Chapter 16
The Kingdom of Ridill has three princes, but the current king has yet to name which of them will be the next king.
At present, a growing number of nobles throughout the kingdom are pushing to install the second prince, Felix, as the next king.
After all, Felix has the backing of the Duke of Clockford, and his faction grows stronger by the day. If the second prince's faction continues to expand at this rate, there can be no doubt that Felix will become king.
That was why every noble young lady had suddenly set her sights on claiming the position of Felix's fiancée.
Compared to the rough-hewn first prince and the inconspicuous third prince, the second prince, Felix, possessed outstanding beauty. How many girls had fallen in love with him at first sight?
For that reason, female students often loitered around the student council room, hoping to catch even one glimpse of Felix. It was the same today. Several girls had gathered together and waited restlessly for Felix to arrive.
A female student approached from behind them.
Her name was Brigitte Graham, daughter of the Marquis of Shailbury.
Counted among Serendia Academy's three great beauties, she turned her beautiful face toward the girls and coldly announced,
"You're blocking the way. Would you please let me through?"
At those words, the girls lowered their heads shyly and left.
Brigitte excelled academically, consistently ranking near the top of the third year of the upper school. In languages especially, she was a prodigy who matched Prince Felix, who ranked first overall.
With her beauty and family background both beyond reproach, and with Prince Felix as her childhood friend, it was only natural that those around her viewed her as a candidate to be his fiancée.
More than anything, Brigitte was a student council officer personally selected by Felix. She was the only female student in the current council whom Felix had chosen himself. That was how much he trusted her.
"...Oh?"
Brigitte frowned as she turned the doorknob of the student council room. The door was unlocked. She had thought she would be the first to arrive today, so she felt a little puzzled as she stepped inside.
There was no one in the student council room... but faint noises could be heard from the adjoining records room. Thinking she should call out if someone was working there, Brigitte peered inside... and then fell speechless.
One of the shelves in the records room was empty, and documents were piled across the floor.
At the work desk in the back, an unfamiliar girl with light-brown hair was quietly reading the documents.
"Who are you? Who gave you permission to enter this room?"
The petite figure did not so much as twitch when Brigitte spoke to her.
"Answer me."
Even when Brigitte spoke in a forceful tone, the girl did not react.
Just as the impatient Brigitte was about to raise her voice again, two male students appeared behind her. Both were members of the student council.
"Oh, Lady Brigitte is the first one here today... Wait, what the heck is this?!"
"The documents... Huh? Um, who exactly is that person over there?"
The tall young man with tawny hair was Elliot, the secretary, while the small boy with light-brown hair was Neil, the general affairs officer.
Elliot looked at Brigitte and gave her an awkward, lopsided smile.
"Uh, what about that girl over there? Is she a friend of yours, Lady Brigitte?"
Instead of answering, Brigitte glared at Elliot with golden eyes that glinted like a wildcat's.
Elliot shrank back with an "Ooh, scary," and immediately corrected himself.
"Right, right, no way she's your friend. Lady Brigitte couldn't possibly have any friends..."
"She looks like she's a second-year student, same as me... but I've never seen her before."
Neil, who had been peeking out from behind Elliot, took one step toward the desk and spoke to the girl's back.
"Um, excuse meee. May I ask your nameee?"
As expected, there was no answer. The girl quietly turned the pages of the documents, occasionally writing numbers on small slips of paper and tucking them between the pages. Her eyes remained fixed on the documents, and she showed no sign of turning toward Brigitte and the others.
While Elliot and Neil stood at a loss, Brigitte raised the fan in her hand—and brought it down against the girl's cheek.
Smack! A loud, dramatic sound rang out, and the girl's movements stopped for an instant.
Elliot and Neil both sucked in a frightened breath and stared at Brigitte as if she were something terrifying.
Amid this, Brigitte opened the fan she had just swung down and coldly addressed the girl.
"Awake now?"
"..."
The girl stopped moving for a few seconds, but eventually began turning the pages again as though nothing had happened.
＊ ＊ ＊
──It hurts.
Monica, who had been immersed in the world of numbers, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her cheek.
──Pain is scary. Fear is painful.
The more painful or frightening something was, the deeper Monica's thoughts sank into the world of numbers.
Because while she was thinking about numbers, she did not have to feel how painful things were.
The beautiful world of numbers never hurt Monica. It never said cruel things or did anything painful.
Thus, when Monica felt pain in her cheek, she turned her eyes away from reality and immersed herself in the world of numbers once more.
＊ ＊ ＊
(Oh crappppp, Monica's gone completely berserk!!!)
The black cat Nero had been exploring the school building and watched the whole scene from outside the student council room's window.
He saw all of it, including the moment Monica was slapped on the cheek with the fan.
(No, no! Slapping her is having the opposite effect! When Monica is frightened like this, she buries herself even deeper in the world of numbers!)
Nero knew how to bring Monica back to her senses in this state.
──Paw pads. Precisely.
If he squished her cheek with his paw pads, Monica would return to her senses. That was why he wanted to get closer to her somehow, but the window was locked, so he could not get inside.
Nero scratched at the window and meowed repeatedly.
When the smallest boy noticed Nero first and cried, "Oh, a cat," the other two also turned their eyes toward the window.
(Yes, this is it!)
Nero perched on the windowsill, struck the cutest pose he could manage, and meowed, "Myaaaan."
(How's that?! My ultimate move! My all-out sexy dynamite pose! This'll have every little girl falling head over heels for me!)
Whenever he struck this pose, most humans fell head over heels for Nero and let him inside.
And while they were at it, they could groom him and give him food, too! Nero was smugly snorting through his nose when the young lady holding the fan said flatly,
"I dislike creatures whose only talent is fawning."
(M-meow, meow... whaaaaat?!)
Nero was furious. Could such a thing be allowed? No, absolutely not. Surely it could not be permitted. He was so cute, after all!
(Who are you calling a creature whose only talent is fawning, you human little brat?! Shall I show you what I'm really capable of?!?)
Even when Nero stamped his feet and yowled, "Fgyah! Fgyee!", Monica still did not notice him.
There was no choice but to squish Monica's cheek with his paw pads if he wanted to bring her back to her senses.
(So open up already! Let me squish you with my paw pads!!!)
As Nero scratched furiously at the window, two more humans arrived in the records room.
They were the second prince, the student council president whom Monica had been assigned to guard, and a silver-haired young man who appeared to be his aide.
"Hey, what's all the commotion about?"
＊ ＊ ＊
The first thing Felix did upon entering the records room was check the key ring.
(...It hasn't moved from its original position.)
He casually looked over the other shelves, but there was no sign that they had been disturbed. The only shelf whose contents had been completely removed was the one containing the accounting records.
Felix picked up one of the documents spread across the floor and flipped through it.
The accounting records from twenty-four years ago had slips of paper inserted at the corrections, each bearing the correct figures. The other documents were the same.
Cyril, who had been checking the documents beside Felix, opened his eyes wide in shock.
"This is... Impossible! It's not just five years' worth—it's every record from the past! Why on earth is this little brat digging up records this old?! Hey, you little brat! Explain yourself!"
Even when Cyril shouted at her, Monica did not react. His pale cheeks twitched with anger. At this rate, he might actually attack Monica.
It was then that Felix noticed the swelling on Monica's right cheek.
"...What happened here?"
"I merely administered a little discipline to the insolent girl."
Brigitte answered with a composed expression and covered her mouth with her open fan.
Apparently, Monica's behavior had offended her.
Felix ran a gloved fingertip gently over Monica's cheek. As expected, Monica did not even blink.
"I was the one who asked her to review five years of accounting records."
After explaining this to the student council members, Felix mentally calculated the figures on the pages containing the correction slips.
Indeed, there were errors, just as Monica had pointed out.
(...But she's reviewing all the records from the past?)
Even Felix was astonished by this... When had he last been this surprised?
Feeling a touch of admiration, Felix gently tapped Monica on the shoulder.
"Lady Norton, you've done a fine job. You may take a break now."
Monica did not answer.
"Lady Norton."
When Felix shook Monica's shoulder a little more firmly, she raised her right arm and, incredibly, brushed his arm away in annoyance.
The student council members began to murmur. Cyril in particular grew furious and started scattering ice magic.
"You insolent wretch! How dare you treat His Highness with such disrespect?! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
Cyril began chanting as he shouted, so Felix raised one hand and stopped him.
Then he looked at Monica as if she were some strange creature.
At that moment, Monica was devoting all her awareness to calculating. The girl who had once been so timid and constantly watched Felix's expression now acted as though he did not exist.
It was just like when she had praised a sequence of numbers instead of Felix's appearance.
That strangely tickled Felix.
...I want her to turn toward me rather than the numbers.
Felix wore a faint smile, placed a finger against Monica's cheek, and...
Pressed a kiss to the swollen red cheek.
As the student council members fell speechless, Monica's movements stopped dead—but her gaze remained fixed on the documents.
"...Nero, wait... I'll be done soon..."
"Nero?"
When Felix tilted his head and asked, Monica's thin shoulders jerked upward, and the quill slipped from her hand.
Before long, her entire body began to tremble violently, and her small head slowly, slowly turned toward Felix.
"P-p-p-p-Pr—Pr—Prince..."
"Mm, how delightful."
When Felix smiled at Monica as she made that peculiar sound, she tumbled from her chair and prostrated herself on the floor.
"I-I-I, I-I'm terribly s-s-sorry... hyafoo!?"
Apparently, she had bitten her tongue at the end.
Monica covered her mouth and began to sniffle and cry, saying, "It huuurts..."
Felix gently patted Monica's head, feeling as though he were watching a toy that moved in the most entertaining way.
"Lift your face. You worked so hard to fulfill my request, didn't you? You have nothing to apologize for."
"Eep... y-yes..."
When Monica nodded while sniffling, Cyril raised one hand and cut in with, "With all due respect."
"Your Highness, this little brat has gone too far. You only ordered her to check five years of accounting records... The fact that she examined documents beyond those you ordered her to check is something she should be reprimanded for."
At Cyril's accusation, Monica once again turned deathly pale and began trembling pitifully.
Felix asked Monica, not Cyril,
"What did you think when you looked over the accounting records?"
"U-um... well..."
"I won't get angry, so tell me honestly what you thought."
Prompted by Felix's gentle voice, Monica twisted her fingers nervously and said,
"...The amount of money moving through them is astonishingly large, but the management is astonishingly sloppy. I was astonished."
"You insolent wretch!"
Cyril shouted in a fury, and Monica clutched her head and wailed, "But you said you wouldn't get angry..."
Felix wore a faint smile and looked around at the student council members.
"This is the reality of student councils throughout history. The people who served on the council were all people who had never needed to worry about money, so their management was lax. Even I failed to spot Aaron O'Brien's embezzlement right away... Learning from that mistake, I hereby declare this:"
Felix took Monica's hand as she huddled there, sobbing, and announced in a ringing voice,
"I hereby appoint Lady Monica Norton, a second-year student in the upper school, as the student council treasurer."
The next moment, Monica rolled her eyes back and collapsed where she stood.
Outside the window, a black cat was noisily meowing over and over.