Vol. 3 Ch. 2: The Correct Choice: Have His Highness Teach Me

After school, Monica finally reached the student council room, took a deep breath, and raised her hand to knock... only to lower it again.

She had been repeating the same motion over and over for quite some time now. This was her thirtieth deep breath.

Anyone who saw her endlessly taking deep breaths in front of the student council room would have taken her for a suspicious character. Monica's duty was to eliminate suspicious people from the Second Prince's vicinity, but at present, she was unquestionably the most suspicious person there.

(Th-this time for sure...)

Just as Monica raised her hand with the firm resolve to knock this time for sure...

"Um, are you all right?"

The voice from behind startled Monica so badly that she jumped and struck her forehead against the door. It hurt.

As she clutched her forehead and trembled, the person who had spoken to her bowed apologetically.

"Oh, I'm sorry for suddenly talking to you. Um, you've been taking deep breaths in front of the door for a while now, so I thought maybe you weren't feeling well..."

The person who had spoken to Monica was a boy with light brown hair. He was somewhat short and looked young, but judging by the decoration on his sleeve, he was in the same year as Monica. He wore the same student council officer badge as Monica at his collar.

(Is he a student council officer too?)

Come to think of it, there had seemed to be several people in the archives yesterday. But Monica had been so absorbed in the documents that she had barely noticed anything else.

As Monica fidgeted, the boy gave an elegant nobleman's bow.

"You're Monica Norton, the new treasurer, right? I'm Neil Clay Maywood, in charge of general affairs. Nice to meet you. Since we're the only second-years among the student council officers, let's get along."

Neil smiled shyly as he said this, and he looked every bit the kindhearted sort.

Ah, thank goodness, Monica thought as she secretly let out a breath.

She had been anxiously wondering whether the student council members disliked her, but there was such a nice person among them. Maybe she could somehow manage this after all... Just as she relaxed, though—

"How long are you going to stand there talking in front of the door!"

A shout rang out from behind her, and Monica flinched, hunching her shoulders.

When she turned around, Cyril Ashley, the student council vice president, stood with his arms crossed and glared at her.

Cyril raised his narrow chin and looked down haughtily at Monica before opening his mouth with evident disgust.

"Monica Norton. Because you've been engaging in bizarre behavior in front of the door forever, I couldn't get inside!"

Apparently, Cyril had been watching Monica repeatedly take deep breaths in front of the door.

"Um, Vice President... have you been watching me this whole time?"

When Neil muttered this under his breath, Cyril glared sharply at him. The timid-looking Neil hastily covered his mouth with one hand.

Cyril gave an arrogant snort, then glared at Monica again.

"I don't know how you ingratiated yourself with His Highness, but I have not acknowledged you as a student council officer."

Cyril spat the words out in a low voice and opened the door to the student council room.

Neil urged Monica, saying, "Let's go," so she cautiously followed the two of them inside.

Three people were already seated in the student council room. Sitting at the desk in the center was Felix, the student council president.

At the low table, a beautiful woman with pale blond hair and a young man with chestnut-colored hair and drooping eyes were reading through documents.

Felix noticed Monica behind Cyril and smiled warmly.

"Now we're all here."

When Felix spoke, the other officers naturally moved to the low table, leaving the seat at the head and the seat at the foot open.

Presumably, the seat at the foot beside Neil was Monica's.

Felix sat at the far end and gestured for Monica to take her seat.

"As I mentioned yesterday, our student council has decided to welcome Miss Monica Norton as a new officer in place of the former treasurer, O'Brien."

Vice President Cyril and the beautiful blonde listened to Felix with solemn expressions. The chestnut-haired young man watched Monica with an amused glint in his eyes, while Neil fidgeted at the sight of his seniors.

"I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Felix Arc Ridill, student council president."

Once Felix had introduced himself, the people who served under him had to introduce themselves as well.

The vice president, Cyril, opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

"...I'm Cyril Ashley, vice president of the student council."

The hostility toward Monica was palpable in Cyril's sharp voice.

As Monica hunched her shoulders, the chestnut-haired young man, who had been slouching carelessly against the back of his chair, casually raised one hand.

"I'm Elliot Howard, secretary. Nice to meet you."

Elliot was a young man with slightly drooping eyes and a frivolous air about him.

Next to speak was a beautiful young noblewoman with her pale blond hair arranged elegantly.

"Bridget Graham, secretary."

Bridget stated her name flatly without even looking toward Monica.

Having finished her brief introduction, she covered her mouth with a folding fan and fell silent.

Finally, Neil shyly introduced himself to Monica, who sat beside him.

"I'm Neil Clay Maywood, in charge of general affairs... though I already introduced myself earlier. Ahaha."

Even after Neil gave a nervous laugh, the atmosphere remained tense, and his laughter rang hollowly through it.

To ease the tension, Felix said, "Well then."

"Lastly, Miss Monica Norton. Please introduce yourself."

Oh, why had she been given so many chances lately to do something she was so bad at? If possible, she wanted to run away right now.

(...If I run away here, Louis-san will scold me. Louis-san will scold me. Louis-san is scary. Louis-san is scary...)

Monica pictured Louis Miller, one of the other Seven Sages, in her mind.

──Oh, fellow Sage? You cannot even say your own name properly? Ha ha ha, what a sound—like a cicada on the verge of death. Now, when did I become colleagues with a cicada, I wonder? If you are this utterly incompetent, people will think that I, your fellow Sage, am incompetent too. Now, if you understand, straighten your back and become human again, you cicada girl.

Just imagining it made her want to cry a little.

Monica sniffed and introduced herself in a frail voice.

"...M-Monica Norton..."

I said it. I managed to say it.

She had stumbled a little, but for Monica, it was a considerably better introduction than usual.

But...

"How disgraceful."

It was Bridget who dismissed Monica's introduction in a single sentence. She fixed her amber eyes on Monica and coldly spat the words out from behind her fan.

"I've never heard of a student council officer who cannot even properly introduce herself."

Bridget gave Monica a cold glance as she flinched, then shifted her gaze to Felix.

"Your Highness. I do not believe this girl is fit to stand before others. I urge you to reconsider before she drags the student council's reputation through the mud."

Felix wore the same gentle smile as always—but his eyes narrowed as though he were enjoying himself.

"You dislike my choice?"

"Yes."

Bridget neither flinched nor fawned before Felix, the Second Prince. She simply nodded firmly.

"Surely there are others who feel the same, are there not?"

Cyril was the one to react to this.

Cyril half rose from his chair, clenched his fists, and launched into an impassioned speech.

"Your Highness! I agree with Secretary Graham! Please, please, please reconsider! Having a little girl like this as a student council officer will bring shame upon the council!"

Elliot watched Cyril's loud protest with amusement, while Neil fidgeted anxiously.

And Felix—somehow—laughed softly, as though he were having fun. Although he was smiling, his blue eyes gleamed with a cold light.

"You people are interesting. You kept your mouths shut about the former treasurer Aaron O'Brien's misconduct and acted as though he never existed, yet you loudly condemn Miss Norton, who hasn't done a thing."

The air in the room froze.

Cyril turned pale and stammered, "That's, um..." while Bridget fell silent with an expressionless face.

Monica had no idea what kind of person the former treasurer had been. Still, judging from the conversation, he had apparently committed some sort of fraud and been forced from his position. Given the deficiencies in last year's financial report, it was not hard to imagine what he had done.

Felix laced his fingers over his lap, smiled with serene beauty, and said,

"Those without a backer are so easy to condemn, aren't they? There's no need to worry about them striking back."

The student council members stiffened at his calm, gentle, yet utterly frigid words.

"If Miss Norton commits some kind of blunder, that will be my responsibility as the one who appointed her. In that event, I promise I will resign as student council president."

The student council members were aghast at this declaration, but no one was more shocked than Monica.

(W-w-w-wait, wait, wait...!)

To be perfectly honest, all she could foresee was making a colossal blunder. She would mess up. She was sure she would mess something up. After all, aside from handling numbers, Monica was a hopeless excuse for a human being, mediocre at best.

As Monica's teeth chattered and she trembled, Felix gave a light clap.

"Well, shall we put this matter to rest? Now, Cyril, why don't you teach Miss Norton how to handle the treasurer's duties?"

At Felix's instruction, Cyril spoke with an expression of intense displeasure. He swallowed his retort, pulled his mouth into a sullen line, and reluctantly nodded.

"...As you command."

As Cyril raised his head, he glared at Monica. His eyes blazed with a light that had gone beyond hostility to murderous intent, and Monica could even hear the ominous grinding of his teeth.

Of all people, she had to learn from him!

Monica trembled like a leaf as she looked up at Felix.

"Ahhh, um, um... w-why do I have to learn from the vice president...?"

"Because Cyril served as acting treasurer for a while after we had the former treasurer dismissed."

Felix paused there, then peered into Monica's face as though he were enjoying himself.

"Would you have preferred to learn from me?"

"N-no. If possible, I thought I'd be happy if it were someone closer to my age..."

In other words, Neil—the boy who seemed the most mild-mannered.

"...I see."

Felix smiled kindly and said,

"Go have Cyril put you through your paces."

"...Eek."