Chapter 57
It was still early dawn, and the sun had yet to rise.
In Room 201 of the faculty housing, which had only just been draped in a bluish light, moving boxes were stacked all the way to the ceiling. It was known as the storage room.
Elysia, who had been sleeping curled up between the boxes, suddenly opened her eyes.
“......!”
‘If I sleep any longer here, I’ll really sleep through everything!’
She was just about to leap to her feet when—
Wham!
“Agh!”
She struck her forehead against the box above her.
Rubbing her aching forehead, Elysia drew ragged breaths and looked around.
It was far too shabby to be called an imperial princess’s bedroom, but Elysia was used to places like this.
Besides, she had shown up out of the blue in the middle of the night and begged to stay, so she was hardly in a position to complain.
The world outside the window was beginning to grow faintly bright.
‘This is bad. The sun’s going to rise.’
Elysia’s heart began to pound.
The night before, she had hurriedly closed the bedroom door and left before her older brother, Prince Radiance, returned from the research building.
She had stretched the pillows out across the bed, covered them with a blanket, and disguised them to look as though someone were sleeping there.
‘If I don’t switch places before Brother wakes up....’
Radiance was quick-witted.
If he realized that his younger sister had disappeared during the night, he would obviously turn the academy upside down while searching for her.
More than anything....
‘Even if he is my brother... just the two of us sleeping under one roof is a little... awkward.’
The quarters were large enough for them to have separate rooms, but living in the same house as her brother was still rather embarrassing and uncomfortable.
Especially when that brother was as overprotective as Radiance.
Elysia carefully rose to her feet.
Like a cat, she crept into the living room without making a sound.
When she looked toward the master bedroom, a quiet stillness flowed from beyond the firmly closed door.
‘It looks like the two of them are still asleep.’
She wondered whether she should say goodbye before leaving, but waking a newlywed couple from their deep sleep would be impolite.
Elysia placed the note she had prepared in advance on top of the shoe cabinet.
『Thank you for letting me stay! I’ll have breakfast back at our place with Brother! -Ellie-』
‘Phew... That should do it.’
Then she carefully opened the front door and slipped out like a thief.
The cold dawn air brushed against her cheeks.
Fastening her outer garment, Elysia began to sprint with all her might.
“Huff... huff....”
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
Elysia arrived in front of the building that had once been first-class married faculty housing and was now the special residence for the imperial siblings.
Fortunately, there was no one around.
She cautiously turned the key and opened the door.
Click.
“Phew... Safe.”
Elysia let out a sigh of relief and took off her shoes.
Since the living room lights were still off, Radiance was clearly asleep.
‘Thank goodness. He didn’t catch me.’
She crept toward Radiance’s bedroom.
She intended to check whether he might be awake after all.
Creak.
She peered inside through the gap in the door.
But then.
“......Huh?”
The bed was empty.
The blankets had been thrown back, and the bed was cold to the touch.
‘Where did he go?’
Was he in the bathroom?
Or perhaps the kitchen?
Elysia searched every corner of the house, but there was no sign of Radiance anywhere.
‘Could he have... spent the whole night looking for me?’
Or had he already gone to the research building to prepare for the entrance ceremony?
Her unpredictable brother was impossible to read.
But then she found a note on the dining table and felt relieved.
『I’m heading out first. See you at the entrance ceremony. Don’t be late. -The Handsomest Brother in the World-』
“......Pfft.”
Elysia let out a small laugh.
Judging by the self-loving note, it seemed nothing was wrong.
“Right. I need to get ready too.”
Elysia headed for the bathroom.
Today was a day that would determine her entire life.
The Imperial Academy entrance ceremony.
It was the first step toward overcoming the stigma of being born illegitimate and forging her own destiny through her own strength.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Elysia clenched her fists.
“I can do this. Elysia Spencer.”
The illegitimate princess’s golden eyes shone with determination.
At the same time, dawn was breaking in the medical staff quarters beside the infirmary.
“Brother.... I can’t tie my tie....”
Kairen was struggling in front of the mirror.
Dressed in his freshly pressed academy uniform, he was sweating as he wrestled with the tie around his neck.
“Come here.”
Karl, seated in his wheelchair, beckoned with a smile.
Kairen approached sheepishly and bent at the waist.
With practiced hands, Karl untied his younger brother’s tie and tied it again.
“If you tie it too tightly, it will feel constricting. A little loose, but still neat.”
His brother’s touch was gentle.
“......I’m sorry.”
Kairen lowered his head.
“I’m all grown up, yet I can’t even do this on my own.”
“No. I’m grateful that you still need me.”
Karl finished the knot and patted his brother’s shoulder.
“Kairen.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“Today, you’ll stand there as Northgard’s representative.”
Karl said, his voice firm.
“Bearing the honor of your family is a heavy responsibility. But....”
He looked directly into his brother’s eyes.
“That doesn’t mean you should try to shoulder all the responsibility alone.”
“......”
“You don’t need to feel intimidated just because you’re young, but neither should you try to solve everything on your own. Strength isn’t standing alone; it’s knowing how to stand together with others.”
Karl looked out the window toward the faculty housing.
“You have good friends by your side, don’t you? Sir Varg, Lady Kara... and the people you have to protect.”
Trust and rely on one another.
That is true strength.
Karl’s advice made Kairen’s chest swell with emotion.
In the past, talk of family honor would have weighed him down so heavily that he could hardly breathe.
I must be perfect.
I must not make a mistake.
The obsession that he had to take his brother’s place.
But things were different now.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Brother.”
Kairen lifted his head.
His red eyes were filled with unwavering conviction.
“As you said... I won’t walk alone. I won’t forget that you and my companions are behind me.”
“Good. Take care.”
Karl saw his younger brother off with a satisfied smile.
As Kairen left the room, he clenched his fist.
The boy had broken through his shell and taken his first step toward becoming the warrior he dreamed of being.
* * *
My wife and I were also busy preparing for the entrance ceremony.
“Look at this. ‘Thank you for letting me stay’? Good grief.”
I gave a hollow laugh as I looked at Elysia’s note on the dining table.
“I can’t tell whether she’s trying to impose on us or be polite.”
“She’s cute, though. She should at least eat breakfast before heading out.”
Kara clicked her tongue regretfully.
I opened the wardrobe door.
A formal uniform made of Behemoth hide.
It was the only outfit capable of accommodating my enormous muscles, crafted by artisans in a border city who had poured their very souls into it.
“Shall I try it on?”
I took out the outfit and put it on.
Swish.
The moment the leather touched my skin, a strange sensation that was both cold and hot enveloped my entire body.
Like the skin of a living creature, the outfit contracted and relaxed along the contours of my muscles, fitting me perfectly.
I looked in the mirror.
Matte black leather wrapped around my body like armor.
Whenever I moved, the muscles of my back and shoulders showed sharply through the leather, giving me an imposing yet strangely sexy air.
The boundary between barbarian and aristocrat.
The figure of a wild ruler standing somewhere in between.
“Wow....”
Kara approached and exclaimed in admiration.
Kara was wearing a women’s formal uniform in the same color as mine.
The form-fitting uniform made her tall, slender frame and toned figure stand out even more.
“My husband looks amazing. Won’t all the students run away?”
Kara teased me as she tied my necktie.
“That would be nice. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with any annoying trouble.”
I wrapped an arm around Kara’s waist and looked at us in the mirror.
It wasn’t a bad sight.
To be honest....
We looked incredible.
The strongest couple in the North.
It was embarrassing to think so myself, but objectively speaking, with looks like ours, anyone at the academy who had a problem with us would have to be insane.
“But... something feels missing.”
I said this while feeling around behind my back.
“Is it because I don’t have a weapon?”
Weapons were prohibited inside the entrance ceremony hall.
Without 「First Snowflake」 normally strapped to my back, I felt naked.
Kara also kept reaching for her waist, apparently feeling bare without a weapon.
“I feel awkward too without 「Frostwind」.”
“It’s fine. My body is a weapon.”
I held up my fist.
The Behemoth hide pulled taut and gave a loud creak.
“And if anything happens, I’ll block everything. You stay behind me.”
“Tch, who’s protecting whom? I can throw a punch too, you know?”
We rubbed our noses together as we looked at each other.
Excitement outweighed the tension.
“Let’s go.”
We held hands and left the quarters.
* * *
Hundreds of new students had gathered in the academy’s grand auditorium, murmuring among themselves.
Beneath the domed ceiling, the seats were divided into four broad sections according to their regions of origin.
The eastern section was filled with students from the Kingdom of Isteria, the center of commerce and trade.
Noble scions wearing flashy accessories over their standardized uniforms had gathered to show off their wealth.
One notable feature was that there were also many wealthy commoners.
Most of them were students in the medical or magitech departments, where money was to be made.
The atmosphere was calculating and noisy.
The western section was occupied by noble scions centered around the Kingdom of Slokina.
A somewhat closed-off and sharp atmosphere hung over it.
They clustered together, sending wary or mocking glances toward the other sections.
Their gazes were particularly unfriendly toward the northern section.
The southern students dressed lightly and extravagantly, perhaps because of the mild climate.
Amid the free-spirited atmosphere, men and women mingled and spoke as though they were dancing.
They seemed more interested in where tonight’s party would be held than in politics or factional struggles.
And then....
The northern section had the fewest students, but the air there felt heavier.
The students were on average a head taller than those in the other sections, and every one of them was taciturn.
Many wore practical coats over their uniforms instead of flashy decorations.
At the very front and center of the northern section.
Kairen sat with his legs crossed.
With his arms folded, he took in the commotion around him.
When he listened closely, the voices coming from the western section were particularly loud.
“Hey, did you hear the rumor? They say an illegitimate princess is coming?”
“Really? That lowly bloodline dares come to the academy?”
“Where will she sit? It’ll be a pain if we get mixed up with her. Don’t let her come anywhere near our section.”
The biggest topic of conversation was undoubtedly Princess Elysia.
Everywhere, it was obvious that people were trying to avoid the illegitimate girl.
Perhaps because they were still young undergraduates, their prejudice and discrimination over bloodlines were being displayed without the slightest restraint.
And the next target was....
“Look over there. That’s the young master of Northgard.”
“Wow... he is handsome. I heard he skipped ahead by three years?”
“His brother is that legendary valedictorian, Karl, right? The one who’s friends with His Highness Prince Radiance. I guess he has different genes from the rest of us.”
Kairen pretended to be indifferent beneath the flood of attention, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting slightly.
He couldn’t control the childish feeling of pride swelling inside him.
But the words that followed struck like daggers.
“But I heard his brother ended up with crippled legs? Could he have a hereditary disease too?”
“Probably. Won’t he end up crippled too if he pushes himself so hard to skip grades?”
“That’s how Northerners are. All brawn, no brains.”
Pity and sneers aimed at his brother were mixed in with the praise.
The hand resting on Kairen’s knee trembled.
‘...I have to endure this.’
He bit his lip.
His brother had told him.
Not to walk alone.
That he had to endure these oppressive gazes to become the true master of Northgard.
Kairen suppressed his boiling anger and stared straight ahead.
Creeeak-.
At that moment, the doors of the grand auditorium opened.
The hall fell silent in an instant.
An illegitimate princess stood at the entrance.
The emperor’s illegitimate daughter, her red hair and golden eyes impossible to conceal.