn’t be more absurd than the side of a strawberry cake bursting open. “Is that so?” “Yeah?” “I don’t think anyone asked you. Since I need to sleep a little more, can you please head back?” I said without hiding the fact I found it tedious. Perhaps it was the first time he had been brushed off so easily like this, as the man made a sorrowful expression. “Oh my, I’m happy beyond words to meet with you again, but you’re rather coldhearted. Aren’t you even curious about my identity?” At that question, I sighed. At that question, I sighed. “No, I’m not curious.” “Is that so?” “There’s no need to be curious about something you already know. Isn’t that right, your Highness, Prince Friedhelm?” “……!” As I accurately called out his name, this time, the man truly looked surprised. That’s right. This man’s name was Friedhelm ron Haustia. Yet another member of the royal family that remained at this academy, the Crown Prince. “Oh my, so you knew. Since when did you know? It couldn’t be that this too was a rough guess?”



The man, Friedhelm lowered his voice as he asked. ‘Guess, my a**. What other temporary professor would have that appearance with that magical ability other than the Crown Prince.’ I thought as I recalled the rumors of the Crown Prince I had heard from Marie. Since he had accepted his identity, I had no choice but to bow and show my etiquette.” “Rubia of the Roxanne Grand Duchy greets his Highness, the Crown Prince of the West Empire.” But it was only that far. I greeted him only with the traditional formality of greetings, and as I showed neither surprise nor flustered attitude at the sudden development. The Crown Prince, rather than me, made a surprised expression. “It appears you’re not at all flustered at the fact that I am the Crown Prince.” “Were you flustered?” I asked distantly. I had lived far too long to become flustered from having met yet another Crown Prince. Since, just the identity of if it had been a month ago, have been the Crown Prince. had been the representative



my previous life was no less than the Crown Prince. No, the one to bow his head and greet me formally would Because unlike him, who is the heir of a mere Empire, I of a powerful group.



*********** Chapter 42 “While it is an honor to meet the high and noble Highness, the Crown Prince, this girl has a sudden manner to attend, so please excuse me.” He appeared to want to engage in deeper conversation with me, so I took the initiative to stop the conversation. ‘I couldn’t care less and it’s tedious, so stop talking to me.’ I ignored him and moved away. In any case, this wasn’t the only place where I could take a nap. Just then, the Crown Prince abruptly burst into laughter. What the hell? Has he gone mad? I looked at him with a skeptical gaze. “Haha, you’re far more interesting than I thought. This is the first time I’ve met someone like you.” I responded. “I already know that I am rather charming. Even so, please do not fall in love with



me.” The Crown Prince continued smiling. “Why? Am I not allowed to fall in love?” …What was this all of the sudden? The Crown Prince Friedhelm lifted his blue eyes that were reminiscent of the sea and looked into mine. Then he spoke in a voice with an unusual reverberation. “Just as you’ve said, my lady is so charming that I think I might fall in love with you. No, it’s possible that I’ve already fallen in love to some extent?” I frowned. “You have no aptitude for humor. It’s not funny.” “But I’m not joking?” I crossed my arms. Just what is he asking for? I wondered if he was joking, but that couldn’t be it. Unlike his light tone, the Crown Prince’s gaze had quietly mellowed. “In any case, I should get going. I do suppose I’ve made this visit a little too suddenly.” “……” Before I could say anything, the Crown Prince shrugged and turned around. And before he disappeared, his finger flicked out as if a thought had come to mind. “I shall present you with a gift before I leave. It has been a long time since a princess has caught my interest in recent times.” “……?” “It’s nothing big. Since your dress seems to have been dirtied, I’ll help you clean.” At the Crown Prince’s words, I looked about myself. Clearly, after having napped in the garden, the dress was littered with dust, grass, and dirt. “I can just brush them off. By what method could you possibly clean…….” It was at that moment. At the familiar movements of the Crown Prince’s hands, my eyes widened. The repositioning of mana was the trigger of magic. ‘Suction?’



I could instinctively read the flow of mana. I, who had identified the pattern drawn by the Crown Prince’s flow of mana, caught onto what magic he was about to trigger. Suction. The power of a vacuum was invoked to the Crown Prince’s hands by the magic. However, could one truly call that suction magic? Normally, suction magic wasn’t selective about what it sucked in. However, the suction magic triggered by the Crown Prince excluded everything but the grass, dirt, and dust, and more that had stained the dress. Even then, the magic didn’t affect me in the least. In fact, the folds of my dress didn’t quiver the slightest bit in the duration of the spell. I can’t even begin to explain how difficult this feat was. It was because he had to target each little piece of dust individually in order to achieve such a result. Not to mention even more power was required to ensure that I would not be negatively affected by the magic. It was a trick that most magicians couldn’t even dream of imitating. ‘So this is the High Magician of the Tower of Magic, the Magical Expert of the Black Group.’ I recalled the nicknames of Crown Prince Friedhelm. “It seems it’s been cleaned up for the most part. I suppose this much will be of help?” The Crown Prince who had just used immense magic simply to clean my dress smiled brightly. “Then, I shall see you later.” As I watched the Crown Prince disappear with light footsteps, I felt a strand of chill pass through my spine. It wasn’t because of the immense skill in magic that he showed off. After all, his magical abilities were rather famous. Friedhelm was not only the West Empire’s Crown Prince, he was the ninth ranked High Master at the Magic Tower that brought in magicians from the entire continent. Chapter 43 In other words, if we were to look only in the Western regions of the continent, he was one of the most skilled magicians that could be counted on a single hand. However, there was a different reason for why I dreaded this situation. ‘This won’t become a cumbersome event in the future, will it?’ [Why? Am I not allowed to fall in love?]



I recalled the words of the Crown Prince. Though his tone was light and filled with humor, his gaze was sincere. ‘How bothersome.’ Not to mention, I was attending the academy at the same time as my fiancé the 4th Prince. If the Crown Prince started to become involved with me as well? I didn’t even want to imagine it. ‘Ah, please, let me rest. Just leave me alone.’ I suppressed my anxiety and let out a sigh. *** After parting ways with the Crown Prince, I headed back to the dorms to get some sleep. However, was today fated to not be a restful day? Once again a figure that stopped my steps in their tracks appeared in front of me. “Ah, what is this. What’s with cleaning?” “I know, right? What do they see us as?” The rough tone of voice, the swaying attitude, and the crooked expressions. In front of the annex located near the gardens were two students who appeared to be street bullies no matter how one looked at them. They held cleaning utensils as they exuded their frustration. ‘What is this? Were they assigned cleaning as punishment?’ It seemed like it at just a slight glance. The most common punishment after having violated the academy rules was, after all, cleaning the campus. “Visner, say something. I don’t know about you, but don’t you think the two of us aren’t people who should receive this kind of treatment?” The last person was someone who gave off a totally different impression. He had light red hair and soft brown eyes, which made others think of a deer. He was a youth who incited feelings of protectiveness from those around him, but currently his face was filled with bruises. The unnamed rebellious student 1 poked the doe-like youth with his elbow. “Hey, why aren’t you answering? Huh? I’m asking you. Does this body suit the act of cleaning?” “Y, yeah. T, that’s what I think as well.”



“Right?” Having roughly understood the situation, I frowned. They appeared to be students from the Faculty of Knights, but they had received the punishment of cleaning the campus as a result of an incident of physical assault. The two rebellious students didn’t appear to have seen me, as their actions only grew worse. “You agree as well, right? That we don’t suit cleaning?” “Y, yeah.” “Then, that’s done. Since you’ve agreed as well.” Clang. The two students handed over their cleaning tools to the doe-like youth. “Cleaning should be done by someone who fits the role. I’ll leave our portion in your care, alright?” “…….” “Why aren’t you answering? Didn’t you hear what we said?” Anyone could see that the youth was gritting his teeth. I crossed my arms and watched as the situation proceeded. ‘Look at these fellows?’ At the Academy, a wide variety of different figures all came together, so there was a wide array of different happenings. Commonly, they called it the miniaturized version of society, as there were just that many irrational incidents between students. In particular, the students in the Faculty of Knights were similar in nature to the students of military schools of other nations in that military discipline was very strong, order of rank was emphasized, and very serious incidents were very commonplace. ‘Such happenings are very common.’ The persecution of the weak by the strong. It could appear to be merely immature bullying between students, but this was something that happened no matter where one went in the world. ‘Even so, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see such things.’ A vague discomfort surfaced and was expressed on my face. The incident of the aristocratic girl pressuring the commoner girl not too long ago, and this one as well, both made me feel rather uncomfortable about the fact that it was occurring in the Academy the children and I had suffered so much to build 200 years ago.



Chapter 44 ‘What should I do? I’m sure it’ll become very troublesome if I get involved.’ But it felt rather uncomfortable to turn away, so I remained there, keeping watch over the deer-like youth. “……..” Grip. The doe-like youth must have been angry, because he clenched his fist tightly. Seeing his posture, the two bullies raised their eyebrows. “What is it? Do you have a complaint? Huh? Really, you have a complaint?” At the threat, the doe-like youth was unable to respond and dropped his head. “…N, no. I, I’ll do it.” The two rebellious students drew very satisfied smiles and turned away. Just then, I raised a hand and called out to them. “Guys, don’t you see me?” “……!” The rebellious students both turned toward me. Then they tilted their heads and after identifying me through the color of my hair and eyes, they hurriedly expressed their politeness to me. It was an attitude that was entirely different than that toward the doe-like youth. “We greet her Highness, Princess Rubia. I am Maurice from the Isabaden Earldom. I’m a second year in the Faculty of Knights.” “And I am Saim from the Wayple Earldom.” Both of them were from Earldoms. In other words, they were from very wealthy households. The person, who had introduced himself as Maurice, looked as if he had just realized his mistake. “What are you doing?” “Ah, it’s nothing important. We were supposed to clean the campus, but it’s split by duty. Since we’re splitting the work equally, it’s nothing to be concerned about.” As he said so, he looked at the youth threateningly. The doe-like youth bit his lip, and still couldn’t retort in any way. “Haa.”



Unconsciously, I let out a sigh. What is this fucking situation. In my laziness, I thought about merely ignoring it, but I felt like I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep comfortably. ‘Oh my, it seems I’ll need to scold them.’ I decided that after having simply solved the problem, I would go back and take a nice rest. So, I approached the doe-like youth. “What is your name?” “…It’s Vizner, milady.” When I suddenly started a conversation with him, the deer-like boy, Vizner, appeared to be rather surprised. I looked into his eyes. My scarlet eyes were reflected vibrantly in his clear eyes. “Are you alright? You’re alright with this?” “…….!” “Those people are threatening you wrongfully. So why are you remaining passive?” Vizner’s doe-like eyes shook minutely. I continued speaking. “If you remain silent like this, your situation won’t change. Are you willing to continue living even under such mistreatment? Will you still be happy?” “…….” “If you have even the slightest of your own will, then I will help you in any way.” Vizner’s lips trembled, but he still failed to say anything. ‘It’s to be expected.’ I smiled bitterly. What that deer-like boy lacked was courage. It wasn’t an easy feat to find courage. Not to mention it wasn’t something that I, who’d met him for the first time, could force out of him. Who knew, perhaps that boy had some sort of story. “Alright, I understand. I apologize, it appears I interfered needlessly.” At my words, the bullies smiled satisfactorily and spoke. “Your Highness, there’s no need for you to pay attention to guys like him. That guy’s rather famous for being cowardly at our Faculty of Knights.” “Right, it seems so.” I nodded my head.



“Yes, so cleaning should be done by guys like him….” “However, I feel that looking at your faces is rather unpleasant.” “Yes?” I picked up a glove that had been thrown on top of the cleaning tools. And soon after, I threw it in the faces of those rebellious students. Slap! Since I threw with all my might, a very clear sound resounded through the surrounding area. The dirty water that dampened the glove dripped from their cheeks. “A challenge.” “…What?” “You didn’t hear my words? I’m requesting a challenge.” I smiled widely. “The reason is… Hm. Because how you guys look doesn’t suit my personal tastes?” *** “…….” “Now that I think about it, the person suited to cleaning isn’t this boy, but you guys. So let’s decide cleanly. The ones who lose the challenge will be in charge of cleaning. I’ll fight in place of this boy.” Chapter 45 I thought that the two bullies hadn’t fully understood my words, as they stood frozen in place. But soon, they growled as they spoke. “Your Highness, please practice moderation with your jokes. Even if it’s Your Highness, clearly this is something that would trample upon the pride of a knight.” “Humiliation?” I stood still and stared at them before continuing. “But I’m being serious, right now.” “……!” “I told you. I find the appearances of you two very unpleasant. Should there be a more important reason for a challenge? If you’re not afraid of me, then pick up your swords instead of talking.” My mood had been far too sullied for me to be lenient. And I wasn’t the type of person to be patient when my mood had been spoiled. It was necessary for me to lift my spirits when my mood had plummeted. It was for



my skincare. “Pick up your swords. I won’t ask for compensation no matter what happens during the challenge.” The two students gritted their teeth, but couldn’t bear to lift their swords. It appeared they couldn’t bear to lift their swords against me, someone who looked as though I would shatter with a slight push. So I helped them come to a decision. “If you’re afraid, surrender.” “……!” In the end, Maurice, the one who’d been hit by the glove, stepped forward. “You’ll come to regret this, Your Highness. I’ll be careful not to hurt you.” “Let’s decide on the rules before we start. After all, it appears rather unfair as it is now. If you want to be fair, then there should be a penalty.” Maurice smirked. “It appears Your Highness is rather scared now when faced with a fight. Do as you wish. I shall follow whatever penalty you hand me.” “No, I’ll be the one with a penalty, you know?” “What?” I spoke nonchalantly. “If we continue to fight in this state, won’t it be a very pitiful fight for all of you? As such, I will face you with a broom. You can unsheathe your swords, and I’ll accept your victory as long as your swords graze my clothes.” “…….” Perhaps they thought of it as humiliation because their faces grew red. I smiled as I spoke. “If you think that will be too difficult, you can come at me together. Only then can we say that the challenge is truly fair.” “Gaaahhh!” In the end, Maurice let out a roar and charged. He didn’t even bother to unsheathe his sword and hurtled towards me with a sheathed sword. “Tsk. I told you to unsheathe your sword.” He, who had now stood before me, swung his sword downwards. It was targeting my shoulder. At that moment, my broom moved. It headed straight towards his completely unguarded and revealed abdomen.



No matter how unskilled he was, the opponent was a knight-in-training. On the other hand, Rubia had neither training nor lifted a sword in her life. However, it didn’t matter. Stab! I might have had a late start, but I took the initiative first. My hand moved to execute complex martial arts involving minimal movements to take advantage of the opponent’s strong momentum. Maurice, who had been struck in the exact location of the sternum, let loose a slight groan that moment. His sword had stopped right before it hit my shoulder. I swept with the broom once more while he stood in such a state. Slap! The broom accurately slammed into his forehead. “Gah! Ha!” ‘Ah, my hand hurts.’ I frowned at the vibration that moved through the broom and into my hand. After having hit him with all my might, the palm of my hand hurt. Since my hand hurt this much, I wonder how much his forehead hurts? Maurice clasped his forehead with one hand and swung his sword with the other. It appeared as though he was swinging it rashly in anger, but it wasn’t my personality to stand still. Bam. Before the sheathed sword could even draw an arc, I blocked his wrist with the end of the broom. I had predicted the route the sheathed blade would take and placed the broom in the middle of the path. As Maurice’s eyes grew wide in surprise, I struck once more with the broom. This time, it was the same place on his forehead. “GAH!” He uttered a piercing cry as he finally fell to his knees in shock. “Didn’t I tell you to attack me at the same time if you thought you couldn’t make it work? I clicked my tongue. Rubia’s body was so weak that it wouldn’t even be able to lift an iron sword. However, the distance between their understanding of martial arts and mine was as far as the earth was from the heavens. Even if they had ten times my strength, I could dominate them with a tenth of their



movements. In fact, I could return the opponent’s strength back to them. It would be a different story if they were mana users, but if they were on par with normal soldiers, they would never be able to even stand on equal grounds with me. Chapter 46 “What are you doing? Come on.” Bully student 2, Saim, who had been hesitating, gritted his teeth and hurtled towards me. He must have been determined to win, because his sword was unsheathed. However, there was no difference in the results. Slam! Slap! Slap! Saim collapsed to his knees with his hands over the forehead within three movements as well. “What? You couldn’t possibly be boasting your strength with just this amount of skill, could you?” I asked coolly. Of course my words were misleading. In the first place, my sword wasn’t something a knight-in-training could have resisted. But there was a need for these guys to be a little introspective. “It… it’s not done yet.” Just then, the two of them gritted their teeth and stood up. Their pride must have been rather bruised because the look in their eyes was sour. At the very least, it was filled to the brim with rage. I smirked and motioned with the broom. “Don’t cry after being beaten a little more.” “Gah! Please be quiet!” This time, the two of them rushed towards me at the same time. Of course, the results didn’t change. Rather, it was more comfortable for me that they had charged at me at once. I blocked the path of Maurice’s sword with the broom. Then I tossed Saim’s attack in the direction of Maurice. At the same time Maurice held up his sword in surprise to block the sudden attack, my broom slammed into the back of Maurice’s head. “Gah!” “Maurice!” I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t have the leisure to worry about others.



The raging Maurice swept his sword, but it was diverted to Saim by the broom. It was the same pattern. My broomstick slapped Saim across the back of his head. In this manner, as the two of them exchanged attacks, my broomstick flew in between the two of them. It felt as though I had become a dancer dancing amidst the chaos of swords. But it was at that moment. A change occurred in the flow of one-sided attacks. For a second, I had sprained one of my legs. ‘Oops.’ It was because Rubia’s body hadn’t been trained sufficiently. The body had been unable to follow the movements that I had unconsciously had attempted. ‘Darn it.’ The moment I collapsed on the ground, I made an expression that understood the predicament I had fallen into. The two bullies who’d been beaten as much as they could be beaten rushed towards me, who’d collapsed, as though they had been met with a golden opportunity. Their sense of hierarchy had been overruled by the irrationality of their anger and desire for revenge. Of course, I wasn’t one to sit still and be beaten. No matter how pitifully I’d collapsed on the ground, I wouldn’t let myself be taken advantage of so easily. ‘Trip one of their legs with the broom, and with the leg that hadn’t been sprained….’ But something beyond my imagination occurred. “Stop it now!” Clang! Clang! With a ripping shout, someone stepped in front of me and pushed back the incoming swords with his own sword. When I raised my head in surprise, the deer-like boy was blocking their way with a sword in hand. “You, you…?” The bullies also looked surprised. The deer-like boy, Vizner, shouted. “Stop it immediately! It’s fine with just bullying me, right! Must you lay a hand on a weak lady as well?!” The expressions of the bullies crumpled in a horrified way.



Weak? Their expressions questioned the sincerity of those words which were said after watching them get beaten up. Vizner gritted his teeth and shouted. “I won’t stay quiet any longer. If you don’t want to regret, retreat immediately.” “Ha? You won’t tolerate it?” The bullies frowned as though they couldn’t believe their ears. At their intense aggression, the deer-like boy flinched once more. However, this time he didn’t retreat and continued his speech. “Maurice, Saim! I, Vizner of the Carmen Empire, challenge you to a fight! If you lose, you’ll apologize for your rudeness towards this lady!” “Ha. It seems like we have to show him our strength.” The situation had developed in a manner I hadn’t predicted. I considered whether I should intervene or not, but I decided to spectate. It appeared my actions had touched something inside of that boy’s heart. Whether that would become a positive influence, or disappear like a weak spark was now something he alone had to choose. “Arrogant bastard!” Maurice charged with great force. But the result was something worthy of surprise. Cang! The deer-like boy’s sheathed sword struck the bully across the chest. It was an unimaginably clean strike. ‘What’s this? He’s far more skilled than I thought?’ As I spectated, my eyes grew wide. This was not a coincidence. There was no question that this boy had great swordsmanship. Next was Saim. He, too, was hit at the back of the neck and collapsed. “…….” An awkward silence fell on the chamber. The cowardly deer-like boy had such skilled swordsmanship? It appeared everyone was uncertain on how to digest this information. That included me as well. ‘What’s this? If it’s this level of swordsmanship, it’s far more than a mere knight-in-training.’



An official knight. And amongst them, he had a skill of the highest quality. It became dubious why he walked around being beaten so much. Chapter 47 The unexpected reply left Izakiel blankly asking back. “Wait. What did you just say? I think I misheard it…” However, as soon as he looked into the eyes of the Fourth Prince, Izakiel shut his mouth. He meant it! Orlean spoke coldly, “I never said that I had no feelings for her.” “…..!” Izakiel looked as if he had been hit in the back of his head with a hammer. He opened his mouth wide. “B-Brother, seriously?” “…….” “No, how did that happen! Wasn’t my brother a person without blood and tears? But how?” Orlean breathed a sigh at his brother’s fuss. “It’s distracting, so if you’re going to make a noise, get out.” “No, it’s not a problem of being distracted! Brother’s feelings of love? No way! I’d rather believe it if the stone could feel love!” “…….” Izakiel, who was in a state of turmoil, said with serious eyes. “Then, were you worried because you fall into the pain of a broken heart because my sister-in-law didn’t accept your feelings?” “……..” “If that’s the case, just leave it to me! Since I gave birth to this ship…I’m alone, but I’ll help you somehow!” Orlean spoke in a low voice, “Izakiel.” “Yes?” “Get out.” “…….”



“I’m telling you once again…Get out.” “Yes, Sir.” With a sense of crisis that he might get hit harder, Izakiel bowed his head and disappeared. The Fourth Prince who was left alone shook his head as if he was tired. ‘Anyway,’ He thought, gently pressing his eyes. ‘The pain of a broken heart. It’s not entirely wrong.’ As Izakiel said, Rubia was building a strong wall against him. A few days ago, she even brought up the topic of breaking off the engagement. It would be a lie to say that her coldness didn’t matter. ‘But I’m not doing this right now for that reason.’ The eyes of the Fourth Prince sank deeply. ‘Rubia…what on earth are you?’ Her image came to his mind. A beautiful, sour face with a lazy look. But she still has a good heart for others. This was the general view of her, and the Fourth Prince agreed. However, what the Fourth Prince was curious about was not such an external appearance or internal character. It was something more essential than that, the essence of the soul. That’s what in his mind. ‘Rubia, why on earth can’t I see anything about you?’ He, who has the power of the Eyes of the Beholder, can see through the essence of man’s spirit and soul just by looking at it. A man with a soul full of greed is in the shape of an ugly pig, and a man with a noble soul is in the same shape. But in Rubia’s case, there was nothing to be seen, nothing at all. It was unbelievable considering that any Sword Master, Mage, or transcendental being could not escape the Eyes of the Beholder. Or does she have a soul that can ignore even the power of the Eyes of the Beholder? What is her true identity? ‘Rubia…who the hell are you?’ In fact, the first time the Fourth Prince approached Rubia was because he had a certain intentional purpose. He had a “goal” to achieve on rising to the throne, and he was worried that she might have some effect on what he wanted to accomplish. ‘As long as it doesn’t affect the accomplishment of my goal, there’s no reason for me to care about what kind of existence she is.’



Though he thought so, Orlean smiled bitterly. ‘But it keeps bothering me.’ Perhaps there’s only one reason why he cares about her existence. Because she’s already gone deep in his heart. That’s why he’s constantly thinking about her and getting nervous. “Rubia.” He called out her name in a sigh. What on earth is she? Like his feelings toward her, which is becoming more and more difficult to suppress, he was constantly bothered and worried about what she was. Perhaps because I drank a lot of wine, I had a splitting headache the next day. I shook my head and woke up in bed. I wanted to lie down more, but I had to go to the Student Council room and do my job as a Student Representative. “You don’t look well.” “…I’m fine.” The Fourth Prince looked at me, who was suffering from a hangover, with strange eyes. It’s not that I’m not, but I’m sure my complexion doesn’t look well because I drank a lot yesterday. Orlean shook his head, stood up, and made tea. Soon, the clear scent of the tea spread through the Student Council room. “Oh, it’s okay.” I shook my head when I saw him making tea for me, but the Fourth Prince said casually, “I’d love to have a drink with you. It’s a good tea for a hangover, so please wait a moment.” “…….” He poured a clear white tea into the antique teacup. “Do you like cool tea or warm tea?” “….It doesn’t matter.” It was the day after drinking, so I wanted to have a cool drink, but I couldn’t expect such luxury without ice. But Orlean said as if he noticed my real feelings, “I’m making cool tea. Please wait a minute,”



With those words, something amazing happened. Phaath! A cold aura arose from his hand that was holding the teacup. ‘Aura?’ I looked at him in astonishment. Aura! It was the ultimate power that only the Transcendental Knights, who reached the level of the Sword Master beyond the Mana Owner, can use. ‘No, it’s not just an aura. He changed the aura’s temperature into a cold one.’ Turning Aura, which only has the nature of destruction, into a cold one. He is doing tasks of enormous difficulty as easily as eating. I remembered again that he was the Sword Master who is considered the strongest in the western continent. ‘They said he is the Western’s First Sword.’ I realized that he was a master far farther than I had expected. Even across all continents, there are likely to be fewer than ten Masters who can handle Aura that way. “It’s all done. Have some.” “…Thank you.” Thanks to this, I was able to enjoy the luxury of drinking cold tea that had been chilled using an aura. The tea was just pleasantly cool. “You don’t have to worry about it this much.” “I only gave you a cup of tea. I just wanted to do it for my fiancée, so you don’t have to worry about it, Princess.” It was a very calm tone so I was speechless. I sighed and shook my head, saying, “Let’s go down to business quickly. What do I have to do as a Grade Representative?” I visited him to receive my job as a Grade Representative. In my question, the Fourth Prince explained the work of the Grade Representative with his business-like attitude. As expected, there were a lot. Attending various meetings, organizing student events, paperwork, etc. ‘Damn it, it’s bothersome.’ As I listened to his explanation, my expression grew worse and worse, so the Fourth Prince looked at me. “Do you hate being a Grade Representative?” “To be honest, I do.”



I didn’t deny it. What do you mean I’m going to be that nonsense Grade Representative? Honestly, I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t do it. ‘Should I really just quit? What are they gonna do if I quit? If I pretend I didn’t know anything, the other children will take care of it.’ The children around me were so happy that I couldn’t refuse this position, but if there’s a lot of work like this, the story changes. No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t think this was right. I seriously thought about whether I should just turn everything off and pretend not to know. ‘I’m doomed. But if I didn’t do my responsibilities, other students will suffer.” The Grade Representative was not an easy position to quit. It was because of the school rules, and unless it is really inevitable, you will never be able to quit. In the past, it was a special academic rule that was imposed under the pretext of changing the Representative among the noble students because of political reasons. ‘They said that the representative position that the students chose themselves could not be changed for any reason. It’s against the will of Lynette. Damn, I’ve never left such a will behind.’ Of course, it wasn’t that there’s no other way. If the representative fails to qualify for the position, it is an inevitable reason. In other words, if you say you don’t know anything about being a representative, you can quit automatically. ‘If I tell them that I don’t know anything, other students will suffer. Damn it.’ I repeated a stream of curses in my mind. It was a situation like a beggar. What I hate, as much as being bothered is causing trouble for others. ‘But it can’t be like this. I have to come up with a way somehow.’ No matter how much I don’t want to bother others, I can’t do this troublesome thing. As I was contemplating how to do it, Orlean spoke, “Hmm, that’s difficult. To be honest, I was glad to hear about the Princess’s election.” “……?” “I thought it would be nice to work with you as my fiancee. We’ll also get a little closer to each other.” I frowned. That’s why I hate it more. “There’s a lot of work given to you, but don’t worry too much. Depending on how you do it, you can drastically reduce your work.” “What do you mean?” “You’re not supposed to do it alone, right? We have a Vice Representative to assist us in our work.”



Only then did I understand the words of the Fourth Prince. As a Representative, I am meant to solve only the most important tasks and to turn over the troublesome tasks to the Vice Representative. “The Representative is the head of the school on the important tasks. The Vice-President is In my case, the Young Lady of Count Cien, the Council, does most of the work, and I only do



year, so it is right to focus mainly here to assist the Representatives. Vice President of the Student the important tasks.”



The Fourth Prince tapped on the desk with his finger. “This time, the person who was elected as the first year’s Vice President…was the Lady of Marquis Hansen. She is a competent person, so she will be very helpful.” The Young Lady of Marquis Hansen. It means the pink girl. She was elected as the Vice Representative. “Of course, you have to take her as one of the Princess’s people…but that wouldn’t be a difficult task since the Princess had the ability to do it. If you have her on your side, you wouldn’t have to suffer much from the tasks as a Grade Representative.” I admitted that the words of the Fourth Prince were not entirely wrong. In any case, running a country’s state affairs was not necessarily running a small territory. How many tasks would I have received as a Grade Representative of the Academy? Even the Academy kids did it without difficulty. Moreover, leaving the troublesome tasks to the Vice-President, there will be nothing much for me to take care of. Less than a thousand years of what I did as Catherine in my previous life, I was the former Chancellor, the Deputy of the King, and the leader of the Ten Auto Alliance. ‘It’s still bothersome.’ I crossed my arms. Yes, it’s not difficult, there’s nothing I can’t do. But the problem was that it was annoying. I just want to lie down. The Fourth Prince, who was still expressionless, glanced at me and continued to talk. “Come to think of it, I think we can get rid of some of the work we just talked about.” “…Yes?” “It seems that the first year’s Grade Representative doesn’t need to attend the entire meeting on Tuesday, and it is not necessary to give the report status on Wednesday…” As if giving candy to a child, he reduced my work. In an instant, much of the work that was acquired has evaporated.



Chapter 48 Seeing that I have an absurd look on my face, he smiled openly. “I’ve thought that those tasks are not needed to be done by a first-year Representative. Don’t misunderstand me as I didn’t reduce it because of the Princess.” I burst into laughter. What misunderstanding, I could see that he wanted to appease my heart. “Why are you doing this? Do you really want to work with me that much?” “Yes, I’d like to work with you. Because you’re my fiancee.” I was speechless with such a cool-headed positivity. So I said in a hurry. “…For your information, I don’t want to work hard as a Representative. You know my personality, right? If you work with me, I’m afraid you’ll regret it.” “Well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, it’s alright whatever you do.” I looked at him with a frown. So what’s the point? Are you gonna put your work aside and have a date with me? Orlean spoke in a relaxed tone. “It doesn’t matter if the Princess does her job poorly. However, judging from the skills of the Princess, I think you’ll do better than anyone else.” It was a word that saw right through me. Orlean leaned against the back of the chair. “But you don’t seem to like it, so how about this? Only this semester, If you do this semester’s Grade Representative job without any problems, I will listen to one thing that the Princess wants.” I looked a little surprised. It was an unexpected opportunity. “Will you really accept any of my requests?” “As long as it’s something I can listen to.” I spoke in a stiff tone. “Then, let me leave the Academy after the first semester.” “……!” At my unexpected request, Orelan looked surprised. “What does that mean?” “Literally. Whatever method is fine. With Your Majesty’s authority, please create a situation in which I have no choice but to leave the academy. If you’re in trouble, you can just cover up your mistakes, put the blame on me, and get me expelled from school.”



Whether it’s the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Grade’s Representative, or whatever. The root cause of all the problems I’m going through right now was that I couldn’t leave the academy. ‘If I leave the academy, it’ll all be solved.’ As I say, I’ve come turns out, over the left, and I’ve been there was no reason



here to rest and feel the memories from 200 years ago. But it course of 200 years, there’s barely any traces of the children caught up in a lot of annoying things. If this is the case, for me to be in the academy.



Because my promises are tied with the ‘law of causality’, If there are no unavoidable circumstances, then I won’t be able to leave because of my promise with the President to attend the academy for at least a year. So, as promised, there must have been an inevitable situation for me to leave the academy. ‘The Fourth Prince could create a moderately inevitable situation. They could use me to cover up their wrongdoings and get me to be expelled from school.’ Although it is a problem since I’m the Representative of my school year, it would not have been bad if I could quit the academy in return. Since there are only a few months left until the first semester, I was going to take the trouble for a moment and hide for the rest of my life in a place where no one was there. Anyway, after my retreat, I could be lazy for decades, so it was worth investing for a few months. ‘Yes, let’s live in a secluded country where no one really can find me, and I will be lazy for decades.’ However, I was worried if the Fourth Prince would accept my request. There was a possibility that he might refuse because it was a very bizarre request. If he refuses, I’ll try to persuade him somehow. But as soon as I thought about that, he opened his mouth. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” “What?” “I was wondering if it’s okay for you to only attend this semester and quit the academy afterward.” I looked at him with an unexpected look. He easily accepted my request. “I can’t help it if you don’t want to go to the academy that much. I’ll look for a way to make it work.” “Are you sure? If you change your words later…” “Don’t worry. I keep my words.” I felt somewhat puzzled. There was finally a way out of the academy, but something was a little strange. It was a very good consent.



As if to have noticed my wonder, the Fourth Prince murmured to himself. “Well, it’s a request that’s not a loss for me, either.” “What?” “I was thinking that you were at a very low year level and it was difficult to wait until you graduated.” His voice from ‘you were in’, was very low that I couldn’t hear it well. “What did you just say? Graduate…what?” “It wasn’t important.” Although I had a curious look on my face, the Fourth Prince doesn’t seem to have any more intentions to explain. “After this semester is over, I’ll make you a reason why you have no other choice but to leave the academy. But not through expulsion from school.” “…Are you hiding something?” “What would I have to hide? It’s not my offer, it was your request.” I squinted my eyes. The Fourth Prince was smiling openly. I frowned. Apparently, there was a hidden intention. ‘I don’t know what you’re up to, but it doesn’t matter.’ Anyway, the moment that I leave the academy, I will go to a place where no one can find it, and hide until the end of this life. So it doesn’t matter what the Fourth Prince is up to. We’ll never see each other again. Well, whether it’s a plot or not, he needed to have an opponent for it to work. (T/N: She’s saying that if the Fourth Prince plotted something to her, but she’s not there to receive it, then it will not work. I explained because I thought I didn’t translate it right.) Thinking that way made me feel somewhat at ease. “You must keep your word.” A splendid mansion located in the middle of Lynette City. The Queen bee Sophien and her followers were enjoying after-school tea time. “……” However, the air was quite different from the usual when they had gilded and elegant conversations. It was a very rigid atmosphere, everyone was glancing at Sophien’s countenance. They had no choice but to do that. The classical smile that always stayed on Sophien’s face had disappeared. It happened after confirming the results of the



grade’s representative vote. ‘She didn’t just lose to Princess Rubia, she lost overwhelmingly.’ The followers thought to themselves. “I…like the tea.” Someone couldn’t stand the prolonged silence and opened her mouth awkwardly. It was the pink girl, Janet of the Marquis of Hansen, the most fervent follower. Looking at Sophien’s countenance, she continued, “Oh, wasn’t today’s class really bad? I think the best thing about Academy life is drinking tea with Your Highness the Princess.” At the remark, Sophien suddenly raised her eyes and looked at the pink girl. “Thank you, Lady Hansen. The Lady is the only one I have.” “N-No. I am the one who only has Her Highness…” Sophien smiled as she looked at her. It was a strange smile. “But it would be great for the Lady.” “…Yes?” “You became the Vice President of the grade this time. It’s a much higher position than me, a regular student. Congratulations, I’m looking forward to your kind cooperation.” The pink girl was embarrassed. During the selection for the Student Council officers, Sophien was nominated for the Grade Representative, and the pink girl was nominated for Vice Representative. They were going to be Representative and Vice Representative side by side. But Sophien was pushed out of the blue by Rubia, so only the pink girl became the Vice Representative. “N-No…I….” “Furthermore, the Lady of Hansen’s grades was the second-best during the entrance examination, and you’re also the Representative in class, unlike me who’s not very good. Ho-ho, I think it’s an honor to hang out with the Lady, isn’t it? Have you always looked at me so pitifully?” Sophien’s words made the pink girl’s face turn white. There was no way that the pink girl could not feel the thorns in Sophien’s words. It was sarcasm. “H-How can you say that…Please don’t say that.” Although the vote produced shameful results, Sophien’s influence in society remained strong. If she wants to get out of her sight, she shouldn’t have thought of stepping up in the academy, as well as in the capital society. “I-I never thought of that. If Your Highness wanted it, I’ll step down right away



from the seat if the Vice Representative. Please clear up the misunderstanding.” “Oh my, if anyone hears it, they’re going to misunderstand. You don’t think that I want the Lady to do something so ridiculous, do you? I’m a little offended when you say that.” When Sophien said that she was offended, the pink girl was flustered. “I-I don’t mean it like that…My mind is only thinking about Her Highness the Princess…” Sophien shut her mouth, turned away from the pink girl, and drank tea without a word, for a long time. The pink girl was restless, and the other Ladies watched the two while holding their breaths. How long has it been? By the time the teacup was almost emptied, Sophien opened her mouth. “I never misunderstand the Lady of Hansen’s feelings. The Lady is my most cherished and favorite friend. It’s the same for the Lady too, right?” The pink girl’s face lit up with Sophien’s softer tone. “Yes! Your Highness! You are the one I respect and want to follow more than anyone else.” Sophien smiled thickly at the answer and said, “Then, please pull Princess Rubia down from the seat of the Student Representative.” “…What?” “Don’t you understand?” The pink girl whimpered. “B-But…it’s already been decided by a vote…in what way could I?” “Do I have to tell you every single one of those things? There must be a lot of ways since you’re the Student Vice Representative who will fill up the seat next to her. Can’t you do that on your own?” Noticing Sophien’s intentions, the pink girl gulped. Sophien is telling her to use her position as the Vice Representative to somehow ruin what Rubia is doing. Regardless of whether it’s illegal or not. ‘But…’ The pink girl’s eyes trembled. If the plot to get Rubia into trouble doesn’t work out, it will be a big problem. The pink girl might have to cover up her sins. Then, Sophien spoke in a pretentious tone. “I’m counting on the Lady who I consider as my most precious friend, I hope what the Lady said earlier weren’t empty words. I’ll be disappointed.”



“……..!” “I’m worried that the Lady might end up like she used to be in society.” The pink girl’s face turned sour. In the former monastic society, she had been an outcast. It was also under the leadership of Sophien. At that time, the pink girl managed to escape being left out thanks to desperately courting Sophien. Sophien is threatening to start the bullying again. Janet closed her eyes tightly. “N-No, I’ll do something about it.” From the next day, I didn’t go to work in the office given to the Grade Representative. I just rolled back in bed as usual. ‘I don’t have to go out every day,’ I thought blankly. ‘All I have to do is to take care of the work that was entrusted to me.’ Yes, the Fourth Prince certainly did say so during yesterday’s work training. I just need to make sure that I get things done and then I can do whatever I want. So I was thinking of putting it off as much as I could, then I’m going to take care of it all at once. Chapter 49 It hasn’t been long since I was lying down when I heard a knock outside the door of my quarters. When I opened the door with a curious look, an unexpected face stood outside. “You are?” Curly pink hair, pink eyes, and a cute face different from her raised eyes. It was the pink girl, Jane! “Jane? What are you doing here?” The pink girl blushed at my words. “Not Jane! It’s the Marquis Hansen’s Janet!” “Oh, yes. I keep getting confused. But what’s going on?” The pink girl frowned and said, “When are you coming to the Office? It’s already 4 p.m.” “There’s nothing else to do right now anyway, isn’t there?” The pink girl, looked at me as if I was pathetic and stuck out something. It was an envelope full of documents, but it was heavy enough to hold it in one hand.



“You don’t have anything to do, the paperwork has been piled up so far. Please approve them.” Then the pink girl said with her arms crossed, “You can do something this simple, can you? Because you’re not just anybody else, you’re the Grade Representative.” I looked at the pink girl. Jane…no, Janet’s eyes were filled with strange tension. ‘Look at this.’ I laughed. I could see her innermost thoughts clearly. She was trying to play tricks on me now, a trick of wishing me trouble by giving me too much work. She’s probably hoping that I’ll make a grave mistake, isn’t she? ‘Cute.’ If someone else did this, I might have felt a little uncomfortable, but she’s the pink girl. I was generous to those with pink hair because of the memories from my previous life. [Miss Catherine, I said that you shouldn’t do that, right? It’s dangerous.] A voice from my previous life flashes through my mind. Charlotte, whose pink hair was beautiful. It was a name that I missed as much as “he” in my previous life. I asked, shaking off the memory. “Is this all of it?” “Yes?” “Is there any more left? I’ll take care of them all at once today.” The pink girl blushed. The papers she brought now were a pile of documents. But I want more so that I can handle it at once today. It sounds like I was teasing her. “Please take care of these documents first. These are important documents, so check them carefully. If you do it in a dry manner as usual, then it will raise a problem.” “Problem?” “Yes.” The pink girl made an expression that she’d never let me go if I made a little mistake. “You have to deal with it within three days, then I will…” I shook my head at the remark of the pink girl, and said, “I have to deal with this within three days?”



“Yes, it may seem unreasonable but it’s urgent…” “A day.” “…Yes?” “Why would it take three days to do this? Oh, I’ll finish it all tonight, so come pick it up tomorrow morning.” The pink girl’s face turned red and blue at my story. “A day? Please take your job as a Grade Representative a little more seriously.” “If you don’t trust me, then would you like to make a bet?” I said, thinking it was right and well. “If I can’t handle anything properly by tomorrow morning, I’ll listen to whatever you say.” “…..!” “Instead, If I handle everything properly, you’ll have to listen to whatever I say in the future as the Vice-President. How about it?” The pink girl paused for a moment and nodded triumphantly. “Okay. Don’t ask me to step down later,” The look in her face was saying that I couldn’t have done it in a day. “I won’t. Are you sure you’ll follow my word if you lose?” “Of course.” “Can you swear in the name of your family? Don’t, if you’re not confident.” The pink girl was stunned by my words. But she shouted strongly as if she could never lose. “Yes, I swear on the name of Marquis Hansen. Instead, don’t forget that you said you’ll comply with any of my demands if you lose the bet!” “Yes, yes,” I grinned. ‘It works out well with the Vice-President.’ This will result in an acquisition of a private slave…no, a worker. I had a hunch that the representative work would become quite comfortable in the future. *** The next morning, Janet went to Rubia’s quarters and had no choice but to open her mouth wide. “Here are the approved papers.”



Rubia put out the papers to her with a half-asleep look. Every single document had been approved. “Aren’t there any problems?” “H-How in a day?” “You can do it too if you try. Then, it’s still time to sleep so I’ll go in now,” Janet stared blankly at the documents. She looked to see if there was anything left out, but there wasn’t. Everything was neat and tidy. ‘N-No way. She took care of all this in a day?’ That’s impossible. Janet, who was in disbelief, spoke to Rubia. “Didn’t you just sign them roughly?” “No? I’ve read it all carefully.” “Don’t lie! How can you do it all in that short time? These are all important documents. It’s not just simple approval.” Rubia yawned and said, “If you don’t believe it, come in and check it out. Anyway, I’m going to sleep a little more.” She really went to her bedroom. Janet clenched her teeth and sat down in the living room and began to review the documents. If there’s anything that hasn’t been reviewed properly, she’s going to raise the question right away. The number of documents was so large that time quickly passed just by reviewing them. It was almost lunch in the afternoon, Janet, who finished reviewing the documents, opened her mouth blankly. “…No way. It’s really perfect. How can this be?” She really didn’t sign the documents carelessly. After grasping all the elements of the document, the exact contents required for each matter were approved. Even the contents, which Janet could not figure out how to solve, were neatly handled. ‘She did this all by herself? In one night?’ She was confused, and that was when Rubia, who just woke up, came out of the bedroom. Rubia smiled as she looked at Janet who has a blank expression. “Were there any problems?” “…….” “Then, now that you know everything’s alright. You remember our bet yesterday, right?” The remark made Janet stiff.



Yesterday’s promise. She was supposed to follow Rubia’s words if she lost the bet. “What, What do you want me to do?” “Be my personal assistant.” “…What?” Rubia yawned and said with a drowsy look on her face, “You’re the Vice-President, it’s natural to carry me out as the Representative. So you’re going to follow and help me a lot with my work,” “…….” Rubia smiled as if she was taking good care of her. It was an angelic face and smile, but the pink girl had a hunch that something was wrong. “Please take good care of me, Jane…no, Janet. I trust you will help me a lot in the future.” *** I immediately give the pink girl a lot of work. ‘I have to deal with personnel matters in this body again.’ Personnel matters. In simple terms, it’s a way to pamper others. Since I was a Chancellor in my previous life, I have a great talent in personnel management. If I wanted to do it, I could even apprehend the pink girl’s, innermost heart. “I-I have to do this?” The pink girl was tired of seeing the amount of work she had to deal with. She seemed reluctant to do it, but she couldn’t refuse because it was a promise made under the name of her family. I laughed and said something that hurt her pride. “Yes. I trust you. Is that too much? I thought you could do that. I’m afraid I was mistaken.” Again, the proud pink girl clenched her teeth. “D-Don’t make me laugh. Take a look at this!” I smiled. She was also cute. I decided to train her hard and make her my stand-in. I’m talking about someone who will take over my job as a representative. Then, after a long time, I went to the classroom and found something strange.



“……..” Sophien’s party was staring at me. Well, it wasn’t a day or two that they were doing that, but there was something different. The pink girl, Janet, was sitting alone, standing apart from the crowd. ‘Aren’t they always together?’ I tilted my head. “Why are you sitting alone? Didn’t you always go around with Sophien?” At that moment, I didn’t miss the pink girl being startled. The pink girl blushed and got angry. “Don’t ask useless questions. I just sat down because I could hear the class better.” “Hmm. You’re studying hard, aren’t you?” “Of course, I placed second during the admissions.” Pride passed over the pink girl’s face as she talked about her place during the admission. No one in the Academy knew that I was the top applicant during the admission because I made sure that President Kruzen kept it as a tight secret. “And I’ve done all the work entrusted to me. Don’t ignore that work, because it was not easy,” The pink girl spoke proudly. ‘Cute.’ Is it because of the memory of the woman in my previous life who looks just like this girl? I felt friendly no matter what the pink girl did. ‘But why are you really sitting alone?’ The pink girl was the Lady of a noble family who considered social interaction very important. These people extremely avoid protruding away from the group. Haha-hoho, walking around together and showing off your close friends is the most important thing. What’s going on now? I turned my head and looked at the other side of the class. As expected, Princess Sophien was glaring at this side with her fluffy eyes. I noticed that her cold gaze touched not only me but also the pink girl. ‘Hmm. Look at this?’ I tapped my finger on the desk. Something smelled. The stinking smell that I hate. ***



Being a Grade Representative, there were countless of bad things, but this was the worst thing among them. “Sit comfortably. It’s great since there was the finest tea brought from the East.” A bright and beautiful appearance as if flowers have bloomed in spring, a soft expression, and on the other hand, eyes that were burning strongly. Crown Prince Fildeheim offered me a seat. “It’s been a while.” “Yes,” I was avoiding him after facing his feelings. I can’t accept it, so I’m trying to avoid him as much as possible. However, I had no choice but to meet him today because of my job as a Grade Representative. This is because the head Professor in charge of the first-years was the Crown Prince. ‘No, what kind of Crown Prince is not enough to be a temporary Professor, so he’s even the Head Professor in charge of the first-years? Isn’t this on purpose?’ I sighed. The Crown Prince shrugged as if he had noticed my mind. “I didn’t take the position on purpose because of you, and I’m a temporary Professor in lower years so I had no choice but to take it.” The Crown Prince smiled and said, “Of course, if I knew you were going to be the first-year’s Grade Representative, I would have used the authority of the Imperial Family to take charge of the first-year.” “……..” “Because an opportunity to meet with you is not easily obtained. Anyway, I’m very happy to be able to meet you like this.” Chapter 50 I sighed again. The eyes of the Crown Prince, who said so, were deeply subdued. It sank deeply with a stronger emotion. “Your Majesty, as I told you before, I cannot accept your feelings. So….” “I know.” The Crown Prince cut me off halfway. “It doesn’t matter though.” Listening to the short answer, I thought heavily. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ didn’t mean to respect my feelings and just watch over me. Rather, it was the opposite. It meant that regardless of my feelings, he would make



me his own at all costs. ‘It’s not good.’ People like the Crown Prince never give up on what they set as their goals. The more you try to get away, the more strongly they cling, and somehow put their hands on it. ‘I was going to ignore it.’ But it didn’t seem that it would be enough to just ignore it. ‘Oh, I have to leave the academy.’ I can’t ignore it nor can I accept it. So there was no answer but to disappear for everyone. Then, Fildeheim smiled. It was still a bright smile like a flower. “But don’t worry too much about that. I’m not shameless enough to ignore your feelings and position. I’ll gladly wait for you to open your heart.” He smiled at me. That meant that he would come to me endlessly until my feelings were directed at him. “…Enough with that talk, let’s talk about business.” “Yes, I’m sorry. I’m just so glad to see you in private. We have plenty of time, anyway, so let’s do our work.” After that, the Crown Prince and I talked as the Representative of the school year and the Professor in charge of the first-years. There was a lot of work to do, but for the Crown Prince and I, it merely seems like a child’s play. Not to mention I, who was the King’s Deputy in my previous life, and the Crown Prince, the sly fox of the Imperial Palace, was not just an ordinary man. We quickly finished discussing a flurry of pending issues. The Crown Prince looked at me with a rather surprised look. “Amazing. How? Have you ever done administrative work before? You’re very skilled.” I got up from my seat without answering. It’s over, so I wanted to go back. “I’ll leave now. Have a good day,” At that time, the Crown Prince said as I was passing behind his back. “Do you know that the atmosphere around you seems a little bad these days?” I looked back at him. “Is this about Princess Sophien?” “Yes, you know. The Vice-President, Janet of the Marquis of Hansen. There’s



something fishy about her.” I recalled Sophien’s eyes as she stared at me in the classroom today and the awkward attitude of the pink girl. The Crown Prince leaned his back against the chair and said, “Can I help you if I think you’re going to be in trouble?” It was a soft voice, and I realized that Fildeheim was sincere. If I asked him for help, he would make sure that Sophien wouldn’t be able to bother me again. No matter what the means. “No, thanks. I’ll refuse.” “Well, you’re not going to be in trouble even if I don’t help you.” The Crown Prince said quietly, “Be careful, anyway. I have to believe in you, but I’m still worried. If you need help, just tell me anytime.” *** Is it because I’m always with the pink girl, Janet, recently? I had a dream that night, it’s a dream about a person who resembles the pink girl. [Catherine! Canne! Where have you been?] [Did you come to find me?] [Of course, I did! You’re not anywhere all day!] Unlike the loud voice, and the armor and sharp sword on her waist, it was a warmhearted appearance with a pink hair that catches the eyes. I smiled and called ‘her’ name. [Our ‘Jane’ is worried.] [I’m not Jane! I told you not to call me that.] In my dreams, the pink-haired woman was furious, and I laughed. Jane was the name of the main character in a famous novel in the Central Region. She was a pink-haired nagging girl. I liked to call this pink woman in my dream by the nickname Jane. This wasn’t only because of her hair color, but she was also a worrying nag. [Don’t call me Jane. Even though I have pink hair, I hate it.] [Why? Isn’t it pretty?] I lifted my fingers and touched her pink hair. The curls felt good to touch. [No, anyway. It’s not a common color.] She said bluntly It is very rare to find someone with a pink hair anywhere on the continent.



There was a time when they were considered as a child born out of a demon tribe, so they burned them with fire. That’s why usually, a person born with pink hair had a complex in their hair color. I said with a slight smile. [We all like it. Your pink hair is so pretty. Isn’t that enough?] [Anyway, I don’t like it, so call me Charlotte.] [Yes, yes. Honorable Charlotte, Captain of the Guard Knights.] At my words, Charlotte, the pink woman, shook her head as if she couldn’t help it. [Be careful anyway. It’s a situation where the Kairman Kingdom is looking at you with their eyes wide open and targeting Your Excellency.] [Are you worried?] Charlotte spoke in a heavy voice to my question. [Of course, I’m worried. It was only a few days ago that you barely survived the crisis. How can I not be worried? Protecting you is like the meaning of my life, so please be careful.] Then the vision became blurred, and the scene in the dream changed. The scene shifted from a quiet field to somewhere full of screams and shouting. [Kill Catherine! Never miss it!] It was the last moment in my previous life when I was facing a catastrophe. In my previous life, I continued ‘his’ legacy and led the Cross Alliance to resist the Kairman Kingdom, the greatest power in the Central Region. Despite my overwhelming inferiority, while leading the war to victory, someone inside the ally betrayed me at the crucial moment, and I was lost in a conspiracy. At the last moment, all sides were full of enemies trying to kill me. Fuwook! […Charlotte?] I murmured blankly. My favorite pink hair was stained with blood. She grasped the sword through her chest with her hand. [Ca-Canne…q-quickly move forward…] [Why? Why? I told you to run! I won’t be able to survive, anyway! I want you to live!] Realizing that death was inevitable at the last moment, I decided to stay on my own and order those who were precious to me to run away.



I knew that I would die anyway, so I wanted them to survive because they were precious. However, they didn’t run away. Everyone was killed in front of me. [Why….why…?] [How…can we…leave you alone?] She raised her trembling hand and stroked my face, wet with tears. She spoke to me with compassionate eyes. [Catherine, you poor girl…If you have a next life, be happy. Please…by all means…] *** At that moment, I opened my eyes wide. The last scene of my dream was so vivid that I couldn’t distinguish between reality and dream. After blinking my eyes for a long time, I buried my face on the pillow. “What, it’s still a long night. Let’s get some more sleep.” I closed my eyes like that, but tears flowed down in a moment. ‘Ah, what is it? Something’s in my eye.’ I hurriedly wiped the corners of my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing out. Is it because I remember the scene where Charlotte, one of the people I particularly cared about, died? My tears didn’t stop that easily. I covered myself in a blanket and buried my face in the pillow, just in case Marie in the next room might hear it. ‘What are you doing? Stop it,’ But when the grief that I had forcibly suppressed began to leak out, it was not easy to restrain. In fact, it was inevitable. It’s only been a few months since they died by my side. I tried to suppress it as much as I could, but I couldn’t stop the sadness from popping out. I left the quarters. As I went out, the cold breeze of the night hit me in the face. I went out of the building and sat on a bench behind a tree. It was past midnight, so I shed tears at ease. “Haa,”



I resented them for dying before my eyes. ‘Why did you all have to die before my eyes? I told you to live. Why would you give up your own life just to prolong mine for a few minutes? Do you think that I would like it?’ I bit my lips. “You fools.” I recalled the relationships in my previous life before. Besides Leopold, who died 10 years ago, Charlotte, Lou, Penan, and Eileen. I kept thinking of the way they died in front of me. ‘Would it have been this sad if I hadn’t at least seen them die in front of me?’ I shook my head bitterly at the question that came to mind. I knew after experiencing countless deaths and breakups. Any kind of separation was equally painful. Even if they didn’t die like that, I would have felt the same pain and sadness of parting with them. ‘Damn it.’ I clenched my fist. I remembered what happened a thousand years ago when I chose to punish myself in my previous life. At that time, I had no choice but to choose the punishment of reincarnation for inevitable reasons. These words and decrees were engraved all over the world: -You, the noble and honorable one, will suffer for everlasting years. It is your own choice, and you will never be saved. Yes, I know. Since I chose the punishment of reincarnation, the longing and pain for those who I separated with are inevitable. ‘I rather have my emotions removed.’ But the world didn’t even spare me some mercy to be numb to pain. It was because of the three great curses that were handed down at the same time when I was sentenced to the reincarnation punishment. The invariant curse. I couldn’t get emotional or go crazy even if I lived for a long time because of that invariant curse. I had to feel the same pain and longing forever. ‘So, let me cry for a moment today.’ At least it’s late now, so it’s all good. I don’t have to show this to anyone. I was relieved and vented my pent-up emotions. I’ve been suppressing my emotions



and acted like I didn’t know anything, so it came out flatly. But then, a totally unexpected voice called me. “…Your Highness?” “…….!” A soft voice mixed with surprise. I was perplexed. It was the deer boy, Visner! ‘Why is Visner here?’ I muttered to myself, ‘Just ignore me and go away, please.’ I don’t want to show this to anyone else. But he couldn’t have done that. I could hear the sound of Visner’s footsteps approaching me cautiously. “Your Highness, why?” I wiped my eyes in a hurry. Then I closed my eyes strongly once to suppress my emotions and looked at him. “Oh, I was taking a walk. The night breeze is cool.” “……..” “It’s late, did you come for a walk, too?” Instead of answering, Visner asked all the questions. His eyes turned to mine. I said with a frown. “Oh, just. It’s red for a while because some pollen entered my eyes. I’m a little sensitive to pollen. You don’t have to worry about it.” I looked around, but he didn’t seem to believe it. Visner looked at me with an unknown expression and shook his head. “It’s in the middle of spring, so the pollens are severe. Be careful.” I smiled softly at those words. I was grateful that he was considerate and didn’t seem to pry anymore. Then, he approached me, took off his jacket, and placed it upon my shoulders. “It’s still windy at night. You’re dressed too thin.” I was a little embarrassed by the unexpected consideration. “No, I’m fine.” “Your Highness will be cold, it’s not okay for me.” Visner spoke with an unusually from voice.



T/N: Invariant means unchanging, constant, etc. Chapter 51 “Please wear it until you enter, then you can return it later.” He bowed his head as if he had noticed that I wanted to be alone. “I’m going in now. The night breeze is cold, so don’t stay too long. I’m worried.” I felt a slight warmth of his consideration. Sometimes, these little considerations are more helpful rather than a hundred words. If he had tried to comfort me, I would have been more tired. “Thank you, really.” I said sincerely towards Visner, who was moving away. Upon hearing my words, Visner stopped and looked at me with a momentary expression of hesitation. I noticed that he want to talk about something so I said, “It’s okay. Tell me anything.” “Your Highness, please remember one thing. We…and I value Your Highness a lot. Your Highness is not alone.” I smiled at the remark. “Yes, thank you again,” After he disappeared, I looked up at the night sky. Thanks to his consideration, my emotions have stabilized a lot. ‘That’s strange. How could I have been comforted by Visner?’ In my previous life, it was the Kairman Kingdom that killed me and my precious people. Because the opponent I have fought against was the Kingdom of Kairman. By the way, Visner was from the Kingdom of Kairman. By the standards of my past life, he was from the enemy’s country. ‘Well, the past has nothing to do with Visner.’ I laughed my head off. “I should go back now. Tomorrow, I’m going to play with cute Janet.” I got up and started stretching. I could feel the jacket that Visner covered me with on my shoulder. *** Days have passed. I spent my time as usual, and I noticed something was wrong with the pink girl. “Jane?” “…Yes? Why?”



A somewhat different reaction unlike her usual sharpness, her mind was blankly preoccupied somewhere. I saw her thinking about something and being startled in the middle from time to time. ‘Hmm?’ It was weird no matter how I looked at it, so I asked, “Are you worried about something? You can tell me since I quite have a talent in counseling about apostasy problems.” (T/N: Apostasy means; treachery, betrayal, desertion.) “…….!” The pink girl shook her head with her face turning red. “T-There’s no such things! Don’t worry about useless things.” As expected, an overly sharp reaction. Something must have happened. I looked around the class. The pink girl was still sitting alone, separated from Sophien’s party. To be exact, Sophien and her group were distancing themselves from the pink girl. As if she was being ostracized. I shook my head because I knew roughly why she was depressed. “No way. Come here.” “Pardon?” “Come and follow me.” She was bewildered as I forcibly took her into the cafeteria. Then I ordered a lot of desserts. “W-What is this about?” The pink girl had a puzzled look on her face when she saw the desserts in front of her. A chocolate-filled snack, vanilla ice cream, and caramel coffee. These sweet desserts were all loved by the pink girl. “Eat it. It’s best to eat when you’re depressed.” “So why are you doing these things to me all of a sudden?” “Nothing, do you need a reason to soothe a depressed kid? I don’t want to see you being depressed so just eat it deliciously.” Normally, the pink girl would have been anxious about my consideration like usual, but today she only frowned her eyebrows and said nothing. “To be clear, you’re going to buy this for me with your money? So I have to eat it all?” As I urged her repeatedly, the pink girl lifted a fork. “I have no choice but to eat it because the Princess forced me too. So don’t misunderstand that I’m eating because I wanted to,” She grumbled. But as soon as



she put the chocolate-filled snacks in her mouth, she burst into tears. “Heukk. Heuk.” I watched her shed tears without saying a word. I had a rough idea of what the pink girl was going through. She’s being excluded from their group. It was a sensitive thing for outsiders to meddle with. It was a question of whether the pink girl would want my help, and I was cautious if my intervention would produce good results for the pink girl. So I only said this, “If you ever need help, you can tell me.” The pink girl bit her lips gently. Then she wiped her tears away and said, “I-I don’t need it.” “Yes, yes. Tell me just in case you need it. Solving students’ concerns is one of the most important tasks of a Grade Representative.” After saying so, I got up from my seat. “I’ll go in first, just finish eating and come in. You look tired, so if you want to rest, you can take a few days off.” I was about to leave the cafeteria but then, the pink girl called me in a hesitant voice. “Y-Your Highness.” “Huh?” In my first call, the pink girl remained silent, her mouth was tightly shut. She had something to say, but it seemed difficult to bring up. “What’s wrong?” For a moment, I saw countless emotions passing through the pink girl’s eyes. I waited quietly for her to open her mouth. Soon after, she said, “I-I have something to tell you about the budget.” “Budget?” “Yes, a budget of 500 sena has been assigned to each Grade Representative, Your Highness. You can use it as you like.” “As I like?” I asked. “Yes. It’s a personal budget given to the Grade Representatives, so you can use it as you like.” I looked at the pink girl’s eyes. For some reason, she avoided looking at my red eyes. I laughed as I listened to her. “Yes, that’s great. I happened to have the interest to pay back and a lot of things to spend money with.” I turned my back and left the cafeteria. Arriving without the pink girl, I sighed



bitterly. “Because humans were originally evil and weak.” As I was walking like that, I made eye-contact with Sophien in the distance. She was glaring at me, so I raised the corners of my mouth. I could see why the pink girl looked so desperate. It must’ve been because of Sophien. It was obvious even if I didn’t look at it. By bringing up bullying, she must have urged the pink girl to play tricks on me. “It was annoying so I left it alone…this won’t do anymore.” I murmured quietly. I think this will be the last time that I’ll think of it as cute. Sophien was crossing the line. *** In fact, according to the Student Council regulations, each Grade Representatives were required to receive a personal fund in the name of their labor expenses or maintenance expenses. I used the budget given to me right away. 500 sena wasn’t a small amount of money, but it wasn’t a lot either if you were going to spend it on something. Moreover, I had a knack for spending money. From the overdue interest payments to dining out and buying my favorite foods for the first time in a long time, I wasted my money in a flash. As soon as I had spent all the money, a problem came right away as I had expected. -Rubia, the Grade Representative, embezzled public funds! Using public money! If it were true, it was such a great sin, that the whole Academy was in an uproar. In particular, some children stood up as if they had waited for this. It was Sophien and her followers. “It can’t happen. To embezzle public money using your Grade Representative position.” “That’s right. We have to investigate the truth behind this matter. If it’s confirmed, you’ll have to get the appropriate punishment.” Sophien’s group looked at me and talked openly. The students’ mood was like, ‘No way?’ and they were already on the rise, acting as if my sins have already been confirmed. I laughed because it was cute and funny. Maybe my laughter was irritating to them, Sophien raised her eyebrows and growled at me. “Today is the last time that you’ll smile like that. If it’s confirmed that you used public funds by manipulating the registry, I will certainly expel you. No, not only will you be expelled, but you’ll also be jailed for embezzlement.”



“Really?” “Yes, so be prepared.” “Let me ask you one thing. As you said, if public money was used by manipulating the registry, you will be expelled from school, right?” Sophien looked around, as everyone was listening, she said, “Of course, no matter how bad is a noble’s mistake, you must pay for your sins.” I nodded and turned my eyes to the pink girl. She avoided my gaze in surprise. ‘Hmm.’ I crossed my arms and looked at Sophien. “I’ll ask you one last time. If you have something on your mind at this moment, do you have any thoughts of repentance now?” “Ha. Repentance?” Sofien smiled frantically. “I think that’s what you should do, Miss Rubia. If you admit your mistakes now, I’ll take it into consideration and suggest that your punishment be reduced to a short period of imprisonment for your resignation as a Grade Representative.” I shrugged. It was just in case, but as expected. Sophien seemed to be beyond redemption. “An Investigative Committee will soon be in session, I’ll see you then,” Sophien spoke with a strong voice. (T/N: It was actually translated as ‘fact-finding committee’, I just changed it to ‘investigative committee’ because I thought this was more appropriate.) As she said, it was a serious matter, so an Investigative Committee was held immediately. At a large conference table, I was seated in the alleged position, and the committee members were seated in a position where they’re looking at me. “You said that the Grade Representative, Princess Rubia, used public funds?” The Fourth Prince, who attended as the Committee Chairman, spoke first. As usual, he had an expressionless face so it was difficult to guess what he was thinking inside. Princess Sophien, who raised the charges through a letter, spoke triumphantly. “Yes, that’s right Your Majesty. We suspect that Princess Rubia used the public funds of over 500 sena for her personal use, and we need to get to the bottom of this.” Chapter 52 Everyone’s gaze was focused on the pink girl. The pink girl, who got up from her seat, swallowed a gulp, and looked at me once. A flash of conflict passed through her eyes. I crossed my arms and looked at her quietly. “T-The evidence is…”



Unlike the usual sharpness of the pink girl, her voice trembled. She hesitated whether to keep her mouth shut or to open them. Eventually, Sophien, who had been waiting for her, was irritated and spoke for her. “The Vice Representative can’t speak very well because she’s self-conscious about Princess Rubia. I will speak on her behalf. View the history of these two accounts.” Sophien took out two papers. “One is the amount given to Princess Rubia as her personal fund. There’s no change in the funds at all. On the other hand, in this document, the 500 sena was withdrawn from the budget for the public funds. All of the money was used for Princess Rubia’s personal use. It’s obvious embezzlement.” Sophien, who spoke confidently, looked back at me with an imposing gaze. I nodded quietly because the conspiracy wasn’t bad for Sophien’s level. Well, a conspiracy of about 50 out of 100? For your information, that’s the budget that the pink girl told me a few days ago that I could use personally. In other words, the pink girl lied to me at that time to make me embezzle public funds. “Furthermore, Princess Rubia cleverly manipulated her budget registry so that she could embezzle more public funds in the future. This is an unforgivable sin. We must find out the truth.” After Sophien’s statement, all eyes were on me. The Fourth Prince asked, “Representative Rubia, I’ll give you a chance to defend yourself. You can talk.” I got up from my seat and looked at the pink girl and Sophien. The pink girl was restless and she avoided my gaze while Sophien raised her nose and gave me a wry smile. It was a gaze that would seriously put the blame on me. So I thought to myself, ‘Well, that kid…it seems like I really need to give her some scolding.’ I thought I have to punish her today. “First of all, about the embezzlement of public funds. To put it simply, I never used the public funds.” As soon as I finished saying that, Sophien opened her mouth with fire in her eyes. “Princess Rubia, you’re telling a ridiculous story. Many people are listening. That kind of groundless argument only deepens the sins of the Princess.” Sophien then unfolded the details of how I spent 500 sena. “There’s a clear source of the use of the public funds and it isn’t embezzlement? It’s funny.” “That’s not it.”



“What?” “That’s not the history of using public funds.” Sophien frowned and she had a look of contempt. “Princess, the evidence is already clear…” However, I was too annoyed to hear more, so I cut her off and showed her the evidence. I took five cheques out of my pocket. “Public funds. You’re talking about this, right?” The cheque I took out was clearly stamped with the seal of Hantin Bank. It was the seal of a bank where public funds were kept. I waved the cheque and said, “I just took this out to use for the upcoming student event, but something happened like this all of a sudden, I don’t know what kind of public funds embezzlement it is.” Princess Sophien stammered about the unexpected situation. “D-Don’t lie. If you didn’t use public funds, where would you get the money to spend 500 sena at once…” Sophien handed out a document that outlines the details of the funds I used recently. Exactly, I spent exactly 500 sena. Then, a blunt voice interrupted. “I lent it.” “…….!” It was the Fourth Prince. He looked at Sophien with an indifferent expression on his face. “I lent 500 sena because it was urgent. I didn’t know it would lead to allegations of embezzlement of public funds. Is this your only basis for claiming that public funds were embezzled, Princess Sophien?” I burst into smiles at Princess Sophien’s face that was becoming embarrassed. By the way, why would I fall for such an obvious trick? From the beginning, it was a trap that I withdraw 500 sena using the budget of public funds. It was to let them get caught. ‘Damn. Even though there was a lot of debt, it was a debt on the Fourth Prince again.’ I uttered curses in my heart. I’ll never let this King’s debt fall on me. “It is not just a suspicion for embezzlement of public funds. Princess Rubia even manipulated the budget registry. This is a fact that was discovered through the testimony of the Vice Representative Lady Hansen…”



“Is that true?” I replied bitterly to the Fourth Prince’s question, “There’s no need for a long talk, let’s just examine it.” “Alright. Let’s have an expert to identify it.” The Inspection expert, who was waiting in advance along with the evidence submitted, came into the conference room. Sophien’s face was rekindled. “Princess Rubia, this time your sins will clearly be revealed.” “Well, don’t you have any intentions of reflecting on yourself even now?” “You’re the one who should reflect on yourself. Get imprisoned and repent on your sins.” Sophien said in a shrill voice. She didn’t seem to doubt that I would take the blame for this. “Then I’ll do a handwriting identification.” The expert began to examine the registry with a magnifying glass. ‘An artifact magnifying glass with built-in magic to examine the similarity of handwriting.’ I thought as I felt the flow of mana in the magnifying glass. It wasn’t great magic. It was just magic that helped us figure out the similarity of handwriting. “………” There was a deadly silence in the conference room as the expert examine the papers. I just crossed my arms and shut my mouth. The Fourth Prince still looked at me with an unknown gaze, and the Crown Prince has an unpleasant expression. I don’t know if he was displeased because I was accused of this, or if it’s because I got help from the Fourth Prince instead of him. The pink girl, Janet’s eyes were restless while there was a little hope in Sophien’s. It was a natural response. That budget was fabricated. With Sophien’s threat, the pink girl stole that registry secretly, and a writer, who specializes in forging handwriting, imitated my penmanship and manipulated it. So if it goes back to normal, it will be concluded that I manipulated the registry. Then the expert opened his mouth, “This registry was fabricated.” “……!” At that conclusion, a surprise look passed by the people’s faces. Sophien rose from her seat with a smile on her face. “As expected! We must capture Princess Rubia and punish her for her crimes!” At that time, the expert spoke with a troubled face, “But the forged handwriting is



not Princess Rubia’s.” “…What?” Sophien blinked as if asking what that meant. The expert said as he stroked the magnifying glass. “That’s…it was identified that It’s not the handwriting of Princess Rubia, either by inspecting using the naked eye or by using this magical tool.” “Then who manipulated the registry?” The expert explained with an apologetic voice, “Before I come to a conclusion, I want to explain about this magnifying glass to ensure fairness. The magnifying glass is an artifact made on the Tower with the magic of identification, which stores the handwriting of the entire Academy’s students and faculty. So when we do the analysis, we automatically search for handwriting that is most similar to that one.” “So what? Stop explaining nonsense and tell me whose handwriting it is.” In response to the repeated urges, the Inspection expert carefully looked at Sophien’s countenance. “According to the analysis of the magical tool, the manipulated handwriting of this registry…98% consists of the handwriting under Princess Sophien.” Sophien became stiff. She had a suspicious look on her face, and when everyone looked at her, she got angry. “What nonsense is that…?! Are you really an Inspection expert? Did you think I manipulated the registry? Do you think you can keep your neck after such a ridiculous examination?” The expert said while sweating profusely. “I-I’m sorry, but this is not my analysis, it’s from the magical tool…” “I guess that magical tool is a sham! How dare you say…!” Then a soft voice cut her off. “As a High Master of the Magic Tower, I’m a little disappointed to hear that the tower’s authorized magical tool is a mess, Princess.” “……!” Sophien turned her head with a stiff face. A radiantly beautiful appearance and gentle smile. On the other hand, eyes that were sinking deeply. It was the Crown Prince Fildeheim! “Maybe it’s because I am a member of the Magic Tower, but I can’t pretend to ignore the statement about the magical tools we made. That magnifying glass is an object with 95% accuracy.”



For your information, the Crown Prince was one of the most powerful mages in the Empire, ranking ninth in the ranks of the continental organization, the Tower, and one of the High Masters who had authority. “B-But…there’s definitely an error…” “Then, let’s do this. Let’s examine the handwriting with our naked eyes. What do you think?” Sophien nodded her head with an innocent face. The crown prince said clearly, “Bring me a report or a document with Princess Sophien’s handwriting.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Soon the documents with Sophien’s handwriting were delivered to the conference room. The inspection expert, as well as everyone in the conference room, compared Sophien’s handwriting with the manipulated registry that was submitted as evidence. Then, after some time. “Well…this is…no matter how much you look at it…” “It’s the same as the handwriting of Princess Sophien.” “Huh. How did that happen…” People looked alternately at the registry and Sophien with surprise. Sophien heard their statement and stepped back hesitantly. “N-No that’s ridiculous…” The Fourth Prince looked at Sophien as if he was interrogating her. “It seems like the suspect was wrongly assigned from the start. Instead of Rubia, I think you should explain this matter. What’s going on here, Princess?” Sophien cried out as if she was really innocent, “I-I’ve never manipulated the registry!” The Fourth Prince shook his head. “Yes, I suppose so. But it was clear that the manipulated handwriting matches yours. How would you explain this fact?” Sophien’s eyes were filled with tears as if things were so unfair. Then she gave a nasty tearful performance. “I-I…it’s so unfair…” But this was not a social gathering of her followers. Everyone looked coldly at her tears. Sophien bit her lips and glared at me as if she suddenly came up with an idea. -Rubia, you did it!



I gave a shrug at the looks that she’s giving me. In fact, Sophien’s suspicions were correct. ‘You’re not the only one who can manipulate the registry.’ I started to get to work right after I noticed me of manipulating the registry.



that Sophien was trying to accuse



Chapter 53 In the same way that Sophien was trying to do to me, I commissioned a handwriting forgery expert to create a registry that was manipulated with Sophien’s handwriting. And I came out with the registry here. Thanks to this, Sophien fell into a trap that she couldn’t get out or beat. ‘That’s how I use my feelings nicely. If you hadn’t touched me for no reason, you wouldn’t have been in this mess.’ Sophien glared at me with her quivering angry eyes. I smiled at her like that. It was to ridicule her misfortune. At that smile, Sophien eventually exploded. “Gee! It was all Princess Rubia’s doing!” “What?” “I’m saying that Princess Rubia set me up by manipulating the registry with my handwriting!” The Fourth Prince asked as if he didn’t understand. “It’s not Princess Rubia who filed all these charges, it’s you. But how did she try to entrap you?” “…….!” “In common sense, it would be reasonable to assume that you were caught in reverse when you tried to frame her? Isn’t that right?” Sophien was speechless. The Fourth Prince was logically correct. I made no charges against Sophien. She was the one who set this all up for herself. “B-But It’s really unfair! I’m no sinner…!” “Princess of Haines.” The Fourth Prince cut off her excuse with a calm voice. Then he raised his golden eyes and looked at Sophien quietly. “……..” Sophien shut her mouth with a stiff face. It all occurred to me at once who the Fourth Prince was, and what power his golden eyes possesses. His golden eyes were the Eyes of the Beholder, who can see right through the essence of things.



The golden eyes were asking coldly towards Sophien. Are you sure you’re innocent? Are you sure you’really innocent? Sophien shuddered, swallowing her saliva. Of course, the Eyes of the Beholder does not allow one to see through all thoughts like reading. However, it could see if the other person’s words were true or not. That’s why it was called as the power of the King. Eventually, Sophien, who had given up on lying, dropped her head. The Fourth Prince spoke in an emotionless voice. “Go back and stay alert. We will discuss further and let you know the disciplinary action for the Princess. However, trying to frame an innocent person and manipulating the ledger are both acts of felony. Don’t think that you’re going to get a light punishment.” Sophien clenched her fist. Usually, these crimes could have been covered up by the power of her family, but things were not good this time. Countless people have witnessed this, and most of all, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince confirmed her crimes. If no punishment was given to her in this situation, their authority will not last. ‘That’s why live nicely like that. I don’t want to do things like this.’ I clicked my tongue. Well, it was a cause and effect thing. If she hadn’t played a trick on me, she wouldn’t have been humiliated. As Sophien walked out of the room with her head down, the atmosphere in the hall roughly cleared up. As soon as people were about to rise from their seats, a soft voice stopped them. “Wait. I don’t think we’ve identified one important problem,” Everyone looked at the owner of the voice. It was the Crown Prince Pildeheim. He turned his head with a smile on his mouth. “I think we should check how Princess Sophien got her hands on that registry. It must have been with some help from an insider. Do you know anything, Lady of Hansen?” “…….!” The pink girl’s complexion turned blue. The Crown Prince’s words were not just a simple question. He was interrogating the pink girl who was the main accomplice. Janet’s eyes trembled pitifully. “I’d like to hear the Lady’s statement.” The Crown Prince’s usual gentle smile hung around his mouth, but his eyes were



cold. “If there’s an accomplice, he’ll have to be punished accordingly.” There was a heavy silence in the hall. Everyone was holding their breath as they looked at the pink girl and the Crown Prince. The pink girl Janet opened her mouth with a trembling voice. “I-I am…” As I was watching them, I suddenly felt the urge to intervene and opened my mouth. “I managed it.” “What?” “I managed the budget registry, so it has nothing to do with the Vice Representative.” Everyone looked at me with surprise. They looked like they couldn’t understand why I was covering her because it was so obvious that the pink girl was an accomplice. Even the pink girl herself looked at me with her eyes wide open. “Princess Rubia, I’ll ask again. Is there really no one else that touched the budget registry except you?” “Yes, there isn’t.” The Crown Prince frowned upon my answer. A faintly unpleasant energy passed over his face. I had guessed why the Crown Prince was displeased. ‘The Crown Prince wants to punish those who tried to play tricks on me.’ Well, I’m grateful that he thought of me, but I wanted to solve it in a different way when it comes to pink girls. That’s just how I felt. “If a problem arises due to my careless management of the registry, I, as the Representative, should be responsible for it, so can’t I investigate further matters on my own?” However, even if I asked for that, the Crown Prince did not think of lightly punishing Lady Hansen. He shut his mouth without answering and his eyes were cool. He had a smile on the corners of his mouth, but it only felt cold. ‘Well?’ If the Crown Prince doesn’t intend to withdraw his will to punish Lady Hansen, there was no other way, so I was in trouble. Then, an unexpected voice was heard. “Princess Rubia, are you willing to take responsibility for this?” The owner of the blunt voice was the Fourth Prince, the chairman of the Investigative Committee.



“Are you sure you can handle it?” “……!” He was trying to help me. “Yes. It happened because of my mistake, so I’ll definitely take care of it.” “Alright.” The Fourth Prince turned his head toward the Crown Prince. “Princess Rubia, the party involved, has spoken so far. Why don’t you just leave this matter to her, Your Majesty?” Even the Fourth Prince asked him, the Crown Prince shut his mouth for a moment and nodded. “Alright. It couldn’t be helped.” The Crown Prince’s expression became soft again as usual. However, I could feel it, the Crown Prince was still in a bad mood. ‘I think this might make Sophien’s punishment heavier?’ I clicked my tongue. The Crown Prince’s influence will play a great role in determining the punishment for Princess Sophien. Since he has a relationship with the Duke of Haines, Sophien would not be punished much, but it seemed that she’ll be punished greatly than expected. ‘Is she really going to be imprisoned? No way.’ When I was thinking so, the Fourth Prince said, “Then I’ll wrap it up. Thank you all for coming.” With his words, people started to leave the conference room one by one. When everyone went out like that, only me and the pink girl, Janet, remained in the conference room. The pink girl Janet looked at me with a confused face. “W-Why did you cover me?” “Well?” I shrugged my shoulders. There wasn’t a very special reason. It was just an impulsive act. The pink girl’s face was distorted. It was a strange expression that seemed to be holding back her tears and to be angry. “I-I tried to set you up. I tried to ruin you by making up an irreversible charge! Why did you forgive me? Why?” The pink girl raised her voice as if weeping.



In fact, Janet was crying. Countless emotions covered her face, including unknown anger, confusion, and shame. I looked at her quietly and opened my mouth. “Do you think that I did it because there’s a special reason?” “Wh-What?” “It’s just because I wanted to.” Janet looked even more incomprehensible. I shrugged and said, “Follow me for a moment. I have something to tell you,” The pink girl followed me with a puzzled look. The place I headed for was the rooftop of the conference room building. As I climbed there, I could see a panoramic view of Lynette City at a glance. “W-Why are we here?” “Just to talk.” I moved my feet and sat down on the railing. A cool breeze blew my silvery hair. “Come this way.” “……” “You don’t have to come up on the railing, just come over here.” The pink girl came and stood in front of me. I looked quietly at the appearance of the City of Lynette, which stretched out under the roof. It was late, so twilight was setting. The buildings, the mountains, and the river were all colored red. It was a beautiful sight that cannot be easily seen. As I watched the twilight go down without saying anything, Janet looked puzzled. “Wh-What are you doing?” “Just looking at it. It’s pretty. Would you like to see it with me?” I closed my eyes for a moment and felt the cool breeze tickling my hair, then I asked her quietly. “This one. Was it inevitable?” Janet’s eyes shook at my sudden question. She stood still for a while with her fists clenched. Her large pupils were filled with water. Janet flung her lips as if she were trying to say something. However, she couldn’t bring up any words as if her emotions were overflowing, and eventually, she burst into tears. “Heuk. Huk. Huk.”



I sighed as I watched the tears pouring down her face. I felt the sorrow she had been through. I roughly guessed what threat she had been subjected to by Sophien. Surely it was a threat to ostracized her so Janet couldn’t ignore it. I shook my head and jumped off the railing. “Okay.” “…Pardon? What is it?” “It’s okay. I’ll let you pass this time, so come down from here after you reflected a little. Don’t do that next time.” It would be right to give a big punishment if it weren’t that way. But it’s okay. She seemed to be reflecting on herself in her own way, she was just reluctant. Janet looked perplexed. She gazed at me as if to make sure that I meant it. I brushed past her and waved my hand up. “Bye, I’m going down. See you tomorrow.” “…….!” Only then did she come to her senses and called me. “W-What is this about now?” “What?” “Why are you just letting it go!” I answered lightly. “That’s just how I feel?” “……!” “It’s my own feeling. Why are you dissatisfied with my own way of dealing with things?” (T/N: This was also translated as, “Why are you dissatisfied when I say I’ll do as I please?”) Chapter 54 The pink girl’s eyes shook. I sighed. Frankly speaking, it’s true that I was more generous to Janet because she looked like Charlotte, who was precious to me in my previous life. But it wasn’t solely for that reason. Unlike Sophien, Janet was feeling very guilty about this so I decided to let it go this time. ‘Well, everyone makes mistakes in their life.’ Because I lived countless lives, I was more tolerant of sins than others. Humans



are weak, they can commit any sins as much as they can. Even the good ones fell into temptation and became wicked for a moment. I’ve known that fact very well through my thousand years of life. “If you’re really sorry, then help me with my work. I often lie down with a migraine, so I’d be very happy if you could help me. Then, I’ll go now.” I yawned and moved away from Janet. The pink girl stared at me stiffly in the distance. I felt her gaze, but I said nothing anymore. **** That’s how I thought things were over. But it wasn’t. While I was sleeping like a log, Marie shook me up. “Milady, Milady! Wake up.” “Uung, why? What time is it?” “It’s lunch! Anyway, time doesn’t matter. You have a guest.” “I don’t know, say no. I’m just going to sleep more.” While I was crawling into the blanket half-asleep, I opened my eyes wide when I heard Marie. “That…was it Jane? Anyway, that cute little pink-haired noble lady is here!” The pink girl Janet? I dressed up roughly and went outside with a curious look on my face. Outside the door stood a pink-haired Janet. “What’s the matter?” She looked at me and raised her head. Her eyes were red because she cried yesterday, but she looked just like usual. “I came to work.” “Huh?” I stared at her. The pink girl stammered as her face turned reddish in color. “Y-You said that if I was sorry I should just do your work! That’s why I’m here, so don’t make any other misunderstandings!” I was in a daze and laughed. [If you’re really sorry, then help me with my work.] She took what I said yesterday to heart and came straight to action. The pink girl had a determined look in her eyes. It reminded me of a new employee who would do whatever it takes to finish whatever work I threw by staying overnight.



I laughed as I had a hunch that the Representative job would be incredibly comfortable in the future. “Kuku. Forget it, let’s go eat today.” “Eat? No, I have to work.” “I’ll give you a lot of work starting tomorrow. Dining with the Representative is one of the official tasks.” I dragged the bewildered pink girl to a nice restaurant downtown. And I ordered a lot of steaks, lobster, crayfish, strawberry cake, etc. “La-Lady, can you really do this? We don’t have money.” Marie asked with a trembling look in her face. “It’s all right. Even if we don’t have money, we have to use it when we’re spending. It’s a happy day.” The pink girl quietly asked with a puzzled look. “W-Why are you doing this?” “A commemorative get-together?” “Pardon?” I grinned. “It’s a commemorative get-together that I got close to Jane.” When I said that, Janet blushed. “Don’t misunderstand! Your Highness the Princess, I am still…!” I cut her off and raised my glass. “That’s enough, let’s make a toast.” “Wh-What toast?” “Oh, you talk a lot. It’s a commemorative get-together, so of course, we should make a toast. Just pour the wine into the glass.” “I-It’s daytime right now. Yet drinking!” “You don’t know the taste of daytime liquor yet, do you? I’ll take care of it. Here, cheers!” Janet was caught up in the confusion and drank a toast. *Jakk.* With the pleasant sound of the glass bumping with each other, the case was finally over and I thought it was not a bad ending. ***



Days have passed. The blue color of the bush deepened along with the spring. Soon it will be early summer. In the last case, Princess Sophien was punished. A long suspension from school and month-long imprisonment were decided. It was a far more severe punishment than I thought, so I was somewhat surprised. It was clear imprisonment to live in jail even for a short period of time. A Lady of nobility and that is also a Princess of the Duke of Haines, the Empire’s greatest nobleman. A huge and heavy punishment couldn’t be avoided. I was also present at the meeting when the ruling was decided. And when she was sentenced for a month of imprisonment, Sophien burst into tears filled with bitterness. She made a fuss as if she couldn’t accept it, and the Duke of Haines protested, but it wasn’t accepted. Because it was the Crown Prince who decided the punishment. He simply replied to the Duke of Haines’s protest. [How much more should I be offended by this?] The Duke of Haines shut his mouth at the Crown Prince’s words when he said it with a smile. He smiled lightly, but there wasn’t anyone who knew that the Crown Prince was a truly scary person. Moreover, legally speaking, the Crown Prince’s punishment was not wrong. Because in the Empire, framing an innocent person was by no means a light crime. It’s because Sophien was trying to receive preferential treatment because of her status, but she had to be greatly grateful for this kind of punishment. Sophien disappeared in May, staring at me with frosty eyes. She seemed to blame me for all the misfortunes that had happened to her. Well, of course, I didn’t care much whether she did or not. Rather, Marie was the one who was worried about me. “Are you going to be okay, Lady? It seems that the wicked Princess has a grudge against you.” “I haven’t done anything wrong, why should I care about what kind of feeling she has about me?” “However…” I said half-heartedly, “If she tried to keep being hostile to me, that child will only lose. Who’s going to get hurt if that child and I fight?” Marie understood what I said and nodded. If she tries to play tricks again, will I be fooled? The more hostile she is to me, the bigger Sophien’s wounds would be. I hope that Sophien will wake up and be released from prison.



And so, Sopien disappeared and was in the middle of a peaceful day. I was lying in bed and idly passing time when I heard a knock outside the dorm. ‘Who else is it?’ I spoke with annoyance. “Marie, say I’m not here.” “…….” Marie glanced at me, who was wrapped in a blanket like a cocoon and then went out to the door. “Milady, it’s a gentleman I’ve never seen before. Should I say that you’re really not here?” “Who is it?” “He said it was Vaden…” “Vaden?” “Yes, he’s from Luxurison Corporation.” As I listened to Marie with an annoying expression, the word ‘Luxurison’ caught my mind. “The Luxurison Merchants? Are you sure? Are you sure he’s from there?” “Yes. Why?” Marie opened her eyes wide at my reaction. Didn’t I care even if it’s the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, or my older brother who came? Marie asked with a surprised look, “Who is it?” I said with a frown, “The creditor.” “…Pardon?” “He’s the one who lent me money.” *** I quickly went out to the drawing-room. In the chair in front of the table, a handsome, gray-haired young man was drinking tea. It was Viscount Vaden, the young representative of the Luxurison Corporation! “Oh, I’m seeing Your Highness the Princess. I’m sorry for the sudden visit.” “No. Have you been waiting for a long time?” “No. Time flies when I’m waiting for a beautiful woman.” Viscount Vaden replied



softly. As a young boss, he had a very sophisticated appearance. His tone and attitude were also very fluent, so it felt like he would be quite popular with the Ladies. Of course, no matter how beautiful he was or what charm he had, it had nothing to do with me. “I just came by, but thank you for allowing me to meet you.” I shook my head and sat across from him. “No. I prepared it in a hurry so I don’t know if the tea is going to suit your taste,” I frowned inwardly as I guessed why he came. ‘You’ve come to collect my debt.’ With the corrupt Professors’ case, I thought I would be expelled from school so I borrowed money with high interest. The interest that I have to pay back a month reached several hundred sena. It was borrowed with an ultra-short-term rate, so the time left until expiration was less than a few months. “I think that it’s only been a while, but Your Highness the Princess has become even more beautiful.” “Yes, thank you,” I replied formally. Honestly, I didn’t feel very good. It was a polite attitude, and although he only talked about pleasantries, he didn’t bring out any other light stories, so in the end, it was a silent debt poison. However, I don’t have any interest overdue, and the expiration date was still not approaching, but he’s pressing me. This was quite a discourtesy. ‘You think it’s funny that I am a Princess who runaway from home.’ I thought coldly. Still, I treated him as a creditor, but there seemed to be no reason to endure this rudeness anymore. “I’ll pay you back.” At my sudden words, Viscount Vaden gave a slightly confused expression. “No, I’m not here to tell you to pay back the debt.” “Then what? Are you really here to have a chat with me? That’s a surprise. I don’t think that Sir Viscount and I have that kind of relationship.” Viscount Vaden shut his mouth at my cold way of speaking. “You don’t have to worry because I’ll pay you back. But I think today’s visit was very imprudent. In Sir Viscount’s eyes, do I look like someone who couldn’t even



pay back 10,000 sena?” I grinned. 10,000 sena. Of course, it’s not a small amount of money. It’s money that commoners can earn by working after three to four years. But it wasn’t a lot of money for me. It’s just annoying. If I wanted to, I could make as much money as I could. “No, I’m not really here to press you for the debt. I hope you don’t misunderstand. It’s just because I want to meet a valued customer at the top…” Viscount Vaden was embarrassed and made excuses. I just stared at him without saying anything. I didn’t get angry, nor did I say I was okay. “……..” In the end, facing my bright red eyes, Viscount Vaden bowed his head and admitted his disrespect. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. As Your Highness said, I think I’ve been rude. I’ll wait for the expiry date.” I nodded quietly. “No, I was in a hurry, so I don’t know if the tea suits your taste.” It was a soft decoy. Viscount Vaden understood what I meant and got up from his seat. Chapter 55 “I’ll go now. I apologize again for the discourtesy. I will see you next time.” I let out a sigh when he disappeared. ‘I’m going to have to make some money.’ I was so lazy that I put it off, but now I felt like I had to move. ‘Why is this life like this? When can I rest?’ “Haa,” I sighed unconsciously, then I heard an unexpected voice. “That debt. Do you want me to pay it back for you?” “…….!” It was the Crown Prince Fildeheim! “I see Your Majesty the Crown Prince.” I and Marie gave our courtesy, and the Crown Prince shook his head as if it were okay. “What brings you here?”



“I didn’t come for any particular reason. Just,” As if he was hesitant, the Crown Prince paused and opened his mouth. “Just, I was just passing by, and I came to see you.” I shut my mouth when I heard his words. I always say this, but I feel uncomfortable dealing with him because I knew his heart was sincere. The Crown Prince smiled openly and said, “Of course I know you’re not happy to see me, but I’m glad to see you like this.” “…Your Majesty.” The Crown Prince shook his head as if he had noticed what I was going to say. “It’s all right, it’s all right. I just really wanted to see you today, so you don’t have to feel burdened. Or can’t you allow me at least this much?” In the end, I sighed openly and said, “Then look.” “Huh?” “I’ll stand here, so look as much as you like.” The Crown Prince burst into laughter at my words. I’ve always felt this way, but the Crown Prince often laughs at my insignificant words. Of course, I knew well that his laughter was limited to me. “If I look as much as I want, I don’t think it will be enough even if it has been a few days?” “…That’s a problem. Just look for ten minutes.” The Crown Prince laughed again. “But Rubia, can’t I really pay back the debt you owe?” Then he smiled and said again, “I just want to do it for you. You don’t have to feel burdened.” Looking into the eyes of the Crown Prince, I realized that he really wanted to pay off my debts with no intention whatsoever. He just wanted to do me a favor. Not long ago, I remembered when he looked at Janet coldly. I felt uncomfortable for some reason. He smiles brightly and softly, but everyone finds it difficult to deal with and feard him. It is only to me that the Crown Prince is offering unconditional favors. “Thank you for your words, but I will refuse.” “How come?” “I’m a capable woman, too. You don’t have to help me with something like 10,000 sena.” The Crown Prince had a bitter look on his face as I firmly showed my refusal.



“It couldn’t be helped. I hope one day you’ll be happy to accept my kindness.” “…….” “I’ll leave now, then.” The Crown Prince waved his hand and walked around. After a certain distance, he was enveloped in light. He activated the space-movement magic. I felt it from the first time I saw him at the casino, but he seemed to be very good at space magic as the rank 9th in the tower. ‘Was he said to be the greatest master of spatial magic across the entire continent?’ Then, the Crown Prince suddenly opened his mouth before disappearing into the light. “Rubia.” “………?” “I’m not offended even if you push me away. Because I care about you more than anything else.” Then he raised his blue eyes and looked straight at my eyes. His eyes were sinking deeply as usual. “But I hope you don’t push me for too long though. I’m not very patient, I don’t have the confidence to endure my feelings for you for a long time.” After that, the Crown Prince turned into light and disappeared. I put on a blank look at his words for a moment. ‘What are you saying?’ I had a puzzled look on my face. As time went by, his heart toward me was getting angrier. ‘Oh, I really need to leave the academy quickly. I have to go to a place where no one’s around and hide.’ I knew a style like the Crown Prince very well. Someone like the Crown Prince does not back down by pushing him away. On the contrary, he seemed to approach more strongly. So I had to leave. ‘The Fourth Prince said he’d take care of it so I could leave after this semester.’ The problem was the debt left to me. I have to pay this debt before I leave the academy so that I won’t get caught in the end. “I’ll make money first.” “Yes, Milady?”



“I’ll have to settle this debt as soon as possible.” “How are you going to pay it back? You’re a student now, so you can’t work at a casino or do a regular job somewhere.” It was right to the point, so I was worried for a while. There were many restrictions in many ways because of my status as a student. But I quickly found a way on how to make a lot of money in a short period of time. “I’m going to make a short-term investment to a merchant.” “Investment?” “Yes, if you invest in the right merchant, you can make a few times as much profit in a short period of time.” Of course, there was a risk of getting a big loss, but in my perspective, there was little chance of failure. “Uh…but if it’s an investment, shouldn’t we have capital money? But we don’t have money, do we?” “I can make capital money,” I replied casually. Of course, there was a way to make capital money. I picked up a document that was rolling around on the desk and showed it to Marie. “For now, 1,000 sena is enough to earn from this.” Marie, who saw the document, was startled and opened her eyes wide. “Don’t tell me, Milady?” I grinned. “Bingo.” The document contained this phrase: -The 1st Regular Exam Scholarship: 1,000 sena It was an official statement that offered a scholarship of 1,000 sena to the entire Academy. In other words, I was planning to make the capital money by getting the top spot on this exam. ‘I was going to take the exam roughly, but I can’t help it. Let’s start studying right away.’ I headed straight to the library without procrastinating. Then I began to study hard. *** The academy was rocked by the news of my hard work. “Her Highness is studying?”



“Really? Didn’t you see it wrong?” Everyone looked dubious. Their faces were asking why I was studying when I was lying in bed all the time. “I think she’s going to quit after a while. She’s not interested in studying at all, you know.” “Since everyone else is doing it, isn’t she just mimicking them?” “Shall we bet on how many days she’ll last?” “I’ll bet a day.” “Oh, one day is too short. Two days. ‘ll bet on two days.” It wasn’t a malicious murmur. Except for Sophien and her followers, there was no one with bad feelings toward me. But everyone thought I couldn’t study properly. Everyone thought of me as a student who has a hard time studying. It was a natural reaction for not knowing that I was the top student during the admission. There were even students who said this; “But Her Highness Princess Rubia doesn’t attend classes very much, she might flunk the exam because of it. Should we step forward?” “Aren’t we supposed to teach her a little bit?” “I know.” When Marie heard the chattering of the students floundering towards me, she came and said with an outraged face. “Milady, please take the top place this time! Please crush those who look down on Milady. You’re a genius!” “Come on.” But I thought the opposite. ‘If I get a scholarship, I’ll have to buy Marie something delicious, since it has been a long time.’ There will only be one person who will receive the 1,000 sena scholarship. From the first year to the fourth year, it was only the top student who had the highest grade in the entire Academy. So no matter how much knowledge I had in my previous life and even if I was the founder of the Academy, I couldn’t help but study hard. Especially, since 200 years ago—when the academy was founded—and up until now, there have been many academic changes. So if I approach it with knowledge of that time and solve the test, I could get quite a few wrong answers. But while I was studying hard, I realized that it was not easy to take the top spot in the entire academy. There were immensely powerful competitors. It was the two monsters in another grade, all of whom I knew.



‘Oh, my God. What’s wrong with the Fourth Prince’s grades?’ I opened my mouth when I found out about the grades of my fiance, the Fourth Prince, whom I met by chance. -All subjects after admission A+! This was the Fourth Prince’s grades! I can’t believe they’re all A+ without missing a single subject. It was not a human’s grade. ‘Is it because he has the Eyes of the Beholder? No, no matter how much he could see through the essence of things, it doesn’t have anything to do with the test. This is just the grades he got from his own ability.’ I had a tired look on my face. However, there was a story that the Fourth Prince had to officially participate in the Imperial Palace, so he took an additional test without taking this test. It was fortunate. But there was one more monster besides the Fourth Prince. This monster was also someone I knew well. ‘Visner, how did he get these good grades? I thought with a surprised look on my face. The other monster was a member of Russacle, Visner! His grades do not fall short to that of the Fourth Prince. -Except swordsmanship, all subjects A+! This has been Visner’s grades so far. ‘I could understand in the case of the Fourth Prince, but is this for real?’ I shook my head. The more I knew about Visner, the greater he seems to be. ‘Come to think of it, there’s nothing he can’t do. Isn’t he a real genius?’ The reason why he has been doing poorly in the swordsmanship class so far was because he had avoided using swords for unknown reasons in his past. But that has disappeared since he met me. ‘I’ve heard that he got an A+ this semester. Then, Visner’s grades are also A+ in all of the subjects, right?’ I realized I had to take at least A+ in all subjects to get the overall top position. And it wasn’t easy for me either, with only five days left. ‘I don’t know. Let’s try it anyway.’ I stayed up all night studying. I only got one to two hours of sleep a day? I didn’t sleep that much. I was tired to death, but I couldn’t help it. For 1,000 sena.



‘Oh, I’m tired.’ I went out of the library late in the morning to get some sleep. But then I met an unexpected figure outside. “Your Highness?” It was the deer boy, Visner. “You’re studying until late. Aren’t you tired?” “Yes, I’m tired. Very. I feel like I’m going to faint.” As I nod my head with a tired look on my face, Visner’s eyes were dyed with worry. “Why don’t you go in and rest now? I’m afraid, you’ve been overdoing it lately.” “According to the original school rules, the Grade Representative is given a personal fund for a critical moment. Didn’t she use the money?” “No, it has been confirmed that the money she embezzled was deposited from the public funds separately from the private funds.” At that time, the Crown Prince asked, who was present as the Head Professor. Unlike his usual curly way of speaking, his voice sounded rather cold. “You’re very sure. Even if we thoroughly investigate this problem, it’s difficult to get an accurate picture of the truth.” It was a chilling statement. Sophien flinched at the cold tone of the Crown Prince’s speech, but soon shook her head and presented the evidence. “Whether the heaven helped me, it was because I was able to secure concclusive evidence by chance. Vice Representative Hansen, please show us.”